The News

 Sadiq Khan has secured a historic third term as London Mayor and used his victory speech to tell Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ‘give the public a choice’ and call for a general election. 

The Labour Mayor thanked Londoners for voting him back in after he trounced his Tory rival Susan Hall – dashing rumours that he could be ousted by a backlash over ULEZ, crime and Gaza.

Mr Khan celebrated his ‘increased margin of victory’ on the previous election after he received 1,088,225 votes, a majority of nearly 276,000 over Ms Hall, who secured 812,397 votes.

‘It’s time for an election’, Mr Khan said, adding that he hopes 2024 ‘will be a year of change’ and declaring that Labour are ‘ready to form the next government whenever Rishi Sunak calls a general election.’

Asked if his third term will be his last in London and whether he has ‘ambitious for national politics’, Mr Khan said that he is currently celebrating the ‘hat trick’, before cryptically adding: ‘Just wait and see.’

The Labour Mayor thanked Londoners for voting him back in after he trounced his Tory rival Susan Hall

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The Netherlands fell silent for two minutes at 8 pm on Saturday to remember the Dutch who died during World War II and in conflicts and peace keeping missions since then.

The ceremony began as king Willem-Alexander and queen Maxima laid a wreath at the war memorial on Dam square in the centre of Amsterdam in front of a crowd of several thousand people.

There was heavy security around the Dam because of fears the event may be hijacked by demonstrators given the tensions caused by the Israel Hamas war. All visitors were searched and their number was limited to 10,000, all of whom had to register in advance.

In the event, far fewer people came to the centre of the capital – just 4,000 according to the organisers, who said the predicted bad weather may also have played a part.

The two minutes silence passed off in Amsterdam without incident. According to broadcaster NOS, one man wanted to hold up a banner, but was removed by the police before he could do so.

After the two minutes silence, the children and grandchildren of different groups of victims – from relatives of resistance fighters to the military – laid wreaths at the monument and spoke of their experiences.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema then gave a speech, in which she spoke about the way memories of war make “wounds that never heel”.

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Union President Stacy Davis Gates said in early March that her proposed contract for 2024 to 2028 ‘will cost $50 billion and 3 cents.’

‘And so what?’ Davis Gates added. ‘That’s audacity. That’s Chicago.’

Part of the reason the contract costs so much is because the teachers union is demanding 9 percent cost of living adjustments every year. 

According to Indeed, the average salary of a teacher in Chicago Public Schools is $67,718. With raises every year for four years, teachers would be getting paid about $95,000 a year by 2028, which is roughly 36 percent higher than the national average.