Bitesize Blighty: March 16, 2018
- World renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, died peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of Wednesday morning at the age of 76. The British scientist was framed for his work with black holes and relativity, and wrote the popular science book A Brief History of Time.
- Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital, after they were found unconscious on a bench in the Wiltshire city on 4 March. The UK government says they were poisoned with a nerve agent of a type developed by Russia called Novichok, and PM Theresa May said she believed Moscow was "culpable." Russian President Vladimir Putin is "overwhelmingly likely" to have ordered the nerve agent attack on an ex-spy and his daughter, Boris Johnson has said. The foreign secretary said "our quarrel is with Putin's Kremlin, and with his decision" over the Salisbury incident.
- Goldman Sachs has reported a median UK gender pay gap at its international business of 36.4% for hourly pay and a median bonus gap of 67.7%.Its mean average pay gap for hourly pay was 55.5%, and 72.2% for bonuses. The bank said this reflected an imbalance between men and women in senior roles, adding it was "committed to promoting diversity and inclusion".