STORY: The biggest mass strike in decades has started in Great Britain. Hundreds of thousands of civil servants demonstrated on Wednesday for higher wages. Schools remained closed, rail services ground to a halt, and the military was put on standby to help with border controls. The strikers are demanding above-inflation wage increases to meet skyrocketing food and energy bills. It is estimated that up to half a million teachers, civil servants, train drivers and university lecturers are taking part in the walkout. The UK has already seen a spate of strikes across sectors, including health workers, transport workers and Royal Mail postal workers, in recent months as a result of inflation exceeding 10% – the highest level in four decades. Nurses, paramedics and other healthcare workers plan to go on strike in the coming days, while firefighters supported nationwide strikes this week.