Space race: The ambitions, plans and delays of launching superpowers August 26, 2021 Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, following its landmark human flight last month, has launched an uncrewed mission of NASAs future moon landing technology today. The flight, known as NS-17 or New Shepard 17, set off from a Blue Origin site in West Texas. The NASA payload on board is to test technologies including a Doppler Lidar [...]
Flatgate: Tory donor Lord Brownlow transferred £52k to pay for Boris Johnson’s lavish Downing Street renovations August 26, 2021 It has appeared that a Conservative Party donor coughed up more than £52,000 to pay for some of the costs of Boris Johnson’s lavish renovations to his Downing Street residence, according to party accounts. The refurbishments to the flat in No 11 sparked sustained scrutiny of Johnson’s finances, with the works vastly exceeding the £30,000 [...]
Afghanistan: More than 11,000 people evacuated from Kabul by UK armed forces August 25, 2021 UK armed forces have evacuated more than 11,000 UK and Afghan nationals from Kabul since the Taliban took control of the nation, the Ministry of Defence confirmed tonight. So far 11,474 people have been flown out of Kabul since the mission began on 13 August. The tally includes embassy staff, British nationals,Afghan nationals under the [...]
Afghanistan: Former central bank boss warns Taliban have ‘less than a week’ of financial coverage August 25, 2021 Following its takeover by the Taliban, Afghanistan and its capital Kabul have been left in chaos – with thousands attempting to flee the country while its economic climate becomes increasingly dire. An eyewatering amount of capital has been snatched from the hands of the Taliban as countries like the US, Germany and other foreign fiscal [...]
Local councils in Britain staring into £3.1bn funding blackhole August 25, 2021 Local councils in Britain will look to scrap projects and essential services as they grapple with a combined £3.1bn funding blackhole. Councils across England, Wales and Scotland face record financial shortfall in 2022/23 which will likely will lead to huge service and staff cuts at local authorities unless the government urgently finds the money to protect communities, the Unison union [...]
Dominic Raab denies paddleboarding in Greece while Kabul fell: ‘The sea was closed’ August 25, 2021 Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said reports of him paddleboarding on holiday while Kabul was taken over by the Taliban are “nonsense” because he was working and the sea was actually “closed”. Raab did say, however,that, with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have gone away on holiday at that time. He faced strong [...]
Scottish Covid inquiry set to commence this year August 24, 2021 The Scottish Government has announced it will be launching its own inquiry into the handling of the Covid pandemic amidst pressure from grieving families. Today, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that Scotland intends to hold its own judge-led inquiry into all matters concerning the pandemic, within the devolved competence of the Scottish government. This will include the [...]
Tiananmen vigil organiser in Hong Kong awaits final vote to disband August 24, 2021 A group called The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organised an annual Tiananmen vigil in the city, has reportedly decided to disband. The group’s standing committee held a special meeting yesterday and decided to disband the embattled organisation amid political pressure, reported South China Morning Post. The disbandment [...]
Hong Kong’s new censorship rules will ban some films based on ‘national security’ August 24, 2021 Hong Kong authorities have proposed a series of law changes to scrutinise previously approved films and new productions which it deems threats to national security. The city’s government announced today to amend the Film Censorship Ordinance, which requires censors to assess a product’s impact on national security before offering their endorsement. The new arrangement will [...]
Extinction Rebellion: Giant climate talk table set up in Trafalgar Square August 23, 2021 Climate activist group Extinction Rebellion have erected a giant pink table in the centre of London today, in their bid to ensure everyone gets a seat at the table of discussion when it comes to the warming climate and its impacts. The four-metre structure, which reads “come to the table” and has been fit [...]
