UK’s public debt pile tops £2 trillion for first time ever August 21, 2020 The UK government’s debt exceeded £2 trillion for the first time in July and is expected to go higher as the Treasury pours unprecedented amounts of stimulus into the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The debt – the total amount that the government has borrowed and owes – jumped by an enormous £228bn in the [...]
Alexei Navalny supporters accuse Kremlin of blocking his evacuation to Germany August 21, 2020 Allies of critically ill Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny accused the Kremlin of thwarting his medical evacuation to Germany today and said the move puts his life in mortal danger because the hospital treating him in Siberia is under equipped. Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, is in a serious condition after drinking [...]
Trust is at an all-time low, but we need journalism now more than ever August 21, 2020 Last month, a YovGov poll found that over 50 percent of adults in the UK now see the British media as a “force for bad”. This is an alarming statistic. It is the first time the monthly tracker has found that the majority of Brits hold this view, and the speed at which this trend [...]
Is facial recognition technology finally being seen for the dystopian threat it is? August 21, 2020 In the end, even Silicon Valley has had to admit that there is something a bit sinister about facial recognition technology. Momentum has been building in recent months. Arvind Krishna of IBM was first. He announced in June that his company would no longer offer automatic facial recognition (AFR) software. He also said it would [...]
DEBATE: Should the government take equity stakes in struggling businesses to help support them? August 21, 2020 Should the government take equity stakes in struggling businesses to help support them? Leigh Webb, associate director and head of private equity sponsor coverage at finnCap Group, says YES. While I agree that, on the whole, government ownership is far less effective than using equity or capital markets when bailing out companies, this is not [...]
Portugal added to UK’s Covid-19 safe travel list August 20, 2020 Britons on holiday in Portugal will no longer need to quarantine when they return after the country was added to the UK’s safe travel list. The rule change, which comes into force at 4am on Saturday, means UK tourists do not have to self-isolate for two weeks after returning from Portugal. Travellers that return from [...]
Are the Democrats sleepwalking into the US election? August 20, 2020 The first three days of the Democratic National Convention have progressed in the same conservative, risk averse manner of Joe Biden’s campaign so far. Despite having addresses from three former presidents, one former presidential nominee and a host of party grandees, there will be little if anything that will be remembered from the past three [...]
Steve Bannon charged with fraud conspiracy over US-Mexico border wall funding August 20, 2020 Steve Bannon, a former adviser to US President Donald Trump, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in relation to a fundraising campaign to support the building of the US-Mexico border wall, the US Justice Department said today. Trump’s former White House chief strategist was arrested on charges that he defrauded donors to [...]
McKinsey paid £560,000 to consult on Public Health England axeing August 20, 2020 Management consulting giant McKinsey was paid more £500,000 by the government to advise on the formation of a new public health authority in England. Health secretary Matt Hancock announced in a speech on Tuesday that Public Health England was to be replaced with a new body called the National Institute for Health Protection. The new [...]
Record number of students receive highest GCSE grades August 20, 2020 More than one-in-four GCSE students in England received the highest possible grades this year, after the government’s U-turn on how grades are assessed. Ofqual released this year’s GCSE results today, with 25.9 per cent awarded a 7, 8 or 9 – equivalent to A or A* under the old system – which is up from [...]