London bias ‘baked into’ system as MPs warn UK can no longer ‘fly blind’ on attracting foreign investment June 9, 2023 The Government is not doing enough to encourage foreign investment into areas of the UK outside London and the South East, MPs have warned. An economic bias remains “baked into” the system, leaving barriers to the levelling up agenda, the Commons Public Accounts Committee said. The group has told the newly formed Department for Business [...]
Donald Trump: Former President charged over mishandling classified documents June 9, 2023 Former US President Donald Trump said he has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate. The Justice Department did not immediately publicly confirm the indictment which would ignite a federal prosecution and provide arguably the most perilous of legal threats against the former president. US media outlets said the indictment [...]
Sunak in DC: Britain to host AI summit amid creators’ ‘nuclear war’ risks June 8, 2023 The UK will host the first global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) safety, Rishi Sunak announced ahead of talks on the issue with Joe Biden. The summit, which will be held in the autumn, will consider the need for international co-ordinated action to mitigate the risks of the emerging technology. Ahead of Thursday’s meeting with [...]
Boris ‘hosted friend’ at Chequers during lockdown – reports June 8, 2023 Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie hosted a close friend at Chequers in May 2021 for an overnight stay while some Covid-19 restrictions were still in place, according to reports. A spokesman for the former prime minister said that the visit was “entirely lawful”, after The Guardian newspaper reported that events organiser Dixie Maloney stayed [...]
Bike theft now ‘decriminalised’ as Met fail to solve nine out of ten cases June 7, 2023 More than nine in ten bike thefts reported to the Met Police went unsolved in 2022, according to Home Office statistics. Some 93.7 per cent of reported thefts went unsolved in the capital last year, higher than the national average of 89 per cent. The Lib Dems, who crunched the numbers, said the figures suggested [...]
Tens of thousands at risk of flooding after Russian-held Ukraine dam collapse June 7, 2023 At least seven people are missing after waters from the destroyed Nova Kakhovka dam flooded nearby areas, Russia’s TASS news agency cited the Moscow-installed mayor of the city of Nova Kakhovka as saying on Wednesday. The Moscow-controlled Nova Kakhvovka dam on the Dnipro River was destroyed on Tuesday, flooding a swathe of the frontline in the Kherson [...]
Microsoft rallies behind licensing regime for AI firms to ensure safety June 6, 2023 The president of Microsoft has called for a licensing regime for artificial intelligence firms, arguing that such a system would be needed to ensure AI models are used safely. “There is some category of models that is so powerful, so impactful, there will need to be certain regulations and laws – new regulations and laws [...]
Starmer hints Labour could link government contracts to how firms treat unions June 6, 2023 Keir Starmer has suggested that, under a Labour government, the awarding of state contracts could hinge on how companies treat trade unions that represent their staff. Speaking at the annual congress of trade union GMB in Brighton yesterday, Starmer said that Amazon should “recognise unions”, arguing that his party would beef up the power of [...]
Margaret Ferrier: MP suspended from Commons over 2020 Covid breach – and risks by-election June 6, 2023 Margaret Ferrier has been suspended from the House of Commons for 30 days for breaching coronavirus rules. The Commons voted 185 to 40, majority 145, to approve the motion to suspend the independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West. Ms Ferrier, a former SNP MP, was in the Commons chamber as MPs approved her suspension. [...]
China told ‘secret UK police stations’ must “not operate in any form” June 6, 2023 The Chinese Embassy has been told running overseas police stations in the UK is “unacceptable” and that “they must not operate in any form”, the security minister has said. Tom Tugendhat set out the findings of an investigation into allegations of unofficial Chinese overseas police stations operating in the UK which stood accused of seeking [...]