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 [...]
BBC set to tap Jess Brammar as news chief despite ‘bias’ row August 23, 2021 The BBC is poised to appoint Jess Brammar as its new head of news despite an online backlash against so-called ‘left-wing’ views. Brammar, former editor-in-chief of Huffpost UK and previously deputy editor of Newsnight, is expected to be appointed to a new role overseeing the broadcaster’s news output. It comes despite criticisms that the news [...]
UK beefs up international trade effort by naming cricket legend Ian Botham envoy to Ashes rivals Australia August 23, 2021 Former England cricket captain Ian Botham has been appointed as a UK trade envoy to Australia. Lord Botham is to be one of 10 new UK trade tsars tasked with drumming up business for Britain in overseas markets that also include New Zealand and Canada, The Sun reported. “It’s a great honour to carry out [...]
Afghanistan: UK ups evacuations as Taliban warns against an overstay August 23, 2021 The UK is set to fly around 6,000 British and Afghan citizens out of Afghanistan this week, as it ramps up its evacuation plans. To help more people leave the country, the military has extended the deadline for the final RAF evacuation flight from tomorrow to Friday or Saturday, according to Time Times. The total [...]
Sara Glass CA: From the private sector to CFO of the Scottish Parliament August 23, 2021 | City Talk This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Sara Glass CA left a successful career in the private sector to become CFO of the Scottish Parliament. She tells Ryan Herman why the two roles are more similar than they appear. It is less than a year since Sara Glass CA became Chief Financial Officer for the [...]
National Covid-19 antibody surveillance programme launched by government August 22, 2021 A nation-wide antibody surveillance programme for the public has been launched by the UK Health Security Agency to collect data to build the government’s understanding of immunity against Covid-19. The government today announced that free home antibody tests kits will be offered to adults in the UK who test positive for the virus from Tuesday. [...]