A-levels are the tip of the iceberg — biased algorithms are running our lives August 24, 2020 The A-levels debacle has laid bare the stark reality of relying on algorithms to make important decisions. Between the results being announced and the government’s U-turn four days later, public outrage had reached a fever pitch at the idea that an individual could have their life chances limited because of the results other people had [...]
Rishi Sunak to tighten Treasury assessments for new projects August 23, 2020 Rishi Sunak has threatened government departments that he will be tougher in assessing new infrastructure projects as the Treasury begins to worry about the UK’s bulging deficit. The chancellor will reportedly give the Treasury more oversight of infrastructure spending by giving more power to experts to assess projects, before they report directly to himself and [...]
Cabinet draws up plans for simultaneous no-deal Brexit and second Covid wave August 23, 2020 The government has drawn up plans to deal simultaneously with a second coronavirus wave and the effects of a no-deal Brexit after December 31. The Cabinet Office’s emergency plans include telling the Navy to protect the UK’s waters from illegal EU fishing boats and deploying the army on Brtain’s streets to quell civil unrest. The [...]
Gavin Williamson was on holiday in lead-up to A-level results chaos August 23, 2020 Under fire education secretary Gavin Williamson cancelled a key meeting and went on holiday to the seaside a week before the A-level results fiasco, it has been revealed. The Sunday Times reports that Williamson went away to Scarborough, Yorkshire, on the week starting 3 August, just over a week before England’s A-level results came out. [...]
Brexit negotiations: Deal ‘will not be easy to achieve’ August 21, 2020 The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost said an exit deal with the European Union “will not be easy to achieve,” following the latest round of talks. “We have just concluded the seventh round of negotiations with the EU. As I said last week, agreement is still possible, and it is still our goal, but [...]
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 [...]