Syrian election neither ‘free nor fair’, Western leader say May 25, 2021 The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the US have tonight denounced tomorrow’s presidential elections in Syria, saying the vote will be neither “free nor fair”. With the Syrian civil war now into its eleventh year, the ministers criticised incumbent leader Bashar al-Assad’s decision to hold a vote. They said that the international [...]
Russia and Saudi Arabia planning joint space mission May 25, 2021 Russia and Saudi Arabia are preparing for a joint manned space mission, the former’s government confirmed today, in another sign of warmer relations between the two countries. In a statement, the Kremlin said that Saudi astronauts were being trained in Russia while the mission is developed. “Speaking of the two countries’ work on the joint [...]
Airlines avoid Belarus airspace as EU mulls sanctions May 25, 2021 A growing number of airlines have stopped flying through Belarusia airspace after the “hijacking” of a Ryanair flight carrying a dissident journalist. Carriers including Lufthansa, KLM, SAS, Air France, LOT and Singapore Airlines have thus far announced they would stop flying over Belarus. The decision to stop flying comes after the EU last night called for [...]
Revolution Bars to raise £21m through share placing May 25, 2021 Revolution Bars this evening said that it would raise £21m through a share placing in order to reduce its debt pile. The hospitality firm, which operates 66 venues, said that the proceeds would position the company for further growth when bars are allowed to open normally again. In a statement, it said that £20m will [...]
Big construction firms risk choking SMEs of key materials amid global shortages May 25, 2021 Big construction firms have today been warned that they risk choking smaller companies of essential building supplies amid the current global shortage of raw materials. The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) said that larger firms able to buy supplies in bulk were not yet feeling the pinch of the situation, which it said would get worse. [...]
UK-EU trade tumbles a quarter in first three months since end of Brexit transition period May 25, 2021 The total volume of trade between the UK and the EU plunged nearly a quarter in the first three months after the end of the Brexit transition agreement. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today showed that total trade fell 23.1 per cent in the quarter, as compared with the same three [...]
Battersea Power Station welcomes first residents May 24, 2021 The first residents have this evening moved into Battersea Power Station, 35 years after the iconic South Bank building was decommissioned. New homeowners were greeted by a light show this evening as the iconic locale reopened its doors for the first time in decades. They will move into the Switch House West section, the first [...]
UK tells airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace and suspends state carrier’s license over ‘hijacking’ May 24, 2021 The UK has joined a number of other countries in instructing airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace after a commercial flight was intercepted by a fighter jet and diverted to the country to arrest a journalist. Transport secretary Grant Shapps tweeted that he had instructed the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to ask planes to steer [...]
Ofcom calls for BBC to take on ‘independent’ expertise as part of editorial review May 24, 2021 Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom has tonight written to the BBC urging it to take on independent advice from broadcasting experts as part of its review of its editorial policies and governance following the Martin Bashir scandal. The broadcaster today announced that it would carry out the review to make sure the scandal could “never happen again”. [...]
Oil prices bounce back despite ongoing Iran talks May 24, 2021 Oil prices rose sharply today as economists predicted that the surge in demand due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions would offset any supply bump should sanctions against Iran’s oil be waived. In recent days prices have been trending downwards on the news that talks between Iran and the US on reinstating the former nuclear [...]
