Space race: The ambitions, plans and delays of launching superpowers August 26, 2021 Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, following its landmark human flight last month, has launched an uncrewed mission of NASAs future moon landing technology today. The flight, known as NS-17 or New Shepard 17, set off from a Blue Origin site in West Texas. The NASA payload on board is to test technologies including a Doppler Lidar [...]
City watchdog orders peer-to-peer lenders to step up preparations for orderly wind-downs August 26, 2021 The City watchdog has urged peer-to-peer lenders to improve their internal governance controls to prevent a wave of disorderly wind-downs in the sector. The Financial Conduct Authority published a letter today that it distributed to the boards of online lending platforms showing it has ordered peer-to-peer lenders to improve contingency plans for being ordered to [...]
Afghanistan evacuation: Campaigns for Pen Farthing’s dogs expose a complete misalignment of priorities August 26, 2021 “Music is forbidden in Islam,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the New York Times, “but we’re hoping that we can persuade people not to do such things, instead of pressuring them.” Under Taliban rule, women have been beaten for showing their ankles in public. A light punishment, in the context. Where the Taliban draws the [...]
London based start up to employ 500 Afghan refugees August 26, 2021 Cera, a London based start up, has announced an initiative to recruit, train and employ 500 Afghan refugees. The company, which provides healthcare visits in homes across the UK, will be working with local councils and the government to train arrivals from Afghanistan as professional carers. The scheme is part of the government’s resettlement programme [...]
Travel traffic light update: Which countries could change status today? August 26, 2021 Holidaymakers are waiting to see whether the government will make any changes to its travel traffic lights when it updates the scheme later today. According to travel experts, key European holiday destinations are unlikely to be removed from the “green list”, but there could be changes elsewhere. Morocco, Jamaica, and St Lucia are all at [...]
US second quarter economic growth revision undershoots expectations August 26, 2021 The US economy grew at a slower pace than expected in the second quarter of this year as Americans reined in spending despite Covid restrictions easing in many states over the period, according to official figures published today. The Bureau of Economic Analysis revised the US economy second quarter annualised growth rate up to 6.6 [...]
Afghanistan: Shots fired at airport were to disperse crowd, not at Italian plane August 26, 2021 Shots earlier reported to have been fired at an Italian military plane evacuating Afghans from Kabul are now thought to have been used to disperse a crowd on the ground. Military sources had told Italian news agency ANSA that a C-130 transport carrying Afghan ex-Nato workers out of Kabul was fired on as it left [...]
Simon Nixon tells Seek Ventures to ramp up Bitcoin investment August 26, 2021 Simon Nixon – the brains behind MoneySupermarket.com – has given the green light for his venture capital firm to rapidly escalate its interests in crypto assets.
KPMG encourages whistleblowing to avoid media leaks after CEO’s exit August 26, 2021 KPMG are reportedly urging staff to use its whistleblowing system to report concerns instead of the media, after a leaked meeting recording led to its former head Bill Michael stepping down, first reported by Financial News. The ex KPMG boss, who left the firm in February, made comments around “unconscious bias” during an online town [...]
One in ten children against getting Covid jab August 26, 2021 Just under two thirds of children in the UK want to receive a coronavirus vaccination, research has found, as the NHS prepares to extend its rollout to 12 to 15-year-olds. Some 2,000 children aged 10-17 across the UK were asked if they agreed or disagreed that they would like to get the vaccine by The [...]
