The fall of Afghanistan: Western governments got bored and Taliban rule has been resurrected August 16, 2021 We are watching a strategic and humanitarian calamity unfold. We are watching it live on TV and social media and yet, despite its immediacy, despite information from the scene of unparalleled detail and accuracy, we are doing nothing. Nothing except, perhaps, trying to evacuate the last few thousand of our troops who are still in [...]
Taxman intensifies crackdown on footballers and agents August 16, 2021 The taxman is intensifying its crackdown on footballers as it pushes to clawback money from an industry that is swelling with unpaid tax, reveal fresh figures released today. HMRC is targeting football clubs for £45m in underpaid tax, according to national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. The taxman probed 93 football players over the last [...]
Boris Johnson: Afghanistan must not become ‘breeding ground for terror’ again August 15, 2021 Boris Johnson has said western countries must work together to stop Afghanistan from becoming a terrorist breeding ground again as the Taliban is set to take the capital of Kabul. The Taliban is expected to soon declare a new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the Presidential Palace, after democratically elected leader Ashraf Ghani fled the country [...]
Boris Johnson to recall parliament to discuss Afghanistan crisis August 15, 2021 Boris Johnson is set to recall parliament during summer recess to discuss the developing crisis in Afghanistan. He is also set to hold an emergency Cobra meeting today to discuss the UK’s potential actions as the Taliban prepare to take over the capital of Kabul. The Prime Minister will tell MPs to come back to [...]
Afghanistan: Taliban enters Kabul as western embassies withdraw August 15, 2021 The Taliban has now entered the Afghanistan capital of Kabul as western embassies withdraw diplomatic staff in anticipation of for the takeover of the city and the president flees. Taliban fighters have already taken over every other major city in the country, just months after the US began its complete withdrawal from Aghanistan. President Ashraf [...]
Long read: the office, pay cuts, promotions and cities. Transcending the gender gap post-pandemic August 14, 2021 Cabinet ministers and CEOs are falling over themselves trying to bark us back into the office. Some are even threatening to cut our pay if we move too far away, but their sledgehammer approach is not winning converts, especially amongst women. Over the course of sixteen months of remote work, many of us have felt [...]
The interview: Sir Richard Branson on the past, present and future August 14, 2021 Christopher Jackson talks to the CEO about the pandemic, work and his friendships with Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela. Thanks to our friends at Finito for allowing us to republish their article. Fame will sometimes have a blurring effect. Public presence sustained over a long period of time can create a confusing image. During a [...]
Paradise at National Theatre: Kae Tempest play a partial success August 13, 2021 Everything old is new again. The National Theatre is back with its first full-capacity show since lockdown, and like the Young Vic it has decided to run with a modern reimagining of a work from antiquity. Directed by Ian Rickson, with a script by the Ted Hughes Award-winning and Mercury Prize-nominated spoken word artist Kae [...]
Plymouth shooting: Suspect’s hate-filled Youtube account taken offline August 13, 2021 A hate-filled Youtube account belonging to the suspect in a mass shooting that killed five people in Plymouth yesterday has been taken offline. The account, named Professor Waffle, included a number of videos by 23-year-old Jake Davison, who has been named locally as the gunman. It has now been removed and the page shows a [...]
Premier League 2021-22 season preview: Fans of London clubs name their best and worst case scenarios and their players to watch August 13, 2021 For even the most jaded of football supporters, the start of a Premier League season is a special time. The arrival of new managers and players promises to transform fortunes, while last year’s disappointments have faded sufficiently to allow optimism to break out again, at least until the first round of games. So ahead of [...]