Labour’s post-election honeymoon looks to be over as it faces pressure this week over winter fuel payments, releasing prisoners early, and the state of the NHS. Two months after winning a historic majority, Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers have a busy week as they face pressure not just from other parties, but their own
Month: September 2024
Former home secretary Suella Braverman has been criticised by a watchdog for publicly condemning the Metropolitan Police over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests in the capital. The Conservative MP wrote a scathing article in the Times last November accusing the force of “double standards for allowing what she deemed a “hate march” to go ahead
The Spectator magazine has been sold to hedge fund tycoon and GB News’s biggest shareholder Sir Paul Marshall for £100m. The title is one of the UK’s most influential political magazines and counts former prime minister Boris Johnson and ex-chancellor Nigel Lawson as past editors. The transaction decouples it from the search to find new
Budget hotels could be used to house newly freed prisoners as the government lets offenders out early to ease pressure on the justice system. The government started its operation to end custodial sentences for some prisoners after 40% time served rather than 50% today, with around 1,700 people expected to be let out. Justice Secretary
The requirement to bring photo identification to vote in the general election “discouraged some people” from casting their ballot, a watchdog has said. The rule came into force in 2023 after Boris Johnson’s Conservative government introduced the new law to parliament. But the first time the impact was tested at a general election came in
Prisoners set to be released early tomorrow have been trawled through in an attempt to not let domestic abusers go, the policing minister said. Tuesday will see about 1,700 prisoners released early to alleviate overcrowded prisons in England and Wales. The government said serious violent criminals, terrorists and domestic abuse perpetrators will not be released
Iran has sent short-range ballistic missiles to Russia and the Kremlin “will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine”, the US secretary of state has said. Speaking during a visit to the UK, Antony Blinken said the development was “a threat to all of Europe” and showed how Iran’s “destabilising influence reaches far beyond the
Sir Keir Starmer warned during the election campaign of the need for “tough decisions”, but carefully avoided setting out where the axe would fall. Now it’s clear who will be losing out – starting with most pensioners losing winter fuel payments worth up to £300 – unease is bubbling under the surface. Politics live: Number
MPs will vote later on a controversial plan by the new government to remove the winter fuel payment from the majority of pensioners. The move – which will see around 10 million people lose the payment of up to £300 to help with energy costs – has been defended by Labour, who said “tough decisions”
Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard are back with their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes. On the day of a big Commons vote on the future of winter fuel payments, Jack and Sam discuss whether this is really the first big test of
China is set to launch its highly anticipated Tianwen-3 mission around 2028, aimed at collecting samples from Mars and bringing them back to Earth. Liu Jizhong, Chief Designer of the mission, announced this during the second International Deep Space Exploration Conference, known as the Tiandu Forum, held in Huangshan City, Anhui Province. The Tianwen-3 mission
A significant breakthrough in atomic physics occurred with the development of the first nuclear clock. This clock, based on the thorium-229 nucleus, has achieved a level of precision that could help test whether the fundamental constants of physics change over time. This remarkable advancement was achieved by a research team led by Jun Ye, a
September 2024 may offer a unique opportunity to witness vibrant Northern Lights, especially around the fall equinox on September 22nd. Experts predict that geomagnetic storms could be stronger than usual during this period, thanks to the Russell-McPherron Effect. This phenomenon, first detailed in a 1973 paper, suggests that Earth’s magnetic field briefly aligns with the
In 2006, a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome began decimating bat populations across New England. Over the following decade, the loss of these bats, essential for controlling insect populations, led to significant consequences for agriculture and human health, according to a new study. With fewer bats around to consume insects, farmers resorted to increased use
Patients suffering from chronic pain have limited treatment options, often relying on medications like opioids that come with harmful side effects and high addiction risks. A new study in mice, published in Current Biology journal, suggests a new way to use the placebo effect for treating chronic pain. By activating specific neurons in the brain
The White Shark Café, located in the Pacific Ocean between Baja California and Hawaii, is a mysterious region where great white sharks gather every winter and spring. This area, once thought to be an ocean desert, has puzzled scientists for years. Great white sharks, typically found off the coast of California, make a long journey
A significant discovery of ancient silver coins has been made on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria, located between Sicily and Tunisia. Archaeologists from the University of Tübingen, Germany, unearthed 27 Roman silver coins, known as “denarii,” dating back more than 2,000 years. The coins were found hidden in a hole in the wall during excavations
The universe, although appearing static, is always evolving. The NASA Roman Space Telescope, set to launch in 2027, will give scientists a better understanding of this dynamic universe by observing distant galaxies. One of the main focuses of the mission is to study galactic fossils, remnants of ancient stars that hold clues to galaxy formation. The
The European Space Agency (ESA) is concluding the Cluster mission, with the first of four satellites safely reentering Earth’s atmosphere. This marks the end of a mission that has provided 24 years of valuable space data. In January, the satellite’s orbit was adjusted to ensure its reentry would target an uninhabited area, reducing risks for
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has announced that the company aims to start launching Starship missions to Mars in 2026. These initial missions will be uncrewed and designed to test the reliability of landing safely on Mars. If these test flights are successful, the first crewed missions could begin as early as four years
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