Day: December 4, 2020
Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is a ‘colossal challenge’, spending watchdog warns
December 4, 2020T he government’s ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is a “colossal challenge” which can only be delivered by a “concerted national effort”, according to a spending watchdog report. Without further action, it warns, Britain’s emissions will exceed its targets, while fundamental change will be required across industry and wider society, […]
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Denmark commits to ending all North Sea oil and gas activities by 2050
December 4, 2020D enmark has committed to ending all offshore gas and oil activities by 2050 – and has even cancelled its latest licensing round for drilling companies. The country has declared that it is “putting an end to the fossil era” and will instead focus on wind power and other renewable energy sources. The Danish parliament […]
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Post-Brexit trade talks paused amid continuing ‘significant divergences’ between UK and EU
December 4, 2020P ost-Brexit trade talks have been paused amid continuing “significant divergences” between UK and EU negotiators on key issues. The two leaders will then discuss the situation in a call on Saturday afternoon. “After one week of intense negotiation in London, the two chief negotiators agreed today that the conditions for an agreement are not […]
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Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson ‘arrested over city building fraud probe’
December 4, 2020T he Mayor of Liverpool has been suspended from the Labour Party after he was arrested in connection with a fraud probe into building deals in the city, sources have said. Joe Anderson, 62, has been taken to a police station for questioning on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. Merseyside Police […]
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UK-led space mining experiment to launch for the International Space Station
December 4, 2020The biomining experiment could one day provide resources for future missions to the moon and Mars. Experiments on the (ISS) have shown that the process of biomining will work in microgravity. The discovery could help the first space settlers to gather the minerals they need to build a long-term presence beyond Earth. ( The experiment […]
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Brexit news – live: No 10 admits talks at ‘very difficult point’ as France threatens to veto trade deal
December 4, 2020EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier walks to a conference centre in central London on Thursday for trade talksBrexit talks are at a “very difficult point”, Downing Street has admitted, with Boris Johnson’s spokesman telling reporters time is running out if a deal is to be agreed. The spokesman said “time is in very short […]
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UK’s R number falls to four-month low, estimate suggests
December 4, 2020The estimated R number for coronavirus is between 0.8 and 1.0 in the UK – its lowest level since August. R represents the average number of people each person with COVID goes on to infect. The growth rate, which estimates how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day, indicates the number of […]
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Fauci apologizes for suggesting UK rushed vaccine decision
December 4, 2020America’s top infectious disease expert has apologized for suggesting U.K. authorities rushed their authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine, saying he has “great faith” in the country’s regulators. Dr. Anthony Fauci director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had sparked controversy with an earlier interview in which he said U.K. regulators hadn’t acted […]
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Paranoid schizophrenic who slit girl’s throat cleared of murder
December 4, 2020A paranoid schizophrenic who admitted slitting a seven-year-old girl’s throat in a park has been cleared of murder. Eltiona Skana had admitted the manslaughter of Emily Jones on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but was on trial after pleading not guilty to murder. On Thursday, evidence had been heard from a consultant forensic psychiatrist who […]
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Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan review – a sombre salute
December 4, 2020This full-length profile of the former Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan emerges just as the annual debate over the lyrics of his biggest hit, Fairytale of New York, gets into full swing. While the controversy is not specifically addressed here, you have to wonder how the defund-the-BBC types will react to MacGowan’s enthusiastic endorsement of Irish […]
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