Impending disasters 2017

AN expert has shared the list of jobs to do in your kitchen before going on holiday - these will avoid a common disaster. As holiday season has begun, many will travel lovers will be heading off to soak up some sun and enjoy a well-deserved break. However, before you leave to hop on the plane, it is crucial to ensure the house has been properly prepared to avoid any mishaps and unpleasant surprises on your return. Here, one expert, Lizzie Beesley, kitchen specialist from Magnet , emphasised that kitchen is the one area in the house that requires pre-holiday prep the most. Speaking to The Express , she said: ''Whilst it’s important to ensure the security and state of your whole home, it’s the kitchen that calls for the most amount of pre-travel prep to ensure your mind is at rest on holiday and is ready for a blissful homecoming.” Many will be familiar with the classic and the more common security advice, for example, locking the windows and ensuring the doors and shut … [Read more...] about Nine things to do in your kitchen before going on holiday – it will avoid a common disaster

The Bank of England has painted a grim picture for the UK economy as it unveiled the biggest rise in interest rates in 27 years. Officials predict inflation will hit a 43-year high and Britain will face a long-last recession, as the country undergoes an energy crisis. These three key predictions from Threadneedle Street’s latest monetary policy report show the economic disaster facing Britain. Inflation is going to be even worse than previously feared The Bank is forecasting inflation to climb past 13pc this autumn, reaching the highest level since October 1980 as the impact of another major increase in Ofgem’s energy price cap kicks in. It is the latest in a series of successive upwards revisions as the post-pandemic inflation wave – and aftershocks of the conflict in Ukraine – have left the central bank playing catch-up. At its meeting in May, the Bank predicted inflation to reach 11pc in the autumn . That came just before consumer prices rose 9.4pc in the year to … [Read more...] about Three charts that show the economic disaster facing Britain

The United Nations nuclear chief warned of a potential "nuclear disaster" after shelling of Europe's largest atomic power plant, once again urging Russia and Ukraine to allow a mission of experts access to the facility to help secure it. The shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine highlights the potential for "catastrophic consequences" from attacks on and near the facility, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement on Saturday. “Military action jeopardising the safety and security of the Zaporizhzya nuclear power plant is completely unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs,” Grossi's statement said. After the shelling Friday (NZT Saturday), Russia and Ukraine placed blame on one another for the attack. The facility near the front lines of fighting, has been under Russian control since March, but is still staffed by Ukrainians. READ MORE: From war-torn Ukraine to Hamilton: … [Read more...] about UN watchdog warns of ‘nuclear disaster’ from shelling at Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine

Ferrari may show up for the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of the summer break without team principal Mattia Binotto. That is according to Ralf Schumacher , who believes the Italian could be axed over the team's string of strategy screw-ups. The latest came at the Hungarian Grand Prix , where Charles Leclerc had his race ruined by the call to put him on hard tyres that would just not warm up. Before that, Leclerc was denied the race win in Monaco by a pit stop blunder which saw him fall from first to fourth. And Carlos Sainz never got the chance to compete for the podium in France when he was called in to the pits while overtaking Sergio Perez . All those errors, plus the team's ongoing reliability problems with their power units, have led to speculation that changes in personnel could be made. And former F1 racer Schumacher believes even team principal Binotto might not be immune to the axe. "I already see him in danger during the summer break," he told Sky … [Read more...] about Ferrari could sack team boss Mattia Binotto over summer after Hungarian GP disaster

The General Election on Thursday was the most extraordinary in British history since modern elections began in 1918. We’ve had some exciting votes, from the closer than expected result of 2010 to the transformational victories of Clement Attlee, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair in 1945, 1979 and 1997. But I’ve known nothing like 2017 in the dozen elections I have lived through since February 1974 for sheer unpredictability, drama and emotion . Ted Heath’s February 1974 general election, extraordinary in itself, provides the best mirror through which to view the utterly historic events of the last 36 hours. In both February 1974 and this time, Conservative Prime Ministers who were ill at ease with themselves and not natural communicators called a general election that they need not have triggered only to see it backfire disastrously against them and their party, leaving the country in a desperately vulnerable position at a time of great national need. Probe a little deeper, … [Read more...] about This has been the most extraordinary General Election since 1918

This election was a gamble – as all elections are gambles. You can never take them for granted. But you can run a good campaign. Unfortunately this was a most appalling Conservative campaign – thoroughly inept. There were two principal problems: personality and policy. It was far too personal a campaign , and Theresa May couldn’t carry that off. Worse, there were too many things in the manifesto that hadn’t been thought through, with social care being the most obvious. Not that the social care proposals were in themselves stupid, but it is dangerous to do these things before elections if you don’t have to; better to introduce the legislation later, once elected. In this the two problems combined, because colleagues could have alerted her to the danger, had she consulted them. But she did not . She has always been a loner . She was a loner in the Home Office, and from day one as Prime Minister. By contrast Margaret Thatcher, with whom Mrs May has sometimes been … [Read more...] about Margaret Thatcher understood the secret of winning elections: free market economic policy

The family of Archie Battersbee have said they "want something good to come out of this tragedy" as they vowed to call for "change". The 12-year-old died on Saturday in the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, after weeks of legal wrangling. In a statement, released through the Christian Legal Centre, which has been supporting the family's case, the family said: "Yesterday we lost our beautiful boy, Archie. He has fought against all the odds since April, and we are so proud of him. "We are thankful for the huge amount of support we've received from so many different people. We are grateful to our legal team and others who have stood with us as we have faced these difficult challenges. "We want something good to come out of this tragedy and the horrendous experience we have been put through by the system. "No parent or family must go through this again. We have been forced to fight a relentless legal battle by the Hospital Trust while faced with an unimaginable … [Read more...] about Archie Battersbee’s family ‘backed into a corner by the system’ as they vow to fight for change

Generations of aspiring homeowners are being failed by the Government and will struggle to get on the property ladder without major planning reforms, the boss of Redrow has claimed. In a warning shot to Tory leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, Matthew Pratt said saving up a deposit without help from the “bank of mum and dad” was now almost impossible for a current generation of renters. He warned the problem will only get worse without reforms to ensure more planning permissions are granted, allowing home building to be ramped up . His comments come after both Ms Truss and Mr Sunak vowed to ditch national housing targets if they become Prime Minister. Mr Pratt told the Telegraph: “We're letting down future generations. You can see that from the average age of first time buyers, which has been going up year on year. "If you don't have access to the bank of mum and dad, I would fear for anyone trying to get on the housing market because they've got to pay rent … [Read more...] about Generation rent ‘failed by the Government on housing’

John le Carré once wrote: “If you make your enemy look like a fool, you lose the justification for engaging him”. But the late Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy author did not stick to his word when he turned on biographer Hunter Davies, in a "vitriolic" letter that ended their longtime friendship. Now the letter, sent in 1990, could be seen for the first time after Davies pledged to donate it to the British Library in the hope that "some future biographer might read it and try to answer the question: 'What on earth was that all about?' While the letter remains the copyright of le Carré’s estate , the British Library has said that if it is donated it will be “made available to researchers through our Reading Rooms in London and Yorkshire”, and could eventually be made available to the general public in a “temporary exhibition” or “permanent gallery”. Should the letter go on display to the general public in the future, visitors can expect to find the words “This man is mad” scrawled … [Read more...] about John Le Carre poison pen letter to Hunter Davies could be revealed

Critics of the decision to scrap A-level art history hav e spoken of their dismay over the move. In a letter to teachers, exam board AQA said it had been struggling to recruit enough specialist examiners for the subject and had taken the "difficult decision" to end the A-level. According to the exam board, students currently taking the course would be unaffected by the plans, and would be able to take their AS-level exams in 2017 and A-level exams in 2018. However, new students will not be able to take up the A-level, with no further exams from 2019. Critics have said they are "appalled" and "shocked" at the decision. Rembrandt weeps. Can you believe that art history is no longer being offered at A level? Philistines must not prevail #arthistory#alevels — Sir Anthony Seldon (@AnthonySeldon) 13 October 2016 Simon Schama, presenter of BBC's Face of Britain, said the axing of the subject could create a "classroom war" between private and state school students. … [Read more...] about Decision to scrap A-level art history labelled a ‘disgrace’ by critics