January 31 2018 total lunar eclipse

Senior civil servant Sue Gray will soon set out the findings of her investigation into a series of parties in Downing Street and Whitehall that took place when COVID restrictions were in place. Plans to publish the full report earlier this year had to be dropped after the Met Police announced on 23 January that it was launching a criminal investigation into partygate. The force asked that only "minimal reference" be made to events under investigation when Ms Gray provided a 12-page "update" to parliament on 31 January. She explained at the time that the police investigation had meant she was "extremely limited" in what she could say and that it was "not possible at present to provide a meaningful report" that set out all she had discovered. But, while the interim findings lacked specific details, they were nonetheless damning. The pared-back report said Downing Street lockdown gatherings represented a "serious failure of leadership" and were "difficult to justify". … [Read more...] about Partygate: What is the Sue Gray report and what can we expect from the full findings?

Rishi Sunak vows to cut business taxes How the Bank of England’s money printing spree paved the way for inflation crisis FTSE 100 drops 1.8pc after Wall Street rout Ben Marlow: Britain is drifting towards economic oblivion Sign up here for our daily business briefing newsletter ​ £40bn has been wiped off the UK's biggest listed companies as a sell-off across global markets intensified. T he FTSE 100 crashed 1.8pc, extending its losses after yesterday’s red-hot inflation figures fuelled fears the UK could be tipped into recession. The domestically-focused FTSE 250 dropped 1.3pc, taking combined market losses to £40bn. It comes after the benchmark S&P 500 plunged 4pc overnight – its biggest drop since June 2020 – after soaring costs dented profits at retail giant Target and sparked fears of a slowdown in consumer spending. The tech-heavy Nasdaq tumbled 5pc, with investors also rattled by comments from top Federal Reserve officials hinting at … [Read more...] about £40bn wiped off UK stocks as global market rout continues

Rachel Riley has hit out at Johnny Depp this week making explosive comments online. The Countdown star told her 696.2k social media followers that she "wouldn't wish this guy on my worst enemy" after sharing a Twitter thread on Johnny Depp's alleged "problematic history". She followed the tweet up with another retweet regarding the "Myth of Mutual Abuse", linking back to an article. Johnny Depp is suing ex Amber Heard for alleged defamation over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she stated she was a victim of domestic abuse. The opinion piece did not mention the Captain Jack Sparrow actor by name, but Mr Depp argues that he has lost work and been financially impacted by the piece. Rachel Riley shared the tweet to her 696k followers The actor denies the allegations but he has been countersued by the Aquaman star for $100 million (£81million). TV presenter Rachel has also previously taken to Twitter to share support for Amber, after sharing … [Read more...] about Countdown’s Rachel Riley says she wouldn’t wish Johnny Depp on her ‘worst enemy’

Marlburians are experiencing the driest nine months in 85 years, a further indication the region is in the middle of a severe drought, a weather scientist says. Plant & Food Research liaison scientist Rob Agnew said for the nine months beginning in July last year, just 188.4 millimetres of rain was recorded - the lowest on record for this period since 1930. Official weather statistics from the Blenheim Meteorological Station at the Marlborough Research Centre showed the previous lowest total was 262mm from July 1982 to March 1983. "With most of the nine months since July 2014 recording low rainfall, Blenheim continues to set new rainfall records," Agnew said. "Not only are the nine months, July 2014 to March 2015, the driest on record for those particular months, but this is also the driest ever consecutive nine-month period, regardless of which month is used as the starting point." The previous lowest consecutive nine-month rainfall total was recorded from November … [Read more...] about Marlborough endures record dry nine-month period

Live Updates As Russian prepares to intensify its attack in the south and east of Ukraine, there are conflicting reports over t he sinking of a Russian warship Moskva. Ukraine claims it hit the vessel with a missile, while Russian said an ammunition fire onboard. Russia continues its attacks in Ukraine, as forces reportedly attacked buses carrying civilians in Borovaya, near the city of Kharkiv. According to Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office, seven people were killed and 27 were injured. The head of the International Criminal Court called Ukraine "a crime scene" after visiting with Ukrainian officials in cities like Bucha. Ukraine National Police are investigating more than 3,000 war crimes in the Kyiv region. More than 900 civilian deaths have been recorded in region so far. The U.S. promised an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine , including Stinger anti-aircraft systems, Javelin anti-armor systems, laser-guided rocket systems and over … [Read more...] about Ukraine War: Russia claims Ukraine is preparing train station attack

Gaspar Noé directing Charlotte Gainsbourg on the set of Lux Aeterna Photo: Tom Kan Somehow, Gaspar Noé has returned. The controversial Franco-Argentine filmmaker (whose last film, Climax , was for some of us the best picture of 2019) is getting some of the best reviews of his career for his latest, Vortex , an impressively depressing split-screen drama about dementia and old age starring the Italian director Dario Argento and French actress Françoise Lebrun. Also in theaters right now is Lux Æterna , a positively insane 52-minute art thriller shot in split screen that Noé premiered at Cannes in 2019, featuring Béatrice Dalle playing herself as a director whose bizarre drama starring Charlotte Gainsbourg is spinning out of control right around her. Lux Æterna originated as a short for a fashion brand and wound up being an experimental look at the chaos of making movies. Indeed, the loss of control has been Noé’s great theme since his earliest days — loss of … [Read more...] about Gaspar Noé Is Not in Control

There are doubts over whether Rafael Naddal can return from his latest injury setback (Image: Getty) Sign up for FREE tennis updates from on and off the court SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Rafael Nadal’ s latest issue with his chronic foot injury has raised concern for two pros in Barbara Rittner and Mischa Zverev. The former ATP world No 25, who now helps in coaching his third-ranked brother Alexander Zverev , admitted that things felt “different” this time around and questioned whether the Spaniard would be able to bounce back like he has before or forced to retire, with the French Open looming. Related articles 'It hurts me to see him suffer' - Alcaraz has Nadal injury fear Nadal French Open hopes assessed … [Read more...] about Rafael Nadal retirement fears raised ahead of French Open with latest injury ‘different’

Published 5 December 2018 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing A Tall Ships regatta and the annual airshow boosted Sunderland's economy by £19.3m, the city council has said. The maritime event in July featured more than 50 ships from 16 countries and attracted 1.2 million people. A further 600,000 took in the three-day 30th anniversary airshow that month. The authority's Economic Prosperity Scrutiny Committee was told a further £6m-£8m was expected to be generated by the city's illuminations, which were staged between October and November. The figures factored in spending from city residents and visitors from further afield, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported. Events manager Victoria French said the Tall Ships "had an international reach" with people either travelling to Wearside specifically for the event or visiting as part of an already booked holiday. … [Read more...] about Tall Ships and airshow boosted Sunderland economy by £19.3m

Ed Sheeran could become the first British billionaire musician after another “golden year” saw his wealth reportedly increase by £40 million, according to the Sunday Times Music Rich List. The Suffolk singer-songwriter, 31, places 10th on the annual list of UK and Irish artists with an estimated total wealth of £260 million. Sir Paul McCartney, 79, claims number one in the rankings with a fortune of £865 million, which he shares with his American wife Nancy Shevell, but the list’s compiler believes Sheeran may beat him to £1 billion if he continues his current trajectory. Composer and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber , 74, has seen his wealth drop by £30 million to £495 million amid the impact of Covid-19 on the theatre world, but is still at number three. He recently announced the closure of his new West End musical, Cinderella, after it was repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic. Recommended Boris Johnson news: Partygate probe ends with 126 fines … [Read more...] about Rich List: Ed Sheeran could become first British billionaire musician

Good afternoon. Here is a quick summary of the main news of the day in our Friday, May 20, 2022 edition of Today in Slovakia . Get up to date in less than 5 minutes. Skryť Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryť Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Bratislava readies itself for the fight against mosquitoes Bratislava began monitoring mosquito hatcheries as early as March; when an active hatchery is discovered, the city intervenes with a biocide called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI). This year, the city stands ready to deploy drones in the event that its volunteer monitors detect an impending "mosquito calamity", as it is known. Bratislava began using BTI, which kills mosquito larvae but is considered non-toxic for most aquatic organisms, to suppress numbers back in 2019. That year, however, it intervened with the environmentally friendly biocide too late. To avoid this … [Read more...] about News digest: World’s first hydrogen train debuts in Slovakia