Where is drilling causing earthquakes

Composing an immediate response to the attack on Salman Rushdie was the easy part. Political leaders and public figures quickly took to social media on Friday evening to reassure their followers that they were utterly united in condemnation of the attack on the author in New York by a man wielding a knife. “Unacceptable” was the general consensus. And they were, of course, right. But it wasn’t nearly enough. In fact, offering sympathy to the victim – who, mercifully, survived – and condemning the violence that put him in hospital with life-changing injuries is about as fruitful as sending the victims of an earthquake your “thoughts and prayers”. It certainly presents you as a concerned and sensitive human being, and maybe that’s all you care about – the image you present to the world. But it says nothing about what you believe should be done about the root cause of this kind of violence . It’s easy to harp on about the importance of free speech and to concede the fact that … [Read more...] about The Left must never be allowed to ignore the attack on Salman Rushdie

Nicola Sturgeon could embark on a new green crackdown of Scotland’s whisky industry , over fears that emissions from the “angel’s share” of casks is harming the environment and human health. Every year, around two per cent of whisky, the so-called “angel’s share” because it evaporates during the maturation process, is lost during its production. But SNP and Green ministers are concerned that the emissions could be having a detrimental impact on the environment and health, and want to find out whether action should be taken to reduce the damage. It is funding a review of the harm caused by the non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) that arise from malt whisky maturation, which have surged over recent years due to the rising international popularity of Scotland’s national drink. Researchers have been asked to suggest possible “mitigation strategies” for “controlling” whisky-related emissions, leading to a backlash from the industry. “Some loss of spirit from casks … [Read more...] about Nicola Sturgeon mulls green crackdown for Scottish malt

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Boris Johnson has appealed to electricity bosses to help ease the pressure as on hard-pressed families amid a dire new warning energy bills could top £5,000 by the spring. Representatives of major electricity companies arrived in Downing Street for crisis talks as analyst, Auxilione, said regulator Ofgem could be forced to raise the price cap for the average household to £5,038 from next April. However the meeting failed to produce any immediate concrete help for struggling consumers, with Mr Johnson acknowledging any “significant fiscal decisions” would be be a matter for his successor. Instead the Prime Minister was reduced to urging the companies to act “in the national interest” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has caused the price of oil and gas to soar. “Countries around the … [Read more...] about Johnson urges power companies to act ‘in the national interest’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Pubs, restaurants and music venue leaders have warned the Government there will be mass closures without urgent support on soaring energy prices. Industry bodies UK Hospitality, Night-Time Industries Association, Music Venue Trust , The British Institute of Innkeeping and The British Beer and Pub Association, have written to the prime minister, Boris Johnson , the Chancellor , Nadhim Zahawi and the Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng cautioning that thousands of jobs are at “grave risk”. Businesses have seen energy prices skyrocket over the past year and, unlike consumer energy bills, there is no price cap on commercial energy costs. Hospitality operators have claimed they are facing annual bill increases “in the region of at least 300%”. It comes as soaring household bills mean that many customers … [Read more...] about Pubs, restaurants and music venues ‘face closures without energy support’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The UK’s economy shrank over the last three months as spending on test and trace and the Covid-19 vaccine programme subsided, figures show. Gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.1% between April and June, the Office for National Statistics said. It is a big step down from the first quarter of the year, when GDP rose 0.8%. The data may not be the start of a recession – which is defined as two quarters of GDP decline – but experts are predicting the UK will slip into a recession later this year. “While we see increasing signs of underlying weakness in the economy, we expect a more severe downturn to take place only from towards the end of this year,” said Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK. The downturn is likely to start next quarter after Ofgem hikes the price cap on energy bills in October … [Read more...] about GDP falls 0.1% as Covid-19 vaccination programmes wind up

Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter We may be in the middle of the summer holidays, with heatwaves and outings leaving your energy levels feeling a bit sapped – but it’s the perfect time to get ahead on jobs around the house. After all, it only takes a turn in the weather to remind us autumn isn’t that far off – and you might want to make a start on some tasks now, especially if we’re going to be hunkering down inside in the months to come. “Throw open the windows and let the fresh summer air circulate through your home!” says Howard Moss, CEO of Astonish cleaning brand (astonish.co.uk). “August is the perfect time to give your house a deep clean before wintry weather and shorter days make it tougher to keep up with your cleaning routine.” Here’s how to give yourself a head start… 1. Declutter your … [Read more...] about 7 cleaning jobs you need to tackle this summer

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Ryanair said it will add more than 500 flights serving London Stansted during the October half-term school holiday after Heathrow extended its cap on passenger numbers. The Dublin-based airline said the extra flights at the Essex airport will have capacity for 100,000 passengers. Heathrow announced on Monday that the limit of 100,000 daily departing passengers it introduced in July due to staff shortages will continue until October 29. Aviation data company Cirium said the extension will lead to a reduction in capacity of more than one million seats, from 5.9 million to 4.8 million. Many families hoping to get away during half-term will have their plans disrupted. The cap was initially due to run until September 11. Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “While hopeless Heathrow continues … [Read more...] about Ryanair to boost Stansted flights in response to Heathrow passenger cap

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails An investigation into alleged mis-selling by housebuilder Barratt Homes has been dropped by the competition watchdog after it found “insufficient” evidence to take legal action. Four of the UK’s biggest housebuilders came under scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) more than two years ago as it probed the leasehold housing market. It followed allegations that large developers had broken consumer protection laws by mis-selling leasehold homes and using unfair contract terms which tied some leaseholders to homes they could not sell. In December, housing giant Taylor Wimpey agreed to scrap terms from leasehold contracts which caused ground rents to double in price every decade. And 15 more businesses committing to removing the unfair terms in March, effectively freeing thousands more … [Read more...] about Watchdog drops case against Barratt Homes in leasehold mis-selling scandal

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email During Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday David Cameron unveiled the newest target of Tory policy- so-called ‘sink estates’. According to the PM, such estates need to be emptied and demolished, with little thought as to the communities that live there and where they will be re-housed- or what will replace them. Cameron’s sink estate narrative stigmatises those living in social housing in the same way that his government has consistently stigmatised those on benefits, whilst the voices of council tenants are consistently ignored. Rather than attacking tenants directly, Cameron is instead attacking the supposed conditions in which they live, allowing his rhetoric to pass as benevolent social reform rather than the continued ideologically driven undermining of the British welfare state. When questioned Cameron was unable … [Read more...] about Cameron’s talk of ‘sink estates’ at PMQs hides the reality behind council housing in the UK

Eric Trump said two people tried to buy him dinner to apologise for how America has treated his family, in an interview with Fox News ' Sean Hannity . Eric spoke to Hannity on his show on Monday night and also said his father, former President Donald Trump , had seen an increase in support following the FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago home. The search warrant, served on August 8, was part of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into the discovery of classified White House records recovered from the former president's Florida home in January this year. "It has caused the greatest fundraising, my father's poll numbers have absolutely gone through the roof," Eric Trump said. "They are not even talking about any other Republican candidates because they have all kind of disappeared, they are not even in the equation," he said in reference to the possibility of his father standing as the Republican primary candidate in the 2024 presidential election. He added: "Last … [Read more...] about Eric Trump says people tried to buy him dinner to ‘apologize’ for FBI raid