UK defends sand eel ban in first formal Brexit trade spat
The government has vowed to fight the European Union’s attempt to overturn a ban on sand eel fishing, in the first formal spat over the Brexit trade deal. Britain banned the fishing of sand eels in English and Scottish seas last March to boost the puffins, kittiwakes and other seabirds that rely on the group of small silvery fish species. The EU responded by initiating an arbitration tribunal process, arguing that the ban breached the EU–UK trade and co-operation agreement, which promised full fishing access to UK waters. The arguments will be heard in a court this month, with documents published late last week showing that the UK will mount a defence arguing it used the best scientific evidence available. Sand eels, which spend most of their life buried in the sand, are a vital part of the North Sea food web ALAMYThe UK will say that
Source:The Times
January 20, 2025 14:57 UTC
Southport killer referred to anti-terror scheme 3 times before massacre – as ‘sickening interest in death’ is revealed
SOUTHPORT terrorist Axel Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to murdering three girls at a Taylor Swift dance class. "It is clear that this was a young man with a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence. SCHOOL MASSACRE FEARSChillingly, just one week before the attack, Rudakubana is feared to have plotted a similar attack on his old school. - October 30 2024: Rudakubana appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court via videolink from HMP Belmarsh to face the two new charges. The attack in Southport sparked riots across the country - despite the local community and families of the victims calling for calm.
Source:The Times
January 20, 2025 14:45 UTC
What does physical records management cost the NHS?
But how about the idea that over the last five years, NHS Trusts in England alone have spent over £1.163 billion on physical records management. The NHS England ERIC Report (1) provides information on 200 NHS Trusts Estates Returns Information for organisations geographically located in England. The total expenditure on the health records estate over five years between FY2018/19 and FY2022/23 was reported at £1.163bn (£1,162,722,310), with £884mn (£884,483,435) spent on on-site health records storage and £278m (£278,283,875) spent on off-site health records storage. Of the 200 NHS Trusts, 65 are still reporting no Electronic Document Management System has been implemented to facilitate the digitisation of health records. For some NHS Trusts, physical records present a fragmentation of the ‘complete, patient centric record’ due to the increased prevalence of digital systems and records.
Source:The Times
January 20, 2025 14:08 UTC
The Times names Redbridge one of best places to live 2025
Redbridge has placed 66th - the second highest placed borough in east London, after Tower Hamlets in 33rd. Both of Redbridge's education scores were better than Cheltenham and Stroud's - the boroughs placed second and third in the overall rankings. Despite being placed 33 spots lower, Redbridge scored better than Tower Hamlets in the 'crime' category, where it was given a value of 135. Redbridge did not fare well in the 'listed buildings' category, which measured the number of listed buildings per 10,000 people. For 'parks with a Green Flag award', which looked at the number of Green Flag parks per 10,000 people, Redbridge scored 86.
Source:The Times
January 20, 2025 10:48 UTC
UK drained $64.82 trillion from India during colonial rule; billionaire wealth surged by $2 trillion in 2024: Key points of Oxfam report
Colonial wealth extraction from India2. Additionally, workers in the Global South earn up to 95% less than their counterparts in the Global North for similar skills. These systemic inequalities underscore the exploitation of marginalized groups in global labor markets.Global supply chains remain a modern form of colonial wealth extraction. Workers in the Global South often endure poor working conditions, minimal wages, and a lack of social protection. The financialisation of public services in the Global South exacerbates the issue, pushing millions into poverty.
Source:The Times
January 20, 2025 09:55 UTC
UK Colonial Era: UK's richest 10% took half of India's wealth during colonial era
Representative imageWealth extraction from IndiaImpact on India's economy and societyMultinational and colonial exploitationContinuing InequitiesColonialism's lasting impactGlobal South strugglesA new report by Oxfam International , titled 'Takers, Not Makers,' reveals staggering figures on wealth extracted from India by Britain during the colonial era, claiming that $64.82 trillion was taken between 1765 and 1900. "Legacies of inequality and pathologies of plunder, pioneered during the time of historical colonialism , continue to shape modern lives," Oxfam said.The report also specified that colonial practices perpetuated systemic wealth extraction from the Global South to the Global North, benefiting a select elite. It also mentioned the exploitation of natural resources and poor working conditions in supply chains dominated by multinational corporations.Oxfam also targeted global institutions like the WTO and World Bank for perpetuating inequities. “The inequality that these countries experience today is significantly of colonial making,” the report said.Oxfam also addressed the societal divisions entrenched during colonial rule, such as caste, religion, and language. “Grain import restrictions during World War Two, underpinned by racist thinking, appear to have significantly contributed to or caused the Bengal famine,” Oxfam stated.Oxfam detailed how colonialism’s legacy continues to affect public services, education, and health in the Global South.
Source:The Times
January 20, 2025 09:28 UTC
Bluesky’s Userbase Expands Almost Nine Times Over in 2024
X's loss was Bluesky's gain in 2024, with the decentralized social network expanding its user base almost nine times over, from 2.89 million to 25.94 million. In 2024, users submitted 6.48 million reports to Bluesky’s moderation service, a 17x increase from 2023, when users submitted 358,000 reports. "For the first time in 2024, we now had a backlog in moderation reports," Bluesky says. In 2024, Bluesky moderators took down 66,308 accounts, while its automated systems took down 35,842 accounts for reasons such as spam or being part of a bot network. In 2024, 93,076 people appealed at least one Bluesky moderation decision for for a total of 205,000 individual appeals.
Source:The Times
January 20, 2025 00:07 UTC
The “forgotten” part of Bristol still reeling from a painful tragedy nearly a year on
Sitting between Shirehampton, Westbury-on-Trym and Stoke Bishop, Sea Mills is a historic part of Bristol that is overshadowed by its bigger neighbours. (Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)Whilst being a location of significant history, with an 18th century dock and a 19th century train station, Sea Mills is “unknown and forgotten” according to residents. Mary, who has lived in Sea Mills for over 20 years, told Bristol Live that she still has to explain where she lives to Bristolians who don't live nearby. She said: “Sea Mills is quite unknown and forgotten I find. (Image: 2024 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)The incident shocked the area and nearly a year on from the tragic deaths, residents remain shocked at what happened.
Source:The Times
January 19, 2025 09:08 UTC
One millionaire leaves Britain every 45 minutes under Labour
One millionaire left Britain every 45 minutes in the year Labour came to power, figures suggest. The UK lost 10,800 millionaires to overseas countries last year, more than double the number in 2023, according to new data. It comes as Labour plans to abolish centuries-old tax laws that allow foreign investors to reside in Britain while sheltering offshore wealth from domestic taxes. Jason Hollands, managing director of financial advisers Evelyn Partners, said the crackdown made Britain appear “hostile to wealthy people”. No other country except for China saw greater capital flight than the UK between January 2024 and December of 2024, according to the figures.
Source:The Times
January 19, 2025 08:59 UTC
'Generational problem': Youth still struggling in pandemic's shadow
'Long tail of challenges'PARIS: Like many other young people, Amelie feels that the Covid-19 pandemic -- and its procession of lockdowns and restrictions -- marked a "turning point" for her mental health. "The school environment is really overwhelming. Being in a class of 30 other children is really difficult for them," she told AFP.Now, some might ask "why put me back in that?" she said, while emphasising that other students with these disorders found it difficult losing the structure and routine of school.The pandemic also meant that a lot of young children did not "get the early support they needed," she added. "Intervening in those very early years can have a huge amount of impact on the child."
Source:The Times
January 19, 2025 05:12 UTC
Towns near Bristol among best places to live in UK according to The Times
More infoSome West Country towns and areas near to Bristol have been featured in a list of the UK's 'best places to live'. Two towns in the South West are featured in the top three, with several others making it to the top 20. But here are the 20 best places to live in England according to The Times:1. Mole Valley, South East14. West Lancashire, North West
Source:The Times
January 19, 2025 05:03 UTC
Growth and giving back at the heart of successful year at EMG
2024 has been a landmark year for award- winning Certified B CorporationTM law firm EMG Solicitors. Committed to supporting local communities and keeping clients at the very heart of its work, EMG Solicitors’ values of co-operation, kindness, courage, excellence and integrity have defined its ten-year journey. Emma says: “The people at EMG Solicitors really are our greatest asset. The law firm also continued its decade-long partnership with Headway – the brain injury association – through its annual WonderLAN Ball. Its most recent sold-out event raised an impressive £40,000, bringing the total amount raised by EMG Solicitors for Headway and its Look Ahead North weekend to more than £140,000.
Source:The Times
January 19, 2025 02:54 UTC
The splendid Scottish island in easy reach thanks to a new ferry
A whaleback island to the west, dolphins breaching the blue, an amber-daubed sky, gannets flashing through the air like fireworks. To recap: the controversial £200m ferry is seven years late, over budget and the crux of a Scottish government procurement soap opera more absurd than the story of Boaty McBoatface. Revel in childhood nostalgia here — for a fleeting moment, it’s the castle in Tintin’s The Black Island. Lochranza Distillery is one of two whisky houses on the island ALAMYLike golf (there are seven courses), brilliant food and drink is an Arran birthright. AdvertisementIf that comes as a surprise, then know this kind of revelation is what Arran is all about.
Source:The Times
January 19, 2025 02:50 UTC
Sikh protests force cinemas in 3 UK cities to pull screenings of 'Emergency'
She was the PM who initiated the #SikhGenocide before her assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. The film is released at a time where Sikh censorship and anti-Sikh propaganda are strongly pushed by India. This sends a clear message to India that propaganda through the arts will not be tolerated or accepted in Birmingham. We encourage Sikhs in their respective areas to take similar steps and ensure such screenings are stopped. At the end of the day it is a film,” a UK film distributor told TOI.
Source:The Times
January 18, 2025 19:45 UTC
Times letters: Calls for Reeves to reverse her tax blunder
Write to letters@thetimes.co.ukSir, Emma Duncan (comment, Jan 17) may well be right in saying that Rachel Reeves should “reverse ferret” on her proposal to increase employers’ national insurance. She suggests the chancellor should compensate for the gap in income by increasing the taxes on voters that Labour promised during its election campaign that it wouldn’t raise. She further suggests that voters would not forgive the government for doing so but this wouldn’t matter because, by breaking its promises, Labour would be bound to lose the next election anyway, so it might as well do the right thing for the country. It is dispiriting but she is probably correct on all counts. Dispiriting because until a political party can be honest with voters
Source:The Times
January 18, 2025 18:41 UTC