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☆ Virgin Orbit counts down to first space launch ever from UK soil
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Virgin Orbit is about to conduct the first ever space launch from the United Kingdom. It will also mark the first launch of commercial satellites from western Europe, and the first international launch for Virgin Orbit. Dan Hart, chief executive of Virgin Orbit, described the UK mission as a “historic endeavor.”“This launch represents the opening of a new era in the British space industry and new partnerships across industry, government, and allies,” he said in a statement released Friday. The mission, named “Start Me Up” after the Rolling Stones’ 1981 song, is a joint venture between Virgin Orbit, the UK Space Agency, Cornwall’s local government and the UK’s Royal Air Force. The country’s £16.5 billion ($20 billion) space industry directly supported about 47,000 jobs between 2019 and 2020, according to the latest available government figures.

☆ UK PM Rishi Sunak to propose compulsory math for students up to 18
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Britain's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks outside Number 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, October 25, 2022. Henry Nicholls | Reuterswatch nowSunak's education proposals would only affect pupils in England. Education is a devolved issue, with Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish authorities managing their own systems. The prime minister is expected to say in his Wednesday speech that the issue of mandatory math is "personal" for him. This would leave the future of the policy uncertain, if Sunak's Conservative Party loses the next general election slated for 2024.

☆ Extinction Rebellion UK to halt disruptive protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Activists from the Extinction Rebellion drape a banner across Marble Arch as part of a protest in central London, Britain, April 16, 2022. The grassroots group's protests have previously included closing key roads and bridges in central London, blockading oil refineries, smashing windows at Barclays bank headquarters and spraying fake blood over the finance ministry building. In a statement entitled "We quit", Extinction Rebellion UK said that in the four years it has been taking direct action, very little had changed, with emissions continuing to rise. "As we ring in the new year, we make a controversial resolution to temporarily shift away from public disruption as a primary tactic," the group said. Extinction Rebellion said it planned to surround the Houses of Parliament from April 21 with 100,000 people.

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy asks European leaders for air defence, tanks, weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I ask you to increase the possibility of supplying air defence systems to our country, and to help speed up the relevant decisions to be taken by our partners," Zelenskiy said, addressing Sunak. "For our defence operations to be more successful we need armoured vehicles, primarily tanks," said Zelenskiy. "The sooner we restore our border control, the stronger your security will be," Zelenskiy said. "Ukrainian children in their letters to St Nicholas ask for air defence, for weapons, for victory," he said, referring to the name used for Santa Claus in Ukraine. Reporting by Andrius Sytas, editing by Terje Solsvik, Stine Jacobsen and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'What a tragic day': British nurses strike in bitter pay dispute
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Farouq Suleiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] NHS nurses take part in a strike, during a dispute with the government over pay, outside St Thomas' Hospital in London, Britain December 15, 2022. An estimated 100,000 nurses will strike at 76 hospitals and health centres, cancelling an estimated 70,000 appointments, procedures and surgeries in Britain's state-funded NHS. "What a tragic day. This is a tragic day for nursing, it is a tragic day for patients, patients in hospitals like this, and it is a tragic day for people of this society and for our NHS," Pat Cullen, the head of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union, said to the BBC on a picket line on Thursday. Polling ahead of the nursing strike showed that a majority of Britons support the action, but once the walk-outs are underway politicians will be closely monitoring public opinion.

☆ Medieval-inspired communal bakery aims to help with cost-of-living crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Her solution is "The People's Oven", a monthly event where locals can come to the bakery she set up six months ago in a former warehouse near a canal in Hackney. In an area where artist and design studios in old industrial buildings rub shoulders with newly-built apartment blocks, the bakery, "Hearth", has a hipster vibe. "I came here for like the experience, also to make friends and kind of seek out a community in east London," Ren said. "For sure to help people to save some money, but also to create a sort of community in the area." Reporting by Aiden Nulty and Ben Makori; Writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morocco rewrite Africa's World Cup history
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Mark Gleeson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cameroon upset holders Argentina in the opening match of the 1990 World Cup in Italy and went on to the quarter-finals while Senegal did the same to France when they began the defence of their title in 2002. Of the 160 matches played by African sides at the World Cup, only 37 have been won for a success rate below 25%. Most of Africa was still under colonial rule when the World Cup resumed after the Second World War but as countries gained independence, so CAF membership increased and Africa began to flex some muscle. HANDBALLThat achievement held out the promise that Africa would not take long to produce a World Cup winner, but only Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010 were able to make the last eight. It got even worse in Russia in 2018 when no African teams made it to the last 16, sparking serious reflection about the direction of the game on the continent.

☆ UK sees most widespread house price falls since May 2020: RICS
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said that its house price net balance - which measures the difference between the percentage of surveyors seeing rises and falls in house prices - sank to -25 in November. Price falls were particularly common in southeast and southwest England, while prices continued to rise modestly in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The RICS survey matches other measures of house price weakness from British mortgage lenders. Halifax reported on Wednesday that house prices recorded their biggest monthly drop since 2008 in November, falling by 2.8%, while Nationwide measured its biggest fall since June 2020. A Reuters poll of economists and property market analysts last month forecast house prices would drop around 5% next year, having risen about 24% since early 2020, according to official data.

[1/2] British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt talks to a television crew outside the BBC headquarters in London, Britain November 18, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File PhotoLONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Britain's financial watchdog laid out options on Wednesday it said banks should offer customers finding it difficult to make payments on mortgages during the cost of living crisis. Prices slid last month by the most since the global financial crisis, mortgage lender Halifax said on Wednesday. In its draft guidance, the FCA also said firms may offer payment concessions where they agree to accept less than the contractual monthly instalment - resulting in a payment shortfall. "We will consider if there are further steps we can take to help firms to support their borrowers, including at scale."

☆ Kirstie Alley, 'Cheers' and 'Look Who's Talking' Star, dies aged 71
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Kirstie Alley arrives at the house as the reality show 'Celebrity Big Brother' starts, in Elstree, near London, Britain August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLOS ANGELES, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Kirstie Alley, the two-time Emmy-winning actress who rose to fame in her role on the hit TV series "Cheers", died on Monday after a short battle with cancer. Alley also starred alongside John Travolta in the 1989 film comedy "Look Who's Talking" and its two sequels. "Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had," Travolta said on Instagram alongside a photo of the actress in a white dress. Alley starred as the title character in the sitcom "Veronica's Closet" from 1997 to 2000, earning Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.

☆ UK economy to shrink in 2023, risks 'lost decade': CBI
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Britain is in stagflation - with rocketing inflation, negative growth, falling productivity and business investment. Firms see potential growth opportunities but ... headwinds are causing them to pause investing in 2023," CBI Director-General Tony Danker said. The CBI's GDP forecast is less gloomy than that of the British government's Office for Budget Responsibility - which last month forecast a 1.4% decline for 2023. But the CBI forecast is in line with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which expects Britain to be Europe's weakest performing economy bar Russia next year. The CBI forecast business investment at the end of 2024 will be 9% below its pre-pandemic level, and output per worker 2% lower.

☆ Valentino designer Piccioli, model Bella Hadid win at Fashion Awards
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Designer Pierpaolo Piccioli and his wife Simona Caggia pose on the red carpet at the Fashion Awards 2022 in London, Britain, December 5, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli and model Bella Hadid were among the winners at the Fashion Awards in London on Monday. Piccioli, who is creative director of the Italian luxury brand, was named designer of the year at the annual event. Hadid, a regular on the catwalks of fashion capitals Milan, Paris, London and New York took the title of model of the year. "To me fashion has a responsibility, I feel (I) have a voice and I want to use my voice even for who doesn't have a voice," Piccioli told Reuters on the red carpet before the awards.

☆ British transport cleaning staff to strike over pay - union
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Cleaners will become the latest set of transport workers to strike over pay in Britain, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said on Saturday, adding to a wave of industrial action sweeping the country. The RMT said its members, working as cleaners throughout the transport network, had voted to hold their first national strike action. It said over 1,000 contracted out cleaners working for the likes of Churchill, Atalian Servest and Mitie (MTO.L) were eligible to strike. The RMT wants the cleaners to be paid 15 pounds ($18.14) an hour, with sick pay, holiday entitlement and better pensions. Railway workers, nurses, doctors and teachers, as well as emergency services, postal services and telecoms workers have either been on strike or plan action.

☆ Banksy says fashion retailer Guess 'helped themselves' to his work
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Employees remove lettering from a window display inside a Guess store which included the artwork "Flower Thrower" by street artist Banksy, on Regent Street in London, Britain, November 18, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Renowned graffiti artist Banksy on Friday criticised fashion retailer Guess, saying it had used his work without permission, and invited shoplifters to pay the London shop a visit. Banksy, whose true identity is a closely guarded secret, posted a photo of Guess' Regent Street store in central London on Instagram, suggesting shoplifters should pay it a visit. Please go to GUESS on Regent Street. After the Banksy post, store staff covered the window display.

☆ UK consumer morale edges higher, but still very low: GfK
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] A person browses items for sale at the Petticoat Lane Market, with the City of London financial district seen in the distance, in London, Britain, October 3, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - British consumer confidence ticked higher this month but remained close to record-low levels, with soaring inflation and the spectre of recession making a sustained improvement unlikely, market research firm GfK said on Friday. All five of GfK's gauges of household economic and financial confidence improved in November, but it said the big picture of a cost-of-living crisis and weak economy was unchanged. British inflation was 11.1% in October, a 41-year high. GfK conducted its poll of 2,000 people from Nov. 1 to Nov. 11.

Consumer prices rose 11.1% in the 12 months to October, the most since October 1981 and a big jump from 10.1% in September, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. Economists in a Reuters poll - many of whom think inflation is probably peaking around now - had forecast inflation would rise to 10.7%. In response to the data, Hunt - who is due to outline a new budget on Thursday - said "tough but necessary" decisions were required to tackle rising prices. Producer price data showed there was still inflation pressure in the pipeline but hinted at a possible slowdown. Manufacturers' costs for raw materials and energy rose at their slowest pace since March but at 19.2% the increase was still huge by historical standards.

☆ Degrowth: A dangerous idea or the answer to the world's biggest problems?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“An innocent 2 or 3% per year, it’s an enormous amount of growth — cumulative growth, compound growth — over time,” said Giorgos Kallis, a top degrowth scholar based at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Action Press/ShutterstockThe UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently cited degrowth in a major report. Investment bank Jefferies said investors should consider what happens if degrowth gathers steam, noting “climate-anxious” younger generations have different consumer values. She’s criticized “fairy tales about non-existent technological solutions” and “eternal economic growth.” And she’s touched on another point degrowthers raise: Is our current system, which has produced rampant inequality, even working for us? Gates, the Microsoft co-founder who’s prioritized investing in climate innovations, admits that overhauling global energy systems is a Herculean task.

[1/5] Gingerbread themed decorations presented as part of ‘The Fabulous World of Dior’ installation hang from the facade of the Harrods store in London, Britain, November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - French fashion label Christian Dior kicked off the holiday shopping season in London on Thursday, unveiling a Christmas spectacle at Harrods – with tennis star Emma Raducanu presiding over the event. The LVMH-owned (LVMH.PA) brand outlined the London department store's façade with lights, emblazoning the entrance with an enormous star and filling the windows with sugar sculptures and merchandise. The elaborate holiday set up comes as the luxury sector grows strongly, with wealthy locals and deep-pocketed tourists splashing out on designer fashion despite soaring prices. Reporting by Hanna Rantala and Mimosa Spencer, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ New cast of royal series 'The Crown' say viewers know it is a drama
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Sarah Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Cast members Jonny Lee Miller, Dominic West, Elizabeth Debicki, Jonathan Pryce, Imelda Staunton and Lesley Manville attend the premiere for the TV series The Crown Season 5 in London, Britain, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - The new cast of "The Crown" premiered the upcoming season of the hit Netflix series on Tuesday, insisting viewers know it's a drama and do not need a disclaimer for its fictionalised storylines. "Everyone has watched 'The Crown' for four seasons, hasn’t bothered them before," actor Imelda Staunton, who plays Elizabeth in season five, told Reuters. I don’t think (season five) is flattering but I think it’s fair." Critics have given mixed reviews on season five but most praised actor Elizabeth Debicki's portrayal of Diana.

The company's content moderation team is expected to be a target of the cuts, tweets from Twitter employees suggested on Friday. Twitter employees vented their frustrations about the layoffs on the social network, using the hashtag #OneTeam. User Rachel Bonn tweeted: "Last Thursday in the SF (San Francisco) office, really the last day Twitter was Twitter. The company's office in Piccadilly Circus, London, appeared deserted on Friday, with no employees in sight. Employees told Reuters they were left to piece together information through media reports, private messaging groups and anonymous forums.

☆ Aston Martin flags hit to margins, deliveries from supply chain snags
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] An Aston Martin logo is seen at a dealership in central London, Britain August 29, 2018. REUTERS/Henry NichollsNov 2 (Reuters) - British luxury carmaker Aston Martin (AML.L) on Wednesday warned that higher costs from global supply chain and logistical disruptions would hurt its margins, and lowered its wholesale delivery volume outlook for 2022. "Whilst (supply chain issue) has created short-term impacts on our performance, I am confident that with the actions we are taking, we will exit the year in a stronger position to deliver on our goals for 2023 and beyond," Chief Executive Officer Amedeo Felisa said. The London-listed company now expects to deliver 6,200-6,600 vehicles this year from more than 6,600 vehicles forecast earlier. Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Greta Thunberg: COP27 an opportunity for "greenwashing, lying and cheating"
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks with British journalist Samira Ahmed (not pictured) on stage at the Royal Festival Hall during the launch event of her new book "The Climate Book", during The Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival, in London, Britain, October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Climate activist Greta Thunberg on Sunday called out next month's United Nations climate summit in Egypt for being "held in a tourist paradise in a country that violates many basic human rights." Speaking at the London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre where she was promoting her new book, "The Climate Book", 19-year-old Thunberg dismissed the looming climate summit, known as COP27, as an opportunity for "people in power... to [use] greenwashing, lying and cheating." While Thunberg did attend protests in Glasgow last year for COP26, she said she won't attend COP27, scheduled to be held from Nov. 6 to Nov. 18 in Sharm El Sheikh. Thunberg rose to prominence in 2018 at the age of 15 by staging school strikes in her native Sweden, becoming the face of the youth activist climate movement.

☆ Factbox: UK PM Rishi Sunak's new team of ministers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/10] Jeremy Hunt walks outside Number 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, October 25, 2022. REUTERS/Henry NichollsLONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday appointed key ministers to his government after replacing Liz Truss as leader earlier in the day. Below are the main Cabinet and ministerial appointments:Compiled by Sachin Ravikumar, Muvija M and William Schomberg; editing by William James and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Out on Southall High Street, pensioner Asma Choudry said she had been living in Britain for 42 years. YOUTH, WEALTH AND RACE1/2 New leader of Britain's Conservative Party Rishi Sunak walks outside the party's headquarters in London, Britain, October 24, 2022. Whatever the driving forces, Sunak will climb even further on Tuesday to take the top job in the land. Rishi Trivedi, 50, a chartered accountant and Conservative Party member from West Drayton in west London, said he was "happy beyond belief", though worried that wealthy Sunak might lack the common touch. Jignesh Patel, a 49-year-old mural painter and another Conservative Party member from nearby Hounslow, just saw "a proud moment" and a potential turning point.

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