United kingdom

LONDON—There are only two realistic outcomes from this week’s festive general election in the United Kingdom—and both of them could give the centuries-old union between England and Scotland a big old shove towards a collapse that looks ever more inevitable. Take the first, and most likely, option: Boris Johnson walks to victory, forms a working government, and sees through his Brexit project by the end of January. It would be enough of a slap in the face for Scottish voters for Brexit to happen at all, given that its voters overwhelmingly rejected the idea in 2016’s referendum. But to have it done under the leadership of Johnson, who would be considered too far-fetched if created by a propagandist whipping up hatred towards the English ruling class, could be the union’s point of no return. Then, secondly, say Jeremy Corbyn and his Labour party pull off a shock result and manage to cobble together a government of their own. Yes, a second E.U. referendum … [Read more...] about This Week’s Election Could Blow The United Kingdom Apart

A sixth person is confirmed dead as rescue efforts have given way to a grim recovery operation two days after a volcano erupted at a popular tourism site in New Zealand. Monday's volcanic blast left 30 injured and eight missing and presumed dead, prompting calls for investigation into the safety of tourism at New Zealand's most active volcano. New Zealand Police confirmed Tuesday that an injured victim taken from White Island, also known as Whakaari, died at a hospital in suburban Auckland that night, bringing the death toll to six, The Australian reports. Officials warned Tuesday night that positively identifying the deceased could take time owing to the "severe" nature of the injuries suffered. "The scale of this tragedy is devastating," New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during an address to Parliament Tuesday in which she praised the helicopter crews who landed on the island to rescue survivors in the aftermath of the eruption. "To those who have lost or are missing … [Read more...] about ‘No signs of life’ on New Zealand’s White Island following deadly volcanic eruption

The BBC will send “outreach” officers to over-75s to remind them that they will now have to pay to watch television, after it scrapped free licences for senior citizens.From June 2020, only elderly people on a pension credit — a welfare benefit for poorer seniors — will be exempt from paying the BBC licence fee. The BBC claims that it can no longer offer a free service to over-75s, after the government handed responsibility for the cost to the publicly-funded broadcaster, following a charter agreement made in 2015. In the United Kingdom, if you watch programmes live or download or watch BBC material on iPlayer — whether on television, computer, or other devices — and have not paid the £154.50 licence, you are breaking the law and could be fined up to £1,000 for illegally watching TV. TV licencing authorities employ “detection vans” which can “detect the use of TV receiving equipment at specifically targeted addresses … [Read more...] about BBC Plans to Send ‘Outreach’ Officers to Tell Elderly to Pay TV Tax

Photo: PRWeb Photo: PRWeb Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Photo: PRWeb MissionOG Closes $93 Million Fund II Focused on High-Growth B2B Companies 1  /  1 Back to Gallery Investment firm triples the size of its prior fund to continue its successful approach of investing in B2B technology companies in financial services and payments, data, and software. PHILADELPHIA (PRWEB) December 10, 2019 MissionOG, a high-growth B2B investment firm, announced that it successfully closed MissionOG Fund II, its third investment fund. The new fund provides fast-growing B2B technology companies in financial services and payments, data, and software with investment capital to accelerate their businesses. By leveraging the operational expertise of its managing … [Read more...] about MissionOG Closes $93 Million Fund II Focused on High-Growth B2B Companies

The town of Windsor, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry this weekend, is about twenty miles west of London, on a pleasant loop in the River Thames. The fastest way to get there from the capital is by train. In 1849, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Britain’s greatest engineer, laid the small branch line that serves the town in order to skirt the playing fields of Eton, which are on one side of the river, and to spare the foundations of Windsor Castle, the oldest inhabited castle in the world, which is on the other. The wedding on Saturday will take place in St. George’s Chapel, just inside the castle walls. On a sunny morning last week, there was a brisk and purposeful atmosphere below the ramparts. Workmen touched up paintwork, Union Jack bunting fluttered in the streets, and royal staff in Panama hats called out commands to one another. Shortly before 11 A.M., the scene stilled, and there was a peal of martial music as a phalanx of Grenadier Guards in scarlet tunics … [Read more...] about Royal-Wedding Fever: The View from Windsor