WUFOOB … (Jan – Mar 2014)

Nasa and Russian astronauts put Ukraine tensions behind them on board ISS

The Telegraph, Friday 28th March 2014
The Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American from Nasa made it to the International Space Station two days later than originally planned. Russia’s Alexander Skvortsov and Nasa’s Steve Swanson said at a pre-flight news conference that they had decided to have dinners together on board the ISS “as an opportunity to come together as friends in the kitchen and look each other in the eye”.

The Farage-Clegg EU pantomime

The Telegraph, Friday 28th March 2014
Only one person is laughing at the Farage-Clegg EU pantomime. Nick Clegg challenged Farage to two fights, and LBC aired the first on Wednesday. David Cameron said he wouldn’t be watching the Clegg vs Farage rematch, which is a shame. If he did, he’d see the two extremists push each other ever further to the edges.

‘Champion of the powerless’, Tony Benn, has died

BBC News, Friday 14th March 2014
Veteran left-wing campaigner Tony Benn has died at home. Arrangements for his funeral will be announced in due course.

British gardeners to be criminalised for growing Rhododendrons

The Telegraph, Sunday 9th March 2014
The Royal Horticultural Society has warned that, under new EU laws, gardeners could find themselves on the wrong side of the law because of Rhododendrons or other “invasive” species growing in their gardens. The rules, intended to stop the spread of environmentally-damaging species, are so broadly drawn that they could criminalise many householders for “innocuous” plants they have kept for many years.

UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on Ukraine crisis

Asian Tribune, Sunday 2nd March 2014
The acting Ukrainian president pins his hopes on the UN Security Council. Since Russia is a permanent member of the body and holds the Power of Veto against any resolution, the hope of an effective outcome of such a move gradually fades into oblivion.

Met Office left red-faced as ‘drier winter’ turns soggy

Extract from Met Office 3-month Outlook, issued 21st November 2013:

For the period December 2013 – February 2014

The probability that UK precipitation for December-January-February will fall into the driest of our five categories is around 25% and the probability that it will fall into the wettest category is around 15%. The weakening of the prevailing westerly flow means that the normally wetter western or northwestern parts of the country may see a significant reduction in precipitation compared to average, while the east or southeast may be closer to average.

Oops!

Fury at the Westminster ‘flood tourists’

Mail Online, Tuesday 11th February 2014
Fury at the Westminster ‘flood tourists’: Fed-up families hit out at welly-wearing politicians jostling for the best photo opportunities. David Cameron’s tour of the South West was dismissed as an attempt to use flooded residents as ‘extras’ in self-promotional footage.

Millions to be put on statins

BBC News, Wednesday 12th February 2014
Millions more people should be put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to protect them against heart attacks and strokes, according to draft guidelines for the NHS in England. Like all medicines, statins have potential side-effects.

Troops sent in to flood-hit Somerset

The Telegraph, Thursday 30th January 2014
The Government has sent the Army into Somerset as ministers launched a late attempt to relieve stricken villages left devastated by floods amid fears of a further storm on Friday. Pressure has been mounting on Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, in recent days as his handling of the crisis was criticised following a visit to the area during which he was heckled by angry residents.

Apparently, the army’s intervention has been successful – the flood waters are retreating.

Have patients been given a fair chance to opt out of NHS database?

The Independent, Saturday 25th January 2014
From spring this year, every GP surgery in England must begin sending patient information to a central NHS database. The plan is being threatened by data privacy fears. There have been criticisms that patients have not been given a fair chance to opt out. The upcoming new European-wide data protection law will insist that individuals must have the right to directly ‘opt in’ to data sharing.

Two new cities planned for southern England

BBC News, Saturday 11th January 2014
The Conservatives have been accused of suppressing a report which recommends building two new garden cities to combat the housing shortage. Liberal Democrat president Tim Farron said there was clearly a housing crisis – and the garden cities could provide a solution – but the Conservatives feared provoking an angry response from voters in Tory heartlands. He believed the report identified two potential sites – in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

Sky News, Saturday 11th January 2014
The River Thames burst its banks on Friday. Parts of the river, stretching from Buscot in Oxfordshire to Bourne End in Buckinghamshire, were under flood warnings as heavy rain over recent days caused river levels to rise.

CofE says the word ‘sin’ makes people think of ‘sex and cream cakes’

The Telegraph, Sunday 5th January 2014
The Church of England has been accused of “dumbing down” after trialling a new wording for christenings in which parents and godparents are no longer asked to ‘repent of their sins’ and ‘reject the devil’. According to the Liturgical Commission, the word ‘sin’ now makes people think of ‘sex and cream cakes’.

Britain tightens controls as Romanians, Bulgarians gain access to EU labour market

Wall Street Journal, Monday 23rd December 2013
Labour restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants set by several countries when the two Eastern European nations joined the EU in 2007 expire on January 1. But the issue is especially contentious in the UK. The flow of immigrants from elsewhere in the EU to Britain has more than doubled since the late 1990s.

Evening Standard, Wednesday 1st January 2014
Australia can sense England are being worn down as their miserable Ashes tour reaches its conclusion. Alastair Cook’s team will suffer a 5-0 whitewash, unless they can somehow stop their hosts in the final Test in Sydney.