WUFOOB (Oct – Dec 2017)

the oceans are becoming a ‘toxic soup’ of industrial waste and plastic

Telegraph, 5th December 2017
In the final episode of the BBC’s groundbreaking wildlife documentary Blue Planet II, which airs this Sunday, the true scale of man’s impact on the planet is laid bare. Sir David Attenborough said: “While filming Blue Planet II the crews found plastic in every ocean, even in the most remote locations. Once in the ocean, plastic breaks down into tiny fragments, micro plastics. Along with all industrial chemicals which have drained into the ocean these form a potentially toxic soup. Industrial pollution and the discarding of plastic waste must be tackled for the sake of all life in the ocean. Surely we have a responsibility to care for our planet. The future of humanity and indeed all life on earth, now depends on us.”

UK could pay £50bn Brexit divorce bill

The Guardian, 29th November 2017
The UK has bowed to EU demands on the Brexit divorce bill in a move that could result in the UK paying £50bn to Brussels, in an attempt to get France and Germany to agree to move negotiations to trade.

The Times, 8th November 2017
Boris Johnson has conceded he “could have been clearer” in remarks he made about a British woman jailed in Iran that threaten to extend her imprisonment. The foreign secretary today clarified his comments, but stopped short of admitting he had made a mistake or issuing an unequivocal apology. He said he was sorry if his remarks had been “taken out of context and misconstrued”. He has faced calls to quit after he told the foreign affairs committee last week that British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 38, had been training journalists in Iran at the time of her arrest last year. This has been denied by her employer and her family. The comments led to her being brought back to court at the weekend on charges of “propaganda against the regime”.

Storm Ophelia brings dust and debris from the Sahara to the UK

The Guardian, 17th October 2017
The strange reddish sky reported over parts of the UK may appear to some a sign of impending apocalypse or a celestial Instagram filter, but experts say there is a scientific explanation. The hue is a remnant of Storm Ophelia dragging in tropical air, dust and debris from the Sahara according to the BBC weather presenter Simon King.