microplastics News

 

 

 

Stories of the week 22 September

 

Environment

This week saw the largest Climate Strike so far with millions marching around the world to stop the rapid destruction of our planet.   As thousands are choking on smoke from the fires in the Amazon and Pacific islands are disappearing under rising sea levels, school children inspired by Greta Thunberg and adults inspired by Extinction Rebellion took to the streets in cities around the world.

This in a week that also saw proof that toxic air and micro-plastics are crossing through the placenta and affecting unborn children.

But in good news, American citizens are waking up to the Climate Emergency and in the UK 85% of adults are concerned by the Climate Crisis.  In the UK, Labour has pledged to plant a million trees on NHS property.

 

 

Politics

This week saw the culmination of the Supreme Court’s review of whether Boris Johnson acted unlawfully by misleading the Queen over the prorogation of Parliament.  Brexit and Tory press tried to push this as unelected judges standing in the way of the will of the people but they didn’t try too hard. All other press viewed this as a fight for democracy and freedom against a dictatorial executive.  The Supreme Court is expected to reveal its decision in the coming week but legal experts are expecting a shock for the Government. They say that the fact that the judges talked about potential remedies at length and also refused to announce their judgement with reasons to follow means that that are going to find against Boris Johnson, now a Prime Minister who misled the Queen.  In the summing up, Lord Pannick said the Mother of Parliaments had been silenced by Boris Johnson, the father of lies.

Boris Johnson came in for more public humiliation this week at the Mercury Music Prize ceremony when prize nominee rapper Slowthai performed brandishing a severed Boris Johnson head and encouraged the audience to sing ‘F Boris’.

The Liberal Democrats launched ‘the fight of our lives for the heart and soul of Britain’ as they pledged to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU without a referendum if they were in power.  The party led by Jo Swinson saw a wave of new support with their decision to remain.

 

Brexit

This has not been a good week for Boris Johnson at all. He faced international humiliation as he refused to take part in a press conference because there UK protestors angry at his No Deal Brexit stance. Johnson had met the Prime Minister of Luxembourg who continued with the press conference and pointed repeatedly to an empty podium. More international embarrassment for the UK.

 

 

 

 

All the top stories of the week 18th August

 

 

Brexit

Boris Johnson upped his No Deal broadcast game as the Rebel Alliance of cross party MPs united by the consequences of No Deal for the country.  The Alliance plans to bring down the Tory Johnson government and launch a General Election.

Another No Deal for the UK is coming. Top US Democrat Nancy Pelosi once again reiterated the fact that if Brexit threatened the Good Friday Agreement in any way then the much promised US Trade Deal by Trump and Johnson will not take place. This was in addition to stories arising that chlorinated chicken and other US food were high on the list while Brexit will decimate UK agriculture.

 

 

Politics

The cross party rebel alliance will not suffer the contempt for Parliament that Johnson is currently spouting. Their plan is to launch a No Confidence vote as soon as Parliament returns from its summer recess. Unelected Dominic Cummings has laid out a plan to try and push through No Deal before the Parliamentary and the judicial systems in the UK can stop it.

 

 

World

Civil unrest in Hong Kong continued this week as tension grew between protesters and the Chinese Government. Satellite pictures revealed armoured vehicles massing on the Chinese side of the border with Hong Kong along with threats from Beijing that China could take military control of Hong Kong in under an hour.

 

 

Middle East

Encouraged by Donald Trump, Israel took the widely criticised move of banning congress women IIhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the country. This was widely seen as an attack on democracy by the rest of the world as well as in the USA.

 

 

NHS

Austerity and Tory cuts continue to take their toll on the beleaguered NHS. For the very first time in its history, patients are having to wait for more than 2 weeks to get a GP appointment.  This on the back of reports stating that GPs are misdiagnosing patients because appointment times are too short.

 

 

Environment

Arch Brexiter Arron Banks made jokes about yachting accidents as Greta Thunberg set sail across the Atlantic for a UN crisis summit on the Climate Emergency.  Greta has caused a major upturn in teenagers and children reading environmental books.

As Greta sails, scientists warn that micro plastics have already reached the Arctic and are contaminating the air around us. Not so amusing now, Arron, is it?

 

 

 

 

Top stories of the week 23 June

 

 

Politics

Contenders in the Conservative Leadership race were dubbed the worst boy band ever as the Press slammed 5 out of touch Tories.  The Press noted that the promises were becoming wilder and more unrealistic and the facts contenders were spouting were becoming further and further removed from the truth.  It’s down to two now, Hunt or Johnson.

The Conservative Party hit new lows this week when its approach to both violence against women and the climate emergency were revealed in the worst possible way. Police were called the flat shared by Boris Johnson and his lover Carrie Symonds. A neighbour recorded the violent argument between the two with screaming and smashing plates. Johnson then continued to dodge Press questions on the topic.

Continuing the Conservative theme of violence and abuse aimed at women, Conservative Minister Mark Field was suspended for physically assaulting a female Greenpeace protestor.  In what quite frankly was an embarrassing and puerile excuse, Field said he thought she was armed despite being in an event with the highest security and the woman in an evening dress where disguising a weapon would be almost impossible.  So another Conservative MP telling the truth.

 

 

Brexit

MPs are taking the metropolitan Police to court over their delaying the investigation into the Leave campaign. MPs say the delay is politically motivated. Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, shredded Boris Johnson’s claims of avoiding economic damage in the event of No Deal and forecast UK growth down to zero.

 

 

World

More demonstrations and clashes with police in Hong Kong this week over China’s newly proposed extradition law. Leading activist, Joshua Wong, was unexpectedly released by authorities. Wong then vowed to continue to protest against Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam whom he branded a liar and a coward. As protests entered the second week a solution appeared to remain out of reach.

 

 

Environment

Environmental reporters face being murdered. EU states swing behind becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Pollution from microplastcs in UK rivers is worse than the Pacific garbage patch while 60% of land in the UK is polluted with ammonia.   Just to add to the desperate news, this week saw more evidence of the devastating sea ice melt in Greenland.

 

 

 

 

Top stories of the week 10 March

 

 

Brexit

This week Conservatives ‘lost the plot’ on many fronts according to the Press. Cabinet ministers Amber Rudd, Andrea Leadsom and Karen Bradley were branded ‘muppets’ over astonishing gaffes. And, in two of our favourite headlines this week, Jacob Rees-Mogg says Conservative Government is not Right-wing and the Brexit department’s top civil servant is set to retire just as UK is set to leave EU.

Theresa May launched her big Brexit bribe, throwing money at Labour leave towns in return for Labour MPs’ support for her deal. The bung backfired terribly when it was pointed out that it was not nearly enough to make any real difference and payment would be spread out over six years.

Speaking of ‘bungs’, Conservatives also came under fire as Theresa May prevented a key vote that would have made tax havens more transparent at the same time as it the amount of donations to the party from the same tax havens was revealed.

In more bad Conservative news, 14 members were suspended as it was claimed that Islamophobia is rife throughout the party.

Brexit really does leave a bad taste in the mouth and that’s official. Meghan Markle entered into Brexit row with swipe at US where chicken is washed in chlorine. The UK was urged to reject ‘backward US food standards’.

In more condemnation of the Leave campaign, it was revealed this week that Arron Banks broke an agreement to suspend Brexit campaigning after Jo Cox’s murder.

 

 

Society

The Windrush scandal continued this week with the Home Office accused of complacency with only one victim helped by the end of 2018.  The Department’s failings were so bad there was suggestion of removing immigration duties in the near future.

An alarming report this week revealed that Life expectancy in the UK has fallen by six months in the biggest drop in UK forecasts.

 

 

Austerity

The Government’s brutal austerity was revealed this week as two of the most important aspects of modern day life were thrown into stark relief.

The Government was accused of robbing an entire generation of ‘opportunity’ when more than 7,000 head teachers wrote to millions of parents warned of a ‘school funding crisis’ amid claims of 20% cuts in sixth-form budgets over the past decade. As usual, the Government refused to acknowledge there was anything wrong.

As the knife crime endemic continues to grow and more and more young lives are lost, both Theresa May and Philip Hammond refused to acknowledge that drastic police funding cuts had anything to do with it. You can imagine the outcry that followed.

 

 

Environment

Microplastics found in every lake and river in Britain and Climate change could bring Zika and malaria to the UK.

 

 

Middle East

The sad and complex story of Shamima Begum continued this week as the sad news of the death of her baby came through and the Government were blamed for the ‘callous’ decision to strip mum’s citizenship