Review: Madeiradig 2015
By Daniel Mackenzie (@EkcaLiena) There's a unique joy in spending hours in a dark underground bunker with nothing but bass heavy drones and noise for company, the brief shuffles and breaths of other audience members reminding you that you're not alone, or dreaming; then soon afterwards standing atop a cliff overlooking the Atlantic, letting the first vibrations of a party segue, via an elaborate and extensive buffet, into early hours hedonism. This nightly sequence is simple, refined and addictive. Such...
NUT boss wants teachers to unite against Tory plans
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Speaking at the NUT’s annual conference; Christine Blower the general secretary of the union has called on its members to build a coalition against the Conservative Party. She said teachers should create a grouping of “horror and dismay” at the government’s plans to make every school in England an academy. Blower called the Tories plans unacceptable and more than likely to hurt the employment prospects of teachers. She said: “We know that total academisation represents...
Restaurant Review – Kurobuta, Harvey Nichols
By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food Originally opened as a pop-up in Chelsea, Kurobuta is the brainchild of Australian chef Scott Hallsworth, showcasing his obsession with Japanese food. And since the initial setup, the pop-up has become permanent and is joined by another restaurant near Marble Arch, followed by another which opened at the end of last year – joining the likes of Yo! Sushi, Burger & Lobster, and Polpo - taking over a sizeable portion of the fifth floor...
British forces training Bahraini army to fire sniper rifles
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor British armed forces are training the Bahrain military to use sniper rifles. This news will worry human rights groups who have already accused the regime of targeting protestors during the Arab Spring. Elite Royal Navy commandos are running a training course for Bahraini army personnel, who were accused of using snipers to target protesters during protests back in 2011. Labour’s shadow Defence Secretary, Emily Thornberry said: “People will be rightly concerned to discover that our...
VIDEO – Person jumps from hijacked plane’s Cockpit
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Footage from the BBC news channel has shown someone jump out of the plane's cockpit window, then jump to the floor, before running as fast as possible away from the hijacked plane in Cyprus. See video below
Map of companies worth entire countries stock markets
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The global stock markets have had a tough time of late and the largest corporations in the world dwarf some countries stock market valuation. For example Google and Amazon have a combined worth of $747bn, Netflix is $40bn and McDonald’s is around $109bn. These figures are pretty hard to get your head around, so Bank of America Merrill Lynch has created a map to help illustrate the size of these companies compared to stock markets...
UN Rules Falkland Islands ‘Are in Argentinian Waters’
The United Nations has ruled that the Falkland Islands are in Argentinian waters, giving the country fresh impetus to continue its claims to the British overseas territory. The decision by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf was welcomed by Argentina, but concern has been expressed elsewhere over control of natural resources in the surrounding waters. Mike Summers, chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands, said: "Our understanding has always been that the UN would not...
Tories sneak in Land Registry sell-off just before Easter hols
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The Conservative Party sneakily announced their plans to sell-off the Land Registry just before Parliament shut down for the Easter Holidays, at 5pm last Thursday. The Chancellor has been trying to off load the agency for several years. The Land Registry is responsible for controlling all property transactions in England and Wales. During the coalition years a plan to privatise the agency was blocked by the Liberal Democrats. However, George Osborne resurrected the idea in...
Secret Teacher – Academies: The Public Must Be Told What They Are
Many of you may have heard the government’s latest wheeze to interfere in education: to force all schools to become academies. Now, in times past, the term academy as a title of an organisation was seen as a sign it was quite good. When someone found out I worked at an academy, they were impressed - clearly I must be a super teacher in a super school if it’s called an academy. Being the humble servant of the state that...