United Kingdom

> A cutting-edge new weapon which uses radio waves to blast drones out of the sky is under development for the UK’s armed forces. > > The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) beams radio waves to disrupt or damage the critical electronic components of vehicles and drones used by enemy combatants, which can cause them to stop in their tracks or fall out of the sky. > > It can be used across land, air and sea and has a range of up to 1km, which could be extended in the future. > > ... > > With an estimated cost of 10p per radio wave shot, the technology is also being billed as a cost-effective alternative to traditional missiles, and could be used to take down dangerous drone swarms. > > The technology can be mounted on to a variety of military vehicles, and uses a mobile power source to produce pulses of a radio frequency energy in a beam that can fire sequenced shots at a single target or be broadened to hit a series of targets. > > ... > > “The war in Ukraine has shown us the importance of deploying uncrewed systems, but we must be able to defend against them too. As we ramp up our defence spending in the coming years, our Defence Drone Strategy will ensure we are at the forefront of this warfighting evolution.”

The Defence Blog says it's part of Project EALING "Similar in concept to the Epirus LEONIDAS system developed for the US Army".

> Police officers in Britain could be armed with Ghostbusters-style devices that fire electromagnetic rays to shut down the engines of ebikes being used in a crime. > > Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said the weapon was in development and could be months away from being available, though it is expected to be longer than that. > > He said it would be housed in a backpack, reminiscent of the equipment used in the Ghostbusters series of movies. It could tackle crime linked to newer vehicles such as electric bikes and electric scooters. > > The device is being developed with the Defence Science and Technology Lab, which is overseen by the Ministry of Defence, alongside other technological innovations that British police are hoping to use. It would fire an electromagnetic pulse at a vehicle that an officer wants to stop because the rider is suspected of involvement in a crime. > > The electromagnetic weapon works by tricking the engine into thinking it is overheating, which shuts down the engine and brings the vehicle to a stop. It requires a line of sight to work, Stephens said.

> Lawyers and doctors assisting the first UK tradespeople diagnosed with a lung disease linked to a material used in kitchen revamps believe the cases could mark the “start of an epidemic”. > > The first cases of silicosis among tradespeople who have worked with an artificial stone popular in modern kitchen worktops have been reported in the UK in recent months. > > The material – high-silica engineered stone quartz – has already been banned in Australia, where it was described as a modern-day asbestos after hundreds of suspected cases were identified. > > ... > > Daniel Easton, a partner with Leigh Day, is representing the first UK patients to have been diagnosed with silicosis after working with the stone. The long-term lung disease is caused by inhaling large amounts of crystalline silica dust, which is created while cutting the slabs. > > He told i: “We may be sitting on an epidemic of silicosis that’s going to become a major issue over the next couple of years. There are signs that we may be starting down a similar road to Australia. > > ... > > It is understood up to 10 cases of silicosis linked to artifical stone have now been identified in the UK, after i revealed in February that three cases were reported last year to the surveillance scheme Sword, used by physicians to log work-related respiratory diseases. > > The popularity of quartz kitchen surfaces has exploded in recent years, and it is now the UK’s most popular worktop material. > > Specialist water cutting techniques can suppress the spread of dust during manufacturing, but dry cutting can leave workers exposed to harmful amounts of silica dust. > > ... > > In Australia, screening programmes since 2018 found 11 per cent of of 4,743 stonemasons and engineered stone workers received a probable or confirmed diagnosis of silicosis because of workplace exposure to dust known as respirable crystalline silica (RCS).

> British computer business Raspberry Pi is finalising plans to float on the stock market this month in a transaction that could value it at up to £500 million. > > The Cambridge-based business is best known for selling low-cost, credit-card-sized computers to help children learn to code. > > The float could take place within the next ten days, according to City sources, although they cautioned that it could be delayed if market conditions deteriorate. > > ... > > Raspberry Pi’s figures for 2022, the latest accounts filed at Companies House, show it employed 94 staff and made $20 million of operating profit from $187 million of revenue. > > If the flotation takes place, it would be the second attempt by Raspberry Pi to list on the market. Upton had aimed to float the company in London in 2021 but ditched the plan when stock markets were knocked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Raspberry Pi was also hit by a worldwide shortage of semiconductor chips. > > Upton, who works at the firm with his wife, Liz, revived talk of a listing last October when he said “when the markets are ready, we’ll be ready as well”. It is understood Raspberry Pi has been telling prospective investors that it can grow the company by selling more of its products to businesses and through international sales.

Archive

The British police have charged three men with assisting Hong Kong’s foreign intelligence service.

The men were detained alongside several others during a series of raids across the United Kingdom last week, the police said on Monday. The operation is the latest in a spate of action against suspected Russian and Chinese spies across Europe.

They were set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday to face charges filed under the National Security Act, passed last year to introduce new measures against espionage threats from foreign states.

“While these offences are concerning, I want to reassure the public that we do not believe there to be any wider threat to them,” Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, said in a statement.

The London police said 11 people had been detained earlier this month, most of them from Yorkshire, in northern England.

Those who were charged were Chi Leung Wai, 38, Matthew Trickett, 37, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, all from southeast England.

Seven other men and one woman were not charged and were later released from custody.

Police said the investigation was ongoing, without providing any other details on the charges.

Spate of spying charges

The arrests come as concerns mount across Europe over intelligence operations linked to China and Russia.

The UK announced in late April the arrest of two people suspected of providing “prejudicial information” to Beijing.

The same day, the German police reported that they had charged three citizens with handing technologies with potential military purposes to Chinese intelligence, with whom they have been accused of working since at least June 2022.

The same month, Germany arrested an aide to a far-right member of the European Parliament on suspicion of spying for China.

The British police noted on Monday that the charges against the trio over their work for Hong Kong intelligence are not linked to an ongoing investigation involving Russia, which was also conducted under the National Security Act.

The British government said last Wednesday that it was expelling a Russian defence attache for spying, amid several measures targeting Moscow’s intelligence-gathering operations in the UK.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the measures were aimed at the “reckless and dangerous activities of the Russian government across Europe”.

> The Northern Lights are set to be visible across large parts of the UK overnight as a huge solar storm is going to hit Earth. > > America's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reportedly issued its first severe solar storm warning since 2005 yesterday as a huge geomagnetic storm races towards Earth - meaning it could be the most powerful experienced in almost two decades. > > It's set to hit overnight, and could supercharge the Northern Lights, making them visible in Scotland, northern England and Wales and even further south if conditions are right. > > But the impressive Aurora Borealis could also potentially interfere with infrastructure, including the power grid and satellites when it hits.

I'm not 5G enabled yet so theoretically 4G+ should be my fastest connection speed. However, on O2 I find that it's effectively the same as having no connection at all, and often end up shifting down to 3G just to get some connection.

This can't be right, I feel like I've forgotten a setting or something! Has anyone managed to figure it out, or maybe first does anyone else have the same issue?

> Analysis of Home Office data showed the impact of the shift from EU to non-EU migrants. Migrants from the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey aged 25-64 were almost twice as likely to be economically inactive as someone born in the UK.

> Spanish migrants typically earned around 40pc more than migrants from Pakistan or Bangladesh, while migrants from countries such as Canada, Singapore and Australia paid between four and nine times as much income tax as migrants from Somalia or Pakistan.

> Clothes rental for children is one of the latest chapters in how “libraries of things” are becoming an increasingly common way to save money, space and waste. The theory is simple: instead of buying a household item or a piece of clothing or some equipment you might use once or twice, you take it out and return it. > > The London-based Library of Things opened three new locations across the city this year and are planning two more. Co-founder Rebecca Trevalyan says their mission is to make “borrowing better than buying”. > > “We really want to make rental go mainstream, make it more affordable, convenient and socially rewarding than buying something from Amazon,” she says. > > There are many success stories of previous borrowers from her locations. One person hired a metal detector to hunt down the wedding ring they lost when camping in Sussex and found it within 20 minutes. Another rented a planer at £11 a day to fix two doors in her flat after being quoted £245 for a handyman to come in and do the three hour job. > > In Wales, Benthyg Cymru runs a network of more than two dozen libraries across the country. And Edinburgh’s Tool Library has thousands of options to choose from. In Bath, you can book in a cargo bike delivery and collection to pick up your item from its Share and Repair shop. > > All libraries have a selection of items that people may normally find too bulky, expensive or not useful enough to buy. Some are keen to try something to see if it’s worth the investment. The number one most popular thing to borrow is a carpet cleaner, followed by a cordless drill and a hand sander, according to Trevalyan. > > ... > > One in 10 people now chooses to rent rather than buy brand-new, a rising number since 2022, according to figures from Barclaycard Payments and economic analysts Development Economics. > > Linda Weston, managing director of Barclaycard Payments, says the rising cost of living and a move towards more sustainable habits are shifting shopping habits. “Our data shows we’re increasingly opting to shop second-hand, or rent items for a short period of time, rather than buying outright. The trend is permeating a range of sectors, from childcare to pet care and from fashion to fitness.”

Full text archive link: https://archive.is/SDX09

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Brewer will put £40mn annually into refurbishing its UK estate as pub groups regain confidence

Heineken is reopening 62 UK pubs it had closed in recent years and will put about £40mn annually into refurbishing its estate in the latest sign that pub groups are regaining confidence as cost of living pressures ease.

The move by the world’s second-largest brewer, which owns 2,400 pubs in the UK through its Star Pubs and Bars arm, will restore the number of operating outlets in its estate to pre-pandemic levels.

“Now is clearly a significant moment in terms of the resilience of pubs coming back and showing how they can still work very well for consumers up and down the country,” said Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ managing director.

Heineken, which leases out most of its pubs, has spent more than £200mn maintaining them over the past five years and plans to continue investing at a similar level.

This year it will put £39mn into the reopenings and makeovers across 94 outlets, mainly in suburban areas where more people work from home. The spending will include increasing kitchen space and improving gardens, as outdoor space has become more popular since the pandemic. A total of 612 pubs will benefit from investment.

“I would envision us investing at around those levels for the next four years or so,” Mountstevens said. Continued investment was Heineken’s “massive vote of confidence in the longevity of pubs in the UK”, he added.

Britain’s hostelries have been hard hit by the cost of living crisis; consumers are spending less money in pubs and bars than at any time since Covid lockdowns ended, according to recent research by Deloitte. Beer is one of the consumer goods they have particularly cut back on, FT research recently found.

Rising operating costs and financing challenges have also affected the sector. But the bullishness of Star Pubs is the latest sign that large players in the industry are shifting to the offensive. The pub sector expects improvements in trading and financing this year.

Greene King announced last week that it would invest £40mn in a new brewery in Bury St Edmunds, with plans for this to replace the existing brewery there in 2027. Punch Pubs announced last week that it had acquired 24 pubs from the Milton Three pub group, which fell into administration in November. The deal is believed to be worth about £15mn.

“Consumer confidence is beginning to return, which is reflected in the tentative signs of an uplift in pub sales,” said Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, the industry body. “Investors are making big investments into the UK in our sector and confidence in the beer and pub sector for the long-term is strong.”

The UK has 45,300 pubs but 530 of them shut their doors last year, according to the BBPA. The number of closures was higher than even the height of the pandemic in both 2020 and 2021 when the government provided support.

Peel Hunt analyst Douglas Jack warned that borrowing costs still remained high for many private companies but added: “Confidence is improving as real disposable income is growing and interest rates are forecast to fall.”

10 years without an increase in funding for SEND pupils is outrageous. Austerity is very much alive and well.