The government of Wales has moved forward with legislation that would disqualify politicians from serving in its parliament if they were found to have been deliberately deceptive. The legislation, which was promised by Counsel General Mick Antoniw, faced a contentious reception in the Parliament. It will make Wales the first country in the world to pass such legislation. A Contentious Path to Victory Wikimedia Commons Wales’s governing Labour Party risked losing a vote as it tried to stop a smaller pro-Welsh-independence party, Plaid Cymru, from passing their own version of the ban. In the end, Labour minister Lee Waters made…
Author: Tom Williams
When astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore went into space in early June via Boeing and NASA’s Starliner mission, the news was celebrated as a major win for Boeing in the space race against SpaceX. However, since docking with the International Space Station (ISS), the astronauts have faced continual issues with their spacecraft; prompting fears for their safety and return to Earth. However, a new announcement from NASA has given the duo reasons for hope. What Prompted Fears? N. Kodama/Flickr Issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters, as well as helium leaks, emerged in early June. However, it was initially believed that…
Nearly 5,000 pounds of liquid egg products have been recalled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The recall of liquid egg products manufactured by Michael Foods Inc. of Gaylord, Minnesota, is due to misbranding and the failure to declare the presence of a major allergen. Reasons For The Recall Tengyart/Unsplash The recall stems from a labeling mix-up which meant that the product Breakfast Blend Scrambled Egg was accidentally put into cartons labeled as Whole Eggs with Citric Acid. The Breakfast Blend Scrambled Egg contains milk — a major allergen — which was not declared…
Federal health authorities in the US have approved a new experimental drug that has been shown to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s in medical trials. The Donanemab drug, manufactured by Eli Lilly, is the second medication that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved to treat patients with early symptoms of the disease. Previous Treatments Approved Tatiana Zanon/Unsplash Last year, authorities approved the drug lecanemab (Leqembi) after it was shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. However, it is not currently available under Medicare or Medicaid. Currently, Leqembi access is restricted to those who can pay $26,500 a year…
John Deere, the world’s largest seller of crop harvesters has said their Midwest workers will face another set of layoffs. The company, which has begun moving production to Mexico, told over 600 production staff in Iowa and Illinois that they will lose their jobs this Summer. Who Has Been Hit By Layoffs Lawrence Whittemore/Flickr John Deere is set to cut 280 jobs from its plant in East Moline, Illinois, with another 230 job losses set to hit the Davenport, Iowa factory. Meanwhile, another 100 production employees in Dubuque, Iowa will also be effected. All layoffs will be effective from August…
It’s been over four years since the world quickly ground to a halt following the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the United States -with schools, nurseries and most places of work closing and operating remotely. Now, babies and toddlers of the pandemic years have reached school age, and new reporting reveals the full extent of the developmental delays they suffered as a result of pandemic-era restrictions. Basic Skills Lacking USAID U.S. Agency for International Development/Flickr New York Times’ reporters Claire Cain Miller and Sarah Mervosh spoke to over two dozen childhood experts, teachers and pediatricians to gain unique insight into…
At the start of July, the year’s first named hurricane, Beryl, hit tropical islands in the southeast of the Caribbean. The storm, which is classified as a Category 4, is heading westwards towards Central America and is already breaking records. Breaking Records Alexey Demidov/Unsplash Hurricane Beryl became a Category 4 hurricane earlier than any other previously recorded storm. Meanwhile, Beryl intensified at record speeds- moving from Category 1 to Category 4 in less than 24 hours; quicker than any other storm this early in the year. How Are Hurricanes Categorized? Zoltan Tasi/Unsplash The SAFFIR-SIMPSON Hurricane Scale classifies hurricanes from weakest…
When astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry Wilmore went into space in early June this year, they were expected to return to Earth within a week. However, repeated complications and safety concerns mean the duo remain in space nearly a month after initially leaving Earth. Now, reports suggest they are many more months away from returning. Timeline For Return Remains Uncertain NASA Kennedy/Flickr In a Friday briefing, NASA emphasized uncertainties regarding the timeline for Williams and Wilmore’s return. “We’re just looking at the timeline to execute (the test in New Mexico) and then review the data,” the organization said. One…
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is expected to charge Boeing with fraud but will offer them a plea deal that would allow them to avoid going to trial. The planemaker will have until the end of this week to decide if it will accept the deal that has angered victims’ families and been condemned as a “sweetheart deal” by attorneys. The Crashes Which Sparked Investigation nycaviation.com Two crashes of Boeing 737’s sparked investigations. The first of these took place in October 2018 when a flight from Indonesia crashed into the Java Sea, killing 189 people on board. The second…
Scientists in China believe they may have just found the key to establishing life on Mars – in the form of a remarkably resilient moss. The _Syntrichia Caninervis _moss – which is found in both extremely cold climates like Antarctica and very hot environments like the Mojave desert – is able to withstand Mars-like conditions, including high radiation exposure and drought. Researchers Detail Findings Wikimedia Commons, MayGoldworthy/DeviantArt “The unique insights obtained in our study lay the foundation for outer space colonization using naturally selected plants adapted to extreme stress conditions,” wrote the research team behind the new findings. Moss expert,…