The UK government has begun talks to join the trans-Pacific trading bloc CPTPP, as part of its post-Brexit move to focus on trade outside of Europe. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss opened negotiations on Tuesday morning with Japan’s Yasutoshi Nishimura, the current chair of the CPTPP.
Category Archives: Britain
Science Museum puts profits before nature
After orchestrating an occupation of the Science Museum in London, a band of activists were threatened with arrest last night (Saturday 19 June 2021), but have affirmed that they’ll continue their action today. Due to the museum’s decision to receive sponsorship from fossil fuel giant Shell, the London branch of the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN) coordinated the protest.
Beckett drops out: the fight for Unite continues
The Unite leadership race is now looking more hopeful with Howard Beckett dropping out of the race to endorse Steve Turner.
London Recruit, Steve Marsling, contesting Aldeburgh & Leiston by-election for CP
The Communist Party’s East Suffolk Branch have announced that they are standing their local Chair, Comrade Steve Marsling, in the forthcoming by-election to represent the ward of Aldeburgh & Leiston. In a public statement, the Communist candidate set out his case, which is proudly carried here by Challenge.
Communists call for ‘major turnout at protest’ on 26 June
Communist Party members and supporters in London, the Home Counties and the South East are being asked to help mobilise for the major protest against government austerity and post-Covid plans, at the demonstration called by the People’s Assembly Against Austerity for Saturday 26 June.
Tories wilfully underfunded childcare
The government has invested less than two-thirds of the estimated cost of properly funding childcare, recently released documents have revealed. According to these government briefing documents, the rates of funding for 2020-2021 did not meet the required amount to fund the free childcare initiative, which offers parents of three and four year old children thirty hours of free childcare per week.
Tories streamline school-to-prison pipeline
The proposals will further criminalise children and will fail to address the essence of their trauma, instead of tackling the systemic social issues that plague young people today.
BrewDog brews a publicity disaster
Craft beer in the UK has taken off massively in recent years, with craft beer bars in most cities serving IPA to Saisons and everything else in between. The brand at the forefront of the industry in the UK is BrewDog. The Scottish brewer started on a small scale just over ten years ago and has now developed itself into a massive multinational corporation with bars across the globe.
G7 leaders meet in Cornwall this weekend
G7 leaders from across the world have travelled to Carbis Bay, near St Ives in Cornwall as talks continue across the weekend, with Covid-19 vaccines and the environment high up on the agenda. The G7 brings together the largest capitalist economies, from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States. Russia joined to form the G8 but has since been excluded. Other leaders have also been invited this year, including the far right leader of the BJP in India, Narendra Modi, who will attend virtually, while Ursula von der Leyen will represent the European Union.
The epidemic of sexual harassment in schools
Sexual harassment and online sexual abuse are such a conventional aspect of pupils’ everyday lives they don’t see any point in confronting or reporting it, students have expressed to Ofsted inspectors. Girls experience this abuse disproportionately, facing the likes of misogynistic name-calling, online abuse and rape jokes amongst many other harrowing displays of sexual harassment. Inspectors were informed that boys share nude photos on apps, such as Snapchat, “like a collection game”.
