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UK approved £650m Saudi arms after Khashoggi murder
Ministers signed off nearly £650m worth of arms licence exports to Saudi Arabia in the six months following the brutal murder of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi by regime forces. Despite the killing being condemned last year in the “strongest possible terms” by the foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, the UK government continued “business as usual” with the regime, critics have claimed. According to a fresh analysis from the Campaign Against Arms Trade, the UK licensed £648m worth of arms to the kingdom between October 2018 and March 2019.
Economy will weaken ‘even if no deal avoided’
UK economic growth will slow in 2019 and 2020 even if a no-deal Brexit is averted, according to the latest
forecasts from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. Overall, the think tank sees a 30 per cent chance GDP will decline over the course of 2020, and that probability will be higher if Britain crashes out of the EU.
Whirlpool recalls 500,000 fire-risk tumble dryers
Whirlpool has launched a recall of its fire-risk tumble dryers by urging remaining owners of unmodified machines to “make contact immediately”. The Office for Product Safety and Standards announced the recall involving 500,000 dryers that could potentially be a fire risk on 10 July, two days after Whirlpool finally published the full list of affected machines. The recall relates to certain models of Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline dryers built between 2004 and 2015. PA
Thousands vow to hunt down the Loch Ness monster
After thousands of people signed up to a plan to “storm” Loch Ness in search of its famous monster, Britain’s top lifeboat charity has warned its waters can be dangerous. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has cautioned that it is 230m deep and people risk cold water shock and hypothermia if they enter the water. It issued the warning after more than 19,000 people said they were going to an event, advertised on Facebook, in search of the monster.
May to leave Huawei decision to successor
Theresa May will leave the decision on whether Chinese telecoms giant Huawei should be involved in the development of the UK’s 5G network to her successor. Culture secretary Jeremy Wright announced the government was “not yet in a position” to decide whether to accept bids for work on the hi-tech project from the company, which is subject to US sanctions because of Washington’s fear it may pass on secret data to the authorities in Beijing. Mr Wright said a delay to the rollout of the 5G network may be “the most appropriate course” in response to uncertainty over Huawei’s involvement.
Andy Murray gold postbox knocked down by car
A postbox painted gold in honour of Andy Murray’s 2012 Olympics triumph has been knocked down by a car. Pictures on social media showed the vehicle beside the postbox lying on the ground in the tennis star’s hometown of Dunblane. One eyewitness said the car “rolled back and knocked the postbox out”. A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We’re aware that the Andy Murray gold postbox has been knocked down and will look to reinstate it as soon as possible.” Murray beat Roger Federer to win gold at Wimbledon in the London 2012 games, with other Team GB athletes including Sir Chris Hoy also receiving the honour of a painted postbox.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police in Forth Valley attended at Dunblane High Street at around 7.50pm on Monday July 22 following a report of a low-speed collision where a Mercedes car struck a Royal Mail postbox. The female driver of the car sustained a minor injury but didn’t require medical attention. Inquiries into this incident are ongoing.” PA