UK
12 best hikes in the North York Moors National Park
The best hikes in the North York Moors National Park are a wonderful way to explore the region’s rich and vibrant landscapes The North York Moors might be England’s most diverse national park. Home to striking stretches of unspoilt coast and the largest area of heather moorland in England and Wales, the North York Moors is one of the country’s foremost hiking destinations. Designated a national park in 1952 and covering an area of 1,430km2 with over 2,000km of well-maintained footpaths, the North York Moors offers a wide variety of English countryside. The park is home to rare heather moorland, ancient woodland, myriad waterways and 42km of some of the most glorious coastline in England. Here, we share the best hikes in the North York Moors National Park: 12 magnificent ways to explor...
Nigeria announces closure of Air Peace evacuation of nationals from UK
The Nigerian High Commission in the UK has announced the closure of Air Peace Evacuation flight from that country scheduled for Aug. 8, as all seats on the aircraft are fully booked. The High Commission disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja. The High Commission advised prospective evacuees who are yet to make payment not to do so and necessary arrangements are being made for alternative flights. “Further to the notice of July 25, 2020, the High Commission wishes to inform that the evacuation flight scheduled for Aug. 8, 2020 is now fully booked and seats are no longer available. “In this regards, all prospective evacuees who have not already made payments for the flight are strongly advised not to do so. “The Mission will endeavour to make necessary arr...
UK Cassette Sales Have Doubled in 2020
In the latest proof that younger generations are just as insufferably nostalgic as Baby Boomers, cassette tape sales are on the rise. The US market has grown by as much as 35% in recent years, with over 219,000 tapes sold in 2018. But that’s nothing compared to the surge seen in the UK, where, according to the Official Charts company, sales have more than doubled in 2020. So far this year, Englanders have purchased 65,000 cassette tapes, an increase of 103% (!) compared to the same period last year. UK sales overall are on pace to top 100,000 for the first time since 2003. Cassette tapes, it should be noted, suck. It’s the second-worst audio format of the last 50 years, surpassing only the execrable 8-track, and coming in well south of the fidelity offered by CDs and vinyl. Peaking in popu...
England to Allow Indoor Concerts Beginning Next Month
Earlier this week, veteran talent agent and Lollapalooza co-founder Marc Geiger predicted that concerts likely won’t return in the US until 2022 — a much bleaker timeline than the one previously provided by health experts. Meanwhile, our friends across the Atlantic will allow indoor concerts to take place beginning August 1st, 2020. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed the news on Friday, July 17th, as part of a larger discussion about the UK entering stage 4 of their five-stage reopening plan. While live indoor events will be allowed to return, there will be a strict set of guidelines in place, including social distancing measures, reduced capacity for venues, required online ticketing, frequent sanitization of sites, and staggered performance schedules. “The UK’s performing arts...
Ibrahim Magu failed to account for interest on N550 billion recovered loot – panel
Voice of Nigeria A prior presidential panel, which investigated the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, indicted him, a report has alleged. The report noted that the embattled EFCC boss had been unable to account for the interest generated from N550bn cash recovered from 2015 to 2020. The panel is separate from the panel led by a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, which is currently probing Magu and other top officials of the agency. The chairman of the previous committee was Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim and the members were DIG Anthony Ogbizi; a member from Federal Ministry of Justice; Mualledi Dogondaji from the EFCC; Hassan Abdullahi from the DSS; an unnamed member from the Office of the Accountant General of the...
Outdoor Concerts Are Allowed to Return in the UK
The UK has a nationalized health care system, and the US has a president who makes fun of face masks, and so it’s no surprise that England was faster at getting its coronavirus crisis under control. With new cases decreasing since mid-May, and total cases now under 30,000, the UK government is allowing outdoor concerts to resume starting this weekend — as long as venues maintain “a limited and socially distanced audience.” As Kerrang reports, the announcement was made by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden. He called this “an important milestone for our performing artists, who have been waiting patiently in the wings since March”. Dowden added, “Of course we won’t see crowds flooding into their venues, but from July 11 our theatres, operas, dance and music shows can start puttin...
12 best hikes in the Peak District National Park
The best hikes in the Peak District National Park showcase some of England’s finest and most accessible hillwalking countryside When we made our move to the country, we very nearly ended up in the Peak District. It was a toss-up between there and the Yorkshire Dales, but in the end, the pull of the Dales was just a touch too strong. The Peak District, however, came a very close second. Wedged between the northern cities of Manchester and Sheffield, the Peak District National Park may well be England’s most accessible wilderness. Britain’s first national park is an idyllic landscape with a vast range of natural beauty. The occasionally bleak but eternally beautiful Pennine countryside boasts dramatic waterfalls, deep dales, rocky crags, quaint market towns and cosy villages seemingly untouc...
UK government takes $500 million stake in space exploration firm OneWeb
As part of a consortium that includes Indian telecom Bharti Global, the UK government will invest $500 million and take a “significant equity share” in space exploration firm OneWeb, it announced Friday. OneWeb, which has its headquarters in the UK, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US in March, after it was unable to secure financing. Bharti Global also will invest $500 million as part of the deal. OneWeb is one of several companies working on an Internet-from-space project, using a combination of low-altitude satellites to beam internet connectivity to ground terminals on Earth’s surface. It was slated to launch a constellation of 650 spacecraft, and its plans included providing internet coverage for the Arctic. So far, it has launched 74 satellites for the project. Frida...
Lessons learnt from 100 days in lockdown
As we approach a full 100 days in lockdown, we reflect on the things we’ve learnt while largely stuck at home I was so blasé. Ten days before lockdown, I casually said on a podcast that I was still riding the tube, still seeing friends, still keeping calm and carrying on as is the British Way (from 22m here). Little did I know, the entire country would shut down a mere week and a half later. Peter and I cut short our stay in London and drove back up to Richmond where we’ve stayed for the last 100 days – something of a record for two people who make their living from travel. The initial novelty of an empty calendar wore off quickly and as we approach a full 100 days in lockdown, we look forward to a return to normality – or some incarnation of it. Aside from the obvious importan...
12 best hikes in Northumberland National Park
The best hikes in Northumberland National Park reveal an underappreciated but utterly delightful expanse of English countryside Amid the ancient rolling hills between the Scottish border and England’s industrial northeast, you will find Northumberland National Park. England’s most northerly national park is also the least visited in Britain and the least populated in England and Wales with just over 2,000 residents. Covering an area of 1,049km2, this rugged, isolated landscape is best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall that slices across England’s countryside from coast to coast. But there is more to Northumberland than ancient milecastles and crumbling forts. This timeless landscape is home to the rolling Cheviot Hills straddling the Anglo-Scottish border; the UK’s...
ASCAB: President Buhari’s speech underestimate Sani Abacha’s $5 billion loot
Alliance for Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, (ASCAB), a group led by prominent Nigerian human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim that late dictator, Sani Abacha, stole $1 billion contradicts the figures earlier released by his own officials. The group described as inconsistent the President’s statement contained in an article he wrote for the international magazine, Newsweek adding that the $1bn quoted by Buhari is barely one fifth of the total amount top officials of the same government claimed to have recovered from the late military henchman. In a statement signed by ASCAB Secretary for Publicity, Adewale Adeoye and made available to newsmen on Monday said that the President’s article falls short of reflecting the stark realities of corrupti...
12 best hikes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
The best hikes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park criss-cross one of England’s finest beauty spots In the 18 months since our move to the market town of Richmond in North Yorkshire, we’ve spent much of our free time exploring the national park that sits on our doorstep. Whether discovering the best views or climbing the highest mountains, we’ve fallen utterly in love with the landscape of the Dales. Covering 2,179km2 of countryside, the Yorkshire Dales National Park is home to one of England’s quintessential outdoor landscapes. The park’s glacial valleys are defined by a unique terrain of high heather moorland, rolling hills and dramatic waterfalls, intersected with miles of dry stone walls and delightful villages. With miles of well-established trails, the Dales are best ...
