Democrats Reopen Government, Misplace Their ACA Bargaining Chip

Sen. Chris Murphy says Democrats blundered by reopening the government without securing an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire in January, a choice he argues could invite sharp premium hikes. Translation, they reopened the doors and left their leverage on the curb, right next to the looming rate increases. Congressional strategy by vibes, premiums by sticker shock.

U.S. Strike Kills Three on Suspected Narco-Trafficking Boat, Carrier Group Enters Caribbean

The U.S. military says it hit an alleged drug trafficking vessel in international waters, killing three people it described as narco terrorists tied to a designated group. A day later, the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group arrived in the Caribbean, a conspicuous show of force. The deaths are real, the message is unmistakable, and the delivery system weighs roughly 100,000 tons.

Kash Patel Touts China Pressure on Fentanyl, Promises Fast Results as Beijing Tightens Controls

On Sunday Morning Futures, Kash Patel credited Trump era pressure on Beijing and said the U.S. is close to turning off the fentanyl pipeline, calling China the main source of key precursors. He pointed to an FBI director visit to Beijing, he said the first by a bureau chief in a decade, and referenced DOJ and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, he said, in talks that listed 13 precursors and restricted seven chemicals. Days later, China’s Commerce Ministry announced tighter controls on fentanyl related chemicals, and Trump posted that Beijing pledged to help stem the flow. The stakes are grim, with NIH and CDC data pointing to more than 70,000 synthetic opioid deaths in both 2022 and 2023 and overdoses leading deaths for Americans under 45 last year. Lofty promises meet hard math, now Beijing’s paperwork has to outrun cartel chemistry.

Thousands in Crowborough Protest Plan to House Asylum Seekers as Home Office Scrambles

Roughly 2,000 residents marched against placing 540 single men at a former army camp in the East Sussex town, citing GP shortages, safety concerns near a firearms training site, and what organizers call unvetted arrivals. A previous meeting needed private security after local politicians were chased out, and Wealden District Council blamed a Home Office information vacuum for stoking anger. The Home Office apologized, says all residents will undergo checks and conduct briefings, and argues using military sites will end hotel stays before the next election. The Home Secretary is floating wider reforms like scrapping housing and weekly allowances and a 20 year path to settlement. Translation, jam tomorrow, camp today, and Westminster acts surprised when the crowd shouts Starmer out. Maybe try information first, improvisation later.

Council, Mayor Disagree on HOME Perimeters; Follow-Up Hearing Cancelled

Council, Mayor Disagree on HOME Perimeters; Follow-Up Hearing Cancelled — City Hall is haggling over the borders of the Mayor’s $800 million H.O.M.E. initiative, and the next hearing just got punted. After a marathon grilling on the first $200 million bond tranche, Council’s housing leaders Jamie Gauthier, Rue Landau, and Nicholas O’Rourke praised the big spend but demanded sharper targeting: clear existing aid backlogs, prioritize households around 60% AMI and as low as 30% AMI, protect expiring affordable units, boost rental assistance, and fund truly affordable housing instead of the marketing-department variety.

Mayor Cherelle Parker pushed back with her own scoreboard: 68% of beneficiaries at 0–50% AMI, 93% under 80% AMI, and 40% deeply affordable at 0–30% AMI. Administration officials said year one would produce 2,408 units, including 656 via Turn the Key, and want the bond out the door by year’s end. Then Council President Kenyatta Johnson canceled the Nov. 17 follow-up, saying negotiations continue and the first-year plan will set the template for the entire program—translation: get the perimeters right before anyone starts building inside them.

Elsewhere under the dome: O’Rourke introduced a resolution urging Philly to weigh divestment tied to nuclear weapons amid claims of renewed U.S. testing and the specter of a nuclear sub built in the Navy Yard—because nothing says “local jobs” like an arms race with a Schuylkill view.

Councilmember Anthony Phillips rolled out a bill to leash absentee landlords: verifiable local contact info, an in-city agent, escalating fines, potential license hits, and a tenant defense that pauses rent collection while owners play hide-and-seek. If you cash the checks, you pick up the phone.

And in the procedural parade: a controlled-substance tweak (add medetomidine), a Land Bank transfer on N. 8th, a zoning map change near Roosevelt Boulevard–Broad Street, new parking regs, and two sidewalk cafés earned their encroachments—outdoor seating, the one development that never waits on bond issuances.

Expert says Labour’s Danish-style migration plan omits a key deterrent

Expert says Labour’s Danish-style migration plan omits a key deterrent — and by “omits,” he means they’ve copied the IKEA catalogue without the screws. Immigration expert Michael Knowles argues Labour is lifting Denmark’s rhetoric while ignoring the core deterrent: credible offshore processing that Copenhagen legislated for and prepared to enforce. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to unveil tougher rules with temporary, reviewable status and quick removals once countries are deemed safe, but Knowles warns that without the offshoring piece, it’s tough talk destined for the shredder. Small boat arrivals have hit nearly 40,000 this year, more than 400,000 people have claimed asylum since 2021, and the Government touts 50,000 removals since taking office—a 23% rise on the previous 16 months—as it tries to woo voters drifting to Reform UK, which some polling now flatters as potential frontrunner. Translation: lots of Danish branding, not much Danish engineering.

Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trump’s remarks put her life at risk

Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trump’s remarks put her life at risk, claiming that after Donald Trump yanked his endorsement late Friday and then branded her a “traitor” on Truth Social Saturday, his attacks have endangered her. The Georgia Republican called the accusation “so extremely wrong” as their online feud went from simmer to grease fire in a weekend.

London’s best places to live in 2026 revealed amid fierce competition for homes

London’s best places to live in 2026 revealed amid fierce competition for homes, as Rightmove crowns the boroughs and neighborhoods with the most in-demand listings—proof that in the capital, even a shoebox with a postcode can spark a bidding war. The portal’s data spotlights where demand is hottest, signaling the next pressure points for prices and patience alike.

Cardiff to welcome Welsh legend back in 2026

Cardiff to welcome Welsh legend back in 2026, as Bonnie Tyler — the husky-voiced icon born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen — announces a one-off show at the Utilita Arena in March 2026, her first appearance there since 2012. Expect a mass, unapologetic singalong to Total Eclipse of the Heart, It’s a Heartache, Holding Out for a Hero, and the rest of the global hits that took her from a Swansea club to RCA Records, the Kremlin (three times), and Eurovision 2013. Recent albums Rocks and Honey and Between the Earth and the Stars drew critical praise, proving the “working-class girl who’s never stopped working” still isn’t taking a night off. Tickets go on sale Friday 21 November 2025, and fans are already booking flights and warming up key changes — Cardiff’s power grid has been notified.

Wales edge Japan 24-23 as celebrations draw criticism

Wales edge Japan 24-23 as celebrations draw criticism—because of course the “celebration police” showed up after Jarrod Evans came on in the 79th minute and nailed the match-winning penalty with the final kick, sparking relief from a 61,234-strong crowd. Context: it spared Wales a drop to 13th in the rankings and a potential World Cup draw from the fourth tier—so yes, worth a smile, even if the performance was ragged. Japan looked sharper, Wales lost aerial battles, failed to score against 13 men, and saw Josh Adams shown a 20-minute red, while the bright spots were a potent lineout-maul platform for tries by Dan Edwards, Louis Rees-Zammit and Nick Tompkins, plus standout shifts from Olly Cracknell and Alex Mann. With the All Blacks and Springboks looming, the standards need to rise—but after 833 days without a home win, policing joy feels a touch more embarrassing than celebrating it.

Home Secretary: Starmer should not consider resigning

Home Secretary: Starmer should not consider resigning — that’s Shabana Mahmood’s line as she swats away a week of Westminster’s favorite blood sport: anonymous briefings. She called the top-level bust-up “unedifying” and “embarrassing for everyone concerned,” urging would‑be critics to show “the courage of their convictions” and say it publicly. The row flared after allies insisted the Prime Minister would fight off any leadership challenge, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting named as a potential rival and dire warnings floated about market chaos if he were toppled. While some Labour MPs fret over ministers’ approach and sagging polls, the Conservatives’ Chris Philp gleefully declared Labour are “fighting like rats in a sack” and predicted punishing tax rises. Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner also slapped down the infighting as “arrogant tittle tattle,” detached from real people’s problems.

Kept secret for nearly 30 years, the MP944—F-14 Tomcat’s chip—has been called the world’s first microprocessor and was eight times faster than Intel’s 4004

For decades, Intel’s 4004 basked in “first microprocessor” glory, while the real trailblazer was classified: the MP944, the F-14 Tomcat’s chip, called the world’s first microprocessor and eight times faster than the 4004. Kept secret for nearly 30 years, it only emerged from the vault to reveal that tech history’s victory lap belonged to a fighter jet’s avionics—because of course the Pentagon had the fastest brag quietly strapped under a wing.

Netflix series recommended for Broadchurch fans

A Netflix series recommended for Broadchurch fans is drawing praise, with one viewer saying it had her “on the edge of her seat”—proof that suspense still works even when the binge button is right there, glaring temptingly.

HMT Lancastria, a WWII Catastrophe Remembered

The HMT Lancastria, bombed and sunk in 1940, claimed more lives than the Titanic and Lusitania combined. St Katharine Cree church in London continues to honour the thousands who died, keeping alive a chapter of the war that history too often lets fade. A solemn reminder that remembrance is a duty, not a trend.

Nov. 16 Birthdays, Diana Krall and Maggie Gyllenhaal

Diana Krall turns 61 and Maggie Gyllenhaal turns 48, proof the calendar can still deliver actual talent instead of yacht escapades and miracle detox teas.

On This Day, 1973, Nixon Signs the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Act

With gas lines snaking around blocks, Washington chose the 800 mile fix from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. If you cannot beat the shortages, build a pipe big enough to skip the queue.

EV Uptake Jumps in Suffolk as Grant Scheme Does Its Job

Electric vehicle sales are rising across Suffolk after a Labour grant trimmed up to £3,750 off eligible models as part of a £650 million program. Interest has surged, EVs were one in four new UK car sales last month, and average prices are down roughly 13 percent year on year. Charging infrastructure is catching up, the East of England now counts about 6,400 public chargers after a 25 percent jump, with Ipswich up 34 percent. Backed by the £381 million Local EV Infrastructure Fund and a separate £25 million pot for cross pavement charge gullies, Suffolk County Council has secured £200,000 to help residents without driveways. Ministers still love a forecourt photo op, but for once the scheme appears to be working as advertised.

DWP Christmas Bonus, A Festive Tenner With Fine Print

The Department for Work and Pensions will pay a one off, tax free £10 bonus in early December to people on qualifying benefits, showing in bank accounts as DWP XB. No application, it does not affect other payments, and you must be living in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week. Eligible benefits include State Pension, Pension Credit guarantee element, PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, ESA main phase, and certain war or industrial injury benefits. Couples can each receive £10 if both qualify. Not there by January 1, contact Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service. If you get it twice, report it. And yes, it is ten pounds, try not to spend it all on one very fancy mince pie.

Driverless Tube, Khan Puts a £20 Billion Price on the Future

Sadiq Khan warns that fully automating the London Underground could cost around £20 billion, while experts note driverless metros already run in cities worldwide. The tech is feasible, the bill is the part that makes you wobble on the platform. Mind the gap between ambition and the budget, London is great at the first and allergic to the second.

Homeland Security increases agent presence in North Carolina’s largest city: What to know

Homeland Security increases agent presence in North Carolina’s largest city: What to know — The Trump administration has launched a surge of immigration enforcement in Charlotte, with agents making arrests at multiple locations despite pushback from local leaders. Activists, officials, and community groups are mobilizing to monitor sweeps and support vulnerable residents. Charlotte, a racially diverse city of 900,000 run by a Democratic mayor, has seen major crimes drop more than 20% through August, according to AH Datalytics. Nonetheless, the administration has cited the August fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail train—an awful crime for which a man with a lengthy record has been charged—to argue Democratic-run cities aren’t keeping people safe. There’s no indication border agents will enforce local or state laws.

Mayor Vi Lyles says the surge is sowing “unnecessary fear,” while local groups are training volunteers to document encounters and inform immigrants of their rights. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say they aren’t involved in federal immigration enforcement. As for the National Guard: not in Charlotte, at least for now. Three Republican members of Congress want Gov. Josh Stein to request it; his office says local police are better suited. The Guard has been deployed to D.C., Los Angeles, and Memphis, but courts have blocked it in the Chicago area and Portland. In short: optics first, data later.

Copy-and-Paste Surpasses File Transfers as the Leading Corporate Data Exfiltration Method

Copy-and-Paste Surpasses File Transfers as the Leading Corporate Data Exfiltration Method, says LayerX’s Browser Security Report 2025, because the new data-loss API is apparently Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V. With 77% of employees pasting company information into AI prompts—and 32% of all corporate-to-non-corporate copy-pastes happening inside genAI tools—traditional governance built for email and file shares is playing fetch with yesterday’s frisbee. GenAI now accounts for 11% of enterprise app usage; 45% of employees actively use AI tools, two-thirds via personal accounts, and ChatGPT dominates with 92% of that traffic. LayerX’s CEO dryly notes that nobody designed DLP to police a browser prompt, which is why adoption is outpacing controls. And with AI-driven browsers like OpenAI’s Atlas and Perplexity’s Comet on the rise, the corporate perimeter has been reduced to the world’s most dangerous object: the clipboard.

Senator John Fetterman discharged from hospital following a fall

Senator John Fetterman discharged from hospital following a fall: The Pennsylvania senator was released after a brief hospital visit prompted by a fall near his Braddock home on Thursday—an unscripted stumble, promptly handled, with Fetterman back out the door faster than Congress agrees on lunch.

Calls for a ‘masculinity reset’ amid claims men are portrayed as either threatening or pathetic on screen

Calls for a “masculinity reset” are growing amid claims men are portrayed as either threatening or pathetic on screen, after a Centre for Social Justice “Lost Boys” poll of 2,000 people found 57% think media pushes men to extremes—hapless clown or looming menace—while 67% say boys lack suitable role models. The think tank wants film, TV, and ads to treat male and female qualities positively, noting its earlier finding that men aged 16–24 not in education, employment or training jumped 40% since the pandemic, compared with 7% for women. Asked what traits they want to see in male characters, 57% picked honesty, respect, and family values—apparently a radical concept in writers’ rooms that only stock Homer-adjacent dads and scowling antiheroes. Former Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan warned media portrayals shape how boys are seen; David Gandy pointed to the bumbling-dad trope; and critic Neil Brand blamed lazy storytelling that mistakes empowered women for an excuse to make men awful. The debate intensified after the series Adolescence depicted a 13-year-old boy’s descent into online misogyny and murder—a reminder this isn’t just about optics. Translation for Hollywood: please install a third male setting between “idiot” and “incipient felon.”

Sen. Fetterman Back Home After Fall, 20 Stitches and Sarcasm Intact

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman says he is fully recovered and already home after becoming lightheaded on a morning walk, collapsing, and sustaining minor facial injuries. His office attributed the episode to ventricular fibrillation. Treated at UPMC, he thanked the team and promised, “See you back in DC.” It adds to a rough medical history, including a 2022 stroke, a pacemaker and defibrillator for cardiomyopathy, a brief 2023 hospitalization for lightheadedness, and treatment for clinical depression. For a change, something in Washington got sewn up quickly and worked as advertised.

Quantum Error Correction Clears Key Threshold, Hype Finally Meets Hardware

A Harvard-led team reports complex circuits with dozens of error-correction layers that push logical error rates below the critical threshold, so adding qubits now reduces mistakes instead of multiplying them. Senior author Mikhail Lukin says the work pulls together all the essentials for scalable, error-corrected computation. Lead author Dolev Bluvstein calls the architecture conceptually scalable, while Google’s Hartmut Neven cheered the leap in an “incredibly exciting” platform race. Millions of qubits remain a long hike away, but this moves fault tolerance from glossy slides to an engineering roadmap. Reminder for the hype merchants, roughly 300 qubits encode more information than there are particles in the known universe.

Four Officers Shot In Rural Kansas, Suspect Reported Dead

Authorities say four law enforcement officers were injured in a Saturday shooting near Carbondale, Kansas, and the suspect is reported dead. Agencies including the Topeka Police Department, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kansas Highway Patrol responded to the area of South Topeka Avenue and West 113th Street. Details remain limited as the investigation continues.

From Mailroom To CEO, Patrick Heath-Lay Builds A £38 Billion Pension Powerhouse

Patrick Heath-Lay, who started in B&CE’s mailroom at 16 in 1985, now leads People’s Partnership, the UK’s largest profit-to-member pension provider with about £38 billion under management and seven million members. Used by roughly one in five UK employers, it runs 104,000 schemes, takes in about £4.5 billion a year, and is targeting £60 billion by 2030. Taking over in 2012, he ditched eight laminated “values” for three that actually guide decisions, keep promises, create simplicity, understand people, and expanded a construction-industry fund into a nationwide scheme that has returned £100 million in surplus to savers. His advice is unglamorous and useful, write things down and get comfortable being uncomfortable. A CEO who trims slogans and shares the surplus, somewhere a bonus committee just spilled its champagne.

Maher Skewers Trump As Epstein-Docs Circus Spins Again

On HBO’s Real Time, Bill Maher mocked Donald Trump after the latest Epstein document release, sighing, “I feel like I’ve seen this movie four times,” and joking that we can now “get back to the important business of government reading a dead pervert’s emails.” He aimed his barbs at Trump’s quips about the late financier and at the déjà vu grind of yet another scandal rerun.

Labour Control Meets Government Improv, and a Book Tosses a Match

Inside Labour, the vibe is rigid control, while the government feels like strategy-free jazz. A new book by Paul Holden, The Fraud, alleges that a hard-edged right faction around Morgan McSweeney used astroturf outfits to inflate claims of antisemitism and marginalize the left, helping suspend Jeremy Corbyn and, the book claims, selling members a left-leaning Keir Starmer who then pivoted right in power. The same stitch-up culture is flagged in Wales, from historic leadership fixes to recent selection rows, with apparatchiks portrayed as loyal to Starmer over Welsh leadership. Meanwhile, the fiscal side looks like budgetary hokey-cokey. With polls sagging and Reform UK circling, Rachel Reeves’ red lines on Income Tax became leaks, counter-leaks, and shelved hikes. U-turns on U-turns, some not even announced before being reversed. What used to be a sackable Budget leak is now a policy trial balloon factory. If this is the master plan, the control freaks run the party while the chaos merchants run the country, a combo that usually ends with the fire alarm going off.

MAGA Family Therapy, Now With Security Briefings

The Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene feud has graduated from petty sniping to personal-security-level drama. Greene says she is receiving threats after breaking with the former president on key issues, and claims private security firms have warned her about a hot bed of danger being fueled and egged on. Nothing says movement loyalty like threatening your own. For a coalition obsessed with purity tests, this is the part where the graders start eating the exam.

Kansas Shooting Injures Four Officers, No Ongoing Threat Reported

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is probing a Saturday morning shooting at a home near 113th Street and S Topeka Boulevard in Osage County. Three Osage County sheriff’s deputies and a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were wounded. Their conditions have not been released. Authorities say there is no active threat to the public. It remains unclear if anyone has been arrested. Topeka police assisted and reported no injuries to their officers.

GP Strikes Clash on Air, While the NHS Bleeds Staff Off Air

A GB News debate on GP strikes and staff shortages traded sharp elbows. Dr Bhasha Mukherjee called the situation disastrous, warned of A and E avoidance and massive delays, and said the NHS is losing British-trained, world-class doctors to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the Gulf, leaving behind what she termed leftover doctors. GP Dr Renee Hoenderkamp rejected that implication and argued strikes harm patients, citing, she said, a six-day London stoppage that led to 373,000 cancelled outpatient and elective appointments, 140,000 added to waiting lists, and five deaths. She agreed the UK needs more training places and better hospital conditions, but said striking is not the fix. Mukherjee countered that excess deaths occur on non-strike days too and that pay and conditions have regressed since 2008, pushing new doctors out. Translation, politicians and health mandarins are rehearsing while the NHS keeps hemorrhaging staff and public trust.

Wales Edge Japan, Saved by Two Calm Heads

Wales spent most of the afternoon treating possession like a hot potato, with discipline wobbling and cohesion fraying. Japan made them scrap for every meter before Wales nicked it at the death. The player ratings land mostly in the middle, with two standouts propping up a win that felt more escape act than statement. If there was a plan, it arrived late and asked for directions.

WD Black SN850X 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD drops to $139, about 7 cents per GB

WD Black SN850X 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD drops to $139, about 7 cents per GB—finally, a storage deal that doesn’t require a spreadsheet to justify. This drive still flexes strong sustained performance, improved efficiency, and full PS5 support, meaning you can actually install more than a couple of blockbuster games without deleting your dignity.

Authorities: Woman and minor allegedly struck victim with whip-like object in child endangerment case, causing bruising

Authorities say a woman and a minor allegedly struck a victim with a whip-like object in a child endangerment case, causing bruising. In Corinth, New York, deputies arrested Gairelyn O’Donnell, 42, and Fred O’Donnell, 42, on four counts each of endangering the welfare of a child after responding to a home on Nov. 5 where at least four children were present. Gairelyn O’Donnell and a minor were additionally charged with second-degree assault for allegedly inflicting significant bruising and lacerations. After arraignment, both adults were held at the Saratoga County Correctional Facility, though Fred O’Donnell was later released on his own recognizance. The minor was placed in the custody of the Saratoga County Office of Children and Family Services. The investigation is ongoing; second-degree assault in New York carries a potential sentence of up to seven years.

Mother receives light sentence for hours-long delay in calling 911 after boyfriend fatally abused her 2-year-old daughter

Mother receives light sentence for hours-long delay in calling 911 after boyfriend fatally abused her 2-year-old daughter: In Virginia, 35-year-old Amanda Brittani Mitchell was given a 45-year sentence with all but 90 days suspended after pleading guilty to child abuse, child cruelty, and drug possession in connection with the death of her daughter, Harper. Judge Joey Showalter said Harper was an “angel” who didn’t deserve what she endured, and urged Mitchell to reflect on the loss felt by the child’s family. Prosecutors said Mitchell delayed more than two hours before seeking help; 911 was ultimately called only after she reached out to her boyfriend’s mother. Mitchell testified that Andrew Byrd, 39—who was caring for Harper and likely using meth—assaulted her and threatened her with a gun when she tried to get the child to a hospital. Byrd was sentenced in October 2023 to two life terms for murdering Harper, with the prosecutor calling him the “main culprit.” Homicide charges against Mitchell were previously dropped; she expressed remorse and said she has tried to become “the best person Harper would want her to be.”

Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko shines in OHL matchup with Jack Nesbitt

Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko shines in OHL matchup with Jack Nesbitt, torching Windsor for a goal and three assists as his Guelph Storm ran up an 8-5 win. Fresh off an NHL cameo and back in junior with a not-exactly-all-star cast, the 19-year-old center showed why he’s the organization’s top bet—blowing through the neutral zone on the power play to draw half the Spitfires into his orbit for a tap-in assist, then snatching a shorthanded goal on a quasi-breakaway for good measure. He finished with four points, four shots, and 63% on draws, and now sits at 10 points in six games since returning, tied for sixth in OHL scoring rate while basically dragging Guelph’s offense by the collar. On the other bench, 2025 first-rounder Jack Nesbitt tipped home Windsor’s opener and stayed a rare plus-1 in an eight-goal-against night—solid, if overshadowed. Circle Nov. 23 for the rematch: if this pace holds, the only ones keeping up will be the scorekeepers and whichever poor intern tracks plus/minus.

Working With Wizards, Not Worshipping Black Boxes

AI magic is adorable until you realize you got demoted from collaborator to spectator. The fix is not more sparkle, it is control, transparency, feedback loops, and the power to edit the trick mid-act. Otherwise we are clapping for black boxes and hoping the rabbit is not our job, right up until the saw hits our credibility.

Cleif Harpwood Returns With Tyrd i Edrych, A Tribute That Actually Sings

Forty-five years after Edward H Dafis's final album, Cleif Harpwood is back with a moving duet with Lowri Evans on Sain. The track revives a Dewi Pws Morris gem first cut at Rockfield in 1973, re-recorded at Pembrokeshire's StudiOwz with producer-arranger Geraint Cynan and engineer-musician Lee Mason. It lands as a polished tribute to a friend and a legacy, a comeback about songs, not nostalgia merch. Streaming widely, including Spotify.

$10,000 RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell Arrives As A High-End Paperweight

A PC repair tech says the card snapped under its own weight during shipping, shearing off the PCIe connector. With no spare parts available, that much-advertised modular design does not help, leaving a very expensive, gravity-sensitive luxury brick. Modular in the brochure, monolithic at the repair bench.

London Council With £1.2bn Debt Told To Stop Skating On Financial Black Ice

Oversight advisers told the council to adopt three priorities to reduce future risk. Reserves have slid to £32 million, below its own £43 million minimum, so the rainy day fund is soaked and the forecast is drizzle with a chance of Section 114. Time to swap heroic optimism for arithmetic.

Trump Organization In Talks To Brand Saudi Government Megaproject

According to the developer's CEO, discussions are underway to put the Trump name on one of Saudi Arabia's largest government-owned developments. It fits the now familiar blend of public power and private hustle, with new overseas ventures in the billions, reported crypto windfalls in the hundreds of millions, and even tickets sold to a private dinner. Statecraft, now with a rewards program.

Backyard Hack Turns Cheap Quadcopter Into Real eVTOL Range

While VCs chase the latest AI soap bubble, a veteran tinkerer strapped a foam Lift5 wing and a forward motor to a low-cost quadcopter built around an Eiele F120 kit, trading brute thrust for efficient lift. The wing and nose motor run on their own ESC, flight controllers handle the added push like a spirited headwind, and a folding or tilting wing is in the works to cut hover drag. Updates are rolling on Robots Everywhere, because sometimes ingenuity beats a SPAC.

Rumored South London Smuggler Tunnels May Reach The Sea

Local lore says hidden cave tunnels under South London once served pirates and smugglers slipping in and out of the capital. If confirmed, it would be Britain at its most on-brand, damp, clandestine, and one planning meeting away from being rebranded as heritage coastal access with premium pricing.

Wales Reclaims Its Place Names, Anglicised Clangers Face Retirement

A youth-led push is swapping mangled imports for authentic Welsh on the map. Mudiad Eryr Wen is targeting signage in Denbighshire, favoring Llanelwy and Dinbych over St Asaph and Denbigh, with Cardigan in their sights. Momentum is real. Eryri and Bannau Brycheiniog are now official, North Wales Wildlife Trust restored Llyn Celanedd, and international plaudits followed. Doom-mongers who predicted the Bannau switch would crater local business can take their carton of sauna milk elsewhere. There is room for coexistence where English names have their own history, like Rhyl, Prestatyn, and Swansea. But the garbled stuff, think Cardigan, Llantwit Major, Kidwelly, Caerphilly, is on the chopping block. Meanwhile Labour shrugs off a popular petition to rename Wales as Cymru, the Welsh Language Commissioner performs aerobic hand-waving, and Plaid is dared to show spine in 2026. Call it a rebrand that actually means something. The tourist maps will cope, the identity might finally match the landscape.

Novorossiysk Strike Pauses Russian Oil Exports, Markets Remember Chokepoint Physics

After a Ukrainian strike, a major terminal in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk suspended operations, temporarily sidelining roughly 2 percent of global oil exports. A neat reminder that the world’s energy flow can be kinked by a single vulnerable port, and that traders really should budget for more coffee.

Onward Tallies £643m for Foreign National Offenders, Politicians Reach for the Fast-Track Lever

Think tank Onward says foreign national offenders cost taxpayers £643 million a year, up 50 percent since 2019 as numbers in custody rose from 9,089 to 10,321. Cue Westminster blame ping pong during a capacity crunch. The proposals are sweeping. Fast-track removals for lower-level offenders even before trials conclude, tighter application of the European Convention on Human Rights, expansion of Deport Now, Appeal Later, immediate deportation after sentencing, and shifting Article 8 claims from unduly harsh to irreversible harm. They claim it could free 10,000 prison places and push occupancy near 86 percent. Between 2008 and mid 2021, 21,521 deportation appeals were lodged, 6,042 succeeded, with around 2,400 on human rights grounds, mostly via Article 8. Translation, due process is about to find out how elastic efficiency becomes when someone needs a headline.

U.S. Reports 80 Killed in Operation Southern Spear, Possible Escalation Toward Venezuela

Washington confirms an attack in Caribbean waters, raising the death toll in Operation Southern Spear to 80 after a November 10 strike that left four dead. President Trump said he had sort of made up his mind on further military action toward Venezuela. The stakes are high, and the risks of escalation for civilians and regional stability are serious.

Commuter-Belt Ghost Town After Eurostar Exit, Retail Follows the Rails

A town 35 minutes from London has watched Eurostar leave and major retailers follow, with M&S leading the exodus. Platforms echo, tills do not. Hopes now hang on a Eurostar review and a green light for Virgin Trains, because when policy fails, the timetable apparently moonlights as an economic development plan.