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WikiLeak's reminds Journalists to Fact Check

WikiLeaks has contacted journalists with a list of 140 ‘false and defamatory’ statements concerning Mr Julian Assange. Recipients have been advised against using the statements in their reportage, as they have been deigned ‘false’ by the platform. The statements have mainly been taken from previous articles regarding Julian Assange, who has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy for the past seven years. WikiLeaks has said that they paint an inaccurate portrait of the Australian computer programmer, who was granted political asylum by Ecuador following his role in the publication of classified US military documents. The reason for the message is unspecified; however WikiLeaks has singled out the Guardian newspaper, accusing them of publishing a string of false reports about Assange. In September 2018, the Guardian published a report entit led: ‘Russia’s secret plan to help Julian Assange escape from UK’. It illustrates an alleged plot to smuggle Assange out of th...
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In defence of JanuHairy

January- a month of fresh beginnings, where we cultivate ‘the new you/ me’. People take on all sorts of ridiculous resolutions to make that dark winter month just a little bit harder. Dry January is a popular one, where people vow to ditch the bottle and take on an alcohol free month. Others give up sugar, or smoking, or they promise to go to the gym every day, taking on a gruelling workout. But this year, there’s a new campaign in town- and it’s called JanuHAIRY. What's it about? JanuHairy wants women to love and accept their body hair, whilst raising money for charity. The idea is simple, ditch the razors, cancel your appointment at the waxing parlour, and just go ahead and let it grow! I’m sure that there are a lot of women who do this anyway in January. It’s a cold, dark month, and we spend the most part of it all wrapped up in layers upon layers. But the response on twitter has been surprisingly hateful. One commenter has written, in response to the ca...
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A Rotting Apple

It seems Apples shares have taken a little nose dive, as poor iPhone sales in China prompt Apple to lower its quarterly revenue forecast. It’s the first time in over a decade that this has happened- and it’s slashed the value of both Apple’s shares, and the shares of Apples suppliers. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook looks toward the Trade War for answers, blaming Apple’s slowing growth on China’s struggling economy. He’s referring to the trade war that’s underway between China and the USA, led by the Trump administration. The trade war in a nutshell: Trump has levied high tariffs on hundreds of products sold between the USA and Asia, in a bid to bring the power back to the States. In Trumps eyes, the whole malarkey is doing ‘GREAT THINGS FOR THE COUNTRY’. But for others, things are not so great: the changes are putting a chill over the Chinese economy, and the struggle is starting to show up on the balance statements of Apple, and beyond. Stocks in Silicon Valley, automakers in D...
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The Disaster of the 'Golden Visa' Saga: UK

If UK policy making was a highway- it would be riddled with traffic- as the government makes u-turn after u-turn. The latest shock reversal has fallen upon the UK ‘Golden Visa’ scheme- which was due to be suspended in a drive of anti-corruption measures. Last Thursday, it was widely reported that the Tier 1 Investor Visa scheme would be closed to new applicants by midnight the same night- as concerns rose over the schemes facilitation of corruption. The news was spread by the likes of the BBC, the Times, and the Guardian, who quoted the immigration minister saying that they would ‘not tolerate people who seek to abuse the system’. But it appears that the announcement could have been heresy, misreported by the mass media: as no official confirmation followed the statement, and the next day, the platform was still open to applications. Now, it has come out that the scheme will not be suspended after all, as the Home Office confirms that: ‘The Tier 1 (Investor) visa is not ...
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The new Universities Minister Chris Skidmore has a dubious past

British Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed a new Universities Minister. It comes as the old one, Sam Gyimah, stepped down in protest of May’s Brexit plan, which he described as a ‘deal in name only’. Chris Skidmore will be the minister taking over the responsibility for decision making when it comes to Britain’s universities, science, research and innovation. He’s arrived to save the day! And it’s a rather mammoth amount of responsibility he’ll have- will he do a good job of it? Well, he’s only held the post for one day, so we’ve not got much to go on, apart from his voting history as the Conservative MP for Kingswood. Unfortunately, it’s not looking very good- particularly for those of whom he will be taking responsibility for- namely, the university students. In the past, Skidmore has voted against a number of rulings in the house of commons. He voted to scrap the Education maintenance Allowance, which supports students from low income families as they go into ...
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Taxi's and Chunder

With the uprise of Uber, and the use of tech to get around- It’s never been so easy not to drink and drive in the evenings. At the touch of a button you can summon a taxi, and be safely delivered from the pub to your front door, Without even getting your wallet out of your pocket. Smooth and simple. But not always. Some taxi users in Florida are being exposed to a stomach churning scam. According to el Nuevo Herald, several customers have been falsely accused of puking in the back of their uber on their way home. The accused is then held responsible for the clean-up costs, which normally fall at around 100 dollars. It’s been dubbed ‘vomit fraud’, and it’s becoming more and more common. Often, people will neglect to read their emails, or check their bank statements, so they won’t even know they’ve been duped. Others will struggle to prove their innocence and get a refund. The Miami police have said that ‘it’s difficult to consider this a crime’. I say, it’s ha...
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The Futuristic Present

We live in a digital world. It can be beautiful, it can be frustrating, and some people really are invested in this new future of the present. Their dedication follows a familiar format- sit down, shut up, and be ‘social’. I myself have been on holiday with a fair few ‘influencers’- a new term, coined to describe those social media users who have managed to establish credibility online. It’s a hard job, one that requires quite a lot of time and attention, but one which can be rather lucrative and rewarding. But not for those around you. The smartphone has this incredible knack of bringing you closer to the wider world, but making you oh-so-far away from those directly beside you. The Ibis Hotel chain has thought of a way to give you the best of both worlds. A service through which you can maintain your influencer rep, but also enjoy some time in the real world. How!? You may ask. Sign me up! You say. Woah there, is my response, slow down a sec- because though ibis has go...
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