This is going to be a short diary. I discovered (at past 1 am UK time) that I did not bring the correct plug to run my computer off of. While this is not a disaster, and I can easily find one, I am not going out to somewhere likely to have one at one in the morning (three ones in one sentence! now four of them). So short updates on miscellaneous stories from London. First, and most important to my friends around here, given the discussion that is going on…
From The BBC:
By Mark Savage
The Eurovision Song Contest reaches its grand final on Saturday night in Turin, with Ukraine, Italy and the UK among the favourites to win.
Yes, I said the UK. No, I don't believe it either. But here we are.
Sam Ryder, a construction worker turned TikTok star, wowed people so much during rehearsals that bookmakers have been shortening his odds of winning all week.
In case you haven’t heard/seen it yet, this is the odds-on favourite to win. Ukraine.
Other news, from the Independent:
While scientist found plants do grow in lunar samples, they don’t grow as well as plants grown in terrestrial soils most similar to lunar regolith
Jon Kelvey
The good news for proponents of space colonization is that scientists have shown you can grow plants in Moon dirt. But the bad news for anyone envisioning a lushly verdant lunar astronaut salad bar is that plants grown in lunar regolith don’t grow very well and are generally stressed out by the experience.
From News Medical.net:
In a recent study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, researchers determined the evolution of health outcomes in individuals hospitalized due to acute severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Wuhan, China. They also tracked the recovery status of these coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors for up to two years.
From the Independent (opinion):
The majority of the 91,000 civil servants now at risk of redundancy have got proper jobs to do – unlike some
It takes some chutzpah to be Jacob Rees-Mogg, the caricature of a toff now demoted to the oxymoronic position of minister for Brexit opportunities.
Languishing on the front bench like something out an Edwardian illustration by Spy lies Rees-Mogg – he of the deliberately archaic double-breasted suits, the top hat at Ascot, a man who sees the food bank boom as evidence of the innate generosity of the British people. To call your (sixth) son “Sixtus” takes some gumption, as does proudly admitting you’ve never changed a nappy but “the nanny does it brilliantly”. Sometimes you wonder if that level of affectation might actually mean he’s authentic. An authentic, upper class twit of the year, that is.
From ITV:
ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers reports on the first war crime trial being carried out in Ukraine
A 21-year-old Russian soldier has become the first member of his country's military to go on trial for allegedly committing a war crime in Ukraine.
Sergeant Vadim Shyshimarin, who appeared in court in Kyiv for the first time on Friday, is accused of killing an unarmed Ukrainian civilian.
From The Independent:
‘Scandinavian countries are guesthouses for terrorist organisations,’ says the Turkish leader
Emily Atkinson
Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised Finland’s decision to apply for Nato membership, claiming it and neighbouring Sweden are “home to many terrorist organisations”.
The opposition from Erdogan has the potential to thwart the potential bids from the two nations, since membership of the alliance hinges on unanimous agreement from all 30 member states. Turkey is a Nato member.
From The Guardian:
Landlords of Star Inn at Vogue says it ‘wouldn’t have taken five minutes’ to find out pub is named after hamlet
Standing seven storeys tall in Mayfair’s Hanover Square – a short walk from Savile Row, Oxford Street and Michelin-starred restaurants – there is little mistaking Vogue House for what it is: the home of the fashion bible’s British edition.
However, a six-hour drive away, a pub in the Cornish countryside has become a site for concern for bosses at the fashion giant. Despite the pub having stood for hundreds of years, the landlords have been asked to rename it.
From The Telegraph:
The alarm was raised earlier this week when inspectors found a locked room with a bed and medical supplies at the Birmingham facility
From The Guardian:
Liz Truss says move is aimed at exposing ‘shady network propping up Putin’s luxury lifestyle’
The UK has issued sanctions against a dozen members of Vladimir Putin’s family and inner circle including his long-rumoured girlfriend, arguing that given the Russian president officially owns only modest assets, these are the people who help support his lavish lifestyle.
As always, but particularly tonight, feel free to share your stories (news or otherwise) n the comments. I am sorry about the short diary, but I do need to queue this up before it dies on me completely!