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| UK Pound coin with micro-writing and £ sign in certain light |
Migraine in morning took till lunch time to kill. However, awoke feeling much better than yesterday.
It is interesting how stories mature over the days after they break. For example, the Wanncry ransomware turns out to have been originally developed by the US NSA to help the latter spy on its targets by exploiting a weakness in older Microscoft software (e.g. Windows XP). It was stolen and then released back in April, reaching it's peak in the massive attack over the weekend (https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/13/wannacrypt_ransomware_worm/). It did include a kill switch, which one individual found and activated. Monday did not bring on the dreaded second wave of attacks as had been feared.
With President Trump, we have a veritable feast of stories. First the firing of FBI chief Comey, Then the not so subtle threat of secretly recorded conversations that might be used against Comey. And just breaking, news that Comey wrote memos out of concerns of impropriety, about President Trump asking him to shut down the investigation into disgraced Flynn's connection with Russia (to 'let it go'). In an overlay of separate revelations came the possible disclosure of confidential information by the President to Russian visitors. Today we learn from the New York times that the information on ISIS came from Israel and that it was not for sharing and at the highest level of security. Fortunately, as President Trump himself tweets, he has the absolute right to declassify secret information, so that should settle the matter. Shame the news overshadows the visit of another developing despot, Erdogan, to the US.
The latest YouGov poll reveals that of the 48% who voted to remain during the referendum, 23 % of them now think that Britain should follow the will of the people and thus become re-leavers, leaving only 22% of hard remainers. Inflation is currently rising at 2.7%, outstripping salary rises, but the Bank of England says that this is likely to slow down again as the inflation hike is mainly due to the drop in the value of the pound on the referendum. This created the consequent rise in costs on food and fuel imports.
The release of the Labour manifesto for the current election now gives a clear, bold difference between the two main parties, with the call for renationalisation of key industries, the removal of student fees, increased taxation for high earners and businesses with larger profits. Will it eat into the Tory lead? Is this actually planning for the election after this one?
Hi Chris, as a budding children's author I feel our lives would be much improved if we woke up to news about Postman Pat and his Black and White cat. It seems as if we are currently living through a negative news reel where our lives are blighted by Cyber threats, Cowboy showdowns from the Whitehouse and 'Regrets' we have a few in and out of the EU merry go round! - she says as she picks up her copy of 'Alfie Bear Goes to Work'! Thank you also for your gracious time today lots to think about and even more to get going with!
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