logo
South Essex MP welcomes landmark £1.5 billion defence contract extension

South Essex MP welcomes landmark £1.5 billion defence contract extension

Yahoo4 days ago

A south Essex MP has welcomed a landmark £1.5 billion defence contract.
Bayo Alaba, MP for Southend East and Rochford, praised the long-term contract extension between the Ministry of Defence and QinetiQ.
He said this will help support jobs at the MOD Shoebury site, which is operated by QinetiQ.
Mr Alaba said: "Extending this partnership means certainty for hundreds of local jobs.
"I visited the MOD in Shoeburyness recently and had the pleasure of meeting local people who worked there.
"I was impressed by the work they do, so I'm pleased to see the Labour Government's vote of confidence in them.
"By extension, this is good news for the economy in Shoebury and Southend."
As a former soldier, Mr Alaba said matters of defence hold personal significance for him.
He also expressed hope that the contract will continue to offer opportunities for young people through apprenticeships and graduate schemes.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Xiaomi's Budget Tablet Costs Under $230 But Offers 2.5K Display With Stylus Support
Xiaomi's Budget Tablet Costs Under $230 But Offers 2.5K Display With Stylus Support

Forbes

timean hour ago

  • Forbes

Xiaomi's Budget Tablet Costs Under $230 But Offers 2.5K Display With Stylus Support

Redmi Pad 2 Xiaomi released a couple of very powerful and capable tablets earlier this year, and the Beijing-headquartered tech giant is back with a budget tablet that's officially priced in the U.K. starting at £169, which converts to around $228. This is about as low a price as possible for what is essentially a portable computer from a major tech brand (there are even cheaper tablets out there, but from obscure Shenzhen OEMs). And as usual, Redmi is giving you better specs than the price point may suggest. For example, the 11-inch display is just an LCD panel, not OLED like pricier smartphones, but it is a 2560 X 1600 resolution panel, which puts its resolution at 2.5K. It also features a refresh rate of 90Hz. Getting such pixel density and refresh rate above 60Hz at this price point is a welcome surprise. The 500 nits display The tablet also packs a 9,000 mAh battery that is considered large for an 11-inch device that's only 8.33mm thick. This is enough juice to power the tablet for over a dozen hours if you're just streaming videos or on social media. Gaming, however, will drain it fast, so your mileage will vary. The processor, MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra, is an entry level silicon, but it does offer eight-cores and was just introduced last August, so it's relatively new technology. For typical social media and productivity use, this chip is more than enough. If you're editing videos or playing heavy games, expect some stutters. There's a single 8-megapixel camera that, again, is acceptable at this tablet's price point, but otherwise not a camera most would want to use for anything other than the most basic use (like maybe scanning documents). Redmi Pad 2 supports stylus The quad speakers are solid for the tablet's price point, but of course sound a bit flat to my ears, which are used to superior speakers from Xiaomi's higher tier tablets or Apple's iPad. the Redmi Pad 2 with optional accessories Xiaomi apparently did not design a keyboard for this tablet, instead, optional accessories include a folio cover that doubles as a kickstand (as seen in above photo) and a stylus. Pen input works as advertised, without very jarring latency, but there's no place to house the stylus with the tablet, which is annoying. The tablet also has an 8MP camera There's also a slightly pricier model with 4G SIM card connectivity, which starts at around $295. At these prices, the Redmi Pad 2 is clearly aiming at someone on a tighter budget, and I think it gets the job done. Especially for parents of young children who may want a tablet for their child without spending too much, this is worth a look.

Sir Dave Brailsford was an architect of Man Utd's ‘disaster' season but his legacy is still salvageable
Sir Dave Brailsford was an architect of Man Utd's ‘disaster' season but his legacy is still salvageable

New York Times

time2 hours ago

  • New York Times

Sir Dave Brailsford was an architect of Man Utd's ‘disaster' season but his legacy is still salvageable

Fifteenth in the final league table. Their joint-fewest points since the club's most recent relegation more than a half-century ago. No European football next season for the first time in more than a decade. A 'disaster' of a campaign, all in all, as the team's head coach himself freely admits. But there will at least be a fancy new hydration point in the revamped canteen at the training ground next season. Advertisement Marginal gains, indeed. Sir Dave Brailsford is stepping back from his role at Manchester United following yet another reshuffle of Old Trafford's leadership team under co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. And perhaps it should be no surprise that the high priest of high performance in UK sport will be taking on diminished responsibilities following the club's lowest top-flight finish since they ended up second-bottom in 1974. Yet Brailsford's withdrawal from United duties is being described as a natural evolution by sources within Ratcliffe's INEOS empire, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their positions. They portray it as his work embedding a new management structure at United over the past 18 months now being complete. The 61-year-old will return to his wider portfolio at INEOS Sport, including his true passion of cycling, increasing his level of support to the latter's INEOS Grenadiers team. He will still be involved in United's affairs and keeps his seat on the club's board of directors. Brailsford had been less of a presence around United's Carrington training complex of late in any case, although that was at least partly because he suffered a broken leg on a skiing holiday earlier this year and has spent time recovering at his home in Monaco. But even before that unfortunate accident, there had been scepticism among figures who know Brailsford over whether his day-to-day involvement with United would last beyond the end of the season. Initial impressions of Brailsford among club staff were positive. He did most of the talking when he and Ratcliffe addressed employees for the first time in January last year, speaking frankly about the club's underperformance and future challenges. One of Brailsford's first presentations to the players left such an impression on forward Marcus Rashford that — days after missing training following a night out in Belfast — he requested a one-on-one meeting. Brailsford then had further individual chats with every squad member. Advertisement Yet amid a whirlwind start, which involved shaking as many hands around Carrington as possible in the days following the agreement of Ratcliffe's share purchase, some were left with the impression he was attempting too much, too soon and spreading himself too thinly as a result. Other interactions with United personnel were less impressive than that first meeting — one reference to sacrificing lavish Monaco for rainy Manchester went down poorly — or betrayed the sense that, by Brailsford's own admission, when he watches football, he is 'watching in black and white'. Clearly, his established reputation for delivering best-in-class, elite processes has not been immediately reflected in the team's results. And even away from the pitch, focusing purely on decisions taken by United's sporting leadership, there are already several blots on INEOS's copybook. Brailsford was part of the botched process which led to manager Erik ten Hag having his job security undermined, his contract extended and his employment ultimately terminated all in the space of five months, although he was far from the defining voice in that debate. He was more influential in the decision to target, pursue and eventually appoint Dan Ashworth as sporting director, having collaborated with him during the latter's time at the Football Association. Ashworth's swift demise — again, after just five months — might have damaged Brailsford's standing but if anything it increased his level of responsibility, creating a vacancy within United's hierarchy that he, chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox, two more INEOS choices, needed to fill. Even then, not all of Brailsford's instincts and ideas were acted upon. He had reservations over United's habit of touring far-flung destinations in pre-season and prioritised player recovery over the commercial benefits of packed schedules. The fact head coach Ruben Amorim and his players have just got back from Malaysia and Hong Kong after United's first post-season tour in 39 years, ahead of spending a chunk of pre-season in the United States, shows where priorities ultimately lie. Advertisement There was also the mixed response to his launch of 'Mission 21' and 'Mission 1', initiatives to win United's 21st and first Premier League and Women's Super League titles respectively, ideally dovetailing with 'Project 150', the club's 150th anniversary in 2028. While some at Carrington note the arbitrariness of those targets, or understandably scoff at suggestions to print T-shirts and banners bearing those slogans, part of their purpose was to shake the club from a stupor, having not won the Premier League since 2013. Brailsford noted an inertia about United during his first few months in Manchester, a lack of purpose and motivation. It is not an uncommon complaint — something even Amorim has echoed when he said United as a club were in need of a 'shock' while nosediving towards the relegation zone in December — and, ultimately, one that Brailsford's blue-sky thinking has not fully resolved. But ask Ratcliffe and he would chiefly describe Brailsford's purpose at United as improving elite performance — best illustrated by the £50million redevelopment of the men's training building at Carrington, announced last summer, which is scheduled to open in time for the players' return in early August from that trip to the States. Easy quips about hydration stations aside, Brailsford's impact on United is only likely to be felt on this wider, overarching scale and over the longer term. One of his priorities in the early days under Ratcliffe was to make key, high-ranking appointments quickly, to create a sense of momentum. But as he now retreats into the shadows, his chief legacy may be in how the executive team he helped put in place now fare. Ashworth's appointment was clearly a mistake, wherever the blame for it may lie. Berrada led on the identification and securing of Amorim as Ten Hag's November successor, but the jury is most definitely out on whether he will be a success. And to coincide with Brailsford stepping back, Wilcox takes on the title of director of football — a position he last held for little more than a year at Southampton, largely while they were in the second-tier Championship. Advertisement Wilcox has fulfilled many of the duties typical of the role while serving as technical director, and is highly regarded after his six years as youth academy director at Manchester City, but this summer will be his greatest test yet. There can be no doubt that he and Berrada are the key figures in United's football operations now, a structure Brailsford helped build. And from now on, the gains need to be more than marginal.

MHRA Urges Contraception With GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs
MHRA Urges Contraception With GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs

Medscape

time2 hours ago

  • Medscape

MHRA Urges Contraception With GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reiterated that women using weight-loss drugs must use effective contraception, as the risks of these drugs to a foetus remain unclear. The warning follows concerns that some users in the UK may not be taking glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) safely. To date, the MHRA has received more than 40 reports relating to pregnancies in women taking these medications. 'These medicines must not be taken during pregnancy, while trying to get pregnant, or during breastfeeding,' the MHRA stated. Women who become pregnant while using these drugs should stop treatment immediately and consult a healthcare professional. There is not enough safety data to determine if the drugs could harm a developing baby, the agency said. Avoid Unregulated Sellers, MHRA Warns The MHRA also warned against buying these drugs from unregulated sources such as beauty salons or via social media. 'Not only does this expose people wanting to lose weight to serious health risks, it is also against the law to sell these medicines in this way,' said Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA's chief safety officer. The agency emphasised that weight-loss drugs should not be taken without first consulting a healthcare professional. 'The only way to guarantee receiving a genuine GLP-1 medicine is to obtain it from a legitimate pharmacy,' Cave said. Pharmacies Seeing High Demand 'Community pharmacies have been experiencing unprecedented levels of interest for weight loss injections,' said Jasmine Shah, medication safety officer at the National Pharmacy Association. 'It is therefore important that regulations and guidance keep pace with this demand.' Mounjaro May Lower Effectiveness of Oral Contraceptives The MHRA noted that Mounjaro (tirzepatide) may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives in people with overweight or obesity. Women taking Mounjaro should use a non-oral contraceptive method for 4 weeks after starting the drug and for 4 weeks after any dose increase. This advice applies only to Mounjaro users. Patients are also advised to be alert for signs of acute pancreatitis. Risks in Pregnancy Remain Unclear 'There is hardly any available data from human studies to be able to advise if these weight loss drugs are safe in pregnancy,' said Rebecca Reynolds, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Edinburgh. 'The data from animal studies suggests the potential for harm with low birthweight and skeletal abnormalities, though more evidence is needed to assess if there are risks of taking these drugs in humans,' she told the Science Media Centre (SMC). Dr Bassel Wattar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, supported the MHRA's warning. 'There is some data from animal studies suggesting there is a risk of malformation to the foetus — in animals falling pregnant while taking GLP-1 agonists — but data remains limited in humans,' he said. However, Dr Caroline Ovadia, senior clinical lecturer in obstetrics at the University of Edinburgh, noted to the SMC that existing human cohort studies had not shown clear evidence of harm. Online Buyers May Miss Safety Guidance Although direct evidence linking GLP-1 drugs to contraceptive failure is limited, the high number of users means even a small risk could have public health implications, experts warned. Professor Ying Cheong, consultant in reproductive medicine at the University of Southampton, speaking to the SMC, said that gastrointestinal side effects, such as vomiting and diarrhoea, could impair oral contraceptive absorption, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancy. 'Many people are buying weight loss drugs online and so may not receive this important advice about contraception,' Reynolds pointed out. 'These are not harmless lifestyle drugs,' stressed Cheong. 'The public urgently needs to understand that these medications require proper medical supervision to avoid unintended harm, particularly to reproductive health.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store