Latest news with #DavidWhitehouse
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The Margate woman who argued with locals
Caroline Lane vanished in 2009, not long after a fractious residents' meeting at Saltwater Mansions, her apartment block in Margate. For the next 13 years, her mortgage and other standing orders continued to be paid, but no one came looking for her or sent Christmas cards, and she has not been seen by any of those residents since. Nor is there any trace of her online. 'I've great admiration for anyone who doesn't have the minutiae of their lives splashed all over the internet,' David Whitehouse writes in his superb, intoxicating book, named after Lane's mysterious residence. 'I see them as I might the survivor of a plague.' If no man is an island, then one woman at least seemed to be. This absence, not just of a person but of everything that comes with being even a vaguely social animal, is what so intrigues Whitehouse in this hybrid of reportage and memoir. His quest is sparked by a chance remark from a hairdresser friend, and as he digs for information, Lane comes gradually into focus, less as a defined individual than as a palimpsest, half-glimpsed through layers of others' impressions and Whitehouse's own imagination. Those impressions are varied, plentiful, and largely negative, mostly because Saltwater Mansions was a hive of gossip, with everyone's lives discussed by everyone else. Lane, however, stood apart, in every way: perhaps snobbish and haughty, perhaps aloof through shyness and solitude. 'There were no pleasantries. No small talk. Not even remarks on the weather.' At Lane's final residents' meeting, she alone had opposed every single majority decision – on the election of directors, the auditing of accounts, a new fire escape – angering and exasperating the others. But Beth, who buys Lane's flat after its eventual forced purchase, makes Whitehouse reconsider the common view that Lane was unreasonably stroppy at such meetings: maybe she was merely standing her ground against men who thought they knew better? Without anything close to a consensus on the kind of person she was, Whitehouse allows himself to imagine 'a multiverse of Caroline Lanes' – a fugitive, a dominatrix, a spy. By this stage, however, the book has already outgrown its starting point and diverged into chronicling the lives of others: Beth; Lane's erstwhile neighbour Leonard; and Whitehouse himself. All these narratives sooner or later circle back to the same place: family, in all its forms. A woman protects her sister; a mother fights to stay alive for her daughter; a husband is widowed and remarries; and the writer reflects on his own relationship with his father, a man who was happiest doing things and helping people, and who had little time for self-reflection. One of the best lines in the book, up against some stiff competition, comes when Whitehouse watches his father with his own small son, 'a craggy hand saddling the soft hump of infant belly, their whole world there in the cradle of each other'. The world here is Margate, Whitehouse's adopted hometown, and it is as much a character as a setting. Once blighted by crime, poverty and xenophobia, its more recent gentrification has been a double-edged sword, with organic cafés, yoga studios and second homes combining to hollow out the place's chaotic but authentic spirit. That process has proved 'disproportionately bad for the poor and people of colour', displaced by an 'arts-led regeneration whose proponents talked a good game about investing in their community, but whose schemes and businesses in practice tended mostly to benefit people who looked and sounded like themselves'. Were this a novel, it would have a twist ending, but the non-fiction writer has to stick to what is known. It's hopefully no great spoiler to say that Lane's tale is not resolved neatly, though the way in which it gets there is certainly unexpected. Whitehouse is honest enough to admit his reflexive feelings of entitlement to know her full story, and it's proof of his versatility – he's both an award-winning novelist and an acclaimed non-fiction writer whose last book, About a Son, dealt with a man's quest for justice after the murder of his son – that he so beautifully combines the diligence of fact and the verve of fiction. Saltwater Mansions is by turns compassionate, melancholy, perceptive and uplifting. Whitehouse's turn of phrase is exquisite, conjuring entire scenes with just a few words. Margate High Street is 'pocked by the wounds of empty units'; net curtains are 'stained with rococo curls of yellow by decades of cigarette smoke'; 'Mr Peake was plumping cushions as though they'd wronged him'; 'the cat-hiss of waves breaking'; 'a charmed snake of ripped police tape dancing on the breeze'. The people and town in Saltwater Mansions may be resolutely ordinary, but the book itself is anything but.
Business News Wales
5 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
Comprehensive Spending Review 'Must Back a Homegrown Energy Future'
Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) is calling on the Chancellor to prioritise major UK energy projects at the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a key technology for decarbonising UK industry for which the CSR could unlock fresh business investment and jobs, the organisation says. The Humber's Viking and Northeast Scotland's Acorn projects have the potential to invest over £25 billion by 2035 with private sector capital, potentially creating over 30,000 jobs, it added. Acorn is the only project of its type in Scotland and is critical for futureproofing a variety of industrial, power and energy production companies to meet climate goals and prevent further deindustrialisation, says OEUK. Located in the Humber, the UK's most industrialised region and largest emitter of Co2, the Viking CCS project will create thousands of jobs in the region and play a vital role in supporting the UK to meet its target to capture 30 million tonnes of Co2 annually by 2030, says OEUK. OEUK has also urged government to deploy up to £7.5 billion in the Contracts for Difference (CFD) scheme to grow floating and fixed offshore wind over the next three auction rounds (AR7 – AR9) and help industry meet Clean Power 2030 targets. The UK Government is expected to open AR7 this summer. While the CSR addresses departmental spending and not revenue-raising plans, OEUK said a competitive fiscal regime for oil and gas remains essential to an ever-integrating industry, which is one of the UK's most important economic assets. Industry needs globally competitive tax and licensing regimes for oil and gas so the UK can lessen its reliance on imports and sustain jobs, supply chains and economic value as it scales up renewables, it said. The CSR should help the UK's offshore energy and other industrial sectors unlock economic growth and strengthen supply chains while developing world leading companies, said OEUK. Today, the UK offshore energy sector supports over 200,000 jobs in oil and gas alone and generated £25 billion in gross value add in 2023. Harnessing the potential of the UK's existing and emerging energy sector could increase this value much further, says OEUK. David Whitehouse, OEUK's CEO, said: 'These are critical times and our sector can help government lay a credible path to economic growth. This starts with support for homegrown energy. 'We must work together to unlock business investment across UK energy opportunities. This includes the build out of renewables alongside the responsible production of oil and gas. 'We are asking government to deploy the previously announced funding for carbon capture and storage and announce a clear funding envelope for Track-2 and beyond. 'This is needed so key projects like Acorn in Scotland and Humber-based Viking can go ahead, create jobs, help British industry decarbonise and importantly invest in Britain. 'In a country that's importing over 40% of its energy, we need more wind, hydrogen, oil and gas, and CCUS projects built here. This is investment the country needs for growth.' OEUK's CSR asks are: Unlock private sector investment in carbon storage and capture, offshore fixed bottom wind, offshore floating wind, and hydrogen. Provide a clear long term funding envelope as part of the Government's Clean Power 2030 goals to deliver the potential of these technologies. Provide efficiently resourced departments and efficient regulators to progress opportunities and activity at pace. Support UK specialist technology hubs to drive the technology and innovation required for a successful homegrown energy transition. Support expansion of the Skills Passport and cross sector skills demand planning to ensure that the UK has the skilled people to deliver on the offshore energy growth opportunity
Business News Wales
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
OEUK Calls for Windfall Tax Reform to Boost UK Energy Investment
Trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has called on the UK Government to remove the windfall tax on oil and gas profits by 2026. It is calling for it be replaced it with a competitive long-term mechanism that responds to future price shocks to encourage what it says is necessary investment in the UK's energy future. The call comes as the UK Government's consultation aimed at developing a predictable response to future price shocks closed. The Energy Profits Levy (EPL), known as the windfall tax, was introduced in response to a spike in global energy prices in May 2022. It's an additional tax on the profits made by companies producing oil and gas from the waters off the coast of Britain, with the top rate of tax at 78 per cent. Independent data from the Office of National Statistics confirms that the profits for those investing in the UK oil and gas sector have fallen to negative levels, but the tax remains, which OEUK says is holding back vital investment across the UK's energy landscape. Pointing to the UK's increasing reliance on imported energy, OEUK said that a pragmatic oil and gas tax regime would deliver more home-produced energy, protect jobs in the industry and across the wider economy, and strengthen the UK's energy sovereignty. In 2024, the UK's total energy production was at an historic low, with over 40% of UK's energy needs met through imports. Without stimulating investment, the UK could be reliant on imports for the majority of its oil and gas demand by 2030. OEUK has shown that supportive government policy towards UK oil and gas production increases the likelihood of a successful domestic expansion into other energy forms including floating offshore wind, carbon capture and hydrogen. OEUK is pressing the UK Government to act in the next Autumn Budget. It's calling for a mechanism to be introduced in 2026 that responds to price shocks and gives companies certainty to invest long term. OEUK chief executive David Whitehouse said: 'Last year, the UK was dependent for almost 40% of total energy demand on imported energy, and UK energy prices are higher than many of our counterparts. In an uncertain world that is not the place to be. 'In a country where today 75% of our energy comes from oil and gas, the solution is the responsible production of our own oil and gas from the North Sea, alongside the build out of renewable energy. It should not be a debate about one form of energy versus another – we need it all. 'We welcomed the Government's decision to launch this fiscal consultation and we're engaging constructively in the process. 'The sector needs action now to secure jobs, boost energy security, and build for the future. That means a commitment from government to deliver a mechanism in 2026 that creates a predictable response to future price shocks. 'This is what is needed to unlock investment in UK energy – oil, gas, renewables, hydrogen, and carbon capture. 'The North Sea is a strategic national asset that has powered the UK economy and homes through for the past 50 years and it is only right that it is managed as such.'
Daily Record
29-05-2025
- Daily Record
Police Scotland £18m compensation payout revealed in new report
Police Scotland have paid out millions of pounds in compensation since 2019 to settle legal actions brought by both the public and their own officers. Cash strapped Police Scotland has forked out more than £18 million in compensation payments in the last six years according to shock new figures. Recipients include Rangers administrators David Whitehouse and Paul Clark and former firearms officer Rhona Malone. Details of the eye watering payouts, released by Police Scotland under Freedom of Information (FOI) have prompted a furious reaction. Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said 'These are significant sums of money at a time when frontline policing is under so much pressure. 'The SNP must work with Police Scotland to reduce this bill and get this money back into frontline policing where it belongs by addressing the underlying issues responsible for the claims.' Last year - 2024/2025 - Police Scotland paid out more than £2million in damages including £816,429 to police officers and civilian staff and a further £1million plus in vehicle accident claims by the public. The force also reached an undisclosed settlement in March with the family of Sheku Bayoh - who died while being restrained by police officers in Kirkcaldy in 2015. However it's not known if that sum is included in the latest figures. In the last six financial years, since 2019/2020, a total of £18,030,675 has been paid in compensation by Police Scotland. It includes £8.8 million for employer liability and employment tribunal £5.6 million for motoring claims and £3.4 million in public liability claims. The force have paid compensation to members of the public whose property is damaged during police operations, including front doors. Compensation is also paid for accidents involving police cars, wrongful arrest, and staff discrimination cases which end up in employment tribunals. No details were given of the individual compensation claims or of the successful claimants in the FOI response. However Police Scotland has been the subject of several long running and costly legal actions since 2019. In November 2020 the force agreed to pay almost £400,000 to two ex-administrators of Rangers FC, after they were arrested during a failed fraud investigation. David Whitehouse was given £75,000 in damages and £235,000 in legal costs. His colleague Paul Clark received up to £75,000 in damages along with a contribution to his legal costs. In May 2022, former firearms officer Rhona Malone, 43, was awarded £948,000 in damages by an employment tribunal who found she had been the victim of sexism and discrimination. Police Scotland had to pay £118,000 towards her legal costs. Police Scotland have paid the family of tragic Lamara Bell more than £1million in compensation since 2021. Lamara, 25, and partner John Yuill, 28, died in July 2015 after their car careered down an embankment on the M8 near Stirling. Despite a call being made to police, it took three days for the force to respond. David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation said: "The vast majority of those claims will be from our members. "The question I would have is what lessons are Police Scotland learning from the claims they are having to pay out ."What measures are being taken to prevent a recurrence? "When we go to the force with cases early they don't fix them quick enough. "Which ends up in bigger claims." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The massive compensation payouts come at a time when Police Scotland has had to cut costs by about £200 million. They have also announced plans to close 29 stations across Scotland, to raise funds to plug a budget black hole. Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr MSP said: "Ministers who are responsible for underfunding our police and the broken complaints system need to get to the bottom of why the number of legitimate claims and payouts are so high and address the root causes.' Scottish Liberal Democrat Justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP added: "Every pound spent on compensation is a pound not going towards community policing, tackling crime, or supporting officers on the frontline." A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Compensation payments are dealt with on a case-by-case basis with a view to securing best value for the public purse." The Scottish Government commented: "Decisions on compensation payments are for Police Scotland. "We have passed legislation this year to drive improvements to the police complaints system."
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists think 'city killer' asteroid could now hit the moon
An asteroid that could be up to 220 feet wide will now miss Earth - but the chances of the space rock slamming into the moon have doubled. Asteroid 2024 YR4 briefly had a small chance of hitting our planet in 2032, but NASA has now reduced this chance to 0.004%. However, the chances of the asteroid hitting the moon have doubled, from 1.7% to 3.8% based on new readings from the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA said, 'Experts at NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have updated 2024 YR4's chance of impacting the moon on Dec. 22, 2032 from 1.7% as of late February to 3.8% based on the Webb data and observations from ground-based telescopes. "There is still a 96.2% chance that the asteroid will miss the moon.' Recent telescope observations have reduced the likely size of the asteroid, but it's still the size of a ten-storey building. According to the latest data from the James Webb telescope, the asteroid is believed to be 174-220 feet across. If it had hit the Earth, the energy released at its impact would have been similar to a nuclear weapon - leading many to brand it a 'city killer'. So what would happen if it hit the moon? Obviously there are no cities to get in the way, but what is likely is it would just create a crater. The moon's surface is dotted with evidence of thousands of such craters. Crucially, according to NASA, it would not alter our satellite's orbit. But the impact could pose other issues, said astronomer and science writer David Whitehouse. Whitehouse told Yahoo News: "It would be scientifically fascinating, but it would be a disaster on many fronts. "The problem is that although a lot of the impact falls back to the moon very quickly, a lot of it wouldn't, and it would be dispersed into space and dispersed into the moon's orbit. And that would affect people travelling to the moon, and also eventually would start to rain down back and rain down on the earth. So it would affect satellites. It would increase the debris hazard considerably in orbit." 'Many' scientists are hoping that YR4 WILL hit the moon, simply so that they can observe its impact, the head of the European Space Agency's Planetary Defense Office said. Richard Moissl, head of the ESA's planetary defense office, said, "The possibility of getting a chance for an observation of a sizeable moon impact is indeed an interesting scenario from a scientific point of view.' The information from the impact could be 'valuable for planetary defence purposes', he said. Astronomers will target the James Webb Space Telescope at YR24 to get better readings of its position and size. The asteroid is currently heading away from Earth and it will pass out of view after May, and it will not be possible to get readings until it is on its return journey. The asteroid is more than 50 metres (164ft) in diameter, which means that it would have triggered planetary defence missions if there was more than a 1% chance of it hitting Earth in 2032. Among these options would be using a nuclear weapon to nudge the space rock into a different orbit. The 'nuclear option' would be most likely to be used with larger asteroids more than half a mile in diameter. Another option would be to use a large laser to evaporate the asteroid's surface, driving it onto a different trajectory, as suggested in a paper from the University of California, Santa Barbara. By far the most likely option to be used is an 'impactor' - a spacecraft that would be flown into the asteroid to knock it off course, said Whitehouse. NASA and the ESA have conducted research into how the trajectory of an asteroid can be changed by ramming it with a spacecraft. In September 2022, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impacted the asteroid Dimorphos. The collision changed Dimorphos's orbit successfully, and now scientists hope to study the space rock close-up to understand how to launch similar missions. The ESA's Hera spacecraft will enter the orbit of Dimorphos (and its larger companion Didymos) in October 2026. By analysing the results of DART, Hera will offer information which could be used to repeat the feat with other objects.
