Category: Chaos

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UK Prime Minister announces snap general election for 4th July 2024

UK election

On 22nd May 2024, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a snap general election for 4th July 2024 This decision caught many by surprise, as the election was called more than around six months earlier than legally required.

Election Date: 4th July 2024 – let the fireworks begin

The Conservative Party, led by Rishi Sunak, is facing significant challenges in opinion polls, trailing behind the opposition Labour Party.

The economy, immigration, health services, and cost of living have been identified as key issues for voters.

Labour, led by Sir Keir Starmer, is considered the clear frontrunner, with a substantial lead in recent polls.

Since 2010, the Conservatives have seen five prime ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and now Rishi Sunak.

Sir Keir described the past 14 years as “Tory chaos” and emphasised that it’s time for change.

So, the UK is gearing up for an early election, and the outcome will be closely watched both domestically and internationally

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U.S. debt and deficits are generating concerns about potential threats to the economy and financial markets

Debt burden

The federal debt reportedly reached $34.5 trillion, marking an increase of approximately $11 trillion since March 2020.

This surge has sparked discussions among government and financial leaders, with a notable Wall Street firm questioning whether the associated costs could threaten the stock market’s upward trend. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the public debt will soon surpass any previously recorded levels relative to GDP.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has emphasized the urgency for elected officials to address this issue promptly.

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Meme stock craze is back and creates volatile behaviour again!

Memes

Shares of GameStop and AMC surged by approximately 60% in premarket trading on Tuesday 14th May 2024, signalling a potential continuation of gains as the meme stock crazes makes an unwelcome comeback.

Shares of the video game retailer GameStop surged 59% higher in late trade while the movie theatre chain AMC’s shares rose over 64%. Other so-called ‘meme stocks’ were also set to open significantly higher on Tuesday.

GameStop’s shares soared more than 100% and experienced multiple halts due to volatility after Roaring Kitty made a comeback on X. His tweet, a simple image of a man leaning forward in a chair, marked his first post in three years and was enough to spur the ‘wild traders’ into blind action.

Although GME had already begun rallying before, the surge yesterday was extreme and reminiscent of the original meme stock frenzy involving WallStreetBets and Melvin Capital. Ultimately, it closed up 74%. With GME’s short interest at 24% prior to the surge, it’s likely that a significant portion of the movement was due to short-covering, as well as some hedge funds having calls on their shorts.

Trend-following and momentum strategies may have contributed to the rise. Retail investors appear to be growing more bullish and willing to take on greater risks. The surge seems to lack a fundamental basis, as GME’s last earnings report was notably very poor. N

However, not all meme stock involvement is blindly speculative.

But it is just a game to some!

What is a meme stock?

A meme stock refers to the shares of a company that have gained viral popularity due to heightened social following. This social ‘following’ is usually due to activity online, particularly on social media platforms

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UK Border control take back control as passport e-gates fail, again!

UK Border Force

The Home Office eventually resolved a nationwide ‘issue’ that led to significant delays at passport e-gates.

UK airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, and Manchester have all reported delays in arrivals late on Tuesday 7th May 2024 due to a Border Force issue.

E-gates, which are automated gates utilizing facial recognition technology to verify a person’s identity, allow entry into the country without the need for interaction with a Border Force officer.

According to the government’s website, there are over 270 e-gates installed at 15 air and rail ports across the UK, designed to facilitate faster entry into the country. However, this recent outage has necessitated manual processing of passengers by Border control staff.

The Home Office, responsible for the Border Force, announced in an early Wednesday 8th May 2024 statement: ‘eGates at UK airports resumed operation shortly after midnight.‘

A Home Office spokesperson reportedly attributed the disruptions to a ‘system network issue’ (whatever that means) – initially reported at approximately 19:50 BST, indicating the problems lasted over four hours. They assured that ‘border security was never jeopardized, and there is no evidence of any malicious cyber activity.’

Nothing new – it’s happened before and it’s a miserable experience!

Britain’s automated border gates system experienced a crash in May 2023, leading to extensive queues and delays for passengers lasting several hours.

Additionally, the country’s air traffic system suffered a meltdown in August 2023 due to a technical issue, disrupting the National Air Traffic Service for a prolonged period. The recurring nature of these incidents raises questions about the underlying causes.

Why does it KEEP happening?

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UK Ministry of Defence suffers hack and data breach

The breach involved a third-party payroll system used by the MoD

The compromised system contained names and bank details of both current and past members of the UK armed forces.

While the full extent and consequences of the breach are still under investigation, preliminary results reportedly indicate that no data was extracted during the incident.

It appears that a minimal number of addresses might have been compromised.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) responded quickly by disconnecting the external network, which is managed by a contractor.

Affected service members will be informed as a precautionary measure and will be provided with expert advice.

Hacker’s ID not revealed

The hacker’s identity has not been revealed, but it is significant that in March, the UK and the U.S. charged China with conducting a worldwide campaign of “malicious” cyber-attacks.

These assaults targeted the Electoral Commission watchdog in 2021 and involved online “reconnaissance” of MPs’ and peers’ email accounts. The limited response to these events highlights the persistent cybersecurity challenges and the importance of constant alertness.

As the inquiry progresses, the MoD is expected to implement additional security measures to safeguard sensitive data, measures that ideally should have already been established.

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Global police forces take down massive scam website that defrauded thousands of victims

Online fraud

UK police have dismantled a gang that provided a technology service enabling criminals to use fraudulent text messages to defraud victims

Britain’s Metropolitan Police announced on Thursday 18th April 2024 that the ‘LabHost‘ website had been utilised by 2,000 criminals to pilfer personal details from users.

The police have reportedly identified approximately 70,000 UK individuals whose details were compromised via LabHost’s websites. The websites of LabHost have been disrupted and now displays a notice indicating that the services have been seized by law enforcement.

They have arrested 37 people worldwide and are contacting victims affected by the scam.

Phishing scam

Officers say younger people who grew up with the internet were the most likely to fall for the ‘phishing’ scam.

What is ‘phishing’

‘Phishing’ is a type of social engineering attack where perpetrators trick individuals into disclosing sensitive information or downloading malware. This often entails the use of deceptive emails or messages that mimic reputable entities, luring users to input their login details on counterfeit websites.

See Wikipedia definition.

The technology enabled scammers without technical expertise to inundate victims with deceptive messages aimed at eliciting online payments.

Authorities focused on the gang’s website, LabHost, which facilitated the despatch of these messages and steered victims towards counterfeit websites. These sites mimicked authentic online payment or shopping platforms.

ID theft

This operation allowed the perpetrators to pilfer personal identity details, including 480,000 card numbers and 64,000 PIN codes. It was referred to as ‘fullz data‘ in criminal circles, according to the police.

The exact amount of money stolen remains unknown. However, detectives estimate that the LabHost site generated close to £1 million ($1.25 million) in profits.

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Elon Musk and his ‘X’-rated comment

Tweet!

It has been a turbulent time at Twitter since Musk’s acquisition and the subsequent renaming of the company to X.

X is a subsidiary of X Holdings Corp., which is owned by Elon Musk. X has faced several issues and controversies since its inception, such as advertiser boycott, declining user base, staff layoffs, and more recently accusations of antisemitism and even more recently of a profane outburst levelled against X advertisers.

What a mess

Elon Musk launches attack on X advertisers in a profanity-laced outburst.

Musk has slammed advertisers that have left X, warning they will kill the social media platform. At an event in New York, he accused companies that have joined an advertising boycott of the site formerly known as Twitter of trying to blackmail him.

Musk tells X (Twitter) advertisers to go ‘f**k yourselves,’ but admits it will die without them: Despite this, Musk refused to accept responsibility for the impact of his statements on X’s ability to do business. 

Instead, the billionaire insisted that if X (Twitter) went under, the blame would be entirely on the advertisers who fled as opposed to his decisions as its owner which more likely pushed them away.

His message to advertisers leaving X of: ‘Go f**k yourself’ – didn’t help matters as he admits responding to anti-Semitic post on X was one of the most foolish things he’s done on the platform.

Elon Musk is reported to have said on Wednesday 29th November 2023 that he regretted his November 15th tweet allegedly endorsing an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.

Is the death knell of X and of a $44 billion investment?

Musk should be a force for good in the world – could that still happen?

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Cyber-attack affects law firms

Hacker

A recent cyber-attack on CTS, a company that provides IT services to law firms and other organisations in the UK legal sector. 

It was reported the cyberattack occurred on Wednesday, 22nd November 2023, and caused a widespread outage that affected dozens of law firms and homebuyers. 

The cyberattack was reportedly caused by a CitrixBleed bug that has targeted other firms in recent weeks. 

CTS said that it was working with a global leader in cyber forensics to investigate the incident and restore the services as soon as possible. 

The cyberattack has raised concerns over the security and integrity of the data and systems of the legal sector, as well as the potential impact on the transactions and completions of the homebuyers.

The problem at CTS is having a knock-on effect on the firms involved in property completions. It is thought around 80 law firms have been affected.

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HSBC down online banking outages

Bank online outage

It is widely reported that HSBC‘s online banking system is experiencing some problems today, 24th November 2023. 

According to the news reports, many customers are unable to access the app or the website or make payments. 

The bank has acknowledged the issue and said it is working hard to fix it as soon as possible. Some users have also reported missing money from their accounts.

Downdetector, which tracks websites, showed more than 4000 people reported they could not access HSBC services.

‘It is impacting HSBC UK customers only – there is no impact to First Direct or M&S Bank customers’, a spokesperson for the bank said.

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OpenAI saga continues – I’m in, I’m out, I’m back. Altman is back after getting the sack!

OpenAI

At the speed of AI, the story at OpenAI moves at lightning speed.

Hundreds of OpenAI employees signed a letter demanding the OpenAI board resign or face an employee exodus to Sam Altman’s new venture at Microsoft ‘imminently‘.

The board then attempted to negotiate Altman’s return, but those talks were unsuccessful.

At the touch of a button – resignation letter sent to the OpenAI board of directors

To the Board of Directors at OpenAI

OpenAI is the world’s leading AI company. We, the employees of OpenAI, have developed the best models and pushed the field to new frontiers. Our work on AI safety and governance shapes global norms. The products we built are used by millions of people around the world. Until now, the company we work for and cherish has never been in a stronger position.

The process through which you terminated Sam Altman and removed Greg Brockman from the board has jeopardized all of this work and undermined our mission and company. Your conduct has made it clear you did not have the competence to oversee OpenAI.

When we all unexpectedly learned of your decision, the leadership team of OpenAI acted swiftly to stabilize the company. They carefully listened to your concerns and tried to cooperate with you on all grounds. Despite many requests for specific facts for your allegations, you have never provided any written evidence. They also increasingly realized you were not capable of carrying out your duties, and were negotiating in bad faith.

The leadership team suggested that the most stabilizing path forward – the one that would best serve our mission, company, stakeholders, employees and the public – would be for you to resign and put in place a qualified board that could lead the company forward in stability. Leadership worked with you around the clock to find a mutually agreeable outcome. Yet within two days of your initial decision, you again replaced interim CEO Mira Murati against the best interests of the company. You also informed the leadership team that allowing the company to be destroyed “would be consistent with the mission.”

Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI. We are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees. We, the undersigned, may choose to resign from OpenAI and join the newly announced Microsoft subsidiary run by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Microsoft has assured us that there are positions for all OpenAI employees at this new subsidiary should we choose to join. We will take this step imminently, unless all current board members resign, and the board appoints two new lead independent directors, such as Bret Taylor and Will Hurd, and reinstates Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.”

In just 5 days

  • Sam Altman sacked from OpenAI.
  • Altman appears to move to Microsoft.
  • OpenAI staff revolt.
  • No confidence in OpenAI board.
  • Space for staff to move to Microsoft and create new AI company under Altman’s leadership.
  • OpenAI mass employee resignation letter emerges.
  • Microsoft CEO Nadella says OpenAI governance needs to change no matter where Altman ends up.
  • Altman back at OpenAI after board changes.

Now, Altman is back after getting the sack.

So, is all OK at OpenAI? I asked CHATGPT the question, here is the answer…

Searching for: OpenAI news

Generating answers for you…OpenAI

It seems that there is some turmoil at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. According to the latest news, the former CEO Sam Altman, who was ousted and hired by Microsoft last week, has made a stunning return to OpenAI as the CEO again1. The company also announced a new board of directors, including Bret Taylor, the former chair of Twitter1. This comes after a series of protests and resignations from OpenAI employees, who were unhappy with the direction and culture of the company2. OpenAI also unveiled new models and products at its DevDay event, such as GPT-4 Turbo, Assistants API, GPT-4 Turbo with Vision, and DALL·E 3 API3. These are some of the developments that have been happening at OpenAI recently. I hope this answers your question. 😊

There you have it, sacked and now back!

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Party politics and petty petulance, an average day at No. 10 Downing Street

Party politics and petty petulance
Party politics and petty petulance – toys out the pram again at No. 10

Welcome politics at No. 10 Downing street

The phrase ‘throwing your toys out of the pram’ is a British idiom that means to behave in a childish or immature way when you are angry or frustrated. It is usually used to criticize someone who is acting unreasonably or making a fuss over something trivial.

Right now, it sums up everyday behaviour at No. 10 Downing Street.

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Fired OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman to lead Microsoft’s new AI team

AI robot and human

Sam Altman, the former CEO of OpenAI, who was fired last week in a controversial board decision. 

According to the latest reports, Altman is joining Microsoft to lead a new AI research team that will focus on advanced and ethical AI development.

Altman is a well-known entrepreneur and investor who has been involved in several AI-related projects.

He was one of the co-founders of OpenAI, a research organization that aims to create artificial general intelligence (AGI) that can ‘benefit humanity without causing harm’ or being controlled by a few elite players.

Leadership and ideology clash

However, Altman’s vision and style clashed with some of the board members and researchers at OpenAI, who reportedly accused him of being too ambitious, secretive, and authoritarian. They also reportedly claimed that he was pursuing a dangerous goal of creating artificial superintelligence (ASI).

The disagreements escalated when Altman announced a partnership with Microsoft in 2023, which gave Microsoft exclusive access to OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo model, a powerful natural language processing system that can generate realistic text on any given topic. 

Some of the OpenAI staff and community members reportedly felt let-down by this deal, which they saw as a violation of OpenAI’s original mission of creating and sharing ‘AI for the common good’.

On Friday 17th November 2023, the board of OpenAI voted to remove Altman as CEO, citing irreconcilable differences and lack of trust. He was replaced by Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch, who promised to restore transparency and collaboration at OpenAI.

Altman to join Microsoft

Altman did not comment on his dismissal. However, on Monday 20th November 2023, he rocked the AI world by announcing he was joining Microsoft as the head of a new AI research team.

He reportedly said that he was excited to work with Microsoft’s talented people and that he would continue to pursue his vision of creating beneficial and ethical AI for humanity. 

Altman’s move to Microsoft has sparked mixed opinions from the AI community. Some have praised him for his innovation and courage, others have criticized him for his arrogance and recklessness.

There were reports over weekend suggesting employees and investors including Microsoft were pushing for Mr Altman to be reinstated. Some employees resigned in support of Altman.

Some have expressed concern about the potential impact of his new role on the future of AI development and regulation.

Where do OpenAI, Microsoft and the AI go from here?

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Sam Bankman-Fried, the Crypto King found guilty of FTX fraud

Guilty of fraud

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, has been found guilty of fraud and money laundering at the end of a month-long trial in New York.

He was accused of lying to investors and customers and stealing billions of dollars from FTX, which went bankrupt in November 2022. He now faces up to 115 years in prison. The jury delivered its verdict after less than five hours of deliberations. His sentencing has been set for 28th March 2024.

Month long trial

The verdict was delivered after a month-long trial that saw three of his former associates, including his ex-girlfriend, testify against him as part of a plea deal. They revealed that Bankman-Fried used customer deposits from FTX to fund his other company, Alameda Research, as well as to buy property and make political donations. He denied the charges and claimed that he acted in good faith and made mistakes due to being overwhelmed by the rapid growth of his businesses.

It concludes a dramatic fall from grace for the 31-year-old former billionaire and one of the most public faces of the crypto industry.

The case has been seen as a major blow to the crypto industry, which has been struggling to recover from the market crash and regulatory scrutiny that followed the FTX collapse. Bankman-Fried was once one of the most prominent and influential figures in the sector, known for his philanthropy and crypto industry innovation. 

His downfall has been described as the industry’s greatest cautionary tale.

Verdict

‘Sam Bankman-Fried perpetrated one of the biggest financial frauds in American history – a multibillion-dollar scheme designed to make him the king of crypto’, U.S. attorney Damian Williams said in a statement after the verdict. ‘This case has always been about lying, cheating and stealing, and we have no patience for it’.

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, has been found guilty of fraud and money laundering at the end of a month-long trial in New York.

Prosecutors had accused Bankman-Fried of lying to investors and lenders and stealing billions of dollars from cryptocurrency exchange FTX, helping to precipitate its collapse. They charged him with seven counts of fraud and money laundering.

He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges, maintaining that, while he had made mistakes, he had acted in good faith.

After the verdict Bankman-Fried’s lawyer Mark Cohen said: ‘We respect the jury’s decision. But we are very disappointed with the result’.

Mr Bankman-Fried reportedly maintains his innocence and will continue to vigorously fight the charges against him.

He now faces up to 115 years in prison.

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Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says UK has highest tax burden since Second World War

UK taxes high!

It has been suggested Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson have overseen biggest tax rises since the Second World War

‘Fiscal responsibility’ – code words for ‘cock-up!’

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have stressed the need for ‘fiscal responsibility’ amid still-high inflation and rising debt costs.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), by the time of the next general election, taxes will likely have risen to around 37% of national income, which is the highest level since comparable records began in the 1950’s. 

The IFS said that this is equivalent to around £3,500 more per household, but it will not be shared equally across income group.

Health and Welfare massive tax burden

The IFS also said that this is not a direct consequence of the pandemic, but rather a result of decisions to increase government spending on health and welfare, and some unwinding of austerity. They predicted that this parliament would mark a decisive and permanent shift to a higher-tax economy.

Other think tanks, such as the Nuffield Foundation, have echoed this view and said that there will be strong pressure in future parliaments to raise taxes further to meet growing demand for public services.

Dissatisfied

Some Conservative MPs have expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of tax cuts from the government, as they believe that reducing taxes is a key part of the party’s philosophy. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have stressed the need for fiscal responsibility amid still-high inflation and rising debt costs.

Lurching from one problem to the next

We saw this type of response under George Osborne during the ‘austerity’ period after the financial crisis of 2008. And now again, after Brexit and the pandemic. They were all Conservative governments.

Hunt has reportedly said it would be virtually impossible to cut taxes at the moment – no surprise there then!

Labour has criticised the government for clobbering the general public with tax rises and failing to deliver growth and wages.

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Good news is bad news, and now bad news is bad news too

Stock market jitters

The stock market can’t get a break

It’s frustrating!

The stock market can be very volatile and unpredictable, especially in times of uncertainty and crisis. It seems like investors are reacting to every piece of news, whether it’s good or bad, with fear and panic.

According to some analysts, the main factors that are driving the market turmoil are the rising bond yields, the slowing global growth, the ongoing trade tensions, and the potential fiscal risks. These issues have created a lot of uncertainty and anxiety among market participants, who are looking for signs of stability and direction.

Long-term investing makes sense

Some experts suggest that the best way to deal with the market volatility is to have a long-term perspective, diversify your portfolio, and avoid emotional decisions. They also advise to stay informed, but not to overreact to every headline or rumour.

Remember that the market has gone through many ups and downs in the past and has always recovered over time.

Make sure as always… do your research!

RESEARCH! RESEARCH! RESEARCH!

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Polluting car and climate push back

Climate target push back

New car show room

Climate target push back
”I’d like to buy a new car please’. ‘Yes, of course… do you want a… gas, coal, wood, petrol, diesel, vegetable oil, virgin oil, hydrogen, electric, hybrid, pedal, jet, or rice powered one?” ‘Umm, I think I’ll leave it for now thank you’.

We just don’t have the funds, do we?

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reportedly planning to water down some of Britain’s climate commitments, saying the country must fight climate change without penalising workers and consumers.

Sunak issued a statement Tuesday in response to a BBC report saying the prime minister is considering extending deadlines for bans on new petrol and diesel cars – currently due in 2030 —- and on new natural-gas home heating.

The news drew dismay from environmental groups, opposition parties and some members of Sunak’s Conservative Party. It broke as senior politicians from the U.K. and around the world gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Biden and Yellen have placed climate high on the agenda.

Senior Tories who have championed net zero policies are reportedly furious at Sunak’s plans to delay or water down green measures. They warn that the decision will cost the U.K. jobs, inward investment and future economic growth that could have been theirs by committing to the industries of the future.

We won’t save the UK by bankrupting its people – Braverman

Home Secretary Suella Braverman says she backs Rishi Sunak’s expected shift on how the UK gets to net zero carbon emissions.

‘We’re not going to save the country by bankrupting the British people,’ she told BBC Breakfast.

It must be true, I’ve just seen it on the news. Is the UK broke? Is this the real reason for the climate roll-back?

‘We’re not going to save the country by bankrupting the British people’.

I for one am very confused??

Does the UK have the money? Is it a too big-a-burden for the UK tax payer? Can the UK generate enough ‘POWER’ from renewables? The UK needs fossil fuels?

Most of the world still needs fossil fuels!

Are we really ready to switch yet? Renewables and fossil fuels will have to work hand-in-hand for some time yet.

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NHS Strike action again, with nearly 8 million waiting in the queue

Consultants and doctors joint strike

British Medical Association-organised strike

Consultants and junior doctors in England are holding their first joint strike in the history of the NHS.

Waiting list

The latest data from NHS England, states the number of people waiting to start routine hospital treatment is at a record high of 7.68 million at the end of July 2023. This is up from 7.57 million in June 2023 and the highest since records began in August 2007. 

The waiting list has increased by more than 3 million since February 2020, the last full month before the start of the pandemic. The NHS is facing many different challenges due to the impact of Covid-19 on its services, staff and resources. This data suggests that the waiting list was already at 4 million even before the pandemic hit.

The latest strike action is a major factor now contributing to the NHS waiting list. Some reports suggest that over 850,000 routine operations and procedures have been cancelled so far this year, 2023 due to strike action alone.

Factors that may have contributed to the historical rise in the waiting list

  • The suspension or reduction of non-urgent care during the peak of the pandemic to free up capacity for Covid-19 patients.
  • The ongoing infection prevention and control measures that limit the number of patients that can be treated safely in hospitals.
NHS Strike action again, with nearly 8 million waiting in the queue
  • The staff shortages and burnout that affect the availability and productivity of the workforce.
  • The increased demand for health services as people seek help for conditions that were delayed or worsened by the pandemic.
  • Strike action.

The NHS is working hard to tackle the backlog and improve access to care for patients

  • Increasing funding and capacity for elcare, such as by opening more operating theatres, expanding community services and using the independent sector.
  • Implementing new models of care, such as virtual consultations, digital triage and shared decision making, to reduce unnecessary referrals and appointments.
  • Prioritising patients based on clinical urgency and need, rather than waiting time alone, to ensure that those who would benefit most from treatment are seen first.
  • Supporting staff wellbeing and retention, such as by offering flexible working, training and development opportunities and mental health support.

What about health education?

Government action

The government has also pledged to invest an extra £36 billion over the next three years to help the NHS recover from the pandemic and reform social care. However, some experts have warned that this may not be enough to address the underlying issues that affect the NHS performance and quality, such as workforce planning, public health funding and health inequalities.

How did it get so bad?

Lack of money or management failures? It has to one of these two. Throwing funds at an already badly managed ‘business’ will just amplify the problem allowing even more waste. And as the ‘system’ tackles the problem, more and more people will needlessly continue to suffer.

Fix our health service by fixing the people first!

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Gatwick cancels flights due to air traffic control staff shortages

'Suckers!'

Flights at Gatwick Airport were cancelled, delayed or diverted at short notice on Thursday 14th September 2023 due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Gatwick confirmed some cancellations, while the website FlightRadar24 said hundreds of flights in and out of the airport were delayed.

The National Air Traffic Services (Nats) apologised for its staffing shortages.

Gatwick Airport said it expected a normal service on Friday, 15th September 2023.

The disruption comes just over two weeks after a technical issue at Nats that led to 2,000 flights being cancelled across the UK.

EasyJet expressed frustration at Thursday’s delays and cancellations, while Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary called on Nats’ boss to resign.

Mr O’Leary reportedly said: ‘It is unacceptable that more flights and hundreds of passengers are suffering delays to/from Gatwick Airport due to Nats CEO, Martin Rolfe’s blatant failure to adequately staff UK ATC’.

‘Airlines are paying millions of pounds to Nats each and every year and should not have to see their passengers suffer avoidable delays due to UK ATC staff shortages’.

Update

Gatwick Airport said it was ‘operating as normal’ on Friday after a shortage of air traffic controllers caused disruption to flights overnight on Thursday, 14th September 2023.

'Suckers!'
‘Frequent flyers… suckers!’
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‘What’s the point of HS2 if there is no one to run it?’ ‘Beats me… guess we’re stuck with it!’

Train strikes

‘Is this the end of the line’?

Yet more strike action continues to create chaos for travellers

Much of the UK will have no train services on Friday 1st Septemebr 2023 as the latest major strike action takes place.

Members of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, who work at more than a dozen train companies, have walked out and have refused to work.

Up to 20,000 RMT union members at 14 operators will also strike on Saturday in a long-running dispute

Meanwhile, a consultation closing most ticket offices in England ends.

Ticket office closures

Unions and disability groups have also taken action against other proposed working practices in the industry, such as ticket office closures.

Currently, nearly 300 stations in England run by train companies with Department for Transport contracts have a full-time staffed ticket office – 708 are staffed part-time. Under the proposals, most would close.

Train strikes
‘What’s the point in HS2 if there is no one to run it’? ‘Beats me… guess we’re stuck with it!’

Ongoing dispute

The UK train strikes are part of an ongoing dispute between the rail unions and the train operators over pay and conditions.

  • ASLEF members at 16 rail operators will strike again on Friday, 1st September 2023 and Saturday, 2nd September 2023.
Strike action
‘What year is it? Strike action continues to hold inflation higher. Been here too many times before’.
  • RMT members at 14 train companies will strike again on 2nd September 2023. This will severely affect the timetables.

Pay dispute and working practices

The rail unions are demanding a pay rise that reflects the rising cost of living, as well as job security and improved working conditions. The train operators say they need to make changes to the ways of working in order to save money and improve efficiency, especially after the pandemic hit their finances hard. 

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, has offered a 5% pay rise for 2022, but the unions have rejected it as insufficient and conditional on reforms they oppose.

The train strikes have caused significant disruption and frustration for millions of passengers, especially during the peak summer holiday season. The government has urged both sides to resume talks and find a resolution

Train strikes
‘Does this train go north’?
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Bank Holiday UK Air traffic control failure creates airport travel chaos

Flight delay

An apparent ‘technical issue’ halts flights to and from UK as the UK National Air Traffic Services control system (NATS) goes offline!

Holidaymakers are stuck all over the UK and abroad, with the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) saying it had applied restrictions to traffic flow. Passengers have been advised to check if their flight has been affected on one of the biggest UK travel days of the year.

National Air Traffic System

NATS reportedly apologised for the fault just after midday on bank holiday Monday 28th August 2023, before it announced at 15:15 BST that it had identified and remedied the issue that was affecting its ‘ability to automatically process flight plans’. We don’t yet know what caused the failure. NATS added that engineers would be monitoring the system’s performance as it returns to normal.

NATS had earlier stressed that ‘UK airspace was not closed, we have had to apply air traffic flow restrictions which ensures we can maintain safety’.

Several airports across the UK, and most airlines have all warned passengers of delays or cancellations to flights.

How fragile are the infrastructures systems in the UK?

Airport Stays
‘Why travel when you can stay at the airport free of charge’!?- ‘It wasn’t that long ago UK airports were brought to a standstill through strikes and border control issues. C’mon UK Plc… get your act together’!
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Bank error in your favour…?

Bank error

A technical issue that affected the Bank of Ireland’s online banking services allowed some customers to withdraw or transfer more money than they had in their accounts.

The glitch reportedly also added €1,000 to some accounts without explanation. This led to large crowds forming at ATMs across the country, hoping to take advantage of the error.

Some reports suggest that the police were called to calm some situations as some ATMs ran out of cash. The bank has since fixed the problem and warned customers that any excess money they withdrew or transferred will be debited from their accounts.

The bank also apologized for the disruption and urged customers who may face financial difficulties due to overdrawing on their accounts to contact them.

Questions remain – how or even why did this happen?

Bank error
‘Bank error allowed people to withdraw money from their accounts they didn’t have’.