Brian Gerrish, Mike Robinson and Vanessa Beeley with today's UK Column News.
Who Is Starting Wildfires?—Burn Back Better?
00:26 Real World News (Telegram): Video: Maui Wildfires and the Theft of Sacred Hawaiian Land
Dr. Kathy J. Forti (LinkedIn): What Really Happened on Maui—I Was There
Nick Sortor (Twitter): Reports of a 12-mile ‘media free zone’ around Lahaina
ABC7 Chicago: Maui's emergency services chief resigns after facing criticism for not activating sirens during fire
ThePostMillennial: Hawaii governor says state is looking to 'acquire land' that was destroyed in fires
Govtech Events: Hawaii Digital Government Summit 2023
IEEE SMC: The 2023 IEEE Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Conferences
Electric Power Research Institute (2016): JUMPSmartMaui Demonstration Project Phase 1 Assessment (PDF)
Wall Street Journal: Since Covid, Hawaii Home Sales Over $10 Million Have Grown Sixfold
CNN: Opinion: After ‘no comment,’ Biden’s response to Maui will be key
Newsweek: Joe Biden Sending $700 to Maui Fire Victims Sparks Backlash: 'Insulting'
Euronews: 'Out of control' wildfires rage in Tenerife: Map of affected areas, evacuations and how to stay safe
eSmartCity: Innovative Public Procurement and Smart Buildings will be the stars of the III Tenerife Smart Island
INtech Tenerife: Tenerife Smart Island. A Smart Tourist Destination
GOV.UK: IFA035 - Making Science Fiction a Reality: Future Directed Energy Weapons
Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) are systems capable of discrete target selection that emit laser or Radio Frequency (RF) energy as the primary means to cause disruptive, damaging or destructive effects on equipment or facilities.
GOV.UK (2017): UK Innovation: Laser Weapon Contract Awarded
the first laser weapons would come into service in the mid-2020s.
NATO Backtracks On Statement
19:07 The New Voice of Ukraine (via Yahoo!): Ukraine could join NATO in return for ceding territory — alliance official
VG: Open to Ukraine ceding territory in exchange for NATO membership
TASS: Russian diplomat slams NATO official’s remark on Ukraine accession as bogus
Defense Advancement: Kongsberg Delivering C-UAS Air Defense Systems to Ukraine
Kongsberg: International Fund for Ukraine orders multiple C-UAS air defence systems
AP News: Czechs ratify defense treaty with US that makes it easier to deploy US troops in Czech territory
From Ukraine, To Russia And China
23:59 TASS: MI6 prepares Ukrainian sabotage group for missions in Africa — source
Al Mayadeen English: UK MI6 to send 100 Ukrainian fighters to Africa to counter Russia
Rosatom: Plenary session "Nuclear Technologies for the Development of Africa" was held at the Second Summit Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum
Mongabay: CAPS, new gas megaproject, aims to power Central Africa, but at what cost, critics ask
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative
Child Abuse—BBC's Reflex Is Still To Cover Up
36:18 WhatDoTheyKnow: Failure to respond to news of child sex exploitation
WhatDoTheyKnow: Evidence to support statement about child sex exploitation
WhatDoTheyKnow: Evidence to support Nazir Afzal's claim about a 2008 circular about CSE
WhatDoTheyKnow: Cover-up of Child Sex Exploitation by Sheffield City Council
UK Column finding: Questions to the BBC about the release of child abuse data under Freedom of Information Act are quickly passed to the BBC's legal team.
BBC: Dame Elan Closs Stephens DBE
WhatDoTheyKnow: Blocking of the flow of information concerning child sex exploitation
BBC: Prosecutor Nazir Afzal: I couldn't defend a rapist
Mark Braithwaite (YouTube): Nazir Afzal—Carolyn Quinn—The FULL Interview (19 October 2018)
UK Health Security Agency—Is It About Health At All?
46:13 GOV.UK: Letter from Maria Caulfield MP to Professor Dame Jenny Harries, UKHSA chief executive
…and work with industry, in particular in the life sciences, to prevent and mitigate public health hazards through innovative approaches and collaboration such as with pharmaceutical companies on vaccine research and development of diagnostics
(Note) The Guardian: Former Covid medical officer Van-Tam takes role at vaccine maker Moderna
Who Is NextDoor, Down Under, In San Francisco?
38:41 Nextdoor: “Made by your neighbours in London and San Francisco”
GOV.UK (Companies House): Nextdoor Europe UK Limited
Nextdoor: Board of Directors From Walmart to Venture Capital and RAND
Big Money In AI
53:01 GOV.UK: The ten point plan for a green industrial revolution
Computer Weekly: Government publishes baseline analysis of UK artificial intelligence sector as it pins hopes on future growth
“AI suppliers added £3.7bn in value to the UK economy and attracted nearly £19bn in private investment”
GOV.UK: Artificial Intelligence sector study 2022
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): Artificial intelligence technologies to speed up contouring in radiotherapy treatment planning
Keep-Cash Demand Gets A Petty PR Response
56:14 GOV.UK: Free access to cash protected