Just Stop Oil protesters have been arrested for failing to move off the road in Parliament Square in London their latest slow march.
The group said 10 supporters, including a wheelchair-dependent retired cook and members of Christian Climate Action, were detained by police on Wednesday.
They were among a larger group of 56 activists who were staging a slow march near the Houses of Parliament, following earlier protest action in West London when the A4 was blocked during rush hour.
Just Stop Oil has held demonstrations every day since April 24 and has pledged to carry on indefinitely until the government no longer grants new licences for gas, coal and oil.
Those arrested included grandmother Ari Rox, 74, from Exeter, who has post-polio syndrome and uses a wheelchair, along with her carer for the day, Larch Maxey, who were removed from Parliament Square in a taxi.
Mr Maxey said the government should do the “honourable thing” and stop issuing new licences for fossil fuels, adding: “We’re here at the heart of democracy asking for that demand to be met.”
The group posted footage online of the protests on roads near West Kensington tube station on Wednesday morning, including the A4, with one police officer dragging a supporter along the ground by his hi-vis vest in attempts to clear the way.
Officers have power under the new Public Order Act to move activists off the road or arrest them.
The latest demonstration comes amid a political debate over donations to the Labour party by businessman Dale Vince, who also supports Just Stop Oil, amounting to £1.5 million ($1.8 million) in the past 10 years.
Last weekend, Home Secretary Suella Braverman told The Daily Telegraph that Labour leader Keir Starmer was “in bed” with Just Stop Oil donors and Tory party chairman Greg Hands urged the opposition to hand back the money.
But shadow international trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said Mr Vince was “a perfectly legitimate person” to make donations, and his support did not affect Labour’s opposition to Just Stop Oil’s tactics.
In response to the “right-wing mudslinging”, Mr Vince, founder of green energy company Ecotricity, said he would double any donations made to Just Stop Oil in the next 48 hours.
Wednesday’s march followed protests on Tuesday where supporters of the group blocked four bridges in London.
Heated scenes took place earlier this month when some drivers tried to physically force protesters from a roads they were blocking and snatched banners.
There was also irritation as protesters threw orange powder over a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show and disrupted the Gallagher Premiership rugby final at Twickenham by invading the pitch and dispersing similar powder.
The Metropolitan Police has spent £3.5 million ($4.3 million) monitoring the protests since April 24, on top of £7.5 million dealing with Just Stop Oil action between October and December last year.
Temporary Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist last week urged the public to wait for the police to deal with the demonstrations.
He said: “We absolutely understand why those who are caught up in traffic delays will be frustrated.
“I would urge the public not to intervene or take matters into their own hands but to call the police, let us know where the incident is and we will get there quickly.”
The time between officers arriving at each scene and imposing conditions to move protesters from roads has been 13 to 19 minutes for the most recent marches, he added.
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Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):
Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
Edinson Cavani, PSG, Ligue 1, 24 goals, 48 points
Ciro Immobile, Lazio, Serie A, 23 goals, 46 points
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, Premier League, 23 goals, 46 points
Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
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