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Farmers and landowners setting up temporary campsites for the summer holidays are being urged to have a flood plan in place to keep campers safe. Environment Agency 23 July 2021 Pop-up campsites need to check their flood risk say Environment Agency Farmers and landowners setting up temporary campsites for the summer holidays are being urged to have a flood plan in place to keep campers safe. Flooding can happen very quickly bringing a significant risk to life and campsites can be particularly vulnerable. Taking steps to prepare for flooding, and knowing what to do in a flood, can significantly reduce risk to life. It can also reduce damages to a business. The Environment Agency are advising all campsite owners to: check if they are at risk from flooding sign up for free F...

We all know that uncomfortable sun burn or a brush with a jellyfish are capable of ruining a summer holiday, but have you thought about the effects under-inflated tyres might have on your break or day trip this summer? Highways England 21 July 2021 Only one in six drivers remembered to check their tyre pressure before setting off on a long journey, according to research commissioned by Highways England. Yet one in five motorway breakdowns are caused by worn or incorrectly inflated tyres and nearly a third of drivers confessed that they’re not confident checking tyre pressure. Roads are set to be busy this summer as people head off on day trips and holidays in the UK and abroad (depending on travel restrictions). In addition, reduced vehicle use following months of lock down and/o...

Deirdre Brown, Deputy Head of the UK Delegation to the OSCE, commemorates victims and honours survivors of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. UK Delegation to the OSCE Published: 16 July 2021 On 11 July we paused to remember the victims and honour the survivors of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina on its 26th anniversary. The genocide claimed the lives of over 8,000 mostly Muslim men and boys and led to the displacement of over 20,000 women and children who were forcibly expelled from their homes. The United Kingdom continues to play a vital role in ending impunity for these horrific crimes as we have shown by agreeing to provide the prison cell so Radovan Karadzic can serve his life sentence following his conviction by the International Residua...

The UK Mission in Geneva launches an Environmental Photography Competition in the run up to COP26. UK Mission to the WTO, UN and Other International Organisations (Geneva) Published: 4 June 2021 Last updated: 16 July 2021 — See all updates The UK is preparing to host the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021. As we count down to COP26, the UK Mission is proud to launch our first Environmental Photography Competition. The idea is to showcase inspirational environmental photography from across international Geneva and encourage climate action. Photos should have an environmental theme. For example, we hope to see entries that inspire us to live sustainably or enhance our understanding of the causes, consequences of and solutions to cl...

MMO joins up with stakeholders for day of engagement with recreational sea users Marine Management Organisation 7 July 2021 Building on the success of engagement activities during Summer 2020 in Poole and Weymouth, MMO officers from Poole, along with a variety of stakeholders, engaged with recreational vessels and powered watercraft users in Weymouth (on 12 June) and Poole (on 3 July). Concerns have recently been raised on social media regarding wildlife disturbance from craft users – chasing dolphins and moving through rafting seabirds causing them to disperse in a distressed manner. Quayside discussion with users, providing guidance on how to enjoy the local wildlife respectfully followed by an on water patrol from partner agencies was met with positive approval from the public...

Thank You Day, backed by a variety of Scottish celebrities, will pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the pandemic. Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Iain Stewart MP, and The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP 4 July 2021 National Thank You Day, backed by Lorraine Kelly, Dame Katherine Grainger and Tom Kitchin, will give thanks to those who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic Tartan Tea Parties, BBQs and picnics are set to take place across Scotland to celebrate local heroes UK Government Communities Secretary thanks community heroes and encourages all to fill the airwaves with tributes to everyone who played their part The UK Government is celebrating Thank You Day to shine a light on Scotland’s unsung...

Celebrities, including David Walliams, Jim Broadbent, Russel Tovey, Nicola Roberts and Asa Butterfield, come together to encourage people to get COVID-19 vaccines. Department of Health and Social Care 3 July 2021 The star-studded film is released today ahead of the NHS’s 73rd birthday celebrating the success of the vaccination programme to support the easing of restrictions Everyone aged 18 and over is eligible to get a vaccine and people are urged to get their second doses Watch the film Celebrities including Jim Broadbent and David Walliams have joined forces to encourage everyone to get their coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines in a new uplifting film released today (Saturday 3rd July). Set to the toe-tapping tune The Rhythm of Life, written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fi...

Braunton tenant-farmer Andrew Cooper has been ordered to pay more than £30,000 for ploughing historically important fields linked to prehistoric and Second World War periods. Natural England 21 June 2021 When Cooper of Croyde Hoe Farm ploughed and planted fields on National Trust-owned land which experts regard as archaeologically significant, he was ordered to stop and remediate the fields by Natural England in September 2017. However, the farmer ignored the stop notice and continued to plough and lime most of a neighbouring field as well by March 2018. The fields in question, found on the Baggy Point headland jutting out on the North Devon coast, are linked to the Mesolithic and Neolithic eras where large numbers of flint artefacts have been found. They were also used as traini...

Speech Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, at the General Assembly on Myanmar Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Dame Barbara Woodward DCMG OBE Delivered on: 18 June 2021 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Thank you, Mr President. And I would also like to thank the Special Envoy for her briefing today. We support her ongoing efforts towards a peaceful return to democracy in Myanmar. The United Kingdom continues to condemn the military coup in Myanmar and to reiterate our call on the military to respect the human rights of the people of Myanmar as well as their democratic wishes. Mr President, I wish to make three points: First, the international community and UN continue to have an important ...