Category: 3. Business

David Boothroyd, cabinet member for Finance and Council Reform, said: “I want to reassure residents that we are doing everything possible to respond effectively to the cyber security incident and to keep delivering our services.

“Our priority is to support and protect the most vulnerable in our community, despite the disruption that is being caused.”

“We acted quickly to secure our systems, and we are working towards restoring council services as safely and swiftly as possible, but this will take time. We remain committed to transparency and will continue to provide updates as our recovery progresses,” he added.

Kensington and Chelsea Council said it may take “months” for services to return to normal.

Council leader Elizabeth Campbell said the authority would carry out a review “when the time is right”.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council, the third authority to be impacted, said there is no evidence to date that its systems have been compromised.

Westminster City Council is urging residents to be extra cautious with unexpected calls, emails or texts and to follow official guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre.

January 01, 2026 (MLN): The Oil and Gas Development
Company Limited (PSX:OGDC), operator of the Nashpa Exploration License with a
65% stake, in partnership with Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) holding 30% and
Government Holdings (Private) Limited (GHPL) with 5%, has made a notable oil
and gas discovery at the Baragzai X-01 (Slant) exploratory well in the Datta
Formation, District Kohat.

During the cased-hole Drill Stem Test (DST-02) in the
Jurassic-age Datta Formation, the well produced 4,100 barrels of oil per day
(BOPD) and 10.5 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMSCFD) at 32/64”
choke size, with a wellhead flowing pressure of 3,880 psig.

The Baragzai X-01 (Slant) well, which began drilling on
December 30, 2024, reached a total depth of 5,170 meters into the Kingriali
Formation, according to the company’s statement issued today.

Approximately 187 meters of the Datta Formation were
encountered.

Strong hydrocarbon shows during drilling, petrophysical
evaluations from open-hole wireline logs, and fracture indications from image
logs prompted the cased-hole drill stem test.

Earlier, successful cased-hole testing (CHDST-01) in the
Triassic-age Kingriali Formation had already indicated hydrocarbon potential.

This discovery is expected to contribute to closing the
energy supply demand gap using indigenous resources and will strengthen the
hydrocarbon reserves of OGDCL, its joint venture partners, and Pakistan.

Copyright Mettis Link News

Explaining the uses of AI, Prof Sloan said a farmer growing plants in fields needed to check for pests.

“Go back even 10 years, you would have had to manually go around and actually look at all of those plants,” he said.

“Now what you can do, is you can take a machine… you can scan individually, you can compare what you’re seeing very quickly to what a healthy plant looks like.”

He said it was the same with animals, adding: “A cow can tell you by the way it walks, the way it sits, how it spends its time, whether it’s OK or not OK.”

It took time and experience for a person to check them, he said, but with cameras, “we can spot them, we can see them, and we can act really quickly to keep the animals healthy”.

The renovations will also be funded by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and the steamer’s owning charity, Waverley Steam Navigation Co.

The £135,000 is needed to replace the ship’s two masts and several windows in the dining saloon with authentic materials.

Mr Semple said: “They are vital components that really give the authentic nature to Waverley.

“Essentially, many parts of the ship could be replaced with more modern materials and fittings which may last longer, but collectively that would change the look and feel of the ship.”

Waverley was built shortly after the Second World War for the London and North Eastern Railway, connecting passengers from Glasgow to towns such as Rothesay and Dunoon.

It was launched in October 1946 and entered service the next year.

Following the end of its working life, the ship was gifted to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society in 1974 for £1.

The team behind the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer is hoping to raise £135,000 to replace “vital components” ahead of the 80th anniversary of its launch.

The sum is just a small part of the £1.5m required to repair the Waverley, which is due to visit the Bristol Channel in late May 2026.

Waverley was built in Glasgow to connect rail passengers to seaside towns, and now offers cruises to the public.

Paul Semple, general manager of Waverley Excursions, the company that runs the trips, said: “We are preserving her truly unique character. As the world continuously changes around Waverley, she becomes even more special as she represents a moment in time when she was first designed and built.”

The renovations will also be funded by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and the steamer’s owning charity, Waverley Steam Navigation Co.

The £135,000 is needed to replace the ship’s two masts and several windows in the dining saloon with authentic materials.

Mr Semple said: “They are vital components that really give the authentic nature to Waverley.

“Essentially, many parts of the ship could be replaced with more modern materials and fittings which may last longer, but collectively that would change the look and feel of the ship.”

Waverley was built shortly after the Second World War for the London and North Eastern Railway, connecting passengers from Glasgow to towns such as Rothesay and Dunoon.

It was launched in October 1946 and entered service the next year.

Following the end of its working life, the ship was gifted to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society in 1974 for £1.

A “small piece” of a town’s history has been saved from a demolition site and gifted as a Christmas present.

Edie Miller surprised her partner Tom with the large blue sign from Gateshead’s Computer House, which she was able to rescue in time to put under her tree.

The couple used to cycle past the former office block every day and it was something the philosopher, whose works covers AI ethics, said he had always loved.

Ms Miller said it will be hung in the couple’s office, which they have nicknamed Computer House.

There was hope last summer that “real change” was coming to the crumbling Derwent Valley Mills heritage site after years of indecision over its future.

Belper Mills, a key part of the Derwent Valley Mills Unesco World Heritage Site, are in “poor condition” after they have stood largely derelict for decades.

A decision on a planning application was initially expected at the end of 2025, but was then delayed by Amber Valley Borough Council until early in 2026.

The MP for the area, Jonathan Davies, is calling on the council to make a decision on the application as soon as possible.

The owners of the site hope to redevelop it into new homes and potentially a museum and heritage centre.

But given the costs involved and Unesco heritage concerns, the project is fraught with difficulty.

However, local leaders say they are confident of significant movement on the mills in 2026 as the council now has what it needs to make a decision and a potential funding from the East Midlands mayor to kickstart the scheme.