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The Double Negative » Field Trip: Bidston Observatory Artistic Research Centre – Bringing Forth Other Worlds

“One can use art to create new instruments and different spells.” Mathilde Grandjean takes a trip back to the future to visit the repurposed Bidston Observatory…

Edward Clive’s morning brew is sometimes accompanied by strangers’ big-eyed faces pressed up against the glass of his window at the Bidston Observatory. Though it can be startling, he understands people’s wonder and curiosity at the incongruous, almost alien-looking building. Fort-like, twin-domed, partly hidden by thick woodland, and
Mancunian Matters •

Number of littering fines drop a third in four years

The number of fines issued for littering has dropped a third in the last four years – with those being paid also plummeting by 20%, new data has revealed.

A Freedom of Information request to Manchester City Council revealed that 10,324 littering fines were issued in 2022 – a 35% drop compared to 2018 when that figure was 15,811.

Figures also show the proportion of littering Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) which actually get paid has been consistently decreasing over that same period of time.

Out
Liverpool Echo •

FACT Liverpool celebrates Chinese New Year with free events

Chinese New Year celebrations begin this Saturday at FACT with a special programme of free events and workshops for the whole family.

Festivities include a tea ceremony, artistic performances and conversations, a gameplay walkthrough, and a lantern-making workshop. All events are free to take part in - but booking is required.

Teaming up with the Liverpool East and South East Asian Network (LESEAN), FACT is inviting the public to learn about Lunar New Year traditions from members of the commun
Mancunian Matters •

[VIDEO] Manchester celebrates Chinese New Year in style

Chinese New Year celebrations began in Manchester yesterday – with the return of its spectacular Dragon Parade for the first time in two years.

Thousands of people packed the city’s streets for the first Chinese New Year Parade since the start of the pandemic.

The dragon departed from Manchester Central before weaving its way to Chinatown.

The 175th dragon was accompanied by traditional lion dancers from the ChiMo Martial Arts Centre and performers in festive clothing. Celebrations continued
Liverpool Echo •

Speedo Mick to hang up his trunks after one last 'epic stomp'

Charity fundraiser Speedo Mick will be embarking on a final 1,000-mile stomp next week - before hanging up his Everton trunks for good.

Michael Cullen, 58, will brave the freezing temperatures one last time walking from John O’Groats, Scotland, to Land’s End in Cornwall in nothing but his famous blue swimwear, trusty boots, and Everton scarf. For the past seven years, open water swimmer and Everton fan Mick has raised more than £800,000 for causes close to his heart such as mental health and ho
Liverpool Echo •

Arts group helped support community after Olivia murder

A community reeling from the murder of a child in her own home were supported by an award-winning arts group.

After the death of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, shot in her Dovecot home on August 22, local residents went to community space The Drive for moral support.

There, while adults grieved, collage artist Olga Snell looked after the children. Together, they created a tree made out of colourful paper birds. On each of them, they wrote a message in memory of Olivia and in support of her
Liverpool Echo •

Show will go on for panto organisers despite rising costs

A theatre is gearing up for panto season with a pledge not to increase ticket prices despite rising costs.

Bosses at the St Helens Theatre Royal say they are grateful for audiences "sticking by" the theatre, and are seeking to reward that loyalty by ensuring prices don't go up. The theatre plays host to two shows for theatregoers of all ages between now and the New Year.

First, Sleeping Beauty, which runs from October 21 to October 30, is set to be a half-term hit as it tells the tale of Princ
Liverpool Echo •

Ryanair workers issue demand after flight attendant killed by car

Ryanair workers have called on the council to take urgent action following the death of a “much-loved” flight attendant.

Stewardess Cinzia Ceravolo, from South Liverpool, was on her way home from work at Liverpool John Lennon Airport when she was hit by a Ford Focus on Hale Road. She died from her injuries on August 26.

The 36-year-old was returning from two days away with work and had arrived into Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Dublin at 11.20pm.

READ MORE:New CCTV footage released in hu
Liverpool Echo •

Charity warns of 'horrific' winter as cost of living crisis bites

A Liverpool charity has raised the alarm over soaring living costs threatening to push more people onto the streets this winter.

The Paper Cup Project, a charity founded and run by Michelle Lagan, has been looking after rough sleepers on Liverpool’s streets for years, providing food, clothes, and crucial support.

The Paper Cup Coffee shop opened in February to expand the charity’s outreach, offering hospitality training to the city’s most vulnerable population.

READ MORE: £1m in cash found in
Liverpool Echo •

Driver encounters 'road ghost' who 'completely disappeared'

A paranormal investigator unveils the story of a local "phantom hitchhiker" haunting Coastal Road near Southport.

The town of Southport is a much-loved destination for those seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of city centres, boasting miles of beautiful and expansive beaches. But its coastline might harbour a presence far more sinister than your typical beach-goer.

An incident dating back from 1983 recounts the chilling sighting of a ‘road ghost’ on Coastal Road between Ainsdale and
Mancunian Matters •

Earl and Countess of Wessex visiting Manchester today to see tributes to the Queen

The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Manchester today to view the tributes set up in various parts of the city in memory of the late Queen.

Prince Edward and Sophie are scheduled to arrive in Manchester in the late morning. They will first stop at the Central Library around 11.30am to sign the council’s book of condolence.

Regional leaders, including council leader Bev Craig, Lord Mayor of Manchester coun Donna Ludford and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester Diane Hawkins, are expected
Impakter •

Uber Files: Macron “Proud” of Helping Uber Expand to France

his past dealings with Uber Tuesday by “congratulating [himself]” for having fulfilled his mission as the then-minister of the economy to “create jobs.”

As he said, he would “do it again tomorrow and after tomorrow.”

On a visit to the Isère region in south-eastern France where a new semiconductor factory is to be built, Macron was asked by journalists about his response to the recent leak of over 124,000 documents, now known as revealed his active and close cooperation with senior lobbyists fr
Impakter •

European Parliament Votes to Enshrine Abortion in EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted on Thursday in favour of a demanding that abortion be included in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights on account that the right to “safe and legal abortion” constitutes one such fundamental liberty.

A response to the US Supreme Court’s , which put an end to 50 years of a constitutional right to abortion, the resolution denounces a “backsliding in women’s rights” as well as in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) overall.

The text urg
Impakter •

Boris Johnson (Almost) Out: How Did We Get Here, and What’s Next

Months of relentless political turmoil reached a boiling point last Tuesday when two senior Cabinet members, Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, from Boris Johnson’s government exactly nine minutes from each other.

Their bombshell departure was motivated by yet another press scandal involving the firebrand Prime Minister, who was accused of a politician many times accused of sexual misconduct to the role of deputy chief whip of the Conservative Party.

The
Impakter •

Deal to Reopen Black Sea Routes Could Be Reached Soon, Erdoğan Says

Ukraine and Russia may be just days away from reaching a deal that would enable exports of millions of tons of trapped Ukrainian grain to resume via Black Sea ports,

“Negotiations are going ahead so that this grain, and sunflower oil, everything can reach the world,” Erdoğan told reporters on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. “In a week or 10 days we will intensify the talks and try to arrive at a result.”

Since the start of the Russian invasion of U
Impakter •

NATO Summit Ends With Renewed Sense of Purpose

World leaders, politicians and diplomats gathered on Thursday for their . Here are the outcomes of what has turned out to be the most significant NATO event in decades.

– a defence plan updated every decade to take account of changes to the global security environment – which explicitly brands Russia as the “most significant and direct threat” to the alliance.

For the first time in its history the alliance also described China as a challenge to its allies’ “interests, security and value.”

“Th
Impakter •

NATO Summit: Alliance Unveils Plans to Bulk up Defences, Turkey Lifts Veto on Sweden and Finland’s Membership

NATO leaders are gathering in Madrid this week to proclaim a united wartime front , unveiling the alliance’s most significant defence overhaul in decades and marking the beginning of a new phase of its history.

on Monday that the 2022 Madrid summit would be “transformative” for the alliance as Russia officially becomes “the most significant and direct threat to our security.”

Prior to the Ukraine war, the Euro-Atlantic organisation had been suffering from waning credibility to which years of D
Impakter •

The Post-Roe Era Has Begun: What It Means for the US and the World

revoking the federal constitutional right to an abortion on a 5-4 vote that sent shockwaves across the nation and the world.

The court’s decision to abrogate nearly five decades of rulings bolstering the right to terminate a pregnancy was supported by five of the court’s six conservative justices, while Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices voted against overruling

The bombshell ruling is now known as after the case brought against the state of Mississippi by its la
Impakter •

How Britain’s Bill of Rights Would Affect Human Rights, International Law, and the UK

has published in parliament on Wednesday a bid to replace the 1998 Human Rights Act, which enshrined the 1953 European Convention on human rights into British law.

The move is meant to ascertain the supremacy of the UK’s domestic courts over the rulings of the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which adjudicates on the convention. Though the bill does not call for a withdrawal from the ECHR, it seeks to ensure the UK’s parliament and courts are no longer bound by the ECHR’s
Impakter •

“Debt for Climate!” Campaign Demands Cancellation of Global South Debt

In anticipation of the scheduled to start this week, the Global South-led initiative calls on countries of the Global North to cancel developing nations’ international debts, highlighting the exploitative and historically colonial setup of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, and the much greater climate debt owed by rich nations to countries on the frontline of the climate crisis.

Between 82% and 92% of the costs of climate change and over 98% of the associated deaths are born
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