I'm here for this.
26.02.2026 13:03
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I'm here for this.
Lightweight. Personally I yearn for the pre-money age.
What was wrong with bartering with cows. Those were the days (I presume).
Ooh WeRateDogs is on BlueSky??
Did not realise this was now the standard measurement for ancient cities.
Which of his ten thousand on-the-side jobs will he work in the particular office for though.
Really need a 90s/00s obscure-sports-underdog movie but for curling.
BBC article with @harrietagerholm.bsky.social here!
BBC News - Mandelson suggested holiday home for 'privacy' of Epstein 'guests'
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
NEW from TBIJ w/ BBC - Mandelson recommended private villa to Epstein, less than a month after the latter's house arrest finished.
He said the house offered "beautiful suites" and “privacy with accompanying rooms for your ‘guests’”: www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
Can't believe Paul Tweed's not a Private Eye fan.
Starts off "When you visit the US - just say yes" which I can only assume is advice for dealing with Border Control and/or ICE agents.
Impeccable timing that YouTube has now started pitching "Visit the USA" adverts at me.
I'm good thanks.
Not the quickest system ever invented....
I mean the test system is so broken that it effectively is over 6 months before you can get a test anyway....
BBC News - Learner drivers may have to wait six months before taking test
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on its head"
Lo and behold the company in question is based in Belize.
I feel like even by the incredibly low standard of offshore secrecy jurisdictions, Belize is just a complete and utter blackhole of transparency.
It was literally designed to appear non-automated - that's the sort of thing that DVSA will be up against.
By the time I took my final test (because by this point c. 2023 it was impossible to book anything within 6 months) there were actually web plug-ins that acted as users on the DVSA website, clicking/reloading specific driving centres (at randomised human-like intervals) until it found a test.
They essentially pretended to be you, spotted cancelled slots, reserved it, cancelled your test and then rebooked the new one for you. Which was all well and good until everyone starts using them at which point it just became a case of bot-on-bot fastest finger.
2. Bots being used to book tests. I'm unclear how what's being outlined is going to stop that, and how they won't simply evolve to get round any changes. The bots I used (because you basically had no choice but to use them) weren't booking instructor slots, nor were they reselling at higher prices.
From first reading, it appears to be conflating what I think are two separate issues.
1. People using instructor accounts to bulk book tests which they resold at massive profit. Banning this is obviously a good idea - why it was ever an option in the first place is beyond me.
As someone who needed to take [redacted] number of tests before I passed, and so was fully aware of just how broken the booking system was in practice, any improvement is a good sign. That said, I'm curious as to how this will actually work in practice.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Nice work by TBIJ on Carter-Ruck, a scumbag law firm always willing to help organized crime try to shut down journalism, or in this case, criminals to perpetuate a scam. These firms are not acting in the public interest. They should be made to pay restitution to any victims harmed in this case.
I've been considering whether to do this for months.
Now that Radiohead tickets are being offered for huge mark-ups on resale sites (as per our story today), I think the time has come.
We're going to play a game of Catch The Ticket Tout. 🧵
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/s...
We also reported on the scale of Abramovich's involvement in third party ownership, many of whom were minors when they signed the deals:
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023...
This follows our investigation in 2023 which found an array of opaque offshore payments involving Abramovich-owned companies which would routed away from Chelsea:
www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023...
The FA has brought 74 charges against Chelsea FC for a wide array of breaches between 2009 and 2022 - when a certain Roman Abramovich was in charge.
Breaches include transactions with intermediaries and third party investments.
TBF, Danegeld does sound like a very Truss policy. Levy huge sums to pay to another kingdom to try and stop people coming over, and then they come anyway.
📢 Mentoring: At @tbij.bsky.social we are launching a mentorship programme open to both staff and freelance journalists interested in gaining experience and guidance on reporting on the family courts. Full details here 👉 tinyurl.com/42xdkk5b
Reminded of that time I submitted an FOI to the FCA for a copy of a contract they entered with a PR firm.
They refused on "commercial sensitivity" grounds, I appealed saying they could redact some bits.
They agreed and sent me this....
Someone's really got a Bede in their bonnet about this.