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Mark Bale

@balemj.bsky.social
168 followers 259 following 3 posts

Interested in technology, genomics, bioethics and history. Former UK civil servant. Passionate Europhile

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Reposted by Mark Bale
Samira Shackle @samirashackle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Every year UK bomb disposal teams respond to an average of 2500 call outs. 2000 of those are related to unexploded munitions from WW2. My latest piece tells the story of two sizeable bombs found in a single day in Devon earlier this year www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
‘It could knock a whole street down’: the art of defusing a second world war bomb
The long read: On 14 January this year, army and navy squads faced an unprecedented challenge: one bomb on a Plymouth building site, another floating on a dredger in Exmouth. That afternoon, the clock...
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MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
⚡️🇺🇦 "Zelensky's plane was almost shot down by a drone during takeoff from Moldova to Oslo. This is the reality he faced," - PM of Norway
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Reform UK donor and Farage ally George Cottrell carried a fake Swiss passport under the name ‘Oscar Drewitt’. Cottrell was hired under the name by the future Reform treasurer Mehrtash A’zami. A’zami later vetted Cottrell’s mother's donations to Reform, now the subject of a police investigation
bylinetimes.com
‘Posh George’, Two Passports, and a Fraudulent Identity: Convicted Fraudster and Nigel Farage Funder's Connections to Reform UK’s Murky Financial Structures
Why did Reform UK change from being a privately-owned company to a non-profit company limited by guarantee in 2025? Nafeez Ahmed investigates a fraudulent identity used by George Cottrell – and how hi...
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Nigel Farage to Sky News, "If you harass my family any more, there'll be serious consequences" Sky News, "Sky News has not contacted my Farage's family over the story"
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Hush-Kit aviation news, history & satire @hushkit.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Spent years building up a big following on Twitter, essential for publicising my aviation blog, which I live from. Desperate to leave it & publicise on nicer platforms, but I have too few follows. If you want to help me escape, do give this a share. Much obliged. My blog here: hushkit.substack.com
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I especially love this diagram.
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Thanks For Sharing, Jerk @thx4sharingjerk.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
SpaceX is the biggest pump-and-dump scheme in market history and if you don’t recognize this now you’re going to learn eventually
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Russell England @russellengland.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
"When a child born today becomes a parent, the average temperatures of summer 1976 will be normal. When they become a grandparent, they will look back and think that the summer of 1976, or even the summer of 2025, were remarkably cold." - Professor Ed Hawkins 50th anniversary of the 1976 heatwave
Average summer temperature anomaly in 1976 - most of the world is blue, the UK and Northern France are redAverage summer temperature anomaly in 2025 - most of the world is red or dark red
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
It tells you everything you need to know about Kemi Badneoch and Nigel Farage that as London schools, hospitals and transport networks all buckle under extreme record-breaking temperatures, they gather with fossil fuel lobbyists, climate deniers and the far-right to demand an end to Net Zero
bylinetimes.com
As Extreme Heat Hits London, Fossil Fuel Interests and Global Far-Right Politicians Gather for a 'Glastonbury of Climate Science Deniers'
Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch are both scheduled to address the event, reports Max Colbert
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Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 22/06/2026
It took 11.5 years for Elizabeth II to reach her 4th PM. Her heir Charles III will reach the same point in 3 years and 9 months.
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Scott Bryan @scottygb.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Met Office announces rare ‘extreme heat’ red weather warning
Met Office announces rare ‘extreme heat’ ted weather warning
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Mark Bale @balemj.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
I suggest the Supermarine Southampton but can't find a better picture than p469 of Owen Thetford's Aircraft of the Royal Air Force
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Racism Goldilocks strategy is hard to execute
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Emma Cameron @ecameron.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
The Major Oak has died. The huge tree which has grown in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, for at least 1,000 years, failed to produce any leaves this year, after becoming stressed by a series of hot, dry summers. #majoroak #climatecrisis 😢🌳 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Most famous tree in the world’: Sherwood Forest’s 1,000-year-old Major oak dies
Nottinghamshire tree, one of Europe’s oldest and largest, fails to produce leaves after being stressed by series of hot, dry summers
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 06/06/2026
Senior researchers at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association were handing out copies of an editorial, published in the association's journal, condemning Trump administration cuts to diabetes research. Police came to arrest them. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/w...
nytimes.com
Police Remove Diabetes Experts From Conference for Distributing Critique of Trump Administration
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Unbelievably unhinged stuff from Trump on CNBC just now. He's repeating *again* that he'll obliterate Iran, saying he doesn't care if there's a deal (as if time is on his side), and even saying he no longer cares if NATO helps open Strait of Hormuz. He's totally stuck. www.cnbc.com/2026/06/01/t...
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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
We've written about AI-induced physician deskilling that has already surfaced thelancet.com/journals/lan... @tberzin.bsky.social AI-induced never-skilling among newly trained doctors, while not yet proven, is a serious concern that needs to be addressed nature.com/articles/s41...
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
“Helsinki hasn’t registered a single traffic-related fatality in the past year…Citing data that shows the risk of pedestrian fatality is cut in half by reducing a car’s speed from 40 to 30km/hr, city officials imposed the lower limit in most of Helsinki’s residential areas and city center in 2021.”
politico.eu
Helsinki just went a full year without a single traffic death
The capital city is Finnish’ed with car-related fatalities.
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Protector 5763 @protector5763.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
China has developed a battery that is based on sea salt. Not lithium. It is now being used in Chinese vehicles. It’s more efficient, can hold 90% of its charge at -40c, provides a range of 500 kms, cheap to manufacture, and better for the environment. The US is being left in the dust.
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Rick Paisano @sicilianrick.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche admitted that the DOJ excluded all images showing “death, physical abuse, or injury” from the Epstein files release. DEATH? The truth is probably far worse than anyone can imagine. Blanche needs to be prosecuted as well.
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Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Bhattacharya’s legacy The US had a “world-class Ebola lab in Frederick, Maryland, with the NIH,” designed to develop vaccines & treatments. The lab would normally be swinging into action. “But that lab was shuttered last year, with staff laid off abruptly”😢 www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
theguardian.com
US is ‘simply choosing not to stop’ Ebola outbreak after massive public health cuts, experts say
Hundreds of cases reported in the DRC after USAID has been dismantled and key scientific research canceled
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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
General reminder, as Google continues its lurch to search awfulness, that Kagi is legit brilliant. Its own AI features can be turned off. You can customise your datasets and weightings. Also SlopStop allows you to downweight, or filter out entirely, AI slop results. Legit worth the $10 a month.
kagi.com
Kagi - Reclaim the Web & Restore Your Privacy
Reclaim the web from clutter. Get ad-free search, private browsing, and powerful tools that respect your data.
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Mark Bale @balemj.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
What date was this?
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Frank Amari @frankamari.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
No American should be comfortable with the President of the United States accusing a reporter of treason for critical reporting.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 11/05/2026
Someone is trying to build 1300 "intergenerational" homes, with assisted living places, social care, health facilities, and 40% affordable homes. On an old landfill site. Even the locals are in favour: 1300 vs 300. What could possibly go wrong? Enter: National Highways
capx.co
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Plans for an innovative new retirement home near Watford are facing hurdles
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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Morning, Sunderland. Meet one of your new councillors. "In now deleted posts, Gibbins ranted on social media that he ‘carnt [sic] believe amount of Nigerians in town’ and they ‘should melt them all down and fill in the pot holes’." What happened to Reform's " metro.co.uk/2026/05/09/r...
metro.co.uk
Reform councillor said 'Nigerians should be melted down to fill in pot holes'
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Debra Cox @mantascox.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Unfortunately, none of this matters - Reform are being treated as if they had 100% of the seats. No one pins them down on what they say, what they do, who they are, their councillors are refusing to speak to local papers, it’s no wonder their arrogance is astounding. They are untouchable, why??
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
This story needs way more attention. Farage and his acolytes have repeatedly claimed his home was "firebombed", to justify the £5m secret donation given to the Reform leader by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne But the police report of the incident is a burglary. There's no record of arson
observer.co.uk
Questions raised about ‘security risk’ to Farage in row o...
The claimed reason for Christopher Harborne’s unprecedented and undeclared donation to the Reform leader is facing scrutiny
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Aerossurance @aerossurance.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Military conducts daring parachute drop to deliver critical medical support to Tristan da Cunha
An Army specialist team has parachuted onto Tristan da Cunha to deliver critical medical support after it was confirmed that one British national on the island was suspected of contracting Hantavirus.
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Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Remember...
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Your Local Epidemiologist @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
1/ Update on what we know about the evolving hantavirus situation, strap in. A Swiss man linked to the ship has now tested positive after developing symptoms after disembarking. He received an exposure alert, sought care, and tested positive. This means there are 3 deaths and 5 suspected.
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Richard Burgon MP @richardburgon.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Graphic saying

Just a reminder that Nigel Farage:

➤ raked in over £1 MILLION from outside "work" since the General Election

➤ breached the MPs’ code 17 times by failing to declare nearly £400,000 of that on time

➤ And now there's the undeclared £5 MILLION "gift"

Such a man of the people.
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Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 05/05/2026
This is really important. There's a tendency to conflate 'free speech' with 'uncurated speech' but they're different. Social signalling is how we avoid having to criminalise and enforce many difficult to define but terrible behaviours. The choices reputable institutions make shape that signal.
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Nick Walker Hirsch @dreamseadrifter.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
This thread is amazing. It isn't just that conservatives hate all technological change (they seem to have embraced LLMs being wedged into all elements of life easily enough), but that they hate any that reduces energy consumption.
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LaneyVotesBlue @laneyvotesblue.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
The ignorance of the people who vote for these criminals is why we are where we are. Good morning everyone. ☕️☕️☕️
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
'A low-loader, some traffic cones and "the sort of dudes who can set up a Metallica concert in 24 hours" - this was all Banksy needed to install his latest artwork in central London.'
bbc.co.uk
How Banksy installed a statue in central London
The sculpture depicts a suited man walking forward off a plinth while carrying a flag that covers his face.
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Feel like Farage failing to declare a £5 million donation from 'Bitcoin billionaire Christopher Harborne' before standing in the 2024 general election should be a bigger story
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Unofficial CTV News Mirror @ctvnews-mirror.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
France unveils plan to ditch all fossil fuels by 2050
ctvnews.ca
France unveils plan to ditch all fossil fuels by 2050
France on Tuesday announced a “first of its kind” plan to phase out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and gas by 2050 during a global conference aimed at breaking reliance on fossil fuels.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
There is no special relationship. There hasn't been one for a very long time, if ever. Instead, there's a parasocial relationship, in which the UK government imagines it's involved in ways the other partner doesn't recognise. States have interests, not preferences. They don't love. They calculate.
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Bizzle @bizzlemcdizzle.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
More than highly plausible.
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
this is quite the transcript
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
A truly disgraceful episode: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
The Epsom rape crime that never happened - but sparked a frenzy anyway
Misinformation about an alleged rape in Epsom became a real-world storm, but we've been here before.
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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 26/04/2026
Jennifer Jacobs & @JenniferJJacobs • 5h S ...
The shooting happened on the level above the ballroom where the White House Correspondents
Association dinner was.
I don't think people hearing about this -- or even those of us in the room -- realized how far from the president, VP and other guests this incident was. It was on another floor, up some stairs and several sets of security away.
Because the Washington Hilton's hotel and other public spaces were open for other functions, the entire building wasn't secured by the Secret Service, just the specific areas where the WHCA dinner was held, law enforcement officials told @CBSNews.
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Natasha Walter @natashawalter.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
I’ve been hearing so much anger and disappointment from frontline workers about the BBC investigation into fraudulent asylum claims. One of the most damning responses has come from one of the experts they interviewed, solicitor Ana Gonzalez. It’s really worth reading her response in full:
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Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
This chart might look political, but it’s really about data science. The UK can rank great or poorly depending on the KPIs you choose. Our choice of data decides how we view reality.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
"I see the Green vote as being ethnic minorities. Many who don’t speak English" - Nigel Farage to The Sun. The Greens are on 15-20% in the polls. Their national vote will be > 75% white British. It is significant for Farage to try to delegitimise both ethnic minorities & Green voters in this way
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
We've got this amazingly cosmopolitan patron saint. A symbol of an outward looking England that borrows influences from other cultures and always has done. More should be made of it.
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AtlantaDon💙🏳️‍🌈💙🏳️‍🌈💙 @donshantajr.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Y'all know what to do with this one...😎
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