British Manufacturers’ Order Books Improve In February
British Manufacturers’ Order Books Improve In February
UK manufacturers’ order books improved in February and output fell slightly but at a more moderate rate than in the first lockdown, the Industrial Trends Survey from the Confederation of British Industry showed Friday.

The order book balance improved to -24 percent in February from -38 percent in January. However, the export order books balance fell to -39 percent from -33 percent in the previous month.

Output volumes in the three months to February fell at a moderate pace of -8 percent versus -2 percent in January.

“Manufacturing activity remains patchy, but so far appears to have taken a smaller hit than in previous lockdowns,” Alpesh Paleja, CBI lead economist, said.

However, a stubbornly mixed picture persists among the different manufacturing sub-sectors, pointing to the asymmetric impact of restrictions, Paleja added.

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Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor breaks silence on co-star Rege-Jean Page romance
Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor breaks silence on co-star Rege-Jean Page romance




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        <span>February  16, 2021 - 07:57 GMT</span>
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<span itemprop="description" class="hidden">Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor breaks silence on her co-star Rege-Jean Page's romance after he's spotted embracing girlfriend Emily Brown</span>

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                               <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/tags/bridgerton/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Bridgerton</strong></em></a> stars Phoebe Dynevor and Rege-Jean Page caused quite a stir with their sizzling on-screen romance – but when it comes to their real-life relationship they have remained coy.</p>    <p><strong>MORE: <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/20210112104370/phoebe-dynevor-house-inside-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phoebe Dynevor's home belongs on the Bridgerton set – see inside</a></strong></p>    <p>The pair, who star in the Netflix period drama as Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings respectively, have been the subject of romance rumours ever since the show first aired. And now Phoebe has broken her silence.</p>    <fieldset class="video video-en" data-autoplay="false" data-idplayer="" data-idvideo="BUhYQotW" data-isplayercodeneeded="true" data-provider="jwplayer" data-videoads="false"><div id="MC43MjIzMTQwMCAxNjEzNDYxOTgxNTc5Nw==">Loading the player...</div>  </fieldset>    <p><strong>WATCH: Bridgerton actress Phoebe Dynevor looks unrecognisable in first-ever acting job</strong></p>    <p>"I'd love to say there was really something between us, but no. It has always been strictly professional," the 25-year-old actress told <em>You </em>magazine.</p>    <p>"There was so much pressure on us to get it right that it was all about the work. We have a really professional working relationship. I'm glad for that, actually. It would be very complicated if it went further."</p>    <p><strong>MORE: <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/gallery/20210110104201/bridgerton-cast-real-life-vs-show/1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">See what the incredible cast of Bridgerton look like out of costume</a></strong></p>    <p>And while she noted that she "always hears" of co-stars falling in love, she admitted: "It's yet to happen to me, but I'm intrigued."</p>    <p>      <span class="photo">             <span class="copyright" data-copy=""/>             <meta itemprop="width" content=""/><meta itemprop="height" content=""/></span>     </p>    <p><strong><em>Bridgerton </em>stars Phoebe Dynevor and Rege-Jean Page</strong></p>    <p>Phoebe further revealed that the pair didn't want to ruin the magic of their characters' romance for fans by speaking about their off-screen friendship.</p>    <p><strong>MORE: <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20210119104926/bridgerton-season-two-who-play-kate-sheffield-casting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bridgerton: who will play season two's main character Kate Sheffield?</a></strong></p>    <p>"People really root for us. We have to say we're actors, we're doing a job, there is something to be said for not spoiling the magic," the star said. "But at a certain point, you have to say 'no.'"</p>    <p>Her comments come after Rege-Jean was photographed embracing writer and part-time athlete Emily Brown, with the <em>Daily Mail</em> reporting that the couple are dating and live together in London.</p>    <p>       <span class="photo">             <span class="copyright" data-copy=""/>             <meta itemprop="width" content=""/><meta itemprop="height" content=""/></span>     </p>    <p><strong>The pair star as Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings</strong></p>    <p>Meanwhile, Julia Quinn – author of the <em>Bridgerton </em>book series – recently spoke about the second season of the show and teased it could be very different to the original.</p>    <p><strong>MORE: <a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20210123105281/bridgerton-netflix-book-inspired-show/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The books that inspired Bridgerton: Everything you need to know</a></strong></p>    <p>She admitted she still hopes Daphne and Simon will still have a large role in the upcoming episodes, despite taking a backseat in the novel's sequel.</p>    <p>Chatting to<em> The Sun</em>, she said: "They do show up in the [second] book. The series doesn't follow the book word for word - and I don't think [it] should. So I hope so, for no other reason than Daphne has the right to interfere with Anthony's life. To deny her that chance would be criminal. I think it would be lovely to see."</p>    <p><em><strong>Like this story?<a href="https://www.hellomagazine.com/newsletter/?utm_source=article&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=newsletter-signup" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Sign up to our newsletter</a> to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.</strong></em>
Irish family-based gang targeted in probe into €4 million laundering
Irish family-based gang targeted in probe into €4 million laundering

On 10 February, the Criminal Asset Bureau of the Irish National Police (An Garda Síochána) took action against a criminal gang suspected of large-scale money laundering. 

Fund transfers in excess of €4 million were identified from other jurisdictions to Irish bank accounts linked to members of this criminal network. The gang is believed to have made this money from illegal activity across Europe. 

The search operation in the cities of Tipperary and Kilkenny involved searches of 4 residential properties and 1 business premises, as a result of which €100 000 in cash and a car worth €75 000 were seized. A total of 16 bank accounts linked to members of the crime group were also frozen. The accounts contained cumulative funds of €540,000. 

Such results were made possible thanks to the model of non-conviction based forfeiture operated by the Irish Criminal Assets Bureau.

International Asset Recovery

International cooperation is essential for the successful recovery of assets hidden abroad. Europol’s position at the heart of the European security architecture helps facilitate such a mechanism.

In this case, Europol’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) pieced together the intelligence provided by different countries on this one same criminal network and put all the involved countries around one table. 

The partners have since worked closely together on this case to uncover the actual magnitude of the criminal activity of this gang and to establish a joint strategy for the final phase of the investigation.  

Here Are the 14 New Books You Should Read in February
Here Are the 14 New Books You Should Read in February

The best new books arriving in February offer something for everyone. Memoirs from Rebecca Carroll and Randa Jarrar explore questions of identity and belonging. New fiction from Brandon Hobson and Chang-rae Lee follow characters as they navigate how the past has impacted their present. And Henry Louis Gates, Jr. weaves together over 400 years of history in his sweeping account of the Black church in America. These books are accompanied by dazzling short story collections, heartbreaking debuts and more. Here, learn more about the 14 new books you should read in February.

Milk Fed, Melissa Broder (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 milk fed

Rachel is a 24-year-old obsessed with counting her calories. Every part of her routine is regimented, from the chemical sweeteners she uses in her breakfast to the hours she spends on the elliptical, pedaling to absolutely nowhere. This all changes when her therapist asks her to cut off communication for 90 days with her mother—the woman whose own body image struggles shaped her daughter’s warped relationship with food. Enter Miriam: a young Orthodox Jewish woman who works at the frozen yogurt store Rachel frequents. She encourages Rachel to indulge and the two develop an unexpected bond, which author Melissa Broder explores in this thrilling examination of hunger, desire, faith, family and love.
Buy NowMilk Fed on Bookshop | Amazon

Surviving the White Gaze: A Memoir, Rebecca Carroll (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 surviving the white gaze

In her memoir, WNYC cultural critic Rebecca Carroll details her aching journey to understanding her racial identity. Growing up, Carroll was the only Black person in her small New Hampshire town, where she lived with her adoptive white parents. Later, her youth was further complicated by the presence of her birth mother, a white woman, who constantly tore apart her daughter’s sense of self. In reflecting on her relationships with her adoptive parents, birth mother and overwhelmingly white town, Carroll looks at what it means to belong, revealing in harrowing terms what she had to endure in order to heal.

Buy NowSurviving the White Gaze on Bookshop | Amazon

The Low Desert: Gangster Stories, Tod Goldberg (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 the low desert

The fast-paced fictional crime stories in Tod Goldberg’s latest collection feature a cast of characters navigating mysterious, tragic and occasionally funny situations. One piece follows a waitress on the hunt for her missing daughter, another captures what happens when a drug dealer meets a lawyer and a clown at a bar. These 12 stories, set in the same universe as Goldberg’s 2014 novel, Gangsterland, are anchored in southern California’s Inland Empire, and coalesce into a stirring portrait of the region.

Buy NowThe Low Desert on Bookshop | Amazon

The Removed, Brandon Hobson (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 the removed

In his devastating new novel, Brandon Hobson dissects a Cherokee family’s grief over the loss of their teenage son. It’s been 15 years since police fatally shot Ray-Ray, and his parents, older sister and younger brother are achingly reminded of his loss as the anniversary of the tragedy is just days away—and coincides with their annual family bonfire. Flipping between the voices of the family members, Hobson depicts the lingering effects of trauma, and the way grief informs memory and love.

Buy NowThe Removed on Bookshop | Amazon

Love Is An Ex-Country: A Memoir, Randa Jarrar (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 love is an ex country

Writer and performer Randa Jarrar takes a cross-country road trip, from California to Connecticut, and brings readers along for the ride in her new memoir. Her journey frames Love Is An Ex-Country, which examines events on the road. Jarrar, a Muslim Arab-American, details a confrontation she has with a racist truck driver, the visit she makes to the neighborhood where her immigrant parents lived in Chicago and more. The author reflects on everything from her relationship with her body image to the domestic assault she experienced as a child, and then years later as a wife. Throughout, Jarrar shares how she learned to celebrate who she is in a country built against her.

Buy NowLove Is An Ex-Country on Bookshop | AmazonHow the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, Cherie Jones (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 how the one armed sister

Lala lives in Baxter’s Beach, Barbados, a fictional resort town at the heart of Cherie Jones’ debut novel. She’s a hair braider stuck in a doomed marriage, which is made all the worse when her husband Adan’s burglary of a nearby beach mansion does not go as planned. The incident not only forever alters Lala’s life, but that of Mira, a former local who is on vacation with her family and staying in the house of the botched robbery. Adan’s criminal act sets off a chain of consequences that are devastating for all involved. In tracing the paths of the two women, Jones illustrates the complexities of race and class in an evolving tourist town, moving between perspectives of a cast of characters to reveal the horrific aftermath of a crime gone wrong.

Buy NowHow the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House on Bookshop | Amazon

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain (editors) (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 four hundred souls

Beginning in 1619, Four Hundred Souls charts 400 years of African American history—with Black voices at the center. The anthology features 90 writers, with each taking on a different five-year period to provide a kaleidoscopic and impressive approach to retelling history. Their various pieces—written as essays, short stories, poems and more—showcase the enormous range of Black experiences in America, underlining that Blackness, and the history of Black people in America, can’t be defined by a singular narrative.

Buy NowFour Hundred Souls on Bookshop | Amazon

My Year Abroad, Chang-rae Lee (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 my year abroad

While caddying at a golf course back home in the States, Tiller, an American college student, meets Chinese-American entrepreneur Pong Lou. Though he didn’t know it at the time, their fateful meeting transforms Tiller’s life in ways he never imagined. Pong invites Tiller on a business trip across Asia, and it’s there that Tiller becomes Pong’s protégé. But Chang-rae Lee’s latest novel is about much more than a wild adventure abroad: The narrative flips between the past and present, where Tiller must process the impact that these travels had on him. It’s an energetic but tender exploration of cultural immersion, ambition and pleasure that takes many unexpected turns.

Buy NowMy Year Abroad on Bookshop | Amazon

Milk Blood Heat, Dantiel W. Moniz (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 milk blood heat

Eleven stories set against the backdrop of northern Florida comprise Dantiel W. Moniz’s electric debut collection. The characters in Milk Blood Heat are quietly forced to contemplate some of life’s biggest questions about death, friendship, womanhood and love. Among them are the estranged siblings on a road trip with their father’s ashes, an inseparable pair of adolescent friends rocked by tragedy and a woman haunted by the daughter she miscarried. Together, their stories, along with several others, create a tapestry of intimate moments punctuated by Moniz’s tight, uncompromising prose.
Buy NowMilk Blood Heat on Bookshop | Amazon

Fake Accounts, Lauren Oyler (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 fake accounts

Right before the inauguration of Donald Trump, the unnamed narrator of Lauren Oyler’s debut novel discovers that her boyfriend is not who she thought he was. While secretly scrolling through his phone, she learns that he’s a popular anonymous Internet conspiracy theorist. After the dissolution of their relationship does not go as she planned, the narrator finds herself no longer tied to New York and moves to Berlin. What ensues is a sharp meditation on the impact of living so much of our lives online, and the significant influence that often has on how we think of others and ourselves.
Buy NowFake Accounts on Bookshop | Amazon

How to Not Die Alone, Logan Ury (Feb. 2)

books to read february 2021 how to not die alone

As the title suggests, dating coach Logan Ury’s new book seeks to help those looking to find a long-lasting love. Ury, who is the Director of Relationship Science at Hinge, breaks down what makes a relationship work and why in her data-driven guide, which blends research with real-life stories. The book covers everything from tips on how to navigate online dating to what you should look for in a long-term partner.
Buy NowHow to Not Die Alone on Bookshop | Amazon

Kink: Stories, R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell (editors) (Feb. 9)

books to read february 2021 kink

In the introduction to their new collection, editors R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell declare that they want to take kink seriously. The fifteen stories that populate their anthology of literary short fiction certainly do that, investigating the intersection of love, desire and control in pieces that transport readers to therapists’ offices, dungeons and a sex theater in 20th-century Paris. These narratives seek to analyze how gender and politics inform pleasure and power, and are written by the very best of the genre—including Alexander Chee, Roxane Gay and Carmen Maria Machado.
Buy NowKink on Bookshop | Amazon

The Black Church: This Is Our StoryThis Is Our Song, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Feb. 16)

books to read february 2021 the black church

In this sprawling companion book to his new PBS documentary series, historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. combines reflections on his childhood with centuries of history in his thoughtful examination of the Black church in America. Blending research, interviews with scholars and insights from his own life, Gates illuminates the central role of the Black church in the movement for social justice and the support network it has been for a community often in need of safe spaces. Unafraid to be critical, especially in detailing the church’s stances on issues related to gender and sexuality, Gates’ work is as comprehensive as it is celebratory.

Buy NowThe Black Church on Bookshop | Amazon

Appropriate: A Provocation, Paisley Rekdal (Feb. 16)

books to read february 2021 appropriate

Creative writing professor Paisley Rekdal tackles the definition of cultural appropriation and how it fits into our current political climate in her collection of essays, structured as a series of letters to an imagined student. Rekdal picks apart the hotly debated topic of who gets to tell what story as she examines the evolution of cultural appropriation as it pertains to literature. In her scrutinization of authorship, Rekdal points to bigger questions surrounding whiteness, identity and empathy.
Buy NowAppropriate on Bookshop | Amazon

News
News

In February 2020, as a part of a wider package of strategic documents, the European Commission published a White Paper on “Artificial Intelligence: A European approach to excellence and trust”. 

This Opinion presents the EDPS views on the White Paper as a whole, as well as on certain specific aspects, such as the proposed risk-based approach, the enforcement of AI regulation or the specific requirements for the remote biometric identification (including facial recognition).

The EDPS recommendations in this opinion aim at clarifying and, where necessary, further developing the safeguards and controls with respect to protection of personal data.