Military Madness > Burning Iraq War Memo; Crash-Landing an F-35; Move to Strip Blair of Knighthood

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Ex-defence minister told to ‘burn’ secret Iraq war memo – reports

Former UK defence secretary Geoff Hoon alleges Downing Street insiders ordered him ‘in no uncertain terms’ to burn legal opinion that doubted basis for 2003 invasion

Former UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair at a Labour Party conference. October 1, 2003.

© Getty Images / Scott Barbour

During Tony Blair’s time in office, Downing Street allegedly ordered former defence secretary Geoff Hoon to burn a secret memo that questioned the legality of the 2003 Iraq invasion. Hoon makes the bombshell claim in a new memoir.

In disclosures that have boosted ongoing attempts to strip the former prime minister of his recently conferred knighthood, Hoon reportedly revealed that Blair’s chief of staff Jonathan Powell had instructed him “in no uncertain terms” to destroy the legal document.

When reports of the allegation first surfaced in 2015, they were dismissed by Blair as “nonsense.” But Hoon has resurrected the claim in a tell-all book, titled ‘See How They Run’, according to the Daily Mail. The paper said Hoon has provided details of a “cover-up” at Downing Street.

The former Labour minister said he was sent a copy of the “very long and very detailed legal opinion,” written by then-Attorney General Peter Goldsmith, “under conditions of considerable secrecy” and told he should “not discuss its contents with anyone else.”

Describing it as “not an easy read,” Hoon said he “came to the view” after several readings that the memo was “not exactly the ringing endorsement” of the war effort that the British government and military chiefs had hoped for. Goldsmith had apparently written that the invasion would be lawful only if Blair believed it was in the UK’s national interest.

When my Principal Private Secretary, Peter Watkins, called Jonathan Powell in Downing St and asked what he should now do with the document, he was told in no uncertain terms that he should ‘burn it.’

However, Hoon said he and Watkins defied the order and decided to lock the memo in a safe at the Ministry of Defence instead. He noted that the document is “probably still there.”

While Blair has yet to comment, Powell has denied ordering Hoon to burn the memo, telling the Daily Mail that, at Goldsmith’s request, he had asked the former defence secretary to “destroy” a separate “minute” on the legality of the invasion that had been sent months earlier.

The explosive claims come as over 750,000 people have signed an online petition to strip Blair of his knighthood. Anti-war activists have long accused Blair of war crimes for sending British troops into Iraq and Afghanistan.

F-35 jets grounded after crash-landing

Seoul has halted all operations involving the problem-prone US-made fighter jet after a serious malfunction resulted in a belly landing

FILE PHOTO: An F-35B fighter jet prepares to make a vertical landing at Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona,

March 21, 2013. ©  Getty Images / Stocktrek Images

South Korea’s whole fleet of F-35 fighters has been grounded as its military investigates the cause of a landing gear glitch that forced a pilot to perform a risky crash-landing in the latest failure to plague the US-made craft.

An ill-fated training flight earlier this week has prompted a probe into what may have caused the malfunction, which affected a number of systems in addition to the plane’s landing gear, South Korean defense officials said on Wednesday.

“With the investigation underway, the entire [F-35] fleet is suspended from flying,” one official told AFP.

During a hearing on the incident on Wednesday, the vice chief of staff for the South Korean Air Force, Shin Ok-chul, said the F-35A was at low altitude near a base in the west of the country when its pilot heard “bangs” coming from somewhere on the jet, leading him to check the plane’s systems.

“All systems had stopped working except flight controls and the engine,” Shin continued, noting that the pilot chose to perform an emergency belly landing – in which a plane skids on its underside to land safely during a malfunction – rather than eject. Reportedly making the first belly landing ever attempted in an F-35, the airman fortunately emerged unscathed. 

Ahead of the death-defying maneuver, special foam was quickly applied to the air base’s runway in order to stop the plane from exploding due to the friction and sparks created as it scraped the tarmac at high speeds.

While Washington and US-based arms dealer Lockheed Martin have touted the F-35 as one of the most advanced fighter jets ever developed, the project has been a costly one for US taxpayers, who’ve footed the bill for a long series of delays, malfunctions and cost overruns since the craft made its first official flight in 2006. Nonetheless, a number of American allies have lined up to buy the plane, with Seoul making its first order for 40 of the craft in 2014, receiving an initial shipment of around a dozen in 2019. It has since agreed to purchase more, hoping to obtain scores of additional F-35s for its air force and navy.

Tuesday’s dramatic belly landing and fleet-wide grounding in South Korea comes after another F-35 operated by the UK crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last November as it attempted takeoff from a British aircraft carrier, though its pilot was able to safely eject.

Petition demanding Sir Tony Blair be STRIPPED of his knighthood over Iraq war

reaches ONE MILLION signature target

By HENRY MARTIN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 12:10 EST, 7 January 2022

A petition demanding that Tony Blair be stripped of his knighthood reached its goal of one million signatures today.  

The petition, set up by former soldier Angus Scott at New Year, claims that the former Labour Prime Minister had been the cause of 'irreparable damage' to the constitution of the United Kingdom - and 'the very fabric of the nation's society'. 

Sir Tony has been made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter – the most senior form of knighthood, which has been bestowed upon all bar one of his predecessors in the Queen's reign.

The Change.org petition, which accuses Sir Tony of being 'personally responsible' for the death of 'countless' civilians and servicemen, hit the one million signature benchmark just after 4.30pm today.  

But unlike the New Year's Honours list, which is drawn up by the Government for the Queen's approval, the Order of the Garter is bestowed as a personal gift by the monarch herself. 

The Honours Forfeiture Committee, which can remove honours for those involved in scandals, cannot recommend the removal of knighthoods handed out in this way.  

Families torn apart by IRA attacks hit out at former prime minister Sir Tony Blair for 'providing effective amnesty to murderers and bombers' as part of the 1998 Northern Ireland peace deal. The criticism comes after Sir Tony was honoured with a knighthood

Among those to back the petition was the mother of a teenage soldier killed in Iraq.

Gordon Gentle, 19, was serving as a Royal Highland Fusilier in 2004 after Blair sent UK troops there the previous year.

His mother Rose Gentle, 58, slept in a tent outside Downing Street in a bid to get answers from Blair and believes she was snubbed by the then-PM.

Gordon, from Pollok, died when a bomb planted by the side of a road in Basra detonated as his Land Rover passed.

Four years later a Coroner ruled that an Army logistics failure meant that electronic jamming equipment which should have been fitted to Gordon's vehicle would probably have prevented the explosion.

Mrs Gentle said: 'I feel this is a slap in the face for me and all the families who lost someone in Iraq.

'What did our sons' lives mean? The families' sacrifices mean nothing to Blair.'

She added: 'This has got to be stopped. I don't see why he should have this honour - for what? Taking our boys? And now the current Labour leader has come out in support.

'I have added my name to the petition and will be contacting my local MPs and MSPs to have this raised at both parliaments.'   

And victims of IRA atrocities condemned Mr Blair's knighthood over his secret deal to provide 'get out of jail free' cards to almost 200 suspected terrorists.

Covid-19 > India - Major Safety Concerns over Merck's Covid-19 Pill; US Gov't Shuts Down Competition for Big Pharma; Scientist Petitions Parliament to Stop Vaccinating Kids

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India concerned by Merck Covid pill side effects

Delhi has restricted the use of the company’s coronavirus cure

amid concerns about its safety

(FILE PHOTO) © Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

India has announced it won’t be adding Merck’s Covid-19 pill to its national treatment protocol due to concerns about its safety. It can cause fetal defects and cell changes, according to the country's medical research council.

On Wednesday, the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said it had become aware of “major safety concerns.”  

“It can cause teratogenicity and mutagenicity, and it also can cause cartilage damage and be damaging to muscles,” ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava stated. “More importantly, contraception will have to be used for three months if this drug is given, because the child born could be problematic, with teratogenic influences.”

A teratogen is an agent than can harm the development of a fetus, while mutagenic drugs change the genetic makeup of the subject.  

Merck claims a study of its drug proves it does not lead to birth defects or cancer, and that study had actually used even higher doses and longer periods of administration than those normally used in humans.

“The WHO has not included it, the UK has not included it as of now. As of now, the current recommendation stands that it is not part of the national taskforce treatment,” Bhargava said. 

The drug was approved by the Indian regulator in December and had been due to go on sale on the private market next week.

Neither Merck nor Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, an Indian drugmaker that had planned to launch a generic version of the pill, has so far responded to media requests for comment.

The drug has been approved for use elsewhere in the world, including in the UK, Japan, and Denmark. 

Nonetheless, the trial data was disappointing, with many countries opting to use Pfizer’s more effective Covid-19 pill instead. 

Company Stands Ground Over Claim That Nasal Spray Treats,

Prevents COVID-19

US Gov't doing its best to shut down alternative medications that work

By Alice Giordano 

January 5, 2022

A lead researcher in a study showing that the use of an all-natural over-the-counter nasal spray is effective in treating and preventing COVID-19 says that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is covering up the truth with a lawsuit that it has filed against the Utah company that makes and promotes the spray as a treatment for the disease.

Dr. Mark Cannon, a global researcher in the use of the natural sweetener Xylitol to combat viruses and other serious diseases, said the use of the Xylitol-based spray made by the company Xlear should be promoted by the government, rather than suppressed through a DOJ lawsuit.

“Xylitol has a long history of inhibiting a number of respiratory viruses,” Cannon told The Epoch Times, noting that it was successfully used in other countries to combat the severe influenza strains of H1N1 and HRSV.

He said Xylitol can kill pathogens and has “very strong anti-inflammatory” properties.

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit against Xlear on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The DOJ and FTC both declined to comment about the suit beyond a statement announcing the complaint.

In the suit, the agencies allege that Xlear has profited from making false claims about the benefits of treating COVID-19 with its nasal spray.

As if Pfizer, Moderna, Merck, Astra Zeneca and a bunch of other pharmaceuticals hasn't been profiting from false or exaggerated claims about their products.

Xylitol, which is often used in lieu of fluoride in toothpaste, is found naturally in raspberries, strawberries, mushrooms, and cauliflower. It’s produced in the human body by the liver. In addition to being used to ward off viruses, Xylitol has long been used in other countries against diabetes, E. coli, heart disease, and inflammatory Alzheimer’s and has been added to intravenous drips to treat patients with sepsis, according to Cannon.

The government is seeking fines against Xlear and a permanent injunction against its promotion of the over-the-counter nasal spray as a treatment and prophylactic for COVID-19.

The DOJ filed the lawsuit after Xlear ignored warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to stop promoting its nasal spray for COVID-19 treatment and after the FDA denied the company’s request for pre-emergency use authorization of the spray.

So, here we have 3 government departments involved in shutting down Xlear. Have they done some clinical research to prove that it doesn't work? Or, are they just responding to lobbying by Big Pharma? And it's not just Xlear they are after:

The FDA issued similar warnings to other makers of saline nasal sprays, including the Michigan-based BlueWillow Biologics and the Miami-based company Halodine, which was promoting its proprietary iodine-based nasal antiseptic swabs as a nasal sanitizer that kills COVID-19.

Both companies discontinued promoting their products as treatments for COVID-19 after receiving the FDA warnings.

But Robert Housman, an attorney for Xlear, said the company is far from backing down.

In a 248-page answer it recently filed to the federal lawsuit, the company stated that the only litigation should be against the federal government for using legal bullying tactics to cover up alternative cures for the virus.

“Defendants aver that the greater harm to consumers—in fact, the American public generally—comes from the Government’s refusal to adopt scientifically-substantiated countermeasures to COVID-19, and the Government’s efforts to silence those who seek to educate the public about these countermeasures, of which this lawsuit is part and parcel,” the company wrote in response to the federal lawsuit.

“I think the government lawsuit shows exactly why our approach to the pandemic is failing so miserably,” Housman told The Epoch Times.

Some of the studies cited by Xlear in the lawsuit were funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases along with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition to the NIH, the New England Journal of Medicine published a report in February 2021 in support of the use of saline sprays against COVID-19, noting that their effectiveness was of no surprise since the viral load of COVID-19 is concentrated in the nose and upper airways.

The lawsuit also highlights the 2020 study conducted by Cannon with a team of scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois. The study concluded that the Xlear spray, which contains Xylitol and grapefruit seed extract, has proven anti-viral properties against COVID-19.

A study completed in December 2021 by the Institute for Antiviral Research and Utah State University reached similar conclusions, finding that both Xylitol and grapefruit seed extract—both combined and separate—are proven virucidals specifically effective against the Delta variant of COVID-19. The study also noted that the two ingredients both had greater antiviral efficacy than remdesivir, which is FDA approved as a treatment for COVID-19.

I have no proof, of course, but there is little question in my mind that Big Pharma is behind the attempt to shut up and shut down any medication that cut into their profits. That is, any medication that might keep people from getting Covid-19 and reduce the need for their expensive, experimental vaccines. Profits come before people in Big Pharma.

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Petition by Eminent Scientist to Stop Immunization of Children

Against Covid-19

Mostly ignored by Canadian media. I found it 2 hours after the petition closed.

Initiated by Steven Pelech from Vancouver, British Columbia

Dr. Pelech is a tenured UBC (University of British Columbia) professor of Immunology and Neurology and chair of the scientific and medical advisory committee for the Canadian COVID Care Alliance. 

He has dozens of other credits and titles to his name. In other words, he is a brilliant scientist which Canada's media completely ignored as they (far-left lunatics) think they know better.

Petition to the House of Commons

Whereas:

Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is now authorized for use in Canadians 5 years or older, and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for those 12 years and older;

These mRNA vaccines enable presentation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on the surface of healthy body cells to evoke inflammatory and thrombotic responses that lead to cellular damage and destruction;

The injected vaccine nanoparticles spread throughout the body, with accumulation in endocrine and reproductive organs, raising concerns of possible infertility, autoimmune and other health issues;

Safety studies for these mRNA vaccines in children are too brief and underpowered in terms of number of participants to rule out risks greater than 1 in 1000 for short- and long-term adverse reactions;

The American Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System has documented over 800,000 reports of adverse reactions and 8000 deaths linked to COVID-19 vaccines, and this registry is considered to document only about 2% of actual injuries;

The degree of natural immunity in children and youth is unknown, but it is robust, complete, and long-lasting, and vaccinating COVID-19 recovered individuals increases their risk of vaccine-induced injury; and

Children and adolescents are at extremely low risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and for transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Compared to COVID-19, their risk of vaccine-induced injury is at least a magnitude higher, including a 1 in 5000 risk of myocarditis.

We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to suspend the use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women, children, youth, and adults of child-bearing age until the ongoing short- and long-term safety trials are fully completed and published in peer-reviewed journals.

Outcry in France as Muslim Rapper Who Sang About 'Crucifying Secularists' to Play at Bataclan

Islamization Backlash at the Bataclan

Islamic jihad would certainly have something to celebrate in Paris if this jihad supporter claims the stage at Bataclan so soon after his compatriots massacred 90 Parisians

A planned performance by a controversial Muslim rapper at the Bataclan, where 90 people were killed during the November 2015 Paris attacks, has prompted a wave of criticism and has been described as a ‘dishonor for France.’

Medine, who is of Algerian descent, is due to play two gigs at the venue in October. The musician has denied that he is an Islamist but caused outcry in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attack because of his song ‘Don’t Laik,’ which includes the lyrics: “Let's crucify the secularists like at Calvary... put fatwas on the heads of these idiots.”

He also released an album called ‘Jihad’ in 2005, but insisted that it is about an internal identity struggle.

Isn't that what radicalization is, an eternal identity struggle? First you struggle with who you are, then you struggle with the truth, then you give in to the insanity of radical Islam.

The decision to allow the singer to play the venue has drawn severe criticism from several high-profile French politicians. Laurent Wauquiez, the leader of the Republicans, France’s largest opposition party, tweeted that it was “sacrilege for the victims” and a “dishonor for France.”

Not to mention, remarkably stupid!

Wauquiez added that he was shocked that “someone who sings about 'crucifying secularists' and calls himself 'Islamo-scum’” should play the famous venue “less than three years after Islamist barbarism cost the lives of 90 of our compatriots.”

Former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said: “No French person can accept that this guy is going to spew out his filth at the Bataclan. We have had enough of complacency and worse, of this incitement to Islamist fundamentalism.”

Le Pen’s National Rally party started an online petition, calling for the gigs to be cancelled and more than 16,000 people had already added their names on Monday afternoon.

Members of parliament belonging to President Emmanuel Macron's LaREM party have also criticized the move, with Aurore Berge saying that having Medine headline a concert at the Bataclan was an "insult" to the victims of the atrocity.

The rapper said that ‘Dont Laik,’ a play on the French word for secular, was an attempt to mock people with staunch secular views in the same way that Charlie Hebdo cartoons mocked religious fundamentalists, according to Le Monde. He later distanced himself from the song saying that it “went too far.”

3 Acid Attacks Reported Every Week in London

Resham Khan © Gofundme

London witnesses up to three acid attacks every week, LBC has found, saying the Metropolitan Police recorded up to 83 incidents just this year.

The report from the London based radio station comes after aspiring model and business student Resham Khan was attacked last month while sitting in her car with her cousin Jameel Muhktar.

The incident, which happened on the day Khan turned 21, saw the two attacked with sulphuric acid while stuck in traffic.

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the attack as a hate crime, and has just released new pictures of suspected attacker John Tomlin, 24.

Three days after the attack, Khan, who is set to receive £30,000 (US$38,500) in donations after a fundraising campaign was launched for her following the horrifying attack, said on Twitter: "I'm devastated. I keep wondering if my life will ever be the same."

Another acid attack victim is now calling for the law to treat acid attacks as it does knife attacks.

Imran Khan had acid squirted on his face as he was delivering pizza in Dagenham, east London, last November.

He told LBC that the law fails to do enough to punish those responsible.

"I actually ID-ed the guy and he got arrested. But the police took no further action as there was 'insufficient evidence',” he told LBC.

"I've seen him today. When I went to go to the shops, he was hanging around in the same place. He grins at me. He's literally got away with it.

"If someone wants to stab you, they've got to come close to you,” he added. “But with acid, they could be standing 2 meters away and just squash the bottle. “It will do the same amount of damage."

Up to 300,000 people have signed a petition to make it unlawful to buy acid without a license.

Sarmad Ismail, who started the petition, outlined how easy it is to buy acid online and said: “You put sulphuric acid into Google and the results that come up are 'Concentrated acid neutraliser', '2.5l or Sulphuric acid 96%', which is £11.95 and will be delivered to your door.

"And what comes to your door can completely destroy a life. There should be checks in place, especially on these websites. There should be licencing.”

He agreed with Khan’s claim that acid attacks are just as bad as knife attacks, telling LBC reporter Rachael Venables: "It's just as bad as carrying a knife around because if you spray that substance on someone's face, it will cause lasting damage for years to come."

Scores of protesters gathered in east London on Thursday to protest over the recent string of acid attacks in the capital, as well as the growing Islamophobia.

Hate crimes in London have increased five-fold following the terrorist attack on London Bridge and Borough Market, according to figures released by the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan.

In 21st Century Hyperbolic Politics, Brits Have Forgotten How to Lose Gracefully

Within hours of a national referendum and a national election,

Brits have frantically attempted to change their minds.

In the hyperbolic politics and extreme impatience of the 21st century,

there is no such thing as a stiff upper lip anymore.

Petition to stop Tory/DUP ‘coalition of chaos’ reaches

540k signatures in 24hrs

© Toby Melville / Reuters

A petition launched Friday urging British Prime Minister Theresa May not to form a ‘coalition of chaos’ with the Democratic Unionist Party has already gained over half a million signatures and counting.

The author of the ‘Stop the DUP & TORIES forming a Minority Government!’ petition, writing under the pen name Winston Churchill, called the proposed alliance “a disgusting, desperate attempt to stay in power.”

Unlike previous online petitions filed through the UK government website, this petition is non-binding and will not trigger an official response from the government nor has the potential to force debate in the House of Commons.

The official petitions website is currently down until a new Petitions Committee is set up by the House of Commons.

The change.org petition criticizes several highly contentious stances held by various members of the DUP at one point including belief in creationism, anti-abortion and anti-gay rights advocacy.

The petition ends with a call for May to resign.

British conservatives have expressed unease with the proposed alliance with the DUP online.

Former New Labour ‘sultan of spin’ Alastair Campbell also weighed in describing the proposal as a “dangerous disgrace.” 

Obviously, 'the left' would like for Theresa May to resign and refuse to form a government. Why she would do that 10 days before Brexit negotiations begin and put the country in a position where they are still vetting cabinet ministers, many of whom don't want Brexit, and hence, don't represent the will of the people who voted for it last year - well, that's just not going to happen, nor should it.

Over the past few years I have been perhaps Theresa Mays biggest overseas critic having watched her botch the child sex abuse inquiry time after time after time. Her election call just confirms that she makes very questionable decisions, even downright stupid and arrogant decisions, but to have Labour negotiating with Brussels on Brexit would be virtually suicidal.

Most of the angst on the left is not so much about losing as to the notion that the party the Conservatives will be supported by are basically evangelical Christians. The left has no tolerance for the right! There will be all sorts of accusations made against what they believe but it boils down to this: Christians believe in God, the left does not! And the left thinks anyone who does is either evil, or insane, or insanely stupid. But, at the same time, they welcome Muslims into the UK with open arms and expressions of love and tolerance.

and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 1 John 4:3

Crazies in the News - From Tragic to Hilarious

Low IQ teen who used student loan to fund journey to Islamic State jailed for 5 yrs

© Yaser Al-Khodor / Reuters

A teenager who used his student loan money to travel to the Middle East in a bid join Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) earlier this year has been sentenced to five years behind bars.

Yahya Rashid, 19, of north London, used forged papers to gain acceptance to Middlesex University. The teen, who has an IQ of between 65 and 70, then used the grant and loan money accorded to him to transport himself and four friends to the Turkey-Syria border in February. 

Rashid’s friends continued on to Syria, while he changed his mind and returned first to Istanbul and eventually to the UK after numerous appeals from his family, the court heard. He was detained at Luton Airport in March while attempting to reenter Britain.

Rashid was obviously manipulated by one or more of his friends in order to raise the money to get to Syria. One can't help feeling sorry for him, but on the other hand, he showed no remorse for fraudulently gaining entrance to university or using student loan money to further terrorism.

Man in Joker mask threatens to kill ‘1 Arab a week’ in Canada, gets arrested

© The Real Strategy / YouTube

A man wearing a mask of Batman's arch enemy the Joker was arrested in Montreal, Canada, after threatening to kill one Muslim every week in an online video. Canada has seen an escalation of anti-Muslim sentiment in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.

Const. André Leclerc said the man, who was arrested in the borough of Montreal North on Tuesday night, is in custody and meeting with investigators, CBC News reported.

It is not yet clear what charges may be brought against him.

The video was posted Tuesday on YouTube, but has since been taken down. In it a man speaking in a Quebecois-sounding accent said that starting next week he would kill an Arab or a Muslim each week all across the province.


He was brandishing what appeared to be a handgun and said he had like-minded people on board who would help him to carry out the threat, reported the National Post.

British woman behind 400k petition to ‘close UK borders’… lives in Spain

The British woman who started a popular petition to stop all immigration and close UK borders is currently residing in Spain, she revealed during an interview with RT.

After the interview with RT UK on Tuesday, in which a caption showed her location as Jaen, Spain, Reeves confirmed she divides her time between the UK and Spain in a series of tweets with HuffPoUK.

Twitter users were quick to point out the irony of Reeve’s petition, when she herself spends half of her time in Spain as an immigrant.

Her petition to ‘stop all immigration and close UK borders’ until Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) is defeated has amassed more than 400,000 signatures.

‘Enslaved’: S. Carolina employer sued over treatment of mentally-handicapped black man

Conway, South Carolina. © Wikipedia

South Carolina restaurant owners are being sued for practically enslaving a mentally-handicapped black employee for years, with regular beatings, almost no pay and sub-human living conditions. The lawsuit follows charges that are still pending.

Last year brought to light the harrowing ordeal of the restaurant worker, beaten, abused and underpaid for years by the two white owners. The victim’s attorneys have just filed a new federal lawsuit.

The defendants are two brothers in Horry County, South Carolina.

They are accused of holding the mentally-handicapped worker in conditions of “slavery,” with a particularly hideous period lasting from 2010 to 2014. In all that time the victim would not have been able to put up much resistance.

Christopher Smith had been working at J&J Cafeteria in Conway from a young age.

The lawsuit filed by Smith’s attorneys with the US District Court lists 14 charges against brothers Ernest J. and Bobby Paul Edwards, including false imprisonment, exploitative labor practices and discrimination, according to the Post and Courier.

It wasn’t until last October that social workers got an anonymous tip and rescued Smith from the pair. Although the victim had worked at the café for 23 years, it was when Bobby Edwards became manager in 2010 that things got much worse. Everything from casual racist slurs to battery, bodily harm with belt buckles, frying pans and hot tongs. Smith was also allegedly working 18 hours a day, six days a week, and a further 11 hours on Sunday. Authorities estimated his total wages in a year to be a miserable $2,842.

He was living in a ramshackle, cockroach-infested apartment owned by the restaurant, in conditions described by his attorneys as “subhuman.”

In November 2014, Bobby Edwards was arrested, but charges of second-degree assault and battery are still pending.

When social services investigated the complaints and coordinated with Conway police, they found scars on Smith’s back. Asked later why he never reported the clearly slave-like treatment, Smith said he had been afraid for his safety and life.

It is no secret that South Carolina is dealing with a reputation of one of the most racist states in the US. There is no shortage of anti-black sentiment, which includes both routine abuse, as well as trouble with the police force.

Late October saw a white officer under investigation for an extremely physical incident at a high school. A black female student had allegedly refused to leave the classroom when instructed to do so, which resulted in the officer grabbing the girl by the neck, flipping her desk with her behind it, tossing her to the floor backwards, then forwards before handcuffing her. The officer has since been suspended without pay.

Wet your whistle: Hardy Yorkshire drinkers defy rising floodwaters to enjoy pint

Two barmy Brits refused to let the stormy weather battering the north of England stop them from enjoying a civilized pint of beer at their usual haunt… even if it meant sitting waist deep in rising floodwaters.

The beer garden, which sits a few meters from the scenic River Aire in the South Yorkshire city of Leeds, was inundated when heavy rain hit the area on Sunday.

The rain fell so fast there wasn’t even time to protect the garden from the rapidly rising river. When the banks burst, the garden was completely submerged.

Rather than sit in the warm and dry of the Kirkstall Bridge Inn, however, the defiant manager and pub owner decided to brave the muddy waters together and enjoy their drinks outside.

Manager John Kelly told the BBC of his failed efforts to stop the rising waters.

“I stood and shouted at the water but it didn’t seem to do much,” he said.

Unable to turn the tide and accepting their fate, Kelly and pub owner Steve Holt embraced their new water feature. They poured themselves a pint and settled down at a table completely submerged by the water.

“It was remarkably cold. The first 15 minutes were a little bit uncomfortable but once we settled down it was surprisingly therapeutic, to sit not just by the river but in the river,” Kelly said.

Mongolian trade unionist burns himself alive in a shocking act of protest 

© SCAUSETER / YouTube

Shocking footage shows a trade union leader setting himself alight to protest the looming sale of Mongolian coal mines to Chinese companies. The act of defiance took place at a press conference called to describe the hardships faced by the country’s miners.

In the footage posted by the Daily Mail, the union leader is seen taking a seat and at the press conference surrounded by fellow union members. He then makes a short public statement: “The government no longer supports our company, families of the workers are forced to starve, this is why I will burn myself for the people of Mongolia and our children.”

A split second later, the speaker appears to burst into flame. In the terrifying moment that follows, screams can be heard as his companions rip off their jackets and immediately start beating the engulfing flames from the man, who has fallen, agonizing, to the floor. The blaze was finally suppressed with a fire extinguisher.

Unfortunately the article doesn't tell us whether he survived the self-immolation.

15yo boy charged over airline bomb hoaxes, cyber-attacks

© Benoit Tessier / Reuters

A teenage boy has been charged with offences relating to cyber-attacks and bomb hoaxes on airlines in the UK and US, it has emerged.

The 15-year-old suspect from Plymouth, UK has been charged with three offences under Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act.

The attacks are believed to have been carried out on websites in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

The youth was charged following an investigation by officers from the regional cybercrime unit.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the alleged offender was charged with two offences under the Criminal Law Act.

“This relates to bomb hoaxes placed with airlines in North America via social media,” a spokesperson for the force said in a statement. The offences were allegedly committed within the past 12 months, they added.

The youngster has been released on police bail. He will appear before Plymouth Youth Court on December 18.

Britain Just as AntiSemitic As It Was 70 Years Ago

The British government and parliament are
well aware of the broiling complexity of the
situation and what they have got themselves
 into Image Credit: REUTERS

Parliamentary petition against Netanyahu - festering racism

Netanyahu’s UK visit should be scrapped

By Marwan Asmar,
Special to Gulf News

If push comes to a shove, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could well cancel his visit to Britain this month and try and avoid embarrassing the British government. Although the two parties say the visit is to go ahead, with the British Prime Minister David Cameron insisting the Likud leader has diplomatic immunity and cannot be touched, the visit is getting such a bad press that both could well retract from their positions once the date gets nearer. They would almost probably plead a full agenda and pressing government business as a way to get out of a slippery diplomatic situation that may open a can of worms.

The situation is becoming unbearable because of the ever-increasing popularity of the petition Damien Moran posted on British parliament website, branding Netanyahu as a war criminal who must be arrested and tried, if he steps on British soil, for Israel’s 2014 war involving the “massacre of over 2000 civilians”. The petition has already received 10,000 votes since it was posted on August 7. This meant that, as per rules, the British government needed to make a statement about the visit. It made Cameron express support to Israel and say the Israeli prime minister enjoys full diplomatic immunity as a foreign political leader.

But it gets worse at least on the popular level, with British people voting all the time against Netanyahu, picking up speed at terrific rates. And Britons are not afraid to put their name, email and postal code to say ‘yes’ to the petition. The number of votes has now crossed 85,000 and we are still counting. Nobody is now talking about the petition reaching the 100,000 breaking barrier, which is seen as a further diplomatic embarrassment to both the Israeli and British governments. This is because at that level, the British parliament is required to consider the petition for debate in the House of Commons, the country’s top legislative making body.

That would certainly, and to use an antiquated English phrase, put the cat among the pigeons, possibly turning things around and creating a very large hole in what is being dubbed as a growing cushy relationship between London and Tel Aviv. In fact, the British government recently lifted its military export ban against Israel and signified its kick-start with a $6.3 million (Dh23.17 million) arms deal and the exchange of cultural, scientific and academic visits between the two countries.

Could the relationship conceivably be thrown asunder? Not so easily! Everyone, including Moran, is being very cautious, playing things down and daring not be hopeful that his petition could now make not headway but heat-waves and headaches. Lips are sealed apart from the odd tweet here and there. Moran tweeted to the Israeli leader last month asking: “How many kids have you killed now, you have a short, sharp shock coming your way soon, you vile excuse for a human being.” Whilst he and many of those of his persuasion are watching cautiously, there is a very large vocal movement that is being built against Netanyahu.

If the 100,000-mark is reached, imagine what might happen when the petition runs its full six-month course until February 7, by which time, hundreds of thousands more are expected to vote for criminalising and bringing the Israeli prime minister to justice.

One should also not forget the parliamentary debate that could be called if the total number of petitions reaches 100,000, and the political, diplomatic and even constitutional implications it would have if indeed such a drastic step is taken. Imagine! A full-frontal debate by the same British government that once gave the Jews a “homeland” in Palestine under the besmirched Balfour Declaration in 1917.

It is also the same British Government that commissioned MI6 to sabotage ships carrying Jews to Palestine in 1947-48. Government anti-Semitism may be directly linked to which party is in government at the time. In 47-48, it was Labour.

The British government and parliament are well aware of the broiling complexity of the situation and what they have got themselves into. Hence, the government will have to consider any step it takes carefully. Israel is its friend, which it clearly wants to hold on to for many reasons, but the petition on the parliamentary website introduced major developments in the political system. Politicians may not have considered the potentially grave consequences of the petition up until now; it includes controversial issues like Israel’s bloody treatment of the Palestinians of Gaza.

Mr Asmar neglects to point out that much of Israel's 'bloody treatment of the Palestinians' was a consequence of Hamas choosing to launch rockets into Israel from Hospitals, schoolyards, residential buildings, etc. They were deliberately setting Palestinian civilian (including children) up as targets for Israeli fire. The more Palestinian casualties, the more anti-Semitism came into play around the world. Some of the Palestinian casualties came from Hamas' own rockets which managed to miss Israel and land in Gaza. They also increased the casualty numbers by murdering several people suspected of being Jewish informants. Of course they blamed all these deaths on Israel. Another of their tricks was to dress soldiers in civvies so that if they became casualties, they would look like civilians. 

It's unfortunate that fools like Moran actually believe anything that Palestinians say; it ten times more unfortunate that ordinary Brits believe idiots like Moran.

Is Britain now trying to play the role of an honest broker and thinking it could be time to put things right? Indeed, one of the topics Cameron will be discussing with Netanyahu in London is ways to reignite the long-stalled peace process and the now Britain-favoured two-state solution with the Palestinians. However, the pitfalls ahead could be long and dangerous. If he does make the visit this month to Britain, Netanyahu could be walking into a minefield that no one can control.

Marwan Asmar is a commentator based in Amman. He has long worked in journalism and has a PhD in Political Science from Leeds University in the UK.