Seen in the News

[Big Kev]

Talking of banned dogs...
`Boris Johnson: Former prime minister to host GB News show' BBC

Another reason not to watch it.

[PanBiker]

Hardly impartial if all, or the majority of the presenters are Tories, failed or not.

[Stanley]

I'm happy to say I have never seen a minute of GB News, wouldn't even know where to find it!

I saw THIS flagged up on BBC News. The suspect in the Maine shootings has been found dead.....
A man suspected of killing 18 people in a shooting in Maine has been found dead after a three-day manhunt, police say. "The suspect in Wednesday night's shootings has been located and is deceased," the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. The news comes hours after police lifted a shelter in place order for the normally quiet community. Among the dead are a grandfather, a talented young bowler, and four deaf locals, ranging in age from 14 to 76. It is unclear where the body of Robert Card, 40, was found or how he died. According to CBS News, the BBC's US partner, his body was found near a recycling centre.

[Tizer]

It's easy to get the impression there's no news from the Ukraine-Russia war but if we dig deeper these are today's news...
`Russia executing own retreating soldiers, US says' LINK
`Russia is executing soldiers who try to retreat from a bloody offensive in eastern Ukraine, the White House has said. According to the US, some of the casualties suffered by Russia near Avdiivka were "on the orders of their own leaders". Russian and Ukrainian troops have been locked into a fierce battle for the frontline town since mid-October. Russia is thought to have suffered "significant" losses in this time....the Russian military "appears to be using what we would call 'human wave' tactics, just throwing masses of these poorly trained soldiers right into the fight. No proper equipment, no leadership, no resourcing, no support. It is unsurprising that Russian forces are suffering from poor morale," Mr Kirby added.'

`Russia goes back to prisons to feed its war machine' LINK
`The Russian defence ministry has been recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, apparently taking over from the Wagner mercenary group which was the first to adopt the practice last year. Such army units are commonly known as Storm-Z, the letter Z being one of the symbols of Vladimir Putin's so-called "special military operation" against Ukraine. It is also the first letter of the Russian word "zek", or "inmate". The name Storm-Z is unofficial and can be applied to a range of Russian army units active in different parts of Ukraine. Similarly to Wagner's prisoner units, Storm-Z detachments are reportedly often treated as an expendable force thrown into battle - with little consideration for the lives of their servicemen. There are also indications that members of other army units can be sent to Storm-Z detachments as punishment for violations such as insubordination or drunkenness.'

`Russia says it rehearsed 'massive' nuclear strike' LINK
`Russia has rehearsed its ability to deliver a "massive" nuclear strike, the Kremlin says. The military exercise involved delivering a "response to an enemy nuclear strike", Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said. State TV showed him recounting the rehearsal to President Vladimir Putin. It comes as Russia's parliament backed the withdrawal of Moscow's ratification of a global treaty that bans all physical testing of nuclear warheads....A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from a test site in Russia's far-east, and another missile was fired from a nuclear-powered submarine in the Barents Sea, the statement said. The defence ministry released footage of the tests.'

[Stanley]

What a cheery old world we live in Peter.... Yes I have seen those reports and also reports that Ukraine is still making slow but steady progress against the Russians but not the sudden victory many in the West have been hoping for.....
Perhaps the biggest problem Ukraine faces is the upcoming US elections and eventually the UK general election. They will be OK here whatever party wins but things aren't as clear in the US.......

[Tizer]

We follow Americast on BBC Sounds and it's always informative and fascinating. In the latest one...
The aide to Donald Trump’s White House Chief of Staff opens up to Americast about her mistakes and why she believes that the former president should never be allowed near the Oval Office again. Cassidy Hutchinson explains why she wrote her candid memoir, which Trump’s team tells us “either belongs in the discount bin of the fiction section of a bookstore or should be repurposed as toilet paper.” There’s finally a new Speaker of the House of Representatives. But who is Mike Johnson? And Arnold Schwarzenegger tells Justin why he thinks Trump’s re-election hopes have terminated.
Americast

[Stanley]

I hope Arnie is right and from what I have been picking up I suspect he could be. One significant thing is the number of former supporters who have turned against him, some of them to the extent of turning witness against him in the current trials.
Have a look at THIS for a BBC news item that grabbed me this morning.
Lone parent Leonie Ward was fast asleep in her tower block flat when a neighbour spotted a person dressed in dark clothing pushing at her window from the outside. The would-be-intruder had climbed up to the outside of her flat using scaffolding which has been left in situ for months on end amid a dispute between Thurrock Council and its contractor, Axis. Residents, including Ms Ward, say they are scared, vulnerable and feel "trapped" in the three Seabrook Estate tower block flats in Thurrock. They say what began with children using the scaffolding as a make-shift climbing frame has morphed into something far more sinister - criminals using the structure to find unlocked windows.
What a situation to be in and how come the scaffolding is allowed to be accessible by miscreants? Whatever the contractual problems the scaffold should be secure and if it isn't it makes you wonder if corners have been cut to keep costs down. Whatever, this situation should not be allowed to happen.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report for news that at a time whan we are all being squeezed, at least one sector is getting a boost....
Bankers can earn unlimited bonuses again from Tuesday, following a change to rules brought in following the financial crisis. Before 2008 City high-flyers hit the headlines for spending their bonuses on fast cars and champagne-fuelled nights. The TUC warns removing the cap will bring back a "greed is good" culture. But UK Finance, the body representing the sector, says scrapping the cap will make it easier to attract the best professionals from around the world. Ruksana Uddin, from City recruitment firm Robert Half said she expects banks to start the process of bringing back bigger bonuses over the next few months. "It will probably be at least a year before things start filtering through," she said. "Bankers going out, spending their money and doing those lavish things - we probably will not see that until 2025."
Funny how the argument that increased returns are necessary to attract badly needed workers applies here but not in the NHS or the recruitment and training of carers.

[Tripps]

Humza Yusuf's in laws are out of Gaza through the Rafa - Egypt crossing'. He can relax now and concentrate on his plight in the Scottish Parliament, which looks dire.

Would it be too harsh to say that had they read the Foreign Office advice about travel to Gaza, they would not have gone at all. (See also Iran, Sudan etc etc (I've looked) - but all's well that ends well. I wonder what travel insurance for the trip cost.

I see that the leaders of Burnley and Pendle Councils are 'calling for' the resignation of the leader of the Labour party Keir Starmer, for failing to 'call for' a cease fire in Gaza.

Rishi Sunak's fireside chat (job application?) with Bond villain candidate Elon Musk, looked vaguely sinister, and good ammunition for the global conspiracist tendency. We'll see. . . .

Meanwhile Bwana King is poncing around in Kenya needlessly stirring up memories of past events. He just re-presented a new set of medals to a 117 year old Kenyan soldier who had handed his originals back in protest at the behaviour of the British. How many Sir Humphreys did it take to dream that photo opportunity up?

Try as I might - I can't hear the woman with him being referred to as "The Queen" without thinking that someone's made a mistake. Is that Bwana Charles or us?

[plaques]

I see that the leaders of Burnley and Pendle Councils are 'calling for' the resignation of the leader of the Labour party Keir Starmer, for failing to 'call for' a cease fire in Gaza.

Ceasefires are similar to a peace treatise. The two sides only enter into them when both sides know the can't win. I this case Israel and Netanyahu know they have the firepower to wipe Palestine out. Why they should enter into negotiations when at every point they would be losing an advantage. How many catapults and pebbles equal one ballistic missile?. Discussions of this nature could take years to resolve. Meanwhile the destruction and killing continue. Starmer is right, aid to the Palestine can be immediate and if the UN get involved one mistake by Netanyahu could swing the advantage to Palestine.
Not everyone will agree with me but a ceasefire sounds OK until reality kicks in.

[Stanley]

I hope I don't sound like a sycophant but I agree with everything you both say.
David, I particularly concur with you about our supposed queen..... reference to her as 'Queen Camilla' always strikes a false note with me. I can't forget the Tampax tapes and any comparison with the late Queen is invidious. All right, I was brainwashed all those years ago at Primary school..... I admit it.
Ken, I am confused by all the talk about 'cease fires'. What those who call for them mean is that they want the killing to stop and the hatred to cease. The reality is that the present violence is spawning a whole new crop of recruits for anyone who organises violence against the Israelis. This is the land of 'an eye for an eye....' The only thing that will bring about a cessation of hostilities is, as you say, exhaustion.
However, I note that Hezbollah have spoken up and if they actually move into full scale attack rather than isolated raiding we will have full scale regional conflict. Remember that they are actually an armed wing of the Iranians and they have never made any secret of their intention to destroy Israel. That then leads us into speculation about other participants and ultimately atomic threats..... I must stop speculating, it is just too awful to contemplate..

[Tizer]

I notice a BBC report this morning saying the US has sent two battleships to the Middle East and Red Sea. Ah, those were the days. Pity the beeb doesn't know the difference between a battleship and a battle group!

[PanBiker]

Meanwhile, we still have no or very little mention of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I have to say I have switched off to the reporting, usually within the first couple of sentences that Hamas are a terrorist organisation as recognised by the UK and other western governments! No mention either that Israel are acting like Nazis and it looks very much to me like they are pushing an agenda of genocide against a particular ethnic group. Now where have we seen that before?

[Tizer]

I keep hearing people of all backgrounds and status saying `Israel has the right to defend itself'. I don't hear anyone saying the people of Gaza have that right. It's all too one-sided.

[PanBiker]

And it also begs the question why the Israeli security services supposedly knew nothing of the attacks before the event. There are questions to be answered there as well.

[Tripps]

it also begs the question

Sorry to do this but I've got a bit of a 'thing' about the subject. Almost the whole written world nowadays uses this phrase incorrectly. Here's the full SP. Beg the Question

Not trying to be a smarty pants but what's wrong with knowing the correct meaning?

It's bit ironic for an American to explain the English language to us - but Uncle Bob goes some way towards it nearly every day.

[PanBiker]

OK, I hold my hand up. Doesn't change the fact that their security services screwed up, or of course they chose to turn a blind eye in order to garner support for retaliatory genocide. Or is that too much of a conspiracy theory? Zionism has a lot to answer for.

[Tripps]

Thanks for not being annoyed.

Or is that too much of a conspiracy theory? Zionism has a lot to answer for.

I'm trying not to take sides in the Gaza business. Both sides are peddling propaganda and disinformation. From my level it's impossible to get the truth. It does however seem to have become a shibboleth for the Left in British politics. "a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people" - which I think is regrettable.

[plaques]

A lot of fuss is being made whether parades should be held in support of Palestine during the period of Armistice day November 11. or Remembrance Sunday two weeks later. The argument goes it would be an injustice to the memory of those who lost their lives during the two world wars. The strange thing about this is that we are adding to the list week on week. Surely everyone killed in conflict ought to be remembered. I'm old enough to remember that Armistice day Nov 11 was an holiday gone now replaced by a more convenient (1956) and less costly version of a Sunday Remembrance. Some countries still hold true to the original date. The point being we have already degraded its value by changing dates and adding more pomp to the ceremony so what is the problem with adding Palestine to our memories.

I may add that I'm one of the dwindling few who had a direct relative (my uncle) killed in the Great War. November 11 means great deal to me.

[Stanley]

What a good and timely post Ken! My grandfather Challenger was killed in the Great War as well. You mention that everyone killed in conflict should be remembered and I totally agree. I remember when I visited Rothenburg am der Taub in 2000 I found the Town war memorial while walking round the Town Wall and was intrigued by the fact that some of the lettering was obviously new so I enquired about it. It was because due to the opening of the East German archives more information was being discovered about the war dead and also that all the civilians killed in air raids and shelling of the town were named as well. In Australia they have a public parade on Anzac Day and anyone with a relative killed in war can march and if they have them, wear their relative's medals.
I thought about our war dead only yesterday when I saw the news item about Braverman wanting action taken against rough sleepers because they are 'a nuisance'. Was that what was fought and died for? or would they say that the 'action' ought to be to make sure they all had at least a safe room and a bed to sleep in? I think I know the answer to that.

[Stanley]

I agree with all the above posts and this demonstrates how confused my thinking is on the whole subject of 'The Middle East Question'. Like Ian I distinguish between Judaism and Zionism and am clear in my mind that there is a difference no matter if I am 'mistaken' and nowt to do with being a social democrat....
As I mentioned earlier in our discussions about the actions against Hamas, it is very difficult not to suspect that this is as much action against Palestinians in general as to any attempt to crush Hamas, a 'terrorist organisation'. Here again I have a problem, the most trusted statistics on casualties come from 'The Palestinian Health Authority' which is actually an arm of Hamas who are the recognised political party that runs Gaza. (Or have I got that completely wrong?)
I told you I was confused!
impossible to get the truth. just about covers it David....

[Stanley]

I saw THIS BBC report and it reminds me of conversations I have had with my grand daughter during which I have been astounded by the cost of nursery care for her two young children while she holds down a senior job in the NHS.
About a quarter of a million mothers with young children have left their jobs due to childcare pressures, research by an equal rights charity suggests. Large numbers of women were missing out on career opportunities for the same reason, the research indicated. More mothers are working than ever before, said the Fawcett Society. But they were facing what amounted to a "motherhood penalty" as their careers weren't progressing, it said. A lack of flexible working arrangements and affordable childcare combined with "outdated and toxic attitudes around motherhood" were holding women back, said Jemima Olchawski, chief executive of the Fawcett Society. "Women, once they have children, find it's harder to progress or they're forced into part-time or low-paid jobs below their skill levels," she said. Less than a third of working mothers with children under the age of four have the flexible working arrangements they need, the Fawcett Society said. Its survey of 3,000 working parents of pre-schoolers, conducted jointly with recruitment firm Totaljobs, found that one in 10 mothers had handed in their notice, while twice that number had considered doing so.
My grand daughter's reaction has been to investigate the chances of a better paid job with better fringe benefits in Western Australia and she is by no means an isolated case. Is it any wonder that we are short of staff?

[Stanley]

See THIS news item.
About 40% of rail services will run during strikes under planned minimum service rules for train operators in Great Britain, the government has said. Ministers are hoping the legislation will come into effect before Christmas. It will also specify minimum service levels for ambulance workers in England and border security staff in England, Wales and Scotland. The government said the measures were "proportionate" but unions have criticised them as unworkable.
This puzzles me. I may be naive but I would have thought that the level of service would be governed by the level of staffing and not some edict issued from an office in Whitehall. Perhaps I don't fully appreciate the power of the politicians. (Or could they have over-estimated it?)

[Stanley]

I saw THIS and was sad to see this subject in the news again.
A murder investigation has been launched after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed near a school in Leeds, West Yorkshire Police said. mergency services were called to Town Street in Horsforth, near St Margaret's Primary School, just before 15:00 GMT on Tuesday. The boy, a former student at nearby Horsforth School, later died in hospital. One teenage boy has been arrested in connection with the incident. Initial reports suggested there had been two arrests.
What a tragedy, not only for both families but for the community. How must the children regard each other now?
I thought we had it hard during the war but this is just as bad and upsetting.

[Tizer]

This is a chilling account. As a scientist I've had many friends and colleagues who are Jews. They would be horrified by the recent Hamas mass attack on civilians but I believe they would not condone this treatment of innocent people in Gaza...
`'I’m calling from Israeli intelligence. We have the order to bomb. You have two hours'' BBC