Quote:Black Lives Matter organiser spent £30,000 of donations on herself including takeaways,
Amazon and Uber trips



'An organiser of the Black Lives Matter protests that toppled slave trader Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol has
been jailed for fraud after spending more than £30,000 [$36,437] on herself - including nearly £6,000 [$7287] on
Ubers.

Xahra Saleem, 23, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on Tuesday after she pleaded guilty to one
count of fraud by abuse of position after an investigation into a fundraiser linked to the BLM movement.

Avon and Somerset Police investigated a GoFundMe page called 'BristBLM' initially set up for the demonstration
on June 7, 2020, after the donation money disappeared. The fundraiser was intended to raise cash for Changing
Your Mindset, which was a Bristol St Pauls-based youth group, but it was never received.

Bristol Crown Court heard that Saleem received an initial payment of £30,653. This came after a total of 588
individual donations had been made from around the world to the GoFundMe page, totalling £32,344.

She went on to spend a total of £44,815 [$54,431] on what were described as "lifestyle" expenses - including a
whopping £5,800 [$7,044] on Ubers. Prosecuting, Alistair Haggerty told the court it was not clear whether she
intended to spend the money raised, or "succumbed to temptation".

He added: "These were not big purchases. There was some money spent on shopping and bills, a new iPhone and
iMac, but it was mainly on hair, beauty, clothes, Amazon purchases, taxis and takeaways."

Saleem, of Romford, Essex, initially entered not guilty pleas to two charges of fraud. The second charge related to
a separate online fundraising page set up in the days following the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston in June
2020, called 'Bristol Protesters Legal Fees'.

This was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service. But sentencing her on Tuesday, Judge Michael Longman
told her she had "abused her position" as director of Changing Your Mindset.

He told her: "As an organiser of the Black Lives Matter march in Bristol, you gave yourself a high public profile, which
you used to raise money to help young people in St Pauls - an immensely worthwhile cause. That money you then
used for your benefit, not theirs - funding a lifestyle which you could not normally afford."

He said the donations massively exceeded expectations and the defendant "took advantage" of the situation.
He added: "I take into account the funds raised plainly exceeded all expectations to a substantial degree and attempts
were made to set up a business account. I accept that you did not set out to defraud initially, but took advantage."

Judge Longman said the fraud was conducted over an "extended period of time" and included a large amount of victims.
"There was abuse of trust," he added. But he said he reduced the length of sentence that he would have given as there
was mitigation - including her age and immaturity at the time. He added: "There is remorse. I have no doubt you have
remorse now looking back at that period of time."

In a statement released after the hearing, Jay Daley and Deneisha Royal from the youth group Changing Your Mindset
said they continued to feel let down. They said: "It doesn't feel that justice has been fully served as we are unlikely to
get back the money from her. It feels like we are being punished. It saddens me that a member of our community
could do this to us because they knew and understood the goal we set out to achieve in order to positively change
our community. For me the group was a safe place. A refuge that I could relax without concern for my safety.

"For some members it was an opportunity to cook a meal, collect donations and receive support for mental health
as well as learn about new things such as employment opportunities. If we were to get the money back we would
go on the trip and members of the group would reestablish the group and make changes to the community and use
time on the trip to plan for this."...'

(10-31-2023, 05:38 PM)BIAD Wrote: Ripples From The Shake-Down.

Quote:Black Lives Matter organiser spent £30,000 of donations on herself including takeaways,
Amazon and Uber trips

MyLondon:

Quote:Two men arrested in police investigation into felling of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree

The 300-year-old tree was cut down overnight in a shocking act of vandalism

'Two men in their 30s have been arrested and bailed by officers investigating the felling of the
world-famous Sycamore Gap tree, Northumbria Police has said. The tree in Northumberland,
believed to have been about 300 years old, was cut down overnight between September 27
and 28 in what police believe was a deliberate act of vandalism.

Soon after the tree was felled a 16-year-old male and a 60-year-old man were arrested and later
bailed. Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Fenney-Menzies, of Northumbria Police, said: “The loss
of Sycamore Gap has been felt deeply across the community as well as further afield...'

Quote:'...Believed to have been planted by Newcastle philanthropist and lawyer John Clayton in the second
half of the 19th century, it was also known as Robin Hood Tree after it made an appearance in the
1991 Kevin Costner film.

Mr Clayton was a keen excavator of Hadrian’s Wall and was thought to have planted the tree to fill
the dip on landscape which was created by glacial meltwater. Its trunk was removed from the location
on 12 October and is currently being stored in an undisclosed location, until its fate is decided...'

Quote:Man walked into Brent park to buy cryptocurrency but got sliced up with Rambo knife and
dumped in lake

Abdi Hassan set a trap for his target by pretending he had cryptocurrency to sell
-but when he arrived they snared him and left him traumatised for life

'A violent robber lured his victim with a promise of selling him crypto currency then sliced him up with
a Rambo knife and threw him into a freezing lake. Abdi Hassan, 27, of Janson Close, Brent was jailed
for 14 years at St Albans Crown Court on Monday (October 30), after he was convicted of GBH, robbery
and possession of an offensive weapon in a trial at Harrow Crown Court in June 2023.


Abdi Hassan.                                                                                 Brent Reservoir in North West London.

Hassan was part of a three strong knife gang who used promise of crypto currency to tempt their victim
to Neasden Recreation Ground in Brent, North West London, in December 2021. When the victim -a man
in his 20s -arrived, they knocked him to the ground and Hassan drew his Rambo knife, slashing the man
on the back, arms, and legs before chucking him into the sub-zero water of a nearby lake.

Police used 'fast time intelligence' to track down Hassan and he was arrested and brought before the courts.
But the force says the other two attackers are still at large nearly two years later. PC Gulennur Gaygusuz of
the North West Command Unit said: "This was a particularly violent attack on a defenceless man who was
left injured and traumatised after being thrown in freezing water in the middle of winter.

"Hassan inflicted knife injuries on the victim, repeatedly slashing him during a sustained attack, causing
long-term psychological trauma. Work continues to bring the two other people responsible to justice."
Hassan was given an extended sentence, meaning he will serve another four years on licence when
he is released...'

Quote:Leeds hospital bomb trial: Patient says he 'tried to cheer up' accused

'A former patient talked a man out of detonating a bomb in a Leeds hospital after spotting him looking
upset, a jury has heard. Mohammed Farooq, 28, who is accused of planning a terror attack at St James's
Hospital, was "agitated" when Nathan Newby said he tried to "cheer him up". Farooq told Mr Newby he
wanted revenge on the hospital and planned on setting off a pressure cooker bomb.

At Sheffield Crown Court, Farooq denies preparing acts of terrorism.


Workers rights.

Farooq, of Roundhay, is also accused of planning a terror attack at the US base at RAF Menwith Hill, near
Harrogate. In an interview played in court, Mr Newby told police officers how he spotted the defendant as he
was walking back into St James's in the early hours of 20 January.

He said: "He just looked upset, as though he'd had some really bad news.
"I thought I'd go over and see if he's all right. I thought, if he was down, I'd try and cheer him up."

A video has been released showing the arrest of Mohammed Farooq at St James's Hospital.
The video, shown to the jury at Sheffield Crown Court last week but released on Monday, shows Farooq
telling armed police a patient had talked him out of exploding a bomb.

Mr Newby said the defendant described how he was either a student or had worked at the hospital for two
years but now "he's lost everything and just wanted to get them back for what they'd done". When he asked
Farooq what he was carrying in his bag, Farooq told him it was a bomb and that he was planning on walking
into the hospital canteen.

Mr Newby said that he tried to keep Farooq calm and get him away from the hospital entrance so he led him
to a bench where they talked for "so many hours". Mr Newby said Farooq eventually said he wanted to hand
himself in and passed him his phone to call 999. It was during the emergency call that Farooq produced a
handgun, which later turned out to be an imitation.

Prosecutors have told the jury that the pressure cooker bomb Farooq had with him was a viable device, modelled
on one used in the 2013 Boston Marathon attacks. Though Farooq denies preparing acts of terrorism, he has
admitted a number of other offences including possessing a pressure cooker bomb "with intent to endanger life
or cause serious injury to property".

The jury has also been told that Farooq had a grievance against several of his former colleagues at St James's
Hospital, and "had been conducting a poison pen campaign against them". Defence barrister Gul Nawaz Hussain
KC has told the court his client was "ready and willing" to detonate the home-made bomb at the hospital because
of a "sense of anger and grievance" towards work colleagues but was not motivated by Islamist extremism and
not radicalised.

The trial continues...'

Quote:Man guilty of attempted murder after setting fire to elderly worshippers leaving mosques

Mohammed Abbkr guilty over two separate attacks on elderly worshippers

'A man has been found guilty of two counts of attempted murder after setting fire to two elderly
worshippers who had left mosques in London and Edgbaston. Mohammed Abbkr, 29, targeted
Hashi Odowa, 82, and Mohammed Rayaz, 70, in separate attacks earlier this year. He used a
lighter and petrol in a water bottle to set fire to Mr Odowa and Mr Rayaz on February 27 and
March 20, the court heard.


Mohammed Abbkr.                                               Burnt clothing from Mohammed Rayaz after the attack.

CCTV footage of both attacks was shown to jurors during the trial. Prosecutor Nicholas de la Poer
KC told the jury that Abbkr had attended prayers at the West Ealing Islamic Centre before following
Mr Odowa from the entrance door.

Mr de la Poer added: “There followed a conversation during which the defendant insisted that Mr
Odowa knew him. Mr Odowa told the defendant that he did not. “The defendant said ‘I swear in
the name of Allah, in the name of God, you will know me’. “Having sprayed Mr Odowa with petrol,
the defendant drew out a lighter, struck the lighter, held it to Mr Odowa’s neck and ignited the petrol.”

Abbkr walked away from the scene and despite media appeals was only tracked down a day after
attacking Mr Rayaz, who was a regular worshipper at Birmingham’s Dudley Road Mosque. Mr Rayaz
was followed for more than five minutes after leaving the mosque’s prayer hall, with CCTV footage
showing Abbkr within feet of him as they passed a Caribbean food store on Dudley Road.

Abbkr was seen to take a clear plastic bottle from a rucksack, approach Mr Rayaz, placed a hand on
his shoulder and ask him if he spoke Arabic. Mr de la Poer told the jury: “The defendant then sprayed
Mr Rayaz with the petrol. Using a lighter, the defendant set fire to the petrol. Mr Rayaz was engulfed
in flame.

The court was told that, as the initial flare of the fire began to diminish, the defendant threw more petrol
from his bottle on to the flames and they “grew in size and intensity once again” Abbkr admitted being the
person responsible for setting both men alight but had denied attempted murder and administering a
destructive thing with intent to endanger life...'

Quote:Do you live in one of the UK's 'porch pirate' hotspots? Interactive map shows where thieves
hit the most to steal deliveries left on doorsteps

''Porch pirates' who prey on unguarded parcels are set to pose a major headache for shoppers across
Britain in the run up to Christmas, with the problem growing year-on-year, MailOnline can reveal.

Opportunistic thieves are making off with goods potentially worth hundreds of pounds at a time after
spotting boxes dropped off at homes by couriers during the day when their recipients aren't in, postal
industry experts say.

Freedom of Information requests sent to police forces reveal some constabularies are receiving multiple
reports of parcel theft each day, with one in 10 households reporting the loss of a package last year.
The problem also gets worse at this time of year, with a quarter of all theft reports in the year to August
made in November and December.

Of the forces that responded, Hertfordshire Constabulary reported the greatest number of parcel thefts
per head of population: 73 per 100,000, or 877 throughout the year - equivalent to more than two thefts
a day. Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, West Mercia and Lancashire also reported high rates of parcel
theft, each reporting at least one parcel theft per day on average. Cheshire, North Wales, Gwent,
Lincolnshire and Derbyshire constabularies reported the lowest rates of parcel theft of the forces
that responded to the request.



Some police services also detailed the estimated value of stolen parcels - with the highest average value
of a lost package reported by central Welsh force Dyfed-Powys at £251.62. Cambridge and Northumbria
also reported the average value of a lost parcel to be over £100 - causing financial headaches for their
true recipients.

Tech firm Quadient, which requested the numbers, estimates that parcel theft has surged 500 per cent
since 2019. Estimates it has produced based on data it received from the police suggest over 16,000
reports of parcel theft have been made in the UK in the year to August, up from 2,707 for the same
period four years ago.

It hasn't requested the data for nothing; the firm produces parcel lockers that people can send post to if
they can't be in to collect it during the 9-to-5 hours that most parcel companies operate in - and claims
these would stamp out the problem of 'porch pirates'.

Katia Bourgeais-Crémel, executive vice-president of Quadient's parcel locker division, says the problem
has been exacerbated recently by the cost-of-living crisis, with desperate thieves keen to make a quick
buck. But it has also been worsened by the fact that many people who would have stayed in to wait for
parcels during the coronavirus pandemic. It says 22-34-year-olds - many of whom are now returning to
offices - were most likely to report lost packages.

Ms Bourgeais-Crémel said: 'The plague of porch piracy has intensified during the cost-of-living crisis,
with nationwide parcel theft increasing more than 500% since 2019. 'Unattended items on doorsteps
are just waiting to be stolen. The number reported to the police could have increased in part due to
better awareness of the importance of reporting.

'However, when you consider more than one in ten households had a parcel stolen last year, porch piracy
is clearly a big problem for businesses and consumers across the UK.' She added that shoppers deserve
better from parcel companies, which need to embrace people's work-led lifestyles and consider offering
locker drop-off services.

Some couriers do offer drop-off services, whether at lockers or corner shops, but others will simply reattempt
delivery until they give up and send parcels back to their senders. She concluded: 'This is leaving retailers
and couriers spending time and money replacing stolen deliveries and adding strain to customer services.

'In households that do their Christmas shopping online, retailers' brand perception could take a serious knock
if people are left without a present to unwrap on Christmas morning.' MailOnline has reported on a number of
incidents of brazen parcel theft in recent months, often committed in broad daylight.

Earlier this year a man and a woman were caught on camera in Holland Park stretching through a locked gate
to drag a Victoria's Secret package across the ground before wrenching it over the fence.

In September, Amazon customer Ben Palmer watched via his doorbell camera as a man brazenly ran to his
doorstep, picked up packages and ran away. Mr Palmer said at the time: 'I thought it was brave that someone
in broad daylight would do that. That they would jump out of a van and steal a parcel like that.'...'

Quote:Fewer cousins marrying in Bradford's Pakistani community



'The number of people in Bradford's Pakistani community who have married a cousin has fallen
sharply in the past 10 years, a study suggests. Higher educational attainment, new family
dynamics and changes in immigration rules are thought to be possible reasons.

Juwayriya Ahmed married her cousin in 1988. The 52-year-old teacher says her children once
asked her how she and their father met. "I was laughing at them. I said I didn't really meet him.
My parents took me to Pakistan and my dad said you're going to marry this person. And I sort
of knew who he was, but the first time I met him properly was at the wedding," she says.

"My kids said that was disgusting. And then they told me, 'Don't you dare make us do anything
like this.'" Ten years ago researchers studying the health of more than 30,000 people in Bradford
found that about 60% of babies in the Pakistani community had parents who were first or second
cousins, but a new follow-up study of mothers in three inner-city wards finds the figure has dropped
to 46%.

The original research also demonstrated that cousin marriage roughly doubled the risk of birth defects,
though they remained rare, affecting 6% of children born to cousins.

"In just under a decade we've had a significant shift from cousin marriage being, in a sense, a majority
activity to now being just about a minority activity," said Dr John Wright, chief investigator of the Born
in Bradford research project. "The effect will be fewer children with congenital anomalies."

Cousin marriage is widespread in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where many Bradford families
originate. Sometimes a young person in Bradford is married to a cousin in Pakistan, who then
comes to live in the UK. But members of the community say there have been inter-generational
tensions over this tradition, with some young people firmly rejecting the idea of arranged marriage
- and cousin marriage in particular.

"Our generation really fought for it," says one young woman.
"Ten years ago my mum was adamant we would all have cousin marriages but now she doesn't focus
on that. I think families realised they couldn't control it. They knew that being in Britain, and being
exposed to so many different viewpoints, it is going to change."

The Born in Bradford study originally recruited 12,453 pregnant women without regard to ethnicity
between 2007 and 2010, whose children all joined the project when they were born. Their health
has been tracked ever since.

Another 2,378 mothers from three inner-city wards were then recruited for a follow-up study between
2016 and 2019. The new research compares them with the 2,317 participants from the same wards
in the original cohort. In both cases, mothers of Pakistani heritage made up between 60% and 65%
of the total, and while 62% of these women in the original group were married to a first or second
cousin, the figure fell to 46% in the later group. The fall was even steeper in the fast-growing
sub-group of mothers who were born in the UK - from 60% to 36%.

For those educated beyond A-level, the proportion who married a cousin was already lower than
average in the first study, at 46%, and has now fallen to 38%. Although the women included in
the latest study are all from less affluent inner-city wards, the researchers say they are still
representative of Pakistani-heritage mothers in Bradford as a whole.

Professor of health research, Neil Small, who has been involved with Born in Bradford from the start,
says a number of possible explanations for the rapid fall in cousin marriage are now being explored
in consultation with the community:

*Awareness of the risk of congenital anomalies has increased
*Staying in education longer is influencing young people's choices
*Shifting family dynamics are changing conversations about marriage between parents and children
*Changes in immigration rules have made it harder for spouses to move to the UK

One person affected by new immigration rules was Bradford-born Ayesha, who married her first cousin
in Pakistan eight years ago and gave birth to their first child the following year. Her husband was unable
to move to the UK until the baby was two. Meanwhile Ayesha had to work long hours as a home care
worker to reach a salary threshold introduced in 2012 for anyone wanting to bring a spouse from outside
Europe to live in the country.

She thinks cousin marriage is a valuable tradition though, and regrets that it appears to be in decline.
"I don't think my children will marry cousins. They will lose that connection with Pakistan and I feel sad
about that," she says. In fact, two of Ayesha's younger sisters, both in their 20s, have rejected the idea
of cousin marriage. One, Salina, recently married a man of her own choice, with her parents' consent.

"I'm outgoing and I want to work and do things with my life. Someone from Pakistan wouldn't accept this
at all," she says. "They would never let me live like this. We wouldn't agree on how to raise kids and how
to teach them values." The other sister, Malika, is also planning one day to choose her own husband.

"Before, even if you had an education, you wouldn't be expected to carry on with it, you would have been
thinking of marriage," she says. "Now that's changed and the mindset is so different." She adds that
young people today have more opportunities to meet potential partners than their parents ever did,
and that social media has helped provide "contact with people outside our parents' eyes".

The Born in Bradford team has made efforts to explain to the community how congenital anomalies come
about. They occur when both parents carry a particular defective gene, which may happen when the parents
are unrelated, but is more likely when they are cousins. Anomalies can affect the heart, the nervous system,
limbs, the skin or other parts of the body. They are sometimes untreatable and can be fatal.

Dr Aamra Darr, a medical sociologist with the University of Bradford's Faculty of Health Studies, says cousin
marriage is a risk factor, but not a cause of congenital anomalies. She points out that the 2013 Born in Bradford
study showed that the risk of married cousins having a baby with a congenital anomaly was similar to that of
a white British woman aged 35 or over having a baby with an anomaly, including Down's Syndrome.

However, she says health workers have sometimes told parents of a sick child in the Pakistani community:
"It's because you married your cousin." "It's culture blaming," she says. "You're talking about the politics of
race and health - the minority being judged by the majority population."...'

(More in the link)

Quote:King Charles secretly profits off assets of dead Brits using medieval law, scathing report finds

King Charles III has been accused of using ancient feudal laws to nab tens of millions of pounds intended for charity from the deaths of thousands of Brits to upgrade his real estate empire, according to a bombshell report from the Guardian this week.

The king has reportedly been claiming and profiting for years off assets known as “bona vacantia,” which are owned by people who died without a will or known next of kin, in order to upgrade commercial properties for rent, the outlet reported.

In the past 10 years, the monarch has reportedly collected more than $75 million in the funds — despite pledges to donate all proceeds to charity.

Documents obtained by the Guardian from the Duchy of Lancaster, Charles’ extensive land and property estate that he inherited from the late Elizabeth II, reveal that the money is secretly being used to renovate the properties that he rents out for profit.


Under the medieval practice of “bona vacantia,” or “vacant goods,” the king’s duchy inherits funds from those whose last known address belonged to Lancashire county palatine, ruled for centuries by a duke, according to the Guardian.

The duchy also obtains assets owned by companies when they fold.

The Duchy of Cornwall, which has been passed on to Prince William since Charles’ ascension, also operates under the system.

The two duchies operate as real estate empires, controlling tracts of farmland, hotels, castles, offices, warehouses, businesses and some of London’s elite real estate, the Guardian reported.


Neither duchy pays corporation tax or capital gains tax, despite generating more than $1.6 billion over the last six decades.

While the money is intended to go to charities, only 15% of the monies has been directed there over the past 10 years, according to documents reviewed by the outlet.

The rule was expanded in May 2020, sources told the Guardian, when the SA9 policy was introduced and outlined what “bona vacantia” money could be used for — including for the “public good” to repair and protect duchy properties deemed a “heritage asset” or buildings of  “local historical importance.”

The Guardian found that the duchy was permitted to burn its “bona vacantia” earnings on roughly half of its property portfolio on certain repairs like renovating walls, foundations, floors and chimneys as well as electrical and insulation work.

Among the properties getting spruced up are town homes, holiday rentals, country cottages and barns, including one used for pheasant and partridge shoots.

“The king reaffirmed that money from bona vacantia should not benefit the privy purse, but should be used primarily to support local communities, protect the sustainability and biodiversity of the land and preserve public and historic properties across the Duchy of Lancaster estates,” a spokesperson told outlet.

“This includes the restoration and repair of qualifying buildings in order to protect and preserve them for future generations.”

Charles has reaped the benefits of this ancient practice, with his rental properties becoming more profitable, garnering tens of millions in duchy profits each year — revenue that Buckingham Palace has declared “private.”

The Guardian found dozens of examples of Brits whose money was gobbled up by King Charles under the archaic law. Many of their friends found the action “disgusting,” with one saying their deceased pal “would turn in his grave if he knew.”

The royals declined to comment to the outlet regarding the report.

Quote:Nottingham City Council has declared itself effectively bankrupt after issuing a section 114 notice.

The Labour-run local authority confirmed the announcement on Wednesday, saying its chief financial officer had decided it "isn't able to deliver a balanced budget for this year, which is a legal requirement".

As a result of the section 114 notice, all new spending - with the exception of protecting vulnerable people and statutory services - must stop immediately.

It becomes the second local authority this year to fail financially, after Birmingham City Council issued its own 114 notice back in September.

The council has come under financial pressures after its attempt to enter the power market with Robin Hood Energy (RHE) failed in 2020, losing the authority millions.

It later got into trouble after spending millions of pounds ring-fenced for local housing as part of its general budget.

But the authority was also hit hard by changes to central government funding under the coalition government back in 2013/14, as well as soaring inflation and growing demand for social care.

The Department for Levelling Up decided against bringing in a commissioner after the failure of RHE three years ago, but gave an advisory board more powers to ensure the council adhered to their advice - with the threat of the final option hanging over their heads if their financial performance didn't improve.

But now the section 114 has been issued, commissioners will likely be brought in to take charge.

A statement from Nottingham City Council said its executive board met last week to discuss a report into its latest financial position, as rumours swirled the authority was on the brink of bankruptcy.

...

A spokesperson for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: "We used our statutory powers to intervene at Nottingham City Council last year over serious governance and financial issues and have been clear that improvements must be made.

"We have expressed concern over the lack of urgency demonstrated by the council in addressing these challenges, despite the efforts of the improvement and assurance board. Ministers have been clear that the onus is on the council to deliver the necessary improvements to the board's satisfaction.

"We are assessing the situation and will consider whether further action is necessary."

Quote:Boris Johnson asked the security services to draw up plans to raid a Dutch Covid vaccine factory after the EU 'stole' millions of doses destined for Britain during the pandemic, it has been claimed.

Diplomatic sources said the former prime minister was 'enraged' after the EU effectively blocked the export of five million doses of the AstraZeneca jab at the height of the vaccine rollout in March 2021.

At one point Mr Johnson asked the security services to investigate 'military options' for retrieving the doses from the plant in Leiden, in the Netherlands.

The idea was only abandoned after diplomats warned it would scupper relations – and jeopardise the supply of vaccines from plants elsewhere in the EU.

Mr Johnson will allude to the extraordinary episode when he appears before the Covid Inquiry this week. His written evidence is expected to underline his frustration at the actions of the EU, which was struggling with its own vaccine rollout at the time.

Two diplomatic sources told the Mail that, behind the scenes, Mr Johnson was so angry about the interference from Brussels that he considered ordering a covert raid to seize the vaccines which had been paid for by the UK Government.

One source said: 'The EU had basically sequestered five million doses of our vaccine. Of course the PM was enraged – they were putting British lives at risk to make a political point and distract from their own failings.

'He ordered officials to look at all options for responding, and that did include asking the security services to look at whether there were any options for physically going and taking the vaccines from the Netherlands and bringing them here.'

A second source said the EU's 'Trumpian' actions had 'set back relations with Brussels for at least a year'.

The source added: 'The EU could not accept the fact that we had negotiated a better deal with AstraZeneca and so they essentially impounded these vaccines in the Netherlands. They were effectively stolen; it was Trumpian.

'Boris was infuriated, as you would expect, and he wanted to look at every avenue for responding. It went well beyond trade retaliation; it was diplomatic, security, everything.

'He felt he was fighting for British lives and at one point he did ask whether there were military options for just going and getting these vaccines.

'Obviously that would have had major repercussions, not least in terms of other vaccine supplies that were being manufactured in the EU. I don't know how far the idea got.





'But at that point the EU's actions were so aggressive that it did not seem such an outlandish idea.'

A spokesman for Mr Johnson declined to comment on the claims, saying only that he was 'looking forward to assisting the inquiry with its important work' next week.

But a senior ally of the former PM acknowledged he had been 'infuriated' by the actions of a supposed ally.

'Boris was always prepared to use whatever means necessary to ensure that the UK got the vaccines it needed and had rightly obtained,' the friend said.

'He had no interest in playing the EU's political games and the petty politics some displayed over this issue were absolutely infuriating.'



The diplomatic crisis was triggered when the European Commission threatened to block the export to the UK of five million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from a 'finishing plant' run by the Dutch firm Halix in March 2021.

At the time, Brussels was in dispute with the Anglo-Swedish biotech giant, which had warned production problems meant it could only deliver a quarter of planned supplies to the EU. AstraZeneca refused to divert supplies from UK plants and Brussels responded by threatening to ban exports from its own territory.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the measure was about 'making sure that Europe gets its fair share'.

Mr Johnson was only dissuaded from retaliatory action after officials warned it could jeopardise the supply of an even larger batch of Pfizer vaccines being manufactured elsewhere in the EU. British officials were able to replace most of the Dutch vaccines with supplies from India, allowing the rollout in the UK to continue.

In his evidence this week, Mr Johnson is also expected to reference a separate episode in which the Commission threatened to impose border controls on the island of Ireland to prevent vaccines produced in the EU being sent to Northern Ireland.

The EU's approach led to what sources describe as a 'breakdown' in relations. Mr Johnson is said to have had a 'furious' call with French president Emmanuel Macron, who was suspected of encouraging the EU's hardline stance, and an 'even worse' one with Ms Von der Leyen.

In his evidence, Mr Johnson will cite the UK's vaccine rollout programme as evidence that the British Government 'got the big calls right' during the pandemic.

The UK was the first country in the world to license a Covid vaccine, and had one of the fastest rollouts. The former PM is expected to apologise for mistakes made by the Government during the pandemic but stress that in many areas the UK did well, such as opening up society rapidly after the final lockdown.

Among other things, he will acknowledge the huge pain caused by the shocking death toll, but point out that the UK ended up 'in the middle of the pack' for excess death rates.

(12-04-2023, 09:02 PM)EndtheMadnessNow Wrote: The Daily Funnies...Plot for the next Seth Rogan film here.

Quote:UK hacked by Russia: Moscow led ‘sustained’ cyber attack 'from shadows' on Britain
- ambassador summoned

'Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) led a “sustained” hacking campaign against British
politicians and political processes, the government announced this morning. Victims, who have
been told but aren’t being named, include a large number of high-profile MPs from several
political parties. It is understood the politicians also had their personal email accounts hacked.

Docherty told the House of Commons this morning that Russia’s ambassador had been summoned.
He added that two individuals – including a serving Russian spy – were being sanctioned by the
British government.

A hacking group dubbed "Cold River" by cybersecurity researchers was working on behalf of Russia's
Federal Security Service (FSB). Doherty said that Russia wanted to influence from “the shadows” and
had targeted politicians, journalists and civil servants.

The FCDO minister said that state-aligned Russian groups, including one called Star Blizzard, had
targeted high profile individuals. There were attempts to compromise email addresses across the
public sector.

Doherty said that a group called Star Blizzard was behind the 2018 hack of Institute for Statecraft and
later targeted its leadership, leaking documents soon after. He said the cyber attack targeting was a
“clear pattern of behaviour” by Russia and that the government would hold those responsible accountable.

Impersonation attempts have been made to compromise email accounts in the public sector and wider
civil society, Foreign Office minister Docherty told the Commons. He went on to say that “false accounts”
had been created “impersonating contacts to appear legitimate” and create a “believable approach
seeking to build a rapport before delivering a malicious link”.

He added: “The targeting of this group is not limited to politicians but public-facing figures and institutions
of all types. We have seen impersonation and attempts to compromise email accounts the public sector,
universities, media, NGOs and wider civil society. “Many of these individuals and organisations play a
vital role in our democracy.

“As an example the group was responsible for the 2018 hack of the Institute for Statecraft, a UK think
tank whose work included initiatives to defend democracy against disinformation, and the more recent
hack of its founder.” He added: “The Government’s assessment is based on extensive analysis from the
UK intelligence community and supported by a range of close international partners.”

The announcement comes just days after Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden urged Britons to buy
torches, candles and first aid kits to prepare for power cuts and cyber attacks. He added that Britain
must retain “analogue” capabilities in the digital age amid threats to critical national infrastructure
from hostile state actors.

The National Cyber Security Centre warned last month of an enduring and significant threat posed by
states and state-aligned groups to the national assets that the UK relies on for the everyday functioning
of society.

Philip Ingram, a former senior military intelligence officer, told GB News he was “unsurprised” by the
news of the attack but said Britain needed to be vigilant of the “real” threat ahead of a likely upcoming
general election. “The Russians are actively and constantly targeting people and organisations across
the UK on a daily basis and will continue to do so.” He warned that Moscow “will also be trying to
compromise individuals through the use of human intelligence assets as well.”...'

(12-07-2023, 04:21 PM)BIAD Wrote:

(12-04-2023, 09:02 PM)EndtheMadnessNow Wrote: The Daily Funnies...Plot for the next Seth Rogan film here.

(12-07-2023, 06:18 PM)Snarl Wrote: The Five Eyes have yet to find a Red Line they won't cross.

Quote:Paedophile who posed as model scout to blackmail girls into sending abuse images jailed

Ishmael Duncan contacted more than 10,000 children on Snapchat, investigators believe

'A south London paedophile who posed as a talent scout to blackmail young girls across the
globe into sending abuse images has been jailed for eighteen years. Ishamel Duncan used
Snapchat to coerce children across the UK, US, Canada and Australia into sending explicit
photographs of themselves.

He was convicted at Inner London Crown Court of 50 child sex abuse and blackmail offences
in relation to 28 female victims and was sentenced on Thursday. Investigators believe the
24-year-old, formerly of Lambeth’s Walnut Tree Walk, contacted around 10,000 children
on Snapchat.

The court heard how the predator approached victims with fake offers to work as models for
well-known fashion brands, building up their trust with forged contracts and interviews. He
then demanded topless photos on the pretext of assessing victims’ body shapes, telling girls
who challenged this that they would be "blacklisted" from the industry if they didn’t comply.


(Above)  Ishmael Duncan. A forged contract used by Ishmael Duncan to build trust with his victims.
A blackmail message sent by Duncan to his victims.

Duncan assigned himself different fake personas and accounts to target the children, including
an account belonging to ‘Callum’, who he said was a photographer, and ‘Mark’, who he said
was the manager of the “preteen models division”.

He used accounts threatening to “expose” the images on social media unless his demands for
more photos were met. Alongside this, he targeted other children by claiming to be a teenage
boy, requesting sexual videos.

In one case, he blackmailed a 14-year-old girl with learning difficulties, offering her $1,000
(£795) to engage in a sex act with her brother. Duncan was caught after the family of two
sisters he had threatened in the United States reported him to police. Investigators who
raided his London home found 19,120 indecent images of children on his devices.

In police interviews, Duncan refused to answer questions about his sick pattern of offending.
In a statement to the court, one of his victims said the abuse, which began when she was just
11, had left her afraid to leave the house.

“Because of what you did to me, I isolated myself from my family and friends for months
because I was disgusted with myself,” she said.  “Although I now know deep down that
none of this was my fault, I still cannot help blaming myself and feeling some guilt.
“You have made me suffer for four years and I feel that what you did to me will stay
with me forever.”

Martin Ludlow, of the National Crime Agency, said the predator’s offending was “systematic,
manipulative and heartless". “He cruelly exploited young girls who had aspirations of becoming
models, purely for his own sexual gratification,” he said. “I would like to commend the bravery
of all of these young victims for coming forward to help bring Duncan to justice today.”

Alongside the jail sentence, Duncan was also handed an additional six years on extended
licence...'

Quote:Surgeons at one London hospital are performing an entire week’s operations in a single day as part of a ground-breaking initiative that could help tackle the record waiting lists in the NHS.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust has already slashed its own elective backlog in certain
specialties by running monthly HIT (High Intensity Theatre) lists at weekends.

Under the innovative model, two operating theatres run side by side and as soon as one procedure is
finished the next patient is already under anaesthetic and ready to be wheeled in.

Nurses are on standby to sterilise the operating theatre and instead of taking 40 minutes between cases it takes less than two, the only delay is the 30 second it takes for the anti-bacterial cleaning fluid to work.

Kariem El-Boghdadly, the consultant anaesthetist who designed the programme with his colleague Imran Ahmad, compares it to a Formula One pit stop. “They’ve got one person doing the rear right wheel, one person doing the front left wheel. It’s the same thing. The operating theatre is effectively like that.”

The lead consultant surgeon “is bouncing from one theatre to the next doing the critical phase of the
operation” with more junior surgeons assisting, he added.

At St Thomas’ hospital on Saturday, a third of the gynaecological oncology backlog was cleared in a morning during the latest HIT list. The surgical team got through 21 operations on 20 patients and finished by lunchtime. Normally they would do six such procedures and be working all day. All the operations were diagnostic, to find out whether the patients had signs of cancer.

There were two teams of theatre staff on duty, including six surgeons, four anaesthetists and 18 nurses. By 10am the surgical team were on their 13th operation. One patient had already gone home, two more were in surgery and another couple were being prepared in the anaesthetic room. “We’re flying through,” said Ahmad, the consultant anaesthetist. “We’re not rushing, we’re being efficient.”

Under the HIT list model, patients are processed in parallel rather than one after another. “The anaesthetic happens while another patient is being operated on, and as soon as patient number one is done and leaves the operating room, the second patient has come in the operating room already anaesthetised,” El-Boghdadly said.

“We delete any downtime. We get rid of any time that the operating theatre does not have a
patient in it being operated on.”

He insisted no corners were cut that might put patients at risk. “It’s all completely safe but what we’ve found with these novel models is that we can be far more efficient. In a day we’ll do two to three times more cases than we would routinely.”

Gautam Mehra, the consultant surgeon, said: “It’s very satisfying. you are able to do a lot in a short period without wasting any time. The productivity is really great. The patients are happy and there’s a lot of planning that goes on to remove any stress. It’s quite slick on the day without compromising patient safety.”

For patients who do turn out to have cancer, early diagnosis could be critical and allow them to get treatment more quickly, he added.

In August, the same method was used to operate on three months’ worth of breast cancer patients in five days. Plastic surgeons at St Thomas’ carried out reconstructive surgery on 22 patients. Many had been on the waiting list for over a year. On another occasion, eight men with prostate cancer underwent a robotic-assisted prostatectomy as the team carried out a week’s worth of operations in one day.

El-Boghdadly said the programme had been successful with many different types of surgery. “We’ve
substantially reduced our waiting lists in various specialities. Normally, you’d do three knee replacements in a day, potentially, four if you’re lucky and with the HIT model, we did 12 a day, and we finished early. We’re always finishing early, because the model is so efficient.”

Ahmad said the HIT list model could have a dramatic impact on the national elective backlog if rolled out more widely. “Every time we do one of these HIT lists I’m amazed how efficient it is,” he said. He has discussed the approach with officials at NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has also expressed an interest.

There are almost 7.8 million cases on the waiting list for planned operations, following the pandemic and industrial action by doctors.

Quote:'A female penguin with leucism from the Gentoo species has been filmed at a base in Antarctica.
White penguins are rare because leucism is a recessive gene, and they may be more vulnerable
to predators due to being more easily seen...'

Quote:Police left children at mercy of grooming gangs in Rochdale, report says



'Girls were "left at the mercy" of paedophile grooming gangs for years because of failings by senior
police and council bosses, a report has said. The review covers 2004 to 2013 and sets out a series
of failed investigations by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

It also highlights the apparent local authority indifference to the plight of hundreds of youngsters
identified as potential victims of Asian men. GMP has apologised and said such cases were handled
very differently now.

However, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said the review showed the victims involved had
been "badly failed". He also praised whistleblowers, including health worker Sara Rowbotham and
former GMP detective Maggie Oliver, who raised concerns despite facing vocal criticism from authorities.

*Grooming gangs and ethnicity

Mr Burnham commissioned a series of independent reviews after he became mayor in 2017, following
the BBC documentary The Betrayed Girls, which highlighted repeated failures to protect children in the
region.


Andy Burnham.

One child victim, known as Amber, gave "significant evidence", but the crimes were not recorded by GMP
and perpetrators were potentially left to continue their abuse of other children, the report found. She was
even described as a co-conspirator in the sexual exploitation of other children in one trial without her
knowledge - an allegation which she always denied and was unable to defend herself against.

The review, which focuses on 111 cases in Rochdale from 2004 to 2013, also concluded:
*Compelling evidence of widespread organised sexual exploitation of children
*Statutory agencies failed to respond appropriately
*The threat of child sexual exploitation was not addressed between 2004 and 2007
*The probability that at least 74 children were being sexually exploited - and in 48 of those
cases there were serious failures to protect the child
*Child sex exploitation (CSE) was a low priority and under-resourced by GMP

It also found local child sex exploitation (CSE) concerns raised by Ms Rowbotham and Ms Oliver, both
of whom were initially criticised, were "substantiated".

'Lone voices'
The review's author Malcolm Newsam said: "During the period covered by this review, GMP and Rochdale
Council failed to prioritise the protection of children who were being sexually exploited by a significant
number of men within the Rochdale area.

"For several years, Sara Rowbotham and her colleagues were lone voices in raising concerns about the
sexual exploitation and abuse of these children." He said successive police operations during the period
were "insufficiently resourced". Consequently he said children were "left at risk and many of their abusers
to this day have not been apprehended".


Maggie Oliver.

Mr Burnham described the results of the review as "distressing".

Addressing the victims, he said: "We are sorry that you were so badly failed by the system that should
have protected you." Responding to the review, he added: "It is only by facing up fully and unflinchingly
to what happened that we can be sure of bringing the whole system culture change needed when it
comes to protecting children from abuse."

Rochdale grooming: How another gang went under the radar
Five men convicted of historical child sex offences
Abused women receive police damages

Leaders at Rochdale Council and GMP repeated previous apologies, with council leader Neil Emmott
saying: "I want to reassure the public that those responsible are gone and long gone. "Rochdale was
already investigating these historical cases when the mayor's review began in 2017 and a number are
still ongoing, and we want to ensure the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice."

Children 'criminalised'
The report's authors highlighted that a "significant number of successful convictions" had been made in
recent years. However these related to only 13 of the 74 children believed to have been sexually exploited,
which they described as a "very small proportion".

GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson said the handling of CSE across Greater Manchester had been
"overhauled since the early-2000s to ensure that victims and survivors are cared for and receive the
expected level of service".

Speaking to BBC North West Tonight, Maggie Oliver said the review "goes further than I had hoped".
"My only criticism of it is that the terms of reference meant they were only allowed to look at what
happened up to 2013." She said agencies had "failed generations of children". "They've criminalised
them, they've blamed them, they have ignored them, they have failed to prosecute their abusers
adequately," she added. "The numbers in this report are shocking."

*2007 - Sara Rowbotham and her team alerted GMP and Rochdale Council about a gang of men
of Pakistani and Afghan heritage engaged in CSE, who also used children for their illegal drug deals.
*"GMP and Rochdale Council chose not to progress any investigation into these men", according to
the review.
*2008 - a girl who was arrested on suspicion of damaging a takeaway said she had been
raped and sexually assaulted by its staff.
*An investigation failed to bring any charges but identified widespread CSE by at least 30 adults.
Another child gave evidence about sexual abuse at the same venues, but the detective responsible
failed to focus on her account and there was insufficient effort to identify the rapist.
*2010 - Matters were reinvestigated, leading two years later to the prominent conviction of nine men
*2012 - Both the CPS and GMP apologised for their failures after the conviction.
*2023 - Five men were jailed for sexually exploiting two teenage girls between 2002 and 2006.
*2025 - Another 29 suspects are scheduled to go on trial.

Monday's review disagreed with GMP's description in 2012 of the investigation at the time being
"comprehensive and effective, mitigating threat risk and harm". It said the case was "a relatively
limited offender-focused investigation that primarily addressed a small number of perpetrators
who had not been prosecuted following the earlier disclosures in 2008".

The review also highlighted that Ms Rowbotham and her team were "explicitly criticised" for not
following child protection procedures and for not communicating appropriately with other agencies
in two serious case reviews by Rochdale Local Safeguarding Children's Board in 2013.

The serious case reviews focussed on different agencies' roles with regard to seven children in all
who were subject to serious and prolonged child sexual exploitation. However, more than a year
before the publication of those two reports, the multi-agency CSE group, chaired by GMP, were
made aware of 127 potential victims referred by Ms Rowbotham's team that had not been acted
upon.

Three months before the reviews were published in December 2013, the list had grown to 260
potential victims. Mr Newsam said that Ms Rowbotham was "unfairly criticised" by both serious
case reviews...'

Quote:Conservationists are trying to help prevent migrating toads from being squashed by traffic.

Experts want a road in Warminster to be closed for a month every spring to save dozens of toads.

Warminster Town Council is looking at cheaper options, including installing a fence which directs toads into buckets.

Councillor Steve Jefferies said they want to understand the costs before a decision is made. Conservationists say closing the road is the only option.

Mr Jefferies said organising the road closure could cost £5,000 and a further £10-£12,000 for signs and diversions.

He said the council is also considering using steel barriers to physically close the road.


Every year, dozens of toads are killed while making their way across Smallbrook Road to their breeding ponds.

Conservation group Sustainable Warminster say there has been a rapid decline in the toad population, especially amongst females.

The council is considering installing a plastic fence which would have gaps where the toads would fall into buckets to be collected by volunteers.

But Ms James said the method is problematic for several reasons.

"If a female toad falls into a bucket, the male toads can come piling in and [the females] drown because they get overwhelmed by male toads," she said.

"If the temperature changes then the toads don't always move. If it was below freezing and if they were stuck in the buckets then they could actually die."



Ms James also explained that the fence would not cover the whole route, which could result in toads getting killed anyway.

Councillor Steve Jefferies, from Warminster Town Council, said the council are still weighing up their options.

"We like toads as well and we recognise that something needs to be done," said Mr Jefferies.

Results from a recent public consultation showed that 80% of people who responded wanted to see the road closed, he said.

But the council are still considering the viability of road closures and diversions.

Ms James said their group would be prepared to look for grant funding so that the total cost wouldn't fall on the tax payer.

A decision will be made at Warminster Town Council's next full council meeting on 25 March.

The final decision will be decided by Wiltshire Council.