Quote:Driver charged with threatening the president after crashing U-Haul truck into White House barriers



'A man faces several charges related to threatening the president Tuesday after authorities say he
crashed a U-Haul truck into security barriers near the White House late Monday.

Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, was charged with threatening to kill, kidnap or
inflict harm on a president, vice president or family member; assault with a dangerous weapon;
reckless operation of a motor vehicle; destruction of federal property; and trespassing, according
to U.S. Park Police.

The U.S. Secret Service detained him shortly before 10 p.m. Monday after the truck collided with
security barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square, said Anthony Guglielmi, Secret Service chief
of communications, in a Twitter statement late Monday. At the time he said the driver may have
intentionally struck the security barriers.

There were no injuries or ongoing danger, Guglielmi said.

Meanwhile, a Nazi flag was seized by authorities at the scene of the crash, according to Reuters,
which cited witnesses and its own photographer on the scene. Reuters published an image of a
red Nazi flag with a swastika laid out on the floor by the U-Haul truck, along with other pieces of
evidence the news agency said was seized by authorities.

Secret Service and Park Police have not confirmed whether the flag was found on scene.
Roadways and pedestrian walkways were temporarily closed as law enforcement investigated
the crash...'

Quote:Man arrested after car crashes into Downing Street gates

'A man has been arrested after a car crashed into the Downing Street gates.
The Met Police said he was held on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving, but the
incident is not being treated as terror related.


Back to MI5.

One witness said he saw officers pointing Tasers at a man, who was held "face to the floor" as he was
detained. No one was injured in the incident. No 10 has confirmed Rishi Sunak was in Downing Street
at the time. The area in Whitehall, the main road which runs through the heart of several government
offices, was partially evacuated following the incident at 16:20 BST.

The road has since reopened to traffic and the police cordon has been removed. At 19:45 BST the car was
loaded onto a police recovery vehicle and removed from the scene. Officers had been seen searching the
vehicle and removing a mobile phone in an evidence bag. A forensics officer was seen inspecting the car,
and sniffer dogs were also spotted at the scene.

Witness Simon Parry, 44, said he heard a "bang" and saw police pointing Tasers at a man. "A lot of police
vehicles came very quickly and were very quick to evacuate the area," he told PA news agency. Describing
the mood on Whitehall in the aftermath of the incident, Mr Parry said: "We saw people that were in a panic
running away and we saw people who were excited."

Another witness, Matthew Torbitt, 32, said he heard a loud bang and was stopped on Whitehall after police
locked down the area. Footage of the incident shows the car, a 2009 silver Kia registered in London, slowing
down as it approaches the main entrance to Downing Street. It was picked up on a BBC camera driving directly
towards the main gates, crossing two lanes from the southbound side of Whitehall and heading in the direction
of Downing Street.

The entrance to the street is staffed around the clock by armed and unarmed police officers but is accessible
by road via Whitehall. The PM and the chancellor were in Downing Street at the time of the crash. Mr Sunak
has since left for a scheduled visit.

Reporting from the scene, BBC political correspondent Helen Catt said there appeared to be little damage to
the gate and Whitehall was "pretty much back to normal", with people going in and out of Downing Street by
foot as normal.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who was caught up in the 2017 Westminster terror attack, said the incident
was a reminder of the delicate balance between the rights of public access around significant buildings and
security measures. He told BBC News that Westminster feels safer following the security overhaul which was
triggered by the 2017 attack, but said he still has "huge concerns"

"We embrace this idea that we can open up our places of interest, particularly something as iconic as the heart
of our democracy, but ultimately there is a duty of care to those who live and work in the Westminster area, not
least around No 10," he added.

Frank Gardner, the BBC's security correspondent, said police have spent years preparing rapid response measures
for potentially dangerous incidents in central London following high profile attacks around the world. He said any
security alert near an iconic landmark will inevitably trigger a large response, and pointed out that Downing Street
has been a target in the past. In 1991, members of the Provisional IRA fired homemade mortar shells at No 10,
injuring four people...'

(05-26-2023, 11:10 AM)BIAD Wrote: 22nd May 2023.



Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, was charged with threatening to kill, kidnap or
inflict harm on a president, vice president or family member; assault with a dangerous weapon;
reckless operation of a motor vehicle; destruction of federal property; and trespassing, according
to U.S. Park Police.

....

Meanwhile, a Nazi flag was seized by authorities at the scene of the crash, according to Reuters,
which cited witnesses and its own photographer on the scene. Reuters published an image of a
red Nazi flag with a swastika laid out on the floor by the U-Haul truck, along with other pieces of
evidence the news agency said was seized by authorities.

...

USA Today:

(USA Today failed to mention that Sai Varshith Kandula is an illegal immigrant)

(05-28-2023, 08:37 PM)Ninurta Wrote: So, lemme get this straight: An ILLEGAL ALIEN named  Sai Varshith Kandula was alleged to be carrying a Nazi flag during an assault?

Does anyone else see any conflict or discrepancy there, or is it just me? It really doesn't sound all that Aryan to me...

Quote:White House U-Haul ramming suspect Sai Kandula jailed until next week, charges downgraded

"The alleged neo-Nazi accused of ramming a rented U-Haul truck into White House security barriers
will be held in federal jail pending a detention hearing next week, according to reports.

Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, appeared in a Washington, DC, federal court Wednesday, where Magistrate
Judge Robin M. Meriweather ordered he be jailed until a hearing next Tuesday, CBS News reported.

Kandula, from Missouri, slammed the box truck into barriers along Lafayette Square just steps from
the White House late Monday, US Park Police officials said. He had allegedly planned the attack for
six months, with his goal to “get to the White House, seize power, and be put in charge of the nation,”
records show.

Kandula was accused of threatening to “Kill the President If that’s what I have to do,” and praised
Nazism and Hitler. He was originally charged with threatening to kill, kidnap or inflict harm on a
president, vice president or family member, as well as assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless
operation of a motor vehicle, trespassing and destruction of federal property, US Park Police said.

His federal charges have since been downgraded to a single count of depredation of property of the
United States in excess of $1,000. Prosecutors told the court Kandula is not a US citizen, according
to Fox News.

Kandula, a self-described unemployed data analyst, was taken into custody after ramming the barriers
with his vehicle just before 10 p.m. Monday, officials said. He struck the barriers once before reversing
the box truck and launching forward again, ramming the structures a second time, according to a
statement of facts released Tuesday.

He then allegedly hopped out of the driver’s seat and went to the back of the smoking truck.
“The officer watched as KANDULA removed a red and white flag with a Nazi Swastika in the center
from a black backpack he was carrying,” the document states.

No one was injured in the crash and no explosives were found inside the vehicle. Kandula later told
federal agents he took a one-way flight from St. Louis to Washington, DC, and arrived around 8 p.m.,
court papers state. He then allegedly rented a U-Haul box truck and “drove directly to the White House.”

He allegedly said his goal was to “get to the White House, seize power, and be put in charge of the nation.”
When asked how, he responded he would “Kill the President if that’s what I have to do and would hurt
anyone that would stand in my way,” according to court documents.

Despite being stopped by the security barrier, Kandula told investigators he was successful because he
had hoped to send a message, court documents state. “KANDULA stated a message was meant to be
sent to all organizations like the Secret Service,” the document goes on. “KANDULA added, ‘either way,
whether I got into the White House or not, my message was received.’”

He allegedly said he knew he would get arrested, but his “book” would get to “those who needed to see it.”
The book was a “green book” in which he had written “his plans to enter the White House, and what he
would accomplish if he was in charge,” the filing states.

Kandula allegedly went on to praise Nazism for its “great history” and their “authoritarian nature, Eugenics,
and their one world order.” “When asked if he looks up to any leaders,” the document states, “KANDULA
answered ‘Hitler, because he was a strong leader.’”

Aniket Sharma, who attended high school with Kandula, told The Post he worried about his former
classmate’s state of mind in light of the allegations. “I couldn’t believe it for the first 10 — five, 10 minutes …
never expected him to be doing something like this. I never thought a day like this would come.”

Federal agents descended upon Kandula’s Chesterfield home Tuesday, when investigators were seen
entering with evidence bags and equipment, FOX 2 reported...'

Quote:Who is U-Haul driver Sai Varshith Kandula? Everything we know about teen who 'wanted to kill' Joe Biden

*Kandula was arrested after 'intentionally' crashing U-Haul box truck into barriers
*Incident took place on May 22, 2023 outside Lafayette Park, Washington D.C.

'Sai Varshith Kandula was arrested after 'intentionally' crashing a U-Haul box truck into barriers outside Lafayette
Park in Washington D.C. at around 9.40pm on May 22, 2023 according to US Park Police and US Secret Service.

He was attempting to 'get to the White House, seize power, and be put in charge of the nation,' and he said
he would 'kill the president, if that's what I have to do,' charges state.

Who is Sai Varshith Kandula?
Sai Varshith Kandula, from the St Louis suburb of Chesterfield, Missouri, graduated from Marquette Senior
High School in 2022, according to the Rockwood School District.

A LinkedIn profile that appears to fit that description shows that he was interested in a career in data analytics,
with experience and certification in coding languages and programming.  Kandula rented the U-Haul truck in
Herndon, Virginia, and had a valid contract in his own name, the company said.

People can rent a truck from U-Haul at the age of 18 and there were no red flags on his rental record that would
have prevented the contract, according to U-Haul. The incident was part of a six-month plan to 'seize power' from
the government, authorities said.

The US Secret Service monitors hundreds of people who have made threats to the president, but it is unclear
whether Kandula was on their radar at all or if he had threatened the president before, which would lead to the
Secret Service's involvement.

What did Sai Varshith Kandula do near the White House?
Sai Varshith Kandula, who was 19 at the time of the incident, was arrested after 'intentionally' smashing a
U-Haul box truck into barriers outside Lafayette Park in Washington D.C.

The crash occurred at roughly 9.40pm on 22 May, 2023 according to US Park Police and US Secret Service.
The incident took place across the street from the Hay-Adams hotel and St. John's Episcopal Church, two of
Washington's historic sites. A Nazi flag was pictured on the ground next to the U-Haul.

Kandula removed a flag from a backpack shortly after crashing the box truck, according to charging documents.
He was quickly arrested by a US Park Police officer who hurried over to the scene of the crash and witnessed him
take out the flag.

Kandula later told Secret Service agents that he had flown from St. Louis on a one-way ticket that night after
months of planning. He wanted to 'get to the White House, seize power, and be put in charge of the nation,'
and he said he would 'kill the president, if that's what I have to do,' charges state.

Kandula said he bought the flag online because he is an admirer of the Nazis' 'great history' as well as their
'authoritarian nature, eugenics, and their one world order'.  No one was hurt in the crash and no weapons or
explosives were discovered in the truck or on Kandula.

President Joe Biden's exact location at the time of the crash was unclear.
He had met with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy at the White House earlier on
Monday evening. Biden was briefed on the incident the next morning by the Secret Service and Park Police,
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

'He's relieved that no one was injured last night,' she said.
Some roads and walkways around Lafayette Square were temporarily closed as the scene was inspected, and
The Hay Adams Hotel was evacuated.

In a statement, US Park Police told DailyMail.com: 'United States Park Police and United States Secret Service
Uniform Division officers responded to the 1600 block of H Street NW for a truck that the preliminary investigation
indicates intentionally crashed into the bollards on the outside of Lafayette Park.

'The driver of the vehicle was identified as Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri. Kandula was
arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, threatening
to kill / kidnap / inflict harm on a president, vice president, or family member, destruction of federal property,
and trespassing.'

What has Sai Varshith Kandula been charged with?
Kandula was arrested on multiple charges and prosecutors charged him with damaging US property.

He was charged with threatening to kill, kidnap or inflict harm on the president, vice president or their family
members after allegedly smashing a truck into bollards outside a park near the White House.
He has also been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and reckless operation of a motor vehicle.

What happens to Sai Varshith Kandula now?
Kandula was charged with 18 U.S. Code § 879 - threats against former Presidents and certain other persons
protected by the Secret Service. It is punishable by up to five years in prison...'

Quote:Killer Whales Toss Yacht Around Like 'Rag Doll' In 20th Orca Attack In A Month

The waters around the Straight of Gibraltar have been the site of dozens of attacks.



A sailor is currently stranded on the island of Gibraltar after a pod of five orcas attacked his yacht, disabling both rudders and treating the disabled boat like a plaything in the water. The attack is the most recent in a string of incidents with no clear cause.


British sailor Iain Hamilton told BBC 4 about the attack 20 miles west off the coast of the British territory. He said a pod of five animals began ramming into the boat. From Insider:

Quote:“There was a very large whale pushing along the back of the boat, trying to bite the rudder,” he told BBC Radio 4, adding that the big orca, along with four smaller killer whales, repeatedly bumped against the yacht.

“Then one of them managed to take off the rudder,” he said.

Hamilton said it was “quite concerning” to be left with only one rudder, but the situation turned from bad to worse when the second rudder was torn off.

“We had no mechanism for steering the boat,” he said. Hamilton added that the orcas “pushed us around like a rag doll.”

The sailor told Radio 4 that he felt as though the orcas were being “almost playful” rather than aggressive, adding that they would have had the strength to destroy his yacht quickly if they wished to.

Experts are not sure what is causing orcas to attack yachts, however its theorized that an older orca, dubbed White Gladis by researchers, was traumatized by illegal fishing vessels and is now teaching younger orcas to attack the ships around the Iberian Peninsula. Some ships have been merely disabled, but the orcas have managed to sink a few. There have been at least 200 interactions on yachts in the waters surrounding Spain, Portugal and Morocco since 2020. Though these interactions aren’t necessarily attacks, they do speak to an increasing curiosity of orcas around sailing vessels.

Quote:LUCKY ESCAPE I looked killer whale White Gladis in the eye as she tried to sink my boat – now I know exactly why she’s on the rampage

    Published: 17:12 ET, Jun 7 2023  Updated: 4:07 ET, Jun 8 2023

SAILING serenely towards Gibraltar on calm waters, skipper Ian Hamilton was thinking about his first pint in nine days when he saw a fin in the water and felt a thump from behind.

Chasing his 50ft-long yacht was a group of four killer whales that has been apparently attacking seafarers for at least three years.



Ian, from Edinburgh, had plotted a course away from the coastline in order to avoid this notorious pod.
But there was no escape.

Switching on the engines to speed away only riled the orcas, and trying to steer away from danger almost ended up with him being knocked into the Mediterranean.

Ian tells The Sun: “I stupidly tried to steer initially when I heard them hit. I held the wheel and tried to keep control of the boat, but they pushed the rudder, and that moved the wheel ­violently.

“I got heaved off the wheel, and the power that came through flung me in the boat.

“If they had flicked it the other way, I could easily have been in the water. That was the scariest moment.

“While these animals are magnificent, I wouldn’t fancy swimming with them in case they weren’t in a playful mood.”

During the 90-minute ordeal last Friday, the four orcas ripped both rudders from Ian’s vessel and proceeded to spin the 21-ton boat around like a child’s toy.

‘Any minute they could have bashed through’

He believes the assault on his boat, the Butey Of The Clyde, was being co-ordinated by a 25ft-long mother orca, named White Gladis by those who’ve encountered her displeasure.

Ian felt the highly intelligent predators, which have never killed humans in the wild, were staring back at him as they approached.

He recalls: “At one point they went under the water and I thought, have they left?

“Then they appeared about 100 metres away, all in a line.

“They slowly cruised in a slow row towards us and I thought, are they going to ram us now?

“These animals are hugely intelligent. If you look at them, it kind of spooks you.

“It’s like they are looking at you straight back.

“I felt at any minute they could have bashed through and the boat would have sunk.”

It is believed that since 2020 more than 500 boats have been damaged by orcas off the coast of Spain and Portugal — with three being sunk.

And it is not just one rogue pod. There are three groups, one in the Strait of Gibraltar and two to the north and south of Portugal, all displaying similarly strange behaviour.

But thanks to coastguards, no one has yet perished.

In May, a Swiss yacht was holed by orcas in the Strait, while in November a French vessel sank after being struck close to Viana do Castelo in northern Portugal.

Last August, the huge creatures smashed the hull of a tourist boat six miles from the port of Sines, further south along the Portuguese coast.

The mystery is why orcas, who normally give humans a wide berth, are now ramming sailing vessels.

A team of researchers is monitoring the pods to figure out the reason for their terrifying behaviour.

No one is sure whether the killer whales, which are known to hunt great white sharks, are attacking the boats or merely playing with them.

Danny Groves, from charity Whale And Dolphin Conservation, says: “Despite them being described as attacks, it is not clear what is behind these interactions, and what these orcas are doing remains baffling.

“But we do know they are super-smart, and incredibly socially and behaviourally complex.”

Some believe the orcas, which belong to the dolphin family, are taking revenge on humans for taking too many of the fish they eat.

British sailor Alan Bruce, who was rammed by killer whales in Gibraltar in August 2021, said: “We’ve been over-fishing their waters, and now it’s payback time.”

One scientist speculated that White Gladis could be acting as a result of a previous troubling incident.

Alfredo Lopez Fernandez, a biologist from the Orca Atlantic Working Group which is studying the encounters, said:

“That traumatised orca is the one that started this behaviour of physical contact with the boat.”

But so far the only time an orca has killed a human is when they have been held in captivity.

Ten years ago, documentary film Blackfish suggested that at least four people have been killed by whales which became unhinged by being trapped in pools for tourism.

But Ian does not think the orcas wanted him for lunch. He explains: “I genuinely don’t think they were attacking — I think they were playing.

“When they took the rudders off, they started spinning the boat around, so they put one animal at the front and the other at the stern and they turned us around like a plaything.”

The experienced sailor, who has seen orcas before in Scotland, knows that if the animals wanted to sink his boat they could have done so.

Instead, Ian wonders if the mother was teaching her young. He says: “With the amount of coordination, she was almost training the youngsters.”

....
Ian’s prized boat is now in a small port on the Spanish coast waiting to have its rudders repaired, having been towed in by the coastguard.

The morning after coming face to face with the powerful pod, a catamaran was hauled in having ­suffered a similar fate.

Ian says: “We came across three other boats in this small marina that had been attacked.”

He is still planning to go ahead with his party in Barcelona, and the repair bill will be paid by insurance.

Quote:TV-am legend Anne Diamond reveals she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and
undergone a mastectomy as she describes 'a hell of a journey'

She got the diagnosis the same day she learned she was to be awarded an OBE

'The 68-year-old fought back tears as she confirmed she was battling the disease in an interview on
GB News last night. Speaking to Dan Wootton on the channel, she recalled how she was given the
news by doctors on the same day she was awarded an OBE and said it had been 'a hell of a journey'.

Anne, who works for GB News, has been off air for almost six months and is still undergoing 'tough'
treatment for the illness, including radiotherapy. Despite this she is set to return to work on Saturday
to host Breakfast with Stephen Dixon...'

'...Anne said: 'It was a wonderful moment [being told about the OBE] and that was [at] 9.30 in the morning.
'But I knew then, because I'd already seen my GP, that I had to go to a breast cancer screening thing later
in the morning. I thought I would just go for a mammogram, and a couple of tests and I'd be free in an hour.

'I spent the entire morning at my local hospital where they did everything, biopsies, X-rays, CT scans, a
couple of mammograms, everything, and by lunchtime I was still there.  'And a lovely lady came with a
lanyard around her neck that said MacMillan Cancer Care and I knew then it was serious.'

The mother-of-five revealed she is still undergoing 'tough' treatment after taking months off work to focus
on fighting cancer. She added: 'I don't have any advice for people because I'm still going through it. But I'm
well enough to return to work. I had the full works, the full mastectomy. 'God, this is the first time I've talked
about it, so it's quite difficult but I've had the full works. The first operation I had was nine hours long...'

(06-09-2023, 12:24 PM)BIAD Wrote: In the early 1980s, the media told me I was living in a dying country. Wikipedia relates that:
"...Inflation was about 10% and some 1.5 million people were unemployed, compared to some 1 million in 1974,
580,000 in 1970 and just over 300,000 in 1964..."

I managed to get a job where my father worked -a newspaper company, and with my ear closer to the drumbeats
of communication would ensure that I'd be able to gauge the destruction of the place I was born. The UK slowly
got back on its feet and unemployment became a word that faded away from the mainstream media's lexicon.

.........................................................

April 2023.
UK Parliament Library:

"The unadjusted claimant count was 1.57 million in April 2023, which was 46,700 more than the month before and
342,000 more than in March 2020. Following the start of the pandemic, the claimant count more than doubled
while the rise in unemployment was much smaller...'


Jan 2023.
The Guardian:

"Unemployment in the UK could be three times higher than shown by official government figures, according to
a report exposing a stark north-south divide in the number of people out of work because of long-term sickness..."

"...The study found that more than 3 million people are missing from the headline unemployment rate because
they report themselves as economically inactive to government labour force surveys..."

"...Almost 9 million people in the UK are classified as “economically inactive” in official labour market estimates,
including students, adults with caring responsibilities, people in retirement, and those experiencing ill health..."


If the sky was falling in because of a percentage of a nation was out of work forty years-ago, how can it be that
same country that is accused of not breeding have the same amount unemployed and the media fail to renew
their panic narrative?!

Words and the arrangement of them have created a false reality and the annoying dilemma of the Press is that
when an alternative reality begins to erode, they must mould the narrative with a positive tone to calm those
with memories.

Quote:Concern over Loch Ness low water levels amid UK dry spell
Fishery board reports shrinkage in size of River Ness as water scarcity alert issued for parts of Scotland



'Concern has been raised about the water levels of Loch Ness and the River Ness amid the protracted dry spell
affecting Scotland and the rest of the UK. Brian Shaw, the director of Ness District Salmon Fishery Board, said
there had been a dramatic shrinkage in the size of the River Ness. He told the BBC: “These conditions are not
normally good for angling.

“We’re so early in the year – we’re early summer – and already twice this year the River Ness has got to its
lowest level at that particular time of year on record.” He said there was a huge amount of concern about the
health of the river.

The loch dropped to its lowest level since records began in 1990 last month and it is categorised as being “low”.
Dry weather in recent weeks has led to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issuing a water
scarcity alert in parts of the country.

There are also claims that hydroelectric power schemes are affecting the water levels at Loch Ness, which by
volume is the largest body of water in the UK. Shaw said pumped storage hydro near Foyers was contributing
to the low water levels...'

Quote:'...Adrian Shine, a naturalist who has studied the loch for decades and designed the Loch Ness Exhibition, also
noted the low levels. He told the BBC: “I cannot remember the water levels in Loch Ness being so low as they
are now, since 1989. “I think it’s most notable in Urquhart Bay. There’s a smaller bay within that bay which is
almost dry now and I don’t recall that even in ’89.”

Sepa placed another area of the Highlands at “significant risk” of water scarcity on Friday due to the dry weather.
It said it was extremely concerning that levels around Loch Maree had dropped so early in the summer.
The environment watchdog also warned water scarcity in Scotland was “expected to escalate quickly” over the
coming weeks due to the lack of rain and high temperatures...'

Quote:Loch Ness monster mysteries 'could be revealed' as hot weather dries up lake
Mysteries of Loch Ness could soon be revealed as the lake reaches historic low levels amid hot weather,
with the lake currently at its most dry in more than three decades



'Loch Ness is reaching record dry levels - and people believe mysteries from the famous lake could soon be
uncovered. A water scarcity alert has been parts of Scotland by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency
(Sepa), with a prolonged spell of dry weather affecting water levels across the UK.

Last month, the loch fell to its lowest levels since 1990, with the loch currently classified as being "low". Some
have claimed that hyrdo-electric power schemes have changed water levels at Loch Ness, which is the largest
body of water in the UK. A level of just over 109cm (3.5ft) was recorded at Foyers on May 24, the lowest since
records began in 1990.



It means the lake - which has long been subject to rumours about the infamous Loch Ness Monster - could
soon be low enough to reveal some of its mysteries. Just this week, Nessie hunters were offered a massive £25,000
reward to provide proof that the famous monster is living in the Scottish loch. The gauntlet was thrown down for
fans by celebrity businessman Dave Fishwick, also known as 'Bank of Dave'.

He told ITV's This Morning that he was ready to part with £25,000 to anybody who can uncover the mystery of
the elusive legend. Thousands of people visit the lake every year, with estimates claiming the reputed monster is
worth almost £41 million a year to the UK economy.

Ness District Salmon Fishery Board said the river was already at levels more usually seen at the end of summer as
large areas appear to dry out. Director Brian Shaw told BBC Scotland there is a "tremendous amount of concern"
about the loch, particularly as it had already got to its lowest on level twice this summer. He added: "Most people
wouldn't appreciate just how controlled the Ness system is. When it gets down to these low levels almost every
aspect of it is controlled by hydro schemes on the system."

Nathan Critchlow-Watton, Sepa’s head of water and planning, said: "For the risk of water scarcity to have reached
significant this early in the summer is extremely concerning and leaves no doubt that the next few months are going
to be very challenging for all those who rely on the water environment to run their business. "While water levels are
critical in this part of the Highlands,
we can see other areas of Scotland are on the same trajectory and it’s vital that businesses take steps now to maximise
the resource available and prevent further environmental harm.”
SSE told the Scottish Daily Express it was managing its water use sensitively amid challenging weather conditions...'

Quote:Research scientists with the New England Aquarium made a rare find during an aerial survey over the weekend – killer whales in southern New England waters.

The whales, also known as orcas, were spotted as researchers scanned the ocean surface during surveys conducted some 40 miles south of Nantucket on Sunday.

“Initially I could just see two splashes ahead of the plane,” assistant research scientist Katherine McKenna said in a statement. “As we circled the area, two whales surfaced too quickly to tell what they were. On the third surfacing, we got a nice look and could see the tell-tale coloration before the large dorsal fins broke the surface.”

Given the species’ small population in the western North Atlantic, associate research scientist Orla O’Brien said it is “always unusual to see killer whales in New England waters.”

“Seeing them swim in formation was just unreal,” said O’Brien, who leads the aerial survey team. “We believe the sighting to be two males and two females, but that hasn’t been confirmed. I think seeing killer whales is particularly special for us because it unlocks that childhood part of you that wanted to be a marine biologist.”

Also spotted during Sunday’s survey were nearly 150 other whales and dolphins, including:

• 23 Fin whales (counting a mother and calf)
  
• 5 Minke whales
  
• 20 Humpback whales “bubble feeding”
  
• 62 Bottlenose dolphins
  

The aquarium said the aerial surveys south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket have been collecting data on marine animals “with a focus on protected species of whales and sea turtles” for more than a decade.

Funded by a number of organizations that include the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, NOAA, wind energy developers, and private foundations, the flights ” help monitor changes in animal populations, identify various animal species, and recognize trends using standardized data that has been collected over many years,” according to a news release from the NEA.

“Determining where right whales occur and how they are using habitats provides crucial information that can be used to better protect the critically endangered species,” the release stated.

The sighting of whales south of Nantucket came within days of another sighting over the weekend. Near Provincetown, the crew of a fishing boat based in Bourne had their own orca sighting on Sunday.

“There were a lot of dolphins, a lot of humpback whales and then we saw this one orca whale,” said Pat Simon of Simon Sez Sportfishing.

“Everybody was amazed,” Simon said.

Experts told 7NEWS the fishermen spotted “Old Thom,” the only killer whale who has been regularly sighted off New England and Nova Scotia. A bit of a loner, experts said “Old Thom” is known to seemingly never swim with other orcas, though he has been seen swimming with dolphins.

This weekend, Simon Sez Sportfishing had gone out looking to catch some tuna. Instead, they found Thom.

“Not the target species and no tuna, no sushi and no paycheck coming home, but that was definitely a consolation prize,” Simon said.

Orcas, on average, are 20 to 25 feet long, though they can get as big as 30 feet.

Quote:In recent months, orcas in the waters off the Iberian Peninsula have taken to ramming boats. The animals have already sunk three this year and damaged several more. After one of the latest incidents, in which a catamaran lost both of its rudders, the boat’s captain suggested that the assailants have grown stealthier and more efficient: “Looks like they knew exactly what they are doing,” he said. Scientists have documented hundreds of orca-boat incidents off the Spanish-Portuguese coast since 2020, but news coverage of these attacks is blowing up right now, thanks in part to a creative new theory about why they’re happening: cetacean vengeance. Now that’s a story!

“The orcas are doing this on purpose,” Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, told LiveScience last month. “Of course, we don’t know the origin or the motivation, but defensive behavior based on trauma, as the origin of all this, gains more strength for us every day.” López Fernandez, who co-authored a 2022 paper on human-orca interactions in the Strait of Gibraltar, speculates that a specific female, known to scientists as White Gladis, may have suffered a “critical moment of agony” at the hands of humans, attacked a boat in retaliation, and then taught other whales to do the same.

Whatever the truth of this assertion, White Gladis and her kin have quickly ascended to folk-heroic status on the internet. “What the marine biologists are framing as revenge based on one traumatic experience may be a piece of a larger mobilization towards balance,” the poet Alexis Pauline Gumbs tweeted before referring to the killer whales as “revolutionary mother teachers.” Media figures and academics are expressing solidarity with their “orca comrades” and support for “orca saboteurs.” One widely circulating graphic shows a pod smashing a boat from below, above the words “JOIN THE ORCA UPRISING.” (You can even purchase it in sparkly sticker form.) Yet all of this fandom and projection tends to overlook important facts: First, these orcas are likely to be playing with the boats rather than attacking them, and second, if one insists on judging killer whales in human terms, it’s plain to see they aren’t heroes but sadistic jerks.

...

But projection and anthropomorphization are only shortcuts to a shallow sympathy. Orcas really are capable of intense grief; they are also capable of tormenting seal pups as a hobby. They are intelligent, emotionally complex creatures. But they are not us.

Quote:BEEB SLEAZE I blame BBC man for giving money for drugs to my child that could kill them, says mum
of teen amid sex pics probe


The ghost of Jimmy Savile still haunts the BBC.

'A mum has lashed out at a BBC star who allegedly paid her crack-addicted child for sexual images.
The BBC has launched a probe into the household name presenter, who is accused of pinging £35,000 [$44,934]
into the teen’s account, including one deposit for £5,000.

The youngster’s family discovered they used the man’s alleged funds to feed a “spiralling” crack cocaine habit,
and begged BBC chiefs to make the star “stop sending the cash”. Last night the presenter, a familiar face who
is known to millions, was off air while the BBC investigate the mother’s bombshell claims.

She told The Sun: “I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life — taking my child’s innocence and handing
over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.” She added of the star, who we are not naming: “Whenever
I see him on telly, I feel sick.”

Sleazy messages are alleged to have started in 2020, when the youngster was 17. The family say the BBC presenter
never hid his identity and even sent pictures of himself at work. The mother told how her child, now 20, had shown her
an online bank statement containing numerous deposits from him. Holding back tears, she added: “There were huge
sums, hundreds or thousands of pounds at a time.

“One time he had sent £5,000 in one lump. The money had been in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of my child.”
She said she was told the star requested “performances” and, heartbreakingly, her child said they would “get their bits out”.
The furious mother told last night how they had gone from “a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in three years.

The family complained to BBC chiefs on May 19, and the corporation launched an investigation headed by an expert in
cyber-crime. But the family became frustrated that the star remained on air and was still allegedly sending money.
They approached The Sun, making it clear they wanted no payment. The mother said: “All I want is for this man to stop
paying my child for sexual pictures and stop him funding my child’s drug habit.”

Last night a spokesman for the BBC said: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to
proactively deal with them. "As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination,
we will take steps to do this. “That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to
seek further detail and understanding of the situation.” He added: “If, at any point, new information comes to light or
is provided — including via newspapers — this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.”...'

Quote:LOCKDOWN BREACH BBC presenter suspended over sex claims ‘broke Covid lockdown laws’ to meet
young stranger from a dating site

'The BBC star suspended over sex claims has been accused of breaking the law by defying the third national lockdown
to meet a young stranger from a dating site. The TV personality allegedly ignored strict Covid rules even though his own
network was broadcasting round-the-clock coverage of the pandemic, which claimed the lives of almost 227,000 in Britain.

The Sun has seen messages which suggest that -as well as visiting the 23-year-old’s home -the star sent cash, and asked
for a picture. He was sent a semi-naked photograph. The person, who the presenter met, told The Sun last night: “The BBC
were briefing the nation on the rules -when their star who was part of the institution was quite happy to break them.”

The BBC and the presenter have been approached for comment. The Sun will be handing its evidence over to the BBC’s
investigation. In an interview, the youngster told how the star travelled across London to another county to meet them at
their flat in February 2021...'

(07-12-2023, 11:19 AM)F2d5thCav Wrote: BIAD--

Regarding the pervert.

"Who" could it be ?  

Cheers

(07-12-2023, 04:27 PM)F2d5thCa Wrote: Unpleasant activity to say the least, and poor kid who got their head turned by offers of money to satisfy the perversions of an adult man.

Cheers