Johnny Mercer faces the threat of prison for refusing to reveal the identities of whistleblowers to the Afghanistan inquiry.
The veterans minister, Johnny Mercer, is facing the threat of prison because he is refusing to hand over to an inquiry the identities of whistleblowers. Mr Mercer is declining to cooperate with official requests from the inquiry into the unlawful killing of Afghans and said he will not identify sources who raised concerns.
March 17 2024
Iceland volcano erupts for fourth time in months
Livestreams from the area showed fountains of molten rock soaring from a fissure in the ground after authorities had warned for weeks that an eruption was imminent on the Reykjanes peninsula.
K Rowling vows to defy ‘ludicrous’ new hate crime laws
The Harry Potter author said she would not delete her social media posts, in which she has regularly argued that trans women are not women, to avoid being taken to court “under this ludicrous law”. The legislation creates a criminal offence of “stirring up of hatred”, expanding on a similar offence based on racist abuse that has been on the statute book for decades.
Banksy’s new tree mural in north London
Banksy, the street artist, has claimed credit for a new tree mural in north London that appeared on a residential building overnight.
Leo Varadkar has resigned as Ireland’s prime minister in a surprise move that he said would give his Fine Gael party the best chance of success in looming elections.
The Taoiseach said he would quit in a noon announcement outside Government Buildings, bringing an end to his second stint as Ireland’s leader for reasons that were “both personal and political”.
Migrants pay $5000 each for a place on one of the overcrowded boats crossing from Libya. CREDIT: REUTERS/STRINGER/FILEPHOTO
Boasting a permanent population of just 70 people, Gavdos attracts an alternative crowd during the summer, with people camping in the dunes and embracing nudism.
But now, with people-smugglers favouring Gavdos as a new landing point from Libya, the small island has been thrust to the forefront of the migration crisis.
Clothing and other possessions lie abandoned on the well-trodden track taken by migrants who land on Tripiti beach, Gavdos CREDIT: Nick Squires
Since the beginning of the year, around 1,000 migrants have landed on the island, with many of them departing from Tobruk on the Libyan coast.
It is an influx that Gavdos is totally unprepared for. There are no facilities for the migrants – no reception centre, no soup kitchen, no NGOs.
Unlike Aegean islands like Lesbos and Samos, which have been dealing with the arrival of thousands of migrants for years, there are no personnel from the Red Cross or Medecins Sans Frontieres.
The recommended award for those affected by the Waspi pension scandal has been branded a “bitter disappointment” and a “betrayal”.
The comments came from former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who was responding to a report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
A veteran metal detectorist hit the jackpot when he turned up late to a group dig only to stumble across thelargest gold nugget ever found in England after just 20 minutes of searching.
March 22 2024
The Princess of Wales is undergoing treatment for cancer, she has announced in a personal video message, but told the world: “I am going to be ok.”
Princess of Wales reveals cancer diagnosis in moving statement
The Princess is undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy and has said she is focused on making a “full recovery”. The cancer was identified during tests after her abdominal surgery on Jan 16, and she began treatment in late February. Since then, she and the Prince of Wales have been focusing on sharing the news with their three young children and allowing the family to process it in private. Click here to watch her statement in full and follow thelatest updates here.
Russia and China have blocked a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, arguing it would not go far enough to pressure Israel to stop the war.
Prince Harry and Meghan have sent wishes of “health and healing” to the Princess of Wales after she revealed she was receiving treatment for cancer.The Princess spoke candidly about her diagnosis being a “huge shock” in a video message. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex afterwards said in a statement: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”
King ‘so proud of Catherine for her courage’
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said that His Majesty was “so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did”. The spokesman added the King had “remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks”.
Royal sources have told TheTelegraph that Prince William is said to be proud not just of the Princess of Wales’s bravery in sharing her cancer diagnosis with the world, but also of the way in which she has coped since being admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery in January.
Prince Harry reaches out to brother
TheDuke and Duchess of Sussex have made contact with both Prince William and the Princess of Wales after learning Catherine has started a course of “preventive chemotherapy”. The Sussexes were reportedly “blindsided” by the Princess’s announcement, which they learned of on Friday.
March 25 2024
UK unveils sanctions after MPs targeted by China
Government sources believe that China, Russia and Iran have fuelled wild conspiracies surrounding the Princess of Wales.
With just over a month to go until the local polls, soon to be followed by the general election, ministers are set to issue a rather ominous warning about the threat to British democracy from the Chinese state.
The Deputy Prime Minister said they were responsible for two malicious cyber campaigns targeting democratic institutions and parliamentarians. He said the National Cyber Security Centre had concluded that the Electoral Commission was highly likely compromised by a China state-affiliated cyber entity between 2021 and 2022.
Speaking to broadcasters this morning, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused China of acting in an “increasingly assertive way” abroad and insisted that “it’s right that we take measures to protect ourselves”.
But Sir Simon Clarke, the former Cabinet minister, warned that every time there is talk of a “reset” in relations with Beijing there is then “fresh evidence of malign activity”.
UN Security Council demands ceasefire in Gaza
The United Nations’ Security Council has passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza after the United States agreed not to veto the move. For the first time since the war began, the UN’s key body demanded an end to hostilities with 14 votes in favour. The US abstained from the vote.
March 26 2024
A Singapore-flagged cargo ship destroyed the bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning after suffering a power failure, in what the US President said was a “terrible accident”. Mr Biden said the “top priority” was to rescue any survivors, saying that eight people were unaccounted for. Click here for the latest updates.
Joe Biden pledged to “move heaven and earth” to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge as he said the federal government would foot the bill for repairing it.
March 27 2024
It may have been a beautiful start to the day in Westminster, but Rishi Sunak probably wasn’t in the sunniest mood waking up to the news that Britain’s foremost polling guru believes his chances of winning the next election are… 1 in 100.
With Labour 20 points ahead in the polls, even the most optimistic Tories would acknowledge they have a mountain to climb if they want to turn things around before the next election.
The leading polling expert believes Sir Keir Starmer has a 99 per cent chance of winning the keys to No 10 at the next ballot, expected in the autumn.
Record number of migrants cross Channel in first three months of year
Some 338 people were detected crossing to the UK on Tuesday, bringing the cumulative number of arrivals so far this year to the highest since the first small boats reached the UK in 2018. It comes after last week saw a record daily high for the year, when 504 migrants arrived on Wednesday in small boats.
Abdul Ezedi, pictured during his baptism, failed to correctly answer basic questions about Christianity
Six presumed dead in Baltimore bridge collapse as Biden vows to rebuild
The loss of Baltimore’s iconic bridge this week was not just a major hit to the local economy; it was a painful emotional loss for the city’s residents.
On Tuesday morning, residents exchanged disbelieving messages and shared videos of the Dali, a 948ft container ship, smashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge that covers the mouth of Baltimore harbour.
The Prime Minister has been accused of ‘obscene cronyism’ after naming Mohamed Mansour, who gave Tories £5 million last year, in a surprise Easter honour list. The film director Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas, fresh from the success of Oppenheimer at the Oscars, are to be handed a knighthood and damehood.
The migrant nationalities with the highest rates of crime will be revealed in league tables under plans to be considered by ministers. The proposal, backed by senior Tory MPs, would require the crime rates of each nation’s migrants in England and Wales to be published annually.
Iranian journalist stabbed multiple times outside London home
A prominent British-based Iranian journalist has been stabbed multiple times outside his London home. Pouria Zeraati, who hosts a show on the Persian language television network Iran International, was attacked by two people as he left his home on Friday afternoon.
March 31 2024
Protesters surround police van at pro-Gaza march
Pro-Palestine protesters surrounded a police van “to prevent it leaving” after a man was arrested on suspicion of a terrorism-related offence. Dozens of demonstrators could be seen sitting in the street, while others crowded against the side of the van at the central London rally calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
A joint effort of several authors who do find that nobody can keep standing at the side and that “Everyone" must care about what is going on in today’s world.
We are a bunch of people who do not mind that somebody has a totally different idea but is willing to share the ideas with others and to be Active and willing to let others understand how "today’s decisions will influence the future”. Therefore we would love to see many others to "Act today".
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Some View on the World 