Seen in the News

[Tizer]

Poor old coppers can't win. If the 'heifer stirk' had trampled a woman pushing a buggy and perhaps killed a baby - there would have been the suggestion - well you could always have crashed into it with your vehicle as a last resort and stopped it.

The farmer has since praised the police and said they did the right thing in the circumstances.

[Stanley]

My problem is I think "What would I have done?" and of course it was my job. So I am biased.

See THIS BBC report....
Nvidia became the world’s most valuable company after its share price climbed to an all-time high on Tuesday. The stock ended the trading day at nearly $136, up 3.5%, making it more valuable than Microsoft. It overtook Apple earlier this month. Nvidia makes computer chips needed for artificial intelligence (AI) software, and demand for its products has boosted its sales and profits over the last few years. Many investors believe its earnings can grow even more, which has caused its share price to soar, though some have questioned its sky-high valuation. Tuesday’s share price rally means the market now values the company at $3.34tn (£2.63tn), with the price having nearly doubled since the start of this year. Eight years ago, the stock was worth less than 1% of its current price.
My poor little brain can't cope with reports of mind-boggling gains in value like this. Is it 'real' money?

[Stanley]

Entirely predictable that THIS would cause me to be angry....
Part of Stonehenge has been covered in orange powder paint by protesters. Two Just Stop Oil campaigners sprayed the powder paint on the historic site near Salisbury, Wiltshire, at about 12:00 BST on Wednesday. The move comes the day before celebrations begin for the Summer Solstice at the 5,000-year-old landmark. Wiltshire Police confirmed two people had been arrested on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument. Just Stop Oil said the orange powder paint was cornflour and it would "wash away with rain". The group named the two protesters as Niamh Lynch, a 21-year-old student from Oxford, and Rajan Naidu, a 73-year-old from Birmingham, in a statement.
There are other ways of attracting attention without resorting to vandalising one of our greatest historical sites.

See THIS report from Saudi Arabia.
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Hundreds of people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, officials said Wednesday as people tried to claim their loved ones’ bodies. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the death toll amid the heat during the pilgrimage, required of every able Muslim once in their life, nor offered any causes for those who died. However, hundreds of people had lined up at the Emergency Complex in Al-Muaisem neighborhood in Mecca, trying to get information about their missing family members.One list circulating online suggested at least 550 people died during the five-day Hajj. A medic who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss information not released publicly by the government said that the names listed appeared genuine. That medic and another official who also spoke on condition of anonymity said they believed at least 600 bodies were at the facility.
It's reported that temperatures reached 51C.

[Big Kev]

booking.com has reported a 900% increase in 'fake' bookings since ChatGPT was launched. The AI app can produce very authentic looking web pages and scammers are stealing card details.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8003dd8jzeo

[Tizer]

And we thought it couldn't get any worse...
`Post Office apologises after sub-postmaster data leak' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd110nl7dppo
The Post Office has apologised after it published the names and addresses of 555 postmasters prosecuted during the Horizon scandal. The company confirmed personal details had been shared in a document on its website and said it had referred itself to data watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office....
One former sub-postmaster told the Daily Mail she was “incandescent”. Wendy Buffrey said that the action could "destroy lives" because criminals could now target sub-postmasters who had received compensation. Ron Warmington, the forensic investigator whose firm Second Sight was brought in to probe the Horizon system in 2013, told the Mail it was “an extraordinary breach” of confidentiality and “another example of Post Office incompetence”. The leaked document contained the names of 555 former subpostmasters who sued the Post Office in 2017.

[Stanley]

It's barely creditable Peter..... As you say, we thought it couldn't get worse! Question is, what sanctions will be applied? Let me guess, a slapped wrist and everything goes on as before.....
In response, chief executive Nick Read apologised and said the leak was "a truly terrible error".
That is no where near enough....

[Tizer]

`Rod Stewart defends support for Ukraine after jeers' [url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6pp1rk21dyo]LINK[/url]
Sir Rod Stewart has defended his support of Ukraine, after he was apparently booed at a concert in Germany on Friday night. The music legend was performing in Leipzig when the Ukrainian flag appeared on a video screen, followed by an image of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Both applause and jeers could be heard from fans, as Sir Rod sang his 1991 hit Rhythm of My Heart, which he says is an anti-war song, and has previously dedicated to Kyiv. "I have supported the Ukrainian people throughout this war," he told PA news agency on Monday. "From arranging for members of my family to take supplies to the country, to renting a house in the UK for a Ukrainian family... So yes, I do support Zelensky and the people of Ukraine, and I will continue to do so."...
Sir Rod was performing at the Quarterback Immobilien Arena in Leipzig, the most populous city in Germany's central state of Saxony. The state has embraced nationalism, electing a mayor from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in December. There has also been neo-Nazi violence and attacks on migrants in Saxony....

[Stanley]

That's a worrying report Peter especially for us older ones who can remember the consequences of other far Right movements in Germany. (For young people who don't know what I am talking about, it led to a second world war in 1939.)
See THIS BBC report....
Four members of the UK's richest family have received prison sentences for exploiting staff brought over from India to work at their Geneva villa. Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, as well as their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, were found guilty of exploitation and illegal employment by a Swiss court and handed sentences ranging from four to four-and-a-half years. They were acquitted on the more serious charge of human trafficking. Lawyers representing the defendants said they intend to appeal the ruling. Speaking outside the court, Robert Assael, the lawyer for the defendants, said: "I'm shocked. We're going to fight it to the bitter end." Three workers who were brought over from their native India alleged the family paid them as little as £7 ($8) to work 18-hour days, less than a tenth of the amount required under Swiss law, and confiscated their passports. They also claimed the family - whose fortune is estimated at around £37bn - rarely allowed them to leave the house, which is in Geneva’s wealthy neighbourhood of Cologny.
Perhaps this is how the family got so rich in the first place. Well done the Swiss courts and I hope any appeal fails.....

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report about next week's weather.
Yellow heat-health alerts will be in place for most of England this week, as daytime temperatures look set to reach 30C (86F). The alerts from the UK Health Security Agency, external (UKHSA) come into force at 08:00 BST on Monday and remain in place in eight regions until Thursday afternoon. A yellow warning indicates that weather conditions could pose a risk to those who are particularly vulnerable.
Typical isn't it, we have an unseasonably colder period and then as soon as the weather warms up we get a heat warning. As the climate changes we may have to get used to this domination of the weather by extremes.

[Stanley]

Manchester Airport are reporting that yesterday's delays were caused by a fault with a cable that sent a surge across the airport's power system.
Margaret and Mick fly out to Krakow today for four days rest after a fortnight of hard work getting Mick's mother installed in a care home at Sawley. I was wondering if they would be affected but they say not as they are flying from Liverpool. I think by Ryanair.....
I looked the flight up and was amazed to see that the one way ticket costs only £25 for a three hour flight. How can anyone make money off that!

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report for news that at long last the saga of Julian Assange may be over.
Assange's parents have spoken Christine Assange has expressed gratitude that her son's lengthy legal battle appears to be reaching a conclusion. "I am grateful that my son's ordeal is finally coming to an end. This shows the importance and power of quiet diplomacy," she said in a statement published by Australia's national broadcaster. "Many have used my son's situation to push their own agendas, so I am grateful to those unseen, hard-working people who put Julian's welfare first," she added, noting the "toll" the past 14 years had taken on her. Assange's father John Shipton thanked the Australian government for its advocacy. "It looks as though Julian will be free to come back to Australia. My thanks and congratulations to all his supporters… that have made that possible, and of course, the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese," he told ABC News. Mr Shipton described his son's possible return home as "energising". "I don't fade easily, you know. And neither does Julian. It must be a family trait."

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC News report on the current attempt to buy out the parent company of Royal Mail.
More than 100,000 former and current Royal Mail staff will this week be asked to sell their shares to a Czech billionaire. On Wednesday morning, Daniel Kretinsky’s investment group, which wants to buy Royal Mail's parent company, will publish its formal offer online and send it by post. Mr Kretinsky can then formally start lobbying investors to accept the offer. He needs the approval of shareholders of three quarters of the parent company, but this task will be made easier because he already owns 27.5% of it. Big asset managers including Blackrock, UBS, Vanguard and Schroders own most of the other 72.5% of International Distribution Services (IDS) that Mr Kretinsky does not own. Meanwhile, Royal Mail staff still collectively own 5.5% of the shares after qualifying staff received 600 shares in the company at the time of its privatisation in 2013.

Call me old fashioned but I remember Harold Macmillan talking about 'selling off the family silver' and regret the fact that so much of Britain's core industrial and service industries are not owned or controlled by this country.
I also remember Nye Bevan saying it was essential for us to control the commanding heights of the economy.
Both these points of view are redundant today and is it possible that this may be part of the reason we are in such a mess? 'The Market' has failed.

[Stanley]

Remember when British Home Stores collapsed? See THIS for evidence that sometimes the financial regulators get it right.....
Ex-BHS director Dominic Chappell has been ordered to pay £50m to cover losses the firm incurred before its collapse. A High Court judge said Mr Chappell tried to “plunder the BHS Group whenever possible" after he bought the company for £1 from Sir Phillip Green in 2015. The ex-director was imprisoned for six years in 2020 over tax evasion. He has since been sued by BHS liquidators FRP Advisory. At a hearing on Tuesday, Mr Justice Leech said Mr Chappell never had a realistic plan to secure capital for the company when he acquired it. The judge also said Mr Chappell “should make the payments” outlined, which includes £21.5m for wrongful trading. He must also pay £17.5m for breach of fiduciary duty and other additional costs. This takes the total to over £50m but Mr Chappell still faces another fine over a misfeasance or wrongful trading claim. The amount he has to pay for that will be determined at a later date. Mr Chappell gave a hand written note to the judge saying he had no legal counsel "due to lack of funds” and raised health and computer access concerns.
One wonders whether he will be able to pay these sums but I suppose that's not the pont. Blame is being allocated and punishment dished out. The whole BHS affair was a sorry mess and Mr Chappell is not the only guilty party.

[Stanley]

THIS Report from the Resolution Foundation deserves some attention.
Slow economic growth and three major economic shocks have meant households' disposable incomes have grown very slowly since 2010, according to a think tank report. Typical household incomes went up by just £140 a year, new analysis from the Resolution Foundation showed. That is a total rise over the 14 year period of just 7% - or an average of half a percent a year - in the amount people had left over to spend after paying tax. By contrast, disposable incomes rose 38% over the 14 years up to 2010, the poverty-focused think tank wrote. However, poorer households had seen stronger income growth than richer ones, it said.
As time passes we get a clearer picture of what has happened to incomes during the last 14 years.
Worth remembering (though not mentioned in this report) that the income of the most wealthy has risen more in the same period.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC fact check.
Senior Labour figures have repeatedly claimed homeowners will pay “£4,800 more on their mortgage” under Conservative plans, should they win the election. But this claim risks misleading people and is based on questionable assumptions.The claim - set out in a 16-page Labour dossier, external - is based on what the party says is “a wish list of unfunded promises” in the Conservative manifesto. Labour says the Tory shortfall will lead to an increase in government borrowing, which will feed into higher interest rates. This would add a total of £4,800 to someone’s mortgage over the next five years, Labour claims. In other words, it is not an annual figure. But this has not been made clear by Labour shadow ministers when making the claim during media interviews.

[Stanley]

See THIS for what could possibly have been another impossible situation for the police, a bit like ramming the stirk with a car last week.
A woman has been injured in an attack by an XL bully, police have said. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they received "several reports" that a dog was "dangerously out of control" and attacking people on Gladstone Road, Eccles, at about 21:00 BST on Friday. The force said the dog was "destroyed at the scene" by armed officers after police and members of the public were unable to "regain control" of it. Local residents said they heard several shots being fired at the dog and believed the police response was "very excessive".
From the description of the incident it was horrific and I think if I had been there I'd have welcomed the police using their weapons.

See THIS also.
A 55-year-old woman has been injured in a shooting in a South Yorkshire street. Police believe a group of men were outside a property on High Street in Wath upon Dearne, Rotherham, just before 22:00 BST on Friday when a gun was fired. The woman was taken to hospital by ambulance, where she is being treated for injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.
I'm glad she isn't seriously injured but how can this happen? I thought we had the strongest gun controls in the world....

[Tizer]

This `gagging' is disgraceful but I can't help thinking that it's been known about for some time now but has suddenly been hiked up into the national news just before the General Election...
`Council refunded £1.5m to 'gagged' leaseholders' LINK

[Stanley]

I agree totally Peter! I have long abhorred leasehold tenancies, I believe they are a remnant of feudal times.

THIS caught my eye this morning....
Rishi Sunak has insisted the UK is a better place to live now than in 2010, when the Conservatives came into government. In one of his last big interviews before Thursday's general election, the prime minister said the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine had made life "difficult for everyone" but added that the country was now "on the right track". Labour said prices in shops, NHS waiting lists and mortgages had risen under the Conservatives and that it was “excruciating to watch Rishi Sunak just gloss over the concerns of ordinary working people". Speaking to the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Sunak rejected a "declinist narrative", and defended Brexit saying it was "utterly wrong" to suggest the UK had lost its standing in the world since leaving the EU.
The man is deluded! He is in denial because the results of next Thursday's polls are going to demonstrate how wrong the Tories have been.
On just one matter they fail miserably. Remember that the decision to leave the EU was not made as a result of rational cross party debate, it was purely an internal decision of the Tory Party and leaving the biggest coalition of states the world has ever seen astounded foreign observers. The referendum that was held to justify the decision was sold to the public on a fabric of lies and obfuscations. Yet this man has the gall to tell us we are better off.

[Tizer]

Remember that the decision to leave the EU was not made as a result of rational cross party debate, it was purely an internal decision of the Tory Party and leaving the biggest coalition of states the world has ever seen astounded foreign observers. The referendum that was held to justify the decision was sold to the public on a fabric of lies and obfuscations.

Brexit showed the rest of Europe that populists and libertarians could get their way and Cameron's Catastrophe played a large part in bringing about the terrible state of politics that we see in Europe today. And the Tories brought the man back and made him Foreign Secretary! Roll on Thursday....

[Stanley]

Agreed Peter.... But apart from destroying the Tory Party will we see any improvement? I have no confidence.
THIS is what caught my eye this morning. It's been a long time coming!
The UK's last remaining coal-fired power station is entering its final days. The plant at Ratcliffe-on Soar, Nottinghamshire, is a prominent landmark for rail passengers on the Midlands Main Line and M1 traffic passing close by. It began generating electricity 57 years ago - in 1967 - with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts, enough to power two million homes. However, it will close on 30 September as part of government plans to end coal production in the UK.In a landmark moment, GB Railfreight delivered what is likely to be the plant's final coal shipment on Friday 28 June. The 1,650-tonne delivery, is enough coal to generate electricity for approximately 500,000 homes for an eight-hour period. It is the last batch of more than six million tonnes of coal transported to the site from the Port of Immingham, Lincolnshire.

Now we need to see the end of the confidence trick at Drax where they burn biomass imported from abroad and produce more CO2 than the old coal fired station used to.

[Stanley]

I saw THIS BBC report from 2 hours ago on hurricane Beryl.
Having survived the night as Hurricane Beryl tore across her idyllic home of Union Island with ferocious force, Katrina Coy was taken aback by the extent of the devastation which lay before her. Virtually every building on the island, which lies off St Vincent and the Grenadines, has been razed or badly damaged, she said. “Union Island is in a terrible state after Beryl passed. Literally, almost the whole island is homeless,” said Ms Coy in a video message. “There are hardly any buildings left standing. Houses are flattened, roads are blocked, the electricity poles are down in the streets.” Fisherman and fishing guide Sebastien Sailly agreed. “Everything is lost. I have nowhere to live right now,” he said. A resident of Union since 1985, he lived through Hurricane Ivan in 2004. But Hurricane Beryl, he said, was on another level. “It’s like a tornado has passed through here. Ninety percent of the island – easily 90% – has been erased.”
Has anyone any news of Doc and Carole?

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report which I am sure has got David's attention as well!
A nine-year-old chess prodigy is set to make history as the youngest person ever to represent England internationally in any sport. Bodhana Sivanandan, from Harrow, north-west London, will join the England Women’s Team at the Chess Olympiad in Hungary later this year. She is almost 15 years younger than the next-youngest teammate, 23-year-old Lan Yao. "I found out yesterday after I came back from school, when my dad told me," Bodhana told the BBC. "I was happy. I hope I’ll do well, and I’ll get another title." Malcolm Pein, manager of the England chess team, says the schoolgirl is the most remarkable prodigy British Chess has ever seen. "It’s exciting - she’s on course to be one of the best British players ever," he said. However the nine-year-old's father, Siva, says he is mystified as to where his daughter got her talent from. "I’m an engineering graduate, as is my wife, but I’m not good at chess,” he told the BBC. "I tried a couple of league games, but I was very poor." Bodhana first picked up a pawn during the pandemic.
I find it amazing and mystifying how talent like this can exist in one so young. The human brain is a wonderful thing and it makes me wonder if we all have capabilities like this but never unlock them......

[Tizer]

We know the Wagner Group was doing this, especially with men from prisons or brought in from other countries, but now the Russian army itself is throwing its soldiers into suicide warfare...
`Ukraine calls them meat assaults: Russia's brutal plan to take ground' LINK

[Tripps]

which I am sure has got David's attention as well!

No need - It's nice to see the BBC catch up with One Guy. We were there last December.
I think there was a bit of deference to age inolved in accepting the draw though. Carlsen would have played on.


Bodhana Sivanandan

[Stanley]

I heard that report on the slaughter in Ukraine Peter. How long until the Russian population reacts to these policies?
It may happen earlier than we think....
I knew you'd be watching her David....