Seen in the News

[Tripps]

The single survivor's story seems to be incredible. Did you see the instant all engulfing fire ball? I just saw a report that he was sitting next to an emergency exit and "jumped clear". I doubt it. However if he is who he says he is, and was on the flight, - even I don't see how it could be faked. If he isn't and wasn't how did he know where to appear?.

PS - Just seen an interview from his hospital bed. Not very convincing. . . All will emerge eventually.

Google decided I needed to read Al Jazeera today, and they had a spin story to deflect coverage from Boeing and the crash, to the victims. One of them was travelling to UK as a winner of a "visa lottery" where the prize was a two year working visa to come to UK. Open to young Indian professionals, and it seems there are 3000 winners each draw. I can't find it on Al Jazeera now. I never heard of that - but seems it's true. I guess one of the benefits of having had an Indian Prime Minister.

Indian Young Professionals Visa Scheme

[Stanley]

I too find the fact he survived incredible but I don't see how it can have been faked. Miracles still happen evidently.

The media caravan has moved on and THIS heads the news this morning.
Iran launches ballistic missiles at Israel as its supreme leader vows to "inflict heavy blows" in retaliation for Israel's overnight strikes. The BBC's Ione Wells reports hearing an explosion in Jerusalem as black smoke has been seen rising over Tel Aviv's skyline. Forty people are being treated in Israeli hospitals following the retaliatory strike, including two in critical condition. Earlier, the IDF said three Iranian military commanders were killed in last night's strikes while Tehran says six scientists have also been killed. US President Donald Trump has urged Iran to make a deal on its nuclear programme, warning of "even more brutal" Israeli attacks.
In the last few minutes there are reports of another wave of Iranian drones and missiles heading towards Israel.
I can only see this level of antagonism as madness and not a solution. I have nothing sensible to say about it......

[Stanley]

The madness continues. See THIS latest report by the BBC.

[Stanley]

See THIS for more on the current madness....
Updated 1 hour ago
US President Donald Trump rejected a plan by Israel to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, three US officials have told BBC's US partner CBS News. Trump reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that assassinating Khamenei was "not a good idea", according to one official. The president has not commented publicly on the report. The conversation is said to have happened since Israel launched its attack on Iran on Friday.
I wonder why Trump advises against assassination?

Later, I tripped over this video which is an update on the two ship fires we were talking about.

[Stanley]

I saw this in PE yesterday and was pleased because someone else has noticed what I suspected was happening and which makes many interviewees gabble. They are afraid of being cut off.

[Tizer]

I wonder why Trump advises against assassination?

He doesn't want to kill people, he wants to make a deal with them. Kill somebody and that's one less to make a deal with.

[Stanley]

Could it possibly be because it's hardly sensible for leaders to endorse assassination?

[Tizer]

Could it possibly be because it's hardly sensible for leaders to endorse assassination?

Yes, that too. The thought might have finally crystallised in his tiny brain, which is probably dangerously taxed at the moment. He wants to bring about peace so he can fulfil his ambition to win the Nobel Peace Prize but Netanyahu wants to finish the Iran job by destroying the remaining nuclear site at Fordo. Sadly for Netanyahu his military can't achieve that aim because it's too deep underground for his bombs and missiles. The only way it can be done is by the US with the 30,000 lb MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) and that can only be delivered by its Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit (the `Stealth Bomber'). Six B-2s have been on readiness at the US base on the island of Diego Garcia, easily in range to hit Iran. They were lined up on the airfield from the end of March so that the world could see Google Earth pics of them ready to take off at any time - the big stick to threaten Iran. Now they've suddenly disappeared and their present location is not known to the public. They could be at a different base or simply in flight; they can stay up for 24 hours at a time. In recent days 30 KC-135 refuelling tanker planes have flown from the US to Europe. Some have moved on further east. All of this will be to put pressure on Iran to, as Trump would say, `do a deal'. Unfortunately for him, leaders like Ali Khamenei, Netanyahu, Putin etc are not interested in deals, only in winning wars.

[Stanley]

Thanks for the explanation Peter. I had heard all that in snippets but not knitted it together.

See THIS for the latest live reporting.....
Iran and Israel continue to attack each other on Wednesday night, as Donald Trump weighs US involvement. Earlier, Trump said "I may do it, I may not do it", when asked whether the US would join Israeli strikes on Iran. The US president approved plans to attack Iran, but has not made a final decision on whether to strike the country, the BBC's US partner CBS reports. The Iranians responded by saying they would not "grovel at the gates of the White House". The US has not, so far, asked to use UK bases in Cyprus or Diego Garcia for any possible attack, writes our correspondent Jonathan Beale. Iran's supreme leader warned Trump of "irreparable harm" if the US joins Israeli attacks
Attention seeking Trump is loving the limelight..... I watched the video of him with the construction workers in the White House garden. It is beyond surreal..... The world has gone mad.

[Stanley]

See THIS report of Trump's latest statement....
5 hours ago
US President Donald Trump will decide whether or not the US gets directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict within the next two weeks, the White House has said. In a White House press briefing, Press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a message directly from Trump: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."
So Trump maintains his preferred position, front and centre on the world stage.

[Stanley]

See THIS for a timely warning of a danger we forget about in the UK.
The death of a British grandmother from rabies after she was scratched by a puppy while on holiday has sparked a surge in the number of travellers seeking advice about vaccinations, a pharmacist has said. Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley, died in hospital in Sheffield on 11 June after having light contact with the stray dog during a family trip to Morocco in February. Pharmacist Olamide Olokanmi said that, following news of the tragic case: "We've had a lot of phone calls asking about it." He said his pharmacy in Otley, West Yorkshire, had stocked up on the jab but he was concerned that an increase in demand may lead to a shortage of supply. "We frequently have supply issues with vaccines, especially when there's a high demand for them, and rabies notoriously seems to be one of them," said Mr Olokanmi. "Year-on-year we always have that problem, so I do foresee that being a problem. "There would then be a wait for it to come back in or we'd have to go to another manufacturer which then drives up the price of the vaccine." It currently costs up to £330 for a three-dose rabies vaccine.

[Tizer]

`Lime bikes dumped in rivers 'posing pollution risk'' LINK
Hundreds of Lime e-bikes have been dumped in rivers and canals since hire schemes were introduced across England - raising concerns about pollution and flooding. The Canal and River Trust said it was a national problem and was having to spend thousands of pounds retrieving the bikes from waterways. The charity said Nottingham was a particular hotspot, with eight or nine Lime bikes pulled from the canal each week. Lime, the US company that runs the hire scheme in Nottingham and other cities, told the BBC it is working with various authorities to tackle the problem.

The Canal and River Trust, and local people, have tried to contact the company but never get a reply.

[Stanley]

I don't understand why people would dump a bike of any sort in a river. Is it 'out of sight, out of mind'?
Knowing business methods, I'll bet the wastage through dumping of the bikes is an on-cost allowed for in the company's accounting. So it mighht not be a major concern....
Isn't it a strange world......

See THIS report.
The US has bombed Fordo and other nuclear sites in Iran. In an address from the White House, Trump warned Iran must make peace or future attacks will be "far greater". He called the strikes on Fordo and and two other nuclear sites a "spectacular military success". Iranian state media says part of the Fordo site was "attacked by enemy strikes", however authorities are yet to confirm the extent of damage. The strike is indicative of the way Trump carries out his foreign policy, writes our correspondent in Washington DC
So the US has gone to war...... I thought Trump was angling for a Nobel Peace Prize?

[Tizer]

This is an interesting article...
`How China made electric vehicles mainstream' LINK
...and especially this:
People in China also normally pay thousands for their vehicle registration plate - sometimes more than the cost of the car itself - as part of government efforts to limit congestion and pollution. Mr Lu now gets his green one for free. "The rich drive petrol cars because they have unlimited resources," Mr Lu says. "An EV just makes sense for me." Another proud EV owner in Shanghai, who wanted to use her English name Daisy, says that rather than charge her vehicle at a station, she changes her car's battery at one of the city's many automated swapping stations provided by EV maker Nio. In under three minutes, machines replace her flat battery with a fully charged one. It's state of the art technology for less than the price of a tank of fuel.

[Stanley]

That sounds unbelievable Peter but in the absence of evidence to the contrary we must accept it.

I saw THIS in our Northern news this morning....
A fire that broke out at a landmark Manchester city centre building - causing it to partly collapse - spread to a neighbouring tower block. Embers from the blaze at Hotspur House reached 1 Cambridge Street, resulting in the evacuation of residents from the building, Greater Manchester Fire And Rescue Service (GMFRS) told the BBC at the scene. However, it added the fire was no longer being treated as a major incident. Anyone who has nowhere to go is set to be put up overnight by Manchester City Council. The fire at the former printing press building broke out at about 17:00 GMT, forcing the cancellation of all trains through Manchester Oxford Road station. The fire service urged the public to stay away from the area and said 20 fire engines from across Greater Manchester were on the scene. A spokesperson said the blaze had spread to three floors of Hotspur House, and aerial units had been used to bring the fire under control. The spokesman added: "The two apartment blocks at number 1 Cambridge Street have been evacuated.
The thing that strikes me is that despite the problems with a major fire like this. one positive result is that it is very cleansing. Another good thing is that no injuries have been reported.

[Stanley]

See THIS not unexpected report from the US.
US President Donald Trump insists nuclear sites in Iran were "completely destroyed" by US military strikes, despite an intelligence evaluation casting doubt on their success. Details of the initial damage assessment from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency were leaked to the BBC's US partner CBS and other media. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, called the leak "treasonous". Meanwhile, a ceasefire between Israel and Iran seems to be holding, with both nations acknowledging it is in place. But the wars that Trump inherited and promised to end, in Gaza and Ukraine, rage on, writes North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher
It all seemed to be a bit too perfect didn't it. I suspect this 'treasonous report' might be closer to the truth.....

[Stanley]

I've just seen a video reporting that the Morning Midas has sunk in heavy seas in 15,000 ft of water. So it doesn't look as though we will ever get a definitive cause for the latest car transporter sinking. The same video said this was the ninth.....

[Tripps]

Well spotted - good to see you're not wasting your time.

So it doesn't look as though we will ever get a definitive cause for the latest car transporter sinking.

I am in no doubt. . . .

Interesting that he says you can't put out such a fire with C02. I note that the MV Delphine which caught fire in harbour at Zeebrugge did so, and is now back in full service. That happened in harbour though.

MV Delphine

[Stanley]

That statement about CO2 caught my attention as well David....

I gravitated to THIS piece of news this morning. It didn't depress me....
3 hours ago
The world's oldest boomerang is older than previously thought, casting new light on the ingenuity of humans living at the time. The tool, which was found in a cave in Poland in 1985, is now thought to be 40,000 years old. Archaeologists say it was fashioned from a mammoth's tusk with an astonishing level of skill. Researchers worked out from its shape that it would have flown when thrown, but would not have come back to the thrower. It was probably used in hunting, though it might have had cultural or artistic value, perhaps being used in some kind of ritual.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report.....
Amy Hunt, whose mother and two sisters were murdered in their own home last year, has told the BBC there is an "epidemic" of misogyny in society that has "the most horrific, devastating consequences". In her first interview since the murders of her mum, Carol, and sisters, Hannah and Louise, Amy says the UK "should be very concerned" about sexist, hateful content on social media - calling on media platforms, people in power, schools and "every single one of us" to do something about it. She tells the BBC people are "slowly waking up" to the links between hate posted on social media and violence against women by men in real life. The man who killed her loved ones was Kyle Clifford, her youngest sister's ex-boyfriend. The attacks came two weeks after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. Amy describes Clifford as a man filled with hatred, self-loathing, and a deep insecurity. "It's very clear he hates women," she says. "But what I often say is, he doesn't hate women as much as he hates himself." She says there is "a serious obligation as a society to change men's behaviour, because this is a man's issue - it is not a woman's issue". Amy has been speaking to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire alongside her father, racing commentator John Hunt.
I believe Amy is right and have suspected this for a long time now. Women bear the responsibility of the future of the human race and as such deserve respect and something verging on reverence. I see little evidence of this these days. Indeed, I seem to detect women trying to be like men. This is a mistake.
(I suppose that makes me very old fashioned, so be it.)

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report.....
9 hours ago
Government plans to speed up employment support for people affected by the changes to welfare benefits will be "undeliverable", the BBC has been told. As part of the U-turn on welfare reforms, ministers are expected to fast-track a £1bn support plan to get people into work, which was originally scheduled for 2029. But officials at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the system was "a mess" and that there were "only a handful of people" working on the programme. The DWP did not address the claims made by the officials but said it had taken "decisive action" and was "committed to driving up employment and opportunity across the country".
These officials know what they are talking about and the DWP must listen to them otherwise their plan is useless.

[Tripps]

Bradford is" City of Culture" this year. Stop sniggering at the back please.

My young lad went to the University there - so I know quite a bit more about the place than most. It struck me recently that whenever the town is mentioned now, there is not the usual knee jerk reference to "curry" for which the town used to be famous.

The BBC is now publishing items such as Queer FIlm Festival and the Telegraph and Argus has Bradford wife murder There will also be a "Pink in the Park festival celebrating Bradford's " rich LGBT+ heritage". The last such was forty years ago.

My abiding memory is of finding My lad's student house burgled on return from holiday, and having my new car's window smashed in - to steal the radio - in a prominent town centre public car park next to the hotel in broad daylight at lunchtime. The receptionist said - 'oh no not another one' - and then denied it happened very often and guests needed a warning.

The curry was good though - and Saltaire is well worth the effort to visit. Careful where you park though.

[Stanley]

I'll forgive them a lot for the Karachi Social Club. I first went there almost 60 years ago when it was just some tables in an old warehouse. I went again to the latest incarnation when Daniel had an exhibition there at the national Screen and Media centre and the curry was just as good but they had started giving customers knives and forks instead of just nan bread.

Sunday's headline across BBC News is that Starmer says the benefits system is broken. There's nothing wrong with the Welfare State except the people who are running it. They accept the bill for 12 F35As and becoming Trumps atomic delivery boys without question but question paying PIP.

[Stanley]

Have a look at THIS BBC report.
A bishop has claimed church leaders have been "collectively silent on grooming gangs" in an article for The Church of England Newspaper. Bishop of Blackburn the Right Reverend Philip North's comments followed Baroness Louise Casey's recent report, external, which said the ethnicity of people involved in grooming gangs had been "shied away from" by authorities. In the article, external, he described clergy's local knowledge as "legendary", adding: "There must be hundreds of other church leaders like me who had heard rumours, stories and concerns yet said nothing." The BBC has asked the Church of England for a response. Bishop North said: "I have heard directly and on many occasions of the anxiety of working-class families that their daughters are vulnerable to well organised gangs. "Why did I so readily believe the voices that claimed that calling for an inquiry was a collusion with the far right?"
I fear that anyone who believes in our established church is in for a very rough ride and it is starting before the national inquiry has even convened.

[Stanley]

I saw THIS sad news....
4 hours ago
The royal train is going to be taken out of service by 2027, in a cost-saving measure announced by Buckingham Palace. There have been dedicated trains for monarchs since Queen Victoria's reign, but as part of a "drive to ensure we deliver value for money" it's been decided to decommission the historic rolling stock. The announcement came alongside the annual publication of royal finances, which showed that a journey on the royal train, from Gloucestershire to Staffordshire and then London, over two days in February, had cost more than £44,000. The Royal Family will still travel on regular train services - and the annual report showed 141 helicopter trips were taken last year, costing £475,000.
I feel as though part of my life has been taken from me. Two things were always a given, the Royal Yacht and the Royal Train. In two years they will both be history....

In local news I saw THIS.....
The Dean of Blackburn has been suspended after a complaint was made against him. In a statement from the Diocese of Blackburn, the Bishop of Blackburn, the Right Reverend Philip North, said the complaint against Peter Howell-Jones was made under the Clergy Discipline Measure, which is a procedure for investigating alleged serious misconduct. The Bishop said the Dean's suspension was a "temporary arrangement" and that an interim dean would soon be appointed while a formal investigation took place. The nature of the complaint has not been made public.
I was brought up to believe that the Established Church was infallible..... It looks as though it is vying with Rome in a race to the bottom.
(Why can't the nature of the complaint be made public?)