POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

See THIS disturbing report on how the law on deep fakes is not being enforced
Campaigners have accused the government of dragging its heels on implementing a law which would make it illegal to create non-consensual sexualised deep fakes. It comes amid a backlash against images created using Elon Musk's AI Grok to digitally remove clothing - with one woman telling the BBC more than 100 sexualised images have been created of her. It is currently illegal to share deep fakes of adults in the UK, external, but new legislation that would make it a criminal offence to create or request them is still not in force despite passing in June 2025, external. But it is unclear whether all of the unclothing images created by Grok would fall foul of this law. The BBC has contacted the government for comment.
There is much more information in the article. Quite rightly agencies affected are asking pointed questions about why no action has followed th passing of the law into force.

[Stanley]

See THIS report about growing pressure on 'X'.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall says she would back regulator Ofcom if it blocks UK access to Elon Musk's social media site X for failing to comply with online safety laws. Ofcom says it is urgently deciding what to do about X's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok, which digitally undressed people without their consent when tagged beneath images posted on the platform. X has now limited the use of this image function to those who pay a monthly fee. But Downing Street said the change was "insulting" to victims of sexual violence. Musk said on X the UK government "want any excuse for censorship" as he replied to a post questioning why other AI platforms were not being looked at. Kendall said: "Sexually manipulating images of women and children is despicable and abhorrent. She added: "I, and more importantly the public, would expect to see Ofcom update on next steps in days not weeks." She said the Online Safety Act "includes the power to block services from being accessed in the UK, if they refuse to comply with UK law" and "if Ofcom decide to use those powers they will have our full support". The BBC has approached X for comment.
Why is there any delay in acting?

In another part of the forest I saw THIS report from Twin Cities.
Updated 1 hour ago
A video filmed by the US immigration agent who fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday has emerged, showing the moments before gunfire rang out. The 47-second footage, obtained by Minnesota-based outlet Alpha News, shows Renee Nicole Good sitting behind the wheel of her car and speaking to the officer. US Vice-President JD Vance shared the clip on social media, commenting that the agent had acted in self-defence. Local officials have insisted the woman posed no danger. Good's wife has paid tribute to the 37-year-old, saying the pair were trying to support their neighbours when she was shot. Her death has sparked protests across the US. President Donald Trump's administration says Good tried to run over the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in an act of "domestic terrorism" after blocking the road and impeding the agency's work. Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has described that account as "garbage" based on the video footage. The BBC has asked the homeland security department and the White House for comment on the new video that emerged on Friday. The footage starts with the officer getting out of his car and filming Good's vehicle and registration plate while he walks around the Honda SUV. A dog is in the backseat. Good says: "That's fine dude. I'm not mad at you." Her wife, Becca Good, is standing on the street filming the interaction with her mobile phone. She tells the ICE agent: "That's OK, we don't change our plates every morning just so you know. It will be the same plate when you come talk to us later." She adds: "You want to come at us? You want to come at us? I say go and get yourself some lunch, big boy."

[Stanley]

See THIS update on events in Minneapolis.
6 hours ago
At least 29 people have been arrested in Minneapolis during protests over the death of a woman who was shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. One police officer was also injured after a "chunk of ice was thrown at them", city officials said, during demonstrations which saw 1,000 people take to the streets of the city on Friday night. Protests against immigration enforcement have been held across the US after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot in her car on Wednesday. The Trump administration said the agent who fired the shots acted in self-defence. Local officials have insisted the woman posed no danger. Minneapolis Police declared an unlawful assembly on Friday night as protesters gathered outside the Canopy Hotel in the city, where some ICE agents were believed to be staying. The Minneapolis police department said in a statement that "some individuals forced entry into the hotel through an alley entrance". Videos posted online showed protesters flashing bright lights into the area, blowing whistles and banging on drums. Police said there were "well over 1,000" demonstrators in the area and some threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, police vehicles and other vehicles, but no serious injuries were reported. One law enforcement officer suffered minor injuries but did not need any medical attention, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.
It looks as though this story has legs. Not good news for Trump.... As President he is expected to unite the Nation. This is anything but.....

[Stanley]

See THIS report for another example of how Trump is running the US. (or ruining....)
Updated 12 minutes ago
Federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, he said on Sunday. In a video announcing the probe, Powell said the US justice department served the agency with subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment over testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to Federal Reserve buildings. He called the probe "unprecedented" and said he believed it was opened due to him drawing Donald Trump's ire over refusing to lower interest rates despite repeated public pressure from the president. The Fed chair is the latest to come at odds with Trump and then face criminal investigation by the US justice department. The justice department and White House has not yet commented on the apparent investigation. "This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions, or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation," Powell said. "I have deep respect for the rule of law and for accountability in our democracy. No one, certainly not the chair of the Federal Reserve is above the law, but this unprecedented action should be seen in the broader context of the administration's threats and ongoing pressure," he went on to say. The probe, which prosecutors have not confirmed, would signal a fresh escalation in Trump's ongoing dispute with Powell, who the president nominated for the role as Fed chair in 2017. Trump has repeatedly threatened to remove Powell, who he has criticised for not cutting interest rates as quickly as the president would have liked. In the second half of 2025, the Fed cut interest rates three times.

[Tizer]

That reminds me of the video clip where Trump was waving papers in front of Powell and castigating him about the latest economic figures. Powell took the papers, looked at them for a moment and said `These are from 3 years ago'!

On international affairs Trump now seems to be a fully fledged example of `the pot calling the kettle black' (excuse the mixed metaphors). Having missed the Nobel Peace Prize he's aiming for the prize for being the world's top dictator and achieving it by ousting or killing all other dictators. If we're lucky he might have not noticed that his own name is on the list! (Where's James Bond when we need him?)

[Stanley]

I think it's fair to say that he is out of control.....

[Stanley]

see THIS BBC report on Iran.
5 hours ago
"I saw it with my own eyes - they fired directly into lines of protesters, and people fell where they stood." Omid's voice was shaking as he spoke, fearful of being traced. Breaking the wall of silence between Iran and the rest of the world takes immense courage, given the risk of reprisals by the authorities. Omid, in his early 40s and whose name we have changed for his safety, has been protesting on the streets of a small city in southern Iran over the past few days against worsening economic hardship. He said security forces had opened fire at unarmed protesters in his city with Kalashnikov-style assault rifles. "We are fighting a brutal regime with empty hands," he said. The BBC has received similar accounts of the crackdown by security forces following the widespread protests across the country last week. Since then, internet access has been cut by the authorities, making reporting from Iran more difficult than ever. BBC Persian is banned from reporting inside Iran by the government. One of the largest nationwide anti-government protests took place on Thursday, the twelfth night of demonstrations. Many people appear to have joined the protests on Thursday and Friday after calls from Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah of Iran who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic revolution. The following day, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said: "The Islamic Republic will not back down." It appears that the worst bloodshed occurred after that warning as security forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps take their orders from him.
Is this simply one more round of protests and reprisals or is there something different in the air?

[Tripps]

Nearer to home and probably more important -

Emergency meeting of Pendle Council last night
Motion that "they request the Government to postpone the forthcoming elections."
David Whipp the Charman spoke, and was strongy opposed. There were the usual confusing double negatives and substansive motions etc but

Passed by 18 votes to 10.

Other Councils are being canvassed, but since that means that a Labour Government will be protecting Labour candidates, the election will probably be postponed. We used to think that "if elections made any difference they would ban them" was a joke. .

Aside - interesting to note tht except where convention dictates otherwise (top table) the seating arangements largely divide on racial grounds. Littlle sign of communuity integration.