Seen in the News

[Stanley]

See THIS report from Taiwan after Trump's warnings....
7 hours ago
Taiwan has insisted it is a sovereign, independent nation, after US President Donald Trump cautioned it against formally declaring independence from China. Trump's remarks came after a two-day summit in Beijing, after which he said he had "made no commitment either way" about the self-governing island - which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking by force. After talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump also said he would soon decide whether to approve an $11bn ($8bn) package of weapons to be sold to Taiwan. The US administration is bound by law to provide Taiwan with a means of self-defence, but has frequently had to square this alliance with maintaining a diplomatic relationship with China. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has previously stated that Taiwan does not need to declare formal independence because it already sees itself as a sovereign nation. On Saturday, presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said it was "self-evident" that Taiwan was "a sovereign, independent democratic country". She added, however, that Taiwan was committed to maintaining the status quo with China - in which Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor unites with it. Many Taiwanese consider themselves to be part of a separate nation, though most are in favour of maintaining their current status. Washington's established position is that it does not support Taiwanese independence, with continued ties with Beijing being contingent on its acceptance that there is only one Chinese government.
Meanwhile the Iran problem seems to be deadlocked and the economic damage world wide increases.

[Stanley]

HERE'S the latest from Trump.
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran the "clock is ticking" as talks to bring the war to an end have stalled. "They better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" The message came as the president was due to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Iranian media meanwhile reported the US had failed to make any concrete concessions in its response to Tehran's latest proposals to end the conflict. A lack of compromise from Washington would lead to an "impasse in the negotiations", the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Trump's message echoed his threat that a "whole civilisation" would die unless Iran agreed to a deal to end the war, shortly before the ceasefire was announced in early April. The president warned earlier this week that truce was on "massive life support" after rejecting Tehran's demands, labelling them "totally unacceptable". Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, insisted they were "responsible" and "generous". According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, they included an immediate end to the war on all fronts - a reference to the continued Israeli attacks against Iran-supported Hezbollah in Lebanon - a halt to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and guarantees of no further attacks on Iran. They also reportedly included a demand for compensation for war damage and an emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
I suppose we should be glad to see that Trump has turned his attention away from China and back to the most pressing business, normalising conditions in the Middle East.

[Tripps]

Closer to home - and not seen in the news -
The Manchester Airport assault re - trial which took five weeks, to investigate a short fully videoed incident, ended last Tuesday lunchtime, and the jury has been out ever since. That's almost a full week now. The Judge said that time was not an issue. He told them last Friday that a majority verdict by a margin on 10 to 2 was acceptable. That does not seem to have broken the deadlock.
Very little reporting of the situation in the main stream media. How much longer can the situation be allowed to continue?

[Stanley]

I went looking at the original report on May 5th David, and it does seem strange that there is no resolution.

Meanwhile.... HERE'S the latest from The Donald.... (One hour ago...)
US President Donald Trump has said he is holding off a military attack on Iran planned for Tuesday at the request of Gulf states as "serious negotiations are now taking place". In a post on Truth Social, he said he had been asked to do so by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He said he had been informed a deal would be made that is "very acceptable" to the US, adding there would be "NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!" But he warned the US would be ready to "go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice" if there was no acceptable deal. A senior Iranian military commander told the US not to make "strategic mistakes and miscalculations again".
Is a resolution in sight?

[Tripps]

Ref HS (sic) 2

Perhaps on the track, but not in the delivery.

The transport secretary has said the first HS2 services are now not expected to run from Old Oak Common to Birmingham Curzon Street until sometime between May 2036 and October 2039.

[Stanley]

See THIS report about Ebola.....
People living close to the epicentre of a deadly Ebola outbreak have told the BBC of their fear, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned cases may be spreading faster than originally thought. One man in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeastern Ituri province said infected people were dying "very fast", adding: "Ebola has tortured us." The virus is believed to have killed 136 people in the DR Congo, officials say, with more than 514 cases now suspected in the country. One person has died in neighbouring Uganda. The WHO's Dr Anne Ancia told the BBC that the more the UN agency investigates the outbreak, the clearer it becomes cases have spread to other areas. Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis released on Monday suggested there had been "substantial" under-detection, and that it could not rule out there had already been more than 1,000 cases. The study suggested that the current outbreak is "larger than currently ascertained" and that its "true magnitude remains uncertain". A man who spoke to BBC News and identified himself as Bigboy said people are "really scared" and doing what they can to protect themselves. He said locals are taking precautions such as washing hands with clean water, but added that he wished they could get access to other protective supplies such as face masks.

[Tripps]

Today the jurors in the Manchester Airport assault trial, have been dismissed after failing to reach a verdict after a week's deliberation.

On Wednesday (May 20), jurors said they could not agree on any verdicts in respect of either of the defendants after deliberating for around 19 hours and 48 minutes, and after being told they could reach majority verdicts.
Prosecutors asked the judge for time to consider their position and to decide whether they will seek another re-trial. A further hearing has been scheduled for May 29. Judge Flewitt told jurors: "You are, as I'm sure you're aware, not the first jury to consider the case. You are not the first jury to fail to reach a verdict in relation to this particular count. I don't want you to feel in any way you have failed.

[Stanley]

I don't understand what's going on David.... how many times are they going to go back for a re-trial?

Meanwhile.... in another part of the forest. See THIS report from Israel....
Updated 46 minutes ago
There has been international condemnation of Israel's treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces. The US, the UK, France, Italy and Canada were among the countries which expressed outrage after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video, external showing himself taunting activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. His actions also drew rare criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they were "not in line with Israel's values". A rights group representing the 430 people from more than 40 countries who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla demanded their release. The flotilla, which carried a token amount of aid, set out to highlight the tough conditions for Palestinians in war-torn Gaza. Israel dismissed it as a "PR stunt at the service of Hamas".
There is something deeply repulsive about the actions of the far-right in Israel...... In the final analysis it is this sort of thinking that is driving the aggression in the Lebanon and the West Bank as well as Gaza.

[Tizer]

While politicians fight among themselves this is allowed to go on...
`Why illegal children's homes are being paid up to £2m per child by councils' BBC In Depth

[Tripps]

I don't understand what's going on David.... how many times are they going to go back for a re-trial?

It is most unlikely that there will be a third trial. Don't look on the BBC news site for the explanation. Try Simon Webb's Youtube channel - or The Black Belt Barrister's for excruciating detail. I won't give links - they are easy to find for those of a curious nature, who don't trust the BBC.

On the subject of replacement Mayors. The Craven Herald reports problems in Skipton Town Council. (How much governing do people need? )The Mayor there has awarded himself a second year in office, by means of his casting vote. As in the Oldham fiasco - the convention that the deputy succeeds has been ignored. I'd be auditing the books. . . . .

[Stanley]

I've looked elsewhere and I still don't understand it.....

[Whyperion]

See THIS report about Ebola.....
People living close to the epicentre of a deadly Ebola outbreak have told the BBC of their fear, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned cases may be spreading faster than originally thought. One man in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeastern Ituri province said infected people were dying "very fast", adding: "Ebola has tortured us." The virus is believed to have killed 136 people in the DR Congo, officials say, with more than 514 cases now suspected in the country. One person has died in neighbouring Uganda. The WHO's Dr Anne Ancia told the BBC that the more the UN agency investigates the outbreak, the clearer it becomes cases have spread to other areas. Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis released on Monday suggested there had been "substantial" under-detection, and that it could not rule out there had already been more than 1,000 cases. The study suggested that the current outbreak is "larger than currently ascertained" and that its "true magnitude remains uncertain". A man who spoke to BBC News and identified himself as Bigboy said people are "really scared" and doing what they can to protect themselves. He said locals are taking precautions such as washing hands with clean water, but added that he wished they could get access to other protective supplies such as face masks.

apparently it is a different strain of Ebola. Technology using Covid derived vaccine creations is being trialled reports the BBC which may be worth watching (I wonder what the side effects might be this time ?)

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC Verify report....
Iran has said it is significantly expanding the area around the Strait of Hormuz over which it claims military control in an effort to assert its sovereignty of the key trade route. A map published by Iran's newly-created "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" claims "Iranian armed forces oversight" across more than 22,000 sq km (8,800 sq miles). It extends into the territorial waters of Oman and the UAE. The UAE described Iran's claims of control as "nothing but fragments of dreams". Iran's new authority added that all transit through the strait "requires coordination with and authorization from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority". The US and Gulf allies have repeatedly rejected Iranian attempts to assert control over the strait. The US has told ships not to comply with Iran's rules.
Meanwhile I struggle to find any news about what Trump is up to......