alanjjohnstone
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Assange was the first
Parliament is debating a national security bill which could undermine the basis of national security reporting and ultimately throw journalists in jail for life.
A person convicted under the new offense of “obtaining or disclosing protected information,” defined in Section 1 of National Security Bill 2022, faces a fine, life imprisonment, or both.
“Protected information” is defined as any “restricted material” and it need not even be classified.
I can’t help but think of the convenience of the timing of this story as the nuclear talks reach a crtical stage
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/7/uk-warship-seized-advanced-iranian-missiles-bound-for-yemen
Isn’t it strange it was the British embassy in UAE, one of the Saudi Arabia’s coalition partners that briefed the media, not London
As for SAMs being found, aren’t these defensive weapons?
The heads of UK and US security services have made an unprecedented joint appearance to warn of the threat from China.
FBI director Christopher Wray said China was the “biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security” and had interfered in politics, including recent elections.
MI5 head Ken McCallum said his service had more than doubled its work against Chinese activity in the last three years and would be doubling it again.
MI5 is now running seven times as many investigations related to activities of the Chinese Communist Party compared to 2018, he added.
Who is in charge?
Ukraine’s military has announced plans to introduce a system of permits that would prohibit men eligible for conscription from leaving the region where they are registered.
Zelenskiy criticised the announcement saying that the general staff should not make decisions without him.
But what of his future?
Lucrative media rewards with press and television. Lucrative book deals with his memoirs. Lucrative employment contracts with think tanks and NGOs. (think former PM Blair)
Out of office, perhaps, but not out of pocket
Latvia introduces conscription
The Christian Theocracy?
A lawsuit filed by a synagogue in Florida has challenged plans to limit abortions in the state on the grounds that it would violate religious rights and therefore be unconstitutional. The Jewish faith holds the right to an abortion to be inviolable.
“If a foetus poses a threat to the health or emotional well-being of its mother, at any stage of gestation up until birth, Jewish law not only entitles but requires the mother to abort the pregnancy and protect herself,” the suit argues.
Royal Mail managers across the UK are poised to take industrial action in the next two weeks in a dispute over jobs and pay. Unite, the union that represents the workers, said 2,400 managers would work to rule between 15 and 19 July, followed by strike action between 20 and 22 July over Royal Mail’s plan to cut 700 jobs and slash pay by up to £7,000.
Last year, Royal Mail paid out £400m to shareholders and made a £311m profit, the union said.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/05/royal-mail-managers-to-strike-over-jobs-and-pay
My memories of the vast majority of Royal Mail managers with the exception of an honourable few are of them acting as strike-breakers.
That experience may well mean CWU members will cross the picket lines but I am also sure they will do their utmost to obstruct those managers who will scab to further their careers.
Ukraine asks for a $750bn (£620bn) recovery plan as the common task of the entire democratic world.
Will it get it? I doubt it. If it does, what sort of message does it send to the undeveloped countries.
Perhaps this the wrong thread but resistance to price rises has begun with road protests against petrol prices.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/04/fuel-price-protests-uk-motorways-today-latest
Shame they cannot connect with the unions
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/04/population-crisis-britain-paul-morland
“…the population of England and Wales is at an all-time high of nearly 60 million. But look more closely, and you’ll see that all the gains are in the 70-74 age bracket, closely followed by the over-90s. The birthrate is dropping off…
What to do, then, to spur “our own” into reproductive action?
A call for a “negative child benefit”, which is childless couples paying more tax
Ukraine claimed that Russian casualties have surpassed 36,000 since President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion began in late February
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/russia-ukraine-casualties-putin/2022/07/04/id/1077260/
Ukraine claimed that Russian casualties have surpassed 36,000 since President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion began in late February
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/russia-ukraine-casualties-putin/2022/07/04/id/1077260/
The USA won’t be a peace-maker
It’s not the United States’ role to push Ukraine to negotiate a settlement with Russia, even if the Biden administration thought that it was the right thing to do, John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications said Sunday.
“The goal is to make sure that Ukraine can continue to defend itself, and can defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity,”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-wont-push-ukraine-to-negotiate-nscs-kirby-says/ar-AAZ9i6v
In a way, it has been the perfect distraction for Biden, Boris and others.
It is or is supposed to be taking the attention away from their dismal domestic performance.
Even Brexit underachievement is being blamed first on Covid-19 and now the war
And I wonder just how convenient it is for the fossil fuel industries to undermine any climate change policies.
Now with the global inflation that I believe has deeper causes than simply the supply chain disruptions from the sanctions and embargo can safely be ascribed to the war.
I don’t wish to be conspiratorial, but the longer the war goes on, the easier it is to blame all the problems of capitalism upon it.
I think the armaments industry can’t but support a prolonged conflict, not just with the arms to Ukraine but replacing the armouries being depleted by the military aid to Ukraine…and now the increased expenditure to the military generally – share holders in the weapons industry must be in Heaven
