Nelson Mandela’s grandson denied entry to UK for pro-Palestinian talks

Nadine White
Fri 11 October 2024 

Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela was due to come to the UK to speak at a series of pro-Palestinian talks (Middle East Images/AFP via Getty)


Nelson Mandela’s grandson was reportedly denied entry to the UK ahead of a planned speaking tour at pro-Palestine events.

Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, 50, was due to fly to Britain to speak at events during Black History Month in eight cities including London, Edinburgh and Brighton.

But on Thursday, instead of physically attending an event held by Sheffield Palestine Coalition against Israeli Apartheid, he joined the session remotely.


In a statement, the group said Mr Mandela has been “prevented from travelling to the UK”.

The former South African member of parliament, who often goes by his middle name Mandla, has spoken previously of his support for the 7 October attack on Israel.

The statement from Sheffield Palestine Coalition against Israeli Apartheid continued: “British officials had initially told him that his South African government passport did not require a visa to enter the UK.

“However, on Monday, Mandla was informed that he did require a visa.

“So far, despite high-level approaches from senior ANC [African National Congress] figures, the British embassy has not relented or issued a visa.”

As a former MP under the ANC party of South Africa from 2009 to May 2024, it is unclear as to whether he still holds a diplomatic passport.

“It seems that there are those who are intent on preventing me from being physically with you [in Britain],” Mr Mandela reportedly said during the meeting in Sheffield on Thursday.

Mr Mandela still gave the talk at the pro-Palestinian event in Sheffield despite not being in the country (Facebook/Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign)

“I have been criticised for statements that I have made in support of the Palestinian Resistance and its various formations.”

It comes after the Home Office was questioned in a media report last week on whether Mr Mandela should be allowed entry because of his statements on the Middle East.

On his Instagram page, after the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7 2023, he wrote: “We support the Palestinian right to resist and call on all resistance formations to likewise support operation Al Aqsa Flood and intensify the struggle on all fronts.”

He was also said to have described Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader who was killed in September, as “one of the great freedom fighters”, according to an Iranian state-funded media outlet.

Britain considers both Hamas and Hezbollah to be terrorist organisations.

Later this month, Mr Mandela is scheduled to speak at the Global Peace and Unity Festival in London.

Sir Stephen Timms, minister in the Department for Work and Pensions, was also due to speak but reportedly withdrew after learning of Mr Mandela’s participation.

Mr Mandela is still anticipated to visit Dublin in Ireland, where his visa requirement to enter has been reportedly waived.

During his lifetime, Nelson Mandela frequently spoke out in support of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which was considered a terrorist organisation by the US and Israel at the time.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has robust safeguards to ensure visas are only issued to those who we want to welcome to our country.”

The Independent has attempted to contact Mr Mandela for comment.

What is Odinism? The Delphi murders suspect claims a pagan cult is behind the killings

Rachel Sharp
Fri 11 October 2024

A makeshift vigil at the scene of the murders (AP)


The notorious Delphi murders case has taken several shocking twists over the years, like when accused killer Richard Allen made a bombshell claim about the killings of teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams.

In court documents released last year, the then-50-year-old local man maintained his innocence of the 2017 killings and instead claimed that the murders were carried out by a pagan cult hijacked by white nationalists.

“Members of a pagan Norse religion, called Odinism, hijacked by white nationalists, ritualistically sacrificed Abigail Williams and Liberty German,” his attorneys wrote in the documents seen by The Independent.


Allen’s attorneys said that “possible Odinism signatures” were left behind by the killers at the crime scene, with the victims’ bodies staged by trees with branches and sticks laid across their bodies in the shape of pagan symbols.

While Allen has no known connection to any pagan cult, his defence attorneys also took the extraordinary step of naming four individuals they say are involved in Odinism as potential suspects. None of these individuals have ever been named by law enforcement as suspects or persons of interest in the case.

However, Allen’s attorneys are banned from bringing up the names or anything to do with the Odinism cult theory.

Special Judge Frances Gull issued the ruling in September, just weeks before the trial is set to start on October 14.

However, the defense will still have a chance to convince the judge that there is a link between Odinism and other suspects with the hope of presenting that argument to a jury.

What is Odinism?

Odinism is a pagan Norse religion with origins in ancient Viking and Nordic beliefs and pre-Christian European culture.

Sometimes referred to as Wotanism, it is seen as a “racist variant” of the pagan religious sect Asatru, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

While Asatru itself is not racist, over the years Odinism has become increasingly tied to white supremacist and neo-Nazi beliefs in the US.

Many followers – known as Odinites – are now said to exist among the white supremacist prison population.

“The religion, which revives a pre-Christian pantheon of Norse gods, is appealing to white supremacists because it mythologises the virtues of early northern European whites – seen as wandering barbarians, deeply involved in a mystical relationship with nature, struggling heroically against the elements,” the Southern Poverty Law Center explains.

“It sings the virtues of the tribe, or folk, strongly emphasizing genetic closeness. And it credits whites with building civilisation and an ethic of individual responsibility, even as they boldly slew wild boars, fought for their tribes and explored the far reaches of the known world.”

Were Libby and Abby killed by Odinites?

The murders of Libby and Abby have never been publicly linked to Odinism before now.

But, according to Allen’s attorneys, law enforcement officials did explore the cult’s possible involvement early on in the investigation – as far back as February 2018.

On February 13, 2017, Libby and Abby disappeared after setting off on a walk along the Monon High Bridge Trail in their hometown of Delphi.

During the walk, Libby posted a photo of her best friend on Snapchat as they walked along the Monon High Bridge.

Minutes later, Libby captured a video of a man – known as “bridge guy” – dressed in blue jeans, a blue jacket and a cap walking along the abandoned railroad bridge. In the footage – found on Libby’s phone following their murders – the man tells the two girls: “Guys, down the hill.”


Libby German on Monon High Bridge (Snapchat)

The next day – Valentine’s Day 2017 – the girls’ bodies were discovered in a wooded area less than half a mile off the trail along the side of Deer Creek.

In the court documents, Allen’s attorneys claim that there were “possible Odinism signatures left behind at the crime scene” including the staging of the bodies and branches displayed on the victims to create pagan symbols and shapes.

Describing the scene as “ghoulish”, the documents also reveal never-before-known details about how Libby and Abby died.

The teenage best friends both had their necks slashed, the documents reveal.

Libby was found at the base of a tree with “four tree branches of varying sizes intentionally placed in a very specific and arranged pattern on her naked body” and blood spots and drippings all over her body.

Abby, meanwhile, was fully clothed, including in Libby’s sweatshirt and jeans, the documents state.

There was no blood on her clothing, indicating that she was likely murdered while naked and then dressed after she was killed. Tree branches and sticks had also been arranged on her body, the documents state.

Richard Allen at court hearing in November 2022 (AP)

Both victims appeared to have been moved after they were murdered and positioned.

According to Allen’s attorneys, police on the case did investigate a link to Odinism but, after speaking to an expert, the theory was quickly “abandoned”.

Several officials continued to believe an Odinist cult was behind the murders but the information was withheld from the defence, his attorneys claim.

RIP
Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80

AFP
Fri 11 October 2024 

Baltazar Ushca Ushca was a legend in the Andean country and beyond, as the the last practitioner of the age-old profession of ice harvester

(Pablo Cozzaglio/AFP/AFP)

Ecuador's last mountain ice harvester, Baltazar Ushca, who spent over half a century climbing the country's highest summit to extract ice at the top, died Friday at the age of 80, authorities in his hometown of Guano said.

Ushca was a legend in the Andean country and beyond, as the last practitioner of the age-old profession of ice harvester on Mount Chimborazo, a dormant volcano 6,310 metres high.

"We deeply regret to announce the death of our dear Mashi, Taita Baltazar Ushca, the last iceman of the majestic Chimborazo, a national and international icon," the municipality of Guano in central Ecuador wrote on social media. In the Quechua language "Taita" means companion and father.


Ushca died after suffering a bad fall while herding cattle at home on Thursday.

The municipality said a bull "overpowered him and threw him to the ground, causing him serious injury."

Ushca inherited his trade from his father when he was 15 years old and never looked back.

Twice a week he climbed to the 5,200-meter mark on Chimborazo to extract huge blocks of ice weighing up to 20 kilograms with a pick and shovel.

He then wrapped the ice in hay and sold it on a market in the city of Riobamba.

The arrival of refrigerators sounded the death knell for icemen, but Ushca kept plying his trade, inspiring several documentaries.

At 73 years old, he returned to the classroom to complete his primary education and in 2017 received an honorary doctorate.

At the end of his life, he worked as a tourism promoter at Guano museum.

"His work is and will remain a reference for the knowledge of our people," the National Institute of Cultural Heritage (INPC) wrote on the social network X.

pld/cb/md

UK

Date confirmed for first Commons debate on assisted dying for a decade

Aine Fox
Thu 10 October 2024 

Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater and Conservative MP Kit Malthouse join terminally ill advocates, bereaved families, and campaigners outside the Houses of Parliament (Ben Whitley/PA)

Assisted dying will be debated and voted on in the House of Commons next month, for the first time for almost a decade.

MPs will be able to make their opinions known in the Commons on the controversial subject when they debate the bill on choice at the end of life for people with terminal illness on November 29.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s private member’s bill (PMB) is due to be formally introduced in Parliament on Wednesday.

Details of the legislation will be published ahead of the first full debate and vote next month, the MP’s office said.

The news comes a day after Ms Leadbeater and campaigners gathered outside the Houses of Parliament before meeting MPs to discuss the proposed bill.

Speaking to the PA news agency, the MP for Spen Valley said she wanted to meet families with experience of what she described as a “really, really important issue”, to ensure their voices are heard.

She said: “What they show through their stories is that the current law is not fit for purpose.

“We’ve got a duty as legislators to make robust laws that are fit for society, and at the moment this situation just isn’t.”

She has called for a “thorough, compassionate and respectful debate about what needs to be done”.

Opponents to changing the law have argued some people could feel pressured to have an assisted death against their will, and have called for more focus on improving and ensuring equal access to palliative care.

But while details of the bill have not yet been set out, Ms Leadbeater has rejected this argument and has pledged to consult widely about what should be in the legislation.


Dame Esther Rantzen has spoken in favour of legalising assisted dying (Esther Rantzen/PA)

She has previously insisted it “will not undermine calls for improvements to palliative care, nor will it conflict with the rights of people with disabilities to be treated equally and have the respect and support they are absolutely right to campaign for in order to live fulfilling lives”.

High-profile supporters of change include Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill with cancer and has spoken out strongly on the issue since revealing in December that she has joined the Swiss Dignitas clinic.

Assisting someone to end their life is against the law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and while it is not a specific criminal offence in Scotland, assisting the death of someone can leave a person open to being charged with murder or other offences.

A bill is currently being considered at Holyrood that, if passed, would give terminally ill adults in Scotland the right to request help to end their life.

Ms Leadbeater’s bill would cover England and Wales only.

MPs still need to approve the motion outlining the Friday sitting dates – the first of which is November 29 – but this is expected to be a formality.

Former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer of Thoroton, whose Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill had been due to be debated in the House of Lords in mid-November, has confirmed he will no longer go ahead with it in light of Ms Leadbeater’s bill.

An assisted dying bill was defeated in the Commons in 2015 and a separate one was blocked in the Lords in 2021.

Carlisle MP 'welcomes' controversial Commons debate on assisted dying

Isaac Cooper
Thu 10 October 2024 

Carlisle MP Julie Minns (Image: Facebook)


Carlisle MP Julie Minns has said she ‘welcomes’ an upcoming debate on assisted dying in the House of Commons.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater will formally introduce a private member’s bill (PMB) on assisted dying on October 16, with a debate and initial vote on the matter possible within weeks.

It will be the first time the topic has been debated in the House of Commons since 2015, when an assisted dying bill was defeated.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously promised Labour MPs that they can vote with their conscience on the issue.

Opponents to changing the law have argued some people could feel pressured to have an assisted death against their will, and have called for more focus on improving and ensuring equal access to palliative care.

Campaigners who are terminally ill or have watched loved ones die in pain have called the existing legislation “unbelievably cruel” and pointed out that animals suffering severely can be legally euthanised.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, former Conservative leadership contender Sir David Davis said the Prime Minister needs to make sure the legislation is “right first time”, with Sir Keir Starmer responding that any legal changes in the area need to be “effective”.

Carlisle MP Julie Minns said that she ‘cannot’ say how she will vote until the bill is published but said that she would ‘closely’ scrutinise the bill to ‘ensure it has robust safeguards’.

“The debate on assisted dying is a complex and emotive issue and I recognise that there are strongly held ethical and moral views on both sides,” she said.

“The high level of public interest in this issue is borne out by the amount of constituent correspondence I have received, and I welcome the debate.

“The Bill has not yet been published, and until I see its provisions I cannot say how I will vote.

“However, I will be scrutinising the Bill closely to ensure it has robust safeguards to protect those who would not choose an assisted death.

“I believe that assisted dying should never become an alternative to high-quality palliative and end-of-life care.

“People deserve dignity in dying, and each person nearing the end of their life should feel reassured and safe in the knowledge they will receive the very best care.”

Terminally ill patients with a year to live could use assisted dying law under plans considered by MP

Janet Eastham
Fri 11 October 2024 

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater will table a private members’ Bill to legalise the practice next Wednesday, with a free vote for MPs due on Nov 29 - BEN WHITLEY/PA


Terminally ill patients with 12 months to live may be able to use an assisted dying law under plans being considered by the MP writing the Bill.

Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley, will table a private members’ Bill to legalise the practice next Wednesday, with a free vote for MPs due on Nov 29, their first since 2015.

The legislation is expected to include a definition of terminal illness that will specify the timeframe within which someone is reasonably expected to die, with prognoses of between six and 12 months being considered.


The Telegraph understands Ms Leadbeater is expected to rule out assisted dying for people who are suffering intolerably but not terminally ill.

She is also consulting with the judiciary on whether every application for assisted dying can be signed off by a High Court judge.

It is understood that Ms Leadbeater will only include this requirement if she is confident that the Family Court would be able to handle the additional work. The current feedback from judges is that the extra caseload would not be too burdensome.

It is understood that the legislation will require two doctors to approve each application.

The Bill is understood to include a conscientious objection clause for doctors who have ethical or religious objections to assisted dying which would exempt them from being involved in such cases.

Ms Leadbeater is believed to be consulting with the doctors’ union, the British Medical Association (BMA) on the issue.

The Bill will only be applicable to those deemed mentally competent at the point they decide to opt for assisted suicide

The Telegraph understands that the legislation is likely to include a requirement for a Mental Capacity Assessment if capacity is in doubt.

However, critics of assisted dying said that such a provision is not a fail-safe as capacity can “fluctuate” and doctors are not always well-trained in assessing a patient’s ability to consent.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, a crossbench peer and professor of palliative medicine, said: “You can have capacity for decisions in daily living, but the bigger the decision, the greater the capacity that you need to have.

“Doctors are very, very poor at assessing mental capacity, and you can’t do it on a one-off assessment. Doctors are meant to be trained in assessing capacity, but really it was not done well generally. Medication that people are on, and fears that people might have, both alter their mental state and decision making.”

Ms Leadbeater is consulting widely with the medical profession, legal profession, and campaign groups in favour of the policy such as Dignity in Dying.

This process is ongoing, and the exact wording of the legislation will only be made public next Wednesday [OCT 13], when the bill will have its First Reading in Parliament.

When Ms Leadbeater announced her Choice at the End of Life Bill last Thursday [Oct 3], she said it would cater for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.

While she was lobbied by as many as 38 Labour MPs to expand this to include non-terminal patients, she is not expected to cave and expand the criteria.

Sarah Wootton, chief executive at Dignity in Dying, told The Telegraph that the law change they were advocating for was for “shortening death, rather than ending life”.
Ms Wootton said that terminally ill supporters of the bill wanted it “more as an insurance policy against a bad death”.

MPs will be able to make their opinions known in the Commons on the controversial subject when they debate and vote on the Bill on Nov 29.

WALES

Almost two-thirds support legalising assisted dying in next five years

Aine Fox & PA Social Affairs Correspondent & Sion Morgan
Fri 11 October 2024 

-Credit: (Image: No credit)

Almost two-thirds of people in England and Wales want assisted dying to be legalised for terminally ill adults in the next five years, polling has suggested.

The research comes as a Bill to give choice at the end of life is set to come before Parliament next week for the first time in almost a decade.

The new study, by the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions group at King's College London (KCL), also suggested younger people are less likely to back assisted dying.

It demonstrated the changeable nature of some people's views, with some of those voicing support saying they could change their minds if they felt someone had been pressured into choosing an assisted death or had made the choice due to lack of access to care.

Overall, the polling found a fifth (20%) of people asked said they do not want assisted dying to be legalised in the next five years while 63% said they do.

Just under a fifth (17%) of the 2,063 adults in England and Wales polled across two days in September said they do not take a side or have an opinion on the issue.

The majority (85%) of those who support a law change said people having a less painful or distressing death is a very important reason for their view, while a similar proportion (83%) say giving people more dignity at the end of their life is very important.

Almost three-quarters (72%) of supporters said legalisation is about people being able to choose how and when they die.

But the majority (72%) of those opposed to change said they fear vulnerable people could be pressured into an assisted death, while more than two-thirds (69%) feel health professionals should be saving lives, not assisting deaths.

Researchers said the polling shows the "moral complexities" people feel when it comes to this controversial issue, with concerns around the risks remaining among those who are broadly supportive of legalisation.

Overall, 61% of people polled said they would be concerned about some people being pressured to have an assisted death if the law was changed, including more than half (53%) of those who want the current Parliament to legalise it.

More than half (55%) of those who support a law change said they would be likely to change their mind and become opposed if it turned out someone had been pressured into choosing this option.

Concerns around access to good end-of-life care was also a factor, the research showed.

Just under half (48%) of supporters of a law change said they are likely to rethink their position if someone's choice of an assisted death was motivated by a lack of access to other care.

A majority (83%) of those in favour of change said poor palliative care was an important factor in their support, including 47% who rate it as very important.

While 68% of those aged 35 and above said they supported legalisation within this Parliament, only 50% of 18 to 34-year-olds said they would support this.

The researchers suggested this could be due to the "greater salience of this issue for those at a more advanced stage of life, as well as their (an older person's) higher likelihood of having experienced the death of loved ones".

While two-thirds (66%) of white people said they would support a law change in the next five years, this fell to 46% among ethnic minorities.

Those with mental health conditions are deemed most at risk of being pressured to have an assisted death, according to the study, with 43% of the public saying this would be the case.

Other groups felt to be most at risk were older people (34%), those with disabilities (33%), people with chronic pain or long-term health conditions (33%) and those with a cognitive impairment (30%).

Some 59% of people said they feel assisted dying should be available on the NHS while 18% did not.

The researchers said there was no clear consensus on the possible financial impact to the health service of legalising assisted dying, with 25% of people thinking costs would stay about the same, and 18% saying they do not know.

Almost a third (32%) of people said they think overall costs to the health service would decrease if assisted dying was provided by the NHS.

Just over a third (35%) of the public said they would be more likely to support legalising assisted dying if it did reduce overall costs to the NHS, compared with 23% who would be less likely to do so.

The proportion of people who feel someone should not have to pay for their assisted death was almost double that of those who think patients should have to pay, at 44% compared with 23%.

Most people (55%) said they would support private healthcare companies also providing assisted deaths, compared with 24% who would not.

Just over a third (37%) of people said they would be against private companies getting public money for these services from the Government's healthcare budget compared with 28% in favour.

The Government has already confirmed that MPs will have a free vote on the Bill, making a decision according to their own conscience rather than along party lines.

The research found that just under half (45%) of those in favour of change said they want their MP to vote for the law, with 29% saying they would rather their MP followed their own conscience when it comes to a vote.

Professor Gareth Owen, of KCL, said: "Two-thirds of the public look ready for a change in the law but preferences may be unstable in light of moral complexities and imperfect access to care."

Professor Bobby Duffy, also from KCL, said the research shows that "while minorities of the public have very strong views in support or opposition, the majority are somewhat in the middle, either not having any opinion or only tending to support or oppose views could shift quickly".

KCL colleague Professor Katherine Sleeman said it is "critical that the debate on assisted dying considers the complexities involved in implementing this kind of reform", including "the implications of legalising assisted dying in a context where many dying people struggle to access the care they need".

Research was carried out on September 18 and 19 2024, by the Policy Institute and the Complex Life and Death Decisions (Cladd) group at King's College London, in collaboration with Focaldata.

KAPITAL STRIKE

DP World cancels £1billion London Gateway port announcement in row with Labour

Jitendra Joshi
Fri 11 October 2024 


Sir Keir Starmer’s Government faced fresh embarrassment after it emerged that Dubai-based DP World plans to boycott an investment summit next week at which it was due to announce a £1billion expansion of the London Gateway container port.

Monday’s summit is meant to mark a fresh start for the PM after a rocky first 100 days since Labour won the election in July, showcasing ministers rubbing shoulders with global business leaders to drum up investment in the UK.

But it risks being overshadowed by a row over strong criticism aired this week by Labour ministers Angela Rayner and Louise Haigh against DP World’s subsidiary P&O Ferries.

They have long expressed anger about the company’s firing of 800 British seafarers in 2022. But it is understood that given the timing of their latest comments, just before the summit, DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem will not now attend Monday’s event in the City of London.

And the company has shelved the announcement of hefty new investment to build two more docking berths at London Gateway in Thurrock, Essex, which would eventually give the port bigger capacity than Felixstowe or Southampton.

DP World declined to comment after the boycott was first revealed by Sky News. There was no immediate response from the Department for Business.

It comes after Deputy Prime Minister Rayner and Transport Secretary Haigh announced new legislation to protect seafarers on Wednesday as the Government presented a bill to enhance workers’ rights more generally.

Ms Haigh described P&O as a "rogue operator" and said consumers should boycott the ferry company. Ms Rayner described the 2022 sackings as "an outrageous example of manipulation by an employer".

Asked about DP World, Sir Keir evaded the question and insisted that Monday’s “massive” summit represented a turning point for the economy.

“This is very, very good for the country, very, very good for the future of jobs,” he told reporters.

“It is just the sort of change that we need to see.”

Responding to the news, Shadow Business and Trade Secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “On the eve of this much vaunted inward investment event, this is a body blow for the Government and shows that Labour Cabinet Ministers have never been in business, don’t understand business and don’t know how to talk to business. They just haven’t got a clue.

“Just 100 days in, new investment should be rolling in, not being scared off because of anti-business statements or worries about the impact of Labour's employment and tax policies.”

Ports company pulls £1bn investment over ministers’ criticism – reports

Christopher McKeon, PA Political Correspondent
Fri 11 October 2024 at 9:37 am GMT-6·3-min read

The Prime Minister has declined to comment on reports a £1 billion investment in the UK has been jeopardised by ministers’ criticism of the company behind it.

Dubai-based DP World is reported to have been planning to announce a major investment in the UK at the Government’s International Investment Summit next Monday.

But, according to Sky News, that investment is now under review after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Transport Secretary Louise Haigh repeated criticism of P&O Ferries, which is owned by DP World.

P&O Ferries was criticised by politicians from both main parties in March 2022 when it suddenly sacked 800 British seafarers and replaced them with cheaper, mainly overseas, staff, saying it was necessary to stave off bankruptcy.

On Wednesday, Ms Rayner and Ms Haigh introduced legislation to prevent similar actions, with the Transport Secretary describing P&O Ferries as “cowboy operators” and Ms Rayner saying the incident had been “an outrageous example of manipulation by an employer”.

P&O Ferries was sharply criticised by MPs from all parties after suddenly sacking 800 seafarers in March 2022. (Gareth Fuller/PA)

On Friday, Sky News reported DP World chairman, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, ordered Monday’s announcement to be cancelled and the planned investment in the company’s London Gateway port to be reviewed.

Asked about the row on Friday, the Prime Minister declined to answer directly, saying there had been “five or six huge investments in the UK” announced in the past four weeks.

He said: “We’ve got a massive investment summit coming up on Monday where leading investors from across the globe are all coming to the UK.

“This is very, very good for the country, very, very good for the future of jobs, it’s just the sort of change that we need to see.”

Monday’s investment summit was a major part of the Government’s plan for its first 100 days in office and its mission of securing economic growth.

Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram said he had “very little sympathy” with DP World “moaning about a Government because of the actions that they’ve previously taken against workers in this country”.

“We as a Government would have wanted to work with these, but they would have had to have done things differently because you can’t have fire and rehire, you can’t just sack workers, there are protections in this country for everybody,” he said.

Conservative shadow business secretary Kevin Hollinrake said DP World’s decision was “a body blow for the Government” that shows ministers “don’t understand business and don’t know how to talk to business”.

He said: “Just 100 days in, new investment should be rolling in, not being scared off because of anti-business statements or worries about the impact of Labour’s employment and tax policies.”

At the time of the P&O Ferries incident, senior Conservatives themselves criticised the company, with then-prime minister Boris Johnson telling MPs it appeared to have broken the law.

Then-transport secretary Grant Shapps also called for P&O Ferries chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite to resign or be dismissed following the incident.

DP World and the Department for Business and Trade have been contacted for comment.

CRUEL & DEPRAVED

Troopers Rescue Dog Tied To Fence In Chest-Deep Water Ahead Of Hurricane Milton

Hilary Hanson
Wed 9 October 2024

A Florida dog is safe and dry after being rescued from a harrowing situation in the face of Hurricane Milton on Wednesday morning.

“Do NOT do this to your pets please,” wrote the Florida Highway Patrol on X, formerly Twitter, alongside footage that showed a “dog left tied to a pole” on the interstate north of Tampa. The region was already seeing the effects of the oncoming hurricane.

Body camera video shows a trooper approaching a dog stuck in chest-deep water next to a fence off the side of the interstate.

As rain falls, the trooper walks through puddle-filled grass to approach the dog, repeatedly saying, “It’s OK.” When the dog growls and barks, the trooper responds, “I don’t blame you.”

The Highway Patrol shared a follow-up post from the Florida Deepartment of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles that showed the dog, which appears to be an English bull terrier, in the back of a vehicle with a blanket. The dog is “safe and receiving care,” the post said, adding that the canine had seen a vet and “received a clean bill of health.”

Highway Patrol officials told McClatchy News that the same trooper who had managed to get the dog to safety also volunteered to care for the animal.

On Wednesday evening, Hurricane Milton continued to barrel toward Florida’s Gulf Coast as rain, tropical storm force winds and tornadoes slammed the coastal area.


Florida Highway Patrol Rescues Dog Tied to Pole Before Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall

Charna Flam
Wed 9 October 2024 at 9:08 pm GMT-6·3-min read

The abandoned dog was successfully rescued 15 minutes after the Florida Highway Patrol discovered the animal on the side of the I-75

Florida Highway Patrol Tampa/XFlorida Highway Patrol Rescues Dog

The Florida Highway Patrol rescued a dog abandoned by its owners hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Florida Highway Patrol—Tampa posted a video to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday around 11:23 a.m. ET, stating that the agency found a dog tied to a pole on I-75 near Bruce B Downs Blvd. “Do NOT do this to your pets, please…” the FHP captioned the post.

In the video, an officer walked toward a dog, who was tied to a fence and standing in a deep puddle that reached the animal’s stomach. As the officer approached, the dog backed away and growled. “It’s okay, bud. It’s okay. It’s okay," the officer said.

The visibly stressed dog began barking as the officer said, “I don’t blame you. It’s okay, buddy. It’s okay.”



Florida Highway Patrol Tampa/XFlorida Highway Patrol Rescues Dog

About 15 minutes later, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) confirmed in a post that the dog had been rescued and was in their care. The dog stayed in the backseat of a car on top of multiple blankets, its disposition seemingly changed by then.

“The dog rescued by @FHPTampa is safe and receiving care. Troopers brought him to a vet, where he was examined for injuries and received a clean bill of health,” read the second post.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reshared the initial post of the dog with his own message.

“Thank you, @FHPTampa. It is cruel for anyone to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle of an oncoming storm. FL will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable,” DeSantis wrote.

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Pet owners facing hurricanes should not forget to bring their animals with them when evacuating. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Tampa Bay issued tips on how to keep their pets safe amid natural disasters.

Pet owners should ensure that their pets have identification, have an emergency kit and that the home is prepared for the animal. The kit should include food and water for at least a week, any necessary medications, medical and vaccine records, a sturdy carrier or crate, bedding, litter, cleaning supplies, and a current photo of the animal.



Florida Highway Patrol Tampa/XFlorida Highway Patrol Rescues Dog

Since FHP found the dog, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida. The Category 3 storm came ashore around Siesta Key, Fla., at around 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It is the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. this year and brought maximum sustained wind speeds of 120 mph.

 People.

Russian governor shows off new Stalin statue to 'honour' history

Reuters
Fri 11 October 2024 






(Reuters) - A new monument to Soviet-era leader Josef Stalin is set to be erected soon in a city in northwest Russia following what the regional governor there said were "appeals from the public".

Vologda Governor Georgy Filimonov published video on Friday showing workers putting the finishing touches to a life-sized statue of the Georgian-born ruler, who ruled the Soviet Union with an iron fist from 1924 until he died in 1953.

Filimonov, who was appointed to his post last year by President Vladimir Putin, said the statue will be erected in the historic city of Vologda, which has a population of around 300,000 and lies roughly 275 miles (450 km) north of Moscow.

"This decision was triggered by appeals from the public to us," Filimonov wrote on his Telegram channel.

He said the statue would stand near a house where Stalin lived from 1911 to 1912 when exiled in the province for revolutionary activity.

Stalin oversaw rapid industrialisation and victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two but was also responsible for the deaths of millions in political purges, labour camps and famine, according to historians.

Many statues and busts of Stalin were removed following his death, but the war in Ukraine - which Putin casts as an existential battle similar to the fight against the Nazis - has seen some places erect new memorials.

In his post, Filimonov seemed to anticipate push-back to the new statue.

"With all due understanding of the ambiguous interpretation of the role of (this) personality, we must recognise the great achievements, know the history of our country, (and) honour and be proud of it," he wrote.

Videos previously published by Filimonov demonstrate an affinity for Soviet leaders and photographs of secret police chiefs Lavrentiy Beria and Felix Dzerzhinsky hang on the walls of his office. He has dubbed a painting of himself shaking hands with Stalin, which hangs in his reception room, as "conceptual."

Filimonov also said on Friday that there were plans to install a monument to Ivan IV, a 16th-century Russian tsar under whom construction of Vologda's Kremlin began.

Popularly known as Ivan the Terrible, his reign was marked by violent purges of the Russian nobility and failed wars against Sweden and Poland.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Andrew Heavens)

FBI returns Monet painting stolen by Nazis to family of the Jewish owners

Victoria Bekiempis
Thu 10 October 2024

Agents stand next to the 1865 Claude Monet painting Bord de Mer before returning it to the descendants of the original owners during a ceremony at the New Orleans FBI office on Wednesday.

Photograph: Chris Granger/AP


A Claude Monet pastel looted from a Jewish couple by Nazis in the second world war was returned to the family’s descendants, officials said on Wednesday.

Adalbert “Bela” and Hilda Parlagi purchased the artwork, titled Bord de Mer, at an Austrian art auction in 1936. After Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, the Parlagis had to flee and they left their possessions in storage.

The Nazis in 1940 seized their belongings, which included seven other artworks, and a Nazi art dealer purchased the pastel. The Monet, which dates to about 1865, subsequently “disappeared” in 1941, the FBI said in a press release.

Related: Fears looted Nazi art still hanging in European galleries

Bela Parlagi searched for his stolen art after the second world war until he died in 1981. His son also tried to find the family’s art, to no avail, until his 2012 death.

FBI agents started to investigate the stolen pastel in 2021 after the Commission for Looted Art in Europe contacted authorities about the pastel. The commission had learned that a New Orleans art dealer acquired the pastel in 2017 and sold it to private collectors two years later.

The pastel was listed for sale at a Houston, Texas, art gallery in 2023. FBI agents and New York City police detectives contacted the pastel’s owners – who did not know its provenance – and explained that it had been looted.

The owners voluntarily surrendered the pastel to authorities and gave up their ownership rights. The work was returned to the Parlagis’ granddaughters, Helen Lowe and Francoise Parlagi.

“It’s an act of justice to have it returned,” Anne Webber, co-chair of the Commission for Looted Art in Europe, reportedly said. “It has huge sentimental feeling for the family.”

James Dennehy, assistant director in charge of the FBI in New York City, said his agents were “honored” to have helped return the art.

“While this Monet is undoubtedly valuable, its true worth lies in what it represents to the Parlagi family,” Dennehy said in a press release. “It’s a connection to their history, their loved ones, and a legacy that was nearly erased. The emotions tied to reclaiming something taken so brutally can’t be measured in dollars – it’s priceless.”

Federal authorities are continuing to investigate art stolen from the Parlagis, including the 1903 Paul Signac watercolor Seine in Paris (Pont de Grenelle). The same Nazi art dealer who trafficked their Monet also purchased this Signac.

Because of the Signac watercolor’s history, the FBI said it’s “very likely” the work is now known by a different name. The Signac was placed in the FBI’s National Stolen Art File (NSAF) catalog and authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Some 20% of the art in Europe was looted by Nazis, according to the National Archives. The World Jewish Restitution Organization and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany released a report in March indicating that 24 countries “had made little or no progress” in returning art stolen during the Holocaust.

Related: Afterlives: the incredible stories behind recovered Nazi-looted art

The reported estimated that more than 100,000 of the 600,000 “paintings and many more of the millions of books, manuscripts, ritual religious items, and other cultural objects” stolen during the Holocaust have not been returned.

The two dozen countries that have lagged in their Nazi art recovery efforts, which include Russia and Turkey, are among more than 40 nations that in 1998 backed the Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art. The principles were meant to foster the return of looted art and cultural works.

Reuters contributed reporting

Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship Endurance revealed in spectacular 3D detail

Tara Cobham
Thu 10 October 2024 

Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship Endurance has been seen in spectacular 3D detail in new images released more than a century after it sunk. (Falklands Heritage Maritime Trust / National Geographic)


Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship Endurance has been seen in spectacular 3D detail in new images released more than a century after it sunk.

The vessel was hidden at a depth of 3,000m at the bottom of the icy Weddell Sea in Antarctica after sinking in 1915 – before it was discovered two years ago, beautifully preserved by the ice.

The newly revealed digital scan – which was taken when the ship was found but has just been released in the new documentary Endurance – shows the ship as if the murky water has been drained away for the first time.


The scan, which was produced from 25,000 high resolution pictures, was scoured by the documentary team to reveal the stories of the vessel.

In one, the plates used by crew are seen scattered across the deck, while another shows a boot that could have belonged to Shackleton’s second-in-command Frank Wild.

The taffrail and wheel of the Endurance underwater, as seen over a century after it sank (Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/ National Geographic)

A particular highlight is a flare gun, discussed in the crew’s journals, which the expedition’s photographer Frank Hurley fired when their ship was lost to the ice.

Dr John Shears, who led the expedition that discovered Endurance, explained to the BBC: “Hurley gets this flare gun, and he fires the flare gun into the air with a massive detonator as a tribute to the ship.

"And then in the diary, he talks about putting it down on the deck. And there we are. We come back over 100 years later, and there's that flare gun, incredible.”

The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, led by Anglo-Irish explorer Shackleton, was set to make the first land crossing of Antarctica – but it was doomed from the get-go.

Ernest Shackleton aboard the Endurance. (BFI/Frank Hurley)

Just weeks after leaving South Georgia, Endurance got stuck in a pack of ice, drifting for months before the order was finally given to abandon ship.

Endurance sank in 21 November 1915, while the crew had to travel hundreds of miles over ice, land and sea before making it to safety.

Miraculously, all 27 crew members survived, with their incredible story documented in their diaries and Mr Hurley’s photographs, to which colour has been added for the documentary.

(Falklands Heritage Maritime Trust / National Geographic)

When the ship was found in 2022, the news made headlines across the globe.

The newly revealed 3D scan was created out of thousands of photographs taken by underwater robots mapping the wreck from every angle, before these were “stitched” together to produce a digital twin.

It provides a complete view from bow to stern of the 44m long wooden wreck, in contrast to footage that could only capture parts in gloom.

The model – which belongs to the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust, the funder and organiser of the expedition – shows the structure is mostly intact, even though the masts and deck were left in tatters after being crushed by the ice.

Shackleton’s descendants believe Endurance will never be raised – and even visiting the wreck is thought to be a huge challenge considering its remote location.

(Falklands Heritage Maritime Trust / National Geographic)

However, Nico Vincent, from Deep Ocean Search – which, along with Voyis Imaging and McGill University, developed the technology for the scans – said a new way to study the vessel has been offered by the digital replica.

“It's absolutely fabulous. The wreck is almost intact like she sank yesterday,” said Mr Vincent, also co-leader for the expedition.

He explained that scientists could use the scan to study sea life colonising the wreck and sea floor geology as well as to discover new artefacts. “So this is really a great opportunity that we can offer for the future,” he said.

The Endurance documentary premieres at the London Film Festival on 12

Biden, NATO head claim a stronger Obama response to Crimea invasion may have prevented Ukraine war

Morgan Phillips
Thu, October 10, 2024

The West’s response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 has been brought under fresh scrutiny this week – as outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted the war in Ukraine may not have happened if the U.S. and NATO had a stronger response to that incursion.

"If we had delivered a fraction of the weapons we have delivered after 2022, we may have actually prevented the war," he said in an interview with Politico.

Stoltenberg, a Norwegian politician, led NATO from 2014 until last week.

President Biden reportedly expressed a similar sentiment.

"They f---ed up in 2014," Biden said, according to Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book, "War," obtained by Fox News Digital

l.

"They f---ed up in 2014," Biden said, according to Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward’s upcoming book, "War," obtained by Fox News Digital.

"That’s why we are here," the 81-year-old said. "We f---ked it up. Barack never took [Russian President Vladimir] Putin seriously."

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North Korea Troops Now Fighting For Russia In Ukraine, Seoul Says

"We did nothing. We gave Putin a license to continue!" the president went on. "Well, I’m revoking his f---ing license!"

In 2014, the Kremlin annexed the Crimean Peninsula after the so-called Revolution of Dignity, when Ukrainians ousted Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych. It was a quick and bloodless takeover. Russia flooded the regions with migrants and fended off Ukrainian efforts to take it back.

The Obama administration provided Ukraine with defensive weapons, sanctioned the Kremlin and kicked Russia out of the G-8, but some, even reportedly including Obama’s then-vice president, Biden, believe he should have done more.

It came as Russia had also invaded Ukraine’s Donbas region and shot down a Malaysia Airlines flight with nearly 300 people on board.

He stopped short of providing Ukraine with lethal weaponry. As president, Donald Trump reversed Obama’s policy, approving a plan to sell Ukraine Javelin missiles for $47 million.

"If we had delivered a fraction of the weapons [in 2014] we have delivered after 2022, we may have actually prevented the war," outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with Politico.

In a 2014 interview with The Atlantic, Obama said he saw no benefit in the U.S. getting involved in the unfolding events in Europe related to Russia and Ukraine.

"The fact is that Ukraine, which is a non-NATO country, is going to be vulnerable to military domination by Russia no matter what we do," Obama said. "This is an example of where we have to be very clear about what our core interests are and what we are willing to go to war for."

In 2012, Obama famously downplayed the threat of Russia during a debate with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Romney had asserted that Russia was the U.S.’s greatest geopolitical foe.

"The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because the Cold War’s been over for 20 years," Obama chided at the time.

He also tasked his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, with pursuing a "reset" in U.S.-Russia relations, scrapping plans by President George W. Bush to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe that Russia saw as a direct military threat. Putin called that decision "correct and brave."

Obama defended his 2014 policy in a 2023 interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

"We did nothing," President Biden said. "We gave Putin a license to continue… Well, I’m revoking his f---ing license!"

"Ukraine of that time was not the Ukraine that we’re talking about today," Obama said. "There’s a reason there was not an armed invasion of Crimea, because Crimea was full of a lot of Russian speakers, and there was some sympathy to the views that Russia was representing."

The U.S. has offered some $175 billion in security assistance and financial aid since the outbreak of war in 2022.

Earlier this week, Ukraine struck a large oil terminal off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea in the latest wave of attacks on Russian-controlled energy facilities