Babak Belurs

Rabu, 18 Agustus 2021

Geronimo the alpaca: High Court bid to save animal refused - BBC News

The owner of a condemned alpaca has vowed to fight on despite losing a last-ditch attempt to save the animal.

Helen Macdonald said she will "obstruct" anyone who comes to her farm to put eight-year-old Geronimo down.

He has twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, and the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) ordered him to be euthanised.

An application for an injunction to halt the destruction order was refused at London's High Court earlier.

Ms Macdonald said: "It's not changed my mind. I haven't done this for four years to just roll over.

"There was always a principle at stake here about valid testing for all animals in the UK, proper science and we're just not getting it. I'm just disgusted really by the whole attitude."

Ms Macdonald, who owns a farm at Wickwar, South Gloucestershire, has received public support over the past few weeks, with more than 130,000 people signing a petition calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to halt the killing.

"It's not over. They seem to want to make it my decision, and make me put my animal to sleep, to get the blood off their hands. I'm not doing it," she said.

Asked what she will do if officials arrive at her property, she added: "Well, we'll just obstruct. I don't want to break the law. I'm not a criminal. They're trying to make me into one but I'm not a criminal. I will obstruct anyone who comes on to my farm."

In the High Court on Wednesday afternoon, Mrs Justice Stacey refused the urgent application for an injunction and concluded there was "no prospect" of Ms Macdonald succeeding in her bid to reopen a previous ruling.

She said the farmer's complaint about non-disclosure did not give rise to an arguable case, but was a "disingenuous and backdoor way of seeking a further route to appeal" when there was none left.

Ned Westaway, representing Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, told the court it will not seek to execute the warrant on Wednesday evening, and would give Ms Macdonald the opportunity to make her own arrangements for Geronimo's destruction.

Representing Ms Macdonald, Catrin McGahey QC, told the High Court it had come to light that other animals subjected to the same testing regime as Geronimo had shown no signs of the disease after being euthanised.

However, Mrs Justice Stacey said that on the evidence before her, Ms Macdonald had not succeeded in showing there was any prospect of her reopening the litigation.

"There are no plans to execute the warrant today," said a Defra spokesperson after the hearing.

"We are sympathetic to Ms Macdonald's situation, just as we are with everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease.

"It is for this reason that the testing results and options for Geronimo have been very carefully considered by Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and its veterinary experts, as well as passing several stages of thorough legal scrutiny."

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiNmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLWVuZ2xhbmQtYnJpc3RvbC01ODE4NzAwNNIBOmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLWVuZ2xhbmQtYnJpc3RvbC01ODE4NzAwNC5hbXA?oc=5

2021-08-18 20:06:45Z
52781800161557

Boy dies falling from Sheffield hotel window - BBC News

A young boy has died falling from a hotel window in Sheffield.

Emergency services were called to the OYO Sheffield Metropolitan Hotel in Blonk Street at about 14:30 BST.

South Yorkshire Police said the boy, who has not been formally identified, is believed to be under 10. The force said his family was being supported by officers.

A spokesperson said officers were working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.

The force added the NCP car park behind the 111-bed hotel had been closed and people have been advised to avoid the area.

More news from across Yorkshire

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.

Related Internet Links

South Yorkshire Police

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiPGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay1lbmdsYW5kLXNvdXRoLXlvcmtzaGlyZS01ODI2MjI1OdIBQGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay1lbmdsYW5kLXNvdXRoLXlvcmtzaGlyZS01ODI2MjI1OS5hbXA?oc=5

2021-08-18 17:46:06Z
52781813480008

Police officer and son's death was murder-suicide - BBC News

The deaths of a police officer and his three-year-old son are being treated as a murder-suicide, police have said.

David Louden, 39, and his son Harrison were found at their home in Kidderminster on Friday.

West Mercia Police said following post-mortem examinations it was now treating Harrison's death as murder, while its own officer was thought to have killed himself.

The force confirmed nobody else was being sought over the deaths.

It also said safeguarding reviews would be carried out and inquests would take place in due course.

"This is a dreadfully sad case and our thoughts are with David and Harrison's family and friends," Assistant Chief Constable Damian Barratt said.

Initially their deaths were treated by police as unexplained, and a statement from the family at the weekend had described Harrison as a "happy, well-loved little boy".

West Mercia Police said the family had requested time to grieve and there would not be any further comments from them at this time.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiQWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLWVuZ2xhbmQtaGVyZWZvcmQtd29yY2VzdGVyLTU4MjYzNTMx0gFFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstZW5nbGFuZC1oZXJlZm9yZC13b3JjZXN0ZXItNTgyNjM1MzEuYW1w?oc=5

2021-08-18 18:16:11Z
52781813784659

Plymouth shooting: Medical checks to be required for gun licence applicants, says home secretary - Sky News

Gun licence applicants will be required to undergo medical checks as part of new measures introduced following the Plymouth shooting.

The home secretary announced that doctors will have to assess the mental health of those applying for a firearms licence and tell police whether candidates have "any relevant medical conditions".

Priti Patel said police will have a "legal duty" to consider the new statutory guidance when it is published in the coming weeks.

"We must do all that we possibly can to avoid something like this happening again," she said.

All forces in England and Wales have been asked to review their current firearm application processes and assess whether they need to revisit any existing licences after police came under criticism for allowing the Plymouth attacker to own a gun.

In a 12-minute rampage on Thursday evening, Jake Davison, 22, killed five people, including his mother and a three-year-old girl, with a shotgun before taking his own life.

The apprentice crane operator had used a local telephone helpline during the pandemic to request mental health support.

Prospective gun owners will also have their social media activity reviewed amid concerns that Davison's accounts suggested an obsession with "incel" culture.

The "involuntarily celibate" online movement involves men who express hostility and extreme resentment towards those who are sexually active, particularly women.

The subculture has now been associated with at least six mass shootings and the murder of 46 people in the US.

Davison's YouTube account also showed that he had liked several videos related to guns and had subscribed to channels with firearms content, including "God family and guns" and "The Gun Collective".

The police watchdog is already investigating the Devon and Cornwall force over Davison's possession of a shotgun and shotgun certificate, which were returned to him last month.

They had been confiscated last December following an assault three months earlier.

In a written statement to Parliament, Ms Patel said the new rules draw on "previous lessons learned" and "will ensure better consistency and improved standards across police firearms licensing departments".

"The UK has some of the strictest gun control legislation in the world and comparatively low levels of gun crime," she said.

"Yet while tragedies like last Thursday's are rare, their impact is profound.

"We constantly assess what sensible and proportionate steps we can take to help prevent such terrible loss of life."

She said police continue to investigate whether Davison's rampage was terrorism-related amid calls for it to be reclassified as a terror attack due to its links with the incel movement.

The home secretary said the legal definition is "sufficiently broad" to "capture modern causes of terrorism, including 'incel' violence" - but that the decision is for police, not the government.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiggFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9wbHltb3V0aC1zaG9vdGluZy1tZWRpY2FsLWNoZWNrcy10by1iZS1yZXF1aXJlZC1mb3ItZ3VuLWxpY2VuY2UtYXBwbGljYW50cy1zYXlzLWhvbWUtc2VjcmV0YXJ5LTEyMzg0NTg40gGGAWh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FtcC9wbHltb3V0aC1zaG9vdGluZy1tZWRpY2FsLWNoZWNrcy10by1iZS1yZXF1aXJlZC1mb3ItZ3VuLWxpY2VuY2UtYXBwbGljYW50cy1zYXlzLWhvbWUtc2VjcmV0YXJ5LTEyMzg0NTg4?oc=5

2021-08-18 16:23:41Z
52781813188650

Bridgend: Mother charged with murder of son, 2 - BBC News

A mother has appeared in court charged with the murder of her two-year-old son in Bridgend.

Natalie Steele, 31, of Broadlands, spoke only to confirm her name and address during the hearing at Cardiff Magistrates' Court earlier.

Reid Steele, died at University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, last Thursday after being found in a critical condition at a house the previous day.

Ms Steele is due to appear before Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday.

Det Ch Insp Matt Davies, of South Wales Police, said: "This is a harrowing case for all concerned.

"My thoughts go out to Reid's family who continue to be supported by specially trained officers.

"Legal proceedings are now live, and whilst I appreciate there are concerns in the community, I would urge people to refrain from speculating on social media."

He added the investigation is ongoing and for anyone with information to come forward.

Paying tribute to him last week, Reid's family said: "He was a super, super-happy, wonderful and intelligent little boy who lit up everyone's lives.

"He loved the garden and the beach, picking raspberries and going for walks collecting shells.

"He was a very chatty little boy and would happily speak to anyone."

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiLGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXdhbGVzLTU4MjUwMTQw0gEwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstd2FsZXMtNTgyNTAxNDAuYW1w?oc=5

2021-08-18 15:45:33Z
52781813198680

Tom Tugendhat: Conservative MP and former soldier gets round of applause in Commons for emotional Afghanistan speech - sky.com

A Conservative MP who served in Afghanistan received a round of applause after delivering an emotional speech in an emergency Commons debate on the crisis there.

Tom Tugendhat told MPs the past week has seen him, like many veterans, "struggle through anger, grief and rage" as events in Afghanistan unfolded.

Live updates as MPs debate Afghanistan crisis

"The feeling of abandonment, of not just a country but the sacrifice that my friends made," the MP for Tonbridge and Malling in Kent said.

Mr Tugendhat said he had seen "good men go into the earth, taking with a part of me and a part of all of us".

The Taliban takeover, he added, has "torn open" old wounds and "left them raw".

Parliament has been recalled to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan following the Taliban's rapid takeover of the country at the weekend.

Mr Tugendhat reserved particular criticism for Joe Biden, saying it was "shameful" for the US president to "call into question the courage of the men I fought with".

"Those who have not fought for the colours they fly should be careful about criticising those who have," he said.

In an address to the nation on Monday, Mr Biden said the Afghan military had "collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight".

"American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves," the president added.

Mr Tugendhat said the UK could work with other countries, independent of the US, adding: "We can set out a vision, clearly articulate it, for reinvigorating our European NATO partners, to make sure that we are not dependent on a single ally, on the decision of a single leader, that that we can work together with Japan and Australia, France and Germany, with partners large and small and make sure we hold the line together."

The MP recalled his time as an advisor to the governor of Helmand province, remembering the "joy" the opening of schools for girls brought to families.

"I didn't understand it until I took my own daughter to school about a year ago," he said.

"There was a lot of crying when she first went in, but I got over it and it went OK. I'd love to see that continue."

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

He said he wanted to leave MPs with a second, "harder" image, continuing: "It's one that the forever war that has just reignited could lead to.

"It is the image of a man whose name I never knew, carrying a child who had died hours earlier - carrying this child into our fire base and begging for help.

"There was nothing we could do. It was over. This is what defeat looks like when you no longer have the choice of how to help.

"This doesn't need to be defeat but at the moment it damn well feels like it."

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMilwFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS90b20tdHVnZW5kaGF0LWNvbnNlcnZhdGl2ZS1tcC1hbmQtZm9ybWVyLXNvbGRpZXItZ2V0cy1yb3VuZC1vZi1hcHBsYXVzZS1pbi1jb21tb25zLWZvci1lbW90aW9uYWwtYWZnaGFuaXN0YW4tc3BlZWNoLTEyMzg0NDgx0gGbAWh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2FtcC90b20tdHVnZW5kaGF0LWNvbnNlcnZhdGl2ZS1tcC1hbmQtZm9ybWVyLXNvbGRpZXItZ2V0cy1yb3VuZC1vZi1hcHBsYXVzZS1pbi1jb21tb25zLWZvci1lbW90aW9uYWwtYWZnaGFuaXN0YW4tc3BlZWNoLTEyMzg0NDgx?oc=5

2021-08-18 12:00:06Z
52781812857575

GERS figures: Scotland records huge £36.3billion deficit after covid pandemic - Daily Record

Scotland spent £36.3bn more on public services than it raised in taxes last year, according to the latest SNP Government statistics.

GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland) figures show the public spending deficit was £21bn higher than the previous year.

The figure is 22.4% of GDP, unlike the previous year where it stood at 8.6% of GDP.

The latest report covered the 2020/21 tax year in Scotland and covered the huge spending by the UK and Scottish governments during the devastating coronavirus pandemic.

The figure has increased by 13.6 percentage points in the last year from 8.8% in 2019-20, while the deficit in the rest of the UK rose by 11.6% to 14.2%.

When North Sea oil revenue is removed, Scotland's deficit increases to 23.8%.

The report says: "This year’s publication covers the first full year affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to have a significant impact on global public sector finances, as well as public health and the wider economy.

"The final impact of the pandemic on public sector finances is still being assessed, and the estimates in the publication are subject to greater uncertainty than in previous years.

"Due to the effects of the pandemic, resources dedicated to the GERS publication this year have been reduced, and there is a reduced level of commentary compared to previous publications."

What is the reaction from the Scottish Government?

Finance and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said: "These statistics clearly highlight the significant economic impact of the pandemic. Scotland’s economy contracted by about 10% last year, which is in line with the performance of the UK economy.

"The pandemic has not only changed people’s lives but it has fundamentally shifted our fiscal landscape, with countries and markets around the world reassessing what represents a viable deficit.

"The Scottish Government has worked tirelessly to support businesses and households throughout the pandemic. While we face continued challenges, there are welcome signs that the Scottish economy is beginning to recover strongly.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has reacted to the latest GERS figures (Image: PA)

"Business confidence is back above pre-pandemic levels, output is increasing and job vacancies are rising. As we rebuild, we are pushing forward with an ambitious 10 year agenda of economic transformation to help seize Scotland’s potential and deliver a more prosperous, fairer and greener economy.

"The GERS figures reflect Scotland’s position within the UK, under which 40 per cent of spending and 70 per cent of revenue income is reserved to the UK Government.

"The pandemic has clearly demonstrated the need for fiscal reform and that the Scottish Government’s financial powers are insufficient to deal with the new economic reality.

"We once again urge the UK Government to engage positively with us to devolve additional borrowing powers which would allow the Scottish Government to work with business and the public sector to build a recovery that works for Scotland."

Scottish politics

What is GERS?

GERS or Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland is a report published every year by the Scottish Government.

Compiled by Scottish Government statisticians free from political interference the report estimates the difference between taxes raised in Scotland and what is spent on public services.

Its publication leads to angry clashes around the independence question with Unionists and Nationalists weighing into the debate.

Unionists argue that the huge deficit shows the benefits of Scotland staying in the UK, while Nationalists say the figure does not reflect the choices that would be made in an independent Scotland.

What happened last year?

Last year's official figures revealed Scotland's public spending deficit was £15.1billion. That was £2bn higher than the year before.

Only a small fraction of the covid pandemic was included in the figures released by the Scottish Government.

To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiV2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5cmVjb3JkLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvcG9saXRpY3MvZ2Vycy1maWd1cmVzLXNjb3RsYW5kLXJlY29yZHMtaHVnZS0yNDc4Mjg3OdIBAA?oc=5

2021-08-18 08:42:22Z
52781805903062

Rabu, 18 Agustus 2021

Related Internet Links

More on Jake Davison

More on Afghanistan

What is the reaction from the Scottish Government?

Scottish politics

What is GERS?

What happened last year?