Category Archives: NEWS

Climate Activist Who Poured Human Faeces Over Memorial To Captain Sir Tom Moore Spared Jail

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A woman who poured human faeces over a memorial for Captain Sir Tom Moore has been spared jail as she apologised for any offence caused to his family.

Madeleine Budd, 21, targeted the life-sized statue of the World War Two veteran in Thistley Meadow, Hatton, south Derbyshire, in an environmental protest on September 30.

The stunt caused “outrage amongst society” after it was filmed and shared on social media, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday.

“She has expressed she will not undertake actions such as this in the future,” said Katie McFadden, defending the former Manchester University medical student.

“She has clearly reflected on the impact of her actions and expressed how she is sorry for any offence caused to the family of Captain Tom.”

Budd was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to causing £200 worth of criminal damage to a war memorial last month and has spent three weeks in prison.

But she was spared an immediate jail sentence when District Judge Louisa Cieciora handed her a 21-week prison term, suspended for 18 months.

“You had clearly thought about what would cause the most amount of outrage and publicity,” she told Budd, from Kington, Herefordshire.

“The cost of repair was low, around £200.

“Although the substance you used was deliberately chosen as being the most demeaning and disgraceful as possible, equally it was a substance which can be easily cleaned.”

The judge noted her young age and her deeply held views on climate change, adding: “Given your actions could not or have not achieved what you wanted them to and you want to find a better way to express your message… I am just about persuaded I can suspend your sentence.”

Speaking after she was released from custody, Budd said: “I didn’t do what I did to cause hurt and offence to the people who cherish his memory and it’s really sad that it did that.

“But I did what I did because I want people to take this seriously and I’m not sure if it did that.”

Sir Tom shot to national fame when he raised almost £33 million for NHS charities during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic by walking laps of his garden in the run up to his 100th birthday.

He was later knighted by the Queen before he died with Covid-19 in February 2021.

Budd was in breach of a conditional discharge, imposed earlier this year for an invasion of the Oval cricket ground when she targeted the statue – a silhouette of Sir Tom – while wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “End UK private jets”.

She was also under investigation by two police forces and due to appear before magistrates by postal requisition.

Ms McFadden said Budd had been living in a caravan with a chemical toilet, so the substance was “readily available” and that she had cleaned the statue following the action using water and tissue paper.

“The thought process behind this was to cause moral disruption, to draw people’s attention to the things that are going on in the world around her, to try and make people feel something, to try and get a visceral reaction so people will stand up and start to take notice of the climate crisis,” she said.

Prosecutor David Burns said “serious distress has been caused” and told the court: “Captain Tom was a figure well-known to the public.

“His work and charity had a great impact during the Covid crisis,” he said. “The matter has caused some outrage amongst society in general.”

Speaking outside court Budd’s mother, Hattie Budd said: “My daughter’s actions have been headline news, she has been belittled and scorned.

“Meanwhile, the government is failing in its duty of care to all our children, young people and future generations by supporting the interests of institutions which are contributing to climate breakdown, a fact that should make headlines every day.”

She added: “We love our daughter and acknowledge the distress she has caused as well as the distress and fear she feels.

“She has angered and horrified many people, but her intention was to make the point that the future of our country, our NHS and humanity is worth standing up for.”

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Labour Holds Huge 36-Point Poll Lead Amid Tory Turmoil

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The Labour Party has opened up a 36-point poll lead over the Conservatives, according to new research, against the backdrop of the crumbling Tory administration.

A survey by Redfield and Wilton Strategies suggests it is the biggest advantage for any party since October 1997.

The poll has Labour on 56% (up three points since October 13), while the Tories were down four points on 20%, the Liberal Democrats were on 11%, the Green Party on 5%, SNP 4% and Reform 2%.

Including the 19% who did not know which way they would vote, the Labour lead was 31 points, with Keir Starmer’s party on 47% and the Tories on 16%.

The pollster surveyed 2,000 eligible voters in Great Britain on Sunday.

Elsewhere, an Opinium poll published on Sunday projected a landslide general election win for the Labour Party, if voters headed to the ballot box now.

Their victory would be so large it would echo the party’s historic 1997 win.

With more than 10,000 respondents answering the survey between 26 and 30 September – weeks before Truss was forced to sack her chancellor over the chaos – Opinium found the Tories would lose 219 seats in total, leaving it with just 137 seats.

Many high-profile Conservatives would lose their seats, too, including the new chancellor Hunt, levelling up secretary Simon Clarke, business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and health secretary Therese Coffey, among other ministers.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson would also lose his seat, and the Tories would lose their majorities in all 45 out of 45 of its seats in the “red wall” in the north of England.

Meanwhile a separate Deltapoll survey showed Labour was 32-points ahead.

Last month, a YouGov poll showed Labour had surged to an astonishing 33-point lead over the Tories – the first polling analysis to give the party a lead comparable to the late 1990s and Tony Blair sweeping to power.

It comes as Liz Truss is battling to save her premiership after chancellor Jeremy Hunt warned that “eye-wateringly difficult” decisions were needed as he tore up her economic strategy.

Hunt scaled back the energy support package and ditched “almost all” the tax cuts announced by his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng less than a month ago, as he tried to restore economic stability after weeks of turmoil on the financial markets.

Truss became prime minister after winning the Tory leadership contest on the back of promises to dramatically cut tax, and the wholesale abandonment of the policies has left her fighting for her job after just six weeks.

She sat next to her new chancellor in the Commons, staring straight ahead as he ditched huge chunks of her plan.

After around 30 minutes, she walked out without having said a word.

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Vegan Activists Pour Out Milk In London Department Stores

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Animal rights activists have poured out milk in two high-end London department stores in a protest against the use of dairy products.

Two activists from Animal Rebellion targeted Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges on Friday.

Animal Rebellion said that the man and woman involved were Steve Bone, a photographer from Thorpe-Le-Soken, Essex and Sofia Fernandes Pontes, a student from Madeira, Portugal.

Bone and Fernandes Pontes entered Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly at 11.35am, took milk from the shelves and emptied it onto the floor of the shop.

A video showed them then being escorted towards the exit by security staff. The same two activists then entered Selfridges on Oxford Street around 12.30pm.

They were filmed pouring milk over a cheese display. One person off-camera asked staff: “Do you guys not intervene?”

The member of staff replied: “We’re not allowed to.”

Another onlooker said: “F***ing ashamed of yourselves.”

As the activists started to leave, he said: “Yeah, toss off, now. Bugger off.”

Grab from video issued by Animal Rebellion of supporters of Animal Rebellion pouring out milk in Fortnum & Mason in London.
Grab from video issued by Animal Rebellion of supporters of Animal Rebellion pouring out milk in Fortnum & Mason in London.

Animal Rebellion via PA Media

Another onlooker blocked Fernandes Pontes as she walked away, catching her neck with his outstretched arm.

The activists were then escorted to the exit by security staff.

Animal Rebellion said that the pair took action “to highlight the need to transition to a plant-based food system and a sustainable way of feeding the planet, without exploitation of animals”.

Fernandes Pontes said: “I don’t want to see my children grow up in a world surrounded by drought, destruction of nature, and food shortages. I want them to see a world full of wildlife and beauty.

“Transitioning to a plant-based future is simply essential if we want to see a better world for everyone, supporting farmers to move into profitable and sustainable plant-based production is a no-brainer for (prime minister) Liz Truss and (environment secretary) Ranil Jayawardena.”

Bone said: “I took action throughout September to push for a plant-based future, and I am taking action again today because Liz Truss and Ranil Jayawardena are still refusing to listen.

“My little girl’s future is on the line and the government’s response is to ignore advice from Oxford and Harvard and, instead, opt to drive us all further into the climate, ecological, and cost-of-living crises.”

The action comes the day before Animal Rebellion plan to occupy the capital.

The activists will gather outside Green Park tube station at 11am on Saturday for a demonstration and march.

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Elon Musk Offers To Buy Twitter For Second Time

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Twitter has confirmed that Elon Musk has offered to buy the company for a second time this year.

The website said in a statement that it plans to agree to the offer at 54.20 dollars (£47.23) per share, the same price Musk previously put forward.

The total value of the deal would be 44 billion dollars (£38.3 billion).

A spokesperson for Twitter said: “We received the letter from the Musk parties which they have filed with the SEC. The intention of the company is to close the transaction at 54.20 dollars per share.”

Earlier this year, the SpaceX founder offered to purchase the company but pulled out in July.

Lawyers for Musk said it was due to the platform “not complying with its contractual obligations” surrounding the deal, namely giving him enough information to “make an independent assessment of the prevalence of fake or spam accounts on Twitter’s platform”.

Twitter said in response it was “committed to closing the transaction” and launched legal action.

A month later, in a published court document, Twitter accused Musk of “looking for an excuse” to get out of the deal, with the firm calling Musk’s accusations “factually inaccurate, legally insufficient, and commercially irrelevant”.

The stalled takeover was due to head to trial in the US later this month.

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‘Send Putin To The Trenches’: Russia’s Military Call-Up Sparks Protests

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Protesters in Moscow have chanted “send Putin to the trenches” amid widespread disapproval of Russia’s biggest conscription drive since World War Two.

Within hours of president Vladimir Putin ordering a partial mobilisation of reservists on Wednesday, rare protests were reported across the country that led to almost 1,200 arrests.

Shortly after Putin’s address, Russian media reported a spike in demand for plane tickets abroad as some draft-age men headed for the border.

In the capital Moscow, hundreds of people gathered on the central Stary Arbat street amid heavy police presence. Protesters could be seen chanting “No war”, “Send Putin to the trenches” and “Let our children live” in videos published to social media.

Putin’s risky order follows humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after they invaded Ukraine.

The first such call-up in decades heightened tensions with Ukraine’s Western backers, who derided it as an act of weakness and desperation.

Liz Truss accused Putin of “sabre rattling” as the UK prime minister addressed the United Nations General Assembly, aded that the Russian president is desperately trying to justify a “catastrophic failure” in Ukraine.

The total number of reservists to be called up could be as high as 300,000, officials said.

Despite Russia’s harsh laws against criticising the military and the war, protesters outraged by the mobilisation overcame their fear of arrest to stage protests in cities across the country.

Nearly 1,200 Russians were arrested in anti-war demonstrations in cities including Moscow and St Petersburg, according to the independent Russian human rights group OVD-Info.

As protest calls circulated online, the Moscow prosecutor’s office warned that organising or participating in such actions could lead to up to 15 years in prison.

Police officers detain a man in Moscow on September 21, 2022, following calls to protest against partial mobilisation announced by President Vladimir Putin. - President Vladimir Putin called up Russian military reservists on September 21, saying his promise to use all military means in Ukraine was "no bluff," and hinting that Moscow was prepared to use nuclear weapons. His mobilisation call comes as Moscow-held regions of Ukraine prepare to hold annexation referendums this week, dramatically upping the stakes in the seven-month conflict by allowing Moscow to accuse Ukraine of attacking Russian territory. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Police officers detain a man in Moscow on September 21, 2022, following calls to protest against partial mobilisation announced by President Vladimir Putin. – President Vladimir Putin called up Russian military reservists on September 21, saying his promise to use all military means in Ukraine was “no bluff,” and hinting that Moscow was prepared to use nuclear weapons. His mobilisation call comes as Moscow-held regions of Ukraine prepare to hold annexation referendums this week, dramatically upping the stakes in the seven-month conflict by allowing Moscow to accuse Ukraine of attacking Russian territory. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

ALEXANDER NEMENOV via Getty Images

<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Russian police officers detain a protester during a protest rally at Arbat street in Moscow, Russia.” width=”720″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/send-putin-to-the-trenches-russias-military-call-up-sparks-protests-4.jpg”>
Russian police officers detain a protester during a protest rally at Arbat street in Moscow, Russia.

Contributor via Getty Images

The Associated Press news agency witnessed at least a dozen arrests in the first 15 minutes of a nighttime protest in the capital.

“I’m not afraid of anything. The most valuable thing that they can take from us is the life of our children. I won’t give them life of my child,” said one Muscovite, who declined to give her name.

Asked whether protesting would help, she said: “It won’t help, but it’s my civic duty to express my stance. No to war!”

In Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, police hauled onto buses some of the 40 protesters who were detained at an anti-war rally. One woman in a wheelchair shouted, referring to the Russian president: “Goddamn bald-headed ‘nut job’. He’s going to drop a bomb on us, and we’re all still protecting him. I’ve said enough.”

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From A Spider Surprise To Boris Bashing: How Twitter Reacted To Coverage Of The Queen’s Funeral

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It was a solemn day for the nation. But on social media, people were taking a more sideways look at the Queen’s state funeral.

Here’s just some of the quirkier, unintended highlights of the day seen through Twitter’s prism.

Archbishop of Canterbury v Boris Johnson?

During his sermon at the funeral, the Archbishop of Canterbury told the congregation the outpouring of emotion for the Queen “arises from her abundant life and loving service, now gone from us”.

Justin Welby told mourners: “People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer.

“But in all cases those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are forgotten.”

Many thought he was pointedly referring to the recently departed prime minister.

Who is the tall man?

An “impossibly tall” mourner walking in the Queen’s procession caught many people’s attention.

Towering above soldiers and sailors, Matthew Magee, who stands at 7 feet 2 inches tall, was appointed by the Queen as her assistant private secretary in 2018.

Spider surprise

Several people on social media noted the appearance of a spider on the Queen’s coffin as the ceremony took place.

The creature was seen crawling across a piece of card placed on the coffin alongside the crown and a floral display.

Mike Tindall’s medals

The Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall arrived with her husband Mike, the former England rugby union international.

But why was the non-military man wearing four medals?, Twitter asked.

“What did Mike Tindall do to get four military medals? Watching Dad’s Army?”, wrote one.

Another said: “What medals has Mike Tindall got? Has he got his World Cup Winners medal pinned to his jacket?”

Reports noted one represented his award of a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2007 for his contribution to rugby, and another was the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

The silver medal, which bears the Queen’s face, was gifted to Tindall as a member of the royal family, and the last is the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Where’s Prince Louis?

The future King, Prince George, and his sister, Princess Charlotte, remained impeccably behaved through a long and solemn day as they bid farewell to their beloved “Gan Gan”.

But the prince and princess’ four-year-old brother, Prince Louis, was not present, and many on Twitter began to speculate.

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Queen’s Piper Who Woke Her Every Morning Plays Different Role At Her Funeral

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The man who woke Queen Elizabeth II on the last day of her life also put her to rest.

For decades, the queen’s personal bagpiper, known as Piper to the Sovereign, acted as her personal alarm clock by playing under her window at 9 am for 15 minutes at all of her official British residences.

Yet at the monarch’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, Pipe Major Paul Burns of the Royal Regiment of Scotland played a different tune, the Telegraph reports.

He closed out the queen’s funeral with a rendition of the traditional piece Sleep, Dearie, Sleep while her coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault beneath St. George’s Chapel, CNN reports.

Burns was the one who roused the queen out of her slumber on her final day at Balmoral Castle, according to the Telegraph.

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Queen Elizabeth II was a longtime fan of the bagpipes, but she is certainly not the first monarch to be captivated by Scotland’s national instrument.

The role of Piper to the Sovereign was established in 1843 by Queen Victoria, who became enamoured with the instrument’s unique sound during a trip to the Scottish Highlands with her husband, Prince Albert. Since then, there have been 17 chief pipers.

One of them, Scott Methven — who served Queen Elizabeth between 2015 and 2019 — spoke fondly of the late monarch to the BBC last week.

“It was a pleasure as her Majesty would stand and watch you play,” he told the BBC. “She enjoyed the bagpipes, but she got to know you as a person.”

Pipe Major Paul Burns plays at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in central London on Sept. 19, 2022.
Pipe Major Paul Burns plays at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in central London on Sept. 19, 2022.

FRANK AUGSTEIN via Getty Images

Methven also remembered a moment when the queen showed him kindness. He explained to the outlet that while he was serving her, his parents and wife died within an eight-month span.

“I was standing with the Queen and she said, ‘If you’re not here in the morning and you don’t play the bagpipes, then I know you’re away. Don’t wait to ask anyone, just go home if your family needs you because it’s family first.’”

He added: “She grabbed me by the arm again and said, ‘You know, Pipes, if anyone has a problem with that, you tell them that I said it was OK to go.’”

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