George Galloway’s Twitter Account Labelled ‘Russian State-Affiliated Media’ – And Ex-MP Threatens To Sue

The Twitter account of George Galloway has been labelled “Russia state-affiliated media” – and the former Labour MP is furious about it.

Galloway, who presented the Mother of All Talk Shows on Radio Sputnik, which is owned by the Kremlin, said he would sue the social media giant over the marking.

In an angry message, the politician-turned-commentator urged Twitter to take down the message which was applied to his account.

“I am not ‘Russia state affiliated media’,” he complained.

“I work for NO #Russian media. I have 400,000 followers. I’m the leader of a British political party and spent nearly 30 years in the British parliament.

“If you do not remove this designation I will take legal action.”

Galloway has been a contributor for RT, formerly known as Russia Today, which recently had its licence revoked in the UK by regulator Ofcom.

He has presented The Mother of All Talk Shows on Radio Sputnik since 2019.

Galloway – a Labour MP until he was expelled in 2003, and most recently MP until 2015 for the Respect party – also presented Sputnik: Orbiting The World With George Galloway each week with his wife Gayatri.

When it was pointed out references to the Russian-backed media had been removed from his Twitter profile page, Galloway responded: “I deleted it because it no longer exists. The show, the channel, are closed by government edict.”

Galloway later tweeted with reference to new Twitter shareholder Elon Musk: “It’s Kafkaesque really. When I did present on #Russian state media I had NO Twitter designation. Now that I don’t can’t and would be committing a crime if I did I have been given the designation. Shome mishtake shurely @elonmusk.”

On Tuesday, Twitter announced that the platform would no longer “amplify or recommend government accounts belonging to states that limit access to free information and are engaged in armed interstate conflict”.

In a statement last month, broadcasting watchdog Ofcom said RT was not “fit and proper”, given its close links to the Russian state.

The move followed accusations that the channel was promoting pro-Putin propaganda about the war in Ukraine.

It has been unavailable to British viewers since earlier in the month as a result of a ban imposed by the European Union.

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: “Freedom of expression is something we guard fiercely in this country, and the bar for action on broadcasters is rightly set very high.

“Following an independent regulatory process, we have today found that RT is not fit and proper to hold a licence in the UK. As a result we have revoked RT’s UK broadcasting licence.”

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Hollywood Actress Wishes She Was Vladimir Putin’s Mother In Bizarre Tweet

While much of the world is debating how to handle Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one former star of the rebooted “90210” thinks she could have put a stop to it before it ever happened.

AnnaLynne McCord, who played antihero Naomi Clark from 2008 to 2013, on Thursday posted a video on Twitter with a personal ― and peculiar message to Putin.

It begins with McCord saying, “Dear President Vladimir Putin,” while subtitles in English (not Russian) appear below.

Then, the 34-year-old actor apologizes to the 69-year-old Russian leader for not giving birth to him.

“I’m so sorry that I was not your mother. If I was your mother, you would have been so loved, held in the arms of joyous light. Never would this story’s plight. The world unfurled before our eyes. A pure demise.”

It’s bizarre. See the whole 2-minute, 20-second clip yourself.

Although the clip is starting to go viral, many viewers weren’t impressed with McCord’s notion that complex geopolitical issues could have been solved with a few hugs in the early stages of life.

So far, there is no word if Putin has seen McCord’s video, but one person predicted his reaction to it.

And, yes, many people couldn’t help but be reminded of another celebrity gaffe: Gal Gadot’s “Imagine” video from the beginning of the pandemic.

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Nadine Dorries Pokes Fun At David Cameron’s New Look

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries has issued a warning about buying tickets from touts – by tweeting a viral photo of former prime minister David Cameron.

The photo quickly became the basis of a meme on social media, with many joking the outfit made Cameron look like the kind of shady character you might find at a pub or car boot sale.

And Cabinet minister Dorries, who once described her one-time party leader as an “arrogant posh boy”, joined in the fun.

She wrote: “Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it’s important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure.”

Last week, Dorries accused a Tory MP who claims to have faced “intimidation” from their party of “attention-seeking behaviour”.

Many pointed out this was a comment made by the same politician who once appeared on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here and ate ostrich anus on TV.

In any case, Dorries appeared to be going with the consensus in her ribbing.

Last year, Cameron was embroiled in controversy over his intense lobbying for collapsed finance firm Greensill Capital – which was laid bare in 45 emails, texts and WhatsApp messages to ministers and officials.

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Boris Johnson To Host Downing Street Press Conference At 5pm Today

Boris Johnson will host a Downing Street press conference at 5pm today, it has been announced.

The briefing will be on the Cop26 climate change conference and the prime minister will appear alongside the summit’s president Alok Sharma.

It comes after a pact was finally agreed in Glasgow last night which saw a dramatic last-minute intervention from China and India to water down the deal to end the use of coal power.

Sharma today said the two states would have to “justify themselves” to climate vulnerable countries.

He made the comments after fighting back tears on the world stage as the deal was finally completed.

The agreement had been due to include a pledge to accelerate the “phase-out” of coal power but it was switched to “phase-down”.

The word change reduces the urgency with which countries are required to reduce the use of coal – the worst fossil fuel for greenhouse gases.

This morning, Sharma told Sky News: “On the issue of coal, China and India of course are going to have to justify to some of the most climate vulnerable countries what happened. You heard that disappointment on the floor.”

A tearful Sharma told delegates last night: “I apologise for the way this process has unfolded. I am deeply sorry.”

However, the Glasgow Climate Pact is the first ever climate deal to explicitly plan to reduce coal.

The overall deal saw nearly 200 countries agree to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels “alive” or within reach.

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People Are Falling For This Hilarious Robert Dyas Spoof Ad. Again.

Twitter @chuckthomasuk

Robert Dyas’ six-year-old spoof ad is continuing to amaze people

Robert Dyas’ spoof ad from 2015 makes waves every time Christmas is just around the corner – and people seemed to have fallen for it yet again this year.

A collection of staff and customers from the DIY chain talk directly to the camera for the ad and randomly announce their sexuality while promoting the store.

The first person on screen says: “Hi, my name’s Marcus, I work at Robert Dyas and I’m gay.

″I like going out with my friends and playing volleyball. I also like showing our gay and straight customers our funky range of our Christmas gifts.”

Then another Robert Dyas worker called James appears on the screen and announces that he is straight, likes sailing and baking, along with showing off all of the shop’s Christmas items.

The ad only gets better as random customers – gay, straight and bisexual – announce their sexuality while confirming their love for the hardware shop.

It was even accompanied by the hashtag #DyasComingOut when it was first shared online.

Even though it came out six years ago, not everyone is in on the joke, including actor Laurence Fox.

Not everyone has been quite so gullible though.

The ad itself is actually a spoof of another spoof advert dating back to 2009, from the North Carolina store the Red House Furniture.

This US clip begins by telling the audience that “we can” all just get along in this particular furniture store, despite our differences.

The comedy duo Rhett and Link harmonise in the background of the clip (an element missing from the Robert Dyas ad) while various staff members talk to the camera about their own racial identity. And their love of furniture.

One man says: “Hi I’m Richard, aka Big Head. I work at the Red House and I’m Black.

“I like pumping iron and pumping furniture into people’s homes.”

His colleague then adds: “I’m Johnny, aka T-engage. I work at the Red House and I’m white.”

It goes on like this, with random customers confirming their own race and explaining how much they love the furniture shop while occasionally shaking Richard or Johnny’s hand.

Oh, and don’t forget Richard’s great line: “Look at this sofa. It’s perfect for a Black person. Or a white person.”

This line was then replicated in Robert Dyas’ ad, when one employee says: “Look at this Christmas tree. It’s perfect for a gay person or a straight person.”

Richard and Johnny even point out at the end that “Hispanic people” and “all people” buy furniture from their store, too.

It remains unclear why Robert Dyas decided to do their own take on the clip six years later, but it appears to have turned into a joke that doesn’t get old.

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Matt Hancock’s New Video Becomes An Accidental Partridge Classic

House of Commons – PA Images via Getty Images

Matt Hancock, former health secretary

Matt Hancock was compared to the fictional character Alan Partridge after he uploaded an unusual video to Twitter on Saturday.

The former health secretary, who resigned after it emerged he breached social distancing guidelines by kissing his aide in June, has kept a relatively low profile over the summer as his marriage broke down.

Now the Tory backbencher appears to be re-emerging into the world of politics and posted a 50-second video online where he meets and greets his constituents in Haverhill.

With upbeat music in the background, Hancock looks slightly out of place as he fist-bumps one member of the public while another affectionately touches his face.

Safe to say, it didn’t go down very well online.

Anti-Brexit campaigner and writer Femi Oluwole commented: “150,000 people dead…the worst breach of Covid lockdown rules of the whole pandemic…

“And this guy (along with 100s of other Tories) is just going to stroll back into Parliament at the next election as if nothing happened because they’re in safe seats. #MakeVotesMATTER!”

Others couldn’t quite believe it was real, with one account tweeting: “This is so cringe. It has to be satire. If he thinks this does him a favour, I’m speechless.”

Some accounts didn’t miss a beat and immediately compared it to the political satire show The Thick of It – or Alan Partridge.

The phrase “accidental Partridge” began showing up all over Twitter, meaning Hancock’s awkwardness embodied Steve Coogan’s character Partridge, a broadcaster who lacks significant social skills.

Coogan describes Partridge as a Little Englander with ring-wing values, and he has become a cultural touchstone on what not to be in broadcasting.

Even the Twitter account Accidental Partridge – which catches clips of awkward public appearances – recognised Hancock’s video.

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Twitter Responds To Nicki Minaj’s Claims Her Infamous Vaccine Posts Landed Her In ‘Twitter Jail’

Nicki Minaj has claimed she’s in “Twitter jail” after she posted a string of infamous posts about the Covid-19 vaccine – and the social media site has something to say about it.

Earlier this week, the rapper raised eyebrows when she claimed that she would not be attending the Met Gala as organisers were requiring guests to be vaccinated.

In a tweet that has since been widely debunked, she wrote: “My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen.

“His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied.”

Since then, Nicki has doubled down on her views, particularly after she was criticised by prime minister Boris Johnson and chief medical officer Chris Whitty during a press conference earlier this week.

However, on Wednesday night, Nicki claimed she was in “Twitter jail” as a result of her tweets.

Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images

Nicki Minaj in 2017

“I’m in Twitter jail y’all,” she wrote on her Instagram story. “They didn’t like what I was saying over there on that block, I guess.”

She added that she’d planned to post a Twitter poll with the options “asking questions is OK” and “I like being fking dumb” only to find “boom – can’t tweet”.

A spokesperson for Twitter has denied taking action on Nicki’s account, saying (via The Daily Beast): “Twitter did not take any enforcement action on the account referenced.”

Prior to this, Nicki also claimed she’d been invited to discuss her views at the White House, tweeting: “The White House has invited me & I think it’s a step in the right direction. Yes, I’m going.

“I’ll be dressed in all pink like Legally Blonde so they know I mean business. I’ll ask questions on behalf of the ppl who have been made fun of for simply being human.”

A White House spokesperson later insisted they’d actually only offered Nicki the chance to speak to their medical officials over the phone.

“As we have with others, we offered a call with Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer questions she has about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine,” they added.

Before her Twitter exit, Nicki came under fire when she shared a clip of Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson praising her vaccine stance, alongside a bullseye emoji.

Earlier this week, she got into a Twitter row with Piers Morgan, after he branded her a “rude little madame” following her posts about the Covid vaccine.

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Funny Tweets About The Things Kids Collect

From Legos to seashells to dead leaves on the ground, there’s no limit to the kinds of things kids will collect.

Consequently, there’s no shortage of parents venting about their children’s collecting habits on Twitter. If your child won’t stop picking up rocks and bringing them home, you’re not alone.

We’ve rounded up 22 funny tweets about the things kids collect. Enjoy!

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Trump Foiled In Attempt To Slip Back On To Twitter

Former US president Donald Trump’s most recent attempt to get a platform has been thwarted.

On the heels of the launch of his new webpage, “From the Desk of Donald J Trump”, on Wednesday, his team created the handle @DJTDesk on Twitter.

By Wednesday night, the account had been suspended.

“As stated in our ban evasion policy, we’ll take enforcement action on accounts whose apparent intent is to replace or promote content affiliated with a suspended account,” a spokesperson for Twitter said in a statement.

Trump’s “From the Desk” page is essentially a blog with a timeline format that resembles both Twitter and Facebook’s platforms. In the site’s brief life thus far, Trump has made a series of scattered, combative posts attacking Republicans including Liz Cheney and Mitch McConnell. He also lambasted Twitter, Facebook and Google by name.

“What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country,” Trump wrote in a post on Wednesday. “Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before. The People of our Country will not stand for it! These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process.”

Both Facebook and Twitter banned Trump from their platforms in the wake of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, which left several people dead.

Twitter penned a blog post about its permanent suspension of Trump, saying it did so “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

“In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action,” the company wrote. “Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open.”

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergslammed the insurrection as a demonstration by Trump to “use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden”.

“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post at the time. “Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”

As Facebook’s ban was “indefinite” and not permanent, Facebook’s quasi-independent advisory board said this week that it would be giving the company a six-month window to further review Trump’s suspension, and to “determine and justify a proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform”.

HuffPost has reached out to Twitter for further comment.

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Got A Piers Morgan At Work? Here’s How To Stand Up To Them

Tensions over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview have been mounting in the Good Morning Britain studio – and weather presenter Alex Beresford has finally had enough of Piers Morgan’s hot takes.

On Monday, Morgan dismissed Meghan’s comments about the suicidal feelings she experienced, with comments that have since been slammed by mental health charities.

Beresford and Morgan had a Twitter spat about the royals, but on Tuesday, it spilled over live on air, resulting in Morgan storming out of the studio.

Criticising Morgan’s “diabolical behaviour”, Beresford said: “I’m sorry but Piers spouts off on a regular basis and we all have to sit there and listen. Six-thirty to seven o’clock yesterday [on the show] was incredibly hard to watch. Incredibly hard to watch.”

Many on Twitter have praised Beresford for standing up to a “bully”, but Morgan has criticised the way the weather presenter aired his views. “I was annoyed, went for a little cool-down, and came back to finish the discussion,” he tweeted.

So, is there a right way to stand up for what you believe in at work?

Witnessing toxic views or bullying in the workplace – whether it’s directed at yourself or others – undermines people’s wellbeing and self-confidence, says Tristram Hooley, professor of Career Education at the University of Derby. It damages an organisation, too, which is why it’s important to call it out.

“The problem is, standing up [for yourself] can often be a lonely experience and leave individuals exposed,” he tells HuffPost UK. “If you feel brave enough to ‘go it alone’ and challenge someone to their face then you should be proud of yourself. But it is often better to work with your colleagues and the systems within your organisation to address these problems.”

Prof. Hooley recommends talking to colleagues to ask their experiences and perceptions of the situation, as well as checking if they’d be prepared to back you up if you make a complaint.

“Speak to line managers and the organisation’s HR department so you don’t have to face the [person] down directly,” he advises. “If there is a trade union in your workplace, it can also be useful to involve them.”

Unfortunately, workplace bullying is common. Research from the employment lawyers at Citation found almost two in five (37%) employees have been bullied or harassed at work at some point. Speaking out practices you disagree with can be the first step in changing the culture of an organisation. This might be vital if you’re taking anti-racism seriously, for example. But it won’t be easy.

“Some managers view dissenting voices as evidence of disengagement and see those members of their team as troublemakers,” says Gillian McAteer, head of employment law at Citation.

“However, often quite the opposite is true and people speak up when they see things they disagree with because they care and want to make things better. Successful businesses value these voices and the role they play in improving practices and highlighting important details which management can easily overlook.”

Every employee has the right to be treated with respect and dignity at all times, adds McAteer. Often, bullying or a toxic work culture is fuelled by someone more senior in the team than the victim, or those negatively impacted indirectly. That doesn’t mean it should go unchecked.

“Don’t shy away from difficult conversations,” says McAteer. “If an employee doesn’t agree with practices in the workplace, it’s important they speak up. And it’s the responsibility of the employer to act on any complaints, offer support and take the appropriate actions.”

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