BRITAIN NEWS AND ALERT's

China's Exploitation of Western Academia
by Judith Bergman  •  April 7, 2021 at 4:00 am
"In many cases, these UK universities are unintentionally generating research that is sponsored by and may be of use to China's military conglomerates, including those with activities in the production of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) as well as hypersonic missiles, in which China is involved in a new arms race and seeks 'massively destabilising' weaponry". — "Inadvertently Arming China? The Chinese military complex and its potential exploitation of scientific research at UK universities," a report by the British think tank Civitas, February 7, 2021.

"This report illustrates how 15 of the 24 Russell Group universities and many other UK academic bodies have productive research relationships with Chinese military-linked manufacturers and universities. Much of the research at the university centres and laboratories is also being sponsored by the UK taxpayer...." — "Inadvertently Arming China? The Chinese military complex and its potential exploitation of scientific research at UK universities," a report by the British think tank Civitas, February 7, 2021.

Australian analyst Alex Joske, in a submission to the Australian Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, "The Chinese Communist Party's Talent Recruitment Efforts in Australia," identified at least 325 participants from Australian research institutions, including government institutions, in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) talent-recruitment programs, with as many as up to 600 academics possibly being involved.... Joske estimated that CCP talent recruitment activity in Australia may be associated with as much as AUD $280 million (USD $217 million) in grant fraud over the past two decades.

According to official statistics, China's talent-recruitment programs drew in almost 60,000 overseas professionals between 2008 and 2016," Joske wrote in his August 2020 report, "Hunting the phoenix - The Chinese Communist Party's global search for technology and talent". "These efforts lack transparency; are widely associated with misconduct, intellectual property theft or espionage; contribute to the People's Liberation Army's modernisation; and facilitate human rights abuses..... Over the long term, China's recruitment of overseas talent could shift the balance of power between it and countries such as the US."

China continues generously to fund Western universities. In the UK, for instance, the Chinese company Tencent funded post-doctoral research in the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University.... According to the CIA, Tencent was founded with financing from China's Ministry of State Security.

Oxford University has also received a generous donation from Tencent. Its prestigious Wykeham chair of physics, which was established in 1900, will now be known as the Tencent-Wykeham chair, in honor of the Chinese software giant's donation of £700,000 to the university.

Much of Chinese influence on British universities comes from the CCP's Confucius Institutes, of which there are at least 29 in the UK, according to a February 2019 report on the topic by the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission.


Almost 200 British academics from 20 unnamed UK universities are being investigated for possibly sharing British technology with China that could be used in the Chinese government's repression of minorities and dissidents. The revelation came shortly after the University of Manchester cancelled a research partnership with China Electronics Technology Group. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping (second from right) visits the University of Manchester on October 23, 2015. (Photo by Richard Stonehouse/AFP via Getty Images)
Almost 200 British academics from 20 unnamed UK universities are being investigated for possibly sharing British technology with China that could be used in the Chinese government's repression of minorities and dissidents, according to a recent news report by The Times. The revelation came shortly after the University of Manchester cancelled a research partnership with China Electronics Technology Group (CETC).

The cancellation came after the university was warned that CETC is, "one of the main architects of the Chinese government's surveillance state in Xinjiang, China, providing both technology and infrastructure that is being used for the identity-based persecution of more than one million people, predominantly Uyghur Muslims". The university said their research collaboration with CETC aimed to "significantly advance the field of radio astronomy" and that it had been unaware of CETC's alleged role in the persecution of Uyghurs.

Continue Reading Article https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17074/china-western-academia

Dame Louise Ellman: I'll re-join Labour when 'toxicity' removed; Fiddler On The Roof at 50; ‘Anyone vaccinated’ could visit Israel
Jewish News Daily
Tue 06/04/2021 16:13
jn_logo_white.png
THE DAILY EDITIONTuesday, April 6, 2021
BBW7SXHi-640x400.jpg
Dame Louise Ellman: I’ll only re-join Labour when ‘toxicity’ is removed
BY LEE HARPIN
Veteran politician confirmed to Jewish News she was waiting for further action to be taken in local party groups across the UK before making any decision on returning to the fold
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/dame-louise-ellman-ill-only-re-join-labour-when-toxicity-is-removed/

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/holocaust-denier-alison-chabloz-jailed-over-barrage-of-antisemitic-abuse/
Holocaust denier Alison Chabloz jailed over antisemitic barrage; A day in the life of an intensive care doctor; BBC to uncover ‘real Amy Winehouse’
Jewish News Daily
Wed 31/03/2021 18:02
jn_logo_white.png
THE DAILY EDITIONWednesday, March 31, 2021
16619205-1-640x400.jpg
Holocaust denier Alison Chabloz jailed over barrage of antisemitic abuse
BY JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
Far-right activist accused Jews of turning their children into ‘psychopathic maniacs’ and running ‘anything that’s worth controlling’

UK: Judges restore citizenship to three Islamic State jihadis, one of whom is a migrant
By Robert Spencer, Mar 21, 2021:
The Home Office some time ago banned Martin Sellner, Brittany Pettibone, Lauren Southern and Lutz Bachmann from entering, all for the crime of opposing jihad terror and Sharia oppression, and thereby made it clear that it is more authoritarian and unwilling to uphold the freedom of speech than ever – at least when it comes to criticism of Islam, Muslim rape gangs, and mass Muslim migration.

The bannings of Sellner, Pettibone, Southern, and Bachmann were just part of a long pattern. Pamela Geller and I were banned in 2013, apparently for life, also for the crime of telling the truth about Islam and jihad. Just days after Geller and I were banned, the British government admitted Saudi Sheikh Mohammed al-Arefe. Al-Arefe has said: “Devotion to jihad for the sake of Allah, and the desire to shed blood, to smash skulls, and to sever limbs for the sake of Allah and in defense of His religion, is, undoubtedly, an honor for the believer. Allah said that if a man fights the infidels, the infidels will be unable to prepare to fight.”

And Syed Muzaffar Shah Qadri’s preaching of hatred and jihad violence was so hardline that he was banned from preaching in Pakistan, but the UK Home Office welcomed him into Britain.

The UK Home Office also admitted Shaykh Hamza Sodagar into the country, despite the fact that he has said: “If there’s homosexual men, the punishment is one of five things. One – the easiest one maybe – chop their head off, that’s the easiest. Second – burn them to death. Third – throw ’em off a cliff. Fourth – tear down a wall on them so they die under that. Fifth – a combination of the above.”

The relentlessly appeasement-minded British government also admitted two jihad preachers who had praised the murderer of a foe of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. One of them was welcomed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Meanwhile, the UK banned three bishops from areas of Iraq and Syria where Christians are persecuted from entering the country. The asylum application of a Christian family facing a death fatwa in Pakistan was three times rejected. But an ISIS bride was let back in and given a taxpayer-funded house, despite the fact that she has an ISIS flag on her Twitter account. No terror charges for her, of course.

Meanwhile, Manchester jihad mass murderer Salman Abedi trained with a jihad group in Libya, and traveled in and out of UK with no problem. And UK officials granted asylum to Yasser al-Sirri, a convicted jihad terrorist who advocated violent jihad and killing of Jews

The British government, in its abject pursuit of support from its rapidly growing Muslim community, has long ago left behind any commitment to basic human decency. Britain is, as we all know, finished.

“Judges Restore British Citizenship to Three Adult Islamic State Defectors,” by Jack Montgomery, Breitbart, March 20, 2021:
Immigration judges have restored the British citizenship of three British-Bangladeshi Islamic State defectors, one of whom was not even born in the country.

Media coverage of Islamic State defectors stripped of their citizenship — due to having dual nationality or eligibility for another nationality — has focused almost unwaveringly on Shamima Begum, a British-born daughter of Bangladeshi migrants who left for Syria aged 15. However, Begum is by no means the only jihadist recruit seeking to return to Britain from the broken caliphate.

Many have already returned successfully, with most going unprosecuted and being left at large in the country, while others are progressing cases against the Boris Johnson government’s piecemeal efforts to keep them out in the courts.

Three such jihadists, about whom the public know little due to their identities being kept private, have just won their citizenship back, according to a Telegraph report.

UK-born women C3 and C4 and Bangladesh-born man C7 may be able to return to Britain after the decision by the highly secretive Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), a court that hears cases related to the government removing citizenship on grounds of national security.

SIAC based its decision on the fact that Bangladeshi law only allows people with a blood right to Bangladeshi citizenship to retain it until age 21 if they also have nationality elsewhere.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is said to have stripped the three jihadists after they reached that age.

“C3, C4 and C7 have persuaded us that, on the dates when the decisions and the orders in their cases were made, they were not nationals of Bangladesh or any other state apart from the UK,” ruled Mr Justice Chamberlain on Thursday.

“This means that orders depriving them of their British citizenship would make them stateless,” he continued, insisting: “The Secretary of State [Priti Patel] had no power to make orders with that effect. For that reason – and that reason alone – the appeals against the decisions to make those orders succeed.”…

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/03/uk-foreign-secretary-claims-britain-is-dismantling-the-lies-of-isis-recruiters?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_2021_03_21_jihad_watch_daily_digest&utm_term=2021-03-21
UK Foreign Secretary Claims Britain is ‘Dismantling’ the ‘Lies’ of ISIS Recruiters
MAR 20, 2021 6:00 PM BY ROBERT SPENCER22 COMMENTS
An entire nation ruled by wishful thinking and denial of reality. My latest in FrontPage:
The Islamic State (ISIS) is newly emboldened by the departure of Donald Trump from the Oval Office and the return to power of the forces of appeasement, denial, weakness and surrender. The National reported Thursday that “children are being exposed to ISIS terrorism online during lockdown, raising fears of brainwashing,” according to British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Raab talked tough in response, but all he really offered was more of the same: lip-service to counterjihad efforts from a government that lacks the will to confront this foe, and would rather pretend that its real problem is “right-wing extremists.”

Dominic Raab (pictured above) told Parliament that “security services were fighting hard to combat the threat,” but he also recounted “the terrorists’ rising global influence, with armed groups in Africa and Asia adopting its violent methods.” The “biggest worry,” however, “was the ‘perfect storm’ of young people stuck indoors during lockdown, and going online to relieve their boredom where they were subjected to extremist indoctrination.” Accordingly, Raab said, “we can see a worrying rise in the proportion of children and teenagers that are now being arrested for terrorism offences.”

Yeah, that’s it, Raab, boredom leads to jihad. Give these boys a basketball and a job at Tesco and all will be well, right?
ISIS, he continued, is “still able to carry out lethal attacks,” and contrary to all the propaganda about “white supremacists,” it is still Britain’s “most significant terrorist threat.” Raab asserted that ISIS “more and more reliant on its perverse propaganda and warped narrative to try and maintain its relevance and cement support for its terrorist attacks. Daesh [the political elites’ favored euphemism for the Islamic State] maintains a steady drumbeat of violent communications, which they distribute with encrypted messaging applications.”

But never fear. Raab declared that British intelligence officials were “taking the fight online” and “degrading their network by dismantling their lies.” He added: “We’re approaching it with total vigour and determination.”

Yeah, sure you are, tough guy. In reality, your government is in full-on surrender and appeasement mode. Can you imagine what a fiasco Britain’s response to online ISIS recruitment really is? British security agents, thoroughly indoctrinated with fictions about Islam being a religion of peace, go online and tell Muslim youth that the Islamic State (ISIS) is telling “lies” and is un-Islamic because Islam teaches peace and tolerance, or because the Islamic State commits violence in the name of Islam, or because it kills innocent people in the name of Islam, or because it resorts to violence even thought it hasn’t been attacked, or because its jihadis take infidel women as sex slaves, or because it teaches that jihad has to do with warfare, or some such.

All these actions and others of the Islamic State can be and are justified by Islamic texts and teachings, as ISIS’ own literature repeatedly reminds us. The result of this is that the British agents’ appeal to these Muslim young people on Islamic grounds is foredoomed to fail, because if those young people have even a rudimentary knowledge of Islam, they will know that what the agents are saying is what is really un-Islamic. But the agents themselves don’t know that, and are abjectly ill-equipped to deal with it.
Raab’s claim that British officials are fighting against ISIS “with total vigour and determination” is just more theatre of the absurd. In reality, the Boris Johnson government is inundating the country with Muslim migrants, among whom there is an unknowable number of Islamic jihadis, without making any attempt to determine if any of them are actually jihadis. It is smearing and stigmatizing people who oppose jihad violence and Sharia oppression. It is devoting resources to prosecuting “anti-Muslim hate crimes” that consist of someone saying rude things to a Muslim.
And while continuing to bar foreign foes of jihad terror from the country, British officials are still admitting jihadis. MailOnline reported in mid-February “a terrorist who claimed asylum in Britain after he was sentenced to death in Egypt for a failed assassination plot is set to win the right to stay in this country.


 https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/03/uk-police-told-mother-of-12-year-old-victim-of-muslim-rape-gang-we-think-your-daughter-is-prostituting-herself?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_2021_03_20_jihad_watch_daily_digest&utm_term=2021-03-20
Yet another story to add to the scores of others about Muslim rape gangs and the massive coverup. In this case, police not only attempted to cover up the crime but further abused the victim through humiliation:
Her mum said: “She was always going missing after that, we’d have to pick her up at the police station after she was found by them, sometimes at hotels. The police asked me if I knew what was happening and I said if I did I’d have an idea how to deal with it, I had no idea.
“And they said, ‘Well, we think your daughter is prostituting herself’. I could have dropped to my knees at that point because we were talking about a young girl.”
Muslim rape gangs have been the biggest scandal to hit Britain in memory, yet the handling of these atrocities by law enforcement has been almost as repugnant as the gangs themselves. Testimonies and stories continue to surface, showing again and again that far too many authorities prioritized identity politics and protecting the reputation of (mainly) Pakistani Muslim men over young innocent girls who were victimized and sometimes referred to using anti-white racist pejorative terms.

Seventeen schools in the UK are already owned by Chinese companies, and that number is destined to skyrocket. In additon, The Times revealed that the University of Cambridge received a "generous gift" from Tencent Holdings, one of the largest technology companies in China involved in state censorship.

Today, we know a lot about the Chinese cruelty, including the mass murder by the Wuham virus that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forced upon the world....resulting in the murder of more than 2.5 million.

We also know about the number of people locked up in the laogai, the Chinese "administrative prisons" (estimate, 50 million)....

"Places inhabited by ethnic minorities, such as Xinjiang and Tibet, have stood out as shining examples of China's human rights progress", Wang said hours before addressing the...United Nations Human Rights Council. Probably even the Soviet Union could not have thought that one up.

Gulbahar Haitiwaji, a survivor of China's "re-education camps" in Xinjiang, recently revealed what happens there. "It is forbidden to speak Uyghur; it is forbidden to pray; it is forbidden to go on a hunger strike..." She had to defecate into a plastic bucket in front of the others. She was chained to her bed for 20 days. Pictured: "The Artux City Vocational Skills Education Training Service Center," a re-education camp where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, north of Kashgar in Xinjiang. (Photo by Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)
A shocking investigation was just published by the French weekly Le Point on how Beijing is buying the favor of Western universities. An Italian associate professor, for example, Fabio Massimo Parenti, at the Lorenzo de Medici International Institute in Florence, was hosted in Xinjiang, where up to two million Uyghurs are estimated to be locked up in "re-education camps". In addition, many British schools are now closely under Chinese radar of influence and propaganda. Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain's Reform UK Party, recently tweeted that "Chinese billionaires with direct links to the CCP are buying up British schools — and flooding the curriculum with their propaganda," and listed the names of some in the UK "under Chinese control":


Continue Reading Article https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17122/china-buys-western-academics

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/young-welsh-dad-rugby-player-19884261?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wales_main&fbclid=IwAR07CXQMimrET2OOQttn9h82D_dnAMhQHXUHKMQCSz8sMkNlJgi-Rj0wdUw
Young Welsh dad and rugby player dies from Covid complications aged just 34
There has been an outpouring of grief and tributes to Huw Gethin Jones, including from Welsh rugby star George North who said his thoughts are with Mr Jones' family
walesonline
Huw Jones and newborn son Gwydion with Wales rugby star George North at Llangefni Rugby Club (Image: Dai Sinclair)
There are always big stories on WalesOnline - don't miss any with our daily email

Huw Gethin Jones, who was well-known and hugely popular, messaged his friends from hospital on Wednesday saying he was feeling better and was looking forward to being back home. Sadly, he died on Friday. He was just 34.

Tributes to Mr Jones have poured in from across Wales, many from rugby clubs shocked by his untimely death. Rugby legend George North was among them.

Until recently, Mr Jones was a star player for Llangefni RFC’s first team, North Wales Live reports, a second row forward who was nicknamed “Huw Stretch” for his height and expertise in the line-out.

As one of a group of players responsible for establishing a Premiership rugby team in north Wales, his passing drew a heartfelt response from Wales rugby star North. On hearing of his death, he tweeted: “Such sad news. I’m so sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with his family.”


A talented musician who worked as a TV editor for Rondo Media in Caernarfon, Mr Jones, from Llynfaes, near Llangefni on Anglesey, was also an entrepreneur, founding craft brewery Bragdy Mona with six friends. He leaves wife Teleri, a GP, and two young children, Gwydion, three, and Math, one.

Ynys Môn MS Rhun ap Iorwerth was also quick to express his shock and sadness at Huw’s death.

“This is a cruel virus,” he tweeted.

“Care for each other, and do what’s right to keep others safe. My deepest condolences to those who are grieving.”

Huw Jones with wife Teleri and sons Gwydion and Math
Huw with wife Teleri and sons Gwydion and Math
Huw (left) with his brother Rhys and their father Dafydd, at Llangefni Rugby Club
On Saturday a fundraising page was set up to raise money to support Huw's family now and in the future.

Organiser Manon Dafydd said a “wave of sadness” had engulfed his family, colleagues and many friends. Within four hours the appeal, on the GoFundMe website, had reached £10,000, and by Sunday afternoon had reached £22,000.

On the GoFundMe page she wrote: "On February 19, 2021 a wave of sadness hit the family, friends and co-workers of Huw Gethin ‘Stretch’ following the news of his death due to coronavirus. Huw’s infectious personality would fill the room, always full of fun and telling stories. He gave 100% to every aspect of his life.

"Huw was a big family man, and this page was created to raise money to support the family during this difficult time and in the future."

Get our best stories straight to your inbox every day

Sign up to the WalesOnline newsletter to receive our top stories straight to your inbox.

It takes just seconds to sign up - simply click here, enter your email address and follow the instructions. You can also subscribe to tailored content for rugby, politics, Swansea, Newport, Cardiff City FC, Swansea City FC and more.

Changed your mind? There's an 'unsubscribe' button at the bottom of every newsletter we send out.

A similar tribute was paid by Simon Jones, chairman of Llangefni Rugby Club. Huw had been a popular fixture there since rising through the junior ranks, at one time coached by Steve Kieran, who himself died just before Christmas.

For many years he was a stalwart of the first team. His father, Dafydd, was a former chairman of the club, and is now president, while his brother and “best friend” Rhys coached the youth team.

Huw Gethin Jones (left) performing on stage during the Eisteddfod (Image: Arwyn Roberts / North Wales Live)
Simon Jones, who succeeded Huw's father as club chairman, said the entire club had been deeply saddened by Huw’s death.

“Huw was universally popular, very eloquent and hugely knowledgeable about all things but especially rugby,” he said.
“He was always very pleasant with people and could strike up a conversation with anyone. Our thoughts are with his family. Speaking to them, I know they have been very touched by all the messages of support and condolences that have been sent to them by rugby clubs right across north Wales.”

Huw’s talents also extended to music. He was a member of the choir Hogia Llanbobman, and a guitarist and vocalist with rock band #Band6, performing both at rugby clubs and weddings.

Huw Gethin Jones (back row, fourth from right) was a member of the Hogia Llanbobman choir (Image: Arwyn Roberts / North Wales Live)
Huw Gethin Jones (first from right) celebrates victory with the Hogia Llanbobman choir
Huw Gethin Jones (first from right) celebrates victory with the Hogia Llanbobman choir (Image: Arwyn Roberts / North Wales Live)
Among Huw’s many interests was brewing. He was to become a driving force of the Bragdy Mona brewery, established with six friends after he impressed them with his home brews in a series of late night “tasting sessions”.

138266811001
They were old school friends in their 30s – five of them members of Hogiau Llanbobman – who each each committed around £5,000 to set up the brewery. Despite the pandemic, Bragdy had continued operating as the company was able to develop online sales.

However no one at the brewery is now willing to contemplate the future until they come to terms with the loss of their “head brewer”.

You can contribute to the Huw Gethin Jones GoFundMe page by clicking here.

RELATED ARTICLES
Pupils at St Columba's High School in Gourock, Inverclyde
Will school holidays be shortened so children can catch up? What the Welsh Government and teachers say
David Evans from Ebbw Vale was asked to self isolate after a positive Covid-19 test despite never having a test
Man told to isolate by test and trace enforcers after someone else tested positive and used his details
WalesOnline
Follow @WalesOnline

Four people travelled from England to Wales to take pictures of shoes on a mountain
2

Heavy police presence in Clydach after burglars drive away from property with owner's car
3

Everything we know so far about the PM's plan to end lockdown in England
4

Man told to isolate by test and trace enforcers after someone else tested positive and used his details
5

Grandparents who’ve fostered dozens of children now face losing their home of 21 years
RECOMMENDED

Man arrested after woman dies in 'suspicious' circumstances

7 stylish and cheap houses with gardens for sale in Wales for under £150k

We got our first home, spent a year renovating it then it was wrecked by a flood

The terrifying rise in dog thefts in Wales

Man told to isolate by test and trace enforcers despite never taking test

What Welsh Government and teachers say about shortening school holidays

We cannot accept politicians' myths about their handling of Covid

Police hand out fines after finding 150 people at illegal nightclub

Man banned from Newport city centre after stealing toothbrush

Cardiff sees 10% increase in Covid cases in the last week

The nightmares and 'soul-destroying' memories of the Skewen flood victims

U.K. will infect dozens of healthy volunteers in world’s first COVID-19 “challenge trial”
(CBS) – England is set to become the first country in the world to intentionally infect healthy volunteers with COVID-19 in what’s known as a “human challenge study.” The country’s medical ethics body approved the trial Wednesday.

Funded by the British government, the $47 million study will play a crucial role in continuing the development of effective coronavirus vaccines and treatments, officials said. The first-of-its-kind challenge study is expected to begin within the next month, involving up to 90 carefully selected, healthy volunteers aged 18-30.

Continue reading U.K. will infect dozens of healthy volunteers in world’s first COVID-19 “challenge trial” at End Time Headlines.
Read on » https://endtimeheadlines.org/2021/02/u-k-will-infect-dozens-of-healthy-volunteers-in-worlds-first-covid-19-challenge-trial/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56073459?at_campaign=64&at_medium=custom7&at_custom2=facebook_page&at_custom4=FBBA271A-7023-11EB-A912-91F715F31EAE&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_custom3=bbc_wales_news&fbclid=IwAR1Nnf4Dto23NRhB_bp_rRDN0GblwEKN4w8B4Kt69coszmdLSBGlB_FSNho
Coal tips: Almost 300 in Wales classed as 'high-risk'
By Steven Fairclough
BBC News

Published2 days ago
Share

media captionIn February, 60,000 tonnes slipped down the hillside at Tylorstown
Almost 300 old coal tips in Wales have been classed as "high-risk" a year on from a 60,000 tonne landslip caused by Storm Dennis.

The matter was discussed at a Welsh Government summit on mine safety on Tuesday.

Wales has more than 2,000 coal tips. Most are on private land and most are around the south Wales valleys.

Of those, 294 are categorised as "high-risk", meaning they could endanger life or property.

Seventy are in Caerphilly, 64 in Rhondda Cynon Taf, 59 in Merthyr Tydfil, 42 in Bridgend, 35 in Neath Port Talbot, 16 in Blaenau Gwent and eight in Swansea.

The landslip last year was at Tylorstown, in Rhondda. Since it happened, work has been done to map tips and assess their stability.

wattstown tip
IMAGE COPYRIGHTJON POUNTNEY
image captionCoal Authority boss Lisa Pinney said any old mining material on a hillside could pose a risk
The Welsh and UK governments, the Coal Authority, local councils and other bodies have been examining the problem.

Their investigation has concluded current legislation surrounding tips is "neither sufficiently robust or fit for purpose in relation to inspection and maintenance".

Skewen residents flooded by mine blow-out 'in limbo'
Coal tip securing 'could cost more than £500m' in Wales
Former Wales coal tips being checked amid landslip fears
Coal Authority chief executive, Lisa Pinney, said managing tips on hillsides was key to reducing risk to communities.

"Just under 300 are higher-risk sites but that really just means that they needed much more regular attention and inspection to make sure they stay safe," she said.

abertridwr tip
IMAGE COPYRIGHTJON POUNTNEY
image captionRhondda MP Chris Bryant said he feared local councils would be asked to pay to make tips safe
She said when there were concerns, action would be taken.

"Any tip which is old mining material sitting on a hillside can pose a risk, obviously, but the key thing to their safety is to manage water and keep it away," said Ms Pinney.

"And that's why these inspections and maintenance are so important."

No-one was hurt in the Tylorstown landslip and work is under way to secure the hillside.

Rhondda MP Chris Bryant said funding was essential.

"It's shocking that no proper register of disused coal tips was made when the mines closed, so this work is long overdue," he said.

"With so many on private land this is going to be a massive and complex piece of work in which Parliament and Senedd must work together.

The aftermath of the landslide which engulfed Pantglas Junior School
IMAGE COPYRIGHTPA MEDIA
image captionMore than 50 years after the Aberfan disaster hundreds of "high-risk" tips remain in Wales
"My biggest fear is [Chancellor] Rishi Sunak will demand that local councils pay for this out of their council tax but the poorest communities in the UK should not be forced to pay for tidying up our national industrial heritage."

Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Rhondda Leanne Wood said the UK government should foot the full bill for making the tips safe and anything less would be "unacceptable".

"When the profits from coal mining were not seen in Rhondda, nor in many other coalfield areas across Wales, coupled with the high cost to health and lives of the workers and their families, that funding and more is owed to us," she said.

Welsh Conservative Janet Finch-Saunders said long-term work to make the tips safe could only be done in partnership with the UK government.

Coalfield historian Ben Curtis said some tips were removed or made safe after the Aberfan disaster in 1966.

"But it is a potential problem that continues to remain for some of these tips to become unsafe over time, perhaps [because of] factors like the effects of climate change and increased rainfall," he said.

A UK government spokesperson said: "Ever since the devastating storms of early 2020, the UK government has been working with the Welsh Government on its devolved responsibility to provide extra support for flood relief and protection to the communities which were so badly affected.

"In December we confirmed that £31m would be provided for this vital work, of which £9m was to repair vulnerable coal tips.

"We also provided the Welsh Government with an additional £1.3bn for next year at the recent spending review so they are well placed to continue this work"

The village from above
IMAGE COPYRIGHTSOUTH WALES POLICE
image captionIn Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, 80 people had to leave their homes after flooding caused by water from a mine shaft
The summit - which was held virtually - was also due to discuss wider issues of mine safety after water escaped after building up in a mine shaft in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, flooding nearby homes in January.

What is a coal tip?
"The coal tip is made up of what we call unconsolidated materials so this is loose material like grains of sugar, all stacked up on top of each other," Ashley Patton, an engineering geologist from the British Geological Survey said.

She told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "When it gets to a certain angle it can make it unsafe and then when you get triggering factors, such as water from a spring line or from heavy rain that we've seen quite a lot of in south Wales, it can just make it destabilise.

"The main problem with south Wales is you've got lots of steep-sided valleys and then if you're going to put coal spoil on top of those steep slopes that's just going to make it more likely that it's going to fail...

"The most important thing is to take what we call the angle of friction so you're looking at what is the perfect angle for that material - so if you can cut it back to a shallower angle... generally speaking, it could be quite stable, and of course the other important thing is to make sure that the slopes are not sited on any spring lines or areas where farmers are putting water onto the slopes."

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/shoah-survivor-80-and-rabbi-son-reportedly-punched-in-the-head-on-london-bus/
hoah survivor, 80, and son reportedly ‘punched in the head’ on London bus
Assailant alleged to have shouted: 'I hate you Jews. It’s not your place. You took our money', in what is being described by Jewish groups as an 'unprovoked attack'
By JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
February 12, 2021, 1:43 pm  6
Image shared by Shomrrim of police speaking to a suspect following the incident
An 80-year-old Holocaust survivor and her rabbi son were allegedly beaten up in an attack on a bus in north London on Tuesday, according to reports from Jewish neighbourhood watch volunteers.

The incident in Stoke Newington was reported in a tweet from the Shomrim community protection team, alleging the female perpetrator to have said: “I hate you Jews. It’s not your place. You took our money.”
The mother and son were reportedly “punched in the head”, according to the Shomrim report, with the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) describing it as “an unprovoked attack”.
Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
In a statement, the CAA – which pursues civil action against alleged anti-Semites – said the perpetrator “threw the rabbi’s hat to the floor during the assault”. It added that the Holocaust survivor had been left “traumatised”.

The incident occurred around 14.45 on Tuesday on a 76 bus travelling from Stoke Newington to Stamford Hill, according to the CAA.
“Passengers pleaded with the bus driver to stop, as the incident took place as they were driving by a police station, but he allegedly refused,” said the CAA.
“This is yet another unprovoked act of violence against members of the Jewish community going about their day,” said a spokesman.
“Transport for London must explain why the bus driver took no action, allowing the abuse to go on despite the violence and the protests of other passengers, and the assailant must quickly be identified and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Both the Metropolitan Police and Transport for London have been approached for comment.
If you have any more information, please contact the police on 101 or Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD4563 9/2/21.

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/muslim-and-jewish-gp-to-launch-londons-first-mobile-vaccination-unit/
Muslim and Jewish doctors launch London’s first mobile vaccination unit
EXCLUSIVE: Yasmin Razak and Sharon Raymond visit two community centres in West London in a bid to increase uptake of the vaccine
By JACK MENDEL 
February 5, 2021, 4:10 pm  1
Two GPs – one Muslim and one Jewish GP – have collaborated to launch London’s first mobile vaccination unit.
Two community centres in the North Kensington, one of London’s most deprived areas, are the first recipients of the pilot project, which aims to increase uptake of the Covid jab among faith groups.


Starting at St Charles Hospital, the team are visiting the Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, and the Venture Community Centre in the borough, on Sunday.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
Led by Dr Yasmin Razak GP, who is clinical director of the Neohealth Primary Care Network team based in West London, the project is supported by Dr Sharon Raymond, the Director of Covid Crisis Rescue Foundation.

Dr Sharon Raymond, who has raised more than £115,000 to support efforts of frontline workers and the public since the start of pandemic, told Jewish News:

“The vision for this pilot project is for a London wide fleet of mobile Covid-19 vaccination units to travel to community centres and places of worship, as well as to the homes of those who are housebound or have difficulty leaving home, such as those people with physical or learning disabilities, in order to increase uptake of vaccination with the support of specialist clinicians to explain more about the vaccine to people eligible for vaccination’”


Dr Sharon Raymond and Dr Yasmin Razak
The initiative, which seeks to encourage faith communities to take up vaccinations for coronavirus is planned to be on the road every week, travelling to faith and community centres and places of worship in London.

Anyone who wants to support or get involved can do so via Dr Sharon Raymond’s fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/coronavirus-fightback

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/predatory-paedophile-jailed-for-abusing-children-under-10-years-of-age/
‘Predatory’ paedophile jailed for abusing children under 10 years of age
Abraham Berger from Hackney jailed for 14 years over multiple child abuse offences, with around 1,600 images and 127 videos of child abuse on his phone
By ELLIE JACOBS
January 19, 2021, 4:49 pm  
60
shares

Abraham Berger
A Chassidic man from Hackney has been jailed for 14 years for multiple child abuse offences, including sexual attacks on children under the age of 10 and sharing indecent images online.

Abraham Berger, a member of the Skver Hasid community, was described by police as “a dangerous, predatory offender” with around 1,600 images and 127 videos of child abuse on his phone.

The 40-year-old, who describes himself on Twitter as a ‘proud dad and husband originally from New York’ was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court, after pleading guilty to charges that also included sexually abusing a young boy and girl, both under the age of 10. After his release, he will spend a further four years on licence.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
Berger was part of an instant messaging chat group that discussed child sexual abuse and shared such images between themselves. Police say he lead a “double life” and said many of the images he possessed were ‘first generation’, meaning that they show Berger committing the abuse.


Abraham Berger
Yehudis Fletcher an independent sexual violence adviser for Migdal Emunah, said: “What’s interesting in this case is that he pleaded guilty, which is a shift and I hope and a sign of changing attitudes. Previously we have seen community- sponsored campaigns to pay for suspects’ defences so maybe this is one where nobody was been willing to pay up.” 

Detective Constable Chris Bailey, of the Met’s Central Specialist Crime vulnerability team, said: “The protection of children, and other vulnerable people, from harm is a priority for the Met, and we have a team of officers dedicated to identifying and arresting child abuse offenders who operate online.”

Anyone with concerns about Berger should call police on 101 or the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. Find out more about Migdal Emunah HERE

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/police-investigate-man-who-chased-after-charedim-with-a-stick-on-shabbat/
Police investigate man who chased after Charedim with a stick on Shabbat
Authorities will 'include consideration of whether any offences were religiously or racially motivated' in inquiries
By JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
January 6, 2021, 11:39 am  
Screenshot from Shromrim's video of the man targeting Charedi Jews on their way to synagogue
Police are investigating a man who chased after Charedi Jews with a wooden stick in Stamford Hill on Shabbat.

Footage shared online by neighbourhood watch group Shomrim shows observant Jews  as they travelled to synagogue on Shabbat, running away from the individual on Saturday 2 January. The clip also shows small children running away from him as he shouted expletives.

In a statement, the police said it “were initially called to Cranwich Road, Stamford Hill, N16 at 09:32hrs on Saturday, 2 January following reports of a disturbance involving a man brandishing a large stick. Further calls established that the man then moved into Bethune Road where the disturbance continued.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
“Officers attended and stopped a 29-year-old man at the scene. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery and was taken to a north London police station. After an initial review, officers determined that the incident should be classified as a public order offence, not an attempted robbery. The man was released under investigation on Sunday, 3 January and enquiries are ongoing

“These will include consideration of whether any offences were religiously or racially motivated.

“We are aware of a video that has since been shared online which appears to have been filmed during this incident. It shows that there were a number of people present at the scene who would have witnessed what happened. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD1524/02JAN.”

Taking to Twitter, Shomrim shared the footage on Tuesday appealing for witnesses, calling it a “hate crime”.

The group said the “deranged male armed with a stick chased Jewish families on the way to Synagogue”.

UK teen girl who wanted to change her gender is suing doctors after getting breasts removed, taking testosterone. Now 23, says doctors should have ‘challenged’ her decision
(TheBlaze) – Keira Bell of the United Kingdom told BBC News she was a tomboy as a child — and the sense she needed to transition to a male occurred gradually as she read about it online.
Bell soon sought the assistance of medicine at age 16, went to a clinic, and after three appointments lasting an hour each she was prescribed puberty blockers, the outlet said. A year later Bell told the BBC she was prescribed the male hormone testosterone, which developed male characteristics like facial hair and a deep voice — and three years ago, she got her breasts removed.
Continue reading UK teen girl who wanted to change her gender is suing doctors after getting breasts removed, taking testosterone. Now 23, says doctors should have ‘challenged’ her decision at End Time Headlines.

Read on » https://endtimeheadlines.org/2021/01/uk-teen-girl-who-wanted-to-change-her-gender-is-suing-doctors-after-getting-breasts-removed-taking-testosterone-now-23-says-doctors-should-have-challenged-her-decision/

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/deportation-patel-looking-to-slash-jail-time-needed-to-be-removed-from-uk/02/01/?fbclid=IwAR19ZZM7ydH-0Wyb4mXqTB-_KSZTkkdE6S8lutBcct9TT5E95caZiuP6SAs#.X_C3VK6M-aY.facebook
Deportation: Patel looking to slash jail time needed to be removed from UK
“Despite protestations from the Labour Party and do-gooding celebrities, the Home Secretary has not let up in her determination to remove foreign criminals from our country. "
Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor January 2, 2021in Politics
Labour and celebrities were among those to raise concerns, including over whether any were affected by immigration injustices.

Speaking in the Commons, Conservative Richard Holden (North West Durham) asked Ms Patel about Labour’s reaction to the deportations.

Ms Patel replied: “Once upon a time the party opposite claimed it was tough on crime and the causes of crime.”

Speaking to the Telegraph, a Home Office source said: “Despite protestations from the Labour Party and do-gooding celebrities, the Home Secretary has not let up in her determination to remove foreign criminals from our country. 

“We have removed 1,100 this year and will push on with plans to increase this next year.”

RelatedPosts
Brexit: ‘Of course we must fight back’ and ‘we are not going to lie down’ says Heseltine
Piers Corbyn announces he is running for London Mayor
‘It fatally confuses sovereignty with power’: The Guardian laments Brexit, one last time
“Sorry, Jess” trends on Twitter after Phillips calls on ‘Remainers’ and ‘Leavers’ to come together
 
Remove offenders
Now Priti Patel is looking at making it easier to remove offenders who are given short sentences, a change that would undo legislation introduced by the last Labour government, reports The Times

Foreign criminals given six-month prison sentences could be subject to deportation for the first time under plans being considered by the home secretary, halving the current threshold.

The measures are likely to form part of the Sovereign Borders Bill, which is due to be published within the next few months. 

Under plans currently being considered by the Home Office, the new Bill will update Labour’s 2007 UK Border Act which set out how those jailed for at least 12 months must be considered for automatic deportation.

The new Bill is also expected to introduce a raft of other amendments which will make deportation easier. 

Related: Priti Patel wanted to send migrants to an island in the middle of the Atlantic

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/two-leading-antisemitism-experts-clash-during-fiery-limmud-debate/
Two leading antisemitism experts clash during fiery Limmud debate
Lord Mann sparred with David Feldman over the international definition, with the latter saying it is 'effective symbolically but in all other respects ill-conceived and outdated'
By JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
December 29, 2020, 9:21 am  4
John Mann speaking at #EnoughIsEnough - Demonstration against antisemitism 

Photo Credit: Marc Morris
John Mann speaking at #EnoughIsEnough - Demonstration against antisemitism Photo Credit: Marc Morris
Two of Britain’s leading experts on antisemitism clashed last night during a fiery Limmud debate on the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.

Over 350 participants watched John Mann, the Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, spar with David Feldman, the director of the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism.


Feldman opened the debate, arguing that the definition was “effective symbolically but in all other respects ill-conceived and outdated”, pressing the need “to do better than this”.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
He argued that as a “working document” where the perception of the accused is critical, the IHRA definition “provides weaker protection than equality legislation”, which by comparison relies more on the victim’s perception.

The Birkbeck College professor added that the working definition “carries a danger”, since its supporters “cannot agree what it says”, which leaves it open to opposition.

The definition also “omits significant aspects of contemporary antisemitism and is silent on the threat from the Far Right,” he noted.

John Mann countered, arguing that the “very strength” of the IHRA definition was its “non-legal status”.

“Simply relying on criminal law sets too high a threshold for dealing with any form of discrimination. The point of the working definition is that it allows cases to be looked at in their context, without having to go through formal disciplinary procedures or involving the police.”

The former Labour MP cited the example of a university lecturer singling out the only Jewish student to ask them why Israelis were attacking disabled Palestinians in the West Bank.

“That’s not illegal, but it doesn’t make it acceptable,” he noted.

Mann also retorted Feldman’s claim that free speech was being stifled, arguing that there had not been a single case of academic freedoms being curtailed by an institution which had adopted the IHRA definition.

Since 2016, the IHRA working definition of antisemitism has been adopted by 25 countries, including the UK Government, as well as numerous football clubs, universities and political parties.

During a lively Q&A, chaired by JW3’s chief executive, Raymond Simonson, James Harris, the UJS President, asked about the role of Jewish students in deciding whether the IHRA definition should be adopted.

Both figures agreed that what Jewish students thought about antisemitism was important, though Feldman argued that “since IHRA cannot be decisive, the numerous subjective views will lead us into chaos”.

Mann disagreed, however, stating that “self-identification gets to the heart of why some people don’t like the definition- it empowers someone to identify as a proud Zionist.

“That’s a strength of the IHRA definition, which seems to upset some people.”

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/keir-starmer-calls-for-culture-change-to-win-back-jewish-voters/
Keir Starmer calls for ‘culture change’ to win back Jewish voters
Labour leader tells more than 1,000 viewers at Limmud festival: 'You have got to lead from the top. If the person on top does not model that behaviour, you do not have a chance'
By SANDY RASHTY
December 28, 2020, 1:40 pm  2
1.0K
Keir at Limmud
Sir Keir Starmer has called for a “culture change” in the Labour Party in a bid to win back Jewish members and voters.

Speaking at the annual Limmud Festival on Monday morning, the Labour Leader spoke about his position on faith schools and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, distancing himself from a Labour call for a ban on West Bank imports.


In the wide-ranging hour-long interview – which was attended online by more than 1,000 people – Sir Keir, whose wife is Jewish, also spoke about celebrating Friday night over Zoom with his family during the pandemic. He reflected on his background and his admiration for former Tory Prime Minister Theresa May.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
Responding to calls for change in the party, Sir Keir told viewers that he acknowledged it would take time to win back the confidence of voters alienated under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Sir Keir, who was elected as leader of the Labour Party in April, said: “In my experience, culture change is the hardest of the lot. You can change the rules, but the culture is much harder.”

Saying he wanted the Labour Party to welcome people of all faiths and backgrounds, Sir Keir added: “You have got to lead from the top. If the person on top does not model that behaviour, you do not have a chance.

“The other thing I have learnt is you need a critical mass of people with you on the journey who want to change the culture.”

Talking about antisemitism in the Labour Party, he said: “We are taking steps in the right direction, but these things take time and you have to be consistent and persistent.

“We will change our processes and our rules, but that on its own won’t be enough.”

He added: “Lots of Jewish friends and leaders said to me, we will judge you by what you do; not what you say. We are in that process.”

He added: “We are doing this in good faith but we are going to make mistakes along the way. We need to be prodded on it and respond to it – and sometimes, say ‘sorry, we got it wrong’. The power of saying that is huge.”

He criticised organisations that “circle wagons” to avoid an apology: “Don’t try to defend a bad decision. The Labour Party needs to learn that as well.”

We are doing this in good faith but we are going to make mistakes along the way. We need to be prodded on it and respond to it – and sometimes, say ‘sorry, we got it wrong’. The power of saying that is huge

Sir Keir went onto defend his decision to serve in the Shadow Cabinet under Mr Corbyn.

He said: “I thought it was better to stay and try and change things; others thought it was better to leave.

“I thought it was better to make the arguments that needed to be made in the Shadow Cabinet.

“I took the view that if you are in a party you stay in and fight for change; other people took a different view.”

He added: “I am very conscious now that as leader of the Labour Party, it falls to me to bring about that change.”

Sir Keir went onto criticise his predecessor after the Equality and Human Rights Commission into antisemitism in the Labour Party found it had breached the Equality Act and that there had been 23 instances of “inappropriate involvement” from Mr Corbyn’s office.

Sir Keir said he was keen to “apologise unreservedly”. He went onto say he was “disappointed” by Mr Corbyn’s decision to describe the report as “dramatically overstated”. Mr Corbyn was suspended from Labour in October over his failure to retract his comments.


Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer REUTERS/Yves Herman
“It fundamentally cut across all that work in doing the right thing,” Sir Keir told viewers.

“I think we can make up for lost ground, but I can’t take you how disappointed I was in his response.”

Sir Keir was appointed leader of the Labour Party in April. After serving as Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service, he went onto sit as MP for Holborn and St Pancras in 2015 – the constituency he continues to serve.

The former lawyer spoke about the American political influence on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – but distanced himself from comments made by his Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy.

In June, Ms Nandy called for a ban on imports of West Bank goods if

Israel continued with annexation plans. Sir Keir, who said he had a good relationship with the Israeli Labour Party, distanced himself from the position, saying: “I am not a big fan on bans on imports. I don’t think that is the right way to go.”

He said he hoped a two-state solution agreement could be brokered with the support of the incoming US President, Joe Biden.

“I did not agree with the Trump plan, I think annexation with be wrong. I hope with Joe Biden, we will open a space for dialogue that has been missing.

“I am in the space of saying, ‘let’s work with the Biden administration’. I think that change in America is hugely important.”

He described incoming President Biden as “more of an open politician looking for international peaceful settlements”.

Asked about his position on faith, Sir Keir, 58, described it as “hugely important.

“I think it speaks to the spirit of people. You see it clearly when we go through difficult times.”

Sir Keir said he looked forward to celebrating Friday Night prayers as a family – adding that since the pandemic, Shabbat prayers with their extended family have taken place over Zoom.

The father-of-two described his family as an “odd bunch”, noting that while his wife’s family is Jewish, he was raised under the Church of England. He said he looked forward to the weekly religious tradition and the family time it gave him away from the “million things” there is to do as leader of the Labour Party.

Sir Keir went onto talk about faith schools, adding: “I do not have any issue with faith schools. We need different schools with lots of diversity.”

During the online event, Sir Keir, who was named after Labour Party founder Keir Hardie, reflected on his youth – nothing that “ten-year-old Keir Starmer” would have ambitions to be a “footballer”, noting that he had never met a lawyer or politician growing up.

Sir Keir, who joined the East Surrey Young Socialists group as a teenager, reflected on growing up on the Surrey-Kent border as the son of a toolmaker and nurse.

“I literally had never met a lawyer,” said Sir Keir.

“Even by the time I went to university, I did not really know what the difference was between a barrister or solicitor – so it did not occur to me.”

He added: “I was oblivious to what a DPP or politician does.” Encouraged by his parents, Sir Keir went onto read law at Leeds University. “I was interested in going into politics in some shape or form, but my parents said law is much better.”

He describes his second year as a “turning point’, where he learnt more about international human rights law and the agreements that were struck after the Second World War.

“The idea of the world coming together and signing instruments saying human rights were universal and applied to everyone was hugely important to me – and that states were accountable to each other,” he said. “It went really deep.”

He said young people should have “some power and some influence,” adding that: “I strongly believe in votes at 16.

“Young people had a really tough decade. Austerity did very little for young people.”

However, reflecting on his political colleagues, Sir Keir said he did not subscribe to the view all Labour Party politicians were “goodies” and the Tories were “baddies”. Asked which Tory politician he most admired, Sir Keir said: “I had a degree of admiration for Teresa May. I knew what her moral framework was.”

Sir Keir made the comments at the annual Limmud Festival on Monday morning, which took place online over Zoom as a result of gathering restrictions imposed by COVID-19.

At the end of the session, Limmud Trustee Carolyn Bogush, who had interviewed Sir Keir during the session, encouraged viewers to “unmute” their microphones to applaud Sir Keir at the end of the session.

https://vfinews.com/en/news/december-25-2020/pfizer-moderna-to-test-their-vaccines-against-uk-coronavirus?subscribed=true&mc_cid=ddd9e4dc2a&mc_eid=[UNIQID]
Pfizer, Moderna to Test Their Vaccines Against UK Coronavirus Variant
Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc are testing their COVID-19 vaccines against the new fast-spreading version of the virus that has emerged in Britain.

Moderna expects immunity from its vaccine to protect against the variants and is performing more tests in the coming weeks to confirm, the company said in a statement.

Pfizer said it is "generating data" on how well blood samples from people immunized with its vaccine "may be able to neutralize the new strain from the UK," according to the report.

The main worry is that the new variant is 40%-70% more transmissible.

Scientists have said there's no evidence that vaccines currently being deployed in the United Kingdom or other COVID-19 shots in development will not protect against this variant. (JPost / VFI News)

While you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. - Acts 4:30

https://www.theblaze.com/news/u-k-eu-finally-reach-brexit-deal?utm_source=theblaze-dailyPM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__PM%202020-12-24&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20PM
NEWS DECEMBER 24, 2020
U.K., EU finally reach Brexit deal
Paul Grover - WPA Pool/Getty Images
 LEON WOLF
After years of wrangling, the British government has finally announced a trade deal with the European Union that will govern the trade relationship between the U.K. and European mainland after Brexit.

POLL: Will you be spending Christmas with your family or social distancing?
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the deal, which must still be ratified by the British parliament and the EU, on Twitter.

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/diane-abbott-jvl-support/
Diane Abbott support for suspended Jewish Voice for Labour activist
Former shadow home secretary alongside Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi in rally for Jeremy Corbyn.
By JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
December 14, 2020, 12:30 pm  4
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/diane-abbott-jvl-support/
Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott (right) and suspended Jewish Voice for Labour activist Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi
Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott (right) and suspended Jewish Voice for Labour activist Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi
Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has joined a suspended Jewish Labour Party activist to show her support, in what will be seen as an overt snub to Labour HQ.

Abbott spoke alongside the suspended Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi at the ‘Solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn’ protest in her Hackney constituency on Sunday, despite party officials investigating the Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL) figurehead for her comments.


Wimborne-Idrissi, a longstanding critic of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, was suspended by Labour earlier this month after criticising Corbyn’s suspension and telling a Chingford and Woodford Green Constituency Labour Party meeting that antisemitism had been “weaponised”.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
Also attending on Sunday was fellow JVL member and mathematician Prof Jonathan Rosenhead, as well as Hackney Labour activist Craig Parr, who spoke about the Board of Deputies “choosing to replace” Labour’s outgoing general secretary Jennie Formby in May.

Wimborne-Idrissi has attracted attention of late with her vocal criticism of a report into antisemitism in the Labour Party by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in October.

She has also said that antisemitism is being “wheeled out” as an excuse to silence socialist voices including former Momentum vice-chair Jackie Walker, broadcaster Marc Wadsworth, and former MP Chris Williamson, all of whom support Jeremy Corbyn.


https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/corbyn-announces-launch-of-peace-and-justice-project/
Corbyn announces launch of Peace and Justice Project
Labour MP Zarah Sultana, who wrote that she supports "violent resistance" against Israel, joins failed ex Labour leader in Peace and Justice Project to “bring people together”.
By JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
December 13, 2020, 6:10 pm  2
160
shares
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Jeremy Corbyn has announced plans for a new organisation to support social justice, peace and human rights in the UK and around the world.

The former Labour leader said his Peace and Justice Project will “bring people together” to create “a future that works for the many, not the few”.


Corbyn, now sitting as an independent MP following the the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report into antisemitism in the Labour Party, will launch the initiative next month.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
The project will aim to bring people together to support social and environmental justice, peace and internationalism and will focus on combating poverty, inequality and unaccountable corporate power, the Islington North MP said.

Sir Keir Starmer’s predecessor added that the Peace and Justice Project will promote peace, global co-operation, climate justice, self-determination, democracy and human rights by working with social movements and trade unions and building networks for progressive change.

The project will commence on 17 January 2021 following an online event which will feature panellists including Labour peer Christine Blower, Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey and Labour MP Zarah Sultana, who wrote that she supports “violent resistance” against Israel and would celebrate the deaths of Tony Blair, George W Bush and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Corbyn said: “The aim of the Peace and Justice Project will be to bring people together, for social justice, peace and human rights, in Britain and across the world.

“It’s there to create space, hope and opportunity for those campaigning for social justice and a future that works for the many, not the few.

“We will work with unions and social movements to build a network of campaigners, grassroots activists, thinkers and leaders, to share experiences and generate ideas about solutions to our common problems.

“We will combine research and analysis with campaigning and organising. And we can build on the popular socialist policies developed in the Labour Party over the past five years.

“This year, many of us have felt powerless in the face of forces beyond our control. It doesn’t have to be like that. Things can, and they will, change.”

Rafael Correa, former president of Ecuador, said: “Coronavirus has shown again how neoliberalism is incapable of dealing with the huge crisis our societies face.

“Now, more than ever, we need to be united in our struggles across the world against neoliberalism and inequality.

“We need to build a world where corporate power is replaced with real democracy, where people have access to full rights, key services like health and education, and a life with dignity.

“I welcome the creation of Jeremy Corbyn’s new Peace and Justice Project, and I look forward to working with him for a world where people come before capital.”

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/hodge-if-corbyn-gives-complete-apology-it-would-be-wrong-not-to-allow-him-back/
18953741-1-640x400.jpg
Hodge: If Corbyn gives complete apology it would be wrong not to allow him back
BY JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
Veteran Jewish MP tells Jewish News Podcast he is unlikely to say sorry because he’s ‘incredibly obstinate, pretty vain and just doesn’t like Jews’
By JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
December 4, 2020, 11:52 am  2
Dame Margaret Hodge. Photo credit: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Dame Margaret Hodge has said if Jeremy Corbyn “accepts responsibility” and offers a “complete apology” it would be “wrong not to let him back in” to the Parliamentary Labour Party.
The veteran Labour MP said it was unlikely the former leader would make such an admission, calling him “incredibly obstinate, pretty vain” and claiming he “just doesn’t like Jews”.
Speaking on the JN Podcast this week, the Barking politician who is the parliamentary chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, reflected on Sunday’s JLM One Day Conference, featuring Keir Starmer, seven shadow front bench politicians, and Lord Mandelson.

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP
This comes after Jeremy Corbyn was suspended by the Labour Party in wake of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) report into antisemitism, after he said antisemitism had been “dramatically overstated”.

He was allowed back in two weeks later after saying it had not been “exaggerated” – but Starmer declined to restore the parliamentary whip.

Hodge, who made headlines in July 2018, calling Corbyn “an antisemite and a racist” told the podcast: “If Jeremy Corbyn accepts responsibility for what happened on his watch, accepts the EHRC report in its entirety and proffers an apology and absolutely complete apology, I think in those circumstances, I think it would be wrong not to let him back in but he has to be willing to do that.

“And just let me say my experience of him is that he’s incredibly obstinate. He’s pretty vain… And he just doesn’t like Jews.”

Asked by host Phil Dave whether she would have quit the party if Corbyn was let back last month, she said she found herself “in a really difficult position”.

“I hated having to talk about Jeremy after the EHRC report was published”, adding that “we should have been focusing on the findings of the report.”

She criticised Corbyn’s “ridiculous intervention” which “made himself the centre of the story again” while also hitting out at his “total refusal to accept the extent of antisemitism as documented in a report put forward by a statutory body”.

“There’s a lot of antisemitism at the heart of the party, and Corbyn himself and his team did politically interfere in the complaints process and effort and driving up his failure to accept that, I think was intolerable. “
Praising Starmer’s actions tackling antisemitism since he took over earlier in 2020, she said he “is doing a very good job.

“I didn’t actually support him for leader I supported Lisa Nandy.. But I have been really heartened by Keir’s performance not just on antisemitism, but on a whole range of issues. Since he became leader. I’m totally behind him.

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/one-academics-bid-to-undermine-the-fight-against-antisemitism/
One academic’s bid to undermine the fight against antisemitism
DEC 4, 2020, 2:22 PM
Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse,
Report this post.
Campaign Against Antisemitism rally against antisemitism (Jewish News)
Prof. David Feldman’s recent article in The Guardian opposing the adoption of the International (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism by universities is par for the course for an academic who has been on the wrong side of the fight against antisemitism throughout the past several years.

As the director of the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism at Birkbeck, Prof. Feldman enjoys not only academic respectability but the communal legitimacy bestowed by a major philanthropic family. Yet his deployment of these assets has undermined rather than strengthened the fight against antisemitism.
In 2015, just months after more Jews assembled to protest antisemitism than at any time since Cable Street at a rally organised by the nascent Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), Prof. Feldman authored a report for a Parliamentary group suggesting that “the concern expressed” over antisemitism “contributed to a climate of insecurity”. This form of victim-blaming failed to recognise that the fault lay with antisemitic crime and the failure of the authorities to tackle it – not the thousands of Jews who rallied against it. He used that same report to advance what has become something of a campaign for him against the International Definition of Antisemitism.

In 2016, Prof. Feldman sat as one of two deputy chairs (and the only Jewish person) on the Chakrabarti Inquiry into antisemitism in the Labour Party, widely panned by the Jewish community as a whitewash. The Jewish News reported that Prof. Feldman defended Lady Chakrabarti’s report as “honest and constructive”; in reality, it helped institutionalise Labour’s antisemitism problem.

Three years later, the Labour Party, under the stewardship of Corbyn-ally Jennie Formby, sought to replace the antisemitism training provided by the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) with a course on antisemitism taught by – you guessed it – Prof. Feldman. JLM was rightly furious and refused Labour’s request to adapt their sessions to fit with the Feldman course, suggesting it would make them little more than “useful idiots.”

Central to Prof. Feldman’s appeal to one Corbyn backer after another is his long-standing hostility toward the International Definition.

Now he has authored an article in The Guardian stating his opposition to calls by the Government on universities to adopt the Definition – a cause CAA has championed along with the Union of Jewish Students, Lord Mann, the Jewish Leadership Council, the Board of Deputies, the Community Security Trust and every other mainstream Jewish organisation and activist. There are few issues that unite our community like this one, and it is telling that Prof. Feldman – as with the Chakrabarti Inquiry – finds himself at odds with the mainstream community.

Prof. Feldman’s criticisms of the definition are familiar: he fears it will “privilege one group over others” and believes it is “no substitute for carefully constructed measures to combat antisemitism and other racisms.”

But to fight antisemitism we must define it, especially given its unique complexity. That was why we, along with Lord Pickles and others, campaigned so forcefully over many meetings in Downing Street for the British Government to adopt it. It was also thanks to the International Definition that our 2019 Antisemitism Barometer – which took into account the full range of examples of antisemitism in the Definition – was the first empirical study to reveal that antisemitism on the far-left had surpassed that on the far-right.

As for the supposed need to address antisemitism only in the context of dealing with “other racisms”, Prof. Feldman is repeating a canard that, after five years of Jeremy Corbyn, the Jewish community understands well enough.

In his 2015 report, Prof. Feldman claimed the International Definition had “fallen out of favour”, but this wishful thinking on his part has been sunk by the reality that the International Definition is the single most important tool in the fight against the world’s oldest hatred. This is why CAA and others – backed by respected academics such as Dr Daniel Allington and Dr David Hirsch – have tirelessly campaigned for its widespread adoption. Prof. Feldman has contributed very little to these efforts and done too much to hinder them – a point that the Pears Foundation must surely ponder.

With our often-fractious community united as never before in agreement that the International Definition is essential to our defence, Prof. Feldman should accept that he has been as wrong on the International Definition as he was about his misadventures with Chakrabarti and other Corbyn allies. Even Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party begrudgingly adopted the International Definition, but two years on, Prof. Feldman is one of the few still holding out.

The Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism at Birkbeck should not be lending its credibility to a man who does so much to hinder the fight against antisemitism.

UK Govt to Roll Out ‘Vaccine Stamps’ in Passports by Next Year: Report
608
Passengers wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), including a face mask as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, arrive at Terminal 1 of Manchester Airport in northern England, on June 8, 2020, as the UK government's planned 14-day quarantine for international arrivals to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus begins.
2:46
The British government is reportedly set to introduce vaccine stamps in passports by next year for those who have been inoculated against the Chinese coronavirus, ostensibly to boost the travel industry.
The vaccine stamps are being worked on by the Department for Transport (DfT), as airline bosses throughout the world look to make such restrictions mandatory for travelling.
A supporter of the passport stamps, Conservative MP James Sunderland, told The Telegraph: “Pets need a vaccination passport when travelling between the UK and Europe and this would be a fantastic way of ensuring freedom of movement for people too.”

We must do everything possible to boost the economy by re-opening our travel, hospitality, leisure and business sectors and how fantastic would it be to have our planes, trains and boats full again.
“A vaccination stamp is simple, would save all the hassle at either end and really boost confidence.”
Government sources told the newspaper that Aviation Minister Robert Courts is “upbeat and supportive” of the idea. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said earlier this month that his transport secretary Grant Shapps was “looking at all such schemes”.
MORE https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/11/30/uk-roll-out-vaccine-stamps-passports-next-year-report/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=20201130

Majority of Britons Believe Black Lives Matter Has Increased Racial Tensions
14,245
LondonDANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images
JACK MONTGOMERY29 Nov 20203,084
2:51
An outright majority of Britons believe the Black Lives Matter movement has increased racial tensions, along with a 44 per cent of people from ethnic minorities.
According to an Opinium survey of over 2,000 people, some 55 per cent of Briton’s believe Black Lives Matter has made race relations in society worse rather than better. The remaining 45 per cent of respondents were not all actively opposed to this idea, either, with the figure for people who actively disagreed standing at just 17 per cent.
The proportion of white people who believed BLM had inflamed matters was slightly above the national average, while the proportion of Conservative voters with that believe was an astonishing 70 per cent.
This illustrates what may be a growing gulf between Conservative voters and Conservative party politicians on BLM-related issues, with the government having been somewhat limp and permissive in its attitude towards the group’s activism and ideology, and even attempting to appease it — with Home Secretary Priti Patel declaring that “Mandatory training is being introduced for new and existing members of Home Office staff to ensure that everyone working in the Department understands and appreciates the history of migration and race in this country” in July, for example.
MORE https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/11/29/majority-britons-believe-black-lives-matter-has-increased-racial-tensions/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=20201130

Minister ‘Can’t Rule Out’ THIRD Lockdown, Says No Normality Until Summer
213
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 28: Police officers in riot gear are seen at Piccadilly circus during a protest on November 28, 2020 in London, England. London is to return to 'Tier 2' or 'high alert' covid-19 restrictions once the current England-wide coronavirus lockdown ends next Wednesday. All three of the …Peter Summers/Getty Images
VICTORIA FRIEDMAN30 Nov 2020416
3:52
A senior minister would not rule out a third lockdown, following government scientists saying that a January 2021 shutdown may be enforced on the nation as payment for having a few days of freedom over Christmas.

Environment Minister George Eustace also said on Monday that the even just the beginning of a return to normality might not happen until the summer — only if a vaccine is approved and made widespread.


 
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Eustace said it was “too early to say” whether the UK would be forced into another lockdown after the holiday period, and attempted to play down the possibility, saying: “Provided we maintain the tiered approach for as long as necessary, I don’t think it’ll be necessary to go back into another full lockdown.”

However, he added: “You can’t rule anything out because this is a rapidly developing situation… It’s always difficult to predict what will happen.”

The government recently announced a relaxation of rules for five days over Christmas, allowing Britons to have limited family festivities restricted to “bubbles” of three households. Public Health England and a governmental chief medical advisor said that for every day of freedom would cost five days in shutdown, meaning nearly the whole of January could be massively restricted. Professor Neil Ferguson, who left his senior government advisory role in May in disgrace after breaking lockdown but still appears to be involved in the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), also predicted a third lockdown.
MORE https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/11/30/minister-cant-rule-out-third-lockdown-says-no-normality-until-summer/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_campaign=20201130

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/david-miliband-jeremy-corbyn-repelled-voters-left-right-and-centre/
David Miliband: Jeremy Corbyn repelled voters left, right and centre
In wide-ranging discussion with Jonathan Freedland at the JLM conference, former foreign secretary speaks of 'admiration for those fighting an incredibly good fight' in Labour
By JENNI FRAZER 
November 30, 2020, 10:38 am  2
(Copyright by World Economic Forum
swiss-image.ch/Photo by Remy Steinegger)
David Miliband (Copyright by World Economic Forum swiss-image.ch/Photo by Remy Steinegger)
Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband has admitted that watching the situation in the Labour Party today was “frustrating”, mixed with “admiration for those fighting an incredibly good fight”. 
Speaking to an audience of more than 300 at the Jewish Labour Movement’s one-day conference, Mr Miliband, who is now chief executive of the New York-based International Rescue Committee, took part in a wide-ranging discussion with journalist Jonathan Freedland in a conversation he had designated “The Age of Impunity”.
By this, he said, he meant “the abuse of power to the extent where crimes are not punished… the power balance has got out of whack in war zones around the world. And that is linked to the retreat from democratic values, where countries have suffered a reduction in domestic political freedoms. At the international level there has also been a retreat from democratic norms”. 
 Mr Miliband noted that in America, “a re-elected President Trump would have been given impunity to take things further”. But he warned that “while Trump may have been defeated, Trumpism has not”, suggesting that there were still elements in the Republican Party which supported Trump’s policies. 

Turning his attention to UK politics and the most recent election defeat of his former party, Mr Miliband emphasised the importance in politics “of an attractive candidate. My party lost with the worst results since 1935. You shouldn’t need a Biden victory to tell you that you are more likely to win with an attractive candidate rather than one who pushes away the voters: Jeremy Corbyn repelled voters left, right and centre.”

Politics of the left, he said, required people to be “both radical and credible. Unless you get both, you’re not going to get people to put their faith in you”. He believed “a broad coalition” was “absolutely key to being able to govern.” 
He said that “never in my wildest nightmares, in any of the arguments I had with the hard Left, did I ever dream that we would argue about antisemitism. Maybe I was naive. I don’t think people ever looked at me and said, oh, there’s a Jewish Foreign Secretary: I think they said, oh, there’s a Labour Foreign Secretary who is Jewish, which is different. So the idea that this has become the hill on which the hard Left wants to fight is repugnant.” 

Mr Miliband declared: “People say to me, we’ve got to deal with antisemitism because it’s offending the Jewish community. No! we’ve got to stop antisemitism because it’s offending everyone. Never did I think the words ‘Labour’ and ‘antisemitism’ would be in the same sentence”. 

On Brexit and the choices facing the Labour Party, Mr Miliband said he thought there would ultimately be a deal, but that Labour could only vote in favour of it, or abstain. “Brexit is not going to be done [with this vote],” he warned, “there will be negotiations between Britain and the international system for a long time to come.” 

Asked by Jonathan Freedland if he could predict circumstances under which Labour might seek to re-join the European Union, Mr Miliband said this was “a frog-boiling situation, not a leap off a cliff situation”. But, he added, Labour could not accept a future “where the Tories winning four elections on the trot is business as usual. It’s our fault that it’s business as usual” — but that it was possible to change that dynamic.

 https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/lisa-nandy-i-have-never-supported-the-bds-movement/
Lisa Nandy: I have never supported the BDS movement
Shadow foreign secretary, who was backed by JLM during the leadership contest, reiterates opposition to Israeli settlements but says boycotts aren't the answer
By JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
November 30, 2020, 11:12 am  1
Lisa Nandy at the Jewish Labour hustings (Marc Morris Photography via Jewish News)
The shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, yesterday confirmed Labour’s opposition to both the BDS movement and settlements in the occupied territories.

Speaking during the Jewish Labour Movement’s One Day Conference, Nandy said: “We are opposed to the settlements. We believe they are not just a breach of international law, but by changing the facts on the ground they make a two-state solution more distanced than it would otherwise be.