Serving inmates convicted of terrorist murder plot against prison officer

October 7, 2020 Article

A terrorist who was jailed for plotting an attack inspired by the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby has been found guilty of trying to murder a guard at a top security jail.

Brusthom Ziamani, 25, was jailed for 22 years after he was caught with a hammer and knife en route to behead a soldier in 2014.

While being held at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, Ziamani befriended radicalised Baz Hockton, 26, and the pair hatched a terror attack behind bars, the Old Bailey heard.

They made makeshift bladed weapons and fake suicide belts to launch a ferocious attack on officer Neil Trundle on January 9.

Two female staff members were hurt as they tried to stop the assault, with left Mr Trundle covered in blood.

Ziamani, originally from Camberwell, south London, had denied attempted murder and an alternative of wounding with intent, but admitted assaulting the two women.

He claimed he wanted to be transferred because Whitemoor had become hostile to Muslims in the wake of former inmate Usman Khan’s attack at Fishmonger Hall.

Hockton, originally from Dagenham, who declined to give evidence, had denied attempted murder but admitted wounding with intent.

An Old Bailey jury deliberated for three hours and nine minutes to find them both guilty of attempted murder.

The court had heard the defendants had lured “kind and helpful” Mr Trundle to a store cupboard on the pretext of asking for a spoon.

They then set upon the officer, targeting his vulnerable head, upper chest and neck areas shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

Ziamani briefly broke off to punch nurse Jayle Cowles and prison officer Georgina Ibbotson before resuming the onslaught on Mr Trundle.

When another officer approached, Ziamani opened his jacket to expose the fake suicide belt, and said: “I’ve got a bomb.”

Meanwhile, Hockton was seen on graphic CCTV footage to charge at another officer before both inmates were restrained.

An examination of the fake suicide belts revealed one had been constructed with a battery and pressurised can and the other was made from boxer short elastic, electrical cable and plastic bottles.

Mr Trundle was left covered in blood, with blood on the walls around him, having suffered cuts to his scalp, arm and shoulder.

Reliving the attack, Mr Trundle, who has 14 years’ prisons experience, said: “Before I knew it I was on the floor on my back.

“I did not see any weapons. I could feel blows coming down on me.

“I did not realise how bad the damage was to myself until I went to the hospital and looked in the mirror.”

Mr Trundle denied there was any anti-Muslim feeling at Whitemoor over the deaths of two Cambridge students at Fishmonger Hall.

He said staff had been advised on appropriate behaviour after he heard the term “raghead” used to describe Muslims once.

Prosecutor Annabel Darlow QC had told jurors the attack was terrorist-related.

Ziamani’s plan to become a “martyr” was spelled out in handwritten notes.

In a note found in a cell search, Hockton had written: “Can’t stand anything in uniform and if I see a cop on the wing I’m stick a spike in his head like a unicorn.” (sic)

Ms Darlow told jurors Ziamani’s previous conviction demonstrated he had wanted to kill a British officer for “terrorist purposes”.

She said: “The prosecution say this is exactly what happened in the case, albeit transplanted from the outside world where Mr Ziamani had greater access to weapons and targets to the more limited confines of the prison environment.”

Giving evidence, Ziamani denied it was a terror attack, saying he only wanted to inflict some damage, like a bloody nose, to get sent to a different prison.

The two men did not react as the jury’s verdict was read out, but could be seen smiling as they were sent to the cells.

The judge, Mrs Justice May, listed the case for sentence at 2pm on Thursday.

Following the verdicts, Mr Trundle said: “I thank those colleagues of mine who risked their lives coming to my aid on that terrible day. If it was not for their bravery and instant response, I am convinced I would not be here today.”

Commander Richard Smith, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This was a calculated and horrific attack by two prisoners who had one aim – to try and murder prison staff.

“I would like to pay tribute to the outstanding professionalism and bravery of the courageous prison staff who responded to the incident. Their quick and selfless actions saved the life of their colleague that day. My thoughts are also with the other victims of this attack who also were injured during this incident.”

A Prison Service spokesperson added: “We welcome today’s verdicts and pay tribute to Prison Officer Trundle and all the staff that responded to this incident with such courage and dedication.

“Attacks on our hardworking staff are not be tolerated and we will always push for the strongest punishment.”

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Categories: Attack, Brusthom Ziamani, Fusilier Lee Rigby, HMP Whitemoor, News, Old Bailey, Prison Officer, Ziamani

Iran ordered to pay £1 billion to family of kidnapped FBI agent presumed dead

October 6, 2020 Article

A US judge has ordered Iran to pay 1.45 billion dollars (£1.12 billion) to the family of a former FBI agent believed to have been kidnapped while on an unauthorised CIA mission.

Robert Levinson’s family and the US government now believe he died in the Iranian government’s custody, something long denied by Tehran, though officials have offered contradictory accounts about what happened to him on Kish Island.

Tensions remain high between the US and Iran amid US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Though the US and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since the aftermath of the 1979 US Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran, America stills holds billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets that could be used to pay Mr Levinson’s family.

In a ruling from Thursday, the US District Court in Washington found Iran owed Mr Levinson’s family 1.35 billion dollars (£1.05 billion) in punitive damages and 107 million dollars (£82 million) in compensatory damages for his kidnapping.

The court cited the case of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died in 2017 shortly after being freed from captivity in North Korea, in deciding to award the massive amount of punitive damages to Mr Levinson’s family.

Judge Timothy Kelly said: “Iran’s conduct here is also unique, given that – astonishingly – it plucked a former FBI and DEA special agent from the face of the earth without warning, tortured him, held him captive for as long as 13 years, and to this day refuses to admit its responsibility.

“And his wife and children, and their spouses and children – while keeping Levinson’s memory alive – have had to proceed with their lives without knowing his exact fate. These are surely acts worthy of the gravest condemnation.”

Iranian state media and officials in Tehran did not immediately acknowledge the ruling in a case in which Iran offered no defence and Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

In a statement, Mr Levinson’s family called the court’s award “the first step in the pursuit of justice”.

It said: “Until now, Iran has faced no consequences for its actions.

“Judge Kelly’s decision won’t bring Bob home, but we hope that it will serve as a warning against further hostage taking by Iran.”

Mr Levinson disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island on March 9, 2007.

For years, US officials would only say that Mr Levinson, a meticulous FBI investigator credited with busting Russian and Italian mobsters, was working for a private firm on his trip.

In December 2013, it was revealed Mr Levinson in fact had been on a mission for CIA analysts who had no authority to run spy operations.

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Categories: CIA spy, FBI agent, Iran ordered, Mr Levinson, News, punitive damages, Robert Levinson

Italian national on trial accused of having al Qaida magazines

October 2, 2020 Article

26-year-old Italian national had al Qaida propaganda magazines including instructions on bomb-making “in the kitchen of your mum”, a court has heard.

Salim Youssoufi, who was living in Small Heath in Birmingham at the time of his arrest, is alleged to have kept information of a kind likely to be useful to a terrorist between September and December last year.

Four separate publications were discovered on his mobile phone following his arrest in December 2019, jurors at Birmingham Crown Court heard on Friday.

Youssoufi is facing four counts of intentionally downloading the documents, including a summer 2010 edition of al Qaida’s “Inspire” periodical, which had a front cover article entitled “make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum”.

In the al Qaida magazine there was an article by Osama bin Laden on climate change and another by a different author on how to wage “individual Jihad”, said prosecutors.

Jurors heard the married electronics engineer, who studied in Florence, Italy, also told police after his arrest how he made a recording pledging allegiance to the head of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

It is also alleged Youssoufi downloaded the autumn 2010 edition of Inspire, featuring a “virtual guide to becoming a terrorist”, also penned by Bin Laden.

One story written for the periodical described creating the “ultimate mowing machine”, by welding sheet-steel blades to the front of a 4×4.

It states the “idea is to use the pick-up as a mowing machine – not to mow grass but to mow down the enemies of Allah”.

Youssoufi, who was assisted during the hearing by an Italian interpreter, is also accused of having a winter edition of the magazine, with a front page article entitled “destroying buildings”.

It is further alleged he had a special edition, published in November that year, released to mark the bombing of a UPS cargo plane in September 2010.

Prosecutors have alleged Youssoufi “deliberately” downloaded the documents via the Telegram app.

Opening the case, prosecuting barrister Matthew Brook said: “On 13 December the defendant was arrested and his mobile seized.

“Contained on that telephone were four documents – electronic files – which contained terrorist information

“It’s a magazine called Inspire, a periodical magazine issued by the al Qaida organisation in the Arabian peninsula.

“You might be surprised to hear al Qaida publish a magazine – but it did.

“On its front cover it tells you what’s in the magazine.

“At the top, it says ‘may our souls be scarified for you, Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki’ and in the middle of it it says ‘make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum’.”

Within its pages, Mr Brook said there was an article entitled “open source Jihad” which contained “detailed instructions” on building bombs.

The Crown’s barrister said: “In this section is ‘make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum’, and what follows is information, the prosecution say, that would clearly be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.

“There are detailed instructions of how to construct a bomb, if you’re so minded, in your kitchen.”

The article tells readers: “My Muslim brothers, we are conveying to you our military training right into your kitchen to relieve you of the difficulty of travelling to us.”

Another article is entitled the “message to the American people” by al-Awlaki, in which he had written “Jihad against America is binding on myself just as it is binding on every other able Muslim”.

Further on in the edition, the publication states: “This magazine is a virtual how-to guide to becoming a terrorist.

“They can become a virtual member of al Qaida and learn how to carry out terrorist attacks in the comfort of their own homes.”

Mr Brook added that users could either choose to manually or automatically download images from Telegram channels or chat groups.

He said jurors would hear evidence that when data specialists analysed Youssoufi’s phone “the settings the defendant had on Telegram on his phone meant the size of the files of four Inspire magazines would have required him to choose to download them, deliberately, rather than them download automatically”.

Mr Brook added an Islamic State “propaganda video” showing an execution was also found on the defendant’s phone, with an edited version played to jurors.

Youssoufi, of Coventry Road, Birmingham, denies any wrongdoing and the trial continues.

READ: Islamic State supporters jailed for sending money for fighters

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Categories: Al Qaida magazines, Birmingham, Bomb in the kitchen, Italian national, News, Salim Youssoufi

Asylum processing centres could be placed on disused ferries, reports say

October 1, 2020 Article

Asylum seeking migrants could be processed on disused ferries moored off the coast, according to reports.

The suggestion came after it was also claimed that the UK was considering sending migrants to centres in Papua New Guinea, Moldova, or Morocco.

Government sources refused to be drawn on the reports, stating that the UK was examining how other nations handled migrants with a view to “informing” the British situation.

According to The Times, Number 10 is considering buying retired ferries and converting the vessels into processing centres to house asylum seekers off the UK coast.

The newspaper also stated the Home Office discussed moving migrants to decommissioned oil platforms in the North Sea for processing, but the idea was rejected.

In a version of the Australian “offshore” model, asylum seekers could also be sent to detention centres in Papua New Guinea, Moldova, or Morocco, The Guardian said.

It claimed leaked documents had revealed Downing Street had asked officials to look into the matter, but met “push back” from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Placing migrants on ships is seen as “more realistic” and is an option to be put to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to reports.

Government sources said that Britain was looking at the way other countries handle the situation regarding migration to “inform a plan for the UK”.

The reports follow controversy over a proposal discussed in the Home Office that asylum seekers could be processed on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic.

The option came as a surprise to inhabitants on the volcanic territory 4,000 miles from the UK.

The idea considered within Priti Patel’s department that asylum seekers could be transferred to the British overseas territory in the South Atlantic has been derided as “inhumane” by critics at home.

But it was also dismissed on Wednesday as an unfeasible, “logistical nightmare” by a member of the Ascension Island Council, Alan Nicholls.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “This ludicrous idea is inhumane, completely impractical and wildly expensive. So it seems entirely plausible this Tory Government came up with it.”

Refugee Action chief executive Stephen Hale added: “It’s deeply troubling that our Home Secretary even considered that this immoral and inhumane plan was a serious solution to a humanitarian crisis.”

A senior United Nations official told the Commons Home Affairs Committee she urged the Home Office not to adopt the idea.

Rossella Pagliuchi-Lor, the UK representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said: “This is the Australian model and I think we have already seen that the Australian model has brought about incredible suffering on people who are guilty of no more than seeking asylum.

“It has also additionally, I think, cost, and continues to cost, an incredible amount of money, so it seems to be both extremely inappropriate in terms of the commitments that the country should have to human rights and to asylum, but also an incredibly impractical and expensive way of doing so.”

Ms Patel has vowed to stop migrants making the perilous journey across the English Channel in small boats amid record numbers of crossings.

The proposal further reflects the influence of Australia – which has controversially used offshore processing and detention centres for asylum seekers since the 1980s – on the UK’s immigration and asylum policy.

The Government has based its post-Brexit points-based immigration system on that developed in Australia.

READ: If you can’t as a persecuted Christian get asylum in the U.K, the something warped is happening

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Categories: centres in papua new guinea, new guinea moldova or morocco, News, Priti Patel

Poland rejects international criticism over LGBT rights

September 28, 2020 Article

Polish leaders have rejected suggestions that LGBT people are deprived of any of their rights in the country.

The rejection follows an open letter from 50 ambassadors and international representatives citing a need to work for “non-discrimination, tolerance and mutual acceptance”.

The ambassadors’ appeal comes as an increasingly visible LGBT community in Poland has faced a backlash from the right-wing government, many local communities and the Catholic church.

“Human rights are universal and everyone, including LGBTI persons, are entitled to their full enjoyment,” the letter said, using the acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he agreed that every person deserves respect but that he completely disagreed with the ambassadors’ claim that LGBT people were being deprived of that.

Mr Morawiecki said at a news conference: “To the dear ambassadors, I can only say that tolerance belongs to Polish DNA. Nobody needs to teach us tolerance, because we are a nation that has learned such tolerance for centuries and we have given many testimonies to the history of such tolerance.”

Some of Poland’s leaders, including the president and MPs from the ruling party, have cast the movement for civil rights for LGBT people as a threat to traditional families. President Andrzej Duda won a second term this summer after calling LGBT rights an “ideology” more dangerous than communism.

Meanwhile, dozens of towns in conservative parts of eastern and southern Poland have passed mostly symbolic resolutions declaring themselves to be free from “LGBT ideology”. Many of the declarations express the view that young people will be demoralised if confronted by the issue.

“Human Rights are not an ideology – they are universal,” US ambassador Georgette Mosbacher tweeted. “50 Ambassadors and Representatives agree.”

Joachim Brudzinski, deputy head of the ruling Law and Justice party who is now a European Parliament member, shot back at Ms Mosbacher on Monday, saying “we in Poland also agree”.

“Therefore, we are waiting with hope for the next letter, this time in defence of murdered Christians, imprisoned #ProLife activists, people dismissed from work and persecuted for quoting the Bible, people subjected to euthanasia against their will,” he wrote on Twitter, along with some other examples of alleged abuse of Christians.

It was not exactly clear what Mr Brudzinski was referring to. Poland is a predominantly Catholic nation where Christians do not face persecution and where abortion is illegal in most cases and euthanasia is outlawed. In one case, however, an IKEA employee in Poland was fired for citing Biblical passages to suggest gay people should be killed. The current government has spoken in the employee’s defence and a state prosecutor is suing the IKEA manager who fired him.

READ: The Changing Face of Hate in Poland: From Antisemitism to Anti-Muslim Racism

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Categories: Christians, human rights, International criticism, News, Polish Prime Minister

First direct commercial flight from Israel lands in Bahrain

September 24, 2020 Article

The first known direct commercial flight between Israel and Bahrain has landed in the island kingdom, just a week after it signed a deal alongside the United Arab Emirates to normalise relations.

Flight data showed an Israir Airlines Airbus A320 landed at Bahrain International Airport after a nearly three-hour flight from Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Hours later, Bahrain acknowledged the flight carried a delegation of Israeli officials.

“A working team from the state of Israel visited Manama today to discuss areas of co-operation between the two countries,” Bahrain said in a brief statement.

“These talks come after the signing of the Declaration of Peace.”

Bahrain did not identify the officials taking part, nor say who they spoke to while in Manama.

There was no immediate acknowledgement of the flight from the Israeli government, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday spoke by telephone to Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Bahrain’s state-run media did not acknowledge the flight.

Officials on the island off the coast of Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The US Embassy in Manama similarly did not respond to a request for comment.

The flight was made without ceremony, in sharp contrast to the first El Al flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates at the end of August.

That plane carried US and Israeli officials, including President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as media.

In Bahrain, civil society groups have criticised the move to normalise relations with Israel, saying that recognition should come only after Palestinians obtain their own independent state.

Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet and a British naval base, has a predominantly Shi’ite population ruled by a Sunni royal family.

Arab Spring protests there in 2011 ended with authorities cracking down with the help of Saudi and Emirati forces.

Bahrain and the UAE signed normalisation agreements on September 15 with Israel at the White House, part of a US diplomatic push as Donald Trump seeks re-election.

The UAE and Israel have moved quickly to explore commercial ties after their normalisation deal.

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa previously had been quoted as saying he believed Arab countries should drop their boycott of Israel.

It is likely Saudi Arabia, a major benefactor for his nation, gave its assent to the normalisation deal.

Wednesday’s Israir flight flew over the kingdom, which has opened its airspace to Israeli flights to both Bahrain and the UAE.

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Categories: Bahrain, Direct Commercial flights, Israel, News, Normalise relations, United Arab Emirates

What are the new coronavirus rules in the UK?

September 23, 2020 Article

Measures are being tightened in the face of rising coronavirus infections, with Boris Johnson warning the UK has reached a “perilous turning point” in its fight against the disease.

Tougher restrictions are being brought in across all four nations, but vary – here, we take a look at the new rules in each country.

– England

Working from home is once again being encouraged, with anyone who can being asked to do so.

People who cannot, such as those working in construction or retail, are being advised they should continue to go to their workplaces.

From Thursday pubs, bars and restaurants must offer table service only and hospitality, leisure, entertainment and tourism businesses all have to close between 10pm and 5am.

People working in retail, travelling in taxis, and staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except while seated at a table to eat or drink, must wear face coverings.

From Monday, a maximum of 15 people will be allowed to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions, but the limit remains at 30 for funerals.

The rule of six, introduced last weekend, that any social gatherings of more than six people are against the law, is being extended to all adult indoor team sports.

Large sporting events, business conferences and exhibitions will not reopen as had been planned from October 1.

The penalties for disobeying the rules are also greater – failing to wear a mask or breaking the rule of six sees fines doubling to £200 for a first offence.

Businesses which break the rules could be fined up to £10,000 and closed.

Fines of up to £10,000 for people who fail to self-isolate have already been announced.

Downing Street said military support was an option to free up police so they can focus on enforcing the tougher rules.

For people in the shielding category, Mr Johnson said the guidance remains that shielding is not currently needed, unless they are in a local lockdown area.

In a televised address on Tuesday evening, he said he was “spiritually reluctant” to impinge on people’s freedoms, but warned: “Unless we take action the risk is that we will have to go for tougher measures later.”

– Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has the highest infection rate across the UK and Ireland, and fresh Covid-19 restrictions were extended from some specific postcodes to the whole country from 6pm on Tuesday.

Households will no longer be allowed to mix indoors, except for single-person bubbles and certain other exemptions.

No more than six people from two households can meet in a garden.

But pubs which do not serve food, known as wet pubs, were able to open once again on Wednesday, despite the latest restrictions.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said whether to introduce an early closing time for pubs is something ministers would consider, describing replicating the 10pm curfew being introduced in England as “fair enough”.

First Minister Arlene Foster said a two-week period of lockdown to try to halt the spread of the virus, a so-called circuit breaker, could not be ruled out.

Discussing the latest measures, she said: “We need to act, but I do want to reassure you that despite all of the headlines this is not a second lockdown.

“This is a wake-up call, a reminder that we are not out of the woods.”

– Scotland

Household mixing indoors will no longer be allowed, with exemptions for those living alone, couples not living together, childcare and tradespeople.

Regulations come into force on Friday but people are being asked to comply from Wednesday.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said children under 12 will be exempt from the current limit of six people from two households when meeting outside, and those between 12 and 18 will be able to meet a limit of six others from six households outdoors.

From Friday pubs, bars and restaurants must close at 10pm and further resources will be given to environmental health officials to step up enforcement and inspections, to check that social distancing and other hygiene guidance is being adhered to.

People in Scotland are also being advised against car-sharing, with Ms Sturgeon saying that according to Test and Protect data there is a “significant risk of transmission” in such settings.

She said no decision has been taken yet on a so-called circuit-break in October, and the Scottish Government is “keeping it under review”.

She asked people not to book any overseas travel for the half-term break unless it is essential, and to use it as an opportunity to “further limit social interaction”.

She said people who were shielding earlier in the year are not at this stage being asked to do so again, but that they should follow the steps outlined for the general population.

In an address to the nation, the First Minister acknowledged the measures might feel like “a step backwards”, but added: “We know what we need to do to protect ourselves and others – and all of us have a part to play.”

– Wales

Pubs, cafes, restaurants and casinos in Wales must operate as table service only and close from 10pm on Thursday.

Off-licences including supermarkets will also be stopped from selling alcohol at the same time each day as part of the measures.

Only six people are able to meet indoors and must be part of a single extended household.

Face coverings must be worn on public transport, in shops and in enclosed public spaces across Wales.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said in a televised address: ““Families have lost loved ones. People have lost jobs and livelihoods. This is a highly infectious virus.

“We cannot let it take a hold of our lives again. We have come too far to let that happen.”

Additional measures across much of South Wales are due to come into force from 6pm on Tuesday.

The measures, which are already in force across Rhondda Cynon Taf and Caerphilly county borough, will apply in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport and Blaenau Gwent.

Under the new rules people must not enter or leave the areas without a reasonable excuse and are only able to meet with other households outdoors, including members of their extended household.

All licensed premises such as pubs have to close at 11pm.

– How long will these new measures last?

Mr Johnson said that “unless we palpably make progress”, we should assume the restrictions he announced on Tuesday will remain in place for “perhaps six months”.

Meanwhile, Ms Sturgeon said she hoped the measures in Scotland would not have to be in place for that long, saying that while the absence of a game-changer vaccine means the virus will impact people’s lives “that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of the new restrictions I am announcing today will be in place for six months”.

On Monday, England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty suggested that science would eventually “ride to our rescue”, but “in this period of the next six months, I think we have to realise that we have to take this, collectively, very seriously”.

What time will people have to leave pubs under the new rules?

In Wales, Mr Drakeford said pubs and restaurants would finish serving alcohol at 10pm, but people would be allowed to “drink up, to eat up, to bring their evening to an orderly close and then make their way home” beyond that point.

In England, officials said they had decided on a simple 10pm deadline which would be easier to enforce, meaning that venues would have to be closed to the public by that time.

Will cafes and fast-food restaurants have to give table service?

Not in England. While all restaurants and pubs will have to become table service-only, cafes and chains such as McDonald’s will continue to take orders at the counter.

Downing Street said the law will only apply to licensed premises, so those selling alcohol.

There will also be a “small number of exemptions” to the rule such as cinemas which serve alcohol, meaning table service would not be necessary in those circumstances either.

Does the “rule of six” apply to christenings?

Typically baptisms are carried out during Sunday services, which are exempted from the rule.

But “standalone life events” including christenings outside normal services will, from Monday, be subject to the six-person limit.

The Church of England has sought clarity from the Government, but it is understood the limit would include the baby.

How about “fledgling romances” during the pandemic?

During the early days of the lockdown, couples were told to move in together or stay apart.

But Government guidance has been updated to say that those in “an established relationship” do not need to socially distance from each other.

What exactly an established relationship means has not been clarified, but the guidance has sparked concerns that casual sex remains against the rules.

The post What are the new coronavirus rules in the UK? appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: Bars and restaurants, Corona Virus, Corona Virus Rules, News, pubs, Table Service

Plaque to remember rail guard who helped end racist recruitment policy

September 23, 2020 Article

A plaque is being unveiled on Thursday to honour a railway worker who overturned a racist recruitment policy in the 1960s.

A ceremony will be held at Chatham station in Kent in memory of Asquith Xavier, who played a key role in ending the last vestiges of racist colour bars.

On August 15 1966, the colour bar at Euston station was defeated when Mr Xavier was allowed to start work after initially being refused a job.

British Railways had announced, after negotiations with local leaders of the National Union of Railwaymen (NUR), that no grade would in future be closed on racial grounds anywhere in the London division.

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “Today we remember the brave actions of Asquith Xavier and those NUR officials such as Jimmy Prendergast who supported him in a campaign which eventually defeated the colour bar at Euston station.

“We owe so much to those who challenged racism on the railway in an era when it was all pervasive.

“The union remains eternally vigilant in the fight against racism and it is important we remember Asquith Xavier ‎and those trade unionists who blazed a trail for us over five decades ago.”

Mr Xavier‘s daughter Maria, who will speak at the unveiling in Chatham, where he lived, said: “This plaque has helped shed light on his achievements within British race relations and employment law.

“It recognises how my grandfather overcame adversity and prejudice in the campaign for racial equality in Britain in the 1960s and acknowledges his legacy as part of modern-day history.”

Mr Xavier, who died in 1980, was part of the Windrush generation, moving to England from Dominica after the Second World War.

He had started work for British Railways in 1956 as a porter, working his way up to rail guard at Marylebone station in London.

Following the closure of the Marylebone main line as part of the Beeching rail cuts, guards were no longer required and were being transferred to stations such as Euston.

Mr Xavier, an experienced guard, received a letter from management telling him that he had been rejected for a job at Euston.

Sid Greene, the general secretary of the NUR – now the RMT, contacted the British Rail Board about racist policies being practised in their name which he said had been a longstanding problem.

Union officials said colour bars were in place in several London stations, but the NUR campaigned to have them all lifted.

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Categories: Asquith Xavier, Chatham Station, Colour bar at Euston station, Kent, News, Racist recruitment policy

Prison officer tells jurors how he fought off convicted terrorist Brusthom Ziamani

September 23, 2020 Article

A prison officer has described how he fended off repeated stabbing blows to the head after being floored in an alleged terror attack.

Neil Trundle was left covered in blood from multiple cuts after convicted terrorist Brusthom Ziamani, 25, and fellow inmate Baz Hockton, 26, allegedly assaulted him with makeshift weapons at Whitemoor jail in Cambridgeshire.

Jurors at the Old Bailey have heard two female members of staff were also injured by Ziamani when they tried to intervene in the onslaught on Mr Trundle on the morning of January 9.

Ziamani, who has a previous conviction for plotting an attack on a soldier, and Hockton are on trial accused of attempted murder.

The prosecution has alleged the defendants launched the attack for a terrorist purpose.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Mr Trundle said he had never had any problems with Ziamani before.

He said: “There had been no confrontation or cross words, no indication that there was going to be any issues between us.”

When Ziamani asked him if he could replace a broken spoon, Mr Trundle went to unlock a store cupboard, followed by the defendants.

Mr Trundle said: “I could see one in my peripheral view to the side as I unlocked the door.

“Before I knew it I was on the floor on my back. I wasn’t sure how I ended up on the floor. I did not know what position I was in but I was on the floor and I was being attacked.”

Mr Trundle, who has been a prison officer for more than 14 years, said he raised his arms to protect his face and called for help.

“I felt pressure on my body as if people were lying on my body. I could feel stabs, especially to my head at this precise moment. I could still feel little bits of stinging.

“I did not know who was on me or how many was on me but I did notice when that person or persons left. I noticed when they came back again and attacked me a second time.

“I did not see any weapons. I could feel blows coming down on me.

“During the attack I was laying on my back and I was trying to kick out. The kicking out made it more difficult for them.”

He added: “I did not realise how bad the damage was to myself until I went to the hospital and looked in the mirror.”

Jurors were shown CCTV footage of the incident, which was briefly interrupted when two female staff members attempted to intervene and were assaulted by Ziamani.

Prison officer Georgina Ibbotson told jurors she feared for her life when “hyped up” Ziamani came at her.

Ms Ibbotson said she never had any trouble with him before, adding that he spent a lot of time with Hockton “one to one”.

Earlier on January 9, Ms Ibbotson said Ziamani had also asked her to fetch a spoon from the store cupboard which gave her a “gut feeling”.

She said: “It just made me feel uncomfortable – it made me feel like it was something I did not want to do.”

Later when she heard the alarm, she said: “I saw two men standing in front of me – Mr Ziamani and Mr Hockton both holding weapons.

“I could just see they had something in their hands and were holding it with clenched fists.

“They were really hyped up and full of adrenalin, quite intimidating.

“I put my hands out and just said ‘whoa’. Mr Ziamani tried to step forward so I put my hands to my belt.

“Mr Ziamani punched me in the face. It was as hard as he could. It was really like a big shock, mostly. I fell to my knees.”

When she got up, she noticed nurse Jayne Cowles on the floor “looking shocked”.

Ms Ibbotson said she then headed towards the store cupboard, planning to lock herself in.

She said: “I could feel the blood dripping down my face. I did not know how bad my injuries were. I feared for my life.”

Ziamani and Hockton have denied the attempted murder of Mr Trundle.

They are also accused of an alternative charge of wounding with intent, which Hockton has admitted.

Ziamani has admitted assaulting Ms Ibbotson and Ms Cowles.

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Categories: Baz Hockton, Brusthom Ziamani, Ms Ibbotson, News, Prison Officer, terrorist, Whitemoor Prison

Saudi Arabia unveils health measures that will allow pilgrims to visit Mecca

September 21, 2020 Article

Saudi Arabia has released new details on how it plans to gradually allow Muslims back to Islam’s holiest site in Mecca to perform the smaller, year-round pilgrimage, which has been suspended for the past seven months due to the coronavirus.

Hajj Minister Muhammad Benten said the kingdom will launch an online application that allows citizens, residents of Saudi Arabia and visitors to apply and reserve a specific time and date in which they can perform the pilgrimage, known as “umrah”, to avoid crowding and maintain social-distancing guidelines.

The minister, who spoke during a virtual seminar, did not say when the pilgrimage would be permitted to resume nor how many people would be allowed to perform it at the same time.

The kingdom held a dramatically downsized, symbolic hajj pilgrimage in July due to concerns that it could easily have become a global “superspreader” event for the virus.

Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal and all were residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia.

Rather than the more than two million pilgrims the kingdom hosts for the annual event, as few as 1,000 took part after being tested for the virus and quarantined.

Saudi Arabia on Monday began easing some restrictions on international flights for the first time in six months.

The kingdom allowed Gulf Arab nationals and foreign residents of Saudi Arabia abroad to enter the country, provided they are not infected with coronavirus.

The kingdom also allowed for some residents of Saudi Arabia, such as Saudi students with scholarships abroad and foreign embassy staff, to exit and enter the kingdom.

Despite taking early and sweeping measures to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 330,000 cases, including more than 4,500 deaths.

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Categories: Hajj, Mecca, News, Pilgrimage to Mecca, Residents of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia