China’s Control Over The UK’s Antibiotics Supply

  

Britain could be cut off from antibiotics supplies because of its ‘potentially catastrophic’ reliance on China for medication, a worrying new report reveals.

With China producing up to 90 per cent of the ingredients used in antibiotics, experts have warned that President Xi could deny the NHS and Armed Forces access to infection-killing medicines at any time.

While the UK and US source most of their antibiotics from India, India actually relies on China for 91.5 per cent of its antibiotics ingredients, the report from think tank Council on Geostrategy reveals.

This extreme concentration ‘exposes the US and Europe to the geopolitical calculations of the Chinese Communist Party’.

And in the event of a military conflict, this could see Beijing instantly severing medical supplies to Western forces and hospitals.

But China could also quietly apply a ‘health blockade’ outside of war by squeezing India’s supply, which would instantly starve the UK, Europe and America of important medications.

In the report’s foreword, Labour MP for North Durham Luke Akehurst warns that industrial failure in China, a sudden restriction on exports or a souring of relations between China and the UK could ‘paralyse the healthcare of Britain and its allies and partners across the Euro-Atlantic area within just a few weeks’.

Shadow home affairs minister Alicia Kearns adds that ‘we now face a reality where a single contamination event or geopolitical decision in a foreign and potentially hostile state could trigger catastrophic shortages across the United Kingdom’.

And the report’s author, Andrew Rechenberg, an economist specialising in pharmaceutical supply chains, writes that China’s control over antibiotics is ‘not just an economic problem’ but a ‘direct health security and national security vulnerability for the United States, Britain, and Europe’.

He adds: ‘When so much of the world depends on so few upstream plants and firms, even a single disruption can cascade across hospitals and health systems.’

This comes as the top four Chinese suppliers of antibiotics ingredients – North China Pharma, Sinobright Pharma, MS and Centrient Pharmaceuticals – account for 54 per cent of India’s imports, leaving global supplies dependent on only a tiny number of individual companies.

Meanwhile, only seven sites that manufacture the compound that produces penicillin are based in China, creating a severe ‘chokepoint’ in the global penicillin supply chain, the report warns.

And ‘sustained price suppression’ by China has cut the West out of the antibiotics manufacturing market, with only one penicillin production facility now operating in Austria.

Subsidised Chinese fermentation producers have driven global import prices down by around 80 per cent for antibiotics ingredients since 1992, crushing the margins of Western counterparts.

The report calls for Western governments to bring forward financial incentives to boost antibiotic manufacturing capabilities outside of India and China, and for tariff-rate quotas to counter the low-cost prices of antibiotics made abroad.

This is all extremely questionable, isn’t it? Our politicians do their best to convince us that China can’t be trusted, yet they still do business with them, making us dependent on their supplies.

Our UK government really have sold us out, and people are seeing the truth now, but then the truth always comes out in the end, and the truth is that the UK is driven by people who don’t even live here.

Our government and our preceding governments have allowed us to become dependent upon other countries for almost everything. Do we actually make anything for ourselves anymore?

You would have thought that after COVID, someone in government with even half a brain would have looked into this and identified areas where we are vulnerable and either need to produce ourselves or have more contingencies in place in case of shortages. Unfortunately, Labour has driven businesses into the ground, so now we are always going to be reliant on everyone else.

Assisted Dying

I came across an article on Facebook today about Assisted Dying. I won’t say the name of the person who put it on there, but to be honest, when I saw the post, I was mortified.

The caption said, ‘You’ll be ‘offered’ Assisted Dying when you are too old to work.’

Of course, it’s understandable that you’d respond strongly to this concept, and it taps into a very genuine worry that many people have right now: as society ages, economic forces may silently influence how governments discuss end-of-life options.

There is no UK policy, recommendation, or legal means that would permit the state to ‘offer’ Assisted Dying because someone is too old to work, and Assisted Dying is still prohibited in the UK, and any future changes would need strict safeguards, parliamentary approval, and medical oversight – not economic criteria.

However, even though the claim isn’t ground in current law, the anxiety comes from real pressures because workforce shortages and an ageing population are openly debated by ministers and think tanks, and in some countries with legal Assisted Dying have had controversial cases involving people who felt economically or socially pressured, and of course, public debate often mixes ‘dignity’, ‘burden’, and ‘cost’, which understandably makes people suspicious, and these pressures create a environment where people fear that ‘choice’ could become ‘expectation.’

So, what is the UK’s existing legal position on this? Well, Assisted Dying is forbidden under the Suicide Act 1961, and any modification would need a full Act of Parliament, and no bill has ever suggested that being ‘too old to work’ could qualify someone.

Even if Assisted Dying were legalised in the future, the Age Discrimination Law (Equality Act 2010) prevents decisions based on age alone, and medical ethics require voluntary, informed consent without coercion.

As far as safeguards are concerned, in every country Assisted Dying explicitly forbids offering it based on employment status, cost, or social value, and the NHS cannot recommend a treatment or intervention for non-medical reasons, and a government ‘offering’ Assisted Dying because someone is no longer economically productive would violate numerous layers of the law, ethics, and medical regulation.

However, this fear deserves to be taken seriously, and we are not imagining the cultural shift that numerous people feel because older people are being treated as if they are economically problematic.

Social care is underfunded, and politicians talk about ‘dependency ratios’ as if people are numbers, and the importance of older adults is framed in ‘economic terms,’ and when you merge those narratives, it’s easy to see why people worry about where the line might move.

Nigel Farage Reveals His Home Was Firebombed

Arsonists targeted Nigel Farage by pushing a firebomb through the letterbox of his home, the Reform Party leader has revealed.

Farage, 62, said the petrol bomb fortunately burnt out before causing any significant damage during the incident last year.

He has marked the event as an ‘outright arson attempt’.

Farage recalled how the attack, which came at the beginning of 2025, happened while he was not inside the property, with the politician finding the damage only when he opened his front door. 

Despite police investigations, no suspects have been found as of yet.

Speaking from Norfolk while currently travelling the country ahead of local elections, Farage told The Telegraph that the attempted arson had not been the only attack he has experienced over recent months.

He said: ‘Sometimes things happen when there are cameras there, but there are plenty of times when things don’t make the news, like pints of beer being thrown over me or the attack on my home. I also had to write off a car once because it was attacked by protesters when I was in it.’

Farage revealed the multiple threats against his safety had prompted him to up his security, with Thailand-based British billionaire Christopher Harborne gifting him a seven-figure sum.

Believed to be in the region of £5 million, the money was given to Farage before he re-entered politics ahead of the 2024 general election.

As it was classed as a gift, it was not taxed or declared, as it did not count as a political donation. 

Describing Harborne as an ‘ardent supporter’ – who has donated millions more to Reform – the politician said he was grateful for his security having ‘tried and failed’ to receive funding from the Home Office.

The crypto investor was by Farage’s side when a protester tossed a banana milkshake over the politician as he met voters in Clacton-on-Sea in 2024.

He was also pelted with rubbish from a building site in Barnsley during the same week.

Due to the increased threat against him, the Home Office stepped in to offer him private security – but last October, he claimed that parliamentary authorities had reduced his security detail by 75 per cent.

The Clacton MP said: ‘I would rather not be discussing any of this, but I am having to because someone has got hold of material about my private finances, which is outrageous, and which I believe was illegally obtained.’

Speaking about Harborne, who handed Reform the biggest single donation in history to a political party from a living person, Farage added: ‘This money was given to me so that I would be safe and secure for the rest of my life.

‘I have tried and failed in the past to get security funded by the Home Office, and I don’t think the state will ever help me.

‘I’m very much on my own and will be for the rest of my life, and I have to face up to that grim reality.

‘Christopher is an ardent supporter who is deeply concerned for my safety.’

Aside from the threat of in-person attacks on Farage, the politician expressed his fears over ‘violent’ rhetoric online.

He said: ‘There is also the online threat, with people encouraging the use of violence against me, which we have reported to the police several times with no response that I can discern whatsoever and the pretty much point-blank refusal of the British state to help me.’

Following the revelation, Reform UK issued a statement calling for ‘broader discussion’ over the protection of MPs.

It said: ‘For the first time, Nigel Farage has revealed his home was targeted in an arson attack in 2025.

‘Politicians must be able to engage with the public without fear of violence.

‘We are calling for a broader discussion on protecting all MPs in public office.’

The Reform party is set to make enormous gains in next month’s local elections, an AI-powered model has shown.

Labour is set to lose control of 50 local authorities, while the Green Party will also experience a surge.

In an update to its local elections model ahead of the 7 May contests, data insight firm Bombe projected Reform will win the most council seats overall.

Nigel Farage’s party are predicted to function extremely well in working-class towns in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and the North of England.

They will also enjoy success in some urban wards, including pockets of the Manchester area, Newcastle and across the Midlands, according to the research.

Meanwhile, the Greens are expected to win outright control – or become the largest party – in several inner London boroughs.

These include Lambeth, Lewisham, Hackney, Southwark and Greenwich, while outside the capital, Zack Polanski’s party is also expected to function well in Manchester, Oxford and Cambridge.

Overall, according to the latest Bombe model, Reform will gain control of 14 councils, while the Greens will gain control of eight.

It is anticipated that the Tories will lose three councils and the Liberal Democrats will lose two, and that there may be a significant rise in the number of councils that remain under no party control.

Reform is projected to gain around 1,380 council seats across England, with the Greens gaining an extra 700 councillors.

Labour is forecast to lose 1,400 seats, with the Tories losing just over 200, and the Lib Dems shedding 160 councillors. 

The research also suggested a substantial number of wards are sitting on a knife-edge ahead of the 7 May vote.

Every MP is well aware that they might be harmed or targeted for reprisals by someone who disagrees with their policy, and to be an MP or Prime Minister, you actually do need a backbone, and clearly, they do need some kind of security, but the taxpayer shouldn’t be expected to pay for them all – it’s just not feasible.

However, if Nigel Farage is being singled out, perhaps he should take note of this and step down gracefully before suffering severe injuries, as public opinion was initially in favour of him but is now less so.

I don’t personally like the man, although I would never wish him any harm. After all, he is a human being, although the jury might still be out on that one!

There has been a mixture of recent arguments, long-standing criticisms, and renewed allegations about his past.

A recent driver of criticism was the undisclosed £5 million personal gift that Farage received from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne.

His failure to disclose the gift, which detractors claim should have been recorded in accordance with MP regulations, led to a referral to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Opponents have framed this as evidence and have called it ‘double standards’, suggesting that Farage has behaved as though ‘there’s one rule for them and another for everyone else.’ And Farage has been accused in commentary pieces of using his political profile to promote financial products, especially cryptocurrency ventures in which he reportedly holds shares.

In late 2025, multiple former school contemporaries alleged that Farage engaged in racist and antisemitic behaviour as a teenager.

Accounts include claims he used antisemitic phrases and made comments glorifying Hitler, which he vehemently repudiates.

Other reporting outlined earlier allegations back to 2013 and 2022, including claims he was described as a “publicly professed racist” in a school letter, and even though this all happened in his youth, we can’t really dispute his lack of contrition and shifting reasons, which now fuel ongoing distrust.

Would I vote for this man? Well, not in this lifetime and not in any other lifetime because everything that Farage says and does, to me, always has a hostile sentiment.

So, who do people vote for if they don’t support Farage? Other than the Greens, there aren’t many options available right now.

Naturally, the Green Party’s UK agenda emphasises social justice, large-scale public investment, climate action, and extending social housing—all of which we find appealing, don’t we? Or maybe not.

In the end, every political party tells you all about their manifesto; yet, a manifesto is not a promise or a pledge, even if it may contain them.

A manifesto is a public declaration of beliefs, intentions, and priorities. It tells you about the person, group, or what the political party stands for and what they aim to do. In fact, they just tell you precisely what you want to hear because they know that people are gullible and will listen to whatever agenda fits best.

Stone Picking, Blackberry Foraging, And Bird Feeding Are Banned

Feeding the birds, blackberry foraging and picking up stones are among daily activities prohibited by town halls accused of ‘abusing’ sweeping powers.

A report has found that Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) – initially designed to tackle serious anti-social behaviour – are being used to ‘criminalise’ a broad spectrum of daily activities.

They also include ‘intentionally shouting or screaming’, ‘catcalling, staring or leering’, standing around in groups and busking.

Among the weirder ‘Orwellian’ restrictions was one against feeding birds.

Thirteen councils said they had PSPOs in force curbing this everyday activity – a restriction that led to a woman being arrested and fined £100 under a PSPO for feeding pigeons in Harrow, north London, in January.

In Bury, 17-year-old Charlie Wilson – a Britain’s Got Talent contestant – was handcuffed by police last year for busking while using amplified equipment under a PSPO, despite members of the public gathering to watch and enjoy his performance.

Eight people were punished under a PSPO in Leicester, including a socialist political activist in her seventies who was demonstrating against council cuts. The fine was eventually revoked by Leicester City Council.

According to the report, picking up stones is banned in an area of Torbay, Devon, while picking up stones, soil or turf is prohibited in areas of Richmond Upon Thames and Rugby.

Foraging for blackberries would be an ‘offence’ in areas of Harrow, Richmond upon Thames and Rugby.

Meanwhile, sleeping in public is prohibited by PSPOs across the entire Rother district, East Sussex, with four other councils found to have effectively banned sleeping or rough sleeping.

A curfew for under-16s at 11 pm – and under-14s at 9 pm – has been introduced by Burnley, while wild swimming is prohibited across the whole of North Lincolnshire under a PSPO, according to the report.

Enfield London Borough Council prohibits ‘catcalling (e.g., whistling, making sexual comments), staring or leering’ while Guildford Borough Council has banned ‘intentionally shouting or screaming’.

Gosport Borough Council has prohibited sitting or loitering ‘in a manner causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance to any person’, while Lancaster City Council bans groups of two or more from allowing ‘their actions to cause annoyance’ to anyone nearby.

The study by the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life, which campaigns against draconian regulations, found that the use of PSPOs has ballooned.

Soon, relaxing in a park will leave people stressed out, just in case they do something that they shouldn’t.

They say that pigeons are germ-riddled and that they harbour diseases. This is somewhat true, but excessive. Wild pigeons can carry pathogens such as Salmonella or fungi such as Histoplasma; however, transmission to humans is rare and usually linked to intimate contact with large amounts of droppings, not everyday presence in parks – you’re probably more likely to get something nasty from bird droppings from pigeons that have pooped on your car.

Indeed, pigeons aren’t the cleanest of our feathered companions, but it would be exaggerated to say that they pose a serious hazard to human health.

Anxiety And ADHD Are Workable, Says Tony Blair

Benefits claimants with anxiety, depression or back pain should have their handouts stopped, Tony Blair’s think tank has suggested.

The former Prime Minister’s institute called for an “emergency handbrake,” warning that 1,000 working-age people are signing up for benefits every day, with the cost to the taxpayer set to hit £73 billion by the end of the decade.

The existing system was now perceived as “vulnerable to misuse”, according to the Tony Blair Institute (TBI). “(This) points to a welfare system no longer fit for purpose,” the TBI warned in a report.

Ryan Wain, senior director of policy and politics at the TBI, said: “No longer attracting cash payments by default, pulling this handbrake would free up resources for better mental health support and keep people in work who benefit from the purpose it brings.” But disability rights campaigners condemned the proposal.

The organisation urged Labour to introduce immediate legislation to slow a “proliferation” in claims linked to mental health, which has fuelled a surge in people signing on to sickness and disability benefits such as Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

It comes as voters in virtually every constituency in the country say the welfare system is too open to abuse, including more than a third of those on sickness benefits.

YouGov polling for the institute showed that in all but five of the UK’s 634 constituencies, more voters say the welfare system is “too easy to access and does not do enough to prevent misuse” rather than say it is “too strict”.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of the learning disability charity Mencap, called the think tank’s report “deeply unhelpful and ill-informed”, adding: “Slapping labels on people and denying them benefits will not tackle the root cause. It will push people into deeper anxiety, misery and poverty. That’s not reform, it’s … making things worse.”

Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms will publish a review into PIP in the autumn.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said it would “encourage applications from candidates from the Civil Service and the private sector, who have a successful record of transforming large organisations”.

He added: “The government also remains committed to reforming welfare, with measures coming into effect this month saving nearly £2bn by the end of the decade and investing £2.5 billion to tackle youth unemployment.”

Tony Blair is wrong to suggest a blanket ban on specific conditions. What about a person who is so anxious that they are unable to leave their home? Yes, it does exist, it’s called Agoraphobia, which means a person who is so afraid to go out. It’s an extreme fear of situations where escape might be difficult or help unavailable, such as crowded places or public transportation.

Individuals with Agoraphobia may even avoid going out altogether or only leaving their homes with companions due to their fear of experiencing panic attacks or feeling overwhelmed in unfamiliar environments.

Indeed, there are obviously milder forms of anxiety, but they need to be correctly identified for those who require support. At present, this filtering is not in place, but this needs to be!

The question I have to ask is this: where did Tony Blair get his medical training? Has this man ever seen a person having a burnout? Someone sat in their kitchen shaking, needing silence, unable to cope with anyone around, too frightened to get up and go to the bathroom. Not taking their medication because they are too afraid they will choke on the tablets. I have – I have seen my friend at 3 am having a meltdown and having to go over and calm her down, and it could take hours. Tony Blair has no idea at all, and there is very little access to treatment. Perhaps there should be more access to treatment instead of condemning those who are too afraid to fight the system, and that’s what these leeches rely on, the fact that these people are vulnerable, because they only attack the vulnerable!

Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest Is Left ‘In Ruins’

Robin Hood’s Sherwood Forest has been left ‘in ruins’ after bungling council contractors chopped down 30 protected trees.

Residents were shocked to find the pine and oak trees had been mistakenly felled by contractors Foxstone Forestry, leaving them ‘in uproar’.

The trees, located in the Intake Wood nature reserve, held a protected status, meaning it is prohibited to chop them down without express authorisation and the proper licence.

In England, those responsible for wrongly felling protected trees can be fined up to £20,000, while breaching a felling licence can result in an unlimited fine.

The woodland – part of the medieval royal hunting forest – is managed by Newark and Sherwood District Council, with works taking place as part of an initiative to replant native species.

The council announced a pause to ongoing felling work after it emerged that trees outside of the licence area had been affected.

The Forestry Commission has now launched an inquiry into the incident, which a spokesperson for Foxstone Forestry said was ‘accidental’ and without malicious intent.

Mother-of-two Nicola Gayson said the workers should have been more careful.

The 50-year-old, who operates a cleaning company, said: ‘It’s gone beyond drastic what they’ve done, it’s absolutely unbelievable. It’s disgusting.

‘They’ve felled the wrong trees, and they’ve just left them in the middle of the path. You cannot walk in those woods safely.

‘Everybody is saying the same, we’re all angry. I would not want to be a part of the council and walk down these streets because everyone is in uproar over this.’

She says the loss of trees has also destroyed the privacy in nearby homes: ‘You can see straight into some people’s houses because of the lack of trees now, you can see their living rooms.’

Resident Alan Sands, 73, moved into the area in 2011 and said the woodland helped distract him while he battled cancer.

The retired building surveyor said: ‘Unfortunately, that mistake is going to take 50 years to rectify.

‘People like myself use that wood on a daily basis, but now that is gone. Replanting is not going to fix that in my lifetime.

‘We estimate around 20 to 30 trees have been destroyed.

‘This area was designated for thinning, which is normal forestry practice. But they’ve taken a lot of it down, which wasn’t the plan.

‘This part is along the main access to the woodlands and backs onto houses – no doubt they bought their houses for the nice woodland that they’ve now lost that.’

Everywhere I look in government and councils, I see total ineptitude, yet nobody is ever held responsible. That’s probably because these fools are promoted to their level of incompetence and then remain in that position until they retire on an extremely nice, lucrative pension.

It’s a protected forest for crying out loud, and it’s nesting season. It doesn’t take much logic to realise that they are not cutting down, they are just thinning out the trees just enough so that wildlife can still nest in the trees, but also let enough light through, but then anybody with a brain would have realised this.

This was simply total incompetence, particularly where councils are concerned. Shall we assume that they gave it out to tender and picked the most affordable one to save themselves money, because credible companies don’t absentmindedly chop down the wrong trees?

I’m now wondering if this mistake will be rectified by the arrangement, exclusive to Sherwood Forest of 4 and five-bedroom houses.

So much for going green because they don’t appear to have much respect for our wildlife!

Knock Knock, Moo’s There?

A woman was shocked to see a cow standing in her driveway after receiving a motion alert from her Ring doorbell.

Leanne Cross, 36, from Silsden, West Yorkshire, said the unusual moment happened while she was at work.

When her phone detected activity outside her house, she realised something was off, but nothing could have prepared her for what she witnessed.

The footage revealed a cow calmly standing right on her driveway.

Leanne said: ‘My camera said motion detected when I was at work, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what was at my door.’

She confirmed the animal was not hers and said the incident on December 1, 2021, was entirely unexpected.

The cow was subsequently identified as belonging to a nearby farm, which had reportedly broken through a fence and wandered off into the area.

She added that nothing like this has ever happened before.

It’s not the first time a Ring doorbell has caught a mischievous animal on camera.

A family in Boxley, Kent, captured a young woodpecker that started trying to ‘ring’ their doorbell two years ago.

Joanne and Paul Jones, alongside their nine-year-old son Leo, have affectionately named the adorable bird ‘Woody’ after the notorious cartoon character, Woody Woodpecker.

The Joneses said, ‘We’ve seen him around lots of times on our bird feeders. They had run out, so I think he was asking us to top them up. We all thought it was very funny and a bit cheeky!’

Another homeowner described how their grey American Bully, Bruce, unexpectedly pushed her Ring doorbell.

Bruce was seen panting with excitement as he sprang at the bell in the endearing footage that went viral at the time. He then manages to paw the button and triggers the doorbell noise, to which he hilariously tilts his head clearly in time. After the ringing stops, Bruce gazes straight at the camera, recording the entire exchange before barking.

As for the cow, perhaps it was Delivermoo dropping off the ladies’ milk! Hello, your fresh steak has arrived.

After all, every neighbourhood has a nosey cow!

Serial Upskirter, 66, Who Loitered Around Tube Stations

An Ecuadorian upskirter who lingered around Tube stations to take illicit pictures of women has been spared jail.

Luis Ortega, 66, targeted one victim while she was waiting for the Hammersmith and City Line at London’s King’s Cross on August 31, 2024.

When police seized his phone, they found other photos taken up women’s skirts – including one at Liverpool Street station.

Ortega’s house was searched, and police subsequently discovered one Category A and two Category B images of children on his iPad.

During his sentencing hearing at Inner London Crown Court, the father-of-three had assistance from a Spanish interpreter.

Claire Langevad, prosecuting, said: ‘The victim was waiting for a train on the Hammersmith and City Line at London King’s Cross.

‘She became aware of a male standing extremely close behind her, so much so that, she says, she could hear him breathing and could feel him moving closer.’

‘She felt a hand on the back of her thigh in what she describes as a slow stroking motion.’

‘She turned around, and when she saw what he was doing, she said to him: “Oh my God, you’re taking a video up my skirt, delete it now”.’

Ortega claimed that he had only been filming the station and pointed his camera towards the station floor.

When he was arrested, he initially denied any wrongdoing.

‘He maintained that it was a misunderstanding and that he was taking a photo of the station,’ Ms Langevad said.

But when police analysed the serial upskirter’s phone, they discovered three further images taken up women’s skirts – one on August 23 at Liverpool Street station, one the same day at King’s Cross, and another taken the following day.

Ortega later admitted what he had done.

Ms Langevad said: ‘When he was arrested and under caution, he said sorry, and that what he had done was wrong. He said that his wife and family cannot know that he was arrested for that.’

Ortega’s home was searched, and his devices were taken.

‘His iPad and phones were examined, and one Category A and two Category B indecent images of children were found,’ Ms Langevad added.

Mitigating for Ortega, Alec Williams said: ‘He has been in this country since 1995, so for twenty years or so working as a carpenter.’

Referring to a statement by Ortega, Mr Williams said: ‘The headline is that he feels ashamed for his actions. That is something that he reiterated in a conference with me. He entered guilty pleas at an early stage in the proceedings.’

Sentencing, Judge Matthew Boyle referenced a statement made by the victim: ‘She says that she feels annoyed and disgusted, and I’m not surprised. 

‘On any view, this was creepy, intrusive and completely unacceptable behaviour. I am quite sure you wouldn’t want your wife or three daughters to be treated in this way.’

Referring to the images found on Ortega’s iPad, the judge said: ‘Downloading images of children ends up fueling a demand for that sort of material, thereby endangering young people here and indeed around the world.

‘In pursuit of sexual gratification, you have badly damaged your reputation.’

But he added: ‘These offences can be said to be entirely out of character. I have considered your letter to the court where you have expressed deep shame and regret for these offences.’

Referring to the pre-sentence report, the judge added: ‘You apparently do have distorted ideas about sex, and I think it is probably useful if work can be done to address those.’

Ortega was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

He will also have to complete 30 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement and 100 hours of unpaid work, and he was slapped with a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and will be subject to notification requirements during that time.

This man essentially received no penalty for the crime he perpetrated against several women, demonstrating that males may treat women as they like and still get away with it, and this just sends a message out there to all the crazy degenerates who will now think that they can get away with anything they like.

However, sexual harassment and abuse against women and girls is becoming more prevalent and more normalised now – no wonder people don’t bother reporting incidents like this.

This man may not have been violent, but based on what the police discovered, he may have been on the verge of becoming so. For the protection of women and children, he ought to have been removed from the streets.

Cabinet Minister Warns Brits Could Face ‘Pretty Depressing’ Summer Amid Jet Fuel Crisis

Brits could face a ‘pretty depressing’ summer if jet fuel supply issues are not resolved over the coming months, a Cabinet minister has warned amid a staycation boom.

Bookings for UK holidays over the coming months are increasing as concern over higher ticket prices because of surging jet fuel costs puts people off overseas holidays.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane that once carried a fifth of global oil and gas, has sent oil prices soaring since the US-Israeli war on Iran started.

Some airlines have already warned they will have to increase fares to offset higher costs, while online travel firms have claimed the conflict is discouraging holidaymakers from destinations in the Gulf and eastern Mediterranean, while UK hotels are cashing in.

The jet fuel price rose from approximately $99 (£73) per barrel at the end of February to as high as $209 (£155) a barrel at the beginning of April. The latest figure is $185 (£137).

Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones has said the conflict will likely continue to raise prices for flight tickets, energy and food in the coming months. 

The Government is looking at how to offset the impact of oil prices on consumers while simultaneously striving to secure stocks of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is used by breweries, to ensure an adequate supply of beer during the World Cup.

Mr Jones told the BBC: ‘I raised this issue because if there is a problem with jet fuel on holidays and carbon dioxide on beer, the summer might be pretty depressing for people, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure that it’s not the case.’

Donald Trump announced an indefinite extension of the US ceasefire with Iran last week that paused most fighting, but further steps towards ending the conflict have fallen flat after the President told his envoys not to travel to Pakistan for talks. 

UK airlines insist they are not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel because they buy it in advance and airports maintain stocks, while the Government has said it is ‘closely monitoring’ stocks and urged people to avoid changing upcoming travel plans. 

Airports will make it easier for airlines to cancel flights without running the risk of losing their allocated ‘slots’ – scheduled times for take-off or landing which some UK airports assign to airlines – if fuel shortages stop them from flying.

To be honest, we were already facing a rather depressing summer; it’s called the Labour Party.

What we should be focusing on is the survival of our country, not holidays, which I must confess are fun, but pleasure is a rare commodity now with Rachel Reeves robbing us blind, but even without the holidays, it’s a pretty depressing wake-up call each morning!

Depression was already rife in Britain with the cost-of-living crisis, but now we have the fuel crisis, and now people can’t get to work because they can’t afford the fuel that has soared, and what is our government doing about it? They might say they are doing everything possible, but I see absolutely no evidence of this because our government don’t represent the working class anymore and hasn’t done so for a long time.

We have had two years of depression under Labour and three more to come, with the sky-high fuel prices, cost of living crisis, thousands of unwanted intruders, failing NHS, add this to the most enept, ineffective Prime Minister and government of all time – I mean, what is there to be cheerful about?

Councillor Apologises For ‘Speak English’ Remarks

A councillor who told a call handler from Sri Lanka to ‘speak English’ while reporting a fly-tipping incident has apologised.

Janet Cleverly, an independent on Newport City Council, has been reprimanded over her ‘derogatory and humiliating’ remarks, and told she must complete extra training.

She called the council’s customer service line and spoke to a call handler, who had only been in the job for four weeks after moving to the UK from Sri Lanka in 2022. 

During the conversation, in August 2024, the handler attempted to explain that there were ‘disruptive sounds’, and invited her to repeat specific details, but Cleverly then interrupted the handler and said: ‘I’m sorry, can I speak to somebody who’s speaking English?’, according to a report by the Ombudsman.

A few minutes later, when the call handler was attempting to clarify details, she said again: ‘Sorry? I can’t understand anything you’re saying. Speak English.’

The councillor followed up the call with an email to the cabinet member accountable for environmental matters, which read: ‘The person I spoke to could not speak English properly…

‘I am all for equal opportunity, but this person took all my information wrong after I had to repeat everything 3-4 times and spell everything lots of times.’

A customer services manager listened to a recording of the call and raised concerns over Cleverly’s ‘unnecessary’ tone.

Even though the call handler didn’t want to file a complaint, this led to an investigation.

A council monitoring officer assessed that the call handler’s English was fluent, and Cleverly’s remarks were ‘consciously or otherwise, racially motivated’ and ‘discriminatory’.

The customer service team manager said Cleverly had been ‘derogatory’ and ‘highly inappropriate’.

She said the called handler, who had only been in the role for around four weeks’, was left feeling ‘belittled and inferior’, and that she was not up to the job. 

For her part, Cleverly told the ombudsman that she had ‘lots of BME friends’, meaning people black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

She said it had been a ‘really frustrating’ phone call, and disagreed that the handler had spoken in a clear and fluent way.

However, she also apologised, saying she felt ‘absolutely awful’ about upsetting the handler.

Parts of Thursday’s committee hearing took place in private to safeguard the identity of the call handler, who was not attending.

Cleverly told the panel: ‘I was absolutely mortified by my actions that day.’

The committee found Cleverly had breached three areas of the council’s code for members relating to equality, respect and consideration of others, and disreputable conduct.

The ombudsman, Michelle Morris, found that her ‘underlying motivation’ was that she was ‘irritated from the outset by the way the call handler spoke’.

Cllr Kevin Whitehead, who leads the Bettws ward’s independents, said the phone call showed a ‘lack of etiquette’ from his colleague but questioned any suggestion there was a racial element to the matter.

Being a call handler is not the most straightforward job to do. You have to be courteous all the time, even if the person on the other end of the line is not – you still have to be polite. However, to be a call handler, you need a spine because some people on the other end of the line can be extremely rude, but you still have to take it on the chin because it’s your job, and if you are the type of person who gets easily offended, then it’s not the job for you!

It said that the ‘call handler’s’ English was fluent, evidently not that fluent if she couldn’t be understood.

If you want an English-speaking call handler and you are courteous about it, then I don’t see why you can’t have one. I am hard of hearing and I cannot always understand the call handler because they tend to talk extremely fast, and even though they are speaking English, it with an accent and I just can’t understand them, but I always point out that I am not being discriminatory, it’s just that they are talking too fast for me and I am hard of hearing, and they usually oblige.

However, it can be aggravating when you can’t understand someone, or they can’t understand you, and you have to keep repeating yourself. By the end of any phone call, I end up feeling like I’ve got Tourette’s! No discourtesy to those who do have Tourette’s.

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