THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO

All four of his former One Direction bandmates are anticipated to attend Liam Payne’s burial, which will be attended by his ex-girlfriend Cheryl and their seven-year-old son Bear.

Payne passed away on October 16 at the age of 31 following a fall from a hotel balcony on the third story in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.

The first well-known mourners to be spotted at his burial, which is being conducted in a church in the Home Counties, were Damian Hurley, 22, Kimberley Walsh, 43, and Nicola Roberts, 39.

Louis Tomlinson, 32; Zayn Malik, 31; Niall Horan, 31; and Harry Styles, 30 are all anticipated to attend what is said to be their first public gathering together since their most recent performance in 2015. It’s also said that Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, will be attending.

A church source said a choir and musicians will perform at the service, which is set to start at 1 pm. One of the floral presentations shows bowling pins and a ball – a nod to his fondness of bowling, with Ms Cassidy saying he did four times a week. 

The site of the funeral has been kept a secret, and locals were only made aware of it when ‘no parking’ signs were placed around the church.

As they patrolled the area, two traffic enforcement officials issued citations to any motorist who disregarded the signage.

Payne travelled to Argentina in September where he watched ex-bandmate Niall Horan perform and also saw his close friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores. He had extended his visit to renew his visa to live in the US when the tragedy happened. 

The entry of the church which is hosting the service has been adorned with candle lanterns and white roses that have been positioned in surrounding shrubbery. 

His family have gone to great lengths to put together the perfect service and give him the send-off he deserves.

Even though Liam was a worldwide celebrity, Geoff and Karen would always think of him as their little boy. The day is going to be quite challenging.

Following Payne’s passing, Tomlinson, Malik, Horan, and Styles issued a joint statement in which they expressed their “complete devastation.”

‘In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,’ they said.

‘But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

‘The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.

‘We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.’

A little boy is saying goodbye to his dad today. A mum and dad are saying goodbye to their little boy. That’s all that matters and I sincerely hope the media circus leaves them alone to do so in peace, but sadly the paparazzi were already there outside the church.

This will be the most trying day of tiny Bears’ life, therefore the photographers should avoid getting in his face. This little child deserves his privacy and doesn’t need others to see his face.

It’s just traumatising thinking about it, and it will be traumatising with the photographers there, especially when this little boy will be coming to terms with never seeing his father again. It’s such a hard concept for an adult to accept, even harder for a seven-year-old boy, and it would be basic decency by the paps to have just stayed away, and Cheryl must be beside herself endeavouring to protect her son.

A 45-year-old man has been jailed for a minimum of 38 years for the murders of two best friends during a machete attack sparked by a case of mistaken identity.

Last Monday, Antony Snook, 18-year-old Riley Tolliver, and three minors, ages 15 and 17, were found guilty of killing 15-year-old Mason Rist and 16-year-old Max Dixon.

Snook, the getaway driver, was part of the senseless gang that helped chase down and murder Max and Mason seconds after they had popped out to buy pizza in the Bristol suburb of Knowle West on January 27.

After leaving Mason’s home on Ilminster Avenue at 11:13 p.m., the young boys, who had been friends since nursery school, were brutally pursued and slain a short while later.

Before the killers burned their clothes to hide their identities, Snook drove away in his Audi Q2, while Max and Mason perished in the hospital after suffering fatal stab wounds.

Passing sentence at Bristol Crown Court today, Mrs Justice May told Snook his actions were ‘weak and cowardly’ as she jailed him to life behind bars with a minimum of 38 years.

As part of a revenge mission, Snook had driven Tolliver and the three boys—who cannot be identified for legal reasons—to and from Knowle West.

Max and Mason had been mistakenly identified as being responsible for bricks being tossed at a house in the rival Hartcliffe district earlier that night.

About an hour after that aggression, Snook departed the property with two of the lads and picked up the other two in a nearby street before heading to Knowle West.

Before the attack, he spent at least twelve minutes driving his Audi Q2 around Knowle West.

Snook drove down Ilminster Avenue when they noticed Mason and Max in the street as they went for a pizza – mistakenly thinking they had spotted those responsible for the aggression.

The three youths with machetes and Tolliver, who were carrying a baseball bat, sprang from the car and began chasing the two youngsters.

Max and Mason are seen going to different sides of the street, each pursued by two people from the car.

Tolliver and the 15-year-old boy attacked Mason while the 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old boy pursued Max.

The 17-year-old boy also struck Mason, who was lying injured on the ground, as he headed back to the Audi after attacking Max.

A CCTV camera on Mason’s nearby house captured how the attack lasted just 33 seconds from the car pulling up to the teenagers getting back in and fleeing.

Both Mason and Max passed away in the hospital early on January 28 after suffering deadly stab wounds.

Snook, a one-legged landscape gardener, drove the teenagers from the scene and dropped them off in Knowle West.

In a backyard, a fire was started, and objects connected to the assault were disposed of.

After a six-week trial, Snook, of Bristol’s Dowling Road, was found guilty on two charges of murder by the jury.

The fact that the driver will serve a lengthy jail sentence is a positive thing, but it doesn’t make the dread these kind lads must have had in their last moments any less real.

None of the perpetrators should experience freedom again.

Five small men thought they could make themselves big by committing a criminal act, and I’ve never understood why the identity of young people convicted of crimes like these is not disclosed. Whatever their age if they perpetrate crimes and carry knives and baseball bats around, they should be named and shamed.

Sadly, violent crimes are out of control in the UK and the powers that be don’t appear to be able to do much about it.

Max and Mason were just strolling along to get a pizza, minding their own business – just two besties chitchatting on their way there. This is heartbreaking and I feel deeply for their family and friends. I am especially pleased there was a long sentence for the people who perpetrated the crime because knife crime of any type must be given the most brutal punishment, even if you choose to carry one.

Bob Geldof has defended the revival of Band-Aid 40 after backlash from critics who claim the ‘colonial’ Christmas single perpetuates harmful stereotypes about Africa. 

Ed Sheeran and Fuse ODG are among those who have criticised the song ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas? which has been condemned for fuelling pity rather than partnership.

London-born Ghanaian English rapper Fuse ODG spoke out, as he released a response called “We Know It’s Christmas” and urged the BBC not to promote the song.

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that treating the 1984 famine in Ethiopia – which originally inspired Band-Aid – as an Africa-wide issue would be similar to labelling all of Europe war-stricken due to the conflict in Ukraine.

It follows Sheeran’s admission that he would have politely refused to allow the charity hit to feature his voice, while other detractors have included Damon Albarn and Lily Allen.

But Bob Geldof hit back, saying: ‘It’s a pop song ffs.  There IS endemic hunger due to the unforgiving soil conditions. Water IS scarce save for a scattering of unreliable wells. Rain IS increasingly unreliable.

‘These are not ‘colonial tropes’ they are empirical facts… Climate change affects the poorest first and worst. War exacerbates these conditions. Xmas IS celebrated throughout Ethiopia according to their own calendar i.e. two weeks after our holiday.’

‘This little pop song has kept hundreds of thousands if not millions of people alive. Just today Band-Aid has given hundreds of thousands of pounds to help those running from the mass slaughter in Sudan and enough cash to feed a further 8,000 children in the same affected areas of Ethiopia as 1984.’

Alongside artists like Sting and Harry Styles, the 33-year-old singer first appeared on the 2014 version of the song, which was led by Geldof and Midge Ure and was intended to generate money for the Ebola relief efforts.

However, in the lead-up to the 2024 Ultimate Mix of the song’s 40th anniversary, Ed has stated that if he had been asked to contribute his voice to the new version, he would have refused.

Taking to his Instagram stories on Sunday, Sheeran: ‘My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.

‘A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all x.’

An invitation to participate in the 2014 version of Do They Know It’s Christmas, which had revised lyrics addressing the Ebola outbreak that was then plaguing West African nations, was turned down by Fuse ODG himself.

He has now written on his Facebook page: ‘Ten years ago today, I said NO to Bob Geldof’s Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas project due to the fact it’s a campaign that dehumanises Africans and destroys our pride and identity in the name of ‘charity’.

This should probably be put to bed. We must support our own Bob, therefore it’s time to perform a song for the homeless, aged, and other impoverished people in the UK.

Although millions have been pushed into Africa, their birth rate has been rising daily, and they are no better off than they were forty years ago.

Charity begins at home.

However, if people want to give their money to charities that is up to them, it’s their money, and I do take my hat off to Geldof, at least he tried to do something and raise awareness of what was going on.

According to eco-tycoon Dale Vince, bacon should have tobacco-style health warnings on its packaging since the meat raises the risk of cancer.

The millionaire Labour donor, 63, appeared to suggest treating the rashers like cigarettes by placing them behind ‘roller shutter doors’. 

Vince, who is a vegan, said we shouldn’t be putting a picture of a face of a ‘happy pig’ on the packs with the medical science ‘very clear that eating more plants and less animals is better for our health’.

The World Health Organisation in 2015 classified ‘processed meats’ as a class one carcinogen alongside tobacco, which means there is ‘sufficient’ proof that they induce cancer.

Vince, the CEO of green firm Ecotricity, even suggested introducing a ‘meat tax’ as a way to put people off consuming bacon.

Talking to The Sunday Times and BBC Radio 4’s A Week in Westminster, he said: ‘Now look what we do with tobacco. We hide it behind roller shutter doors, we stick it in unbranded packages with pictures of diseased organs on the front. That’s how we deal with tobacco.

‘Bacon? We stick it in a supermarket, we stick the face of a happy pig on it and we say to people, it’s OK, but we know that it’s not OK.’

In support of the non-profit group Vegan FTA’s push for plant-based diets in NHS hospitals, Vince has joined Chris Packham.

He stated altering what we eat is the ‘biggest single thing we can do’ to make people healthier and lower carbon emissions.

‘The role for government is to give us better advice, to put health warnings on meat and dairy products, to change the menu in the NHS and our public institutions,’ he stated.

Sir Keir Starmer last week told the Cop29 climate meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, that he will not be ‘telling people how to live their lives’ despite placing an ambitious target to slash emissions in the UK by 81 pence by 2035. 

‘We are not going to start dictating to people what they do,’ the Prime Minister said. 

‘But we are going to be clear that that involves hitting the clean power 2030 mission that we have set out, one of the five big projects of the Government.’

Last year, scientists demanded that supermarket meat packets be labelled with health warnings similar to those on tobacco products to deter potential customers.

I’m tired of the government being pressured to impose their products on us by those with obvious interests in alternative endeavours. They ought to keep their distance from us and simply mind their own business.

There is a giant movement to substitute meat with another primary source of protein – insects, and it’s got nothing to do with climate change, or saving the planet, but it’s got everything to do with making an affordable, easily mass-produced product, which will then free up land for expansion and create huge profits for food producers. Of course, consumers won’t see the words ‘insects’ on the packets, they will just see the word ‘protein.’

Sometime in the future, we will be saying, ‘I can’t decide whether to have a bag of Smoky Crickets or Cockroach cocktail.’

After all, he who pays the piper calls the tune. Because the rich buy influence. I was being sarcastic, but the donors get listened to more than the poor voters.

Political donations from any party or organisation to a political party or Member of Parliament should be prohibited, and no one should be able to purchase influence. We have the largest hypocrite in charge right now, greed is destroying the nation, and political honesty is at an all-time low.

According to senior Russian MPs, President Joe Biden’s administration allegedly approved Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets within Russia, marking a “big step towards World War Three.”

The decision, which was made in the last days of the Biden administration and on the eve of the 1000th day of the war in Ukraine, sparked a barrage of dire warnings from Russian legislators.

‘This is a very big step towards the beginning of the Third World War,’ said Putin-loyalist Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the upper house and a retired security service general.

He slammed the move from Biden – ‘a departing old man who will no longer be responsible for anything in two months’.

Hardline Liberal-Democatic party leader Leonid Slutsky said: ‘Biden has apparently decided to end his presidential term and go down in history as Bloody Joe.

‘It will mean only one thing – direct US participation in the military conflict in Ukraine, which will inevitably entail the harshest response from Russia, based on the threats that will be created for our country.’

Russian senator Andrey Klishas said: ‘The West has decided on a level of escalation that could end with the remnants of Ukraine completely losing their statehood.’

The significant shift in Western strategy has not yet been addressed by Putin himself.

But in October, he warned that long-range missile strikes on his territory would mean the West was ‘at war with Russia’ because only NATO specialists – and not Ukrainians – could fix these missiles onto their targets. 

‘If this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be posed to us,’ Putin said.

One Russian official called on Britain and France to reject the Biden administration’s strategy of permitting Ukraine to station long-range missiles called Storm Shadow and SCALP within Russia.

Le Figaro reported, without confirmation, that both London and Paris were reevaluating their stance following months of rejecting Zelensky’s requests to unleash the terrifying weapons against Russian targets.

Senior Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov, the Kremlin’s permanent representative to international organisations in Vienna, said: ‘They have a chance to reconsider their position if they are truly concerned about European security.

‘There is no longer room for primitive political games.’

Although Biden’s decision has not been formally announced, it has received extensive coverage in the United States, and Downing Street has yet to respond.

It is not only careless but downright sabotage for Biden’s government to be promoting such extreme measures in its last days.

Trump’s explicit mandate from voters to pursue peace via strength rather than escalation is undermined by this action.

It’s no secret that Biden is unfit to lead, and now his handlers are scrambling to cement chaos before competent leadership takes over, and every unnecessary escalation drags America to a catastrophic conflict, risking countless lives.

Instead of careless brinkmanship, the world needs strength and diplomacy.

War is a cowardly act on the part of the leaders who send hundreds of thousands of men and women to their deaths from the comfort of their palatial homes, and you can bet that Zelensky’s bank account is well fortified by all of this.

This is crazy – old Biden’s last huzza, designed to queer the pitch of the incoming Trump administration, which is irresponsible, breaks unwritten conventions in a way that an outgoing administration should not act, but I do wonder how Trump is going to clean up this mess?