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Russell Brand allegations show ‘terrible behaviour towards women tolerated’, says Channel 4 boss Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon has said the Russell Brand allegations show that “terrible behaviour” towards women has been “historically tolerated” in the television industry. Ms Mahon addressed the claims against the former Channel 4 presenter as she opened the Royal Television Society’s Cambridge Convention on Wednesday 20 September. “The allegations made against Russell Brand are horrendous and as a CEO of Channel 4 and as a woman in our industry, I found the behaviours described in Dispatches and The Sunday Times and The Times articles disgusting and saddening,” she said. Brand has strongly denied the rape and sexual assault allegations which span between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame while working for the broadcaster, BBC and starring in Hollywood films. https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/russell-brand-dispatches-allegations-documentary-b2415445.html

France and Germany are pushing plans to offer Britain and other European countries “associate membership” of the EU in a move that could rebuild the UK’s ties with the bloc. The two countries have tabled a blueprint that would create four new tiers, with the most aligned states forming an “inner circle”. In what will be seen as an olive branch, a new outer tier of “associate membership” would be open to the UK, laying the ground for a closer economic relationship. Senior Tories welcomed the proposal with the former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine telling The Independent that Britain must urgently explore the idea as the “overarching majority of people in Britain see Brexit as a mistake”. “The dam is breaking and there is increasingly a move towards integrating with Europe,” he said. But the move prompted a furious reaction from Brexiteers who accused EU countries of “desperation” in their bid to enlarge the bloc. News of the plans came after Sir Keir Starmer held talks in Paris with French president Emmanuel Macron, the final leg of an international tour designed to portray the Labour leader as a prime minister in waiting. But as both main parties walk a tightrope over Brexit in the run-up to next year’s general election, Labour and No 10 ruled out any form of associate membership of the EU. FULL STORY

The Myanmar military junta is deliberately targeting medical facilities and medical staff with airstrikes, raids by soldiers and the burning down of buildings, using a map of public hospitals and clinics they drew up in 2019, according to a new report shared exclusively with Sky News. Myanmar Witness, a project run by the UK-based Centre for Information Resilience that collects, analyses, verifies, and stores evidence related to human rights abuses in Myanmar, has identified 16 separate attacks on medical infrastructure and staff in just three months at the start of this year. Earlier this year, Sky News obtained exclusive access to the last remaining hospital in one area of Myanmar. This report confirms that the eyewitness testimony, interviews, and physical evidence gathered and recorded by Sky News in June of this year is indicative of a nationwide attack by the military on medical facilities. Analysing data from eyewitnesses, Myanmar Witness claims the junta's "strategic use of fire and airstrikes has been a mainstay of the conflict in Myanmar". FULL STORY

Elon Musk’s controversial biotechnology startup Neuralink opened up recruitment for its first human clinical trial Tuesday, according to a company blog. After receiving approval from an independent review board, Neuralink is set to begin offering brain implants to paralysis patients as part of the PRIME Study, the company said. PRIME, short for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface, is being carried out to evaluate both the safety and functionality of the implant. Trial patients will have a chip surgically placed in the part of the brain that controls the intention to move. The chip, installed by a robot, will then record and send brain signals to an app, with the initial goal being “to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone,” the company wrote. Those with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may qualify for the six-year-long study – 18 months of at-home and clinic visits followed by follow-up visits over five years. Interested people can sign up in the patient registry on Neuralink’s website. FULL STORY

Assuming you send by Post (best) the parcel is held at your local Post Office for collection/payment. They should send you are card advising you of that, (often dont). But you can watch on the tracking (advisable). If it has made it through without charge etc it will just be delivered as normal.

Petty bickering exchange removed.

Hard-line Republican threats to force a vote on ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post could soon thrust Democrats into a difficult decision: Do they save the Speaker who opened an impeachment inquiry into their president or join Republicans in booting him? Top Democrats say they have not formulated a strategy for handling such a vote, dismissing questions as hypothetical and insisting that they are focused on funding the government and averting a shutdown ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline. But Democrats’ votes could save — or end — McCarthy’s Speakership, which he clinched after a marathon 15 rounds of voting in January. “It would be a big question,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the chair of the House Progressive Caucus, told The Hill on Tuesday. That question, however, is of high interest, and Democrats may have to answer it sooner rather than later. McCarthy hasn’t been able to unite his fractious conference around a plan to fund the government, threats to oust him are growing louder, and internal GOP sniping is spilling into public view. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), one of McCarthy’s top adversaries, put the Speaker on notice last week, announcing in a floor speech that he would force a vote on booting him if he does not meet a list of demands on spending and legislation. On Tuesday, a reporter found what appeared to be a House resolution drafted by Gaetz in a Capitol bathroom that said “the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives is hereby declared to be vacant.” The Hill could not independently confirm the authenticity of the document. FULL STORY

As Australia edged into spring in 2019, former fire brigade chief Greg Mullins warned the country was disastrously primed to burn. Over and over, he begged to be heard. In letters, phone calls, press conferences and countless interviews, he painted an apocalyptic picture of the summer ahead. But his pleas fell on deaf ears, and his premonitions would come true. Over the coming months, Mr Mullins watched on as 24 million hectares was torched - an area the size of the UK. Almost 2,500 homes burned down, and 480 people died in the flames and smoke. Now a worrying combination of conditions has Mr Mullins sounding the alarm again. Authorities have stressed this summer will not reach the same scale. But years of rain have caused an explosion in plant growth, which is drying out after Australia's warmest winter on record, and an El Nino-affected summer promises more oppressively hot and dry conditions. Just days into spring, parts of the country are experiencing catastrophic-level weather warnings. "Bushfires will be back in the headlines," Mr Mullins tells the BBC. "I'm nervous." A firefighter's 'nightmare' Out in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales (NSW), it's not hard to see why. Walking through the thick scrub of Nattai National Park, the occasional blackened tree trunk peeks out from behind a wall of leaves. Only by craning your neck can you see that the canopy is still threadbare. The area was incinerated four years ago. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, there's no way I would believe that had burned as hard as it did," local firefighter Andrew Hain says. FULL STORY

Rishi Sunak is considering weakening some of the government's key green commitments in a major policy shift. It could include delaying a ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars and phasing out gas boilers, multiple sources have told the BBC. The PM is preparing to set out the changes in a speech in the coming days. Responding to the reported plans, he said the government was committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 but in a "more proportionate way". The aim of net zero is for the UK to take out of the atmosphere as many greenhouse gas emissions - such as carbon dioxide - as it puts in. The prime minister said: "For too many years politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade-offs. Instead they have taken the easy way out, saying we can have it all. "This realism doesn't mean losing our ambition or abandoning our commitments. Far from it. "I am proud that Britain is leading the world on climate change." He said the UK was committed to international climate agreements it had already made. "No leak will stop me beginning the process of telling the country how and why we need to change," he said. FULL STORY

US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, will plead not guilty to three criminal charges relating to a gun purchase he made in 2018, his lawyer has said. In a letter to the judge, attorney Abbe Lowell confirmed the intended plea while asking that the initial court appearance be held remotely. Mr Biden was indicted last week for possessing a gun while he was an illegal drug user and lying to buy it. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison. The 53-year-old "will waive reading of the indictment, which is merely a few pages and could easily be read at a video conference", Mr Lowell wrote in the two-page court filing on Tuesday. "Mr Biden also will enter a plea of not guilty, and there is no reason why he cannot utter those two words by video conference," he said. The attorney added that seeking a video hearing was not a case of the president's son "seeking any special treatment". Instead, he said, it would "minimize an unnecessary burden on government resources and the disruption to the courthouse and downtown areas" from the Secret Service detail accompanying Mr Biden. Mr Biden's legal team initially asked last week for their client to be allowed to appear remotely. Prosecutors opposed the request. FULL STORY

The four men kneeling in the makeshift bunker face out over a lush green paddy field, their guns resting on a wall of cement sacks. Bamboo poles prop up the corrugated tin roof. Wearing homemade bullet-proof vests, they train their weapons - mostly old single and double-barrelled shotguns - on a rival bunker less than a mile away. A belt of cartridges hangs from one of the poles. The men are all civilian members of a "village defence force" - among them a driver, a labourer, a farmer, and Tomba (whose name we have changed to protect his identity). Tomba ran a mobile phone repair shop before deadly ethnic conflict erupted in May in India's north-east Manipur state. Warning: This article contains details of violence that readers may find upsetting The segregation of communities in this corner of the world's fastest-growing major economy feels like a heavily-militarised border separating countries at war. "We have to protect ourselves because we don't think anyone else will. I feel scared but I have to hide it," Tomba said. He and the other three in the bunker belong to the majority Meitei community, who largely follow Hinduism. A sense of fear is all pervasive in Manipur since shocking violence between their community and minority Kuki groups broke out, marked by brutal killings and sexual crimes against women. More than 200 people have been killed, roughly two-thirds of them Kukis, a collective name for the Kuki, Zomi, Chin, Hmar and Mizo tribes who are mostly Christians. FULL STORY

Generally the limit is 1500baht declared value and then the tax is applied. Cost + Insurance+ Freight , hence the CIF stated above. Becareful what value the sender puts on the parcel.

Love the stuff eat it atleast once a week. I tell them "mai si prik^ (no chilli). And always "kai dow". I have it so regularly they dont even ask what I want or how I want it anymore. ????Gotta love village life.

From Social Media........

Braun have been slammed as 'shockingly immoral' after advertising men's trimmers with a trans model who has double mastectomy scars. The topless model promoting the Series X Hybrid Trimmers for the grooming brand appears to have scars related to the surgery. The shaving accessory is advertised as being for beard hair, body hair and head hair - offering 'styling and trimming from head to toe'. 'Promoting the removal of healthy breast tissue is not only shockingly immoral, but against advertising standards guidance to not glamourise or trivialise cosmetic surgery,' Maya Forstater, the executive director of Sex Matters told the Telegraph. 'Braun executives must have been living under a rock if they think that this campaign represents "inclusivity". The reality is that Braun has now written itself into history as promoting social contagion and what will become one of the most notorious medical scandals.' FULL STORY

A U.S. fighter jet’s stealth abilities appear to be working too well, as it took authorities hours to locate a debris field after an F-35 went missing when the pilot ejected because of a “mishap.” The debris was discovered Monday evening about two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston, an air base in North Charleston, officials said, without providing further details. The base had been working with Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to "locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap" Sunday afternoon. The pilot was able to safely eject from the aircraft, an F-35B Lightning II jet, and was taken to a local medical center in stable condition, it said in a Facebook post around 5:35 p.m. ET. The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing — the jet belongs to one of the unit's training squadrons — confirmed Sunday's "mishap" and that "the pilot had safely ejected from the aircraft." “The mishap is currently under investigation.” Captain Joe Leitner, the spokesperson for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, said. The jet was in autopilot mode when the pilot ejected from the aircraft, Jeremy Huggins, a spokesman at Joint Base Charleston, said. Authorities believed there was a possibility that it could have remained airborne for some time. The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The circumstances that prompted the pilot to eject from the aircraft were not immediately clear. Joint Base Charleston said in a statement that it coordinated with units and leaders in the Marines and Navy, as well as the FAA, Civil Air Patrol and local law enforcement across South Carolina. The base said searchers were using "both ground and air assets" in the effort. FULL STORY

Elon Musk discussed his plans for Twitter, now called X, on Monday during a livestreamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Among other things, Musk said the social network is “moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system” in order to combat “vast armies of bots.” Musk did not say how much a new plan would cost users of the social network, or what other features would or would not be included with payment at the lowest tier. During the livestream, Musk also divulged some new metrics from X, claiming it now has 550 million “monthly users,” who generate 100 million to 200 million posts per day there. Musk did not disclose how many of the company’s monthly users are authentic, versus bots. He also did not make an apples-to-apples comparison to metrics previously used by Twitter. In May 2022, before Musk’s takeover, Twitter reported that it had “average monetizable daily active usage” of 229 million. The discussion with Netanyahu on Monday was meant to focus on theoretical risks of artificial intelligence technology, and how AI should potentially be regulated. However, Musk also used it to dispute the perception that his social network is full of hate speech and antisemitism. The meeting followed widespread criticism of Musk by civil rights groups in the West over his amplification of bigotry on his social network, including antisemitic accounts, content and conspiracies. FULL STORY

A post in German has been removed. Please use ENGLISH on the forum - Thank you.

Former President Trump is blasting President Biden for his new deal with Tehran that will bring five Americans home after being freed from Iranian prisons. The five Americans released Monday were freed as part of a deal to grant clemency to five Iranians and unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian oil funds. The White House has reiterated that the payment was not a ransom and emphasized that U.S. taxpayer dollars were not part of the deal, but Republicans have still blasted the agreement. “I brought 58 HOSTAGES home from many different countries, including North Korea, and I never paid anything. They all understood they MUST LET THESE PEOPLE COME HOME! Toward the end, it got so that countries didn’t even start the conversation asking for money, because they knew they would not get it,” Trump wrote in Truth Social post. “Once you pay, you always pay, & MANY MORE HOSTAGES WILL BE TAKEN. Our grossly incompetent ‘leader,’ Crooked Joe Biden, gave 6 BILLION DOLLARS for 5 people. Iran gave ZERO for 5. He’s Dumb as a ROCK!” he added. Trump’s comments echoed concerns from Republicans and even some Democrats who argue it may encourage hostile nations to take more Americans who are traveling abroad. Biden warned Monday that U.S. citizens should not travel to Iran due to kidnapping risks and the threat of arbitrary arrest. “All Americans should heed those words and have no expectation that their release can be secured if they do not,” Biden said. FULL STORY

President Biden on Monday took jabs at former President Trump while fundraising in his predecessor’s former hometown, New York City. Biden hailed his own work on infrastructure investments through signing the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021. And, he said Infrastructure Week became a “joke” during the last administration. “He didn’t build a damn thing,” Biden said in remarks at a Black Economic Alliance event. “Not a damn thing.” Biden has frequently quipped “infrastructure week” was nothing more than a punchline during the Trump administration. When the $1 trillion infrastructure law was signed, Biden said it was “finally, infrastructure week!” “Infrastructure week” has been a fixture in the political lexicon for years, starting from when Trump held a week of events in 2017 aimed at ramping up support for a trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal. The week was overshadowed in part because of high-profile testimony on Capitol Hill from former FBI Director James Comey after Trump had fired him. Meanwhile, Trump is known for his real estate prowess in Manhattan and being behind some notable buildings that have his name prominently displayed on them. Biden is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, which he is set to speak at on Tuesday. Trump is the current frontrunner in the GOP presidential primary, setting up for a likely Biden-Trump rematch in the 2024 election. FULL STORY