The Belgian government is asking Britain to clarify whether
GCHQ did (as alleged by intelligence documents leaked by Edward Snowden) implant
a computer virus at Belgium’s top telecoms company to spy on telecommunications
from the European Parliament, NATO and others.
GCHQ has replied “no comment”, and has refused to attend an
investigation into the matter, on the grounds that national security is not
covered by EU treaties.
The Christian B&B owners who were fined for refusing to
allow a gay couple to stay, and then hounded out of their property, are taking
their case to the Supreme Court, on the grounds that their policy of “married
couples only” did not specifically discriminate against gays, and that their
decision was a matter of conscience (and thus protected under Article 9 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights). They appeared on BBC Breakfast TV to
explain their position, but the presenters’ questioning of them was deemed too
aggressive by many commenters: one said
“I bet Lorraine Kelly wouldn’t be that critical of a Muslim!”
The Director of Public Prosecutions has stated that the
Abortion Act 1967 “does not prohibit sex-selective abortions”, though he did
not comment on how a sex-selective abortion might “result in grave permanent
injury to the pregnant woman’s physical or mental health” (which is the usual requirement for an abortion to take place in the UK). It has also emerged that the Act’s
requirement that two doctors must make a judgment before an abortion can take
place is being flouted; some doctors are signing forms without ever meeting the
woman, and many forms are being pre-signed so that they only require a second
signature from a single doctor.
The pastor from Kazakhstan who was arrested on charges of
putting hallucinogens in the Communion wine, and who had ‘disappeared’, has now
re-appeared and been transferred from prison to house arrest. His trial has
been delayed to mid-November.
Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has announced that he will
retire from all forms of cricket after playing his 200th Test match
next month. Meanwhile, Roger Federer once again lost in the early rounds of a
Grand Slam tournament, this time to Gael Monfils of France.
There are fears that mobile phone bills could rise significantly
after the regulator proposed a rise in the price that the Government charges
companies for the spectrum over which they communicate – by approximately 400%.
Following the controversial introduction of a new promise by
Girlguiding UK which removes any mention of God, the Scout Association has said
that it will introduce a similar promise. However, Scouts will be allowed to
use either the old or the new promise, unlike Girl Guides for whom only the new
promise is deemed valid.
And finally, some years ago an angry father in Minneapolis
went to a branch of the supermarket Target clutching some coupons. “My daughter
got these in the mail!” he shouted. “Adverts for baby clothes and cribs! Are
you trying to encourage her to get pregnant?” The manager apologised, and then contacted
the marketing department, who told him that marketing material was sent out
based on a shopper’s pattern of purchases: buying items like unscented soaps
and lotions, mineral supplements , and large bags of cotton balls are
considered likely indications of pregnancy. The manager phoned the father to
apologise again, only to be told by the somewhat abashed father that he and his
daughter had had a talk, and …
No comments:
Post a Comment