BOSTON – A member of the violent Boston-based gang, H-Block, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to drug distribution and firearms charges.
Jerry Gray, 28 of Roxbury, pleaded guilty to distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for July 31, 2025.
Gray was one of 10 H-Block gang members and associates charged in August 2024 following a multi-year investigation of H-Block beginning in 2021 in response to an uptick in gang-related drug trafficking, shootings and violence. According to court documents, over 500 grams of cocaine, cocaine base (crack cocaine) and fentanyl, as well as over 20,000 doses of drug-laced paper were seized during the investigation.
In February 2024, Gray, a long-time H Block gang member, sold crack cocaine to a cooperating witness, and then subsequently stole “buy” money from the cooperating witness during an additional controlled purchase in March of 2024. During Gray’s arrest in August of 2024, a Glock pistol, along with numerous rounds of various calibers of ammunition, were located in his residence. At the time of the charged offenses Gray was on probation in Suffolk Superior Court for two separate firearm-related convictions.
According to the charging documents, the H Block Street Gang is one of the most feared and influential city-wide gangs in Boston. Originally formed in the 1980s as the Humboldt Raiders in the Roxbury section of Boston, the gang re-emerged in the 2000s as H Block. Current members of H Block have a history of violent confrontation with law enforcement, including an incident in 2015 when a member shot a Boston Police officer at point blank range without warning or provocation.
The charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Gray is the fifth defendant to plead guilty in the case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Murphy of the U.S. Secret Service Boston Field Office; James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the Depart of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. The investigation was supported by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts Department of Corrections; and the Braintree, Quincy, Randolph and Watertown Police Departments. Assistant United States Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit and Jeremy Franker of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime & Racketeering Section are prosecuting the cases.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A study published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery looks at dementia associated with hearing loss.
Prof Jason Warren, Professor of Neurology and Consultant Neurologist, UCL, said:
“Dementia in older people. Importantly, the study advances previous work in this area by attempting to include a more diverse older population and to distinguish between objectively measured and self-reported hearing problems. It is particularly interesting that people who complained of hearing problems did not have an increased dementia risk. This underlines the need for hearing tests when assessing dementia risk, but also suggests that lack of awareness of hearing difficulties might itself be an early warning signal for dementia. While more work is needed to establish to what extent hearing aids might delay dementia, studies of this kind support the view that we should protect hearing to protect brain function.”
Dr Isolde Radford at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“There’s strong evidence linking hearing loss in mid to later life with an increased risk of dementia. We don’t yet know if hearing loss directly causes dementia or whether it causes other conditions that, in turn increase our risk. But this study adds to the link between hearing loss and dementia, and offers further evidence of the value of investigating hearing loss interventions as a potential measure to protect brain health.
“This research looked at nearly 3,000 adults aged 45 and over in the U.S. to explore links between hearing loss and dementia. However, because participants were all from the same area and identified as either Black or White, the findings might not reflect wider trends across the U.S. or globally. The study also relied on some people reporting their own hearing loss, which can be inaccurate, possibly due to stigma, so future research should use proper hearing tests to get a clearer picture.
“What we do know is that hearing loss, like dementia, isn’t an inevitable part of ageing. That’s why we’re calling on the government to include a hearing check in the NHS Health Check for over-40s. This simple step could help millions identify hearing loss earlier and take appropriate action, such as wearing hearing aids, that may help reduce their risk of dementia.
“With around one million people living with dementia and 12 million affected by hearing loss in the UK, we urgently need more research to better understand the link, and identify who would benefit most from simple interventions like hearing aids. This insight is vital to help health services deliver the right support to the right people.”
Dr Coco Newton, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Cambridge, said:
“This study confirms that hearing loss is having a uniquely negative impact on people’s future risk of dementia, even well into older age. The authors controlled for any potential confounding effects from other dementia risk factors such as lower education, smoking, poorer heart health, diabetes, or genetic risk. However, how well hearing aid use can compensate for this increased risk remains an open question – around half of this study population with hearing loss used a hearing aid, and they only had a modest benefit. It could be that we need to follow up them up for longer than 8 years to truly measure the effect of hearing aid use.”
Prof Masud Husain, Professor of Neurology, University of Oxford, said:
“These results add to growing evidence that hearing loss is associated with increased risk of dementia. Exactly how is the subject of an interesting debate.
“The most striking feature of the findings is that while hearing loss established using objective hearing tests (audiometry) shows a relationship to dementia, self-reported hearing loss does not. This seems to because people do not reliably know – or acknowledge – that they have hearing impairment.”
Dr Thomas Littlejohns, Senior Epidemiologist, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, said:
“There has been a lot of interest recently on whether hearing problems are linked to a higher risk of developing dementia. If so, this would be a highly promising way of reducing dementia risk as hearing problems are common at older ages, and often treatable.
“This paper uses a population of 3,000 US-based adults with an average age of 75 to estimate how many cases of dementia in this particular sample might be due to hearing problems. The authors do this using a statistical method known as a Population Attributable Fraction (PAF). A PAF is an equation which combines information on 1) the percentage of people with hearing problems and 2) the strength of association between hearing problems and dementia to estimate how many dementia cases are due to hearing problems. Or to put it another way, if hearing problems ceased to exist then the PAF is the percentage of dementia cases that would also be eradicated. In this paper, the authors find that this could be as many as 1 in 3 dementia cases, a substantial number.
“However, it is crucial to note that this assumes a causal relationship, and because this paper uses observational data it does not provide any evidence on whether hearing impairment causes dementia. For example, we can’t tell from these results whether hearing problems are related to dementia through other factors common to ageing or whether hearing problems are a consequence, rather than a cause, of dementia. The latter is a particular problem in observational data, as dementia develops over many years and it is possible that hearing problems emerge in the early stages of dementia (similar to memory problems) before a clinical diagnosis is made. Nevertheless, this paper is well-designed and provides useful information on how many dementia cases hearing problems might cause, but only if we know the relationship is causal, which we cannot tell from this study.”
‘Population Attributable Fraction of Incident Dementia Associated With Hearing Loss’ byEmily Ishaket al.was published inJAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgeryat 16:00 UK time on Thursday 17th April.
DOI:10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0192
Declared interests
Dr Coco Newton: No direct industry funding or links, but my funders include Alzheimer’s Society, ARUK, and Alzheimer Scotland if relevant. I once worked on a study part funded by Merck SP but the grant wasn’t in my name.
Dr Thomas Littlejohns: None to declare
Prof Masud Husain: I have no conflicts of interest.
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.
Over the past few years, support for Welsh independence has grown in ways not seen before. A recent poll commissioned by YesCymru, a pro-independence campaign group, found that 41% of people who’ve made up their minds on the issue would now vote in favour of independence.
The striking finding is that the number jumps to 72% among 25-to-34 year olds. Meanwhile older generations, particularly those aged 65 and up, remain firmly in the “no” camp, with 80% opposed.
This does seem a big shift in public mood. But does it mean Wales is becoming more nationalist? Not exactly.
The relationship between constitutional attitudes and nationalism is complicated, as research by myself and colleagues shows. Many people back independence for reasons that have less to do with feeling strongly Welsh or waving flags, and more to do with wanting better decision-making closer to home.
During 2021, as part of a broader research project on Welsh people’s views on the COVID pandemic and vaccination, we spoke to people from different ages, backgrounds and locations. Some were vaccinated, others weren’t. Some had voted in elections while others hadn’t voted in years, if ever.
Many people we talked to felt the Welsh government had done a better job than Westminster at handling the pandemic. They saw the decisions made in Wales – like keeping stricter rules in place when England relaxed theirs – as more sensible, more caring, and more in line with what they personally wanted from a government. And with that came a confidence that Wales could handle even more control over its own affairs.
Historically, Welsh nationalism was tightly linked to the Welsh language and culture. Self-government was always a part of the conversation, but not necessarily the main driver. That started changing in the late 20th century.
In 1979, Wales voted against devolution. In 1997, it narrowly vote in favour. Thereafter, things slowly began to shift – and now, more than 25 years into devolution, support for self-government is the mainstream view. Independence is no longer such a fringe idea.
Interestingly, younger generations are far more open to it – and many of them aren’t what you’d typically think of as nationalists. They may not speak Welsh or see themselves as “political” in the traditional sense. Their support often comes from practical concerns about the economy, democracy and how decisions are made.
External events like Brexit have clearly played a role. In fact, the YesCymru campaign was formed just before the EU referendum in 2016. Independence support surged afterwards, especially among Remain voters.
Many saw the Brexit fallout, as well as austerity, as proof that Westminster didn’t reflect their values or priorities. This showed how disruptive events can reshape the way people see their place within the UK.
Independence without nationalism?
One of the more surprising findings in our research – echoed in the 2025 polling – is that support for independence doesn’t always come from people who are politically engaged or pro-devolution. In fact, some support came from people who hadn’t voted in years, or felt completely disillusioned with the political system.
They expressed their support for independence through statements like: “They all need to go [meaning the Welsh government], but if I pay tax in Wales I want it to stay in Wales and be spent here.”
We also found a lot of people sitting on the fence. They weren’t against independence, but they had big questions about it. Would it mean isolation? Would it lead to more division?
One person told us: “I’m a little bit nationalistic, but I didn’t want the UK to leave the EU. So why would I want Wales to leave the UK?” Another said: “I don’t believe in borders, but I do think the Welsh government should run things.”
These aren’t black-and-white views. People’s feelings about independence – and nationalism – are often full of contradictions. And this reflects the wider truth that ordinary political views are often messy. Most of us don’t live in the extremes, and this is a good thing.
What’s also worth noting is that nationalism takes many forms. Some people who strongly oppose Welsh independence do so from a very rightwing populist-nationalist perspective, where calls to abolish the Senedd (Welsh parliament) sit alongside demands for hard borders and less immigration. So, the assumption that “independence equals nationalism” isn’t always true – and nor is the reverse.
Could independence really happen?
Wales isn’t alone in debating big questions about its future. In places such as Scotland, Catalonia and Flanders, political and economic crises can fuel movements for independence. In all these cases, trust in central government and a desire for more local fiscal control have played a major role.
For Wales, the question often comes back to the economy. While faith in Wales’s ability to govern is growing, many still worry whether an independent Wales could stand on its own financially. And for a lot of undecided voters, that remains the sticking point. For this reason, granting Wales more powers through devolution might do more to stave off demands for independence than anything else.
But the conversation is shifting. Support for independence is no longer just about nationalist grievances. It’s about how people want to be governed, and about trust and responsiveness.
So, does supporting Welsh independence make you a nationalist? Not necessarily. For many, it’s not about nationalism at all.
Robin Mann receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and the British Academy. He is a Reader in Sociology at Bangor University and also Co-director of the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD).
The UK’s decision to leave the EU was a seismic shock in Ireland. In the years following the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic had become less relevant. The peace process reduced the military architecture along the border, while EU membership enabled free movement of goods and people.
The Brexit referendum reintroduced the possibility of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Attitudes hardened as competing political aspirations for Northern Ireland’s future returned to the forefront. Brexit added layers of complication on to existing polarisations between Unionists, concentrated on protecting Northern Ireland’s place in the UK, and Nationalists, advocating for Irish reunification.
But new polling from the Irish Times and the Arins project suggests these attitudes may now be changing. Across Ireland – north and south – there is a growing consensus that planning for a potential united Ireland is important, even among those who oppose it.
Perhaps most notably, even Unionists in Northern Ireland have reported a slight but meaningful move towards accepting possible future reunification.
Want more politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.
The latest polling shows that acceptance of potential Irish unity has risen from 21% in 2022 to 29% in 2025 among voters in Northern Ireland from a Protestant background. This was the period in which the fallout from Brexit was negotiated, resulting in the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The protocol is the mechanism governing post-Brexit trade between Ireland, the UK and Europe. Northern Ireland’s unique trade position under the protocol allows it to retain access to both Irish and EU markets, which have become increasingly important to economies on both sides of the border.
Data shows Northern Ireland has experienced economic benefits, including increased exports, in the years since the protocol was implemented. These economic benefits, along with the damaging prospect of a hard border on the island, may have made the idea of reunification more palatable – or at least, less objectionable.
Divided society
Though it has had a fragile peace since the Belfast/Good Friday agreement, Northern Ireland remains a divided society. Brexit reignited tensions over Northern Ireland’s future, leading to social and political unrest.
Research, including our own, shows that when people feel threatened, they often experience a “rally around the flag” effect. Brexit created real fears on both sides, strengthening both Unionist and Nationalist sentiments. Given this, the attitude change reflected in the new polling is all the more remarkable.
Social and political attitudes have always been at the heart of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Since the partition of Ireland in 1922, people have defined their national and political identity based on their attitudes to the border.
For Unionists in Northern Ireland, who are often culturally Protestant, the border affirms their British identity, retaining their connection to the UK and entitlement to claim Britishness.
For Nationalists, most of whom are culturally Catholic, the border was a divide imposed illegitimately by the British. The border undermined their claim to Irishness. The prolonged conflict in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles, was driven as much by sentiment and symbolic identity concerns as by political realities.
Today, Unionists and Nationalists continue to hold opposing views on Northern Ireland’s future. However, evidence of attitude convergence suggests the extreme identity positions and polarisation associated with the Brexit result may have receded.
Now that the immediate threats surrounding Brexit have ebbed away, it would seem a more inclusive and constructive conversation about the island’s future may be possible.
Learning from Brexit’s mistakes
Clearly, acceptance that reunification might happen does not necessarily equate to support. However, it does indicate a growing recognition that constitutional change is possible and needs careful consideration.
For many, the mechanics of the Brexit referendum have been part of the problem. The 2016 referendum appeared to offer a simple choice: Leave or Remain. But there was little clarity on what Brexit would actually mean in practice.
The recent research from the Arins/Irish Times project suggests the attitudes towards potential Irish unity are partly driven by a desire to avoid the chaos of Brexit, and instead plan ahead.
In Northern Ireland, political debates are often reduced to zero-sum, win-lose arguments. This “us v them” narrative can obscure complexity and entrench division.
There is clearly a need for more inclusive and nuanced debates and forward planning. In practice, this means exploring the different possible models of a united Ireland – and understanding what each would mean – well before any referendum is held.
The Irish Republic has a well-developed political system to support referenda and a citizens’ assembly model that has been lauded as a solution to the democratic deficit that blights so many western nations. This model has proven effective in addressing complex and sensitive issues, notably in the 2018 referendum on abortion. Deliberation through the Citizens’ Assembly helped shape political decision-making and influenced the question posed in the ensuing referendum.
North and south, there is agreement that any potential move toward Irish unity must include considered and informed planning for future constitutional change.
Given its long and troubled past, planning will need to be careful and diligent to ensure Ireland remains at peace. But the recent polling suggests that, despite its many flaws, Brexit may actually have paved the way for a more constructive and less antagonistic conversation about Northern Ireland’s future.
Catriona Shelly’s PhD was funded by Research Ireland.
Orla Muldoon receives funding from the European Research Council (agreement 884927).
Ryde Library will unveil its newly renovated children’s section this weekend.
The Isle of Wight Library service secured a £150,000 grant from Arts Council England’s Libraries Improvement Fund in 2023, which was shared with Cowes Library to improve facilities and accessibility at both locations.
Renovations at Ryde Library began at the end of February, and included the installation of a new accessible toilet for library user groups and a complete refurbishment of the children’s library.
The Friends of Ryde Library generously funded new furniture and shelving, which have now been delivered and installed.
Library supervisor, Jo Dodd, said: “We are so pleased with the new facilities and can’t wait for children and families to start enjoying the newly decorated children’s space, which looks absolutely fantastic with fresh, vibrant colours and funky new furniture.”
The revamped children’s library will welcome its first visitors on Saturday (April 19).
Ryde Library offers a variety of activities for children and families, including the weekly Rhyme Time for babies and toddlers every Monday at 10.30am.
Additionally, the library is launching a new family session, ‘Stay and Play,’ starting Wednesday, May 14 at 10.30am, where pre-school children can enjoy music, stories, and playtime with their families.
Meanwhile, Cowes Library is undergoing its own renovations and is currently closed to the public.
Library staff are providing a ‘pop-up’ library service from The Beckford Centre in Cowes, opposite the library site.
Opening times for this service are available on the library’s website. The main library at Cowes is expected to re-open in mid-May.
Tannaghmore Gardens became a vibrant hub of laughter and excitement today (Thursday 17 April) as the Lord Mayor’s Easter Trail and Fun Day was nothing short of a hopping success!
From 1pm to 4pm, families flocked to the Tannaghmore Gardens, eager to dive into a world of Easter fun. Highlights of the event included the much-anticipated Easter egg trail, Easter themed face painting sessions, Bushcraft activities, inflatables, bubble fun, music and games that kept the little ones entertained for hours!
“We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout. It was wonderful to see families come together to celebrate the start of the Easter break, and all proceeds raised will go towards the great work of Women’s Aid Armagh Down” commented the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy
Thanks to the event and donations, the Lord Mayor was able to raise £2,000 for her chosen charity Women’s Aid Armagh Down.
I was extremely sad to hear of Val’s sudden and unexpected death and my thoughts are with her family and friends.
It was a privilege to get to know Val, both as a friend and colleague. What struck me from the very beginning was her intelligence, her wit but, most of all, her warmth and kindness. Even in the heat of political debate she would always remain calm, constructive and respectful of other people’s views.
Prior to becoming a councillor, her roles in education and library services over many years gave her a long-lasting passion for reading, something that she loved to share with others – helping them to discover the wonderful world of books and libraries.
Alongside this, she campaigned tirelessly for the Labour Party, as she did for the rights of workers, women and single parents. She spent thousands of hours knocking on doors and speaking to local residents – and I know that being elected as councillor for Fountainbridge and Craiglockhart in 2022 filled her with huge pride, something that stayed with her throughout.
She brought the same determination to her role as Chair of the Council’s Joint Consultative Committee and I know she was held in the highest regard by the Trade Unions, who recognised a lifetime of activism and support.
Val’s other great passion for theatre, and the arts more generally, made her the perfect choice for Culture and Communities Convener, a role that she approached with vigour and enthusiasm. She was never happier than when she’d managed to find a way of reaching consensus with all parties and I know that she was trusted and admired by colleagues from across the chamber.
She was also a great champion of the festivals, and of the benefits they bring to our city’s reputation, but – in typically balanced fashion – an equally fierce defender of our parks and greenspaces and the huge enjoyment they bring to our residents.
Val is a great loss to the council, to her colleagues and to the city. We will miss her immensely.
Dutch funk band to bring some exciting new sounds to this year’s Jazz Festival
17 April 2025
The City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival is a firm favourite of music-lovers locally and nationally, getting the chance to see and hear their favourite musicians in various venues across the city.
But what most love it for, is getting to see and experience new acts from around the world, which they might not have had the opportunity to do so before. This year, one of those exciting new groups is Dutch soul sensations, The Tibbs. Bringing their electrifying, high-energy soul to the festival, The Tibbs deliver a fresh yet nostalgic groove, blending Rhythm & Blues with Funk, Ska and Pop elements. Their free gig will take place upstairs in Sandino’s on the Friday night, where the audience will be treated to an enthusiastic bunch of super-talented musicians led by what they describe as their ‘dazzling nightingale’, lead singer Roxanne Hartog. The Tibbs have mastered a unique blend of garage soul that could be traced back to the Detroit and Philly sounds of the 60s and 70s. Their retro style, upbeat personalities and endless talent will be sure to create an unforgettable musical evening for everyone involved. Speaking ahead of their gig, Berd Ruttenberg, Saxophonist, said they were really excited to get the opportunity to play at the City of Derry Jazz Festival, with this being their first trip to Ireland. “We are really looking forward to playing at the festival and visiting Derry in general. We feel it’s an honour to play at this amazing festival and we can’t wait to meet the people from Derry. We’re really excited to visit Derry for the first time and we hope to try and fit in a few things while we’re there like the People’s Gallery. “Since most of us grew up in the 70s and 80s, the city, and Northern Ireland in general, somehow holds a special place in our memory. Because of this, the music from the region always had an extra impact on us. The day after our performance at the Derry Jazz Festival we’ll head to Belfast, where we’ll play another show for the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.” The 8-piece band creates their eclectic sound with a mix of vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano, trumpet and saxophone. Their success has gone from strength to strength from starting out in 2012 to playing sold out shows in The Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Spain. Most recently, their latest album, ‘Keep it to Yourself’ has been hailed as a ‘Vintage Soul Scorcher’ by Clash Magazine and they were featured on Craig Charles’ Best of 2024 Show on BBC Radio 6. Berd went on to say they are thrilled to be joining the 100s of other musicians at the Jazz Festival, and hope to catch another few acts while they are here. Taking place in venues across the city, The City of Derry Jazz & Big Band Festival will kick off on Thursday 1st until Monday 5th May 2025. Now in its 24th year, the festival boasts an unforgettable line up, bringing over 100,000 music lovers together to experience world-class performances. This year’s stellar line-up features Grammy winner Billy Ocean headlining, Una Healy with Luke Thomas, The Garage Boys, the electrifying Mr. Wilson’s Second Liners, The Red Stripe Band, Ska Beats, Angela & her NOLA Brass Band and many more international artists. The City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival is organised and funded by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Diageo and EY. For all the programme highlights and regular updates, please visit cityofderryjazzfestival.com or follow City of Derry Jazz Festival on social media.
CHICAGO, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VelocityEHS, the global leader in EHS & ESG software solutions, is proud to announce its inclusion in the NSC TechHub Marketplace, a new online directory from the National Safety Council (NSC) designed to help companies easily find and connect with trusted safety technology providers.
The TechHub Marketplace streamlines the process for businesses seeking technology solutions tailored to their unique safety risks.
Organizations can browse provider listings, filter results by technology type, hazard focus, use applications, and access insights from partners and sponsors, including white papers, case studies, webinars, and more, all on the latest advancements in workplace safety.
“Our mission at VelocityEHS is to simplify complex EHS challenges through innovative technology,” said Matt Airhart, CEO of VelocityEHS. “By joining the NSC TechHub Marketplace, we’re making it easier for organizations to discover and implement cutting-edge solutions that enhance workplace safety and sustainability.”
“At NSC, we work closely with companies to identify technologies that reduce risk in their workplaces,” said Emily Whitcomb, Director of Innovation at the National Safety Council. “With the TechHub Marketplace, we can now take employers through the next logical step—connecting them with top-tier technology providers. This is a game-changer in our mission to save lives.”
How VelocityEHS Helps Organizations Solve Safety Challenges
VelocityEHS provides businesses with intuitive, data-driven solutions to proactively manage risk, protect employees, and improve overall workplace health and safety. The Ergonomics Solution, highlighted in the NSC TechHub Marketplace, support EHS professionals in building safer, more sustainable workplaces:
AI-Powered Ergonomics: Many workplace injuries stem from poor ergonomics. Velocity’s motion-capture AI technology helps businesses identify risks before they become injuries, enabling early intervention and continuous improvement. This innovation has earned VelocityEHS a perfect 3.0/3.0 score for Ergonomics in the Verdantix 2025 EHS Green Quadrant analysis.
Patented Innovation: VelocityEHS holds multiple U.S. patents for its pioneering use of AI and machine learning in Ergonomics software. These include breakthrough methods for root-cause analysis, natural language processing, and computer vision techniques, allowing organizations to quickly analyze worker exertion levels from simple video footage.
Additional VelocityEHS Capabilities
In addition to the TechHub-listed offerings, VelocityEHS delivers a broader range of capabilities, some include:
The VelocityEHS Accelerate® Platform: A unified suite of solutions that simplifies how companies manage Safety, Ergonomics, Chemical Management, and Operational Risk—helping them stay compliant and reduce incidents with greater efficiency.
Market-leading Chemicals Management Software: Recognized by independent research firm Verdantix for its advanced technology, enabling medium- to high-risk companies to streamline chemical management workflows and exceed compliance requirements.
AI-Powered Contractor Safety Feature: A groundbreaking feature that automates contractor verification processes, flags risks, and provides intelligent recommendations. This solution helps ensure compliance with safety standards while reducing administrative burden—delivering up to 70%-time savings over traditional contractor management methods.
To learn more about VelocityEHS, visit www.EHS.com.
Relied on by more than 10 million users worldwide to drive operational excellence and achieve outstanding outcomes, VelocityEHS is the global leader in true SaaS enterprise EHS & ESG technology. The VelocityEHS Accelerate® Platform is the definitive gold standard, delivering best-in-class software solutions for managing Safety, Ergonomics, Chemical Management, and Operational Risk. In addition, Velocity offers world-class applications for Contractor Safety & Permit to Work, Environmental Compliance, and ESG.
The VelocityEHS team includes unparalleled industry expertise, with more certified experts in health, safety, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, sustainability, the environment, AI, and machine learning than any other EHS software provider. Recognized by the EHS industry’s top independent analysts as a Leader in the Verdantix 2025 Green Quadrant Analysis, VelocityEHS is committed to industry thought leadership and to accelerating the pace of innovation through its software solutions and vision. Its privacy and security protocols, which include SOC2 Type II attestation, are among the most stringent in the industry.
VelocityEHS is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with locations in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Tampa, Florida; Oakville, Ontario; London, England; Perth, Western Australia; and Cork, Ireland. For more information, visit www.EHS.com.
About the National Safety Council
NSC is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway, and impairment. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.
Media Contact Jennifer Sinkwitts jsinkwitts@ehs.com
As your SNP candidate for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on 5th June 2025, I am determined to continue the hard work of our dear friend and colleague, Christina McKelvie.
Christina was a tireless champion for the community and for Scotland, and this by-election is an opportunity to honour her incredible legacy.
Christina’s commitment to the constituency was unwavering, and my promise to you is that I will always put the people of Scotland’s interests first, just as she did. I will continue her fight for a brighter, better future for our people.
This by-election is more important than ever for the SNP and for Scotland, against the backdrop of a recent poll showing a double-digit lead for independence support.
In these difficult economic times, the Labour government in Westminster is failing us – ramping up cuts, treating Scotland as an afterthought, and letting our communities suffer.
Take the issue of rising energy bills: under Labour, pensioners are being hit hard with cuts to winter fuel payments. The SNP is committed to bringing these payments back, to help those most in need.
We also remain steadfast in our support for Scotland’s NHS. While the SNP works every day to improve access to GP services and tackle waiting times, we’ll never stop fighting to ensure that Scotland’s NHS is protected for future generations.
This by-election is an opportunity for you to make your voice heard and get into the swing of things for the Scottish Parliamentary election in 2026.
Please join me and my local team for this crucial by-election campaign by contacting me via email or visiting our Campaign Hub at 18 Townhead Street, Hamilton, ML3 7BE. It’s open 10am – 8pm every day between now and polling day.
We have a number of upcoming campaigning sessions:
The number of people with young-onset dementia could be even higher than current estimates suggest.AtlasStudio/ Shutterstock
Around 57 million people worldwide have dementia. While most cases of dementia are diagnosed in older adults, about 7% of cases occur in people under 65. This number may be even higher as young-onset dementia continues to be under-recognised. This means many people may be missing out on the support they need.
Here are five reasons young-onset dementia remains under-recognised:
1. Dementia is typically associated with older age
When you hear the word “dementia” do you picture someone under 65? While dementia is usually associated with older adults, the condition doesn’t discriminate based on age. In fact, anyone (even children) can be diagnosed with different forms of dementia.
But this common assumption means many younger people may not seek a diagnosis from their doctor, as many don’t assume dementia could be causing any of the symptoms they’re experiencing.
Doctors, too, often fail to consider the possibility of a younger person having dementia. Many people diagnosed with young-onset dementia initially had their symptoms dismissed. Some doctors even showed little concern for their experiences. It also isn’t uncommon for younger adults to be told they’re “too young” to have dementia.
It’s not surprising then that these experiences lead to frustration, with patients and their families feeling unheard and neglected by the healthcare system.
The misunderstanding that dementia is a disease of older adults leaves people with young-onset dementia fighting to be heard.
2. Symptoms are different
Dementia is most often linked to short-term memory loss. However, cognition (which encompasses all of our mental processes, from thinking to perception) is very complex. For this reason, dementia can lead to a huge variety of symptoms – such as changes in personality and language, difficulties recognising objects, judging distances or coordinating movement and even hallucinations and delusions.
Compared to dementia in older adults, people with young-onset dementia are more likely to experience symptoms other than memory loss as the earliest signs of the condition. For instance, research shows that for around one-third of people with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease, the earliest symptoms they had were problems with coordination and vision changes.
3. Rarer causes of dementia
Dementia is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of brain disorders that all cause problems with cognition. In older adults, the most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease – accounting for 50-75% of cases. But in people under 65, only around 40% of dementia cases can be attributed to Alzheimer’s disease.
Instead, young-onset dementia tends to be caused by rarer neurodegenerative conditions, such as frontotemporal dementias. Frontotemporal dementias only affect around one in 20 people diagnosed with dementia. These conditions affect parts of the brain responsible for personality, behaviour, language, speech and executive functioning.
For example, primary progressive aphasia is one type of frontotemporal dementia. This condition affects around three in every 100,000 people. Primary progressive aphasia mainly alters a person’s ability to communicate and understand speech.
Secondary dementias are also more common in people with young-onset dementia. These are dementias that are caused by another underlying medical condition, disease (such as Huntington’s disease or a brain tumour) or external factor (such as a viral infection, substance misuse or head injury).
Recognition of these rarer forms of dementia is increasing – thanks in part to celebrities such as Fiona Phillips, Pauline Quirke and Terry Jones opening up about their experiences. But there’s still much less understanding around treatment options and managing symptoms when it comes to these rarer forms of dementia. Rarer dementias are also linked to atypical symptoms, which often go missed. This prolongs the diagnostic journey.
4. Symptoms overlap with other conditions
Symptoms of young-onset dementia have considerable overlap with those common in certain mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, psychosis, depression and anxiety. Symptoms might also include apathy, feelings of panic, irritability, hallucinations and delusions.
Of course, not everyone experiencing these symptoms will have young-onset dementia. But it’s important we raise awareness about symptom overlap to make the diagnosis process easier for those who do.
A person’s cognitive reserve (the brain’s ability to maintain good cognitive function despite damage or brain changes) also affects their experience of dementia symptoms and how they cope with them. Some people may adapt more effectively, drawing on strong support networks, psychological resilience or their own personal coping strategies to overcome these challenges.
All of these factors together can make it difficult to recognise symptoms of young-onset dementia, especially in its early stages.
Need for awareness
The under-recognition of young-onset dementia is significant. It contributes to the lack of resources, specialised care and advice, appropriate support and early diagnosis for people with young-onset dementia. While this is improving, greater awareness still needs to be brought to the experience of dementia in younger adults – especially given research shows that the progression of cognitive decline is more pronounced in younger adults.
If you’re worried about yourself or a family member showing signs of dementia, it’s important to discuss symptoms and seek support early. You can also contact local dementia support organisations such as Alzheimer Scotland, Dementia UK, and Alzheimer Society, who can provide information, resources and guidance on support options.
Molly Murray is a PhD student at the University of the West of Scotland. She receives a Studentship and funding from the University of the West of Scotland for completing her PhD which explores experiences of navigation in people with young-onset dementia.
Proposed investment in the future of Dundee City Council’s waste and recycling operations is set to go before councillors.
Three reports are to be considered by the next meeting of the Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure Committee.
A sourcing strategy is being put forward for the procurement process to purchase wheeled bins, euro containers, skips and specialist containers for neighbourhood recycling points for the next year.
Costs of £150,000 are outlined, with approval sought to proceed through the Scotland Excel procurement service.
Councillors will hear that the annual purchase is required for new build properties and new commercial customers amongst others, as well as replacing damaged items.
Another report focusing on recycling presents a sourcing strategy for the procurement process for the treatment of mixed scrap metal, mixed recycling: metals, plastics and cartons, as well as paper and cardboard.
Current contracts for the three areas of recycling total around £470,000.
New contracts would start later in 2025 and would involve the reprocessing of over 7,500 tonnes of material a year.
Meanwhile, the committee is being asked to approve the purchase of specialist equipment for Baldovie Household Waste Recycling Centre.
The £99,722 cost will be covered by money received from the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund, which is being used to maximise reuse, recycling and carry out site upgrades at the city’s two recycling centres.
The roll packer will be used for compacting waste and recycling contained in open skips. High compaction will be possible, and this will result in fewer vehicle and skip movements, leading to better operational efficiency.
Committee convener Cllr Steven Rome said: “These reports show our commitment to improve our recycling and reuse rates and make it easier for more people to play a part in our recycling effort.”
Climate, Environment & Biodiversity Convener Cllr Heather Anderson said: “As a council, we have declared a climate emergency with waste being one of the key themes within that declaration and the subsequent Dundee Climate Action Plan.
“To make a real impact, it is important that we continue to improve the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste and resources in the city. So, it is vitally important that we keep investing for the future.”
Sadly, a 27-year-old woman has died and a 32-year-old man is in a serious condition after a two-vehicle crash on Johnston Road St Leonards, in Launceston this evening.The crash occurred on Johnston Road, St Leonards about 5.20pm. The woman was the driver and the man a passenger of a Mazda sedan which collided with a Subaru wagon. Luckily the sole female driver of the Subaru was not physically injured in the crash.Upon police arrival, CPR was provided to the woman however sadly, she died at the scene. Our thoughts are with the woman’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.The man was flown to the Royal Hobart Hospital in a serious condition.Police and emergency services remain on the scene, with Johnston Road remaining closed to allow crash scene investigations to be conducted.Police are calling for witnesses to the crash to come forward.Anyone with dash cam footage or information should contact Police on 131444 or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or crimestopperstas.com.auA report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
More than half a million more people in line for savings boost
Thousands more are eligible to open a Help to Save account.
Government’s Help to Save scheme now open to 550,000 more people to help with cost of living
Those saving £50 a month can expect £25 Government top-up, putting more money in people’s pockets
Part of Government’s mission to grow the economy and deliver on our Plan for Change
More than half a million more UK savers are in line for Government bonuses worth up to £25 a month to boost their cash pots and help ease rises in the cost of living, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced today.
As part of the Government’s mission to grow the economy and improve lives in every corner of the UK and to deliver its Plan for Change, Help to Save is now open to anyone working and receiving Universal Credit – rewarding 550,000 more people.
Its extension to April 2027 means more can benefit from the scheme, which has paid out millions of pounds in bonuses to more than 500,000 people since Help to Save was launched in 2018.
This is evidence of the Government backing the most vulnerable in society with 93% of savers paying in the maximum £50 every month to their Help to Save account.
An account can be set up in less than 5 minutes and easily managed through GOV.UK or the HMRC app, making it accessible to people throughout the UK.
Savers who deposit the maximum amount of £2,400 over four years will receive a bonus totalling £1,200 into their bank accounts, with payments coming at the end of the second and final year.
Emma Reynolds, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, said:
Security for working people is at the heart of our Plan for Change.
We want more people to have a bit in the kitty for a rainy day, which is why we are giving hundreds of thousands more working families on tight budgets access to this support.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:
Thousands of customers have already benefitted from Help to Save and many more are now eligible to get a great return of 50% on top of their savings, no matter how little you can save each month. Go online or via the HMRC app to find out more and apply today.
Savers can deposit between £1 and £50 each month earning an extra 50 pence for every £1 saved, with bonuses paid in the second and fourth years of the account being opened. The bonus payment applies to the highest amount saved within the period.
Nearly 18,500 people opened a Help to Save account via the HMRC app in 2024. App users have access to their savings account at their fingertips. They can view their account, check their balance and bonus details, and make a deposit via debit card, bank transfer or standing order.
Money can be withdrawn at any time, although this may affect the 50% bonus payments.
Michelle Highman, Chief Executive of The Money Charity, said:
We are really pleased to see the Help to Save scheme extended and made available to more people. It’s a brilliant way for people to start to save and to build their financial resilience and futures. Saving even just a little each month will help, and the added 50% bonus payment from the Government means that if you are eligible, then it’s a great place to boost your savings.
Latest statistics on Help to Save up to April 2024 were released in September 2024
Number of Accounts Opened to end-April 2024
Total value of deposits
UK Total
516,800
£492,539,000
England
439,900
£420,318,000
North East
22,750
£20,668,000
North West
67,650
£63,479,000
Yorkshire and The Humber
49,600
£47,043,000
East Midlands
43,000
£41,219,000
West Midlands
49,550
£46,130,000
East of England
44,900
£43,176,000
London
55,550
£52,935,000
South East
60,500
£57,563,000
South West
46,400
£48,106,000
Wales
24,850
£23,683,000
Scotland
36,050
£33,584,000
Northern Ireland
15,650
£14,700,000
Help to Save was launched in September 2018 and was due to end in September 2023. It was extended to April 2025 and has now been extended until April 2027.
Previous eligibility criteria meant savers had to be in receipt of Tax Credits or Universal Credit and be earning at least 16 hours a week at National Living Wage.
How the bonus payments work:
after the first 2 years, customers will get a first bonus if they have been using their account to save. This bonus will be 50% of the highest balance saved.
after 4 years, they will get a final bonus if they continue to save. This bonus will be 50% of the difference between 2 amounts:
the highest balance saved in the first 2 years (years 1 and 2)
the highest balance saved in the last 2 years (years 3 and 4)
if their highest balance does not increase, they will not earn a final bonus.
the bonus is paid into their bank account, not their Help to Save account.
Peter Dutton, now seriously on the back foot, has made an extraordinarily big “aspirational” commitment at the back end of this campaign.
He says he wants to see a move to indexing personal income tax – an assault on the “bracket creep” that sees people pushed into higher tax brackets when their income rises due to inflation.
He suggests this would be a task for after a Coalition government had the budget back in shape, so he puts no timing on it.
If Dutton is serious, this is the most radical proposal we’ve heard for the election, apart from the nuclear policy.
The opposition leader produced the indexation idea, out of the blue, in an interview with The Australian, saying, “I want to see us move as quickly as we can as a country to changes around personal income tax, including indexation, because bracket creep, as we know, is a killer in the economy”.
When there are widespread calls from business and experts for an overhaul of the taxation system, but apparent deafness from most politicians, dealing with bracket creep would be one major step forward.
Economist Richard Holden from the University of New South Wales, is a strong advocate. “The current system has been built on tax increases on every working Australian all the time,” he says. An indexed system would be “more honest”, as well as forcing fiscal discipline on governments.
The latter constraint is one big reason governments shy away from it. Bracket creep provides a huge amount of revenue automatically, and indexing tax brackets would be very costly. The spending discipline the system would then require is probably beyond any modern government, given the enormous demands from voters.
There’s another point. Governments like to make good fellows of themselves by handing back some of this bracket creep in tax cuts at times of their choosing, particularly at elections – as we’ve seen this time.
Ken Henry, former treasury secretary and lead author of the major taxation review commissioned by the Rudd government, urged indexation in a February speech outlining a blueprint for tax change.
Henry is particularly concerned with intergenerational equity. “Young workers are being robbed by a tax system that relies increasingly upon fiscal drag,” he said. “Fiscal drag forces them to pay higher and higher average tax rates, even if their real incomes are falling.”
A conservative government did index income tax, way back in Malcolm Fraser’s day, when the then-prime minister described it as a “great taxation reform”.
Fraser argued: “Perhaps the single most important feature of the reform, is that it is not a once-and-for-all measure. It will continue to have significant beneficial effects in personal income tax payments from year to year”.
The change, however, didn’t last long – after introducing it in 1976, Fraser cut it back in 1979 and then scrapped it in 1982.
But, accepting the potential upsides of the idea, the fact that Dutton has come out with this ambitious, “aspirational” policy in this way, at this time, raises questions about his campaign strategy.
If he means it, this should have been front and centre of his election pitch, advanced much earlier and cast as part of a reform agenda.
Instead, all we got from the Liberals on tax was the weekend commitment to a one-off income tax offset. And that followed the party earlier saying it would not be able, for financial reasons, to produce anything at all. Also, of course, they rejected the modest tax cuts in the budget.
Some Liberal sources say Dutton always intended to float the indexation idea. If so, he and those running the Liberals’ campaign missed a big opportunity.
The other view is to think Dutton could have been freelancing – talking up his commitment to economic reform, going for an easy headline, but knowing he would never have to deliver. Most likely, he would not reach office. If he did win government – well, this was an “aspiration”, whose time would never arrive.
Questioned on Thursday about his idea, Dutton argued the difficulty of writing tax policies from opposition.
He pointed to the example of the Howard government, which unveiled the GST after winning power in 1996, then took it to a subsequent election in 1998.
It is a risky precedent to highlight, however. John Howard promised in opposition he would “never, ever” bring in a GST. Dutton can’t afford to fan any suggestion that we don’t really know his full tax agenda – that he might surprise if he won.
For its part, Labor this week found itself again caught in the weeds of a perennial tax debate – over whether, despite its denials, it might abolish the negative gearing tax break for property investors.
Anthony Albanese kicked an own goal in Wednesday’s debate when he insisted the government hadn’t commissioned Treasury modelling on the impact of negative gearing for the housing market. There was much to-ing and fro-ing last year about this, but it finally became clear Treasurer Jim Chalmers had requested advice.
Chalmers on Thursday made a Jesuitical distinction between asking Treasury for “a view” and commissioning modelling.
“I said last year […] I sought a view. That’s different to commissioning modelling,” Chalmers told a news conference alongside Albanese. “The prime minister was asked about commissioning modelling. I sought a view.
“The view from the Treasury is that a change to negative gearing wouldn’t get the sort of improvement that we desperately need to see in our economy when it comes to supply and that’s why our focus is not on changing that.”
Pressed to “rule out” any changes to negative gearing, Chalmers said “we’re not proposing any changes in this area”.
Dutton claimed Chalmers was “an advocate for the abolition of negative gearing”, and was “at war” with Albanese.
Once again, the opposition is trying to sow doubt about what Labor might do, regardless of what it might say, on this thorny issue. Or, as the government claims, it is trying to distract from its own problems.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Press release
Regulator investigates charity over persistent failure to submit accounts on time
The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into Plymouth Islamic Education Trust (PIETY).
The charity works, amongst other things, to advance the faith of Islam in Plymouth and the counties of Devon and Cornwall.
The Charity Commission’s engagement with PIETY began in 2014, when the charity had repeatedly failed to comply with statutory reporting requirements.
Prior to the opening of this inquiry, PIETY had, on two separate occasions, been placed in the Commission’s ‘double defaulter’ inquiry for charities that have failed to file their annual documents for two or more years in the last five years.
Despite significant regulatory engagement on this matter by the Commission, the trustees have consistently demonstrated that they are either unwilling or unable to comply with their legal duties.
The inquiry will examine the extent to which the trustees are complying with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance, and management of the Charity and in particular:
The trustees’ compliance with their legal obligations for the content, preparation and filing of the Charity’s accounts and annual returns.
The extent to which the trustees have complied with previously issued regulatory guidance.
To identify if there has been any misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of the Charity.
The scope of the inquiry may be extended if additional regulatory issues emerge during the Commission’s investigation.
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society. Find out more: About us – The Charity Commission(www.gov.uk)
On 20 March 2025, the Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the Charity under section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 as a result of its regulatory concerns that there is or has been misconduct and/ or mismanagement in the administration of the Charity.
A statutory inquiry is a legal power enabling the Commission to formally investigate matters of regulatory concern within a charity and to use protective powers for the benefit of the charity and its beneficiaries, assets, or reputation.
An inquiry will investigate and establish the facts of the case so that the Commission can determine the extent of any misconduct and/or mismanagement; the extent of the risk to the charity, its work, property, beneficiaries, employees or volunteers; and decide what action is needed to resolve the concerns.
Double defaulter and other inquiry reports are published on gov.uk
Demolition of blocks in the Spon End area of Coventry has officially started, marking a key milestone in the regeneration of the area.
Housing association Citizen is working with The Hill Group to demolish Kerry House, Milestone House and Trafalgar House in Spon End. Coventry City Council, Homes England and West Midlands Combined Authority are key partners supporting the delivery of the project.
To start with, works will take place inside the homes to all fixtures and fittings before the buildings are taken down.
This marks the first stage in a huge regeneration project which will see more than 750 homes built across three phases.
In the first phase, 158 homes will be demolished, and, subject to planning permission, 261 affordable homes will be built in their place. Of these homes 209 will be social rent homes and 52 will be rent to buy homes which are initially let at an intermediate rent of 80% of the market rent and can be later purchased.
Director of Regeneration at Citizen, Kevin Roach, said: “We’re pleased to see demolition work at Spon End underway in the first phase of our regeneration project.
“We’ve been working hard with our partners behind the scenes over the last few years on this regeneration project which will transform Spon End by providing more energy efficient affordable housing, increasing the area and quality of green open space and opening up the area of the River Sherbourne.
“This is a major project to regenerate the area over the next 10 years and we have worked with the community to ensure that their priorities and feedback has influenced our plans for the area.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the demolition progress over the next few months and to start on site in Spring 2026.”
The three blocks which are being demolished were first built in the 1960s and have most recently been used as part of various BBC productions including This Town, My Name is Leon and Phoenix Rise.
Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, Councillor Jim O’Boyle, said: “This is a really important regeneration scheme and one that is going to provide a lot of social and environmental benefits to the area.
“I’ve visited the site and seen close-up the work underway to remove fittings and structures inside the buildings.
“You can also see how dated and tired the existing housing and infrastructure looks, and it’s great to know that they will be replaced modern, warm and energy efficient homes, more quality green space and all with the River Sherbourne as a key feature.
“It’s going to be a major improvement for the Spon End area and I’m looking forward to seeing work start to progress.”
Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities at Coventry City Council, Councillor Naeem Akhtar, added: “I’m really interested in seeing the development of these new homes because it is vital that residents get every opportunity to live in good quality accommodation.
“I know that there has been a lot of work already done by Citizen, partners and residents to get to this point, and the demolition of the existing buildings is an important moment.
“We have more than a 1000 families and single people in temporary accommodation and to see the scheme really get underway, is good for our residents.”
Regional Managing Director at The Hill Group, Andy Fancy, said: “We’re excited to begin work on this important development site at Spon End. Successful projects are built on strong collaboration, and together with Citizen, Coventry City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, and the invaluable support of the local community, we’re poised to deliver energy-efficient, affordable homes that will enhance and enrich the local area.”
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, added: “Our region is brilliant at building houses but not always the kind that people can afford. We desperately need more social and affordable housing so that everyone in the region can have a safe, secure place to call home.
“Already I’ve provided funding for more social homes than we’ve ever funded before. But the scale of the challenge means we have to work together to build the homes we need.
“Spon End may be something of a TV star, but it’s no longer fit for purpose. It’s time to bring the curtain down on these old properties and replace them with new, high quality social homes.
“It’s only by taking these bold decisions, and working together, that we can deliver what the region needs – homes for everyone.”
Demolition works are due to be complete in early 2026, with plans to start building the new homes in Spring 2026. These homes, which will be one and two-bed flats, are due to be completed and handed over to customers late 2028.
Operation Gomorrah may have been the most cynical event of World War Two (WW2). Not only did the name fully convey the intent of the war crimes about to be committed, it, also represented the single biggest 24-hour murder toll for the European war that I have come across.
Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
On the night of 27 July 1943, the RAF murdered 35,000, mostly working-class civilian residents living in the most densely populated part of Hamburg; a planned firebombing which started a sequence of events – a holocaust if not The Holocaust – that ended in Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. (Note The bombing of Hamburg foreshadowed the horrors of Hiroshima, National Geographic, 23 July 2021.) A holocaust is a “destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war” (Oxford Dictionary). [In The Holocaust, 31,000 Jews were shot dead in Kyiv in a single day in 1941; the worst single day of The Holocaust, I understand.]
Hamburg was, literally, a dry run for what came later; the aim was to maximise the number of barbecued civilians by, among other things, choosing perfect weather conditions for an experiment in incendiary murder. (Yes, I am literally using inflammatory language.) While the total death toll of the week-long operation has been estimated to be over 40,000, the toll arising from the night of 27/28 July 1943 represents about 85% of the total.
The Gomorrah chapter of Peter Hitchens’ The Phoney Victory, 2018, gives a documented account of the moral duplicity surrounding Churchill’s bombing campaign. For a full story of the Allies’ firestorm holocaust, see Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, 2022, by James M Scott. (John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, is a survivor of the Tokyo episode, the raid that killed more people – over 100,000 – than any other in a single arsonous assault.)
Sodom and Gomorrah
These twin ‘cities of the plain’, which, if they ever existed, are now either under the Dead Sea or east of there, in modern Jordan. The key chapter in the bible (Genesis, ch.19) mainly emphasises Sodom, though Gomorrah was reputedly as ‘sinful’. The biblical story is ghastly, in its misogyny as well as its extollation of extermination of ‘others’.
Genesis (ch.19) tells us, when Lot (Abraham’s nephew) found himself, in Sodom, hosting two Angels/men, ‘the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.”‘ The secret to understanding this is the biblical meaning of the word ‘know’; in this case the events took place in Sodom, and the guests had the appearance of ‘men’.
Lot replies: ‘”I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men …”.’ While the men of Sodom did not take up the offer – they favoured Lot himself – the angel-men saved Lot and his family. Then ‘When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be consumed in the punishment of the city.”‘ …
‘When they had brought [the four of] them outside, [the angel-men] said, “Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, or else you will be consumed.” … Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.’ …
After the three survivors settled in a cave: ‘the firstborn [daughter] said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the world. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring through our father.” … ‘Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.’ (Thus, the East Bank [of the River Jordan] was repopulated!!)
Hamburg came to be equated with biblical Sodom, as deserving victims for a particularly barbaric form of mass murder. Neither Churchill, nor his bomber commander Arthur Harris, could know that only 35,000 Hamburgers would die as a result of that night’s operation. There is reason to believe that Churchill and his savants were looking for many more than hundreds of thousands of Germans to be ‘de-housed’ over the incendiary bombing campaign. (Dehousing was the euphemism used by Churchill’s men; compare with ‘resettlement’ for the trip that the residents of the Warsaw Ghetto made to Treblinka.)
Hamburg and the Gomorrah holocaust
Why Hamburg? Basically, because it was there. Though it was/is a large industrial and mercantile port city, the terror target was workers, not the works which employed them. The National Geographic article notes, with gallows-humour irony: “After noticing that Brits whose homes were struck by bombs were less likely to show up to work, analysts determined that destroying Germany’s largest cities and towns would likely cripple Germany’s war efforts.” Hamburg was close to England, and could be reached without flying over occupied land. And Hamburg was defended by a radar system of sorts, though not as sophisticated as British radar. The first British bombing raid on Hamburg was very much a technology test-run; refer The Woman Whose Invention Helped Win a War – and Still Baffles Weathermen, Irena Fischer-Hwang, 28 November 2018, Smithsonian Magazine. The second British raid on Hamburg was the real thing, a particularly dry run to really get the Gomorrah holocaust underway.
Hitchens (p.178) says: “Winston Churchill speculated in a letter of 8 July I940 to his friend and Minister of Aircraft Production, the press magnate Lord (Max) Beaverbrook, that an ‘absolutely devastating exterminating [my emphasis] attack by very heavy bombers from this country upon the Nazi homeland would help to bring Hitler down’. Arthur Harris, later the chief of RAF Bomber Command, realised the significance of these extraordinary words … he kept a copy of this letter.”
Hitchens (p.181) citing Bishop Bell speaking in February 1944 in the House of Lords: “Hamburg has a population of between one and two million people. It contains targets of immense military and industrial importance. It also happens to be the most democratic town in Germany where the Anti-Nazi opposition was strongest. … Practically all the buildings, cultural, military, residential, industrial, religious – including the famous University Library with its 800,000 volumes, of which three-quarters have perished – were razed to the ground.” While dead and dazed people may have low morale, and therefore have an arguable incentive to wage a civil war against their own government, they – especially the dead – are uniquely unable to overthrow a ruthlessly militarised government.
We might note Hamburg’s anthropological links to England. At a time of high racial – indeed racist – sensibilities, Anglo-Saxon supremacy was a very real thing. The area of Germany around Hamburg is the ‘Hawaiki’ of the Anglo-Saxon people; Lower Saxony is the ancestral motherland of the English. The class-consciousness and revengeful bloodlust of the English political class outweighed their ethnic consciousness. This was not true for the German Nazis, for whom the English were racial equals; Hitler and his crew really did not want to kill English people. Nazi Germany wanted the United Kingdom to become a neutral country, as Ireland was, and as the United States was before December 1941. Nazi Germany’s policy was to enslave, resettle, and murder Slavs and Jews and Gypsies; not to kill or dehouse Englishmen and their families.
The ‘elephant in the room’ was Josef Stalin.
Hitchens (p.191): “There is little doubt that much of the bombing of Germany was done to please and appease Josef Stalin. Stalin jeered at Churchill for his failure to open a Second Front and to fight Hitler’s armies in Europe, and ceaselessly pressed him to open such a front – something Churchill was politically and militarily reluctant to do. Bombing Germany, though it did not satisfy Stalin’s demands for an invasion, at least reassured him that we were doing something, and so lessened his pressure to open a second front.”
Hitchens (p.198): “Overy [in The Bombing War 2014] recounts how on 28 March 1945 Winston Churchill, clearly growing sick of the violence he had unleashed as victory approached and the excuses for it grew thinner, referred (in a memorandum) to Harris’s bombing tactics using these exact words. He urged, none too soon, that attacks turn instead to oil and transport. Harris paid no attention, and right up until 24th April 1945, his bombers continued to drop incendiaries and high explosives on German cities, turning many thousands of civilians into corpses.” [Hitler committed suicide on 30 April 1945, and VE Day was 8 May.]
Point of Interest: Churchill contested three elections, all after VE Day, all using Great Britain’s ‘first-past-the-post’ plurality system. He won just one of those three, though even then – in 1951 – his party got fewer votes than a Labour Party seeking re-election at a time of great difficulty for left-wing parties worldwide. Churchill’s Conservative Party got way-fewer votes than Labour in 1945 and 1950. The pressure on Prime Minister Clement Attlee to call the UK snap election of 1951 (one-third of the way through the term of his elected Labour government) can be understood as a successful example of political cunning on the part of the British establishment; literally a King’s coup.
A Scale of ‘Evil’?
While I generally hesitate to use the word ‘evil’, it may still be useful to grade very powerful people on a zero-to-ten scale of malevolence. On zero we might have the pacifist version of Jesus. On ten would be some very powerful person who actively sought nuclear ‘Armageddon’ (which would destroy life, not just humanity). After recently reading some quite difficult literature about World War Two, this is where I would place five powerful leaders:
9: Josef Stalin
8: Adolf Hitler
7: Benito Mussolini, Winston Churchill
6: Harry Truman
I need to read more about Truman; though, his legacy seems to have been airbrushed much as Churchill’s has been, and I might decide to upgrade him to a 7.
I would also note that these leaders had their close and powerful henchmen, whose ‘evilness’ can also be rated on such a scale, for example:
9.5: Lavrenty Beria
9: Josef Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler
Overall regimes can be better or worse than their leaders. I would rate both Stalin’s ‘Communists’ and Hitler’s ‘Nazis’ as both 8.5. Thus, Stalin’s regime was not quite as bad as its two most notorious figures. And Hitler’s regime was even worse than Hitler; that’s certainly not being kind to Hitler! (Stalin’s atrocities, the equal of Hitlers, were mostly committed in peacetime; the vast majority of Hitler’s were committed in wartime.)
‘Favourites’ as intimate (though not necessarily sexual) friends of powerful leaders
Churchill’s regime was not as bad as Churchill. Though Churchill had two favourites, both active members of his regime – especially his ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ – who were worse than him (possibly worse in one case, and definitely worse in the other). The ‘possibly worse’ one was Brendan Bracken, Minister for Information. Bracken, the prototype for ‘Big Brother’ in George Orwell’s book Nineteen Eighty-Four, was Churchill’s Goebbels. Orwell’s ‘Ministry of Truth’ was a conflation of the Ministry of Information and Orwell’s wartime employer, the BBC. (Born in Ireland, Bracken was sometimes rumoured to have been Churchill’s ‘love child’, though that supposition is most likely untrue.) Surprisingly little has been written about BB.
The ‘definitely worse’ favourite was German born (Baden Baden) and educated (Darmstadt and Berlin) scientist, Frederick A Lindemann; who was granted the title Lord Cherwell in 1941. He built his career in Britain at Oxford University, becoming Professor of Physics there in 1919. He also became a bit of a wartime ‘test pilot’, managing to establish his loyalty to the United Kingdom. His close friendship with Churchill lasted decades, beginning in 1921.
Frederick Lindemann, aka Lord Cherwell
In my assessment, Lindemann is the closest individual yet to a ten-out-of-ten on the above-suggested scale of malevolence. Let’s say that, if World War Three comes and someone like Lindemann has as much access to the levers of power as Lindemann actually had, then the world would be a goner. (In Lindemann’s defence, it has been noted that he was fond of children and animals. Likewise, another man; one with a famous moustache.)
Frederick Lindemann exerted a beguiling influence over Churchill. When Churchill was not in power, in the 1930s, Lindemann ran a private think-tank for Churchill. In the 1930s he allegedly undermined the scientific development of radar, which proved critical to the defence of Britain from Luftwaffe attacks; indeed, Lindemann seems to have shown a lack of interest in military defence; his thing was the elimination or dehumanisation of ‘others’. Lindemann “was one of the first to urge the importance of atom bomb research” (Where to Read about Professor Lindemann, The Churchill Project, 6 May 2015); indeed “Following his 1945 return to the Clarendon Laboratory, Lindemann created the [United Kingdom] Atomic Energy Authority”, Wikipedia.)
I will illustrate the Lindemann problem with quotes from these three sources; some may argue that I have made a biased selection, but so be it:
Mukerjee: “Known as the Prof to admirers (because of his academic credentials and his brilliance) and as Baron Berlin to detractors (thanks to his German accent and aristocratic tastes), Lindeman was responsible for the government’s scientific decisions.”
Mukerjee: “Lindemann attended meetings of the War Cabinet, accompanied the prime minister on conferences abroad, and sent him an average of one missive a day. He saw Churchill almost daily for the duration of the war and wielded more influence than any other civilian adviser.”
Gladwell: “I think that’s the crucial fact about Lindemann. One time he’s asked for his definition of morality and he answers, ‘I define a moral action as one that brings advantage to my friends.’ … The man who defined a moral action as ‘One that brings advantage to my friends,’ was best friends with Winston Churchill.”
Gladwell: “Lindemann becomes a kind of gatekeeper to Churchill’s mind.”
Mukerjee: “On most matters Lindemann’s and Churchill’s opinions converged; and when they did not, the scientist worked ceaselessly to change his friend’s mind.”
Mukerjee: “The mission of the S branch [Churchill’s nearest equivalent to DOGE] was to provide rationales for whichever course the prime minister, as interpreted by the Prof, wished to follow.”
Mukerjee: “Department heads ‘began to realize that, like it or not, the Prof was the man whom Churchill trusted most, and that all their refutations, aspersions, innuendos or attempts at exposure would not shift Churchill from his undeviating loyalty to the Prof by one hair’s breadth,’ wrote [economist] Harrod. So it was that the Prof would pronounce judgment on the best use of shipping space, the profligacy of the army, the inadequacy of British supplies, the optimal size of the mustard gas stockpile, the necessity of bombing German houses – and, when the time came, the pointlessness of sending famine relief to Bengal.”
Gladwell: “An argument took place at the highest reaches of British government. The question was what was the best use of the royal air force against the Germans? … One school of thought says, ‘Let’s use our bombers to support military activities, protecting ships against German U-boats, destroying German factories.’ The other school of thought argues that bombing ought to serve a bigger, strategic purpose. In other words, ‘Let’s use bombing to break the will of the German people, let’s make their lives so miserable that they give up.’”
Wikipedia: On dehousing, Lindemann says “bombing must be directed to working class houses. Middle class houses have too much space round them, so are bound to waste bombs”.
Gladwell on Lindemann’s dishonesty: “Lindemann’s memo to Churchill. It’s very matter of fact; it’s all about what the data says except for one thing. That’s not what the data says. The Birmingham-Hull study reached the exact opposite conclusion [about working-class morale] that Lindemann did.”
Gladwell: “Other experts [eg Henry Tizard] in the government, critics of strategic bombing, point out immediately that Lindemann’s numbers are ridiculous, five or six times too high, based on obvious errors.” [Hitchens (p.205) claims that the numbers of civilian casualties were only ten percent of what Lindemann had promised. If you multiply by ten the number of civilians – mostly workers, their families, slaves, and refugees – killed in the totality of the Gomorrah holocaust, you get a number bigger than deaths in The Holocaust; this would be a measure of Lindemann’s intent.]
Gladwell: “One of Lindemann’s friends said, ‘He would not shrink from using an argument which he knew to be wrong if, by so doing, he could tie up one of his professional opponents.’ Lindemann wanted strategic bombing, so Churchill went ahead and ordered the bombing of German cities.”
Gladwell: “Most historians agree that strategic bombing was a disaster. 160,000 US and English airmen and hundreds of thousands of German civilians were killed in those bombing campaigns. Many of Europe’s most beautiful cities were destroyed and German morale didn’t crack; the Germans fought to the bitter end. After the war, the Nobel Prize winning physicist Patrick Blackett wrote a devastating essay where he said that the war could have been won six months or even a year earlier, if only the British had used their bombers more intelligently.” [Note that the whole Gomorrah holocaust killed more Japanese civilians than German civilians; as noted in Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, the Hamburg dry run led more-or-less directly to the fire-bombings of almost every urban centre in Japan.]
Mukerjee: “‘Love me, love my dog, and if you don’t love my dog you damn well can’t love me,’ muttered a furious Churchill in 1941, after a member of the House of Commons had raised questions about the Prof’s influence.” [Gladwell: that “row occurred in 1942 and it occurred over strategic bombing”.]
Mukerjee: “Cherwell believed that a small circle of the intelligent and the aristocratic should run the world. ‘Those who succeed in getting what everyone wants must be the ablest,’ he asserted. The Prof regarded the masses as ‘very stupid,’ considered Australians to be inferior to Britons, advocated ‘harshness’ toward homosexuals, and thought criminals should be treated cruelly because ‘the amount of pleasure derived by other people from the knowledge that a malefactor is being punished far exceeds in sum total the amount of pain inflicted on a malefactor by his punishment.’” [Enjoyment arising from the punishment of the wretched outweighs the suffering of those wretched!]
Mukerjee: “Eugenic ideas also feature in a lecture that Lord Cherwell (then known as Professor Lindemann) had delivered more than once, probably in the early 1930s. He had detailed a science-based solution to a challenge that occupied many an intellect of the time: preserving for eternity the hegemony of the superior classes.”
Mukerjee: “New technologies such as surgery, mind control, and drug and hormone manipulations would one day allow humans to be fine-tuned for specific tasks. … ‘Somebody must perform dull, dreary tasks, tend machines, count units in repetition work; is it not incumbent on us, if we have the means, to produce individuals without a distaste for such work, types that are as happy in their monotonous occupation as a cow chewing the cud?’ Lindemann asked. Science could yield a race of humans blessed with ‘the mental make-up of the worker bee.’ This subclass would do all the unpleasant work and not once think of revolution or of voting rights: ‘Placid content rules in the bee-hive or ant-heap.’ The outcome would be a perfectly peaceable and stable society, ‘led by supermen and served by helots.’”
Mukerjee: “At least no one would demand votes on behalf of an ape. … To consolidate the rule of supermen – to perpetuate the British Empire – one need only remove the ability of slaves to see themselves as slaves.”
Gladwell: “How can you have a real debate against Churchill’s best friend? Friendship comes first.”
Gladwell: “The US starts sending over so many ships that, by late 1943 when the famine in Bengal is at its height, there’s actually a surplus of boats on the allied side. In fact, in 1943, the British actually start shipping wheat from Australia up through the Indian Ocean, just not to India. … British ships full of grain are sailing right past India on the way to the Middle East to be stored for some future, hypothetical need. They might even stop and refuel in Mumbai, but nothing leaves the ship. … Why is Lindemann [as Paymaster General] refusing to help? It doesn’t even make illogical sense. Indian soldiers, hundreds of thousands of them, are fighting the Germans in the Middle East and Africa. When other countries like Canada and the United States offered to send food to India, the British say, ‘We don’t want it.’ They turn down help. Lindemann seems completely unmoved by India’s plight.”
Gladwell: “Black people, according to a friend, filled him with a physical revulsion which he was unable to control. But I’m not sure that we’re seeing Lindemann here; I think we’re seeing Churchill. Churchill is the one with an issue about India. He’s obsessed with India. In the years leading up to the war, Gandhi is building his independence movement within India and Churchill hates Gandhi. Churchill is furious about the fact that Britain has to buy raw materials from India, meaning that the master is running up a debt with its supposed subject. … Why was Lindemann so adamant that England could not help India? Because Churchill was adamant that England could not help India and Lindemann was a loyal friend.”
CP Snow (1960), cited by Gladwell: “The Lindemann-Churchill relation is the most fascinating example of court politics that we’re likely to see.” [hmmm!]
Gladwell: “The best guess of how many died in the Bengal famine of 1943 is three million people. Three million. After the war, the British government held a formal inquiry into what happened, but the investigation was forbidden to consider, and I’m quoting, ‘Her Majesty’s government’s decision in regard to shipping of imports.’ In other words, they were asked to investigate the cause of the famine without investigating the cause of the famine.”
Hitchens (p.197): “Gas attacks were contemplated by Winston Churchill. … Overy writes ‘The RAF staff thought that incendiary and high-explosive raids were more strategically efficient [than gas or germ warfare], in that they destroyed property and equipment and not just people, but in any of these cases – blown apart, burnt alive or asphyxiated – deliberate damage to civilian populations was now taken for granted. This paved the way for the possibility of using atomic weapons on German targets in 1945’.”
It also paved the way for the potentially devastating anthrax attacks on Germany which would have taken place in 1944 had the American-led D-day offensive been unsuccessful; contamination from such attacks would have rendered parts of Germany uninhabitable for a human lifetime. (See my Invoking Munich, ‘Appeasement’, and the ‘Lessons of History’ 13 March 2025, which mentions both the Bengal famine and the anthrax program as well as the Hamburg holocaust.) The anthrax program bears the hallmark of Lindemann; the abandoned anthrax operation was dubbed Operation Vegetarian, in part a likely reference to Lindemann’s famed dietary obsessions.
Hitchens (pp.200-201): “It is surprising that Sir Max Hasting’s Bomber Command (first published in 1979) has not begun to change opinions. … Sir Max deserves much credit for the chapter in which he describes the indefensible destruction of the city of Darmstadt [south of Frankfurt] on 11 September 1944 (it was not, in any significant way, a military target). Hastings: ‘The first terrible discoveries were made: cellars crammed with suffocated bodies – worse still, with amorphous heaps of melted and charred humanity’.” (Lindemann went to school in Darmstadt. Victims most likely included his former classmates, teachers and their families.)
Hitchens (p.206), on the battle between Frederick Lindemann and Henry Tizard (the scientist who stood up to Lindeman, and paid a price): “Why is the only considerable account of this battle trapped inside [a] small, obscure volume that the reader must retrieve from deep in a few impenetrable scholarly libraries? Why is it not taught in schools? Why has nobody written a play about it? I suspect it is because this story, if well known, would undermine the shallow, nonsensical cult of Winston Churchill as the infallible Great Leader, a cult to which, surely, an adult country no longer needs to cling.”
Hitchens (p.205): “Tizard said that Lindemann’s estimate of the possible destruction was five times too high. He was supported by Patrick Blackett, a former naval officer who had become a noted physicist high in the scientific councils of the day. He would later win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and be ennobled as Lord Blackett. Blackett independently advised that Lindemann’s estimate was six times too high. ‘Both were slightly out. But they were nothing like as wrong as Lindemann was. Lindemann’s estimate of destruction was in fact ten times too high, as the postwar bombing survey revealed.” [The actual destruction of German cities was only one-tenth of what Lindemann had hoped and argued would be the case. Given the actual hundreds of thousands of barbecued German civilians, Lindemann had been arguing for millions.]
CP Snow (1960), cited by Hitchens (p.205): “It is possible, I suppose, that some time in the future people living in a more benevolent age than ours may turn over the official records and notice that men like us, well-educated by the standards of the day, men fairly kindly by the standards of the day, and often possessed of strong human feelings, made the kind of calculation I have just been describing. … Will they think that we resigned our humanity? They will have the right.” [Strikingly, although the post-war years have generally been regarded as ‘more benevolent’, the Gomorrah holocaust continues to ‘fly under the radar’. Indeed, so much so that Churchill’s speeches have been nominated as part of New Zealand’s schools’ draft English curriculum! (And that matter of Churchill was not raised by the New Zealand media; they were more interested in the ‘controversial’ possibility that Shakespeare might be compulsory.)]
Winston Churchill was not a nice man. His ‘favourite’ – Frederick Lindemann – was rather less nice.
Lessons
War itself is the problem, and the first casualty of war is truth. Drumbeating for war is cheap, and sabres are easily rattled. We stumble into wars without having any realistic idea how they might end; casual war becomes forever war. Wars involve multiple nasty people from the outset, and other similarly nasty people come to the fore during war, sometimes completely behind the scenes.
War changes much but solves little. World War Two was the first war in which civilians were targeted on an industrial scale. It ended, in Europe at least, in a Pyrrhic manner, with Josef Stalin’s USSR as the annihilist of Nazi Germany.
War in the modern age of globalisation means this and more. In a twenty-first century World War, while targeted civilians will be high on the murder list, the biggest death-counts are likely to be of untargeted civilians – residents of semi-belligerent and non-belligerent countries – and of completely guiltless non-human life forms.
If the Americans hadn’t successfully prosecuted D-Day (Operation Overlord) in 1944, I believe that Winston Churchill would have used the RAF to unleash his anthrax bombs. The Scottish island of Gruinard is only now becoming habitable, after eighty years of anthrax contamination. Imagine parts of Germany becoming uninhabitable – for nearly a century – had Operation Vegetarian been executed.
————-
Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
A new vision to help drive Dundee’s economy forward for the future could be set to get the go ahead.
Public sector bodies would join forces with local businesses through the Dundee Business & Economic Forum to produce an action plan based around the concept of ‘Dundee’s Growth Story’.
Councillors will hear that the plan would identify opportunities that the city can build on to deliver economic growth.
These include the transition to a knowledge economy, culture and tourism, Dundee Waterfront, city centre investment and clean growth. Stimulating population growth, tackling unemployment, job creation, improving earning levels and supporting businesses with the transition to net zero are among the challenges that have been identified.
The Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure Committee will be told that seven key themes will be explored.
These are:
• Promoting the city
• Growing the population and talent base
• Building the new Dundee
• Powering the entrepreneurial city
• Expanding the knowledge economy
• Community Wealth Building
Sustainable economic growth and diversification,
The plan will be discussed by council officials, business leaders and other stakeholders at the Dundee Economic Summit in June.
Once a plan is developed, a draft will be brought back to councillors.
Committee Convener Councillor Steven Rome said: “Already, through our City Plan and Council Plan, local partners are showing a real commitment to tackling economic challenges and developing new opportunities for the future.
“However, nobody is under any illusion about the scale of the task facing us and that is why it is so important that we leave nothing to chance. “Development of a new economic vision for the future of Dundee is more vital than ever given the scale of current events. I would like as many stakeholders and interested parties as possible to take part in the formulation of the plan.
“We will be keen to underline our commitment to fair work and sustainability as these are key parts of our drive to make the city a better place for everyone. “I look forward to hearing the input of partners and to seeing the plan take shape.”
The Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure Committee meets on Monday April 21.
James and Grace were the most popular first names given to children whose births were registered in Northern Ireland in 2024. Almost 950 baby names were registered that hadn’t been used before.
Girls
Grace has returned to the top spot as the most popular girls’ name after five years at number one from 2018 to 2022 .
Olivia takes second place, with Fiadh in third position.
Top 10
Grace
Olivia
Fiadh
Aoife
Emily
Lily/ Charlotte
Isla/ Sophia
Freya
Within the girls’ top 100, the highest climbers in popularity between 2023 and 2024 were Maya, Maria, Eliza, and Ayla.
Some of the less common names given to baby girls in 2024 were Dolly, Primrose, and Melody.
Boys
James has returned to number one after a six-year stretch at the top spot between 2015 and 2020, then regaining it in 2022.
Cillian was a close second place, with Noah in third position.
Top 10
James
Cillian
Noah
Jack
Theo
Jude
Luca
Charlie
Oisin
Oliver
Within the boys’ top 100, the highest climbers in popularity between 2023 and 2024 were Austin, Rossa, Callum, and Joseph.
Royce, Bentley, and Phoenix were some of the less common names given to baby boys in 2024.
Further information
You can get detailed information about names of babies in 2024 through the following link:
A New South Wales Senate inquiry into public toilets is underway, looking into the provision, design and maintenance of public toilets across the state.
Whenever I mention this inquiry, however, everyone nervously laughs and the conversation moves on. It’s not something people feel comfortable talking about.
Yet, a public toilet goes to the heart of what a city provides for its inhabitants and visitors. It is a critically important piece of public infrastructure that sets the tone for public behaviour, expectations and conduct.
And we could be doing so much better with our public toilets.
An important first impression
Public toilets communicate social values. They show how we provide for our citizens and what we expect of them in return.
A public toilet is often the first thing someone new to a place sees and wants; it creates an important first impression.
As communication theorist Paul Watzlawick said, “One cannot not communicate.” Infrastructure is no exception.
So public toilets play an important social role and, through their design, help communicate and shape relationships between citizens.
As one person’s submission put it: ‘It’s important that public toilets don’t look like prisons’. ThatHolisticMom888/Shutterstock
They not only provide relief for our urgent bodily needs; in them, we are equal humans. External hierarchies are largely removed.
Their appearance and design influences whether we feel cared for, trusted and appreciated, seen and acknowledged.
This is reflected in what members of the public have said to the current NSW senate inquiry. One submission, for instance, noted:
It’s important that public toilets don’t look like prisons.
If they are perceived as such, then the message is we can’t be trusted. We are assumed to damage or destroy them and behave like criminals.
Access to adequate public toilets is a basic right. But they are also used to administer medication, breastfeed, care for children, access drinking water and find a quiet place to rest. Public toilets are often the only private space in public.
So, how can a communal space like the public bathroom evolve accordingly? One issue emerging in several inquiry submissions so far is the issue of public toilets being routinely locked at night.
We don’t have a curfew, we are aloud (sic) out at night. If you don’t want people pissing in the street, then leave them open.
Cost is the greatest concern. Councils know how much their toilet blocks cost, but not how many people use them.
A submission from Blacktown City Council states their 218 public toilets cost more than A$15 million annually, involving six staff and three vehicles to service these facilities.
This equals more than $68,800 per toilet per year.
On the other hand, good public toilets could help grow the economy. A submission by Guide Dogs Australia quotes Deloitte Access Economics estimates that inclusive public spaces could add $12.7 billion to Australia’s economy annually and boost GDP by about $1.2 billion through increased workforce participation.
And a submission by Bathurst Regional Access Committees notes:
The disability tourism trade is worth well over $8 billion dollars annually. Tourism is what keeps many regions alive.
Decent and accessible toilets may even help attract more people to a local area, activating public spaces and building community.
Flipping the toilet script
We need to flip the way we think about public toilets and those who clean them.
They must radiate thoughtful care, pride, civic engagement and delight.
Australian urban designer David Engwicht’s community consultation approach to public space provides a great blueprint. He advocates recognising that place making is similar to home making; it can create memorable and potentially transformative experiences. It can help bring us into the present, creating a feeling of rootedness and connection.
This stunning public toilet in Tokyo was designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. Tada Images/Shutterstock
The toilet can transcend its shameful, dirty, grimy image and last resort status. It can become a privilege to maintain, clean and keep in pristine condition for the public good.
The public toilet could become a valuable asset, an attraction, a sought after destination, a jewel in the crown of the government’s public offering.
They could be pieces of enchanting infrastructure sponsors line up to support.
In this project, 17 toilets were designed by world-leading Japanese architects and designers and their cleaners’ uniforms by a famous fashion designer.
The toilets were equipped with custom high quality toilet paper, cleaned three times a day, and given their own stunning interactive website.
German filmmaker Wim Wenders even made a feature film, Perfect Days, about a man who cleans these toilets.
Credit: The Match Factory/YouTube.
These toilets, sponsored by the non-profit Nippon Foundation in collaboration with Shibuya City government and Shibuya Tourism Association, represent a highly innovative approach.
Here, the public toilet is celebrated as an international attraction, while providing an excellent service to the public.
Christian Tietz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Stakeholders in the import and shipping industries—including vessel masters, freight forwarders, offshore treatment providers, Biosecurity Industry Participants, importers, customs brokers, principal agents and master consolidators.
What has changed?
Following the identification of biosecurity concerns, we have listed COSMOS Pest Control Services (AEI: AE0010TP) as ‘under review’ on the…
VILNIUS, Lithuania, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BTCC, one of the world’s longest-serving cryptocurrency exchanges, announces an exciting development for the upcoming Red Eagle Foundation’s Legends Golf Day, where Bitcoin donations will be accepted for the first time in the foundation’s history. This crypto fundraising event will take place at The Shire London on April 24, 2025, creating a new avenue for cryptocurrency holders to support children in need across the UK.
The prestigious event will feature Tottenham Hotspur legend and former England manager Glenn Hoddle and other sports icons, including professional golfer Lucy Robson and Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham. Participants will enjoy a fantastic day of golf competition, entertainment with comedian Jed Stone, a live auction, and an exclusive Q&A session with Glenn Hoddle hosted by sports television pundit Scott Minto.
Attendees will be able to make Bitcoin donations via a QR code displayed throughout the event. All proceeds will directly benefit disabled, disadvantaged, and terminally ill children across the UK through the Red Eagle Foundation’s charity programs.
“As leaders in crypto, it’s our responsibility to unlock new ways for communities to give. Bitcoin donations are just the beginning,” said Aaryn Ling, Head of Branding at BTCC Exchange. “We believe in using Bitcoin not just as a financial tool, but as a force for good. That’s why we’re powering Bitcoin donations to charities worldwide.”
BTCC, established in 2011, is one of the world’s most established crypto exchanges, known for its security, reliability, and user-focused digital asset services. Beyond its business operations, the exchange actively participates in charitable initiatives to bring positive impacts to communities and society.
The Legends Golf Day builds on the success of previous collaborations between BTCC and the Red Eagle Foundation, including events featuring football legends Frank Lampard and Matt Le Tissier. The addition of Bitcoin donations aims to modernize fundraising approaches and engage the cryptocurrency community in supporting worthy causes.
About BTCC Exchange
Founded in 2011, BTCC is a leading cryptocurrency exchange committed to making crypto trading reliable and accessible. With a decade-long track record, BTCC offers a secure platform for crypto trading with its community-driven campaigns.
This notice is relevant to importers of tomato and capsicum seed for sowing from all countries, as well as their custom brokers.
What is changing?
The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry have commenced a review of Australia’s policies for testing tomato and capsicum seed, initially focusing on Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) and Tomato mottle mosaic virus (ToMMV).
Sadly, police can confirm a 13-year-old boy has died in Southern Tasmania. The boy was a pillion passenger on a moped which crashed on Main Road at Austins Ferry on 11 April. Following the crash the boy was taken to hospital in a critical condition and has since passed away. Inspector Jason Klug said, “Our thoughts and condolences are with everyone affected by this young boy’s death.” “To the teenagers in our community who are feeling the loss of their friend deeply, I encourage you to support each other and stay safe.” A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Man and woman charged with child abuse and online child exploitation offences
Thursday, 17 April 2025 – 4:27 pm.
A man and a woman from North-West Coast have been charged with serious child abuse and online child exploitation offences following an investigation by the Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET), a partnership between Tasmania Police and the Australian Federal Police. On 18 February 2025, JACET officers executed a search warrant at a residence. During the search, investigators located child exploitation material on the man’s phone involving a young child known to both parties. As a result of the investigation, the man has been charged with: 1. Possession, production and distribution of child exploitation material 2. Indecent assault The woman has been charged with: 1. Possession, production and distribution of child exploitation material 2. Indecent assault 3. Penetrative sexual abuse of a young person (x2) The man will appear in the Devonport Magistrates Court on 2 June 2025. The woman will appear in the Burnie Magistrates Court on 22 July 2025. The child has been placed in alternative care and is receiving ongoing counselling and support services. Reporting services: This case represents some of the most confronting and abhorrent offending we investigate. It’s a stark reminder that child sexual abuse often occurs in places where children should feel safest, in their homes and among people they trust. Police are committed to protecting children from harm and the partnership between AFP and Tasmania Police strengthens our capability to detect and disrupt offenders who betray the trust of the most vulnerable members of the community. We urge anyone with concerns or suspicions about child abuse, including online exploitation and grooming, to come forward. How to report child abuse or online child exploitation: 1. If a child is in immediate danger, call 000 2. Contact Tasmania Police on 131 444 3. Contact Strong Families Safe Kids on 1800 000 123 4. Report anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 5. Make an online report to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) at: https://www.accce.gov.au/report
South Australia Police (SAPOL), in collaboration with partner agencies, is urging visitors to Aldinga Beach to be aware of increased local sightings of a great white shark.
Representatives from SAPOL, the Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA), Department for Environment and Water (DEW), Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT), and Surf Life Saving South Australia (SLSSA) met this week to discuss additional risk mitigation measures.
Currently, a fixed wing shark patrol is conducting routine flights between 9am and 5.30pm, which will sound a siren when a shark is sighted.
Coinciding with the Easter long weekend, SAPOL’s Water Operations Unit and all partner agencies will have increased water patrols across inland and coastal locations and will pay particular attention to the Aldinga Beach area.
“We want the public to enjoy our beautiful beaches, but to do so safely,” Senior Sergeant Andrew Suter from SAPOL’s Water Operations Unit said.
“While authorities are monitoring the loitering shark in the vicinity of Aldinga Beach, we encourage beachgoers to be vigilant and adhere to all rules and regulations when on the water.”
Dr Michael Drew, Research Scientist with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) said white sharks can unpredictably visit the near-shore coastal waters of South Australia at any time of year.
“The near-shore coastal marine environment is an important habitat for juvenile and sub-adult (<3-4m) white sharks as it provides access to preferred prey species, such as small-bodied sharks and rays, and larger fish species like Australian salmon and snapper,” he said.
Beachgoers are reminded to be aware of their surroundings and to avoid swimming near food sources like large schools of fish.
Swimmers should also consider not entering murky waters, deep channels, and areas next to deep water and river mouths.
SLSSA will continue stationing members at Aldinga Beach, and in addition to routine club patrol coverage, will have one jet rescue boat dedicated to patrolling the southern beaches over the Easter long weekend. A secondary jet rescue boat will be available on northern metropolitan beaches.
The southern SLSSA jet rescue boat will aim to provide coverage between 10am and 6pm.
Up-to-date hazard alert information for all South Australian beaches is available to the public via the BeachSafe platform: https://beachsafe.org.au.
BeachSafe is a nationally recognised tool that provides current information for every beach in Australia, including patrol services, hazards, and available facilities and weather conditions, swell, and tide information.
The platform is designed to assist the public in selecting the most suitable and safe location for their beach visit. Should SLSSA receive reports of shark sightings over the weekend, it will promptly update the relevant hazard alerts to the affected beaches via BeachSafe.
Additionally, PIRSA would like to remind the public that using blood, bone, meat, offal or animal skin (other than a fish, worm or insect) for berley is prohibited in SA waters and should be reported to the 24-hour Fishwatch hotline on 1800 065 522.
Fishers are advised that gear restrictions for metropolitan shark fishing apply from Outer Harbor to Lady Bay Shacks, south of Normanville. More information can be found at pir.sa.gov.au/fishing-sharks-rays or the Recreational Fishing App.
The Chinese embassy in Britain on Wednesday urged the British government to follow the principles of fairness, impartiality and non-discrimination in dealing with the issue of British Steel to make sure that the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies in Britain are protected.
The anti-China rhetoric of some individual British politicians regarding the issue of British Steel is “extremely absurd,” a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Britain said in a statement.
The spokesperson made the remarks as several politicians attacked Chinese companies and the Chinese government following the British government’s recent takeover of British Steel from private Chinese enterprise Jingye Group, which has owned the company since 2020.
The attacks by some individual British politicians reflected “their arrogance, ignorance and twisted mindset,” said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson stressed that the Jingye Group is a private Chinese enterprise that makes business investments in Britain on the basis of market principles and conducts operation on its own.
British Steel had been losing money for many years before its acquisition by Jingye and actually went into compulsory liquidation in 2019, noted the spokesperson.
“After taking over, Jingye put in substantial funding to keep the company afloat to this day. Had it not been for the involvement of this Chinese company, British Steel workers might have already faced the risk of unemployment,” said the spokesperson.
It is understood that, under the British government’s net-zero strategy, steel companies that use iron ore to produce steel must achieve net-zero emissions by 2035. To that end, British steel companies including British Steel have all negotiated with the government to find a path to decarbonization transition. Among them, the Port Talbot Steelworks in Wales closed its blast furnace in July 2024.
“British Steel’s plan to close its blast furnaces and build electric arc furnaces is a normal decision, and it is understandable that the company conducted negotiations with the government on investment for the transition,” said the spokesperson.
Generally speaking, Chinese companies in Britain have operated in compliance with the law and achieved steady progress, and have made positive contributions to the local economy, the spokesperson said. According to statistics available, Chinese companies in Britain have contributed over 115 billion pounds (152.6 billion U.S. dollars) to the British economy and created nearly 60,000 jobs.
Any words or deeds that politicize or maliciously hype up business issues will undermine the confidence of Chinese business investors in Britain and damage China-Britain economic and trade cooperation, said the spokesperson.
“It is hoped that the British government will continue to engage in consultations and negotiations with Jingye to actively seek a solution acceptable to all parties,” said the spokesperson.
Biosecurity industry participants and accredited persons operating under Approved Arrangement Class 19, including self-reporting importers, who are interested in attending an information session on the upcoming release of new industry reporting via the Biosecurity Portal.
What has changed?
The department will soon provide two additional reports to industry through the Biosecurity Portal for all accredited persons…
