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Metro
6 minutes ago
- Metro
I've heard enough words – I want Government action on Israel-Palestine
Every day when I turn on the TV or open social media, I am haunted by a new horrific tragedy from Gaza. We all want the suffering to stop, and the question is, what can the UK government do to go further and faster in ending this war? Last week, Israel hit Gaza's only Catholic church, killing three people sheltering there. A parish priest was also injured, among many others. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country 'deeply regrets' the 'stray ammunition'. Days prior, 10 Palestinians – including six children – were killed in an Israeli air strike at a water collection point. The Israeli military called it a 'technical error'. But when so-called mistakes equals the killing of innocent people, surely we need to stop Israel from making them. There have been so many reports of desperate Palestinians killed while seeking aid. In a period of almost seven weeks, the UN recorded earlier this month that 875 people were killed in Gaza while trying to access food. Are all of these 'mistakes' or 'errors' too? In my opinion, they are deliberate actions to demonise, starve, and kill citizens. When I watched a mother cradling her newborn, who had to have their leg amputated before they even took their first step, my heart broke. Where is our humanity? And when I watched an interview with an Israeli soldier talking about suicide and suffering from PTSD because of what he had done, we need to ask ourselves, what is being created by this war? I have consistently condemned Hamas and called for the release of the hostages, who have suffered so much from this horrifying ordeal. I also helped secure the release of a constituent's mum taken hostage by constantly lobbying the government to get her home. The Government has done everything with regards to saying the words. It has called the situation 'intolerable', called out Israel's actions, and called for a ceasefire. But words are not enough. It's now time to ask: Are we scared of doing something? I am urging my government to take meaningful action – to go further and faster. I want to see the immediate recognition of the State of Palestine. To have a two state solution, we need two states. On top of that, we need support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which provides aid and relief to refugees in the region but has been subject to defunding and political attacks. We must continue to demand the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages, whom Hamas continues to cruelly detain. I have also made two new demands. Amnesty International reports that over 4,000 Palestinians are being held in Israel without charge or trial, which they say violates international law – that must end. And finally, I am calling for an end to all arms sales to Israel. The Government suspended around 30 arms export licences to Israel, from a total of approximately 350. However, it has been reported that UK firms have exported thousands of military items, including munitions, to Israel despite those suspensions. There is also the ongoing concern of whether the UK has continued to sell F-35 parts indirectly to Israel as part of the global supply chain, in potential breach of the arms export suspensions. I was disappointed that the Foreign Secretary didn't confirm action on this in his statement yesterday, and I urge him to think again. Ultimately, we need an immediate ceasefire. I will continue to call for one and vote for one at every opportunity. That ceasefire must last and be fully respected by both sides. To ensure that happens, any violation must be condemned and be met with further sanctions – including a full boycott on goods from illegal settlements in the West Bank. Until then, it's time to act. If you knew that your neighbour was starving another group of people, would you still call them your friend? Would you still support them? We need to be honest about the situation. Because I feel like I am being gaslighted. Think back to March when Israel killed 15 emergency workers in Gaza. First, they claimed that troops opened fire because the convoy approached suspiciously. But then a video found on the mobile phone of one of those killed showed that the vehicle had their lights on and emergency signals flashing. The bodies of the 15 dead workers were then buried in sand to protect them from wild animals and the vehicles were moved and buried to clear the road, an official claimed. If it wasn't for the phone footage being discovered, the excuses would have kept coming. The ethnic cleansing of Gaza is happening before our eyes. I want peace and I know that is a hard thing to imagine right now. But I'm not alone. My constituents write to me every single day asking what we will do to stop that death and destruction. Frankly, I feel ashamed, embarrassed, and sad that my many actions and words cannot stop what's happening. More Trending The ICJ ruled last year that there was a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, and in April, sought more information from Israel on the accusation. When you think about the many genocides that have taken place throughout history, I am sure there were some people in positions of power who could have said and done something — and regretted it for the rest of their lives. How will the history books reflect this moment in time? It's time for real action. And for the UK to fully play its role in the movement towards peace. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Ozzy Osbourne predicted his epitaph would be about bats – this one isn't MORE: The Great British Sewing Bee is back – but I miss Kiell Smith-Bynoe MORE: Jess Carter proves there's no room for error as a Black player
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
Delta pilot about to fly transatlantic route failed breathalyzer, officials say
A Delta Airlines transatlantic flight bound for New York City was canceled when the pilot was arrested after she failed a breathalyzer test, according to reports. The pilot was charged with suspicion of drunkenness and taken into custody at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport around 9:00 am local time Tuesday, according to police spokesperson Nadya Norton, to Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet. The newspaper reported that the pilot is from the U.S. The nearly nine-hour Delta Air Lines flight 205 was due to arrive in the U.S. at around 1 p.m. Eastern time. According to Aftonbladet, the suspect is a pilot from the U.S. The woman has been detained and is in custody pending a prosecutor's review, according to ABC New York. A prosecutor now has 72 hours to decide whether to charge or release her. Under Swedish law, the pilot could face a fine or up to six months in jail for a "normal violation." If the blood alcohol level is significantly high, the penalty can go up to two years in prison. Police informed ABC News that, in this incident, it did not appear to be the case. In a statement, Delta Air Lines said it will fully cooperate with authorities, "as nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and people. We apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel, and teams are working to get them to their destinations as soon as possible." Pilots in the U.S. are required to adhere to an 8-hour 'bottle to throttle rule,' meaning they must not fly while under the influence, and must not fly while using any drug that could 'adversely affect safety,' according to Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. The passengers on the morning flight were entitled to receive $705 in cash compensation because of the incident, according to aviation site View From The Wing. The compensation, which covers all passengers who were on board the 226-seat Boeing 767-332 aircraft, will cost Delta approximately $160,000, thanks to European Union rule 261, which covers lengthy delays and inconvenience. Costs associated with temporary lodging, meals, and any possible disruption to follow-on flights are not included in the payout, VFTW reports. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency mandates random alcohol testing for flight and cabin crew operating out of EU member states, as per Regulation 2018/1042. However, this incident is reportedly not the first case of alleged intoxication to occur, as two Delta flight attendants working on Delta's flight 49 from Amsterdam to New York JFK were also arrested for failing a breathalyzer in November 2024.
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Opinion: Britain is at the mercy of bond markets
It took the British government more than three centuries to rack up debts of £1trillion. That milestone was reached in 2010, in the wake of the financial crisis. It took just ten more years for our debts to hit £2trillion. They now stand just shy of £2.9trillion – and will hit £3trillion either this fiscal year or next. So that's another trillion racked up in less than a decade. Yes, there's the impact of inflation . And the triple-whammy of the financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and the energy shock after the invasion of Ukraine , all of which pushed the debt higher as the government borrowed to support households and businesses. But as the Office for Budget Responsibility warned in a recent report highlighting the parlous state of the nation's finances, successive governments have failed to take the action required to bring the debt back under control in the wake of those crises. And the government's annual borrowing bill has hovered around 5 per cent of GDP a year since the pandemic – levels only previously seen during recession or war. This is a major headache for Rachel Reeves ahead of the Budget this autumn. And that spells yet more pain for households and businesses – because however the Chancellor spins it, another round of tax rises are coming. They will be big. And they will be painful. This is because, far from being a 'beacon of stability' in an uncertain world, as Downing Street would have us believe, Britain is at the mercy of the bond markets. One only has to look back at the Liz Truss debacle to know that twitchy bond markets matter. And twitchy they are. To such an extent that UK gilt yields – a key measure of how much it costs the British government to borrow – are the highest in the G7. In fact, the UK has the third-highest borrowing costs of any advanced economy after New Zealand and Iceland. This is because international investors look at Britain – with its soaring debts and lack of political will to do anything about it – and do not like what they see. So they charge the UK government more to lend it money than almost every other similar economy in the world. To understand what that means one only has to look at the today's figures from the Office for National Statistics that show the UK paid £16.4billion of interest on the national debt in June alone. This was £8.4billion more than in the same month last year and the second highest June on record, amounting to nearly £550million a day and more than £22million an hour. So we are now in a situation where we are forecast to spend £111billion this year servicing the national debt – and just £62.2billion on defence. With the economy slowing, fears are mounting that the fiscal situation is getting worse not better. The scene is set for another punishing Budget this autumn.
