Latest news with #Dornan
Global News
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Bees cause a buzz at New Brunswick's legislature
The summer months haven't slowed down the New Brunswick legislature's departmental building. Instead, it's been buzzing — literally. Thousands of yellow and black bees, climbing over one another and into two white rectangular beehives, have made their home on the top of the building. That's no accident. It's the result of a lot of planning from an unusual source: Health Minister John Dornan. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Early one morning, when all the bees are home, we block off the entrance, put them in a truck, brought them up here, before the crack of dawn,' he said. Both hives come from his property, where he's been a beekeeper for over two decades. This year he decided to expand that hobby to the property at the centre of New Brunswick's provincial governance. Story continues below advertisement 'It does help pollinators in the area, and it shows a bit of an example of what New Brunswickers can do to help the environment,' he said. To learn more about the initiative, and the special guest who joined Dornan to exhibit the hives, watch the video above.
Scotsman
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Another Dornan step too far
Evening News readers might remember a particularly stupid and baseless allegation against Lothian Buses that it had cancelled services on St Patrick's Day in 2021 because of some hidden anti-Catholic bias that mysteriously Catholics had never noticed. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Of course, anyone with half a brain knew the services were halted because night after night bus services in some parts of Edinburgh were being subjected to wanton vandalism and thuggery, but not Glasgow MSP James Dornan who came up with the crazed sectarian theory just the same. Displaying the same level of incisive analysis, Mr Dornan has reacted to the proscription of the Palestine Action group as a terror organisation by lodging a motion calling for the UK Government to 'proscribe only those organisations that it considers really do or did cause a threat to life, such as the Israeli Defence Force.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We all know what Mr Dornan thinks about Israel, but there are still an estimated 20,000 Hamas 'fighters' ─ rapists and murderers ─ holed up in Gaza, an army dedicated to the extinction of the Jewish state, and the IDF is entitled to defend its people. Causing a threat to life is what armed forces do, following orders from politicians, so following Mr Dornan's logic, so too should the British Army be outlawed. He'd probably agree, but what's harder to understand is why an otherwise moderate Leith MSP Ben McPherson has backed Mr Dornan's extremism. Yes, the killing must end, but first and foremost that must apply to the Hamas death cult.
The National
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
SNP MSP threatens Russell Findlay with legal action amid IDF row
James Dornan issued the warning to Conservative group leader Russell Findlay amid a row over calls for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to be proscribed as a terror organisation. The UK Government proscribed the group Palestine Action late last week after a claimed £7 million of damage done to two planes at the RAF Brize Norton base on June 20, both of which are again operational. After the proscription, supporting or being a member of Palestine Action can be punished with up to 14 years in prison. An 83-year-old reverend was among the dozens of people subsequently arrested on terror charges in London over the weekend. READ MORE: How UK media are covering up British spy flights for Israel Ahead of the Labour Government's move, Dornan had lodged a motion at Holyrood opposing it, which was backed by former SNP ministers Paul McLennan and Ben Macpherson, as well as MSPs Stephanie Callaghan, Stuart McMillan, and Evelyn Tweed, and the Greens' Maggie Chapman, Ross Greer, and Patrick Harvie. Dornan's motion said that the UK Government seemed 'embarrassed by the actions of Palestine Action and terrified to show anything but utter compliance and subservience to the Israeli government' despite the 'ongoing ethnic cleansing of Gaza'. It urged Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to let the justice system deal with any potential criminal offences from Palestine Action activists, and urged the UK Government to 'proscribe only those organisations that, it considers, really do, or did, cause a threat to life, such as the Israel Defense Forces'. The IDF are actively engaged in breaches of international law in Palestine, including Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Smoke rising in Gaza after an Israeli bombardment (File photo)In Gaza, the IDF is widely considered to be engaging in a genocide, with the International Court of Justice ruling that Palestinians' right to be protected from genocide is under 'plausible' threat. Responding to Dornan's motion, when it was reported by the press over the weekend, Scottish Tory MSP Findlay suggested that criticising the IDF amounted to 'antisemitic poison'. 'If they got their way, Israel would be wiped out by Iran and its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah etc,' Findlay said of the SNP MSPs to have backed the motion. READ MORE: 'I spent 16 months in Gaza amid Israel's genocide. Here's what I saw' Responding, Dornan said: 'No surprise to see you rush to the defence of the perpetrators of war crimes, Russell. 'But if you call me an antisemite again then I will be considering taking legal action. 'I'm anti war crimes and, unlike many of your colleagues, I haven't been 'persuaded' to say otherwise.' A petition to have the IDF proscribed has garnered more than 13,000 signatures, at the time of writing. It comes after more than 130 leading charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Gaza issued a joint call for an end to the 'deadly' Israel- and US-led aid distribution scheme.
The National
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
IDF should be proscribed as terror group, says SNP MSP James Dornan
James Dornan, MSP for Cathcart, lodged a motion with the Scottish Parliament on June 25, where he said that Palestine Action are a 'non-violent campaigning organisation'. Palestine Action lost a late-night Court of Appeal challenge on Friday evening, which sought to stop it being banned, less than two hours before the move came into force at midnight. The designation as a terror group means that membership of or support for Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. READ MORE: 29 people arrested at protest in support of Palestine Action It comes after SNP MP Brendan O'Hara set out why the SNP abstained on the vote to proscribe the group in the House of Commons. Dornan's motion was described as 'antisemitic' by the Board of Deputies. In his motion, Dornan set out that Palestine Action are now proscribed alongside international terror organisations including Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the Irish Republican Army, among others. The motion adds that 'all of these groups have, unlike Palestine Action, at some stage taken part in violent action'. The move to ban Palestine Action was announced after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, which police said caused around £7 million of damage. Dornan's motion adds that the decision is 'an overreaction' from the UK Government that appears to have been 'embarrassed by the actions of Palestine Action and terrified to show anything but utter compliance and subservience to the Israeli government in what it sees as its ongoing ethnic cleansing of Gaza'. (Image: Getty) The motion says that this also applies to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the warrant for his arrest for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. It continues: 'Urges the Home Secretary to let the justice system deal with any ongoing criminal offences potentially committed by Palestine Action during reported events at RAF Brize Norton, and to proscribe only those organisations that, it considers, really do, or did, cause a threat to life, such as the Israel Defense Forces.' The motion was backed by former SNP housing minister Paul McLennan and former international development minister Ben Macpherson. Other SNP MSPs Evelyn Tweed, Stephanie Callaghan and Stuart McMillan were joined by four Scottish Green MSPs, outgoing co-leader Patrick Harvie, Maggie Chapman, Ross Greer and Mark Ruskell. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action on June 23, stating that the vandalism of the two planes was 'disgraceful' and that the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'. MPs in the Commons voted 385 to 26, majority 359, in favour of proscribing the group on Wednesday, before the House of Lords backed the move without a vote on Thursday. READ MORE: Proscription of organisation won't end the debate around terror laws The SNP abstained on the vote - with Argyll and Bute MP O'Hara stating that they would have opposed the ban had the UK Government not included two neo-Nazi organisations - Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement. Speaking in The Sunday Times Michael Wegier, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said Dornan's motion was 'ludicrous' and that the IDF was defending Israel. 'If the IDF did not exist, Israel would cease to exist,' Wegier said. 'Had the IDF not existed since Israel was created in 1948, there would be no Israel. 'So the only implication of this motion is that it is calling for the dissolution of the state of Israel, which is clearly antisemitic.' He added that there is a 'distinction' between criticising the Israeli government and 'calling for Israel's dissolution', which Wegier argued proscribing the IDF would do. Asked whether the SNP backed Dornan's motion and to set out its position on the proscription of Palestine Action, a spokesperson said: 'Since the beginning of this conflict, the SNP has been consistent in calling for an immediate ceasefire by all parties, the unconditional release of hostages, an end to UK arms sales to Israel and the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state as part of a two-state solution to secure a lasting peace. 'The focus of the international community must be in ensuring that peace is delivered, that humanitarian aid is delivered unimpeded to those who need it and that the international rule of law is enforced.'
New Straits Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
World Bank addresses (mis)perception of higher retirement age limiting jobs for younger workers
KUALA LUMPUR: The perception that increasing the retirement age will restrict job opportunities for younger workers is inaccurate and not supported by economic evidence, a senior World Bank economist said. World Bank senior economist for social protection and jobs for East Asia and Pacific region Dr Matthew Dornan said this stems from the misconception that the number of jobs in an economy is fixed. "In reality, the number of jobs in an economy is not static. It evolves based on market demand and economic growth," he said at the International Social Wellbeing Conference 2025 by the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) here today. Dornan said studies have shown older workers remaining in the labour market do not significantly reduce overall job opportunities for younger individuals. Elaborating further, he noted that the presence of older workers in the workforce can have a multiplier effect on job creation. "When older workers remain employed, they have income to spend, and this spending drives demand for goods and services often provided by younger workers," he said. The chain reaction, he added, stimulates economic activity, ultimately leading to the creation of more job opportunities across various sectors. On proposals to raise the retirement age, Dornan said such measures might become necessary in the future to ensure the nation's economic stability, particularly as the population continues to age. He highlighted that many countries have already adopted similar approaches, establishing a retirement age of around 65 years as the new norm. However, he said any decision on retirement age must be made with careful consideration and tailored to Malaysia's specific context and needs. "Typically, countries implement retirement age increases gradually to avoid system shocks and ensure smooth transitions," he said. Dornan recommended that Malaysia evaluate structural labour market factors, fiscal sustainability and citizens' life expectancy before making decisions related to retirement age policies.
