Latest news with #Establishment
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'If only Macca and Mick Jagger took on the Establishment like Bruce Springsteen'
I went to watch Bruce Springsteen this week and was blown away. Not just by the talent and energy the 75-year-old poured into a three-and-a-half hour set at Anfield. But his unflinching humanity, uncompromising principles, undying passion for the underdog, and unquenchable optimism in his fellow humans. All articulated in his utter despising of Donald Trump. 'The America I love and have sung to you about for so long, a beacon of hope for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration. Tonight we ask all of you who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices, stand with us against authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.' That was how he opened the show, and throughout it, to much cheering and applause, he peppered his rousing back catalogue with fierce attacks on 'an unfit President ' and a 'demagogue'. It felt more like a political rally than a pop concert, and, magnificently, it has truly riled the demagogue. After similar rhetoric in Manchester last month, the Great Man-Child called Springsteen 'a pushy, obnoxious JERK' and accused him of treachery, wailing 'this dried-out prune of a rocker ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the country'. Thankfully he won't. And it's a joy to behold. Rather than phoning in his greatest hits and soaking in adulation as his bank account swells, he is channelling raw anger and urging his audience to join in his joyous rage. I only wish some of Britain's musical legends like Sir Mick, Sir Rod, Sir Elton and Sir Macca were equally as bold and used their platform to challenge Establishment injustices, instead of bathing in the reflected glory of knighthoods and not rocking the boat. Springsteen's stance takes real courage, exemplified in the kickback he is facing from sections of his blue-collar fanbase. Last week, in his home state of New Jersey, a Springsteen tribute band called No Surrender was dropped by a venue for fear of a MAGA backlash. His critics say it's cheap posturing. That he's a bad loser who, like the man he attacks, refuses to accept the will of the American people. That he should take a look at all the luvvies who came out for Kamala Harris last year and realise that celebrity endorsements are now dead. But they are wrong. Anyone who hears Bruce express his pain over what is happening to his beloved country knows it's genuine. Besides, he's been sticking up for the underdog all of his career. During the 1985 miners' strike he anonymously handed over a cheque for $20,000 to a support group. As for those questioning his loyalty to America, what can be more patriotic than calling out the fake patriotism of a phoney President who has never cared about anyone but himself? A chancer whose real aim as CEO of the US is to spread his brand to every corner of the world and redistribute wealth further towards his billionaire backers at the expense of the poor. Trump and his people, The Boss told us on Wednesday, 'have no concern or idea what it means to be deeply American. Despite its faults it is a great country. And we will survive this moment'. With true patriots like Springsteen around, America has a chance. Butlin's is offering up to 40% off family breaks in 2025 and 2026.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
Buxar DM flags delays, orders action in disciplinary cases
Buxar: Buxar DM Anshul Aggarwal on Thursday inspected the Establishment Branch and expressed concern over delays in disciplinary proceedings. Establishment deputy collector Alma Mukhtar informed the DM that one revenue employee has been suspended, 10 face departmental action and Form 'A' proceedings involve five others. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Among clerks, one has been penalised, four are under inquiry and one has received Form 'A'. Two amins are also under investigation. Unsatisfied with progress, the DM directed that final reports and disciplinary proposals be submitted by June 15. He also ordered the withholding of May salaries of withdrawal and disbursing officers who failed to submit required reports. The DM found the human resource system lacking in leave management, service verification and cadre control. Cleanliness at the workplace was also found poor, prompting instructions for immediate improvements. He ordered the roster for vacant posts under the Collectorate be finalised and sent to the general administration department within 15 days. Clerk Jagnarayan Rai was asked to explain a false report and discrepancies in letter records were found.
Arab News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan's Imran Khan invites ‘establishment' for talks, denies deal for his release
ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has denied reports a deal has been made for his release from prison, once again inviting the 'establishment' for talks in the interest of Pakistan as it faces external and internal security threats and treads a tricky path to economic recovery. In Pakistan, the establishment is a euphemism to describe the armed forces and intelligence agencies and associated pro-military entities. The military has ruled Pakistan for at least three decades since independence in 1947 and wields extraordinary influence even with a civilian government in office. The current army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, promoted this week to field marshal, only the second general in Pakistan to get the rank, is widely believed to have considerable sway over government affairs. The military says it does not interfere in politics. 'The rumors that are being spread about a deal with me, no deal has been made, nor are there any talks regarding a deal, are all lies,' Khan said in a message posted on his X account after he met his lawyers and family members on Wednesday. 'I myself am inviting the establishment that if they want to talk in the interest of Pakistan, if they are concerned about Pakistan, then come and talk,' he added, saying political forces in the country would have to come together at a time when Pakistan faced 'external threats, growing terrorism, and the restoration of the economy.' 'I was not asking for anything for myself before, nor will I ask for anything now,' Khan said, referring to reports he was trying to negotiate a deal to get out of prison. After being jailed in August 2023 and slapped with a slew of cases Khan says are politically motivated, a Pakistani court sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment in a land corruption case in January. Before that, he had either been acquitted or his sentences suspended in most other cases, except for one on charges of inciting supporters to rampage through military facilities to protest against his arrest on May 9, 2023. Khan denies giving the instructions for the protests. His supporters have led several violent protest rallies since the May 9 incidents, with the government and military publicly vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice. The protests were widely seen as the most serious challenge to the military's hegemony in years. The army has since also faced sharp domestic criticism over accusations it was behind the jailing of Khan and cracking down on supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, as well as what critics alleged was rigging the general election last year to favor a rival party. The army rejects the accusations. But the military's popular support has surged after the worst military conflict in decades with arch-rival India earlier this month. On May 7, the Indian military carried out air strikes on what it called 'terrorist infrastructure' in Pakistan, in response to a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan claimed to have downed at least 5-6 Indian fighter jets in response and carried out air strikes on Indian military bases. India has indicated that it suffered some losses and inflicted damage on key Pakistani air bases and air defense systems. A ceasefire was brokered by the US on May 10. – With inputs from Reuters
Asia Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Asia Times
Time to punish Pakistan as a global terror hub
On April 16, Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir delivered a provocative and communally charged address that raised serious concerns at the time. Five days later, The Resistance Front (TRF)—a proxy of the UN Security Council-designated terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT)—claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26. The attack specifically targeted civilians on religious grounds. In response, India has been exercising its 'Right to Respond' by taking decisive counterterrorism action aimed at foiling further cross-border terrorist infiltration and dismantling the infrastructure of internationally designated terrorist organizations, including LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Internationally designated terrorist organizations and their operatives are not only politically shielded but also financially supported by the Pakistani state. This political support originates primarily from the Pakistani Army—commonly referred to as the 'Establishment'—and radical religious elements within Pakistan's political spectrum. The Establishment leverages these terror networks to wage proxy wars against India, compensating for its inability to engage in conventional military conflict due to economic and strategic limitations. Moreover, by continuously attempting to destabilize the Indian state through acts of terror, the Establishment seeks to retain its dominant role in Pakistan's internal decision-making, deflecting attention from governance failures by fueling religiously driven nationalist sentiment among the populace. On the other hand, extremist political actors support these groups to consolidate their vote banks as their communal rhetoric aligns with ideologies that resonate with certain voter segments. The financial support for these activities is indirectly sustained through the loans, grants and aid that Pakistan receives from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other multilateral institutions. This is evident from Pakistan's repeated placement on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list due to its consistent failure to demonstrate adequate enforcement against terror financing and to prosecute or convict UN-designated terrorists operating within its territory. Through informal financial channels like the hawala system, terror networks operating from Pakistan facilitate the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition across the so-called 'Golden Crescent', a region encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. These arms networks often extend into the Middle East, Africa and beyond, reaching extremist non-state actors and designated terrorist groups such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda and other jihadist outfits. The threat is not limited to weapons alone. Violent extremist ideologies are also actively propagated from this region. A recent example includes the reported meeting between Hamas leaders and Pakistani terrorist organizations, which took place shortly before the Pahalgam attack—highlighting how radical networks collaborate across borders and fuel terrorism. These interconnected and transnational networks ultimately undermine political stability, pose a grave threat to secularism and civil liberties, and often serve as the ideological foundation for lone-wolf terrorist attacks. In a nutshell, the consequences of inaction are both direct and indirect—political, social and economic—and the global community cannot afford to turn a blind eye. Multilateral institutions such as the IMF and World Bank must exercise heightened diligence when approving financial assistance to states like Pakistan, which has a well-documented history of enabling terrorism. This includes implementing stringent pre-sanction checks to assess whether any portion of previously disbursed funds may have been diverted—directly or indirectly—for terror financing or activities that undermine regional and global security. Robust international cooperation at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels is essential to counter this ongoing threat of state-supported terrorism. Jaimin Parikh is a young peacebuilder and a UN SDSN Pathways Fellow. The views expressed are the author's alone.
Daily Record
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Brit murdered in Kenya bombshell evidence revealed after being hidden for 9 years
A bombshell document which could have led to the conviction of Julie Ward's suspected murderer was left locked inside a safe at London police station for nine years. Explosive new evidence has dramatically emerged in the tragic case of a British woman who was murdered in Kenya. When Julie Ward died in 1988 the crime shocked the world - and now it has been revealed that a bombshell document which could have led to the conviction of the suspected murderer was left locked inside a safe at London police station for nine years. It was ignored by investigating officers, and Julie's brother Bob has now told the Mirror it was a 'conspiracy'. He believes that the Establishment had deliberately covered up her death to maintain a good relationship between the UK and Kenya. The prime suspect in Julie's horrific death was the son of then powerful and notorious Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi. In 2019, his playboy son Jonathan died of cancer without ever being charged. Jonathan Moi always completely denied being on the Masai Mara game reserve - where Julie was killed - at the time. However, this new evidence - which the police had years before his death - shows he had lied and was there. A handwritten statement from a camp official placed him close to the scene at the time. Bob only discovered its existence in recent years and his dad John spent millions of pounds seeking justice for his daughter before he died in 2023. Bob, who is carrying on the investigation, invited me to his rented garden shed to share the latest developments. Surrounded by tens of thousands of documents, and hundreds of boxes of files, Bob said: "It's a conspiracy. There's been a cover-up right from the start. "They've been lying over and over and over again. It's time we told the world what really happened. Scotland Yard have sat on key evidence for so many years. We are always being told 'it's gone missing' … and then again 'it's gone missing' - it happens time after time. Scotland Yard have conducted a sham inquiry. It's indisputable there have been lies. Dad used to say: 'you can smell the bullsh*t but you can't see it.'" The existence of the statement placing Moi at the scene should have seen him interviewed by police before his death which may have led to him prosecuted. Publishing assistant Julie, 28, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, took a wildlife photography trip to Kenya in September 1988. She was travelling with a friend but drove off alone to retrieve some camping equipment on September 6 and was never seen alive again. When she was reported missing her dad flew to Kenya and hired a private plane to search the area. John and his wife Jan, both aged 89, died within weeks of each other in 2023, 35 years after Julie's death. Bob said: "I was given this information in 2020 but it was during covid and then dad became unwell. We wanted to go back to Kenya to investigate it further - but unfortunately it never happened before Dad died. "It's time for it all to be made public now. Enough time has passed. People need to know the full truth. We formally spoke to the Police about this crucial witness statement in 2022. They were well aware of the fact that a witness placed Moi in the Masai Mara. They've done nothing since then. They've had enough time." The Mirror knows the identity of the witness and has read the full statement but our sister title has agreed not to reveal the name for fear of reprisals even so long after the murder. The witness told police: "I remember that Jonathan Moi and his party arrived very late…I definitely know that Jonathan Moi arrived at the site that night as I greeted him and spoke with him. I know that Moi was not in the Masai Mara for a safari." And went on to say that the next day, Moi and his friends did not return to the camp that night, adding: "This was unusual." When Moi was finally questioned by Police he always denied being in the area. He said: "Throughout the month of September 1988 I was at my farm at Eldama Ravine" – which is over 110 miles away. He said: "I would also state that I have never been at the Masai Mara game reserve." Scotland Yard also seized a camp site register which Moi had allegedly signed - but it has mysteriously vanished. Bob was told it was also being held in the Met's Lewisham safe, having been taken as evidence. After years of negotiations with the police he was finally given access to the safe contents five years ago. He said: "I remember going up during covid. We met in an alley around the corner from Lewisham Police station. There was a list of items for us to pick up, including the guest register book. But when we got to the police station in Lewisham, it wasn't there and the officer said they had never had it. Surprise, surprise, it had disappeared." A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "In 2018 we exhausted all lines of enquiry and suspended the investigation into the murder of Julie Ward in Kenya, 1988. This decision was not taken lightly and our thoughts remain with Julie's family, who were updated accordingly. We have been clear that detectives would consider any new information provided to them to determine whether it represented a new and significant line of enquiry." Bob said simply: "I want justice for Julie and justice for Dad. It's a promise I made to Dad before he died."
