#XMPP Community

#Sprint in #Worcester, #UK from Sat, 21st to Sun 22nd, Sept 2024. Two days of fruitful exchange and projects around XMPP!

Read more and kindly list yourself: wiki.xmpp.org/web/Sprints/2024…

#jabber #standards #interoperability #federation #chat #decentralization #rtc

#XMPP Community

If you are interested in an event like a sprint or #meetup in the #UK you should participate his survey: my.liberaforms.org/xmpp-uk-202…

Address questions to: @mattj

#jabber #decentralization #federation #chat #Britain

Yesterday, the UK government used an obscure emergency process to make possession of puberty blockers for new treatment of trans kids illegal, and punishable by up to two years in prison. [1] There was no parliamentary debate, no vote, and no public consultation.

Parents of children on GIC waiting lists are being told by the NHS that if they don't bring their kids to an """assessment""" they risk being reported to Social Services.

The Good Law Project recognises that the NHS are behaving unethically, and is running a crowdfunder to seek urgent legal advice to challenge the NHS.

If you are looking for a good cause, the Good Law Project crowdfunder can be found here: goodlawproject.org/crowdfunder…

[1] erininthemorning.com/p/uk-secr…

#transphobia #trans #NHS #UK #PubertyBlockers

UK Secretary Uses Emergency Powers To Criminalize Possession Of Puberty Blockers

On May 31st, letters went out from NHS England to parents of trans youth stating that they must immediately stop taking puberty blockers, and that possession will be considered a crime.

^{Erin Reed (Erin In The Morning)}

Folks in the #UK, my old colleague Dr. Adrian Bowyer is running a petition:

"New rules for manufacturers of medical device implants

We believe it should be made illegal for manufacturers of medical devices implanted into patients to regularly charge the patient for upgrades or maintenance."

It also calls for "IP" to be released if a manufacturer fails. I feel this subject is important enough to ask you to disseminate the link. Thank you.

petition.parliament.uk/petitio…

Petition: New rules for manufacturers of medical device implants

^{Petitions - UK Government and Parliament}

Thursday, January 25

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A woman stands near a crater left by a missile in the yard of an educational institution in Kharkiv on Jan. 24, 2024. Russian forces shelled Kharkiv three times in 24 hours on Jan. 23 as part of a mass missile strike against Ukraine. Mayor Ihor Terekhov declared Jan. 25 a day of mourning for the victims of the attack. (Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Zelensky on Il-76 crash: Ukraine to demand international investigation, fate of POWs unknown. President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly address on Jan. 24 said Ukraine will insist on an international investigation into the crash of the Russian Il-76 transport plane in Belgorod Oblast.

RFE/RL Schemes project identifies crew members’ names of crashed IL-76, confirms 3 deaths. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's investigation project Schemes identified the names of the crew members of the Russian Il-76 transport plane that crashed in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on Jan. 24 that was allegedly carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war.

White House cannot confirm claims that Ukrainian POWs were in Belgorod Oblast plane crash. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that the White House was aware of the reports and was "obviously doing the best we can to try to get more clarity and more information on it.”

Ukraine says it was not informed about need to ensure safety of airspace before plane crash in Belgorod Oblast. The Russian side did not notify Ukraine about the necessity to ensure the safety of the airspace around Belgorod, Ukraine's military intelligence said, which has been done "repeatedly" in the past.

Lavrov calls for emergency UN Security Council meeting over plane crash. Speaking at the UN, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the plane crash a "terrorist attack" and held Ukraine responsible.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Kharkiv mayor declares day of mourning, proposes renaming Pushkinska Street following Russian missile attacks. January 25 will be a day of mourning for the victims of Russia's mass missile attacks against Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced via Telegram. He also proposed renaming the city's Pushkinska Street in the wake of the Russian attack.

Military intelligence: Cyberattack on Russian scientific research center deals 'devastating' damage. Ukraine's military intelligence agency confirmed the media reports on the attack, saying that the hackers allegedly destroyed 280 servers and two petabytes of data.

Fire breaks out at oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. A fire broke out at an oil depot in the town of Tuapse in Russia's southern Krasnodar Krai the night of Jan. 25. According to preliminary information, there are no casualties.

Deputy minister: Foreign investors want to buy two Ukrainian state-owned banks. Foreign investors expressed interest in purchasing two Ukrainian state-owned banks, Ukrgasbank and Sense Bank, Deputy Finance Minister Yurii Drahanchuk told Ukrainska Pravda.

Military intelligence names fallen officer behind August sabotage of Russian bombers. A Ukrainian reconnaissance unit, led by fallen Colonel Oleh Babii, was responsible for the destruction or disabling of three Russian Tu-22M3 bombers in August 2023, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) revealed.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Russia says Ukrainian POWs were in crashed II-76 aircraft, Kyiv calls for investigation

A Russian Il-76 transport aircraft allegedly carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed in Russia's Belgorod Oblast on Jan. 24 at around 11 a.m. local time. Ukrainska Pravda initially claimed that Ukrainian forces downed the plane, but the information was later retracted.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 65 Ukrainian POWs were aboard the fatally crashed plane on its way for a prisoner exchange, as well as six crew members and three accompanying people.

Photo: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles not a sign of Moscow's depleted domestic capacity

Russia’s missile campaign against Ukraine’s cities and infrastructure is no longer limited by the rate of domestic production as North Korea becomes its top weapons supplier. Pyongyang has allegedly sent Moscow more than 1 million artillery rounds and the mass strikes on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2 provided the first direct evidence that Russia used North Korean missiles to attack a Ukrainian city, specifically Kharkiv. Experts say this will allow Russia to intensify its attacks on civilian targets.

Photo: Vladimir Smirnov / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Death toll of Russian Jan. 23 strike on Kharkiv rises to 10. The two Kharkiv residents found the ruins of a five-story building today were a 56-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man.

Police: 2 killed**, 9 wounded in Russian attack on Hirnyk, Donetsk Oblast.** Russian troops launched an attack against the town of Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast, targeting a residential area, the Donetsk Oblast police said on Jan. 24.

Russian forces Kherson hospital, injure 3 medical workers. Russian forces launched an attack against Kherson on Jan. 24, hitting a hospital and injuring at least three medical workers, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

General Staff: Russia has lost 378,660 troops in Ukraine. Russia has lost 378,660 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 24. This number includes 840 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Shmyhal meets Fico in Uzhhorod, says Slovakia will not block EU aid for Ukraine. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Uzhhorod for a meeting to discuss bilateral relations between Ukraine and Slovakia, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Jan. 24.

Reuters: EU unlikely to confiscate Russian central bank assets. European officials believe it is unlikely that the EU will seize Russian central bank assets, partly due to the legal risks, Reuters reported on Jan. 23.

EU Commission wants to continue liberalization of food trade with Ukraine. "The European Commission will soon announce a proposal to extend liberalization measures for Ukraine. Member states hope to receive information about such an extension, as well as a vision of long-term trade relations," Belgian Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium David Clarinval said.

Pentagon: Lack of funding prevents US from meeting Ukraine's most urgent battlefield needs. The U.S. government has not provided any military aid to Ukraine for the first time since the Ramstein-format meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) was established in April 2022, Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder said during the briefing on Jan. 23.

US Treasury Secretary reassures Ukrainian PM on $11.8 billion of budget support. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reiterated in a video call with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Jan. 23 that the Biden administration is committed to securing $11.8 billion in direct budget support to Ukraine as part of the national security supplemental request before Congress.

Polish farmers begin protest against Ukrainian agricultural imports. The protests have occurred in over 200 places throughout Poland, the Polish media outlet RMF24 reported.

Estonia joins UK-led training operation for Ukrainian soldiers. According to Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, the Estonian instructors will train Ukrainian volunteers at the U.K.’s military bases and continue cooperating with Ukrainian soldiers under the EU’s EUMAM training mission in Estonia.

Bank of Cyprus leaves Russia. The Bank of Cyprus, the biggest Cypriot bank, closed its representative offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg on Jan. 22, the data posted by the Central Bank of Russia revealed.

In other news

Ukraine's Yastremska reaches Grand Slam semifinals, repeating national record. Dayana Yastremska ousted Linda Noskova in two sets, 6-3 and 6-4, to reach the Grand Slam semifinal for the first time.

Orban: Hungary supports Sweden's NATO accession. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that he "will continue to urge" Hungary's parliament to "to vote in favor of Sweden’s accession and conclude the ratification at the first possible opportunity."

General: UK must train 'civilian army,' prepare for land war. Britain's recent cuts to its army indicate it is not taking the threat from Russia and other countries seriously enough, said the U.K.'s Chief of the General Staff, General Patrick Sanders.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Nate Ostiller, Martin Fornusek, Dinara Khalilova, Kateryna Hodunova, Elsa Court, Vladyslav Kudryk, Oleksiy Sorokin, Lili Bivings, Katya Denisova, Abbey Fenbert, and Olena Goncharova.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program_**. Start supporting independent journalism today.**_

Last night in the small village we're staying in here in the #uk we went for an epic walk and not only caught a stunning #sunset , the sight of multiple scampering bunnies and small cobbled roads near Tudor houses threatened by rampaging topiary... we also finally got to put eyes on the village legend, Mary, care of the "NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT SERVICE THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH MARY" sign at the local tea shop.

She was standing in a very mossy churchyard complaining to the vicar that the Victoria sponge at the last Women's Institute meeting was dry and demanding the vicar make someone called Linda fix the situation.

Meanwhile, the vicar looked like she wanted to put the Asda shopping bag she was carrying over her head and pretend she wasn't there.

How did we learn this was the true Mary of legend and not an impersonator? Her seven-year-old grandson was pretending to be a part of a holly hedge and earnestly informed us that he loves his gran but that his dad calls her a "mithering pain in the arse." He then showed us a pretty cool trick he can do with his scooter. It was very cool.

We then went home to our temporary housesitting #cat overlords Madame Harriet and Miss Smudge, who informed us loudly that they required their 2nd, 3rd and 4th dinners immediately!

It was truly an eventful and rather delightful little adventure.

While everyone is distracted by a billionnaire in a submarine, the #UK Parliament is voting on the final stages of the #MininumServiceLevelsBill. This will effectively make it illegal for anyone in what ministers consider "essential services" to strike. It removes a basic human right and is one of the most draconian laws of its kind in the world.
Below is the #TUC take on it after the Lords kicked it out the first time.
#Strikes #HumanRights

tuc.org.uk/blogs/governments-a…

Government’s anti-strikes bill defeated in the House of Lords

Last week saw a string of defeats for the government's Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill in the House of Lords.

^{www.tuc.org.uk}

BREAKING NEWS!

❗️The US and its allies plan to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets as part of long-term efforts to strengthen Kyiv's security, — a senior White House official commented to NBC News
#Ukraine️ #Russia #Russian #Putin #EU #NATO #Zelensky #war #news #Moscow #USA #UK #Germany #Poland #France #Turkey #Finland

Cycling is now the single largest mode of travel during peak times in the City of London, according to a new report.

Cyclists represent 40% of traffic during peak hours and 27% of traffic throughout the day.

Since 1999, the number of motorists has dropped 64% and the number of cyclists has increased 386%.

#Urbanism #UrbanDesign #ClimateChange #Cycling #BikeTooter #UK #London #Mobility #Transportation

forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2…

Cyclists Now Outnumber Motorists In City Of London

At peak times, people cycling represent 40% of road traffic in the City and 27% throughout the day.

^{Carlton Reid (Forbes)}

#Radio in the #UK just absolutely sucks!

I don't own a good #AM tuner, but I can only get one station at home around Newcastle (Greatest Hits) who don't even advertise their AM frequency any more, that's how few people use AM here.

There's only like 10 or so #FM stations. 5 of them are BBC stations including the local BBC station, most of the rest are owned by Global, and some of their stations (Metro and Heart for example) play basically the same things. Not to mention they're all syndicated. In Stirling I can get 103.1 Central FM, who I think are independent? But not in stereo.

There's a lot more choice on #DAB, but as Techmoan has covered before, the bitrates and formats DAB use is so low that it's utter rubbish to listen to compared to FM.

And of course there's #InternetRadio, but where's the fun in that? And what'll you do when you suddenly lose cellular connectivity?

Meanwhile Vwestlife in #NJ, #USA can DX all this at night, just on AM! youtu.be/F1j9L9rstws

Cassieving AM radio signals from 1000 miles away - Fisher MC-4023

This unassuming Fisher casseiver, circa 1979, has an amazingly good AM radio tuner, easily able to pick up virtually every clear-channel station within a 100...

^YouTube

Yes, the mood has shifted against Brexit. But the road back to Brussels is long and hard | #Brexit
theguardian.com/politics/2023/…

"Brexit is no longer an abstract future goal, where coming benefits can be talked up, while potential drawbacks are dismissed as partisan pessimism. Brexit is now a lived reality, whose frictions and costs are a daily experience, and whose promised gains have not arrived."

#UK #Politics

Yes, the mood has shifted against Brexit. But the road back to Brussels is long and hard

Three years on, the reality of the split with the EU has changed minds. But dashed hopes could come to haunt Labour, too

^{Robert Ford (The Guardian)}

I've just discovered that there's a petition on the #UK government petitions website to remove #LGBT content from the curriculum, effectively resurrecting the horrendous Section 28 from the 1980s.

There is also a counter-petition. As of this morning, the remove petition has over 178,000 signatures, the counter-petition has just over 2,500 signatures.

Please sign the counter-petition.
petition.parliament.uk/petitio…

#LGBTQ #TransRights #Trans

Wow… this is a mass-scale health data grab (DNA, etc.) by industry if ever there was one.

inkl.com/a/bvAAPoILNmL

Just look at how it’s funded and the people running it: ourfuturehealth.org.uk/about-u…

Also looks like the Silicon Valley/Stanford/startup folks have finally well and truly got their nails into the NHS after constant lobbying and facilitated by folks (useful idiots or accomplices?) like NESTA.

CC @glynmoody

#ourFutureHealth #uk #surveillanceCapitalism #health #BigData #peopleFarming

Millions invited to take part in world’s largest health research programme

Our Future Health plans to develop new ways to detect illnesses earlier and predict who is at higher risk of…

^inkl

“She also told conference it was her ‘dream’ to see asylum seekers put on a one-way flight to Rwanda.”

Imagine how vile you have to be for this to be your dream.

Imagine how despicable you have to be to vote for people this vile.

inkl.com/a/LBYjJruzwkz

#tories #conservatives #uk #ukPol

Suella Braverman sparks new government row after calling for UK to quit ECHR

Home secretary slapped down for ‘personal views’ on European Convention on Human Rights

^inkl

👌🤣

nitter.net/DAVID_FIRTH/status/…

#monarchy #uk

Liz Truss vs local BBC radio.

I don’t see how this government survives another month.

nitter.net/robotduck/status/15…

#UK #tories

MP explains how mini-budget & trickle down economics is like “watering a garden. Selectively.”

nitter.net/RosieisaHolt/status…

#trickleDownEconomics #toriesAreCunts #uk

The Queen was a “legend” with the power to speak “to the soul of the whole world”, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

inkl.com/a/xoYWbGivVXv

“Y’know… the world… aka white folks like me… the sons and daughters of colonisers and slave owners. She really spoke to our souls.”, she continued.

#monarchy #aristocracy #nobility #uk #eu

EU chief in tribute to Queen who ‘spoke to the soul of the world’

Ursula von der Leyen said the Queen ‘found the right words for every moment in time’.

^inkl

“Heathrow flights delayed to ‘ensure silence’ during Queen Elizabeth’s coffin procession.”

Wow, Little Britain has truly lost the plot.

inkl.com/a/avjmprSAxrA

#monarchy #uk

Heathrow flights delayed to ‘ensure silence’ during Queen Elizabeth’s coffin procession

Heathrow Airport flights will be delayed so they do not disturb Britain’s Queen Elizabeth’s coffin procession on Wednesday.

^inkl

Stinking plebs thinking they can just go and die and get buried on the same day as a blue blood… what’s the world coming to?

inkl.com/a/RYLWdMhMbRM

#monarchy #uk

Funerals cancelled on day of Queen's funeral

Funerals scheduled for Monday across the UK have been cancelled ahead of the Queen's funeral.

^inkl

Not your king? Bullshit. He is your king, mate. You don‘t get a fucking choice. That’s what monarchy is.

Don’t like it?

Abolish the monarchy.

nitter.net/Stuzipants/status/1…

#monarchy #uk

“Democracy.”

theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/s…

#uk #monarchy #freedom #humanRights

Republican protesters arrested at King Charles proclamations

Woman held in Edinburgh as man says he was taken away by police in Oxford as proclamation read out

^{Haroon Siddique (The Guardian)}

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

inkl.com/a/RYBlYvsMbRM

#russia #uk #diesel #energy #sanctions

Britain Hasn’t Quite Managed to Kick Its Russian Diesel Habit

Britain has yet to completely remove its reliance on Russian fuel, according to data that contradicts an official report earlier…

^inkl

The UK could pull out of Europe’s human rights framework after last-ditch legal rulings blocked the government’s plan to relocate asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

inkl.com/a/JJEzZEIMRAM

“I am evil, our government is evil, the people who voted for us are evil and we will ensure nothing prevents us from carrying out the evil we were elected to do” said home secretary Priti Patel when asked for comment.

#tory #uk #humanRights #evil #pritiPatel

Rwanda – live: UK may pull out of European human-rights deal, says No 10

Home secretary insists she will press ahead with implementing policy

^inkl

UK hostile environment: EU citizens with Italian, French, and Greek passports being harassed by Ryanair staff.

nitter.net/LaraCParizotto/stat…

Thoughts, @EU_Commission?

#uk #eu #hostileEnvironment #italian #french #greek #discrimination