Author: LoveWorld UK

Rishi Sunak’s government is threatening to block a new law that would make Scotland the first part of the UK to introduce a self-identification system for people who want to change gender. In a significant escalation that brings tensions around transgender rights into the constitutional arena, Westminster made clear it would consider a “nuclear option” of blocking the bill from going for royal assent, a move that would enrage supporters of the changes and nationalists. The Scottish government pledged to “vigorously contest” any such intervention. The first minister and SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, called Sunak and his cabinet “democracy deniers” after the supreme…

The U.N. Security Council adopted its first resolution on Myanmar in 74 years to demand an end to violence and urge the military junta to release all political prisoners, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar has been in crisis since the army took power from Suu Kyi’s elected government in February last year, detaining her and other officials and responding to pro-democracy protests and dissent with lethal force. The 15-member council has long been split on how to deal with the Myanmar crisis, with China and Russia arguing against strong action. They both abstained from the vote on…

The British government’s post-Brexit settlement scheme for EU citizens is unlawful, London’s High Court ruled on Wednesday. The Independent Monitoring Authority, a body funded by the government to oversee citizens’ rights, took the action against the Home Office, arguing Britain is breaching its withdrawal agreement with the European Union by requiring EU citizens to reapply for the right to live and work in the United Kingdom. The IMA’s lawyers argued at a hearing last month that the scheme unlawfully requires EU citizens to make a second application after being allowed to remain in the UK or lose their rights of residence. EU…

A Texas judge has ruled against a federal program that enabled minors to obtain birth control from physicians without informing their parents, but did not block clinics from providing them. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled Tuesday that the Title X program violates parental rights and state law. While he struck down the secrecy component of the Title X program, Kacsmaryk didn’t impose an injunction barring clinics from giving contraceptives to adolescents without parental consent. According to the ruling (pdf), the secrecy rule violated a Texas Family Code section that gives parents the right to decide their child’s medical care, as well as parents’ 14th…

The acquisition by investment managers BlackRock and Vanguard of ever-increasing shares in America’s public utility companies is setting off alarm bells from conservatives and progressives alike. In April, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a request from BlackRock to increase its ownership up to 20 percent of a public utility’s voting shares without being deemed an “affiliate” and incurring the regulatory scrutiny and disclosures that come with that. To gain FERC approval, BlackRock and Vanguard promised they’d be “passive” investors and not use their share ownership to influence management. Because utilities are often monopolies in the regions they serve and because electricity and heating are essential in…

On 57 minutes Marcus Rashford showed the finest way to return from a World Cup. The No 10 collected inside Manchester United’s half and, after turning the afterburners on, propelled himself at Jordan Beyer along the right. The centre-back kept backpedalling and Rashford kept coming until slick footwork bedazzled the Burnley man and in a flash, Bailey Peacock-Farrell was beaten by a laser of a finish, on the angle, from inside the area. For Rashford, a star turn for England at Qatar 2022 with three goals, this was a ninth United goal this season – perhaps his finest for the…

Former Australian Member of Parliament Dr. Kerryn Phelps revealed she and her partner suffered serious and ongoing injuries from a COVID-19 vaccine and suggested that the actual number of adverse events associated with the shots is far higher than what the official data show. Phelps said that her partner allegedly “suffered a severe neurological reaction” just minutes after receiving a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose that included “burning face and gums, paraesethesiae, and numb hands and feet, while under observation by myself, another doctor and a registered nurse at the time of immunization,” according to news.com.au. “I continue to observe the devastating…

The chair of the public accounts committee has warned ministers not to delay handing over government documents related to how a company linked to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone was awarded PPE contracts worth more than £200m. Despite a Commons vote on 6 December forcing the government to release to the committee papers related to the company, PPE Medpro, a health minister has responded by suggesting the government may not do so until an investigation by the National Crime Agency has concluded. Meg Hillier, the Labour chair of the public accounts committee, said any such delay would be unacceptable, and that it would be “entirely appropriate”…

A new spending bill in the US Congress proposes to ban the Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok from most government devices amid spying and censorship concerns surrounding the app. The $1.7 trillion bill unveiled on Tuesday includes requirements to ban most uses of TikTok or other apps created by the platform’s owner ByteDance Ltd, the Associated Press reported. Although the app is popular among nearly two-thirds of teens in the US, there has been growing bipartisan concern in the US that Beijing may use some of its regulatory power over Chinese companies to control American user data. Earlier this month, Maryland banned its government agencies from using TikTok…

Journalist Lee Fang released the latest installment of the “Twitter Files” on Tuesday, showing how the social media platform “quietly aided” U.S. intelligence officials’ online campaigns. In a lengthy thread that was reposted by Twitter owner Elon Musk, Fang wrote that “despite promises to shut down covert state-run propaganda networks, Twitter docs show that the social media giant directly assisted the U.S. military’s influence operations.” “Twitter has claimed for years that they make concerted efforts to detect & thwart gov-backed platform manipulation. Here is Twitter testifying to Congress about its pledge to rapidly identify and shut down all state-backed covert information operations & deceptive…