This week, the ONS (Office for National Statistics) published data on births during 2025. For the first time, over 40 per cent of children born in England and Wales had at least one foreign-born parent. This rate has risen from 34 per cent in 2021, pre-Boriswave.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1twt9zv/matt_goodwin_new_uk_school_data_out_today_of/

Matt Goodwin: New UK school data out today. % of school pupils who are white British: 2015: 69%, 2016: 68.3%, 2017: 66.9%, 2018: 66.1%, 2019: 65.4%, 2020: 64.9%, 2021: 63.9%, 2022: 62.6%, 2023: 61.3%, 2024: 60.3%, 2025/6: 59.7%. All consistent with Suicide of a Nation.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1l5l9g1/white_british_children_are_now_minority_in_one_in/

White British children are now minority in one in four schools: Department of Education figures follow predictions that white Britons will be a minority in the next 40 years

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1u5s505/white_people_blocked_from_jobseeker_schemes/

White people blocked from jobseeker schemes

Do the Britons have any possibility to vote for politicians who at least talk about this?

What is your plan to reverse inflation in the event your tariffs and actions are not successful to make the United States great and wealthier again ?   Will you compensate me for the devaluation of the currency and worsening inflation ?

Add your own messages below.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/25/cia-director-john-ratcliffe-moscow-russia

A lightning personal visit of this type to Russia by a Director of the CIA is a very rare event. The last time it happened was in late November 2021 when CIA Director William Burns unexpectedly flew to Moscow in an attempt to discourage Putin from invading Ukraine. US intelligence analysts had detected unmistakeable signs that Russia was about to attack, and the CIA Director was sent to tell Putin that there would be serious consequences if he did so. Russa ignored the warning and invaded Ukraine anyway on 24 February 2022.

There is much speculation as to what was discussed at Tuesday’s meeting. Putin is said to have signed three new undisclosed decrees on Monday. One of them is believed to relate to a new large-scale mobilisation of Russian military forces. Another is thought to authorise the Russian government to seize control of key elements of their national infrastructure which are being degraded by Ukrainean drone and missile attacks. The final one is said to define new battlefield objectives for Russian military leaders within the coming year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnMxpQb5gbo

It is unclear whether the CIA Director was warning Russia not to ramp up their recent wave of hybrid  sabotage and cyber attacks against western European countries, or whether there are real fears that Russia might launch a conventional attack against Baltic state border countries who are NATO members - which would trigger an Article 5 response.

Other items on the agenda might have included American concerns over the growing involvement of North Korean forces in the Ukraine conflict, or their annoyance with Russia’s ongoing defiance of international  trade sanctions on Iran. One thing seems clear however. The Director of the CIA was probably sent to deliver an ultimatum or warning of some description, and was apparently given very short shrift.

https://youtu.be/RMg0AGE11oo

https://youtu.be/l07MYf2iPr4

https://youtu.be/EjdM3s-sMAI

https://youtu.be/6GGriN--BA0

As far as I can see, about half of famous Russian musicians and writers are against Putin and his war. All of them have relocated from Russia.

Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band are not the most famous in the region, but they're based in South Elmsall, the pit village where my father spent his early years. His uncles were all miners.

7 miles away is Grimethorpe, the home of Grimethorpe Colliery Band stars of the film "Brassed Off", Had to follow this lot on-stage once. That was a bit nerve-wracking.

13 miles North of Grimethorpe is Rothwell, the home of the Yorkshire Imps whose Lead Cornet was my first trumpet teacher. A schoolmate, Ian Bousfield, joined them as a 13-year-old (!) before he f####d off to lead the trombone section of the Vienna Symphony.

The West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service Band are based 7 miles West of Rothwell in Birkenshaw. I include them if only for letting me play 1st cornet there for 7 or 8 years.

Now back to the bigger hitters.

Five miles from Birkenshaw is Brighouse, where my children were schooled and the home of Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band

Another five miles from Brighouse is Queensbury, the home of the legendary Black Dyke Band

See how close all these places are? Every 5 miles or so Bingo! another world class community band, and even though most of the founding coal mines and textile mills are long gone, they all remain primarily community based, recruiting new members from among the local schools.

The right wing really loathe this stuff and they get precious little coverage in the London-based national media. Why? Way too northern, way too working class, way too united in common purpose, and way, way too good at what they do for their liking.

Best in the world!

BBC News

This thread is to give an airing to the increasing tension between data centres and the wider public, society and infrastructure.

Humans have had the ability to satisfy every person's basic needs for at least a century. Furthermore, a large plurality (if not the vast majority) follow religions or philosophical systems that claim (and in some cases, demand) that helping your fellow beings is one of the highest "goods". So why is there still people homeless, starving and dying of curable diseases anywhere, especially in places like the US or Europe? Is there some secret plan by Democrats or Republicans (or any other party in charge around the world) to solve those things? What would it take to reduce deaths in the world from homelessness, starvation and lack of health care as close to zero as the number of insane people in the populace allows (meaning there will always be some number of crazies who will want to live in a tent or refuse health care) and is it even possible to do under any of the current political/economics systems?l

In breaking news, the American football ( soccer ) player, F Balogun, was red carded during his last game.
The ref was originally going to dismiss the infraction, saying it wasn't intentional, but VAR disagreed. Stepping on someone's ankle can result in serious injury; so he was given a red and a one game suspension.
Now, the Canadian midfielder I Kone had his leg broken in two places during their game against Qatar, and no one would argue that was intentional, yet the qatari player received a red card and a 5 game suspension.
F Balogun's carding/suspension was subsequently reviewed again by FIFA, and the suspension upheld.
Yet the latest news indicate that D Trump personally called his corrupt buddy, G Infantino, and as if by magic, F Balogun's suspension has been lifted and he will be playing. No explanation given, other than FIFA has the right to do it.

I have nothing against the players, as I'm sure they are doing their best, but this stinks to high heaven, and makes them look bad; as if they need to 'cheat' to get results, instead of hard work and skill.
But I guess that's how D Trump operates ( witness all the cheating involving mid-terms ).

It's official then.
D Trump and his gang of corrupt degenerates ( including G Infantino ) have fu*ked up everything he's involved with, including the World Cup.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/22/processed-food-firms-courts-obstruct-health-regulations

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a new effort to annually screen service members’ testosterone levels and offer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), framing it as a way to keep troops on the “leading edge of lethality.”

The screening, added as part of war fighters’ periodic health assessment, will affect troops age 30 and older, though those under 30 can voluntarily choose to get the test, Hegseth said in a video message posted to X.

“While we invest heavily in our weapon systems, platforms and gear, our most decisive tactical advantage will always be the individual warfighter,” Hegseth said. “We have a sacred duty to maintain that advantage, which is why we must constantly look for new ways to optimize your performance, your resilience and your long-term health.”

The Pentagon chief authorized the new screening program to ensure troops “have the right testosterone levels to operate at [their] absolute best because it’s well-established science that as we age, testosterone levels often naturally drop,” he said.

Should treatment be recommended following the test, service members have the choice to receive TRT. 

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5969935-hegseth-testosterone-testing-dod/

There are so many layers to it.

This is biologically and medically dubious, and shows what happens if lack you weaponize stupidity to max lethality or something.

It also shows that the weird one-dimensional gender/sex view of these folks is not just a slogan, they really believe in it. (I.e. testosterone is manly, more manly -> more lethal).

And on top it betrays a rather limited perspective on modern warfare (how much testosterone does a drone operator need?).

And then also the absolute hypocrisy regarding hormone treatment of personnel.

Added to that, we get a view what happens if influencers actually run things (see RFK for the the show on the health side of things).

It is like a multi-layered idiot sandwich with misinformation sauce.

Corn cob slats.

A solution that befits the most distinguished and betwinkled body of do-gooders that has never existed in the history of humanity.

Think about it!

Narrow cots consisting of precisely sliced wedges of cobs of corn.

What could be a more fitting mattress for our beloved Senators, while they take their time away from the job they never did in the first place?

Our President doesn't want us to have housing.

I say, forget Mar-A-Lago!

Forget Capitol Hill.

Forget whatever places these idiots traverse when they need a break from pretending to care about any of us.

Corn cob slats.

The perfect object for our Congress to rest.

God knows they've earned it.

We are the idiots who vote for the people who have sold us out to an extent that is literally and absolutely unprecedented in human history.

You f*****g geniuses wanna act like it's a joke?

And you Democrats wanna act like it is about DEMOCRACY?

You wanna know what I see?

A society full to the brim with cowardice, weakness, inefficiency, and stupidity.

We are so tolerant and so inclusive.

These are not bad values, unless they are an excuse for laziness.

And here is what we have:

A system set up for catastrophic failure.

A society full of nobody giving a s***.

This IS your democracy.

And you do not care.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/ce8pp9r03z7o

The Left appeals to various groups of people, whom it calls hurt by "white supremacists," and promises to force these supremacists to pay compensations to these minorities. Thus, leftist governments pay all sorts of subsidies to ethnic minorities, sexual minorities, and disabled people; to some extent, the Left also tries to include all women among these hurt groups who are "protected" by the Left (feminism). The final result is that white working men are forced to pay money to all these minorities. If we think about it, this is nothing more than vote buying—the Left simply buys the votes of these minorities. And these minorities collectively become the majority.

I wonder how clearly the ban on vote-buying is written into the constitutions and laws of modern democratic countries, and whether, purely theoretically, the US Constitutional Court could forbid the Democratic Party on this basis?

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/3/hegseth-fires-us-army-chief-of-staff-in-reported-string-of-dismissals

On Thursday April 2nd Pete Hegseth the so-say ‘Secretary of War’ stunned the military establishment by announcing the immediate ‘retirement’ of General Randy A. George the Army Chief of Staff since 2023, in tandem with General David Hodne, the head of the Army’s Transformation and Training Command, and Major-General William Green jnr - the Army’s Chief of Chaplains.

This move which has been described by some military insiders as “completely insane” was reportedly provoked by a personal clash between General Randy A. George and Pete Hegseth over the latter’s decision to  block the promotions of four officers - two black and two female - in a list of 29 otherwise white officers gazetted for promotion.

According to the Baptist News, this marks the first occasion that an Army Chief of Chaplains has ever been dismissed from post within their four-year term of service - by a curious  coincidence Major William Green jnr. also happens to be black.

https://baptistnews.com/article/for-first-time-ever-army-chief-of-chaplains-fired-by-hegseth/

Meanwhile in other war news; The Sun has published a video of two US military aircraft that had to be blown up by their own special forces while searching for shot-down F-15 pilots after the rescue aircraft themselves became bogged down in sand behind enemy lines:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siqL6V70McU

The Mirror has published video of a $700 million AWACS E-3 spy-plane reduced to rubble on the runway at Prince Sutan Air Base in Saudi Arabia by a $20,000 Iranian Shahed 136 drone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQn04k-eUD4

And The Times of India has published a detailed report claiming that an Iranian drone attack on the US Embassy in Riyadh KSA on 3 March last month caused far more damage than previously acknowledged:

The strikes occurred at around 1.30am and hit a secure section of the embassy complex. According to officials, three floors sustained heavy damage, and areas including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) station were affected.

While Saudi authorities initially described the incident as causing only minor material damage and a limited fire, sources told The Wall Street Journal that the blaze lasted for nearly half a day and left parts of the embassy beyond repair.

No casualties were reported, but officials said the timing prevented what could have been a mass-casualty event had the attack taken place during the working hours.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/iran-drone-strike-on-us-embassy-in-saudi-arabia-hit-cia-station-report/articleshow/130032655.cms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfRYrXzMpHU

President Trump has already garnered quite a number of unflattering nicknames on Chinese social media which include:

懂 王 dǒng wáng  -  “King Know-it-all”

万 税 爷 wàn shuì yé  -  “Lord of Ten Thousand Taxes” (a pun on 万 岁 wàn Suì - “Ten Thousand Years!”)

川  宝 chuan bao - “Baby Trump”

But the latest nickname  for Trump to go viral on Chinese social media is a back-handed compliment:

川  建 国 chuan jiàn guó - “Trump The Nation Builder”

As Helen Ann-Smith the Asia correspondent for Sky News explains, the joke lies in the suggestion that it is China not America which has been made much stronger by Trump’s ill-advised tariff policies in particular.

President Trump is now the supplicant at the gates of the Forbidden City in Beijing. America urgently needs  access to China’s supply of REM (rare earth minerals) to maintain its own advanced technologies, and to restore the Pentagon’s much depleted stock of smart weapons that have been drained by the ill advised war on Iran.

Xi Jinping by contrast will settle for any (or all ) of the “3 Big T’s  —>  “Tariffs/Technology/Taiwan.

This is very clearly seen on the examples of such countries like Syria or Russia. When protest against Assad started in Syria, firstly this was seculiar pro-democratic opposition. But Assad fully destroyed this opposition, giving more chances to islamic fundamentalist forces (al-Sharaa) - and suddenly in 2024 they came to power. I think, it can be correct to say that al-Sharaa was to some extent a spoiler of Assad.

Similar things are happening in Russia: Putin unofficially declares that if he loses the power - instead of him cruel imperialists will take it. For supporting this statement, Putin always supported anti-democratic imperialists in power like Ramzan Kadyrov or Evgeniy Prigozhin.

I think, Alexey Navalny was also one more of Putins's spoilers to some extent: as far as I know, firstly he collaborated with the presidency administration in Kremlin, but then he went out of control and Putin decided to finish him. Below I want to show you a picture from one Russuan website, relating Navalny; even those who don't know Russian, probably will understand the meaning of this picture:

I wonder how deep in the American societal psyche it goes?

Gathering into a society means less freedoms but far more opportunity. The structure of a society and the ways it curtails certain freedoms create even more opportunities for prosperity. Follow the rules on walking together in public and we'll build sidewalks. Agree not to pee on the sidewalks and we'll improve healthcare. Learn to live with reasonable restrictions and your government can design processes and programs that lift everyone up.

Instead we're told the government is bad for requiring all these rules and regulations and taxing us to enforce them, and that we should instead vote to protect our freedom. The institution that could save us is painted as the cause of our problems. I think the wealthy are the ones interested in doing whatever they feel like doing, and the average citizen is better served by reasonable rules than the ability to do whatever they want.