What's in the News? 2.0

[Oniya]

Harry saw what the tabloids did to his mother.

He sees what the tabloids are doing to his wife.

I think he's got the right idea.

[Callie Del Noire]

Harry saw what the tabloids did to his mother.

He sees what the tabloids are doing to his wife.

I think he's got the right idea.

He wants to keep his family out of the crap he lived with.  He’s what 6th in lone? Why not retreat from public life

[Mechelle]

Not just the Royal family that's "disappointed"

https://conservativewoman.co.uk/harry-and-meghan-an-utter-disgrace/

Although any article that starts with "Let’s be clear. This isn’t about racism...." odds are there's a hefty dose of racism involved.

I have never read the "Conservative Woman" before, but had an idea of what it would be like from seeing Laura Perrins on television. Ouch! And he once wore a Nazi uniform too.

I do have some sympathy for the Sussexes, but I am concerned, as a British taxpayer, that they want to "step back" but may still expect public funding for weddings, houses and security.
It is all very uncertain, but that is probably because it was dropped on the royal family so suddenly.

Not that our media is obsessed, but this has dominated the news over here, blotting out both Brexit and Iran.

[Orval Wintermute]

I do have some sympathy for the Sussexes, but I am concerned, as a British taxpayer, that they want to "step back" but may still expect public funding for weddings, houses and security.
It is all very uncertain, but that is probably because it was dropped on the royal family so suddenly.

Obviously we're never going to know exactly what happened but there some reports that Harry had been asking for this for a while, and every time he brought it up more senior members of the family kicked the discussion down the road. Maybe this was his way of forcing the issue, now that it's been announced they have to deal with.

[Lilias]

A few days late, but here's the biggest names on the New Year Honours list.

Sensibly omitting Ian Duncan Smith, whose knighthood is a disgrace and outrage (contested before it was even conferred), but why leave Nigel Slater's OBE out? Not nice.

[Mechelle]

Obviously we're never going to know exactly what happened but there some reports that Harry had been asking for this for a while, and every time he brought it up more senior members of the family kicked the discussion down the road. Maybe this was his way of forcing the issue, now that it's been announced they have to deal with.

As you say, we don't know what has been said behind closed doors, although I have heard it suggested that Harry did not speak to the Queen in advance as he was worried she could talk him out of his plans.

Meanwhile, Meghan has flown back to Canada.

[Hades]

The UK's Home Office has requested the extradition of Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat who was charged on Friday (the 10th) in the death of Harry Dunn, the operator of a motorbike who was struck by a car alleged to have been driven by Mrs Sacoolas.   She has left the UK already, claiming diplomatic immunity, and the US State Department has called the request "inappropriate" so I doubt she'll actually be sent back to the UK against her will.  But at least the prosecutors over there were willing to file the charges despite the long-shot odds, and I would imagine that outstanding request will show up now on every background check she undergoes.

[Callie Del Noire]

The UK's Home Office has requested the extradition of Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat who was charged on Friday (the 10th) in the death of Harry Dunn, the operator of a motorbike who was struck by a car alleged to have been driven by Mrs Sacoolas.   She has left the UK already, claiming diplomatic immunity, and the US State Department has called the request "inappropriate" so I doubt she'll actually be sent back to the UK against her will.  But at least the prosecutors over there were willing to file the charges despite the long-shot odds, and I would imagine that outstanding request will show up now on every background check she undergoes.

I hope that someone serves her up.. she ran away and is relying on her husbands connections inside government to get away with no consequences of her actions.

[Oniya]

I hope that someone serves her up.. she ran away and is relying on her husbands connections inside government to get away with no consequences of her actions.

When the parents of the teen came to the US not too long ago, they got an invite to the White House - and Trump was going to pull a reality-show style 'surprise meeting' between the victim's parents and the diplomat's wife.

[Callie Del Noire]

When the parents of the teen came to the US not too long ago, they got an invite to the White House - and Trump was going to pull a reality-show style 'surprise meeting' between the victim's parents and the diplomat's wife.

Yeah and wasn’t that quite telling that the White House was more than happy to try and force such a thing? I think she needs to go back and face the music.

[Hades]

A small volcano near the Philippines erupted this morning, closing down the airport in Manila and causing tourists to flee the popular destination.

[Beorning]

Judges protest in Warsaw against new law that will stop them from criticizing the government and following some already existing rulings that the government didn't like:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/12/poland-march-judges-europe-protest-lawyers

Meanwhile, the government continues to claim that everything's fine and that the judges need to be "disciplined", because they want to cause "legal anarchy" in Poland. Oh, and because they are Communists. Sure, the average age of a judge in Poland is 40 these days, but it doesn't matter... because these judges have been *educated* by the old, Communist judges. Meaning, they are Communist sympathizers and overall poor judges themselves...

[gaggedLouise]

A small volcano near the Philippines erupted this morning, closing down the airport in Manila and causing tourists to flee the popular destination.

The eruption has increased in power and could grow into a really big affair; also this morning I heard a guy living in the area saying it "creates a truly foul stench"... :)

[ElvenKitten]

The eruption has increased in power and could grow into a really big affair; also this morning I heard a guy living in the area saying it "creates a truly foul stench"... :)

Yay sulphur dioxide, would be getting the hell away from that pretty fast.

[Mechelle]

The Queen had a summit meeting today with Princes Charles, William and Harry, possibly with Meghan dialling in for a conference call.
The outcome is that, while she is disappointed that Harry and Meghan are stepping back from the royal family, she will support them in their decision to do so. There will be a transitional period before some future in which Canada has been mentioned.
Sounds just like Brexit!

[Skynet]

Several large earthquakes hit Puerto Rico recently. FEMA made some large mistakes when it hired an ASL interpreter who didn't know Spanish and ended up making mistakes and mistranslated names of stadiums which serve as earthquake shelters.

https://twitter.com/DavidBegnaud/status/1216420323547107329

https://twitter.com/MarcosPerezRam/status/1216345901679157252

[Hades]

A bit of science news, to distract from the world falling apart around us.   Scientists have discovered grains of stardust carried on a meteorite that impacted Australia back in the 1969.  The meteorite itself is approximately 4.6 billion years old, making it slightly older than the Earth and about the same age as the Sun itself.  But the exciting part is researchers found grains of stardust that was dated between 5 and 7 billion years old.   Meaning it's older than our sun and about half the age of the universe itself.

[Sara Nilsson]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4057281/windows-7-support-ended-on-january-14-2020

Windows 7 support has now ended, so if you are still using it be aware that you will get no more security updates.

Note that despite Microsoft saying you can no longer upgrade for free to windows 10 you can actually still do it.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

[gaggedLouise]

The government of Russia just resigned (though they will keep sitting as a caretaker government until Putin has announced a new one)    ::)

Trying to find out more about what the background could be.

[Lustful Bride]

The government of Russia just resigned (though they will keep sitting as a caretaker government until Putin has announced a new one)    ::)

Trying to find out more about what the background could be.

Putin: I am the government!

[gaggedLouise]

Putin: I am the government!

Hehe, not quite that openly. :) He's certainly bigger than the PM, but he'd never put it like that. :)

[Lustful Bride]

Hehe, not quite that openly. :) He's certainly bigger than the PM, but he'd never put it like that. :)

And here I was about to make some Palpatine jokes :P

[gaggedLouise]

And here I was about to make some Palpatine jokes :P

Unfortunately I don't think Putin is able to clone himself to another life (haven't seen the SWIX movie, but that sounds like such an insultingly dumb way of bringing the Emperor back into the final film) ;)

[gaggedLouise]

Well, apparently Putin wants the new government to begin preparing for a new constitution (according to Swedish public radio news' guy in Moscow). I think that must be something Putin has made clear hmself, or the news wouldn't state it so clearly within just half an hour.

Sounds kinda menacing...   ::)

[Humble Scribe]

It doesn't really matter what he calls himself, everyone knows he is El Presidente For Life. Everything else is a constitutional fudge for sake of appearances, like the Emperor Augustus having himself elected tribune or consul every year.