Northern Ireland charity workers fled for life amid violence in Kenya
Northern Irish charity workers in Kenya have told how they were forced to flee amid the worst violence the region has seen in years.
The east African country has been rocked by a string of anti-government demonstrations for months which has seen almost 150 killed and hundreds more injured.
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The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Divide, distract, dominate is the oldest political trick in the book
The symbolism is chilling. These aren't just bonfires; they're public performances of dehumanisation. That such displays are treated as cultural tradition by some only deepens the irony. When protesters are accused of stirring division, yet coordinated burnings of ethnic and political identities are dismissed or even celebrated, the moral compass has not only spun but snapped. READ MORE: Calls for removal of migrant effigies in boat on loyalist bonfire There's a pattern here. Infringements of human rights provoke resistance from those with lived memory or historical understanding of injustice. When that resistance is ignored – or worse, criminalised – it becomes troubling to those invested in the status quo. At that point, bigotry is no longer covert, it erupts into entitled performance. We're closer to square one than should ever have been allowed. This isn't just a Northern Irish issue, nor is it confined to sectarianism. It is mirrored in how Westminster handles Scottish democratic expression. Repeated refusals to permit a second independence referendum have stalled not just political process but political imagination. Yet instead of scrutinising Westminster's intransigence, much of the media, and therefore the population, blames the SNP government for not having 'delivered' independence – as if permission wasn't withheld in the first place. This is precisely the kind of misreading and misattribution the UK Government depends on to suppress dissent. Ironically, the Scottish Government has achieved a great deal despite these constitutional constraints. Standards in public services have been maintained above what should have been possible without mitigation under Westminster's fiscal tightening. Meanwhile, many English councils – Labour-led ones among them – are buckling under austerity. English voters and commentators routinely spout the lie that they're subsidising Scotland, instead of recognising their own shared victimhood under the same system of centralised indifference. READ MORE: Scottish depot trying to bring back Tesco pallets from loyalist bonfire Just as the bonfires burn symbols of international solidarity, so too Westminster pits nation against nation, and citizen against migrant. Divide, distract, and dominate: it's the oldest political trick in the book. Whether it's asylum seekers turned into effigies, or Holyrood turned into a scapegoat, the effects are the same: dehumanisation, delegitimisation, deflection, and denial. And this is not unique to the UK. Globally, we see the same game playing out. Refusal to address historical or structural injustice leads to protest reframed as provocation, then those in power manipulate grievance to embolden reactionary forces. The rise of religious nationalism in India, Israel's settler-state exceptionalism fuelling genocide in Palestine, and racial retrenchment in parts of the US all follow this well-worn pattern. We are not trapped in this cycle because it is inevitable. We are trapped because those with the power to break it choose instead to preserve it. They conflate silence with peace, and protest with peril. That's why symbolic violence like these bonfires is tolerated, and even encouraged in some circles. It's why legitimate calls for democratic self-determination in Scotland are rebranded as political failure. Until this cycle is broken by those in the middle ground recognising that complacency is complicity, we will keep returning to these same flames of hatred, denial, and distraction. The real danger is not just that we forget history or fail to celebrate sociocultural traditions, but that we keep choosing to relive history's worst moments and immolate the progress those traditions should represent. Ron Lumiere via email
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Brit charged with £73m wine scam after he allegedly sold vino that didn't exist for £12k as he appears in New York court
He has been detained on charges of wire fraud and money laundering SAV PLONK Brit charged with £73m wine scam after he allegedly sold vino that didn't exist for £12k as he appears in New York court Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRIT is facing charges in a New York court over his alleged connection to a major $99 million wine fraud. James Wellesley, 58, pleaded not guilty on Friday after he was extradited from the UK. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 James Wellesley, who allegedly sold vino that didn't exist for £12k Credit: Kent Police 7 The defendants are alleged to have solicited $99 million in investments from residents (picture is not of wine in question) Credit: Bonhams 7 The US Attorney's Office alleges that neither the wine collections not the wine itself actually exist Credit: Linkedin 7 Stephen Burton had been extradited from Morocco in 2023 Credit: Kent Police He has been detained on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Wellesley was arraigned today before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy The alleged Ponzi-style scheme involved getting investors to lend money to the wine collectors in return for regular interest payments. But the US Attorney's Office alleges that neither the wine collections not the wine itself actually exist. This included Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - which is listed online for more than $17,000 per bottle. These loans were said to be secured against a stockpile of expensive wines. The defendants are alleged to have solicited $99 million in investments from residents of New York and other areas between 2017 and 2019. Wellesley's co-defendant Stephen Burton had been extradited from Morocco in 2023. He had been trying to enter the north African country on a false Zimbabwean passport. 60-year-old Brit Burton has also pleaded not guilty to similar charges. Wellesley is reported to have had many aliases including Andrew Fuller and Andrew Templar. Shocking moment woman has full blown foot-stamping airport MELTDOWN at check-in Christopher Raia, assistant director in charge of the FBI New York office, said: "James Wellesley and his business partner allegedly concocted an elaborate scheme defrauding investors out of millions of dollars to finance their own personal expenses. "Their alleged deceit spread across years and continents." If convicted, the two each face up to 20 years in prison. 7 The alleged Ponzi-style scheme involved getting investors to lend money to the wine collectors in return for regular interest payments 7 The defendants are alleged to have solicited $99 million in investments from residents of New York Credit: Kent Police 7 The Brits are facing charges in a New York court Credit: Alamy Prosecutors allege the pair used loan proceeds "to make fraudulent interest payments to investors and for their own personal expenses". Ricky Patel, a Homeland Security special agent, said: "James Wellesley and his co-conspirator are accused of masterminding their nearly $100 million international fraud scheme that exploited the unsuspecting public, including New Yorkers, for their own selfish enrichment. "As alleged, the defendants claimed Bordeaux Cellars boasted a high-value wine stockpile and a clientele of 'high-net-worth wine collectors' – and in turn profited handsomely – all while they swindled investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. "Let it be known, regardless of the nature of the transnational criminal scheme, HSI New York, alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to adapt and evolve to fight global and domestic financial crimes wherever and whenever possible." "Today's arraignment sends a message to all perpetrators of global fraud schemes that my office will work tirelessly to ensure they answer for crimes committed in the United States," said US attorney Joseph Nocella. "We will not rest in our efforts to seek justice for victims of fraud."
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Six TRNSMT revellers arrested and police officer assaulted on festival's opening night
FEST ARRESTS Six TRNSMT revellers arrested and police officer assaulted on festival's opening night Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SIX revellers were arrested on the opening day of TRNSMT at Glasgow Green. Police said the offences included police assault, assault, hate crime and outstanding warrants. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Six revellers were arrested on the opening day of TRNSMT Credit: Roddy Scott The individuals were nicked in and around the Glasgow Green area. Reports will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. Around 150,000 party-goers are expected to descend on Glasgow Green over the three-day extravaganza. The bash coincides with a heatwave as forecasters predict the mercury to hit 29C this afternoon. Festival-goers have been urged to stay hydrated and bring sunscreen amid the scorching temperatures. Kilmarnock rockers Biffy Clyro will headline the festival today, while Fontaines DC, The Kooks and Sigrid will also play. Indie artist Jake Bugg will take to the King Tut's Stage, which will be headlined by Underworld. The festival will finish on Sunday night with Northern Irish-Scottish outfit Snow Patrol headlining. American pop artist Gracie Abrams, English singer Jade and Tom Walker will play the main stage too. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has issued a safety warning ahead of the show, urging gig-goers to bring sunscreen and stay hydrated. First TRNSMT fans race into festival as 150,000 to descend on Glasgow Green amid scorching weekend heatwave People have been urged to cover up to avoid sunburn and sunstroke throughout the three-day event.
