Comment: Previously:

• Mel Brooks: 'We have become stupidly politically correct, which is the death of comedy'
• The difference between justice and social justice, and why the search for social justice continues to erode our freedoms
• Hateful liberal derangement is killing comedy in the Age of Trump
• University charity group demands comedian sign 'safe space' contract ahead of unpaid appearance

Comment: Can you smell it yet? The distinct odeur of... malignant authoritarianism.

Comment: The war propaganda is more subtle and far-reaching than just some "humorous" poster. It is a battle for the future of Britain's children.

© POW Productions

War School is a film about the battle for the hearts and minds of Britain's children.

Set against the backdrop of Remembrance the controversial and challenging documentary reveals how, faced with unprecedented opposition to its wars, the British government is using a series of new and targeted strategies to promote support for the military. Armed Forces Day, Uniform to Work Day, Camo Day, National Heroes Day - in the streets, on television, on the web, at sports events, in schools, advertising and fashion - the military presence in civilian life is on the march. The public and ever younger children are being groomed to collude in the increasing militarisation of UK society.

Interweaving the powerful and moving testimonies of veterans of Britain's unbroken century of wars with expert commentary, archive and a redolent score, War School's mosaic of sound and imagery evokes the story of the child soldier who becomes a peace campaigner, challenging the myth of Britain's benign role in world affairs and asking if perpetual war is really what we want for future generations?

Comment: Israel has been targeting journalists for years, but despite their efforts the brutal truth of Israel's monstrous treatment of Palestinians is being delivered...and is having a definite effect. See also:

• Young American Jews growing in awareness of Israel's barbaric treatment of Palestine
• The BDS movement: A 'strategic threat of the first order' to Israel
• Reporters Without Borders requests ICC investigation for Israeli war crimes against Palestinian journalists in Gaza
• To silence the press: Six journalists shot by Israel during Gaza protests
• Palestine: Israeli soldiers arrest 24 journalists, 6 sentenced to long jail terms

Comment: For more on the possible causes for the growing number of gas and electrical related incidents both above and below ground, see:

• SOTT Exclusive: The growing threat of underground fires and explosions
• SOTT Exclusive: Mysterious 'gas explosions' destroying residential homes, killing people

Below are just a small selection of events from the past few years:

• Surge at ConEd substation casts eerie blue glow over New York
• Mine bursts into flames killing 9 in Solikamsk, Russia
• 13 dead in Czech coal mine methane explosion
• Towns burn after 'apocalyptic' explosions tear across Northern Massachusetts
• Powerful gas explosions rip through street in Urk, the Netherlands - Six houses destroyed
• Methane explosion in Russian coal mine kills 4, dozens trapped
• Explosions kill 23 labourers at 2 coal mines in southwest Pakistan

UPDATE 01.01.19 15:00:

RT reports:

Putin arrives at scene of deadly Urals gas blast amid race to save people in freezing cold

Cutting short his trip to Sochi, President Vladimir Putin arrived on the scene of the devastating gas blast in the city of Magnitogorsk, where rescuers are working against time to pull the trapped people from under debris in -20C.

Arriving at the site of the blast in the southern Urals, some 1,700km east of Moscow, the Russian leader was briefed on how the powerful explosion ripped through the residential building, trapping up to forty people under the rubble. Putin has urged the Chelyabinsk Region governor to spare no resources in helping the families affected by the blast who ended up with no roof over their heads on New Year's Eve.

Putin then visited the survivors of the explosion at a local hospital, and talked to a young victim of the blast.

Seven people have been confirmed killed in the disaster, with dozens still missing - including children. The rescue efforts are aggravated by minus 20 Celsius temperatures, due to sink even lower overnight.

The rescue efforts are aggravated by minus 20 Celsius temperatures which are due to sink even lower overnight.

The tragedy took place before dawn when most of the residents were asleep ahead of arguably the most popular holiday night in Russia. The blast, which is thought to have been caused by a gas leak, left at least 10 apartments heavily damaged and 25 completely destroyed.

More from RT:

'Under ruins voices begged: Save us!': Hope of finding 40 missing in Russia's NYE gas blast dwindles

© Ruptly
Screenshot

As weather in Magnitogorsk plunged to -22C, rescue workers continued to remove rubble under searchlights on New Year's Eve, while officials admitted that chances of locating the dozens of missing victims grew slimmer by the hour.

[...]

"I thought we will go out through the porch, but as I opened my apartment door, I saw ruins. There was no porch at all anymore."

The crowd of onlookers, who had rushed out, helped those well enough to walk climb down from the pile of debris that formed from the 35 flats that had been decimated.

Amid the panic, they also had a firmer grasp of the scale of the tragedy.

"It just collapsed like a house of cards," said one witness.

A local newspaper reported that some residents jumped from their windows to escape the fumes.

"The fire was only on one floor of the building, but underneath the ruins, there were quiet voices, begging 'Help us! Save us!'" another told Ruptly.

The first responders arrived. Then, the entire might of the 500,000-size city's fire, medical and emergency departments. While some residents responded immediately to frantic calls from officials, or called the police to say they were safe, the phones of others were switched off. As the first survivors of burns and falls were delivered to hospital, and the deceased identified, it was clear that a substantial number of people were trapped, dead or alive.

Whatever had to be done now, could not be done in minutes or with only manpower and fire hoses. Specialist equipment and a go-slow approach were needed.

So began the multi-hour operation - as the nation watched live.

Instantly relatable to tens of millions of Russians, who grew up in identical mass builds, with their own gas stoves, this was not news that would be buried in the avalanche of festive TV shows and table preparations.

Plane after plane of emergency workers were dispatched from major cities, officials from the local governor, to the emergencies and health ministers arrived at the site. There are currently 1,300 people and over 200 pieces of equipment deployed.

[...]

UPDATE 1.01.19 16:00 An 11-month old boy has been rescued from the rubble. The child is in grave condition, but doctors are optimistic. A team of top emergency doctors has been sent from a specialist center in Chelyabinsk, while doctors from all around Russia are ready to offer additional help by video link. The boy is the first person who has been extracted alive apart from those residents who escaped immediately following the suspected gas blast. Video filmed by emergency crews shows the moment the child was pulled from a pile of deformed concrete and steel:


UPDATE 01.01.19 18.44 RT reports that the search has re-started for the 32 missing residents as crews were able to remove debris posing potential risk to emergency rescuers. A criminal investigation over potential negligence has been handed over to the Particularly Important Cases department in Moscow, with those responsible facing potential jail terms if found guilty. Multiple reports have said that apartment residents repeatedly complained to their communal services over the strong smell of gas in the 45 year old complex.

UPDATE 01.02.19 16.06 The official death toll has reached 24 with 17 residents still missing. Multiple rescue teams have been working day and night to locate and extract people trapped in the debris. Heat cannons were set up to help those who might still be stuck to withstand the cold, as the temperature fell to -20C at night. Locals have created makeshift memorials with flowers and toys set up near the site, and have been lighting candles there. Six people have been rescued so far, including the 11-month-old boy, Vanya whose condition is stable but remains serious. RT details the miraculous rescue of the child:


UPDATE 01.02.19 19:45: RT reports that a total of 31 people have now been confirmed dead while 10 residents remain missing. Multiple rescue teams have been working around the clock to rescue people from the debris. The use of heavy equipment was halted due to fears of further collapse, so rescuers are currently clearing the rubble manually. Six people have been rescued so far.

Comment: "Brussels should have planned more carefully"...truer words were never spoken:

• The Marrakesh Agreement: Symbolic of the sunset of Europe
• Weapons of mass migration: 77% of Belgians 'no longer feel at home'
• Immigration, Crime and Propaganda
• No-go zones: Alt-right fantasy or the new face of Europe?