Society's Child
Petrov & Boshirov may have been mocked on Twitter, but Salisbury's self-esteem is the biggest victim
Whatever your views on the Skripal poisoning and the guilt or innocence of suspects Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, few could argue it has been a bad day for the self-esteem of Salisbury and its much-admired cathedral. The majority on social media clearly think the town is awful and certainly not worth a 3,000-mile round trip.
But with the optimism of knowing God is on its side, and the 'no publicity is bad publicity' mantra ringing in its ears, Salisbury Cathedral itself is not wasting its new-found notoriety. It sent out a promotional tweet detailing the mighty 123-meter erection which apparently attracted Petrov and Boshirov in the first place.
The motion, prepared and drafted by MP Sergey Ivanov states that a duel between Russian citizens should be possible - although it should by no means be deemed a normal way of settling scores.
"In recent times there is a tendency among civil servants to challenge citizens who express opinions that differ from the official point of view to duels. In order to systemize the main reasons of such challenges and the rules of actual duels we propose this bill," the lawmaker wrote in the note attached with the draft.
The video was captured on a resident's surveillance camera and although it has no sound, it does show that at no time did John Perez, 34, ever attack or otherwise become physically combative with police.
According to Perez, police were responding to a domestic disturbance near his home when he approached them to find out what was going on. As the video shows, Perez is seen walking up to the group of 8 officers and simply standing in front of them.
The attack took place at the Moscow Contemporary Art Center Winzavod, which currently hosts the exhibition of paintings by artist Vasily Slonov called 'Celestial Jerusalem.' Vinzavod Director Aleksandr (Alex) Sharov wrote on his Facebook page that on Wednesday afternoon a group of unidentified people poured some "pungent-smelling liquid" on the floor of the gallery, took several paintings off the walls and carried them out. Sharov also wrote that the police had not taken any action to stop the attackers.
Some visitors to the exhibition recorded the incident on video and posted the footage to social networks. Many users recognized the attackers as activists from the so-called 'Russian liberation movement' or SERB - a radical conservative group known for attacks on art exhibitions and opposition figures.
Comment: The exhibition could hardly be considered art, and, in this instance at least, the promoters would probably have been best left alone to fade into obscurity:
- 'Ukraine on Fire': How US, Not Russia, Destroyed Ukraine - Oliver Stone Documentary Finally Available (VIDEO)
- US photographer's exhibition in Moscow closes and is branded 'child pornography' by protesters
- Eradicating beauty: The destruction of art
- The Netherlands: A Leading Distributor And Producer of Child Pornography
- Post-nihilism, a template for where we are heading
A white Peugeot crashed into a security barrier set up for a popular bullfighting festival around 1am Friday (11pm GMT Thursday), according to AFP. The driver, reportedly a 32-year-old man, tried to flee but was arrested at the scene.
Comment: Below is a selection of car ramming attacks that have happened in the last few months:
- France: Counter-terrorism troops open fire on car that tried to ram them, vehicle still on the run (26.08.19)
- Another car ramming: Three injured in Zaragoza, Spain, as driver hits pedestrians, flees scene (20.08.18)
- France: 7 injured after young man refused entry to nightclub rams crowd with car (18.08.18
- Westminister car-rammer charged with attempted murder (14.08.18)
- France: Search underway for man who rammed car into mosque (13.08.18)
- Enraged by Trump bumper sticker, Massachusetts woman rams into man's car (01.08.18)
- Tajikistan: Car-ramming incident that killed 4 foreign cyclists condemned as a terror attack (31.08.18)
- Possible attempted terror attack in Moscow: Taxi rams into Mexican tourists - Update (16.06.18)
A new report published by the British government's Women and Equalities Select Committee reveals the scale and impact of sexual harassment and violence in schools.
According to police figures in England and Wales, one child is raped in school every day and in primary schools and three sexual assaults are reported to the police every school day.
"I never thought this would be part of my role as a teacher and as a parent it makes me feel very concerned that my child is at risk in a place that's supposed to be a safe environment," a teacher who wanted to remain anonymous told Sputnik. "At my school in London we frequently had to shut down Whatsapp groups to prevent images going viral."
The British government is accused of failing to collect information on the number of sexual assaults carried out in schools in England but despite the lack of data on the number of incidents when sexual violence or rapes take place, the parliamentary committee has been able to determine the scale of the problem through research, surveys and questionnaires.
Comment: Alarming, if true. However, there isn't enough data here to draw firm conclusions. As we know, definitions of sexual assault and rape have expanded in recent years, so it is unclear if this 'increase' in assaults is due to an actual increase in various types of assaults, or simply due to the inclusion of a wider number of types now classified as assaults. The raw numbers could be lower, the same, or higher. They may in fact be higher, which would definitely be cause for concern. Children are being sexualized at younger and younger ages, and to a greater degree than they were even 20 years ago.
Former research scientist Dr Chris Busby - an outspoken critic of the British Government's handlings of the Salisbury poisoning - was held after officers reported feeling unwell during a raid on his property yesterday morning.
Police had initially targeted the address in the sleepy seaside town of Bideford over concerns for a woman's welfare.
However officers complained of feeling unwell and were immediately checked over by an ambulance Hazardous Area Response Team and fire crews.
A search of the property found items required analysis from specialist officers and a bomb disposal team.
Devon and Cornwall Police said there is not believed to be any risk to the public, and the officers treated are unharmed and have returned to duty.
Comment: There's something about the account of this raid that has us feeling inexplicably unwell... A strange, fishy smell. In fact, it kind of smells like mass hysteria. The officers were unharmed, yet felt 'unwell'. Might that have something to do with the priming that is washing over British society about Russian spies and nerve agents. And of course, Busby's connection tor RT and outspokenness on the government's lies are entirely coincidental.

Officials said residents who have gas service with Columbia Gas should leave their homes immediately
Officials in Massachusetts say there are up to 70 fires burning in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover after problems with the natural gas system.
Multiple people have been hurt, including one firefighter in Andover. Town officials said two civilians in Andover were also injured.
In Lawrence, at least four people were said to be undergoing treatment at Lawrence General Hospital, according to WHDH. A woman trapped in her house during the explosion suffered leg injuries, and a man in a car nearby was seriously injured by a falling chimney.
According to The Eagle Tribune, officials have alerted Holy Family Hospital in Methuen to expect multiple admissions.
Amid claims that authorities are failing to take action against the bishop, police have summoned Franco Mulakkal, the head of the Jalandhar diocese in the northern Punjab state, for questioning on September 19.
A 43-year-old nun from the Missionaries of Jesus accused the bishop of raping her up to 13 times for two years from May 2014. Police said they will decide after questioning Mulakkal whether to arrest him in connection with the allegations, which were first made by the nun on June 27.
HelloAsso publicized its decision in a tweet explaining that it supports the right of citizens to call for BDS as part of freedom of expression.
In 2016, the European Union stated:
"The EU stands firm in protecting freedom of expression and freedom of association in line with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which is applicable on EU Member States' territory, including with regard to BDS actions carried out on this territory."














Comment: See also: