The Israeli authorities are advancing a bill that would prohibit displaying the Palestinian flag at universities and institutions funded by Israel.
If passed, the law would apply to any institution funded by the state budget, including universities, and would impose fines of up to 10,000 shekels ($2,700) and prison sentences of up to one year.
According to the Israeli media authorities, the Knesset’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation is set to discuss the bill during its next session on Sunday.
The proposed legislation, submitted by Likud Party member Nissim Vaturi, aims to ban the display of flags from “hostile states,” including the Palestinian flag, at publicly funded or state-financed institutions.
The bill stipulates that gatherings involving Palestinian flags could be dispersed, and demonstrators waving them could face up to a year in prison and a fine of no less than 10,000 shekels.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – The animal rights group PETA has filed a complaint with Louisiana state authorities after a caged Bengal tiger was wheeled onto a Louisiana State University football field before a game, the group said Saturday.
A Republican, Naturally !!
Media outlets reported that Louisiana’s Republican Governor Jeff Landry had pushed for the return of a tiger at Saturday’s game.
Looking at the rabble we have allegedly running my country at the moment; I say ‘come back Guy Fawkes, all is forgiven’. This weekend is the nearest to November 5th when the British celebrate Bonfire night, which goes back to its origin in 1605. Mark
Guy Fawkes Night originates from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed conspiracy by a group of provincial English Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I of England and VI of Scotland and replace him with a Catholic head of state. In the immediate aftermath of the 5 November arrest of Guy Fawkes, caught guarding a cache of explosives placed beneath the House of Lords, James’s Council allowed the public to celebrate the king’s survival with bonfires, so long as they were “without any danger or disorder”. This made 1605 the first year the plot’s failure was celebrated. I think there is a different view today; many would welcome a new Guy Fawkes if it meant that the current shambles of an alleged democratic Parliament was dissolved.
Like all good plots; this one starts in a pub !
In a few days it will be the 5th on November – or as it better commonly known in the UK, ‘Bonfire Night’.
In 1604 a plot was made to blow up the houses of parliament, the King, and al those within
On 5th November 1605 at the very last stages of the gunpowder plot, Guido Fawkes, or Guy Fawkes as he is more commonly know, was an English explosive expert who had previously been fighting in Spain. He was captured with all the barrels of gunpowder under the House of Lords. He was tortured in the Tower of London – confessed the names of the other plotters under torture; who were quickly all caught and suffered terrible executions as you can see in one videos.
Bonfire night is still celebrated here today, many centuries later.
We have a poem which says:
Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
And it is not.
With the current political system here, many say we desperately need another Guy Fawkes.
Charity Doings Foundation Pakistan, the country’s 1st National Plant-Based Animal Rights Organization, and Environmental and Animal Rights Consultants Pakistan, the nation’s first dedicated Animal and Environmental Law Firm, are proud to announce Pakistan’s 1st International Animal and Environmental Rights Conference.
The event will take place on January 18 and 19, 2025, at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore.
This landmark event will create a powerful platform for animal and environmental rights dialogue in Pakistan, bringing together eminent speakers from around the world to discuss critical issues in these fields.
Two lionesses rescued from conflict zones in Ukraine are to find a new home in a Scottish zoo.
Five Sisters Zoo near Polbeth, West Lothian, is preparing to welcome Luna and Plusza, who were evacuated from an area affected by heavy shelling in eastern Ukraine in 2022.
The were initially sheltered in Kyiv and were moved to Poland, then later to the Natuurhulpcentrum animal shelter in Oudsbergen, Belgium.
They will now find a permanent home at Five Sisters Zoo which has a history of helping animals which have experienced hardship.
Hedgehogs are now listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list after a decline in numbers of at least 30% over the past decade across much of their range.
While hedgehogs were once common across Europe, and were until now listed as of “least concern” on the red list, they are being pushed towards extinction by urban development, intensive farming and roads, which have fragmented their habitat.
I used to construct hedgehog houses for our local Forestry Commission site. Here is a picture of one of these; and another showing it ‘in the field’ with a ranger. Constructed primarily from old decking it was ideal and thick and weather tough. The protective entrance is an additional to stop and predators getting at the hedgehogs.
A billboard campaign has been launched in the heart of Brussels’ EU quarter, urging the European Commission to fulfil its promises on the animal welfare legislation, now overdue by a year.
The European Commission had committed to a comprehensive overhaul of animal welfare legislation by October 2023. However, a full year has passed without the promised proposals for kept animals and slaughter being unveiled.
Countless animals continue to suffer in factory farms across the EU under outdated and inadequate laws that fail to protect them or meet their most basic needs.
As part of our No Animal Left Behind campaign, Eurogroup for Animals placed 40 billboards across 17 metro stations in the EU capital to send a strong message to the European Commission: citizens are still waiting for meaningful legislative change for the animals.
Despite the delayed proposals, it was promising to see consensus by all stakeholders of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture on the urgent need for a revision of EU animal welfare legislation by 2026 and a phase-out of cage systems. In a historic move, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also announced the creation of the role of Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. This new role will ensure animals have more representation on the political stage.
Next steps will see candidates for the Commissioner roles face hearings in the European Parliament in November 2024, where their priorities and plans will be scrutinised. Finding the right candidate is crucial to keep animal welfare legislation a top priority in the next legislative term.
Regards Mark – PS They always were bloody useless !
Animal rights activists from the groups Speciesism WTF and Animal Justice Project stage a protest against pork and farrowing crates outside this year’s Frieze Art Fair.
The protest features an art installation by Stephanie Lane and highlights the widespread meat industry practice of keeping mother pigs confined in restrictive cages.
World Animals Voice 