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Britain Tag

Yesterday, a man in an SUV mowed people down on Westminster Bridge before he drove into the perimeter fence at Parliament. The man exited the car and stabbed a police officer before other officers shot him down. Overall, four people died, including the assailant and American Kurt Cochran. Today, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility while British officials arrested seven or eight in six raids across London and Birmingham. The authorities have identified the attacker as Khalid Masood, 52-years-old.

Four people have died, including a policeman and the attacker, in London outside of Parliament in the terrorist attacks that left 20 people injured. From Fox News:
Police said a vehicle mowed down pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge, leaving more than a dozen with injuries described as catastrophic. Around the same time Wednesday, a knife-wielding attacker stabbed a police officer and was shot on the grounds outside Britain's Parliament, sending the compound into lockdown

The Department of Homeland Security has banned electronics larger than a smart phone on flights from eight countries: Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Officials said the ban comes from intelligence about terrorism risks:
“We’re concerned about ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation,” a DHS official said. The official cited terrorist attacks on airports in Brussels and Istanbul as part of a pattern or attacks that justified the ban
Some people have lashed out at President Donald Trump, thinking its another slap in the face towards Muslims. However, the United Kingdom has also adopted this same rule and Canada may follow.

As Brexit looms around the United Kingdom, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced she may ask for approval to have another independence referendum. From CNN:
Sturgeon said it was clear that the UK was heading for a "hard Brexit" to the detriment of Scotland, and that Scottish voters deserved a choice of remaining in the European Union as part of an independent nation.

Uh oh. UK Parliament Speaker John Bercow has found himself in deeper water after he revealed to students that he voted for the UK to remain in the European Union on the Brexit vote. From The Telegraph:
His fresh comments appear to breach the convention that Speakers of the House of Commons do not allow themselves to be drawn into political debate.

So I've kept an eye on the UK parliament ever since Speaker John Bercow announced he did not want President Donald Trump to speak to parliament on his UK visit. At least 163 Members of Parliament (MPs) signed a petition to keep Trump from speaking at Westminster Hall. Well, due to the ruckus, reports have emerged that Trump's visit may occur at the end of summer when parliament is not in session. This means Trump can "avoid a formal snub."

UK House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has announced he does not want President Donald Trump to speak at Parliament during a state visit. Bercow does not want any Members of Parliament (MP) to face backlash over the president's speech. So if Trump does make a speech, he may have to give it at the Royal Gallery instead of Westminster Hall, which was built in the 11th century. The Royal Gallery came into completion "800 years later and currently covered in scaffolding." British Prime Minister Theresa May invited Trump when she met with him last week at the White House.

You have got to be kidding me. The British Medical Association (BMA) has told people to stop calling pregnant people expectant mothers because it could offend transgender people. Instead, call those females "pregnant people." From The Telegraph:
On pregnancy and maternity, it says: "Gender inequality is reflected in traditional ideas about the roles of women and men. Though they have shifted over time, the assumptions and stereotypes that underpin those ideas are often deeply-rooted."

The UK Supreme Court has decided that parliament must decide if the government can start the Brexit process. The ruling also stated that the "Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies did not need a say." Prime Minister Theresa may cannot begin talks with European Union (EU) leaders until parliament votes. May would like to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the part that allows a country to leave the EU, by the end of March.

With German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatening U.K. with tough trade negotiations -- or ‘hard Brexit, -- for daring to leave the E.U., the Trump presidency has come at a very opportune time for the beleaguered British government. President-elect Donald Trump's proposed U.S.-U.K. trade deal could destroy EU's designs, Professor Ted Malloch said, the man tapped to be the next U.S. ambassador to the E.U. in the Trump administration while talking to the British newspaper Daily Express. Malloch, who is reportedly being vetted by the presidential transition team, was optimistic about a bilateral trade agreement once U.K. formally leaves the union. "I would hope on the day Britain triggers Article 50 [formal notification of withdrawal from the E.U.], Mrs. May will be able to announce we’ve just started discussions with the United States – an even larger market for free trade," Malloch said.

Students at University of London have demanded the school drop famous philosophers like Plato and Kant from the curriculum because they were white. Instead, the student union at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) would rather have philosophers from Africa and Asia. The union has started the "campaign to 'decolonise' the university." The Daily Mail reported:
Entitled ‘Decolonising SOAS: Confronting The White Institution’, the union’s statement of ‘educational priorities’ warns ‘white philosophers’ should be studied only ‘if required’, and even then their work should be taught solely from ‘a critical standpoint’: ‘For example, acknowledging the colonial context in which so-called “Enlightenment” philosophers wrote within.’

The United Kingdom has become Big Brother. The government passed the Investigatory Powers Bill, which means internet providers must provide the asking government agency with a citizen's internet browsing history. The bill provides that power with these agencies, a few may raise eyebrows:
Metropolitan Police Service City of London Police Police forces maintained under section 2 of the Police Act 1996 Police Service of Scotland Police Service of Northern Ireland British Transport Police Ministry of Defence Police