Headline
UK To Test Alert System On Millions Of Phones
Published
1 year agoon
By
EditorThe UK will conduct its first test of a new emergency alert service on Sunday, with millions of mobile phones set to emit a loud alarm and vibrate at 3:00pm (1400 GMT).
The national system, modelled on similar schemes in Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States, aims to warn the public if there is a danger to life nearby but has generated criticism over “nanny state” intrusion.
A message will say: “This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.”
Emergency services and the government hope to use the system to alert people to issues such as severe flooding and fires.
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The 10-second alarm, which will sound even if phones are on silent, is expected to disrupt entertainment and sporting events, including Premier League football matches.
Organisers of the World Snooker Championship will pause play just before the alert, while the Society of London Theatre has advised its members to tell audiences to turn off their phones.
Drivers have been warned not to pick up their phones during the test, and people who do not wish to receive the alerts can opt out in their device settings.
“Keep Calm and Carry On. That is the British way and it is exactly what the country will do when they receive this test alert at 3:00 pm today,” said Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden.
“The government’s number-one job is to keep people safe and this is another tool in the toolkit for emergency situations.”
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– ‘Terrifying’ –
But some Conservative figures have criticised the plan, with former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg urging people to defy the government’s calls and “switch off the unnecessary and intrusive alert”.
“It is back to the nanny state -– warning us, telling us, mollycoddling us when instead they should just let people get on with their lives,” he said.
Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine, ex-wife of government minister Michael Gove, called the plans “terrifying”.
“This Sunday, at 3pm… the government intends to rattle our collective cages by invading our mobile phones — and our privacy — with its absurd emergency test signal. The notion is as terrifying as it is tiresome,” she wrote.
“Terrifying because it’s a reminder of the tyranny imposed on all of us by the technology that has invaded our homes like Japanese knotweed, infiltrating every aspect of our daily lives,” she added.
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Dowden sought to play down privacy and intrusion fears, saying “all people need to do is swipe away the message or click “OK”.
“The test is secure, free to receive and one-way, and does not reveal anyone’s location or collect personal data,” he added.
Judy Edworthy, an international expert in alarm systems and psychology professor at the University of Plymouth, said the alert system was a positive development, even if its first airing may surprise people.
“Despite the message explaining it is a test, I expect some people may well be astonished,” she told the domestic Press Association.
MPs also criticised the decision to hand the lucrative IT contract for the alert system to Fujitsu, the Japanese firm responsible for faulty software in the Post Office system that led to innocent sub-postmasters receiving fraud convictions.
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Headline
Group Of Top Male Footballers ‘Planning To Come Out As Gay Next Month
Published
4 hours agoon
April 25, 2024By
EditorA group of top male footballers ‘are planning to come out as gay on May 17.
German outlet Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung claims a group of professionals across the country will declare publicly their sexual orientation.
The date in question is of particular reference as it is the International Day Against Homophobia.
It is believed that all of the clubs the reported players are aware of the planned proposals.
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However, Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung adds that some players still have reservations about revealing their homosexuality and could still make a U-turn in doing so.
Marcus Urban is a former footballer in Germany who came out as gay in 2007, 16 years after quitting the sport. Urban, now 52, is the co-founder of Diversero, a global community for diversity, and hopes next month’s plans do come to fruition.
‘I think they are respected and celebrated for that. Not by everyone, that’s clear. But hate speech cannot be a criterion for a life,
‘May 17 is an offer,’ he told the Editorial Network Germany (RND). ‘A date that you could use as a guide and get together as a group.
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‘There is controversy there. Do I still want to wait until the world of football becomes the way I want it to be? Why should I wait? An interesting dynamic has come into play, you can see that people’s minds are starting to move and are thinking about whether it really makes sense to continue to hide and deny themselves.
Urban went on to reveal that there are gay couples playing in the Bundesliga too – declaring it would be ‘liberating’ if they came out.
‘There are also gay Bundesliga couples who are in hiding,’ he continued.
‘That would be so liberating. What’s wrong with it.’
Headline
Saudi Arabia Opens First Alcohol Store, Nigerian Muslims React
Published
4 hours agoon
April 25, 2024By
EditorNigerian Muslims have gone on X to express outrage after it was announced that Saudi Arabia has opened its first alcohol store in Riyadh.
Alcohol consumption is against the teachings of Islam and Saudi Arabia, a Muslim country, has always obeyed to this law by forbidding the operation of alcohol stores in the country.
However, for the first time, the country opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of its capital Riyadh.
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After it was announced on X, Nigerian Muslims took to the platform to express their displeasure.
“Disgraceful,” one Nigerian Muslim wrote on X. “They’re slowly turning Saudi Arabia into Las Vegas and it’s making me mad. At the rate they’re going , very soon they’ll legalize prostitution and same sex marriage in our most sacred city.”
Nigerian Muslims read the riot act after Saudi Arabia opened its first alcohol store.
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Another said: “It’s baffling and disgusting to see that Saudi Arabia has opened the first alcohol store in Riyadh.
“I wonder why the current crown prince is going against the teachings of the holy prophet by accommodating western cultures in a country like Saudi Arabia where the two most holy mosque are situated.
“This is an insult to the religion of peace and the entire Muslim ummah. It’s disgraceful.”
Headline
VIDEO: Meet Nigerian Pastor Who Predicted World Will End April 25
Published
6 hours agoon
April 25, 2024By
EditorAn unidentified Nigerian pastor has stirred reactions on social media by following a prophetic revelation that the world would end on the 25th of April 2024.
In a video which has since gone viral, the pastor disclosed that God informed him of the end of the world during a prayer session.
The pastor emphasised that he clearly saw the date and that God mentioned it to him twice.
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He said, “By the 25th of April, the world is going to end. If you like take this serious, if you don’t like don’t take it serious.
“But this is real, rapture is coming, on the 25th of April 2024, I saw it very clear, do you understand? I saw the date very clear and the lord ministered to me. He mentioned it twice, it has happened twice.”
Watch video below:
VIDEO: Nigerian Pastor Claims World Will End April 25th
An unidentified Nigerian pastor has stirred reactions on social media by following a prophetic revelation that the world would end on the 25th of April 2024.
In a video which has since gone viral, the pastor disclosed… pic.twitter.com/9xFXAtVCNl
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) April 25, 2024
Source: PUNCH
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