Nation

— -- Students, teachers, parents and administrators across the country have been invited to take part in a National School Walkout in a call on the U.S. government to pass stricter gun control laws. The ENOUGH National School Walkout will take place today, exactly one month after the Feb. 14 mass shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people. The event will be at 10 a.m. across every time zone and last 17 minutes -- one minute for each of the victims gunned down in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The walkout is organized by young people working with Women’s March Youth Empower. Women’s March Youth Coordinator Tabitha St. Bernard Jacobs, one of the few adults helping with the youth-led movement, told ABC News that while today's walkout is in reaction to the Parkland shooting, the event is about calling out gun violence. St. Bernard Jacobs said it is a way to call attention to the kind of gun violence that exists not …

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Thousands of students across the country will come together again this week to rally against school gun violence -- an event the teenage organizers hope will empower students to continue their momentum in a push for common-sense gun reform. The event -- called the National School Walkout -- focuses on high schools and will take place on April 20, the anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, where two students opened fire in 1999, killing 12 of their fellow students and a teacher. Who is participating? The event was organized by 16-year-old Lane Murdock, a sophomore at Ridgefield High School in Connecticut , along with three of her classmates. More than 2,000 events are registered across the country, with at least one in every state and several globally, according to the organizers. When will it start? The walkout begins at 10 a.m. in each local time zone. When students head outside, they will first take part in 13 seconds of silence to honor …

[Read more...] about National School Walkout: Everything to know about the upcoming event to end gun violence

Kuenssberg slams Jo Swinson for ‘disregarding Brexit vote’ Sign up to receive our rundown of the day's top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Speaking in London at the Liberal Democrat’s election campaign launch , Jo Swinson targeted Jeremy Corbyn , Labour leader, in an effort to bolster support for her party ahead of the December 12 general election. Labelling Mr Corbyn as a “national security threat,” Ms Swinson attempted to tilt the balance in her party’s favour in what will be an election crucial to the outcome of Brexit. Related articles Lib Dems at war: Major split erupts as Chuka Umunna undermines leader Lib Dem shame: Chuka Umunna mocked as controversial …

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Boris Johnson says he will be going to the pub 'in a few days' Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The Prime Minister will address the nation from Downing Street's new £2.6million briefing room at 5pm this evening. His press conference comes as people in England are now allowed to meet in groups of six outdoors and organised sport returns. Related articles EU chiefs fail to secure new Covid-19 vaccine supply deal EU threats of Covid vaccine export ban branded ‘dangerous’ Lockdown restrictions have been eased today in part two of the first step of the roadmap back to normality, after earlier this month all children returned to the …

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Today is 16th June, and the blessed day that all fudge lovers look forward to, because it is National Fudge Day. Being a lover of fudge is the easiest thing to do, because fudge makes it so easy to be loved. It is chewy, tasty, full of rich flavour and is guaranteed to always put you in a good mood. The perfect accompanying treat to any  hot drink, and easily available everywhere, what is there not to love about fudge? We bet you will struggle to come up with even one reason not to love fudge. 1. Delicious There is no other better taste in this world than that of the sweet taste of fudge. You don’t even care what flavour it is, the temperature it has been stored in, or where it came from because to you it all tastes absolutely wonderful. 2. So chewy One of the best things about fudge is that wonderful chewy texture as you take a bite and chomp on it. Does chocolate go gooey and squishy in your mouth? Do crisps simply melt away and cover your tastebuds in …

[Read more...] about National Fudge Day: 13 things all fudge lovers know to be true

Today is National Martini Day, and there is no better way to celebrate than by promptly ordering several martinis. When it comes to alcoholic cocktails the timeless martini is easily the winner. As if being the drink of choice for James Bond wasn’t enough of a reason, does any other drink make you look as cool, like when you are holding a martini? Available in gin or vodka form, there is a variety out there for everyone, and if you haven’t found your favourite we advise you start tasting, pronto. 1. Best use of gin People might say that the best use of gin is in a G&T, but these poor souls have obviously never tasted a cool, crisp martini. Gin topped with cold vermouth is the best use of it, none of this silly tonic nonsense. 2. Hello olives, lemons and onions When one orders a martini it is just as much about the garnish as it is about the actual cocktail. You can opt for a whole choice of different items such as olives, lemons and even pickled onions. …

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Published 21 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Rare chalk grassland is to be restored with the help of a £2m grant, the National Trust says. Restoration of the ancient landscape on the South Downs will be funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Some 18 schemes, including returning 60 hectares (150 acres) of golf course to downland will go ahead over four years. There will be community projects to access green space, and an archaeology project to get people digging for history, the National Trust said. A quarter of South Downs National Park, which stretches from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex, is made up of woods, heaths, ponds and nature reserves. Intensive agriculture and the loss of traditional grazing has led to a reduction in the rare chalk grassland by four-fifths, leaving remaining sites small and isolated, and their …

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This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission. Police believe almost 900 people joined a gang this year , a 13 per cent increase on the year before. Police data shows they have identified a little over 7000 people as belonging to a gang, although the number is likely higher. This is a 13 per cent increase on the year before. READ MORE: 'Nobody is going to chase us away' – 82-year-old stands strong in face of gang neighbours Rise in illegal trade in pounamu linked to gangs, iwi says Eight people arrested and cars impounded after November gang procession in Auckland Motorcycle gang leader brothers with criminal history to be deported to New Zealand Notably a number of gang members with New Zealand ties have been deported from Australia , known as 501s referring to the legislation underpinning the deportations. Local chapters have sprung up of the Mongols , Bandidos and the Comancheros . Detective …

[Read more...] about Number of people joining gangs increased by at least 13 per cent this year, police data shows

STUFF Vigilante Tha Prophit is a prison inmate who has continued his rap career while incarcerated. He was one of the founders of the notorious Killer Beez-affiliated Colourway Records and rapped under the name Fizek ​ . When he was jailed for importing meth, he changed his persona and kept rapping. National Correspondent Tony Wall reports. “When I hit the microphone, I shoot to kill,” raps Vigilante Tha​ Prophit​ (VTP), over the sound of gunshots, on the 2018 track Beestyle. Typical braggadocio from a gangsta rapper maybe, but what makes this song and others by VTP different is that the vocals were recorded from prison, without the Department of Corrections knowing. Stuff has learned that Killer Beez gang member Adam Nelson , 36, from Otara in South Auckland, is Vigilante Tha​ Prophit​. He is serving a term of eight years and four months’ imprisonment for importing methamphetamine and is currently in Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt. Sources have told …

[Read more...] about A Killer Beez gang member jailed for meth dealing used a prison phone to record rap songs

He’s the president of one of the most notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs and is deemed a security risk by prison bosses, but the family of Jim Thacker say he still has rights and keeping him in solitary confinement is inhumane. National Correspondent Tony Wall reports as part of his investigation into segregation in prisons. Jim Thacker wakes in the mornings to the sound of a mass killer talking to himself. Thacker, president of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, is being held in a high-security segregation unit at Auckland Prison in a cell next to the terrorist who slaughtered 51 people in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks. “When he first got into that unit next to [the terrorist] he reckons he was bragging about all the people he’d killed. It was f...ing with him,” a relative says. Despite his fearsome reputation, Thacker, who was deported from Australia in 2018 on character grounds, has never served jail time before and has yet to be convicted of the crimes he’s accused of. …

[Read more...] about Mongols president Jim Thacker has been held for eight months in prison segregation