UK - In Brief

UK in Brief HSBC - now closing Syrian bank accounts (earlier, they'd been closing Islamic accounts connected with charities and individuals associated with charities) Accused of 'shamelessly profiling' customers and accused of Islamophobia  http://rt.com/uk/178900-hsbc-syrian-laundering-closed/ Comment:  Disgusting.  Imagine the outrage if they were closing Jewish bank accounts. 'Jihadist' Flag @ East London Housing Estate Now for the other side of the coin, I guess. Housing estate in Canary Wharf’s East London. Guardian journalists - hassled by abt 20 'Asian youths' and told to leave. Threat to break camera. Passer-by (taking mobile phone photo) harassed about (possibly) being Jewish.  http://rt.com/uk/178908-jihadist-flag-east-london/ Comment:  Don't care what kind of flags people want to fly.  But I am outraged that those entering the neighbourhood were harassed.  No way known should that ever happen.  It's a public place.  Nobody should be in a position where they think they can claim neighbourhoods or suburbs etc.  Something should be done about that. Anti-NATO Summit - 'Campaigners staging 192 Mile Long March on Newport' NATO ... 28-nation military bloc usually attracts protesters No NATO Newport Group, heading out on 19 day 'relay' March http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/peace-activists-march-newport-oppose-7551985 RT News reports that more than 20,000 protesters around the world are expected to take part in demonstrations and that UK's drafted 9,000 police to keep the UK protesters in line. “Many of us are increasingly worried by the threat that NATO poses to world stability and peaceful relations,” said the organizers.   “Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has reinvented itself supposedly as a tool of the ‘international community’ to safeguard ‘freedom and security’. “In reality it is a vehicle for US-led use of force in the interests of the rich and powerful, accelerating militarization, bypassing the United Nations and the system of international law, and escalating spending on arms,” they added.  [rtnews] http://rt.com/uk/179000-nato-summit-protest-march/ Comment:  Perhaps the NATO protesters have a point.  If you go to the RT News link, there's a scary looking twitter message from 'UK Delegation, NATO'.  No wonder people are protesting.