#great britain cruise | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

avi-on-jumblr · 5 months

Text

awful tweet warning:

Before I describe everything that's wrong with this tweet, let me transcribe Stephen Fry's words:

I am Stephen Fry, and I am a Jew. The great Irish thinker and writer Conor Cruise O'Brien once said that antisemitism is a light sleeper. Well, it seems to have woken up of late. The horrendous events of October 7th, and the Israeli response, seem to have stirred up this ancient hatred. It's agonizing to see all violence and destruction that is unfolding, and the terrible loss of life on both sides brings me an overwhelming sadness and heartache. But whatever our opinions on what is happening, there can be no excuse for the behaviour of some of our citizens. Since October the 7th, there have been 50 separate reported incidents of antisemitism every single day in London alone, an increase of 1350%, according to the Metropolitan police. Shop windows smashed, stars of David and swastikas daubed on walls of Jewish properties, synagogues, and cemeteries. Jewish schools have been forced to close. There is real fear stalking the Jewish neighbourhoods of Britain. Jewish people here are becoming fearful of showing themselves, in Britain, in 2023.

(Then it cuts off.)

For those who still don't know why this tweet was ignorant and inane, let me explain.

"To hear him conflate antiZionism with antisemitism has shocked me."

Guess how many times Stephen Fry mentions zionism? Zero! Guess how many times he mentions the country of Israel? Zero! (Unless you count "the Israeli response" which is unrelated to the existence of the country, or Zionism at all.) What this person is saying, is that they consider the smashing of shop windows, and the vandalism and marking of Jewish property, to be anti-Zionism. Considering they are an anti-Zionist, by following their logic, we can conclude that they not only believe this destruction and harassment is acceptable, but they believe it is ethical.

Further, they accuse him of showing no care for the Palestinians, even though he explicitly states that the loss of life on both sides brings him overwhelming sadness.

Finally, they accuse him of "[Centring] people in this country". It is disturbing that this person believes one cannot be concerned over two issues at a time. It perpetuates the idea that we can only talk about the "worst oppression" and talking about anything else means you are complicit in "silencing" someone else. If this were true, we would not be allowed to talk about Gaza either, or Ukraine, or police brutality, racism, islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and so on and so on, because clearly there are other issues with hundreds of thousands more deaths, and millions more displacements, so why bring attention to it ever?

Unfortunately, people are not talking about those countries, like Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, Congo, and more, and anyone who does is spammed with "free Palestine" comments. In fact, the most I've heard people talking about Sudan is when these TikTok geopolitical experts attempt to spam the Palestinian flag and get it wrong.

This is not new. This is obviously not new. I have seen tweets like these every single day in the hundreds for the last 80 days. It is not surprising that people think smashing windows is "anti-zionism", nor that they think it good. It is not surprising that they hear a Jew speak, and experience shock and disgust, regardless of what we say.

I do wonder if they would regard anything short of a second Holocaust as antisemitism.

#antisemitism #i/p #jumblr #israel #palestine #stephen fry #israel palestine conflict #leftist antisemitism #gaza #avi posts

1K notes · View notes

thepastisalreadywritten · 2 months

Text

Inside William’s Next Act: Tatler’s May issue goes behind the scenes as the Prince of Wales is rising above the noise — and playing the long game

The burden of leadership is falling upon Prince William, but as former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, explains in Tatler’s May cover story, the future king is taking charge

By Wesley Kerr OBE

21 March 2024

When I first met Prince William in 2009, he asked me if I could tell him how he could win the National Lottery.

It was a jokey quip from someone who has since become the Prince of Wales, the holder of three dukedoms, three earldoms, two baronies and two knighthoods, and heir to the most prestigious throne on earth.

He was, of course, being relatable; I was representing the organisation that had allocated Lottery funding towards the Whitechapel Gallery and he wanted to put me at ease.

William is grand but different, royal but real.

At 6ft 3in, he has the bearing and looks great in uniform after a distinguished, gallant military career.

He will be one of the tallest of Britain’s kings since Edward Longshanks in the 14th century and should one day be crowned sitting above the Stone of Scone that Edward ‘borrowed.’

William, by contrast, has a deep affinity with Scotland and Wales, having lived in both nations and gained solace from the Scottish landscape after his mother died.

He’s popular in America and understands that the Crown’s relationship to the Commonwealth must evolve.

The Prince of Wales has long believed that ‘the Royal Family has to modernise and develop as it goes along, and it has to stay relevant’, as he once said in an interview.

He seeks his own way of being relatable, of benefitting everybody, in the context of an ancient institution undergoing significant challenge and upheaval, as the head of a nation divided by hard times, conflicts abroad, and social and political uncertainty.

We might recognise Shakespeare’s powerful line spoken by Claudius in Hamlet: ‘When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.’

With the triple announcement in January and February of the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery and long convalescence, of King Charles’s prostate procedure and then of his cancer diagnosis, the burden of leadership has fallen on 76-year-old Queen Camilla and, crucially, on William.

The Prince of Wales’s time has come to step up; and so he has deftly done.

In recent months, we have seen a fully-fledged deputy head of state putting into practice his long-held ideas, speaking out on the most contentious issue of the day and taking direct action on homelessness.

Last June, he unveiled the multi-agency Homewards initiative with the huge aspiration of ending homelessness, backed with £3 million from his Foundation to spearhead action across the UK.

He is consolidating Heads Together, the long-standing campaign on mental health, and fundraises for charities like London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

He was, of course, once a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance services – a profession that had its downside: seeing people in extremis or at death’s door, he found himself ‘taking home people’s trauma, people’s sadness.’

Tom Cruise was a guest at the recent London’s Air Ambulance Charity fundraiser, William’s first gala event after Kate’s operation.

And more stardust followed when William showed that, even without his wife by his side, he could outclass any movie star at the Baftas.

There’s also his immense aim of helping to ‘repair the planet’ itself with his Earthshot Prize: five annual awards of £1 million for transformative environmental projects with worldwide application.

This project has a laser focus on biodiversity, better air quality, cleaner seas, reducing waste and combating climate change. Similar aims to his father; different means to achieve the goal.

On the issue which has caused huge convulsions – the Middle East conflict – William’s 20 February statement from Kensington Palace grabbed attention.

He said he was ‘deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.’

There were criticisms – along the lines of ‘the late Queen would have never spoken out like this’ or ‘what right does he have to meddle in politics?’ – but it was hard to disagree with his carefully calibrated words.

His call for peace, the ‘desperate need’ for humanitarian aid, the return of the hostages.

The statement was approved by His Majesty’s Government, likely cleared with the King himself at Sandringham the previous weekend and also backed by the chief rabbi of Great Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Indeed, William and Catherine had immediately spoken out on the horrors of 7 October.

William followed up the week after his Kensington Palace statement by visiting a synagogue and sending a ‘powerful message’, according to the chief rabbi, by meeting a Holocaust survivor and condemning anti-Semitism.

This is rooted in deep personal conviction following William’s 2018 visit to Israel and the West Bank, says Valentine Low, the distinguished author of Courtiers and The Times’s royal correspondent of 15 years, who was on that 2018 trip.

‘William was so moved by his visit to Israel and the West Bank, he found it very affecting, and he was not going to drop this issue – he was going to pay attention to it for the rest of his life,’ says Low.

‘He must feel that… not to say something on the most important issue in the world [at that moment] would be a bit odd if you feel so strongly about it.’

There was concern from some commentators about politicising the monarchy, but this rose above the particulars of party politics.

As Prince of Wales, like his father before him, there is perhaps space to speak out sparingly on carefully chosen issues.

On this occasion, his views were in line with majority public opinion.

On homelessness, news came that same week that William was planning to build 24 homes for the homeless on his Duchy of Cornwall estate.

‘William’s impact is very personal,’ says Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, a charity providing emergency accommodation for London’s homeless.

‘Two weeks before Christmas, the prince came to our Resource Centre in Victoria for a Christmas lunch for 150 people.

He was scheduled to stay for an hour, to help serve, wash up, and talk to people.

He ended up staying for two and a quarter hours, during which time he went from table to table and spoke to every single person.’

Clarke continues:

‘William has an ability to listen, talk and to put people at ease. During the November 2020 lockdown, he came on three separate occasions to help.

It gave the team a boost that he took the time; it was his way of saying: “I support you; you’re doing a great job.”’

Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint, one of the prince’s best-known causes, adds:

‘People associate his patronage with the big moments like the time he and I slept under Blackfriars Bridge.

The things that stick with me are smaller in scale and the more profound for it – in quieter moments, away from the cameras, where he has volunteered his time.’

It is a different approach from the King’s.

As Prince of Wales, he was involved in the minutiae of dozens of issues at any one time, working into the night to follow up on emails, crafting his speeches, writing or dictating notes.

Add to that much nationwide touring over 40 years (after he left active military service in 1976), fitting in multiple engagements, often being greeted formally by lord lieutenants.

This is not William’s style. He has commended his father’s model, but he does things his own way.

Although patronages are under review, William has up till now far fewer than either his father or his grandparents.

Charles is sympathetic to William’s approach and his desire to make time with his young family sacrosanct.

They are confidantes, attested by the night of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

They were both at Birkhall with Camilla, reviewing funeral arrangements while the rest of the grieving family were nearby at Balmoral, hosted by the Princess Royal.

Charles has had almost six decades in public life and is the senior statesman of our time, with even longer in the spotlight than Joe Biden.

After Eton and St Andrew’s University, where he met Catherine, William served in three branches of the military between 2006 and 2013, finishing as a seasoned and skilled helicopter rescue pilot.

His later employment as an air ambulance pilot stopped in 2017, when he became a full-time working royal.

At that time, not so long ago – with Harry unmarried, Andrew undisgraced, and Philip and Elizabeth still active – William shared the spotlight.

Now, after the King, he’s the key man.

He can look back on the success of his first big campaign initially launched with his wife and brother in 2016: Heads Together.

‘We are delighted that Prince William should have become such a positive and sympathetic advocate for mental health through his Heads Together initiative and now well-established text service, Shout, among other projects,’ says the longtime CEO and founder of Sane, the remarkable Marjorie Wallace CBE.

‘It is not always known that he follows in the footsteps of his father, the King, whose inspiration and vision were vital in the creation of our mental health charity Sane.

As founding patron, he was instrumental in establishing our 365-days-a-year helpline and was a remarkable and selfless support to me in setting up the Prince of Wales International Centre for Sane Research.’

'Indeed,' says Wallace, 'this is where Prince William echoes the work of his father, showing the same ‘understanding and compassion for people struggling through dark and difficult times of their lives and has done much to raise awareness and encourage those affected to speak out and seek help.

We owe a huge debt to His Majesty and the Prince of Wales for their involvement in this still-neglected area.’

Just as I saw all those years ago at that early solo engagement in Whitechapel, William still approaches his public duties with humour and fun.

‘He defuses the formality with jocularity,’ says Valentine Low, citing two public events in 2023 that he witnessed.

In April last year, while on a visit to Birmingham, William randomly answered the phone in an Indian restaurant he was being shown around and took a table booking from a customer – an endearing act of spontaneity.

On his arrival later that day, the unsuspecting diner was surprised to be told exactly whom he had been talking to.

In October, Low reported, William ‘unleashed his inner flirt as he hugged his way through a visit with Caribbean elders [in Cardiff] to mark Black History Month.

As he gave one woman a hug – for longer than she expected – he joked: “I draw the line at kissing.”

And while posing for a group photograph, he prompted gales of laughter when he quipped: “Who is pinching my bottom?”’

Low believes that when William eventually becomes king, he will be more ‘radical’ than his father but wonders if people will respond to ‘call me William’ when ‘the whole point of the Royal Family is mystique and being different.’

However, William has thought deeply about his current role and is prepared for whatever his future holds.

For now, there is a decision to be made on Prince George’s secondary schooling. It’s said that five public schools are being considered, all fee-paying.

Eton is single-sex and boarding but close to home. Marlborough (Catherine’s alma mater) is co-ed and full boarding. And Oundle, St Edward’s Oxford and Bradfield College (close to Kate’s parents) are co-ed with a mix of boarding and day.

As parents, William and Catherine aspire to raise their children ‘as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important’, William said in an interview with the BBC in 2016.

‘Within our family unit, we are a normal family.’ Which may be one reason why he is so resistant to their privacy being compromised either by the media or close family members.

The 19th-century author Walter Bagehot wrote:

‘A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life… a princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.’

If hereditary monarchy is to survive, it must beguile us but also demonstrate its utility, that it is a force for good.

William said in that 2016 interview, ‘I’m going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime,’ echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s famous Guildhall speech in 1992 ‘that criticism is good for people and institutions that are part of public life. No institution – city, monarchy, whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t.’

William saw close up his mother’s ability to bring public focus and her own personal magnetism to any subject or cause she focused on.

He admires his father’s work ethic, the way he ‘really digs down,’ sometimes literally (I understand that gardening is giving the King solace during his cancer treatment).

But the biggest influence for William was Her late Majesty, as he said on her 90th birthday.

As an Eton schoolboy, William made weekend visits to the big house on the hill, being mentored by Granny rather as she had been tutored in the Second World War by the then vice-provost of Eton, Sir Henry Marten.

William said in 2016:

‘In the Queen, I have an extraordinary example of somebody who’s done an enormous amount of good and she’s probably the best role model I could have.’

That said, his aim was ‘finding your own path but with very good examples and guidance around you to support you.'

Queen Elizabeth II had a brilliant way of rising above the fray and usually being either a step ahead of public opinion or in tune with it.

If you are at the helm of affairs in a privileged hereditary position, your duty is to serve and use your pulpit for the benefit of others.

In a democracy, monarchy is accountable.

The scrutiny is intense, with an army of commentators paid for wisdom and hot air about each no-show, parsing each announcement, interpreting each image.

William takes the long view. He has ‘wide horizons,’ says Mick Clarke.

‘There are so many causes that are more palatable and easier to achieve than ending homelessness, but his commitment and drive are 100 per cent.’

The prince seeks a different way of being royal in an ancient institution that must move with the times. His task? To develop something modern in an ever-changing world.

He faces all sorts of new issues – or old issues in new guises.

Noises off from within the family don’t help – Andrew’s difficulties, or the suggestions of prejudice from Montecito a couple of years ago (now seemingly withdrawn), which prompted William’s most vehement soundbite: ‘We’re very much not a racist family.’

William is maybe a new kind of leader who can keep the monarchy relevant and resonant in the coming decades.

Queen Elizabeth II is a powerful exemplar and memory, but she was of her time. William is his own man.

He must overcome and think beyond ‘the unforgiving minute.’

Indeed, he could seek inspiration in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch[…]

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This article was first published in the May 2024 issue, on sale Thursday, 28 March.

147 notes · View notes

fatehbaz · 23 days

Text

[The British imperial imaginary conceives] of Bermuda as a tiny paradise in the North Atlantic. But long before cruise ships moored up, prison ships carried hundreds of convicts to the island, first docking in 1824 and remaining there for decades. [...] [T]he use of Bermuda as a prison destination is less well known. For 40 years, British prisoners worked backbreaking days labouring in Bermuda’s dockyards and died in their thousands. [...]

[T]he notorious floating prisons known as hulks. [...] [I]n addition to locations across the Thames Estuary, Portsmouth and Plymouth, the British government used these ships as emergency detention centres in colonial outposts across the 19th century, detaining convicts in Bermuda between 1824 and 1863 and Gibraltar between 1842 and 1875. England has a long history of banishing its criminal population. In the 18th century, criminals were typically sentenced to seven years overseas in America. Many worked as plantation labourers in Maryland and Virginia [...]. Britain [...] turned to hulks to cope with rising [prison housing] numbers. Each could hold between 300 and 500 men, and they were nicknamed “floating hells” for their unsanitary and dangerous conditions.

---

[T]he government felt that convict labour could be put to use in other colonies [in addition to Australia], and so began an experiment in 1824 to send men to Bermuda. [...] Though only 20 miles long, the island was already extremely important to naval strategy. It was used as a refuelling station for British ships travelling to colonial outposts such as Halifax, Nova Scotia and the Caribbean. But the naval dockyard needed modernisation, and rather than employ local workers, convicts - a cheap and easily mobilised workforce - filled the labour gap. [...]

[M]en lived on board the ships they had sailed on (seven in total). [...] Many were injured in the dockyards, others went blind from the reflected glare of the sun as they quarried white limestone. [...] They were burnt by scorching temperatures and suffered sunstroke [...]. Bermuda also received people convicted in other British colonies, including Canada and the Caribbean. During the years of the great famine in Ireland (1845 to 1852), thousands of Irish convicts arrived on the island, many suffering from malnourishment. [...] The experiment ended after 40 years, in 1863, when dockyard repairs were completed. The remaining hulks were scuttled or broken up for scrap, and convicts were transported to Australia and Tasmania, or home to England [...].

---

Bermuda’s history as a prison island has been largely forgotten, but this story shares parallels with today. Prisons are suffering from overcrowding, and governments still detain prisoners and others on islands and modified ships. In Dorset, the Bibby Stockholm ship is housing asylum seekers [...].

The convicts who lived, worked and died in Bermuda are part of a larger global story of coercion and empire.

The product of their labour was imperial strength, but for those sent thousands of miles from home and buried in unmarked graves, the brutalities of their experience should also be remembered.

---

All text above by: Anna McKay. "Britain's forgotten prison island: remembering the thousands of convicts who died working in Bermuda's dockyards". The Conversation. 27 March 2024. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

#abolition #ecology #landscape #colonial #imperial #multispecies

65 notes · View notes

nightghoul381 · 9 months

Text

Jude Jazza~ Luxury Liner Event ~Part 1

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

The port, bathed in pleasant sunshine, is bustling with large numbers of passengers.

Today, the weather is perfect for travel.

Jude: “What’re you doing?”

(No way, I didn’t think my companion would be Jude…!)

—Flashback—

It was yesterday morning.

Kate: “The maiden voyage of the luxury liner ‘Orellus’… I love it. It’s a dream come true.”

I looked at the newspaper with pictures of the luxury cruise ship that would finally set sail tomorrow and muttered to myself.

William, who was elegantly drinking tea, gave me a meaningful smile.

William: “Do you want to ride?”

Kate: “Fufu, yes. I guess I’ll be lucky if I get to ride it even once in my life.”

William: “Then you should go. I happen to have one ticket left.”

Kate: “Eh?”

—End Flashback—

(“Other members of Crown are also planning to board, so you’ll be together.” William said.)

Kate: “…By any chance, Jude, will you be on this ship too?”

Jude: “Why else would I come here? Ta wave goodbye and say have a nice trip?”

(I would like to see that.)

I tried imagining it, but immediately after Jude waved his hand, the image of the ship being wrecked came to my mind and I gave up.

Jude is looking down at me with a look of genuine astonishment.

Kate: “…What is it?”

Jude: “Why’d ya come here knowin’ nothing?”

Kate: “Nothing, what…?”

Ellis: “I think it’s a mission.”

Kate:: “Ellis…!”

In contrast to Jude, Ellis appeared with a gentle smile on his face.

Ellis: “I heard from Will that you’re going to board with us… Is that okay? It’s a pretty dangerous mission.”

William’s meaningful smile and condition of boarding “with the Crown” finally made sense.

Kate: “What is your mission?”

Ellis: “Actually—”

On the maiden voyage of the luxury liner Orellus, the boss of a gang that has been rocking Britain lately will be on board.

I got that information a few days ago.

The police were supposed to move in with a chance to take him into custody, but,

The police were denied access to the ship due to pressure from the aristocratic member of the House of Lords who would be boarding.

Ellis: “This Congressman, Blackwood, was taking donations from gang bosses…”

Ellis: “He’s covering it up, facilitating, and helping to do all kinds of bad things behind the scenes.”

Kate: “That sucks…”

When I heard Ellis’s explanation, those words came out of my mouth without thinking.

Gang activities range from extortion and robbery to illegal gambling.

People involved with crimes ranging from unreasonable violence to murder make daily headlines in the newspaper.

(You let it go unchecked just to line your own pockets…)

Ellis: “Victor said ‘If you’re dealing with money and power, and you’re on a boat trip, Jude is the man for the job.’”

Kate: “So, Jude easily accepted the offer…?”

Ellis: “’It’s like a hobby to torture people like that arsehole, so sure.’ He said.”

Kate: “I see… so your bad taste matches the mission…”

Jude: “Oi, you say that.”

(In other words, this ship has a gang boss and a congressman on board who backs him…)

For a long period of time, I’ll be with them on board the ship, where there’s no escape.

(Without a doubt, this won’t end as a peaceful voyage.)

--For a moment, I almost feel frightened, but—

Jude: “Don’t do it, princess.”

Jude: “People like you, if ya throw ‘em into the den of these bastards, they’ll eat ya straight away.”

As soon as I saw the arrogant sneer of contempt, I felt more frustrated than afraid.

Kate: “…I’m in… if it’s a mission, I also need to record it as a ‘fairy tale’”.

Kate: “I myself would like to like to help with the mission for the sake of peace in Britain.”

Jude: “That’s a great cause.”

Jude: “The ya can’t complain even if ya lose yer life for that, right?”

(As Jude always says, I may be too ignorant of the dirty world.)

Kate: “Since I was given a ticket,”

Kate: “Doesn’t that mean William thought I should accompany you on this mission?”

Kate: “If that’s so, then I want to try as hard as I can. Also…”

Kate: “It’s frustrating that you’re looking down on me all the time.”

(That… I)

It wasn’t until I said it out loud that I realized that the reason I added at the end was the primary motivation.

(Why…How does Jude see me?)

(I wonder why I care so much.)

Jude: “…”

Jude remained silent and put his hand on my chin.

His cold amethyst eyes narrowed fiercely as he leaned closer.

Jude: “…Look at that cheeky face of yours, yer a mess.”

(…)

My heart fluttered at his teasing gaze.

Deep within the knife-like coldness I feel it’s filled with heat—an unidentifiable shiver ran through me.

Jude: “Well, why not? It’s a lousy boat trip where yer stuck breathin’ the same air as a bunch of shitty people for days on end.”

Jude: “At best, I’ll enjoy torturing you.”

Kate: “Wha…”

With a provocative whisper, Jude let me go.

(Torture me… What are you going to do?)

Riding the sea breeze, the scent of Jude filled my nose.

When I’m with Jude, I somehow forget myself.

My heart was beating a strangely fast rhythm.

(This is…I’m going on a dangerous mission, so maybe that’s why I’m nervous.)

(There’s no other reason why my heart is pounding…)

The luxury liner I boarded was beyond my imagination.

Like a first-class hotel, it’s glittery and eye-catching.

Man with a scar on his face: “Hey look… It’s Jude Jazza.”

Good-looking aristocrat: “Heh… hmm, hide it, please.”

When Mr. Jude passes by, rough-looking people stare at him and the nobles turn pale and dodge to the side of the room.

With a cool look on his face, Jude rushed through without hesitation.

Kate: “Umm… Where are you going?”

Jude: “It’s a given, isn’t it?”

Jude: “Where princesses scream.”

(Uh, scream…?)

I almost stop walking for a moment, but Ellis quicky answered my question.

Ellis: “It’s okay, it’s just a casino.”

Kate: “…Thank you, Ellis.”

(You’re trying to threaten me into going home again… I won’t take it anymore.)

Kate: “Come to think of it, you didn’t get lost, but it’s the first time you’ve been on the ship.”

Ellis: “Jude told me to memorize the floor plan of every place we go for a mission.”

Kate: “You’re surprisingly thorough, aren’t you?”

Jude: “Luxury cruise ships’re full of blind spots and closed rooms. I dunno what kind of person would go on a luxury liner without knowing the layout.”

Kate: “As long as I’m not as hated as you, Jude, I should be fine.”

Jude: “You don’t understand.”

Jude: “Like I said before, someone like you’ll be devoured immediately.”

Jude: “If ya let yer guard down ‘cause yer resentful, you’ll be dragged in.”

Laughing through his nose, Jude bent down slightly and put his lips to my ear as we walked next to each other.

Jude: “I guess yer dressed up all ‘cute’ for the luxury liner ride,”

Jude: “but it’s like yer askin’ ta be served up.”

Kate: “…Huh?”

(Wha…)

The word ‘cute’ suddenly thrown into the conversation caused my body temperature to soar.

Kate: “That is NOT true!”

Jude: “Why don’t you try that on someone who flinches when ya say somethin’ like an accusation?”

Jude: “During the voyage, everyone gets as jumpy as a monkey, try not to get caught in the middle.”

Ellis: “You never know what kind of people are out there, so be careful.”

Kate: “Uh… yes, thank you.”

(It would be nice if Jude would give me kind advice like Ellis…)

Holding back my pounding heart, I quickened my pace so I wouldn’t be left behind.

(Wow…so hot…)

The casino was crowded not only with aristocrats, but also with rough people.

A fistfight broke out at the table next to us, and the people around us were stunned when they started cheering happily without stopping.

Kate: “Is this what you mean by shitty people…?”

Jude: “Huh? O’course not. If they’re shitty people then eighty percent of the world is shitty people.”

(…In Jude’s world, really rough things happen on a daily basis.)

Jude quicky exchanged a large amount of chips, walked over to the baccarat table, and bet everything on a draw.

The crowd surrounding the table suddenly roared.

Kate: “What kind of game is that?”

Ellis: “You bet on whether the player will win or the dealer.” 5124

Ellis: “Add up all the cards dealt to you, and the one who’s last number is closest to nine wins.”

Ellis: “If you bet on a draw and you win, the payout is multiplied by nine, which means your chips are multiplied by nine.”

Kate: “N-nine times…?”

(Even now it’s a lot of chips, but nine times that amount…)

Ellis: “But the chances of a draw are very slim, and if we lose, we lose it all…”

(Wha, everything…!?)

Just imagining how much money is being bet with what the probability is makes me dizzy.

Kate: “Maybe you should think about it more…”

Instinctively, I walk up to Jude and whisper in his ear, but—

Jude: “Ye can’t be stingy when yer tryin’ to ear a bunch’a money ya know.”

Kate: “But…”

Jude: “Besides, if I wanted to make money, I wouldn’t be gambling.”

(Huh…?)

(So there’s… some other purpose?)

Despite my worries, the game was soon over and the result was…

Kate: “It’s really a draw…”

Ellis: “Jude’s used to winning, you see.”

(Why is that…?)

I couldn’t help but stare at Jude, his expression cool.

(Jude… he really lives in a completely different world.)

His standard of right and wrong, his sense of money, everything. Everything is so different from my common sense.

That, for some reason, pricked my chest.

Jude used his nine-fold increase in chips to gamble wildly here and there.

Jude: “What’s the matter with ya? Is there anyone who can make a worse bet?”

(Saying things like that is like picking fights indiscriminately.)

(What is your plan, Jude?)

At that time, a man sat down on the chair next to Jude.

The middle-aged man with a cigar in his mouth was dressed like an aristocrat, but his eyes were fixed and there was an air of unease about him.

Noble with the cigar: “Cigar?”

Jude: “…I’ll take one.”

Jude took a cigar and lit it.

(You smoke cigars too… I didn’t know that.)

(Even so, this person is… who?)

Jude: “Yer a member of the House of Lords. Blackwood, right?”

(…! This man is the lawmaker who receives money from a gang!?)

Tension ran through my body at once.

Blackwood: “…I like gambling too, you could say I’ve devoted my life to it.”

(…I see.)

(Jude, you knew this guy liked to gamble, so you were gambling to lure him out.)

(I can’t believe you lured him out so brazenly…amazing dexterity and courage.)

I am secretly impressed—

Blackwood: “But, it’s boring to just bet money.”

Blackwood: “You have to bet something more important to make it… exciting.”

Jude: “Heh, yeah.”

Jude: “If ye do, I’ll bet all of my fortune and… this woman.”

Kate: “What!?”

Part 1 | Part 2 | Premium End | Epilogue

#ikevil #ikemen villains #ikevil translations #jude jazza #ikevil jude #ikemen villains jude #ikevil jude jazza

96 notes · View notes

darkbluekies · 1 month

Note

Hello there lovely, was wondering what an ocean liner was and realized it's a ship! It's actually quite interesting and if you were ever in the mood and time for it, you can tell us! no rushing or forces at all! I'm sure most of us would love to hear more about it, learning new things is a great way to expand your knowledge and ships are really interesting but quite complex, I tend to know the sunken ones a lot, mainly because I wondered what happened and it leaves me a certain type of feel? Perhaps it's grief and curiosity. Nevertheless, have an awesome day! Take care of yourself as always. ♡

—🌊

do you have an hour?

I can tell you some of my favorite knowledge about ocean liners (THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN DONE BEFORE, so no Violet Jessop or Titanic theories) until a get a story in progress lmao

— (according to Oceanliner Designs' Youtube video) After WW1, when America and Britain lost ships due to german forces, they were given the Imperator class as compensation, but they were so petty as not to give the blueprints for one of the ships (said that they could buy them for 5 million dollars) so a pair of men measured the ENTIRETY of the ship, inside and outside, millimeter for millimeter. It took 2 years.

— When the german liner Imperator was built, they were so persistant on making it longer than the british liner Aquitania that was also being built at the same time, so they installed a big golden eagle at the bow to make it just a few centimeters longer than Aquitania ... only to realize that Aquitania was never supposed to be longer, so they installed the ugly eagle for no reason

— (this is a rumour, i'm not sure that it is true) but during WW2, a certain german leader who got butthurt over not getting into art school (guess who) said that the one that could sink the Queen Mary would get 250 000 dollars, but no one could catch the Grey Ghost (QM's nickname)

— During WW1, a german ship called Cap Trafalgar wanted to infiltrate Britain, so they disguised themselves as the british ship Carmania ... only to meet Carmania on the way to England and get sunk by the ones they disguised themselves as.

— Britannic sank in 55 minutes, Lusitania sank in 18 minutes and Impress of Ireland sank in just 14 minutes

— The man who plays JJ Astor in the Titanic movie was a survivor of the Wilhelm Gustloff disaster, which is the deadliest sinking in the history with over 9000 deaths in one night. He had trouble filming the water scenes in the movie because it reminded him of the WG disaster.

— There was a ship to be named RMMV Oceanic which never got completed because White Star Line went bankrupt, which original designs looked like an addition to the Olympic class, but with a cruise-styled stern. Here you can see the first design vs the second design

These were some that I could come up with for the moment, but I know that there are so many more! Please let me know if you want to know more lmao

#🌊anon

19 notes · View notes

no2ticonderoga · 1 month

Note

Hi! I’ve just finished my mumblemumbleth reread of ItSotK (done on two train journeys this weekend) - it’s one of my favourite fics to reread on long train journeys, I have it downloaded so I can still read it when the signal’s not great. I’m wondering what would have happened/been different if Dr Chase had come down with Annabeth for the Trafalgar ball when she asked him to - I assume they would have got engaged then, but not had time to get married, so not much of Percy’s story would have changed re the circumnavigation cruise with Naiad, but would Annabeth have met him at Rio (with appropriate chaperoning, of course) when he returned? Would she have been on Naiad for the return to Britain with the Robinsons?

Oh! Oh! Much love and happiness to you on this day. I'm so glad you asked this.

So...just quick off the top of my head! If Frederick had come down, certainly Percy would have asked for her hand, and Frederick would have agreed immediately. But you are correct, there was unlikely to be time for them to get married before Percy set off for South America.

However, Percy is in Rio for several months before the War of 1812 breaks out, so it's possible that Fred and Family might have travelled to Rio for a wedding in Early 1812, and that would have meant that Annabeth might have been along for the ride on the Great Cruise that made them rich. And certainly she would have been there to meet Arthur, and the Robinsons as well!

This was such a wonderful ask, thank you! Both @darkmagyk and I loved it!

#asks #8lottie8 #napoleonic au #pjo #writing #in the service of the king

5 notes · View notes

itsalwaystomcruise · 2 years

Photo

Tom Cruise at the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone on July 3, 2022 in Northampton, England.

#tom cruise #tomcruiseedit #tcruiseedit #event #*#100

121 notes · View notes

listen-to-the-inner-walrus · 10 months

Note

arent ocean liners and cruise ships basically the same thing? how can you like one and not the other?

oh my guy, theyre certainly not the same thing.

they might seem similar to those of the world who arent super into ships, but theyre both different vessels by design and function. if youd rather watch a video detailing differences, id recommend this one by the great big move or oceanliner designs video comparing the strathaird to the pacific encounter, but ill also happily explain some basic differences because i like infodumping.

see we dont really have a use for ocean liners anymore; they were mostly phased out when jet air travel picked up steam. the only one existing today is the rms queen mary 2.

ocean liners acted essentially as buses for the sea. they offered regular passage across continents. the most famous route is probably the southampton to new york route which is what the titanic was intended for. most of the famous ocean liners were on this route like the lusitania, the queen mary, the normandie, the bremen, etc.

but there were plenty of other routes going across the whole ocean. the italian line had a south american service, canadian pacific had a whole thing from liverpool to quebec that linked to their railways, p&o did a lot of stuff around australia and aotearoa, etc.

because of the regular passage offered, ocean liners couldnt sail around storms like cruise ships do. they had to battle the storm to get to their destination on time which means the ships were designed with this in mind. they are designed to travel through open oceans to cross large distances while cruise ships tend to stay close to the coast and wont travel far at all, relatively speaking.

as such, ocean liners sit much lower in the water and will tend to have a long, pointed bow. this allows them to much more easily cut through oncoming waves. if theyre sailing around icy waters, theyll also have reinforced bows like the stockholm did. after titanic, ocean liners began to be built with a "second skin" to their hull which is just a second hull inside the outer hull to reinforce the ship and protect against damages from anything from rough waves to icebergs.

further, the bridge on an ocean liner will be higher up, often on the top deck. this both aids with navigation for the crew as theyll have better vision, but also stops high waves from breaking over the bridge and covering it with water. the very few times where this occurred were often rogue wave encounters like the lusitania and the leonardo da vinci. the lifeboats will also often be positioned more inward to protect them from any damage from rough seas or weather.

this isnt to say cruise ships arent built to withstand rough weather. they certainly are, but not repeated occurrences of it. an ocean liner was going to face rough weather week after week after week; cruise ships tend to have the luxury of avoiding it.

cruise ships will sit higher up in the water, their bows will likely be much softer in angle and they will sail at a much lower speed.

if an ocean liner is a bus for the oceans, then a cruise ship is a party bus.

while most ocean liners did have beautiful interior and quarters for passengers, they dont hold a candle to cruise ships which are comparable to holiday resorts.

as ocean liners were being phased out, many lines began operating them as cruise ships because they could easily be converted into such. this happened with plenty of ocean liners like the ss france. others were specifically designed to operate as ocean liners half the year and cruise ships the other half like the rms empress of britain.

however, a cruise ship could not operate as an ocean liner because its simply not built for that.

this isnt getting into all the ethics of both vessels and their industries because thats a whole different topic that i feel much less qualified to speak on.

i will say that i am not a fan of cruise ships or the industry as a whole, and that also, cruise ships are so fucking ugly, my dude. they look like badly designed malls dropped on top of ships.

but yeah tl;dr: theyre different types of ships with different designs and functions. see the bus vs party bus comparison, i guess.

#anon #ocean liners #cruise ships #cruise ship #i feel like a fucking ship guru rn #i still have two more anon asks about ships to answer #im happy to speak on it when i can but its bizarre to have people ask me about it as if i am some form of expert #im just autistic shdjwkdkks #this is also why i link to sources because i dont want anyone to simply trust my answers because they did beforehand #i am liable to make mistakes #long post #shipposting

11 notes · View notes

imfmi6 · 2 years

Text

Tom Cruise walks in the Paddock prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone on July 03, 2022 in Northampton, England.

#tom cruise

82 notes · View notes

emmashouldbewriting · 1 year

Note

I had no feelings about this before at all. But seeing the disgusting abuse being sent The King’s way based on the latest media speculation, has me wishing that Camilla one day wears the Girls of Great Britain tiara first.

Charles is blamed by Wales Wailers for literally everything. He supposedly benched them for a month because he’s jealous but then they were on a Wales tour and released a new photo for their 12th anniversary, days before the Coronation. Why would that happen if he allegedly locked them in a broom cupboard when the explanation is simply that they went on holiday for a month by their own choice.

Charles deserves a hell of a lot better from these people that claim to support the monarchy. Works himself to the bone in the 70s so William can cruise on 200 engagements a year and get to enjoy his family. Made him Prince of Wales immediately on succession. Has publicly supported his big initiatives like on the eve of the Earthshot Prize. Has given William a more prominent role in the Coronation. And still he’s derided as a monster by his son’s fandom who openly wishes he dies asap or abdicates?

If they’re going to trash him every chance they get, Charles may as well give them something to be upset about 🤷🏼‍♀️

They're in the cupboard under the stairs at Clarence House. They snuck those pics onto Twitter using their stashed emergency phones when Camilla unlocked the doors to let them out to use the toilet. They had to be quick though because she times them like the evil stepmother she is.

Keep up, anon!!!

13 notes · View notes

scotianostra · 8 months

Text

On October 2nd 1947 the paddle steamer Waverley was launched from A. & J. Inglis’s yard on the Clyde.

The Waverley is now the last sea-going passenger paddle steamer anywhere in the world. She was named after the debut novel of Sir Walter Scott, but wasn’t the first paddle steamer to bear the name. The previous Waverley, built in 1899, had been requisitioned as a minesweeper during World War II and sank during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.

Materials were so scarce in post-war Britain that the new Waverley had to wait more than three months after her launch to have the boiler and engines installed. She finally entered service in June 1947, sailing a scenic route up Loch Long to Arrochar.

Ownership of the Waverley passed to the Caledonian Steam Packet Company in 1948. Between 1949 and 1964 she had a variety of winter duties, often replacing another ship that was being overhauled, or she was the spare vessel ready to cover for others in an emergency. In the main season, her routes were extended to include the Isle of Arran in 1953 and from 1958 onwards, there was also a cruise up the Clyde to Glasgow. By 1970, she was the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world. By 1971, Waverley was one of only two large excursion vessels left on the Clyde and was based at Gourock. In 1973, CSP became part of Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd

Waverley was sold on 8 August 1974 to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and refitted for the Waverley Steam Navigation Company. In 1975, she re-entered service on the Clyde, sailing at weekends from Glasgow and in mid-week from Ayr. In 1977, she spent a week on excurisions from Liverpool and the success of this led to over a month being spent on the South Coast in the following year. In 1981, she was fitted with a new boiler and embarked on her first full season of Round Britain cruising, with the peak summer weeks spent back on the Clyde.

In her 1990/91 winter refit, the paddle wheels were replaced and a major £7m two-stage rebuild was undertaken in early 2000 and winter 2002/03 in Great Yarmouth with the support of the National Heritage Lottery Fund. Waverley continues to be maintained in excellent condition and is the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world, fully restored and painted in her original LNER colours. She now runs cruises and charter days out around the British Isles and in 2015 celebrated 40 years of service under her current owner.

#scotland #scottish #history #Padle steamer #ps waverley

6 notes · View notes

harmonyandco · 2 years

Text

YET ANOTHER IDEA!

Harry and Hermione (for one reason or another) do not feel welcome in Britain after the war. They decide to travel the world. They do so in a flying RV they enchant. In addition to flight it can turn invisible and avoid collisions similar to the Knight Bus. A must when they might be flying through a plane's flight path. I'm imagining a summer enjoyed soaring the skies or relaxing on the beach of some tropical island. A spring or fall cruising over the great plains of North America. A winter spent in a warm cabin on a mountainside overlooking a snowy valley somewhere as fat flakes of snow drift lazily down from the sky, sipping hot chocolate.

#submission #harmony prompt #harmony #defiantdreamlandstudent #harry x hermione #post war #harry leaves #hermione leaves

20 notes · View notes

bikepackinguk · 11 months

Text

Day Thirty-one

It's July! And a day ahead with some big milestones!

Had a nice soft comfy forest floor at Thrumster for angood night's sleep, filled up on breakfast, and it's off on the road once more a little after 9am.

After checking over the route followed yesterday, I'd clocked in a little over 60 miles with a wopping 1000m of ascent! I figure this may warrant a gentler day, but we know how that usually goes...

The air is a bit more chill this morning so the waterproofs are on before the get go to provide a bit more warmth, but they're going to be well needed over today.

A slight tailwind gives a nice easy cruise over to the town of Wick to stock up on a few more supplies and then it's time to push up the last of the east coast.

Heading out from Wick on the A99, the clouds begin to roll in heavily enough to darken the day almost as much as the night gets up here, and soon the rains descend whilet the earlier tailwind becomes a nasty sidewind.

As I get round to Westerloch the weather really begins in earnest, and soon it's sheeting down with the high winds strong enough to cause the rain to sting in my face. It's cold but there's not exactly a wealth of shelter around here, and I figure my best bet at keeping warm is to keep the legs pumping.

The terrain grants my desires as some nice big hills are once more thrown in the way, with a big long geins uphill needed before the sea appeara over the crest.

And with a short glide downhill from the summit, John O'Groates is reached!

It's been a good few years since I last made it up here but it's amazing to be back all the same. I post up in Stacks coffee house to warm up and dry off a little, before the weather finally clears and I'm treated to some sun and blue skies to dry off a little.

I opt for a good break here, recovering from the slog and having a good chat with other riders heading in from and to various locations. The place is a bit of a Mecca for cycling in the UK and there's plenty of smiles, congratulations, and wellwishing going around.

Arriving here marks the end of the run up the East coast! It's time to swing westward and tackle the North shore.

Whilst the rain has departed, the wind hasn't, and heading west out of John O'Groates sends us into a mighty headwind, which at times even means having to put some effort into the downhill stretches and makes it difficult to get above walking pace on the flats. It's a fine day otherwise though, with some beautiful views of the Orkney Islands rising out of the very blue sea to the north.

Further along there's another brutal challenge for the day, with a combination of a 4 mile ascent into the wind which takes a hell of a lot of effort.

At the top of the climbs though, Dunnet Head! The very northernmost point of Great Britain! The views up here are spectacular, with the cliffs below making me swear aloud when I first see them.

That makes two of the cardinal extremes of the island now visited!

Whilst the sun has been out a good while so far, there's a truly massive front of weather very clearly coming in towards me, and the forecast says it may be big enough to keep going until Monday, so despite it being just 6pm by the time I get to Dunnet Head, I figure it's a good plan to find somewhere a bit more sheltered to post up for the night.

Thankfully, all the slogging uphill means a terrific 4 mile zoom back down the road, and with a little more coasting past Dunnet Bay I've a bit of a sheltered spot to allow me to change into some warmer clothes and start getting some hot food in me.

One of the benefits of this journey being flexibility, I think that'll do for today's journeying and will reasses what the plan is for tomorrow in the morning.

TTFN!

#bikepacking #bicycle touring

2 notes · View notes

mariacallous · 2 years

Text

Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine remain heavily dependent on Western technologies, despite the West’s best efforts to cut off the supply of critical parts. In the face of extensive sanctions, Russia’s war machine has still been able to acquire the inputs necessary for its advanced weaponry. Further military aid does little for Kyiv unless the West finally puts a stranglehold on the Russian military by reexamining its export control standards for dual-use components.

Export controls have been a long-vested element of the United States’ and European Union’s security agendas, with particular focus on them since the early 2000s. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, the fear that rogue entities could acquire weapons of mass destruction, also known as WMDs, stoked action by the international community. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 was, in part, adopted not only to formally codify this threat but also to identify the obligations of states to prevent the spread of these weapons.

The resolution called for all states to adopt and enforce domestic controls over WMDs, their means of delivery, and related materials—which in practice meant extensive export controls. As such, Western states have taken great care to improve internal controls over dual-use goods and general exports with military applications. In 2009, the EU codified its efforts by setting up a community regime for the control of exports, transfer, brokering, and transit of dual-use items.

The United States has sought to implement these regulations with similar fervor, adopting a whole-government approach to Resolution 1540 and continuously submitting reports to the United Nations. In 2013, the United States reported that measures were in place to fulfill every resolution requirement. This trend continued as the EU recast its export control law in 2021 to address changes in the security environment and the United States identified stifling proliferation as a security imperative in its 2021 interim national security strategic guidance.

Despite this commitment, the Russian invasion has revealed a weakness in existing systems, shifting the lens from nonstate actors to the real-world implications of the threat of state actors.

Recent reports have highlighted that Russia’s latest weaponry is heavily dependent on specialist components manufactured abroad. One transport aircraft alone requires more than 80 components that cannot be reproduced or created in Russia. This trend extends to Russian ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as its drone technologies. If the Western economies are clamping down on Russian trade, how is it that these items made it into Russia’s hands?

The British Defence Ministry announced in early May that it was going to investigate whether British-made components were being deployed in Ukraine via Russian systems. Britain implemented an arms embargo against Russia in 2014 after it annexed Crimea but only banned the direct export of dual-use components to Russia at the beginning of March.

This is not a new problem, though the scale of Russia’s atrocities has brought it sharply into focus. Dual-use components are one of the most complicated items in the strategic trade field. These items have both legitimate civilian and military applications, ranging from ball bearings to dental drills. Nuclear technologies that could be used to sustain a domestic nuclear energy program could be diverted to a clandestine nuclear program, as was the case in South Africa after it joined the U.S.-sponsored Atoms for Peace program.

A more practical example would be dental drills. Every state would love clean and healthy teeth. However, the gyroscopes in these drills can also be used in missiles. These goods, listed as controlled by the Bureau of Industry and Security, are a common example of how states such as North Korea try to avoid sanctions and fill a gap in their weapons programs. Similar stories for civilian goods being used to develop military capabilities include the nuclear weapons program in India, which was listed as a country of concern until 2010, and Iran’s continued search for dual-use goods since the 1990s. With this long history, it is not surprising that dual-use goods have been a prominent focus of Western nations for some time.

Historically, the West has looked at these goods as a precursor to WMD development or deployment—but the invasion shows the security implications that trade has on conventional conflict. Despite the efforts to implement the export control obligations of Resolution 1540, the export control systems of Western states remain bogged down by coordination problems and competing strategic interests. That Russian export ban that the U.K. implemented in 2014? Inquiries led by the House of Commons revealed that more than 200 export licenses continued under then-Prime Minister David Cameron’s government, including components for military helicopters, surface-launched rockets, and surface-to-surface missiles.

Similarly, there’s been little attention on the Dutch contribution to Russian military activity. Despite a long track record of export control implementation and strong support in defense of Ukraine, the Netherlands’ economy is extensively linked to Russia. In 2021, Dutch companies exported more than 5 billion euros’ worth of goods to Russia. The most important good for two-thirds of the companies involved in this trade is semiconductor components, a class of goods that was directly traced to the Ukrainian battlefield. Germany faces a similar questionable engagement with dual-use goods.

Local media reports from earlier this year stated that Germany exported $134 million worth of military equipment between 2014 and 2020 despite the EU export ban. Further investigation tied German components to Russian drones and revealed the German government’s active approval of dual-use export licenses despite EU restrictions. The U.S. also faces issues with maintaining control of these goods. In 2015, a Texas-based technology company shipped radiation-hardened microelectronics to Russia via Bulgaria. More recently, the Biden administration uncovered a network that provided sensitive military technologies to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Export controls are one of the best tools the world has for stifling proliferation, limiting the destructive capabilities of terrorist organizations, and inhibiting the ability of states to fuel conventional conflict. Effective export controls are complicated, and there are risk trade-offs that must be evaluated when engaging in business abroad. But the invasion has revealed clear gaps—and they need to be filled in.

7 notes · View notes

ukrainenews · 2 years

Text

Daily Wrap Up July 7, 2022

Under the cut: At least three people have been killed and five others injured following shelling in Kharkiv; Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started the war against Ukraine, said that in the Russian Federation "nothing has been seriously started yet."; President Zelenskyy is confident that the UK’s stance toward Ukraine will not change after Boris Johnson’s resignation; A Moldovan tanker drifting in the Black Sea has been hit by a Russian cruise missile, according to the Ukrainian military; Russian forces fired missiles at the centre of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in an airstrike.

“At least three people have been killed and five others injured following shelling in one of Kharkiv’s districts in northeastern Ukraine, according to Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigation department of the National Police in the Kharkiv region.

Bolvinov said Russian troops carried out an attack on a residential quarter in the Nemyshliansky district of the city, “repeatedly shelling Kharkiv city” using Uragan multiple launch rocket systems and high-explosive shells.

Oleh Syniehubov, head of Kharkiv region military administration, said on Telegram that rescue officers are on location and investigators are on the ground are establishing more details.”-via CNN

“Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started the war against Ukraine, said that in the Russian Federation "nothing has been seriously started yet."

Source: pro-Kremlin publication " RIA Novosti "

Direct speech: "Today we hear that they want to defeat us on the battlefield... Well, what can you say. Let them try.

We have already heard a lot that the West wants to fight with us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people. But, it seems, everything is coming to that. But everyone should know that we haven't started anything seriously yet.

At the same time, we do not refuse peace talks either, but those who refuse should know that the further it goes, the more difficult it will be for them to come to an agreement with us."”-via Pravda (Ukrainian source)

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “a true friend of Ukraine,” adding that he is confident that the UK’s policy toward Ukraine won’t be changing any time soon despite Johnson's resignation.

Ukraine gained a lot from their relationship with the prime minister, including first and foremost military support, Zelensky told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in an interview on Thursday when asked about his comments on Johnson’s resignation.

Johnson resigned following a revolt within his Conservative Party, saying in an address to the nation that the process of choosing a new prime minister "should begin now." Johnson is not planning to leave office immediately, however. He will stay until a new leader is in place, he said, in a televised speech outside 10 Downing Street.

In his resignation speech, Johnson addressed Britain's role in supporting Ukraine in its war and said the UK will fight for freedom as long as it takes.

"Let me say now to the people of Ukraine. I know that we in the UK will continue to back your fight for freedom for as long as it takes," he said.

The two leaders spoke on the phone later on Thursday, and Johnson assured Zelensky of the UK’s continued support and called the Ukrainian president a “hero.”

Johnson called Zelensky a “hero,” and said “everybody loves you,”according to an official read out of the call.

Zelensky’s office said he thanked Johnson for his “decisive” action on Ukraine and told the outgoing prime minister that news of his resignation was received "with sadness" by him and the "entire Ukrainian society."

“We have no doubt that Great Britain's support will be preserved, but your personal leadership and charisma made it special," Zelensky added.

Johnson reportedly pledged to continue to work “at pace” towards “ending the grain blockade in the coming weeks.””-via CNN

“A tanker drifting in the Black Sea has been hit by a Russian cruise missile, according to the Ukrainian military.

Two KH-31 missiles were fired and one hit the Moldovan-flagged "Millennial Spirit," which was first struck soon after the Russian invasion began in waters off Odesa several months ago, according to the Operational Command South.

Since then the ship has been drifting without a crew and with the remnants of diesel fuel on board.

"At the time of the first hit, the ship was carrying more than 500 tons of diesel fuel. Because of the blockade of the shipping lanes, the tanker has been drifting in the sea without a crew for 4 months, like an environmental time bomb," the Command said.

It is unclear whether the ship sunk after the latest missile strike.

A second missile self-destructed over the sea, the Command added.”-via CNN

“Russian forces fired missiles at the centre of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in an airstrike, the city’s mayor, Oleksandr Goncharenko, said.

The attack, which took place earlier today, has resulted in casualties, Goncharenko said in a post on Facebook, without providing further details.

Residents of Kramatorsk are urged to stay in shelters, he said, adding that “the danger is not over”.

Local authorities are “clarifying the consequences” of the airstrike while rescue work is under way, the Kramatorsk city council wrote on Telegram.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Sloviansk, Vadym Lyakh, said his city near Kramatorsk had also come under fire. Some residents were injured, he said, urging people not to go outside unless absolutely necessary.

Ukraine said on Monday it had retreated from Lysychansk, prompting speculation that Russia would now focus on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk to the south, the two main cities in Donetsk province held by Kyiv.”-via The Guardian

#Daily Update #Ukraine #Russia #War in Ukraine #kramatorsk #black sea #UK

11 notes · View notes