Angus marine Ralph Hebden laid to rest in Liverpool

• Ralph Hebden's coffin is carried from the church.Jason Roberts

A tragic Angus marine was yesterday laid to rest by his wife and the newborn daughter he never met.

Ralph Hebden’s widow Sarah followed her husband’s coffin into Our Lady and St Nicholas Church in Liverpool, tearfully clutching their month-old baby Evie May.
Eight comrades from the 32-year-old serviceman’s 45 Commando unit in Arbroath looked on as she read an emotional poem written for the funeral service.

A burial ceremony was held at Allerton Cemetery, marking the final chapter in a missing person case that saw a three-week police search end in the discovery of a body on April 1.
In a cruel twist of fate, Mrs Hebden gave birth to the couple’s baby girl just 10 days after he disappeared.
Serving marines and veterans lined the church steps ahead of Wednesday’s service led by naval chaplain Father John Williams.

After the first hymn, Amazing Grace, a family eulogy was read aloud describing the marine as a “beautiful, gentle and caring little boy” during his formative years.
His family said he returned from his first training exercise “glowing with pride” and fellow marines described him as “a man of great physical strength, who was always willing to help others”.
The congregation heard how he grew up in the Toxteth area of Liverpool and loved getting the Mersey ferry as a child.

He was very protective of his sister Sylvia and enjoyed keeping pets, including exotic animals.
Mr Hebden became a security guard after leaving school and was a member of the Sea Scouts from the age of 14.
In later life he enjoyed long walks and would often set out up the coast with his father Richard.
On the morning he went missing he said he was going for a run through Arbroath’s Victoria Park and along the cliffs heading towards Montrose.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed Mr Hebden received a full military funeral with pallbearers, a band and flags at half-mast as a mark of respect.
Head of 45 group, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Tanner, said marines at the RM Condor base in the town were “deeply saddened” by the loss.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/angus/angus-marine-ralph-hebden-laid-to-rest-in-liverpool-1.87472

NWN: Anyone who would like to help Ralphs family can give donations to their Paypal account at ;

 ralphhebden@yahoo.co.uk

Man Jailed After Comments Made In Atos Assessment

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http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2013...os-assessment/

A Nottingham man has now been held in custody for two weeks after he was accused of “threatening behaviour” due to comments he allegedly made during his Atos benefits assessment.

Steve Topley is a 49 year old father with multiple serious health problems who was required to attend a Work Capability Assessment with the notorious IT firm Atos – the company responsible for stripping benefits from hundreds of thousands of sick and disabled people.  During the process Mr Topley made some comments about someone not present at the assessment.  His family say these comments were misunderstood and were in response to questions from the assessor about his personal life.

These comments led to Atos staff calling the police and Mr Topley was asked to attend Queens Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham.  When he refused to do so he was arrested.  At QMC he was de-arrested and received a mental health assessment but no reason was found to detain him under the mental health act.  He was then re-arrested and taken in handcuffs to Nottingham police station where he was later charged.

He has now been refused bail twice in closed courts which his family were not permitted to attend.  His sister Gina Topley, who says the family are being kept in the dark about the legal process, has said:

“My brother has not been given any opportunity to speak and give his side of the story to a judge and he was not offered an appropriate adult to accompany him when he was arrested.”

His family have not been allowed to visit him in prison and have raised concerns that his medication may not be being administered properly.  Mr Topley will face another appearance in a closed court tomorrow (Friday 26th April) and there are major fears that he will be remanded once again pending psychiatric reports.

His family and supporters have called a demonstration outside the court tomorrow calling for his immediate release.

Meet outside Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 26th April from 9.30-11.00am – please help spread the word.  For more details and the  latest news visit: http://freestevetopley.wordpress.com/

NWN: The bankers austerity cuts will mean many of our people will be horribly treated. Will we as nationalists refuse to help them ? There should be no austerity cuts on any of our people in our society. The disgraceful cuts that has  included driving our disabled onto lower benefits. Because that is all it amounts to. This included closing down many places like at REMPLOY -  a disgrace.

http://www.remploy.co.uk/ 

Millions will be affected by these bankers cuts. If we don't support them, then they  will be lost to us.

Switzerland shuts the door on EU migrants: A new 'us vs. them' in Europe?

News that Switzerland is capping residence permits for Western Europeans reached the Monitor's Europe bureau chief as she was having her own intolerable immigration experience.

• 

A cafe is seen in Zurich is seen in this photo taken April 18.

The anti-immigration class across Europe has found many new adherents as of late, especially in the most economically devastated countries, like Greece and Italy. But now these Europeans might themselves become the unwelcome migrants, at least in Switzerland.

The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

As I happened to be standing in the most intolerable immigration line that I've ever faced – more on that later – I read on my Twitter account that the Swiss government on Wednesday announced a new policy to cap residence permits for all of Western Europe. Switzerland, which is not part of the EU but joined the Schengen bloc that allows freedom of movement of people across European borders, says that it is being overwhelmed by arrivals from across the continent, to the tune of 80,000 people each year.
So it is invoking a “safeguard clause” it negotiated during the 1999 Schengen treaty talk, which it already implemented for eight Central and Eastern European states. Now, as of May 1, residence permits for the citizens of 17 older EU states, from Germany to Spain, will be capped at 53,700 for a year.

RECOMMENDED: Think you know Europe? Take our geography quiz.

 

According to the EU Observer, the Swiss said that the million-plus EU residents who live in the country have "had a positive impact … in particular in terms of consumer spending and on the construction industry," but that restrictions are “needed to make immigration more acceptable to society.”
The move drew immediate criticism from Brussels. ''The measures disregard the great benefits that the free movement of persons brings to the citizens of both Switzerland and the EU,” Catherine Ashton, EU foreign policy chief, said in a statement.

Is this a new manifestation of intolerance in Europe? The levels of resentment continent-wide against the migrants from Africa and the Middle East are already clearly documented, but in the midst of crisis, is Europe even excluding Europe? And what does that mean for identity and equality moving forward?
The possibility of a new, intra-European divide struck a chord for me, as I experienced my own "us vs. them" moment in France today.

Well, more than a moment. Eight hours, in fact.

That's how long I waited in a Paris prefecture along with Moroccans, Romanians, Malians, Senegalese, Tunisians, and Peruvians – most of us, like me, there only to get information about what we needed to have with us, only to return and stand in line again.
I got to know my fellow immigrants well as we stood outside. Some around me had been in this line before, but were told they were missing a translation, a photocopy, or any of myriad document requirements that are not posted in their totality anywhere on the Internet – or even on the wall of the prefecture where we line up – but rather seem to be, at least from my informal surveys today, requested at the whim of whichever officer is behind the desk. One woman was told to bring back her CV.

Some of my linemates felt the French immigration officials were being deliberately obstructionist.
“They don’t want us to get the carte de sejour,” said the Malian, referring to the permission that allows foreigners to reside in France (and, with it, the right to tap into the country’s amazing social security system).
“They do everything they can to hold us back,” said the Romanian, who was on her third trip here – and the third day lost on her job as a cleaning woman. Today, she was told that the pay stub she brought didn’t have the minimum number of hours on it, so she needed to bring in another stub. Another lost day of productivity for this poor woman.
Regardless of the motivations, one can see the "us vs. them" motif very clearly at the prefecture. On the one side, masses desperate to get in, and feeling unwelcome all the while. And on the other side of the glass wall, a society wanting to protect a social system that is replicated in few other places in the world.
By the end of the day in the unforgiving sun, some people were clearly losing their cool, me among them. (I, an American, was more indignant about the inefficiency than most, which makes me wonder if that’s a nationality trait, but that's a subject for another time.)
“But this can’t be!” I kept saying. “How can people waste an entire day in a line – and for nothing! Just to come back and stand in the line again?”
“Welcome to France,” said the Malian, smiling.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2013/0425/Switzerland-shuts-the-door-on-EU-migrants-A-new-us-vs.-them-in-Europe?nav=87-frontpage-entryNineItem

Tens of thousands turn out to honour the Anzac war dead on anniversary of Gallipoli

• Commemorations are held every year on the April 25 anniversary to mark the ANZAC 1915 landing at Gallipoli
• More than 10,000 New Zealand and Australian servicemen died in the failed eight-month campaign
• Gallipoli has become a defining symbol of courage and comradeship for the two nations
• Sombre dawn services were held, before veterans and their families paraded to remember those who fought
• At least 20,000 turned out in Sydney, 30,000 in Canberra and many more across the country
• No allied World War One soldiers survive - the last combat veteran Claude Choules died in 2011 aged 110

Tens of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders turned out today to honour their war dead, with moving tributes to fallen mates and calls not to forget those injured in conflict.
The commemorations are held every year on the April 25 anniversary of the ill-fated 1915 landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli in modern-day Turkey during World War One.
More than 10,000 New Zealand and Australian servicemen died in the failed eight-month campaign, and Gallipoli has become a defining symbol of courage and comradeship for the two nations.
Scroll down for video

Honour: A war veteran makes his way down Bathurst Street during the parade in Sydney. The commemorations are held every year on the April 25 anniversary of the ill-fated 1915 landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in modern-day Turkey during World War One

Parade: Participants parade through Sydney during the Anzac Day march.Tens of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders turned out to honour their war dead

Appreciation: Some of the service men and women were driven through the streets in camouflaged trucks during the procession

On show: A Papua New Guinean 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel' participates in the Anzac Day march through Sydney

Proud: Children wave their flags in Bathurst Street during the ANZAC Day parade earlier today

Honour: Tens of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders turned out today to honour their war dead. A veteran acknowledges spectators in the Anzac Day march in Sydney

Sombre dawn services were held, before veterans and their families paraded to remember those who fought, with at least 20,000 turning out in Sydney, 30,000 in Canberra and many more across the country and in Auckland and Wellington.

 

More...

• Ghosts of Gallipoli: Evocative images released on Anzac Day show Allied troops contemplating the ridges they would die in droves failing to capture

With troops still being killed and injured in Afghanistan, the services sent a clear message on the need to look after the wounded and their families.
In a commemorative address in Canberra, Navy senior chaplain Barry Yesberg said those who survived war and returned home often had physical, emotional, mental, or moral wounds which must not be ignored.
'Families have to live with these veterans and their wounds and should be honoured as we do those who go to war,' he said.
In a moving tribute, Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith recited the words of family members of some of his fallen comrades.
'His death left a hole in my heart but his spirit has given me the motivation to push myself further than ever before,' wrote Keegan Locke, 17, the son of Sergeant Matthew Locke who was killed in Afghanistan in 2007.

Atmosphere: Veterans participate in the Anzac Day march walking through the streets of Sydney as thousands of spectators cheer

Streets: Dozens of participants took to the street in the annual parade in the most populous city in Australia

Tribute: Service men and women march through the streets of thousands of people cheer and wave flags

Commemoration: Today tens of thousands of people across the world attended dawn services across the world as the centenary of Gallipoli nears

Shade: Spectators hold flags as they watch the Anzac Day march through Sydney

Happy: Young children wave flags and smile as they participate in the Anzac Day march

Anniversary: Spectators smile as they stand behind a barrier holding a flag watching the procession go past

Driving through: A war veteran gives a ride to a young boy as they participate in the Anzac Day march

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard attended a service in the Queensland garrison city of Townsville and vowed Afghan veterans would be looked after.
'As we go through the next few years I think we will get a sense of the full dimensions of the support that are needed,' she said.
Although no allied WWI soldiers survive -- the last combat veteran Claude Choules died in 2011 aged 110 -- Gillard said the services were more popular than ever, driven by young children keen to learn about the sacrifices made.
'The thing I always look for is the number of children, and there are just more and more and more,' she said.
'It's actually the children who are driving the next level of engagement. I think that means that for all of time we will commemorate ANZAC Day and think about who we are as Australians on that day.'

Marking occasion: Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard lays a wreath during a commemorative service in Townsville. She said the services were more popular than ever, driven by young children keen to learn about the sacrifices made

Stories to tell: Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard talks with former P.O.W Sidney King at the Aznac Dawn Service today in Townsville, Australia

Gathering: Crowds of people look on after the annual Anzac Day march at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne

Emotional: A woman is brought to tears during the ANZAC Dawn Service at the Martin Place Cenotaph and left, a war verteran displays his medals

Respect: From left, Georgia Totham, 19, of Launceston, Jessica Totham, 22, of Launceston, and Jessica Faithfull, 18, of Bundaberg, from Australia, walk after a wreath-laying ceremony at the Australian National Memorial, in Villers-Bretonneux, northern France

Generations later: Children attend a dawn service ceremony at Buttes New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke

Worldwide: An Australian couple attends a dawn service ceremony at Buttes New British Cemetery in Zonnebeke, western Belgium

Memory: A New Zealand officer salutes during a dawn service ceremony at Buttes New British Cemetery to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought during World War One in Zonnebeke

Worship: A man in an veteran army uniform walks down a monument to the dawn service ceremony in western Belgium

Commemoration: Members of the army stand together for a photograph at the New Zealand War Memorial in London, England

US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry sent their best wishes, saying Washington was honoured to have such strong allies.
'We celebrate the bond that Australians and New Zealanders have gained through their shared sacrifice and reflect on the virtues of hope, courage, and freedom that unite our three nations,' Kerry said in a statement.
'The United States is honoured to have such strong partners in promoting peace and prosperity in the world.'
In Wellington, New Zealand Governor General Jerry Mateparae said the Gallipoli campaign created 'an indelible bond' between New Zealanders and Australians.
'In the thick of battle, when all was at stake, it was the Australians we trusted before anyone else,' he said.
'In the 98 years that have passed, we have served alongside each other in conflict zones around the world, and we have been there when the other has been afflicted by tragedies and natural disasters.'

Respect: Anzac Day commemorations are held each year on April 25 to mark the anniversary of the ill-fated landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli

Recognition: People attend the ANZAC Day dawn service at the Auckland War Memorial Museum in Auckland, New Zealand

Remembrance: Assembled crowd at the dawn service in Melbourne, Australia to mark Anzac Day

Australian and New Zealand dignitaries (left to right) Mr Stephen Smith MP, Australian Minister for Defense, Australian Senator John Hogg, James Wise, Australian Ambassador to Thailand, and Tony Lynch, New Zealand Ambassador to Thailand sit along side others attending the sunrise memorial service in remembrance of all those who lost their lives in Hellfire Pass, Thailand

Music: A man plays the bagpipes in a cemetery during the dawn service. With troops still being killed and injured in Afghanistan, the services sent a clear message on the need to look after the wounded and their families

Moon light: The moon sets over the Australian War Memorial in the northern French city of Villers-Bretonneux left as part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) Day ceremony and right Australian attendees walk after the wreath-laying ceremonies in northern France

Appreciation: The assembled crowd at the dawn service in Melbourne stood silently in the darkness remembering those who have fallen

Memorial: A member of the catafalque party stands at rest during the Dawn Service today in Townsville, marked by veterans, dignitaries and members of the public

Dedicated: People sleep outside before a ceremony marking the 98th anniversary of Anzac Day in western Canakkale, a town and seaport in Turkey

 VIDEO  Tens of thousands turn out around the globe to honour Anzac war dead 

Anzac day around the globe. Tens of thousands of war dead...

The background to the Gallipoli landings was one of deadlock on the Western Front in 1915, when the British hoped to capture Constantinople.
The Russians were under threat from the Turks in the Caucasus and needed help, so the British decided to bombard and try to capture Gallipoli.
Located on the western coast of the Dardanelles, the British hoped by eventually getting to Constantinople that they would link up with the Russians.
The intention of this was to then knock Turkey out of the war. A naval attack began on February 19 but it was called off after three battleships were sunk.
Then by the time of another landing on April 25, the Turks had been given time to prepare better fortifications and increased their armies sixfold.
Australian and New Zealand troops won a bridgehead at Anzac Cove as the British aimed to land at five points in Cape Helles - but only managed three.
The British still required reinforcements in these areas and the Turkish were able to bring extra troops onto the peninsula to better defend themselves.
A standstill continued through the summer in hot and filthy conditions, and the campaign was eventually ended by the War Council in winter 1915.

Landing: Allied troops at Anzac Cove in the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. From this point many Anzac forces were sent into battle along the ridges of the area. Soldiers can be seen looking up at the hillside they would never capture (bottom right)

Cannon in place: Troops landing at Anzac Cove in the Dardanelles during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, which saw the Allies have 214,000 men killed

Building: The landing pier constructed by the Allies at Gallipoli in 1915. The background to the Gallipoli landings was one of deadlock on the Western Front

The invasion had been intended to knock Turkey out of the war, but in the end it only gave the Russians some breathing space from the Turks.
Turkey lost around 300,000 men and the Allies had 214,000 killed - more than 8,000 of whom were Australian soldiers, in a disastrous campaign.
Anzac Cove became a focus for Australian pride after forces were stuck there in squalid conditions for eight months, defending the area from the Turks.
The Anzac soldiers who arrived on the narrow strip of beach were faced with a difficult environment of steep cliffs and ridges - and almost daily shelling.
At the height of the fighting during the landings of April 25, 1915, the waters around the peninsula were stained red with blood at one point 50 metres out.
Fierce resistance from the under-rated Ottoman forces, inhospitable terrain and bungled planning spelt disaster for the campaign/
Among those who suffered the greatest losses were the Anzacs Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who made the first landings, swept by an unexpected current to a narrow cove rather than the wide beaches the planners intended.
War historian Charles Bean wrote: ‘That strongly marked and definite entity, the Anzac tradition, had, from the first morning, been partly created here’.
But despite the toll in human life, the campaign is seen as a landmark in the formation of national consciousness in the two countries.

Fire: A 60-pounder heavy field gun in action on a cliff top at Helles Bay, Gallipoli, Turkey. Today marks the 98th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings

General Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton (left) who led the Gallipoli campaign, and British commander Sir Charles Carmichael Monro (right), who was also involved

On their way: Australians soldiers embarking at Melbourne to fight in World War One in December 1914. Some 8,000 Australian soldiers died at Gallipoli

In tribute: New Zealander soldier W J Batt (left) with a regimental mascot at Walker's Ridge during the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey in April 1915, and members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, commonly known as Anzacs, marching through London on Anzac Day four years later in April 1919

Crowds: The Strand, central London, on Anzac day in April 1916, which marks the first major military action by Australian and New Zealand forces during WWI in 1915

Remembrance: An Australian soldier pays his respects as he lays a wreath at the Cenotaph, central London, on Anzac Day in April 1920, five years after Gallipoli

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2314529/Anzac-Day-2013-Tens-thousands-turn-honour-Anzac-war-dead-anniversary-Gallipoli.html#ixzz2RWSTeDwx

NWN: A fine body of men. Would we in this country attend in their many thousands like they did in Melbourne, at dawn, to pay their respects ?