MORE RANDOM RAMBLINGS

One of the invitees to this wedding thingy they are having in London, England, is HM King Mswati III if Swaziland (pictured with President and Mrs Obama). His Majesty is one of the richest of the world's monarchs, has 14 wives, a fleet of luxury cars and rules over a country of 1.2 million people, more than 60% of whom live on less than €1 a day and are trying to cope with the world’s highest per capita AIDS infection rates. He has recently put down, with violence, an uprising of the people against him

Clearly the king is not related to the Windsors and so his invite, by the Duke of Rothsay, must mean he is a friend of Charles. He keeps some very odd company does that Charlie. His mother should warn him about speaking to nasty men.

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The Independent is revealing the intimidation and detention of doctors treating dying and injured pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain.
At least 32 doctors have been arrested and detained by police in the last month in a campaign of intimidation running directly counter to the Geneva Convention guaranteeing medical care to people wounded in conflict. Doctors around the world have expressed their shock and outrage.
Doctors have even been arrested in the operating theatre while treating patients and others have been “disappeared”. The Crown Prince of the country is another of Charlie’s guests at the wedding. A man whose security must be paid for out of the money saved by slashing pensioners’ winter fuel payments.

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Only the Daily Mail would come out with this. Across the top of its Home Page are pictures of a young soldier who fainted in the heat while wearing full dress uniform. What a damned shame. I’d love to see some of the fat drink soaked journos on the Mail stand up straight in the heat never mind with ridiculous uniforms on. Then in true tabloid form, having embarrassed the poor lad, they make a huge fuss of the fact that for once, just once, it was much hotter in England than on the Costa del Sol, the headline (more Sun than Mail) is “Wish you were here amigos?”

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It seems that endorsements for Alex Salmond to be Scotland’s next First Minister are coming from every direction. The latest is Tommy Brennan, one of Scotland's great trade union leaders of the past. He cites Mr Salmond's goal of the re-industrialisation of Scotland with renewables energy technology.

Mr Brennan said: "Alex Salmond's vision for Scotland is one all Scots should support. I'm delighted to endorse him for a second term as First Minister. I remember only too well the pain caused by the de-industrialisation of Scotland under the Tories in the 1980s and 1990s, and believe that Alex Salmond's ambition to re-industrialise Scotland by leading the renewables energy revolution is an inspiring goal for young Scots and for jobs and industry in the 21st century."
Alex Salmond warmly welcomed his personal endorsement saying that it was wonderful that Tommy shared the SNP’s vision of Scotland leading the world in the green energy technologies of the 21st century.

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The Telegraph reveals that Israel under Menachem Begin armed Argentina during the Falkland/Malvinas War of the 80s which established Mrs Thatcher as a war leader in the image of her beloved Winston. Apparently Begin saw a deal to sell the junta weapons, including air to air missiles, missile radar alert systems, fuel tanks for fighter bombers and gas masks, as a form of revenge for the hanging of a personal friend, Dov Gruner, by the British Mandatory Authorities in Palestine in 1947.

Ironically, the weapons which were dispatched from Israel apparently destined for Peru but were then transported on to Argentina, were probably paid for by our senior partner, the USA. I wonder if they knew.

Pics: The King of Swaziland with the Obamas; Injured protestor requiring treatment from the ever dwindling number of medics in Bahrain; Oor Eck basking in the praise of all: Menachem Began who armed the Argies as part of a personal vendetta of hatred against the Brits.