Brexit sees surge in support for Scottish independence

Britain’s bid to break away from the European Union may have the unintended consequence of fracturing the United Kingdom, as new polling suggests that 49 percent of Scots now want independence.

Scotland held a referendum on independence as recently as September 2014. On that occasion, people voted by 55 to 45 percent in favor of staying in the UK. But a lot has happened since then, most notably Brexit. Nearly two thirds of Scots voted to stay in the EU, however, they’re set to be dragged out with the rest of the UK.

The 2016 referendum result led to a chorus of calls for the northern country to remain in the EU, even if it meant leaving the UK, and this week’s polling suggests that if another independence vote were called it would be an extremely tight contest.

A YouGov poll conducted for the Times found that 49 percent of people think that Scotland should be an independent country. Support for independence has risen significantly since June last year when it stood at 45 percent.

“These patterns represent a clear warning to the unionist camp that the pursuit of Brexit might yet produce a majority for independence,” Professor John Curtice, Britain’s leading polling expert, wrote in the newspaper.

https://www.rt.com/uk/457761-brexit-scotland-independence-referendum/

GOV. NEWSOM ANNOUNCES $15 MILLION IN SECURITY FUNDING FOR RELIGIOUS, COMMUNITY-BASED NONPROFITS

In the wake of the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he plans to fund $15 million for the State Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

The grant program helps nonprofit organizations that are targets of hate-motivated violence improve security at their facilities.

The governor's January budget proposal included $800,000 for the Department of Justice to help with crime data collection and reporting on hate crimes.

“We all must call out hate – against any and all communities – and act to defend those targeted for their religious beliefs, who they love or how they identify,” said Governor Newsom. “An attack against any community is an attack against our entire state – who we are and what we stand for.”

https://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/news/Gov-Newsom-announces-15-million-in-security-funding-for-religious-community-based-nonprofits-509238731.html

Hate crimes now pay. Expect more of them.

An overnight fire ripped through a forest in England that provided the setting for the Winnie the Pooh children's stories.

The blaze at Ashdown Forest, in East Sussex, started at around 9.30 p.m. on Sunday and affected an area of more than 35 acres, according to the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.

Six fire crews were on the scene as flames fed on dry undergrowth in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne, who lived in nearby Cotchford Farm, Hartfield, drew inspiration from Ashdown Forest to write the popular series of children's books in the 1920s.

In the stories the woodland became the fictional Hundred Acre Wood, home to Winnie the Pooh and his friends Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, and others.

The fire was brought under control around 4 a.m. Monday.

Andrew Gausden, commander of the fire station, said: "It's unusual to have a fire of this size at night. This seems to have caught hold before people noticed the fire. The undergrowth was very dry in the forest, despite the recent rain, and the fire caught quite quickly."

The cause of the blaze is unknown but it does not seem to have been started deliberately, Gausden said.

Ashdown Forest is in the heart of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which covers parts of Kent, Sussex and Surrey in southeast England.

Two wildfires, accidentally started by volunteers, scorched the woods in February.

https://www.actionnewsnow.com/content/news/509228642.html

>>6366686

Hard to be patient, praying there's a plan

Judge signs off on homeless shelter on ‘Billionaires’ Row’

A Manhattan judge on Monday gave city officials the green light to open a controversial homeless shelter in the ritzy “Billionaires’ Row” neighborhood.

The Park Savoy, at 158 W. 58th St., stands back-to-back against the iconic One57 apartment building, the city’s first “supertall” residential skyscraper and home to a $100 million condo that was the city’s most expensive when Dell founder Michael Dell bought it in 2014.

Last year, neighbors were blindsided when Mayor Bill de Blasio quietly sent letters to local officials that revealed his plan to turn it into a shelter for 150 homeless men, sparking the suit against the city.

State Supreme Court Justice Alexander Tisch rejected arguments from the West 58th Street Coalition and other opponents that the former Park Savoy Hotel doesn’t meet current safety standards and is unsafe in case of fire.

https://nypost.com/2019/04/29/judge-signs-off-on-homeless-shelter-on-billionaires-row/

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