United Kingdom

An unregulated rehab centre linked to the Church of Scientology put mentally ill people through intense psychological drills that allegedly left them “traumatised” and in “trance-like” states, an investigation by the Observer can reveal.

Former patients and staff at Narconon UK say vulnerable people seeking help for addiction were expected to complete mental exercises, similar to methods used in Scientology’s controversial “auditing” process, at a secluded compound in rural Sussex.

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The allegations raise questions over how a rehab with links to one of the world’s most controversial religious movements, accused of abusive practices, is able to operate unregulated in Britain.

Marketed as “world class”, and listed in an NHS directory, Narconon’s Sussex facility, on a nine-acre campus near the town of Heathfield, opened in 2015. But it has not been inspected since 2016, and has never been assessed to ensure its programme is effective or safe. Instead, it has been operating without oversight for the last five years due to a regulation loophole, the Observer’s investigation has found, and remains free of the same scrutiny that other addiction programmes face.

While the Care Quality Commission (CQC) oversees substance misuse services, it says Narconon’s programme is not within its remit and suggested this was because its approach was “alternative”.

Obviously sympathetic to the mothers position here. However, based on my limited understanding of how this stuff works, if content is being viewed on 'the dark web' it likely wouldn't be obvious to internet providers, nor would a kid who's savvy enough to be on the 'the dark web' in the first place be really prevented from finding a work around to any potential block in place.

I'm a parent. This stuff scares the crap out of me, but I'm not sure we can actually legislate this stuff out of existence.

Stones' detention and arrest (2018) and subsequent imprisonment (2022) had previously been kept from the public. According to media reports and what would be in line with China's consistent violations of consular treaties, UK consular authorities were prevented access to his sentencing hearing.

On the basis of a witness statement, Safeguard Defenders, a rights group, can now release information about the case of Ian Stones, not previously known nor reported on.

Stones was kept in a facility in southern Beijing, former Canadian diplomat and International Crisis Group adviser Michael Kovrig has said, who was himself also a prisoner there. This center also includes a Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL) facility, used by the Ministry of State Security (MSS) in cases concerning foreigners or allegations of espionage and other national security-related crimes.

Edit: I'm going to put this second story here to avoid multiple posts: Brianna Ghey killers given life sentences

cross-posted from: https://fedinews.net/m/ImproveTheNews/t/5708

• A London High Court Judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by former US Pres. Donald Trump against Orbis Business Intelligence, a company founded by British spy Christopher Steele. Trump argued the claims in the notorious Steele dossier were false and harmed his reputation. CBS (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• In 2017, Buzzfeed published the dossier, which alleged Trump engaged in “perverted sexual behavior” in Russia and accused him of paying bribes to Russian officials to advance his business interests. Trump called all of the allegations “wholly untrue.” Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• Judge Karen Steyn didn't offer an opinion on the validity of Trump’s claims, but she said there were “no compelling reasons” to allow Trump’s lawsuit to go to trial. She went on to say that Trump allowed "many years to elapse" before filing his complaint and that the “claim for compensation and/or damages…is bound to fail.” Independent (LR: 2 CP: 3)
• The lawsuit argued that Steele’s 2016 dossier, in addition to being false and defamatory, violated Trump’s data protection rights, and it sought to use the UK’s data protection laws to sue Orbis. Trump said that he couldn't have sued earlier due to time restraints as president. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
• Steele, the former head of the Russia desk from Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, called the MI6, compiled a series of memos in 2016 claiming that Trump had taken part in “sex parties” and engaged in sexual activities with prostitutes in Moscow. Steyn said that despite the content of the dossier, Orbis cannot be blamed for simply possessing the material that was later leaked by Buzzfeed. Independent (LR: 2 CP: 3)
• The dossier was funded by Hillary Clinton’s Democratic party, and in 2022, the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) fined Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign $8K and the Democratic National Committee $105K for concealing their funding of the report. However, the FEC threw out a complaint against the British spy. CBS (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Anti-Trump narrative:

• Whether he’s the plaintiff or the defendant, Donald Trump continues to lose every legal battle he’s engaged in. The petulant former president complained for years about the Steele dossier, yet he waited many years to file any sort of legal action. Judge Steyn correctly called out the frivolous suit and his passivity, but that doesn’t end Trump’s legal woes by a longshot. This ruling is just an omen for future legal losses in Trump’s future.
  BUSINESS INSIDER (LR: 3 CP: 4)

Pro-Trump narrative:

• Everyone knows that the Steele dossier was a slanderous fabrication paid for by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party that sought to undermine Trump before he even took office. Even a biased judge couldn’t refute the heinous lies that the dossier contained, simply dismissing Trump’s case because he let too much time elapse. The judge also used various legal technicalities to throw out the case and deprive Trump of having a legitimate hearing. Regardless of the outcome, the Steele dossier exposed the corruption of Trump’s enemies.
  DAILY CALLER (LR: 5 CP: 4)

Nerd narrative:

• There's a 60% chance that Donald Trump will be convicted of at least one crime in his federal court cases before the end of 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)

The U.K. is taking steps to ban disposable vapes in an effort to protect children’s health, responding to the rising use among teenagers.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Monday the plan to ban disposable vapes to protect children’s health.

Even though selling any vape to individuals under 18 is already prohibited, the government believes that the disposable nature, diverse flavors, and distinctive appearance of recently introduced products in the U.K. market are significant factors contributing to the alarming increase in youth vaping.

There has been a threefold increase in the number of children using vapes over the past three years, according to recent data shared by the U.K. government. Among younger children, the trend is also on the rise, with 9% of 11 to 15-year-olds currently using vapes.

One woman in her 30s, Boyka, told the researchers: “We don’t have a dentist. It’s crazy. For us, it’s, like, impossible! In Ukraine the dentist industry is huge, you know, everywhere, and because it’s everywhere you just go and it’s like £10, £8, and you can clean it, whiten it like [a] Hollywood smile!

Some British families who have taken in Ukrainian refugees have noted that their guests organise dental appointments during their visits home.

Tory grandee says Rishi Sunak overturning a Supreme Court judgement is “very dangerous".

It is set to be the driest January in living memory. Drinks sales in pubs and bars have plunged. Rising numbers of people are drinking low or no-alcohol. And new data indicates that even older people are joining teens and twentysomethings by giving up booze. With three days to go, this has been a grim month for publicans.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) says pubs must adapt quickly by stocking more “lo-no” options and opening their doors more regularly to give community groups a cosy welcome on winter days.

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Market researcher CGA tracks drinks sales in pubs and bars every week and in the last fortnight sales have been down by at least 7% compared with last year, with a 19% fall in sales of spirits last week.

The bad weather and the economic climate are partly to blame, but the company’s managing director Jonathan Jones said Dry January was also “making this a hard month for pubs and bars”.

How's this going to go down with the millions that don't eat because they can't afford it? A miserable attempt by a multi-millionaire at trying to relate to the ordinary person.