I wish to live in a tolerant society, where we settle our differences through argument, debate and votes. I do not wish to make windows into men’s souls. All should be free to practice their own religion, adopt their own belief system, or to exempt themselves from religious activity. All that we ask is that people who live in our society accept our basic belief in freedom and respect the freedoms of others.
We also all have to accept the democratic constraints on our freedom placed by lawmakers we have elected and laws we consent to. Where we do not like the laws we obey them for the time being and campaign for their repeal or amendment. We outlaw violence of one against another. We make illegal any attempt by force to impede another’s freedom of belief and speech. We set rules we must all obey to ban speech which can turn people to violence and hatred.

The recent mass murders in Manchester and London have made some people angry as well as worried. All of us who want to uphold our democracy are united in condemning the actions of the murderers and their assistants and tutors if they had any. Hate speech against those who had nothing to do with the atrocities and share our loathing of the murders makes things worse.

I am being urged by some to ask the government to take stronger action. There is no doubt that the government will continue to improve and strengthen its response to extremist violence. The Prime Minister spoke for the many yesterday when she said ŵe must confront the extremist ideology that fuels these crimes and must strengthen our response. We may need more people in Intelligence, monitoring individuals who arouse suspicions, and following up leads and information passed to the authorities by others. It may be that better use could be made of information collected at our borders, as we should be alarmed by individuals who go to places abroad with terrorist training camps, if we have reason to worry about the individuals intentions anyway. We need to ask how an asylum seeker from a dangerous country to whom we have granted asylum feels free to journey back to that very country that he said would damage him. Has he abused our hospitality and kindness if he goes back there? There does need to be better controls over the dissemination of terrorist techniques and incitements to murder.

There are no simple or cheap solutions to rooting out terrorists from our midst. Some were born here. Some have come here more recently, but were not known as potential terrorists when they arrived. If they are known then of course they should be banned from entry. We wish to live in an open and free society, where we welcome in tourists, friends and family for visits without too much hassle. We want our universities to offer courses to foreign students, our companies to have extensive business links with overseas markets and company personnel. I do not wish to live in an armed camp, closed to the world, because of the risks of terrorism. Our best ally for safety lies in ourselves, reporting and assisting the authorities where there are grounds for suspicion. The Intelligence services have a big task to perform, and will I am sure be strengthened further. We need to ask all men and women of good will, especially those in education and in contact with those who are exploring these evil beliefs to be ever vigilant and concerned for the safety of the wider community.

Published and promoted by Fraser Mc Farland on behalf of John Redwood, both at 30 Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XU

When the SpaceX Dragon capsule docks with the International Space Station tomorrow, it will be carrying equipment for the first experiment to have been independently designed by China.

A research project by the Beijing Institute of Technology aims to investigate how the space environment affects DNA, said Deng Yulin, a life sciences professor with the institute.

It will study gene mutation, one of the biggest risks to astronauts working in space, as they are exposed to 10 times the radiation than on earth, he said.

PrevioU.S.ly, equipment for space experiments was sent via China’s 2011 launch of the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft, its 2016 lift by a Long March-7 rocket and via China’s cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 this year.

“The research team caught evidence of the gene mutation after the first experiment via Shenzhou-8, which proves the space environment can caU.S.e DNA mutation and biomolecular changes,” Deng said.

The project on the ISS will continue to study whether gene mutation follows any rules in a space radiation and microgravity environment, he said.

The Chinese payload was first reported in 2015, when an agreement was reached with NanoRacks, a HoU.S.ton-based company that offers services for the commercial utilization of the space station.

Under the agreement, NanoRacks will deliver the device to the U.S. side of the space station and astronauts there will conduct studies using the device, data from which will be sent back to the Chinese researchers.

There is a U.S. law, known as the Wolf amendment, banning cooperation between U.S. space agency NASA and Chinese government entities, but this deal is purely commercial and therefore considered legal.

NASA spokeswoman Kathryn Hambleton said, “NASA complied with all legal requirements to notify the Congress of this activity, and all of the ISS partners approved the inclU.S.ion of the experiment.

Professor Deng said, “This is a new model of cooperation that we can follow in the future.”

Leroy Chiao, a former Chinese-American NASA astronaut and ISS commander, highlighted the significance of the Chinese project.

“I think this is a good step forward,” Chiao said. “I have always believed that cooperation is the best way forward for both the U.S. and China, particularly using civil space exploration as an avenue.”

Joan Johnson-Freese, a space policy analyst at the U.S. Naval War College, said that it evidences the growing importance of commercial space.

“Space is no longer just the purview of government activity,” Johnson-Freese said. “Space is developing as an area of commercial activity, much like cars and computers, which is a big change from the past.”

The SpaceX mission is the 11th of up to 20 trips to the space station the California-based company will fly for NASA.

The Dragon spacecraft lifted off on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:07pm on Saturday.

About 10 minutes later, SpaceX successfully landed the rocket’s first stage at the company’s Landing Zone 1, jU.S.t south of the launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as part of its effort to develop fully reU.S.able rockets.

The Chinese leadership has stressed the role of supervision in implementing reform on various occasions, especially at meetings of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform.

In the public reports of all 35 meetings of the group, the word “implement” has appeared 219 times, and the word “supervision” showed up 69 times.

All departments and localities should attach greater importance to delivering reforms and devote more efforts to examining reform effects, President Xi Jinping said on April 18, 2017 during the 34th meeting of the leading group, which he heads.

“We need to gather enough people to strengthen the supervision force in order to supervise the implementation of major reform programs. Supervision goes wherever reform goes,” said Xi on the fifth meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform on Sept. 29, 2014.

Over the past three years, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has regarded supervision as a key part of work that should constantly be improved.

— During the group’s 21st meeting on Feb. 23, 2016, the leadership highlighted improved supervision and evaluation of reform, stressing that all departments should ensure plans are well documented, and any mistakes or deadline breaches are dealt with accordingly.

It noted that only truly effective reform will boost social and economic development and give people real benefits.

— On July 22, 2016, a report on supervision of reform efforts in all departments was approved at the 26th meeting of the leading group.

Supervision should target major reform tasks, progress and effectiveness. It should also supervise officials’ awareness of reform, their division of duties and work styles, said a statement issued after the meeting.

— On March 24, 2017, the leadership emphasized the importance of implementation, urging leading officials to keep in mind the overall situation while pushing forward with reform at the group’s 33rd meeting.

At the meeting, senior officials reported on the progress made in reforms in environmental protection, the judicial system, poverty relief, rural affairs, the Shanghai FTZ, state-owned enterprises and others.

Leading officials must refine the implementation process to ensure results, improve coordination between various reforms and focus on the most important and difficult issues, according to the meeting.

— At the group’s 34th meeting, the leadership stressed the role of supervision in implementing reform, demanding such work be carried out with a wider and deeper scope to detect and solve problems.

Authorities should review the results regarding major reforms and “intricate matters,” according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The group called for timely corrections to problems uncovered during supervision, and those found to be making insufficient efforts should be called to account.

Leading departments and local authorities were also ordered to regularly track reform implementation and report the effects.

On Sunday, China’s manned submersible Jiaolong conducted its first dive in the Yap Trench of the year.

Jiaolong began diving at 8:43 a.m. local time on a rainy day, reaching a depth of 4,177 meters.

Jiaolong was not afraid of the bad weather, but the rain did make it a bit more difficult for the dive, said Wang Xiangxin, a staff member on board.

“We cannot hear each other clearly due to the rain, so we have to be extra careful during the operation,” Wang said.

There will be five dives for Jiaolong in the Yap Trench, and the last dive is planned for June 12.

The dives will focus on research in deep-sea biotic communities and gene resources, according to scientists on the ship.

Jiaolong completed a series of dives in the Mariana Trench on June 1 and was transferred aboard Xiangyanghong to the Yap Trench afterward.

The Mariana and Yap trenches are located in the west Pacific Ocean. The Yap Trench has a depth of 8,527 meters, and the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point of Earth’s oceans, has a depth of 11,034 meters.

This is the third and final stage of China’s 38th oceanic scientific expedition, which started Feb. 6 and is scheduled to finish on June 18. The two previous stages were successfully completed in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

Sunday’s operation was Jiaolong’s 148th dive.

Named after a mythical dragon, Jiaolong reached its deepest point of 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in June 2012.