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2026-10-21 18:40:21 GMT

Labour Approve Jackdaw Gas Field
Labour have approved the controversial Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.
Plus: A deep dive into the conditions which created the riots that have engulfed France.
With Michael Walker, Aaron Bastani, Tessa Khan & Cole Stangler.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/21/labour-approve-jackdaw-gas-field/

2026-10-21 12:08:02 GMT

Normal People Stars Back Sally Rooney in Letter to UK Government
Hundreds of cultural figures including writers, actors and Nobel literature laureates have signed an open letter in support of Irish novelist Sally Rooney.
The letter, [published today in the New Statesman][1], calls on the UK government to overturn the ban on Palestine Action. Rooney’s support for the group has led to her books being withdrawn from sale in the UK for legal reasons.
Among the signatories are the stars of the television adaptation of her book Normal People, Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, as well as the show’s director Lenny Abrahamson.
“Sally Rooney is a writer, not a terrorist,” the letter says. “Her books must be available to the public. Their withdrawal from sale, on the basis of ill-conceived and draconian anti-terror legislation, is an affront to basic principles of free speech and expression so long taken for granted in this country.
“We categorically reject censorship – whether direct or indirect – and urge the government to change course, amending the legislation which has led us to this point of repressive absurdity.”
Other high-profile signatories include Nobel literature laureates Anne Carson, JM Coetzee and Annie Ernaux – plus bestselling authors Omar El Akkad, Amitav Ghosh, Jhumpa Lahiri, Michael Rosen, Arundhati Roy and Irvine Welsh.
The historians William Dalrymple and Avi Shlaim have also signed, as have journalist Owen Jones, ex-footballer Gary Lineker and actors Susan Sarandon and Tilda Swinton. Ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, the band Kneecap and Massive Attack frontman Robert Del Naja also lent their support.
Last week, Rooney said that she and her publisher, Faber, had agreed that her [books could no longer be sold in the UK][2]. Because she has publicly said she would donate proceeds from her books to Palestine Action, Faber would not be able to pass on the proceeds of her book sales to Rooney – an outcome the publisher described as “[unconscionable][3]”.
It added: “We remain the proud publisher of her remarkable body of work, which we will continue to sell in other territories.”
Members of Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025, have repeatedly blockaded and damaged factories supplying weaponry that Israel’s military has used to commit genocide in Gaza.
[1]: https://www.newstatesman.com/cover-story/2026/10/sally-rooney-is-a-writer-not-a-terrorist
[2]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/14/sally-rooneys-books-can-no-longer-be-sold-in-the-uk/
[3]: https://www.faber.co.uk/journal/faber-statement-14-october-2026/?srsltid=AU7gw4XCY2Hq8zmVaIaSFw-p7L6yKxrhlAxn19tlNYinm2yF80TROm6L
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/21/normal-people-stars-back-sally-rooney-in-letter-to-uk-government/

2026-10-21 10:46:35 GMT

Top Brazilian Court Fines Meta $200k Per Day Over ‘Election Bias’
Brazil’s top electoral court has said it will fine Meta $200,000 a day until it can prove that president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his far-right challenger Flávio Bolsonaro [get equal treatment on its platforms][1].
Last week, a judge at Brazil’s top electoral court [ruled that Meta had to adopt measures][2] to ensure that both candidates receive equal treatment, or face a daily fine of the equivalent of 500,000 reais ($100,000).
This court doubled the fine on Monday, saying the social media giant failed to comply with the first order.
President Lula has said Meta restricted his posts in the run-up to the elections first round vote earlier this month and is still doing so ahead of the run-off election on Sunday.
Meanwhile, rightwing disinformation about the election has spread widely on the platform, according to Amnesty International and others.
“The scenario is that of a platform illegally practicing algorithmic selectivity, in the midst of a fierce presidential contest,’ [Lula’s campaign said][3],
Meta has said the allegations are “false and unfounded” and blamed “technical incidents” that affected “different parts of the political spectrum”, rather than just Lula’s campaign.
Lula has also accused the US of meddling in the election, saying president Donald Trump wants to [“colonise” the country][4]. In July, Trump hit Brazil with a 25% trade tariff, after meeting with Bolsonaro, a move seen as an attempt to hurt Lula’s chances.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Meta’s Sao Paulo headquarters [over the weekend][5] in an action organised by the group Não Se Meta.
Instagram employees have admitted in internal communications that the company’s algorithm, which decides what its users see, favoured Bolsonaro, according to a report by Brazilian news outlet [Folha de Sao Paulo][6].
Meta has a huge presence in Brazil, with [more than 113 million Instagram users][7] in the country as of 2024.
Ahead of Sunday’s vote, Lula is [a close second in the polls][8], behind the son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was [jailed for 27 years in 2025][9] for attempting to stage a military coup to remove Lula from office.
Bolsonaro came out on top in the first round voting earlier this month.
[1]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/19/brazilian-court-orders-meta-to-prove-lula-and-bolsonaro-get-equal-treatment
[2]: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/south-america/brazil-lula-wins-electoral-court-challenge-meta-alleged-bolsonaro-bias-rcna603835
[3]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/14/world/americas/brazil-president-lula-meta-bolsonaro.html
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/25/lula-says-trump-wants-to-colonise-and-capture-brazils-resources-by-meddling-in-election
[5]: https://efe.com/english/latest-news/2026-10-20/lula-supporters-protest-against-meta-to-denounce-its-electoral-interference/
[6]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/meta-employees-said-lulas-accounts-were-hindered-during-brazil-election-folha-2026-10-16/
[7]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7291l3nvwvo
[8]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolsonaros-lead-over-lula-narrows-ahead-brazil-runoff-polls-show-2026-10-19/
[9]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8xrqxk9p4xo
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/21/top-brazilian-court-fines-meta-200k-per-day-over-election-bias/

2026-10-21 09:22:48 GMT

Burnham Approves New North Sea Gas Drilling in ‘Act of Climate Vandalism’
Andy Burnham’s government has given fossil fuel giants Shell and Equinor permission to drill the undeveloped Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea.
Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, who publicly opposed new drilling before taking on the role, is set to make the announcement from Aberdeen on Wednesday morning alongside chancellor John Healey.
In 2022 Fahnbulleh wrote on X: “To have a shot at staying within 1.5C global warming, we can’t have any new oil or gas fields.
“Banks know this, but some are pumping billions into new projects. It’s irresponsible and shortsighted to be funding new fossil fuels when we need to be getting to net zero fast.”
Before becoming prime minister, Burnham endorsed calls for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. “It’s not just a plan, it’s a lifeline,” he [said last year][1]. “It’s a call to end coal, oil, and gas, hold polluters accountable.”
Fahnbulleh told BBC Radio Scotland on Wednesday that drilling Jackdaw “won’t lower energy bills this winter”. Numerous energy experts have said extracting the gas will not lower bills at all. “The UK is not an isolated energy island where new supply has the effect of decreasing prices,” professor Gavin Bridge, fellow of the Durham Energy Institute, [told the Independent][2] in April.
Advocacy group [Greenpeace argues][3] that, based on calculations for climate harm used by the government, burning the gas from Jackdaw will cause £16.1bn in “global damage” and cause more than 8,000 heat-related deaths.
Ross Greer, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said: “Labour’s decision to approve Jackdaw is climate vandalism. Andy Burnham’s government had the opportunity to reject the greed of oil and gas companies… Instead, this Labour prime minister has caved in to the fossil fuel lobby and continued to devastate our climate. It is a devastating betrayal of our children’s future.”
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green party of England and Wales, said: “Labour has abandoned all credibility in the fight against climate change. This is a victory for Shell over the people.”
US president Donald Trump said in July that Burnham had told him he would “open up North Sea oil”.
The government is yet to issue a decision about Rosebank, an oil field also in the North Sea owned by Shell, Equinor and a firm called Ithaca Energy, which is part-owned by Israeli holding company Delek Group.
[1]: https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/massive-attack-manchester
[2]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/drilling-north-sea-oil-energy-prices-iran-trump-b2958411.html
[3]: https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/jackdaw-and-rosebank-10-questions-for-government/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/21/burnham-approves-new-north-sea-gas-drilling-in-act-of-climate-vandalism/

2026-10-20 19:52:01 GMT

Britain Sends Jets to Saudi Arabia
The UK is set to deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks.
Plus: We speak to Ashok Kumar about the Green Party’s Zionism is Racism motion, and Andy Burnham announces new fines for noisy train passengers.
With Aaron Bastani & Banseka Kayembe.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/20/britain-sends-jets-to-saudi-arabia/

2026-10-20 16:19:28 GMT

Why France’s Student Protesters Won’t Back Down
[A man throws a plastic traffic cone through a burning barricade in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the 'Yellow Vests' movement, joined by French high school and university students, teachers, trade unions and parents demanding better school conditions. Photo: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor]
On Sunday in Paris, crowds filled the major squares and thoroughfares of Place de La Republique, Boulevard de Magenta and beyond. Flares were lit and the flags of France, Palestine, political parties and unions adorned the crowd. In one placard, a hand drawn Homer Simpson told President Macron that disturbances in 2019 and 2023 were just the worst protests of his life “so far”, indicating that the movement does not intend to lie down easily.
Students have been on the march, or blockading their schools since 17 September, but this time they were joined by trade unionists and yellow vest protesters supporting student demands, protesting against the rising cost of living and rejecting the upcoming austerity budget. Anything between 550,000 (according to the interior ministry) and 800,000 people (according to the unions) took to the streets across the country.
The convergence of different movements that have erupted under the Macron presidency could be heard in the songs and chants of the crowd. There was “on est la” (“we are here”) the defiant song of the “yellow vest” movement, chants of free Palestine, as well as adapted versions of songs against Macron’s pension reform which were recycled to apply to education.
While the majority of the protests have occurred peacefully since the movement began, there have also been dramatic clashes with police. Violence has largely characterised the police response so far. A rubber bullet and tear gas left two students blinded. A grenade left one with a severed hand and a tear gas canister fired directly into a 15-year-old’s face left him with a broken jaw. Thousands of people have been arrested, the majority of whom are minors.
Many have questioned the police tactics and their role in escalating the disorder. On Sunday in Paris, a youth orchestra formed to promote climate justice was tear-gassed in the middle of a rehearsal at Place de La République, setting the stage for the square to become the site of pitched battles between police, protesters and rioters for the rest of the day. Shops on the square had their windows smashed in and cars were burned by “casseurs” (vandals) who used the protests as an event to fight the police.
Instances of violence and looting have accompanied the protests, though often not from students – according to figures released by the Justice Ministry, [the majority of those arrested following the looting on 17 October][1] were adults, in contrast to the arrests at previous protests. There have also been sporadic arson attempts at certain schools, and instances of violence. Generally – but with some exceptions – these have not come from the students at the schools in question, but young people who had come from outside.
### ‘Bismillah, c’est les tenebres.’
On Boulevard de Magenta, just off Place de la Republique, placards and slogans drew attention to a variety of demands and grievances ranging from the lack of teachers in schools, the suffocating heat of classrooms during the June heatwaves and the police violence.
A placard with a drawing of a chicken read “plus de masters, moin du poulet” (“more masters, less chicken”) – referring to the moral panic that occurred earlier this year about youth from the banlieue eating at fastfood chicken joints like Master Poulet.
“Watch your hands” read another, depicting a police grenade.
A recurring theme was the phrase “bismillah, c’est les tenebres” (“In the name of God, it’s the darkness”). The phrase doesn’t really mean anything, but it has become a ubiquitous meme. The phrase was mockingly reclaimed by protesters after it was allegedly used by police in a cack-handed attempt to mimic North African youth slang during an infiltration of protest groups on Snapchat. (One placard translated as: “bismillah, we want the name of the author of the punchline of the century”, referring to how widespread the meme has become.)
[A placard at a student protest in Paris on Sunday. Photo: Olly Haynes]A placard at a student protest in Paris on Sunday. Photo: Olly Haynes
Novara Media spoke to several student protesters about why they were protesting and where the movement goes next. In France, the media usually does not print the surnames of minors, so accordingly all the students only gave their first names.
Camille and Nathan, both 17, from the Lycée Gabriel Fauré in Paris’s 13th arrondissement, have been blockading their high school for two weeks.
Camille described their school as “your average high school, not the least well off, but not rich either”.
Nathan said he wanted more teachers, better pay and conditions for teachers and teaching assistants and the removal of Pacoursup – the platform through which students apply to university, the algorithms of which have been accused of bias against students from poorer schools.
“We want more money for schools, because there isn’t enough. Whether that’s schools in Paris or schools in the banlieue because in France it doesn’t matter whether you are in Lycée Gabriel Fauré, or in Lycée Paul Éluard in Saint-Denis [a poor school that has particularly intense protests], we all have the same problem”.
Camille added that bad organisation of timetables was one of the issues that they were protesting against. “There are days where we finish at six in the evening. For some classes in year 13 they finish at 7pm,” she said. “There are also big holes in our timetable meaning we have periods of three or four hours where we do nothing but can’t leave. Sometimes I have extracurricular activities which finish at 7 o’clock or later, by the time you get home it’s 8 and then you have homework, so it’s difficult to have a life beyond school.”
Other demands of students have included fixing crumbling and leaking school buildings and fixing heating and adding air conditioning systems, so that school buildings are not freezing in winter and boiling in summer.
### ‘They have very little to lose.’
School holidays have started and politicians, commentators and even some students have been wondering whether the movement can sustain itself. Novara Media found several ideas and perspectives on where to go next among students.
Abraham, a student at Lycée du Château d’Épluches, where a student had his jaw broken by a police munition, told Novara Media that “as young people, that incident scared us, and it spread fear among the students [at his school]”.
Nonetheless, “we will continue”, he said. “I’ve already heard of preparations for after the holidays. If our demands aren’t met and our rights aren’t respected, then we will continue the blockades until they are.”
Felix, a spokesperson for L’Union Etudiante, a major student union, said, “We are in such a state that emergency measures need to be implemented.” The union has formulated ten key demands, including a cancellation of the proposed restrictions to access housing benefit which lots of university students rely on, the ending of university selection through algorithmic platforms Parcoursup and a renovation of school and university buildings.
Students need “to have a better future, to emancipate themselves, so they can study without the roof falling in on them”, he said.
“We expect there to be lower energy during the holidays”, he added, but said that the union would “restart mobilising as soon as holidays were over, because the detestable conditions students find themselves in won’t have changed”.
Stathis Kouvelakis, a political philosopher and activist who studies political cycles and social movements, told Novara Media that the current protests are “not like a strike. In a strike you lose a lot, because there is a financial cost. That makes mobilisation quite a tough thing. But students? They have very little to lose.”
But now, workers and yellow vest protesters have joined the students. Gwen, a student from Lycée Romain Rolland in Ivry-sur-Seine, saw potential for spreading action beyond the student body. She said: “We want to talk to the workers, the teachers and all so that they can block other places like the RATP transport network” – referring to the public transport system in the Île-de-France region. “If we can block that, the government will get really fucked up.”
[1]: https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/en-direct-violences-manifestations-pillages-degats-paris-allocution-macron-17-octobre-emutes-20261019?utm_content=photo&utm_term=lefigaro&utm_campaign=Nonli&utm_medium=Social&
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/20/why-frances-student-protesters-wont-back-down/

2026-10-20 14:37:27 GMT

Burnham Rejects Corbyn’s Call for Inquiry Into UK’s Role in Gaza Genocide
Andy Burnham has rejected Jeremy Corbyn’s call for an inquiry to be held into the UK’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.
The former Labour leader [wrote to the prime minister in July][1], calling on him to back a Chilcot-style inquiry to examine military cooperation with and arms sales to Israel since October 2023..
The government [rejected that call][2] in response to a written question in parliament on Monday, arguing there were “extensive mechanisms already available for parliamentary accountability and oversight”.
Burnham has continued the policy of his predecessor Keir Starmer by allowing the sale of military equipment to Israel, in defiance of widespread calls for a full arms embargo, including [by UN experts][3].
Military flights to Israel from UK bases [have also continued][4] since Burnham became prime minister.
Starmer’s government [decided to suspend][5] 30 arms export sales to Israel in September 2025, but the UK continues to send components of [F35 fighter jets][6], which have been used to bomb Gaza.
A UN commission found earlier this year that Israel is committing genocide by [deliberately targeting Palestinian children][7]. Israel has killed more than 70,000 civilians in the territory since 2023.
The [Chilcot inquiry][8] was a years-long investigation into Tony Blair’s decision to go to war in Iraq. As an MP, Burnham was among those who voted in favour of the invasion, which led to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths.
Burnham has sought to distinguish himself from Starmer by saying [Labour “got it wrong” on Gaza][9]. His government has also announced [sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements][10] in the occupied West Bank.
“Andy Burnham rightly said that the last Labour government ‘got it wrong’ over Gaza,” Corbyn wrote[ on Instagram][11] on Tuesday. “But his words will mean very little if he doesn’t break with the last government’s shameful record of complicity, secrecy and evasion.”
He added: “Delaying scrutiny will not make questions about British complicity in genocide disappear.”
[1]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/burnham-rejects-jeremy-corbyns-call-public-inquiry-british-complicity-gaza-genocide
[2]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/burnham-rejects-jeremy-corbyns-call-public-inquiry-british-complicity-gaza-genocide
[3]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/arms-exports-israel-must-stop-immediately-un-experts
[4]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/03/burnhams-government-has-approved-10-military-flights-to-israel-in-6-weeks/
[5]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-suspends-around-30-arms-export-licences-to-israel-for-use-in-gaza-over-international-humanitarian-law-concerns
[6]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g88rgenlvo
[7]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0jy96w6pw2o
[8]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2016/jul/06/chilcot-report-a-devastating-critique-of-blair-and-the-british-government-video
[9]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg5yrkeed1o
[10]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g7zen0vveo
[11]: https://www.instagram.com/p/Detg3QOkSsK/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/20/burnham-rejects-corbyns-call-for-inquiry-into-uks-role-in-gaza-genocide/

2026-10-20 12:36:12 GMT

Wife of UK National Security Advisor Slams Palestine Action Ban
The wife of the government’s national security advisor has called for the ban on Palestine Action to be lifted, days after police said they would take no action over a social media post she wrote that was seen by some as an expression of support for the group.
Last week Sarah Helm, a journalist and author, [wrote][1] on X: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” The post was a reference to the fact Irish novelist Sally Rooney can no longer sell her books in the UK due to her support for the group.
On Monday, after the police’s announcement about her post, Helm [wrote][2] that she was “free… and found not guilty of posting a terrorist tweet, whereas others guilty of holding terrorist banners? So where do I sign the letter calling for such absurdity to halt and for Palestine Action to be unbanned under the Terrorism Act?”
Helm was referring to an [open letter signed by over 400 ][3]literary figures in support of Rooney and calling for the ban to be lifted.
The Metropolitan Police on Saturday said specialist officers had assessed Helm’s earlier X post and “determined that it did not meet the criminal threshold”.
Helm’s husband, Jonathan Powell, has served in his senior Cabinet Office role since 2024.
After its proscription under the Terrorism Act 2000 in July last year, expressing support for Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Thousands, including many elderly and disabled people, have been arrested while holding signs reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
Following the Met’s decision to take no action against Helm, George Sheldon Grün, a Green councillor in Hackney, published a post on Instagram reading: “God help us councillors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.”
Last year, retired head teacher [Jon Farley][4] was arrested in Leeds under the Terrorism Act for holding a printout of a cartoon from Private Eye that mocked the Palestine Action ban. He was held for six hours before being told no further action would be taken.
“I couldn’t quite believe it was happening,” he told the BBC at the time. “They carried me to the van and all the way I’m saying, ‘It’s a cartoon from Private Eye. This is daft'”.
In July 2025, armed police in Kent threatened to arrest peaceful protester [Laura Murton][5] for holding a Palestine flag and having signs that read “Free Gaza” and “Israel is committing genocide”.
Police told Murton that her protest expressed views supportive of Palestine Action, even though her signs [did not mention the group][6]. They made her give her name and address in order to avoid arrest.
Earlier this year, campaigners said police arrested people [who had not broken the law][7] by showing or stating support for the group during a demonstration outside Westminster magistrates’ court.
“I clapped. That was it,” [one woman,][8] who said she had been arrested under section 12 of the Terrorism Act, told Novara Media at the time, “I was here just to watch.”
[1]: https://x.com/SarahHelm1/status/2110676075831238816
[2]: https://x.com/SarahHelm1/status/2112213018079830276
[3]: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/hundreds-of-authors-sign-letter-in-support-of-sally-rooney-and-faber-and-call-for-government-action
[4]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz9kdq84j3lo
[5]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/17/armed-police-threatened-to-arrest-kent-protester-for-holding-palestinian-flag
[6]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/17/armed-police-threatened-to-arrest-kent-protester-for-holding-palestinian-flag
[7]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/30/wrongful-arrests-at-palestine-action-demo-campaigners-say/
[8]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/30/wrongful-arrests-at-palestine-action-demo-campaigners-say/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/20/wife-of-uk-national-security-advisor-slams-palestine-action-ban/

2026-10-20 12:36:06 GMT

UCL Urged to Lower Fees for Students Trapped in Gaza
Five Palestinian students who won places at University College London (UCL) could miss out on their studies and remain stuck in Gaza because their scholarships don’t cover the cost of their fees.
The students have been offered Global Masters Scholarships from UCL worth £15,000 but still can’t afford the remainder as they are being charged international fees, which can be over £40,000.
The UK government has agreed to help Gazan students offered places at UK universities leave the territory and get visas. But this support is limited to those with fully funded scholarships covering both fees and living costs.
That means students with offers who lack full scholarships will have to get out of the territory without UK government help.
As Gaza has no airport and its coastline is blockaded by the Israeli military, anyone looking to leave the territory has to do so via a third country, creating administrative hurdles for the students.
Last year, advocacy [groups who assisted Gazan students coming to the UK with the immigration process described the process as “chaos”][1]. Some students ended up not arriving until December, months into their course.
The campaign group UCL Action for Palestine has set up a fundraiser for the students that has [so far raised £50,000][2].
They are [calling on UCL to waive international fees for Gazan students and charge them home fees][3] instead. Typically, home fees are reserved for UK residents and Irish citizens but there are exemptions. Students from Ukraine, for example, [are eligible][4].
“This is not a radical ask,” UCL Action for Palestine told Novara Media. “If UCL cared about Palestinian students, they would be trying to remove the barriers that stand in the way of them having a real opportunity to study at our university, not kicking the can down the road and promising to do better next year.”
A spokesperson for UCL said the university does not comment on individual student circumstances, but noted that over the last two years, it “has worked extensively to support students from Gaza through a combination of scholarships, philanthropic funding, accommodation, immigration support and specialist wellbeing services.”
They added: “We continue to work closely with offer holders to understand their circumstances and explore what support may be available to them.
“We are currently reviewing our humanitarian scholarship provision to consider whether, and how, support could be expanded in future years. As part of that work, we are carefully considering how best to support students affected by conflict and humanitarian crises.” =
The five students are Mais, Reem, Amjad, Reham and Farah. They are due to start master’s degrees in public health nutrition, civil engineering, sustainable education, urban planning and project management, respectively.
[1]: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/gazan-students-uk-study-plans-doubt-after-evacuations-chaos
[2]: http://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fforms.gle%2Fk4ZPXJLk6cY9PvrNA%3Futm_source%3Dig%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_content%3Dlink_in_bio%26fbclid%3DPAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacTIwrukXsJ_Yu7sPihPutth-gMktohjCqTL2gT8Roza_ia6D9W9kx7PfQg9A_aem_y_lC6d1oVzzEXun-a65sGA&e=AUCvk2OyayNMRyI0GAeQAcW0RbgBzsiz_k20qFy-m31A5ouw7JYJ2LTfdjg4BvqzSQ2DCGPQD0MIfVW7ZGc8PZDn0TtrzRKCP23zozIPTCL2M69l41RRC8gk-GZ-Pk5T_uBTTWk
[3]: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6259d9q-yUCwz_ZBgW6EGi5byoAvsJxAbwRCZ6YiFxltHJA/viewform?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio
[4]: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10670/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/20/ucl-urged-to-lower-fees-for-students-trapped-in-gaza/

2026-10-20 07:41:36 GMT

133: What If We Explained Ourselves a Little Less?
A weird interaction on the dancefloor gets Ash thinking about ambiguity. How do we balance the need for clear consent with the perks of mystery and uncertainty? Has growing up online increased our need for clarity? Plus: a friend who’s been separated from her besties.
Send us your dilemmas: [email protected]
Music by Matt Huxley.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/20/133-what-if-we-explained-ourselves-a-little-less/

2026-10-19 19:40:27 GMT

Riots Stun France
French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu has called for curfews after hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country took to the streets, with incidents of violence & looting.
Plus: Amnesty International have released a new report on the silencing of pro-Palestine students by universities.
With Michael Walker, Ash Sarkar, Alice Cappelle, Danièle Obono & Hannah Stokes.
Buy [tickets][1] for Downstream IRL with Owen Jones.
[1]: https://dice.fm/partner/tickets/event/g5v25a-novara-medias-downstream-irl-the-fall-of-the-west-16th-nov-earth-london-tickets
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/19/riots-stun-france/

2026-10-19 17:24:46 GMT

Israeli Firm Used Online Ads to Infect Millions With ‘Zero-Click’ Spyware
Israeli adtech firm Discover-Tech used online ads to operate a global spy network targeting millions of people, including Al Jazeera journalists, a new report has revealed.
Presenting as a legitimate company, Discover-Tech purchased malicious online ads to infect devices with spyware from Candiru, an Israeli firm blacklisted by the US government.
Discover-Tech ran a platform called Controlium to “automatically infect devices the moment an advertisement is rendered – a form of zero-click attack,” according to a [report by Citizen Lab][1], a research group at the University of Toronto, and [cybersecurity firm Confiant][2].
The ads were displayed in over 70,000 mobile apps and more than 120,000 websites between March and June 2026, impacting millions of users globally, the report found.
“This is the first-ever public confirmation of zero-click mercenary spyware delivered via targeted ads,” it said.
“Discover-Tech’s ads also covertly directed millions of devices to contact Candiru’s servers, likely for large-scale tracking and reconnaissance.”
Broadcaster Al Jazeera said it reached out to Citizen Lab when it was targeted in 2024 and 2025.
“Al Jazeera worked voluntarily with Citizen Lab’s researchers, and… that cooperation helped verify and publicly document these attacks,” the network [said in a statement][3].
“The targeting of journalists is an attack on press freedom and on the public’s right to know. Those responsible must be held accountable.”
Israel raided the offices of the Qatari news network in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah in 2024, ordering it to shut down its operations. At least 12 of the network’s journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s genocide in October 2023. In June this year, Al Jazeera condemned Israel’s “deliberate killing” of its cameraman, Ahmed Wishah.
The report said Discover-Tech ads reached national security agencies, various ministries of defence, Nato and several international media networks, but did not find evidence linking the attacks to the Israeli government.
Novara Media approached Discover-Tech for comment.
The [Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged][4] governments and authorities to investigate the attacks, particularly those targeting journalists.
“The mass surveillance architecture supporting online advertising is being harnessed for other purposes and puts journalists at risk,” said Jonathan Rozen, CPJ’s deputy director of research.
“Citizen Lab’s findings that Al Jazeera devices were infected with spyware delivered via targeted ads make these surveillance dangers even clearer.”
Since 2023, Israel has killed[ more than 240 journalists and media workers][5], more than any other government, the press freedom group has said.
[1]: https://citizenlab.ca/research/how-discover-tech-turned-targeted-ads-into-a-pipeline-for-spyware/
[2]: https://blog.confiant.com/p/adint-weaponized-ad-tech-for-zero-click-spyware-and-mass-identity-vacuuming
[3]: https://x.com/AlJazeera/status/2110763313810354492
[4]: https://cpj.org/2026/10/report-israeli-ad-tech-firm-enables-spyware-targeting-of-at-least-45-al-jazeera-devices/
[5]: https://cpj.org/2023/10/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-war/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/19/israeli-firm-used-online-ads-to-infect-millions-with-zero-click-spyware/

2026-10-19 16:37:40 GMT

Amazon ‘Uses AI in Warehouses to Predict Whether Workers Will Join Unions’
Amazon has been accused of using AI to track employees and rank how likely they are to form unions.
The online retail giant uses a tool called Atlas in an apparent bid to predict acts of dissent by workers in the UK, the US and Canada, a [document][1] released as part of court proceedings between Amazon and Canadian union Unifor show.
The document, which appears to be a training manual for company leaders, has led the [GMB Union to accuse Amazon][2] of using “Orwellian” AI tools to spy on workers.
“Workers deserve to be able to work free of the fear of excessive surveillance,” said GMB organiser Rachel Fagan.“If Amazon bosses are using Atlas or similar AI-fuelled systems in the UK, the British public deserve to know”.
The document also contains pointers for managers on listening to workers’ concerns without “over-sympathising”.
Atlas gives warehouses a risk score of between 100 and 900 for union activity, with a lower score meaning it believes workers are more likely to unionise. A higher score is “better” for leaders at the company, the document says.
This “makes it clear that they think the union is bad”, Michael Newman, a partner at London-based law firm Leigh Day, told openDemocracy.
Atlas is described in the document as a “labour risk framework to clarify how Amazon evaluates emerging workforce issues, labour union targets and internal or external labour threats.”
It outlines a five-tier scale – where tier one denotes workplace disruption and “imminent” worker action, while tier five merits “no immediate perceived risk”.
The scale can be used to determine staffing decisions, resource planning and action to “mitigate risks” while avoiding reduced productivity or profits, the document says.
In the UK, two Amazon warehouses have been listed in tier one, while 14 others in the US and Canada were named in this high-risk tier.
At a warehouse near Coventry named BHX4, there has been an “active organising campaign” while previous strike action has been recorded at another at EMA4 Sutton Coldfield.
Newman said that the findings relay “a very different story” to Amazon’s claim that it has no desire to deter workers from joining a union.
An Amazon spokesperson denied that Atlas is used to counter union activity and refuted the characterisation of the technology as surveillance of individual employees.
“This is site/building level activity only,” they told openDemocracy, adding that the company does not “track individual employees’ opinions, affiliations or union membership”.
Atlas is used to “help us understand where associates need more support and to ensure we’re addressing issues that they raise”, they added.
[1]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nosR5ER-VFYiw52si_M5kM9ZBfDXmRxJ/view?pli=1&ref=opendemocracy.net
[2]: https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/urgent-questions-for-amazon?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/19/amazon-uses-ai-in-warehouses-to-predict-whether-workers-will-join-unions/

2026-10-19 15:07:46 GMT

This Politician Posted a Quote About Palestinian Resistance. Now France Is Dragging Her Through the Courts
For the last three years, Rima Hassan has watched in horror as thousands of people have been killed in her family’s homeland. The French jurist and La France Insoumise (LFI) MEP, who was born stateless in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, is one of France’s most outspoken critics of both Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the complicity of Europe’s governments.
Now, she could be sent to prison over a post on social media.
In March, Hassan posted a quotation on X/Twitter attributed to Kōzō Okamoto, a member of the Japanese Red Army who took part in a 1972 attack on an Israeli airport in which 26 people were killed.
“I gave my youth to the Palestinian cause,” Okamoto’s quotation read. “As long as there is oppression, resistance will not only be a right, but a duty.”
Far-right National Rally politician [Matthias Renault][1], interior minister [Laurent Nuñez][2] and two French pro-Israel lobby groups reported Hassan to prosecutors for *apologie du terrorisme *(the glorification of terrorism) – a criminal offence. [Hassan denied the charges][3] and said her main goal had been to share a quotation about the “philosophy of resistance”, and that she couldn’t be accused of glorifying terrorism for doing so.
Hassan’s trial began on 19 October. If found guilty, she could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison and fined €100,000 under French law. Her situation, she said, is the latest in a series of legal and political battles in France over solidarity with Palestine.
“People who stand in solidarity with Palestine are labelled as terrorists because it [this label] is the only instrument that allows them to silence concrete opposition and activism,” Hassan told Novara Media ahead of her trial.
This isn’t the first time the French state has brought the full force of its institutional machinery against Hassan. [22 legal proceedings][4] have been initiated against her in the last two years in connection with her political views (six have been closed by prosecutors without questioning, 13 after questioning and three remain open). In September, a separate trial in relation to [two social media posts from 2025][5] was adjourned.
Prior to the opening of the investigation into the post in March, police had [reportedly already been surveilling Hassan][6], tracking her movements and monitoring her phone activity. In April, she was taken into custody for questioning in what she describes as a “deliberate attempt” to circumvent her parliamentary immunity. Details of her arrest, including the claim she was carrying drugs, were then [leaked to the press][7] (the drug probe was subsequently dropped).
Hassan’s lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, has [long maintained his client’s innocence][8], alleging the prosecutions are part of a “campaign of judicial harassment aimed at silencing her”. Five UN special rapporteurs have [raised similar concerns][9], warning the French government that Hassan appeared to be facing “political and judicial harassment”.
Hassan told Novara Media she believed that the accusations against her were a “misuse of anti-terrorism laws”.
“The shift is very interesting,” she said, noting how she believes that we’re moving towards a situation in which the accusation of terrorism is directed at “all political opposition”.
Hassan’s case is perhaps the most high-profile of hundreds of cases of alleged *apologie du terrorisme* offences in France. In October 2023, police arrested trade union leader Jean-Paul Delescaut over a leaflet published following the 7 October attacks (Delescaut was convicted and sentenced, before being [acquitted on appeal][10]). In another case, the suspended sentence of a former deputy mayor, Mohamed Makni, for sharing a quotation which described the attacks as “resistance” was upheld by France’s highest court (Makni is now [challenging the ruling][11] at the European Court of Human Rights). Between October 2023 and October 2025, [more than 350 people][12] were convicted of the offence in total. While it’s unclear how many were in relation to Palestine, rulings surged after 7 October.
None of this may surprise anyone living in the UK. Since it was banned as a terrorist group in July 2025, those in the UK expressing support for Palestine Action, an organisation which targeted companies involved in supplying military equipment to Israel, risk up to 14 years in prison. What’s followed, due to huge public opposition to the ban, has been [a 1,553% uptick in terrorism arrests][13] – 94% of them in the year ending June 2026 linked to the proscription.
Dr Eliza Bechtold, a trained lawyer and a researcher at the University of Oxford, studies how modern anti-terror frameworks use over-expansive definitions of “terrorist-related speech” to criminalise political dissent.
“The more we look at it, the more we see how it’s being used by states as sort of a cudgel to silence disfavoured political viewpoints,” Bechtold told Novara Media. “That has profound impacts on public discourse, freedom of association, all of these really fundamental rights that underpin democracies.
“Academics, human rights lawyers, legal advocates have been sounding the alarm for quite some time on these types of offences that punish purely speech, absent the attendant act, and are becoming increasingly attenuated from traditional criminal notions of incitement.”
Bechtold also noted in a [recent paper][14] that “no contemporary example better supports just how concerning this is than the global policing of speech surrounding the war in Gaza” – an [analysis shared][15] by the UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression. She told Novara Media that while the wider “chilling effect” of prosecutions is hard to measure, their impact certainly [extends well beyond those prosecuted][16].
Palestine is expected to be a key campaigning issue for Hassan’s party, LFI, in the run up to France’s presidential election in April next year.
For those caught between their conscience and the law, Hassan is unequivocal: “Today, for me, they [advocates for the Palestinian cause] are… the heroes of our time: those who make sure that our countries are not complicit, and who target the material and logistical support provided to Israel.”
Hassan’s trial – “the trial of the century for freedom of expression”, [Brengarth said][17] – continues at Paris criminal court.
[1]: https://x.com/MatthiasRN/status/2037520227261465031/photo/1
[2]: https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/rima-hassan-convoquee-ce-vendredi-matin-a-la-police-judiciaire-de-paris-03-04-2026-5KI25ZTDEVEDPLGY7GVB2674MU.php
[3]: https://www.politico.eu/article/french-mep-rima-hassan-trial-over-accusations-glorifying-terrorism/
[4]: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rimahassan_en-2-ans-de-mandat-ce-sont-22-proc%C3%A9dures-share-7478729347994943488-caKd
[5]: https://theintelligent.fr/societe/2026/rima-hassan-comparait-devant-le-tribunal-correctionnel-de-paris-pour-deux-publications
[6]: https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/160426/garde-vue-de-rima-hassan-comment-des-policiers-ont-piste-l-eurodeputee
[7]: https://www.politico.eu/article/french-mep-rima-hassan-files-lawsuit-over-police-leaks-after-arrest/
[8]: https://x.com/v_brengarth/status/2100115330232123543
[9]: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31068
[10]: https://www.franceinfo.fr/faits-divers/justice-proces/conflit-israel-hamas-condamne-en-premiere-instance-pour-apologie-du-terrorisme-une-responsable-cgt-finalement-relaxe-en-appel_7840835.html
[11]: https://agencemediapalestine.fr/blog/2026/08/11/un-requete-deposee-a-la-cedh-pour-contester-lusage-du-delit-dapologie-du-terrorisme/
[12]: https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/111025/apologie-du-terrorisme-des-condamnations-la-hausse-depuis-le-7-octobre
[13]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/08/uk-terrorism-arrests-up-1553-since-palestine-action-ban/
[14]: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/content/news/dr-eliza-bechtold-publishes-article-national-security-and-free-speech-european-human
[15]: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1155881
[16]: https://novaramedia.com/2025/12/02/if-even-sally-rooney-cant-speak-freely-about-palestine-what-hope-do-ordinary-culture-workers-have/
[17]: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2026/08/31/how-hard-left-politician-rima-hassan-is-testing-the-boundaries-between-free-speech-and-provocation_6757000_5.html
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/19/this-politician-posted-a-quote-about-palestinian-resistance-now-france-is-dragging-her-through-the-courts/

2026-10-19 11:12:27 GMT

The Palestine Action Ban Has the British State Chasing Its Own Tail
The logic of the British state – never its strongest point – has been increasingly snarled by former home secretary Yvette Cooper’s cosmically absurd proscription of direct action group Palestine Action last year.
Of course, Cooper can’t take all the blame. Her successor Shabana Mahmood and newish prime minister Andy Burnham have continued to uphold the farce of labelling this century’s suffragettes (though, frankly, [much milder][1]) a terror group. Knitting knots, the lot of ‘em.
This weekend, however, that warped logic birthed a downright novel contradiction, one that appears to have emerged from a clash between the establishment’s drive to protect its own and a spouse wielding the modern terrorist’s most deadly weapons: a keyboard and a moral compass.
Last week, journalist and writer Sarah Helm [posted a two line message][2] on X: ”God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action. Sounds like Adam would have all our books swept off the shelves in a jiffy.”
The ‘Adam’ there was Adam Boulton, who in an interview on Sky News [accused Irish author Sally Rooney][3] of taking “a very strong pro-Palestine and, I have to say, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish stance”. We don’t need to get into Boulton’s own chop logic, but suffice to say Rooney’s unlikely to be too bothered by smears from an Englishman who once told some of “you Irish” to [“get over themselves”][4] over their attachment to the Good Friday Agreement.
Helm’s post was a reference to the news that Rooney’s books would [no longer be sold in the UK][5]. That decision, reached by her publisher and endorsed by Rooney, flowed from her widely-stated belief in the wrongness of Palestine Action’s proscription, as well as her pledge to continue to support the group, including through [the donation of any UK royalties][6]. Quite the blow [for the BBC][7] and [British booksellers][8].
Rooney lives in Ireland, where, unlike in the UK, she’s free to speak her mind and spend her money in accordance with her opinions around Palestine Action. Helm, however, does not. And this is a country where a [Plasticine Action t-shirt][9] can get you arrested.
But the risk was also high for her husband. Helm, you see, is married to none other than Jonathan Powell, the [government’s national security adviser][10]. We mere mortals can hardly imagine the level of security clearance Powell, also the decade-long chief of staff to then-prime minister Tony Blair, must have achieved to get that job. Nor can we begin to ponder the sonic boom that rolled through the Whitehall national security establishment when it turned out that, maybe, the boss’s wife was a terrorist sympathiser.
We obviously can’t know Helm’s intentions in writing a post that was [very quickly reported to the police][11]. But I like to imagine a razor sharp act of civil disobedience: the leveraging of an intimate relationship to embarrass the state in just ten words. And let’s make no mistake – it will be an embarrassment to the government, and a deserved one too. If it wants to make fools of us – our political history, our rights and our freedoms – then it’s only fair that, once in a while, someone makes a fool of it too.
Of course, there is no world in which the wife of the country’s national security chief could actually be found to have committed a crime under the Terrorism Act. Using a legal cosh, [despite contrary advice][12], to [constrain the freedoms of the masses][13] in order to satisfy a rogue ally is one thing. Bringing that cosh down on the heart of the security establishment an unthinkable other.
On Saturday, Helm was [cleared of any wrongdoing][14] by the police. “The post was assessed by specialist officers and it was determined that it did not meet the criminal threshold,” the Met police said, “No further police action will be taken.”
Interesting, isn’t it?
Don’t get me wrong – I’m delighted for Helm. But the decision not to act does suggest a much greater deal of discretion available to the force than we’ve seen deployed so far. And it’s [the Guardian’s understanding][15] that the police found “insufficient evidence that the post was capable of encouraging support for a proscribed organisation”.
Lawyers for the thousands of Defend Our Juries protestors who’ve been arrested for holding signs will be eagerly examining this new line of defence. What exactly, they’ll be wondering, is the mysterious measure of whether a speech act is capable of encouraging support? I can’t find it in [the Terrorism Act itself][16], which makes no mention of what a statement of support might do. Rather, the crime is committed when the person who makes it is *reckless* about what it might do.
Proving recklessness is, I’d have thought, a pretty low legal bar; proving the capacity of a statement to actually encourage support is much higher. As those cases come to court, Helm’s clever trouble-making – if that’s what it was – may not yet be over.
Posting on X after she was cleared, Helm appeared unrepentant. “Thanks to all supporters,” [she wrote][17], “As an 83 yr old survivor of the Nakba and one of my many friends in Rafah (now obliterated) said to me when I was last there, ‘keep writing Sarah we need all the pencils we can get’.”
Very true; and the sharper the pencil, the better.
[1]: https://news.sky.com/story/women-would-have-got-the-vote-earlier-if-not-for-suffragette-terrorists-11227772
[2]: https://x.com/SarahHelm1/status/2110676075831238816
[3]: https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/2110609044469944528
[4]: https://www.thejournal.ie/adam-boulton-sky-news-you-irish-2-3743932-Dec2017/
[5]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/14/sally-rooneys-books-can-no-longer-be-sold-in-the-uk/
[6]: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/aug/18/author-sally-rooney-to-donate-funds-to-palestine-action
[7]: https://deadline.com/2020/12/normal-people-62m-views-record-bbc-iplayer-1234651479/
[8]: https://www.npr.org/2026/10/16/nx-s1-6004838/sally-rooney-books-uk-palestinian-action-support
[9]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/18/protester-arrested-wearing-plasticine-action-t-shirt-palestine-gaza-protest
[10]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/appointment-of-jonathan-powell-as-national-security-adviser
[11]: https://x.com/antisemitism/status/2111070689142645201?s=20
[12]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/revealed-how-palestine-action-was-banned/
[13]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/24/uk-police-detain-pro-palestine-protester-80-almost-27-hours-search-house
[14]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv8ez40yz950o
[15]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/17/sarah-helm-jonathan-powell-palestine-action
[16]: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/part/II/crossheading/offences#commentary-key-602079289d5d721e06a6ba3e9df0cbf7
[17]: https://x.com/SarahHelm1/status/2111217403602358294
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/19/the-palestine-action-ban-has-the-british-state-chasing-its-own-tail/

2026-10-18 14:03:39 GMT

Gaza Has Exposed the Hypocrisy of the West
Three years ago, just weeks after the genocide began, writer Omar El Akkad posted a tweet, attached to some footage showing the extent of the ruin that Israel had already visited on Gaza. The compelling thought, crystallised in that viral tweet, would go on to become the name of his bestselling book: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.
Steven Methven, editor of Novara Live, steps in for Aaron Bastani while he is on parental leave. He sat down with Omar to try to make sense of three years of horror.
Why did Omar write his book focusing on the West’s role in the violence, rather than centring Palestine? What would meaningful accountability and justice for Palestinians look like? How does he think Hamas will be remembered? And has he found any source of hope amid the events he describes?
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/18/gaza-has-exposed-the-hypocrisy-of-the-west/

2026-10-17 22:09:54 GMT

China’s Century of Revolutions
For a century, China underwent a series of invasions, revolutions and counter-revolutions. In China, it’s known as the Century of Humiliation.
It was a time of immense upheavals: from the Opium Wars of 1839, through the Taiping Rebellion, the Xinhai Republican Revolution, a Civil War, an invasion by the Japanese which merged into the Second World War; the resumption of the Civil War and, eventually coming to an end with the Communist Revolution of 1949.
Each one transformed the country more comprehensively than seemed possible beforehand.
Rebecca Karl is the author of *China’s Revolutions in the Modern World*, which tells us not only what happened, but how its participants tried to make sense of it all, and why that still matters for understanding China now – after all, the Chinese Communist Party haven’t forgotten any of it.
She joined Richard Hames to discuss the century that destroyed imperial China and set the stage for the largest revolution in history.
There is much more to explore on the map we’re making for this series, which shows all the people, ideas and event that define China’s history, present, and future. Get it [here][1].
[1]: http://novaramedia.com/dyor
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/17/chinas-century-of-revolutions/

2026-10-13 19:25:22 GMT

MI5 Warns of “Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism” Threat
MI5 chief Ken McCallum has used his annual speech to warn of threats to the UK from Iran and right-wing extremists.
Plus: The chancellor has rejected calls to match capital gains and income tax rates, Nigel Farage is publicly briefing against Robert Jenrick, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon pledges more support for small business owners.
With Aaron Bastani & Banseka Kayembe.
Buy tickets for Downstream IRL with Owen Jones:
https://dice.fm/partner/tickets/event/g5v25a-novara-medias-downstream-irl-the-fall-of-the-west-16th-nov-earth-london-tickets
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/13/mi5-warns-of-extreme-right-wing-terrorism-threat/

2026-10-13 17:19:02 GMT

Scottish Government’s Deal With IDF-Linked Firm ‘Breaks Boycott Pledge’
The Scottish government has been [accused of failing to live up to its Israeli boycott policy][1], by agreeing to a multimillion-pound deal with a company linked to the country’s military.
GE Aerospace said on Monday it was [spending £30m][2] to modernise Glasgow’s Prestwich Airport, as part of a partnership with Ayrshire Growth Deal, the National reported. The project is led by the Scottish and UK governments, as well as three local councils.
The US firm’s jet engines are used by Israeli military planes in Gaza, [Campaign Against Arms Trade][3] and other advocacy groups have said. In September, GE Aerospace [shareholders raised concerns][4] that the [company had exported parts for military aircraft][5] engines to countries accused of human rights abuses, including Israel.
Scottish first minister John Swinney has said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and last year announced his government [would not give public money][6] to companies supplying arms to the country.
“We will pause new awards of public money to arms companies whose products or services are provided to countries where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed by that country,” he said at the time, “that will include Israel.”
The Scottish Green party have accused Swinney’s Scottish National Party (SNP) of failing to live up to this commitment with the airport renovation deal. Green MSP Laura Moodie told [the National][7]: “How can this possibly be reconciled with a policy of boycotting, divesting from and sanctioning companies that arm and support Israeli forces?”
The news of the GE Aerospace deal came just a few days after the Scottish government partnered with Barclays on an [upcoming bond issue][8]. The bank has [come under pressure][9] for its ties to firms doing business with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Bureau of Investigative Journalism recently reported the bank had agreed to work with a firm that makes [parts for IDF drones][10].
A Scottish government spokesperson defended the agreement with GE Aerospace.
“The primary market of GE Aerospace’s Scottish company is not defence,” they said. “Where this is the case, the Scottish company must complete a self-declaration confirming that it does not supply military equipment, technologies, or services to Israel or Myanmar.”
[1]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/26629631.snp-israel-boycott-breach-millions-idf-linked-us-firm/
[2]: https://www.adsadvance.co.uk/ge-aerospace-create-150-jobs-30m-prestwick-expansion/
[3]: https://caat.org.uk/data/companies/ge/
[4]: https://today.westlaw.com/Document/I5382214b2eed11f191e2c648fd1e4803/View/FullText.html?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true
[5]: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/40545/000121465926004099/j331266px14a6g.htm
[6]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0r0wnn0np7o
[7]: https://www.thenational.scot/news/26629631.snp-israel-boycott-breach-millions-idf-linked-us-firm/
[8]: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26622410.scottish-government-accused-lack-will-implement-bds/
[9]: http://google.com/search?q=The+bank+has+come+under+pressure+for+its+ties+to+IDF-linked+firms.+barclays&rlz=1CABVOQ_enGB1075GB1075&oq=The+bank+has+come+under+pressure+for+its+ties+to+IDF-linked+firms.+barclays&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDI1ODJqMGo0qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.ob&ie=UTF-8
[10]: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-09-03/barclays-new-client-makes-weapons-parts-for-israel
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/13/scottish-governments-deal-with-idf-linked-firm-breaks-boycott-pledge/

2026-10-09 10:38:26 GMT

The Greens Are Still Relevant. They Just Need a Strategy
Labour has held on in former prime minister Keir Starmer’s vacated seat of Holborn and St Pancras – a constituency the party has never lost since its creation in 1983 – with Green leader Zack Polanski coming in second. Camden council leader and Starmer ally Sagal Abdi-Wali won 45% of the vote, down 3.75% on Labour’s 2024 general election result, while the Greens more than tripled their vote share, taking 33%.
There are certainly some reasons for optimism among Green supporters this morning, while Polanski is asked on the mainstream media round if he’ll now be standing down as party leader until all our ears bleed. (Answer, no he won’t.)
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The Greens took more of the vote last night than their combined 2024 vote share with Starmer’s nearest challenger, the independent and former South African MP Andrew Feinstein. The local campaign group born out of Feinstein’s challenge to Starmer on his record on Gaza, the Camden People’s Alliance, endorsed Polanski this time around.
While turnout was down on the last election – 2024’s “loveless landslide” – at 39% compared to 54%, we saw a 13% Labour to Green swing.
Ultimately, around 3,000 votes separated the victorious Abdi-Wali (12,292) and Polanski (8,928), and prime minister Andy Burnham can breathe a sigh of relief that the first major electoral test to his premiership is won.
There’s no doubt that Abdi-Wali benefitted from the ‘Burnham bounce’. She might be smiley and local, but her council carries [an appalling record on housing][2] in the borough – a brief she was directly responsible for as Camden’s former housing lead – and she was tainted by her association with Starmer and the Starmite project that, [according to a valuable][3] two-part [Tribune deep-dive][4], birthed her candidacy.
There was something vaguely nauseating about Abdi-Wali campaigning on a message of “hope” for the people of Holborn and St Pancras when [on top of being council leader][5] from May of this year, her party has always held the seat – including with a sitting prime minister. If Labour was going to bring hope to this constituency, it would’ve done it already.
But Abdi-Wali, [‘ming-vased’ by her party][6], received remarkably little mainstream press scrutiny throughout the campaign ([remind you of anyone?][7]), as the – allow me a moment to adjust my chic tinfoil hat – political-media class closed ranks against the Greens.
The drop in last night’s [Lib Dem vote share][8] alone can be taken as a suggestion of negative mobilisation against the Green party, who’ve weathered months of bad faith attacks after the political and media establishment swung back into action following [a Polanski tweet][9] around the Golders Green stabbing.
Polanski’s personal approval ratings continue to show the strain, with the Green leader dipping four points below Nigel Farage on -28 in a [More in Common poll][10] on Wednesday. The same pollster also has Westminster voting intention for the Greens [on 8%][11], while [YouGov shows 11%][12] – down from a March high of 21%. It’s unlikely that a deluge of [negative attention][13] and the resurgence of an antisemitism narrative over the Greens’ recently-passed ‘Zionism is Racism’ conference motion will have helped matters, either.
While the result of this hotly-contested byelection was ultimately closer than the bookies’ odds (16/1 on Polanski yesterday) made out, Gorton and Denton this was not. The terrain has changed, and the Greens have not yet adapted quickly or robustly enough with it. Burnham in Number 10 requires a different approach for the party to [the one that worked][14] under Starmer’s toxic premiership.
But [in her acceptance speech][15] this morning, Abdi-Wali accepted key parts of the Greens’ electoral programme – public ownership of water and addressing the housing crisis. Polanski’s party is reshaping Labour in the face of everything the political and media elite can throw at it.
There’s no question of Green irrelevance, only of Green strategy. In my book, that’s a reason to be hopeful.
[1]: https://novaramedia.com/privacy-policy/
[2]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/07/how-labour-put-big-property-above-camdens-local-residents/?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[3]: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2026/10/the-dark-arts-of-camden-labour-part-i?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[4]: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2026/10/the-dark-arts-of-camden-labour-part-ii?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[5]: https://www.the-londoner.co.uk/sagal-abdi-wali-holbrn-st-pancras-camden/?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[6]: https://unherd.com/2026/10/have-the-greens-lost-all-hope/?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[7]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keir_Starmer?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID#/media/File:Prime_Minister_Keir_Starmer_Portrait_(cropped).jpg
[8]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/oct/09/holborn-st-pancras-byelection-result-zack-polanski-sagal-abdi-wali-uk-labour-green-party-uk-politics-latest-news?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID#:~:text=Patrick%20Stillman%20(LD)%20924%20(3.40%25%2C%20%2D2.40%25)
[9]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78q6w1vzz7o?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[10]: https://x.com/LukeTryl/status/2107745980405699056?s=20&utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[11]: https://www.moreincommon.org.uk/voting-intention-trackers/?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[12]: https://yougov.com/en-gb/trackers/voting-intention?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[13]: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/greens-zionism-motion-andy-burnham-pkzz70h02?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[14]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/02/27/greens-thrash-labour-and-reform-in-historic-by-election-win/?utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
[15]: https://x.com/GBNEWS/status/2108383312418947266?s=20&utm_source=Novara+Media+Contacts&utm_campaign=928261c6a3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_10_09_07_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-928261c6a3-&mc_cid=928261c6a3&mc_eid=UNIQID
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/09/the-greens-are-still-relevant-they-just-need-a-strategy/

2026-10-08 16:26:39 GMT

UK Terrorism Arrests up 1,553% Since Palestine Action Ban
Terror arrests in the UK have increased by 1,553% and hit a record high, with the overwhelming majority linked to support for Palestine Action, new Home Office statistics show.
3,867 arrests were made for terrorism-related activity in the year ending June 2026, compared to 234 arrests in the year ending June 2025, according to [data released by the Home Office][1] on Thursday.
Of those arrests, a whopping 3,630 – 94% – were linked to support for Palestine Action following the group’s proscription.
The Labour government under Keir Starmer proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group in July 2025, making it the first direct action group to be banned under the Terrorism Act in British history.
Protests against Palestine Action’s proscription, organised by campaign group Defend Our Juries (DOJ), have seen elderly and disabled people arrested and carried away by police after holding up paper signs with the words “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
Since the ban, terrorism-related arrests are up 1,525% on the historical ten-year median of 238 arrests.
The Home Office’s report also confirmed that 704 arrests had so far resulted in a charge, with 634 of those charges made under Section 12 or Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and linked to supporting Palestine Action.
A spokesperson for DOJ told Novara Media: “History shows that unjust laws become unenforceable when they are met with mass opposition, until governments are eventually forced to abandon them. The statistics released today are a clear indication of just how unpopular and unenforceable the government’s ban on Palestine Action is.
“Over a year on, and hundreds of regular people are still prepared to be arrested as ‘terrorists’ to demand that the new Labour leadership to do the only sensible thing and lift the ban on Palestine Action.”
In a statement, Amnesty International UK’s law and human rights director Tom Southernden said: “The vast majority of the enormous increase in terrorism arrests are of grandparents, teenagers and everyone in between for peacefully holding placards.
“We are seeing a shameful attack on our right to protest. It’s past time to end the proscription of Palestine Action and with it the use of counter terrorism power to punish direct action protests.”
[Dozens of peaceful protesters ][2]opposing Israel’s genocide and the ban on Palestine Action – including [a 94-year-old Jewish human rights lawyer][3] – were arrested outside the Labour party conference in Liverpool at the end of September.
The next day, foreign secretary Ed Miliband replied to a question about the proscription [from Andrew Marr on LBC ][4]about “all those elderly people and vicars and grannies and so on” by saying: “I don’t think anyone’s intent was to have those people criminalised.”
Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori has been granted permission to challenge the ban in the Supreme Court.
[1]: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/operation-of-police-powers-under-tact-2000-to-june-2026/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000-and-subsequent-legislation-arrests-outcomes-and-stop-and-search-great-britain-to-june-202#arrests-and-outcomes-1
[2]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/27/hundreds-defy-palestine-action-ban-at-burnhams-first-labour-conference-2/
[3]: https://youtu.be/JLvQHNMLq7Y?si=Jo7uptskcKmA2Umz
[4]: https://x.com/DefendOurJuries/status/2105237270169018755?s=20
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/08/uk-terrorism-arrests-up-1553-since-palestine-action-ban/

2026-10-06 12:46:57 GMT

French Teen Loses Hand After Police Use Grenade Amid Student Protests
A teenager lost his hand in France after a police grenade exploded during widespread student protests on Monday, amid mounting reports of violence by officers.
The 15-year-old boy was injured outside Auguste-Béhal high school in the northern town of Lens, in Pas-de-Calais, where riot police had been deployed after protesters reportedly threw objects at officers.
It is not yet clear what type of grenade it was or exactly how it caused the injury. A police union source told AFP the boy [appeared to have picked it up][1], but a [girl reportedly standing nearby][2] told regional newspaper La Voix Du Nord this was false.
“I was there, I saw it. He didn’t pick it up,” she said.
Witnesses told [Le Monde][3] that riot police had pushed protesters back before throwing the grenade.
On 28 September, a police officer shot a tear gas grenade and struck a 14-year-old boy named Eden in the face at close range, [Le Monde reported][4].
“Eden has a double jaw fracture, several of his lower teeth have been pulled out, and all his upper teeth are broken,” his lawyer, Elsa Marcel, told a press conference. His mother added that he can only consume liquids: “His jaw is sealed shut with just enough space for a straw.”
In another incident, a 16-year-old lost sight in one eye after reportedly being hit with a rubber bullet. An investigation is underway to clarify what happened.
In total, six judicial investigations into alleged police violence have been opened since a wave of student protests erupted at the start of the academic year over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and poor school conditions. Students have described leaking classrooms, deteriorating buildings and going months without teachers.
Education minister Édouard Geffray said 190 students had been injured since the protests began, while the Interior Ministry reported 650 injuries among police officers, including a female officer who was chased and kicked. Seventy-eight school staff members have also been injured. The figures do not distinguish between serious and minor injuries.
Prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said student grievances were [“legitimate” and promised action][5] on teacher shortages, school repairs and overloaded timetables, with some pupils starting as early as 8am and finishing as late as 6pm. [Unions][6] say the government needs to reverse cuts to education rather than offer limited measures.
As many as [200,000 people][7] were expected to join a national day of action on Tuesday, with 1,800 schools due to be blockaded as teachers, trade unionists and parents join demonstrations.
Parent groups, led by the Fédération des Conseils de Parents d’Élèves, the largest federation of public school parent associations, have also [called on parents to join the protests][8].
The Union Syndicale Lycéenne, which represents high schools, said Tuesday that the number of people mobilising had reached a “[new record][9]”.
Amnesty International [said][10]: “Protests have been met with unnecessary and disproportionate force by police, including the unlawful use of tear gas grenades and rubber bullets. The Ministry of Interior announced that there have been more than 5,000 arrests of protesters and stated that 85 per cent of those arrested have been children.”
[1]: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20261005-teenager-loses-hand-picking-up-grenade-in-france-school-protests-1
[2]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9zrdmxp4vy6o
[3]: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/10/06/high-school-protests-what-we-know-about-injuries-among-demonstrators-and-police_6758279_7.html
[4]: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/10/06/high-school-protests-what-we-know-about-injuries-among-demonstrators-and-police_6758279_7.html
[5]: https://www.lemonde.fr/campus/article/2026/10/04/blocage-des-lycees-sebastien-lecornu-demande-que-les-cours-reprennent-des-lundi-partout-ou-la-securite-le-permet_6788331_4401467.html
[6]: https://socialistworker.co.uk/international/the-students-mobilisation-is-our-mobilisation-say-french-workers-joining-student-protests/
[7]: https://www.bfmtv.com/societe/manifestations/direct-colere-lyceenne-des-milliers-de-lyceens-attendus-dans-la-rue-ce-mardi-journee-sous-haute-surveillance-pour-l-acte-iii-de-la-mobilisation_LN-202610060069.html
[8]: https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/paris-ile-de-france/paris/on-est-la-pour-les-proteger-comment-les-federations-de-parents-d-eleves-souhaitent-s-engager-dans-la-manifestation-des-lyceens-prevue-mardi-3428145.html
[9]: https://x.com/USLSyndicat/status/2107388456871534683/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2107388456871534683%7Ctwgr%5E3d99fb8d0a62a455280668d9f773433242b11064%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bfmtv.com%2Fsociete%2Fmanifestations%2Fdirect-colere-lyceenne-des-milliers-de-lyceens-attendus-dans-la-rue-ce-mardi-journee-sous-haute-surveillance-pour-l-acte-iii-de-la-mobilisation_LN-202610060069.html
[10]: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/france-tear-gas-grenades-have-been-discharged-recklessly-amnesty-urges-police-restraint-at-todays-student-protests/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/06/french-teen-loses-hand-after-police-use-grenade-amid-student-protests/

2026-10-02 18:36:58 GMT

Zack Polanski Promises Rent Controls at Tense Party Conference
Zack Polanski has called for a 3-year cap on private rents. Elsewhere at Green Party conference, tensions are running high over a motion to declare that Zionism equates to racism.
Plus: Fires have broken out in French schools as students across the country protest funding and conditions, and Suella Braverman’s argument that only white people can be English goes down like a lead balloon with the Question Time audience.
With Michael Walker, Clare Hymer, Molly Harris & Cole Stangler.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/02/zack-polanski-promises-rent-controls-at-tense-party-conference/

2026-10-02 16:29:57 GMT

Burnham to Ban Airlines From Charging Parents to Sit With Their Children
Andy Burnham has announced a ban on airlines charging people extra to sit next to their children on flights.
The new rule, expected to come into force before next year’s summer holidays, will apply to parents or other accompanying adults travelling with under-14s. Passengers will also have the right to correct errors on their booking free of charge.
“Charging parents just to sit with their children is a rip-off, plain and simple,” Burnham said. “And being hit with a hefty fee for a simple spelling mistake on a booking form isn’t right either. People are fed up with these little charges that add up, so I’m putting a stop to them.”
Paying to select seats so that a parent and child can sit together cost up to an extra £104 on a return journey, [according to][1] the Department for Transport.
On his first day as prime minister in July, Burnham [promised to tackle the cost of living crisis][2] and give people “breathing space”.
“This is the latest example of the prime minister’s series of ‘everyday fixes’ to tackle the irritations that make life difficult and hit people’s wallets,” the government [said in a statement][3].
It follows “action on rogue traders overcharging for home improvements, subscription traps that quietly drain bank accounts and rip-off school uniform costs,” the statement added.
The new rules for airlines will also tighten restrictions on disruptive passengers, Burnham said: “We’re working with the industry to make sure that disruptive passengers who have been banned from one airline can be banned from flying with other airlines too.”
[1]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/take-off-for-passengers-as-government-scraps-extra-charges-when-flying
[2]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/20/burnham-pledges-to-end-rough-sleeping-and-build-more-council-homes/
[3]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/take-off-for-passengers-as-government-scraps-extra-charges-when-flying
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/02/burnham-to-ban-airlines-from-charging-parents-to-sit-with-their-children/

2026-10-02 10:10:35 GMT

Early Release of Prisoners Could Land Andy Burnham in the Slammer
[Andy Burnham gives a speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble]
The early release scheme [kicked into action][1] yesterday, with the first batch of prisoners being released after serving 40% of their sentence or more. Hundreds of prisoners across England and Wales, whose sentences were up to 19 months, were let out early. Have Andy Burnham and his cabinet have become radical prison abolitionists?
Not quite. Labour were bounced into it by the [dangerously overcrowded][2] prisons system: a result of the Conservative government being keen to jail more people, but reluctant to build more prisons. The scheme will progress [through phases][3] into the summer of next year, when by June inmates serving more than 12 years will be eligible for release.
The previous Labour government had little choice but to introduce legislation designed to alleviate pressure on prison cells. This past summer, the [adult male prisons estate][4] was running at 98% capacity – putting us at one IKEA riot away from system collapse ([real ones will remember][5]). But the road to early release had some bumps along the way.
Newly-minted Prime Minister Burnham found himself in hot water when it emerged that the young men convicted of killing PC Harper in 2019, when he was dragged by a car as they fled the scene of a theft, would be eligible for early release. One million people [signed a petition][6] demanding they remain incarcerated; Andrew Harper’s widow made high-profile media interventions; and dozens of police chiefs put their name to a letter urging Burnham to pursue “[every legal option][7]” to prevent the early release of the two men.
The government ultimately acquiesced, adding those convicted of manslaughter to the exclusion list of those ineligible for early release (which already included people convicted of murder, and sexual offences such as rape, serious sexual offences against children and indecent assault). But the pressure is still on. Domestic violence charities and advocates have warned of the [risk posed to abuse survivors][8] as perpetrators exit prison early.
There’s little reason to suggest that those being released early have had the benefit of meaningful, rehabilitative interventions while inside. One man released yesterday said that he’d only had “[one hour][9]” outside every day; another said that he’d only found out that he was being released [that very morning][10]. There’s evidence to suggest that some people are being released with little to no support waiting for them on the outside.
Tom, released from Cardiff prison yesterday, told reporters that he’d probably be back in prison within weeks. “They have given me £100 and kicked me out and I have nowhere to go,” he said.
“You cannot be homeless and sober at the same time. If I had somewhere to live, half this shit wouldn’t have happened.”
The stats back him up. The overall reoffending rate in England and Wales (i.e. those who will commit an offence within a year of being released from custody) is just shy of 30%. But that [soars to 70.9%][11] for homeless rough sleepers, and 56.5% for homeless non-rough sleepers. Though the government is dedicated to freeing up space on the prison estate, there isn’t much to suggest that sufficient work is being done to make sure that those released are able to stay out of prison in the medium-to-long term.
The political risks for Andy Burnham, and Justice Secretary Alex Norris, are obvious. As the scheme moves through the gears, and those convicted of more serious, violent offences are let out early, all it takes is one particularly gruesome instance of reoffending for the government to be slammed for having blood on their hands.
Norris has insisted that “[release from the prison doesn’t mean freedom][12]”, drawing attention to the use of exclusion zones, tagging, curfews and alcohol monitoring to manage recently-released individuals. But prisoner recalls – those returning to prison because they breached the terms of their release, for faced further charges – have [risen year-on-year][13] since 2022, and contribute to pressure on the system. As one former chief inspector of prisons [told The Telegraph][14], the government may have slowed the rate of growth in the prison population, but it’s “very dubious” whether those measures will be sufficient to make sure the system doesn’t run out of space again.
A short walk to freedom for inmates; and a tight window of reprieve for the government.
[1]: https://us.list-manage.com/K9TJGa3WvYd?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=ib3l2nbSC8juhl8dmxKPT8ulrxXJdKqt3MnOLLujzkAa1gxL9bYAcLNx4vK7
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[3]: https://us.list-manage.com/Dz1g5fZmZoI?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=AeBVAAVDr2YuEn1g_Cz1quSH-lNpZTPtYl06eH7eUtLuTJlYBi3c7ldXv050
[4]: https://us.list-manage.com/zE1JG36O_fA?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=ECmhrLj1bZvdh0xCA5CJtQFbv1BAFb2bk7qKLM2fvvvgHsijtqtj7muXao2O
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[6]: https://us.list-manage.com/NJdJdepT1O1?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=XLze2OFYj5Z3Ukbh9bRN7HqL_5v_5CF79UyMmCl1bAqtm_MP5HEJAz1Vkaq4
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[9]: https://us.list-manage.com/liLmZXhhuwd?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=ucfAE1Ed2H6_Esjam4Y5XkLvVIhhHvRnvPV7oHE_DCIxwt117c4jmZRkK69m
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[11]: https://us.list-manage.com/H4cSyc7virQ?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=dtsFh1yh6CoRiKChi3QOCw1DApvGJ8jV9OF7E7iOZeLlkj35AUOLhpO_BY6V
[12]: https://us.list-manage.com/50eJo5OTPN3?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=coXXz3Z_5r7OJeJH3ykhOBHfvvoVm1Kdk-pwQaZVRhW-9AvRwRDDW4YYK_LU
[13]: https://us.list-manage.com/N2s0ic8Upfq?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=qu5ULxZdzC-_HuyUaqPKZefNxMW6X5HLJ7RAbtVRNnAo857vZPsYCkyI2-Z0
[14]: https://us.list-manage.com/fPx2xm9CRWL?e=ba848334c5&c2id=87ce1ed97197c3fd6ae00ab517bcd013&m=v6z-H4U12yBGI69yKlVE6Doxj1lRIYKP2ehTKvoBJZdwtnozIMbX6rQJK4co
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/02/early-release-of-prisoners-could-land-andy-burnham-in-the-slammer/

2026-10-01 13:33:04 GMT

Zack Polanski: Andy Burnham Won’t Deliver a Socialist Government
Ash Sarkar caught up with Green party leader Zack Polanski on the campaign trail in Holborn & St Pancras, a week out from the by-election. They discuss Andy Burnham’s Labour conference speech, housing, the triple lock, North Sea oil and gas, and how the party is handling debate over the “Zionism is racism” motion ahead of Green party conference.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/10/01/zack-polanski-andy-burnham-wont-deliver-a-socialist-government/

2026-09-28 10:57:11 GMT

Ireland Goalkeeper Boycotts Match Against Israel
Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu boycotted the squad’s Uefa Nations League fixture against Israel on Sunday to protest the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Bazunu took the decision to sit out the game in Hungary after a majority of players reportedly voted to play, despite intense pressure inside Ireland for them to respect [calls for a sporting boycott][1] against the apartheid state.
“My decision is based purely on my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong,” Bazunu wrote on Instagram. “It is important to note that my stance is not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community, but against the atrocities in the region.
“There are a few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger, and I strongly believe that this is one of them.”
The remaining players on the squad did not shake hands with members of Israel’s team or exchange pennants, as part of changes to the pre-match ceremony announced in advance. Ireland beat Israel 3-0.
Winger James McClean, who has previously played on the Republic of Ireland squad, [said ahead of the match][2] that the team was “forever going to be tarred for not doing the right thing” unless they boycotted.
“I’ve seen some of the interviews saying, ‘We’re uncomfortable with it’ and, ‘It’s not been easy for us,’” he said. “Well then, don’t play the game.”
The push to boycott matches against Israel has been led by [Stop the Game][3], an Irish campaign made of “football supporters, players, coaches and administrators opposed to sportswashing genocide”.
Irish pubs have also lent their support to the campaign, with around 140 [refusing to show][4] Sunday’s game, according to a tally by the owner of Peadar Browns pub in Dublin.
Israel has killed an estimated 567 [Palestinian footballers][5] since the start of the genocide in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Football Association.
Bazunu has reportedly faced [backlash from his own teammates][6] for refusing to play. “Bazunu has been left brutally isolated,” sports reporter Gavin Cooney wrote in the Irish Times.
Bazunu said in his statement that his decision was “not taken lightly”, adding: “I am a man of strong faith, and try my best to be a person of character and principle, therefore I feel it would be wrong to participate in the upcoming fixtures against Israel.”
[1]: https://stopthegame.ie/3432-2/
[2]: https://www.balls.ie/football/james-mcclean-ireland-v-israel-boycott-663845
[3]: https://stopthegame.ie/home/
[4]: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/9/27/pubs-in-ireland-refuse-to-screen-israel-match-in-protest-over-gaza-genocide
[5]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/04/fifa-silent-as-israel-detains-palestinian-national-footballers/
[6]: https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/2026/09/26/ireland-v-israel-day-of-infamy-exposes-serious-lack-of-leadership-in-fai/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/28/ireland-goalkeeper-boycotts-match-against-israel/

2026-09-23 10:01:11 GMT

Spain Moves Ahead With US Extradition Case Against Pro-Palestine Millionaire
[man with dogs]
The Spanish government has allowed an extradition request from the Trump administration to proceed to court, in the first known case of the US seeking to extradite a citizen over alleged support for Hamas.
Defence lawyers for James ‘Fergie’ Chambers, a wealthy donor to leftwing and pro-Palestine causes, say their client is being targeted for his political views.
Under Spanish law, an extradition request cannot proceed if it is found to be politically motivated.
While the US has yet to publicly outline the full charges against Chambers, his legal team say he is accused of laundering $7.5m (£5.6m) in Tunisia to support Hamas – a charge they strongly deny.
Chambers’ wife Stella Schnabel, who is Jewish, said the US has failed to provide any evidence for its allegations.
Spain’s national court will now examine the request, with a hearing expected in the coming weeks before the government makes its final decision. Chambers has applied for asylum in Spain, according to his lawyer.
Chambers, a multimillionaire media heir and self-described communist who previously donated to Occupy Wall Street and the Stop Cop City movement, has been held in pre-trial detention in Madrid since his arrest in Ibiza on 10 July.
The decision to allow the case to proceed to the national court is likely to anger members of Spain’s [leftwing governing coalition][1], after they previously urged prime minister Pedro Sánchez not to advance the request.
The move – seen as a test case for Sánchez – comes amid strained relations with the Trump administration over Spain’s support for Palestine.
Around 150 public figures, including activist Greta Thunberg, actor Richard Gere and writer Fatima Bhutto, have signed a letter urging Spain not to proceed with the extradition.
“This extradition would set an alarming precedent in Europe if ⁠Spain permits the Trump administration to criminalise humanitarian aid vital to the Palestinian people,” [said Chambers’ lawyer Baltasar Garzon][2].
Chambers has donated more than $1m to humanitarian causes in Gaza and paid legal fees for some members of Palestine Action, his lawyers say.
[1]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/21/spanish-pm-urged-to-halt-extradition-of-pro-palestine-philanthropist-to-us/
[2]: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/spain-allows-us-extradition-case-against-pro-palestinian-donor-proceed-2026-09-22/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/23/spain-moves-ahead-with-us-extradition-case-against-pro-palestine-millionaire/

2026-09-16 13:16:15 GMT

Migrants in US Locked in Tiny Cages That Guards Called ‘Calming Areas’
A notorious detention centre in Florida kept immigrants in cramped metal enclosures that posed “significant risks” to their health and safety, [a report by a US government][1] watchdog has found.
The cages – which had only 1.6 sq metres of floor space – were referred to by guards at the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ facility as “calming areas”.
Detainees were placed inside for periods ranging from a few minutes to a couple of hours, investigators from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general’s office found.
Their report said “the use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment”.
Amnesty International [found earlier this year][2] people held at the South Florida Detention Facility, as it’s officially known, y were “arbitrarily detained” in “unsanitary conditions” where sewage flowed into sleeping areas.
This month, two guards were arrested following allegations they had [struck a detainee][3]. They face misdemeanor battery charges and have pleaded not guilty.
The facility – which got its name when president Donald Trump joked that it was so remote detainees would need to “learn how to outrun an alligator” – was closed in June, despite becoming a focal point of the administration’s anti-refugee policy.
The previous year, [a judge ruled][4] that the site had to close and no new inmates could be taken there, as the centre was causing “irreparable harm” to the surrounding environment and endangered species.
Last month, t[he New York Times reported][5] that three people had died in an ICE detention centre in New Jersey, with immigration lawyers reporting that sick detainees, including cancer patients, were denied access to vital medicine.
[1]: https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2026-09/OIG-26-22-Sep26.pdf
[2]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr51/1243/2026/en/
[3]: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article317121970.html
[4]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y3lwze2njo
[5]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/nyregion/delaney-hall-detainee-health-ice.html
https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/16/migrants-in-us-locked-in-tiny-cages-that-guards-called-calming-areas/

2026-09-04 19:00:26 GMT

Reform UK Busted in Channel Four Investigation
The fallout from a Channel 4 undercover exposé on Reform has enveloped the nation, but has anyone at their conference noticed?
Plus: Could the failings of Open AI’s security broker a rapprochement with China? Finally, we do some soul searching on our coverage of China.
With Michael Walker, Jonny Ball & Kyle Chan.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/04/reform-uk-busted-in-channel-four-investigation/

2026-09-03 10:01:57 GMT

Polanski to Run in Byelection After Starmer Quits
Green party leader Zack Polanski will run in the Holborn & St Pancras byelection triggered by former prime minister Keir Starmer’s resignation on Tuesday.
“We know that the Greens can win here, and by electing me, voters will have someone who will always fight their corner – never scared of big donors or the party whip,” he told the Camden New Journal on Thursday.
“Too often Labour has stood up for corporations and big money. I will stand up for people struggling to pay their bills.”
Polanski had already pledged to stand in a London byelection. If elected, he will become the Green party’s sixth MP.
“I have lived and worked in this community over many years, I know it well and I love it. It represents so many of the things that make London so special,” he added.
Andrew Feinstein, the former South African MP who stood as an independent against Starmer in the 2024 general election and won 19% of the vote, has suggested he will not stand against Polanski.
“We must ensure that all progressive forces in Holborn & St Pancras unite in order to deliver an MP who represents us and will work for us,” Feinstein wrote on X shortly after news of Starmer’s resignation broke. “An MP who is the antithesis of everything that Starmer stands for.”
The Greens now run four London’s councils following the May elections, but are yet to win a parliamentary seat in the capital, meaning a Polanski victory would be historic for the party.
Polanski will also be hoping to turn the tide on the decline in the Greens’ favourability ratings, which are at their lowest to date, a [YouGov poll found][1].
[1]: https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/55307-party-favourability-ratings-july-2026
https://novaramedia.com/2026/09/03/polanski-to-run-in-byelection-after-starmer-quits/

2026-08-31 17:24:44 GMT

Burnham Criticised for Promoting Sainsbury’s Unpaid Work Placements
Andy Burnham has drawn criticism for promoting an unpaid work experience scheme by Sainsbury’s.
The prime minister last week [announced the supermarket][1] chain would offer 10,000 placements to young people from October, with a focus on those receiving free school meals, as part of his government’s bid to tackle youth unemployment.
But critics noted that Sainsbury’s [laid off 3,000 workers][2] in 2025 despite posting [more than £1bn in operating profits][3], and accused the prime minister of helping the company to exploit free labour from underprivileged communities.
“Andy Burnham promised to ‘end neoliberalism’ but supporting a scheme to provide free labour for billion-pound companies will only serve to perpetuate it,” Martin Abrams, the Green party leader of Lambeth Council, [wrote on X][4].
“Lambeth’s young people deserve better than this; quality apprenticeships and training that provide them with the skills, experience and pay to live and thrive in our borough.”
Burnham, along with London mayor Sadiq Khan, visited a branch of Sainsbury’s in Lambeth to promote the scheme.
Other critics noted that Lord Sainsbury – whose great-grandfather founded the company and who is still a shareholder via his Gatsby Charitable Foundation – is a major donor to the Labour party and recently gave Burnham £160,000 for his uncontested leadership campaign.
Writing [in the National][5], journalist Hamish Morrison accused Burnham of giving Sainsbury’s a “PR bung”.
He added that, although Lord Sainsbury is no longer involved in running the company, “it did seem fairly interesting that a company with which he had a longstanding historical connection – not to mention a multi-million pound interest in, albeit indirectly – got this boost from the government.”
Sainsbury’s told the newspaper the placements will not replace the work of paid employees, and will instead focus on things like CV-building workshops. “They aren’t doing the work of paid colleagues or filling employee roles,” a spokesperson said.
Job vacancies for UK university graduates have [plummeted to their lowest level in decades][6], according to figures for July released by the recruitment website Adzuna.
[1]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/10000-work-experience-opportunities-for-young-people-as-sainsburys-joins-national-drive-to-tackle-youth-unemployment?ref=ed_direct
[2]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/23/sainsburys-cut-jobs-hot-food-counters-cafes
[3]: https://corporate.sainsburys.co.uk/news/press-releases/preliminary-results-for-the-52-weeks-ended-28-february-2026/
[4]: https://x.com/Martin_Abrams/status/2092963106557145139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2092963106557145139%7Ctwgr%5E411da8ed7874607ada866cb4886ede4b98ad9f82%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecanary.co%2Fskwawkbox%2F2026%2F08%2F27%2Fburnham-sainsburys%2F
[5]: https://www.thenational.scot/politics/26505902.andy-burnhams-pr-bung-sainsburys-hides-big-fat-nothing/
[6]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/24/uk-graduate-job-vacancies-plunge-adzuna
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/31/burnham-criticised-for-promoting-sainsburys-unpaid-work-placements/

2026-08-28 11:56:44 GMT

Zack Polanski Calls for Temporary Ban on ‘Energy Guzzling’ Data Centres
Zack Polanski has told the government to “slam the brakes” on “water-guzzling” data centres.
In an interview with the BBC on Friday, the Green party leader accused Labour of prioritising “AI tech billionaires” over water-stressed communities – at a time when most of the country is already in drought.
He urged prime minister Andy Burnham to pause the construction of new centres, citing concerns that their environmental impact has not been properly assessed.
According to the Times, there are more than [500 data centres ][1]in the UK – but their number is set to swell by at least another 183 in the coming years.
The Labour government has made it a national priority to speed through the construction of data centres so that the UK can compete in the global AI race. But government forecasts have failed to take into account their water consumption, putting the country at risk of shortages, [water companies have said][2].
Environmental charity Friends of the Earth is also [calling for a moratorium ][3]on data centres until proper assessments are made.
A large data centres is estimated [to use as much energy][4] as a medium-sized town.
Polanski also criticised Labour’s 2024 decision to designate data centres as “critical infrastructure”, putting them on par with hospitals and transport networks.
“To most people, critical infrastructure is water, electricity, hospitals – it isn’t AI for tech billionaires,” he said, adding that companies behind data centres should prove that their water use is sustainable before depleting public reserves.
A government spokesperson told the BBC: “A pause on building new data centres would simply send investment and good jobs abroad, while leaving Britain dependent on overseas computing. Put simply: it would be a disaster for jobs and national security.
“That said, this does not mean a blank cheque for Big Tech or that every data centre should be approved.”
The Scottish government is already [considering a moratorium][5] on data centres, with MSPs saying they’ve never seen such local opposition to development.
[1]: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/zack-polanski-data-centres-greens-vsz2jmv0l
[2]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/21/britain-does-not-have-enough-water-for-planned-ai-data-centre-boom/
[3]: https://action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/stop-data-centres-draining-resources
[4]: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64429819
[5]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/25/never-seen-this-level-of-objection-scotland-pushes-back-against-datacentre-boom
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/28/zack-polanski-calls-for-temporary-ban-on-energy-guzzling-data-centres/

2026-08-26 07:17:56 GMT

Four Muslim Men Were Jailed for Terrorism. Did Police Plant Key Evidence?
Dozens of rights groups have [called for a review][1] of the case of four Muslim men jailed ten years ago for plotting a terror attack – arguing their conviction resembles “previous miscarriages of justice in Britain”.
The 41 groups – including CAGE, Appeal, Defend our Juries, Filton25 and Stop the War Coalition Birmingham – issued a statement on 12 August urging the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to reopen the case.
Naweed Ali, Khobaib Hussain, Mohibur Rahman and Tahir Aziz – known as the “Birmingham Four” – received life sentences in 2017 [for plotting a terror attack on a police or military target][2]. They maintain they are innocent.
Campaigners and defence lawyers allege that police planted key evidence in Ali’s vehicle – including a half-built pipe bomb, an airgun, an unfired 9mm bullet and a meat cleaver with the word “kafir” on it.
The convictions relied on an undercover operation in which the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and MI5 created a fake company called Hero Couriers and hired Ali to work there.
On his first day on the job, Ali gave his car keys to his manager, Vincent, who turned out to be an undercover officer using an alias and was later accused of planting the evidence.
During the trial, undercover officers claimed they had never been in contact with one another, yet it later emerged they had exchanged around 1,000 messages. Before giving evidence, Vincent texted his boss to say: “I’m even more determined to put in an Oscar performance when I get in that box.”
There were also concerns about some members of the jury. One juror told the judge she had left a train because she saw a man reading the Qur’an and was scared he was a terrorist. Another made it clear that [she was attracted to a police officer][3] she had seen in court.
In 2018 a judge upheld the conviction of the four men on appeal.
Two of the convicted men, Ali and Hussain, were previously sentenced to 40 months in prison after pleading guilty to travelling to Pakistan with the intention of undergoing military training in 2012.
They abandoned their plans in Pakistan within two days, after panicking and realising they “had got themselves in such a mess,” Hussain’s sister Mariam [told the Guardian last year][4]. The two men claimed they wanted to help overthrow the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
[1]: https://www.cage.ngo/articles/41-organisations-call-for-the-immediate-review-of-the-unjust-birmingham-4-convictions
[2]: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40802787
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/law/ng-interactive/2025/may/25/the-birmingham-four-terrorist-masterminds-or-victims-of-a-police-fit-up
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/law/ng-interactive/2025/may/25/the-birmingham-four-terrorist-masterminds-or-victims-of-a-police-fit-up
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/26/four-muslim-men-were-jailed-for-terrorism-did-police-plant-key-evidence/

2026-08-25 19:35:29 GMT

US Globalises Economic War With Iran
The Trump administration has unveiled widespread sanctions against “Iran’s financial connections around the globe”.
Plus: Two proposed datacentres could surpass the entirety of ExxonMobil’s UK emissions, and Rupert Lowe is earning eyewatering sums from posting on Elon Musk’s X.
With Steven Methven, Banseka Kayembe & Trita Parsi.
Buy tickets for Downstream IRL with Naomi Klein:
[https://www.tickettailor.com/events/novaramedia/2364456][1]
[1]: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/novaramedia/2364456
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/25/us-globalises-economic-war-with-iran/

2026-08-25 13:28:32 GMT

AI-Generated Songs Banned From Music Charts in Australia
[Club, disco DJ playing and mixing music for people.]
Songs largely or entirely made by artificial intelligence will be banned from Australia’s top music charts from this week, in a move to protect “the human nature of artistry”.
New guidance from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) stipulates that music must be “substantially human made” in order to be included.
The association’s code of practice update means music that uses “generative AI in a supporting role” is still allowed, but songs that use it “to generate the entirety or the primary portion of the creative elements” will be excluded.
ARIA chief executive [Annabelle Herd said][1] the changes were a reflection of the association’s commitment to “remain dynamic and promote the human nature of artistry”.
Herd said: “Artists already use AI tools in their work, the charts can and should evolve to keep room for that, but music generated wholesale by services built on artists’ recordings is a different matter.
“A chart that rewards unlicensed AI output would undercut the very basis of the recorded music we exist to represent.”
Artists submitting songs for chart consideration must declare AI use, and ARIA confirmed that music later revealed to be largely AI-generated could result in an adjustment of chart position.
If a substantially AI-generated song won awards for reaching number one, ARIA may request those awards be returned.
The move follows backlash over Aussie DJ Josh Fawaz’s cover of Madonna’s Like a Prayer, which topped the ARIA dance singles chart and garnered 48m Spotify streams. Its [credits were later updated][2] to include use of AI on vocals and drums.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) – the trade body behind the Brit Awards, the Mercury Prize and Official Charts – [called on the UK government][3] in May to make labelling AI-generated music a legal requirement and maintain existing copyright law to protect artists.
In July, a coalition of industry and artists’ organisations – including the Recording Industry Association of America, IFPI, the Grammys, SAG-AFTRA and the Human Artistry Campaign – [introduced voluntary new labels ][4]for recordings to distinguish between AI-generated and AI-assisted songs.
Among streaming platforms, Deezer reported 44% of its new music was made up of AI-generated tracks and Apple Music reported that over a third of all its tracks are “100% AI”.
A survey [conducted by Deezer and Ipsos last year][5] found that 80% of listeners wanted entirely AI-generated music to be clearly labelled, and 97% of listeners couldn’t tell the difference between fully AI-generated and human-made songs.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has also [rolled out][6] a new set of principles on the eligibility of songs developed with generative AI for official music chart inclusion.
Supported by Sony, Universal Music and Warner Music, the voluntary guidelines stipulate that the track must be “substantially human made”, among other criteria.
[1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20vl4vm2pno
[2]: https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/aria-bans-fully-ai-generated-music-from-australian-charts-100181/
[3]: https://www.bpi.co.uk/news/13235214
[4]: https://deadline.com/2026/07/music-ai-labels-recording-industry-1236979107/
[5]: https://newsroom-deezer.com/2025/11/deezer-ipsos-survey-ai-music/
[6]: https://www.ifpi.org/ifpi-rolls-out-global-principles-for-the-eligibility-of-recordings-developed-using-ai-in-official-music-charts-worldwide/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/25/ai-generated-songs-banned-from-music-charts-in-australia/

2026-08-25 09:39:17 GMT

Landlords Are Jacking up Advertised Rents to Dodge New Tenants’ Rights Law
Landlords across London are advertising massively inflated rents to get around a new law that forbids charging tenants more than the publicly listed price.
Investigative outlet [London Centric][1], which uncovered the practice, dubbed it an “inverse bidding war” – where tenants are compelled to make lower offers than the advertised rent, rather than trying to outbid each other.
The Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force on 1 May, aimed to end bidding wars among tenants by preventing landlords from accepting offers above the advertised rates.
But it does not place any upper limit on the asking price or prohibit taking lower offers.
London Centric contacted more than a dozen letting agents and was repeatedly encouraged to view properties above the price range given by its reporter. Agents said landlords would consider offers below the advertised rent.
One renter, Lucy Giles, 23, said an agent told her that landlords were responding to the new rules by putting rents “really high” and either expecting a lower offer or were “taking a stab in the dark and hoping that people would pay”.
Mairi MacRae of housing justice charity Shelter told [London Centric][2] the government should clamp down on loopholes and ensure the private rental market cannot find “cynical workarounds” to continue extracting ever-rising payments from tenants.
The new rules have other potential loopholes. Some listings are asking tenants to make large upfront payments towards bills for the “entire tenancy period”, despite the fact fixed-term tenancies are no longer allowed.
Among those who benefit from the abolition of fixed-term tenancies are students, who can now leave rental properties earlier, without having to pay for empty rooms over the summer. London Centric said that [Foxtons estate agents had reported][3] “elevated levels of tenancy terminations” in student rentals since the act came into force.
The loophole however, means that some may still be forced to pay upfront for bills for months where they are no longer in the property.
[1]: https://www.londoncentric.media/p/london-landlords-latest-tactic-inverse
[2]: https://www.londoncentric.media/p/london-landlords-latest-tactic-inverse
[3]: https://otp.tools.investis.com/clients/uk/foxtons_group_plc/rns/regulatory-story.aspx?newsid=2076422&cid=2719
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/25/landlords-are-jacking-up-advertised-rents-to-dodge-new-tenants-rights-law/

2026-08-24 19:47:25 GMT

Burnham, Zelenskyy & Autonomous Drones
Burnham visits Ukraine to affirm support & share long range missile designs.
Plus: Mark Ruffalo Vs The Israel Lobby, a Chinese robot is faster than Usain Bolt & Sam Altman is having second thoughts.
With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/24/burnham-zelenskyy-autonomous-drones/

2026-08-24 13:24:27 GMT

Whatever Happened to the ‘Enough Is Enough’ Campaign?
On Wednesday 7 September 2022, Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket was packed out. Hundreds of people had queued around the block for the city’s biggest leftwing rally in years.
Mark Thomas, a local homelessness worker, remembered being excited.
“It was absolutely massive… It was something new,” he told Novara Media. “[The crowd] was a real mix. Young people who I’d never seen before.”
That September was the end of the UK’s [hot strike summer][1]. Inflation was skyrocketing, wages were collapsing and energy bills were set to triple. Hundreds of thousands had gone on strike: rail, mail, telecoms and port workers and more. Mick Lynch, the straight-talking former leader of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), had spent the summer [going viral][2], making the case for striking workers and skewering journalists on live TV.
Amid this crisis, a new campaign was born: [Enough Is Enough][3].
Launched in August, Enough Is Enough promised to “turn anger” at the cost of living crisis “into action”. It was, by any measure, an overnight sensation. [150,000 people][4] signed up on the first day alone; [450,000][5] by a fortnight later. Tens of thousands attended rallies nationwide, wanting to hear how to join a political movement to “win back dignity for working class people”.
But just a few months later, Enough Is Enough went pretty much silent. No more rallies. No more speeches. Just the odd post from a Twitter account. The most dynamic new campaign on the UK left had disappeared – and no-one seemed to know why.
“It feels like a missed opportunity,” said Thomas. “I felt annoyed. What was the point? Was it just a mailing list?”
Four years on, Novara Media spoke to nine co-founders, coordinating group members, organisers and key stakeholders – some of whom chose not to be named to protect their professional relationships – to find out what happened. Their recollections paint a picture of overwhelm, strategic contradiction and a desire for total control. Enough Is Enough didn’t collapse by accident: it was undone by the very organisations that created it.
### ‘We had a platform to create solidarity.’
Wind back to February 2022, and the pressure on the government was building. Prime minister Boris Johnson was flailing in the aftermath of ‘partygate’. Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition, was busy purging the Labour left. There was a political vacuum – and the cost of living crisis was only intensifying.
Chris Webb, then head of communications at the Communication Workers Union (CWU), told Novara Media it was clear working people “were pissed off” and something needed to be done.
That spring, in London pubs and Manchester curry houses, a small group of people hatched a plan. Led by an initial coordinating group made up of Webb, Chloe Koffman (another former staffer at the CWU), Ronan Burtenshaw and Marcus Barnett (then both editors of the socialist magazine Tribune), a meeting was held in London with representatives from Unite and the GMB, as well as Labour councillors, the staffers of leftwing Labour MPs, and Acorn, the community union.
The group shared a sense of urgency about the need to address the cost of living crisis, as well as a desire to reboot Labour party politics. They also didn’t want to become “just another lefty cultural campaign,” according to another co-founder, who chose not to be named.
“The People’s Assembly [another campaign group] was putting on yellow jacket demonstrations in Liverpool that were attracting 25 people,” they told Novara Media. [Don’t Pay][6], a campaign that signed up [more than 100,000 people][7] to stop paying energy bills and was described by energy firm E.ON as an [“existential threat”][8] to the sector was, they argued, also “going nowhere”.
The coordinating group soon agreed on some core demands for the campaign: a real pay rise, a cut in energy bills, an end to food poverty, decent homes for all, and a tax on the rich. What they didn’t have, however, was a collective vision for what the campaign would actually be.
According to one co-founder, Burtenshaw wanted “big names and big tweets” to build a media network, while representatives from trade unions wanted a “rally front” and a “massive defence force” for striking workers (Burtenshaw didn’t respond to requests for an interview). Nick Ballard, then Acorn’s head organiser who joined the coordinating group that summer, told Novara Media he and others had ambitions to go beyond rallies and “build an organisation that had an ongoing presence in communities”.
But with the sense that the moment was slipping away, these differences were put to one side. Throughout July, the team worked frantically to get ready for Enough Is Enough’s launch. The day came, and the group put out its [first video][9], fronted by Lynch, Zarah Sultana (then a Labour MP, now Your Party) and CWU general secretary Dave Ward.
“People are fed up with the way they’re treated at work,” Lynch said, straight to camera. “We need to turn that mood into real organisation on behalf of the working class.”
The video went viral. Millions saw Enough Is Enough’s posts on social media, and within days, hundreds of thousands had signed up to the campaign.
“All of a sudden we had a platform to create solidarity,” said Webb. “Any attempt at a soft launch was gone.”
Ballard said that no-one had anticipated how quickly the campaign would take off. “The website crashed, the database crashed. It was expected there’d be appetite, but everyone was caught by surprise.”
With high-profile endorsements rolling in – journalist [Caitlin Moran][10] and future prime minister [Andy Burnham][11] backed the campaign, as did UFC fighter [Molly McCann][12] and celebrity chef [Si King][13] later down the line – so did enthusiasm from working class people across the country.
“I grew up with a lot of people tempted by the far right, and I found it mad who was sharing the link,” said one co-founder. “Usually they have nothing to do with the left”.
The group quickly announced a series of rallies. Lynch, Sultana and Ward addressed tens of thousands of people in cities across the country.
“The atmosphere was so positive, people were hugely behind it,” said Webb. “It wasn’t just a young student crowd. It wasn’t just an old left crowd. It was people from the shop floor.”
### ‘We kept on falling back on big celebs.’
But behind the scenes, divisions were already surfacing. Enough Is Enough’s north west regional organiser, who chose not to be named, told Novara Media it didn’t feel like the campaign was doing what it had set out to do.
“From the beginning, we were talking about creating new working class leaders,” they said. “But we kept on falling back on… big celebs to pump everything up.”
Some at the head of the campaign shared similar concerns. “There was a degree of Twitter addiction and dopamine rush replacing political organisation,” one co-founder told Novara Media.
“What was the point of the rallies?”, asked a key stakeholder, who chose not to be named. “After that, there was no channel for the energy to go.”
Acorn’s representative on the coordinating group said he pushed for the campaign to have a long-term strategy that included funnelling the thousands of people who’d signed up to Enough Is Enough towards action in their communities.
“We [at Acorn] have got structures built over a decade that are ready to absorb large numbers of members… But we never got access to the email list,” said Ballard. “Half a million people signed up and were ready to act, but were never directed to something.”
Part of the problem, said some on the coordinating group, was the unions’ desire for control of the campaign. The CWU and the RMT wanted Enough Is Enough to generate support for their strikes, but their representatives were suspicious of the formation of a new organisation with an independent power base. (The RMT declined to give an interview or comment for this piece.)
“A lot of people suddenly just started getting a bit nervous about where it was going,” said one Enough Is Enough co-founder. Tribune magazine’s representatives, they added, were also committed to the union line.
This was a problem for some co-founders, but also for external organisations who wanted to get involved and help shape the campaign. Multiple sources told Novara Media that those who got in touch – including campaign groups like Don’t Pay, other trade unions and MPs – were ignored and shut out, in part due to pre-existing factional differences.
“There was a unity to the core group of Enough Is Enough… that was claustrophobic,” one source close to the campaign told Novara Media. “They could have let some groups run with… stuff, but the control freakery of the unions… meant they held it tight.”
Webb disagrees that the coordinating group was too controlling, however. “No. Definitely not,” he said, when asked about it directly. “On the left, people will use words like control to replace [what is] in essence professionalism,” he argued.
With only a few trusted people at the centre of the campaign, overwork took hold. Interpersonal disagreements began to flare up. Tribune, its editors’ time split between Enough Is Enough and the magazine, published its winter issue late. One co-founder, who had taken on a great deal of responsibility within the campaign, burned out and stopped replying to messages, another co-founder said. Meanwhile, the CWU’s leadership was under pressure from rightwing parts of the union to justify how members’ money was being spent.
Despite this, the coordinating group ploughed on. But there was only so long that could last.
### ‘I have no idea why the campaign wasn’t handed over.’
1 October 2022 was the biggest day of strike action in over a decade. Tens of thousands of rail, postal and port workers all walked out together. Many of these workers were represented by the CWU and the RMT, and there were more strike days planned for the autumn.
Enough Is Enough mobilised its mailing list in support of the strikes. [Thousands attended][14] picket lines at [over 45 events][15] across the country. [Time Out magazine even ran a feature][16] encouraging readers to “join the Enough Is Enough campaign”.
Thousands attend an Enough is Enough rally in London, October 2022. Tayfun Salci/Reuters
But even so, 1 October marked the beginning of the end of the involvement of both the CWU and the RMT with the campaign.
“The two biggest trade unions involved in the campaign were also giving resources in terms of my time, Dave [Ward], Mick [Lynch] and Eddie [Dempsey, of the RMT],” said Webb. “The truth of it is, after the weighing up of resources… the priority was to look after and defend our paying members.
“This meant our influence and involvement in Enough Is Enough was reduced significantly”.
Webb said that there was “no formal stepping-back”, however. “It was just that the… workload coming from the disputes just became so much.”
Another co-founder said they didn’t think this was the only reason. “[The] CWU got cold feet about wanting to do something that was a new, mass political force,” they suggested.
Others in the coordinating group felt like they’d been ghosted.
“It just petered out,” said the campaign’s north west regional organiser. “People stopped coming [to meetings]. None of the key players were turning up anymore. People stopped answering my calls.”
Ballard told Novara Media that Acorn organisers had the same experience. “In the end… we just stopped hearing from people,” he said. “[The campaign] became… so far down the list of priorities for the other organisations.”
Webb, however, was until March 2026 a director of Enough Is Enough Ltd, retaining control of its data and social media accounts. Which begs the question: if the unions were no longer able to lead the campaign, why wasn’t control passed to those who did – with more organisers being made Enough Is Enough directors if necessary?
Webb’s answer was simple: some figures who fulfilled key functions weren’t replaceable.
“There wasn’t a long queue of people going, ‘Oh, we’d like to help out’,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to replace Mick Lynch and Dave Ward, you know. It’s pretty hard to replace people like myself in comms.”
A source from another trade union, who was for a time on the coordinating group, said they believed the unions weren’t actually too concerned about Enough Is Enough going quiet – especially with a view to the political situation after their disputes.
“There was an eye on the election in 2024. If you secured a three-year pay deal, and it was good for your members, you might be quite prepared to wait for a friendlier ear in No. 10,” they said.
Another Enough Is Enough co-founder agreed. “I guess the union line was: what a cool wave of activity that was. We got stuck in. Now it’s all wrapped up,” they said.
But Ballard, for his part, was frustrated, having assumed the campaign wouldn’t end there.
“We were willing to put almost everything we had into it, but that wasn’t the case for everyone else,” he said. “I have absolutely no idea why it [the campaign] wasn’t handed over. It’s a question I’ve asked myself plenty of times.
“I don’t know who was making the decisions, to be honest. There was no central decision maker who could say, ‘Yeah, let’s give this to so and so’… We’d have said, ‘Yeah – give it to us’.”
### ‘The biggest political fumble of my life.’
Many members of Enough Is Enough’s coordinating group regret what could have been.
“It feels like the biggest political fumble of my life,” said the campaign’s north west regional coordinator. “We could have had a… social movement that was visible in communities and organising at the football and running food banks… I honestly think it could have been the big thing.
“It takes a lot to mobilise people who’d never been involved in politics, and for that thing to just disappear and not do anything is incredibly demoralising and causes a lot of damage.”
For some, the main lesson of Enough Is Enough’s collapse is that the left has a problem when it comes to ownership and control. “The parallels with [what happened to] [the new left party [Your Party]][17] are obvious,” said a key stakeholder.
“For it to reach its full potential… it needed to be let off the leash a little bit, to be its own thing,” said Ballard, while another source close to the campaign said it was the “death grip” of a small group of individuals on the coordinating group “that killed it”.
But many of those who are most angry about Enough Is Enough’s collapse don’t necessarily think it was a backwards step for the left.
“After the devastating defeat of Corbynism… that energy was searching for a way to surface again. Politics isn’t like degrading uranium. We might have lost time, but we might have gained some things too,” the stakeholder said.
“The big lesson was that there is real appetite for a left populist programme and people will turn out,” said Ballard. “But you need an organisation to do it.”
[1]: https://novaramedia.com/2022/07/13/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hot-strike-summer/
[2]: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/world/britain-rail-strikes-rmt-union-mick-lynch.html
[3]: https://archive.ph/pP3YL
[4]: https://labourlist.org/2022/08/150000-people-sign-up-to-enough-is-enough-campaign-after-first-day/
[5]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/24/this-isnt-right-why-consumers-are-flocking-to-uk-enough-is-enough-fight
[6]: https://dontpay.uk/
[7]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/11/more-than-100000-people-join-dont-pay-uk-to-protest-against-price-rises
[8]: https://novaramedia.com/2022/10/18/dont-pay-took-down-kwasi-kwarteng/
[9]: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg_fgIXodVS/?hl=en
[10]: https://x.com/caitlinmoran/status/1556572427811012610
[11]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/24/enough-is-enough-movement-gathers-pace-with-andy-burnham-latest-backer
[12]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AprKxFRFfs0
[13]: https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2022-10-02/newcastle-crowds-call-for-action-on-cost-of-living-crisis
[14]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/01/huge-turnouts-reported-at-uk-cost-of-living-protests
[15]: https://web.archive.org/web/20221003073650/https://wesayenough.co.uk/oct1/
[16]: https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/enough-is-enough-the-campaign-calling-for-real-action-on-the-cost-of-living-crisis-080922
[17]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/02/10/is-your-party-over/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/24/whatever-happened-to-the-enough-is-enough-campaign/

2026-08-24 10:34:52 GMT

Turkey Seeks Arrest of Israeli Prime Minister With Interpol Red Notice
Turkey has asked Interpol to issue a red notice for the arrest of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military lieutenant Afek Moskovitch on charges including genocide and torture.
Justice minister Akin Gurlek said on Friday that the request was part of a domestic case related to Israel’s interception in May of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was sailing as part of an aid mission to Gaza.
Israel illegally detained the flotilla’s 428 activists in international waters,[ firing guns at two of their vessels][1]. The activists said Israeli guards[ tortured them and sexually assaulted][2] some captives.
“We categorically reject the notion that the Netanyahu administration, which is implementing a genocide policy in Gaza, is untouchable and unaccountable,” Gurlek said in a statement[ posted on X][3]. “We will not allow the crimes committed in Gaza to be covered up or the perpetrators to be shielded by impunity.”
He said that arrest warrants issued by an Istanbul court on 14 July 2026 for 35 Israeli officials in relation to the flotilla prompted Turkey to request the red notices.
It is unclear to what extent Moskovitch was involved in the abuse of flotilla activists, but he is accused of helping to destroy the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital in Gaza in March 2025,[ according to Middle East Eye][4], which cited Turkish officials.
A[ red notice][5] is an international alert for the arrest of a wanted person, but it is not a warrant; individual countries can decide whether or not to make the arrest.
The charges against Netanyahu and Moskovitch also include crimes against humanity, aggravated unlawful deprivation of liberty, intentional injury, torture and ill treatment, damage to property, aggravated robbery and the hijacking or seizure of means of transport.
Gurlek said: “The charges relate to the armed intervention against civilians delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza in international waters and the subsequent detention of activists.”
In response, Netanyahu’s office described Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “an antisemitic dictator who has massacred Kurds, harbours Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him.”
[1]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/19/israeli-soldiers-fire-shots-at-peaceful-flotilla-activists/
[2]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/22/israeli-guards-sexually-assaulted-activists-released-captives-say/
[3]: https://x.com/abakingurlek/status/2090765048431985015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2090765048431985015%7Ctwgr%5E6de0bb8b37dfec5100676918a3e478b6d9dc8034%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fisrael-news%2Farticle-906204
[4]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-requests-interpol-red-notice-netanyahu-over-sumud-flotilla
[5]: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/Red-Notices
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/24/turkey-seeks-arrest-of-israeli-prime-minister-with-interpol-red-notice/

2026-08-21 18:38:29 GMT

Revealed: New UK Datacentre’s Massive Carbon Footprint
With the record heatwaves subsiding & El Nino on its way, Havering council decides this is the perfect moment to announce the UK’s largest datacentre build.
Plus: We interview the authors of a new book on Israel’s lobby, and Greenpeace send a scorched earth message to Andy Burnham.
With Steven Methven, NoJusticeMTG, Eli Clifton & Ian Lustick.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/21/revealed-new-uk-datacentres-massive-carbon-footprint/

2026-08-21 12:59:20 GMT

Hidden AirTag Exposes Amazon Destroying Rare Books in Bulk to Train AI
Amazon has been caught buying and destroying rare books in bulk to train its AI models – after investigative journalists planted a tracking device in one of the books.
The retail giant is the latest company to be exposed for the practice after[ 404 Media][1] convinced a bookseller to hide an AirTag among a large batch of books that Amazon had ordered anonymously.
The delivery was tracked to VGT3, an Amazon AI training facility in Las Vegas where books have their spines lopped off so the pages can be scanned – and are then thrown away.
The door of the warehouse has a sign with a logo featuring a dinosaur that appears ready to devour a book.
AI firms are buying up older books because they are guaranteed to be authored by humans – there is no risk they contain AI-generated content that might corrupt training models.
Anthropic, the company behind Claude AI, has spent tens of millions of dollars acquiring millions of books to feed its demand for human-authored training material,[ the Washington Post][2] reported earlier this year.
Amazon workers are reportedly required to scan barcodes or ISBNs before scanning books, suggesting they are methodically working their way through all the world’s printed output.
At one stage, staff were concerned that the warehouse might be shuttered if the flow of printed material ran dry, but the facility remains functional, Ars Technica reported.
Amazon said in a statement: “Amazon purchases books through commercial channels to help develop and improve the products and services our customers use.”
[1]: https://www.404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipment-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/
[2]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/01/27/anthropic-ai-scan-destroy-books/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/21/hidden-airtag-exposes-amazon-destroying-rare-books-in-bulk-to-train-ai/

2026-08-20 20:35:24 GMT

IDF Opens Criminal Investigation Into Murder of Hind Rajab
The IDF has opened a criminal investigation into the murder of five year old Hind Rajab, her family and 15 other Palestinians in Gaza in 2025.
Plus: Ed Milliband is talking tough on West Bank settlements and is the UAE the most rogue actor to ever be called an ally?
With NoJusticeMTG & Barry Malone.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/20/idf-opens-criminal-investigation-into-murder-of-hind-rajab/

2026-08-18 19:52:22 GMT

Tens of Thousands Attend Vigil for Professor Jason Arday
Tens of thousands have attended a Trafalgar Square vigil to pay tribute to the late Professor Jason Arday.
Plus: Reform proposes a £50bn welfare cut.
With NoJusticeMTG & Banseka Kayembe.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/18/tens-of-thousands-attend-vigil-for-professor-jason-arday/

2026-08-18 06:51:19 GMT

126: What If You Don’t Have to Feel Anxious 24/7?
Ash has had life-changing experience for only £38. Has she found the key to escaping her fight-or-flight response? And what’s the best way to process anxiety? Plus: how to respond when your partner’s porn habit makes you feel weird.
Get tickets for Ash at the [Southbank Centre][1] on 26 September.
Get tickets for [Heated: Carnival Afters][2] at Vespers on 30 August.
Send us your dilemmas: [email protected]
Music by Matt Huxley.
[1]: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/ash-sarkar-the-future-of-relationships/
[2]: https://ra.co/events/2454988
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/18/126-what-if-you-dont-have-to-feel-anxious-24-7/

2026-08-16 14:22:45 GMT

The Journalist Who Terrifies Corporate America
The genocide of Palestinians, carried out by the Israeli army with backing from the US and the British state, has lead to an almighty breakdown in public trust in the West. Now more than ever, citizens are turning away from establishment media sources in search of journalism that more closely resembles the world as we see it.
This week on Downstream, Ash Sarkar sits down with Amy Goodman, veteran journalist and founder of Democracy Now!, one of the leading independent media organisations in the US. Goodman is the subject of a new film, Steal This Story, Please!, which documents her storied career covering some of the most consequential moments in American living history. She has confronted sitting presidents, bore firsthand witness to 9/11, survived a firing squad in East Timor and exposed major corporate crime in the Niger Delta.
What drives Amy to do the work she does – shining light on humanity’s darkness, decade after decade? How did her Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn inform her work? What does good journalism look like to her? Why does she believe we all need to re-learn the lost art of disagreement? And does she think American democracy can survive?
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/16/the-media-is-broken-this-is-how-we-fix-it/

2026-08-14 17:11:45 GMT

Farage Beats a Bin
Farage is victorious in his valiant quest to wrest control of Clacton-On-Sea from the clutches of an intergalactic bin! So why didn’t he show up to celebrate?
Plus: Ed Milliband breaks back into the climate debate as wildfires cause hospitalizations & property damage in the Midlands.
With Michael Walker & Banseka Kayembe.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/14/farage-beats-a-bin/

2026-08-14 14:26:36 GMT

The Pointlessness of Nigel Farage
What is culture’s most potent image of pointlessness? There’s Sisyphus rolling a boulder up a hill, only for it to tumble back down again. Or Escher’s staircases, ascending and descending without end. But perhaps we can now add to the lexicon ‘Farage’s byelection’ – a foregone conclusion, seeing as he was always going to win, against a novelty candidate that was intended to stall an investigation into political donations that will now simply pick up [where it left off][1]. Well, at least we all had fun along the way.
As you may recall, Nigel Farage resigned in a fit of pique, as he faced mounting scrutiny over his finances. A [parliamentary standards investigation][2] had been launched into whether he should have registered a £5m gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, alongside fresh allegations about [undeclared support from George Cottrell][3]; an illegitimate campaign cooked up by the brahminical class of Westminster elites, if you take Nigel’s word for it. A “[people versus the establishment][4]” byelection (except none of the established parties contested it).
It was a resounding win for the candidate who’s not a bin. Farage secured Clacton with over 63% of the vote, even adding 1,000 votes to his majority. But even then, the Dulwich College alumnus was not satisfied. The Reform leader refused to attend the count. “I am damned if I am going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory… and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies,” he told [a crowd of supporters][5] at ‘Farage-Fest’ (dubbed [by GB News][6] as a “political Glastonbury”).
It might surprise you to learn that I’ve never been a huge fan of Farage. But his ability to reshape politics in his image is undeniable. He turned Brexit from a niche rightwing interest into reality, single-handedly forced the issue of small boats onto the political agenda and is probably the single biggest threat to the Conservative party since universal suffrage. But there’s something about this version of Farage – aggrieved, sour, a bit of a whinger – which isn’t quite matching the political juggernaut of old.
Granted, I’m probably not his target audience. But Conservative voters, a key part of Nigel Farage’s coalition, have been slowly turning on him. Last August, Tory voters viewed him favourably by 54% to 39%; by [this March][7] that had reversed, with 53% unfavourable versus 42% favourable. A modest Burnham bounce has put Labour above Reform [in the polls][8] for the first time in, well, a very long time. Through much of 2025 and early 2026, the political story was that Reform kept advancing whatever happened: Tory voters were moving towards Farage, Labour was haemorrhaging support and the question was increasingly whether Reform could actually win the next election. That trajectory has, at least for now, stalled.
Farage may still be the country’s next prime minister. But he’s no longer the bad boy of Brexit, courting outrage and putting two fingers up the liberal establishment. Engineering his own byelection, campaigning against Count Binface, winning it and then immediately returning to the parliamentary investigation he was trying to transcend is neither threatening or transgressive. It’s pointless – and worse than that, it’s an object of ridicule. He might have won in Clacton, but Farage has lost something more important: his aura.
[1]: https://www.ft.com/content/1bc8c77b-f3e2-4ad4-aefc-94b3f48426c6?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[2]: https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-financial-interests/parliamentary-commissioner-for-standards/complaints-and-investigations/allegations-currently-under-investigation-by-the-commissioner/
[3]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/10/how-nigel-farage-accidentally-picked-a-fight-with-a-bin/
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/07/nigel-farage-rejects-scrutiny-uk-parliament-people-v-establishment-byelection
[5]: https://x.com/BBCPolitics/status/2088091932773748772?s=20
[6]: https://x.com/GBNEWS/status/2088038865348993481?s=20
[7]: https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/54380-political-favourability-ratings-march-2026
[8]: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/andy-burnham-starts-his-premiership-public-expectations-his-leadership-finely-poised
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/14/the-pointlessness-of-nigel-farage/

2026-08-14 12:46:29 GMT

Israel Is Removing Rubble From Gaza ‘to Erase Evidence’ of Genocide
Israel is removing rubble caused by demolitions and bomb blasts in Gaza to wipe away evidence of the ongoing genocide, rights groups say.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimates that 10 million tonnes of rubble have been carted away from the 66% of Gaza under Israeli military control.
That means evidence of war crimes is being destroyed before forensics teams can investigate, the group says – and the remains of victims under the rubble are being taken away.
Transforming forcibly depopulated Palestinian neighbourhoods into levelled spaces under Israeli control is an act of ethnic cleansing, the NGO added.
“The bulldozing is an integral part of all attempts to destroy the lands in Gaza City and in the Gaza Strip in general,” Amnesty International researcher Budour Hassan [told Al Jazeera][1].
“The real fears are that these operations are taking place with the aim of obliterating and hiding evidence.”
Around 400 machines used to demolish, crush and transport rubble are being used by Israeli civilian companies under military protection in eastern and southern Gaza, according to Euro-Med.
Sites being emptied of rubble include potential crime scenes where Palestinians were unlawfully killed, their homes destroyed and civilian infrastructures like hospitals flattened.
Article 70(1)(c) of the Rome Statute, the treaty which informs the International Criminal Court, considers “destroying, tampering with or interfering with the collection of evidence” to be a criminal act. The court is currently investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity in Palestine.
Israel has killed at least[ 73,389 Palestinians][2] and wounded another 174,266 in Gaza since October 2023. About [10,000 are missing][3], with many believed to be buried underneath rubble.
[1]: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/8/13/israel-trucks-out-gazas-rubble-to-hide-genocide-and-redraw-the-map
[2]: https://t.me/MOHMediaGaza
[3]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/10/gaza-families-still-unable-to-bury-dead-six-months-into-ceasefire
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/14/israel-is-removing-rubble-from-gaza-to-erase-evidence-of-genocide/

2026-08-14 09:48:49 GMT

Housing Secretary Took £20k Speaking Fee From Estate Agent Lobbyists
Housing secretary Angela Rayner has taken a £20,000 speaking fee from an estate agents’ lobbying group, even though she once condemned MPs earning money from outside jobs as “beyond shameful”.
Rayner received the fee as part of a two-hour speaking engagement on 12 June at the annual conference of [Propertymark, an industry body][1] with over 19,000 members.
The next month she returned to her ministerial role, having stepped down in 2025 over her failure to pay enough tax on a newly purchased flat.
Rayner spoke at the conference’s “flagship event” in her capacity as the “chief architect” of the Renters’ Right Act, which came into force in England on 1 May.
The event, which included a [Q&A][2], was billed as an opportunity for property professionals to hear her speak and grill her over the housing reforms. The payment was made just weeks before Rayner ruled out introducing rent controls in England. There is no suggestion she breached any rules.
She [told the BBC][3] on 24 July that she did not think “rent freezes, rent controls, is a way forward at the moment”, despite the fact prime minister Andy Burnham [previously backed rent][4] freezes as mayor of Greater Manchester.
Propertymark [opposes rent controls][5] and lobbied against proposals for a rent freeze.
Rayner’s spokesperson told Novara Media that “all earnings have been declared in line with the rules”.
The payment has raised fresh questions over whether ministers should receive money from organisations with interests associated with their ministerial portfolio.
Rayner previously expressed her opposition to rent controls in October 2024. “Rent controls restrict housing supply, which does not help anyone,” she said during a debate on the [Renters’ Rights Bill][6].
Between January and June 2026 – during her ten months away from government – Rayner [received roughly £400,000][7] in payments and donations from businesses and private individuals, including a £61,500 advance from publisher Bodley Head for a book about her life and political career.
The scale of the earnings is notable given Rayner’s previous attacks on MPs who supplement their parliamentary salaries with outside work.
In March 2023, Rayner commented on an investigation by the pressure group Led By Donkeys, titled MPs for Hire. “This is beyond shameful,” she [wrote on social media][8]. “Being an MP isn’t a second job. It is the job.”
Nathan Emerson, [chief executive of Propertymark, said: ][9]“Ms Rayner was not serving as a government minister” at the time she was invited to speak at the conference. “There was no indication or expectation that she would subsequently return to government, nor was there any certainty at that point about the future political leadership under Andy Burnham.”
The parliamentary standards committee is looking into whether there should be changes to the rules governing MPs and their outside interests. When approached for comment on Rayner’s case by Novara Media, it said: “The committee does not comment on individual member activity.”
Susan Hawley, executive director of the charity Spotlight on Corruption, told Novara Media: “When MPs appear to cash in on their public status for personal gain it is deeply damaging to trust in politicians and in Westminster.
“This is more than about one individual, however. It is about a system that allows members of parliament to line their pockets outside of their day job without any limits – a system that Rayner rightly criticised and which the Labour government committed to end. Two years on from being elected, however, there is still no sign of the urgent action promised to bring in much stricter controls on MPs’ second jobs.
“There is no doubt that there will also need to be careful consideration of any conflicts of interest that have arisen from these activities now that Rayner has become a minister again.”
[1]: https://landlordknowledge.co.uk/angela-rayner-to-address-propertymark-conference-on-housing-reforms/
[2]: https://www.propertymark.co.uk/resource/propertymark-one-2026-delivers-a-standout-day-of-insight-influence-and-innovation.html
[3]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2dg54vprno
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/23/city-mayors-call-for-rent-freeze-and-eviction-ban-for-england-tenants
[5]: https://www.propertymark.co.uk/resource/rent-controls-treat-the-symptom-not-the-housing-shortage.html
[6]: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-10-09/debates/7A308DDD-EC0A-4F2D-9C18-664E12D5BC92/Renters%E2%80%99RightsBill?highlight=%22rent%20controls%22#contribution-9B6A63A9-0398-4040-BEE7-C0B11A454C0B
[7]: https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/mp/angela-rayner/financial-disclosure
[8]: https://x.com/AngelaRayner/status/1639738821242699777
[9]: https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/tenants-union-protests-rayners-20k-speaking-fee-from-estate-agents-body/5143654.article
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/14/housing-secretary-took-20k-speaking-fee-from-estate-agent-lobbyists/

2026-08-13 15:49:44 GMT

BBC Failing to Inform Viewers About Climate Emergency, Says Polanski
The BBC is failing to properly inform viewers about the realities of the climate emergency, choosing instead to follow the lead of rightwing newspapers owned by billionaires, Zack Polanski has said.
In an interview [with the National newspaper][1], the Green party leader accused the UK’s major broadcasters of downplaying the scientific evidence outlining the imminent need to stop using fossil fuels.
“For far too long, presenting a scientist and then someone who is a climate denier was considered balance,” he said.
“It feels, in superficial terms, we’ve moved on from that now, but in many ways I don’t think we have – because we know that far too often coverage of the climate crisis has been about people on beaches having a great time in this heatwave.”
He added: “We’ve hardly heard this figure of the thousands of people who are estimated to have been killed from excess heat just in the past couple of months alone. So I think the broadcasters are failing in their duty to inform the public of the truth and of the science.”
The UK Health Security Agency estimates that heatwaves in May and June[ killed 2,877 people][2], and England is expected to see more heat-related deaths this summer than have ever been recorded before.
Polanski was speaking after the BBC opted not to report on an emergency press conference he held last week in which he said fossil fuel companies were profiting from fuelling the wildfires ravaging parts of the UK.
“It’s interesting the BBC in the past have done investigations – internal investigations – into the economy, into the way they report on migration and Brexit, and I’d really like to see them do one on the climate crisis,” he said.
He accused the public broadcaster of giving undue airtime and attention to Reform UK – whose leaders frequently push climate denialism – while giving too little to the Green party.
The BBC shapes its coverage “through the frame of what Reform are saying”, he said, adding: “There is a much bigger problem where the Telegraph or the Times or the Mail will put something on their front page and then the BBC allow those billionaire-owned newspapers to set the news agenda. It’s corrosive to our political discourse and our national conversation.”
[1]: https://archive.is/20260812161456/https://www.thenational.scot/news/26458640.zack-polanski-slates-bbc-failing-public-climate-reporting/
[2]: http://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-report-shows-2877-excess-deaths-caused-by-may-and-june-heatwaves
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/13/bbc-failing-to-inform-viewers-about-climate-emergency-says-polanski/

2026-08-12 08:31:30 GMT

NHS Staff Called ‘Dirty Foreigners’ Amid Rise in Racist Abuse by Patients
Staff in the NHS have reported a rise in racism by patients over the past 18 months, a report based on hundreds of responses from medics has found.
The Society of Radiographers [collected testimonies][1] from 381 of its members, who either witnessed or experienced racist abuse at work.
One respondent said staff had been called “dirty foreigners” while others spoke of patients refusing to be treated by black or Asian staff.
“I have witnessed a colleague being called a monkey by a patient,” said another.
Paul Awah, a Nigerian-born diagnostic radiographer based in Bedfordshire. said: “Patients claim not to hear what I’m saying, or say they can’t understand me. English is the only language I speak, and I believe I’m clear enough when I’m speaking to patients.”
Awah, who colleagues regularly call on to assist with cannulation – inserting small tubes into veins – said three patients had questioned whether he had “done this before?”
Another radiographer told of a patient who complained he couldn’t understand another colleague who had “a mild Yorkshire accent, but was wearing a headscarf”.
They added: “What upset me the most is it hadn’t been reported to me – I just happened to hear the staff members talking through it. I felt it had happened to them so much that they just accepted it as something they had to put up with.”
The society said “increasingly hostile public attitudes to race, diversity and immigration” were behind the spike. It called on the NHS to record incidents of racism and monitor how they are dealt with.
Roughly one fifth of the NHS workforce is made up of non-British nationals, and one in four radiographers registered with the Health and Care Professions Council trained overseas.
Last month,100 civil society [organisations signed an open letter][2] to prime minister Andy Burnham to back a national anti-racism strategy.
“We are witnessing some of the highest levels of racist violence, hate crime and division in living memory,” they wrote.
[1]: https://www.sor.org/news/trade-union-ir/nhs-staff-face-worsening-racist-abuse-following-ri
[2]: https://www.runnymedetrust.org/news/open-letter-national-antiracist-strategy
https://novaramedia.com/2026/08/12/nhs-staff-called-dirty-foreigners-amid-rise-in-racist-abuse-by-patients/

2026-07-19 14:06:49 GMT

You Will Rent Forever. Here’s Why.
We live in times of crisis. But perhaps none of the crises affect so many people in the here and now, as the housing crisis. Solving it could provide the skeleton key to unlocking so many of society’s problems. Despite this, decades of successive governments in the UK have failed to bring housing under control. The social contract which told us that if we worked hard all our lives, we can own a home and be secure in retirement, has been completely broken.
To discuss the crisis in Britain and beyond, Aaron Bastani sat down with Peter Apps. He is an award-winning journalist who knows the field of housing – its failures and its potential fixes – better than almost anyone. He wrote an article about the threat of flammable cladding a month before Grenfell caught fire.
How has housing policy shaped Britian in the last 50 years? Who did more to damage the housing system, Labour or the Tories? Is more housing supply always the solution? And why is no one talking about the crisis facing our ageing population, one million of whom will be in housing insecurity and poverty by 2030?
https://novaramedia.com/2026/07/19/you-will-rent-forever-heres-why/

2026-06-22 09:55:44 GMT

Keir Starmer Was a Waste of a Prime Minister
[Keir Starmer looks sad behind a red background that says 'change']
Today we say *hasta la vista, baby *to prime minister Keir Starmer. Bringing his summer holiday forward, Starmer resigned this morning. The catalyst? Andy Burnham’s [unassailable victory][1] in the Makerfield byelection last week.
Labour’s future – if it even has one – will bounce back into parliament this afternoon, where it won’t be long before a shadow court forms, with Labour MPs flocking around Burnham on the hunt for big jobs. Announcing a leadership competition outside Downing Street this morning, Starmer favoured a long goodbye over a swift exit, with a new leader in place only by the end of the summer. An emotional Starmer’s voice broke at the end of his speech, as he thanked his wife and children.
Very likely, those will be the only tears shed today.
According to the Financial Times, the PM spent [an agonising 72-hours][2] consulting colleagues, his family and his friends about how to construct an orderly exit. Ministers including Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood and Ed Miliband all urged him to set the date of his leaving-do ASAP. Others gave him until Tuesday, when the Cabinet meets. If he’d dithered about going, the Times reported, there would have been[ resignations][3].
Politics UK reported there’d [also been some sulking][4], with a Labour source apparently saying this: “He gave everything to Labour, including sacrificing much of his children’s teenage years to help make the party electable. He feels deeply betrayed, especially by those he believed were loyal to him.”
The karma of it all. Perhaps Jeremy Corbyn will be on hand to help him through the agony of a [knife in the back][5]?
Starmer’s [resignation speech][6] leaned heavily into lofty themes: fairness, respect, “the country I love”. Unsurprising – a kind of grand moral superiority has been a persistent feature of the son of a toolmaker’s brand, one not, it must be said, much reflected in his actions. But it’s those actions, rather than the high-faluting language that serves to cloud them, that’ll be his lasting legacy.
And what a legacy it is. Yes, there have been some wins: [renters’ rights][7], [falling NHS waiting lists][8] and [better protections for workers][9]. But mostly, it’s been Ls.
At its heart is Gaza, where the most brazen war crimes and crimes against humanity have been carried out by Israel for nearly three years. When, while leader of the opposition, our human rights lawyer in-chief failed to condemn Israel’s actions or even call for a ceasefire in the months after October 7th, [some 23,000 members left the party][10], citing anger over green policy reversals too.
When he [approved of Israel’s cutting off of water and electricity][11] to a trapped civilian population of two million people in the enclave, [councillors quit en-masse][12].
That hurt Labour in the 2024 general election, as pro-Gaza independents [took seats from his allies][13]. And even in power, he’s alienated hundreds of thousands of voters by persistently budging the dial as little as humanly possible on our relationship with Israel.
From continuing [RAF spyflights over Gaza][14] to [welcoming Israel’s president Isaac Herzog][15] to Downing Street last year, Starmer has consistently put two fingers up to members horrified by genocide (guess what: [that’s most of them][16]).
Destroying the Labour party, and the values that draw people to it, has often appeared to be Starmer’s real project. Impoverished children? [Let them go hungry][17]. Poor pensioners? [Let them freeze][18]. Those with disabilities? [Let’s go full Dickens][19]. All were u-turned or tamed, but the original intentions behind them won’t be forgotten.
Much of that self-harm was inflicted in the name of economic stability. But economic stability, for the Starmer government, has involved both an anxious fixation on the status quo and an eye to being front of the line for scraps falling from the American table. It was that dependence that led to the move that sealed his fate: [the appointment of Jeffrey Epstein’s “best pal” Peter Mandelson as British ambassador][20] to the US. “[Petey” didn’t last long][21]. Neither did Starmer.
The fact is, Keir Starmer was never the politician to lead the country out of the vandalism that was 14 years of Tory austerity (a phenomenon he declared was “over” in his speech). When he came to power, it wasn’t on the back of a vision for how things could be different, presumably because Starmer and those behind him didn’t see the necessity. Instead, he defined himself against the lowest of bars: [not being Liz Truss][22].
Fiscal responsibility, though, has meant political dereliction. It’s been on Starmer’s watch that [Reform UK has surged in the polls][23]. At a time when political vision has mattered more than ever, the meaning of Starmerism – if there even is such a thing – has been out of focus. And that insecurity has manifested in other, dangerous ways.
How else to explain the government’s mad attachment to authoritarian projects like [abolishing many jury trials][24] and wielding terrorism law to [arrest thousands of pensioners][25] for holding signs?
Andy Burnham will enter parliament with some advantages. He has no big shoes to fill. But the country will expect to see – and pretty swiftly too – a new leader setting significant space between his future and Starmer’s past. Not easy when the parliamentary Labour party is so talentless that even at the end, a dimming Keir still appeared its only star. And made much harder when the Labour back benches are stacked with Starmer-drone MPs selected in the former PM’s image.
“Waste” is the word that best describes Starmer’s legacy. Of opportunity, of energy, of hope. There won’t be many tears for him. Nor, down the road, for Burnham either, unless he learns the lessons of the last two years.
[1]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/19/andy-burnham-crushes-reform-in-makerfield/
[2]: https://www.ft.com/content/ed96e673-8d46-4dec-aebc-d69863b9e801?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[3]: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/on-the-march-with-andys-army-how-burnham-aims-to-seize-keys-to-no-10-5mz93mkh9
[4]: https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2068658704023499000
[5]: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/jeremy-corbyn-keir-starmer-islington-friends-colleagues-labour-b1071815.html
[6]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeu7KjJEHO0
[7]: https://news.sky.com/story/what-is-labours-renters-rights-act-and-will-it-end-no-fault-evictions-13212947
[8]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3dzez1g451o
[9]: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jun/14/minister-kate-dearden-defends-uk-workers-rights-reforms-business-backlash-costs
[10]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-membership-gaza-green-policies-b2521064.html
[11]: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5HQYfsUAf3s
[12]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/02/first-edition-keir-starmer-israel-hamas
[13]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9e9ydj215yo
[14]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/britain-sent-over-500-spy-flights-to-gaza/
[15]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1PS37SPx9Q
[16]: https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-centre/press-releases/2026/new-poll-shows-overwhelming-majority-labour-members-support
[17]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c978m6z3egno
[18]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/25/labour-botched-u-turn-winter-fuel-allowance-keir-starmer
[19]: https://news.sky.com/story/nearly-40-labour-mps-back-fresh-calls-to-vote-down-starmers-welfare-bill-despite-concessions-13390774
[20]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/20/peter-mandelson-a-timeline-of-his-appointment-as-uk-ambassadorto-the-us
[21]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/02/03/inside-the-disturbing-friendship-between-petey-and-epstein/
[22]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/03/labour-ditches-radical-reforms-as-it-prepares-bombproof-election-manifesto
[23]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0r255xlr59o
[24]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2x01yne13o
[25]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/15/arrested-protesters-devastated-appeal-court-rules-palestine-action-ban-lawful
https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/22/keir-starmer-was-a-waste-of-a-prime-minister/

2026-06-10 19:57:45 GMT

Anti-Immigrant Violence Engulfs Belfast
Anti-immigrant violence erupts in Belfast following a horrific knife attack.
Plus: The US launches multiple strikes on Iran in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter, and we speak to the mother of a Palestine Action activist, who was herself held in solitary confinement for five days.
With Steven Methven, Aaron Bastani, Amanda Ferguson & Emma Kamio.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/10/anti-immigrant-violence-engulfs-belfast/

2026-06-07 07:56:51 GMT

What Does Fascist Art Look Like? Reading Walter Benjamin
The ACFM crew gather for a close reading of one of the most important tracts of cultural and media theory of the last century: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, written by Walter Benjamin in 1935.
[Download the short text][1] and follow along as Nadia, Keir and Jem consider how to identify fascist art, what gives an artwork its aura, and how the camera came to replace the eye.
Follow our [Spotify playlist][2] of all the music discussed on ACFM and subscribe to the [ACFM mailing list][3] to get weirder and leftier.
[1]: https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm
[2]: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Wv61PS6qItwCBUluNcSFx
[3]: http://novara.media/ACFMnewsletter
https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/07/what-does-fascist-art-look-like-reading-walter-benjamin/

2026-06-07 07:02:00 GMT

Reform ‘Bans Essex Libraries From Promoting Pride and Black History Month’
Reform-run Essex county council has been accused of banning libraries from promoting Pride and Black History events.
Workers were informed they were not allowed to advertise LGBTQ-themed events in a verbal briefing, the BBC reported.
Chris Hossack, Reform councillor for residents and community services, said there was “plenty of opportunity for campaigns and organisations that want to promote Women’s Day [and] Black History to do that, and what I’m saying is, we’re not going to do that in our libraries,” the outlet reported.
A council spokesperson told Novara Media: “The pause in promotion applies to content on the council’s marketing channels, such as social media and newsletters. This pause is applied to all groups and events being promoted while the new administration reviews everything.”
They added that the “pause” did not apply to in-library promotional displays.
But rights advocates interpreted the ban as a bid to suppress queer and minority voices.
A spokesperson for Essex Pride said the ban “sends a negative message, that LGBTQ+ people should be hidden away, rather than acknowledged as a part of society.”
“This is very disturbing and alarming news,” a spokesperson for Save Our Libraries Essex told the Yellow Advertiser. “What possible reason is there not to display Pride promotional material… other than pure prejudice?”
Colchester-based drag artist Shar Cooterie, who has hosted family-friendly Drag Storytime events at Colchester Library, called the move “politically motivated”.
“There is a suggestion that the existence of an LGBTQ+ person is in some way political, which I don’t think it should be,” she added.
Hossack said in a statement: “Our libraries are spaces for everybody… With this in mind, we need to be careful not to highlight any particular groups or themes, so, mindful of this, and unless the activity is specific to libraries, we have taken a decision to pause promotion of such events at libraries via the council’s public-facing communication channels.”
Earlier this year Nigel Farage faced criticism after defending the party’s Scottish leader, Malcolm Offord, for making a homophobic joke about the partner of late singer George Michael.
Last year the Reform leader was accused of “vile homophobia” after claiming that “most stable relationships, the ones that last the longest, tend to be between men and women”.
Reform activists in Clacton were captured on camera referring to a Pride flag as “degenerate” in a Channel 4 documentary in 2024.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/07/reform-bans-essex-libraries-from-promoting-pride-and-black-history-month/

2026-06-05 06:57:04 GMT

Palestine Action Defendants Apply to Remove ‘Biased’ Judge
[We are all Palestine Action]
Four Palestine Action activists found guilty of criminal damage are applying to remove a judge accused of bias from their case after it was revealed he will seek to sentence them as terrorists.
Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson is also the subject of a formal complaint filed by campaign group Defend Our Juries (DOJ) to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office today, alleging biased and discriminatory conduct.
The application for him to be recused from sentencing activists Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona (Ellie) Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21, will be heard on Monday 8 June.
Justice Johnson is [expected to add a ‘terrorist connection’ ][1]to their charges under section 69 of the Sentencing Act 2020, despite the jury [only convicting them of criminal damage under ordinary criminal law ][2]on 5 May. The judge’s plan was kept secret from both the jury and the public, while reporting restrictions were imposed on the UK press.
Head, Corner, Kamio and Rajwani were convicted at a retrial for their role in an August 2024 raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol, where they damaged Israeli quadcopter drones during the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Corner was also convicted of GBH without intent. They will be sentenced on Friday 12 June. Two other activists, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, were acquitted of criminal damage.
All six activists, part of a group known as the Filton 25, were previously cleared of the most serious charges of aggravated burglary and violent disorder. At their first trial, the jury could not agree to convict on any charges.
This is the first case in British history where a judge will attempt to sentence activists as terrorists, without them being charged with terror offences. The only previous case where a defendant was sentenced as a terrorist without a terrorist conviction was the [Parsons Green bomber][3], who was found guilty of attempted murder after planting a homemade bomb on a London tube.
The defence’s bid to remove Justice Johnson is in part due to [his unprecedented attempt ][4]to have the lead defence barrister, Rajiv Menon KC, prosecuted for contempt of court – a move [described as “troubling” by the Bar Council.][5]
Menon – who [won his appeal against contempt proceedings][6] – was alleged to have breached the judge’s direction that lawyers were not permitted in their closing speeches to invite the jury to acquit on the basis of conscience, [a principle known as jury equity][7]. Justice Johnson could still refer Menon to the attorney-general to decide whether to initiate contempt proceedings.
DOJ’s [formal complaint against Justice Johnson][8], signed by more than 3,000 people including lawyers, law professors, retired police officers and magistrates, alleges that decisions taken by the judge “amount to a pattern of exceptional, biased and discriminatory conduct”.
This includes his decision to treat the defendants’ desire to prevent Israel killing Palestinian civilians as an aggravating – rather than mitigating – feature. [According to the judge][9], the intention to prevent the deaths of Palestinian civilians is what brings their actions within the scope of the Terrorism Act, as an attempt to “influence the Israeli government”.
The complaint also alleges that Justice Johnson acted “vindictively” in remanding Head, Kamio and Rajwani to custody after their retrial. They had already spent 18 months in prison before their first trial, and only ten months on bail after the first jury declined to convict them.
“Denying three young women the opportunity to prepare themselves and their families for a further period in prison was cruel and vindictive and not backed by the prosecution,” the complaint reads.
The British media was not allowed to report that the judge had barred the defendants from speaking about their motivations for joining Palestine Action, and from providing information on the genocide in Gaza or Elbit Systems. Media were also banned from reporting that they could be sentenced as terrorists. The restrictions were lifted on 12 May.
DOJ, which has coordinated protests against the controversial proscription of Palestine Action since July 2025, will lead a mass act of civil disobedience outside Woolwich Crown Court on 12 June, during the sentencing hearing.
A DOJ spokesperson said: “Given the widespread concerns that have been raised, Justice Johnson should remove himself from these proceedings. The use of secret terror sentencing – for the first time in British history – against protesters who sought to save lives by disrupting the supply of weapons to Israel, demonstrates the dangerous consequences of Palestine Action’s proscription.
“Sentencing the Filton 4 as terrorists, despite their conviction for an ordinary criminal offence, would establish an extraordinary and deeply authoritarian precedent, allowing countless more protesters to be tried for an ordinary offence, but secretly sentenced as terrorists, without juries knowing this when they convict.”
Those taking part in the protest outside court will defy the ban by holding signs that read: “Saving lives is not terrorism. I support Palestine Action.”
More than 3,000 people – many of them elderly and disabled – have been arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding placards that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” More people have been arrested under terror legislation since former home secretary Yvette Cooper’s ban on the direct action group than during the entire war on terror.
After Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori [defeated the government’s case for proscription][10] in an unprecedented high court ruling in February, the Metropolitan police said it would no longer make arrests of people expressing support for the group. The Met [rowed back on this decision][11] just weeks later and resumed arrests.
The government has appealed the high court’s decision that Cooper proscribed Palestine Action unlawfully, and a court of appeal verdict on the ban is expected on 15 June.
[1]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/12/palestine-action-activists-to-be-sentenced-as-terrorists-in-move-kept-secret-from-jury-and-public/
[2]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/05/four-palestine-action-activists-found-guilty-of-criminal-damage/
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/23/parsons-green-tube-bomber-ahmed-hassan-jailed-for-life
[4]: https://gcnchambers.co.uk/garden-court-north-stands-in-solidarity-with-rajiv-menon-kc-as-he-faces-prosecution-for-contempt-of-court/
[5]: https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/resource/bar-council-statement-on-contempt-of-court.html
[6]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/12/victory-for-palestine-action-lawyer-accused-of-contempt-of-court/
[7]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/04/24/nine-arrested-while-holding-jury-equity-signs-outside-filton24-trial/
[8]: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dSzwBferhKQosTrUiPNFHbR1zO9TXUTHbysRelh2TVM/edit?tab=t.0
[9]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/12/palestine-action-activists-elbit-protest-terrorist-connection-ruling
[10]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/02/13/palestine-action-has-defeated-the-government-what-happens-next/
[11]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/26/met-police-resumes-arrests-for-palestine-action-supporters-despite-high-court-ruling/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/05/palestine-action-defendants-apply-to-remove-biased-judge/

2026-06-02 12:29:14 GMT

Flotilla Activists Submit Evidence of Physical and Sexual Abuse by Israel to ICC
Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) activists who were detained, tortured and deported by Israel after trying to deliver aid to Gaza have submitted an official communication to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Organisers have accused Israeli military commanders and top politicians of war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and conduct relevant to genocide.
Activists among the 428 people abducted on 20 May say they were beaten, tasered and sexually assaulted whilst in Israeli detention.
“The submission presented to the ICC focuses heavily on the severe and widespread abuses committed against civilians, including journalists, medics and human rights defenders, as part of a coordinated campaign of violence documented during the spring 2026 missions,” the organisers said.
“This is not only about what was done to GSF participants,” they added in a post on Instagram. “It is about the thousands of Palestinians who have faced and continue to face the same system of abuse, impunity and violence.”
Since returning to their countries of origin, multiple activists have shared testimonies about their experiences in Israel.
“You entered through one door and a group of six or seven people would beat you mercilessly until you emerged from the other side,” said Italian journalist and flotilla participant Alessandro Mantovani. “And they’d say ‘Welcome to Israel.’”
Juliet Lamont, an Australian activist, said: “We were tortured. I was put down, cable-tied, they put so much water under me for an hour that I thought I was going to drown. I was sexually assaulted in this kind of torture chamber.”
“People were raped, people were tortured, people were assaulted in the worst ways possible,” said GSF organiser Thiago Ávila. “And the worst thing is to know that they do much worse with Palestinians.”
Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, released footage of the detainees being forced onto their knees and humiliated.
At least 900 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since a so-called ceasefire was declared in October.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/02/flotilla-activists-submit-evidence-of-physical-and-sexual-abuse-by-israel-to-icc/

2026-05-27 16:20:09 GMT

One in Five Arrested Over 2024 Race Riots Accused of Domestic Violence
More than a fifth of those arrested in the 2024 summer riots were subsequently accused of domestic abuse, new figures show.
Of 949 people detained by police in England and Northern Ireland for alleged participation in the unrest, 21% were later reported for intimate partner violence,.
The figures, which represent a majority of the 1,280 arrested over the riots, were obtained by the Guardian under freedom of information laws.
The alleged offences included threats to kill, actual bodily harm, common assault, controlling and coercive behaviour, breach of domestic violence protection notices (DVPNs) and orders, and criminal damage.
The newspaper previously found that 41% of 899 arrested in the riots had been reported for domestic abuse-related crimes prior to their involvement in the disorder.
Many of the anti-migrant 2024 protests that descended into riots featured slogans such as “protect our women” and “save our girls” – based on the false claim that immigrant men pose a greater threat to women than people born in the UK.
The riots broke out following a mass stabbing of girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside on 29 July 2024.
Three young girls – Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9 – died in the attacks, while an additional six children and two adults were taken to hospital with injuries.
False accounts that the perpetrator was a migrant were circulated by rightwing social media personalities including Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate.
The flames were further fanned on mass Telegram groups, with the protests quickly spreading to towns and cities including Manchester, Leeds, Hartlepool and Sunderland. A number of hotels housing asylum seekers were targeted.
Farah Nazeer, the chief executive of Women’s Aid, told the Guardian: “Since 2024, we’ve seen many of those attending the protests that erupted into riots carrying placards with the likes of ‘protect our women’ scrawled on them.
“It’s worrying to think that in those same crowds were people who had themselves committed, or been accused of, domestic abuse offences.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/27/one-in-five-arrested-over-2024-race-riots-accused-of-domestic-violence/

2026-05-25 17:13:18 GMT

The Most Powerful Man You’ve Never Heard Of
We speak to Sebastian Mallaby, author of ‘The Infinity Machine’, a biography of Demis Hassabis, to discuss the Google DeepMind CEO’s views and politics around AI.
Support our work: http://novara.media/support
Buy Novara Media merch: https://shop.novaramedia.com/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/25/the-most-powerful-man-youve-never-heard-of/

2026-05-22 12:33:06 GMT

Pro-Israel Lawyers Accused of ‘Legal Intimidation’ of Genocide Opponents
[A stock photo of barristers wearing wigs and gowns]
Three senior barristers – including two members of the House of Lords – have been reported to their professional regulator for allowing their names and titles to be used as part of an alleged “pattern of legal of intimidation” against opponents of Israel’s genocide.
Baron David Pannick KC, Baron Anthony Grabiner KC and Stephen Hockman KC are named in a Bar Standards Board (BSB) complaint submitted by two legal organisations, which accuses them of using their professional seniority to intimidate Palestine activists.
Pro-Israel lobby group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) uses top barristers’ heavyweight legal titles on its letters that target British institutions, businesses and private individuals over perceived anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian speech and advocacy.
The complaint – brought by the European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) on 20 May – argues that repeated references to the three senior barristers’ professional status in UKLFI letters may have “amplified the authority and perceived seriousness of legal threats and allegations”.
It added that the letters were directed at individuals and organisations engaged in protected expression, namely “lawful advocacy, cultural work, education and public expression relating to Palestine”.
The complaint argues that this dynamic can be deeply intimidating and serve to increase pressure on recipients – often individuals, grassroots campaigns and small charities without legal expertise who are then expected to respond to complex legal claims.
Pannick, who advised former prime minister Boris Johnson over the Partygate scandal, and Grabiner, a former master of Clare College, Cambridge, are members of the House of Lords.
UKLFI calls itself [“an association of lawyers who support Israel using their legal skills” ][1]and aims to “to support Israel, Israeli organisations, Israelis, and/or supporters of Israel against BDS and other attempts to undermine, attack or delegitimise them”. Its work largely involves targeting expressions of support for Palestinians by sending legal complaints to public institutions, businesses and private citizens.
The PILC told Novara Media that UKLFI’s work is “a prime example of lawfare”, while an ELSC spokesperson said the complaint “points to a pattern of legal intimidation through the use of senior legal status in correspondence targeting individuals and organisations engaged in Palestine advocacy”.
UKLFI successfully lobbied an NHS trust to ban staff from wearing symbols of support for Palestine, [Novara Media revealed last year][2]. The [lobby group has also targeted ][3]local councils, art galleries, a community kite-making workshop, a hobby company specialising in model trains, the Post Office, Selfridges, various universities and exam paper publisher Pearson.
In February 2023, Chelsea and Westminster hospital took down a display of Palestinian children’s artwork after UKLFI sent a letter claiming it made Jewish patients feel [“vulnerable, harassed and victimised”][4].
The ELSC and PILC – on behalf of a cross-sector coalition that includes teachers, NGOs, healthcare professionals, migrants’ rights organisations and student unions – are asking the regulator to determine whether the three barristers’ use of professional status breaches [the Bar Standards Board Code of Conduct][5]. The code includes duties of integrity and independence, and the requirement to maintain public confidence in the profession.
A PILC spokesperson told Novara Media: “The power imbalance that this tactic relies on is amplified by the foregrounding of the names of established senior barristers in UKLFI’s legal correspondence. Our complaint asks the BSB to urgently consider possible alarming breaches of professional standards by three highly reputable lawyers.”
The complaint has been endorsed by UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, [who posted on X][6]: “May this action inspire others to do the same. Pro-apartheid lawyers misusing/abusing their professional status in order to shield Israel from scrutiny must face accountability.”
The BSB, which regulates barristers in England and Wales, is a public interest regulator and [responsible for maintaining the standards of the profession][7] through regulation, discipline and guidance. A complaint to the BSB has the potential to be very serious. It may result in the regulator taking action that includes investigation and disciplinary proceedings. In very serious cases, this can[ lead to suspension, disbarment or disqualification][8].
The PILC said the BSB will undertake an initial assessment of their complaint.
Last year, the ELSC and PILC submitted an [114-page report to the Solicitors Regulation Authority][9] alleging potential breaches of professional standards, including [Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (Slapps)][10]. Slapps are a misuse of the legal system by bringing claims that are unmeritorious or characterised by abusive tactics to stifle scrutiny and publication.
An ELSC spokesperson said: “These mechanisms are deliberate attempts to erase Palestinians from the public consciousness. This narrows democratic space, threatens freedom of expression and must be examined by the regulator to protect public confidence in the legal profession.”
UKLFI appears 128 times in the [ELSC’s Index of Repression][11], a database that records attempts to stifle solidarity with the Palestinian people in the UK.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 72,000 Palestinians in Gaza – [including 21,000 children][12] – and [injured at least 172,000][13].
Baron David Pannick KC, Baron Anthony Grabiner KC, Stephen Hockman KC and UK Lawyers for Israel have been approached for comment.
[1]: https://www.uklfi.com/about-us-2
[2]: https://novaramedia.com/2025/07/11/revealed-how-pro-israel-lawyers-threatened-nhs-over-palestine-badges/
[3]: https://novaramedia.com/2025/07/28/meet-the-pro-israel-lawyers-hounding-the-nhs/
[4]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/27/artwork-gaza-schoolchildren-removed-chelsea-and-westminster-hospital
[5]: https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/the-bsb-handbook.html?part=E3FF76D3-9538-4B97-94C02111664E5709&audience=&csrfToken=&q=
[6]: https://x.com/franceskalbs/status/2057569403781181561?s=46
[7]: https://www.dospay.co.uk/glossary/bar-standards-board
[8]: https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/about-us/how-we-regulate/the-decisions-we-take/enforcement-decisions/how-we-make-enforcement-decisions.html
[9]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/landmark-complaint-issued-against-uk-lawyers-for-israel/
[10]: https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/guidance/slapps-warning-notice/
[11]: http://elsc.support/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/On-All-Fronts-The-Multi-Sited-Repression-of-Palestine-Solidarity-in-Britain.pdf
[12]: https://www.unicef.org/sop/reports/unicef-state-palestine-humanitarian-situation-update
[13]: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2026/05/the-middle-east-including-the-palestinian-question-briefing-and-consultations-23.php#:~:text=Most%20of%20the%20population%20has,have%20sustained%20life%2Dchanging%20injuries.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/22/pro-israel-lawyers-accused-of-legal-intimidation-of-genocide-opponents/

2026-05-21 20:39:13 GMT

Zohran Mamdani Has Valuable Lessons for the Greens on Antisemitism Attacks
“Zack Polanski is pandering to the antisemitic mob.” “March of the Greenshirts.” “If you don’t think the Greens are mainstreaming Jew-hate, read their own words.”
These are just a few of the headlines from the last month, telling the story of the so-called Green antisemitism crisis. But what makes a crisis? Individual cases of racism can be found in any large organisation. They should only be newsworthy if the racists are disproportionate in number, or have an outsized influence over the party. This is how we distinguish between institutional racism worthy of reporting and a moral panic whipped up by a media class with other political motivations.
Two recent studies examine the overlap between politics and antisemitism: [a poll from 2025][1] and a [report from 2017][2]. Both reach the conclusion that Green supporters and the left are “indistinguishable from the general population” and no more likely to hold antisemitic views. In fact, it’s Reform supporters and the “very rightwing” who most consistently hold antisemitic views. With Farage’s alleged history of [Nazi salutes and gas chamber jokes][3] – which he denies – it’s perhaps not surprising that his supporters are more antisemitic, and yet the media continue to frame antisemitism as a leftwing issue.
Sometimes the obvious conclusion is the right one: the press, centrist and far-right politicians are trying to whip up a moral panic about the Green party because they threaten vested interests. The problem is that it’s effective. While there is no antisemitism crisis in the Green party, there is a political crisis. Persistent accusations demoralise activists, eat up airtime, and potentially toxify the Greens with some more liberal voters they need to win from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Zohran Mamdani can teach us some lessons. He is a socialist, Muslim, pro-Palestine supporter of BDS who won election in a city with 1.3 million Jewish people and is still riding high in the polls months into his term. Antisemitism was the main attack line throughout the campaign, and yet he managed to win the [endorsement of rabbis][4] and the [liberal Jewish candidate Brad Lander][5], and made the establishment attacks on him seem unhinged.
Mamdani pursued a “positive feedback loop” strategy that had four main strands: having policy he could point to that would make Jewish New Yorkers safer, namely an[ 800% increase in the budget for the hate crimes unit][6]; a proactive outreach strategy with liberal sections of the Jewish community, either to win them over or neutralise; using a universal language of human rights when talking about Israel/Palestine that lands well with liberals and demonstrating an emotional fluency and understanding of the Jewish community and Judaism.
As the campaign wore on, media attacks just didn’t land in the face of Mamdani’s obvious care and compassion, kicking off a positive feedback loop where the more they attacked him, the more deranged the press seemed, further pushing voters towards Mamdani. Crucially, this strategy wasn’t about winning Jewish votes, although Mamdani did in large numbers. It was about avoiding toxification with the liberal voters that Mamdani – and Polanski in the UK – need to win a majority.
Polanski’s strategy of using his Jewish identity in a reactive way to ‘hold the line’ against attacks isn’t quite enough. A successful left-populism isn’t about being agro on every single issue, but picking fights that align us with the people – ideally with style, panache and grace – and strategically neutralising those that don’t. This doesn’t mean he should apologise all the time either – swagger and confidence is important in politics – or pledge to kick out every single racist, an impossibility in a mass political party.
Instead, Polanski needs to adopt a more front-footed strategy that learns from Mamdani’s success. Some of the playbook can be copied: engaging with the Jewish community, an easier ask of Polanski as he is Jewish; adopting policy that will actually make Jewish people safer; demonstrating emotional fluency in key moments rather than going to war with the Met police. But the analogy only goes so far. While Mamdani and Corbyn were personally branded as antisemites, the attacks on Polanski are a more subtle attempt to strip him of his Jewish identity and question his judgement.
This is how the story goes: all the antisemites from Corbyn’s Labour and the Palestine movement have joined the Greens, and turned what was once a cuddly nature party into a hotbed of racism. Polanski’s enthusiasm for the new members shows he’s permissive about racism and has bad judgement. Hence the focus on [comments from council candidates][7] and members, in an attempt to stir up division between the Green’s liberal old guard and the new populist leadership.
This will be very difficult to stop entirely. How do you properly vet thousands of council candidates every single year in a decentralised party? Yet it must be a bureaucratic priority alongside a speedy disciplinary process. At least they won’t suffer Corbyn’s nightmare, where the disciplinary system was [run by rightwing Labour staffers who deliberately slowed down complaints][8] and expulsions to cause the leadership problems.
The other ingredient, that Mamdani had in spades but the Greens sorely lack, is discipline. Polanski doesn’t need to [retweet random accounts about police violence][9] and kick off weeks of negative headlines right before the local elections, just as Greens for Palestine don’t need to push the polarising [Zionism is Racism][10] motion at summer conference that give the press another excuse to talk about Green antisemitism.
As [I’ve argued][11] elsewhere, only a majority-winning Green party will actually do any anti-Zionism, and to get there we’ll have to pick big fights on our terms, and avoid getting bogged down in defensive battles about issues most people don’t care about. Press attacks are inevitable, but a fire needs fuel. It’s the left’s job not to give it to them.
[1]: https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/CAA_Results_250902_w_EJU8Eud.pdf
[2]: https://cst.org.uk/data/file/7/4/JPR.2017.Antisemitism%20in%20contemporary%20Great%20Britain.1615559606.pdf
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/nov/21/nazi-salutes-and-racism-the-allegations-about-nigel-farages-school-days-podcast
[4]: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/we-are-nyc-rabbis-who-support-zohran-mamdani-heres-why/
[5]: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/13/mamdani-lander-cross-endorsing-mayor-00405357
[6]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/mamdani-wins-rare-praise-from-adl-for-increasing-budget-of-nyc-hate-crimes-office/
[7]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/30/met-police-arrest-two-green-election-candidates-over-alleged-antisemitism
[8]: https://press-gang.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/glu-report-2020.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[9]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8p7k4k8xno
[10]: https://greens4palestine.uk/
[11]: https://joealextodd.substack.com/p/the-zionism-is-racism-motion-was
https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/21/zohran-mamdani-has-valuable-lessons-for-the-greens-on-antisemitism-attacks/

2026-05-19 08:32:47 GMT

UK Sees Lowest Viewing Figures for Eurovision Final Since 2010
Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final attracted its smallest UK audience in 16 years – as millions across Europe switched off amid a growing boycott due to Israel’s participation.
Around 5.2 million people tuned into the BBC to watch as Israel lost out on the top spot to Bulgaria – 1.49 million fewer than last year and the lowest number since 2010, according to entertainment site Eurovoix, which cited data from Digital i.
While there may be various reasons for declining audience numbers, there have been widespread calls for fans to abandon the contest until Israel is excluded, just as Russia was banned after it invaded Ukraine.
Last month, more than 1,000 artists, including Macklemore and Paloma Faith, signed an open letter calling on viewers to join the boycott.
Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland all refused to compete in this year’s contest in response to the decision to allow Israel to compete while it carries out a genocide in Gaza. Broadcasters in Ireland, Spain and Slovenia also refused to air the contest.
Israel’s government has also been accused of unfairly influencing the public vote by spending money on marketing campaigns. Its propaganda office has spent at least $1m (£750,000) on marketing even though governments are not supposed to intervene, a report by the New York Times found.
The team behind Israel’s artist, Noam Bettan, was reprimanded by Eurovision’s director Martin Green for calling on fans to vote for him up to 10 times. “Employing a direct call to action to vote 10 times for one artist or song is… not in line with our rules, nor the spirit of the competition,” Green told the newspaper.
Viewing figures for the final also fell in France, where 1.2 million fewer people watched than last year. But other countries saw audiences increase. In Greece, the number of viewers tuning in reached a 15-year high, Eurovix reported.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/19/uk-sees-lowest-viewing-figures-for-eurovision-final-since-2010/

2026-05-18 14:28:32 GMT

‘Evil’ Palantir Should Be Nowhere Near the NHS, Staff Say
[composite image NHS Peter Thiel Palantir]
Palantir is an “evil” company whose involvement in the NHS is damaging patient trust in the service, senior health workers have told Novara Media.
US spytech firm Palantir – which has[ provided military technology to Israel][1] during its ongoing genocide in Gaza and[ custom surveillance tools to ICE][2] in the US – currently holds a major patient data contract with NHS England.
Palantir was contracted in 2023 to build and operate the federated data platform (FDP), which aims to pull together sensitive patient information from different sources into a single database.
Palantir’s products are commonly used by states in warfare, policing and mass surveillance, and the firm’s chair and co-founder Peter Thiel has previously stated that the NHS[ “makes people sick”][3] and that British people’s affection for their health service[ is akin to “Stockholm Syndrome”][4].
NHS staff – both clinical and non-clinical – are increasingly raising concerns about such a company’s involvement with Britain’s health service and its access to sensitive patient data.
NHS consultant Anna* told Novara Media: “I don’t think Palantir should have anything to do with the health service. I think the company is evil.”
The cancer specialist said Palantir’s involvement is harming patient trust in the NHS, and she’s experienced patients “completely unprompted” asking her not to document something because they “didn’t want that information to be visible to a foreign company that isn’t based in the UK”.
“We’re told it’s all anonymised, and the data cannot be accessed,” Anna said. But she raised doubts about the security of the data.
“When you open [the FDP’s cancer tool],” Anna said, “it looks like a massive spreadsheet, basically, and there’s hundreds of patients’ details there. The rows are automatically populated with patients – people who somebody has identified need to be on a pathway for cancer – and it’ll pull demographics like their date of birth, their age, the NHS number when the referral came in.”
Last week, the FT revealed that NHS England has granted staff from external companies including Palantir[ “unlimited access”][5] to identifiable patient data while working on an area of the FDP that’s described as a national-level “safe haven for data”.
Remi*, a senior NHS England employee working in vaccinations and screening who exclusively uses FDP products in their job, told Novara Media that patients’ vaccination data is meant to be anonymised. However, Remi said, the data is actually “pseudonymised” and it’s not difficult to see how patients could be identified by anyone with local trust knowledge.
Remi said vaccinations data should be “completely anonymous and non-identifiable” to anybody in their position, as a staffer who compiles vaccinations numbers for trusts but does not deal with patients directly. But “it’s not”, Remi said, explaining that they go to the trouble of filtering out some demographic indicators: “Part of my day-to-day is actually going a bit further to omit some results, in terms of trying to adhere to information governance rules – but that shouldn’t be something I have to do.”
Doctors’ union the BMA told Novara Media that it is “deeply concerned” by reports of NHS England granting Palantir access to patient data, which would realise medical professionals’ “worst fears about scope creep and the erosion of patient trust”. The BMA said: “This level of access by non-NHS employees threatens the very cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship and risks deterring people from seeking vital care if they fear their data is in unsafe hands.”
An NHS England spokesperson said “strict policies” are in place for managing access to patient data and “regular audits” are carried out to ensure compliance. They added: “Anyone external requiring access must have government security clearance and be approved by a member of NHS England staff at director level or above.”
Even before the news that external contractors would be granted “unlimited access” to identifiable patient data broke, NHS England said access to patient data in the FDP[ “must have an explicit aim to benefit patients and/or the NHS in England”][6], which didn’t necessarily preclude Palantir staff or other government departments from being granted access. And according to healthcare workers’ charity Medact, [NHS provider trusts were receiving requests][7] from Palantir to access stored data on a local level that identifies patients multiple times in a working week.
Data management and privacy concerns around Palantir’s software processing and analysing confidential patient information have repeatedly been raised by[ patients’ rights organisations][8],[ human rights groups][9] and[ health workers’ unions][10].
### Locked in.
Originally valued at £330m, the full cost of Palantir’s FDP to the NHS is[ now reportedly set to exceed £1bn][11] over its first seven years. While the cost is high, there’s a danger that the NHS could become trapped.
Remi warned that there’s a risk of the NHS becoming dependent on Palantir as a monopoly supplier – something known as ‘vendor lock-in’. “I think it’s by design and I actually find it sinister,” they said.
Remi is not sold on Palantir’s product from a technical point of view, saying they do not find it intuitive. “If I had to give it a score out of ten, I’d give it a five,” they said. But another concern is what happens if the NHS stops using it.
While Remi is clear that they support the ending of Palantir’s involvement with the health service, they said: “All of the work we do is on the platform, it’s not on files I can export or save. It’s all external. If we lost the contract today, I don’t see how we wouldn’t absolutely lose the work. And I know this because with their initial version [the Covid database], all the work I had on there was gone.
“If their platform no longer exists, our reports and our dashboards would cease to function, because it’s all done using their product.”
Palantir got its foot in the door of the NHS with an initial pandemic deal –[ won with no competitive tendering process][12] – to collect and process confidential patient information in a Covid-19 data store for a reported cost of[ just £1 for the first three months][13]. Palantir UK chief Louis Mosley, grandson of British Union of Fascists founder Oswald Mosley, has described the firm’s strategy as[ “buying our way in”][14] and “hoovering up” small businesses working with the NHS to “take down a lot of political resistance”.
Mosley said in March that if Reform won the next general election[ with a “clear public mandate” to allow NHS data][15] to be used for immigration enforcement, then the company would execute the plan.
Palantir’s reputation and relationships[ have been aided by Global Counsel][16] – the lobbying firm set up by disgraced former US ambassador and[ friend of Jeffrey Epstein, Peter Mandelson][17] – and by intense lobbying efforts directed at ministers and[ NHS executives][18].
Some NHS staff have been warned off criticising the FDP – run on Palantir’s Foundry software (the civil equivalent of its[ military product, Gotham][19]) publicly, and [even threatened with the loss of their jobs][20].
Anna tried to raise ethical concerns about the FDP with the chair of a hospital committee, but said her questions have been “ignored” and “brushed off”. She was told “maybe you don’t want to do that”.
In theory, it’s currently up to individual NHS trusts to decide whether they use the platform, but local trusts and integrated care boards have been under pressure to adopt it, with[ NHS England spending £8.5m on a consultancy firm][21] for promotion. Currently, 168 NHS trusts have signed up for the FDP, of which 123 are using the system. The NHS can choose not to extend the national contract with Palantir at its review in early 2027.
“Patient trust is the cornerstone of healthcare, and opening up sensitive health records to external contractors – especially those like Palantir – raises serious ethical and privacy questions,” a spokesperson for Health Workers for a Free Palestine told Novara Media. “Public confidence in the NHS will be severely undermined if the government continues to push this contract.”
However, a spokesperson for NHS England credited the FDP with benefits including “joining up care, speeding up cancer diagnosis and ensuring thousands of additional patients can be treated each month – while saving money for NHS teams and taxpayers”.
### Enormous value.
Anna believes that the NHS is failing to understand the value of patient data and worries that Palantir understands it all too well.
“Anonymous or non-anonymous, it doesn’t matter,” she said. “You’ve still got data. You’ve got hundreds of thousands of patients, details of their health, conditions, treatments and pathways, and over time, that builds up to an enormous database. You can do a huge amount with that, and it really should not be available to or given away to any company that’s foreign – and definitely not to a company like Palantir.
“We don’t seem to value it, but I’m pretty sure they [Palantir] do. They know the value of this data.”
Palantir’s UK office has been approached for comment.
*names have been changed
[1]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/02/19/what-is-palantir-how-a-us-spytech-firm-penetrated-the-british-state/
[2]: https://www.404media.co/elite-the-palantir-app-ice-uses-to-find-neighborhoods-to-raid/
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/nov/21/palantir-peter-thiel-nhs-natural-target-outspoken-tech-billionaire
[4]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-18/peter-thiel-says-british-affection-for-nhs-is-stockholm-syndrome
[5]: https://www.ft.com/content/8ce1b9be-1d51-466b-90de-54bff1a504ca?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[6]: https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/fdp-faqs/
[7]: https://www.medact.org/2026/resources/briefings/briefing-palantir-fdp/#_edn100:~:text=For%20example%2C%20private%20correspondence%20between%20data%20analysts%20at%20ICBs%20in%20England%20and%20the%20authors%20revealed%20that%20NHS%20Provider%20Trusts%20are%20receiving%20multiple%20requests%20per%20week%20from%20Palantir%20staff%20for%20access%20to%20stored%20patient%20identifiable%20data
[8]: https://notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/email-to-target/stop-palantir-in-the-nhs/
[9]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/uk-global-human-rights-and-health-groups-in-new-briefing-urge-hospitals-not-to-use-palantir-software-and-demand-that-nhs-england-cancels-the-contract-entirely/
[10]: https://pcunion.org.uk/news/bma-says-no-to-palantir-in-nhs-england/
[11]: https://www.hsj.co.uk/technology-and-innovation/exclusive-full-cost-of-federated-data-platform-to-exceed-1bn/7039871.article
[12]: https://bylinetimes.com/2020/04/22/palantir-coronavirus-contract-did-not-go-to-competitive-tender/
[13]: https://theconversation.com/palantir-and-the-nhs-10-things-you-need-to-know-281165
[14]: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/palantir-peter-thiel-nhs-england-foundry-faster-data-flows/#:~:text=Palantir%20has%20lobbied,to%20Bloomberg%20News.
[15]: https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/how-tech-giant-palantir-was-recruited-by-the-police-nhs-and-military?utm_campaign=578558_TheObserverDaily_260508&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dotdigital
[16]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/04/peter-mandelson-palantir-jeffrey-epstein-government
[17]: https://www.transparency.org.uk/news/mandelson-epstein-emails-what-do-they-reveal-about-britains-broken-lobbying-system
[18]: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2021-02-24/revealed-data-giant-given-emergency-covid-contract-had-been-wooing-nhs-for-months
[19]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/02/19/what-is-palantir-how-a-us-spytech-firm-penetrated-the-british-state/
[20]: https://www.ft.com/content/8ce1b9be-1d51-466b-90de-54bff1a504ca?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[21]: https://www.digitalhealth.net/2024/04/nhse-awards-8-5m-contract-to-kpmg-to-promote-adoption-of-fdp/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/18/evil-palantir-should-be-nowhere-near-the-nhs-staff-say/

2026-05-16 10:07:37 GMT

Met Drafts in 4,000 Cops and Armoured Vehicles to Police Protests in London
More than 4,000 officers in riot gear and armoured vehicles will police the streets of London this Saturday, with drones circling the skies to scan for suspects and live facial recognition software in use for the first time.
Scotland Yard has authorised the “highest degree of control” available to the Met, borne of fears that far-right protesters marching under the leadership of convicted criminal Tommy Robinson will clash with pro-Palestine marchers commemorating Nakba Day.
The Met’s deputy assistant commissioner James Harman said the scale of policing was “unprecedented” and that “swift and decisive” action would be taken against troublemakers.
Alongside armoured vehicles, he promised that helicopters, dog units and police horses will be deployed if necessary. For the first time, organisers will be held personally responsible for speakers conducting speeches at both events.
The £4.5m operation will also see live facial recognition software used at the far-right Unite the Kingdom rally to match those lining the streets with faces on a specific watchlist. The Home Office has also banned eleven individuals from travelling to the UK to attend the protest.
Last month, 39 MPs signed a motion asking why Robinson had been granted his preferred route and not the Nakba Day organisers, given that pro-Palestine marches have been historically peaceful and previous Unite the Kingdom marches violent.
Police have warned that at the Palestine march, anyone chanting “intifada”– meaning “resistance” in Arabic – is at risk of arrest. It comes after prime minister Keir Starmer claimed last month that the phrase targets the Jewish community and should be banned. But leftwing voices like Green party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish, have said banning phrases like “globalise the intifada” would overly restrict freedom of speech.
British Palestinians have called on Starmer to provide them with “equal protection” from violence ahead of the Nakba Day march, which commemorates 78 years since the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians and the creation of the Israeli state from their land.
Earlier this week, Met police commissioner Mark Rowley falsely accused organisers of targeting synagogues. More than 32 MPs have signed a letter asking Rowley to retract his comments.
A coalition of pro-Palestine groups have filed a complaint to the London’s Mayor Office, alleging that Rowley “acted in a racially discriminatory way in inferring that protests against fundamental violations of international law by Israel and by Britain are antisemitic”.
*Sophia Sheera is a journalist in Novara Media’s social media team.*
https://novaramedia.com/2026/05/16/met-drafts-in-4000-cops-and-armoured-vehicles-to-police-protests-in-london/

2026-04-13 14:19:17 GMT

Mamdani Announces First City-Owned Supermarket
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced the location of the city’s first publicly owned supermarket, marking a step towards delivering on his pledge to bring down the cost of food.
The city will spend $30m (£22.3m) on the store, which is due to open next year at a marketplace in East Harlem, Mamdani announced on Sunday during an address to mark his first 100 days in office.
He wants to open five of the stores – one for each of the city’s boroughs – before the end of his first term in 2029. They will operate without paying rent or taxes and pass those savings onto shoppers.
During his address, Mamdani rebutted the neoliberal arguments about the effectiveness of publicly owned businesses.
“Some will insist that city-owned businesses do not work, that government cannot keep up with corporations,” he said. “My answer to them is simple: I look forward to the competition. May the most affordable grocery store win.”
Mamdani has been quick to deliver on several of his major campaign pledges – many of them aimed at bringing down the cost of living – since taking office on 1 January. He announced the introduction of a free childcare scheme, intervened on behalf of tenants living in poor conditions and secured millions of dollars of restitution for workers.
Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance at Mamdani’s address.
“I know that the mayor has been criticised and some say this is a radical idea,” he told the crowd. “I’ll tell you what is a radical idea: Giving tax breaks to billionaires. Throwing people off health care. That’s radical. What’s radical is starting a terrible war. That’s radical. But providing affordable food to working families? That’s not radical, it’s exactly the right thing to do.”
https://novaramedia.com/2026/04/13/mamdani-announces-first-city-owned-supermarket/

2026-04-01 16:25:46 GMT

Organisers Behind Mass Pro-Palestine Rallies Convicted in London
Two prominent activists have been found guilty of public order offences in relation to a rally they organised in London against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Chris Nineham, 62 and Ben Jamal, 61, were arrested at the January 2025 protest in London and accused of breaching protest conditions after police banned demonstrators from gathering at BBC headquarters, on the grounds that the building is near a synagogue.
During the ruling at Westminster magistrates’ court, judge Daniel Sternberg said Jamal had given a speech that was “a suggestion, persuasion, and inducement” to breach police conditions. He convicted Jamal on two counts of inciting other protesters to breach the rules.
Nineham is vice-chair of the Stop the War Coalition and Jamal is chair of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC), which have brought millions onto the streets since October 2023 to protest the genocide.
Nineham and Jamal said they would appeal the convictions.
In a statement after the verdict, PSC denied that Jamal had breached any rules with the speech.
“From the stage that day, Ben Jamal explained that a delegation of leaders… would walk peacefully in a symbolic protest towards the BBC to lay flowers to mark the corporation’s failures to report the truth of genocide in Gaza,” it said.
“Ben made clear that, if stopped by the police, the flowers would be laid at the police line,” it added.
The Metropolitan police alleged that protesters breached the police cordon after the static rally ended in Whitehall, which organisers denied. “In the event, as copious video evidence shows, police officers invited the delegation to pass though,” the PSC statement said.
The group said there were “significant concerns about the conduct of the six day hearing”.
The defence argued that the police’s restrictions were unlawful, but “extraordinarily, in dismissing this argument, district judge Daniel Sternberg informed the court that he was not obliged to give any reasons for his decision,” PSC said.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who attended the protest, said he and others followed police instructions.
“We held an entirely peaceful demonstration in support of Palestinian people… we ended the demonstration by laying down flowers at their feet to mourn the deaths of Palestinian children,” he wrote on social media.
“Today’s verdict is a dark day for civil liberties in this country and is a disgraceful assault on the right to protest,” he added. “This case is part of a wider attempt to intimidate the Palestinian solidarity movement into silence. They will never succeed.”
Labour MP John McDonnell said: “I hope this judgement is appealed as it stands as an assault on our civil liberties.”
Feyzi Ismail, a lecturer in global policy and activism at Goldsmiths, University of London, said the trial highlighted “the extraordinarily close relationship between the Metropolitan police and Zionist groups”.
Writing for Al Jazeera, she added that “this includes the police accepting recommendations from these groups about the Palestine movement’s demonstration routes.”
https://novaramedia.com/2026/04/01/organisers-behind-mass-pro-palestine-rallies-convicted-in-london/

2026-03-30 11:43:27 GMT

The Daily Mail Backed the Blackshirts. It Can Shut up About Antisemitism
[A man in a trenchcoat waves with placards in the background]
An almighty attack on Green party leader Zack Polanski was mounted this weekend by the super-reliable, super-ethical, super-rational Daily Mail. As we put the clocks forward, it seemed we also wound back to roughly 2019.
Let me return you to that year. Famous, wealthy and very beloved British actress Maureen Lipman, a month before that crucial election cosplayed a normie in an attack ad on Jeremy Corbyn by Labour sect Mainstream, explicitly [aimed at getting the Tories in][1]. “And the antisemitism,” [she sighed down a fake phone][2], “Who would have believed that?”
It turns out: a lot of people. Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party lost. Instead, we got further years of austere Tory economics, genocide and global chaos. And now here we stand, on the doormat of World War III, largely instigated by Israel. Yet time is a flat circle. Because Polanski, a Jewish man, is getting the same treatment once more.
This weekend, the Green Party debated [a motion called “Zionism is Racism”][3]. Everyone is, of course, entitled to their view on what is, for many, a controversial statement. But as Green party policy, you’d have thought it was something for party members to decide. Endorse it, reject it, amend it, that’s surely – surely! – all a matter, and only a matter, for those who’ve paid their subs and turned up for the often long and tedious matter of scrutinising the party’s offering. Wrong!
Common sense says: hey, if you don’t like a party’s policies, don’t join it, don’t vote for it, But when it comes to Israel, it turns out a British political party simply can’t be allowed to set its own parameters. And if it tries, its leader and its members better be ready to face an onslaught of abuse.
On the eve of the party’s spring conference, where the motion was set to be discussed, the Daily Mail put out one of the [weakest, sloppiest, flimsiest reports][4] I’ve read in a long time. And when it comes to that particular rag, that’s really saying something.
Alleging to have spoken to three members of Polanski’s extended family, the article’s authors start with an all too familiar figure: the hysterical, red-faced unc. You know the one. He’s marked by the trail of relatives diving into loos and under tables to avoid him at family gatherings.
“He’s currently the leader of the future Islamic party of Britain, that’s what the Green party is fast becoming,” he told the Mail, practicing for his next enraged LBC phone-in. “And there would be no place for Jews in an Islamic state of Britain.”
A second allegedly Jewish family member seemed to have absolutely [no historical knowledge of the newspaper][5] they were speaking to. And in the interest of smearing Polanski, its authors appear to have permanently detached their irony detectors.
“If the Zionism-is-racism motion is passed it will make the Greens the most antisemitic party in British history since Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists,” the selective historian fretted. “The idea of it is one of the most sickening things I’ve heard in a long time.”
A reminder: the Mail, now wringing its hands on behalf of British Jews, actively supported Mosley and his Union of Fascists in the 1930s. And its owner at the time, Viscount Rothermere aka [Harold Harmsworth][6], personally congratulated Adolf Hitler on his annexation of Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II. “My dear Führer,” [he wrote in the summer of 1939][7], expressing his admiration of the Nazi dictator’s “superhuman work”.
“The mad thing is that he’s gay, he’s Jewish,” said a third alleged Polanski relative, “But he’s cosying up to people whose ideology is the complete antithesis of everything that he’s supposed to stand for. It’s like he’s a chicken, telling us to vote for KFC.”
According to Polanski, [the entire article is a fantasy][8]. “Spoke to my family today – all refused to talk to you,” he said to one of its authors. “You then started hunting down random ‘anon’ relatives.”
It’s not just the Daily Mail, though. [The Telegraph][9] and [the Times][10] both ran articles suggesting Polanski, who appeared at the [half-a-million strong anti far-right protest][11] in London on Saturday, was making Britain unsafe for Jews by even entertaining an anti-Zionist motion. When Polanski [retweeted a comment][12] asserting that “the entire world detests” the Daily Mail, a Times columnist called it “extraordinary”.
That was meant as an indictment. But the fact is, it *is* extraordinary for the leader of a British political party to take on, call out and hit back at a British media that’s far too used to calling the country’s political shots. And far too accustomed to policing our political horizons on behalf of its billionaire owners.
The “Zionism is Racism” motion didn’t, in the end, pass, with the debate running out of time over a series of member-brought technicalities. It’ll return, though, for a vote at a later date. But the media response to it shows just how difficult it is to run on a political platform which, quite rightly, seeks to detach British politics from our so-called ally Israel.
It shouldn’t be like that. In two years, [at least 75,000 Palestinians have been killed][13] by the Israeli military in Gaza. Israel continues to break international law in the West Bank. Meanwhile, the country is [bombing Iran][14] and [invading Lebanon][15] as I write, and over the weekend [killed yet more journalists][16].
Most voters in Britain are, quite rightly, sickened by all of this. And yet, the Greens questioning our relationship with Israel – a country that has done literally nothing for any British voter except put us all in greater danger – is supposed to be a vast political controversy? Make it make sense.
[1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cxmc
[2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKGjBw3uFCw
[3]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/02/24/israeli-minister-brands-uk-green-party-racist-and-hateful/
[4]: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15686363/Zack-Polanski-rebellion-family-UK-Green-Party-Prime-Minister.html
[5]: https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/nationals/hitler-the-daily-mail-and-how-lord-rothermere-showed-he-has-learned-the-lessons-of-history/
[6]: https://www.londonremembers.com/subjects/harold-harmsworth-1st-viscount-rothermere
[7]: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/apr/01/pressandpublishing.secondworldwar
[8]: https://x.com/ZackPolanski/status/2038307174355525677
[9]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/29/dont-laugh-at-the-green-party-chaos-be-frightened-by-them/
[10]: https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/tony-blair-end-lefts-unholy-alliance-with-islamists-vffq3sr2t?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqcCVRGQWBP9QnBnt2g5gVQkCPjV36DmznLXPbmy1Mc2vP6ZhnMinBE3K9MmaeM%3D&gaa_ts=69ca24aa&gaa_sig=IAbleDJ_6KRvXO3M0nO3BFRbbuNeWPY0zXfdVSPdey5-quwZ6wtdGfNcEab9gA6xTXpdVU62Y16g94TxzBxtVA%3D%3D
[11]: https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/zack-polanski-green-party-thousands-antifarright-march-london-b2947620.html
[12]: https://x.com/alexmassie/status/2038263479711207647
[13]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/19/gaza-death-toll-higher-than-reported-lancet-study
[14]: https://www.ft.com/content/a8dbcf5f-df38-43de-bb4c-de3780cad0ab?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[15]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/29/netanyahu-announces-expansion-of-security-buffer-zone-in-south-lebanon
[16]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/ce354d73v2ko
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/30/the-daily-mail-backed-the-blackshirts-it-can-shut-up-about-antisemitism/

2026-03-29 07:48:22 GMT

Should We Fight for Our Right to Be Bored?
When was the last time you were bored? Nadia, Jem and Keir wonder if ennui is a feeling that belongs in the past, and what a boredom-free life might be missing, in the latest ACFM episode.
Is compulsive scrolling a modern symptom of boredom? Why are spiritual practices often based around tedious repetition? Do bored workers make better organisers? What about the “stuckness” experienced by migrants, or the drudgery of housework?
The gang offer their theories of Boredism (and Post-Boredism) in a perfectly mind-numbing Trip, with ideas from Lukács, Gramsci, the Pet Shop Boys and loads of 1970s punk.
Follow our [Spotify playlist][1] of all the music discussed on ACFM and subscribe to the [ACFM mailing list][2] to get weirder and leftier.
**Music:** The Adverts – Bored Teenagers / Boredoms – Seadrum / Buzzcocks – Boredom / The Clash – I’m So Bored with the USA / Harvey Danger – Flagpole Sitta / Green Day – Longview / Pet Shop Boys – Being Boring / The Fall – Rowche Rumble
**Books and articles:** Peter Toohey – Boredom: A Lively History / Jean-Paul Sartre – Nausea / Karl Marx – Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 / György Lukács – ‘Reification and the Consciousness of the Proletariat’ / Timothy Bewes – Reification: or The Anxiety of Late Capitalism / Alasdair Gray – A History Maker / Luc Boltanski and Eve Chiapello – The New Spirit of Capitalism / Cory Doctorow – Enshittification / Ghassan Hage – ‘Waiting out the Crisis: on Stuckedness and Governmentality’ / Betty Friedan – The Feminine Mystique / Doris Lessing – The Golden Notebook / Institute for Precarious Consciousness – We Are All Very Anxious / Richard Sennett – The Corrosion of Character
**Films:** Modern Times (1936)
[1]: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Wv61PS6qItwCBUluNcSFx
[2]: http://novara.media/ACFMnewsletter
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/29/should-we-fight-for-our-right-to-be-bored/

2026-03-27 20:09:10 GMT

Trump Folds Again, Announces 10-Day Extension to Ultimatum
Donald Trump has extended his ultimatum to Iran, now threatening to bomb energy and desalination plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within 10 days rather than 48 hours.
Plus: The New World Happiness Report suggests that English-speaking countries are among the most miserable in the world, and Novara’s Steven Methven reports on his time in Havana.
With Michael Walker, Robert Malley & Banseka Kayembe.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/27/trump-folds-again-announces-10-day-extension-to-ultimatum/

2026-03-27 18:00:02 GMT

Oxfam: Israel’s Attacks on Lebanon’s Water Sources Echo Gaza Genocide
Israel is destroying water and sanitation infrastructure in Lebanon, echoing a genocidal tactic it used in Gaza as part of its attempt to destroy the civilian population, Oxfam has said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has attacked reservoirs, pipe networks and pumping stations since escalating its aggression against the country on 2 March.
“In a span of four days in the first weeks of the latest escalation, Israel damaged at least seven critical water sources… that supplied water to almost 7,000 people in the Bekaa area alone,”[ the charity said][1] in a statement.
“The destruction of civilian infrastructure has not been limited to critical water facilities,” Oxfam added. “Israel has also destroyed electricity networks and bridges, cutting off vital supplies and services for entire towns and villages.”
Depriving civilians of water has been a key part of Israel’s strategy in Gaza.
In October 2023, then-energy minister Israel Katz wrote on social media that no “electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter” the enclave.
British prime minister Keir Starmer supported this strategy, despite it being a war crime, telling LBC at the time that Israel had the “right” to cut off water and electricity from the population of Gaza.
Israel has killed over 1,000 people and forced more than a million to flee their homes in Lebanon this month.
Katz, who is now the Israeli defence minister, said this week that the IDF would control a “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon, which critics interpreted as confirmation that Israel has illegally annexed that land.
[1]: https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/israeli-forces-using-gaza-playbook-lebanon-decimating-water-infrastructure
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/27/oxfam-israels-attacks-on-lebanons-water-sources-echo-gaza-genocide/

2026-03-16 15:35:08 GMT

Corbyn Calls for UK Ministers to Be Investigated Over Gaza Genocide
[Jeremy Corbyn]
Jeremy Corbyn is recommending that UK ministers are investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in light of government complicity and participation in Israel’s genocide in Gaza detailed in the Gaza Tribunal report.
[The report,][1] released on Monday, found that the UK government has failed in every single legal obligation under treaty and international law, and has been complicit in atrocity crimes – in some instances even being an active participant.
Corbyn, the parliamentary leader of Your Party, told Novara Media: “Complicity demands consequences. In the aftermath of the Iraq war, governments escaped accountability for the role they played in catastrophic human suffering. This time, we must achieve real accountability and real justice for the Palestinian people.”
Corbyn held[ the Gaza Tribunal][2] in September last year to “uncover the full scale of British complicity in genocide” since October 2023, hearing testimony from witnesses, journalists and survivors, as well as a range of lawyers, whistleblowers and experts in international law.
Corbyn said the report, which he authored along with international law experts Dr Shahd Hammouri and Prof Neve Gordon, will “help cement the government’s legacy as a participant in one of the greatest crimes of our time”.
The report’s authors are committed to working with the ICC to “draw their attention to evidence presented in this report including violations of international law and evidence of criminal complicity implicating government ministers and officials”. They highlighted those “who have authorised the continuation of economic ties with Israel, as well as the commission of arms trades, arm transfers and intelligence exchange” as being worthy of investigation.
Recommendations from the report include that the British government should release full licensing and export data on military shipments to Israel to date, along with all legal advice on the government’s assessment of genocide and its obligations to prevent it.
The report also calls for all surveillance footage collected by [RAF spy flights over Gaza][3] to be shared with the ICC and International Court of Justice (ICJ), and for the government to cooperate with a full, independent public inquiry into cooperation between the UK and Israel since October 2023, which has the power to question ministers and officials.
Evidence collected from tribunal testimonies is sorted into four categories: the destruction of the medical system, the destruction of the education system, the targeting of journalists and the production of famine.
Two British healthcare workers gave evidence, with NHS consultant plastic surgeon Dr Victoria Rose telling the tribunal that she was “seeing children with bits of their body blown off” as part of daily operations on children.
Rose described one day of operating in May where she operated on six children including “a five-year-old girl who had had her arm blown off” and her sister, who “had had her left cheek and shoulder blown off”.
Consultant gastrointestinal surgeon Dr Nick Maynard described the total destruction of a hospital in Gaza by the IDF, saying: “They destroyed the scanning machines. They cut the cables to all the ultrasound machines. They cut the cables and destroyed all the dialysis machines… The Israeli military bombed the intensive care unit whilst I was operating in the operating theatre next door.”
The report describes Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s medical system as “deliberate, systematic and near total”, and attacks on healthcare facilities and staff [as “medicide”.][4]
It finds that the UK’s legal obligations under international law required – at minimum – the immediate suspension of arms transfers and related military exports where there is a serious risk of use in genocide, crimes against humanity or grave international humanitarian law violations; the suspension of intelligence‑sharing, training and other security cooperation that could materally assist unlawful acts; support for humanitarian relief and opposition to policies producing famine conditions; and full co‑operation with international accountability, including the ICC and the relevant UN special rapporteurs.
The British government has been found to fail in each of these five areas. It has continued to supply weapons to Israel, particularly parts of F-35 jets which are central to Israel’s genocide. Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe, a lawyer at Global Legal Action Network, told the tribunal that it has been “really quite shocking to observe how far this government is willing to create legal absurdities to defy logic… to employ every tool at its disposal in order to keep arming Israel”.
The report accuses the UK government of ignoring “blatant violations” of international humanitarian law and applying a “skewed methodology” when assessing Israeli breaches of it by only looking at specific incidents, not patterns or overall pictures, along with providing political and diplomatic cover to Israel.
Mark Smith, a British Foreign Office official who[ resigned in protest][5] over continued arms sales to Israel in August 2024, testified that although his assessment was that “it was impossible to see how the UK government was acting legally”, this was repeatedly ignored and downplayed.
Prime minister Keir Starmer’s administration also came under fire for [actively “undermining” the ICC’s issuing of arrest warrants][6] for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant by questioning its jurisdiction withholding support for the warrants and failing to facilitate investigations, according to testimony from Tayab Ali, director of the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians.
The role of British bases in facilitating the transport, refuelling and maintenance of Israeli military equipment, and of the Royal Air Force in conducting spy flights over Gaza from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was also cited as evidence of the UK’s active participation in the genocide.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza, of whom at least 20,000 are children. This is likely to be a severe undercount, and does not account for bodies still trapped under rubble.
[1]: https://actionnetwork.org/user_files/user_files/000/139/185/original/the-gaza-tribunal-report.pdf
[2]: https://thegazatribunal.uk/%5C
[3]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/britain-sent-over-500-spy-flights-to-gaza/
[4]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/08/un-experts-appalled-relentless-israeli-attacks-gazas-healthcare-system
[5]: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/09/uk-foreign-office-war-crimes-arms-gaza-yemen
[6]: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec/11/britain-icc-funding-netanyahu-arrest-warrant
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/16/corbyn-calls-for-uk-ministers-to-be-investigated-over-gaza-genocide/

2026-03-16 12:54:41 GMT

Aid Convoy to Deliver More Than 20 Tonnes of Food and Medicine to Cuba
[An aeroplane flies low over Havana, Cuba.]
Volunteers from three continents are set to converge in Havana this weekend, with more than 20 tonnes of food, medicine and solar equipment for Cuban communities hit by a brutal US blockade.
Activists from more than a dozen countries have signed up to participate in the Nuestra America Convoy, which will see Irish rap trio Kneecap and American streamer Hasan Piker join journalists, politicians and high-profile participants of last year’s Gaza aid flotilla in Havana on 21 March.
Alongside up to half a dozen boats that will sail across the Caribbean Sea from Mexico on Thursday, two charter flights are scheduled to arrive later this week, while hundreds of ordinary people carrying suitcases packed with medicines have booked tickets on commercial airlines from around the world.
While the US has had some form of blockade on Cuba since the 1950s, Donald Trump has significantly escalated it by threatening to impose tariffs on any country that sells fuel to the island nation, leading to widespread blackouts and disruption to the delivery of food and the production and distribution of medicine. Even everyday essentials such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo and baby food are now difficult to obtain, plunging the country into humanitarian crisis.
Organisers say the largest charter flight alone will carry more than £300,000 of aid, including food, medicines, surgical equipment and hygiene supplies, to be distributed by Cuban civil society organisations and directly to hospitals and clinics across the island. The convoy will also deliver nearly £400,000 worth of solar panels and generators.
In a statement, Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn condemned the blockade. “For more than six decades, the US blockade has tried to suffocate the Cuban example – a country that, despite relentless economic pressure, built universal healthcare and life expectancy comparable to or higher than the United States,” he said. “Now the Trump administration is escalating that siege in an attempt to break Cuba altogether.
“People across the world must stand with the Cuban people, oppose these punitive policies, and demand the right of every nation to live, develop, and determine its own future free from intimidation.”
Organiser David Adler drew parallels between the convoy and the Gaza aid flotilla, which he took part in last year. “From the global movement that helped end apartheid in South Africa to the flotillas that sailed to challenge the siege of Gaza, international solidarity has repeatedly emerged to confront injustice,” he said. “This convoy to Cuba continues that tradition, delivering critical supplies to the Cuban people and a simple message: you are not alone.”
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/16/aid-convoy-to-deliver-more-than-20-tonnes-of-food-and-medicine-to-cuba/

2026-03-16 10:23:00 GMT

Will Iran’s Oil Gamble Pay Off?
The Middle East is still on fire, as US president Donald Trump appears increasingly desperate to bring the carnage to an end amid a growing oil shock. On Saturday, in a message better suited to the group chat, the commander in chief [made a public plea to allies][1], including Britain (but also long-term opp China), to send help to the Strait of Hormuz. After all, what are friends (and frenemies) for, if not putting their own soldiers at risk to clean up your illegal mess?
Trump’s post is well-worth reading, blending as it does pitiful bluster with fatally-wounded pride. The US has destroyed “100% of Iran’s military capability”, we’re told, but in the very same sentence, that it’s still “easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile”.
Later, Iran is described as both “totally decapitated” yet successfully leveraging Hormuz as a “threat”. The hubris is strong with this one.
Roughly 100 miles long and just 24 miles wide at its narrowest point, every tanker picking up the Gulf states’ black gold must pass through the Strait of Hormuz to reach the wider ocean and, from there, the world. In normal times, around 20 million barrels of oil pass through the chokepoint each day – around 20% of the globe’s total supply. Most of it is destined for Asian markets, with China, South Korea, Japan and India the major buyers.
But these are not normal times. In response to an illegal war launched by the US and Israel, Iran has closed the strait. Some[ 20 ships have so far been attacked][2], several [sailors have been killed][3], and the passage is [said to be littered with mines][4]. But it’s the economic waves the closure is already making that has leaders shaking.
Iran’s aim is to make the world feel the pain of a war it did not start. Oil prices [now regularly surge above $100 a barrel][5] – an effective increase of 45% on prewar prices. That’s already being seen at petrol stations, where [prices are up by as much as 10p per litre][6] as corporations anticipate global shortages.
Oil greases the wheels of the capitalist grind – literally. An increase in its price means, eventually, an increase in all prices: anything that takes energy to make, that must be moved or heated or cooled. In other words, everything. But that’s not all.
Around [20% of the world’s trade in liquid natural gas][7] (LNG) also passes through the strait. Ahead of a full ban on buying Russian LNG next month, several EU countries have made Qatar – now a hostage to the closed strait – [a preferred supplier][8]. If Iran maintains the closure of Hormuz, the price of gas will go up, and heating bills along with it.
There’s more. Urea, a byproduct of LNG production, is a [nitrogen product essential for fertilizer][9]. As a little under half the world’s seaborne trade in urea must pass through the strait of Hormouz, prolonged closure could have [a serious impact on the globe’s food chain][10].
Completely closing the strait isn’t something Iran has done before. It’s cheap, it’s easy ([remember the Houthis, anyone][11]?) and it’s a sign that Tehran may have few levers left to pull. The question is: how long will it serve the country’s interests?
Iran has calculated that the threat of global economic damage will cause US allies to persuade Trump to end the attacks. But while few countries have yet shown much interest in joining Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal war, that may change as price rises and stock plunges hit. And after hitting the phones all weekend, Trump [reportedly hopes to announce some kind of coalition][12] later this week.
While the pressure piles up on Trump, he’s applying stressors of his own. After a muted response to his call for support from other countries, he’s now wielded the big stick. “If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response,” he [told the Financial Times][13], “I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato.”
Of course, Nato members are pretty used to that ultimatum. Trump’s used it every time he expects to get his way. But his threat to [take Greenland “one way or another”][14] just two months ago, as well as doubts over whether the US would [honour its defence commitment][15] under the treaty, have already seen the EU planning [an independent defence path][16].
So far, only the UK appears to be ready to pledge Trump the support he’s begged for (despite him saying just a week ago that it was[ “too late” for the UK to help][17]). And even that’s more gesture than genuine assistance.
The government is ‘considering’ sending mine-sweeping drones to the area – autonomous systems some of which [haven’t been used in warfare before][18]. In a press conference later today, however, prime minister Keir Starmer will [pledge millions of pounds][19] to ease the economic shock on British households, stressing, correctly, that “ending the war is the quickest way to reduce the cost of living”.
As his poorly-planned Iran adventure looks increasingly foolish, expect Trump to lash out more. We’ve all met men like the US president or [his war secretary Pete Hegseth][20] before: belligerent, swaggering, high on their own machismo supply. Laughable, yes, but menacing also.
And nothing will make them more dangerous than looking stupid in front of the whole world.
[1]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116227904143399817
[2]: https://news.usni.org/2026/03/13/missile-attacks-define-strait-of-hormuz-risks-officials-say
[3]: https://www.thehansindia.com/news/international/strait-of-hormuz-crisis-3-indian-sailors-killed-government-monitoring-vessels-1056301
[4]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/world/middleeast/iran-mines-strait-of-hormuz-us.html
[5]: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/3/16/oil-prices-keep-rising-as-trump-seeks-coalition-to-reopen-strait-of-hormuz
[6]: https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/petrol-prices-your-area-mapped-36864786
[7]: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/09/theres-another-energy-market-that-may-get-hit-harder-than-oil-by-strait-of-hormuz-closure.html
[8]: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/lng/031326-force-majeure-forces-market-shifts-in-european-lng-market
[9]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2026/03/01/beyond-oil-the-strait-of-hormuz-and-the-global-food-risk/
[10]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-12/india-asks-china-for-urea-as-war-induced-gas-crunch-hits-plants
[11]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/19/yemens-houthis-will-not-stop-red-sea-attacks-until-israel-stops-gaza-war
[12]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/16/trump-iran-hormuz-strait-kharg-island
[13]: https://www.ft.com/content/1ca6d121-760b-4ec5-b6ad-514fdaa94873
[14]: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/greenland/trump-us-take-greenland-denmark-china-russia-europe-arctic-defense-rcna253546
[15]: https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-if-nato-members-dont-pay-us-wont-defend-them-2025-03-07/
[16]: https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-nato-policy-defense-plans-europe-america/
[17]: https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/keir-starmers-iran-help-too-late-says-trump-as-tony-blair-joins-criticism-q8dght9c5?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqcBtarel2ehYmiZl1NK_VX4WYGJoqn0Z69aCdZRtgfDF5Rn4cMgzAiBrDUZDsk%3D&gaa_ts=69b7bf13&gaa_sig=6jDZJrKR_MITjrhSNYHnbA7S1um97t_ACPR5BCVrhFBXmlbKX8gTNOIO8P5_lypL4BoKMIE2eNnPG7nlbBOl3A%3D%3D
[18]: https://news.sky.com/story/the-drones-the-uk-is-considering-deploying-to-the-middle-east-13519993
[19]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/mar/16/iran-war-live-updates-news-oil-trump-hormuz-dubai-airport-israel-targets?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-69b788a88f08de00c5266ecc#block-69b788a88f08de00c5266ecc
[20]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/15/trump-hegseth-iran-war-no-quarter
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/16/will-irans-oil-gamble-pay-off/

2026-03-15 17:05:36 GMT

Swiss MPs to Vote on Revoking Uefa’s Tax Benefits Over Israel
Uefa could lose its tax-exempt status in Switzerland unless it expels Israel.
Swiss MPs in the canton of Vaud, where the European football governing body is headquartered, will vote on a resolution on Tuesday 17 March to decide whether the association should have the privilege taken away.
The resolution’s supporters note that the Israeli Football Association (IFA), a Uefa member, fields games on illegally occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. They argue that IFA’s membership of Uefa makes Swiss taxpayers “complicit” in Israel’s breaches of international law.
If the resolution is accepted, the Vaud government would be called upon to set a deadline to Uefa to justify whether maintaining IFA as a member, and failing to take any sanctions against IFA, is compatible with the goals of promoting peace and fighting racism and discrimination, the condition of Uefa’s tax exempt status.
“Tax exoneration means that instead of receiving that money, Swiss citizens, specifically in Vaud, are funding the illegal activities of the Israeli football Association,” the campaign group Game Over Israel said in a statement.
The Swiss resolution reads: “As an international federation, [Uefa] has long benefited, despite its significant commercial activity, from a tax exemption granted specifically because international sports federations play an important role in promoting peace and combating racism and discrimination.”
In September last year, a panel of UN experts[ called for Israel to be suspended from international football][1] as punishment for its genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 72,000 people at a conservative estimate. Both Fifa and Uefa suspended Russia’s participation in international matches soon after its invasion of Ukraine.
Ashish Prashar, campaign director at Game Over Israel, said: “Uefa is at the forefront of funding and normalising the apartheid and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian territories by continuing to provide a subsidy and allowing the Israeli Football Association to be a member.”
Vaud MP Théophile Schenker said that by failing to expel Israel, Uefa is sending a signal that it condones the expansion of settlements. “Football deserves better than that,” he said.
*Joshua Carroll is a writer and journalist.*
[1]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/un-experts-call-suspension-israel-international-football-amid-unfolding
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/15/swiss-mps-to-vote-on-revoking-uefas-tax-benefits-over-israel/

2026-03-15 15:14:12 GMT

The Middle Class Is Collapsing. Fascism Could Be Next.
Rising unemployment, increased military spending, and a decline in living standards for most people, including the middle class: the description fits both the 1930s and the 2020s. In the 1930s, it was a situation that morphed into the destruction and horror of the Second World War.
On Downstream with Aaron Bastani this week is Clara Mattei, professor of economics at the University of Tulsa, and author of ‘Escape From Capitalism: Economics Is Political and Other Liberating Truths’. Mattei’s PhD was on the relationship between austerity and fascism in inter-war Italy, and her book is a comparative study of Britain and Italy in that period.
What, they ask, is the relationship between austerity and fascism – both then and now? Is capitalism a ‘natural fact’, as its proponents would have you believe, or a contingent set of affairs designed and propped up by governments? And if capitalism is in fact a choice, how can we go about building an alternative?
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/15/the-middle-class-is-collapsing-fascism-could-be-next/

2026-03-14 21:13:26 GMT

Welcome to the Slavery-Driven Slop Economy
Trillions of dollars of AI build-out. An economy poised on the edge of a giant crisis. Some say it’s a bubble. But what if it’s an entirely new kind of economics? One that has no need of humans at all?
Marek Poliks is the co-author with Roberto Alonso Trillo of *Exocapitalism: Economies with Absolutely No Limits. *Together, they are the co-hosts of the Disintegrator podcast.
He speaks to Richard Hames about the head-spinning world of AI economics, what the left gets wrong about technofeudalism, and what will happen to all of us bags of meat when capitalism can simply run itself.
Do Your Own Research is a new show from Novara Media about the systems that make the modern world possible.
Music by Iglooghost.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/14/welcome-to-the-slavery-driven-slop-economy/

2026-03-14 11:29:03 GMT

Elon Musk Worth More Than Next Three Richest Billionaires Combined
Elon Musk is now worth more than the next three richest billionaires combined, the latest calculations from Forbes show.
The Forbes Real Times Billionaires List has placed Musk firmly in the position of richest man in the world, with an estimated worth of $839 billion – up from $342 billion last year.
The enormous growth of the 54-year-old’s personal wealth is driven by rising valuations at Tesla and SpaceX, two of the seven major companies he founded.
The next three richest people in the world are Google’s co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, followed by Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon.
Economist Gabriel Zucman estimates that if the world’s 3,428 billionaires spent all of their money, they would be able to buy 17% of everything produced in a year globally.
In 1987, when Forbes started compiling its billionaires list, Zucman says that figure was only at 3%.
“It’s time to tax billionaires,” said the French economist on X. “With the growth in the wealth of global billionaires has come an upsurge in their power. The power to shape policy, to buy elections, to influence the prevailing ideology, to buy competitors, to tilt markets at their advantage.”
Musk was the single largest donor to far-right US president Donald Trump’s election campaign, donating $277 million.
Zucman notes that the sheer number of billionaires is also steadily increasing. Forbes filed 390 new entries this year, including Beyoncé and Dr Dre.
“It is for citizens, throughout the world, to ask their elected representatives to act now,” said Zucman. “It is time to tax billionaires.”
*Sophia Sheera is a journalist in Novara Media’s social media team.*
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/14/elon-musk-worth-more-than-next-three-richest-billionaires-combined/

2026-03-13 20:09:05 GMT

Pete Hegseth Loses It at US Media
A US refuelling plane crashed in Western Iraq, killing four US service people, Pete Hegseth has lashed out at the media for their coverage of the war on Iran.
Plus: Palantir’s Alex Karp predicts the future, we ask who benefits from the oil shock generated by Israel and the US’s illegal war on Iran, and we take a look at how AI slop is trying to influence politics.
With NoJusticeMTG, Curtis Daly and Simon Childs
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/13/pete-hegseth-loses-it-at-us-media/

2026-03-13 12:21:30 GMT

Wealth Taxes Are Pointless While Tax Havens Exist
[A large boat in a port surrounded by pink and yellow buildings]
Ever tried to get in touch with your landlord, only to be redirected to some opaque company that never answers the phone? Or wanted to complain to a shop where you’ve bought something, only to find yourself lost in an endless hall of mirrors? You may have stumbled across an offshore tax haven, a secretive structure that impacts all of our lives, but which most of us know little about.
Over the past few years, wealth taxes have reentered public debate. Popular economists like Gary Stevenson, Grace Blakely and Faiza Shaheen, and now [political leaders like Zack Polanski][1], argue that the UK must tax the richest more aggressively if it hopes to repair crumbling public services and address spiralling inequality. They’ve managed to persuade [68% of the public][2]. But the wealth tax debate often misses a crucial problem. Wealth today does not simply sit inside national borders, waiting to be taxed. It moves; it hides. It reorganises itself through complex legal structures designed to evade the reach of states. Before we call for a wealth tax, we need to know how today’s super-rich seek to protect their hoard from taxation – and how we might close the loopholes. That’s exactly what we do on our new four-part podcast series Death in Westminster, [now streaming on Novara Media][3].
### Colonial plunder.
The modern offshore economy emerged in part as a backlash to post-war social democracy, the same that many leftists hark back to today when calling for wealth taxes. High tax rates and capital controls were ascendant in the UK during the 1950s and 1960s: the highest rate of income tax hovered around 97.5%, while the Bank of England restricted the supply of foreign currency to prevent the wealthy from moving their assets overseas. These measures allowed successive UK governments to fund the recently established welfare state. At the same time, Britons who had accumulated wealth in colonies during the age of empire [were itching to leave][4] their outposts. Decolonisation was spreading rapidly across the globe, and the former [colonial expats feared][5] having their money, or property, snapped up by the newly independent states.
Trapped between handing over huge portions of their colonial fortunes to the British welfare state and risking that wealth being seized by post-colonial governments, these returning Britons were desperate for another option. Fortunately for them, not all colonies took the path of independence. A sprinkling of small and previously insignificant imperial outposts, particularly in the Caribbean and the English Channel – including the British Virgin Islands, Guernsey and the Isle of Man – remained under British jurisdiction and [reframed their relationship][6] to the mother country in ways that would have profound consequences for the global economy.
According to a [2019 report][7] produced by the Tax Justice Network, the world’s three most corrosive offshore financial centres are all British overseas territories. The British Virgin Islands tops the list, closely followed by Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. The position of these tax havens – with one foot inside, and one outside the British state – makes them extremely attractive to global capital. By remaining under the patronage of British sovereignty – maintaining the king as their head of state, and the judicial council of the privy council as their highest court – these overseas territories are able to give investors the confidence that they are putting their money into a reliable jurisdiction with a long history of financial and legal expertise. Equally, by being self-governing entities largely autonomous of the British state in their day-to-day operations, these overseas territories can advertise that they are free of the democratic pressures and public scrutiny that a large,
European state like the UK faces.
This strange constitutional arrangement has consequences far beyond distant tropical islands. It determines whether we can have a roof over our heads.
### The rise of the ‘foreign’ investor.
There are [more than 138,000][8] residential and commercial properties in England and Wales owned by offshore companies. In London alone, the value of these properties is around £55bn.
The share of the property market enjoyed by offshore corporations in England and Wales increased rapidly between 2005 and 2015. Almost all foreign corporate real estate investment originates from what we would recognise as tax havens – including from people who live in the UK, but just keep their money elsewhere. The EU Tax Observatory found that in 2022, around [15% of offshore property investments][9] were made by residents of the UK, effectively making Britain its own largest “foreign” investor.
More and more, wealthy Britons are buying property through offshore-registered structures, rather than straightforward domestic ones, because they offer benefits such as confidentiality; the ability to obscure the true ownership of property; and potential tax advantages when the asset is eventually sold.
The cumulative effect is that bricks and mortar in our capital city have been transformed from shelter for human beings into shelter for cash, often acquired under dubious circumstances.
Offshoring is a global problem that accelerates spiralling wealth inequality across the world. It would not be solved simply by Britain taking a position against it. But that would be a powerful start, especially given the outsized role that Britain and its overseas territories play in the architecture of offshore finance. When its dependent territories are taken into account, Britain is arguably the single most important actor in the offshore system.
The only way to make a wealth tax effective would be to combine it with dismantling the offshore system that allows wealth to slip through states’ fingers. A more equal British economy would require changes to taxation, yes – but perhaps more importantly, a change in the geography through which wealth moves. In our new Novara Media four-part investigative podcast series, Death in Westminster, we look at how the offshore system facilitates the hoarding of housing by the wealthy, exacerbating a housing crisis that is felt most acutely by our poorest and most vulnerable communities. It is not a coincidence that Westminster has both the most homeless people and the most empty homes in the UK. The pressure from one eventually pushes down on the other. We need to put some of our best minds together to find out how to stop this deeply entrenched and secretive system.
*Join Kojo Koram and Dalia Gebrial on 19 May at EartH Theatre in Hackney, where they’ll be discussing their new podcast Death in Westminster along with Green party MP Hannah Spencer, investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan, financial activist Stephanie Brobbey and former Labour MP Faiza Shaheen. [Tickets are on sale now][10].*
[1]: https://www.tiktok.com/@novaramedia/video/7379572438490762529
[2]: https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/public-overwhelmingly-back-wealth-tax-package-fix-public-services-and-rebuild-britain-new-tuc
[3]: https://novaramedia.com/category/audio/death-in-westminster/
[4]: https://pastandpresent.org.uk/how-decolonisation-helped-create-tax-havens/
[5]: https://academic.oup.com/past/article-abstract/249/1/213/5896119
[6]: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/407150/treasure-islands-by-nicholas-shaxson/9780099541721
[7]: https://www.taxjustice.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Annex-Corporate-Tax-Haven-Index-2019.pdf
[8]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/07/more-than-138000-properties-in-england-and-wales-owned-by-offshore-companies
[9]: https://www.taxobservatory.eu/repository/homes-incorporated-offshore-ownership-of-real-estate-in-the-u-k/
[10]: https://dice.fm/event/oevl5r-dark-money-how-billionaires-destroyed-britain-and-how-to-make-them-pay-19th-mar-earth-london-tickets
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/13/wealth-taxes-are-pointless-while-tax-havens-exist/

2026-03-13 11:56:08 GMT

Iran Has Shattered the Emirates’ Carefully Curated Image
[People on sun loungers beside a pool in Dubai.]
In just a few weeks, the bedrock principles underpinning the west’s foreign policy have been torn up. Missile defence in South Korea? [No longer need it,][1] mate. Russian oil, subject to harsh sanctions following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine? Can I just shock you – [I like Urals][2].
But perhaps nowhere has core beliefs regarding status and security been rocked more than the ‘expat’ enclaves of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The land of sun, sea and slave labour may have seen its influencer-playground reputation shattered for good.
Approximately a quarter of a million Brits live in the UAE – having made, as Robert Graves might have said, a “bitter leave-taking of England” in pursuit of 0% tax and a luxury lifestyle. Though many of us still eking out a living in the managed-decline of the mother country might scoff and sneer at their naivety, it’s worth remembering that turning Dubai into an influencer paradise was a deliberate strategy on the part of the UAE government.
Though the discovery of oil in the 1960s put the UAE on the map, its rulers were anxious about what would happen when the black-gold under the desert sands ran out. “My grandfather rode a camel,” [Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum was fond of saying][3]. “[My] father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel.”
Without diversifying their economy – or projecting soft power into the west – it wouldn’t be long before the UAE became an arid backwater once more.
It started with aviation. Emirates and Etihad helped turn Dubai and Abu Dhabi into critical hotspots for international travel; then in the 1990s and early-2000s, the construction of the mega-tasteful Palm Jumeirah (artificial islands on the Persian Gulf, in the shape of a palm tree) and the priapic Burj Khalifa marked the Emiratis’ intention for Dubai to become a tourist destination in its own right.
Brexit, for the Sheikhs, was a chance to attract high net-worth individuals from the UK, for whom the EU had suddenly become a perilously tax-heavy environment.
With the rise of social media came a huge opportunity. They coaxed content creators to decamp to Dubai, dangling a ten-year renewable ‘[Golden Visa][4]’ and launching a government campaign called Creators HQ. Glossy influencers with gleaming teeth evangelised to their followers about Dubai’s clean streets, high living standards, and surprising (if highly contained) liberalism where westerners were concerned.
The benefits to the Emiratis were twofold. A softened image of Dubai, absent of slave labour and capital punishment, was beamed directly into the west thanks to TikTok. And, in the event of a Big Ol’ War, the Atlantic powers couldn’t just abandon the UAE – after all, it was host to hundreds of thousands of their citizens.
Alas, who could have accounted for Donald Trump, and Benjamin Netanyahu’s uncanny ability to bounce him into Israeli conflicts? After Israel and the US decided to abandon negotiation in favour of dropping bombs on Tehran, Iranian retaliation hit the Gulf states (due to their hosting of American military bases).
As well as transport hubs like Zayed International Airport and Jebel Ali Port, Iran apparently consulted TripAdvisor and plugged the coordinates of Dubai’s luxury hotels into its Shaheds. The chaos was captured, of course, on front-cam: Will Bailey, a DJ, filmed the Fairmont The Palm hotel going up in flames from his set at a Dubai beach club.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the US-Israeli war with Iran has done little to boost property prices in a city perched on the edge of the Persian Gulf. Dubai’s real estate market has seen [nearly 20% wiped off its value][5], with little sign of a rally coming soon.
Though Nepali and Bangladeshi migrant workers might have been able to tell us a thing or two about the UAE’s regard for uninhibited mobility, westerners were left scrambling for an escape after the Emiratis shut down their airspace. Investor confidence has been shaken. And influencers – accustomed to being able to post and stream as they please – have found themselves subject to an authoritarian crackdown on sharing images of the war.
This week, a British man in his 60s [was charged under cybercrime laws][6] after allegedly filming Iranian airstrikes. Twenty-one people have been charged with similar offences, as the UAE enforces a law that prohibits “publishing or sharing material that could disturb public security”. The same phone cameras that projected Emirati soft power now risk undermining – perhaps fatally – the UAE’s carefully curated image as a luxurious, hospitable and safe playground for westerners.
[1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgmlk8dlekgo
[2]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyzj3g3pygo
[3]: https://www.gluckman.com/DubaiBiz.html
[4]: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/06/travel/dubai-influencer-lifestyle-iran-strikes
[5]: https://www.turkiyetoday.com/business/iran-attacks-shake-dubais-high-profile-real-estate-as-losses-near-20-3215919?s=1
[6]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c743g4yn4k8o
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/13/iran-has-shattered-the-emirates-carefully-curated-image/

2026-03-12 20:56:46 GMT

Israel Claims It Hit Iran ‘Nuclear Site’
The Israeli air force has claimed to have hit what they say is an Iranian nuclear facility.
Plus: Starmer takes the blame for appointing Peter Mandelson, Channel 4 airs Omid Djalili’s bizarre take on the war on Iran, and David Lammy seems to think he’s safe from the Green Party.
With NoJusticeMTG & Dalia Gebrial.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/12/israel-claims-it-hit-iran-nuclear-site/

2026-03-12 14:37:10 GMT

Israeli ‘Double-Tap’ Strike on Beirut Beachfront Hits Tents of Displaced
An Israeli ‘double-tap’ strike on a Beirut beach where displaced people had pitched tents for shelter killed eight people and wounded 31 yesterday.
Al-Jazeera reported that the attack on the Ramlet al-Baida beach was beyond any zone in which Israel had issued evacuation orders. The bombs were likely intended as assassination strikes, according to their reporter Heidi Pett.
“This area is home to many displaced people who don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said.
A ‘double-tap’ is a controversial tactic in which an initial attack is followed after a short interval by a second strike on the same target, potentially killing any rescue workers or journalists who arrive at the scene.
“Witnesses in Ramlet al-Baida say they were sleeping in their tents when the roar of the jets woke them,” said Pett. “Then there was an impact and they popped their heads out of their tents in time to see the second one.”
The latest attacks came after Lebanese health officials said the number of people killed by Israeli attacks since 28 February has reached 634.
*Sophia Sheera is a journalist in Novara Media’s social media team.*
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/12/israeli-double-tap-strike-on-beirut-beachfront-hits-tents-of-displaced/

2026-03-12 13:00:10 GMT

Meet the AI Rapper Working for the Far-Right
A[ self-shot phone video ][1]shows an Asian man standing in a crowd saying “We are here” to the camera. Cut to a chiseled skinhead. He snorts in derision and replies, “Not for long”, before covering his face in a union jack bandana.
The social media video then cuts to a clip of the skinhead marching in military-style formation with dozens of others, all wearing black fatigues. Next, he slams a man to the ground. Then, we see the shaven headed man speeding a van labelled “deportation unit” through London. Finally, a queue for a deportation flight out of the country.
The skinhead is Danny Bones, a new musician who raps about immigration, national identity and a broken Britain, while taking vigilante action against migrants and rioting against the police – part pop star, part action hero.
The video to [his most popular song This Is England][2] looks gritty, drawing on images of a country in decline. Rubbish-strewn back streets, boarded-up shops, cars gutted by arson, graffiti and crap weather. “This is England” he sings plaintively in the song’s chorus, “don’t ask why”. Britain is “falling” and this is the grim reality.
But Bones is not real.
Look closely and all the telltale signs of AI slop are there. The video jerks in places. He looks human enough, but Bones’s mouth doesn’t quite track with the lyrics. The bleak aesthetic is hyper-real and yet feels strangely other worldly. It’s hard not to get the sense that you’re watching a scene cut from a video game.
Bones is an AI creation created by a shadowy agency linked to a far-right political party [backed by the world’s richest man][3]. An [investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism][4] has uncovered links between the operation behind the persona and Ben Habib’s party Advance UK. Experts believe this is the first time an AI character has been linked to a political party, and say Bones is a concerning sign of things to come.
### Far-right slop.
The fact that Bones doesn’t exist hasn’t stopped him gaining a level of success that many musicians could only dream of. He sounds fairly human and the production quality of his tracks is better than you might expect from AI.
His creators, the Node Project, call Bones “a British storyteller who writes how he sees it. Working-class, worn down and still swinging… Every word sounds like it comes from somewhere real, despite carrying the feeling that nothing really is.” His four tracks have garnered more than 375,000 Spotify and YouTube streams, but his music has reached a far larger audience via short-form video. His songs are cut into YouTube shorts, Instagram reels and TikToks that have been viewed nearly three million times.
[Danny Bones plays his guitar in an AI generated image. Image: The Node Project]Danny Bones plays his guitar in an AI generated image. Image: The Node Project
The lyrics to Bones’s songs touch on government authoritarianism, [crumbling public services][5], growing inequality and the general decline in material living standards. To a casual listener, This Is England could almost sound like an iconoclastic leftwing protest song. It plays on concerns that are widely held across the country. “Streets are boarded, the prices are soaring… The rich getting richer, the poor get extorted, they’ll paint you a picture all broke and distorted,” Bones spits.
However, look and listen carefully and the implicit message that foreigners are ultimately to blame becomes clear. The video for This Is England crescendoes as Bones leads a crowd of men carrying St George’s crosses with their fists in the air. “The streets are saying that it’s Britain that we’re mourning. Benefits are rampant, the borders are opening,” he sings. In his track Traitors Freestyle, Bones raps about opponents trying to “rid you of your heritage”. In another track, Shut Up, he rails: “Won’t buy the lies you’re selling with the goal of separation with more mass immigration, ain’t a thought of preservation.”
The nationalistic tone of the lyrics and imagery is no accident. Bones was created by a creative project that has been linked to the far-right party Advance UK.
Former Reform UK co-deputy leader Habib launched Advance UK last year. Habib [recently signalled][6] that he would like to join forces with Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party, potentially creating a force even further right than Reform. In August, Advance UK got backing from the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who said: “Advance UK will actually drive change. [Nigel] Farage is weak sauce who will do nothing.”
It’s unclear who is behind the Node Project. It told Novara Media that it is “a creative project built around fictional characters, music, visual storytelling and world-building”.
[An Advance UK campaign video][7] – previously the flagship video on the party’s website before it was taken down earlier this week – is made by the Node Project and soundtracked by an instrumental version of This Is England. (The Node Project told Novara Media the video used a “separate instrumental interpolation only, with no Bones lyrics, and it was not the same instrumental as any released Bones track”.)
The campaign video, released in January and viewed more than 250k times, is a selective run-through of the history of England, replete with Roman soldiers, Game of Thrones-style knights in plate armour and the Beatles walking Abbey Road, and ends with the slogan “a culture worth defending”.
More videos using Bones’ track This Is England and promoting Advance UK popped up last month. One, made by the Node Project, shows Habib [announcing Advance UK’s immigration policy][8]. The other is from Advance UK’s youth wing and states that [the English are “an ethnic group and nation native to England”][9] over images of an armoured knight bearing the St George’s flag and thatched medieval-style housing.
### Un-fucking-believable.
The AI character of Bones – remember he isn’t real – made a number of interventions in February’s Gorton and Denton by-election, which was bitterly contested between the Greens, Reform and Labour.
In one video, Bones calls the Green party publishing an Urdu version of a campaign video [“un-fucking-believeable”][10]. In another, he bemoans Green candidate Hannah Spencer’s victory because she “campaigned in Urdu [and] fucking Bengali, Palestinian and Pakistani flags everywhere, not a union jack in sight”.
The AI-generated rapper goes on to claim that [“Manchester’s anthem’s gonna be the call to fucking prayer before we know it”][11], while the cover of Oasis’s seminal 1994 album Definitely Maybe flashes across the screen. Disturbingly, in a reference to the [diverse ethnic makeup of the constituency][12], Bones adds: “You lot got fuck all in common except a postcode.”
In a third, Bones highlights claims of sectarianism from [Reform’s Gorton and Denton candidate Matt Goodwin][13], and blames Reform for attempting to distance itself from those further to the right, saying: [“Your party called us all extremists…][14] I guess you got what you wanted.”
Spencer told Novara Media that she finds how widespread AI content is becoming “really alarming”, and that political actors “hiding behind AI characters to promote their political messaging is both cowardly and undermines the integrity of our democracy”.
The newly-elected Green MP for Gorton and Denton said: “I am concerned by the use, in particular, of AI characters who are used to spread misinformation and hatred about particular groups in society.
“We need to be rebuilding trust in politics and politicians by delivering for people, not sowing division.”
[A post on social media from the Node Project featuring AI generated character Amelia.]A post on social media from the Node Project featuring AI generated character “Amelia”.
The Node Project makes political videos with another AI character, too – a purple-haired [“cute goth girl” called Amelia][15] who was co-opted by the online far-right from a Home Office-funded anti-radicalisation video game.
The Node Project has attempted to create an extended universe with the two characters. Amelia [appears in the music video ][16]for Bones’ track Shut Up, as the pair go on a rampage with assault rifles through an Orwellian Britain. Later, Amelia breaks Bones out of prison and the pair share a kiss. [In another video][17], as Amelia slams the Green party’s Bengali translation campaign video, a Bones poster is clearly visible on her bedroom wall.
The borders between this fantasy world and real-life politics are increasingly blurred. Nick Buckley, Advance UK’s candidate for Gorton and Denton, made a [tongue in cheek announcement][18] that he had been “endorsed” by AI-generated Amelia last month. During the campaign, Buckley faced a backlash over [a social media post][19] from May 2025 in which he said that “many British young women are whores but don’t realise they are”. The former Reform mayoral candidate added that British women “make poor wives and poor mothers” and “contribute to the idea that all women are easy and can be abused”. He called the endorsement from Amelia “high praise indeed”.
When questioned about Advance UK using the Node Project videos by the Bureau, Habib said: “We asked them to do it. I thought it went down very well. It got lots of likes and stuff.” He added “Some of it’s hard to recognise [as] CGI.”
Another senior figure at Advance UK said the Node Project was “a joy to work with” and that the party plans to commission more content from it.
### A sign of things to come.
The involvement of political AI-generated characters in a hotly-contested by-election could be a sign of things to come.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission told Novara Media that it expects “anyone using AI-generated campaign material to do so in a way that does not mislead voters, and to label it clearly so that voters know how it has been created”.
It also encouraged voters “to think critically about the material they see” and highlighted the need for all platforms that allow election content to create comprehensive social media ad libraries so users can see “detailed and accurate information such as the targeting, actual reach and amount spent”.
Matteo Bergamini, founder of political and media literacy non-profit Shout Out UK, said the use of AI characters by political parties is a growing trend, and it’s “safe to assume these tactics will continue to grow in regularity as we get closer to the next general election”.
The Node Project’s verified X account – complete with a cover photo of Bones leading a march of young white men with their fists raised – regularly posts and [reposts ethnonationalist][20] and [Islamophobic content][21], interspersed with some [Christian nationalism][22].
It also interacts supportively with far-right figures including [Tommy Robinson][23], [Rupert Lowe][24] and [Habib][25], even [advocating for a merger ][26]between Habib’s Advance UK and Lowe’s Restore Britain.
AI characters Amelia and Danny Bones.
When contacted by the Bureau about Bones, TikTok banned the account for breaching its rules on hateful content; Instagram took down some content but did not ban the account; YouTube added transparency labels to let viewers know they are watching AI; and Spotify said the tracks went through human review and were not breaking its rules.
The Node Project told the Bureau that it is run by “a small group of creatives” and isn’t “tied to any label, movement or organisation”. It said Advance UK reached out towards the end of 2025 and commissioned the “British culture” video that previously sat on its homepage.
The Node Project said “that video was something we chose to do creatively rather than as part of any formal arrangement” and “some other video pieces produced later were commissioned creative work and paid through existing creative businesses connected to the people involved in producing them”. The Node Project said it “isn’t affiliated with Advance UK and we don’t work for the party beyond those freelance commissions”.
The Node Project didn’t address the operation’s content targeting the Gorton and Denton by-election, but denied the characterisation of the project or its content as Islamophobic.
Advance UK has been contacted for comment.
[1]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2027700538989486481/video/1
[2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__QWMRCaPOA&list=RD__QWMRCaPOA&start_radio=1
[3]: https://www.foxnews.com/world/elon-musk-wades-back-uk-politics-backs-leader-new-right-wing-party-mocks-rival
[4]: https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026-03-12/danny-bones-meet-the-ai-rapper-funded-by-a-far-right-party
[5]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2031438168453464133?s=20
[6]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-SjlHDDVbo
[7]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fETi3LxWk78
[8]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2021647771351371991?s=20
[9]: https://x.com/AdvanceUKF/status/2025547097341067496?s=20
[10]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2026016849532457405?s=20
[11]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2027441553942131109
[12]: https://swingometer.substack.com/p/the-gorton-and-denton-by-election
[13]: https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/03/matt-goodwin-published-a-campaign-leaflet-appealing-to-voters-christian-heritage-hows-that-for-sectarianism/
[14]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2027769126773465227?s=20
[15]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/25/ai-generated-british-schoolgirl-becomes-far-right-social-media-meme
[16]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kX1t_fn0No&list=RD4kX1t_fn0No&start_radio=1
[17]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2026374658333835517?s=20
[18]: https://x.com/NickBuckleyMBE/status/2024506747050750061?s=20
[19]: https://searchlightmagazine.com/2026/02/advance-uks-election-campaign-hit-by-backlash-over-candidates-sexist-posts/
[20]: https://x.com/TradEngland/status/2030287935065534555?s=20
[21]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2027700538989486481?s=20
[22]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2029990200190136524?s=20
[23]: https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2025516324680532177?s=20
[24]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2027010669195690390?s=20
[25]: https://x.com/benhabib6/status/2024836151366787357?s=20
[26]: https://x.com/thenodeproject/status/2023496281466053000?s=20
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/12/meet-the-ai-rapper-working-for-the-far-right/

2026-03-12 12:45:43 GMT

High Court Rules in Favour of Owen Jones in BBC Gaza Libel Case
A High Court judge has ruled in favour of Guardian columnist Owen Jones in a libel case brought against him by a BBC editor.
Raffi Berg, the BBC’s Middle East editor, took legal action in November last year over a report by Jones which laid the blame for the BBC’s biased coverage of the Gaza genocide largely at Berg’s door.
The high court has now ruled that the article’s argument was acceptable because it expressed an opinion based on a quoted body of material.
“I am delighted that the high court has ruled in my favour on the key issues in the libel case brought by Raffi Berg,” said Jones.
“I stand by my journalism and, if Mr Berg decides to continue the libel claim, I look forward to defending my article in court.”
In his article for Drop Site News, Jones accused Berg of sanitising coverage of Israel’s genocidal violence in Gaza.
“The implication is that my client goes around making decisions that actively favour Israel,” Berg’s barrister told the court at a hearing on Friday. “He is a bent journalist, that’s what the article is saying.”
Berg instructed Mark Lewis of Patron Law, previously a director of UK Lawyers for Israel, as his solicitor.
The case is one of the first in the UK where a journalist from a major national news outlet has sued another. The last notable case was in 2019, when the BBC’s John Ware sued Paddy French, an independent journalist and former current affairs producer at ITV, for describing his Panorama documentary on Labour antisemitism as a “rogue piece of journalism”. A judge awarded Ware £90,000 in damages.
*Sophia Sheera is a journalist in Novara Media’s social media team.*
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/12/high-court-rules-in-favour-of-owen-jones-in-bbc-gaza-libel-case/

2026-03-12 12:45:38 GMT

Starmer Has Dragged Labour ‘Into the Gutter’ Says John McDonnell
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell has accused Keir Starmer of dragging the Labour party “into the gutter” in the wake of yesterday’s release of the Mandelson files.
A tranche of documents disclosing the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador has revealed that the prime minister was warned of Mandelson’s “reputational risks” in 2024, before he chose the twice-fired Labour veteran to be sent to Washington.
Responding to the 147-page dossier, McDonnell called for an independent inquiry into Labour Together, the think tank founded by Morgan McSweeney which advised Starmer’s leadership campaign.
Labour Together is under scrutiny for failing to declare £730,000 in donations and paying private investigators to spy on journalists investigating its funding.
On X, McDonnell said Starmer had allowed Labour “to be dragged into the gutter by Mandelson, McSweeney, Simons & Labour Together”.
Mandelson’s close ties to Epstein were revealed when the US government released the Epstein files in January, ultimately prompting the resignation of McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff.
The latest release of files confirms that Starmer had access to a 2019 report from JPMorgan stating that Epstein had maintained a “particularly close friendship” with both Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The files reveal that Jonathan Powell, Keir Starmer’s national security advisor, thought Mandelson’s appointment was “weirdly rushed”.
Documents also show that Mandelson asked for a £500,000 severance payment after he was sacked in September over his “close relationship” with Epstein. The government eventually paid him £40,330.
Mandelson is currently under police investigation over allegations that he shared sensitive market information with Epstein while in office. He previously apologised for his friendship with Epstein and “to the women and girls that suffered.”
The government intends to release the rest of the Mandelson files in one further batch.
*Sophia Sheera is a journalist in Novara Media’s social media team.*
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/12/starmer-has-dragged-labour-into-the-gutter-says-john-mcdonnell/

2026-03-12 12:45:33 GMT

‘It’s Ballsy of Them’: How Emboldened Far-Right Activists Are Attacking Antifascist Strongholds in Bristol
[Bristol Patriots gather at the Cenotaph in Bristol, to protest against immigration on 5 October 2025. Photo: JMF News/Alamy Live News]
When Red discovered that far-right activists were round the corner targeting her local pub, she felt sick. “I felt like I had to go and confront them,” she told Novara Media. “It felt like life or death.”
Around 30 masked activists known as the Bristol Patriots had surrounded the Red Lion in Easton, Bristol, as it hosted an antifascist fundraising gig. A photo seen by Novara Media shows balaclava-clad men outside the pub carrying a St George’s flag. One was wearing what appeared to be a stab vest with union jack patches while another two were wearing tactical gloves with hardened knuckles.
“For over an hour, the group surrounded the pub, blocked access points, used amplified sound equipment, chanted slogans, and directed abuse toward people entering and leaving the premises,” according to [a statement][1] put out by the Red Lion on Facebook. “Passing members of the public, including families and local residents, were subjected to shouted threats and intimidation.”
Red, who spoke to Novara Media using a pseudonym, said: “I spoke to one of them [the Bristol Patriots] and said, ‘Why have you come to our community to cause violence?’ They saw my keffiyeh and they called me a terrorist … It was really bizarre.”
According to [a statement][2] put out by Bristol Antifascists, the far-right activists tried to enter the pub, but “due to the quick thinking of people there, they were shut out”. Thanks to a “great community response”, they eventually became outnumbered and were “forced out of the area by police for their own protection,” Bristol Antifascists said.
[Mask-wearing Bristol Patriots outside the Red Lion in Eastonm, Bristol on Sunday 15 February. Photo: Supplied]Mask-wearing Bristol Patriots outside the Red Lion in Easton, Bristol, on Sunday 15 February. Photo: Supplied
The incident, which took place in mid-February, shocked those who live in Bristol, a city widely viewed as an antifascist haven. What was even more unusual was that it took place in Easton.
“Easton is a proudly leftwing part of Bristol,” local resident Malachi Walusimbi-Kakembo told Novara Media. “To come into Easton is bold.”
Another local anti-racist, who chose not to give their name, agreed. “Easton has got such an active antifascist, anti racist scene. “It was really unusual for [the far right] to try something at one of those pubs in Easton. … It’s ballsy of them.”
Bristol Antifascists warned that the attack was “an escalation” from the Bristol Patriots, and should be a “wake up call for all of us” about how the far-right is becoming more and more emboldened.
“We invest in our community and take care of one another, and we’re not succumbing to the fascist rhetoric that’s becoming so popular globally,” said Red. “So it was devastating to see that nowhere is safe.”
### Playing the victim.
Bristol, a port city, played a major role in the transatlantic slave trade, but its recent history is one of antiracism and a vibrant leftwing counterculture. Its residents achieved global acclaim during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 when they [toppled a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston][3]. At the 2024 general election, Bristol Central was one of four constituencies across the country to elect a Green MP – Carla Denyer.
Despite this, Bristol has been far from immune from the wave of far-right protests sweeping the country in recent months. Hotels in the city housing asylum seekers were the target of anti-migrant demonstrations last year, including one led by Ukip leader Nick Tenconi [who branded Bristol][4] a “communist run hell hole”.
While anti-migrant protests have died down for now, far-right groups appear to be keeping themselves busy by harassing the left.
Just a week after the attack on the Red Lion in Easton, activists from [Zionist group Our Fight][5] prevented pro-Palestine activists from holding a doorknocking session in Bishopston, to the north of the city, to encourage people to boycott Israeli products.
An organiser for Bristol Apartheid Free Zone, who chose not to be named, told Novara Media: “They [the Zionist activists] surrounded us and started harassing people and shouting. They had placards accusing us of being a Jew hunt, and various other very unpleasant and like slanderous things about the campaign.
“We had three times as many people, but the whole point of our campaign is we’re about having calm conversations with people on the doorstep. If you’ve got people following you around, screaming slurs and playing incredibly obnoxious AI music [through a PA system] or filming people, we can’t really doorknock in that situation.”
Some pro-Palestine campaigners were approached by Zionist activists and spoken to “by name … in a very intimidating way,” the organiser said. “They [the Zionist activists] have infiltrated some of the public facing WhatsApp groups.”
The organiser said that members of the local far-right were also in attendance on the day, “being brought along for the ride… to intimidate lefties and throw their weight around.”
A post on the Bristol Patriots Facebook page showed support for Our Fight and called the doorknocking “an intimidating practice that targets and harasses our Jewish community” and anyone who has their door knocked to “report to police straight away”.
Our Fight has been approached for comment.
The far right also played the victim in the Easton incident. Despite turning up in balaclavas and surrounding the pub, the Bristol Patriots claimed in a statement that its members had been “approached aggressively from behind” by antifascists, that a female member of the group was punched and that a disabled man was “targeted”.
“The Bristol Patriot’s statement was absolute nonsense,” said Red. “They came into our neighborhood as outsiders, all ballied up, screaming and shouting and threatening us like attacking us, and they are claiming that they are the victims. It’s surreal.”
The Red Lion said in a statement that the Bristol Patriots “portrayal of themselves as disciplined victims does not match what is visible on CCTV or described consistently by witnesses”.
Keith Hewett, the owner of the Red Lion in Easton, told Novara Media that the barman who was present on the day was left shaken by the far right. “He’s no wallflower, but the hatred that they were showing him really upset him and made him not want to come in anymore,” he said.
The furore has only intensified since February, said Hewett. “We’ve had threats. We had what can only be described as a scout from the far-right in the pub. I’ve been forwarded stuff on social media from rightwing networks inferring that the Lion is some kind of Antifa HQ.”
Hewett sees the pub’s antifascist ethos as nothing out of the ordinary, however. “It’s just a community pub. Most people are antifascist, especially around here,” he said. “You don’t even have to be leftwing to be antifascist.”
### ‘We’re proud of who we are.’
The Bristol Patriots website contains little information about who is behind the group. Calling itself “a grassroots movement of concerned citizens”, its code of conduct prohibits “any form of violence, intimidation, or threatening behaviour” and bans face masks or coverings, saying “we are proud of who we are”. The only upcoming event listed on the website, meanwhile, is an upcoming rally organised by ex-English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
On Saturday, the Bristol Patriots held their own march – a so-called ‘March for Unity’. The group promoted the march by calling for members of all major religions other than Muslims to take a stand against the “growing challenge from Islamist extremism”. An online poster for the event, presumably AI generated, depicted a crusader in full plate armour next to a man holding an Israeli flag and a turban-wearing Sikh.
Among those in attendance was Ryan Ferguson, a far-right activist [who recently visited][6] the former spokesperson for neo-Nazi terror group National Action, Jack Renshaw, in prison. Ferguson was [captured on video shouting][7] “Heil Hitler” at the rally. Also present was 17-year-old “Young Bob”, a prominent far-right YouTuber who often appears on Rupert Murdoch’s Talk TV. He posted a video in which he gloated as anti-racists were arrested by police, then another of himself getting punched, which went viral.
In a sign that a small group of hardened activists were emboldened by their action at the Red Lion in February, Walusimbi-Kakembo told Novara Media that attendees of Saturday’s rally, who this time chose not to wear face masks, taunted people about the incident.
“They were shouting at us, ‘Remember down the Red Lion. Are you still scared?’ Making a joke of it,” he said. “They seemed to be very excited about their record, coming down to the Red Lion and scaring a few people.”
“It’s a surprise to realise that it is the same group of enthusiasts running around from place to place, trying to cause as much disruption as possible.”
“It’s sad that people are coming out here and literally fighting each other. It’s a shame. Neither side should really end up in glee about the fact that we’re working class people throwing stuff at one another.”
In the end, the “March for Unity” was an embarrassment for the Bristol Patriots. Around 40 activists spent much of the day surrounded by police in order to be kept apart from around 200 antifascists, and the scale of the anti-fascist counter-demo meant police did not allow the Bristol Patriots to stick to their original route.
The group made a statement issuing an “apology regarding some of the other groups who were invited to the march by certain individuals within our community … many of the views displayed on Saturday do not align with our movement.”
“It is time for us to reset,” it said.
After a difficult few weeks, Red found the day comforting.
“A greasy handful of fascist and far-right agitators came to our beloved city and were sent packing”, she said. “It felt like a victory that they were so outnumbered.”
[1]: https://www.facebook.com/TheLionBS5/posts/joint-community-statement-regarding-the-events-of-sunday-15-february-and-subsequ/1550078347126582/
[2]: https://network23.org/bristolantifascists/2026/02/17/on-the-attempted-far-right-attack-on-an-east-bristol-pub/
[3]: https://www.vice.com/en/article/black-lives-matter-protesters-topple-edward-colston-slave-trader-statue/
[4]: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/ukip-leader-nick-tenconi-brands-10646951
[5]: https://www.vashtimedia.com/inside-stop-the-hate-the-pro-israel-street-movements-convergence-with-the-far-right/
[6]: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/far-right-agitator-visits-convicted-33208056
[7]: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/moment-neo-nazi-shouts-heil-10854723
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/12/its-ballsy-of-them-how-emboldened-far-right-activists-are-attacking-antifascist-strongholds-in-bristol/

2026-03-11 21:47:00 GMT

Trump Is DESPERATE to End Iran War, Three Ships Hit in Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, for the most part, as war in the Middle East continues to rattle global energy markets.
Plus: Why the Iranian diaspora isn’t as homogeneous in its political views as we’ve been led to believe, and the first of the Mandelson Files are published.
With Aaron Bastani, Kieran Andrieu & Muhammad Ali Mojaradi.
[https://www.sharghzadeh.com/][1]
[1]: https://www.sharghzadeh.com/
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/11/trump-is-desperate-to-end-iran-war-three-ships-hit-in-strait-of-hormuz/

2026-03-11 17:55:03 GMT

Labour Government Bans Pro-Palestine Al-Quds March
The home secretary has approved a request by London’s Metropolitan police to ban the al-Quds march, an annual pro-Palestine event that coincides with the end of Ramadan.
Shabana Mahmood argued the ban was necessary to prevent “serious public disorder” in the context of the US and Israel’s illegal war on Iran, which the UK is involved in.
“I have approved the Metropolitan police’s request to ban the Al Quds march,” Mahmood wrote on X. “I am satisfied [that] doing so is necessary to prevent serious public disorder, due to the scale of the protest and multiple counter-protests, in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”
She added: “I expect to see the full force of the law applied to anyone spreading hatred and division instead of exercising their right to peaceful protest.”
Since the Labour government came to power in 2024, Britain has seen multiple anti-migrant demonstrations by far-right and neo-Nazi organisations, which in many cases have led to violence. Labour did not ban any of them.
The Met asked the government for permission to ban the al-Quds march, saying it was concerned about a high number of protesters and counter protesters, and accusing organisers of being “supportive of the Iranian regime”.
The last time a march was banned in the UK was in 2012, when several rallies by the far-right English Defence League were cancelled by police over fears of serious public disorder.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/11/labour-government-bans-pro-palestine-al-quds-march/

2026-03-11 17:54:58 GMT

One of UK’s Largest Unions Slashes Labour Party Funding
One of the UK’s largest unions, Unite the Union, has voted to slash the affiliation fee it pays to Labour by £580,000, or 40% of its contribution to the party.
The decision follows widespread anger among members at the government’s handling of the Birmingham bin strike.
“Unite has made it clear that the actions of Labour against the Birmingham bin workers will not continue to be tolerated,” the union said in a statement.
“Labour’s incompetent behaviour in Birmingham has come on the back of a failed economic strategy that has left our industrial base fighting for its life,” it added.
The union will now formally consult with members about whether they want to remain in the Labour party, it added.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite members are coming to the end of the line as far Labour is concerned. Workers are scratching their heads asking whose side are Labour on, who do they really represent, because it certainly isn’t workers.”
She added: “Workers and communities are paying the price. Labour needs to wake up and smell the coffee. The cut in affiliation fee shows the anger of Unite members. Stop taking workers for granted, spine up, do your job and be real Labour.”
Recent analysis of political donations found that the Labour party now takes more money from corporations than from unions for the first time in its history.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/11/one-of-uks-largest-unions-slashes-labour-party-funding/

2026-03-11 13:19:15 GMT

Spain Removes Ambassador to Israel

Spain has removed its ambassador to Israel and said that its embassy in Tel Aviv will now be led by a lower-ranked charge d’affaires, according to the official state gazette and Reuters.
The announcement follows prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s refusal to allow the US to use Spain’s military bases for the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran.
Ambassador Ana Salomon had a “turbulent mission” in Tel Aviv, the Diplomat In Spain website reported, with tensions rising after the start of the genocide in Gaza in 2023.
Among European countries, Spain’s socialist-led government has been an outlier in opposing Israel’s aggression against Gaza and Iran.
In October last year, the Spanish parliament formally approved an arms embargo against Israel.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/11/spain-removes-ambassador-to-israel/

2026-03-11 12:05:49 GMT

Brian Eno Tells British Museum to ‘Stop Supporting’ Israel’s Genocide
More than 200 cultural figures, including musician Brian Eno, have signed an open letter to the British Museum urging it to “stop erasing Palestine and supporting genocide”.
The letter, also signed by actor Juliet Stevenson, [criticises the museum][1] for allegedly removing the word Palestine from certain displays at the request of the legal pressure group UK Lawyers for Israel.
It also criticised the institution for hosting a party for the Israeli embassy last year and for being sponsored by oil giant BP, which it says is “directly profiting” from the oppression of Palestinians.
Museum director Nick Cullinan has denied that the institution is removing the word Palestine from its displays. “We amended two panels in our ancient Levant gallery last year during a regular gallery refresh, when some wording was amended to reflect historical terms,” he said.
A British Museum spokesperson added: “It has been reported that the British Museum has removed the term Palestine from displays. It is simply not true. We continue to use Palestine across a series of galleries, both contemporary and historic.”
The open letter, organised by campaign group Culture Unstained, rejected this explanation, and described the decision to amend the two panels as “act of historical revision and potential erasure” that “sits troublingly alongside the museum’s complicity in Israel’s genocide”.
It adds: “UK Lawyers for Israel has clearly used the museum’s recent relabelling of two exhibits from historic Palestine to launch a cynical campaign aimed at promoting a broader erasure of Palestine as a term, a place, a people and a historical reality.
“So far, the museum has merely issued a three-sentence statement and provided inconsistent explanations to the press.”
It added: “Genocide extends to the cultural and historical erasure of a people, which places enormous responsibility on cultural and heritage institutions such as the British Museum.”
The signatories also demanded that the museum express clear support for the Palestinian people and recognise the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry’s conclusion that Israel has committed war crimes and genocide in Gaza.
[1]: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclF4QOuYyiLUOxosYSiwaODcgmUTBn0AB2yzhg5ILV4D90CA/viewform
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/11/brian-eno-tells-british-museum-to-stop-supporting-israels-genocide/

2026-03-11 11:58:27 GMT

Kneecap to Join Cuba Aid Convoy As Trump Tries to ‘Strangle’ Island
Irish rap trio Kneecap will join an international aid convoy to Cuba next week, as the island nation faces an escalating humanitarian crisis caused by a brutal US blockade.
The artists, who made global headlines last year for a Coachella performance at which they displayed the message “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine,” will join activists who took part in the Gaza aid flotilla.
This month’s Nuestra America Convoy was originally conceived as a flotilla, but was expanded so that aid will also travel by air and land after organisers said they were “inundated with requests to support this critical mission”.
“The Nuestra America Convoy will challenge Trump’s imperial aggression,” Kneecap wrote on Instagram. “The Trump administration is strangling the island, cutting off fuel, flights, and critical supplies for survival.”
The Cuban capital, Havana, is in the grip of an “acute sanitation crisis” because waste trucks are unable to operate without fuel, they added, while the risk of mosquito-borne diseases is increasing as fumigation trucks stand idle.
Donald Trump has significantly escalated the decades-long US blockade by threatening to impose tariffs on any country that sells fuel to Cuba, leading to widespread blackouts and disruption to the delivery of food and the production and distribution of medicine.
“This is the barbarity of the blockade, first conceived to ‘bring about hunger and desperation’ by the US state department in 1960,” Kneecap wrote, quoting from a [government memorandum][1] discussing the plot to bring down then-leader Fidel Castro.
Despite the US blockade, Cuba has built one of the most successful healthcare systems in the world, and regularly sends its doctors to other countries to treat people for free. It has also helped more than 10 million people from over 30 countries learn to read through its literacy programme.
“It’s time to break the siege,” Kneecap’s statement said, “and stand up for Cuba, as they have stood up for us.”
[1]: https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v06/d499
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/11/kneecap-to-join-cuba-aid-convoy-as-trump-tries-to-strangle-island/

2026-03-10 20:33:57 GMT

Trump Administration in Chaos Over Iran War Plans
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Donald Trump has no real plan for the war on Iran. We speak to Middle East expert Vali Nasr on how Iran’s response has surprised the world.
Plus: Reform UK can’t get its story straight, and Israel’s propaganda machine has been unusually quiet.
With Aaron Bastani & Kieran Andrieu.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/10/trump-administration-in-chaos-over-iran-war-plans/

2026-03-10 14:07:17 GMT

Zack Polanski Has ‘Held Informal Talks’ With As Many As 10 Labour MPs
Several Labour MPs have been in regular contact with Zack Polanski, reportedly leading to questions from government whips about whether they would defect to the Green party.
One Labour MP questioned about a possible defection was also “collared” by a cabinet minister who accused them of being in contact with Polanski, according to a report in the Times.
The MP said they were not planning to defect but that Labour’s humiliating defeat in the Gorton and Denton byelection showed Keir Starmer’s party had lost its “core vote”.
“There’s certainly some people who think that actually the Green party do represent their views better than the current leadership of the Labour party,” the MP said.
“What’s interesting about the byelection is we’ve vacated the centre-left ground and that’s been filled by Zack Polanski and the Greens. My feeling is that what we need to do is go back to that ground – that’s where our core vote is, and we need to win back our core vote.”
The MPs regularly speak with Polanski about news and policy, as well as amendments to legislation passing through parliament, the Times said.
A senior Labour source said the government was not concerned about potential defections to the Greens.
Polanski has said before that he has spoken to Labour MPs who would prefer to be in his party but don’t feel it’s a good idea to defect.
“When I talk to them, they say to me they know they’d be happier in the Green party, but for them it’s not an emotional decision right now, it’s a strategic decision. And the strategic decision is that they have more power to influence things from within the Labour party.”
A Green party source said: “We are fully focused on winning as many seats as we can in the May elections. If more Labour MPs can now see the Greens as the party which most represent their values, and are best placed to beat Reform, then of course we can have discussions with them. But we have made it clear that we do not consider Starmer’s Labour a progressive party.”
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/10/zack-polanski-has-held-informal-talks-with-as-many-as-10-labour-mps/

2026-03-10 12:44:37 GMT

The Tunnel
Kojo returns to the tunnel at Westminster tube station. Above ground, property prices are soaring and thousands of homes sit empty, all while homelessness worsens. Hearing from charities on the frontline and campaigners fighting a hidden system, he understands that Gyula’s death is not an anomaly, but a warning.
The final episode asks what it would take to build a city that values human life over hidden wealth – and what happens if we don’t.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/10/the-tunnel/

2026-03-10 12:44:32 GMT

The City
Whenever there’s public uproar about offshore wealth – like the revelations in the Panama Papers – politicians are reluctant to take action. In episode three, Kojo discovers that the expansion of tax havens is no accident or oversight, but the result of decades of lobbying by powerful think tanks.
The City of London has become a facilitator of global wealth extraction, and offshore finance is now embedded in Britain’s political system. As Kojo finds out, the consequences are profound: rising inequality, hollowed-out cities, and a housing market increasingly detached from human need.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/10/the-city/

2026-03-10 12:44:26 GMT

The Island
To understand why Westminster is full of empty homes, Kojo has to look outside of Britain. Episode two follows the money to the Cayman Islands, one of the world’s most powerful tax havens and a British Overseas Territory.
Kojo finds out how offshore finance works, why secrecy is its greatest asset, and how Britain’s overseas empire quietly props up a global system designed to protect wealth from scrutiny. Drawing a line between shell companies in the Caribbean and spiralling property prices in London, he finds that housing has become a safety deposit box for global capital. So why don’t the politicians in Westminster do something about it?
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/10/the-island/

2026-03-10 12:44:21 GMT

The Station
In 2018, Gyula Remes died in the underpass at Westminster tube station, just steps from the Houses of Parliament and luxury developments worth millions. How could this happen in one of the richest cities on Earth?
Episode one introduces Gyula and the world he died in: a Westminster plagued by the twin crises of homelessness and empty homes. In a London borough where extreme wealth exists alongside extreme poverty, Kojo traces the circumstances of Gyula’s death and a troubling question emerges.
What begins as a local tragedy opens the door to a much larger system, which we open onto a strange land called ‘offshore’.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/03/10/the-station/