Sally Brooks

Overnight Israel bombed the beach front in Beirut where hundreds of people displaced from their homes were sleeping in makeshift shelters

US responsible for deadly strike on Iran girls’ school, Pentagon finds Preliminary findings suggest it was hit with an American Tomahawk missile in an attack that killed 175 people, mostly children

USA finally admits it did kill 175 people, mainly children, in girls’ school bit.ly/40Xslfd it used faulty and out of date targeting information.

The FT on how people in Iran - including those opposed to the government - are reacting to the US-Israeli bombing and how they feel about the would-be Shah who called for it.

I don’t think unconditional surrender is imminent.

If Republicans made it easy and free to obtain suitable ID, it would be one thing. As it is Republican voter suppression also includes widespread efforts to make it much harder, more time-consuming, and more expensive to obtain ID.

An article “More than one million foreign nationals are receiving benefits” (March 17, 2025) referred to the number of “foreign nationals” receiving benefits, and gave the rate of benefit claims for various nationalities. In fact, the particular DWP data on which the article was based recorded the nationality of claimants when registering for a National Insurance number, rather than the nationality at the time they were claiming benefits, so that some claimants might have since acquired UK citizenship, and would not be foreign nationals at the time they were claiming benefits. This correction has been published following an upheld ruling by the Independent Press Standards Organisation. Advertisement

Fully *one year later*, the Telegraph has been forced (by @ipso.co.uk) to admit that it was lying about foreign nationals claiming benefits.

The deaf blacksmith who married in 1576 – and the history of sign as a legal language The medieval church’s acknowledgement that signs were equivalent to a spoken language was transformative for deaf people.

"In 1198, Pope Innocent III issued a decree that deaf people should be able to get married by making their vows in sign language."

Lovely tale, & reminder these were NOT "Dark Ages", but time of innovation & care like any other: #Unlearn

#DisabilityStudies
theconversation.com/the-deaf-bla...

Your daily reminder that not a single epstein client has been arrested.

Sen. Murray: "I'm just sickened by this. To go into this war unprepared, to use outdated data, and to have this horrific thing happen where children were killed in a school sends a horrible message to those that are in a war with us and to our own constituents about what America's values are."

It's no longer OK for you to sit in the house of Lords because your dad did.
But if your mate put you there?
That's fine.
Neither of these really feel like democracy to me.

Hilariously, the Telegraph, having been caught lying about foreign nationals claiming benefits, is now complaining about @ipso.co.uk forcing it to correct - and citing other data which it has also got wrong!

archive.ph/YfAaT

Nuances of language do matter. They influence how people think over time, often subconsciously. Objectivity is hard, but professional editors can do better than this.

#journalism #objectivity #StopCorruption #Integrity #IntegrityInMedia #humanrights #TruthWarriors #resist #ruleoflaw #AntiFascist

Kremlin backs covert campaign to keep Viktor Orbán in power Vladimir Putin endorses plan drawn up by Russian consultancy that is under western sanctions

Russia enters Viktor Orban's election campaign, providing consultants who will flood social media with messages designed, ironically, to frame Orbán, a Russia puppet, as "the only candidate who can keep Hungary sovereign"
From @financialtimes.com
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

WIN: High Court throws out £8m lawsuit over tax avoidance investigation | Good Law Project We have successfully defended award-winning journalist Dan Neidle from an ‘oppressive’ claim which tried to silence him – but the law still needs reform

We've won the UK's first ever SLAPP suit - acting for @danneidle.bsky.social - and made some really important law protecting the right to call out barristers whose misconduct facilitates aggressive tax avoidance.

If there was only some way to harness Mandelson's chutzpah to power the grid we could avoid an energy crisis.

U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says

I guess all those people on X who claimed it was an Iranian missile and Bellingcat had lied about it being a Tomahawk are rushing to correct themselves - U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/u...

Playwright Alan Bennett: ‘I have a fear of books’ Now publishing his fourth collection of diaries, the 91-year-old legend of British letters talks about shyness, ‘feeling every minute’ of his age and the surprise of finding love

"When I sit down and write something, I feel I’ve got somewhere. I feel better after doing it. Also, Rupert says I’m intolerable if I’m not working so if I wasn’t writing it would drive him insane." - lovely interview with Alan Bennett by @emmavj.bsky.social:

Mandelson documents show he wanted £500,000 after being fired as US ambassador and wanted to return to the UK with 'dignity'

The United States gave Netanyahu billions of dollars to fund the genocide in Gaza.

Now, Netanyahu and Trump are teaming up for an unconscionable war with Iran.

The American people are sick and tired of funding atrocities to appease Israel’s genocidal apartheid regime.

I think the unspoken part here is that Mandelson had very clearly been at the heart of all kinds of things, for many years, and that at best nobody seems to have showed even the slightest curiosity about what his actual role was and why the fucker was everywhere with his fingers in multiple pies.

28mago 14.55 GMT Jones: Mandelson's request for £500,000 severance pay ‘inappropriate and unacceptable Back in the Commons, Jones addressed the severance pay requested by Mandelson - more than £500,000 - saying it was “inappropriate and unacceptable”. He said: 44 Peter Mandelson initially requested a sum that was substantially larger than the final payment, not just two or even three times, but more than six times the final amount. Despite the fact that he was withdrawn from Washington because he had lost the confidence of the prime minister, the government obviously found that to be inappropriate and unacceptable. The settlement that was agreed was to avoid even higher further costs involving a drawn-out legal claim at the employment tribunal.

The Epstein Class consider themselves above our 'little people laws' but will exploit them fully if they can squeeze some money out of it.

#PeterMandelson #Mandelson #EpsteinClass #UKPol #UKpolitics

OFFICIAL SENSITIVE Due diligence checklist Peter Mandelson HMA Washington Checks conducted on 4 December 2024. Checks should not be considered exhaustive. Key information Professional and Financial Relationships Public speaking and writing engagements: ● Frequent paid engagements, primarily to investment and banking sectors (Greenbrook, Santander, Rokos Capital Management, Citi Macro Investment Conference, Barclays, Citigroup, DP World, Barclays, etc.) ● Uses Wilbury Limited as a trading company for remuneration purposes ● To note - paid speaking engagements would have to cease if appointed HMA. Global Counsel, President ● Strategic advice consultancy founded by Mandelson, of which he remains "President and Chairman of International Advisory Board". He continues to have "significant control", although he resigned his directorship in May 2024. ● High profile clients include TikTok, Shell, Accenture, the Premier League, JP Morgan, Santander, BP, Sizewell C, and Shein. ○ Reputational risks could occur relating to any of these clients' dealings with the UK or USA government. Global Counsel did not declare any lobbying clients under the last quarter of the Sunak Administration, media reporting is noting the group's expansion since the election. ● A 20% share of the company was sold to the Messina Group in April 2024 valuing the company at £30mn. Jim Messina is a former Obama aide who also advised the Remain campaign, David Cameron and Theresa May. Messina Group clients include Uber, Google, AirBnb and Amazon Pharmacy. ● Global Counsel is currently under investigation by the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists for failing to disclose the Qatari Free Zones Authority as a client. ● To note - the retained role and interest in Global Counsel would have to cease if appointed HMA, while the live ORCL investigation is a reputational risk

Mandelson was appointed US ambassador despite there being a LIVE investigation into his firm Global Counsel by the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, for failing to disclose the Qatari Free Zones Authority as a client. Pre-empted the investigation.

"The Home Secretary is intending to ban the annual Al Quds Day march.. the organisers say its been a peaceful demonstration for the last 40yrs, so why ban it?"

Darren Jones: ".. so long as your legal & peaceful you can protest on anything you like in this country"

Clearly not

So much winning.

It was great to meet students from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes today as part of the NUS' national lobby day on student loans.

The Government must end the unfair freeze on repayment thresholds immediately and establish a fairer way forward on Graduate Finance Reform.

Badenoch said if she was prime minister HMS Dragon would have left a week ago. Presumably with its doors hanging off and with no weapons onboard.

Farage accused of U turn as he says UK should stay out of Iran war

Farage, leading, as usual, by watching which way the crowd is moving and running to the front.

🚨 WATCH: Labour MP Charlotte Nichols reveals she was raped as an MP as she opposes the jury trial reforms

"I waited 1,088 days to go to court. We've been told [by the Government] that if we have concerns about this Bill, it's because we've not been raped"

Can anyone explain to me what the Blue Labour justification for this is? Who out there will vote Labour because Mahmood prevented a Sudanese Chevening Scholar? And to be honest, why won’t the PM simply overrule her?

It's Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.

Thank you to all of the providers who put their safety and lives on the line to ensure we can get the care we need. You've helped me to build the life and family I have now, and there's no way to articulate the depth of my gratitude.