SOAS student ‘terror trial’ – final hearing approaches

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  • Post last modified:6 July 2026

Wednesday 8 July will be a key hearing in the case of 22-year-old pro-Palestine student activist Sarah Cotte. Like every day of the trial, supporters from the Defend the SOAS 2 campaign will protest outside the Old Bailey. They’ll draw attention to what they say is the application of a pernicious terrorism law that has not just been misapplied in this instance but which should be repealed in its entirety. They say that a victory in this case would reinforce the right of protesters to support the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, which has been under consistent attack in recent years. Cotte,…

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Significant successes for PAME trade union activists in critical battles in Greece

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  • Post last modified:7 July 2026

Two important battles that were underway in Greece’s trade union movement have been completed with significant successes for PAME (the All Workers Militant Front). This has sent a hopeful message in the effort to change the balance of forces against employer-led and government-controlled trade unionism. At the Labour Centre of Evia, in a region with a significant concentration of factories and workers, the workers and their trade unions reaffirmed their confidence in the forces of PAME, which in previous years had stood at the forefront of organising the struggle. Despite the offensive of the employers, their mechanisms and the forces of…

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Falconer’s empty words for Dr Abu Safiya draw backlash

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  • Post last modified:7 July 2026

Middle East minister Hamish Falconer’s platitudes for Gazan pediatrician Hussam Abu Safiya, a hospital director abducted in 2024, were rebuked for their hypocrisy. On 5 May, Falconer took to X to say: I am aware of the concerning reports about the treatment of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya who is still in Israeli detention. We have raised his case again today with the Israeli authorities. Britain’s commitment to the rule of law and a fair trial is resolute. Falconer’s empty talk Nothing says ‘resolute commitment to the rule of law’ quite like arming the very regime (Israel) that flouts it, does it, Hamish?…

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Defence secretary confident Burnham will resource the military

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  • Post last modified:6 July 2026

Dan Jarvis, the new defence secretary, has told the Guardian he doesn’t have “a shred of doubt” that incoming prime minister, Andy Burnham, will ensure the military gets the resources it needs. Jarvis, whose donors include Labour Together millionaires and recruitment firms PSD and Odgers Berndtson (who are linked to private healthcare), says he is confident the PM-in-waiting “values national security”. He said: What I absolutely will want to see is that in the next spending review we commit the resources to evidence the trajectory to 3.5% [of GDP]. I’ve known Andy for a very long time, and I have not…

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Israel’s approval of new illegal settlements will further isolate East Jerusalem and deepen its unlawful occupation

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  • Post last modified:7 July 2026

Israel’s approval of plans to establish 13 new illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is yet another example of the abhorrent and utter disregard of the international rules-based order by Israel. This forms another troubling development in the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground in the Occupied Palestinian Territories which calls for urgent and substantive measures by all states. The approved ‘Binyamin’ plan is yet another attempt to further fragment Palestinian territory and isolate East Jerusalem from its surrounding Palestinian communities. It is situated along Route 60, the central north-south artery running through the West Bank that links Palestinian cities,…

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Dog lockdown only way dogs can beat the heat, says RSPCA

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  • Post last modified:7 July 2026

The RSPCA is calling on dog owners to implement an urgent routine change, with more extreme hot weather forecast across England and Wales. The charity is urging dog owners to prepare for another spell of high temperatures. It says that even without the extreme 35°C highs seen in June, upcoming conditions could still be hazardous for pets. ‘Dog lockdown’ Pet experts are recommending a ‘dog lockdown’ for the hottest coming days. They’re highlighting that temperatures in the high 20s still pose a serious threat to pets and owners should treat the conditions with caution. The call comes as the Met Office…

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Communist Party USA says Democrat candidates aren’t members

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  • Post last modified:7 July 2026

The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) has condemned president Trump’s red‑baiting tirades against the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) primary victories in New York, the District of Columbia and Colorado. It called them a dangerous escalation of anti‑communist hysteria. Co-chair Rossana Cambron said: MAGA is going to lose the midterms and Trump’s getting desperate. Trump told the recent Faith & Freedom Coalition that communism is the “greatest threat” facing the United States in its 250-year history. He said: They’re animals! These ruthless Communists will attack all religions but, in particular, Christianity. The party’s co-chair, Joe Sims, responded: “Our enemy is not God,…

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Another seven Just Stop Oil supporters acquitted after Waterloo Bridge slow march

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  • Post last modified:3 July 2026

Seven Just Stop Oil supporters were found not guilty at Southwark Crown Court on 3 June, two and a half years after slow marching on Waterloo Bridge to demand an end to new oil and gas licensing. On 8 November 2023, Rev Sue Parfitt, Mollie Somerville, Catherine Nisbet, Greta Dargie, Hannah Schafer, Sally Davidson and Sam Mead were among approximately 50 supporters who joined a slow march around the IMAX roundabout before heading north over Waterloo Bridge. They were arrested and charged with Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, interference with key national infrastructure. This offence was used for…

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Croydon homelessness service closure faces High Court challenge

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  • Post last modified:4 July 2026

On 7 July 2026, the High Court will hear an application for permission to bring a judicial review of Croydon council’s decision to close its walk-in homelessness service, Access Croydon, in March 2025. The claim is brought by a vulnerable individual who wishes to remain anonymous, represented by the Public Interest Law Centre. Since the closure of Access Croydon, local residents can only access homelessness information, advice or assistance via a system based on pre-booked appointments and an online self-service tool. The Claimant is an individual who faced eviction. However, because of a learning disability, they were unable to access LB…

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Starmer is cutting jobs in a fawning gesture to Trump’s call for increase in defence spending

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  • Post last modified:4 July 2026

The UK’s ambassador to the USA, Christian Turner, penned an opinion piece this week by declaring that Trump is “correct” that allies must spend more and that Britain has “heard that message” and is “acting on it,” referring to Starmer’s new Defence Investment Plan (DIP). Starmer announced £298bn of investment, including £15bn of additional spending on top of last year’s Spending Review, over the next four years, saying the plan goes “further still” in response to growing threats and the changing nature of conflict. President Trump has been consistent, and he is correct: America’s allies must do more for their own defense and…

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Under cover of earthquake aid, US and Israel deepen their hold on Venezuela

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  • Post last modified:4 July 2026

Syrian-Palestinian journalist Dima Khatib, who lives in Venezuela, lamented that she never thought she would see the day when Israeli soldiers would be in Venezuela—especially after former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez kicked out all Israeli diplomats from Venezuela and cut all relations with Israel in 2009 because of its war on Gaza. Israeli soldiers are in Caracas! A first in 17 years in Venezuela. Coming fresh from a genocide.. hopping to an earthquake. pic.twitter.com/aW9BA59Thz — Dima Khatib (@Dima_Khatib) July 2, 2026 In the video, she says that the Venezuelan government’s post thanking Israel was met with disparaging comments from Venezuelans reflecting…

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ICJP condemns killing of Palestinian goalkeeper by Israel

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  • Post last modified:3 July 2026

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) strongly condemns the killing of Palestinian goalkeeper Saleem Khader Al-Ashqar by Israeli forces. It’s an act that underscores Israel’s targeted and indiscriminate killing of Palestinian sporting figures and civilians. Confirmed this week by the Palestine Football Association, the 32-year-old Al-Ashqar was shot by Israeli forces in the town of al-Qarara outside of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. He was a goalkeeper for Khadamat Khan Younis and had also played for Gaza’s Al-Aqsa and Al-Musaddar clubs. At the time of his killing, Al-Ashqar was awaiting the birth of his first child with his wife…

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‘Don’t burn em’ Burnham!’ campaigners protest new oil outside parliament

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  • Post last modified:3 July 2026

Campaigners from Fossil Free London challenged prime minister elect Andy Burnham in a protest outside parliament on 2 July. Uncertainty lingers over whether he will approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea oil fields once he enters No.10. People held flame cut-outs and stood behind a banner reading ‘Fossil Fuels? Andy, Don’t Burn ’em!’. Others held placards that read ‘Stop Rosebank’, ‘Stop Jackdaw’ and ‘Stop North Sea Drilling’. The Burnham protest comes just after the UK endured a record-breaking heatwave. It closed hundreds of schools, as this June became the hottest the UK has ever seen. Scientists stress this extreme heat…

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Who are the media billionaires who dominate the UK’s democracy?

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  • Post last modified:2 July 2026

Almost everything we hear, read or watch in print, online or on our screens in the UK is being shaped by a tiny handful of global media billionaires. They use this domination to protect their own narrow financial interests rather than the public’s. At a time when the Canary is facing financial uncertainty, it’s galling to see this media oligarchy ruling the roost. Fourteen out of the fifteen media billionaires are not based in the UK. Audience figures are for the UK only. Murdoch Billionaire: Rupert Murdoch. Nationality: US resident, previously Australian. UK Holding Company: News UK. Newspapers: the Sun, the…

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Trump’s $2.2 billion earnings called ‘staggering grift on a scale never seen’

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  • Post last modified:3 July 2026

The US President Donald Trump’s mandatory financial disclosure is out, and it shows that he hauled in at least $2.2 billion in 2025, his first year back for his second term in the White House. That’s a shocking $1.6 billion more than the $622 million he scraped together in 2024, back when he was just a regular civilian – albeit an ex-President. Democracy Defenders Action labelled Trump’s soaring wealth a: staggering grift on a scale never seen. And, they concluded that: President Trump’s financial disclosure reveals he is capitalizing on the presidency for personal gain on a staggering scale never seen…

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Chris Packham ‘won’t set foot in Pret’ as chicken welfare row erupts

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  • Post last modified:3 July 2026

Naturalist Chris Packham has led a crowd of protesters in slamming Pret A Manger. He vowed never to set foot in one of the chain’s cafes until it fulfils a chicken welfare promise it made eight years ago and has since broken. Packham said: I am absolutely furious at Pret for breaking their promise to chickens. Factory farming has broken the chicken. Bred to grow so fast that they can barely walk, scrabbling around in their own waste, broken bones and deformities… The life of a fast-growing chicken is hell. It’s a horror story dressed up as a lunch menu. It’s absolutely…

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Society of Editors warns journalists at risk from state threats bill

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  • Post last modified:30 June 2026

Journalists need stronger legal protections under the National Security (State Threats) Bill, the Society of Editors has warned. The calls follow concerns raised in the Guardian about British foreign correspondents, who could be at risk of prosecution if they use sources “within state-backed groups”. Members of the House of Lords were expected to finish scrutinising the bill today. British foreign correspondents could be at risk of prosecution if they use sources within state-backed groups in countries such as Iran under national security legislation being rushed through parliament this week. David Anderson, a former UK independent reviewer of terrorism… — Pippa Crerar…

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Stop the War slams media platforming generals and arms companies

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  • Post last modified:1 July 2026

Keir Starmer announced his defence investment plan (DIP) today and while the media is welcoming it with open arms (pun intended), the Stop the War (StW) Coalition has rightly called out the BS. The FT said the increase in defence spending of approximately £15 billion was recently raised by £1 billion in the wake of John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary this month. It has apparently been signed off by Starmer’s expected successor, Andy Burnham. Stop the War: ‘Never mind the cost of living crisis…’ Stop the War (StW) Coalition posted on X that generals and arms companies have been all…

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No prison for Heathrow paint sprayers

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  • Post last modified:1 July 2026

Two Just Stop Oil Supporters who sprayed Heathrow departure boards with orange paint during the Oil Kills, international uprising to end fossil fuels in July 2024 have been spared prison. Phoebe Plummer and Jane Touil were sentenced by Judge Duncan at Isleworth Crown Court on 29 June, after being found guilty of criminal damage in a second trial in May for their Heathrow action on 30 July 2024 to demand a fossil fuel treaty to end oil and gas by 2030. They must each pay a £500 fine plus a victim surcharge and will face three months on an electronic tag…

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Home secretary urged to investigate British IDF soldiers who served in Gaza genocide

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  • Post last modified:1 July 2026

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), alongside Declassified UK, has delivered a letter signed by almost 25,000 people to home secretary Shabana Mahmood, calling for an investigation into UK nationals who have served in the IDF (the Israeli military, often called the IOF) since the beginning of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The letter urges the government to examine UK citizens who have potentially committed war crimes in Gaza and if they have been involved in violations of international law by participating in Israel’s assault. Since October 2023, Palestinians in Gaza have endured a genocide that has resulted in: The…

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