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Thames Water issues massive bonuses to bosses… despite the ban on water bosses’ bonuses

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  • Post last modified:17 July 2026
Thames Water issues massive bonuses to bosses… despite the ban on water bosses’ bonuses

Anybody out there remember Ofwat issuing a ban on water bosses’ bonuses at the tail-end of 2025? Well apparently Thames Water doesn’t — it just increased its senior managers’ bonus payouts to an eye-watering £4.1m. As the Canary reported only yesterday, 15 July, the prospect of public ownership is looming over the failed, sewage-spewing water company. The company is currently buried under £18.5 billion of debt, up from £16.8 billion a year ago, and is set to run out of money at the end of the year. What better time for the bosses to cut themselves a nice fat paycheck, eh? Job well…

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‘What about Israeli terrorists?’ — Burnham ‘ratioed’ for supporting IRGC ban

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  • Post last modified:16 July 2026
‘What about Israeli terrorists?’ — Burnham ‘ratioed’ for supporting IRGC ban

Incoming PM Andy Burnham claimed he would bring “the biggest change in our lifetimes”. But instead he is bringing Starmeroid ‘business as usual’. Burnham shows no sign of undoing any of Starmer’s police-state measures intended to protect Israel, and in fact indicates he will take them further. And he has praised Starmer’s attack on free speech about the illegal US-Israel war on Iran. As his first use of his rushed-through law, Starmer has ‘designated‘ Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) — Burnham thinks this is great. Starmer’s new ‘National Security (State Threats) Act’ is an extension of supposed ‘anti-terror’ legislation, clearly designed…

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Animal activists drop giant banner on the Thames demanding foie gras import ban

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  • Post last modified:15 July 2026
Animal activists drop giant banner on the Thames demanding foie gras import ban

Pressure on the government to ban the importation of foie gras is intensifying. Activists from animal protection organisation Animal Equality have unfurled a giant banner on Victoria Embankment. It says “KEEP YOUR PROMISE: BAN FOIE GRAS IMPORTS”, in direct view of parliament. The action follows the launch of 150 billboards and ads running across south east England sharing the same message. These are likely to reach 30 million passers-by. Foie gras is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese via a metal pipe inserted down the throat, multiple times a day. This cause their livers to swell up to ten times their…

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Jarell Quansah receives two-match ban after Mexico red card

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  • Post last modified:10 July 2026
Jarell Quansah receives two-match ban after Mexico red card

England’s last‑16 win over Mexico came at a cost. Jarell Quansah, starting at right‑back in the Azteca stadium, was sent off just before the hour mark and has now been handed a two‑match suspension after FIFA ruled his challenge on Jesús Gallardo amounted to serious foul play. The decision leaves Thomas Tuchel short of options on the right side of defence as England prepare for Norway on Saturday. Corrupt FIFA extends ban The incident came in the 54th minute. Quansah slid in on Gallardo, catching him high on the shin. Referee Alireza Faghani initially let play continue, but VAR intervened. After…

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Wimbledon: Zeynep Sönmez’s watermelon symbol ‘below threshold’ for ban

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  • Post last modified:4 July 2026
Wimbledon: Zeynep Sönmez’s watermelon symbol ‘below threshold’ for ban

The Wimbledon tennis tournament has surprisingly backed Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sönmez’s stand of solidarity with Gaza. Yet the gesture still exposes the establishment’s cowardice in the face of Israel lobby arrogance. Sönmez used a watermelon-design ‘string dampener’ to get around the tournament’s ban on watermelon pins. Wimbledon — Deadly double standard Sönmez, ranked 51 in global women’s tennis and Turkey’s highest-ever ranked women’s player, said that she had switched to the dampener specifically because tournaments banned Palestine pins. She also accused organisers of double standards because pins supporting (nazi-riddled) Ukraine are not banned: I used to wear a pin. Tournaments…

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Knesset vote against ICRC ban for political prisoners in Palestine

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  • Post last modified:1 July 2026
Knesset vote against ICRC ban for political prisoners in Palestine

A law to ban visits from the humanitarian organisation, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to prisoners in Palestine is now off the table for the Knesset. The legislation was unexpectedly defeated by 41-36 votes yesterday, meaning it has been removed from Israel’s political agenda for at least six months. The defeat was in part because the ultra-orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, boycotted the vote in protest against the government’s failure to pass other laws important to their own community. These included military draft-related bills. “National security minister” and illegal settler, Itamar Ben-Gvir, blamed the Haredi Shas party leader, Aryeh Deri,…

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Labour’s Burgon to bring debate to Parliament to ban lucrative side gigs for MPs

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  • Post last modified:25 June 2026
Labour’s Burgon to bring debate to Parliament to ban lucrative side gigs for MPs

Labour MP Richard Burgon has secured a debate in Parliament which will consider banning second jobs for all MPs. Whilst some MPs insist their roles in healthcare and law should be continued alongside MP responsibilities, this loophole has enabled other greedy MPs to turn to lucrative side gigs which bring their priorities into question. For instance, Burgon cites Farage pocketing more than £1m since being elected in “outside work” despite MPs being afforded a pretty high salary from the public purse placing them firmly in the top 1% of earners. Other reports have said that figure is actually £2m. He says:…

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Defend Our Juries takes defiance of Palestine Action ban to next level

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  • Post last modified:20 June 2026
Defend Our Juries takes defiance of Palestine Action ban to next level

Following the Court of Appeal’s ruling on 15 June, declaring the proscription of Palestine Action to be lawful, Defend Our Juries is escalating its campaign of defiance. Ordinary people from across the UK are publishing videos professing membership of Palestine Action and inviting support for the group, risking jail sentences of up to 14 years. See examples of the videos here, here and here. Defend Our Juries says many more will follow shortly. The holding of cardboard signs, which has led to more than 3,400 arrests under section 13 of the Terrorism Act, leads to summary only trials and a maximum…

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Upholding Palestine Action ban risks stifling dissent, Quakers warn

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  • Post last modified:18 June 2026
Upholding Palestine Action ban risks stifling dissent, Quakers warn

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group was lawful. This overturns an earlier High Court judgment. But Quakers and others have warned that the ruling risks stifling dissent. They have long argued that the Terrorism Act, introduced in 2000, is overly broad and threatens civil liberties particularly where it extends to property damage, placing the UK outside international norms. Five senior judges on Monday 15 June backed the home secretary’s position on Palestine Action. This allows the ban to remain in force despite widespread criticism and a civil disobedience campaign…

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Minister deploys ‘homophobic innuendo’ to defend Palestine Action ban

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  • Post last modified:17 June 2026
Minister deploys ‘homophobic innuendo’ to defend Palestine Action ban

On 15 June, we reported that Labour minister Mike Tapp was gloating about the decision to maintain Palestine Action’s ‘terrorist’ proscription. A day later, we reported he was trying to ensnare Zack Polanski into saying he supports Palestine Action – something which would have landed him with a lengthy prison sentence. In other words, he’s a nasty piece of work. And the nastiness has only continued: Grow up. Homophobic innuendo isn’t going to get you out of this one. Neither is pretending you’re a victim of antisemitism, which you conflate with opposing genocide. You’re a government minister trying to get your…

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Starmer tries charm offensive to avoid trump tantrum over social media ban

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  • Post last modified:16 June 2026
Starmer tries charm offensive to avoid trump tantrum over social media ban

Ministers in Starmer’s government have apparently been hard at work lobbying the US President over fears. They worry they will see a backlash over the announced under-16s social media ban. Rather than asking the billionaire owners of Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube to protect children and restrict harmful content for all users, our government is instead choosing to cut off access for the most vulnerable in society. In fact, Starmer is now heading to the G7 Summit to meet the President. He will no doubt try to win favour with Trump. This signals another futile move by Labour to…

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Campaigners warn Starmer’s social media ban will harm disabled kids

Campaigners warn Starmer’s social media ban will harm disabled kids

Charities and campaigners have warned that Keir Starmer’s plan to ban under-16s from social media will isolate disabled and LGBTQ+ children. This week, Labour prime minister announced new legislation to stop children from accessing apps like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube. The ban will take effect in Spring 2027 and restrict livestreams and ‘stranger communication’ for children, including on gaming sites. The ban won’t help any kids There are already concerns that, without regulating the tech companies, this will do very little to protect children from the dangers of the internet and punish them instead. The Canary’s Maddison Wheeldon argues that:…

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Social media ban fails to tackle root causes of dangerous online misogyny

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  • Post last modified:16 June 2026
Social media ban fails to tackle root causes of dangerous online misogyny

Today the UK government has confirmed it will implement a long-anticipated ban on social media use for under-16s in the UK. As Maddison Wheeldon wrote for the Canary, this move does little for young people while letting big tech companies off the hook. And girls’ rights charity Plan International UK has added that the ban won’t keep girls safe. Because it fails to tackle the underlying causes of misogyny online. Morgan Griffith-David is senior influencing lead for UK Girls’ Rights at Plan International UK. Reacting to the confirmation of the ban on under-16s using social media in the UK, he said:…

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Palestine Action ban to stay in place as courts rule human rights protest is ‘terrorism’

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  • Post last modified:15 June 2026
Palestine Action ban to stay in place as courts rule human rights protest is ‘terrorism’

The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s appeal against the High Court’s ruling that the ‘terrorism’ ban on Palestine Action was unlawful. The appeals court decided that the ban was a proportionate infringement on UK human rights and did not exceed the government’s powers. Palestine Action The judge reading out the decision based this judgment on the home secretary being better placed than the courts to decide what was needed – an anti-judicial coup carried out by judges, effectively. The interference of pro-Israel groups in the decision to ban the direct action group was ignored.…

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“Israel’s” ban on ICRC visits ruled illegal, but Knesset moves to stop them permanently

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  • Post last modified:15 June 2026
“Israel’s” ban on ICRC visits ruled illegal, but Knesset moves to stop them permanently

On 4 June, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the government to lift the ban on International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visits to Palestinian detainees. It had been in place since 7 October 2023, and affected all those held in Israeli occupation prisons and military detention facilities. Israeli occupation’s ban on ICRC visits to Palestinian detainees is to be reinstated The court found there was no legal basis to justify the continued restriction. It claimed the “Israeli” government’s ban on ICRC visits violated both “Israeli” law and international humanitarian law. The decision was made following a petition by various human rights…

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Ben-Gvir wants to ban Mosque loudspeakers, citing precious “sleep”

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  • Post last modified:12 June 2026
Ben-Gvir wants to ban Mosque loudspeakers, citing precious “sleep”

Ben-Gvir is eagerly sharing cheap content online to fan the flames of incendiary views against Palestinians. In his latest cringe-worthy video, he complains that the Islamic call to prayer disrupts his sleep and threatens to “put an end to the noise.” For Muslims worldwide, the call to prayer — also known as adhan — holds a central place in daily life. It not only invites worship but carries profound spiritual significance, and is now the latest target of Israel’s discriminatory policies. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir complaining about the volume of the Islamic call to prayer (Adhan) from mosques. "Enough!…

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International trans health bodies express “deep concern” for NHS ban on HRT for under-18s

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  • Post last modified:11 June 2026
International trans health bodies express “deep concern” for NHS ban on HRT for under-18s

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and its European counterpart (EPATH) have issued a joint statement expressing their “deep concern” regarding NHS plans to suspend hormone prescriptions for trans under-18s in England. On 9 March, NHS England published a draft clinical policy outlining its plan for public consultation. In essence, it proposed that: MAF (masculinising and feminising) Hormones are not recommended to be available as a routine commissioning option through the NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service. This represents a sharp break from the current clinical policy, which was itself updated in 2024 in a knee-jerk response to…

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World Cup — Water bottle ban sparks controversy

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  • Post last modified:9 June 2026
World Cup — Water bottle ban sparks controversy

The FIFA has sparked widespread controversy with its decision to amend the policy regarding water bottles inside 2026 World Cup stadiums. After initially banning reusable bottles, FIFA later permitted only small, factory-sealed plastic bottles—a move seen as late and contentious, especially given concerns about high temperatures during the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. World Cup security decision sparks controversy According to Reuters, FIFA justified the decision as a security measure intended to prevent bottles or solid objects from being used as projectiles in the stands, part of a broader policy to tighten stadium safety procedures. However, the ban…

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FIFA water ban sparks fan backlash ahead of 2026 World Cup

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  • Post last modified:9 June 2026
FIFA water ban sparks fan backlash ahead of 2026 World Cup

Fans attending the 2026 World Cup will not be allowed to bring reusable water bottles into stadiums. The latest restriction introduced by FIFA has sparked criticism and concerns about temperatures across the tournament’s hottest host cities. This year’s tournament features 48 teams for the first time. It will take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As a result, several matches are expected to be played in high temperatures and humidity. What has changed in stadium rules? Under the new regulations, fans cannot bring reusable water bottles into venues. However, previously, spectators could carry transparent, empty plastic bottles up to…

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Labour members overwhelmingly support ban on arms to Israel

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  • Post last modified:9 June 2026
Labour members overwhelmingly support ban on arms to Israel

New polling of Labour Party members shows they overwhelmingly oppose the UK selling arms to Israel. They also want an end to trade with Israel’s illegal settlements. Over 60% are dissatisfied with the UK government’s response to Israel’s atrocities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and want it to take stronger action. This includes an 87% majority backing a ban on trade with illegal settlements, and a 78% majority backing the suspension of all UK arms exports to Israel. The poll also found over two-thirds support suspending the UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. The polling, commissioned by Save the Children UK, Christian…

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