says Archives - Charlie (Chas) (Pablo Alf) Alford

Equity congratulates SAG-AFTRA and says AI standards must become UK benchmark

Post author:The Canary
Post published:8 June 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Equity, the UK performing arts and entertainment union, has today congratulated US union SAG-AFTRA on reaching a new agreement for film and TV workers. Crucially, the US agreement includes stronger protections around AI and Equity says its members: will accept no less than the global industry standard on AI protections. A ballot of SAG-AFTRA members closed on Thursday 4 June, with 91% voting to ratify the new agreement. The agreement with studio trade association the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is wide-ranging. It covers pay, pensions, healthcare, and working conditions. Equity continues push for AI protections The issue of…

Former spy-chief-turned-arms-firm-adviser says military AI can be moral in shock to nobody

Post author:Joe Glenton
Post published:4 June 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Ex-spy chief David Omand has decided military AI can be taught to be moral. Which is nice for him. And probably nice for the various private defence interests he advises too. The Guardian published an extended interview with Omand. He told the paper he used to think AI drones were a bad thing. But changed his mind: My call is to really get some work done on this, so that we’re not left in a situation where there isn’t a moral component built into future AI-powered weapon systems. Omand is an advisor to Paladin Capital Group. Paladin has major AI and cybersecurity…

Filton 24 retrials put justice on trial, says Liverpool MP

Post author:Skwawkbox
Post published:2 June 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Labour’s Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson spoke out against the Starmer regime’s determination to convict the ‘Filton 24’ activists. The group had been imprisoned for up to two years awaiting trial. Starmer and his front-bench drones forced a retrial of the ‘Filton 24’ anti-genocide activists who damaged an Israeli weapons factory. The jury at the first trial had refused to convict them on any charges, despite false evidence from their accusers. The security service-linked judge at the retrial: • Banned lawyers from telling jurors about their right to “jury equity.” • Banned lawyers and press from noting government pressure for terrorism…

Cenk Uygur banned by UK for criticising Israel, anti-genocide host says

Post author:Ed Sykes
Post published:1 June 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

The Home Office has banned left-wing commentator and TV host, Cenk Uygur, from entering the UK, on Israel’s behalf. He is a vocal critic of pro-Israel influence over Western governments. Cenk Uygur has highlighted the irony of the UK ban over X. He said: if I had said that the Israeli government controls the British government so thoroughly that they’ll ban someone from coming to the UK just for criticizing Israel, they would have said that was an antisemitic statement. The commentator noted that he was banned not for any views or opinions he’s expressed about the UK. Uygur argued that…

Kemi Badenoch says future Tories will all be ‘C words’

Post author:Willem Moore
Post published:31 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Kemi Badenoch has argued that the next generation of Conservatives need to be C words. If you’re thinking ‘aren’t they already?‘, we can explain: I can think of a sixth C https://t.co/LPcvwY7kT9 — Ian Sharp (@gablid) May 31, 2026 Kemi Badenoch — Do you C what she did there? This latest intervention comes from a Badenoch-penned think piece titled: This Z-list Labour Parliament is everything that’s wrong with British politics You don’t have to read between the lines to understand that Badenoch is promising a return to the traditional Tory values of bungs for business and austerity for the masses: I…

Amazon UK must urgently ban sale of donkey skin products says charity

Post author:The Canary
Post published:29 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Over six million donkeys are slaughtered each year to produce ejiao. It’s a gelatine used in supplements, food and cosmetics. And it’s sold globally, including via major online retailers. Working donkey and horse charity Brooke carried out an investigation. It found that while Amazon UK doesn’t sell these products directly, they remain available through third-party sellers on its marketplace. Donkeys are vital to millions of people, supporting livelihoods, education and access to essentials in some of the world’s poorest communities. The donkey skin trade is causing extreme suffering worldwide, including violent capture, long transportation without food or water, and brutal slaughter…

Ofgem’s energy price cap a ‘total con’, says Richard Burgon

Post author:Willem Moore
Post published:28 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Labour MP Richard Burgon has spoken out against Ofgem’s price cap rise, labelling it a “total con”: Ofgem’s so-called energy price cap is a total con. Bills are going up again We need a real price cap that protects ordinary people, paid for through the profits of energy giants. We need to replace expensive gas with cheaper renewables. And energy back in public ownership! — Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) May 27, 2026 Ofgem energy price cap Reporting on the latest Ofgem price hike, the Canary’s Rose Cocker explained: On 27 May energy regulator Ofgem announced that it will raise the energy price…

Singer CMAT says ‘f*ck Reform’ and tells UK artists to get off the fence

Post author:Willem Moore
Post published:24 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

Speaking at the Ivor Novello awards, singer CMAT has spoken out against Reform UK and the far right. She’s also called on her fellow artists to get off the fence and to take a stand: "I have no time, sympathy or empathy for anybody that decides to make life more difficult for people who are just trying to live" – @cmatbaby sticks it to Reform, Farage and fascists during her powerful @IvorsAcademy speech#CMAT #IvorNovello2026 pic.twitter.com/wMS1dVI9MS — NME (@NME) May 22, 2026 CMAT “F*ck Reform” CMAT (real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) was born in Dublin — the capital of the Republic of…

Premier League clubs ‘complicit in Israeli apartheid’ says report

Post author:The Canary
Post published:22 May 2026
Post last modified:8 June 2026

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) and War on Want have issued letters to 15 Premier League clubs. They’re raising concerns about the clubs’ complicity in Israeli atrocities via their ties to companies linked to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and apartheid across the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These findings come from War on Want’s latest report: Red Card: English Premier League Sportswashing of Israel’s Atrocities against the Palestinians. ICJP has also supported the report. The report details the connections of at least 15 Premier League club sponsors to Israel’s devastating military assault and blockade on Gaza, construction of illegal settlements,…