Archiv: unavoidable exceptions to the boycott of British-based media / boycott due to Five Eyes Standard „Online Safety Bill“


07.07.2026 - 01:50 [ theGuardian.com ]

Detained Gaza doctor almost unrecognisable after injuries in Israeli jail, lawyer says

“I have visited Dr Abu Safiya several times since his detention, but the individual I encountered during this latest visit was not the same person I had previously met,” Odeh said on Sunday, calling for an immediate independent medical examination. ‘‘His physical and psychological state, the severe injuries visible on his body, and his personal testimony leave no room for doubt: his life is in immediate danger.”

Abu Safiya appeared frightened, distressed and reluctant to speak freely in the meeting, Odeh said, but told his lawyer that he was subjected to daily beatings in the Rakefet jail, and had lost consciousness several times as a result.

Rakefet, where prisoners never see daylight, was built in the 1980s to hold senior organised crime figures before being closed on the grounds it was inhumane. It was reopened on the orders of the far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

06.07.2026 - 01:12 [ Science Focus BBC ]

Part of Earth’s core has switched directions. And nobody really knows why

(June 11, 2026)

The observation provides new insights into the behaviour of the liquid outer core, which plays a key role in generating Earth’s magnetic field. Without this magnetic shield, the planet would be dangerously exposed to solar radiation.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh checked ground observations and satellite data between 1997 and 2025. They report in The Journal of Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior, that in 2010, a broad region of iron-rich fluid beneath the equatorial Pacific switched from moving weakly westwards to strongly eastwards.

05.07.2026 - 20:54 [ Electroverse.uk ]

The Planet Cooled In June; Europe Maps The Heat Island; Hokkaido Joins The July Chill; + Rare Coastal Snow As South America Freezes

(July 3, 2026)

For all the media’s huffing and puffing over western Europe’s “climate-change heatwave,” the planet cooled in June.

UAH’s satellite-based lower troposphere record has June 2026 at +0.46C above the norm, down from +0.53C in May — a clear monthly fall all while headlines tried to turn one regional European hot spell into proof of a planetary catastrophe.

According to a World Weather Attribution report — and dutifully recycled by the usual activist rags — western Europe’s recent heatwave was “impossible without the climate crisis.”

Reuters led with the same line, adding that the “soaring night-time temperatures” were made 100 times more likely. The Guardian went further, calling it the “worst ever and impossible without climate crisis,” and claiming the heat was “only possible because of fossil-fuel burning.” Euronews warned that “climate change is running rampant,” while El País spelled out the sermon in its headline: “It’s not just hot, it’s climate change.” Etc. Etc. Etc.

The European heat was real. But it was weather. It was circulation. That is what blocking highs do.

Overall, the planet cooled 0.07C in June.

05.07.2026 - 10:42 [ Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ]

Subsurface structural changes associated with successive 11-yr solar activity cycles have been progressively more confined near the surface: new helioseismic results on Cycles 22–25 from BiSON

(May 28, 2026)

We use Sun-as-a-star helioseismology data, collected by the Birmingham Solar-Oscillations Network, to examine the relationship between the solar-cycle-induced frequency shifts of whole-Sun, low-angular degree solar p modes and well-known proxies of global solar activity. Changes in behaviour between the low-frequency modes and proxies, which in a previous study we found had occurred on the declining phase of Cycle 23, appear to have persisted into Cycle 25. More striking is a significant change in the relationship for higher-frequency modes, which the new Cycle 25 data now reveal. The observed mean frequency shifts in Cycle 25 are much stronger than one would expect for these modes based on the relationship between the frequencies and proxies seen in previous cycles, in particular Cycle 22. In sum, Cycle 25 is as strong as Cycles 22 and 23 when observed in this higher-frequency seismic band, in marked contrast to the relative sizes of the cycles seen in the global activity proxies, where Cycle 25 is noticeably weaker. (…)

The last few solar cycles have seen significant changes in overall levels of activity and differences in the evolution of magnetic fields at different solar latitudes (e.g. see D. H. Hathaway 2015; A. Norton et al. 2023). Cycle 24 was significantly weaker in well-known proxies of global solar activity than previous cycles, and marked a departure from the preceding so-called modern maximum epoch (I. G. Usoskin 2017). While the current Cycle 25 has peaked at higher activity, it did not return to pre-Cycle-24 levels.

05.07.2026 - 10:31 [ University of Birmingham ]

Listening to the Sun reveals previously hidden changes to solar cycle

(May 28, 2026)

Professor Sarbani Basu, from Yale University, said, “We discovered that the relationship between internal solar oscillations and surface activity has evolved over the past few cycles. This trend cannot be explained simply by weaker magnetic fields. Instead, it indicates a structural reorganisation of how the Sun’s magnetic activity is stored beneath the surface.”

Ongoing collection and analysis of BiSON solar data over what remains of Cycle 25 and into the upcoming Cycle 26 will be crucial in determining whether the changes discovered in the Sun’s activity point to a sustained, systematic change in solar magnetic behaviour.

03.07.2026 - 23:37 [ theGuardian.com ]

‘Sixty seconds, that’s all it took’: the clinical Israeli-US operation to kill Ali Khamenei

(March 1, 2026)

The timing of the assassination was determined by information the CIA gleaned about a meeting of top Iranian officials at a leadership compound in the heart of Tehran scheduled for Saturday morning. Most critically, the CIA was able to tell Israeli counterparts that Khamenei would be at the site and the timing of the meeting, according to the New York Times.

Israeli spies had also been tracking Khamenei for many years, building a minutely detailed file on his daily routine and those of his family members, associates, allies and those charged with keeping him safe.

22.06.2026 - 19:39 [ BBC ]

Andy Burnham sworn in as new MP after Starmer announces resignation

Andy Burnham is sworn in as the MP for Makerfield hours after Keir Starmer announces his resignation as Labour Party leader

15.06.2026 - 17:42 [ BBC ]

Palestine Action ban is lawful, Court of Appeal rules

(today)

The government‘s proscription of Palestine Action as a terror organisation is lawful, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

In one of the most significant rulings on national security in recent years, five of the most senior judges in the country overturned an earlier decision from the High Court that the ban had breached the right to protest and had been incorrectly taken by ministers.

But five Court of Appeal judges concluded in a hearing on Monday that the ban had been „justified and proportionate“.

15.06.2026 - 17:19 [ theGuardian.com ]

Pro-Palestine activists sentenced as terrorists over damage at Israeli arms factory in UK

(June 12, 2026)

A report relied on by the prosecution at Friday’s sentencing hearing said the raid on the factory had caused £1.2m of damage, including to 41 military assets. The report referred to £395,056 of damage to six units in an unnamed drone system as well as damage to other unmanned aerial vehicles.

Mr Justice Johnson told the four they had participated in a “carefully planned and highly sophisticated attack”, adding: “The fact that you were trying to shut down a company that you thought was acting unlawfully does not reduce the seriousness of the offence.”

05.06.2026 - 01:17 [ theGuardian.com ]

‘Embarrassing’: pressure on Merz after Germany’s failure to win UN security council seat

In an awkward rivalry among EU partners, Portugal took 134 votes and Austria 131 while Germany garnered just 104, significantly below the required 127 votes despite Berlin’s expressed confidence just hours before that it would prevail.

Both winners were seen to represent the interests of smaller countries, while Austria could benefit from its perceived neutrality as a non-Nato member and Portugal touted its strong ties in Africa and Latin America.

22.05.2026 - 12:56 [ BBC ]

‚I could not stay silent‘, says activist who shouted at Ben-Gvir

Catriona Graham was one of hundreds of activists who were detained by Israel this week while trying to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza by boat.

Israel‘s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir later posted a video showing himself taunting the activists as they kneeled with their hands tied behind their backs.

20.05.2026 - 06:53 [ theGuardian.com ]

Israel is a rogue nation. It should be removed from the United Nations

(October 15, 2024)

Over the past year, Israel has launched attacks on multiple countries and occupied territories: the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran.

Yet countries and territories aside, Israel has also targeted one specific organization with a series of unprecedented rhetorical and violent attacks.

Yes, the United Nations. We have all witnessed Israel, in effect, declare war on the UN.

15.05.2026 - 20:48 [ OpenDemocracy.net ]

Beyond Westminster’s chaos, a new grassroots left is taking shape

A flavour of what may be its future was seen in a Your Party meeting I attended in Dewsbury, in West Yorkshire, three weeks ago. As Your Party-leaning candidates reported on their experience and intentions, one theme emerged clearly: the centrality of community-level organising and support, like that Corbyn’s community-skills programme advocated for seven years ago.

Could this grow into something substantial? Ordinarily, maybe not, but there are three years to the next general election, and it is obvious that Your Party is playing it long. The Labour Party is unlikely to seriously challenge neoliberal economics within that time, but Your Party most certainly will.

09.05.2026 - 01:05 [ BBC ]

Starmer under pressure, as Labour suffers heavy elections losses

The results in England, Scotland and Wales have piled pressure on Sir Keir, with some Labour MPs calling for him to set a timetable for his departure, although his cabinet allies have backed him for now.

Labour has lost power in Wales, ending its 27 year-long rule, while the SNP appears likely to remain the largest party in Scotland.

Reform UK has been the big winner in England, picking up more than 1,400 seats and taking control of councils in areas where Labour and the Conservatives have been historically dominant.

08.05.2026 - 08:21 [ Reuters ]

After Beirut strike, Netanyahu says ‚no immunity‘ for militants

(May 7, 2026)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday there ​was no „immunity“ for Israel‘s enemies, a day after the Israeli military targeted a Hezbollah commander in its first strike on Beirut‘s southern suburbs since a ‌ceasefire declared last month.

08.05.2026 - 08:16 [ BBC ]

Israeli attacks kill dozens within days in Lebanon despite ceasefire

(May 4, 2026)

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed 17 people on Monday, Lebanon‘s health ministry says – marking one of the deadliest few days there since a ceasefire began just over two weeks ago.

It brings the number of those killed since Thursday to 110 , according to the ministry.

28.04.2026 - 18:49 [ Daily Mail ]

Arms dealer says Clinton and Obama accidentally gave guns to ISIS, Al Qaeda and Benghazi attackers – then tried to scapegoat him for their screw-up with failed $10m felony case

(October 12, 2016)

– Marc Turi ‚had plan to get arms to Libyan rebels in 2011 despite UN ban‘
– But he says Clinton stole the idea and she and CIA did it without him
– However the guns ‚then went to Al Qaeda, ISIS and Benghazi attackers‘
– They tried to scapegoat him by saying he sold the arms illegally, he says
– But he claims that he never sold anything in Libya
– The five-year, $10m case was dropped last week by prosecutors
– He says they didn‘t want to press on because it would compromise Clinton
– The trial would have started on November 8 – which is Election Day
– Turi also hinted at information on weapons that disappeared in Benghazi

28.04.2026 - 16:09 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

Jihadists appear caught offguard by release of Steven Sotloff video

(September 2, 2014)

The video of Steven Sotloff‘s apparent murder appears to have been found by a private US intelligence firm before it could be released by the Islamic State.

News of Mr Sotloff‘s death was broken by the SITE Intelligence group, a private company that monitors jihadist activity and has close ties to the American intelligence community.

The group‘s analysts found the video on what a spokesman described as „a file-sharing site“ and send it out to its subscriber list. SITE‘s subscribers include government officials, journalists and academics involved in analysing terrorism.

21.04.2026 - 22:18 [ Spectator.com ]

When Mandelson could bring down Starmer

(March 14, 2026)

As my big piece on Starmer last month revealed, even after Mandelson was appointed, Starmer never quizzed him about how to deal with Trump. All this exposes a Prime Minister with Olympic levels of detachment. It has been known for a while that he has little interest in politics but those who have worked with him have been genuinely surprised at his lack of interest in the detail of governing.

(…)

The book also reveals that the decision to sack Mandelson was taken by McSweeney, not Starmer. On the day the PM defended Mandelson in the Commons, McSweeney was in a secure basement conference room without his phone when two of Starmer’s closest aides – Paul Ovenden and Stuart Ingham – came to find him. Ingham told him: ‘We just can’t answer these questions.’

McSweeney’s response – ‘It’s unsustainable’ – was the moment the decision was effectively made.

21.04.2026 - 21:57 [ PoliticsHome.com ]

Oiling the machine – inside the Number 10 policy unit

(November 20, 2024)

Though it has grown over the past fifty years, the Policy Unit today still comprises fewer than thirty special advisers and junior Whitehall officials. This little platoon tends to be most effective when it acts as both the prime minister’s “eyes and ears”, to borrow Wilson’s phrase, and what Sarah Hogg, John Major’s policy chief, termed “the grit and oil in the government machine.” In other words, the Policy Unit works best by offering the prime minister unvarnished intelligence and advice about the direction of departmental policy, while giving Whitehall strategic clarity about what the prime minister wants or doesn’t want.

21.04.2026 - 21:53 [ theNational.scot ]

No 10 bid for SECOND paedo-linked Labour ally to get ambassador role

He was later pushed on who had ordered him to look into getting Doyle a position, and who had ordered him not to tell the foreign secretary (which at the time was David Lammy).

Robbins said: “I don‘t know what the origin of the suggestion was, and I don‘t know who exactly was behind it or how serious it was.

“It was serious enough for the No 10 private office to ring up the head of the diplomatic service and ask for a forward look of available head of mission jobs, and that‘s the point at which I thought that I needed to lay down some markers.”

21.04.2026 - 21:30 [ theGuardian.com ]

Olly Robbins: I was asked to find job for Starmer aide and not tell David Lammy

Testifying to MPs at parliament’s foreign affairs select committee on Tuesday, Olly Robbins said he had several conversations with No 10 about finding a role for Matthew Doyle, who was later suspended as a Labour peer after it emerged he had campaigned for a friend charged with possessing indecent images of children.

Robbins said he had been asked not to mention the idea to David Lammy, who was foreign secretary at the time.

Robbins described the conversations as part of more general pressure from people at the top of the government to place senior political figures in senior diplomatic posts.

21.04.2026 - 15:35 [ Independent.co.uk ]

Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson: Who are Starmer’s new joint chiefs of staff?

(February 8, 2026)

With Morgan McSweeney’s enforced departure over the Mandelson scandal, his former deputies Vidhya Alakeson and Jill Cuthbertson have both been promoted to replace him as joints chiefs of staff

21.04.2026 - 15:27 [ theGuardian.com ]

Olly Robbins says he faced ‘constant pressure’ to get Mandelson in post

Asked who in No 10 had applied pressure, he said it was mainly the prime minister’s private office, which is staffed by civil servants. But he added: “I think that the private office would only have been [putting on] this pressure themselves if they were under pressure.”

17.04.2026 - 20:56 [ theGuardian.com ]

After the latest Mandelson revelations, Starmer needs to get a good lawyer. Wasn’t he supposed to be one?

During the opposition years, his defenders countered that a stolid technocrat was exactly what the country needed. They sold the former head of the Crown Prosecution Service as the polar opposite of Boris Johnson, who was driven from Downing Street in part by Starmer’s own forensic questioning. If only Starmer had lived up to the billing of his detractors, reluctantly conceded by his allies, he wouldn’t be in the hole he finds himself this weekend.

Instead, he now has to rely on a defence that is lawyerly in the worst sense of that word. To have knowingly misled parliament is, in political terms, a capital crime. So the PM has to proceed on two tracks, one for “knowingly” the other for “misled”.

17.04.2026 - 20:38 [ BBC ]

Starmer sacks top Foreign Office official after Mandelson vetting revelations

The BBC understands Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper lost confidence in Sir Olly Robbins and was effectively sacked after a Guardian investigation revealed Mandelson had not been security cleared.

The PM is facing calls to resign amid claims he misled MPs when he told them „full due process“ had been followed.

Senior minister Darren Jones said Sir Keir had not been told of the vetting recommendation until Tuesday this week, had not misled MPs and would not be resigning.