The Oscars 2026 saw the acting elite from across the Western world come together to celebrate another year in cinema. Presented by Conan O’Brien, the event was the usual display of glitz and glam as some of the most privileged people in the world came together.

However, like previous years, some actors and actresses showed what it is to stay connected to their humanity. Amongst calls for “ICE out”, there was a considerable show of solidarity with Palestinians and a rejection of the pro-war rhetoric in the US.

Once again, Javier Bardem stood on the right side of history. Having advocated against the war on Iraq, Bardem says “no to war” on Iran:

“No to war and Free Palestine”

— Javier Bardem at the Oscars pic.twitter.com/qoyMZ8gEM4

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— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 16, 2026

Oscars: ‘No War’

Since the genocide began on Gaza after October 7th, the mainstream media has largely pushed the narrative that celebrities shouldn’t get political. This cynical attitude has flared a few times in British society, with Marcus Rashford coming under fire for opposing government policy around free school dinners. There is a reason that the establishment is scared; whenever a public figure shows they care, it has a huge impact on wider society.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the captured media and political class seek to diminish and silence influential figures from sharing their perspective around controversial and upsetting issues.

Unperturbed, celebrities at the Oscars resisted this attempt at repression, speaking freely wherever possible to advocate for peace and compassion. They also confronted the non-existent ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza which has seen 601 murdered by the Israeli military and a further 1,601 injured.

Oscars attendees demand ‘Ceasefire’ in Gaza- despite a ceasefire being in place since October 2025.

“We’re demanding a permanent ceasefire because there is no ceasefire right now.”

They have also called for a ceasefire in the U.S. over ICE.

pic.twitter.com/4UfWgcSzrB

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 16, 2026

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“ICE Out” says Thales Junqueira, as he reminds that no human is illegal:

Nenhum ser humano é ilegal! Thales Junqueira, da direção de arte de ‘O Agente Secreto’, está usando um broche ICE OUT na cerimônia do Oscar de hoje. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/8SQAbUfrEx

— Sâmia Bomfim (@samiabomfim) March 15, 2026

Guy Pearce equally stood firm calling for Palestinian liberation:

Australian actor Guy Pearce rocks a Free Palestine pin at the #Oscars

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/Iui1yYHEqc

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— sarah (@sahouraxo) March 3, 2025

Bardem: You can be more than ‘one thing’

When asked why he felt it was important to speak about Palestine, Bardem reminded that people can be more than just one thing and you can be a public figure that opposes genocide – if you actually want to be:

Javier Bardem on his “Free Palestine” remark at the #Oscars: “It’s important to understand that you can be part of the movie-making community and also be a citizen who uses this huge speaker to denounce injustice.” pic.twitter.com/TxgtuwomBx

— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2026

Bardem spoke further on how he protested against the war on Iraq, and why he continues to resist. Wearing his “No a la Guerra” badge from 2003 once again, Bardem protests against another illegal war waged by the US.

This principled actor shows he values the truth as he confronts Western lies about the Middle East:

American director David Borenstein of Mr Nobody Against Putin also had strong words for repressive and murderous regimes, prompting many to draw comparisons between Russia and the United States:

The most important Oscar speech tonight wasn’t about film.

The director of “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” just said this from the stage:

“You lose your country through countless small acts of complicity. When we act complicit when a government murders people on the streets. When… pic.twitter.com/fRv9mXMptd

— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) March 16, 2026

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A reminder of the ‘wars’ being waged through blind hate and supremacy:

An Israeli man ran over a 6-year-old Palestinian girl with his car in the occupied West Bank as she played outside her home ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/dm1hWYmxs9

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) March 15, 2026

Warning from Russia

It is wonderful to see principles and compassion on clear display from some at the Oscars this year. However, possibly most powerful, is the warning being given by Russian director and teacher Pavel Talankin. Talankin has seen his country engaged in a brutal war of aggression on another sovereign territory, he has seen the propaganda and indoctrination attempts.

In light of that, he and his fellow American co-director are sending a stark warning to US citizens:

In the name of the future, in the name of all our children, stop all these wars now.

Featured image via the Canary

The final Holyrood vote on Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying Bill takes place on Tuesday 17 March. Ahead of the vote, research shows significant concern in Scotland about its potential impact on disabled people.

Campaign group Not Dead Yet UK commissioned the poll. It also indicates that concern is stronger still among disabled people.

Public concern over assisted dying

The polling shows nearly 7 in 10 (69%) of Scots agree that the Scottish Parliament should prioritise improving access to care for disabled people before considering whether to introduce assisted dying.

Over 6 in 10 (62%) Scots agree that disabled people who struggle to access the health, social care and other support they need, given the current state of the NHS and social care funding, may be more likely to seek assisted dying.

Disability groups have made it clear that Holyrood should not introduce assisted dying to Scotland. But MSPs, who appear to be intent on changing the law, are ignoring them. Almost 9 in 10 (86%) of Scots agree that the views of disabled people and the groups representing their interests should be properly taken into account in the debate surrounding whether to introduce assisted suicide.

In fact, a polling comparison between results in 2025 and 2026 shows that public concerns are growing, not reducing, when it comes to protecting the rights and dignity of disabled people in the context of ‘assisted dying’. And this is despite a year of debate in parliament for the issue.

Key findings

• 69% of Scots agree that the Scottish parliament should prioritise improving access to care for disabled people before introducing assisted dying. This compares to only 18% who disagree.

This rises to three-quarters (72%) for people polled who had a disability.

It has increased since May 2025 when 66% agreed.

• Almost two-thirds (66%) of Scots agree that disabled people who feel they are a burden on family, friends or society may feel a sense of responsibility to access an assisted death if assisted dying becomes legal. Only 18% disagree.

This rises to over seven in ten (72%) for people polled who have a disability.

It has increased significantly since May 2025 when 59% agreed.

• Almost 9 in 10 (86%) of Scots agree that the views of disabled people and the groups representing their interests should be properly taken into account in the debate surrounding whether to introduce assisted dying. Only 5% disagreed.

It has increased significantly since May 2025 when 75% agreed.

• Almost two-thirds (66%) of Scots agree that some disabled people may be coerced into assisted suicide by others who do not have their best interests at heart. Only 17% disagreed.

• Over 6 in 10 (62%) Scots agree that disabled people who struggle to access the health, social care and other support they need, given the current state of the NHS and social care funding, may be more likely to seek assisted suicide. Only 19% disagreed.

This rises to nearly two-thirds (65%) for people polled who have a disability.

• 60% of Scots agree that if disabled people are living in poverty, and facing cuts to benefits, they may be likely to seek assisted dying instead of struggling financially. Only one in five (21%) disagrees.

This rises to 70% for people polled who have a disability.

Community leaders comment

Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paralympian and crossbench peer in the House of Lords said:

The lives of disabled people are under threat from McArthur’s assisted suicide Bill and this polling shows the majority of the public know that.

Making assisted suicide legal in Scotland will have a psychological and practical effect on the lives of disabled people, posing a very real risk to the quality of life of Scotland’s disabled population.

The difference between people who are thought to be terminally ill and people with different disabilities is often blurred, especially if those disabilities require regular management or treatment.

In some cases, failing to manage a disability could make some ‘terminally ill’ in the relevant sense and eligible for assisted suicide under the proposed Scottish Bill.

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It is possible that, in the face of difficult circumstances, there will be some disabled people who deliberately stop treatment so that they become eligible for assisted suicide.

The state should be offering support for such people and those who feel they cannot cope with their circumstances, not offering them assistance in ending their lives.

Tressa Burke, CEO of Glasgow Disability Alliance, said:

This research evidences that the public in Scotland recognises the acute threat of the Assisted Dying Bill to disabled people. Whilst respecting the strongly held beliefs of MSPs who support the Bill, Glasgow Disability Alliance wants to make all those who will vote aware of the depth and levels of fear and concern which currently exist about coercion – either directly or indirectly.

Disabled women are 3 times as likely to experience violence and abuse as non-disabled women and disabled people generally are more reliant on services such as our NHS and social care systems which are under unprecedented pressures at this time.

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Social care, in particular, has been cut to the bone, leaving people reliant on family and friends and feeling dehumanised and under targeted attacks from finance directors.

Consequently, many disabled people feel like a burden, internalising the problems we face. Some are at the very real risk of believing Assisted Dying to be their only option.

Heather Fisken, CEO of Inclusion Scotland, said:

Inclusion Scotland implores MSPs to carefully consider all the evidence on this issue. We know ourselves that whilst some disabled people support a change in the law to make assisted dying easier, Inclusion Scotland like many other disabled people and our organisations, takes the view that until all disabled people’s rights are met and we have equality in health, education, employment, housing, social care support as well as in end of life care, we cannot support a bill that would make coercion to choose assisted dying easier.

Mike Smith is a spokesperson for Not Dead Yet UK. He’s a former commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and chair of its Disability Committee. He commented:

It’s clear from this polling that a significant majority of Scots agree that disabled people’s lives will be threatened if this legislation is passed.

Coercion comes in many forms, whether it’s intentional or more subtle. Most Scots agree some disabled people could feel encouraged to end their lives even if they don’t want to.

The very existence of McArthur’s wide-reaching legislation risks sending a message from the state that it would be better for disabled people to opt for assisted suicide.

In an environment where people struggle to access the health and social care they need to live a life with dignity, this is not the right time to be risking people’s lives.

The mantra of the disability rights movement is ‘nothing about us without us’. Nearly 9 in 10 Scots agree, yet many organisations representing disabled people report feeling their voices have been ignored in this debate.

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Disabled people know the reality of their lives and how hard they can be. Their voices must be heard and their fears not ignored.

Given almost 70% of Scots agree that improved access to care has to come before assisted suicide is considered, we urge all MSPs to vote against this bill at Stage 3. It is dangerous and will imperil people’s lives. MSPs should be protecting the right to life for the many whose voices are not as loud as the well-funded campaign to change the law.

Featured image via the Canary

The Gaza Tribunal have published their damning report today into British complicity in Israel’s genocide on Gaza. Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn convened the Gaza Tribunal in September with two international law specialists. The tribunal heard testimony from lawyers, medical professionals, former Foreign Office officials, and Palestinians as it worked to determine the scale of the UK’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza.

The report reads:

Britain’s failure to meet its legal obligations has contributed to the mass killing of Palestinian civilians and the wholesale destruction of civilian objects, the desecration of international law and the further erosion of Britain’s status as a nation committed to the rule of law in the international arena.

This report comes ahead of the May 2026 local elections indicating it has potential to be a significant deterrent for voters across the country. Let’s face it: compassionate people don’t tend to tolerate being involved in the murder of tens of thousands of children.

Going further, the report subsequently recommends that the International Criminal Court (ICC) conduct a thorough investigation into British complicity and our participation in the mass murder of Palestinians.

Corbyn concluded that the UK government has been ‘an active participant’ in Israel’s horrific crimes:

We held The Gaza Tribunal to expose the full scale of Britain’s complicity in genocide.

Our conclusion: the British government has been an active participant in one of the greatest crimes of our time.

Read the full report below. https://t.co/ygDHNka1Ay

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) March 16, 2026

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Corbyn on Gaza: ‘we do not need permission to uncover the truth’

Jeremy Corbyn initially put forward a bill in the House of Commons calling for a public inquiry into the UK’s ongoing and significant involvement in Gaza. However, the bill was rejected. The government instead argued that there was “no need” for an inquiry, suggesting it would be “unnecessary” because there is “no confusion” about the nature of the UK’s involvement.

This can only be seen as a sign that Keir Starmer’s government is fully aware of the UK’s complicity and has no intention of addressing it.

Nevertheless, Corbyn and others ploughed on refusing to wait for permission from the government. Affirming his hope that the tribunal’s report will be a “landmark contribution” to seeking justice and a reliable source of evidence of our complicity for future generations, Corbyn stated:

Today, schoolchildren are taught about history’s worst crimes against humanity. They are asked to reflect on how these crimes possibly could have occurred. And they learn the names of political figures that endorsed or enabled such atrocities. In the near future, our history books will shame those in our government who could have stopped the genocide in Gaza but facilitated it instead.

Israeli co-author and human rights scholar Professor Neve Gordon provided a statement ahead of the launch today:

The government’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza has created a very dangerous precedent for our current moment. Indeed, we are already witnessing the fallout with Keir Stammer’s immoral response to the illegal war of aggression in Iran.

To ensure that ‘Never Again’ does not become entirely meaningless we must hold ministers and officials accountable for the government’s complicity in the destruction of Gaza. Accountability is the most effective guard against the repetition of such crimes in the future.

‘British government has failed’

The report is likely to create a major and inconvenient headache for Starmer’s government, with its authors committing to work with the ICC to:

draw their attention to evidence presented in this report, including violations of international law and evidence of criminal complicity implicating government ministers and officials.

Including:

those who have authorized the continuation of economic ties with Israel, as well as the commission of arms trades, arm transfers and intelligence exchange.

Furthermore, it calls on the government to allow an official, full, independent public inquiry into the evidence collected in the report. This tribunal is unofficial so it would require an official inquiry instructed by the government. Nevertheless, this will likely be blocked by pro-Israel Starmer and co, meaning public pressure will be essential to force an inquiry.

The report published today reminds us that people must not wait for permission from the most powerful:

The Gaza Tribunal cannot itself deliver justice. However, by documenting testimony, gathering evidence and drawing attention to violations of international law, this report seeks to contribute to the growing global effort to secure accountability and justice for the Palestinian people.

After all, when officials bury their heads in the sand, nothing disappears – it only makes them more complicit.

Featured image via the Canary

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been accused of using a screening process which filters out applicants with any health problems.

The Disability News Service (DNS) reported that the DWP is using a private sector employment health screening service once they’ve offered someone a job.

The service consists of a seven-page long questionnaire, called Fit4Jobs, which provides the DWP with a comprehensive picture of an applicant’s health.

If an applicant doesn’t score enough points for the ‘health qualifying rate’, their job offer can be withdrawn, meaning the DWP is finding a way not to hire disabled people whilst simultaneously pushing disabled people into work.

The DWP didn’t even try to deny the questionnaire is being used to weed out disabled employees. A spokesperson told the DNS:

The Fit4Jobs questionnaire is a standard pre-employment health declaration, completed by successful external candidates to ensure any workplace adjustments are in place from day one.

However, the department also hypocritically said:

We are committed to ensuring disabled people and those with long-term health conditions get the right support at work.

This is a ridiculous statement to make when they clearly don’t want disabled people in their own department. The DWP didn’t even try to deny the questionnaire is being used to weed out disabled employees.

It’s the DWP, not the secret service

The questionnaire probes into all aspects of someone’s medical history from past medications to whether they’ve ever broke a bone or have other health conditions. This includes whether someone has “ever suffered from any mental health conditions or if they have any issues with their stomach, kidneys or skin”.

It’s ridiculously thorough for a DWP job, to be honest. You have to tell them about allergies, whether you’ve had Covid, smoke, drink, or take drugs and even about your diet and exercise. It also drills into immune conditions and whether an applicant has ever had two or more weeks off work due to their health.

The service is provided by the People Asset Management (PAM) group, who then use an algorithm to score the answers. Applicants must score over 80% to achieve the ‘health qualifying rate’ and be regarded as suitable for the role.

The questionnaire is apparently to help employers “identify any risks that could prevent an employee from undertaking their new role” and ensure reasonable adjustments are provided.

However, a DWP work coach told John Pring at DNS that applicants would need to answer ‘no’ to most questions to pass the screening process.

They added that the scoring system “appears to reject candidates on the basis of health, disability and age”.

Referring to what the work coach said, Pring wrote:

They said that it was hypocritical of DWP ministers to call endlessly for more people with health conditions to seek employment, while using a service that prevents many of them working for the department.

As hypocritical as ever

It’s beyond fucking hypocritical of the DWP to exclude disabled applicants whilst it’s pushing the ‘economically active’ narrative of disabled people not wanting to work.

At a time when the DWP wants to force disabled people into work by any means, it’s showing how little they value disabled employees. But this is no surprise from a department that has lost more employment tribunals for disability discrimination in the past five years than any other UK employer.

The DWP is also quietly scrapping Access to Work which aims to support disabled people in the workplace. How are disabled people supposed to believe the department actually wants to support them into work when they don’t even want to employ disabled people themselves?

This just proves once again how little the government actually wants to help disabled people into employment. What the DWP really cares about is saving money and it would rather continue to demonise disabled people than fix its crooked department.

Featured image: Pexels/ cottonbro studio

Two young people have died following an outbreak of meningitis in Kent. According to BBC reporting, a further 11 individuals are critically ill in hospital.

The first individual to die was an as-yet-unnamed student at the University of Kent. The second was Juliette, a year-13 student at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham.

The outbreak is thought to be linked to an event at Club Chemistry, a nightclub in Canterbury. As of yet, the specific strain of the infection hasn’t been identified.

Meningitis outbreak: UKHSA response

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is currently managing the response to the outbreak. The organisation is contacting over 30,000 people in the Canterbury area with information.

The University of Kent has stated that it’s moving assessments and exams online as a precautionary measure. Given that we’re currently in an exam season, this is likely to cause a not-insignificant level of disruption.

A spokesperson also said that students who have been in contact with infected individuals are being offered advice.

On campus, hundreds of students stood in line today wearing masks, waiting for preventative antibiotics. Students also reported seeing ambulances and hazmat suit-clad teams outside of their accommodation.

Meanwhile, the guardians of pupils from Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford have also been warned that a sixth-former has been admitted to hospital on suspicion of meningitis.

What to watch out for

Meningitis is a bacterial infection of the meninges, the protective membranes that wrap the brain and spinal cord. It’s most common in young people, from babies to young adults, although anyone can be affected.

If it isn’t treated quickly, the infection can cause permanent brain and nerve damage, or even life-threatening sepsis. Having been infected before is not guarantee that you can’t be re-infected.

Asymptomatic carriers of the infection can spread it to others via spit or saliva. Usually, this will take the form of coughs and sneezes, although it can also be transferred by sharing cutlery or kissing.

Trish Mannes, the regional lead for UKHSA South East, stated that:

Meningococcal disease can progress rapidly, so it’s essential that students and staff are alert to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia.

Students are particularly at risk of missing the early warning signs of meningitis because they can be easily confused with other illnesses such as a bad cold, flu or even a hangover.

A rare outbreak

After a confirmed meningococcal outbreak, specialist lab testing is needed to confirm the exact strain of the bacteria responsible. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid tests allow technicians to determine the bacterium’s serogroup and genome.

This information is highly important, as it allows healthcare workers to determine whether a targeted vaccination programme is needed, and whether individual cases are linked. In this case, the wait to know the exact strain may be anywhere between three and seven days.

Outbreaks of meningitis of this magnitude are rare in the UK. However, the BBC reported that senior scientists believe that group B meningococcus bacteria are the most likely cause.

Just last October, the UK government announced that there were 378 cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in 2024-25. Of these, MenB accounted for 313 (82.6%) of the cases.

Crucially, the Men B vaccine was introduced back in 2025, but only for babies. This means that the teens and young adults who are being affected in Kent wouldn’t have received the vaccine. As things stand, the only way to access the vaccine for individuals outside of infancy is privately, through high-street pharmacies.

Vaccine skepticism on the rise

With vaccine skepticism on the rise in the UK, the US and elsewhere, the current outbreak in Kent is a tragic reminder of the lifesaving necessity of immunisation.

In the US, the rise of anti-vaxxers was underlined by Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a noted vaccine conspiracy theorist, as health secretary. And sure enough, last year, the American Centre for Disease Control was forced to take down its statement that ‘vaccines don’t cause autism’.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Reform leader Nigel Farage is also busy stoking up the conspiracists. In particular, he made vague claims that the Covid-19 jab wasn’t a real vaccine, stating that:

I believe in vaccinations when they’re vaccinations. I don’t think what happened with Covid were vaccinations. You have to keep having them every 6 months.

This anti-science pandering to the extreme right is dangerous – it’s an active threat to public health, and one that we must oppose at every turn. If not, we’ll only see more tragedies like the scenes unfolding in Kent right now.

Featured image via the Canary

Health secretary Wes Streeting has delivered a statement to the House of Commons in which he confirmed that funding for mental health has fallen as a proportion of NHS spending in England.

While there has been a real terms increase of £140m, this amounts a 3.2% reduction in share of spending from last year. Streeting’s statement makes this seem smaller by expressing it as a drop from 8.68% to 8.40% of the total.

This spending reduction comes despite confirmation that one in five people aged 16-64 (22.6%) in England now have a common mental health condition, a 20% increase since 2014. This rises to one in four among young people.

Mental health problems are the leading health condition among young people out of work.

Mark Rowland, chief executive at the Mental Health Foundation, said:

Poor mental health is at record highs, including millions of children and young people on waiting lists for treatment or out of work with mental health problems without adequate support to return to the workforce.

This is a human and economic catastrophe, costing the UK at least £118bn a year. In the midst of a national mental health crisis, a cut to the share of spend for mental health raises real concerns about the government’s commitment to mental health.

We support essential NHS reforms to focus on early intervention and prevention (such as Mental Health in School Teams) as well as a focus on Neighbourhood health centres. However, a reduction in spend relative to other areas of health spend undermines this effort. We wouldn’t accept rising cancer rates and falling share of spend and we shouldn’t for mental health.

Without an effective, co-ordinated ‘invest to save approach’, the mental health crisis will only get worse. It will continue to cost the UK billions of pounds, and millions of people will continue to suffer the consequences of preventable mental health problems.

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Featured image via the Canary