Reuters found the Trump administration backed sanctions against ICC officials in part to head off any future attempts to hold the Republican president or his officials accountable for U.S. military action overseas.
Politics
New report shows inequality and poverty are putting children at risk
A new report from a group of renowned paediatricians has raised huge alarm as poverty and inequality mean that child health outcomes have either stalled or declined so much that this generation has the poorest health in decades.
Inequality and poverty are significant factors in this critical issue hurting the UK’s children, with those living in more deprived areas seeing rates of infant deaths and childhood obesity that are twice as high as the least deprived.
Dr Helen Stewart, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), has powerfully stated:
The UK’s record on children’s health should be a national embarrassment.
UK children will be one of unhealthiest generations in decades.
Reduced vaccination rates, rising asthma, mental health disorders; high infant mortality rates, oral health, obesity.
Poverty a major factor. Significant health inequalities across the UK.https://t.co/yrMDETPLPO
— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) July 14, 2026
Children’s health stagnating by every metric
The report examined 12 internationally recognised indicators used to measure child health and wellbeing. These indicators include infant mortality, oral health, obesity, vaccination uptake, mental health disorders, and asthma. Its analysis found that children’s health has stagnated across every indicator, with the UK now lagging behind many countries in western Europe and ranking among the least healthy for children.
Examples given refer to the uptake of the MMR vaccination which stands at 84% by the age of five, despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) setting a target of 95%. The report says this makes the UK the worst amongst G7 countries.
The picture gets even bleaker: the UK records one of the highest rates of asthma-related deaths among children anywhere in Europe. Looking at infant deaths, there has been little improvement since 2023, and the UK’s rate of deaths remains higher compared to other European countries.
It also raises concerns about rising obesity, with almost 1/4 of boys being obese and almost 1/5 of girls. Given how expensive extra-curricular clubs are in schools, the cost-of-greed crisis squeezing the pockets of lower-income families, and a lack of accessible green spaces in more deprived areas, this is hardly a surprise.
Poverty wake-up call
But it should be a wake-up call for our leaders if they truly cared about improving the chances of the next generation.
Dr Helen Stewart from the RCPCH says we are “failing children” in the UK:
Across western Europe, many other countries are achieving better outcomes for children, yet too many children here are being left behind. The State of Child Health report shows that we are categorically failing children in the UK, but especially those from ethnic minorities and poorer backgrounds.
The new government has a chance to be bold on child health. Without action, more children will grow up in poor health, entering adulthood at a disadvantage and putting even greater pressure on families and public services.
She then challenged the incoming Burnham government:
In its first 100 days, the new government should set out how it will make children’s health a priority through sustained investment, better use of data and clear national targets.
Paediatricians have provided the blueprint, now policymakers must listen.
Poverty: class war is hurting life chances of children
Deprivation brought on by rising poverty and widening inequality have a huge impact on the life chances of children, which is emphasised by the findings of this crucial report.
For instance, the prevalence of obesity and infant mortality is twice as high as children from wealthier families revealing further how the class war we are currently living in is having very real, and potentially fatal, impacts on young children today.
As a result of this inequality the report urges the government to implement a variety of measures, such as more investment in children’s health services and in the workforce looking after our children.
The report also calls for better collection and sharing of child health data, alongside legally binding national targets to close the health gap between children from the richest and poorest families.
Stop blaming parents
Efforts to blame this on parents are already coming in on X. This is despite the fact that parents on low incomes have little power over the exorbitant costs they are having to cover through high rents, the ever-increasing cost of food, and trouble accessing healthy food being a significant challenge for those on tighter budgets.
In fact, some are attempting to offload state responsibility for children’s health entirely:
Kids in the UK will grow up to be one of the unhealthiest generations in decades according to a new report.
Who should take responsibility for children’s health in the UK? pic.twitter.com/GmGEfWcNof
— BBC Radio Scotland (@BBCRadioScot) July 14, 2026
Children growing up in social housing have far greater challenges. They are more likely to live alongside industrial sites, breathe polluted air, and have limited access to safe green spaces because of years of underinvestment. Many families are also priced out of clubs, sports, and other extracurricular activities.
Even the most determined parents can only do so much when the places around them deny their children the opportunities to thrive.
I, like many, know this from personal experience. I lived briefly in social housing with my eldest daughter in Salford in an incredibly deprived area with high levels of antisocial behaviour. We were surrounded by lorries, plastic recycling factories kicking out fumes, and industrial businesses. My car was covered in an orange dust every morning and my daughter had a cough every single day.
Chief exec of health charity the King’s Fund, Sarah Woolnough, insists this must be a “wake-up call” for the government and that without sustained and urgent remedial action, children will be left to pay the price for the failure of the generations who came before them.
This, alongside the climate crisis, has become a consistent pattern, it must be said.
She said:
This report paints a deeply worrying picture of children’s health across the UK. It is a stark reminder that health inequalities begin early in life and can shape health, wellbeing and opportunities for years to come. Whether it is infant mortality, obesity, mental health or vaccination uptake, the evidence is clear that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to experience worse outcomes.
Will the government listen?
The government has spoken out in response to the report’s concerning findings with an apparent lack of humility and showing just how out of touch with reality they truly are. They have been in power for two years, yet little has changed, in fact poverty and inequality have risen.
Nevertheless, they have said they are:
expanding mental health support in schools and colleges, opening family hubs and local health centres, and protecting children through tougher rules on smoking, vapes and junk food ads.
We’re also giving primary pupils a healthier start to the day with free breakfast clubs and providing free school meals to every single child from a household in receipt of universal credit.
However, tackling the concentration of wealth and power that is driving inequality, pushing up living costs and making life harder for most families would do far more to improve children’s lives.
Without addressing the root causes of inequality, its damaging impact on children’s health and wellbeing will continue.
Featured image via the Canary
Politics
Here are the best disease-fighting foods according to science
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Politics
The Murdoch rags & the Mail are at war with Reform UK
The observant among you may have noticed that the mainstream media have recently rounded on Reform UK and Nigel Farage. Interestingly, the outlets ganging up on Reform include the Daily Mail and Rupert Murdoch’s the Times:
Pleased as I am to see the Murdoch and Rothermere press attacking Farage as stridently as they previously lavished praise on him, I can't help wondering what has brought on the recent U-turn
— David__Osland (@David__Osland) July 13, 2026
Reform: right-on-right violence
The broader strokes of what these outlets are reporting on are things independent journalists began covering years ago. The Times and others have certainly unveiled new information, but said information could have come out years ago had the will been there. As such, it’s understandable people are asking ‘why now?‘
The Times have broken a series of stories on Farage and Reform’s financial matters in recent months. With each new story comes fresh scrutiny for Reform, and with further scrutiny comes panic. As a result, Reform is looking less and less like the next party of government and more and more like the defendants in an upcoming legal proceeding.
Among those questioning the reality we find ourselves in is author of The Fraud Paul Holden, who said:
This is fascinating to watch. I’m not sure I understand the more subtle dynamics at play on the British right, but it does seem like Farage and Reform and the Murdoch press are openly at war.
It might be at least partially reactive, but it does also seem that Farage, Tice etc. have decided that they can win power without the Murdoch press: that a combination of social media and the support of the Paul Marshall stable (GB News/Spectator) is enough to get them over the line.
From the outside it looks like the clash of two fractions of the right-wing power structure and eco-system, similar to how Trump faced down (and then subdued) the Fox News/Republican eco-system, and how it is resolved will have massive implications for the viability of Reform and the make-up of the next government.
My strong hunch is that it’s not going to go well for Reform!
Holden was responding to the following tweet from Reform deputy Richard Tice:
The Times Group:
You are sick
Your contempt bordering on hatred of Nigel, myself & Reform means you stoop to any low to smear & discredit us. You lie, libel and make things up.
How many more Reform politicians do you want dead?
Shame on you https://t.co/LnCCZ4YEqi — Richard Tice MP
(@TiceRichard) July 13, 2026
As one commenter noted, Tice is making the above argument while simultaneously using the sort of language he’s complaining about being used against him:
In March 2026, Richard Tice said: “Starmer and Labour… are traitors to Britain.”
Tice knows better than most that being called a “traitor” carries severe social, psychological, and sometimes violent or even fatal consequences. Just hours after Nigel Farage launched the… https://t.co/bBJYZZTnFH pic.twitter.com/KSq709XdmW
— GET A GRIP (@docrussjackson) July 13, 2026
The Daily Mail
It’s not just the Times who are giving Reform UK a hard time; the Daily Mail is also putting the boot in:
Nigel has lost the daily mail. pic.twitter.com/MqIUI4gNxf
— Daniel Lismore (@daniellismore) July 12, 2026
This is despite a big recent donation from the establishment family behind this vilest of vile rags:
Only last year, the wife of Mail on Sunday owner Lord Rothermere donated £50,000 to Reform UK. I'm sure Nigel Farage can live with a bit of criticism from Dan Hodges, although that is not a lot of money by his standards.
— David__Osland (@David__Osland) July 13, 2026
End of the line
Providing a theory on the turn against Farage, the popular commentator known as the Flying Rodent said:
Times is bored of playing with Farage now, and it’s telling him to get back in his box pic.twitter.com/XpFmugEEYp
— Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) July 13, 2026
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person of course, but it really is an abysmal way to manage national affairs: having the worst people in the country build up and tear down all kinds of very unpleasant right wing frauds, out of pure self-interest and expediency.
— Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) July 13, 2026
Clearly, Farage has failed to win the confidence of the billionaires who own the ‘free’ British press. As such, maybe it’s time that the right acknowledge what we did years ago; that for democracy to exist, we can’t have the majority of the media owned by a handful of major c*nts.
Featured image via the Canary
By Willem Moore
Politics
MPs call for special administration of Thames Water
MPs gathered on the banks of the Thames on 13 July, calling for Thames Water to go into special administration.
They’re among the 112 MPs who have signed an open letter to the environment secretary and Ofwat. It calls for Thames Water to be placed into special administration without delay.
The company, which has a debt pile of nearly £20bn, is on the brink of collapse. Since June 2025, Thames Water’s creditors, a group of US hedge funds, have been negotiating with Ofwat to formally take over the utility.
As part of the proposed deal, the creditors want to waive fines until 2030. And they want to suspend or ‘significantly modify’ pollution and performance targets. The creditors also want to raise bills for households beyond the level currently set by Ofwat.
Thames Water deal is unfair
Last month, environment secretary Emma Reynolds wrote to Ofwat objecting to the current terms of the deal. She stated that it poses unfair costs to consumers. But the water regulator itself has yet to reject the deal.
This comes as the utility approaches the 16 July deadline for submitting its financial results. If the deal doesn’t happen, Thames Water’s precarious finances might trigger a ‘going concern’ warning from the auditor. This could place the utility in special administration.
Prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham has previously said that Thames Water ‘should’ be nationalised. And he has put forward a potential 10-year plan for public ownership of the water industry.
53 Liberal Democrats have signed the open letter, along with 46 Labour MPs, six independents (at the time of signing), all five Greens and one MP each from Plaid Cymru and the Conservative Party.
It argues that allowing Thames Water, which was responsible for a third of the worst pollution incidents in 2025, to set its own rules would create a dangerous precedent for all of England’s privatised water companies.
It also argues that special administration will allow the government to write off a greater proportion of Thames Water’s debts. And this would secure a better deal for the public purse.
Sophie Conquest, lead campaigner at We Own It, said:
Right now, this government and Ofwat are at a crossroads. They can choose to line the pockets of US hedge funds with our money. Or, they can put households and the environment first.
This is a decision which will affect every single household in England. Signing off on this deal would be to sign off on a whole new low in standards across the water sector.
That’s why 109 MPs, from across the country and from across political parties, have added their names to the open letter calling for special administration.
The environment secretary’s objection to the creditors’ proposal on the grounds of its unfairness for consumers is absolutely right.
The next logical step is to put Thames Water out of its misery, and place it in special administration, where we can slash the debts, and put households and the environment first.
Andy Burnham has promised to secure greater public control of life’s essentials. There is no clearer test of whether he will keep that promise than what happens next to Thames Water.
Featured image via We Own It
By The Canary
Politics
Big Brother’s Will Best Confirmed For Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Cast
TV personality Will Best has become the sixth star revealed to have signed up for Strictly Come Dancing this year.
Will is best known for fronting ITV’s current revival of Big Brother, as well as presenting Hits Radio’s breakfast show.
On Tuesday afternoon he confirmed: “I can’t quite believe it… I’m doing Strictly! What an absolute dream. Albeit a pretty terrifying one.”
“I’ve been lucky to do lots of live telly before, but absolutely nothing like this,” Will enthused. “And I cannot wait!”
He added: “I have no idea if I can actually dance, but bring on the sequins, bring on the quicksteps, bring on the dance floor! I’m going to try to enjoy every minute of it.”
More celebrities on the Strictly 2026 line-up are due to be announced in the coming weeks.
Politics
Rubio escalates Trump administration’s attack on sanctity of ICC
Marco Rubio is waging an all-out war against the International Criminal Court (ICC), threatening that the body will learn ‘the full meaning of American resolve‘:
The International Criminal Court seeks to become the unaccountable arbiter of a new global law — empowered to prosecute and arrest our citizens at will and existentially threaten American sovereignty.
We will teach the ICC the full meaning of American resolve. pic.twitter.com/2egHK1jA98
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 13, 2026
ICC under threat
CNN reported that the opinion piece by Rubio – which is hilariously behind a paywall – says that the US will:
use all the tools at our government’s disposal, working beside every ally with whom we can make common cause, we will dismantle the ICC—brick by brick, if necessary.
In his opinion piece, Rubio accused the ICC of being:
backed and run by a powerful network of leftist nongovernment organizations, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments united by their enmity toward the U.S.
Rubio claimed that the court threatens US sovereignty through its ability to prosecute American soldiers and officials.
Those tools include possible travel bans, visa revocations, and increased sanctions, a State Department official told CNN.
Rubio continued:
We will watch with interest which nations join ranks with us against this threat to Americans who are willing to risk their lives to protect others.
Hague Invasion Act not a joke anymore
Meanwhile, the director of Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN), Raed Jarrar told TRT World that
Bush’s ‘Hague Invasion Act’ is not a joke anymore.
Jarrar noted that what was once dismissed as a joke in Washington is now being taken seriously under the Trump administration. And, Jarrar made it clear that he considered Rubio’s threats against the ICC as a signal of a dangerous escalation that makes the unthinkable seem all too real.
Further, Jarrar warned that the administration’s hostility toward international law has reached unprecedented levels, adding that the U.S. is using sanctions, threats, and pressure campaigns to go after the court.
The law in question, officially known as the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, was signed by George W. Bush in 2001 and authorises the U.S. president to protect American military forces against criminal prosecution from the ICC.
Of course, Jarrar also noted that the U.S. could itself face ICC prosecution for aiding and abetting genocide in Gaza, as well as for obstruction of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute.
Jarrar said:
The United States can and should be prosecuted by the ICC under two paths. … The United States aiding and abetting Israeli genocide in Gaza counts as a path. … The other track is Article 70 which actually gives the ICC jurisdiction to prosecute officials in countries even those countries who are not members of the Rome Statute in case they are engaged in acts of obstruction and threatening of the court itself. And that is exactly what this administration is doing.
ICC upheld by vassal states
Last month, three ICC judges sued Trump and his administration over sanctions imposed on them last year, arguing the measures were unlawful.
However, the court has taken no steps to investigate U.S. personnel in recent years, Reuters reported.
The UK is a founding member of the ICC, but as a vassal state of the US, it will likely just fall in line with whatever Rubio has planned.
Featured image via the Canary
Karim Khan
In fact, the UK is not so different than the USA.
The Middle East Eye revealed that former Prime Minister David Cameron privately threatened Karim Khan, the British chief prosecutor at the ICC, in April 2024, to defund and withdraw from the ICC if it issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.
Khan, who sought arrest warrants for Israeli officials over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, lost an appeal on Tuesday to have his interim suspension lifted by the Bar Standards Board, which regulates British court lawyers.
The New Arab said:
His supporters have suggested that he has become a political target for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli officials over Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Let’s never hear the “rules-based order” shit from our leaders who are actively dismantling it again.
By The Canary
Politics
Painfully slow decline in animal testing exposes a government dragging its feet
New Home Office statistics have laid bare the true extent of our government’s broken promises when it comes to animal testing and animal rights.
Researchers in UK laboratories carried out scientific procedures on animals 2.5 million times in 2025. This is a pathetic 4% decrease from 2024, revealing a government that is failing to meet the expectations of the public it supposedly serves.
Despite releasing the Replacing animals in Science strategy in November 2025, the state has still condemned millions of animals to suffer disgusting and painful procedures.
We need to transition to modern, humane scientific methods of testing. Now.
Animal testing per species
The data shows a horrifying trend for certain species, with the torture having increased for so many.
Use of animals by species in 2025, compared with 2024:
- Mice – 1,776,506 (-5%)
- Rats – 126,500 (-16%)
- Horses – 12,101 (+5%)
- Rabbits – 5,291 (-15%)
- Dogs – 2,889 (+ 9%)
- Monkeys – 2,236 (+15%)
- Guinea pigs – 1,676 (-38%)
- Cats – 91 (+11%)
Why the hell are we experimenting on any of these poor creatures?! And where has this 4% decrease you might ask?
The decline only happened because labs have reduced testing on the most common species such as mice and rats. This is alongside a 22% drop in regulatory testing.
Seems like a good thing doesn’t it? But these small creatures still remain the most abused as 1.8 million mice and 126,500 rats were tortured in 2025.
And to top it all off, needless, curiosity-driven research accounted for 54% of all experiments. Therefore, more hundreds of thousands of animals suffered just to satiate scientific curiosity, rather than to develop lifesaving treatments.
A nation of animal lovers? Far from it, based on the actions of our government.
Broken promises and more bull
Our country’s slow progress is totally and utterly unacceptable. Approved, non-animal replacements exist for a reason!
Cruelty Free International currently maintains a Replace Animal Tests (RAT) list that shines a light on tests still being performed in the UK which have validated, humane alternatives. That means no more sentient beings locked in cages and tortured to death. Ending these specific tests alone could save more than 80,000 animals a year.
Six months after the state published its transition strategy, this progress remains ridiculously slow. Dr Emma Grange, director of science and regulatory affairs at Cruelty Free international, said:
With 2.54 million uses of animals in British laboratories in 2025, a meagre 4% decrease from 2024, the rate of decline remains painfully slow. We ask that the government now starts to show the sort of bold leadership and ambition promised in its strategy…”
It’s a hard ask from Labour, let’s be honest. It’s not exactly known for following through with pretty much anything.
Whoever our new prime minister is, they need to show some spine and push forward the transition to only use non-animal specific methods.
The UK public wants animal testing to end. It’s time for the government to stop dragging its heels and finally ban these painful experiments.
We’re a nation of animal lovers and it’s way past time that the government reflected that.
Featured images via Pinterest
By Antifabot
Politics
Palestinian father attacked at son’s grave, one year after Israeli settlers murdered him
On 11 July 2025, Israeli occupation settlers brutally murdered Sayfullah “Saif” Musallet – a 23 year old Palestinian- American, and his friend, 23 year old Mohammed al-Shalabi, in al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya, near Sinjil in the occupied West Bank. Now, a year later, the father of Saif – Kamel Musallet – has been attacked by Israeli settlers when attempting to visit his son’s grave.
A group of journalists accompanying Kamel were also attacked by the unaccountable settlers.
Israeli settler attacks
Several months before the summer of 2025 Israeli settlers set up an outpost amongst Palestinian olive groves in the occupied West Bank. They began to prevent residents from accessing this stolen land. On 11 July 2025, these settlers beat Saif Musallet unconscious, left him for dead, and shot al-Shalabi in the chest. These illegal colonists then blocked the entry of emergency services for over three hours, resulting in the deaths of these two men. 58 Palestinians were also injured due to the violence.
A year after these two Palestinians were viciously attacked and murdered, Kamel Musallet wanted to visit the place where his son took his last breath, to pay tribute to him.
Journalist and human rights activist Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, better known as Andrey X, was among the group of independent journalists and CNN crew who accompanied him. Talking about the Palestinian land the settlers stole in 2025, he told the Canary:
The land has now been completely taken over by the settlers. According to the Oslo Accords, it is in Area A which should be solely controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Under Israeli military law, settlers are not allowed to enter here, but they have. And they have also taken over Palestinian farm houses. They now literally live in the homes of Palestinians from al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya.
The mayor of Sinjil briefed the group on safety and security before they left. He explained there are two known armed settlers in the area – one with an M16 and another with a pistol. He told the group he was concerned they may be targeted and attacked. This is because the settler with the M16 is known for shooting from a distance at anyone who enters the area.
Settlers armed with knives, rocks, and sticks
The group drove to the location where Saif Musallet was murdered to allow his grief-stricken father to spend some time there. But things took a turn for the worst. As Kamel Musallet and the journalists returned to their two cars, they noticed settlers had blocked their only way out of the area. From their outpost they must have seen the group enter the area. They immediately dispatched one car, then another. More settlers joined, and began to launch an attack.
Andrey X told the Canary:
There were several settlers who really looked like children, who were weilding sticks and held large rocks, ready to throw. They told us to stop the cars. At the beginning, we stopped. But one of the settlers started cutting the tyres of the CNN crew car {which was bullet proof} that was in front of us. At that point we decided to keep the cars moving. Then the settlers switched their attention to our car. They jumped on the hood of it, smashed our windshield with a stick, and started throwing rocks at us. We managed to speed away, but they pursued us. They then called another vehicle and group of settlers who blocked us off further down the road.
Yesterday I was ambushed and attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, together with the CNN and independent journalists. Here is how it happened: pic.twitter.com/eA9FwNv8e6
— Andrey X (@the_andrey_x) July 12, 2026
Impunity
Luckily the group managed to break through the blockade, although not before the settlers attacked their vehicles once more. When the group made it to the town of Sinjil, there was then a stand off between the two sides, and the settlers began filming using a drone. Among the settlers stood a person dressed in full army uniform, carrying an assault rifle. But there were no military vehicles arriving at that point, and he seemed to appear from nowhere. It was likely that one of the settlers who attacked them had a uniform in his car.
Andrey X described:
Then the army arrived. They were very aggressive and told us we were not allowed to film, which was blatantly untrue.
But once they realised journalists were present, another group of Israeli occupation soldiers turned up, with their commander:
He was much friendlier, and said it was horrible what had happened to us, and he would pursue it. They did, in fact, arrest four of the settlers. But the only reason this happened is because there was a CNN crew involved, and it would be bad PR for Israel.
There has been no justice for the families of al-Shalabi and Musallet. Nor for others whose loved ones have been murdered by the occupation. Their killers remain free to continue terrorising and displacing Palestinian communities. In many cases, Palestinians know many of the local violent settlers who harass, intimidate, attack, and kill, by name. But as the Israeli occupation government, police, military, settlers, and justice system are all part of the same apartheid colonial project, there is no hope of justice or accountability.
Israeli settlers get away with murder
Andrey X realises luck was on their side. Had the settlers been armed, the situation would have ended very differently. He told me:
Luckily for us the settlers weren’t armed. Of course, we were scared for our lives. These are very, very dangerous people, who kill with complete impunity. They can do anything they want in the West Bank, there is no accountability. For Saif’s family, any hope for justice is very tenuous, as long as the regime that resulted in his murder is still standing.
Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din says the occupation has enabled violence against Palestinians by equipping thousands of settlers with military firearms and uniforms. It claims settlers wear these uniforms to appear as though they belong to the military. They can then abuse the power that comes with these uniforms to commit offenses against Palestinians.
While enabling the violence, occupation authorities fail to hold perpetrators accountable. Complaints are routinely dismissed. The Military Advocate General’s Corps claims the incidents fall outside its jurisdiction because they are not part of military operations. While the Israel occupation police often close cases or argues it lacks jurisdiction because the perpetrators were in military uniform.
US has duty to protect US citizens and secure accountability for deaths
Many Palestinian Americans live in, or regularly travel to, the West Bank. Some were born in the US while others later became U.S. citizens and returned. In some villages, such as Turmus Ayya, Sinjil, and Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya, more than 80 percent of residents hold dual US citizenship. But they have received no help or protection from the US government, unlike American citizens in other countries.
Double standards are involved in the protection of Americans abroad. Its strong support for the Israeli occupation has taken precedence over seeking justice for its own citizens in the occupied territory. Where “Israel” is involved, there is little or no hope of credible, independent investigations, or any accountability. This is true even if the occupation has killed or injured US citizens in Palestine.
Saif Musallet was one of nine US citizens to be murdered in the West Bank by the Israeli occupation, since January 2022. US Senators have claimed that in each of these killings:
No one has yet been held accountable by the Netanyahu government, nor has the US government upheld its duty to protect Americans and secure justice and accountability for their deaths.
They say there is “a consistent pattern,” of Americans being killed in the West Bank by the occupation without justice or accountability, despite promises from US officials.
The latest events have only added to questions about the US response. Andrey X tells me:
It’s a funny coincidence that this all came at the same time as senator Ro Khanna’s visit to the West Bank, and the attack on an American CNN crew, which was covering the murder of two American citizens a year ago. It’s a very American story.
Featured image via the Canary
By Charlie Jaay
Politics
Spanish politicians demand Spain doesn’t extradite Fergie Chambers to US
Multiple Spanish political parties are calling on the Spanish government not to execute Fergie Chambers’ extradition to the US.
Representatives of several political forces have submitted a letter to interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Félix Bolaños García, minister for the presidency, justice and parliamentary relations, as well as to several government delegations.
The letter calls on the Spanish executive not to execute the extradition of James Cox “Fergie” Chambers Jr. to the US. And it warns that solidarity with Palestine, in a context of genocide, occupation and apartheid, cannot be criminalised or presented as terrorism.
The MPs come from the CUP, ERC, Comuns, Més per Mallorca, Compromís, EH Bildu, BNG, Somos Asturies, Convocatoria por Asturias, Adelante Andalucía, Izquierda Unida, Podemos and Sumar.
Fergie Chambers
According to published reports, Chambers was arrested in Eivissa [Ibiza] following a possible extradition request made by the US. It concerned allegations of money laundering and the alleged intention to provide material support to organisations designated as terrorist.
The signatories note that Chambers is known publicly as a donor and activist committed to the Palestinian cause and to humanitarian and social projects supporting the population of Gaza.
In the letter, the signatory forces, represented in various parliaments and in Congress, stress that passive extradition proceedings in the Spanish State are not automatic.
They recall that the law allows the government to refuse surrender even where a court has declared it admissible. This is especially so where there are substantial grounds for believing that the request is intended to prosecute or punish a person for their political opinions.
The text also recalls that the constitution excludes political offences from extradition. And it notes that the Extradition Treaty between Spain and the US provides for the possibility of refusing surrender where there are indications of political persecution.
In this regard, the signatories warn that the label of “terrorism” cannot be used expansively to criminalise the denunciation of genocide, humanitarian support, internationalist activism, contributions to media outlets or the defence of political campaigns against occupation and apartheid.
The letter states:
Solidarity with Palestine does not constitute any offence. Nor can it be equated, without concrete and individualised evidence of the financing of violent acts, with the financing of terrorism.
Political context
The document places the case in a broader institutional context. It recalls that the Spanish government officially recognised the State of Palestine on 28 May 2024 and that Royal Decree-Law 10/2025 adopted urgent measures against the genocide in Gaza and in support of the Palestinian population.
It also refers to positions adopted by multiple legislatures in defence of the rights of the Palestinian people, against genocide, against occupation and against the criminalisation of Palestinian civil society. These include:
- The Parliament of Catalonia.
- The Parliament of Navarre.
- The Basque Parliament.
- The Parliament of Galicia.
- The General Junta of the Principality of Asturias.
- The Parliament of the Balearic Islands.
- Les Corts Valencianes.
The signatories argue that these institutional positions show a clear line. Defending Palestine, cooperating with its civil society, denouncing the occupation and demanding respect for international law are part of the legitimate exercise of fundamental rights and cannot be treated as criminal activities.
The letter also invokes the international framework. It recalls, among other elements, South Africa’s case against Israel before the International Court of Justice for possible violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as well as the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
For all these reasons, the signatories call on the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior to ensure that no administrative, police or governmental action contributes to an extradition based on the criminalisation of solidarity with Palestine. Therefore, they’re asking the Spanish government to refuse Chambers’ surrender to the US.
The text concludes:
The fight against terrorism cannot be used as an instrument to persecute the denunciation of genocide, solidarity with an occupied people or support for humanitarian and social initiatives.
Supporting the Palestinian people is not a crime; it is a legitimate expression of solidarity, the defence of human rights and commitment to international law.
Signatories:
- Laure Vega, CUP.
- Gabriel Rufián, ERC.
- Ana Balsera, ERC.
- Gerardo Pisarello, Comuns.
- Andrés García Berrio, Comuns.
- Diana Urrea Herrera, EH Bildu.
- Irati Jiménez Aragón, EH Bildu.
- Oskar Matute, EH Bildu.
- Montserrat Prado Cores, BNG.
- Néstor Rego, BNG.
- Covadonga Tomé, Somos Asturies.
- Delia Campomanes, IU / Convocatoria por Asturias.
- Lluís Apesteguia, Més per Mallorca.
- Vicenç Vidal, Més per Mallorca.
- Isaura Navarro Casillas, Compromís.
- Agueda Micó, Compromís.
- Jose Ignacio García, Adelante Andalucía.
- Enrique Santiago Romero, IU.
- Agustín Santos Maraver, Sumar.
- Tesh Sidi, Más Madrid.
- Ione Belarra, Podemos.
- Javier Sánchez Serna, Podemos.
- Martina Velarde, Podemos.
- Noemí Santana, Podemos
Featured image via the Canary
By The Canary
Politics
How Long Do Scientists Think Life On Earth Has Left?
We’ve got about five billion years ’til the Sun dies, which certainly wouldn’t spell good news for planet Earth.
But researchers have long thought we’d be gone way before that happens. The Sun is always expanding, and will probably swallow our little planet up like a whale does plankton one day. (At least, that’s according to some theoretical models).
Not only that, but it’s getting increasingly luminous and producing more and more energy.
Now, a paper published in the journal JGR Atmospheres has attempted to put a finer point on when we might all be (literally) cooked.
“The ultimate life span of Earth’s biosphere is limited due to the steady brightening of the sun as it progresses in age,” they wrote, but caveated it “could survive for much longer than indicated in most studies”.
How long does life have left on Earth?
The paper said that as the Sun ages, “Earth’s long-term carbon cycle may respond by drawing carbon dioxide [CO2] out of the atmosphere and into carbonate rocks, thereby reducing the greenhouse effect and offsetting the increased sunlight”.
Previous studies have argued that this would make CO2 levels too low to sustain life on Earth – it’s vital for supporting oxygen-giving trees, for instance. This idea led some scientists to estimate the end of plant life on our planet at about 100 million years into the future.
In this study, however, scientists used 29 different models to work out what might happen to Earth under different conditions.
They modelled two extremes: one in which the world was too hot for life but had enough CO2, and another in which the temperature was more livable but CO2 levels were shot. They also looked at the range of conditions between these.
And the study authors input data about various plants, like succulents and orchids, which can survive on very little carbon dioxide.
“We show that Earth’s biosphere could survive for much longer than indicated in most studies, noting that some photosynthetic life on Earth can thrive at very low carbon dioxide levels,” the paper reads.
Their models suggested Earth’s vegetative biosphere could survive up to roughly 1.8 billion years from now, “about the same time that Earth would lose its oceans to space”.
Earth may be more resilient than we thought
Speaking to Live Science, Robert Graham, a planetary science researcher at the University of Chicago (who wasn’t part of the research), said: “The Earth has stayed pretty hospitable in terms of surface temperature for most of the last 4 billion years because it has a built-in thermostat.”
That refers to the CO2-pulling strategy we mentioned earlier – in hotter weather, the world pulls carbon dioxide out of the environment and stores it underground. Therefore, less heat from the sun gets trapped, and the planet cools again (if at the previously-presumed expense of photosynthesis, and as a result, life on Earth).
But the researchers of this study “have used a sophisticated 3D climate model to show that Earth’s climate may remain hospitable to plant life significantly longer into the future than predicted,” Graham said.
“It’s an advance over previous work and suggests that complex biospheres like that of Earth are more resilient to environmental change from stellar brightening than previously suggested.”
Politics
Panicked Trump trying to depose Democrat senators ahead of midterm collapse?
Donald Trump is reportedly firing accusations of voter fraud at Democrat senators ahead of his expected catastrophe in the 2026 midterm elections.
The claim comes after years of Trump insisting he was cheated out of the 2020 presidential win.
Trump’s approval ratings are at an all-time low, as even much of his ‘MAGA’ base turns on him. It understands, correctly, that his policies are Israel-first and is dismayed at his disastrous war on Iran. Others are waking up to his grift as he and his family continue to enrich themselves while America circles the drain. This has led to predictions of “doomsday” among Republicans.
Trump clearly fears that even his attempts to control counts and disenfranchise minority and poor voters won’t be enough. So he is now directly targeting Georgia’s Democrat senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, with accusations of voter fraud. The White House is trailing this to DC media without any hint of evidence so far, and despite the senators’ massive majorities.
NEWS:
President Trump is planning to announce that Georgia’s two senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, are illegitimate because of fraud, a well-placed source in Georgia tells us. Announcement could come as soon as tonight. https://t.co/1bchO5wfGe
— Washington Reporter (@DC_Reporter) July 13, 2026
Trump: ‘Everything I don’t like is rigged’
Trump has since rowed back slightly, briefing that claims of Georgia election fraud in 2020 will not be the “focus” of his speech on Thursday. However, his aides continue to brief the media that he will claim “foreign interference” in the 2020 elections.
But both Ossoff and Warnock had large wins in 2020. US commentator, Brian Krassenstein, pointed out that these were achieved while the state’s government, and therefore voting systems, were run by Republicans. His point triggered amusement at Trump’s expense.
Pass it around. pic.twitter.com/NlCw7N9ORA
— Hell’s Raven (@RavenAllMighty1) July 14, 2026
Ossoff responded uncompromisingly, describing Trump as a “failed president” in a “spiral” and linking the attack directly to midterm fears.
He posted:
Donald Trump’s spiral continues. The failed president, pocketing billions as he drives up prices, is afraid to lose the midterms. So he will reheat debunked election conspiracy theories and tell bizarre new lies to deny his 2020 defeat and attack voting rights. This is a disaster… https://t.co/AgFEg3RfbW
— Jon Ossoff (@ossoff) July 14, 2026
Trump’s attempts to rig elections in his own favour are deadly serious. But they also betray panic and desperation at what he and other US right-wing extremists believe is coming in November.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
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