This is finally the end of spygate. An independent League Arbitration Panel has upheld Southampton’s expulsion from the Championship play-off final, and dismissing the team’s appeal.

As a result, Hull City will face Middlesbrough at Wembley on 23 May for the Championship play-off final. The decision upholds the earlier disciplinary commission’s sanctions. It brings a swift, uncompromising end to the saga.

Spygate saga

The saga — dubbed as Spygate — has had a relatively short-lived timeline. Middlesbrough lodged a formal complaint after a photo emerged showing a man allegedly observing their training ground. Subsequently, the English Football League (EFL) charged Southampton with multiple breaches for unauthorised filming of training sessions involving Oxford, Ipswich and Middlesbrough.

The panel upheld the ruling was proportionate while Southampton was of the view it was “manifestly disproportionate” — despite admitting to spying. Suffices to say that the arbitration panel wasn’t in agreement. In fact, two separate panels arrived at the same conclusion in quick succession.

Fallout and next steps

Southampton have apologised and pledged to “respond with humility,” acknowledging the damage to supporters, staff and the club’s reputation. The EFL’s remit covers club-level sanctions; the FA may now examine whether individual staff should face separate charges. These could include bans or further disciplinary measures. The written reasons for both the disciplinary commission and the arbitration panel will be published. This will offer the full evidence trail for public scrutiny.

Beyond the immediate embarrassment, the consequences are stark. Promotion to the Premier League carries huge financial rewards. These rewards are estimated in the hundreds of millions. So, to be missing out because of a regulatory breach is a heavy price. The four-point deduction next season is also a hefty sporting penalty. It could affect Southampton’s campaign long after this controversy fades from headlines.

Final word

However, questions about governance, oversight and how clubs police staff behaviour remain unanswered. The EFL process has run its course and now the FA and the wider football community will watch how the club rebuilds trust. For supporters and neutrals alike, the episode is a reminder that off-field conduct can be as decisive as what happens on it.

Featured image via Warren Little/Getty Images

By Faz Ali

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are bragging about simply doing its job once again. The DWP is making a big fuss of the fact that they’re recruiting 500 new staff to clear the Access to Work backlog.

The department is making it sound like this is something they’re doing out of the goodness of their hearts, but it comes after multiple politicians have criticised their handling of Access to Work

The DWP announced:

As part of its efforts to move from a welfare state to a working state, the DWP is taking action to address the backlog by recruiting nearly 500 new members of staff to speed up processing times and help people get the support they need quicker.

The change is part of a range of measures to break down barriers for sick or disabled people left behind by the previous Government.

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DWP backlog grows

The actual figure is 480, and this rounding up by 20 matters because of the sheer number of people waiting for Access to Work. In March, the minister for disabled people, Stephen Timms, answered a written question about how many claims had been processed since October 2025 and what the backlog was.

He confirmed:

From the period 10/10/2025 to 23/02/2026 51,924 Access to Work claims have been processed. As of the 23/02/2026 there were 66,749 applications awaiting a decision.

Crucially, that 51,924 isn’t the number of claims that had been approved; they’d just been processed. Conveniently, the DWP hasn’t published complete figures on how many claims were approved and denied since March 2025.

According to Decode, as of April 2026, an average PAYE employee is waiting around 38 weeks for their application to be referred to a case manager, while the average wait for a reconsideration is 33 weeks. More worryingly, self-employed disabled people are waiting on average 86 weeks to be referred. As John Pring at Disability News Service recently reported, self-employed disabled people have been put to the back of the queue and are suffering as the DWP tries to make it look like they’re supporting more people into employment.

There are currently 749 Access to Work advisors, so if they manage to employ 480, that’ll only be 1,229 advisors across the whole scheme. And that’s a big if, considering how bad DWP job retention is. It’s also important to note that whilst the DWP is bragging that they’ve ‘already recruited’ 157 since they took over, 118 of those were actually just redeployed work coaches.

If we’re looking at just the 66,749 applications that were waiting in February, without considering that figure will probably have gone up in the last three months, that’s 54 cases per advisor. And that’s assuming they actually do manage to recruit that many staff.

Taking credit for something they’ve been forced to do

However, the main thing here is that the DWP is once again taking credit for something they’ve been forced to do.

With more and more disabled people pushed into work, there will obviously be a surge in demand for Access to Work, but the department was left shame-faced in April when it was forced to admit there was essentially no plan for this.

It’s also a bitter pill to swallow that the DWP does apparently want to help disabled people get Access to Work support when they’ve been quietly cutting it for ages. In March, top DWP civil servants gave evidence at the Access to Work Inquiry. During this, they came under fire for not only the delays, but also for how much they’re completely stripping away previously agreed support.

Neil Coulling, best known for saying the carers’ scandal was the carers’ fault, once again attempted to wriggle out of it:

We were making mistakes on cases in 23, 24, as we attempted to clear that backlog, as Peter suggested, in too much of a hurry,

So those cases are coming up now for renewal, and they are producing lower awards, and people are saying, ‘Why have I got a lower award? Nothing has changed in my life.’

But we’d wrongly gave them a job aide, normally for 100% of the time, and we should have given them about 20% of the time. Because the job aides are not designed to do the work, they’re meant to support, lift the disabled person to the same level of… an employee.

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It’s clear that after coming under so much scrutiny recently, the DWP have panicked and rushed out a recruitment drive. It’s typical, however, that this is only being done because they’ve been humiliated and not because they actually want to support disabled people, which is clear from the way they continually demonise them.

I wish I could be surprised by the fact that they’re bragging about something they had to do to save face, but nothing the DWP does shocks me anymore.

Featured image via Getty/Catherine Ivill

By Rachel Charlton-Dailey

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Chris Kennedy, who recently stood as a local election candidate for Newton-le-Willows East, has now been selected by the Green Party to contest the upcoming by-election in Makerfield.

A nurse for 18 years and a specialist in mental health and child safeguarding, Kennedy came within touching distance of victory at the recent local elections, despite having only limited resources behind his campaign.

Beautifully, his campaign clearly connected with ordinary people and the deep concerns many feel about the direction of society.

According to the Times, leader of the Greens Zack Polanski has said:

We will also use the byelection to press Andy Burnham on what kind of MP and Prime Minister he would be, given his mixed track record, and interviews this week suggesting he isn’t committed to fair voting, public ownership and a genuinely new economic settlement.

We’d like to know which version of Andy Burnham is going to show up.

Say hello to Chris Kennedy – Safeguarding Nurse, battle-tested Green Campaigner, Passionate Grassroots Visionary and your Green Party candidate for Makerfield pic.twitter.com/XIYxElIUnQ

— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) May 21, 2026

Kennedy is a “Passionate Grassroots Visionary”

Chris Kennedy was born in Leigh, neighbouring Makerfield, and studied at Wigan College. These roots give Kennedy a strong understanding of the concerns facing people in Makerfield.

Like many communities across the Northwest, residents have felt forgotten and left behind by long-standing Labour-run councils for many years and they are angry.

Labour have long taken for granted their ability to depend on the vote of ‘red wall’ seats, with Kennedy set to challenge their dominance in the area.

Moreover, as an outspoken and committed grassroots activist, this truly progressive Green will also be bringing the fight to Reform’s contender in Makerfield.

Robert Kenyon has recently been exposed as a racist fascist after managing to be suspended off Musk-owned X, which is renowned for defending the right to hate speech and divisive rhetoric.

Quite a feat, it must be said!

His suspension followed racist replies, inciting hate and violence – with a history of publicly supporting the British Union of Fascists.

Skwawkbox wrote:

Kenyon’s links to fascism are disturbing, if unsurprising in an Islamophobic Reform candidate and they’re not being exposed for the first time. Kenyon stood, coming second, in the seat in the 2024 general election.

At that campaign, Searchlight Magazine pointed out his social media links to the leader of the British fascist movement.

Hey, @Nigel_Farage and @TiceRichard, you might want to ask your Makerfield Reform candidate, Robert Kenyon, why he includes Gary Raikes amongst his Facebook friends. We only ask because Raikes (pictured, in cap) an ex-member of both BNP and Britain First, is now leader of the… pic.twitter.com/I1XB90lKNY

— @Searchlightmagazine (@Searchlight_mag) June 8, 2024

Didn't take long, did it?#Reform's Candidate in #Makerfield, Robert Kenyon, has his X account suspended for racist replies to a constituent, support of British Union of Fascists, and incitement to hatred & violence.

He 'mothballed' his Facebook, I guess, for the same reasons. pic.twitter.com/xFDABOTZVP

— John O'Connell (@jdpoc) May 19, 2026

Solidarity on show with Kennedy

Signifying the likely reception Kennedy might receive in Makerfield, supporters across social media are actively backing his standing.

This is unsurprising to us after we interviewed Kennedy about his local election campaign before 7th May, and his passionate commitment was abundantly clear to see:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Canary (@thecanaryuk)

NHS Nurses on X have also shown their appreciation for Kennedy principled decision to stand:

Chris Kennedy is the Green Party's candidate in the Makerfield by-election

He has been a nurse for 18 years pic.twitter.com/iM0KJ9Z9M6

— NHS Nurses (@SocialistNHS) May 21, 2026

Hoping to see the ‘Spencer’ effect, as seen in Gorton and Denton, ’emulated’ in Makerfield, this X account said:

Chris Kennedy the Green Party candidate in Makerfield. Let’s hope he can emulate the amazing Hannah Spencer and become the next Green MP! pic.twitter.com/zUnq6kBBz7

— Red and Green (@Malcolm1818) May 21, 2026

Burnham facing leftist pressure to remember socialist policy

Further to his professional credentials and proven track record in prioritising the wellbeing of ordinary people, Kennedy is a principled and committed socialist.

Burnham has made several mentions of being a ‘progressive’ and that Labour needs to change. Yes, indeed it does. However, many people doubt that another neoliberal politician would deliver any meaningful change – especially as he has a track record of defending Israel against criticism and had become a member of Labour Friends of Israel.

Nevertheless, contrary to Starmer’s unashamed complicity in the genocide on Gaza, Burnham did call for a ceasefire pretty early on after October 7th. Perhaps people can still challenge his politics and priorities, and sustained public pressure could force a stronger socialist alternative onto the political agenda.

After all, the British people deserve an MP that actually confronts the deep, entrenched harms neoliberal policies have inflicted on society.

Featured image via the Canary

By Maddison Wheeldon

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In a post on X, Naftali Bennett, opposition leader and head of the ‘Together Party,‘ criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for harming Israel’s hasbara (‘public diplomacy’ better characterised as ‘propaganda’) with social media antics, and pointed out ways to improve hasbara.

Naftali Bennett, who hopes to unseat Netanyahu in Israel’s next election, published a detailed plan Tuesday to fix Israel’s “hasbara disaster” — proposing a “powerful national hasbara authority,” a “consciousness war room,” and an international alliance against disinformation.… https://t.co/NA1Imlvfry

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) May 20, 2026

Israel pretend PR is their problem

Bennett’s diagnosis is that Israel is suffering a ‘PR’ crisis after several countries, including Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Canada, summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their capitals to express their ‘indignation’ over Israel’s treatment of the abducted Gaza flotilla activists.

His prognosis is better PR.

The videos posted include showing Global Sumud Flotilla activists with their hands tied behind their backs, kneeling with their heads touching the floor. Another video showed Gvir intimidating and shouting at the handcuffed activists.

Bennett is not disgusted by the treatment of the detainees. His concern is that it was filmed and shared.

To undo the international condemnation, he suggests a powerful national hasbara authority, professional management of hasbara replacing political appointees with experts, a consciousness and technology war room, uniting all private hasbara efforts into one national campaign, and an international alliance against disinformation. Of course, given that this is Israel we’re talking about it’s safe to understand ‘disinformation’ in this context as ‘outright lies that barely disguise the facts.’

Palestinian prisoners

Given that Ben Gvir has carried out such antics before, including wearing a hangman’s noose badge while giving orders to abuse Palestinian political prisoners, the hypocrisy of Western leaders who only now summon Israeli ambassadors over the flotilla incident is clear.

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese also made the point that the flotilla is trying to draw attention to Palestinian detainees suffering in Israeli prisons, linking it to world leaders’ complicity with apartheid Israel.

World leaders: the flotilla is desperately trying to draw your attention to the plight of the Palestinians. Torture, rape, broken bones, beating to death, inflicted on men women children.
Their unbearable suffering is the consequence of (your?) complicity with Apartheid Israel. https://t.co/KyrMAcJBNv

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) May 20, 2026

She reshared the Cradle report that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar was also scrambling to distance Gvir’s videos from Israel.

Israel’s systematic rape of Palestinian detainees is widely documented. So are other forms of torture, which include strip searches and forced nudity, urinating and spitting on detainees, breaking bones and teeth, forcing detainees to imitate animal sounds, and humiliation by making detainees wear diapers, among others.

Never mind the torture, the rape, or the broken bones. The rot is deep when Bennett’s thinks PR is Israel’s problem, and not sustained genocide facilitated by the West.

Featured image via Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

By The Canary

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The European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) have submitted a formal complaint to the Bar Standards Board (BSB), the regulator of barristers in England and Wales.

It concerns senior barristers David Pannick KC, Anthony Grabiner KC, and Stephen Hockman KC in their role as patrons of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

The complaint raises concerns that repeated references to the barristers’ professional status in UKLFI correspondence may have amplified the authority and perceived seriousness of legal threats and allegations directed at individuals and organisations engaged in lawful advocacy, cultural work, education, and public expression relating to Palestine.

It argues that this dynamic has increased pressure on recipients, often non-lawyers, required to respond to complex legal claims without equivalent resources or representation.

ELSC and PILC ask the BSB to determine whether this use of professional status engages the Bar Standards Board Code of Conduct, including the duties of integrity and independence, and the requirement to maintain public confidence in the profession.

The complaint focuses on whether senior legal standing has been invoked in a way that materially strengthens pressure on recipients engaged in protected expression.

UKLFI, founded in 2011, describes its mission as opposing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and what it calls the “delegitimisation of Israel”. It has described its patrons as:

some of the most distinguished members of the legal profession in the United Kingdom.

Complaint suggests UKLFI is exerting undue pressure

The complaint argues that the repeated foregrounding of senior barristers in correspondence may elevate the perceived legal weight of UKLFI’s communications.

The complaint comes on behalf of a cross-sector coalition including teachers, migrant organisations, student unions, NGOs, healthcare professionals, and cultural practitioners, all of whom have submitted impact statements.

It situates these concerns within a wider pattern documented by ELSC across education, healthcare, culture, workplaces, and grassroots organisations, with UKLFI appearing 128 times in the ELSC Britain Index of Repression, a database recording the systematic repression of Palestine solidarity in Britain.

Across these sectors, teachers, students, healthcare workers, cultural practitioners, and activists are among those most frequently affected. As outlined in the complaint, the cumulative effect is a chilling environment in which individuals and organisations adjust or withdraw lawful Palestine-related activity in anticipation of legal or institutional escalation.

ELSC and PILC have asked the BSB to:

• Investigate the involvement of the named barristers in relevant correspondence.
• Assess compliance with the Bar Standards Code of Conduct.
• Issue guidance on the use of professional titles in communications with non-lawyers and civil society organisations.

An ELSC spokesperson said:

This complaint points to a pattern of legal intimidation through the use of senior legal status in correspondence targeting individuals and organisations engaged in Palestine advocacy, escalating pressure on non-legal actors and amplifying perceived legal risk.

The effect is a chilling environment that deters lawful public support for Palestine, particularly amid a mass global movement in response to the situation in Gaza. As our report On All Fronts sets out, these mechanisms are deliberate attempts to erase Palestinian from public consciousness.

This narrows democratic space, threatens freedom of expression, and must be examined by the regulator to protect public confidence in the legal profession.

A spokesperson for PILC added:

The legal profession carries real authority, and that authority should never be used, or appear to be used, to intimidate people or organisations engaged in lawful campaigning and public debate.

For small charities and grassroots campaign groups showing solidarity with Palestine, receiving legal correspondence that appears to carry the backing of some of the most senior figures at the Bar can be deeply intimidating, particularly where they do not have access to legal advice of their own.

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This complaint asks the Bar Standards Board to consider whether the prestige and professional status associated with King’s Counsel has been used in a way that falls short of the standards expected.

At the heart of this complaint is the public interest, that is protecting democratic participation, safeguarding freedom of expression, and ensuring that people are not discouraged from speaking out or organising lawfully because of the fear of legal intimidation.

Featured image via Chris J Ratcliffe / Getty Images

By The Canary

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Sussex Police have identified the three sisters whose bodies officers recovered from the sea in Brighton. Originally from Uxbridge, the family now faces unimaginable grief after losing their daughters in such tragic and unexpected circumstances.

Jane Adetoro, Christina Walters, and Rebecca Walters – aged 36, 32 and 31 – died in the sea off Brighton beach. At this early stage, investigators have found no evidence suggesting third-party involvement or criminal intent.

Nevertheless, the police have not eliminated this possibility and are appealing for any witnesses in the area of Black Rock car park in Madeira Drive.

Someone called police at 5:45am on 13 May after spotting a person in the water. Emergency services then recovered the bodies of the two other sisters nearby.

Their father, Joseph, spoke to the BBC and said:

Jane, Christina, and Becky were more than daughters to me; they were my joy, my strength, and the beautiful light that filled our family with happiness and love.

Adding that this horrific tragedy has:

left an emptiness that words cannot heal.

Police formally name sisters recovered from the sea off Brighton beach.

Police have formally identified the three women whose bodies were recovered from the sea off Brighton beach earlier this month.

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The women were sisters from the Uxbridge area of London and have been named as…

— Brighton’s Official 1# Page (@imjustbrighton_) May 20, 2026

Joseph: “your spirits live on in our hearts every day.”

One theory in the police investigation of the death of these three sisters is reported to be that they potentially chose to go into the sea and, having not been familiar with the very real dangers due to seaweed and shale, “got into difficulty”.

However, police are actively pursuing multiple lines of enquiry and are now scouring CCTV footage to piece together the sequence of events that led to the sisters’ deaths.

The three women reportedly travelled from Brighton Palace Pier, where CCTV captured them, before heading towards Brighton Marina. They have also appealed for anyone in the area to contact them if they are aware of any information in connection to this mysterious and deeply concerning loss of precious life.

Thankfully, they are providing the family with support from specialist officers through their unimaginable grief.

Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Sian Berry, told BBC Radio Sussex that the response has made her proud of the people of Brighton and said:

What I’ve seen since this tragedy first happened is the city just really pulling together and caring deeply about what happened to these women, while knowing nothing about their story.

Bella Sankey, City council leader in Brighton and Hove, has also shared her heartbreak at this news:

To learn today that these three beautiful women were sisters makes this troubling situation even more heartbreaking.

Three sisters found dead near Brighton Beach in England have been identified as their father shares a heartbreaking tribute remembering them as the “light” of the family. Read more #OnTheGrio: https://t.co/Elsal6AIho

— theGrio.com (@theGrio) May 21, 2026

Joseph: “You were deeply loved, and you will always be deeply missed”

According to the BBC, the father paid tribute to his daughters whose “presence made life more meaningful”, saying:

Each of you was unique and precious in your own special way.

Your smiles brightened dark days, your laughter brought comfort, and your presence made life more meaningful.

Though your time on earth was short, the impact you made will remain in our hearts forever.

You were deeply loved, and you will always be deeply missed.

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The local community has understandably reacted with deep shock and grief to this traumatic news, with people rallying together to support one another through the tragedy.

Police continue to investigate the case and have not yet reached any final conclusions.

Chief Superintendent Adam Hays said the force would “leave no stone unturned” as officers work to establish exactly how the sisters lost their lives.

Featured image via Getty/Bryn Lennon

By Maddison Wheeldon

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Last month, I uncovered excerpts from the “IDF diary” of Jonathan Kestenbaum, the former Israeli soldier and current Labour peer who was serving as a board member of Labour Together. But on May 18th, according to Companies House, Kestenbaum resigned as a director of the disgraced think tank.

Labour Together rebrands

The organisation has desperately been trying to rebrand this month. It has adopted a different name, “ThinkLabour”, and brand new website.

Alison Phillips, the organisation’s CEO, told journalist Peter Geoghehan yesterday:

ThinkLabour is a very different organisation today compared to Labour Together then and what was done does not reflect and represent what we stand for and how we operate today under my leadership.

However, ThinkLabour has the same company number as Labour Together Limited, still registered as operating on Companies House. Alongside Alison Philips, the active directors are registered as Mike Craven, appointed in March 2024, and new addition Nicholas Forbes, appointed on May 12th.

Kestenbaum’s diary

Although the relaunch was announced on May 14th, with ThinkLabour promising to be “a unique political organisation dedicated to helping Labour govern confidently”, Kestenbaum remained a director until the beginning of the following week.

In Kestenbaum’s written account of his Israeli military service, he describes:

chasing a nine-year-old boy who broke a 30-day curfew to try to retrieve bread from a gutter.

And:

rounding up a group of elderly Palestinians who slipped into a field at night to pick a bucket of tomatoes.

In one anecdote, he remembers detaining a group of teenage Palestinians and then being asked by another officer:

How many dogs have you brought?

Kestenbaum writes:

Once the man opposite you is a dog, anything goes.

In his diary, he refers to the Israeli state as “our country”, and a 1988 article in the international edition of the Jerusalem Post reports that Kestenbaum had “settled in Israel three years ago”. On Companies House, however, Kestenbaum’s nationality is listed solely as British. He now joins a long list of former Labour Together directors that includes Trevor Chinn, Morgan McSweeney, Josh Simons, although his positions at Five Arrows Limited and the JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust are still extant.

Support from Ed Miliband and LFI

In 2010, Kestenbaum was nominated by the Labour Party hierarchy to the House of Lords. Ed Miliband, Labour leader at the time, is one of those reported to be eyeing Keir Starmer’s position, particularly if Andy Burnham loses the Makerfield by-election.

Like Starmer, Miliband is a long-time supporter of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI). At the lobby group’s 2011 annual lunch, Miliband declared:

I’m grateful to Israel, I respect Israel, I admire Israel and that is why I’m proud to be here to be [as] part of Labour Friends of Israel…

Under my leadership, I will ensure that the Labour Party remains a strong and steadfast friend of Israel.

Josh Simons

Labour Together has long been tainted by Morgan McSweeney’s concealing of over £730,000 in donations whilst serving as director, using the organisation as a vehicle to propel Starmer into power, but the think tank’s downfall has been accelerated by revelations that former director Josh Simons set private investigators on journalists reporting on McSweeney’s actions.

Geoghehan’s report yesterday revealed that McSweeney and Paul Ovenden, Starmer’s former head of communications, were told about Labour Together’s infamous “investigation” two years ago.

Simons has now resigned his parliamentary seat in order for Labour “saviour” Andy Burnham to have a clear run at Starmer. In the past, Simons has received donations from Mike Craven, a former press officer to Tony Blair and the second current Labour Together Limited director.

All the same cronies

Upon their launch, ThinkLabour said:

this is much more than a new logo or a change of name.

But on Companies House – for now, at least – they are still Labour Together Limited, with Simons, McSweeney, et al. amongst their alumni.

Featured image via the Devon Daily

By Em Colquhoun

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Tube drivers in the RMT union have rearranged strike action that had been due on 19 and 21 May.

The union, which represents just under half of London’s underground network drivers, said:

At the 11th hour the employer has shifted its position allowing us to further explore our members concerns around the imposition of new rosters, fatigue and safety issues.

The dispute is not over and more strike action will follow if we fail to make sufficient progress.

In the absence of such progress, tube drivers will strike on Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June.

The dispute concerns what the RMT calls the imposition of a “a fake four day week”.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey previously said:

We have approached negotiations with TfL in good faith throughout this entire process. But despite our best efforts, TfL seem unwilling to make any concessions in a bid to avert strike action.

This is extremely disappointing and has baffled our negotiators. The approach of TfL is not one which leads to industrial peace and will infuriate our members who want to see a negotiated settlement to this avoidable dispute.

It appears that TfL has managed to drive a wedge between the RMT and Aslef, the other union representing tube drivers. Aslef believes that the shift changes are worth it for the extra days off. Meanwhile, the RMT regards the length of the working day as the sticking point. It cites fatigue and safety as primary concerns.

Featured image via Hans-Peter Merten / Getty Images

By The Canary

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Less than a month before the start of the 2026 World Cup, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) national team has been stumped by another Ebola outbreak. As a result, the Congolese Federation has had to halt their preparation programme for the World Cup. In the interest of public safety, both FIFA and US health authorities are closely monitoring the situation. On 17 May, the  World Health Organisation declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency.

Ebola put preparations on hold

Reuters reported that due to the threat of transmission, the team had to cancel the preparatory camp and farewell ceremony scheduled in the DRC capital, Kinshasa. Instead, these preparations will be held in Belgium to mitigate the risks. This change ensures the team can play in this year’s World Cup — the largest yet.

US authorities have adopted stringent health measures and advised people travelling from the DRC and Uganda to reconsider non essential travel. The measures they have adopted include special monitoring and examinations of anyone that has visited the two countries in the last 21 days. 

The latest strain — otherwise known as “Bondibogio” — is responsible for more than 130 deaths and 600 suspected cases so far, according to the WHO.

DRC matches to go ahead as planned

For now, the team’s World Cup preparations will resume in Belgium, as they prepare for the scheduled matches against Denmark and Chile. Houston will be the team’s next pitstop which will host the team throughout the tournament.

The Houston Chronicle revealed that local authorities are coordinating with FIFA and national health authorities, developing special protocols applied during the Congolese national team’s stay. These measures also hope to allay public fears and prevent a state of panic and commotion during World Cup activities.

Despite these concerns, health experts suggest the chances of the virus spreading in the US are negligible — emphasising the effectiveness of newly developed preventive measures.

The crisis carries additional dimensions for the DRC national team, preparing to participate in its first World Cup since the 1974. They’ll be playing in a group that includes Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan, and despite complex health and logistical challenges testing their resolve, the team will no doubt give it their best shot.

Featured image via Michel Lunanga/Getty Images

By Alaa Shamali

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The coalition parties of Ireland’s government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, have shamefully voted down a bill that would have imposed sweeping sanctions on the terrorist pseudo-state that uses the name ‘Israel’.

The Zionist mob running the Irish state were joined by allied Independent TD’s, resulting in a vote of 77–62 against the Sanctions Against the State of Israel Bill 2025.

Calls for ‘historical continuity’

Introduced in November 2025 by People Before Profit (PBP) TD Richard Boyd Barrett, the bill was at the second stage in the Dáil. It called for:

historical continuity with the previous application of economic sanctions against the apartheid state of South Africa.

This is in reference to the sanctions imposed by Ireland in 1987, which mandated a total ban on imports from the white-supremacist regime in South Africa.

The Zionist land thieves squatting on Palestine have gone far beyond even Pretoria’s crimes, with their genocidal assault on Palestinians, and killing sprees across West Asia. Yet the Irish government still refuses to sanction them.

Boyd Barrett’s proposals would have been similar to the legislation of 40 years ago, making it illegal to:

import goods or technology originating in the State of Israel

and to:

sell, supply, transfer or export goods or technology [to Israel].

Dealing in “transferable securities or money-market instruments” would have been forbidden, and no further technical assistance to the Zionist entity could have taken place.

Boyd Barrett challenges Martin’s cowardice

Boyd Barrett confronted Martin in the Dáil over his opposition to the bill, saying:

I’m getting reports from the flotilla organisers that Israel is shooting rubber bullets at boats, that there are Irish citizens on, who haven’t yet been kidnapped by this rogue regime.

Now, there would be uproar if Russia kidnapped people on the open seas, for example. We know there were sanctions immediately when they invaded Ukraine. There would be outrage, and yet this government hasn’t imposed a single sanction on the state of Israel, despite genocide, apartheid and now the seizure again of Irish citizens.

This is in reference to what can be seen in footage that the settler-colony’s thuggish security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has been proudly releasing. Ben Gvir has been a key architect of so-called ‘Israel’s’ rape and death camps, and the Gaza holocaust itself.

The footage It shows Ben Gvir taunting flotilla members now in ‘Israel’, who were abducted by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). They are shown being tortured – held in stress positions outside in the hot sun, and in rooms under constantly flickering fluorescent lights. The IOF has kidnapped at least 11 Irish citizens.

One Irish woman, Catriona Graham, bravely shouts “Free, free Palestine” in the face of Amon Göth’s modern incarnation, only to be grabbed round the head and dragged to the floor.

Boyd Barret continued:

What crime does Israel have to commit before we’ll impose sanctions? Why is your government going to vote against the sanctions bill, when the flotilla organisers – and I’d say the majority of people in this country – are saying you should impose sanctions on this state for the crimes it’s committed.

Martin adopted his usual sulky, sullen demeanour when subjected to legitimate criticism, and claimed:

European sanctions against Russia are European. [They are not imposed by] individual member states. The same applies to Israel. What we haven’t been able to get is unanimity at European Union level in respect of Israel.

Zionists in Irish government failing flotilla heroes

The Taoiseach’s assertion is that Ireland, as an EU member state, cannot operate independently when it comes to economic measures against Tel Aviv. Instead, he says, the EU retains exclusive competence over commercial trade and international sanctions.

The much more convincing counter-argument is that Ireland’s obligations under the Genocide Convention trump EU law, meaning they must take all possible steps to prevent and punish genocide.

Whatever the risks involved for the Zionists occupying Ireland’s government, should they institute sanctions, they are nothing compared to those faced by the flotilla participants. These heroes sailed across 1000s of miles of treacherous waters, knowing they would almost certainly end up in the hands of genocidal torturers.

They did that to raise awareness of Palestinians’ plight. They did it to prove that Western governments care more about appeasing Zionist rapists and murderers, than they do about the wellbeing of their own citizens. By voting down the Sanctions against the State of Israel Bill 2025, Micheál Martin has given the best evidence yet of this fact.

Featured image via Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

By Robert Freeman

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