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Though it was a good year for strawberry growers, 2025′s weird weather gave gardeners much to reconsider.

Backyard-proud Brits have been asked to check for footprints on their lawn, place a pan of water on their grass, move their potted plants, and even shuffle some stones around to ensure their greenery is properly hydrated.

But speaking to HuffPost UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) points out that your garden isn’t just made up of plants.

Birds, whose population has been slashed by as much as 50% over the past 50 years, are just one member of a key ecosystem that helps our gardens to thrive (if you need any more motivation, they’re a natural pest control for slugs, chafer grubs, and other unwelcome visitors).

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One way to help them in this dry spell involves placing an old washing-up bowl or sink in your garden or even balcony, the experts say.

It can create a “mini pond”

Katie Nethercoat, a member of RSPB’s Wildlife Team, says that the simple gesture can go further than you might think.

“Lack of rain, hardened ground and rising temperatures can all bring in challenges for our birds,” she says.

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“Providing fresh, clean bathing and drinking water is a simple but hugely effective way to help wildlife, as well as leaving areas of damp ground and soil.”

That’s partly because slick mud is key for ground-feeding birds like blackbirds and dunnocks, who need to eat invertebrates like worms.

“Piles of twigs, leaves and branches in a corner of a garden help keep areas damp for invertebrates,” Nethercoat continues, “our summer visitors, the house martin, also rely heavily on mud to build their nests.

“By keeping an area of wet mud available to them, this can mean they are able to build but also restore nest sites. This also lowers the risk of their nests drying out and falling to the ground.”

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One way to keep these all-important mud patches moist is by building a “mini pond,” the expert adds.

It can “seem like a huge task, but a mini-pond is a great addition to a garden or even a balcony.

“Using an old washing-up bowl or sink can provide valuable access for wildlife. If the edges are level with the ground, more creatures can get in and out.”

If the edges reach above ground, provide ramps with logs, bricks, or rocks.

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Nick CunardNick Cunard / NCSM Media / RSPB

Birds are far from the only beneficiaries

Hedgehogs, frogs, and a wide range of other animals will be thankful for the mini oasis.

“Even a mini pond in a pot will benefit wildlife,” the Royal Horticultural Society says.

This is a key step as our wildlife is desperately struggling in the UK.

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The RSPB have full instructions on building a mini-pond on their site.

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Wes Streeting had been the first to go public with his ambitious desire to be Labour leader in an upcoming battle to replace PM Keir Starmer. However, his confidence – or arrogance – about how worthy he is for the top job will likely take a significant hit as polls show only 4% of Labour members ranking him as their first choice for Labour leader. 

Despite the mainstream media portraying him as the ‘golden boy’ of the Labour Party, this measly 4% is hardly enough to give him a fighting chance against Burnham or Rayner.

This is hardly surprising, however, as we have reported multiple times – Wes Streeting is a snake who has been dismantling the NHS for private interests. As this polling indicates, people have finally seen through his duplicitous nonsense in the nick of time.

4% of Labour members want Wes Streeting to leader.

FOUR PERCENT.

And that’s despite a mass exodus of left wingers.

Yet the media have treated him as their golden boy! https://t.co/FMeDBGVlng

— Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) May 18, 2026

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Streeting – 4% support is just humiliating

It is undeniable that this polling should destroy any hopes that Wes Streeting – and his billionaire donors – have about the likelihood of him ever becoming the UK’s PM. In fact, even the publicly despised Keir Starmer flounces Streeting with 32% of members behind him remaining in post. Moreover, Burnham appears to be the front runner with 48% – but still, nobody is managing to command a majority of support even within their own party.

So, why don’t we remind ourselves why Streeting should never be allowed anywhere near a decision-making position ever again.

He is a duplicitous snake who will say whatever the public want to hear to get in power – then he will sell that very same public out.

We wrote about how Streeting’s own words in 2023 to slam Rishi Sunak’s response to NHS strikes were exposed in their blatant hypocrisy with his own behaviour in post. Given he is throwing the word ‘progressive around’, this is a significant alarm bell for voters to pay attention to:

NHS GP Neena Jha has taken apart Wes Streeting with his own words from 2023 over an upcoming resident doctors strike. It’s yet another indication that Tory and Labour politicians merely cosplay as caring opposition until they themselves enter government. Then, they backtrack and carry on the same neoliberal agenda they previously criticised.

Adding:

In 2023, Streeting said:

“Now we know why Rishi Sunak refuses to negotiate with NHS staff. He wants the strikes to go ahead, so he can blame doctors and nurses for his failure.”

The thing is, the health secretary has now himself refused to negotiate on pay restoration for doctors. This prompted Jha to take down Streeting “by his own admission”, replacing Sunak’s name with his own:

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“Now we know why Wes Streeting refuses to negotiate with NHS staff. He wants the strikes to go ahead, so he can blame doctors and nurses for his failure.”

It is the Labour continuation of austerity and privatisation that is failing the NHS – not doctors.

He is giving our data away to dangerous billionaires

Streeting is giving our data to Palantir: a murderous, billionaire-interested spy tech firm which makes no secret of its disdain for ordinary people. Despite his promises that he intends to fix the NHS, the reality is that he intends to make it work for billionaires – whilst ordinary people have no say in the use of their personal health data.

Speaking of the astronomical wealth accrued from contracts effectively just given to Palantir, we wrote:

The spy-tech firm won the NHS contract for £1 in 2020 which is now worth a lucrative £400 million for Thiel and co.

It is worth noting that this kind of wealth appreciation has become pretty commonplace for the world’s richest whilst ordinary people increasingly suffer.

As a result, calls are being made to rip up this contract to prevent the inevitable exploitation of data for the financial gain of billionaires.

Considering Palantir’s proven involvement in the genocide on Gaza, this really should not be a hard fight to win.

3. He is the establishment’s ‘pick’ which should underscore how little ‘change’ this corrupted politician could ever deliver.

Discussing Labour MP John McDonnell’s astute takedown of Streeting in which he theorised the whole bid is a revenge plot by Epstein-pal Mandelson and dodgy McSweeney, we wrote:

He’s alleged revenge by Starmer’s former handlers Morgan McSweeney and his mentor and child-rapist fan Peter Mandelson. Both men were sacked or resigned over the scandal of Starmer’s appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the US. Starmer has tried desperately to distance himself from Mandelson – completely unsuccessfully – and McDonnell says they’re now collecting payback.

Finishing:

Whether McDonnell is right or wrong, Streeting in Number 10 would be just as appalling news for the many as Starmer has been. Has-been… – that seems very appropriate. If only both of them were ‘never-was’s.

Streeting is (at best) a continuation, but he could be even worse

The Labour-right know that progressive, socialist policies are the only way they can differentiate themselves from right-wing Starmer. They are also the only hope of repair to our crumbling state. As a result, we have seen Streeting label himself as ‘progressive’ and once again, attempt to hoodwink the masses.

However, his 4% polling signifies that members are waking up and will not be fooled again.

Nevertheless, the media clearly worship him and will push him down our throats regardless.

Therefore, it is crucial that we do not forget who this man truly is – before it is far too late to do anything about it.

Featured image via Getty Images/WPA Pool

By Maddison Wheeldon

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Israel’s death penalty law for Palestinian prisoners in the occupied West Bank has now gone into effect after an Israeli army commander signed a military order. It follows the 30 March vote in the Knesset. National security minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party initiated the vote but it received overwhelming cross-party support.

Following the passing of the bill, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) submitted a sanctions recommendation to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It called for the sanction of sixty-two Israeli Knesset members responsible for passing and adopting the law.

This law consolidates more clearly than ever before the extent of Israel’s apartheid judicial system, whereby Palestinians can be sentenced to death and Israelis convicted of the same crime cannot.

It is an entrenchment of Israel’s genocidal policies that are prevalent not just in Gaza, but across the occupied Palestinian territory. Once again, Israel’s unchecked impunity after years of genocide has allowed it to continue to violate international norms.

The law means that there is now a mandatory death penalty for ‘terrorist acts’, that does not require judicial unanimity, with executions to be carried out by hanging within 90 days of confirmation by the Israeli Prison Service.

Individuals sentenced to death will be held in a separate facility with no visits except from authorised personnel, with legal consultations conducted only by video link. Harrowingly, many Israeli parliamentarians including Ben Gvir wore noose-shaped lapel badges during the campaign to get the bill passed, and celebrated with bottles of champagne in the Knesset.

Death penalty based on citizenship, not offence

This law only applies to military courts, which only deal with West Bank Palestinians, who are not Israeli citizens. This means the law will be used to kill Palestinians, but Israelis who commit terrorist acts would not be held to the same legal standards, and would not face the death penalty.

This is especially noteworthy, considering the current Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, was previously arrested on suspicion of attempting to blow up a highway in Israel with 700 litres of gasoline. Meanwhile, Ben Gvir himself has been convicted of supporting Israeli terrorist organisations and having a portrait of an Israeli terrorist in his office, Baruch Goldstein.

While some Western governments have expressed their ‘deep concern’ over the bill, the response remains perfunctory. Countries including the UK did not use diplomatic levers to influence Israel robustly and the result is an apartheid law of unimaginable bias and cruelty.

Jonathan Purcell, ICJP’s head of public affairs and communications, said:

Israel is a rogue, pariah state. We’ve been saying this for literally years now, but the more the UK government wrings its hands, the further Israel will entrench its apartheid and genocidal practices. We called on the UK government to sanction the Israeli lawmakers responsible for passing this death penalty law and yet they did nothing.

Now, a law exists where 100% of people killed will be Palestinian, mirroring apartheid South Africa where 95% of those killed were Black. It is very clear that the UK government and others standing idly by are on the wrong side of history.

Featured image via Erik Marmor / Getty Images

By The Canary

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Corporate parasites are weaponing manufactured fear to try to force a bailout of Thames Water onto an even more weakened Labour government. Potential investors are claiming that Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham could, rightly, push to bring utilities into public ownership. The Guardian reported this corporate leak, and said:

.Potential investors fear Andy Burnham could push to bring utility companies into public ownership

The establishment media portraits Burnham as some kind of big socialist threat to private equity. But we know he’s not the saviour some people like to think he is as his political history tells an entirely different story.

Thames Water cesspit

A bunch of creditors led by US investment firm Elliott Management is negotiating a shitty takeover deal for the collapsing water company. Private investors want tens of millions in environment fines written off. They also demand a reduction in environmental infrastructure investment until 2023. Because of course these vultures do.

Corporate ghouls are now using the threat of possible Burnham leadership bid to scare prime minister Keir Starmer into signing the ridiculous deal. And let’s be honest, Starmer’s spine bends to corporations at the slightest bit of pressure.

NEW: A YouGov poll of Labour members shows Andy Burnham would beat Keir Starmer in a leadership contest

Burnham: 59%
Starmer: 37%
Don't know: 4%

706 members, 14-16 May

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) May 18, 2026

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These corporate parasites claim special administration would create unnecessary instability for the supply chain. In short, the public get the shitty end of the stick. But this panic is entirely artificial because Burnham is far from the socialist saviour that the mainstream media wants you to think.

Thames Water is suffocating under £17.6bn worth of debt which the company has accumulated since it was privatised. The company is drowning in debt, yet previous owners and capitalists have sucked billions out of it in dividends. Private shareholders got fat on massive payouts whilst leaving us to inherit a dried out husk and polluted waterways.

He’s not a saviour, he’s a very naughty boy

The media and capitalist parasites are trying to paint Burnham as some kind of ‘socialist saviour’ but nothing could be further from the truth. Canary author Willem Moore highlights the difficult yet ambitious path Burnham will have to travel in order to be selected for the upcoming Makerfield byelection. Once securely in his Westminster seat, Burnham can challenge Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party.

He has used the success of his public-owned Bee Network buses in Manchester to build a political case for wider nationalisation. On Saturday we publicly argued that the UK must put utilities back under stronger public control. It sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? But don’t believe everything you hear…

But, Burnham has already stated he will not pursue proportional representation, and has fallen short of calling for full re-nationalisation of our utilities. Yes, we would have stronger control over them, but they would not be entirely ours.

Andy Burnham: “I don’t blame anyone who left our party. I don’t blame anyone who voted for other parties”.

“We need to renationalise water, energy and housing.” pic.twitter.com/lS5TXENvXG

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— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) May 16, 2026

His own parliamentary voting record tells a story of soft-left politics that prioritises establishment compliance. And definitely not that of a radical overhaul the public so desperately needs. Burnham consistently voted for the Iraq war between 2002 and 2003. And of course, he then voted against investigations into the disastrous conflict.

Tellingly, in 2015, Burnham chose to abstain on the cruel Tory Welfare Reform Bill, which drove hundreds of thousands of people into poverty.

So, don’t believe the corporate fear-mongering you’re seeing in the mainstream media. Burnham may pay a good game publicly, but his voting record and actions show historically, he has always batted for the corporate team.

We, the public, need to reject corporate blackmail and the false promises of wannabe Labour leader Burnham. The UK needs real, full, collective ownership. We need a real leader who will tell these corporate parasites to get their teeth out of our utilities.

Featured image via the Canary

By Antifabot

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