Politics
Wings Over Scotland | Learning Insanity
This clip was broadcast on ITV News Wales this week.
It’s a staggeringly obvious mess for a whole raft of reasons – a number of completely spurious, illogical and unsupported claims are accepted as facts without any sort of challenge or balancing voice (which has been standard practice on ITV News for a while now across almost any contentious political topic) – but it led us to somewhere magnitudes of crazier still.
Because we were naturally somewhat curious about who Jenny-Anne Bishop, the very obviously male “community rights activist” (and who according to his LinkedIn page is also a “Transgender Advisory Boar”) that they interviewed for much of the piece was, and how he came to have an OBE.
So we did our thing.
He got his gong (which is not a euphemism) for “services to the trans community” a decade ago, but we were more interested in the first line here:
What has this chap been telling over 150 organisations on 800 occasions in just a few years, as the UK’s institutions have been captured by a bizarre cult ideology?
Luckily, we were able to find out.
Oh, we can already tell this is going to be amazing.
Buckle in, folks, here we go.
You may wish to have the emergency phone number of the Grammar Police on hand before we really get down to it. But at the end of this course you will have learnt, understand, be briefed, increased and to produce things, so that’s good.
That is quite a lot of fonts.
We’re not sure quite how you establish whether, say, a Siberian tiger is transphobic or not. And where did “homophobia” suddenly come from?
“Same-sex behaviour”? What, like going to the pub with the lads to watch the football, or doing a Zumba class with the other mums after you’ve dropped the kids at nursery? If so, those figures seem a little low.
If the burning trainwreck of random capitalisation above makes you wince, go and fetch yourself a stiff drink right now, because it infests the 110-page document to an absolutely comical degree. Do NOT even attempt to make any sense out of why, for example, “Interacting” and “Assuming” suddenly Get capitals despite Being in the Middle of a sentence, because Trust us, there is absolutely no Logic whatsoever at Play and you’ll just end up Gouging your own eyes Out.
(eg why does only one of the two instances of “course” there get a capital?)
We met Brian Dimorphism once. Lovely chap. Bit confused.
Ah, the well known prefix “bi-“, famously meaning “an unspecified number higher than 1”. But what’s interesting here (other than the incredible amount of work being done by the “+” in “LGBTIQ+”) is that the T, I and Q have all been very conspicuously left out of the definitions of sexual orientations.
So the mystery of why the earlier pic suddenly brought “homophobia” into a definition of “transphobia” remains an active question, but now we’re forced to wonder what the “LGB” and the “TIQ+” are doing lumped together at all. Perhaps we’ll find out in a bit.
(Remember, “NO QUESTION IS A SILLY QUESTION”.)
Always remember, readers, that sometimes “Q” stands for “Agender”, and that while it doesn’t stand for a sexual orientation, sometimes it stands for a sexual orientation.
Everything goes a bit fuzzy on the next page and bits get haphazardly cropped off it, which seems somehow appropriate.
We love the idea of a “current” definition of female and male, words whose meanings have been unchanged and universally understood for approximately 100,000 years.
Now, this is interesting. “Male and Female are the Biological sex categories, Masculine and Feminine are Gender categories” is a statement we agree with completely (other than the capitalisation issues, of course). And they’re VERY clear about it.
So again we’re forced to wonder why LGB people and TIQ+ people are being lumped together at all, since the former are only linked by sexuality and the latter only by gender, which we’re told is a completely different thing. But let’s put that to one side for now and see how well it holds up on subsequent pages.
We all know you only have a gender expression on the right-hand side of your body. But then things get a lot more complicated very quickly.
On the “Genderbread Person” sexual orientation was located in the heart, but now it’s been relocated to what appears to be an attack of acid reflux somewhere above it, with the heart resuming its more traditional romantic role.
(“Biromantics” are of course people who really love pens.)
But wait a minute.
This is a right old mess, and we’re not even talking about the basic “assigned at birth” nonsense. Having just been told in the starkest possible terms that sex, sexuality and gender are different things, we’re then presented with this bombscare of a sentence:
“Assigned gender/sex at birth is different than sex, which is based on many variable factors.”
You can’t say that gender and sex are completely different things and then casually toss in a “gender/sex” as if they WERE interchangeable terms after all. Who’s going around assigning babies genders as well as sexes? What are the “many variable factors” that determine sex, and how can it change after birth?
Most of this is the usual bollocks, but “metagender”, apparently meaning “neither cis nor trans”, is a brand new one on us. How does that even work? Either you identify with your birth “gender” or you don’t. What’s the middle ground there? Are you “semi-binary” or something?
(And again, if gender isn’t sex, who’s assigning babies genders rather than sexes? Who decides you’ve had a little Neutrois or Abimegender or any of the hundreds of other genders? Nobody gives birth to a “man” or a “woman”, women give birth to babies who are boys or girls. Newborn infants have no social roles.)
But phew! None of this drivel has to make sense anyway! Just make stuff up!
Because nobody can ever tell.
We think the Right Time & Place is that vegan community cafe just off the High Street, round the back of Superdrug. Ask for Starsprinkle, she/they does afternoons there.
In more primitive, less progressive times, we simply called this a “person”.
We don’t introduce ourselves with pronouns when we meet anyone, because we’re not completely insufferable narcissistic tools, but in fairness we’ve found the last sentence on that slide invaluable when being attacked by bears.
Let’s pause here for a short moment and think of just some of the situations in which the words “Name doesn’t match paperwork” would constitute an EXTREMELY LARGE RED WARNING FLAG WITH FLASHING LIGHTS AND GREAT BIG LOUD BLARING KLAXONS GOING OFF ALL AROUND IT, and which definitely shouldn’t be blithely ignored by some simpering dolt in the name of politeness and inclusivity.
Can someone bring us a non-binary person immediately, please? We are DYING to call them an “Inbetweenie” or “Gender Bender” and see how that goes.
This is a jawdropping mess. “Butch” and “femme”, for example, are terms generally used to describe lesbians, and “lesbian” and “transgender” are not synonyms, as the presentation itself has repeatedly made clear.
We’re told that SOME intersex people (how many?) don’t want to be called trans, but they get lumped in anyway.
The word “crossdresser” intrinsically means that someone isn’t trans at all – if you’re dressing in the clothes of what you regard as the opposite sex, you can’t think you ARE that sex, or it’d just be “dressing”. (And the same thing goes for drag, which is crossdressing for money.)
And if anyone ever introduces themselves to you as a “Gender Outlaw”, we’re pretty sure you’re legally allowed to shove them into the nearest canal.
Having just pointed out that intersex people are not the same thing as trans, and many of them strenuously object to being lumped in with trans people, why would you keep inventing new terms that insist on doing exactly that?
Being intersex is a definable and verifiable physical condition, not a mental disorder, so what would it be doing in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition)? It also has nothing whatsoever to do with gender – you can have an intersex condition (properly called DSDs), and be trans or not trans or non-binary or whatever. There is no link of any kind between the things.
Why are your poor employees being subjected to this wildly inaccurate drivel?
Why does the “Cis woman” only have one arm? Why are “Trans people” only one person? (And “Gender diverse people”. How many people are in there?)
Is the first one “WHAT in the name of CHRIST have you done to your EAR?”?
All aboard, all aboard, woah-oh!
(As with most trains nowadays, you may experience significant delays, or be redirected to a Bust Replacement Service. Thanggewverymuch, try the fish!)
The above provides an opportunity for Jenny to execute a neat segue into a lengthy personal section about himself and his equally-male wife, who like all women share an abiding love of steam engines. We’ll restrict ourselves to a few highlights.
Our favourite is the appearance of (we assume) the proud dads at the wedding.
Attendees were treated to no fewer than 20 pages of these thrilling snaps.
But eventually we get back to the story.
Interestingly, there’s no claim here that all or indeed any of these articles are ANTI-trans, only that they’re “on trans topics”. Most campaigners would be delighted with such a sharp increase in media coverage.
Also, “16 articles a day” sounds like a lot until you consider how many newspapers there are in the UK – we can’t find a definitive list anywhere, but there are around 50 dailies alone, including both national and regional titles, and obviously any sizeable story is likely to be picked up by multiple outlets, so 16 is actually a pretty low number.
Crocs: when diversity goes too far.
Honest to God, the single most surprising thing about this entire presentation is that they manage to spell “harassment” correctly the whole way through. (Alert readers who spotted the spectacular “Ones own personnel sense of Gender” earlier will doubtless be as shocked as we were when they dodged the “harassment” landmine.)
But normal service is swiftly resumed.
As is the majestically arbitrarily deployment of capital letters, whereby Trains, Aircraft and Clubs all get one but the things that SHOULD have them, like Ladies and Gender Recognition Certificate, don’t.
There can’t be a single font, point size or formatting type anywhere in Microsoft PowerPoint that hasn’t been utilised at some point in the presentation. Check out this unexpected punch to the eyeballs.
We’re pretty sure you can’t ban disabled people from disabled toilets. But exactly how many toilets were IN this bus?
We have SO many questions here.
Whatever clothes you might be wearing, by definition only female people ever need gynaecological treatments. It’s literally what “gynae-“ means, you maniacs.
If you’re being treated in the Gynaecology Department, YOU ARE A WOMAN, or you’re about to get a very uncomfortable surprise.
We’re nearly done, folks. Hang on in there.
Well, yes, in that it’s a brain.
AIEEEEEEEE! It’s a FONTPOCALYPSE!
But thankfully, other than the obligatory links to Mermaids at the end, that’s it. We’ve shown you fewer than half of the slides, and remember, almost EIGHT HUNDRED groups of poor beleaguered employees – amounting to thousands if not tens of thousands of people altogether – with better things to do had to sit through the entire thing for hours, all just to end up hopelessly confused and ill-informed.
It’s hard to even begin to estimate how many productive labour hours have been wasted by just this one ridiculous man. And there are legions more just like him gallivanting around the country, many of them being paid hefty sums of taxpayers’ money to fill people’s ideas with this incoherent, abysmally-written woo-woo mindrot.
It’s no wonder the country’s going down the tubes, if we’re still allowed to say “tubes” without it being either sexist or ableist against the neurodiverse. We don’t know about you, gang, but we’re impatient for the end.
The Confederation of African Football’s historic decision to award Morocco the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title has brought their head coach, Walid Regragui, back into the spotlight.
Does this open the door for his return after he resigned just weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Regragui’s name is once again making headlines. This follows the appeal over Morocco’s controversial match with Senegal.
In case you missed it, Senegal has been stripped of its AFCON title, which was handed to Morocco on 18 March.
The decision has shocked the sporting world and stunned international spectators. Senegal’s 1-0 victory over Morocco on 18 January was overturned by AFCON. Now, the match is officially recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco.
Could Regragui make a comeback?
Before these events unfolded, Regragui’s resignation on 5 March seemed directly tied to his team’s loss to Senegal on Moroccan soil. With the 2026 World Cup around the corner, Mohamed Wahbi has taken over as head coach.
At the time, the defeat dampened the shine of his otherwise impressive tenure. Under his leadership, Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and made it to the final of AFCON.
Now, many are asking whether Regragui’s departure was hasty.
Regragui, in the wake of AFCON’s appeal decision, has found himself elevated to national hero status in Morocco and the wider Arab world.
While Morocco’s title has been reinstated, will this be enough to bring Regragui back to his former role?
The court of public opinion
The Canary has observed growing calls on social media for Regragui’s return. Many point out that the former Atlas Lions coach has yet to secure his next coaching contract.
Despite Wahbi’s appointment as head coach, his strong relationship with Regragui leaves room for various possibilities. This includes a potential collaboration or a future reevaluation of the team’s leadership and priorities.
However, with just two months to go until the World Cup, both options seem unlikely and are largely fuelled by the excitement of Morocco’s delayed victory.
A critical juncture for the Atlas Lions
With the 2026 World Cup fast approaching, Morocco’s national team faces a critical juncture. On one hand, they need to build on the momentum of their reinstated AFCON title.
On the other, they must quickly establish stability in both leadership and football strategy.
Whether this will happen under Wahbi’s or Regragui’s leadership remains uncertain, as the fervour for the former coach’s reinstatement crescendos both online and offline.
Featured image via the Canary
Multivitamins might help to slow biological ageing, new research has found.
Published in Nature Medicine, the paper noted that these effects were stronger in people whose biological age (which relates to the health of their cells and tissues) was already older than their chronological age (how many years old they are).
On average, older people who took a multivitamin supplement daily had a biological age four months younger than those who didn’t.
What else did the study find?
The researchers looked at blood samples from just under 1,000 participants of the US’ COSMOS study – a randomised, double-blind trial.
Participants had an average age of 70. Some people took multivitamins, and others didn’t.
Blood samples were taken three times: at the start of the study, and 12 and 24 months after that.
The scientists calculated the biological age of the people in the research by looking for five biological ageing “clocks” in their blood.
These “clocks” had to do with the patterns on DNA, changes in which have been linked to a person’s ageing.
After comparing the blood samples, the researchers noted that people who took daily multivitamins showed signs of slower ageing in two of these “clocks”, which were associated with mortality risk.
Speaking to Nature, study author Howard Sesso said research like this is “not just identifying how to live longer, but also how to live better”.
He noted taking multivitamins “appeared to be on that type of trajectory over two years”.
Does that mean multivitamins will definitely keep me younger?
We don’t know for sure, yet.
The paper said that though “statistically significant but small effects of daily MVM [multivitamin] supplementation on slowing biological ageing are encouraging”, additional studies are needed to explore this further.
Still, speaking to Nature, geroscientist Steve Hovarth (who was not involved in the study), said: “This is a very interesting and rigorous study… The public appetite for knowing whether everyday supplements can genuinely slow ageing is enormous.
“This study provides some of the most credible evidence we have to date.”
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Edward Davies is Research Director at the Centre for Social Justice.
Motherhood was much in the news this week.
It kicked off with a flurry of last-minute chocolate and daffodil purchasing by the nation’s offspring on Sunday morning. And hot on the heels of Mothering Sunday came Jessie’s Buckley’s Oscar acceptance speech in which she dedicated the honour “to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart”.
We at the CSJ also launched a report that found that 600,000 women would miss out on their ambitions of motherhood due to the falling birthrate and that three million women aged 16 to 45 today are projected not to have children if current trends persist.
But for all undoubted importance of motherhood and the human pathos of these three events, the last in particular signals something far greater and more concerning.
The UK’s fertility decline is often framed as a motherhood issue largely because that is how it is measured – births per woman. But it is far from that alone.
The ripples of our declining birthrate travel far and wide. It’s felt by fathers too of course – it takes two to tango after all. And it’s felt by siblings, uncles, and aunts. It impacts grandparents and communities too as the population gets older and older.
They are a few years further down this road than us in Japan but during the first half of 2024, 40,000 people died alone in their home. Of that number, nearly 4,000 people were discovered more than a month after they died, and 130 bodies went unmissed for a year before they were found.
We all depend on the relationships in our lives, right up to, and even beyond our deaths.
This has huge societal effects too, not least on public services. As Japan has discovered, it is not cheap or easy for the state to reproduce what families have traditionally done for millennia. Our social care sector is already groaning under the weight.
But a medic colleague working on doctors’ contracts used to joke to me that the most sensitive nerve in the body is the wallet nerve and it is maybe our economy where we will feel the pinch hardest.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has said that, on current trends, UK public debt could rise to around 270 per cent of GDP by the early 2070s as ageing pushes up spending on pensions, health and social care.
To maintain our current economy and standard of living with a declining population would require unprecedented and improbable productivity increases. When they fail to materialise, we will have to make significant cuts and perhaps the one hard aging-related lever governments have to play with is the pension age.
The CSJ’s analysis shows that on current population estimates children in school today could face working until their mid-70s before receiving a state pension.
If the government attempted to maintain today’s ratio of workers to pensioners, the state pension age would need to rise steadily over the coming years, hitting 70 in the next three decades, and 75 well before the end of the century – that means children aged 8 and under today would not retire until they are 75.
Figures like this understandably provoke a response, particularly among those approaching pension age themselves. But we literally cannot afford to bury our metaphorical heads in the sand over this. Other countries with similar problems are grasping the nettle. Denmark for example recently passed legislation which will raise the retirement age to 70 by the year 2040 – not that far away. By 2060 it will likely rise to 74. Italy and Estonia are set to follow at 71, while the Netherlands, Sweden, and Cyprus are projected to reach 70.
To date, received wisdom in the UK has been to replace the human shortfall with imported labour – high immigration. But not only is it a strategy with declining public support, but it does not really work. High levels of immigration have marginally and temporarily slowed the demographic shift but they do not solve the underlying problem, as age and fertility rates among migrants also tend to fall over time. In short, migrants get old and stop having babies too.
Political capital to have these conversations is in short supply and so huge credit to shadow equalities minister Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, who is one of the first senior parliamentarians to put her head above the parapet in this debate. Writing the foreword to the CSJ report she does not shy away from hard questions.
She describes our falling birthrate as “one of the most significant yet least discussed challenges our country faces today”.
“A healthy society depends on its ability not only to preserve what it has inherited, but to pass it on. The institutions, freedoms and traditions that make us who we are were built up over centuries, and their continuation cannot be taken for granted. If we rely on making up the population shortfall with ever higher immigration, then we may risk losing more than we bargained for.
“If we want to be proud of passing on something of importance to the next generation then we must never lose sight of the importance of family.”
Donald Trump’s second administration has massively tightened the longstanding US stranglehold on Cuba. His escalating campaign of terror has brought the island’s health system to its knees, putting thousands of lives at risk. But many people around the world are refusing to just stand by and watch.
In recent days, Trump has insisted that:
I do believe I’ll be… having the honour of taking Cuba… Taking Cuba, I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I can do anything I want with it.
And he’s promised that:
we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon
Numerous social movements, humanitarian groups, trade unionists, and public figures have stepped up to try and scupper Trump’s plans, though.
These groups and individuals have built a coalition to send humanitarian supplies to Cuba, including medicine, food, and solar equipment. In particular, this aid seeks to support medical workers and their patients, while ensuring children have access to vital nutrition.
The first of the venture from the ‘Nuestra América Convoy‘ has already arrived on the island. And more will arrive in the coming days:
BREAKING 🇨🇺 The first delegation of the Nuestra América Convoy arrives to Havana. pic.twitter.com/WEaln5H84S
— Progressive International (@ProgIntl) March 18, 2026
¡Qué viva Cuba! 🇨🇺
The first delegation of the Nuestra América Convoy has arrived in Havana from Europe, carrying more than four tonnes of critical medical aid. pic.twitter.com/nFhQ74B2X2
— Progressive International (@ProgIntl) March 18, 2026
🇨🇺✊🏽 ¡Ya está en Cuba el Convoy Europeo con ayuda solidaria proveniente de Italia!
Un puente de esperanza que une pueblos y fortalece la solidaridad.
📷 Jorge Alejandro
✍️Tomado de Naturaleza Secreta de Cuba
#NuestraAmericaConvoy pic.twitter.com/jE5AlDg08G— Mov. Mexicano de Solidaridad con Cuba 🇲🇽🇨🇺 (@_mmsc) March 18, 2026
Trump’s escalating stranglehold on Cuba
More than six decades of US “economic terrorism” have cost Cuba over $170bn. They haven’t just pushed people to leave their country. According to experts, such sanctions also have a similar effect to war, killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world every year, with many millions of deaths over recent decades.
Amid the ongoing failure of sanctions to topple Cuba’s government, the US started to change strategies under Barack Obama. But Trump’s first administration reversed that and doubled down on aggression.
Then, in 2025, Trump came into his second term seeking to ramp up this stranglehold with a new escalation of collective punishment. This has since sparked a crisis in Cuba’s health system, bringing it “to the brink of collapse”. And it has just forced a 29-hour nationwide energy blackout.
So far this year, Trump’s regime has gone after Cuba’s key lifelines:
Global criticism of US terror must turn into action
Nations around the world have overwhelmingly opposed US sanctions on Cuba for decades, regardless of whether their governments are left- or right-wing. Ordinary people in the US itself, meanwhile, strongly oppose using force against Cuba. They prefer diplomacy, and generally agree that sanctions are the wrong strategy.
Moving from criticism to action is not easy, and rarely happens. But the Nuestra América Convoy offers hope that people are increasingly willing to follow through:
As Donald Trump’s illegal siege plunges Cuba into darkness, the first convoy flight leaves from Milan.
On board: 220 suitcases packed with life-saving medicines. pic.twitter.com/rVNSmPEpWL
— Progressive International (@ProgIntl) March 17, 2026
We deeply appreciate @JeremyCorbyn and @ProgIntl for standing with the Cuban people. As the US escalates its cruel and inhumane blockade, global solidarity is our greatest weapon. We eagerly await the historic Nuestra América Convoy in Havana on March 21. Cuba is not alone! 🇨🇺 https://t.co/BGEARsYBSs
— Cuba in the UK (@EmbaCuba_UK) March 18, 2026
ANNOUNCEMENT 📢: NACLA is mobilizing to Cuba. 🇨🇺
This week, NACLISTAs will be taking part in the Nuestra América Convoy to Cuba, a humanitarian mission delivering critical supplies to a people under siege.
For decades, NACLA has covered the U.S. pressure campaign against… pic.twitter.com/gfrirkGFyN
— NACLA Report (@NACLA) March 17, 2026
We’re busy packing suitcases of medical aid to bring to Cuba tomorrow. 🇮🇪 🇨🇺
GRMA to all who’ve assisted us source it (special thanks to Dr David Hickey).
The USA is illegally and savagely strangling the island and crippling its people. pic.twitter.com/EzIgQOgqda
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) March 17, 2026
We head to Cuba later this week as part of an international solidarity group to bring critical medical aid for the Cuban people. 🇨🇺 🇮🇪
To everyone who has assisted us gathering it, GRMA, we will travel with over 200kg of critical medicines.
As the Taoiseach heads to… pic.twitter.com/F1MdrWAgPI
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) March 16, 2026
Opposing Trump’s terror campaign against Cuba isn’t about whether you completely support its government or not. As with US-Israeli war crimes in Gaza, Iran, or Lebanon, it’s completely possible to oppose colonial violation of international law while also being fully aware of legitimate criticisms regarding the governments facing attacks.
The simple fact is that the US is using terror to ensure dominance for itself in the Americas (as it has for many decades), just as it’s been helping Israel to ensure its dominance in the Middle East through genocidal terror.
Trump is proudly displaying a brash imperialism that US leaders have historically hidden behind careful propaganda. And the world is increasingly aware of the danger of allowing this to continue.
But words aren’t enough. The world must also follow the example of the Nuestra América Convoy and turn criticism into firm action – for the sake of humanity.
Featured image via the Canary
As it promised on Wednesday 18 March, Iran struck Saudi energy facilities in retaliation for Israel’s bombing of Iran’s South Pars gas field, which it shares with Qatar, also a US ally in the Arabian Gulf.
The Iranian television broadcast its warning across social media channels, telling the US, Israel, and their enablers that their facilities will be reduced to “ashes.”
Iran military spokesman: “You attacked our infrastructure and energy in the south. Your infrastructure, energy, and gas facilities will burn to ashes at the first opportunity. Your era of glory is over — withdraw from the region or choose death.” pic.twitter.com/8i5KGPlDdD
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) March 18, 2026
The latest strikes began as soon as night fell:
Public Relations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps:
🔹 In the name of God, the Crusher of the Arrogant “Whoever transgresses against you, transgress against them in like manner as they transgressed against you”
🔹 Wave sixty-three of Operation True Promise 4 against… pic.twitter.com/wntAb6R0fU
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) March 18, 2026
Mobile footage published by social-media based news outlet, Kofiya News, shows a huge explosion at a refinery near Riyadh as an Iranian missile struck:
🚨🇮🇷🇸🇦 BREAKING: A massive explosion has occurred in Riyadh after multiple ballistic missiles launched from Iran struck the city. pic.twitter.com/9GrMkbWF19
— Nova Intel (@intel_nova) March 18, 2026
The aftermath of the strike was shared by Kofiya News:
💢 4 injured in Riyadh after “debris from an intercepted ballistic missile” fell near refinery, Saudi Arabia claims
Four foreign Asian residents were injured and “limited material damage” reported after Saudi Civil Defense said debris from an intercepted ballistic missile fell… https://t.co/q25Cvl5bkb pic.twitter.com/J5mur9D0w4
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) March 18, 2026
Qatari gas facilities were struck in the early hours of 19 March, local time:
Qatar LNG is on fire pic.twitter.com/uRKzzo3pGA
— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) March 18, 2026
A mass retaliatory attack on Israel and its Haifa oil terminal has not yet been reported at the time of writing, although a repeat of last night’s mass—and largely censored—attack is surely imminent:
WATCH: Iranian Khorramshahr ballistic missiles with ~80 bomblets targeting Israel tonight. pic.twitter.com/HVVXkQ1FZf
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 17, 2026
The situation continues to develop rapidly.
Featured image via the Canary
In the three weeks since Donald Trump and Israel first started bombing Iran, the Tehran regime has been targeting energy sites across the Middle East in retaliation.
It has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping lane, by attacking any oil tankers which attempt to pass through the waterway.
The conflict has sent international markets into a tailspin and pushed the cost of oil up to almost $110 a barrel.
This latest attack on a gas field has also increased gas prices by more than 25% – more than double the levels seen before the war began.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Happened?
Hours after killing Tehran’s intelligence minister and launching some of the most intense airstrikes in Beirut for decades, Israel hit the South Pars natural gas field on Wednesday, escalating its growing conflict with Iran.
The world’s largest natural gas site, located in the Persian Gulf, it is shared between Iran and Qatar.
Qatar is a close ally of the US and a host of the US largest military base in the Gulf.
Trump announced overnight that Israel had “violently lashed out” and targeted the major Iranian gas field in rage over what Tehran is doing in the region.
Iran condemned the strike and its president Masoud Pezeshkian warned of “uncontrollable consequences” which could “engulf the entire world”.
It then turned its fire on neighbouring energy facilities in the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia said it managed to intercept and destroy four ballistic missiles which were heading towards its capital Riyadh, presumably from Iran, and claimed more drones were intercepted and destroyed.
Meanwhile, State oil giant QatarEnergy reported “extensive damage” after Iranian missiles hit the Ras Laffan Industrial City, which processes around a fifth of global gas supply.
The Habshan gas facilities and Bab field in the United Arab Emirates were also targeted and have since been shut down after interceptions over the major sites.
The UAE said Iran’s retaliatory strikes were a “dangerous escalation” and have ordered Iranian embassy officials to leave the country.
SYLVIE HUSSON,SABRINA BLANCHARD via AFP via Getty Images
What Does This Have To Do With Trump?
The US president insisted that the US did not have advance warning of the Israeli strike and also that Qatar was not involved.
In a post on TruthSocial, he wrote: “Israel out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lasted out a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran.
“Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and was unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility.”
But the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump did approve of Israel’s plan, according to US officials.
The president was reportedly hoping to pressure Tehran into unblocking the Strait of Hormuz with the attack.
But Trump has insisted that Israel would not make any further such attacks unless Tehran hits back – while claiming the US will “blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field” if Iran does retaliate.
What Does This Mean For Other Countries In The Gulf?
For many in the region, this feels like a seismic moment in the conflict as neighbouring nations feel more under threat than before.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu, the only export outlet for many local countries’ crude oil, was also hit by an aerial attack on Thursday.
The country made it clear overnight that it reserves the “right to take military action” over Iran’s attacks.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have also sent an evacuation warning to several oil facilities across Saudi Arbaia, UAE and Qatar.
How Does This Impact The Rest Of The World?
In Europe, natural gas prices have already climbed by 35% since Thursday’s attack.
Gas prices overall have increased by more than 60% since the war began less than three weeks ago.
Brent crude, which is the international benchmark oil price, have jumped from $73 to around around $108 a barrel as of Wednesday – and every $10 increase pushes up pump prices by around 7p a litre.
This will impact the cost of living, though there is normally a time lag as prices trickle through to customers.
EU leaders are keen to curb the jump in energy prices and are meeting this week to discuss how to migitate the coming crisis.
There’s the human cost to consider, too.
More than 3,000 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict started, according to the US-based Iran human rights group HRANA.
Local authorities say approximately 900 people have been killed in Lebanon, and 800,000 forced to flee their homes.
Iranian attacks have also killed people in Iraq and across the Gulf states. At least 13 US military service members have been killed in the war.
What Might Happen Next?
Trump claimed Israel would not make any further such attacks unless Tehran hit back.
In his TruthSocial post, the president claimed: “NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar.
“In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.”
However he is also thinking about sending thousands more US troops to the Middle East according to reports from Reuters, possibly to help oil tankers move through the Strait of Hormuz.
Politics
Political operatives with Trump ties raked in millions of dollars in commissions from DHS ad campaign
Two companies with ties to veteran political operatives received at least $23 million in commissions for their role in the controversial Department of Homeland Security ad campaign that helped lead to Secretary Kristi Noem’s ouster.
One of the firms, Safe America Media, received at least $15.2 million and was formed last February just a few days before it was awarded the limited-bid contract to work on the overall $220 million, taxpayer-funded ad campaign, according to an internal DHS memo and three people familiar with the contracts who were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the contracts. Safe America Media was run by Republican operatives Mike McElwain and Patrick McCarthy, who have ties to a firm that did extensive media buying on President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
The second firm, People Who Think, received at least $7.7 million from its 10 percent commission on a portion of the $220 million, according to the memo, which was written by DHS Deputy Under Secretary for Management Paul Stackhouse, and reviewed by POLITICO. People Who Think was co-founded by Jay Connaughton, who did work for Trump’s 2016 campaign and has reportedly worked for other conservative politicians and causes.
The March 3 DHS memo noted there was only a “limited competition” for the awarded contracts because of the “urgent and compelling need” for the ad campaign. It also stated that People Who Think’s 10 percent commission for international advertising and Safe America Media’s 12 percent commission for domestic advertising was below the industry norm of 15 percent.
Besides military recruiting efforts and Covid-19-related campaigns, the DHS ads were the most expensive U.S. government marketing campaign in the last 10 years, Bloomberg reported.
The information about the contracts add new details to the ongoing fallout over DHS’s $220 million ad campaign, which included a video of a cowboy-hat clad Noem riding a horse at Mount Rushmore. It also highlights how political operatives were awarded contracts worth millions of dollars with seemingly little oversight or guardrails — including from President Donald Trump, who White House officials have said did not sign off on the ad campaign.
The ads became a sore spot within the White House, including with Trump, because they fed into a perception that Noem used her position to set herself up for a future political run.
“Safe America Media submitted a proposal for and was awarded a contract to support DHS’s nationwide public awareness campaign, and committed substantial resources to meet an accelerated timeline on budget,” Safe America Media lawyer Joseph Folio said in a statement to POLITICO. “We look forward to providing additional information to address inaccuracies in the public reporting and ensure the record accurately reflects the scope and context of that work.” It’s unclear what he is referring to and a spokesperson didn’t respond to a follow-up question.
McCarthy, McElwain and Connaughton didn’t respond to requests for comment and People Who Think could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for DHS declined to comment.
Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Kennedy of Louisiana, along with Democrats, grilled Noem when she testified before Congress in early March about the DHS ad campaign. At one point during the hearing, a clearly frustrated Tillis threatened to halt all Senate business if Noem refused to provide information about immigration enforcement in his home state, while Kennedy probed Noem about the ads and derided them for only being “effective in your name recognition.”
Noem has defended the campaign by saying the ads helped encourage two million immigrants to self-deport and thus saved billions of dollars.
Noem was also asked during the hearing about the Strategy Group,which worked to make some of the ads for Safe America Media. The Strategy Group is run by Ben Yoho, the husband of Noem’s former right-hand communications aide Tricia McLaughlin. McLaughlin has said she recused herself from the campaign, and DHS general counsel James Percival has backed her up publicly on questions about the matter and said she was not involved in selecting subcontractors.
In a response to inquiries from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), both members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Yoho said his company was only hired as a subcontractor by Safe America Media for ad production worth $226,000.
Asked about his role in this ad campaign, Yoho referred POLITICO to the letter.
Welch’s office told POLITICO that they have talked with legal representatives for People Who Think and Safe America Media but have not yet received responses to their questions. They said they expect to hear from them soon.
Safe America Media LLC placed some of the DHS ads through Strategic Media Services Inc., which received more than $269 million from Trump’s campaign in 2024, according to FEC records. SMS used the same office address on corporate registrations between 2013 and 2021 as Designated Market Media Inc., which McElwain is the president of.
SMS didn’t respond to a request for comment.
2003: Harry Barnes at Labour Against The War event, London | Image by: PA Images / Alamy
4 min read
Relentless in his pursuit of social justice and workers’ rights – and a decent, thoughtful socialist – Harry Barnes set an example to many of us
I was very sad to hear that the former MP Harry Barnes had passed away. Harry was born in Easington, County Durham. He became a member of the Independent Labour Party and its successor organisation Independent Labour Publications in the 1970s, and was later elected as the Labour MP for North East Derbyshire in 1987 – a seat he went onto serve for almost 20 years.
Harry entered Parliament shortly after I did. He was very active throughout the 1984-5 miner’s strike and supportive of the very just cause of the miners in all parts of the country. He was a great friend of the trade union movement – and a regular speaker at the annual Chesterfield May Day Gala. A dedicated local MP, he was always focused on how to represent his community in Parliament. It is no surprise that so many tributes have poured in for Harry, who was a champion for his constituents for so many years.
He was, alongside me and fellow Derbyshire MPs Tony Benn and Dennis Skinner, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group, and we worked very well together on trying to steer the Labour Party in a socialist direction, rather than the retreat into neoliberal managerialism that occurred with the development of New Labour. He also worked well with great colleagues and friends in Sheffield such as Bob Cryer. He was a very different character to all of them, but they all blended well together – and were a real example of how differences in personalities and approaches can be a positive force in the development of a powerful political presence.
Harry was not afraid to rebel against the Labour whip – one thing we had in common! Harry rebelled against Tony Blair on issues such as asylum, benefit cuts for single parents and the privatisation of air traffic control.
In Parliament, Harry was particularly interested in Ireland and the relationship between Britain and Ireland, and I found discussions with him very interesting and thoughtful – even at times when we weren’t exactly on the same page. We travelled together to Northern Ireland, along with Dennis Canavan and other MPs on a delegation, during which time I got to know him much better.
Harry was not afraid to rebel against the Labour whip – one thing we had in common!
Harry was relentless in pursuing issues of social justice and workers’ rights, and particularly passionate about opportunities for adults in further education. He believed that too many people were unable to achieve what they wanted in life because of the barriers they faced in an inadequate education system.
As an MP, he frequently held Sunday evening discussion group meetings, where he would come into his own with his encyclopaedic knowledge of labour movement history.
After he stepped down from Parliament, Harry, to his credit, remained very active in local affairs, serving as the political education officer for the Dronfield branch of the Labour Party. He was still very involved in local events, local politics and his community. As he had done as an MP, he always made himself open to debate and discussion.
When I visited his old constituency with Chris Peace, the Labour candidate for North East Derbyshire in 2019, Harry was there strongly in support – it was wonderful to see him. Harry set an example to many of us, and I was so grateful for his solidarity and comradeship. He was a decent, thoughtful socialist, who always sought to share his knowledge and share his ideas, and bring other people on board in that same direction. Thanks, Harry.
My thoughts are with his friends, family, and all those he touched with his wisdom and kindness. Rest in peace.
Jeremy Corbyn is Independent MP for Islington North
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