Does a cave beneath Pembroke Castle hold key to fate of early Britons?
“One of the issues that scientists are seeking to resolve is the question of whether or not Neanderthals interbred with Homo sapiens in Britain, as they did in other parts of the world. For good measure, they also want to know if the two species lived alongside each other or whether they replaced each other in successive waves.”
#UK / Politicians are avoiding the Israel-Gaza war in the current election campaign
In an opinion piece for The Guardian, columnist Owen Jones criticizes the lack of discussion around the Israel-Gaza war during the UK's current election campaign. He argues that despite the scale of the conflict and Britain's complicity through its support for #Israel, neither the government nor the opposition have adequately addressed the issue.
[…] Both party leaders should be scrutinised for having backed what became one of the great atrocities of our age, despite the bloodcurdling promises made by Israeli leaders from the start.
Jones suggests this reflects a broader lack of serious engagement with substantive foreign policy matters in the election, prioritizing domestic political drama over global atrocities. He contends that the public appears to be more concerned about the situation in Gaza than the political parties, and calls for the candidates to be held accountable for their positions on the conflict.
US Has Spent $1B on Houthi Attacks But Militants’ Arsenal Unfazed: Intel
🔶️ American warships have spent a great deal of munitions to intercept Houthi drones and missiles targeting ships in retaliation for Israel’s war(Genocide ) in #Gaza.
🔶️ “Houthi stockpiles appear nowhere near exhausted, even as sporadic #US and #UK strikes against them continue,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank.
🔶️ The assessment is contrary to a previous statement by US #AirForces Central Commander Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who said the Iran-backed rebels appeared to be running low on drones and anti-ship #ballistic#missiles.
🔶️ Earlier this year, #Pentagon undersecretary for acquisition William LaPlante hinted that the cost of countering Houthi attacks in the Red Sea was increasing.
🔶️ He said at a defense conference that efforts to take out hostile #drones exceed $100,000 per shot.
🔶️ Even the #Yemeni group had mocked its American adversary, saying #Washington is launching $2 million defense missiles to stop $2,000 Houthi drones.
🔶️ Because of this, the US #military is being urged to find alternative counter-attack solutions that only cost tens of thousands of dollars per shot.
Israel's foreign minister says 'we are very close' to 'changing the rules of the game' and that in a 'total war' Hezbollah will 'be destroyed' and Lebanon will 'be hit hard'
Dude, you can't destroy tiny #Hamas while having them surrounded from land air and sea, how the hell are you going to deal with #Hezbollah who is significantly stronger, better armed and already kicked your ass twice in the past?
Israel is up for a rude awakening of they are stupid enough to invade Lebanon. Unless US and UK come to their rescue, they face casualties and losses like never before.
Of course they can destroyed Lebanon, because the country is unable to buy air defense or having an airforce, but on the ground, war weary demoralized Israeli military can't win against a group who has been training for this since the last invasion and have already destroyed many of multi million dollar radar and air defense systems of Israel.
I don't want to see a war breaking out between these 2 and have no love for Hezbollah or their allies. But as a defence force, they have all the rights to stand up and fight back agains this out of control rogue nation of mad men.
“DAVID LAMMY’S BIG IDEA: NOTHING WILL CHANGE UNDER LABOUR: The man who wants to be foreign secretary is reassuring elite audiences that UK foreign policy will not seriously change under a Keir Starmer government - a strategy confirmed in Labour’s election manifesto.”
“Why are Lammy and Labour so supportive of Israel, despite the extent of its atrocities and British public opposition to the attacks on Gaza?
One reason is that Lammy is Washington’s man in Labour and cannot be seen to upset policy-makers in the US who consistently facilitate Israel’s onslaught on Palestinians.
Lammy has constantly signalled that Labour foreign policy under his leadership will deviate little from Washington’s priorities, and he has been a regular visitor to a string of elite, establishment fora in the US.
The other reason is that Lammy is, like 20 percent of his fellow Labour MPs, a recipient of funds from the Israel lobby. Since becoming an MP in 2000, he has accepted donations from the Israel lobby on numerous occasions, the value amounting to £32,550, Declassified has found.”
“BRITAIN GREENLIT DOZENS OF ARMS DEALS WITH ISRAEL AMID GAZA WAR: Trade secretary Kemi Badenoch kept arming Israel throughout its brutal onslaught on Gaza, new data reveals.”
“[UK Trade Secretary] Kemi #Badenoch has not stopped any arms deals with Israel since October 7, instead allowing British companies to export components for military aircraft.”
[..]
“The UK government’s decision to greenlight more than 100 such export deals with Israel over the last eight months could open up British ministers to international arrest applications over complicity in war crimes.
Emily Apple from Campaign Against Arms Trade (#CAAT) told Declassified: ‘These figures show that it’s business as usual for arms dealers to break international law and continue arming Israel’s genocide.
‘The #Conservative government and the UK arms trade are complicit in the horrendous war crimes that Israel is committing against Palestinian people in Gaza.’”
Why there are no reporters in Europe like him any more?
They all have turned into cowards at best or genocide supporters at worst. The disgusting dirty and disgusting atmosphere created by Israeli supporters and right wing media owners not to forget the sold out politicians and indifferent public (on top of racism and islamophobia) have created a vaccume of strong, knowledgeable and brave reporters who are not afraid of telling the truth.
With Robert Fisk gone, The independent have also turned into a echo chamber of pro Israeli voices. German and Swedish media are not even worth reading any more and I get better news from Israeli media criticizing the fascist regime of Netanyahu than any of the so called progressives and liberals in those countries.
Can #UK#academics explain these spammy emails from publication agencies who want to feature my academic articles? I've been told this this a scam, but I'm not sure how -- do they charge money to do this? Is this related to the dreaded #REF?
As far as I'm concerned, if some publication wants to write a feature based on one of my publications... go for it. You don't need to contact me about it.
"As long as Israel is killing Palestinian civilians in apparent contravention of international law, the UK. government has a responsibility to stop selling it arms."
#UK / Labour pledges to recognise Palestinian state as part of peace process
[…] "Palestinian statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people," said Labour's election manifesto - the collection of policies it gott by would enact if it forms the next government.
[…] "We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state."
The data shows that the UK government continued authorizing the export of military and non-military goods to Israel during this period, despite the ongoing conflict and human rights violations against Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied territories.
While the document does not provide specifics on the types of military equipment licensed, it notes examples like components for military aircraft, vehicles, naval vessels, helicopters, ammunition, and body armor.
Campaign groups argue this makes the UK complicit in enabling Israeli actions that may constitute war crimes and violations of international law. However, the UK insists its export decisions are consistent with legal advice.
If anybody would like to archive their UK general election 2024 campaigning leaflets, I can send you a stamp addressed envelope to post them to the library here .
Against Landlords How to Solve the Housing Crisis by Nick Bano, 2024
Housing means prosperity and security for some; poverty, precarity and sickness for others. More people live in private rented accommodation than ever before, and rents rise without apparent reason. Homes are smaller every year, and nearly 20 per cent of tenants live in hazardous conditions. Homelessness is at a new high. Yet the government’s only solution is to promote homeownership.
The Making and Unmaking of a Presidency: Envisioning Empire in British Bencoolen, 1685–1825
“The effort to transform Sumatra into a productive constituent of a larger imperial nexus depended on many of the same processes that were to shape modern capitalism. Not only did British officials in Bencoolen deploy coerced and enslaved labor, they did so with the intent of wresting control of the production, consumption, and circulation of valuable commodities such as pepper and sugar. Practices of slavery, transplantation, and agrarian change typically associated with British colonies in the Atlantic world fundamentally shaped Bencoolen.”
Bains, T. (2024) ‘The Making and Unmaking of a Presidency: Envisioning Empire in British Bencoolen, 1685–1825’, Journal of British Studies, pp. 1–21. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/jbr.2023.142.
#ICC / Prosecutor asks for arrest warrants for three leading Hamas leaders, as well ass Netanyahu and Galant
[...] The office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday said it was seeking arrest warrants against three leading Hamas militants for their alleged roles in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Watch: ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan explains the charges against top Hamas and Israeli leadership in detail in this excerpt from his interview with @amanpour this morning at The Hague
#UK / Defying PM, British Lawmakers From 11 Parties Want Solid Backing for ICC
A cross-party group of 105 MPs and peers (members of the House of Lords) in the UK sent a letter to the Foreign Secretary, urging the government to support the International Criminal Court (ICC). This comes after the British Prime Minister Rishi #Sunak criticized the #ICC's decision to seek arrest warrants for Israeli and #Hamas leaders as "deeply unhelpful."
In their letter, the MPs and peers from 11 different parties called on the government to clearly oppose any attempts to intimidate or undermine the independent and impartial ICC. They want the UK government to firmly back the ICC, despite the Prime Minister's criticism of its recent actions regarding Israeli and Hamas figures.
53% of UK Parents Don’t Buy Books for Their Children
“The survey found that 28% of parents cited affordability as a barrier to purchasing books for their children. For many families, budgeting for essential needs takes precedence over buying books, which might be seen as a non-essential expense.”
“Britain in Palestine 1917-1948 investigates the contradictory promises and actions which defined British Mandatory rule in Palestine and laid the groundwork for the Nakba (the catastrophe) and the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The roots of the contemporary social, political, economic, and environmental landscape of Palestine and Israel can be traced back to this period, making it essential viewing for understanding Britain’s legacy in the region and the situation on the ground today.”
#Video length: eighteen minutes and thrity seconds.
“Britain in Palestine 1917-1948 investigates the contradictory promises and actions which defined British Mandatory rule in Palestine and laid the groundwork for the Nakba (the catastrophe) and the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The roots of the contemporary social, political, economic, and environmental landscape of Palestine and Israel can be traced back to this period, making it essential viewing for understanding Britain’s legacy in the region and the situation on the ground today.”
#Video length: eighteen minutes and thrity seconds.
“Britain in Palestine 1917-1948 investigates the contradictory promises and actions which defined British Mandatory rule in Palestine and laid the groundwork for the Nakba (the catastrophe) and the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The roots of the contemporary social, political, economic, and environmental landscape of Palestine and Israel can be traced back to this period, making it essential viewing for understanding Britain’s legacy in the region and the situation on the ground today.”
#Video length: eighteen minutes and thrity seconds.
#UK / Silly anecdotes from populist Israeli news sites that indulge their readership in Zionist indoctrination.
[…] Even the most beautiful kippah won't help you look less hypocritical. Just saying.
Ynet columnist seems to think Prince William is a hypocrite because… apparently he didn’t stick with the Jewish state during the genocide in Gaza.
She quips: […] When it comes to relations with Israel - the royal family definitely needs to work a little harder. With the outbreak of the [what Israel titles] “Iron Swords” War [which many see as a genocidal revenge attack], and after the horrific atrocities committed by the Hamas terrorist organization on October 7th were exposed, Prince William and Kate Middleton, together with King Charles, rushed to condemn the horrific actions - but very quickly changed their approach.
And how? Well he dared to say this (translated back from Hebrew so probably different form the source):
[…] "I am concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since Hamas' attack on October 7th. Too many people have been killed, […] Like many others, I want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a need for increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, it is critical that aid gets in and the captives are released."
Horrible person indeed. Funny she stops short of mentioning that the slaughter of thousands of Gazans (mostly women and children) in the hand of the #IDF that followed, might have had something to do with that.
Thought I should share the pain of going through this with someone 🤷🏽♂️…
“Four factors are found to be significant predictors of the position of primary stress: endings, word complexity, the segmental structure of the final syllable, and syllable count. Moreover, this study confirms previous observations on the tendency for American English to have more final stress in French loanwords than British English.”
Dabouis, Q. and Fournier, P. (2024) ‘Stress in French loanwords in British and American English’, Journal of Linguistics, pp. 1–26. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022226724000136.
Theft of Bronze Age gold artefacts from UK museum sparks fresh concerns about lack of government investment in sector by Joe Ware #TheArtNewspaper
“The theft of a Bronze Age gold torc and bracelet from a UK institution has sparked calls for greater government investment in the museum sector.
Police are yet to make arrests and are appealing for information to track down two thieves who broke into the Ely Museum, Cambridgeshire, on 7 May and escaped on electric scooters.
With gold prices hitting a record high in recent months experts are worried that the precious artefacts, worth £220,000 in their current form, might be melted down for their scrap metal value.”