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US and Israel’s illegal war on Iran could cost 100,000 UK jobs [US assault on Iran threatens UK jobs] Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal war on Iran has sent energy prices skyrocketing. The effect on energy-intensive industries in the UK has been immediate and severe. And, as a knock-on effect, as many as 100,000 jobs could be lost across the UK. Of course, we won’t shed a tear for the impact on highly polluting industries themselves. However, the situation is a striking illustration of the vulnerability created by the UK’s desperate reliance on increasingly volatile fossil fuels. ## The Straight of Hormuz The current grab for fuel began after Iran closed off the Straight of Hormuz. Around a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the narrow waterway. As such, the US and Israel have accidentally made Iran[ a global oil superpower][1]. This is the[ view of air warfare scholar][2] Professor Robert Pape, whose [damning critique][3] of the attack on Iran has generated wide interest recently. On 12 March, Pape said that: > Iran hit 16 vessels so far in Strait of Hormuz. > > That’s all it takes for Iran to control 20% of the world’s oil and become an oil hegemon — the number 1 strategic outcome US has sought to prevent in Middle East since 1970s. The Iran war has [already caused a spike][4] in Brent crude oil prices, up from $60 in January to around $100. This is already being called the biggest disruption to oil supplies in history. Likewise, [wholesale gas prices][5] in the UK have risen to 171p a therm, more than double last month’s 78p. This is the highest they’ve been since the beginning of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The already-failing UK chemicals industry is also being hit hard. The sector uses fossil fuels not only for power, but also as raw materials for its products. Production in the industry had already dropped by 60% since 2021, with 25 sites shuttering, with more are teetering on the brink as the Iran war rages on. ## Unemployment ‘closer to 6 percent’ As a direct consequence, some economists [have suggested that over][6] 100,000 jobs could be cut within months. Likewise, the uncertainty over energy prices has led to speculation that the Bank of England won’t make its expected cuts to interest rates anytime soon. James Smith, of investment bank ING, opined that employers may seek to make up for rising energy costs by slashing jobs. Smith said: > It depends how long energy prices stay high. If we’re in a scenario where the disruption lasts three months or so, then I would imagine [unemployment would be] be pushing above 5.5pc. Smith also stated that the previous shocks from the war on Ukraine had left the economy in a weakened state. He said: > Now, it’s very different. We saw this last year with the hospitality sector, where we had the big rise in National Insurance and the minimum wage. We saw a sharp drop in employment and no discernible impact on prices. > > These sectors that are most affected by higher energy prices, particularly in the service sector, don’t have the pricing power that they did in 2022. They’re more likely to deal with higher energy costs by cutting back their worker numbers. Jordan Rochester, of Mizuho bank, echoed this sentiment. He suggested that the UK’s unemployment rates—already at a worrying peak—will likely increase: > If the rate of unemployment’s ascent matches that of the past year, it would defy forecasts again and put us closer to 6% rather than 5%. ## Environmental fallout Similarly, industry body Make UK highlighted that UK businesses are putting up their prices at the fastest rate since 2023. The trade body’s senior economist, Fhaheen Khan, stated that: > While output and investment show some improvement after a challenging end to last year, rising costs and weakening domestic demand are creating real pressures for businesses. > > With UK industrial energy costs among the highest in the developed world, any sustained increase in oil and gas prices could quickly push up input costs, squeezing margins and limiting investment. Meanwhile, the soaring price of fossil fuels will not be accompanied by a corresponding drop in pollution. [US and Israeli strikes have hit][7] Iranian nuclear facilities, munitions stockpiles, and oil refineries. As a result, Iran is suffering toxic black rain, clouds of unbreathable smog, and catastrophic environmental effects that [will be felt for generations to come][8]. The situation—in the UK, Iran and across the world—is a stark reminder of the fact that the decisions of tyrants like Trump and Netanyahu have consequences far beyond their own countries—and those of the foreign citizens they murder with impunity. *Featured image via [Unsplash][9]/the Canary* By [Alex/Rose Cocker][10] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/28/iran-hormuz/ [2]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/03/13… [3]: https://time.com/7382278/iran-bombing-regime-change-pape/ [4]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/16/extra-100… [5]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/17/iran-war… [6]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/16/extra-100… [7]: https://theconversation.com/in-war-torn-iran-air-pollutio… [8]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/03/17… [9]: https://unsplash.com/photos/man-in-white-dress-shirt-stan… [10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alexrosecocker/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2026/03/17/iran-war-could-spi…

Taliban official says Pakistan airstrike on Kabul addiction centre killed 400 [Pakistan airstrike rocks Kabul] A senior Taliban official has said that Pakistan killed 408 people in an airstrike which targeted a drug rehab clinic in Kabul. The strike landed at 9pm on 16 March, allegedly wounded over 200, in addition to those killed. A Pakistani official said they had only targeted ‘military’ and ‘terrorist’ infrastructure. Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat [posted][1] on X: > The Pakistani military regime carried out an airstrike at approximately 9:00 PM this evening on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, a 2,000-bed facility dedicated to the treatment of drug addiction. As a result of the attack, large sections of the hospital have been destroyed, and there are serious concerns about a high number of casualties. > > Unfortunately, the death toll has so far reached 400, while around 250 others have been reported injured. Rescue teams are currently at the scene working to control the fire and recover the remaining bodies of the victims. The information minister of Pakistan, Attaullah Tarar, shared the following details: > [✅] 17 March 2026 > > [✅] Pakistan’s Armed Forces successfully carried out precision airstrikes on the night of 16 March as a part of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq, targeting Afghan Taliban regime terrorism sponsoring military installations in Kabul and Nangarhar. > > [✅] Technical support… [pic.twitter.com/b8YJkGC0cv][2] > > — Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) [March 16, 2026][3] ## Doomsday scenes Reporters on the scene found wreckage and charred bodies at the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital. Survivors described horrific scenes and a major loss of life. A guard at the medical facility named Ahmad [told][4] *Reuters*: > He and his 25 roommates had gathered in their dormitory after prayers when the attack occurred. He ​was the only survivor among them. Recalling the aftermath, [the guard likened the scene to “doomsday,][5]” adding that the “the whole place caught fire.” Hospital worker Mohammad Mian [told][6] *Reuters*: > many young people under treatment lived in large containers on the campus and very few ​survived the strike…It was extremely terrifying. Those who survived were the ones whose rooms were not destroyed ​and were fortunate. But the places where the bombs were dropped, everyone there was killed. Speaking to reporters, ambulance driver ​Haji Fahim, who helped move bodies to another Kabul hospital, [said][7]: > Now we have come again … there are still bodies under the rubble. Border tensions between the two countries, building for several months, have turned into a hot war. ## Afghanistan-Pakistan border war Fighting between the formerly US-occupied nation and Pakistan (itself a US partner) kicked off in February. At the time, the *Canary *[reported][8] how Pakistani officials were already calling the confrontation an ‘open war’ back in late February. In an explainer *Reuters* [said][9]: > Allies-turned-foes ⁠Pakistan and Afghanistan’s worst fighting in years erupted last month, with Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan ​that Islamabad said targeted militant strongholds. > Afghanistan called the strikes a violation of its sovereignty that ​targeted civilians, and launched retaliatory operations. Now a ubiquitous feature of warfare, drones have been [deployed][10] by both sides: > Over the last three weeks, both countries have launched air and drone strikes against each other and also engaged in ground firing across their 2,600-km (1,600-mile) border, with each claiming ​to have inflicted heavy damage and killed hundreds of opposition troops, without providing evidence. With most of the world’s attention on the US-Israel assault on Iran, the Afghanistan-Pakistan war is slipping under the radar. Yet the legacies of US—and British—imperialism in the region continues to produce war, insurgency, and horrific outcomes for civilians on both sides of the border still known as the Durand Line (in honour of [a British diplomat ][11]who died over a century ago). *Featured image [via X][12]/Canary* By [Joe Glenton][13] [1]: https://x.com/FitratHamd/status/2033674000547581953?ref_s… [2]: https://t.co/b8YJkGC0cv [3]: https://twitter.com/TararAttaullah/status/203369414060586… [4]: https://archive.ph/EGvDF#selection-1457.0-1461.90 [5]: https://archive.ph/EGvDF#selection-1457.0-1461.90 [6]: https://archive.ph/EGvDF#selection-1457.0-1461.90 [7]: https://archive.ph/EGvDF#selection-1457.0-1461.90 [8]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/27/pak… [9]: https://archive.ph/sSvn1#selection-1357.0-1373.294 [10]: https://archive.ph/sSvn1#selection-1357.0-1373.294 [11]: https://defencejournal.com/2021/11/10/the-durand-line-leg… [12]: https://x.com/shorts_91/status/2033897643227947340/photo/1 [13]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/ https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/03/17/pakistan-strik…

The government want to use AI to criminalise your child [Campaign to ban predictive policing] The UK government is rolling out an AI-empowered predictive policing system to predict the “likelihood” of criminal offences among adolescents. [Open Rights Group][1] is warning of the risks and limitations of using AI to determine the “most likely offenders.” In conversation with the Canary, [Mariano delli Santi of Open Rights Group][2] explained that these systems are likely to single out children in care and alert authorities to targeted interventions. This means so-called predictive data models will be used to target vulnerable children. ## AI is racist because it mimics society Delli Santi said: > They say they want to help, that they will use this system to target children who are at risk of criminality, with support and therefore to prevent them from becoming criminals. However the way artificial intelligence and predictive policing works, tells us that this may not be everything in this story. These systems will inevitably reflect society’s prejudices and stereotypes, making them inherently racist and classist, revealing problematic outcomes of predictive policing in practice. The system, delli Santi explains, risks reproducing: > bias and stereotypes at scale. Black people, migrant people, poor people, people from geographic areas which have been historically over policed are more likely to be identified as at risk of committing a crime. AI, as we’ve all come to discover, is massively racist. As the *Canary* has previously reported,[ 4/5 of people misidentified by facial recognition are Black][3]. ## Harvesting NHS data Beyond bias, the unethical sourcing of data is another concern delli Santi identifies. The government wants to [pull data from the NHS][4], police, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and the Department for Education. So anything you tell your doctor could be used to box children into the ‘future criminal’ category. Consequently, AI-driven predictive policing may use NHS records for risk calculation. Commenting on this Delli Santi tells the *Canary:* > When you go to your doctor, you expect to be able to tell them what you need to tell them, in order to receive medical treatment and you trust them to not use this data in a way that you will not expect. > > If however the government starts to grab data from your general practitioner from your schools…in order to predict whether your child is going to commit a crime or not, this relationship of trust is going to be broken. People will go to their doctor and will have less trust and will think more carefully about what they’re going to disclose and reveal to them or not. His warning is clear: > Predictive policing is a dangerous thing that has no place in a democratic society. The government are hellbent on pushing through this policy which will criminalise your kids. However, Open Rights Group is campaigning to introduce a ban on predictive policing. You can [join the campaign here.][5] *Featured image via the Canary* By [Rachel Charlton-Dailey][6] [1]: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV---UElZpc/?igsh=enh4MTJt… [2]: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/who-we-are/mariano-delli-… [3]: https://www.google.com/search?q=predictive+policing+the+c… [4]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/03/15/uk-hospitals-… [5]: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/what-we-do/ [6]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/rachel-charlton-dailey/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/predictiv…

Wild Justice wins High Court ruling on Dartmoor overgrazing [Dartmoor overgrazing] The High Court has ruled that the Dartmoor Commoners’ Council (DCC) has mismanaged Dartmoor commons. DCC did nothing to assess or prevent overgrazing, resulting in the deterioration of important wildlife areas. [Environmental][1] campaign group [Wild Justice][2] brought the claim. It argued that DCC had failed to meet its legal responsibilities towards the conservation of the commons. The High Court judgment on 17 March ruled that DCC has failed in its legal duty under the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 to assess the number of animals which should be allowed to graze on Dartmoor. Dartmoor commons is an open area of land which covers more than two-thirds of Dartmoor National Park, spanning just under 36,000 hectares. The Dartmoor Commons Act grants certain rights over the land to some 850 landowners, known as ‘commoners’. These include grazing rights and the rights to keep sheep, cattle and ponies. ## Monitoring overgrazing on Dartmoor The Dartmoor Commons Act also contains statutory responsibilities that DCC has to ensure the conservation of the commons. Wild Justice argued DCC failed to meet these responsibilities, alongside general duties under wildlife laws and regulations. In [a July 2025 High Court hearing][3], Wild Justice successfully argued that DCC failed to make periodic assessments of whether Dartmoor was becoming overstocked. This contravened section 4 of the Dartmoor Commons Act. In his judgment, Justice Mould found: > Assessment of the number of animals that may properly be depastured on the commons at any given time necessarily implies both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The question for the Defendant is whether stocking levels exceed the capacity of the commons properly to accommodate them. > > In order to address that question, among the matters which the Defendant needs to interrogate are the numbers of livestock which commoners are entitled to depasture on the commons, the numbers that are actually depastured in reliance on rights of common, the areas of common in respect of which those rights are enjoyed and exercised, seasonal variations, and so on. In 2023, the government published an assessment of Dartmoor commons (the *Fursdon Review*). It found that Dartmoor was “not in a good state”. In assessing a number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the commons, the *Fursdon Review* found that many of them were in unfavourable condition. It also noted that Natural England had identified reducing stock numbers as a way to tackle overgrazing and return these areas to a more favourable condition. Wild Justice began its legal claim in July 2024, when the group sent a pre-action protocol to DCC. It detailed alleged issues with DCC’s management of the commons, citing the *Fursdon Review*. From DCC’s response it was clear that it had not taken any steps to control livestock. This led to Wild Justice filing a judicial review challenge in August 2024. In February 2025, the challenge got the green light to proceed to the High Court, with two further grounds gaining permission in April. Bob Elliot, CEO of Wild Justice, said: > This judgment shows that the Dartmoor Commoners’ Council failed to do the most basic of work needed in order to understand how many animals the Dartmoor Commons can sustain. When such an important landscape is already in very poor ecological condition, this simply isn’t good enough. > > The Dartmoor Commoners’ Council must now carry out the proper assessment required by law and ensure that Dartmoor is managed in a way that allows nature to recover. We will be scrutinising that assessment and, importantly, how DCC acts upon it in areas where overgrazing is apparent. Senior environmental solicitor Carol Day, of Leigh Day, was a member of the legal team representing Wild Justice. She said: > Wild Justice is obviously pleased that the judge has found that Dartmoor Commoners’ Council has failed in its statutory duty to properly assess the number of livestock grazing on Dartmoor. It has been clear for years that overgrazing is one of the major issues leading to the ecological decline of Dartmoor’s important wildlife habitats. > > Wild Justice ‘s legal challenge means the DCC must now comply with its minimum legal duties as the regulator of grazing levels on the commons. The DCC must now urgently carry out a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the number of livestock on the commons so that it can consider whether it must take steps to reduce that number. *Featured image via the Canary* By [The Canary][4] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/topics/environment/ [2]: https://wildjustice.org.uk/ [3]: https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/news/2025-news/legal-chal… [4]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/03/17/wild-justice-…

Anti-choice Lords are coming for the ‘pills by post’ abortion scheme [UK abortion law reform] A small set of women in the House of Lords are trying to [end access to abortion telemedicine][1]. More commonly known as the ‘pills by post’ scheme introduced during Covid-19 to ensure continued safe access to pregnancy terminations via remote consultations. It was made permanent in March 2022. MPs tabled a similar proposal to end telemedicine access in summer 2025—however, it was quickly voted down. This time around, Tory peer Philippa Stroud tabled the motion as an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. This circumvents the Commons, who have already voted the bill through. ## Opponents of bodily autonomy The version of the bill which passed through the Commons effectively [decriminalises abortion altogether][2]. As such, Stroud’s motion is an extreme reversal of the bill’s intent, subverting it into an attack on reproductive rights. Stroud is backed by Kwisher Falkner, former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Sharon Davies, an ex-swimmer. It’s notable that all three women are also known for their transphobia. Stroud[ founded a night shelter/church][3] which attempted to ‘cure’ transsexuality and homosexuality by driving out demons. However, she denies this characterisation—in spite of victims’ testimonies. Under Falkner’s leadership, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) took a[ hard pivot from a trans-positive][4] stance to extreme hostility. Likewise, Davies[ threatened to sue][5] amateur womens’ sporting bodies that allowed trans people to participate. Davies is also [a vocal critic of drag][6], even complaining when the *BBC *ran a performer’s obituary. These points are worth bearing in mind, given that transphobes often claim to be ‘defending women’. However, as this attack on abortion rights demonstrates, it’s never just about trans people. Eventually, they also turn out to be opponents of bodily autonomy itself—whether that be sexuality, gender, or abortion rights. ## Anti-choice is anti-choice In an* *article on the anti-choice motion, the* Telegraph *stated that critics claim the postal scheme is “open to abuse”. However, the article could not cite even one case of coercive abortion in telemedicine’s four-year history. Davies [describes herself as pro-choice,][7] although that apparently doesn’t extend to choices she doesn’t want people to make. She stated in the *Telegraph *that: > being pro-choice does not excuse jeopardising safety or allowing a ‘Wild West’ of abortion pills, where pills can too easily fall into the hands of abusers coercing abortions, traffickers covering up abuse or women whose pregnancies are approaching full term. > > The practical effect of the scheme is that women at any stage of pregnancy can get hold of abortion pills by misleading abortion providers on the phone about their gestation, either mistakenly or deliberately as in the case of Carla Foster, who was sent abortion pills by BPAS after pretending to be seven weeks pregnant when actually around 33 weeks. > > Reintroducing in-person medical consultations for women seeking abortions is not about reducing access to abortion but ensuring safeguarding and best practice. Note the turn in Davies’ language here. She starts by talking about coercion, and then quickly pivots to ‘concerns’ about people procuring the pills of their own volition. Again, this is not about safeguarding pregnant people; it’s an attack on bodily autonomy. ## Lords’ debate The British Pregnancy Advisory Service itself has stated that people[ should not have to visit a clinic for abortion][8] pills. Research has demonstrated the safety of the process from a medical standpoint. Likewise, vulnerable individuals in abusive relationships can also talk to a professional more easily over the phone than by visiting a clinic in person. Tomorrow, 18 March, the House of Lords will debate the Crime and Policing Bill. In June 2025, the amendment to decriminalise abortion passed in the Commons with a massive 379 votes in favour, versus just 137 against. As such, the Lords now have the opportunity to strike a historic blow in favour of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. Alternatively, they can follow in Stroud’s footsteps, and impose further unnecessary limits to abortion access. *Featured image [via Aiden Frazier][9]/Unsplash* By [Alex/Rose Cocker][10] [1]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/03/14/abortion-… [2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/16/abortion-… [3]: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/may/02/conserva… [4]: https://www.vice.com/en/article/ehrc-staff-quitting-trans… [5]: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/sharron-davies-wo… [6]: https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/04/29/sharron-davies-bbc… [7]: https://www.christian.org.uk/news/sharron-davies-scrap-pi… [8]: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/03/14/abortion-… [9]: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-man-holding-a-sign-that-say… [10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alexrosecocker/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/abortion-…

Israel minister’s daughter who accused family of sexual abuse found dead [israel] Shoshana Strook has been [found dead][1] at her home in Israel on Sunday 15 March 2026. *The Daily Sabah* reported that [Strook was found][2]: > under circumstances that remain unclear, the Jerusalem Post reported. > > Police have launched an investigation into the death, though officials have not publicly disclosed details about the cause. ## Israel minister accused of abuse Strook accused her government minister mother, along with her father and brother, of raping her for years as a child. She had hired lawyers to pursue justice only a few days before her death. In April 2025 Strook, the daughter of Israel’s far-right settlements minister [fled to police and asked them to protect her][3]. She accused both her parents and one of her brothers of raping her as a child, over a period of years, and filming the rapes. Her accusations came as other women testified to Israel’s Knesset about the [abuse they suffered from political and religious leaders][4]. [As *The Daily Sabah* wrote:][5] > Women’s rights organizations in Israel have called for a broader investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death and the allegations she raised before it. ## Widespread problem The issue of child rape among Zionists is not limited to Israelis. The Netanyahu regime is [currently ignoring well over 2,000 extradition requests for alleged and convicted paedophiles][6] who fled there from other countries. Others have been [convicted in the US][7], while the Zionist UK Labour party right also has a [long record][8] of paedophiles and other sex offenders. Israeli psychotherapist and trauma expert Dr Anat Gur, head of the Bar-Ilan University trauma therapy program, has said that she believes organised child rape in Israel is widespread: > Organized child rape is one of the most horrific things I’ve encountered. It’s likely much more widespread than we think. It’s happening in places we least expect. Strook’s death mirrors the [long list of suspicious deaths][9] among victims and associates of serial child-rapist and Israeli spy Jeffrey Epstein. These deaths include that of [Virginia Giuffre][10], Epstein’s most well-known victim – who was also [found dead after saying she would not.][11] [Jean-Luc Brunel][12], the French ‘modelling agent’ [accused of procuring underage girls for Epstein][13], was found dead of supposed suicide in a French prison in 2022. *Featured image via [Instagram][14]* By [Skwawkbox][15] [1]: https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/israeli-ministe… [2]: https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/israeli-ministe… [3]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/04/12/video-daughter-of-israel… [4]: https://www.newarab.com/news/israel-investigates-widespre… [5]: https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/israeli-ministe… [6]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/08/20/israel-ignores-well-over… [7]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/11/alexander-b… [8]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/01/06/liron-velle… [9]: https://uinterview.com/news/22-people-connected-to-jeffre… [10]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/03/buckingham-… [11]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/10/20/virginia-gi… [12]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60443518 [13]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/19/jean-luc-… [14]: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVjJHakjtZ4/ [15]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/ https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/17/israel-strook/

MI5 still ‘protecting’ neo-Nazi machete attack agent with child-eating fantasy, says victim [MI5] Britain’s MI5 must pay compensation to a woman coercively controlled, abused, and attacked with a machete by a neo-Nazi agent it employed. The agent also had fantasies about eating children. And the victim has warned that MI5 – which was found to have lied repeatedly – was still protecting the abuser. In a story that gets worse with each sentence the sentence, the *BBC* [reported][1]: > Her legal claim followed a BBC investigation four years ago, which showed that the man, known publicly as Agent X, was a neo-Nazi misogynist who used his security service role as a tool of abuse. > > The BBC found he used his status to abuse his partner, known by the alias Beth, before he moved abroad, while under police investigation, to continue intelligence work. They [added][2]: > After subsequently failing in court to discredit Beth, MI5 recently offered to pay compensation to settle her claim. She has now accepted the offer. Beth’s solicitor Kate Ellis – who also works for the Centre for Women’s Justice – [said][3]: > To have this kind of outcome and to win actually against a body like MI5 who are so shrouded in secrecy and in a sense so powerful, is a huge achievement for Beth. MI5, which was found to have lied repeatedly, had also been forced to own up. ## MI5 forced to apologise The head of MI5 has also been [forced][4] to apologise: > We relied on incorrect evidence and our record keeping fell well short of the standard of professionalism that we expect, and to which Beth was entitled. We profoundly regret that our mistakes prolonged the litigation and caused additional suffering for Beth. > > MI5 has settled Beth’s claim and we have apologised to Beth directly. > > Prompted in part by Beth’s case, MI5 has embarked on a programme of work to reinforce the highest standards of record keeping and information management. The MI5 chief was[ accused][5] of trying to get the head of the *BBC*, Tim Davie, to quash the story in 2021: > In 2021, Sir Ken wrongly claimed the planned story was “inaccurate” when he personally contacted his BBC counterpart Tim Davie in a failed effort to undermine the reporting. ## Fantasised about eating children Details about the man accused are [frankly mind boggling][6]: > Evidence showed the MI5 spy, a foreign national, was a right-wing extremist with a violent past. He also engaged in fantasies about eating children. > > He had abused a previous partner abroad, before taking on his MI5 role, including threatening to kill her and her child. Beth met the agent on a dating site. He soon became controlling and physically and sexually abusive: > One video showed Agent X threatening to kill her and attacking her with a machete. The *BBC* reported: > MI5 is currently under investigation after the BBC revealed that the security service gave false evidence to three courts while defending its handling of the agent. In a statement, Beth said the compensation: > can never do anything to repair what I went through at the hands of X. > > I’d pay that money so as not to have to experience even a minute of what I had to experience of the worst of his abuse. She warned that > despite this apology, the MI5 are still protecting this violent misogynistic predator. The British state has again been caught not only protecting abusers, but lying in order to derail investigations and protect their man. This is nothing new. The *Canary* has [reported extensively][7] on abuse by state agents. Victims like Beth deserve justice – and proverbial heads need to roll over this and many other cases of this nature. *Featured image via the Canary* By [Joe Glenton][8] [1]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5nrq287m4o?at_forma… [2]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5nrq287m4o?at_forma… [3]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5nrq287m4o?at_forma… [4]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5nrq287m4o?at_forma… [5]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5nrq287m4o?at_forma… [6]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5nrq287m4o?at_forma… [7]: https://www.thecanary.co/?s=spy+cops [8]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/mi5-abuse/

The toxic fallout of US-Israeli attacks will be felt for generations [Toxic smoke fills the skies of Iran] The toxic fallout of the unprovoked, illegal US-Israeli war against Iran will haunt the region for generations. The Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEO) says the pollution produced by military strikes could have terrible long-term effects. > We've just updated our overview of environmentally damaging incidents in the Israeli-US war against [#Iran][1]. We've identified more than 300 incidents and remotely assessed 232 for harm. > > Read more about these incidents and trends here: [https://t.co/brloxSPBqE][2] [#IranWar][3] [#Iran][4] 1/5 [pic.twitter.com/1xH6isVkOJ][5] > > — Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS) (@ceobs_org) [March 10, 2026][6] Iran was offering [unprecedented concessions][7] in negotiations at the time of the first strike on 28 February. The Pentagon has since [stated][8] there was no imminent threat from Iran while the UN’s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said there is [no evidence][9] Iran was developing a nuclear weapon. The Conflict and Environment Observatory [reported][10]: > As of the 10th March 2026, we have identified over 300 incidents, 232 of which have been assessed for their environmental risk. The results are mapped below, showing incidents in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Jordan, Cyprus, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Azerbaijan. By far the commonest facility type is a ‘Military Object’. The CEO added: > Of those the most impacted sub-type is ‘Airbases’. Away from military sites, incidents cover a range of facility types, with different pollution profiles, from hospitals, to tyre storage sites, to oil refineries. As the conflict proceeds, we are seeing more attacks on civilian and dual use infrastructure. CEO [listed][11] different kinds of physical, economic and social damage which are likely to have long-term effects, including: * Pollution from military sites and materiel * Marine pollution * Fossil energy infrastructure incidents * Nuclear facilities * Desalination plants * Weakened environmental governance > We examine risks to the region's terrestrial and marine environments. Attacks on naval and merchant shipping have the potential to cause serious pollution threats to sensitive habitats in the [#PersianGulf][12]. 3/5 [pic.twitter.com/Xo1W3xIi0m][13] > > — Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS) (@ceobs_org) [March 10, 2026][14] The CEO said they would continue to assess damage reports via social and traditional media: > We have seen a continuation — since our 3 day assessment — of pollution incidents that are placing people and ecosystems at risk of acute and long-term harm, and trends that could lead to substantial environmental damage as the war continues ## Black rain over Tehran In an earlier report published on 9 March, CEO [assessed][15] the effects of oil production sites being hit in Tehran, underlining the human cost: > Belligerents argue that attacks on oil facilities are militarily legitimate but in Tehran the civilian impact has been huge. Israeli strikes on oil infrastructure between 7 and 8 March resulted “in a major environmental incident.” > Footage showed thick plumes of black toxic smoke and large fires burning at several facilities. This toxic mix of pollutants subsequently rained out over the city and entered drainage systems, raising concerns about possible surface and groundwater contamination. > > With a population of more than nine million, the incident raises serious acute and long-term health concerns for Tehran’s residents. The [environmental impact][16] of Israel’s genocide in Gaza is already being felt as congenital disabilities increase. The toxic legacy of the illegal Anglo-American invasion of Iraq is still unfolding, particularly in Fallujah where invading US forces [weaponised depleted uranium and white phosphrous ][17]in November 2004 –[ which the Americans later admitted to][18]. > The use of depleted uranium in the war on Iraq in 2003 has led to expo­sure of the local population to radioactive uranium dust. This could potentially explain the significant rise in cancer and congenital malformations documented in Fallujah after 2003. Iran has [snubbed US offers to negotiate ][19]citing the protection of its sovereignty and territorial integrity as its immediate priorities. The initial strike on Iran occurred amidst Oman-brokered negotiations [which the mediating force at the time said had “advanced, substantially][20].” Without an end to the war in sight, and with continuing US and Israeli aggression, the toxic potential of another forever war will mount. And a mix of US hubris and Israeli ambition will impose that burden on the people of the region. *Featured image via the Canary* By [Joe Glenton][21] [1]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5… [2]: https://t.co/brloxSPBqE [3]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/IranWar?src=hash&ref_src=twsr… [4]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iran?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5… [5]: https://t.co/1xH6isVkOJ [6]: https://twitter.com/ceobs_org/status/2031380653657219233?… [7]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-omani-foreig… [8]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pentagon-tells-congress-… [9]: https://aje.news/xgc2gx?update=4359748 [10]: https://ceobs.org/operation-epic-fury-emerging-environmen… [11]: https://ceobs.org/operation-epic-fury-emerging-environmen… [12]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/PersianGulf?src=hash&ref_src=… [13]: https://t.co/Xo1W3xIi0m [14]: https://twitter.com/ceobs_org/status/2031380660267466977?… [15]: https://ceobs.org/black-rain-the-health-and-environmental… [16]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/10/05… [17]: https://www.nuclear-risks.org/en/hibakusha-worldwide/fall… [18]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XExbH673R3A&t=2s [19]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUPE7iKtICM [20]: http://aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/28/peace-within-reach-as… [21]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/ https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/03/17…

Trump whines it’s a ‘little unfair’ of Iran to fight back [US president Donald Trump speaking at a microphone] Donald Trump has claimed it’s a “little unfair” that a predominantly brown, Muslim country has decided to actually fight back against US colonialism. The US and Israel started the war in Iran with illegal and unprovoked attacks. Yet now, it seems that shit got a little too real for him. > I AM LOST FOR WORDS… > > “It’s Little Unfair” of Iran to Fight Back. > -Donald Trump [pic.twitter.com/S3dm4fvw9M][1] > > — Earth Hippy [🌎][🕊][💚] (@hippyygoat) [March 16, 2026][2] You had no right to [bomb and murder nearly 200 little girls][3] in the name of freeing Iranian women. I guess if they don’t reach adulthood, they can’t be “oppressed by the regime”. > “They have no right to be doing what they’re doing” is a crazy statement when you attack someone. [https://t.co/ApHFP5jObI][4] > > — Gissur Simonarson (@GissiSim) [March 17, 2026][5] Who’s going to bomb the US to free all the women that Trump’s regime is [subjugating][6]? > Bro got too used to attacking children and unarmed populations in open air prisons. Cant cope when someone can fight back [https://t.co/eP03qQMI20][7] > > — Bajii (@bajiipliss) [March 17, 2026][8] This is the type of video you watch four times just to make sure you’re not losing your mind. The reality is, the president of the most powerful country in the world does not give a shit about Black and Brown people. I guess Trump and his paedo friends are not used to people fighting back. ## Trump: old habits die hard And in a rare moment of lucidity, Trump admitted he went to war with Iran “out of habit”. He added that Israel is a great ally, which, of course, is another reason the US should start an illegal war. Israel says jump and Trump asks how high. > Unreal. Trump says he went to war with Iran “out of habit,” adding “which is not a good thing to do.” > > Rare moment of lucidity, I guess [😏][pic.twitter.com/sniR2htmpJ][9] > > — Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) [March 17, 2026][10] Imagine bombing school children out of habit? Does he have the same excuse for hanging out with Epstein for all those years? Trump also talked about “violent and vicious people” who have “destroyed the country. At least bro is self-aware. > “violent and vicious,” “horrible people” who have “destroyed the country.” > > Every accusation is a confession. [https://t.co/8SQkwiJm7d][11] > > — David Marsden (@DvdMrsdn) [March 17, 2026][12] This is the same guy who [tried to insult][13] Governor Gavin Newsom’s intelligence, whilst accidentally calling him the “President of the United States”. ## US colonialism Countries, including occupied territories (ahem, Gaza, the Golan Heights, Southern Lebanon), have the right to self-defence under international law. [Article 51 of the United Nations Charter][14] establishes the right to self-defence as a “fundamental exception to the prohibition on the use of force between states”. Specifically, armed attacks justify recourse to self-defence. The US has the [strongest military][15] in the world and Israel is the only state (albeit illegal) in the Middle East with nuclear weapons. Iran has neither of these, which is why the way it fights back may not make sense through conventional frameworks. As[ Dr Narges Bajoghli][16] wrote on Instagram: > Iran is targeting Gulf security architecture. For decades, the U.S. built a regional order where Gulf states host American bases, buy American weapons, and maintain stability that keeps oil flowing on U.S. terms. > Iran’s strategy dismantles that. > > Strike the infrastructure. Make the bases vulnerable. Force Gulf states to question whether American security guarantees are worth the risk of being Iranian targets. Fracture the regional consensus that enabled U.S. dominance. She added: > So they’re turning that weapon back on the global economy. Threaten shipping lanes. Target refineries in allied states. > Make oil prices spike. Create economic pain that translates to political pressure on governments waging war. Iran is hitting the US, Israel, and countries in which the US has military bases or infrastructure, where it hurts, and Trump underestimated their willingness to do so. Maybe if more countries fought back against the US and Israel, the world would be less fucked up. *Featured image via [X/AF Post][17]* By [HG][18] [1]: https://t.co/S3dm4fvw9M [2]: https://twitter.com/hippyygoat/status/2033647783899500577… [3]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/04/iran-huge-c… [4]: https://t.co/ApHFP5jObI [5]: https://twitter.com/GissiSim/status/2033697087477502356?r… [6]: https://nationalpartnership.org/20-ways-the-trump-adminis… [7]: https://t.co/eP03qQMI20 [8]: https://twitter.com/bajiipliss/status/2033708315977642152… [9]: https://t.co/sniR2htmpJ [10]: https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/2033696851082547… [11]: https://t.co/8SQkwiJm7d [12]: https://twitter.com/DvdMrsdn/status/2033813963763327236?r… [13]: https://x.com/AdamJSchwarz/status/2033650673741381745 [14]: https://legal.un.org/repertory/art51.shtml [15]: https://www.instagram.com/p/DV4U0LIiJrx/?igsh=MTgzOHI1NW1… [16]: https://www.instagram.com/p/DV4U0LIiJrx/?igsh=MTgzOHI1NW1… [17]: https://x.com/AFpost/status/2033608365939859792 [18]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/hg/ https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/03/17…

Israeli ‘settlers’ violently assault children and adults in front of bound families [Israeli settlers] Israeli terrorists euphemistically known as ‘settlers’ [invaded and terrorised][1] a West Bank village on Sunday 15 March 2026. The ethno-supremacist land thieves attacked Khirbet Humsa, rounded up families and then beat and sexually assaulted children and women in front of their bound families and neighbours. A father was also “severely” sexually assaulted and beaten in front of his family. Once they were done, the settlers pretended to pour petrol over their victims, terrifying them that they would suffer the [same fate as a horrifically-burned Palestinian youth in Ramallah a day earlier][2]. During the hour-long attack, the ‘settlers’ stripped and beat children, particularly girls, in front of their children and threatened to kill them and rape the families’ women. The invaders also assaulted two women, one Portuguese and one from the US, who were in the village as human rights activists. The father who was sexually attacked was bound, stripped and beaten before the terrorists attacked his genitals with clubs. As the *Canary’s* Charlie Jaay [reported from the West Bank][3]: > The settlers also blindfolded activists, beat up one Palestinian man with rocks, and sexually assaulted another person. Activists were asked if they wanted their fingers cut and their rings were stolen as well as their passports, phones and money. > > After the attack, because the [Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)][4] blocked their access to the property, it took three hours for the first ambulance to arrive for the injured. ## Israeli atrocities The UK’s ‘mainstream’ media have completely ignored the attack – but Israeli paper *Haaretz* published details. [One young woman told the paper][5]: > I woke up to the settlers’ shouts. They slapped me and dragged us outside, bound us, tore off my head covering, and ripped some of my clothes. They pulled the girls out and beat them, even the little ones. They mocked us and celebrated our humiliation. A 74-year-old victim said: > Three of them beat me hard on the head, hands and stomach. The other smashed the security cameras, the router and the lights. I started to lose consciousness. > > They poured water on me, and during this time one settler stole the watch from my hand. I was sure they were going to rape me Another, unable to walk unaided after the attack and still bearing marks from bindings, was slashed with a knife: > They came to my home, and I tried to escape, but they caught me. They cut me with a knife above the wrist and bound my hands and feet with a zip tie. They poured cold water on us and threw us to the ground while we were bound, then piled us on top of each other inside the structure, men, women and children. The US human rights activist said: > I woke up… to my friend screaming at us to get up before immediately being swarmed and trapped in the tent by about six masked Israeli settlers armed with heavy wooden sticks. They immediately beat the three of us to the ground, smashing our faces with their fists and clubs. They zip-tied our hands and feet and were yelling things like, ‘We are going to kill you!’ > > Others ransacked our bags, stealing our wallets and passports. One asked me for my phone, and every time I said I didn’t know where it was – because the whole tent was a mess and I couldn’t move – he hit me in the face. ## Sexual assault She also confirmed the sexual assault on the male victim, who asked the paper not to share full details of what the terrorists had done to him: > They pulled down the Palestinian man’s pants, poured water all over him and brutally beat him into the dirt. All he could do was curl into a fetal position and scream when they beat him with their clubs. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. > > They kept hitting and kicking all of us, but the Palestinians were receiving the most brutal blows. I lay there shaking, with my hands over my face to protect my face. [One elderly victim] was curled up in the fetal position, zip-tied, with a bleeding gash on his swollen cheek. He looked unconscious. In a whisper you could hear the kids praying. It was one of the few things that pulled me through the horror. > > They screamed at us to remove our rings, saying, ‘I will break your fingers if you don’t take them off faster,’ and they kept hitting my face while I struggled to remove mine with my hands zip-tied. Every so often they asked our names and where we were from. > > At first I thought [the water they poured over us] was gasoline, and the thought of being burned alive in the tent with the Palestinian family flooded my mind. Someone ripped my jacket open with a knife, aggressively cutting from my left armpit to my hip. One settler started messing with my belt, and I screamed because I thought they were going to rape me. One of the ‘settlers’ did not even bother to mask his face. One Palestinian victim said: > He spoke in Arabic [in front of everyone including the children] and threatened that we should leave. Otherwise they would return, burn the houses, kill the children, and rape the women. At least six people were hospitalised by the attack. After the attackers left with the village’s livestock, Israeli soldiers arrived and prevented the village’s men pursuing them: > When the army arrived, they detained us. That gave the settlers time to get away with the herd. About an hour and a half later an ambulance arrived. The army detained us so the healthy men couldn’t pursue the settlers. ## Routine violence ‘Settlers’ have [murdered][6] eleven Palestinians in the West Bank since Israel began its illegal war on Iran. In 2025, the racist mobs [murdered][7] 240 people in the West Bank, including 55 children. Sexual violence by Israeli settlers and military against their Palestinian victims is common. Thousands held without charge in Israeli torture camps face daily beatings and sexual torture. The Israeli regime is [currently ignoring well over 2,000 extradition requests for alleged and convicted paedophiles][8]. In April 2025 Shoshana Strook, the daughter of Israel’s far-right settlements minister [fled to police and asked them to protect her][9], accusing both her parents and one of her brothers of raping her as a child, over a period of years, and filming the rapes. Strook was [found dead][10] at her home on Sunday 15 March, a couple of days after appointing a lawyer to pursue justice. The authorities [claim][11] she died by suicide, but Strook had [posted][12] shortly before her death that: > If they tell you I committed suicide, don’t believe it. If they tell you I was involved in an accident, don’t believe it. Israeli psychotherapist and trauma expert Dr Anat Gur, head of the Bar-Ilan University trauma therapy program, [has said that she believes organised child rape][13] in Israel is widespread: > Organized child rape is one of the most horrific things I’ve encountered. It’s likely much more widespread than we think. It’s happening in places we least expect. *Featured image via the Canary* By [Skwawkbox][14] [1]: https://archive.is/20260317093554/https://www.haaretz.com… [2]: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DV6Myk_DN86/ [3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/palestini… [4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/09/12… [5]: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/202… [6]: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/israelopt-killing-of-ba… [7]: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/humanitarian-situatio…). [8]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/08/20/israel-ignores-well-over… [9]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/04/12/video-daughter-of-israel… [10]: https://www.dailysabah.com/world/mid-east/israeli-ministe… [11]: https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/orit-strock-daughter-tr… [12]: https://x.com/RyanRozbiani/status/2033189156122251712/pho… [13]: https://skwawkbox.org/2025/04/12/video-daughter-of-israel… [14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/skwawkbox/ https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/17/israeli-set…

Palestinian villagers endure violent beating and sexual assault by Israeli settlers [Two photos side by side: a Palestinian man in hospital whose left eye is swollen shit and another photo of him in bed holding what appears to be an ice pack over his eye] In the early hours of 13 March in the village of Humsa, in the northern Jordan Valley, a Palestinian family was subjected to yet another extremely violent attack by [illegal Israeli colonial settlers][1]. The family and international solidarity activists were tied up by their hands and feets before being kicked and beaten by 30 masked settlers. They told the victims: > We want to kill you… We are Jewish, this is our land. The settlers also blindfolded activists, beat up one Palestinian man with rocks, and sexually assaulted another person. Activists were asked if they wanted their fingers cut and their rings were stolen as well as their passports, phones and money. After the attack, because the [Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)][2] blocked their access to the property, it took three hours for the first ambulance to arrive for the injured. US activist, Ava Lang, and her friend were with the Palestinian family as [International Solidarity Movement ][3](ISM) volunteers when the settler attack took place. Here, Lang recalls the shocking details of the incident in her own words. _____________________________________________________________________ ## ‘We are going to kill you!’ When the illegal Israeli settlers arrived, I was waiting for my night watch shift, asleep in the corner of a small tent which we share with the Palestinian father who stays up to protect his family. He and I woke up at around 1.20am to my friend screaming at us to get up, before immediately being swarmed and trapped in the tent by about six masked Israeli settlers. They were armed with heavy wooden sticks. They immediately beat the three of us to the ground, smashing our faces with their fists and clubs. They zip-tied our hands and feet and were yelling things like, “We are going to kill you!” They pulled down the Palestinian father’s pants, poured water all over him and brutally beat him into the dirt. All he could do was curl into a foetal position and scream when they beat him with their clubs. Others ransacked our bags, stealing our wallets and passports. One asked me for my phone and every time I said I didn’t know where it was — because the whole tent was a mess and I could not move — he would hit me in the face. Once they found our phones, they dragged my friend out by her ankles as she could not stand up because of the zip ties. They pulled me up and dragged me out of the tent by my hair. They shoved the father out barefoot. ## ‘All you could hear was shouting and screaming’ While out in the open they continued hitting the Palestinian father with their clubs, bashing his left eye. One held me by my hair and continually grabbed my ear, ripping downwards as if to pull it off. They then pushed the three of us, while hitting us with their clubs, towards the centre of the property. Here we witnessed the chaos of the family’s flock of sheep let loose and around 30 illegal Israeli settlers running around beating the rest of the [Palestinian family][4]. All you could hear was shouting and screaming. Then the settlers ushered us into a different tent, severely hitting my butt on the way in, leaving a large welt. They blindfolded my friend and shoved all three of us to the ground in the tent with other Palestinian men. They intermittently hit and kicked all of us, the Palestinians receiving the most brutal of their blows. I laid shaking with my hands protecting my face next to the elderly patriarch of the family. He was curled up in a foetal position, zip-tied. He had a bleeding gash on his swollen cheek and looked to be unconscious. We learned later that he was assaulted with rocks. All of the children, around six or seven of them, were gathered at the back of the tent, whimpering, and forced to watch us. [Two photos side by side: a Palestinian man in hospital whose left eye is swollen shit and another photo of him in bed holding what appears to be an ice pack over his eye] ## ‘It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen’ The Israeli settlers threw a cloth over my face and continued kicking or punching, and terrorising. If the children began to cry, the settlers would scream at them and go over to scare them. I could not see if they were physically harming them or not. In a whisper, you could hear the kids praying. It was one of the few things that pulled me through the horror. They screamed at my friend and I to remove our rings, saying, “I will break your fingers if you don’t take them off faster” and hitting my face as I struggled to take them off while my wrists were bound. They would occasionally ask our names and where we were from. They then poured water all over us. I thought it was gasoline at first and thoughts of being burned alive in the tent with the Palestinian family flooded my mind. Someone ripped my jacket open with a knife, aggressively cutting from my left armpit to my hip. One settler messed with my belt and I screamed because I thought they were going to rape me. Before reaching this new tent, we had witnessed the settlers collectively brutally sexually assaulting someone. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. The whole time after, I thought we were going to be raped. Then suddenly they cut all of our zip ties, rolled my friend on top of one of the other Palestinian men on the ground and retreated. Upon standing up we tried consoling the children in the tent, but everyone kind of ran out into the night and general chaos. It was mostly dark. There were only a few flashlights as the settlers had destroyed or taken down the family’s floodlights. The men of the family tended to the wounded and ran into the hills seeking the sheep. Luckily they found a few of them, so they herded them back into the pen. Some of the older children helped with this, but the settlers stole 350 sheep. ## The IOF blocked ambulance from arriving The young toddlers were running around without shoes, crying for their mothers. I did not know where the mothers were or what the settlers had done to them. There were a couple of months-old babies crying alone in one of the tents. Some Palestinian vehicles arrived with family members to support. At one point some of the young Palestinian men returned over the hill from their search for more sheep, but before we all knew they were Palestinian, everyone near the tents panicked and screamed for a moment thinking the settlers had returned. About an hour later, two others from[ Jordan Valley Activists][5] arrived on the scene. Then the IOF arrived and questioned the men, and inspected the injured people. It took the red crescent ambulance three hours to show up because the IOF blocked it from arriving. It transported four Palestinians to the hospital in Tubas, with severe head injuries and other trauma wounds. My friend and I sat watching the Palestinians finally receive medical treatment as the dusk’s first light crested their ancestral hills. Tears and bloody snot covered my face. I cried silent tears over the lack of reprieve for this Palestinian family. They were lucky that the IOF, or Israeli occupation police, did not detain or arrest any of them for some falsified reason, as is often the outcome when they arrive after a settler incident. Nowhere is safe for the family. There is no-one for them to call during these attacks that will protect them. Even the ambulance took hours to arrive because of the Israeli occupation’s oppressive movement control. ## [An Israeli flag recently put up by settlers. Photo supplied by International Solidarity Movement] ## ‘The international community refuses to intervene’ And I cried for their land. If they choose to remain, they are simply waiting for the next settler attack, but the human body and nervous system can only take so much trauma. Yet they have nowhere else to go. They have lived on their land since before they can remember and they may never return if they are forcibly displaced. The settler colonial state of Israel does not uphold the UN human right of return, nor give reparations for Palestinian displacement. Worst of all, there is no end in sight to such abuse. Deadly illegal settler attacks in coordination with the Israeli state and military have increased exponentially since 7 October 2023. The settlers rarely receive punishment for their theft, violence and murders, let alone their status as illegal occupiers on Palestinian land. The IOF arrests and kills Palestinians when all they do is seek to exist on their land. All while the international community refuses to intervene in, and even funds, Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians. My body aches, but the racist settlers inflicted far worse injuries upon the bodies of the Palestinians. As a privileged international, it is easy to call this the worst fucking night of my life. But for Palestinians, it is but another violent injustice imposed by “Israel” on an infinitely long list of human rights abuses. _______________________________________________________________ ## Israel’s must be stopped Lang says this attack is just one of the human rights violations suffered by this family. Settlers have also carried out theft, destroyed property and physically assaulted them. Also, as with many Palestinians in the village of Humsa, livestock is their livelihood but settler shepherds are now grazing their sheep on the family’s land, forcing them to keep their animals inside and buy costly grain to feed them. All day every day, the terrorist state of “Israel” [commits human rights abuses][6], including the war crime of forcible displacement against an occupied population. The purpose of these actions is to fulfill the [zionist regime’s dream][7] of a “[Greater Israel][8]“. It is the moral and legal responsibility of us all, including the governments of the so-called democracies of the world, who talk endlessly of human rights and freedom, to stop these actions of the terrorist state of “Israel” now. *Featured image via residents/International Solidarity Movement* By [Charlie Jaay][9] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/03/15/set… [2]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/09/12… [3]: https://palsolidarity.org/2026/03/for-immediate-release-3… [4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/03/15/west-bank-isra… [5]: https://www.instagram.com/jordan_valley_activists/ [6]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/12/10/west-bank-b… [7]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/11/ben-gvir-se… [8]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/what-is-greater-… [9]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/charlie-jaay/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/palestini…

Travelodge ‘standard’ security is overhauled to protect women [Travelodge hotel in the background with a woman crying with her head in her hands in the right foreground] Travelodge has finally mandated ID checks for all replacement room keys this week. The policy change comes after widespread outrage over over the sexual assault of a solo female guest. As the *Canary* [reported previously:][1] > a woman was sexually assaulted after making a solo booking at the hotel – only for staff to give her attacker a key to her room. The perpetrator of the sexual assault, Kyran Smith, told staff he was her boyfriend and needed another key card. Despite not being present on the booking, the hotel gave him that key which enabled his abuse. The budget hotel chain only implemented the security overhaul after a survivor and [100 MPs][2] shamed the brand for its safeguarding failures. > A woman was sexually assaulted in a Travelodge. Staff gave her attacker the key to her room after he pretended to be her boyfriend. She was offered £30 in compensation. Appalling. > > Along with 100 Labour colleagues, I've written to Travelodge's CEO & asked to meet. [pic.twitter.com/1pxjVqZvn3][3] > > — Anneliese Midgley MP (@anneliese_midge) [March 8, 2026][4] ## Travelodge put profit before basic safety Smith is now serving [7.5 years in prison][5], but is that really the end of the story? No, not when the hotel’s role in this assault remains a point of national outrage: > 'How can you be sure if you are a woman and you're going to stay at one of their hotels that you will be safe?' > > Labour MP Jen Craft told [#BBCBrealfast][6] more than 100 MPs have demanded a meeting with the boss of Travelodge after a woman was sexually assaulted in her hotel bed by a… [pic.twitter.com/MZqztwW5dd][7] > > — BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) [March 9, 2026][8] The company’s [new policy][9] finally requires staff to verify the identity of anyone asking for a room key. This is either going to be through the booking reference, or through direct contact with the person within the room. Travelodge have also claimed to have “intensified” staff training on safeguarding processes across their UK hotels. But we need to ask why it took a life-changing trauma and a fucking PR nightmare for a huge corporation to implement the most basic level of security? Guest safety should be a fundamental right, not a reactive damage-control measure. ## The measly cost of human trauma Travelodge’s initial response to this fuck up was a measly £30 voucher offered to the survivor. Literally just a refund on the cost of staying the evening. That’s it. They treated a brutal sexual assault like a minor customer service complaint, or a shitty cold breakfast. The company since admitted this offer was “inappropriate” and guest safety is now their “priority”. How the hell was it not before? If safety were a priority, they would never have facilitated the invasion of what should have been a private room. Over 100 MPs co-signed a letter to the CEO demanding immediate accountability. Anneliese Midgley said the chain played an “intrinsic role” in the abuse. The survivor herself has been the driving force for these changes [stating][10]: > I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. It’s not just about me, it’s about making sure hotels are safe for everyone. Corporate greed consistently prioritises the ease of check-in over human life. A shitty £30 voucher shows exactly how the corporation quantifies the trauma of women. It reflects a disgusting culture where corporate liability and profit margins matter more than people. They only move when the political and public pressure becomes a threat to their profit margins. ## Industry standards are no excuse for rape Travelodge initially tried to hide behind the claim this it followed ‘industry standard security procedures’. This suggests the entire budget hotel industry is currently failing to protect women. All of them. We cannot allow “standard procedure” to be used as an excuse for corporate negligence. Travelodge’s[ chief executive Jo Boyden stated on:][11] > We have done an internal review of our room access security policies and have made some immediate changes to ensure that an additional or replacement room key is only issued with explicit permission from the person, or people, staying in the room. > > This has been rolled out to all of our hotels, supported by training for our 12,000 customer-facing colleagues. The CEO went on to say that safety of guests was the most important thing and that the company has commissioned an independent review of its room security measures. The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Eleanor Lyons called this case a “stark reminder” that criminals exploit “weaknesses in hotel security”. > 'They offered me a complimentary breakfast, it was nothing in comparison to the trauma and fear' > > As MPs meet Travelodge over concerns about security, Emma Jackson told [#BBCBreakfast][12] about a recent 'frightening' experience a stranger used a key card to enter her hotel room, as… [pic.twitter.com/Eg3VPWdpMe][13] > > — BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) [March 14, 2026][14] As the *Canary *reported, sexual offenses [increased 511% in the last 20 years][15]. In 2024 alone 71,227 rapes were recorded by police and yet [only 2.7%][16] of them resulted in charge. Politicians are right to demand total transparency from the board regarding these new training modules. We need to see a complete overhaul of how hotel security functions. Now. Women should not have to live in fear for their lives in a room they have paid for. The fact a man can simply lay claim to a woman’s personal space is sickening. Will Travelodge actually change it’s internal culture, or is this more corporate window dressing? We will not feel safe until we see these policies enforced by law across the entire sector. *Featured image via Travelodge.com* By [Antifabot][17] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/10/travelodg… [2]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/10/travelodg… [3]: https://t.co/1pxjVqZvn3 [4]: https://twitter.com/anneliese_midge/status/20305977924611… [5]: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g01m82vn2o [6]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBCBrealfast?src=hash&ref_src… [7]: https://t.co/MZqztwW5dd [8]: https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/status/20309113302537177… [9]: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g01m82vn2o [10]: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g01m82vn2o [11]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g01m82vn2o [12]: https://twitter.com/hashtag/BBCBreakfast?src=hash&ref_src… [13]: https://t.co/Eg3VPWdpMe [14]: https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/status/20327883539013591… [15]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/10/20/immigrant… [16]: https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/statistics-sexual-… [17]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/antifabot/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/travelodg…

New arrivals could face 15-year wait for UK settlement under new immigration system [UK border signage Settlement legislation] Thousands of people living and working in the UK could face up to 15 years before qualifying for permanent settlement. This could be the impact of major immigration reforms expected to take effect in April 2026. The [UK government plans to introduce a new “Earned Settlement” framework][1]. It’ll replace the traditional five-year route to Indefinite Leave to Remain with a system that links settlement eligibility to economic contribution, income and integration. Under the proposals, the standard settlement timeline for many arrivals will increase to 10 years. Although some individuals could qualify faster while others may wait significantly longer, depending on their circumstances. [Kadmos Immigration is a law firm][2] that advises individuals and companies on immigration legislation. It says the reforms represent one of the most significant changes to the UK settlement system in decades. Helena Sheizon, Immigration expert at Kadmos, explains: > This reform represents a fundamental shift from a time-based route to permanent residence, to one focused on earned contribution. It aims to reward economic contribution and integration, but it also means that thousands of people already on paths to settlement will face new qualifying conditions and longer waits if they do not meet newly introduced criteria. ## What is the new ‘Earned Settlement’ system? Under the current immigration framework, most people on routes such as the Skilled Worker visa or family visas can apply for permanent residence after five years of lawful residence. The proposed reforms introduce a new points-based settlement model, meaning the amount of time required before applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain could vary depending on factors such as income, employment and immigration history. The government’s proposals suggest: * A 10-year baseline settlement route for most people coming to live in the UK. * A reduced pathway of around three years for individuals with very high earnings or exceptional contribution. * Extended timelines of up to 15 years or more for those with lower income levels or irregular employment history. The new framework moves away from a purely time-based system towards one where settlement must effectively be “earned” through measurable contribution. Sheizon adds: > What makes this system distinctive is the idea of earning settlement by measurable contribution. It will require people to demonstrate not just residence but economic engagement with the UK. ## Key factors that could affect settlement timelines Under the Earned Settlement model, the length of time required before applying for permanent residence may depend on several measurable factors. These include: * Income levels: higher taxable earnings over time could reduce the settlement timeline. * Public service employment: roles in sectors such as health or education may accelerate eligibility. * English language proficiency: higher language ability could contribute positively. * Immigration history: visa breaches, irregular entry or reliance on public funds may extend timelines. In practice, this means two people arriving in the UK at the same time could reach settlement at very different points depending on their contribution profile. Several reforms linked to the new system have already begun to take effect or are scheduled for early 2026. These include: * A higher B2 English language requirement for key visa routes such as Skilled Worker, High Potential Individual and Scale-up visas. * Increased minimum income thresholds tied to visa eligibility and settlement pathways. * Expanded compliance and enforcement measures affecting sponsoring employers. ## Who will be most affected? The reforms could impact a wide range of people currently living and working in the UK. Groups likely to be most affected include: * Skilled workers and their dependents, who may face longer waits for settlement unless they meet higher earnings criteria. * Family visa holders, who could see settlement timelines extended and additional income tests introduced. * Lower-paid workers, including those in sectors such as social care or middle-skilled roles, who could face the longest qualifying periods. The proposed reforms follow a wider immigration strategy outlined in the government’s recent White Paper, and consultations carried out throughout late 2025. Developments leading up to April 2026 include: * Higher English language requirements for work visa routes from January 2026. * A reduction in Skilled Worker visa eligibility for some occupations since July 2025. * A consultation on the Earned Settlement system which closed in February 2026. There is due to be a formal Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules in March 2026, ahead of the new system’s launch. Sheizon explains: > The Immigration Reform expected from April 2026 marks a major turning point. The shift to an earned settlement model changes not only how long people must wait for permanent residence but what they must do. > > For individuals and families planning long-term lives in the UK, this means greater complexity and new conditions. It also means that migrants cannot assume a simple five-year route to settlement will exist in the future, even if they entered under earlier expectations. ## What individuals and employers should do now With the new rules approaching, immigration law specialists say both visa holders and employers should review their settlement plans early. Sheizon adds: > Employers and visa holders should review their settlement plans now and where possible schedule for early settlement, as this is in the interests of both the employers and employees. Kadmos Immigration recommends: * Reviewing current settlement timelines to identify whether earlier applications may be possible. * Seeking legal advice for individuals approaching settlement eligibility. * Monitoring government announcements following the upcoming Statement of Changes expected in March. *Featured image via the Canary* By [The Canary][3] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/12/amnesty-s… [2]: https://www.kadmosimmigration.com/ [3]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/03/17/new-arrivals-…

UK colonialism on full display over official attitude to Cyprus [cyprus] The UK’s Chief of Defence Staff has publicly said that Cyprus is [effectively Great Britain’s aircraft carrier –][1] showing the true colonial colours of the very top of the UK’s armed forces. Sir Richard Knighton rejected suggestions that the UK should deploy naval assets to the Middle East. He was also accused of leaving the country’s assets “underprepared”. [He said][2]: > We don’t need the carrier. We don’t need the Navy. We have an aircraft carrier – it’s called Cyprus. Then, he [pointed][3] out that the UK’s Royal Air Force could launch F-35 jets from its Akrotiri air base in Cyprus. The UK [stationed][4] these there last month. ## Cyprus: illegal occupation from the UK The UK previously occupied and colonised the entire Island of Cyprus. In 1960, Greece, Turkey, and the UK all signed an agreement that guaranteed the independence, territorial integrity, and security of Cyprus. And the reality is that Cyprus is still not independent. Turkey has [occupied][5] the northern third of the Island since the country invaded illegally in 1974. To make matters worse, the UK still [controls][6] over 250 square kilometres of Cypriot territory. This constitutes two military “Sovereign Base Areas“, as well as a host of additional “British-retained sites”. > When Cyprus got its independence from Britain, the UK illegally cleaved off sections to keep for itself as sovereign bases > > The Brits should end their illegal occupation [https://t.co/cwORnQ29ww][7] [pic.twitter.com/zRms91ALFS][8] > > — Aidan Simardone (@AidanSimardone) [March 1, 2026][9] These “crucial sites” – RAF Akitori and Dhekelia- include an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a sports field. > When Cyprus got its independence from Britain, the UK illegally cleaved off sections to keep for itself as sovereign bases > > The Brits should end their illegal occupation [https://t.co/cwORnQ29ww][10] [pic.twitter.com/zRms91ALFS][11] > > — Aidan Simardone (@AidanSimardone) [March 1, 2026][12] The UK’s presence in Cyprus has become more controversial since [October 7. ][13]The bases have been used to host US forces, along with providing equipment and logistical support to Israel. It was also used as a base for UK air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Essentially, the UK is occupying land in a sovereign country to spy on and now bomb the Middle East. ## US involvement If things weren’t bad enough, top secret documents published by Edward Snowden revealed that every UK spy site on Cyprus is actually a joint UK-US base: > Top Secret (Strap1) document leaked by Edward Snowden > > First time we knew the specifics of UK spy sites on its Cyprus colonies > > First time we knew that every single one was a joint site with US spies > > Snowden did the world a major service – a hero for the ages [pic.twitter.com/oCqRzDlSal][14] > > — Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) [March 17, 2026][15] The document [states][16] that: > Cyprus hosts a wide range of UK and US intelligence facilities: Importantly, the documents also reveal that the US’s National Security Agency (NSA) provides 50% of the funding for the SOUNDER Comsat facility. This is a top secret surveillance station located in Ayios Nikolaos, Cyprus, which is part of RAF Dhekelia. > We continue to sustain and strengthen our partnership with the US/NSA and with other 5-Eyes agencies. GCHQ’s Cyprus collection facilities are acknowledged by NSA as important assets that make a major contribution to UKUSA. Under the ECHELON Agreement, NSA provides 50% of the funding for the SOUNDER Comsat facility. According to [*Al Jazeera*][17]: > Cyprus was – and still is – of substantial strategic interest to Washington, particularly in its role as an offshore intelligence facility for surveillance of the Middle East. *Declassified UK* [also revealed that:][18] > [129][19] US airmen are permanently deployed to RAF Akrotiri, which is a staging post for bombing campaigns across the Middle East. The US spy force, the 1st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, is also permanently deployed at Akrotiri. The UK should not still be occupying Cyprus or sharing military bases, assets, or intelligence with the US regime, which started an illegal and unprovoked war on Iran, another sovereign nation. Cyprus is a sovereign nation with over 1.2m inhabitants. Yet now, Sir Richard Knighton’s words suggest it is merely an “aircraft carrier” which would, in essence, make it a valid military target. Of course, this is bullshit. His comments show that Britain’s overseas bases are nothing but another example of the UK’s colonial military overreach. *Featured image via [TLDR News/YouTube][20]* By [HG][21] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/03/cyprus-co… [2]: https://x.com/NavyLookout/status/2032032373752107417 [3]: https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/03/12/we-have-an-aircraft-ca… [4]: https://theaviationist.com/2026/02/07/uk-reinforces-akrot… [5]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/21/erdogan-says-tur… [6]: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/3/9/the-occupiers… [7]: https://t.co/cwORnQ29ww [8]: https://t.co/zRms91ALFS [9]: https://twitter.com/AidanSimardone/status/202823489164145… [10]: https://t.co/cwORnQ29ww [11]: https://t.co/zRms91ALFS [12]: https://twitter.com/AidanSimardone/status/202823489164145… [13]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2024/08/07… [14]: https://t.co/oCqRzDlSal [15]: https://twitter.com/kennardmatt/status/203384490589884425… [16]: https://www.eff.org/files/2015/08/04/20150803-intercept-c… [17]: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/3/9/the-occupiers… [18]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/u-s-spies-have-wide-range-… [19]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/u-s-spies-have-wide-range-… [20]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeKOl8jbVRg [21]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/hg/ https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/03/17…

Campaigners want real-time pollution monitoring of Windermere after boy, 7, nearly dies [Scenic landscape photo of a boat in the middle of Lake Windermere, Cumbria] Campaigners are calling for real-time pollution monitoring in Lake Windermere after a recent spate of severe infections from contact with the [sewage-contaminated water][1]. A seven-year-old boy nearly died after contracting a dangerous strain of E. coli from contaminated water at the popular tourist destination in Cumbria last summer. Rex Early was hospitalised for six weeks and needed two operations when he fell violently ill after kayaking on Windermere. Now his family have joined calls for real-time pollution alerts to better protect people on the lake, which despite the findings, has an ‘excellent’ bathing water classification from the Environment Agency (EA). Matt Staniek, the founder of [campaign group, Save Windermere][2], explained: > We are told Windermere’s water quality is ‘excellent’, but that label is dangerously misleading. > > People are ending up in hospital. Sewage is being dumped into the lake, yet the government continues to allow England’s largest lake to be polluted by the water company without real-time public warnings. > > The EA already operates real-time forecasting elsewhere; it must now bring it to Windermere. The government must end sewage pollution in Windermere and put people before profit. ## Windermere’s water is not ‘excellent’ Rex became unwell shortly after kayaking near Brockhole Visitor Centre, which is outside of the lake’s designated testing sites. His symptoms began with severe stomach cramps and rectal bleeding. His mother, Claire Early, [told the *Guardian*][3]: > I noticed the water was murky but I had checked the Environment Agency website and it came up as excellent water quality on Windermere, so I was reassured. [Rex Early rests in a hospital bed, holding a cardboard sick bucket. There's a soft toy snake at the end of his bed.] Lab testing revealed E. coli 0157 as the source of the infection — the same strain that killed nine-year-old Heather Preen in 1999, in Devon. Heather’s story recently featured in [*Channel 4 *docu-drama Dirty Business][4]. Windermere has four designated bathing sites where the EA tests the water between May and September. However, rowers, paddle-boarders and other outdoor enthusiasts make use of wider areas of the lake, which are not tested for contamination. In another case, in June last year, 42-year-old [Graham Jackson was infected][5] with E. coli after swimming in Lake Windermere. Again, he began to feel unwell that same evening. A trip to the hospital turned into more than a week-long stay and he developed sepsis, a life-threatening condition. Likewise, Kate Appleby also caught a severe infection after swimming in the lake over the summer. As a local, Kate swam in Windermere regularly for years. However, she was infected with cryptosporidium from the water, which led to severe vomiting and weeks of hospital visits. ## United Utilities In both Graham and Kate’s cases, they were infected during prolonged dry spells over high summer. However, English water companies claim that they only discharge sewage into water bodies during heavy rainfall. As such, United Utilities — the regional water supplier for the north west of England — claimed that its activities were unlikely to be responsible for the infections. [Graham Jackson takes a selfie from his hospital bed] [Notably, United Utilities][6] [reported][7] a 131% increase in profits in the six months leading to 30 September 2025. That follows Ofwat [approving][8] a five-year plan to raise people’s bills in the North West by 32%, starting last April. Research from campaign group, Surfers Against Sewage, revealed that water monopolies dumped nearly 8,500 hours of sewage into 43 bathing sites in 2025 — specifically during dry spells. And, as in the Early’s case, these waters are mostly rated ‘excellent’ quality by the Environment Agency. However, it’s not just sewage dumping causing issues, according to [Save Windermere][9]: > A few years ago, researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Biology [investigated the impacts of treated sewage, agriculture and urban runoff][10] on river systems. Studying four rivers above and below sewage treatment works, they found that treated sewage discharge was the strongest predictor of high nutrient levels, bottom-dwelling algae and sewage fungus, regardless of surrounding land use. In Windermere’s case, United Utilities discharged 50 billion litres of treated sewage into the lake and its surrounding catchments between 2017 and 2024. This, according to Save Windermere, is in itself a cause for concern: > A drop of water takes, on average, nine months to travel from the top of the lake to the bottom, meaning much of what enters the lake remains there. Windermere is also naturally oligotrophic, meaning nutrient levels would typically be so low that algal blooms are rare or absent. > > The vast quantities of treated effluent entering the lake, carrying the nutrients algae depend on, are pushing Windermere away from its natural state and making it increasingly productive. > > These conditions are ideal for the growth of potentially toxic blue-green algae, which threaten both the ecological integrity of the lake and its recreational users. > > We saw the consequences in the summer of 2022, when Windermere experienced what was likely the largest blue-green algal bloom on record. The entire North Basin turned vivid green, so striking that it was visible from space. ## ‘Only rainwater’ As such, in March last year, then-environment secretary, Steve Reed, voiced the government’s long-term [ambition of only rainwater entering Windermere.][11] Likewise, the Only Rainwater coalition — including Save Windermere, Love Windermere, the Lake District National Park authority, United Utilities, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, and Westmorland and Furness Council — is conducting a feasibility study in the area. The study will gauge the measures needed to eliminate sewage discharges into the lake. [The report is due in July][12], and Save Windermere’s Staniek is pushing for the government to implement the findings immediately. However, this will be a long-term project by necessity. Until that point, Windermere desperately needs real-time pollution monitoring. This would more accurately reflect United Utilities’ sewage dumping, along with other sources of infection. Further than that, it would help to prevent deaths and further cases of severe infection like Rex, Graham, and Kate’s. *Featured image via Pixabay/ [Davesart][13] * By [Alex/Rose Cocker][14] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/09/10/lough-neagh-s… [2]: https://www.savewindermere.com/blog/bathing-water-in-wind… [3]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/16/realtime-… [4]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/03/06/no-more-dirty… [5]: https://www.channel4.com/news/exclusive-swimmers-say-lake… [6]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/11/16/united-ut… [7]: https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/united-utilities-… [8]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqx93en0p0qo [9]: https://www.savewindermere.com/blog/role-of-treated-sewage [10]: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2023-09-22-new-study-finds-sewa… [11]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-ambition-to… [12]: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/16/realtime-… [13]: https://pixabay.com/users/davesart-8852008/ [14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alexrosecocker/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/windermer…

Foreign Office statement on Lebanon is a masterclass in omission [Lebanon] Foreign Secretary [Yvette Cooper][1]‘s statement on Lebanon managed to avoid basically the entire context of the new Israeli invasion. Cooper could barely muster a single word of condemnation toward the aggressor: Israel. At the *Canary* we expect very little from British foreign secretaries — but this was a masterclass in omission and misinformation. Cooper [said][2]: > I am gravely concerned about the developing conflict in Lebanon, and the scale of the humanitarian impact. We must not see a widening of this conflict which is already causing significant civilian casualties and mass displacement. Our immediate focus is our humanitarian response in Lebanon and our diplomatic efforts with allies to prevent escalation. Milquetoast stuff. But then Cooper [moves on][3] to the combatants: > I strongly condemn Hizbollah’s ongoing attacks against Israel. These must cease immediately. The actions of this proscribed terrorist group – at the instigation of the Iranian regime – are once again drawing the people of Lebanon into a conflict they do not want and which is not in their interests. Sounds like Israel is barely an actor in the war… Here is the actual context. In theory, Hezbollah breached a US-brokered ‘ceasefire’ with Israel which had held since their last war in 2024. In practice, the US had given Israel carte blanche to strike Lebanon ever since. Israel has done so constantly since the deal was struck. During that period Israel attacked southern Lebanon around 15,400 times. So the score is: **Israel** 15,400 – 1 **Hezbollah**. You can read about the secretive Israel-US ‘side letter’ pact [here][4]. And our extensive coverage of Israel’s ceasefire breaches and the new invasion so far [here][5]. ## Statement on Lebanon is weak, inaccurate and laced with omissions The most recent estimates suggest 1m people have been displaced by the new Israeli attack as airstrikes and ground invasion attempts — which are still stuck in border towns in south Lebanon: > [💢] NEW: Over 1 million displaced in Lebanon as Israel weighs mobilizing up to 450,000 troops for invasion > > Lebanon’s government said March 16 that Israeli strikes and ground incursions since March 2 have displaced about one-fifth of the country’s population — more than 1 million… [https://t.co/pV90tYE6X4][6] > > — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) [March 16, 2026][7] Cooper gets this [partly correct][8], though her condemnation is lukewarm — and still missing the overarching context. > The forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people as a direct result of Israeli operations is completely unacceptable and could have disastrous humanitarian consequences. Self-evidently, “Israeli operations” is the mildest possible way one could describe an invasion. Did the UK describe the illegal invasion of Ukraine as “Russian operations”? No. And here is some more context about Iranian ‘instigation’. Hezbollah is a regional ally of Iran. The brief salvo which has seen Israel launch a new war seems to have come in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran (as well as obviously the 15,400 Israeli ceasefire violations.) That context is also missing from Cooper’s dishonest ramblings. The US and Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering[ unprecedented concessions][9] in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since[ stated][10] there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is[ no evidence][11] Iran was developing a nuclear weapon. As predicted for decades, Iran appears to have [closed][12] the Strait of Hormuz — a vital oil route — and mobilised regional allies as part of a strategy of asymmetrical warfare. This begs the question: how can the British public be expected to understand the decisions being taken for them when their elected leader leaves half of the context out? Or maybe — just maybe — it is the policy of the Foreign Office to misinform and omit basic facts and details about way the UK conducts itself in the world. This very Foreign Office holds, after all, a direct responsibility for the mess these countries are in — both historically and in the present tense. *Featured image via the Canary* By [Joe Glenton][13] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2026/02/13/yvette-cooper-pale… [2]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-stat… [3]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-stat… [4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2025/12/11… [5]: https://www.thecanary.co/?s=Lebanon [6]: https://t.co/pV90tYE6X4 [7]: https://twitter.com/DropSiteNews/status/20336744985038156… [8]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-stat… [9]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-omani-foreig… [10]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pentagon-tells-congress-… [11]: https://aje.news/xgc2gx?update=4359748 [12]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/16/donald-tr… [13]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/joeglenton/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/lebanon-f…

Lush and Migrant Rights Network launch nationwide campaign to challenge racist narratives [Lush] Lush and [Migrant’s Rights Network][1] have launched a nationwide campaign on Monday 16 March 2026 to help to highlight and challenge the [racism being used to divide our communities][2]. This new initiative runs across 101 of Lush’s stores until Monday 30 March. And highlights how politicians and media outlets blame migrant workers for the sick failings of the state. The campaign uses stunningly bold graphics created by migrant-led studio [Migrants in Culture][3] to transform store fronts into active sites of resistance. These graphics aim to expose how anti-migrant rhetoric [distracts and scapegoats][4] from issues that the white male-led government has created. At a time when our NHS is crumbling around our ears, wealth inequality is at an all-time extreme and people struggle to just survive, Lush is hoping to show the UK just where the real blame lies. With the rich, the powerful and the fucking elite. [The new graphics in the Middlesbrough store]The new graphics in the Middlesbrough store ## Lush — challenging the fear At a time when racism is being weaponised by incredibly weak white people as a shortcut to power, this campaign cannot come at a better time. Rats such as Tommy Robinson are prowling the streets and GBNews is poisoning the population’s minds. But Lush has found a way to speak to people. By stoking fear, leaders are avoiding all accountability for decades of underinvestment in social housing and public infrastructure. They would rather the public turn their gaze on the terrified immigrant fleeing war and riot in the streets than realise our biggest threat to a fairer world is those pointing the fucking finger. MRN is a UK charity that advocates for the rights of all migrants by bridging the gap between grassroots organising and political policy change. This stunning organisation campaigns against the hostile environment which turns doctors and teachers into border guards. It focuses on empowering migrant-led leadership to dismantle the structures that cause harm to marginalised groups. Fizza Qureshi, chief executive officer of MRN [says][5]: > “Across the UK, people are being encouraged to blame migrants for problems caused by political choices. This campaign challenges these lies. Racism harms all of us — it weakens our communities, undermines our rights and distracts from the real issues we face.” ## Funding the fight for change During the campaign, Lush is selling a *[Hand of Friendship][6] *bath bomb for £6.50 to raise funds for the cause. The company donates 75% of the sale price, minus tax, to MRN to support grassroots migrant-led organisations. These groups fight hard for transformational change rather than just providing temporary aid. [A basket of the new 'Hand of Friendship' soap and the new literature]Grab yourself a soap, help a good cause and educate yourself Stores are also distributing a free, abridged version of the *[Words Matter][7] *publication to help customers resist racist rhetoric. The campaign comes as 92% of people believe the way we talk about immigration has changed for the worse. This disgusting statistic highlights the urgent need to change the conversation around migration and human rights. And where better to do that than on one of the best smelling shops on the high street? This fucking beautiful stance is familiar territory for Lush, which has a long history of disruptive activism. In 2018 the company launched its [*SpyCops *campaign][8] to highlight the undercover policing scandal where officers infiltrated and, in some cases, even had children, within activist groups. Lush’s *#SOSSumatra *campaign also raised over £125,000 to buy 50 hectares of palm oil plantation land to restore the native rainforest. ## Confronting the real enemy Andrew Butler, campaigns manager at Lush[ says:][9] > “We believe that all people should enjoy freedom of movement across the world. This is a core part of who we are and what we stand for as a business. We are proud to partner with Migrants’ Rights Network to directly challenge the anti-immigration narratives.” Look outside of your window. At a time when our streets are filled with rubbish, roads are fucked and older people can’t afford to eat, surely it’s time to wake the fuck up? Political choices have driven down living standards for decades. Meanwhile, [war][10] and [climate breakdown][11] continues to displace millions of people globally. This campaign serves as a reminder that migrants are not the threat to our society, but racism and inequality are. When communities stand together against these manufactured divisions, they become powerful enough to demand real change. So, tell me. Who is the real threat to our society? The cocaine-soaked Tommy Robinson and his [Israeli backers][12]? Or the immigrant nurse who ran across half a world, fleeing terror, to help heal our sick within the NHS? Is it Nigel Farage and his [legion of misogynistic pricks][13]? Or the little girl and her family who crossed the sea in a tiny boat, just to try to feel safe again? And will we continue to let scapegoating distract us from the real causes of our problems, or will we stand up and fight together against the real fucking enemy? The rich and the powerful. *Featured image via author* By [Antifabot][14] [1]: https://migrantsrights.org.uk [2]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/08/26/farage-opera… [3]: https://www.migrantsinculture.com [4]: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/human-rights-rollback-r… [5]: https://weare.lush.com/press-releases/migrants-rights-net… [6]: https://www.lush.com/uk/en/p/hand-of-friendship-bath-bomb [7]: https://migrantsrights.org.uk/projects/wordsmatter/ [8]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/02/20/lush-launches-… [9]: https://weare.lush.com/press-releases/migrants-rights-net… [10]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/14/iran-destro… [11]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/05/30/deadly-temper… [12]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/10/18/rosen-expos… [13]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/02/20/reform-hara… [14]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/antifabot/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2026/03/17/lush-and-migrant-r…

Greyhounds and supporters to rally as Scotland and Wales look to ban greyhound racing [Retired racing greyhound] The Unbound the Greyhound coalition is staging a rally at the Scottish parliament on Wednesday 18 March. Nine animal welfare organisations are [working together to ban greyhound racing][1] in Scotland. And the rally comes ahead of the Stage 3 vote for the [Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill][2]. In Wales, the [Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Bill][3] is due to have its final vote on 17 March. The groups will gather at 10.30-11.30am and will be joined by greyhounds rescued from the racing industry. Mark Ruskell MSP, who brought the Bill, will also be there, along with supportive members of the public, MSPs and organisations. Coalition member group [OneKind points to the industry’s own data][4]. It recorded 2,751 deaths and 26,522 injuries in the UK between 2018-2023. OneKind suggests that greyhound racing is rife with mistreatment and bad practice. This ranges from “dank, dirty kennels” to the use of performance enhancing drugs, including cocaine. The charity claims the root of the problems is that: > These dogs aren’t valued as sentient beings, but rather are regarded as commodities to make trainers money. Head of campaigns and media for OneKind, Eve Massie Bishop, speaking on behalf of the Unbound the Greyhound coalition, says: > For nearly three years, the Unbound the Greyhound coalition has worked tirelessly, alongside tens of thousands of compassionate members of the public, to shine a light on the suffering these gentle dogs have endured in the racing industry and to push for an end to this cruel and archaic industry in Scotland. > > Our message has always been clear: greyhounds are not commodities to be exploited for financial gain. They are sensitive, affectionate, and gentle dogs who deserve to be safe and loved in homes where they are truly cared for. We are grateful to Mark Ruskell MSP for his unwavering commitment to ending greyhound racing in Scotland. > > Our rally at Holyrood, joined by supporters from across Scotland and greyhounds rescued from the racing industry, will show the strength of public support behind this Bill. Scotland now has the chance to put this dying industry out of its misery. We hope every MSP will seize this opportunity and vote in favour of the Bill. The Unbound the Greyhound coalition includes OneKind, GREY2K USA Worldwide, Say No To Greyhound Racing in Scotland, Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation (SAGE), the League Against Cruel Sports, Hope Rescue, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG) and Animal Concern. *Featured image via the Canary* By [The Canary][5] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/01/22/parliamentary… [2]: https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/proposals-for-… [3]: https://business.senedd.wales/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId… [4]: https://www.onekind.org/unbound-the-greyhound [5]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/thecanary/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026/03/17/greyhounds-an…

Dua Lipa says media is ‘doing such a disservice to Epstein’s victims [Epstein] Dua Lipa has called out the media for the way it’s reporting on the Epstein Files and completely disregarding the feelings of the victims. The singer was interviewing the author Roxanne Gay on her podcast [Service 95 Book Club][1]. The Women’s Day episode specifically covered misogyny in society and the media. This included many topics, but especially how victims are talked about and treated. The conversation inevitably turned to the Epstein files and the way his victims were being treated. [Lipa said][2]: > The way that the crimes have been reported, and the language that’s been used, has been doing such a disservice to all the victims. > > I keep thinking about all the stories that talk about the underage girls and the sex parties, rather than writing about the victims that were children who were trafficked She continued: > It’s putting everything under some kind of veil to protect — I don’t know who, the reader — or trying to mask what is happening. > > It’s so interesting how the media takes and twists things, even in the darkest hour ## Epstein’s victims erased for a good story This is something *The Canary* has covered extensively. [Our journalist Maddison Wheeldon called out][3] how the media circus around the January release of the files erased the experiences of victims and survivors. Writing about how the Wheeldon wrote thousands of documents had to be removed by the Department of Justice after they compromised the identities of the victims, Wheeldon said: > The mainstream media circus around the release of the files is conveniently diminishing both the [horror and scrutiny of these atrocious crimes][4], as well as the accountability of the powerful figures responsible for them. > > One thing is clear. The release of the Epstein files was certainly not to protect the victims and survivors of Epstein’s depraved network. The women and girls who bore the brunt of these atrocities have been sidelined even in the official reveal of their experiences. [Victims later claimed][5] that the DoJ’s Pam Bondi intentionally un-redacted their names to intimidate them into silence. ## Focus needs to be brought back to the victims Meanwhile, journalist Vannessa Viljoen [highlighted how racialised][6] Epstein’s trafficking was. She wrote: > Rabid media coverage of the Epstein files has breathlessly focused on political gossip at the expense of centring victims and survivors. As such, public discussion of elite sexual abuse often gravitates towards spectacle: powerful men, hidden networks and institutional failure. Of course, coverage from mainstream media is complicit in upholding power structures that decide who counts as a victim – and who doesn’t. > > Instead, the newly released Epstein files point to an uncomfortable reality. It has been noted from FBI interview records and grand jury testimony that Epstein’s “preference was short, little, white girls.” Crucially, Epstein’s operation did not rely on chance or opportunism. Instead, Epstein paid girls to recruit other minors and enforced his preferences through discipline and reward. When recruiters failed to comply, the system reprimanded them. In practice, race did not sit in the background. Rather, it structured how the trafficking itself operated. All throughout this, we’ve seen the focus around ‘scandals’ involving [Peter Mandelson][7],[ Andrew Mountbatten][8] and[ Donald Trump][9]. But there’s been very little focus on the actual victims who have had to live with the abuse they endured for the rest of their lives. It must be absolutely heartbreaking to see your most feared memories play out on the worlds stage, and the focus once again being on the powerful men who used their power over your body. It’s time the media took a long, hard look at itself, stopped seeing pound signs and thought about the real victims. Featured image via the Canary By [Rachel Charlton-Dailey][10] [1]: https://www.service95.com/dua-lipa-roxane-gay-book-club-i… [2]: https://www.instagram.com/p/DV8LbBbDFCl/?igsh=YTZyd2tqZjh… [3]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/04/epstein-v… [4]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/02… [5]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2026/02/14/eps… [6]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/02/05… [7]: https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026/03/15/starmer-mande… [8]: https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/02/23/andrew-ta… [9]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/07/trump-war-o… [10]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/rachel-charlton-dailey/ https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/03/17/epsteins-victi…

UEFA could lose its tax privileges for failing to sanction Israel [Aleksander čeferin at a UEFA press conference] UEFA is facing mounting political pressure in Switzerland following a parliamentary move that could threaten its tax privileges after[ failing to impose any sanctions on Israel][1]. The French newspaper* [L’Équipe][2]* revealed that a group of left-wing members of parliament in the Swiss canton of Vaud submitted a draft resolution questioning whether the conditions for UEFA’s tax exemption are still met. If the draft resolution passes, UEFA will be summoned to justify why it hasn’t sanctioned[ Israel][3], especially since the Swiss federal government has previously linked tax privileges for international sports federations to their role in promoting peace through sport. The initiators of the proposal believe UEFA is no longer fulfilling its role, which could open the door to a [review of its tax status in Switzerland][4], where its headquarters are located. According to internal estimates within UEFA, canceling the tax exemption could cost the organisation about €30 million annually (£26 million). Tax authorities may also demand clarification on how its annual revenues, estimated at about €5 billion (£4 billion), are distributed. The cantonal parliament is scheduled to debate the draft resolution on 24 March. A close vote is expected in the 150-member assembly, where left-wing parties hold only 64 seats, leaving the outcome uncertain. ## UEFA’s president must call for a vote This pressure comes at a time of escalating international campaign led by the campaign group, Game Over Israel, which wants global sports organisations to boycott Israel, similarly to what happened with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Former [Manchester United player, Eric Cantona][5], reignited the debate when he highlighted the disparity in treatment of both countries at a solidarity event in London last year. According to sources within UEFA, communications and pressure from federations, sponsors and sports media have continued unabated in recent months, indicating how prominent this issue has become within European football. Any decision to suspend Israel’s participation in European competitions requires a vote within UEFA’s 21-member executive committee, including its president, Aleksander Čeferin, who is the only person authorised to call for such a vote. Internal sources indicate a number of committee members are inclined to support a ban. However, Čeferin —known for his meticulous calculations — only calls for a vote when he is certain of a clear majority. The Israeli Football Association, on the other hand, categorically denied the existence of any upcoming vote to suspend its membership, describing the circulating reports as “fake news” and affirming its commitment to all FIFA and UEFA regulations. ## Mounting pressure But the pressure is no longer solely political or moral; it has also extended to the financial sphere. Several European federations have incurred significant losses during matches played by their national teams against Israel due to the stringent security measures and low attendance. For example, the 2024 France-Israel match at the 80,000 capacity Stade de France attracted only about 16,000 spectators. Security costs for the Europa League match between VfB Stuttgart and [Maccabi Tel Aviv][6] last December were estimated at about €10 million (£9 million). As pressure mounts from parliaments, players and national federations, European football appears to be facing a new political test that could determine not only Israel’s participation in continental tournaments but also the boundaries of the relationship between sport and politics in Europe. *Featured image via the Canary* By [Alaa Shamali][7] [1]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-news/2025/11/14/isr… [2]: https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Article/Ou-en-est-la-poss… [3]: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2026/02/20/fifa-signs-gaz… [4]: https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/08/17/uefa-israel-… [5]: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2218564278566514 [6]: https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2026/03/05/maccabi-mps… [7]: https://www.thecanary.co/author/alaa-shamali/ https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/03/17/uefa-coul…