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Gary Weatherhead

@garyweatherhead.bsky.social
239 followers 215 following 197 posts

politics/geopolitics/law

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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 06/10/2026
“The notion of military victory is a dangerous myth,” write Stephen Biddle, ‪@samwl.bsky.social, and Yuri Zhukov. “Terms and bargaining always matter: no war ends unless both sides choose to accept a settlement and stop.”
foreignaffairs.com
The Myth of Military Victory
The dangerous idea driving today’s wars of choice.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 2h
✉️ The first @ethicsandintegrity.bsky.social annual letter to the PM provides a welcome health check on the UK’s standards framework. But it warns that “progress is at risk of stalling” without personal leadership from the PM.
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 2h
If far right nationalists gain power in four big countries simultaneously, we are in for a dramatic Trumpian tilt "In addition to Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Finland, Greece, Estonia and Slovakia will all head to the polls in the coming year.." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Europe’s big election season is about to kick off. It could change everything | Nathalie Tocci
If far right nationalists gain power in four big countries simultaneously, we are in for a dramatic Trumpian tilt, says Guardian Europe columnist Nathalie Tocci
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 4h
As leaders push for new weapons, Steve Feldstein says “we’re living in a moment of significant norm degradation” on human rights. He calls for “a movement of accountability" for "terrifying" tech in his book Bytes and Bullets: Global Rivalries, Private Tech, and the New Shape of Modern Warfare.
buff.ly
Steve Feldstein on Bytes, Bullets, Blood and Borders
Feldstein is the author of Bytes and Bullets: Global Rivalry, BigTech, and the New Shape of Modern Warfare, published by St. Martin’s Press.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Dr Benjamin Thorne @benjaminthorne.bsky.social · 20h
Spending the next 6 months negotiating with a proven unreliable partner is absolutely not the way to protect the ICC from US aggression. Even if an agreement was reached there is no way that the US can be trusted to follow through on this. Has the last 18 months not taught us anything? #ICC
nltimes.nl
EU seeks dialogue with U.S. to lift ICC sanctions within 6 months
There is broad support within the EU for protecting the International Criminal Court (ICC), Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said after a meeting with the EU counterparts on Monday. The United Sta...
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Joshua Rozenberg @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social · 10h
The government has explained why it has rejected some of the key recommendations made by Lord Leveson of Liverpool in his independent review of the criminal courts. Part 1 of Leveson’s report was published 15 months ago and part 2 appeared in February. rozenberg.substack.com/p/a-pick-and...
rozenberg.substack.com
A pick-and-mix approach?
Government responds to Leveson proposals delivered 15 months ago
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Machiko Kanetake @machikokanetake.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Read the interview with @jamespsexton.bsky.social and @chpaulussen.bsky.social @tmcasser.bsky.social on the sanctions against the ICC and what this means for international law more broadly. Written before the latest sanctions but the message stays. www.asser.nl/news/intervi...
asser.nl
[Interview] What US sanctions against the ICC mean for international justice
US sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court are raising wider questions about the resilience of international criminal justice and international law. Asser Institute researchers James Patr...
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Tom Royston @tomroyston.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Problems with the benefits system's 'mandatory reconsideration' process frequently block access to social security appeal rights. The decision in Dawod v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions clears away one of those blocks. Follow this link for judgment: gcnchambers.co.uk/tom-royston-...
gcnchambers.co.uk
Tom Royston appears in breakthrough Upper Tribunal appeal of universal credit award and housing cost provisions - Garden Court North Chambers
The Upper Tribunal allowed an appeal on universal credit entitlement with implications for social security claimants’ access to justice.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
When chatbots write legal briefs, could AI companies be held liable for "unauthorized practice of law"? Daniel Kalish examines how century-old licensing laws may (or may not) apply to artificial intelligence.
buff.ly
Nippon Life v. OpenAI and the Future of AI Legal Work
Do legal briefs by chatbots count as "unauthorized practice of law"? Daniel Kalish examines how century-old licensing laws could apply to AI companies.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Ruth Deyermond @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
I don't see anything erratic here. For over a decade, Trump has prioritised "getting along with Russia"; since 20 January 2025, Trump administration policy has reflected that priority. It's perhaps the most consistent aspect of Trump foreign policy. 🧵on Trump and sanctions.
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Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
JOINT STATEMENT OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF CANADA, DENMARK, GERMANY, FRANCE, ITALY, JAPAN, THE NETHERLANDS, UNITED KINGDOM "As committed supporters of the ICC we regret and strongly disagree with the announcement of sanctions to be imposed upon the Court by the United States."
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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
"The Court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the States that created it... This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law." www.icc-cpi.int/news/icc-str...
icc-cpi.int
The ICC strongly rejects US sanctions against the institution
Today, the United States has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an institution. This unprecedented step follows a series of designations against thirteen independent Judges and p...
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 08/10/2026
‘Dystopian’: Co-op becomes latest firm to put staff under AI surveillance
theguardian.com
‘Dystopian’: Co-op becomes latest firm to put staff under AI surveillance
Whistleblower says recording and analysis of all probate calls in Co-op Legal Services is oppressive The Co-op has become the latest employer to place workers under AI surveillance with an automated listening technology that rates every phone call some of them make to customers. In a system described as “oppressive and dystopian” by a whistleblower, Co-op Legal Services is using AI models to record, analyse and award a percentage score for interactions between agents and customers seeking advice about probate, wills and estates. Continue reading...
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Rapporteur @euractiv.com · 07/10/2026
Hungary lifts veto on Ukraine EU entry talks
dlvr.it
Hungary lifts veto on Ukraine EU entry talks
New negotiating 'clusters' could be opened early next week
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
New post: Burnham has opened the door to a "rejoin" manifesto pledge. The politics make more sense than a lot of people seem to realise. I look at what it would involve at every step from pledge to referendum. There are significant barriers but it can be done. samf.substack.com/p/the-route-...
samf.substack.com
The route back into the EU
Back in 2022 I wrote about the long-term prospects for undoing Brexit and made two predictions.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
David Anderson @bricksilk.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Letter printed in The Times today
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Joanna Hardy-Susskind @joannahs.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Be under no illusion: this is a significant victory for everyone who stuck their neck out and defended jury trials, day after day, clause by clause. But it is not a comprehensive victory. Magistrates should not be allowed to send people to prison for two years.
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Bosnia-Herzegovina shaped by war, separatism, EU ambitions 2/2 p.dw.com/p/5Nfi1
p.dw.com
Bosnia and Herzegovina is still shaped by ethnic divisions, separatism, EU ambitions
Bosnia and Herzegovina is governed by a system established after the Bosnian war — more than 30 years ago. Ethnic divisions, a complex administration and European integration all shape the country's p...
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Can anything politicians say at Sunday’s election stop young people from leaving Bosnia? 1/2 www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
Can anything politicians say at Sunday’s election stop young people from leaving Bosnia?
They are the support base for non-nationalist parties but are voting with their feet and not on ballot papers
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
The Conversation AUNZ @aunz.theconversation.com · 02/10/2026
With the two presidential candidates running neck-and-neck, this election has stakes beyond Brazil. The growing power of US big tech is also in the spotlight.
theconversation.com
As Brazil prepares to vote for a new leader, can Latin American democracies withstand US pressure?
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 03/10/2026
Latvia’s populist Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs will face his first electoral test today — but his head start in the polls is unlikely to shield him from coalition headaches in a contest where Ukraine and Russia are looming large. vist.ly/5ku24
politico.eu
Latvian PM faces bittersweet victory in election backdropped by Russia
An EU sanctions showdown could strengthen the position of Andris Kulbergs, but a coalition puzzle awaits.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Seva @seva.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
new piece in Foreign Affairs with @schneier.com on how autocrats are using AI to deal with scheming viziers. free access t.co/4Acu9eQwSE
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW The diabolical defending of Manchester City Understanding an aggressive litigation strategy By me, at @prospectmagazine.co.uk (Prospect paywall is down currently.) www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th... #MCFC
What can explain such an aggressive and counterproductive approach? To an extent the answer may be in the facts and the evidence. Perhaps the view was that the only chance of getting out of this was to be unhelpful as well as robust. In respect of an earlier dispute with Uefa, an internal communication at the club apparently said “Uefa doesn't respond to anything other than aggression”. Maybe the view was taken that this would work here too. Maybe the club still thinks it will work in the end, with the league being pushed into settlement on appeal or at the doors of the High Court.

But this does not offer a total explanation. What may work with Uefa may not work with other adversaries. The structure of the league’s investigation and the disciplinary approach meant that aggression would not only be unhelpful, but would count heavily against the club. An appeal on the law or procedure at the High Court in this sort of case only has a remote chance of success. It can be assumed the club was warned of all this.

There is a phrase in football punditry that “the defending is diabolical”. Here diabolical is, of course, a synonym for dreadful. But in its more literal sense, diabolical means bedevilled with wrongful purpose. And the strategy adopted by Manchester City in contesting this matter is also in this sense diabolical. The club will have known that it was unlikely to work, and that it would make things harder, but the club decided to do it anyway.
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Manchester City cheated Premier League rules, the Commission found. Did it also cheat HMRC? We've examined the decision and leaked Mancini documents. We think City likely failed to pay £12m in tax. There should be a criminal investigation. Thread:
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Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🚨🚨 @coe.int of Europe said yesterday that the #US formally notified it that it would leave the Group of States against Corruption, or #GRECO. Only two other countries have left GRECO before — #Russia and #Belarus. The fall of the #US on the world scene is striking. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
US withdraws from European anti-corruption panel in latest shift away from global groups
The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from a top European anti-corruption watchdog.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Andrew Cutting @andrewcutting.coe.int · 30/09/2026
❗“The ECHR is not a constraint on British security. It is one of its foundations,” write 3 former Independent Reviewers of Terrorism Legislation👇 🔗 www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-a... via @lawsocietygazette.bsky.social “Walking away would not make Britain freer. It would make Britain weaker.”
lawgazette.co.uk
The ECHR is not a constraint on British security. It is one of its foundations
Britain should not be abandoning one of its greatest post-war achievements.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 28/09/2026
Opinion: The seizure of Auchan and Nestlé is an unmistakable signal that even playing by the rules won't protect foreign businesses from forced nationalization in Russia, warns Charles Hecker.
themoscowtimes.com
Moscow's Audacious Asset Grab Is a Warning to Western Companies - The Moscow Times
Opinion | Two more Western giants have fallen to the Kremlin.
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Early results show Swiss voters are on track to reject a push to tighten neutrality rules apnews.com/article/swit...
apnews.com
Early results show Swiss voters are on track to reject a push to tighten neutrality rules
Early projections suggest Swiss voters are on track to reject a right-wing proposal aimed at the strict implementation of the country’s neutrality.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Mo Ibrahim Foundation @mo.ibrahim.foundation · 23/09/2026
🇸🇹 #SãoToméAndPríncipe heads to the polls this week. What does the #IIAG data reveal about the country? 📊 Learn more: bit.ly/4yRssb4 ©️ Slide 1 image: Ji-Elle / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"In Sao Tome and Principe, one issue towers above all others ahead of Sunday's elections in the tiny island nation in the Gulf of Guinea: how to stop young people from leaving" f24.my/CB6Y
f24.my
Sao Tome voters want to stop exodus of 'neglected' youth
In Sao Tome and Principe, one issue towers above all others ahead of Sunday's elections in the tiny island nation in the Gulf of Guinea: how to stop young people from leaving.
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Sergey Vasiliev @sevslv.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Naoero is the 6th state this year to announce withdrawal from the ICC Statute (after Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Venezuela, and Chad). I spoke to @time.com about Trump's efforts to erode the ICC membership. ‘Hands Off!’: European Leaders Reject Trump's Call to Quit the ICC
time.com
‘Hands Off!’: European Leaders Reject Trump's Call to Quit the ICC
Trump has called “on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution, immediately.”
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Reposted by Gary Weatherhead
Quillette @quillette.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
An OpenAI agent’s breach of a Medicare portal shows that the real danger from AI is a mundane one—and the labs’ fixation on a coming machine god is making it worse.
quillette.com
AI Doom Is Not Cybersecurity
An OpenAI agent’s breach of a Medicare portal shows that the real danger from AI is a mundane one—and the labs’ fixation on a coming machine god is making it worse.
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Cas Mudde @casmudde.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
My broader take on all three German state elections and why focusing only on the success of the far right is both incomplete and self-defeating.
theguardian.com
Look again – there’s more to Germany’s election trends than far-right success | Cas Mudde
Defeatist narratives abound. Yet Germany’s latest elections suggest voter dissatisfaction is benefiting the left as well as the right, says the political scientist Cas Mudde
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David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Today I will be presenting "The Last Man Complex: #AI and Existential Risk" during the closing session of the "Last Man at 200" conference @notredame.bsky.social. www.k-saa.org/events/curra... Preprint of the book chapter is now available from @ssrn.bsky.social dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
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Pessimists Archive @pessimistsarc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"We can be humble and live a good life with the aid of the machines, or be arrogant and die." - Dr. Norbert Wiener, 1949 newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org/p/the-origin...
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Ciaran Martin @ciaranm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
My thoughts on how frontier AI’s claims and warnings seem prone to colliding with reality, whether that’s in economics, medicine or cyber security ciaranmartin.substack.com/p/on-ai-clai...
ciaranmartin.substack.com
Frontier AI’s real world problems
Many of the claims and warnings about the impact of frontier AI seem to collide awkwardly with the realities of the specific subject in question
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Isle of Man general election takes place tomorrow (Thursday 24 September). www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Isle of Man general election 2026: When is the election and how do I vote?
Voters on the Isle of Man go to the polls on 24 September, with 82 candidates standing.
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
RAF launches first ever space squadron dedicated to defending Britain's satellites www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
RAF launches first ever space squadron dedicated to defending Britain's satellites
The RAF has launched No. III Space Effects Squadron, its first dedicated unit to counter hostile threats to UK satellites.
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Mike Schmitt @mikeschmitt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
My analysis of the legal issues raised by the recent announcement of US weapons in space.
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Heres the text of the 2026 treaty on Greenland www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-st... Hard to see how it differs fundamentally from the 1951 agreement avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century... The most one could say is that it's implementing and elaborating upon the previous agreement
whitehouse.gov
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF DENMARK TOGETHER WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF GREENLAND
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF DENMARK TOGETHER WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Athena Election Observatory (a Nigerian think tank) has produced a useful, more detailed report.. aeo.athenacentre.org/reports/moro...
aeo.athenacentre.org
Athena Election Observatory (AEO) | Election Integrity, Data & Accountability
Independent, non-partisan election data, audits and democratic health insights from the Athena Election Observatory.
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Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"[Tomorrow] Moroccan voters will choose from among 7,288 candidates from 27 political parties competing for 395 seats in the House of Representatives.." apnews.com/article/moro...
apnews.com
Young people in Morocco split over whether politics can deliver change as election draws near
In Morocco's election race, a rural funeral has become an unexpected campaign stop for candidates aiming to engage disenchanted young voters.
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 21/09/2026
Fresh from its loss in Saxony-Anhalt, Friedrich Merz’s CDU party has fallen to heavy defeats in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
theconversation.com
Two more election defeats pile pressure on German chancellor Friedrich Merz
Fresh from its loss in Saxony-Anhalt, Friedrich Merz’s CDU party has fallen to heavy defeats in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 21/09/2026
1. The High Court has ruled against the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) following a major challenge by Carter-Ruck and Mohamed Amersi to the regulator's investigative powers. 🧵
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 21/09/2026
Google is fined more than €400m by Irish regulator over its use of location data
theguardian.com
Google is fined more than €400m by Irish regulator over its use of location data
Watchdog says users may have been unaware their information was used to target adverts or infer their interests Google has been fined more than €400m (£345m) over the way it processed users’ location data. The fine, by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), comes after complaints from multiple European consumer organisations that Google was following every step users took. Continue reading...
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Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 19/09/2026
Private renters on housing support already go without essentials. In 2024-25, 58 per cent of working-age adults in private-renting families on housing support were materially deprived on the DWP's measure, meaning their family could not afford a set of basic items. buff.ly/tmfEAWh
Chart showing proportion of working-age adults in private-renting families on housing support who are materially deprived, and who cannot afford selected essentials: GB, 2024-25
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Bristol University Press @brisunipress.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
'Indefensible' by John Hyde is out now. The inside story of the Post Office scandal, and how legal failures allowed innocent people to be prosecuted, imprisoned and pushed into financial and personal ruin. ow.ly/C8No50ZKliO
ow.ly
Inside the Post Office compensation scandal: Victims still face injustice - Transforming Society
John Hyde, author of 'Indefensible', argues that despite promises of fair compensation, victims of the Post Office scandal have faced a slow, adversarial claims process that prolongs their suffering, largely driven by the organisation’s own approach rather than just its lawyers.
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JillDougherty @jilldougherty.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Russia’s Elite Has Lost Its Room to Maneuver www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Russia’s Elite Has Lost Its Room to Maneuver (Gift Article)
Vladimir Putin has taken complete control.
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Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
HUGE EXCLUSIVE from @bloomberg.com Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School Pentagon investigators discovered that flawed intel, outdated imagery & overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab 🎁 www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School
Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
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