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Prof Rosa Hoekstra

@rosahoekstra.bsky.social
2.7K followers 867 following 198 posts

Professor of developmental disabilities @KingsIoPPN. Co-leads www.thesparkproject.net, editor of @journalautism.bsky.social Migrant. Loves London, loves travel

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Reposted by Prof Rosa Hoekstra
Nico Schuck @nicoschuck.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
2023: 8,039 proposals 2024: 10,360 proposals 2025: 17,066 proposals 2026: 21,627 proposals Something's gotta give
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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
'Even “what did you eat for lunch today” involves too much recall for your average 5 year old. These questions are TOO BIG.' Love this thread. Especially the bit about deliberately getting the teacher's name wrong so they rush to correct you. Can confirm this trick still works at age 9
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Kat Arney @katarney.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I'm sorry *what*???????
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
A touching gesture in these anti migrant times: the smiling British border control officers who ask 'Heading home?' when checking my Dutch passport at the Amsterdam Eurostar terminal back to London. Not querying what I'm planning to do in the UK, but recognising it for what it is for me: home
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Whose outcomes count? Standardised autism research tools are almost all developed and validated in Western high income countries. This tool inequity affects "which studies are possible, which outcomes are recognised, and whose knowledge is treated as credible". journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Haha! Dutch partners: always there for you for a bit of constructive feedback. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Burnham said that his wife, Marie-France van Heel, had been surprised by his decision to run, having lost contests in 2010 and 2015 to Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn respectively.

“She was like: ‘Not again; they’ve told you twice they don’t want you,’” Burnham told Elizabeth Day on the How to Fail podcast.

“She took some persuading to be honest, because I guess she didn’t want to see me go through it all again and then end up the wrong side at the end of it, but she gives me good advice,” he added.

Burnham recalled being an MP in his early 30s and thinking he had done well in interviews, only to find a text message from his wife that said, in capital letters: “ANSWER THE F***ING QUESTION.”

“That’s the kind of feedback I’ve had from her,” Burnham said. “She’s quite forthright, she’s Dutch and they don’t hold back, they’re pretty plain speaking and I’ve been on the receiving end of a lot of that over the years.”
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Saloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · 28/07/2026
I'm interested in finding and potentially supporting people who are interested in doing long-form writing on the big efforts in global health: Gavi, Global Fund, PEPFAR, etc. If this is you or someone you know, please make yourself known!
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
A neat illustration of passport inequality: I can travel without a second thought to 120 countries, only 11 countries require an in person visa application. Contrast this with my Ethiopian colleagues, who require costly and time consuming visa applications to enter most countries #AcademicSky
Image showing Ethiopia is ranked 86th in the global passports ranking. Only 13 countries can be entered without a visa, 99 countries require an application with paperwork at a consulateImage showing that the Netherlands is 3rd in the global passports ranking. On a Dutch passport you can travel freely to 120 countries. Only 11 countries require applying for a visa at a consulate
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I had the most special day on 2 July, delivering my @kingsioppn.bsky.social inaugural lecture to colleagues, friends, family, and neighbours. Thank you to everyone who came! If you could not be there and are looking for something to listen to, the recording is here: www.kcl.ac.uk/news/rosa-ho...
kcl.ac.uk
Rosa Hoekstra delivers inaugural lecture on collaborative research to improve the lives of children with developmental disabilities | King's College London
Rosa Hoekstra gave her inaugural lecture as Professor of Developmental Disabilities at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) on 2 July, highlighting collaborative research imp...
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
This excellent piece is relevant to #AcademicSky: “individual productivity gains externalise costs on to reviewers, maintainers and the broader community.” Who cleans up after the vibe-coding party? - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT
giftarticle.ft.com
Who cleans up after the vibe-coding party?
Our obsession with AI code-writing tools is overwhelming the web’s unsung human caretakers
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Reposted by Prof Rosa Hoekstra
Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Opportunity at Uni of Oxford: Professorship of Global Primary Health Care. Working in our vibrant department with many international links. Clean slate to develop your own programme of research. Global South applicants especially welcome. #academicsky #healthpolicy www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRW338/d...
jobs.ac.uk
Dr Sadok Besrour Professor of Global Primary Health Care at University of Oxford
Apply for the Dr Sadok Besrour Professor of Global Primary Health Care role on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board for academic positions in higher education. View details and apply now.
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Reposted by Prof Rosa Hoekstra
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Amazing painting by Rembrandt at a time when refugees were settling Holland. ‘He’s painting this crowded scene of Christ welcoming children, welcoming families. This was very controversial at the time. There were people in Leiden who didn’t want to welcome them’ www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
theguardian.com
Rembrandt painting was altered to erase turban from man’s head, restorers find
Exclusive: Unknown hand covered up artist’s depiction of diverse crowd during influx of refugees to Leiden in 1620s
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
On 2 July 5.30pm I am going to attempt to summarise the work I do without it being tediously boring. Please come and judge (kindly or harshly) whether I manage! Regardless of success, there will be drinks afterwards. Details and a link to register below. I would love to see you! #AutRes
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Great reporting. I hope someone is doing an implementation science study on these data #impsci @implementsci.bsky.social
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Sam Westwood @samwestwood.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Interested in research integrity, reproducibility, open science, or research culture? Join the King's Open Research Summer School for five days of talks, workshops, and discussion with leading researchers trying to improve science. Register free; open to all: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-kings-...
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
African early career autism researchers, please consider applying for an INSAR Autism Speaks African Research Training Fellowship! Apply here: lnkd.in/gGGzsQ9H I look forward to seeing you present your work at INSAR 2027 in May 2027 in Cape Town.
Call for applications for an INSAR Autism Speaks African Research Training Fellowship. This fellowship is designed to give up to 20 early career African researchers the opportunity to present their research at the annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) in May 2027 in Cape Town, when the meeting will be held on the African continent for the first time. The submission deadline is Sunday 21 June.
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
What an interesting and thought provoking read doi.org/10.53053/IZN... #AutRes #AcademicSky
doi.org
Is the scientific paper due to be replaced?
AI is pushing scientific publishing to the brink. For neuroscience, the crisis may be an opportunity to finally connect findings across subfields.
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Reposted by Prof Rosa Hoekstra
Sue Fletcher-Watson @suereviews.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Really proud of this special collection - a handpicked selection of articles representing some of the seminal work published in our journal over the past 30 years!
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
The @journalautism.bsky.social is 30! To celebrate this milestone the editorial team put together an anniversary issue with classic papers published in the journal. My pick is the first autism prevalence study in Africa. #AutRes Please find the full issue here: journals.sagepub.com/topic/collec...
journals.sagepub.com
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Science Media Centre UK @smclondon.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
expert reaction to observational study on mothers’ jobs and autism diagnoses in children www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-react...
sciencemediacentre.org
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Hello Prague, you are looking gorgeous this morning! Ready for the first #INSAR2026 master class
View outside the Prague Congress Center Entrance to the INSAR 2026 conference
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
"The scale of the recent UK aid cuts had been so severe that people giggle at conferences where the UK claims to be thought leaders on the subject" www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
US spending on ‘reckless’ Iran war could have saved 87m lives, says UN
Head of UN’s humanitarian agency frustrated that $2bn weekly cost of conflict comes amid big cuts to aid budgets
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Hello autism researchers #AutRes, looking forward to seeing you in Prague later this week for #INSAR2026! I'm really looking forward to this anniversary edition and to what I hope is a varied and rich programme of talks, workshops and posters
Welcome letter from the scientific programme chairs to the annual autism research conference INSAR, taking place in Prague 22-25 April
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Alanna Shand @alannajshand.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Excited to be heading to Prague for #INSAR2026 later this month! I’ll be sharing my research, “Using Strengths to Engage in Compensation: A Qualitative Exploration of Autistic Adults’ Experiences”, on Friday 24th from 6–7pm. Looking forward to hearing about others' research!
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Michelle Dawson @autismcrisis.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Autism researchers & service providers "often neglect to consider the potential for interventions to cause harm... and they communicate more confidence regarding the possibility of benefits for autistic people than is warranted given the evidence" journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... editorial, free
journals.sagepub.com
When Ableism Supplants Evidence: Federal Autism Guidance in the United States - Kristen Bottema-Beutel, 2026
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
This is so, so dispiriting. It's difficult to be positive about the UK to international colleagues when we have such an incompetent and mean Home Office
Quote from article in the Times:

Miller said: “We had a young woman from Kenya who had been given a place, she’d been given a visa acceptance, but when she got to the airport she was told that UKVI had changed its mind and had withdrawn her visa. She was literally getting on the plane when her visa was withdrawn. 

“All the sacrifices made, the funding that was found, the dreams were taken away as she was boarding the plane. There is a real human story behind all of these cases.”
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
May I interest you in £10k for humanities or social science research? Our small grants scheme is open. Apply by 3rd June. We allocate through partial randomisation - awarding randomly between all applications that meet our quality threshold www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants
The British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 mont...
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
"The UK spent 75 years building something genuinely worth having: a track record of successful integration. And now a Labour government plans to blow it all up."
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Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
All three lines are correct and true representations of reality. Data literacy is a crucial skill to make sense of the world.
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Aidan Horner @aidanhorner.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Exciting news! The @yorkpsychology.bsky.social are recruiting 3 new ART (research and teaching) lecturers! One role will be prioritised for cognitive, affective and/or social neuroscience. #neuroskyence #cognition #psychscisky #neurojobs
jobs.york.ac.uk
Jobs - The University of York
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Reposted by Prof Rosa Hoekstra
Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
And so we write to brilliant postgraduate students from Sudan, withdrawing the offers and scholarships they won in open competition with the best in the world. A sad day for the University of Oxford.
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Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 18/02/2026
Thinking of a career in think tanks? This afternoon, we're hosting a webinar for undergraduates or those with similar experience interested in working in the sector. We'll have speakers from numerous organisations sharing their insight and experience. Register here 👉 buff.ly/a3cO0df
Working in the think tank sector

Webinar for undergraduates or those with similar experience interested in working in the sector

Think tanks are research organisations that develop ideas and suggestions for action on a whole range of subjects affecting society. Using research, analysis and commentary, we aim to inform and influence politicians, policy makers and the public.

This event is aimed at people from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups, people with work-limiting health conditions or impairments, young adults with caring responsibilities (including young parents), mature students, people from lower-income backgrounds, care leavers and LGBT+ students. 

Wednesday 18 February 2026
3:30 pm - 6:05 pm
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
She did it! I am so proud of Dr Tsegereda Haile Kifle, who did a brilliant job defending her PhD thesis at @kingsioppn.bsky.social today and passed with minor corrections 🎉🎉🍾
A beaming Dr Tsegereda holding flowers, celebrating passing her PhDA screenshot of post viva online celebrations of lab members and colleagues from King's College London and Ethiopia congratulating Dr Tsegereda
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Reposted by Prof Rosa Hoekstra
Gaby Hinsliff @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
meant to post it earlier, but this is so good and disturbing by @helenrumbelow.bsky.social on the collective mindset the Epstein files reveal www.thetimes.com/life-style/c...
thetimes.com
I studied the latest Epstein files. As a woman, this is what I felt
They show a hidden world oiled by porn-saturated misogyny. I spent two days reading them
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
The consequences of developmental aid cuts by countries like the USA, UK and the Netherlands: millions of unnecessary deaths, including the deaths of young children. This resonates for me especially today, while prepping for teaching on the social determinants of developmental disabilities
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John Holbein @johnholbein1.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Are female economists treated differently than males in academic seminars? These authors wanted to know whether gender shapes how scholars are treated when presenting research. So they built a massive dataset of 2,000+ economics seminars, job talks, and conference presentations from 2019–2023...
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Laura Crane @lauramaycrane.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Our new study, just published in Nature Mental Health: Symptom change in depression and anxiety during psychological therapy for autistic adults... [1/8] 🧵⤵️ #autres #mentalhealth www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
Symptom change in depression and anxiety during psychological therapy for autistic adults - Nature Mental Health
Pender et al. evaluated depression and anxiety symptom trajectories in autistic adults receiving routine therapy in UK primary care.
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
The future we want: an incredibly powerful session with autism advocate Merry Barua about what needs to change to allow autistic people to thrive as adults. Some keys points: I) stop fixing the behaviour, instead focus on understanding autistic people's needs. #AutRes
Panel at the 3rd global autism convention with Merry Barua, Henal Shah and Vijaya Raghavan
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Good morning Bangalore! Really looking forward to in depth discussions on Autism in the global South. Kicking off today with a keynote by Dr Valsamma Eapen. #AutRes
Bangalore skyline Dr Valsamma Eapen giving this morning's keynote on Neurodiversity without borders
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Sue Fletcher-Watson @suereviews.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
This is cool! National Autistic Taskforce offering small funding awards to autistic people based in the UK, for work supporting autistic people to live their best lives. Closing date is 28th Feb. nationalautistictaskforce.org.uk/nat-founders...
nationalautistictaskforce.org.uk
NAT Founders Award
The National Autistic Taskforce was founded in 2018 by Dr Dinah Murray, a well known autistic community member and an independent researcher and campaigner. Dinah died in 2021 and is sadly missed p…
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
An Ethiopian colleague just received a UK visa rejection. He has worked on a UK government funded project for the past 4 years, has a permanent university post and a family in Eth. It is so offensive to then receive a letter the UK is 'not satisfied that you are genuinely seeking entry as a visitor'
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Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice. @journalautism.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Scoping review: Facilitators, barriers, and cultural adaptations in the caregiver skills training program for children with developmental concerns journals.sagepub.com...
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Michelle Dawson @autismcrisis.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Report from HEARD ("Healthy Engagement in Autism Research Dialogue") about autism genetics www.cell.com/trends/genet... HEARD's aims: "allowing productive disagreement, critical examination of one’s perspectives, and improving our collective capacity for holding conflicting perspectives in mind"?
cell.com
Autism genetics: perspectives, discourse, and community engagement
Autism genetics research has the capacity to improve the quality of life of autistic community members, but research priorities vary widely across stakeholders. We summarize key points from our discus...
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Cuts have consequences. For the first time this century under 5 mortality rates are projected to rise. The full report is here: www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/... What a dereliction of duty by high income countries like the US, UK and the Netherlands, who all cut their aid budgets
A figure from the Gates Foundation showing  the effect of the cuts on developmental aid on under 5 mortality rates. A 20% cut will result in 12 million more child deaths; a 30% cut in 16 million more deaths
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
What a productive week analysing data and writing papers with this wonderful group. I can't wait to come back to Addis!
SPARK Ethiopia team at the end of our writing workshop SPARK Ethiopia team in a boardroom style room, all concentrated on their data analysis and manuscript writing
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Dr Gavin R. Stewart @gavrobstew.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
My former King's College London MSc DEVPP student, Sophie Roper, has published her dissertation on autism, sucidality and ageing. Supervised by me, plus @proffrancescahappe.bsky.social & @goldage.bsky.social The paper is open access in Molecular Autism: link.springer.com/article/10.1... #AutRes
link.springer.com
Self-harm and suicidality experiences of autistic and non-autistic adults in midlife and old age - Molecular Autism
Background Suicide has been reported as a leading cause of premature death in autistic populations. Additionally, risk of suicidality is often found to increase with age in the general population. Des...
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House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Committee @hlautismactcom.parliament.uk · 24/11/2025
🚨 ♾ Our report out yesterday calls on HM Government to deliver an effective new autism strategy. Open this link committees.parliament.uk/committee/77... to view the following: - Full report - Easy Read report - Report summary with conclusions and recommendations - Shorthand
committees.parliament.uk
New autism strategy must deliver change for autistic people - Committees - UK Parliament
This is the key conclusion reached by the House of Lords special inquiry committee on the Autism Act 2009 in its report ‘Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy’.&...
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Amidst all the gloom, a genuine glorious reason to live in the UK: to attend a popular science gig and find a large theatre hall completely sold out www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/202...
barbican.org.uk
Merlin Sheldrake - The Secret Lives of Fungi LIVE | Barbican
Join renowned biologist and bestselling author Merlin Sheldrake for a mind-expanding journey into the extraordinary world of fungi.
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Huh. If you say you’ll mess with indefinite leave to remain rules it turns out talented migrant workers start looking at their other options. This could never have been predicted! on.ft.com/3JiZxbM
on.ft.com
Russian tech workers rethink UK ties after settlement rules change
Digital entrepreneurs turn to US in search of higher pay and opportunities in test of Labour plan to lure ‘global talent’
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Prof Rosa Hoekstra @rosahoekstra.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
This is bleak. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
AI-generated ‘poverty porn’ fake images being used by aid agencies
Exclusive: Pictures depicting the most vulnerable and poorest people are being used in social media campaigns in the sector, driven by concerns over consent and cost
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