Sultana says ‘good riddance’ to Starmer
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/sultana-says-good-riddance-starmer

YOUR Party MP Zarah Sultana said “good riddance” to the departing Keir Starmer today.
The Coventry South MP, suspended from Labour by Sir Keir for challenging the two-child benefit cap, said that “history will judge Keir Starmer as a man who lied his way to the top of the Labour Party.”
She accused him of using that power to evoke Enoch Powell with his “island of strangers” speech, keeping children in poverty, attacking disabled people, scapegoating refugees, stripping back civil liberties, and handing our public services to Palantir.
“A man who gave the top diplomatic job to the ‘best pal’ of a convicted paedophile, said Israel has the right to cut off water and electricity to Gaza, rolled out the red carpet for Israeli war criminals, and kept the weapons flowing to the Israeli military as it committed genocide. Good riddance,” she added.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski called for “a bold change of direction” after Sir Keir’s departure.
He said: “Starmer lost the confidence of the country because of his abject failure to challenge the power and wealth of an Establishment which has taken for themselves while leaving the vast majority in a cost-of-living crisis.
“We are still waiting to see which version of Andy Burnham is going to show up in Downing Street. While he has talked about a change of course, the early indications are not encouraging and suggest more of the same with better communication skills.
“The time for half measures and sticking plasters is long gone — Burnham must be bold or he will be bust.”
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/sultana-says-good-riddance-starmer
I hope that the Morning Star will excuse me republishing the full article.



Lebanon building damage in Israeli attacks estimated at $1.38B
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The direct cost of damage to buildings in southern Lebanon due to the recent Israeli offensive on the country exceeded $1.38 billion, with rubble estimated at around 3.1 million cubic meters, a UN agency and a Lebanese research center said Monday.
The assessment report was released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Lebanon’s government-linked National Council for Scientific Research
It found that 11,095 buildings were completely destroyed, affecting 17,891 housing units, while 2,242 buildings were partially damaged, equivalent to 5,219 housing units.
The report also revealed that 9,311 buildings sustained minor damage, equivalent to 18,282 housing units.
The assessment covers areas south of the Litani River, including the districts of Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, Nabatieh, Tyre, and Sidon.
READ: Israeli Cabinet minister rejects ceasefire, says Lebanon ‘should be Israel’s playground’
The evaluation was based on a geospatial artificial intelligence methodology, supported by desk-based visual verification, without field inspections, the report explained.
The comparison was conducted between high-resolution satellite images taken on April 29, 2026, and others dated Oct. 23, 2025, allowing the detection of visible conflict-related damage, including roof collapses, structural deformation, and rubble accumulation at the building level, it added.
The report noted that the assessment does not include basements or underground structures, nor damage to critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, electricity, water, and telecommunications networks.
Since March 2, Israel has been carrying out an expanded offensive on Lebanon, involving shelling and demolition of homes, particularly in the south of the country, killing 4,106 people, injuring 12,153 others, and displacing over a million people, according to Lebanese officials.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

- Lebanon building damage in Israeli attacks estimated at $1.38B
- UN committee warns Palestinian children increasingly unprotected amid pressure on rights groups
- Iran exports 36M barrels of oil since US-Iran agreement announced
- Rubio to visit UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain to discuss Iran deal
- Vance reiterates claim Iran agreed to nuclear inspections, Tehran denies
- US Treasury issues 60-day license for Iranian oil as part of emerging nuclear framework
- Palestinian rights group calls for release of 3 pregnant women held by Israel
- US vice president says ‘very good foundation’ laid for final Iran deal after Burgenstock talks
- Europe’s matrix of indifference
- Israeli army kills 2 Palestinians in southern occupied West Bank
- Israeli army demolishes Palestinian home near Bethlehem
- Israeli Cabinet minister rejects ceasefire, says Lebanon ‘should be Israel’s playground’
- Germany rejects presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory
- Israeli forces raid church-owned land in occupied East Jerusalem
- ‘Israel will have a war with Egypt in 15 years’: Zionist activist warns of future conflict after ‘weakening the Shia’
- Colombia’s Petro alleges Israeli interference in election, demands audit and recount
- Islamabad’s fragile bargain: Why Tehran and Washington need the truce to hold
- UK maritime agency reports attempted approach by armed men near Yemen coast
- The Swiss summit of imperial humiliation
- Israeli authorities issue stop-work orders for homes and agricultural structures south of Bethlehem
- Trump says Hamas ‘not causing many problems’ as focus shifts to Iran talks
- Trump says Syria could play larger role against Hezbollah, criticises Israeli performance
- Report: Trump administration establishing contacts with Israeli opposition figures amid political uncertainty
- Palestinian detainee Saber Al-Amital dies in Israeli custody
- Hezbollah: direct negotiations with Israel based on ‘wrong premise’, lead to submission
- Israel plans to reduce forces in southern Lebanon under US pressure ahead of Lebanese army deployment
- Huckabee repeats claim despite Trump remarks: US would not exist without Israel
- ‘Losing bet’: Hebrew media reports failure of armed militias to challenge Hamas in Gaza
- Hebrew Media: Warnings mount in Israel over politicisation of judiciary
- Hezbollah rejects Israel’s ‘free rein’ to carry out attacks amid Lebanon ceasefire
- Iran says Switzerland talks with US focus on ending war, easing sanctions, releasing frozen assets
- Iranian side ‘very straight’, handled crisis to de-escalate: Pakistani Premier Sharif
- Germany warns against Strait of Hormuz tolls
- Trump says Israel unable to ‘put Hezbollah away,’ suggests Syria could do it
- Turkish foreign minister warns US-Iran talks may face setbacks, says Israel could sabotage process
- FIFA’s double standard in global geopolitics
- Iran’s negotiating team protests Trump ‘threats,’ says they violate memorandum of understanding
- AD Ports launches Iraq logistics corridor linking Gulf with Turkiye, Europe
- Insuring oil, shaping power: The hidden geopolitics of Middle East energy
- 1st round of 4-party Iran-US talks concludes in Switzerland
- Lebanon paid the price for a ceasefire that never existed
- Trump warns Iran to stop ‘proxies in Lebanon’ or US will hit Tehran ‘very hard again’
- Israeli army won’t withdraw from occupied territory in southern Lebanon, defense minister says
- Turkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia welcome US-Iran MoU, reaffirm support for Palestinian statehood
- The next Iran? Why Israel’s Turkey anxiety is becoming doctrine
- Washington in contact with Israeli opposition amid possible change in Netanyahu government: Report
- Child among 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes in latest Gaza ceasefire violations
- ‘Great progress’ made in talks with Iran, Vance says as talks kick off in Switzerland
- The Midnight Bus
- Al Jazeera demands punishment of Israeli officials for killing of its correspondents in Gaza


Palestinian rights group calls for release of 3 pregnant women held by Israel

A prisoner advocacy group called Monday for urgent intervention to secure the release of three pregnant Palestinian women held by Israel under “harsh” and “tragic” conditions at Damon Prison, Anadolu reports.
In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner Society held the Israeli authorities fully responsible for the fate of Amina al-Taweel, Dana Jouda and Manar Ibrahim, saying they are among 93 Palestinian women held in Israeli prisons, most of them at Damon Prison in northern Israel.
“The women are being held under severe conditions and in unprecedented isolation, with the International Committee of the Red Cross still barred from visiting prisoners since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza,” the group said.
“Their families are also denied visits, like all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons,” it added.
Al-Taweel, 37, from Qalqilya, is four months pregnant. She is a mother of four and the wife of a former prisoner who spent a total of 19 years in Israeli prisons. Israeli forces arrested her March 18, 2026.
Jouda, 35, from Nablus, is a mother of one and five months pregnant. She has been detained since April 18, 2026, and was placed under arbitrary administrative detention for six months, the group said.
READ: Palestinian female prisoner Lama Khater details alleged abuse in Israeli prisons
Ibrahim, 28, from Ramallah, is a mother of two and four months pregnant. She was arrested April 30, 2026, and remains detained over what Israel claims was “incitement” on social media, according to the statement.
“Legal teams’ visits to women prisoners and testimonies from released detainees show that the Israeli prison system has imposed more punitive and retaliatory measures against Palestinian women prisoners in recent months,” the society said.
Israel has arrested more than 765 Palestinian women since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023, including girls, elderly women, students, lawyers, journalists, activists, teachers, housewives, doctors, wives and relatives of prisoners, the group said.
According to Palestinian and Israeli rights groups, around 9,500 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons, where detainees face torture, starvation and medical neglect that have led to the deaths of dozens of prisoners.
Israel’s war in Gaza since October 2023 has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 173,000, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian figures.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect last October, the Israeli army has since killed 1,021 Palestinians and injured 3,249 in near-daily attacks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
READ: Palestinian detainee Saber Al-Amital dies in Israeli custody

- Lebanon building damage in Israeli attacks estimated at $1.38B
- UN committee warns Palestinian children increasingly unprotected amid pressure on rights groups
- Iran exports 36M barrels of oil since US-Iran agreement announced
- Rubio to visit UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain to discuss Iran deal
- Vance reiterates claim Iran agreed to nuclear inspections, Tehran denies
- US Treasury issues 60-day license for Iranian oil as part of emerging nuclear framework
- Palestinian rights group calls for release of 3 pregnant women held by Israel
- US vice president says ‘very good foundation’ laid for final Iran deal after Burgenstock talks
- Europe’s matrix of indifference
- Israeli army kills 2 Palestinians in southern occupied West Bank
- Israeli army demolishes Palestinian home near Bethlehem
- Israeli Cabinet minister rejects ceasefire, says Lebanon ‘should be Israel’s playground’
- Germany rejects presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory
- Israeli forces raid church-owned land in occupied East Jerusalem
- ‘Israel will have a war with Egypt in 15 years’: Zionist activist warns of future conflict after ‘weakening the Shia’
- Colombia’s Petro alleges Israeli interference in election, demands audit and recount
- Islamabad’s fragile bargain: Why Tehran and Washington need the truce to hold
- UK maritime agency reports attempted approach by armed men near Yemen coast
- The Swiss summit of imperial humiliation
- Israeli authorities issue stop-work orders for homes and agricultural structures south of Bethlehem
- Trump says Hamas ‘not causing many problems’ as focus shifts to Iran talks
- Trump says Syria could play larger role against Hezbollah, criticises Israeli performance
- Report: Trump administration establishing contacts with Israeli opposition figures amid political uncertainty
- Palestinian detainee Saber Al-Amital dies in Israeli custody
- Hezbollah: direct negotiations with Israel based on ‘wrong premise’, lead to submission
- Israel plans to reduce forces in southern Lebanon under US pressure ahead of Lebanese army deployment
- Huckabee repeats claim despite Trump remarks: US would not exist without Israel
- ‘Losing bet’: Hebrew media reports failure of armed militias to challenge Hamas in Gaza
- Hebrew Media: Warnings mount in Israel over politicisation of judiciary
- Hezbollah rejects Israel’s ‘free rein’ to carry out attacks amid Lebanon ceasefire
- Iran says Switzerland talks with US focus on ending war, easing sanctions, releasing frozen assets
- Iranian side ‘very straight’, handled crisis to de-escalate: Pakistani Premier Sharif
- Germany warns against Strait of Hormuz tolls
- Trump says Israel unable to ‘put Hezbollah away,’ suggests Syria could do it
- Turkish foreign minister warns US-Iran talks may face setbacks, says Israel could sabotage process
- FIFA’s double standard in global geopolitics
- Iran’s negotiating team protests Trump ‘threats,’ says they violate memorandum of understanding
- AD Ports launches Iraq logistics corridor linking Gulf with Turkiye, Europe
- Insuring oil, shaping power: The hidden geopolitics of Middle East energy
- 1st round of 4-party Iran-US talks concludes in Switzerland
- Lebanon paid the price for a ceasefire that never existed
- Trump warns Iran to stop ‘proxies in Lebanon’ or US will hit Tehran ‘very hard again’
- Israeli army won’t withdraw from occupied territory in southern Lebanon, defense minister says
- Turkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia welcome US-Iran MoU, reaffirm support for Palestinian statehood
- The next Iran? Why Israel’s Turkey anxiety is becoming doctrine
- Washington in contact with Israeli opposition amid possible change in Netanyahu government: Report
- Child among 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes in latest Gaza ceasefire violations
- ‘Great progress’ made in talks with Iran, Vance says as talks kick off in Switzerland
- The Midnight Bus
- Al Jazeera demands punishment of Israeli officials for killing of its correspondents in Gaza


Vance reiterates claim Iran agreed to nuclear inspections, Tehran denies
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

US Vice President JD Vance on Monday reiterated his claim that Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspectors back into the country, while Tehran denies making any new commitments on its nuclear program, Anadolu Agency reports.
“We have the Iranians allowing weapons inspectors, nuclear inspectors into their country for the first time in a long time. We’re obviously going to bolster that inspection regime to make sure they can never have a nuclear weapon,” Vance told reporters before departing Switzerland after talks with Iranian officials.
Vance said the new round of negotiations in Burgenstock laid “a foundation for what could be a truly transformed Middle East,” while stressing that a final agreement has not yet been reached.
Technical-level discussions between US and Iranian teams will continue in the coming days, with both sides remaining engaged in Switzerland.
“We continue to make progress on these technical negotiations. We left a lot of our team, the Iranians left a lot of their team at the resort there to keep on working at,” Vance said.
“I feel great about the progress that we made over the last couple of days,” he added.
READ: US Treasury issues 60-day license for Iranian oil as part of emerging nuclear framework
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

- Lebanon building damage in Israeli attacks estimated at $1.38B
- UN committee warns Palestinian children increasingly unprotected amid pressure on rights groups
- Iran exports 36M barrels of oil since US-Iran agreement announced
- Rubio to visit UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain to discuss Iran deal
- Vance reiterates claim Iran agreed to nuclear inspections, Tehran denies
- US Treasury issues 60-day license for Iranian oil as part of emerging nuclear framework
- Palestinian rights group calls for release of 3 pregnant women held by Israel
- US vice president says ‘very good foundation’ laid for final Iran deal after Burgenstock talks
- Europe’s matrix of indifference
- Israeli army kills 2 Palestinians in southern occupied West Bank
- Israeli army demolishes Palestinian home near Bethlehem
- Israeli Cabinet minister rejects ceasefire, says Lebanon ‘should be Israel’s playground’
- Germany rejects presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory
- Israeli forces raid church-owned land in occupied East Jerusalem
- ‘Israel will have a war with Egypt in 15 years’: Zionist activist warns of future conflict after ‘weakening the Shia’
- Colombia’s Petro alleges Israeli interference in election, demands audit and recount
- Islamabad’s fragile bargain: Why Tehran and Washington need the truce to hold
- UK maritime agency reports attempted approach by armed men near Yemen coast
- The Swiss summit of imperial humiliation
- Israeli authorities issue stop-work orders for homes and agricultural structures south of Bethlehem
- Trump says Hamas ‘not causing many problems’ as focus shifts to Iran talks
- Trump says Syria could play larger role against Hezbollah, criticises Israeli performance
- Report: Trump administration establishing contacts with Israeli opposition figures amid political uncertainty
- Palestinian detainee Saber Al-Amital dies in Israeli custody
- Hezbollah: direct negotiations with Israel based on ‘wrong premise’, lead to submission
- Israel plans to reduce forces in southern Lebanon under US pressure ahead of Lebanese army deployment
- Huckabee repeats claim despite Trump remarks: US would not exist without Israel
- ‘Losing bet’: Hebrew media reports failure of armed militias to challenge Hamas in Gaza
- Hebrew Media: Warnings mount in Israel over politicisation of judiciary
- Hezbollah rejects Israel’s ‘free rein’ to carry out attacks amid Lebanon ceasefire
- Iran says Switzerland talks with US focus on ending war, easing sanctions, releasing frozen assets
- Iranian side ‘very straight’, handled crisis to de-escalate: Pakistani Premier Sharif
- Germany warns against Strait of Hormuz tolls
- Trump says Israel unable to ‘put Hezbollah away,’ suggests Syria could do it
- Turkish foreign minister warns US-Iran talks may face setbacks, says Israel could sabotage process
- FIFA’s double standard in global geopolitics
- Iran’s negotiating team protests Trump ‘threats,’ says they violate memorandum of understanding
- AD Ports launches Iraq logistics corridor linking Gulf with Turkiye, Europe
- Insuring oil, shaping power: The hidden geopolitics of Middle East energy
- 1st round of 4-party Iran-US talks concludes in Switzerland
- Lebanon paid the price for a ceasefire that never existed
- Trump warns Iran to stop ‘proxies in Lebanon’ or US will hit Tehran ‘very hard again’
- Israeli army won’t withdraw from occupied territory in southern Lebanon, defense minister says
- Turkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia welcome US-Iran MoU, reaffirm support for Palestinian statehood
- The next Iran? Why Israel’s Turkey anxiety is becoming doctrine
- Washington in contact with Israeli opposition amid possible change in Netanyahu government: Report
- Child among 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes in latest Gaza ceasefire violations
- ‘Great progress’ made in talks with Iran, Vance says as talks kick off in Switzerland
- The Midnight Bus
- Al Jazeera demands punishment of Israeli officials for killing of its correspondents in Gaza

