Yearly Archives: 2025

10 Palestinians injured by illegal Israeli settlers in West Bank attack

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Israeli forces and Israeli settlers block Palestinian farmers trying to access to their agricultural fields, with stun grenades and tear gas in the town of Tarqumiyah, in Hebron, West Bank on November 28, 2025. [Mamoun Wazwaz – Anadolu Agency]

At least 10 Palestinians suffered injuries after illegal Israeli settlers attacked the village of Khalayel al-Louz near Bethlehem, in the northern occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports.

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported one gunshot wound to the thigh and nine cases of beating, adding that medics moved three people to a hospital and treated the rest at the scene.

Illegal settlers entered the village, targeted several homes, and set fire to plastic greenhouses used for farming, locals told Anadolu.

Separately, the Israeli army withdrew its forces from the town of Tammun and the al-Faraa refugee camp near Tubas, while continuing its operation in the city and in the towns of Aqaba and Tayasir.

Tammun Mayor Samir Bisharat told Anadolu that troops vacated houses they had turned into military posts and released all detainees except six, who were transferred to Israeli detention centers.

Israeli forces continued to target Tubas and nearby towns with movement restrictions and new military positions, local sources told Anadolu.

READ: Camera exposes Israeli forces kill two Palestinians after their surrender in occupied West Bank

Nidal Odeh, director of ambulance and emergency services in Tubas, told Anadolu that the troops have injured about 130 people since the operation started early Wednesday, including dozens beaten by soldiers.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said Israeli forces detained 162 people during the operation and later released most of them after field interrogations and mistreatment.

The Israeli army has escalated its attacks in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.

More than 1,085 Palestinians have since been killed, and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory. More than 20,500 people have also been arrested.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government's support for Israel's Gaza genocide and the UK government and military's active participation in genocide.
Genocide denying UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that UK is suspending 30 of 350 arms licences to Israel. He also confirms the UK government’s support for Israel’s Gaza genocide and the UK government and military’s active participation in genocide.
Continue Reading10 Palestinians injured by illegal Israeli settlers in West Bank attack

How Motability cuts went from a rightwing online campaign to Rachel Reeves’s budget

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/29/how-motability-cuts-went-from-a-rightwing-online-campaign-to-rachel-reevess-budget

The Motability scheme was the target of the only significant welfare cuts in the budget. Photograph: makklyu/Alamy

Car lease scheme for people with mobility problems portrayed as ‘free’ but is funded by benefits and their own contributions

A decade ago, Rachel Reeves was pictured with a disabled constituent, congratulating him on being given the “keys to freedom” afforded by a Motability vehicle.

Since then, Reeves – now Britain’s chancellor – has barely mentioned the scheme that leases 300,000 cars a year to people with mobility problems, aside from criticising Tory cuts affecting its users.

Nor did it crop up in Labour’s manifesto, which promised to put disabled people’s “views and voices at the heart of all we do”.

But late last year, the idea that Motability was offering disabled people “free” BMWs and Mercedes became a repeated rightwing talking point fuelled by social media accounts on Elon Musk’s X.

In fact, the cars are funded by people’s disability benefit payments, topped up with their own contributions.

From there, articles began to spring up in the tabloid press reproducing social media memes calling for Motability vehicles to be made more ugly, and the furore spread to the speeches of Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage – and, finally, grabbed the attention of the Treasury.

At the budget, Reeves for the first time publicly identified the programme as a problem, saying it “was set up to protect the most vulnerable, not to subsidise the lease on a Mercedes-Benz”.

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Continues at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/29/how-motability-cuts-went-from-a-rightwing-online-campaign-to-rachel-reevess-budget

Continue ReadingHow Motability cuts went from a rightwing online campaign to Rachel Reeves’s budget

Cuts to insulation scheme will leave homes cold over winter, experts say

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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/29/insulation-scheme-cuts-winter-warning-retrofit-firms

Small retrofit firms have asked for an extension to the insulation scheme to protect their businesses. Photograph: Jon Challicom/Alamy

E3G thinktank warns retrofit sector could shed 10,000 skilled jobs as small firms struggle to survive

Cuts to a scheme for insulation and heatpumps for low-income households will leave homes damp, draughty and unsafe over winter, experts have said.

Housing have asked for a one-year extension to the scheme to ensure continuity and prevent small retrofit firms going bust. Companies say funding for solar panels and insulation is already being withdrawn, leaving homes cold and draughty as winter sets in.

Rachel Reeves announced in her budget that she would cut £150 a year from the average energy bill, partly financed by axing the £1.3bn energy company obligation (ECO) scheme that helped fund upgrades for homes owned or rented by households earning under £31,000.

This scheme is due to be end in March. The government plans to launch a “warm homes plan” to provide funding for heat pumps, insulation and other home upgrades but this has been beset by delays.

Experts have said this will affect an estimated 222,000 future retrofit projects that would have cut bills for low-income households.

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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/29/insulation-scheme-cuts-winter-warning-retrofit-firms

Continue ReadingCuts to insulation scheme will leave homes cold over winter, experts say

Sugababes, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Wolf Alice and more to play all-star charity concert for trans rights

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https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/28/sugababes-sophie-ellis-bextor-wolf-alice-and-more-to-play-all-star-charity-concert-for-trans-rights

Sophie Ellis Bextor performing in 2023. Photograph: Tin!y/Alamy Live News/Alamy Live News.

Organised by Olly Alexander and the Mighty Hoopla festival to ‘fight back against the politics of fear and exclusion’, Trans Mission will take place at Wembley Arena in March

Artists including Sugababes, Wolf Alice, Romy, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Christine and the Queens, Beth Ditto, Beverley Knight, Jasmine.4.T, Kae Tempest and more will perform at an all-star charity concert at Wembley Arena in support of trans rights next year.

Organised by Olly Alexander and the Mighty Hoopla festival, Trans Mission will also feature appearances from figures including Green party leader Zack Polanski, actor Ian McKellen, comedian Grace Campbell, author Shon Faye, actor Mawaan Rizwan, model Munroe Bergdorf and actor Nicola Coughlan.

The concert will raise funds for the Good Law Project, a charity that uses the law to push for change and government accountability, and trans-led charity Not a Phase.

Alexander said in a statement: “I believe that in these times, community action isn’t just important – it’s essential! We need real and lasting change. Through solidarity, creativity and collective fundraising, we can fight back against the politics of fear and exclusion and build a world where everyone can thrive.

“I am very fortunate to know and work closely alongside incredible trans and non-binary people whose creativity and presence are essential to the cultural fabric we all share. Trans Mission is going to be a special and unforgettable night, and I’m excited to share the stage with so many wonderful people I hugely admire.”

Organisers said the show was in response to rising hate crimes and discrimination against trans people, particularly after the UK supreme court’s ruling on biological sex and the subsequent interim advice of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

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Continues at https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/28/sugababes-sophie-ellis-bextor-wolf-alice-and-more-to-play-all-star-charity-concert-for-trans-rights

Donald Trump decrees forbidden terms denying sexual diversity
Donald Trump decrees forbidden terms denying sexual diversity
Continue ReadingSugababes, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Wolf Alice and more to play all-star charity concert for trans rights

Revealed: Europe’s water reserves drying up due to climate breakdown

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/29/climate-crisis-depleting-europe-groundwater-reserves-analysis

Parched land at Cueva de Las Niñas reservoir in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, in March 2025. Photograph: Borja Suárez/Reuters

Exclusive: UCL scientists find large swathes of southern Europe are drying up, with ‘far-reaching’ implications

Vast swathes of Europe’s water reserves are drying up, a new analysis using two decades of satellite data reveals, with freshwater storage shrinking across southern and central Europe, from Spain and Italy to Poland and parts of the UK.

Scientists at University College London (UCL), working with Watershed Investigations and the Guardian, analysed 2002–24 data from satellites, which track changes in Earth’s gravitational field.

Because water is heavy, shifts in groundwater, rivers, lakes, soil moisture and glaciers show up in the signal, allowing the satellites to effectively “weigh” how much water is stored.

The findings reveal a stark imbalance: the north and north-west of Europe – particularly Scandinavia, parts of the UK and Portugal – have been getting wetter, while large swathes of the south and south-east, including parts of the UK, Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Romania and Ukraine, have been drying out.

Climate breakdown can be seen in the data, the scientists say. “When we compare the total terrestrial water storage data with climate datasets, the trends broadly correlate,” said Mohammad Shamsudduha, professor of water crisis and risk reduction at UCL.

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Continues at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/29/climate-crisis-depleting-europe-groundwater-reserves-analysis

Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Continue ReadingRevealed: Europe’s water reserves drying up due to climate breakdown