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Joanne Young and Gisèle Pelicot have caused women globally to give pause in 2025. Their bravery and strength in confronting the most hideous acts imaginable committed by their husbands is remarkable.

May they both find peace this Christmas and 2026.

At least one person has died every day, on average, from a mass shooting in the United States this year.

My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’

‘True activism has to cost you something’: Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan on politics, paparazzi and parasocial fandom

Hope is here: help us deliver it www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/hopeishere...

Debate today with a Labour MP on the economy.

Also with a former advisor to George Osborne.

Very striking how much Labour & the Tories agree on our economic system.

Time for change. Let's make hope normal again. Enjoy! 🙌🏼👇🏼

youtu.be/1onr7pAEFRE?...

"Figures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database indicate five out of six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza have been civilians, an extreme rate of slaughter rarely matched in recent decades of warfare."

www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

My 96-year-old grandfather, John Durrant, spoke at a special commemorative event to mark how, 85 years ago today, 1200 schoolchildren left Harwich and Dovercourt, evacuated from a risk area targeted by German bombers.

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

This week's BelTel column

💙 'Nice burgers' : No one can patronise Dungannon Swifts again

🏟 I fear crowd restrictions for big cup finals could return

💚 Peter McParland was the star of NI's greatest team

🌈 Be kind when discussing trans issues

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/colu...

It's absolutely charming. The dubbing is just about as flawless as it can be - impressive work from both leads to have trained so well for that.

Last night I was talking in a pub with my friend Dan about The Merchant of Venice and my friend Fiona happened to turn up with her boyfriend, also called Dan, and I said “A second Daniel come to judgement!” and tumbleweed, guys. Tumbleweed. That would have got me three series from Radio 4, ffs.

LA fires are a good reminder that the only difference between me and any refugee is luck.

Irish League half-term report cards, the briefest of jazz piano bridges and everyone sounding even more Northern Irish than I remember. Plus DJ!

Also available on Spotify.