Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted

Vicky Foxcroft MP @vickyfoxcroftmp.bsky.social · Jun 30

Today the DWP will publish the terms of reference for its review of PIP.

It is vital that changes are properly co-produced with disabled people.

This isn’t just about warm words. This is about making sure we get policy right.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Starmer’s disability benefit concessions are not enough, says rebel Labour whip

Exclusive: Vicky Foxcroft, who resigned as whip over welfare bill, urges ministers to work with affected people on changes

www.theguardian.com

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Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · Jun 30

A court decision today has given the United Kingdom government a green light to continue to supply F-35 military jet components that are used by Israel in Gaza.

This is a sad day for justice, accountability, and for the Palestinian people, who continue to face acts of genocide.

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Elaine Pearson @elainepearson.bsky.social · Jun 25

Journalist @antoinettelattouf.bsky.social won her case for unlawful termination against the ABC over the posting of a @hrw.org report on Gaza.

Journalists should be encouraged to post factual information about human rights violations not penalized for doing so. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/w...

Australian Court Says Journalist Critical of Israel Was Wrongfully Fired

www.nytimes.com

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · Jun 24

This is what moral courage and having principles looks like.

Well done to the 108 MPs who have stood up and acted on their conscience 👏

Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · Jun 24

The welfare rebellion in full - here are the 108 names on the reasoned amendment

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Kartik Raj @kartikraj.bsky.social · Jun 23

UK Parliamentarians should reject the government’s plan to cut disability benefits, and be clear that budget savings should not come at the cost of the rights—especially the right to social security—of people with disabilities.

Human dignity must come first.

@hrw.org

www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...

UK Social Security Plans Will Harm People With Disabilities

While the UK government claims its moves “will protect the most vulnerable,” in reality its plans to cut £4.5 billion in disability-linked benefits by 2030 will have a devastating impact on people’s r...

www.hrw.org

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · Jun 16

Human Rights Watch Oral Statement at the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
www.hrw.org/news/2025/06...

Human Rights Watch Oral Statement at the 59th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Afghans, especially women and girls, face one of the most severe humanitarian and human rights crises in the world.

www.hrw.org

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Claudio Francavilla @claudiofrancavilla.bsky.social · Jun 11

Will #Macron & other European leaders recognize #Palestine? Will they not?

Whichever it is, it will NOT prevent the #genocide of Palestine's people, nor will it dismantle #Israel 's illegal occupation and apartheid

Action, not words, urgently needed 👉🏼 hrw.org/news/2025/06...

Which Palestine is Macron Going to Recognize?

As France prepares to co-host a UN conference in June on Palestine and the two-state solution, President Emmanuel Macron has signaled a willingness to recognize a Palestinian state. He may have good i...

hrw.org

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · Jun 10

🚨 My latest for @hrw.org in the @thenewarab.bsky.social

If the UK is serious about exerting pressure on 🇮🇱, there is a glaringly obvious ‘concrete action’ it can take:

A COMPLETE & COMPREHENSIVE ARMS EMBARGO ON ISRAEL NOW

⬇️

www.newarab.com/opinion/with...

Without stopping arms to Israel, UK Gaza ‘concern’ is empty talk

If the UK has any spine on Gaza, it must at least use its political leverage and impose a total arms embargo on Israel, writes Yasmine Ahmed.

www.newarab.com

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Clive Baldwin @cliveabaldwin.bsky.social · May 22

Righting the wrongs inflicted on the Chagossians will mean acknowledging the crimes, their right of return, and reparations including restoring the islands so they can live there. Above all the Chagossian people should be meaningfully consulted throughout.

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · May 22

Important post about the UK Mauritius Chagos deal by my colleague @cliveabaldwin.bsky.social

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Clive Baldwin @cliveabaldwin.bsky.social · May 22

The UK-Mauritius Chagos deal is public. Will it end the colonial crime of the UK/US forced displacement of the Chagossian people, and provide them with the reparations they are owed ?Here's a look at some issues.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/682f25...

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · May 22

🚨As Laila, mother of @FreedomForAlaa resumes her zero-calorie hunger strike, in protest at her Brit son's unlawful imprisonment in Egypt (he is also on a hunger strike), plz join her & acclaimed authors outside Downing Str @ 6pm 2day for readings in solidarity w Alaa @englishpen.bsky.social

English PEN @englishpen.bsky.social · May 19

Alaa Abd el-Fattah completed his unjust five-year prison sentence last September. Yet seven months later, he remains in prison.

Join us for a vigil in support of Alaa and his mother Laila Soueif, both currently on hunger strike. #FreeAlaa
www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · May 15

Gaza: Latest Israeli Plan Inches Closer to Extermination
www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...

Gaza: Latest Israeli Plan Inches Closer to Extermination

The Israeli government’s plan to demolish what remains of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure and concentrate the Palestinian population into a tiny area would amount to an abhorrent escalation of its ongo...

www.hrw.org

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · May 12

The 🇬🇧 UK Gov is in court 2morrow defending the indefensible: its continuing approval of arms exports 2 Israel 🇮🇱

My latest in The Guardian on why the Govt needs 2 stand up for & comply with int’l law even if it upsets Trump

⬇️

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Is Britain breaking international law over Israel to avoid offending Trump? We may find out in court this week | Yasmine Ahmed

The UK’s arms exports to Israel will be tested again as a Palestinian rights group challenges the government

www.theguardian.com

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · May 12

The UK is in court 2morrow defending the indefensible: its continuing approval of arms exports to Israel 🇮🇱

My latest in the @theguardian.com on why the Govt needs 2 stand up for & comply with int’l law even if it upsets Trump

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Is Britain breaking international law over Israel to avoid offending Trump? We may find out in court this week | Yasmine Ahmed

The UK’s arms exports to Israel will be tested again as a Palestinian rights group challenges the government

www.theguardian.com

yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · May 9

The 🇬🇧Supreme Court ruling in 'For Women Scotland v. The Scottish Ministers' threatens the rights of trans people & is regressive

Time 4 Parl to amend the Equalities Act 2 make clear that sex-based protections apply 2 trans people with a gender recognition certificate

🔽

www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...

UK: Court Ruling Threatens Trans People

(London, May 9, 2025) – A United Kingdom Supreme Court ruling on April 16, 2025 threatens the rights of trans people, Human Rights Watch said today. In in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers, ...

www.hrw.org

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · May 9

The US should not even consider forcibly transferring migrants to Libya, where inhumane detention conditions are well-documented, including torture, ill-treatment, sexual assault, and unlawful killings

www.hrw.org/news/2025/05...

US: Don’t Forcibly Transfer Migrants to Libya

The United States should not forcibly transfer migrants to Libya, where inhumane detention conditions are well-documented, including torture, ill treatment, sexual assault, and unlawful killings.

www.hrw.org

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The New Yorker @newyorker.com · Apr 24

ICE officers are now reportedly required to meet arrest quotas each day, from a few hundred to between 1,200 and 1,500 nationwide. Jonathan Blitzer reports on the mystery of the agency’s unidentifiable arrests.

The Mystery of ICE’s Unidentifiable Arrests

In early March, the agency announced that it had arrested forty-eight people in New Mexico—a month later, their identities and whereabouts remain unknown.

nyer.cm

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Alison Leal Parker @lealparker.bsky.social · Apr 24

NEW from #HRW: Interactive feature cataloguing 100 human rights harms in Trump administration's first 100 days. www.hrw.org/feature/2025...

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Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · Apr 24

The Trump administration’s first 100 days in office have been a relentless barrage of actions that violate, threaten, or undermine human rights.

To illustrate the breadth and depth of damage, HRW has compiled 100 harmful actions during these 100 days ⤵️

US: Trump’s First 100 Days an Assault on Rights

The Trump administration’s first 100 days in office have been a relentless barrage of actions that violate, threaten, or undermine the human rights of people in the United States and abroad.

www.hrw.org

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · Apr 10

New Data Exposes Global Healthcare Funding Inequalities
www.hrw.org/news/2025/04...

New Data Exposes Global Healthcare Funding Inequalities

New data from the World Health Organization reveals that many governments’ public funding of health care falls short of what is needed to meet their human rights obligations.

www.hrw.org

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Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · Mar 26

NEW: Western Australia’s child protection authorities are disproportionately removing children from Aboriginal families and placing them in out-of-home care.

Australia: Disproportionate Removal of Aboriginal Children

Western Australia’s child protection authorities are disproportionately removing children from Aboriginal families and placing them in out-of-home care.

www.hrw.org

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Reposted

English PEN @englishpen.bsky.social · Mar 14

Two weeks after Prime Minister Starmer called President Sisi to press for Alaa Abd el-Fattah's release, English PEN joins 16 fellow freedom of expression and human rights organisations to call on the UK to intensify efforts to secure Alaa's freedom. #FreeAlaa
www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...

Joint appeal for Alaa Abd el-Fattah - English PEN

www.englishpen.org

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yasmineahmed.bsky.social @yasmineahmed.bsky.social · Mar 14

In the @thenewarab.bsky.social I set out why UK PM Starmer's
slashing UK aid is morally bankrupt & incredibly short sighted.

It will cost lives, perpetuate instability, & undermine the UK's soft power and role on the global stage. It is a gift to authoritarians.

www.newarab.com/opinion/keir...

Keir Starmer, slashing UK aid is unconscionable and shortsighted

By cutting UK aid, Keir Starmer isn’t just catering to Donald Trump, he’s threatening lives and making the world a more dangerous place, says Yasmine Ahmed.

www.newarab.com

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