Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Penny Stuart

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 5h

The aircraft carrying US Secretary of Defense/war/whatevs Pete Hegseth from Brussels declared an emergency before turning around over the Atlantic and heading back toward the UK.

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Reposted by Penny Stuart

Heather Stewart @guardianheather.bsky.social · 5h

Just had a chat with Rachel Reeves in Washington. She:
- says taxes on wealthy will feature in budget
- wants UK bond yields back in line with rest of G7
- says OBR should have revised forecasts earlier
- promises continued investment, no return to austerity
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Rachel Reeves says higher taxes on wealthy ‘part of the story’ for November budget

Chancellor hints at rises and calls out past ‘scaremongering’ over VAT on private schools and changes to non-doms

www.theguardian.com

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MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 5h

🇺🇸🇻🇪 The Trump administration has secretly authorized the C.I.A. to conduct covert action in Venezuela, - NYT

The new authority would allow C.I.A. to carry out lethal operations in Venezuela and conduct range of operations in Caribbean.

The agency would be able to take covert action against Maduro.

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Reposted by Penny Stuart

Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 4h

An important emerging development is the way Christian Conservatism, in the past far more prevalent in the US than the UK, is gaining traction within Reform (as discussed here, but also relevant is Danny Kruger's defection to Reform & some of Richard Tice's recent comments).

Sarah Cowley @bournemouth4eu.bsky.social · 4h

Nigel Farage and the foreign influence threat
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...

Nigel Farage and the foreign influence threat

How US anti-abortionists are supporting Reform, and why we need to talk about Russian influence, with the New York Times’ Jane Bradley.

open.substack.com

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Dr Stylite @columnist.bsky.social · 4h

Finally, the Labour message on this is incoherent. If Brexit is such a disastrous legacy for the country then why not do something (material) about it?

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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 4h

Awkward efforts to stovepipe the US under Trump into comparisons with 20th century Europe or the Middle East are less analytically helpful than with recent crises in Western Hemisphere societies like Mexico or Colombia that are culturally and institutionally much closer to 21st century America.

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Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 3h

Breaking: Capitol Police have been called after a Republican congressional office was just caught displaying a swastika.

This comes one day after group chat messages were leaked of young GOP officials saying “I love Hitler” and calling to put Democrats in “gas chambers.”

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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 6h

The fundamental problem for the government is that they have no answer to the question “Why could we afford these things in 2010 but not today?”

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 7h

English councils to remain poorer than 2010 despite funding boost, says report

Exclusive: Impact of austerity cannot be undone by end of parliament despite above-inflation funding, analysis finds Councils in England will still be poorer by the end of this parliament than they were in 2010 despite Labour’s funding increases, according to analysis by the Institute for Government (IfG). Funding cuts from 2010 to 2019 were so severe that they left gaps that could not be filled even by five years of above-inflation increases, leaving local authorities increasingly reliant on emergency funding and capable of only providing legally mandated services, the report shows. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Penny Stuart @lostindisco.bsky.social · 9h

observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

Former Nato chief warns Russia is at war with UK

In a speech this week, George Robertson echoed other analysts’ views that UK is in conflict with the Kremlin

observer.co.uk

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Reposted by Penny Stuart

Meanwhile in Ukraine @meanwhileua.bsky.social · 11h

The General Staff confirmed that the Sea Oil Terminal in temporarily occupied Feodosia was hit again on the night of October 13.

Sixteen fuel tanks that survived the previous attack were damaged. A large-scale fire continues on the territory of the enterprise.👇

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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 10h

Kemi Badeoch's spokesman tying himself in knots trying to explain why the substantive evidence the Conservative Government gave to the CPS on the China spy trial wasn't good enough to secure a conviction, but the additional evidence Starmer's Government later supplied somehow should have been

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WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated.bsky.social · 10h

"Ukraine is aware of Russia’s plans in Belarus and will inform the partners who may be affected. At this stage, we will not make this information public." - Zelensky.

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 10h

My conversation with Jane Bradley about how US anti-abortionists are supporting Reform - and why we need to talk about Russian influence - is also available in full on the Democracy for Sale YouTube channel

Do sign up! www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5p0...

Nigel Farage’s New Backers: Inside the US Anti-Abortion Group Courting Reform UK

YouTube video by Democracy for Sale

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Penny Stuart

Will Jennings 🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 10h

Politicians really shouldn't be allowed to present 'current affairs' or news programmes (what really is the difference these days?). It's obvious, and the public agrees.

GB News viewers more likely to wrongly believe net migration to UK rising, study finds

Research also finds majority of people are against letting politicians front current affairs programmes

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Penny Stuart

MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 9h

🇺🇦❗️🇰🇵 Russia would have lost this war a long time ago. Ukraine, with the help of partners, would have returned all the occupied territories if it were not for the support of the Kremlin by Moscow's allies - primarily North Korea, - Budanov

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dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 9h

“No kings, no cake” does not have a happy precedent.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10h

Bessent: "No kings equals no paychecks"

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Penny Stuart @lostindisco.bsky.social · 11h

Urgh

Arts Professional @artsprofessional.co.uk · 12h

Teacher Training grants worth £10,000 for creative subjects are to be scrapped by the Department for Education (DfE), fewer than two years after being reintroduced.

Government axes teacher training bursaries for arts subjects - Arts Professional

Teacher Training grants worth £10,000 for creative subjects are to be scrapped by the Department for Education (DfE), fewer than two years after being

www.artsprofessional.co.uk

Reposted by Penny Stuart

Gaby Hinsliff @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social · 12h

Keir Starmer calling Kemi Badenoch's bluff over the China spy case in PMQs: she's made serious allegations, govt clearly thinks she can't stand them up, & so far the vibe is fairly 'person on X who doesn't know the law, arguing with a lawyer'

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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 12h

In a potential indicator of Russia's post-Putin foreign policy, intelligence services loyal to the balding man sitting on the right spent 8 years trying to kill the bearded man sitting on the left

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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 12h

Rachel Reeves' admission of the "severe" economic damage of Brexit is welcome.

Now it's time for the government to stop making it even worse

bylinetimes.com/2025/10/15/k...

Keir Starmer's 'Brexit Is Bad, Let's Make It a Bit Worse' Strategy

The Chancellor just admitted that Brexit has been an economic disaster. It's time the Government stopped making it even worse by imitating Nigel Farage's damaging anti-migration agenda, argues Adam Bi...

bylinetimes.com

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Reposted by Penny Stuart

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 18h

"There is no doubt that the impact of Brexit has been severe and long-lasting", Rachel Reeves tells Sky News, as she suggests that taxes will now have to go up as a result to "make sure the numbers add up".

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 12h

Not sure if will be noticed (by the public) until more control of boats + hotels. There should be an elite awareness that we will drop below 2016 levels in 2025: can reduce further if pressures > gains but narrative of record immig true for 2022-24/5, prob not by 2025-26

bsky.app/profile/jame...

James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 11d

The most recent net immigration figures were 431,000 year ending Dec 25. However, net immigration was already far lower than that even before the rules tightened Jul 25. Visa grants are much lower now than in the first half of 2024 primarily because of the Mar/Apr 24 salary threshold rises (2/x)

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The Ineffable Horror of Joe Muggs @joemuggs.bsky.social · 12h

Man al-Sharaa better not eat or drink anything while he's there. Or touch any doorknobs. Or use any perfume....

(((Tendar))) @tendar.bsky.social · 12h

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in Moscow. He is going to meet Putin demanding extradition of Bashar al-Assad, who is hiding in Moscow.

I highly doubt that Putin is going to give up his private zoo of toppled dictators.

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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 11h

Pakistan is currently carrying out air strikes across several provinces in Afghanistan including the capital Kabul. It’s an escalation on previous attacks.

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Reposted by Penny Stuart

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 11h

⚡️ Russian internet provider 'impoverished by 66 million rubles' after Ukrainian cyberattack, HUR source claims.

HUR claims that Orion Telecom was actively used by Russian security services in operations related to Russia`s war in Ukraine.

Russian internet provider 'impoverished by 66 million rubles' after Ukrainian cyberattack, HUR source claims

Ukraine’s military intelligence claims that Orion Telecom’s infrastructure was actively used by Russian security services in operations related to Russia`s war in Ukraine.

kyivindependent.com

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