So good to see this response from many of the Dutch political parties. 🤞🏼

He embodies what they stand for? So they stand for: Racism? Misogyny? Sexual harassment? Corruption? Fraud? Fascism? Okay, got it.

Worth watching this for the last 2/3 especially. We shouldn't leap on this & say it's a sign Russia is about to implode but it's a small crack in the edifice & we know what can happen if you don't tend to even the smallest stresses & strains.

Important insights into the utter hypocrisy of those hounding the BBC. "... if the BBC cannot or will not defend itself, and if it will not stand true for a truly radical concept: fearlessly impartial journalism, not fearful management of impartiality, then it will fade away."

We're officially live. It's incredibly important to have a real record of how our public servants are behaving and this database will be a powerful tool for researchers, reporters, and ordinary Americans.

"If the BBC is so woke, how come it grovels before Farage?" Piece from me on how, leftish bias at the BBC should never be excused. But nor can we avoid the grim truth that the radical right is now a clear threat to independent journalism in the UK open.substack.com/pub/nickcohe...

the Iranian drought story is insanely undercovered. foreignpolicy.com/2025/08/07/i...

Two panels commemorating the contribution of Black American soldiers towards the liberation of the Netherlands in World War Two have been quietly removed from a cemetery in Limburg. It follows a complaint by right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission.

❤️‍🩹A sight of love and hope we all need today: rescuers found a cat Claire after Russia attack on apartment building in Dnipro, Ukraine today , and brought her back to her human friend Valeria ❤️‍🩹

Op de Amerikaanse begraafplaats in Margraten is het opeens stil geworden rond de zwarte Amerikanen die hielpen Nederland bevrijden. Twee panelen die hun bijdrage herdachten – én wezen op hun strijd tegen racisme binnen het leger – werden zonder toelichting verwijderd. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

Ukraine has been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for 2025–2029 with the highest vote count. Alongside Romania and Moldova, Ukraine outpaced Russia, marking the second time in a row Moscow failed to win a seat. Another diplomatic defeat for the Kremlin.

Nice to have a good news morning, seeing some Americans are trying to make up for the horror they inflicted on themselves and the rest of the world.

Many talented Ukrainian actors, artists, comedians, sportspeople, and others left their professional careers to take up arms and defend their country from Russian occupiers. Russia's war against Ukraine has taken the lives of at least 240 Ukrainian culture […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

Great investigation of the Nazis, racists and criminals mobilising the flag-on-lamp-posts movement. This is the kind of journalism that the national media could and should have conducted: manchestermill.co.uk/the-men-who-...

Good on Radboud! At Leiden, I either feel like Cassandra or a Luddite. I've overwhelmingly witnessed capitulation to market forces amid the belief that all students use genAI anyhow. As for the ethical & environmental implications - people seem to forget I research Russia, I understand whataboutism.

💔 Death toll from Russian strike on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast rises: bodies of two children found

It is good to see the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, based in Gaza, continue to their important reporting on the recent Israeli airstrikes that happened, including this testimony that is linked tot he footage verified here by @annonemo.bsky.social.

I was sorry to read this. I always thought him an actor of great sensitivity. RIP.

This is not just the Netherlands. And it is ugly.

This man! He brings such an intelligent and inspiring approach to the political fight. His thirst for understanding, capacity for self-reflection, but mostly how he lifts others up combine to make him a model for all politicians, of all political colours. If you need some hope, worth reading 👇🏼.

On the face of it, a reasoned account of the damaging consequences of Trump's decision but like so many such rationalising accounts, this comes across as deluded in conveying the idea he might actually have cared about US farmers to begin with.

"The European police agency Europol said in a statement on October 31 that authorities had identified more than 650 people from nine countries implicated in rape and summary executions of civilians and prisoners-of-war." www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-mo...

A very difficult read that nevertheless should be read - and its contents amplified.

I LOVE that this woman in Georgia decided to terrorize her neighbors with the Fall Of Democracy and Trump's Ghouls (in poetic detail) instead of your usual demons and monsters. She said, "It's scary because it's true."

It's election day here in NL so I searched for "honden" & "verkiezingsdag" on Bluesky. The only result was someone saying 6 mos ago how in the UK, there'd be no media discussion during voting hours, just photos of dogs outside polling stations. Come on, Dutch voters, where are your dog photos?!

"To the end! To the victory!" - Georgians march in protest on the anniversary of disputed parliamentary elections and day 333 of non-stop #GeorgiaProtests 🎥 Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge

I was going to say this all reminds me of Soviet propaganda but then I realised the Soviets at least featured women as workers too (however problematically).

Report that Russia is flooding the internet with millions of articles in order to shift LLM outputs towards manipulated narratives: euvsdisinfo.eu/large-langua...

Employees of a local agricultural enterprise in occupied Berdiansk report racketeering by the installed Russian authorities. Armed individuals seized warehouses, equipment, and harvested crops, blocking work across over 1,000 hectares, workers said, adding they are being pressured to negotiate terms

Sure, because people who would think about doing this in the first place will absolutely listen to this advice.

For no reason at all I thought this quote from Katie Lam MP would work in a different font. I thought I’d add a headline too. Apropos of nothing in particular. Really, no reason at all.

This is not what ceasefire means. Trump's "peace" is a lie.

In sum: the Secretary of State reneged on DOJ informant deals to bargain w/ a dictator famous for crime-fighting, who did not actually fight crime but got the gang to cut violence in return for better treatment & wanted ppl who knew about that back, all so Trump could do deportation cruelty videos.

Expertise doesn't matter, you say? This - a legitimation of war crimes, of attempted ethnic cleansing (at best!) - is what happens when you don't think you need expert peace negotiators to negotiate a peace. #ThisisNotHowWarsEnd.

A 60 second summary of some of the biggest and best sights from #NoKings Day. Congratulations to every single organizer, volunteer and attendee👏 History.

Loving all the footage from #NoKings. I've never had my spirits raised by so many terrorists!

Currently on an (unintended) mission to see how long I can sit at this table in this Leiden restaurant without any wait staff acknowledging me. So far, tables across from me and next to me served but I am apparently invisible.

This is a peaceful, albeit controversial, transnational Muslim organization which is legal in Ukraine and which is not known to have carried out any acts of terrorism." khpg.org/en/1608815181

Voor @rtl.nl, iets uitgebreider: Rusland wil Oekraïense burgers deze winter weer in het donker zetten: 'Energie is het belangrijkste doelwit'

I'm honestly a bit shocked that so few people have done some basic fact-checking about Machado. This is a worrying choice and not one we should be celebrating.

“They’ve given it to somebody who’s completely aligned with the most militarist and darkest face of U.S. imperialism.”

There are things I love about this country. "During the work, the cycling route between Deventer and Zutphen remains open. If you don't really need the car, take the bike. And make your commute a healthy habit. Driving 40 km around costs fuel and patience. Biking? That only costs calories."

“They make a desert and call it peace.” - Tacitus 💔💔💔

Anything @heidimaurer.bsky.social is involved in will be dynamic, considered and inspiring & this is a particularly significant agenda. And it's just so good to see #Teaching&Learning centred again.

Gary Gibbon asking a conference-goer if Robert Jenrick is the Messiah or a very naughty boy has to be the highlight of reporting on the Tory conference. Well, that and the rows and rows of empty seats. @channel4news.bsky.social

"Sometimes they observe a flurry of activity from the organoids before they die – similar to the increased heart rate and brain activity which has been observed in some humans at end-of-life."

Archived and paywall free here archive.ph/iGtMf

Apple did something very similar to the people of Hong Kong in 2019, removing an app that allowed protesters to track police movements via crowdsourced information: gizmodo.com/apple-sells-...

We can but hope:"by russifying the leadership of his security services, Putin may be only weakening his most important tool of control".

MSF strongly condemns the killing of Omar Hayek by Israeli forces this morning in #Gaza. Our thoughts are with his family and colleagues. Omar is our fourteenth colleague to be killed in Gaza since the war started. We call yet again for an end to the genocide.