When I open up Twitter this is what it is promoting as a "debate"

I wasn't in any way excited about the world cup but in a funny way the Tim Payne viral story reminded me that there's something really special about how someone can come out if nowhere to be world famous in this tournament. Just the scale of attention is only this and the Olympics

I do think it sums up “the weird way the Internet shapes politics unnoticed” that “some chants that people should knock off but are mostly an ignorable part of an in-person march” are given more explanatory power than “the website that is full of antisemitism of every stripe that MPs hang out on”.

I see the usual suspects tried to make St George's Day another "You can't say Happy Easter/Christmas", "where's your poppy", "we are the real victims" event Chill out for a day. Have a pint. Put the anger and victimhood away for a bit

True.

Gaza playbook

First day without an attack since Feb 27th here in the UAE But Lebanon still being hit hard

Netenyahu ordered mass atrocities in Beirut to try and collapse the ceasefire So predictable

Banning Kanye West from entering the UK over anti-Semitism concerns then posting about it in a self-satisfied way on on the Nazi app owned by the Nazi sympathiser is just a perfect encapsulation of this government

Going to sleep now fully expecting to be woken up to take shelter in the middle of the night Took the kids to rugby tonight. Hope we are back on Saturday

Went on X I've lived in the Middle East 20 years and it's been my job to know the politics and economy of the region, lots of time in energy and defence So I'm loving getting lectured on social media by people who are entirely certain about what will happen, who couldn't point to Qatar on a map

Just so everybody is clear, Pam Bondi, who tried very hard to cover up the Epstein files, was fired for not covering up the Epstein files enough.

Maintaining the US State Visit is a dismal remnant of Mandelson’s discredited strategy. Trump is deranged. King Charles risks humiliation in DC at the behest of Starmer. Cancel the trip. There’s a war on FFS.

Israel’s parliament has passed a controversial bill that seeks to impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis in acts of terror, but not on Jewish Israelis who kill Palestinians in similar circumstances. ft.trib.al/aSDzL0l

A friend went round to his neighbours’ for Eid last night and apparently the wife slightly panicked about hosting white people because she disappeared for a couple of minutes and came back with half a pint of whisky for him. This, to me, is multiculturalism

I don't fall for the nonsense that because the Iranian government is anti colonial it is in any way leftist. It is fundamentalist, totalitarian and nationalistic But I do think people miss Iranians have a sense of humour. Even the ICRG. Pushing out Epstein stuff via their news agency is trolling

Maybe this war will teach one orange American economics

hello I'm mental

Take back control, they said. Free us from the tyranny of the EU, they said. And now they are calling for us to be shackled to the Trump regime; else we’ll be a piffling irrelevance.

This is no different from Putin saying MH17 was shot down by Ukraine or Assad saying rebels gassed themselves.

Weird how creating conditions where powerful people never have to face real accountability leads to powerful people abusing their power. Who could have predicted that?

What the Israelis are doing to the Lebanon is beyond evil (again) but we see the West doesn't think that Arab and Muslim life is worth much (again)

Taken the family on a planned break to Ras Al Khaimah. My favourite part of the UAE. If we are going to get droned at least I'll do it with a frozen margarita

They've moved the school holidays in the UAE to start next week as kids can't go into school Tells me the government here don't think this is over any time soon and i won't be in the UK for Palace Leeds Its just a minor annoyance when innocent people are being blown to bits in Tehran and Beirut

“He’s gonna have to say it out loud eventually, and it feels like he could take it in some kind of insane direction like HOOR-muzz or maybe horm-SUH,” said Arkansas resident Janet Flitchen

I think there is not enough appreciation to how good this FT visualization is the original is like this 👇

US consulate in Dubai on fire. Been in there a few times. That's right in the heart of the old part of town. Very densely populated

Community whatsapp groups during a bombing can quite qhickly move from did you hear that bang, to who didn't clean up after their dog, to has anyone got any tonic I can borrow

From the French equivalent of The Onion Seeking revenge, Dubai parachutes 3000 influencers on Tehran.

Some of our neighbours are hiding what's happening from their kids while ours are watching the news and trying to spot places they know and standing on the roof to watch drones get intercepted Twin boys are tough I guess

The cat is sheltering in place and hiding from the bangs

You may think the Americans don't have a plan to end this but Hegseth say they are praying and will be guided by God. Worked out well for George W Bush. Anyway remind me which country is run by war mongering religious fanatics? It could be any of three in this conflict

Farage saying HMG should break British law to support Trump Trumps wars have led to Qatar stopping LNG production which will push up UK electricity prices, maybe dramatically Farage will attack HMG for high energy prices blaming "net zero" This is how populism works

🚨 The death toll at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ primary school in Minab has risen to 148 dead and 95 wounded, Iranian state media reported. Most of those killed were between the ages of 7 and 12. Video via Mehr News Agency (X: @MehrnewsCom)

Not sure of the IRGC military logic of targeting civilian infrastructure in KSA and UAE. Both nations have large fleets modern of multirole combat aircraft that can be in Iranian airspace in 15 minutes, experienced combat pilots and Iran has no air defence

The Israelis have inflicted so much death on Lebanon over the years

Each year in Ramadan my work organises for Muslim employees an Umrah trip to Mecca So we now have 96 employees on a 35 hour bus trip to get back to family in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. They've just got to Riyadh after leaving at 530 pm. Roads busy as lots of other people trying to get back from Mecca

I'm behind the massive Jebal Ali port which feels a safe place to be. Any drone that gets that far goes into the port rather than the houses ten minutes flight beyond it. But it sets the dog off and the kids want to get onto the roof to see what's happening. Can hear but can't see the Air Force

That's just murder. He is retired

Being in all day due to the bombs is boring so been lookingc at local Facebook groups. People have such different risk profiles Some are talking about packing the car and driving to Oman. Others are recommending going down the beach as its so quiet with Iran and Ramadan Palace on soon

Why are panic buyers obsessed with toilet paper? Fresh produce i kind of get when airports and cargo ports shut. But loo roll?

Wife and I sitting up late and watching MAFS Australia as the shelter alerts keep going off and the explosions keep going off in the sky. Across the sea Iranians are being murdered. But you see more on English news about white people being inconvenienced

Let's be honest. This is why my kids can't sleep here in Dubai because of the interceptors hitting Iranian missiles waking them up

Hotel on fire next to where I was at lunch. Been in the Middle East 20 years. Used to the US and Israelis murdering people and being in the middle The Iranian leadership is murderous but let's be honest about which states kill the most innocent people

Trump just used the 1979 Embassy siege as a reason to bomb Iran claiming the US faced an imminent threat Which is it?

Netanyahu Calls Iran Strikes Necessary To Prevent War He Just Started

The Israelis have staeted bombing Iran again. Not good

Tories lost their deposit. Got 500 more votes than Sir Oink A Lot for for the Monster Looney Party What was the most successful European post war party now battling to beat a man pretending to be a pig

Farage and Goodwin are hilariously bad losers. Throwing out allegations of cheating and failing to congratulate the winner. Its not very British

Came fifth with 159 votes