Between Jan and March 2021, I had the privilege of hosting a series of conversations on @colourfulradio, with six amazing trailblazers in classical music, who were all featured in The African Concert Series, founded by @RebecaOmordia. You can listen here: colourful.com/podcasts/afric…

RT @AntiRacismDay: On the streets of Manchester now calling for unity & opposing the far right.

Arts Council England (ACE) has released its long-awaited guidance for those hoping to be named among its National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) in 2028-33, so it seems a prescient time to take a look at the key information ahead of applications opening on 20 October. artsprofessional.co.uk/news/…

The Grosvenor Building on Gordon Street in Glasgow. The lower floors were designed by Alexander 'Greek' Thomson and were built in 1864. The upper floors were designed by J.H. Craigie and were added in 1902. #glasgow #architecture #architecturephotography #gordonstreet

Orkney’s northern tip. Sheep eating seaweed. In 1832 the islanders built a 13-mile wall to keep them off the grass. The sheep adapted. Now they graze kelp Storms dump extra food. Their guts changed. Too much grass can poison them. Tiny. Ancient. Still out on the rocks.

September sunset, The Model Boating Pond, Hampstead Heath. #LondonNationalParkCity #NorfLunden

Human's are causing the Earth's sixth mass extinction. 83% of wild mammals have already been pushed past the brink. If nature goes, its taking us with it. No time to wait. #ActOnClimate #biodiversity #natureneedshalf #biodiversity #votegreen

A father has posted a video of his daughter enjoying a cardboard swing he made for her in their displacement shelter in Gaza. He described it as a ‘small moment of happiness’ amid the suffering.

RT @AntiRacismDay: Hundreds marching through Hastings - calling for unity & opposing racism & the far right.

Cork: Every 9 years harvesters gently strip the bark. The tree lives 200+ years, regrows thicker bark, and sucks up even MORE CO₂ while doing it. Then we turn that renewable gift into wine stoppers, floors, shoes, insulation & more. Zero chopping. Pure sustainable magic. 🌳

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BREAKING | Thailand: All 50 districts of Bangkok have been declared disaster areas as heavy rain causes widespread flooding, traffic disruptions and waterlogging across the capital. The Thai Meteorological Department warns of continued heavy to very heavy rain in Bangkok, with the risk of further flooding through September 27

Exclusive! 🇯🇲🎶 Hackney Council will honour pioneer Newton Dunbar and The Four Aces Club with a commemorative plaque in #BlackHistoryMonth. Founded in 1967 by Jamaican-born Newton Dunbar, the Four Aces Club was one of the first venues to play Black music in London and attract world-class artists such as Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker and Billy Ocean. ➡️voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-n…

Reform showing their form …👎🏾

A 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy has been found with its natural hair still in place.

Dozens of protesters including actors Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were detained by police in New York on Thursday near the UN headquarters, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech to the United Nations General Assembly. Around 200 protestors gathered ahead of the speech, blocking traffic and chanting "Netanyahu you can't hide, we charge you with genocide". The rally was organised by Jewish Voice for Peace, a Jewish activist group supporting Palestinians. Inside the UN, dozens of delegates walked out as the Israeli PM's speech began . Netanyahu called those who left "moral cowards" and said the allegation that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza was “the biggest lie of the century".

Sign the petition. Let water companies go bust. Ofwat approved 36% bill increases for 2025-2030, companies want more. Prices doubled - in real terms - since privatisation. We got sewage in rivers, water outages, hosepipe bans. Need public ownership. weownit.org.uk/news/were-tel…

Happy birthday to Glenn Gould, born on this day in 1932!

British weapons manufacturer BAE Systems worked with UK universities to counter campus protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, according to emails and internal documents. An investigation by Liberty Investigates and Al Jazeera found 13 UK universities spoke with the firm about how to handle demonstrations. In 2024, the company appeared to have urged universities “to counteract an often skewed, but prominent narrative from protesters” about its partnership with higher education institutions, slides from a presentation show. Staff members from one top institution spoke with BAE before disciplining student activists. Another interacted with the company about an upcoming protest against the firm. BAE Systems supplies Israel with parts for F-35 fighter jets, which have played a key role in the Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza. The 13 universities identified – including Manchester University, Nottingham University, Sheffield University, Southampton University, Birmingham University, Strathclyde and Cranfield – collectively receive as much as £15m via agreements for research funding with the arms manufacturer, according to the investigation. Meanwhile, BAE has active “strategic partnerships” with Manchester, Strathclyde, Cranfield, Nottingham and Southampton to work on research projects in areas like “AI, quantum mechanics, manufacturing, cyber and aerospace”. At Sheffield University, students protested an October 2024 online careers event featuring BAE. A university staff member then spoke with BAE before disciplining four people, according to the documents, which were obtained using freedom of information rules. The university insisted disciplinary procedures “are independent and not influenced by any external partnerships” and that it “consults all parties involved to ensure a fair process”. In November 2025, a Southampton University staff member passed news of a planned protest to BAE. The university denied it had worked with BAE to come up with a counter-narrative to protesters’ criticisms of its links to the firm. Gina Romero, the UN special rapporteur for peaceful assembly and association, told Al Jazeera the findings represented a “troubling pattern” of institutions taking “operational cues and security strategies from weapons manufacturers to suppress their own students”. In July, the UK government announced a new partnership between arms firms, including BAE, and several universities to support “vital research into new defence technologies”. Several universities have clamped down hard on student activists over their support for Palestine. King’s College London, not named in this story, disciplined 26 students for pro-Palestine activism between October 2023 and November 2025, more than any UK institution. Egyptian student Usama Ghanem temporarily had his visa sponsorship withdrawn by the university, threatening his ability to remain in the UK.

A fascinating thread from @is_glasgow …

UK free zones to date: 12 freeports, 74 SEZ's, 5 AI Growth Zones, 91 in total. The freeport model at Teesworks is effectively over, and the public development corporation is carrying £420m in debt with its accounts unsigned. The site has been re-badged as an AI Growth Zone, and @PrivateEyeNews names Anthropic as its data centre partner. Rishi Sunak launched the freeports programme as Chancellor. He now advises Anthropic. The designation changes, but the model stays the same. The UK post-Brexit is being privatised via Zone Fever.