Roger Alan Blackwell

Emotional reunions as photographer recreates 1980 shots www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... > From my 1979 photo in the Boogie House #Norwich Will these ladies reunite for a current photoshoot? 😊

Hospital porters on five day strike 'Porters at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading who are members of the GMB union have started 5 days of strike action. ...changes to overtime pay...will cost porters between six and seven pounds every hour of overtime worked.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

MPs and MSP detained by Israel and barred from entering West Bank "We knew that by crossing into the occupied Palestinian territories, we risked being detained, interrogated and turned away by Israeli authorities. And that, alas, is exactly what happened.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'With every new Israeli closure, the question becomes increasingly urgent: for how long can a life suspended on a gate endure.'

'Amidst all this, the scene on the ground remains the same: long queues, gates that open and close by a decision not owned by those waiting behind them, and a society paying the cost of this reality from its time, livelihood, and sense of security.'

'In al-Khalil, as in the rest of the West Bank’s cities and villages, checkpoints have become part of daily life, determining when a patient arrives, when a worker begins their day, and whether a student reaches the exam hall or goods reach the market.'

'Between the Farsh al-Hawa attack and the subsequent comprehensive Israeli closure of the city’s entrances, a broader picture emerges beyond a specific event: a system of checkpoints expanding year after year, turning the road from a means of connection into a tool of control.'

'.... the citizen has come to fear leaving their city due to settler attacks taking place, according to him, without accountability and with the assistance of the occupation army.'

'The checkpoints impact every detail of a Palestinian’s life, as reaching hospitals, universities, and work areas has become very heavily affected, and the citizen has come to fear leaving their city due to settler attacks.....'

'.....raising the cost of daily life, narrowing the prospects for stability and movement, and contributing to creating a repellent environment that makes the continuation of normal Palestinian life more difficult.'

'...the role of the checkpoint is not limited to preventing passage, but extends to controlling access to work, education, medical treatment, agricultural land, & service centres, raising the cost of daily life, narrowing the prospects for stability & movement....'

'The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission believes that these checkpoints transform Palestinian geographical continuity into a network of controlled routes, practically re-dividing the West Bank into cantons and besieged enclaves that can be connected, separated, or closed at any time.'

'He pointed to instances of abuse and humiliation occurring at the governorate’s checkpoints.'

'Amr says that the site witnesses a permanent presence of the occupation army and is not a temporary checkpoint as the occupation claims, adding that it is repeatedly closed, and forces search citizens and obstruct their movement significantly, forming a long queue of cars.'

'Palestinian commercial vehicles also pass through it from the city to its north and the rest of the governorates, as well as commercial trucks between al-Khalil and the Tarqumiya crossing.'

'The Farsh al-Hawa entrance is a vital artery for the movement of residents to and from al-Khalil, whether those heading to its northern villages or those travelling to the central and northern governorates of the West Bank and to Jordan.'

'Inside the city itself, Amr points out the existence of 32 checkpoints in the vicinity of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City, most of which are completely closed.'

'The Industrial Zone entrance is located in the southeast, in the Jabal Juhar area, and is also closed, while the al-Fahs entrance in the south opens and closes at specific hours, and the southern entrance has been closed for many years.'

'He added that the Ras al-Jora entrance in the north, which is the main entrance to the city, has been closed since October 7th, 2023, while the Beit Einun entrance in the northeast remains completely closed.'

'Settlement researcher Issa Amr says that the city of al-Khalil has six entrances, most of which are closed or restricted, and the Farsh al-Hawa entrance in the northwest, a main and vital entrance, opens and closes at specific hours.'

'With the most recent wave, the number reached 793 in March 2024, then 925 in December 2025, reaching 942 as of September 25, 2026.'

'In 2003, at the peak of the Second Intifada (uprising), the number reached 757 checkpoints and barriers, including 464 dirt obstacles. It then declined to 630 in 2008, before rising to 705 in 2018, with a greater number of permanent gates and checkpoints.'

'The numbers reveal an upward trend, according to the commission from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).'

'Usually, occupation forces set up these checkpoints, but settlers have recently been seen placing dirt barriers with bulldozers and iron gates in some areas, as occurred in the towns of Um Safa and Kafr Ni’ma near Ramallah, aiming to prevent Palestinians from reaching their lands.'

'....permanent military checkpoints where soldiers are stationed, to iron gates, most of which remain closed while some open for limited hours, in addition to berms, concrete barriers, closures, and dirt trenches.'

'These checkpoints are established at most entrances to cities, towns, and villages, and on the roads connecting them, taking various forms, from permanent military checkpoints where soldiers are stationed, to iron gates, most of which remain closed while some open for limited hours.....'

'... the number of Israeli checkpoints and obstacles in the West Bank stands at around 942, out of which 221 cut off all arteries to al-Khalil Governorate, the largest governorate in area and population. Up until last September 25th, 824 of them were permanent checkpoints and closure points.'

'Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others injured, after which the occupation army closed all checkpoints at the entrances to the city.'

'Last week’s shooting attack at the Israeli checkpoint at the northwestern entrance to al-Khalil, in the Farsh al-Hawa area, has spotlighted the checkpoint system in the West Bank.'

'In al-Khalil (Hebron), where the highest concentration of these checkpoints is focused, daily life seems like a series of closures controlling time, livelihood, and movement. Farsh al-Hawa attack brings checkpoints back to the fore'

'As these details recur day after day, small humiliation turns into a heavy sense of oppression, and anger accumulates in cities and villages besieged by hundreds of checkpoints and gates.'

'IN THE West Bank, a Palestinian’s day does not begin from the door of his home, but from the Israeli checkpoint. Hours are wasted in queues, a patient waits to reach the hospital, a student might miss his exam, a worker loses his day’s wage, and a merchant’s goods are delayed on the road.'

221 Israeli checkpoints in Hebron – a city with six gates, most of them closed 27th October 2026 'Israeli forces demolish a house in Hebron – whole streets have now been demolished' wrp.org.uk/features/221...

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon Sir David Hempleman-Adams Our aimless youth could be forged into a powerful shield for the nation www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10... > Right wing Daily Telegraph tries to propagandise forced conscription for youth. Be warned! - RAB

'The STAR 50 Index, which tracks technology and innovation companies on the Shanghai stock exchange, has plunged 40% since June. Other indexes of major companies dropped by about 20% over the same time period.'

Chinese markets lose trillions as race for AI supremacy with US takes its toll www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o... > The overhyping of a new technology can become extremely costly for all concerned! It was a step forward, just an addition to automation, that's all! - RAB

UK shop price inflation ‘highest since 2024’ as retailers struggle to limit price rises '....food inflation, which has remained low during the past year, increased this month to 2.9% year on year....' www.theguardian.com/business/202...

'The report, titled Automated Discrimination: Unpacking the Digital Hostile Environment, raises concerns about the use of AI in immigration,...it is not neutral or accurate & can replicate bias & discrimination within society, particularly when a key driver for its use is anti-immigration policies'

'AI has been embedded across the Home Office in near-total secrecy, reinforcing the so-called hostile environment for immigration, according to research.' ‘Digital hostile environment’: AI secretly being embedded across Home Office, report claims www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

“The government totally failed at the most senior level to speak to environmental NGOs or community groups when developing its flagship policy on AI datacentres. This is despite the serious environmental implications of its plans.”

UK government met 137 businesses over AI datacentres – but no environmental groups 'nvestigation finds dozens of ministers and civil servants moved into AI roles as government developed datacentre expansion plans' www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

'In his victory speech, Lula signalled that Brazil would pursue an independent course in foreign affairs, insising that Brazil ‘does not accept being anyone’s backyard’.

‘I already thought we were going to win because of the strength of the popular mobilisation and I think that made history. Let’s keep going.’

'Celebrating Lula’s victory, Maira de Mello Cabral e Matos, 42, was ‘overjoyed’ with the result, adding that the Bolsonaro family posed ‘a very serious threat’.

'He carried Minas Gerais, Brazil’s second most populous state and also managed to reverse the result in the city of Rio de Janeiro, long considered one of the Bolsonaro family’s political strongholds.'

'In this election, Lula won in more than 200 municipalities where he had lost just 21 days earlier.'

'Winning the Brazilian presidency in 2003, Lula made social equality a central plank of his early premiership, funnelling billions into grant programmes like the Bolsa Familia.'

'As a trade union member and activist, he was elected head of the Metalworkers’ Union in 1975. Five years later, he founded the Workers’ Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores or PT) – Brazil’s first major socialist party.'

'Born into a poor family in 1945, Lula sold peanuts as a child, only learning to read aged 10. He became a metal worker in his teens, losing a finger in an industrial accident in the 1960s.'

‘I just had to tell you that I love you. Tomorrow, the fight continues,’ Lula told cheering supporters at a victory parade in Sao Paulo. ‘No one is required to like the president-elect, but he must govern for everyone.’