literally every day my wife or I go outside with our daughter people go out of their way to be friendly, offer aid or a kind word, no matter where we've traveled. it's nice to remember that hostility as default mode of interaction is not destiny, much as it benefits some to pretend it is
3 years of conflict. 3 years of atrocities.
The war in Sudan has upended millions of lives. You only need to read these 5 stories to grasp its human cost: https://bit.ly/4sxXtNI
#3YearsTooLong
How do you show hope, compassion and kindness in the face of deep division in society?
Rebecca Bellamy from our Peacebuilding in Britain team shares a new campaign to celebrate positive action in our communities. https://www.quaker.org.uk/blog/a-million-acts-of-hope
An ephemeral pond on the flood plain of the Ouse, east of Selby, 2 April 2026.
Another meander. It widens on the turn and the water is turbid. What happens here at high tide. Almost a meadow between the Ouse and the embankment. The flood plain is pocked with ephemeral ponds. See the birds in the shallows. Black-headed gulls. Or goosanders. Gone before you know it. 104/
Trump is reported close to a "deal" with himself under which US taxpayers would pay him $10 billion.
I served in multiple communist and authoritarian dictatorships, but I never witnessed corruption on this scale or this blatant.
Little can rival an old Scots pine for sheer force of personality and presence.
One of the earlier tree species to colonise Ireland after the last Ice Age, pine was thought to have completely died out due to deforestation, until a small residual population was confirmed in the Burren, Co. Clare.
The UN Security Council met on 15 April 2026 & described a "deteriorating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and wider Great Lakes region".
news.un.org/en/story/202...
The US are deporting people to a country where long-running & active armed conflict persists.
www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...
Unsurprising yet horrific this is needed.
And speaking as one of so many whose relative died of Covid in a care home, alongside seeing the lives of dear friends ravaged by long Covid.
Thanks to @cbffjuk.bsky.social for speaking truth to those in & seeking power.
Experiencing racism - having racism block your opportunities, security, health, housing, income and your children's - is not a personal 'identity' issue
brilliant -- Morning Joe put together clips of Pete Hegseth reciting a fake Bible quote from Pulp Fiction, along with the Samuel L. Jackson scene from the movie
"Every scalable solution has to start somewhere small. With a spark of an idea, an anomaly during an experiment or, perhaps, an empty seashell on an Irish beach."
theconversation.com/eight-wonder...
The PM either knew about Mandelson's vetting failure & lied or didn't know and should have. Most crucially, Mandelson should never have been considered. Hard to see this as anything other than acting without integrity to not, it turns out, satiate Nero.
Also trying to imagine my late mum's confusion if she could see I was quoting the Pope. (She was a very lapsed Catholic on grounds of power, wealth, Scottish sectarianism & more.)
Quote that says, "The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," he added. "They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found." Subheading says, "A world turned upside down."
Good words & the Pope appears to be a Dylan fan too.
www.france24.com/en/africa/20...
People in the most deprived areas are now spending less than 50 years of their lives in good health Graphic: Years expected to be spent in states of "good" health and "poorer" health by sex and deprivation decile, England, 2022 to 2024
People in England’s most deprived areas spend less than 50 years of their lives in good health, a 20-year gap compared with those in the richest areas
www.ft.com/content/85de...
Not just Leo.
"...as Pope Francis exhorts, the Christian ethics of war and peace should prioritize the theory of just peace and the cultivation of peacebuilding dispositions, practices, and institutions."
Just War as a Theory, Just Peace as a Virtue
Lisa Sowle Cahill
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
MPs voted yesterday evening to approve new protest restrictions in the Crime and Policing Bill 😠
Leaders from across the UK’s faith spectrum had urged MPs to remove the new clause on ‘cumulative impact’ because they feared it could shut down lawful, conscience-led protest. Find out more 👇
“Civilians in South Kivu’s highlands are facing a dire humanitarian crisis and live in fear of abuses by all parties...More attention is needed for this vastly underreported conflict or this bad situation will get even worse.”
www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...
Feel for the Red Cross as they won't be able to comment on this latest ridiculous lie. Hope it leads to some donations at least.
www.icrc.org/en/donate
"Fake and abusive website pages and scams using the ICRC’s identity or emblem may be reported through available channels, and legal action may be taken as needed. As a reminder, the misuse of the Red Cross, Red Crescent, or Red Crystal emblems are prohibited by law and may result in legal action and sanctions."
Hmm...
www.icrc.org/en/community...
Update to the update: sometime late this morning ET, the image of Trump as a Jesus-like figure was removed from the president's Truth Social page.
Statement from Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark In response to recent events, I reaffirm that Pope Leo serves a higher authority and desires to proclaim the Gospel faithfully and advance the Church’s peaceful mission in a world deeply in need of healing. He will continue to speak clearly against war and other offenses against human dignity and to call for authentic dialogue, because the Church’s witness is grounded in the peace of Christ, not in partisan interests. Recent statements and actions by the President of the United States convey a grave misunderstanding of the Holy Father's ministry and a troubling lack of respect for the faith of millions. The graphic exploitation of sacred imagery is deeply offensive and undermines the reverence owed to what believers hold most dear.
NEW from Cardinal Tobin of Newark — one of the papal electors at the conclave that ultimately chose Pope Leo — regarding Trump's recent posts about Leo and the Jesus-like image:
Says POTUS shows a "lack of respect for the faith of millions," and calls the Jesus-like image "deeply offensive."
Sean Feucht @seanfeucht This should be deleted immediately. There’s no context where this is acceptable.
Uh, whoa: *Sean Feucht* — a conservative and controversial Christian activist who has long been a part of the broader MAGA religious coalition and lead worship music at the White House — comes out against the image Trump posted.
This…is rare.
I have signed this and hope other British Jews will as well.
Orbán concedes. #Hungary
