Global Pulse

作者： admin

  • Exclusive: MPs demand investigation into British Museum’s ‘erasure’ of Palestine

    Exclusive: MPs demand investigation into British Museum’s ‘erasure’ of Palestine

    A growing political scandal has erupted in the United Kingdom after an investigative journalism exposé uncovered that London’s British Museum removed references to “Palestine”, “Palestinian” and “Israelite occupation” from its public exhibits in direct response to coordinated lobbying from pro-Israel advocacy groups and public figures. In response to the revelations, cross-party members of UK Parliament have united to call for an immediate independent probe into the incident, citing evidence of political interference that undermines the credibility of the country’s leading national cultural institution.

    The investigation, carried out by independent outlet Middle East Eye (MEE), found the controversial edits to museum displays were made between October and December 2024, prompted by a wave of complaints from pro-Israel activists and organizations. Multiple MPs from across the political spectrum — including the Green Party, Labour Party, and Your Party — have signed onto the demand for a full independent inquiry.

    Green Party MP Sian Berry, representing Brighton Pavilion, called MEE’s findings “deeply troubling”, warning that if the museum did indeed cave to external political pressure, it would severely damage the institution’s standing and erode public trust in its scholarly work. “An independent investigation should urgently be launched to determine if political interference has occurred,” Berry said.

    Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, echoed the call for transparency, emphasizing that national cultural bodies have a responsibility to preserve rather than erase marginalized histories. “The British Museum must urgently answer serious questions about its unacceptable removal of references to Palestine,” Burgon said. “Our national institutions must not take part in the erasure of Palestinian history. There must now be an independent investigation into who authorised these changes, why they were made, and whether the Museum misled the public.”

    Your Party MP Jeremy Corbyn, representing Islington North, went further, labeling the erasures as a clear case of anti-Palestinian racism. “This assault on academic freedom represents an attempt to wipe Palestinians from history… which can only embolden Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation,” Corbyn said. “We should call this politically motivated attack out for what it is: anti-Palestinian racism. We need an urgent investigation into political interference at the British Museum, and whether that led to the disgraceful Palestinian erasure.”

    The British Museum has so far refused to confirm whether it will launch an independent inquiry, and did not respond to multiple requests for comment from MEE on the specific claims of political interference. Back in February, the institution defended the changes, claiming the edits were the result of audience testing that found the term Palestine “is in some circumstances no longer meaningful.” But freedom of information responses obtained by MEE contradict that claim: despite the museum holding an extensive archive of audience testing reports, it has no official records of any such testing related to the Palestinian terminology edits.

    MEE’s analysis of heavily redacted internal British Museum emails further exposes the true context of the decision: senior museum staff openly raised concerns about private complaints from individual pro-Israel activists and the Board of Deputies of British Jews, a prominent pro-Israel Jewish community organization, as well as critical social media posts from pro-Israel public figures.

    In one notable case, a complaint argued that referencing “Israelite occupation” in a display text about the ancient Phoenicians, a civilization that existed more than 2,000 years ago, would fuel contemporary hatred and “justify attacks against Jews” in the present day. While the full text of the Board of Deputies’ official complaint has not been disclosed, an internal museum note indicates the organization argued that the term “occupied” had become overly “politically charged in the context of contemporary politics.” The Board of Deputies has not responded to MEE’s request for comment on the matter.

    Internal records also show the museum moved with extraordinary speed to address the pro-Israel complaints: most were resolved within days, and one high-profile complaint from the Board of Deputies was approved for action just hours after it was circulated internally. One staff memo even advised colleagues to be “uber-conscious” of the upcoming first anniversary of the 7 October attacks when processing the complaints. By contrast, MEE found no evidence of museum leadership showing similar consideration for the situation of Palestinians, who are facing what the United Nations has described as a ongoing genocide and systematic cultural erasure in Gaza.

    When contacted for comment following the publication of MEE’s initial investigation earlier this month, the British Museum declined to address any of the substantive questions raised, instead reissuing a vague February press statement. A museum spokesperson claimed that “it has been reported that the British Museum has removed the term Palestine from displays. It is simply not true. We continue to use Palestine across a series of galleries, both contemporary and historic.”

    Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, warned that the erasure of Palestinian history from one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions carries severe existential implications for the Palestinian people, coming amid ongoing violence in Gaza. “This is absolutely existential for us in light of the ongoing genocide,” Zomlot said.

    Israel’s 2023–2024 military assault on Gaza has already caused widespread destruction of Palestinian cultural and historical heritage sites. UNESCO, the UN’s cultural and heritage agency, has verified damage to at least 164 distinct heritage sites in Gaza since October 2023. In September 2024, Israeli forces bombed Gaza City’s primary ancient artifact storage depot, destroying 30 years of accumulated Palestinian archaeological work in a single attack.

    Accusations that Israel pursues a deliberate policy of erasing Palestinian cultural heritage long predate the 2023 outbreak of the current Gaza war. Back in 2022, Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq published a report accusing Israel of enacting a formal policy of “cultural apartheid” that targets Palestinian historic sites for destruction “in an attempt to erase them from memory.”

    Berry emphasized that the timing of the British Museum’s actions makes the incident even more unacceptable. “When the Israeli government is committing genocidal acts in Gaza and the Palestinian people are being systematically destroyed, it could not be more wrong for the UK’s most prestigious museum to erase the history of Palestine and the ongoing occupation,” Berry said.

  • What we know about latest fatal ICE shooting

    What we know about latest fatal ICE shooting

    A deadly shooting carried out by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer has left one man dead in the northeastern U.S. state of Maine, prompting an independent review of the incident by BBC Verify’s fact-checking and investigative team. The verification unit, which specializes in cross-checking visual evidence and public claims to reconstruct chaotic events, is currently conducting a frame-by-frame analysis of amateur and surveillance video captured at the scene of the killing. The examination aims to answer lingering public questions about the sequence of events that led to the officer opening fire, including potential factors like the man’s actions, the context of the ICE operation, and the positioning of all parties involved when the fatal shot was fired. As of this update, no full findings from the review have been released to the public, with the team still working to corroborate details from the footage with witness accounts and official statements from ICE officials. The incident has drawn local attention to the conduct of federal immigration enforcement actions in the state, as communities and observers await clarity on the circumstances of the killing.

  • Watch: ‘It smells like a dumpster’ – Stinky corpse flowers make rare bloom

    Watch: ‘It smells like a dumpster’ – Stinky corpse flowers make rare bloom

    One of nature’s most unusual botanical events is making a rare appearance: the blooming of the infamous corpse flower, a species renowned for its overwhelmingly foul scent. Unlike common garden blooms that attract pollinators with sweet fragrances, this extraordinary plant evolved to emit an aroma that is far from pleasant, with comparisons ranging from rotting flesh and moldy stinky cheese to overcooked boiled cabbage. Many visitors who have approached the blooming flowers have described the stench as being similar to that of an overflowing dumpster, a sensory experience that has become as much of a draw as the flower’s rare bloom itself. What makes this event even more notable is how short-lived the display is. Once the corpse flower opens its large petals, it remains in bloom for only 24 to 48 hours, making each opening a highly anticipated occurrence for botanical gardens and plant enthusiasts around the world. The short blooming window means that only a small number of people get the chance to witness (and smell) the phenomenon in person each time it occurs, adding to its reputation as one of the most unique events in the plant world. Botanists note that corpse flowers typically take years to store enough energy to bloom, so these rare openings are the culmination of a long growth period, making the short, pungent display all the more remarkable for the scientific community and casual observers alike.

  • Relationship and cooperation with China highly valued, Soloman Islands FM says

    Relationship and cooperation with China highly valued, Soloman Islands FM says

    In a high-level diplomatic meeting held in Beijing on Tuesday, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi and Solomon Islands Foreign Minister and External Trade Minister Rick Houenipwela convened to discuss deepening bilateral cooperation, reaffirm shared political commitments, and push back against outside interference in the Pacific island nation’s sovereign foreign policy choices.

    During the talks, Wang Yi emphasized that China pursues no hidden geopolitical agendas in its engagement with Pacific island nations, nor does it seek to carve out any sphere of influence in the region. He stressed that Beijing’s partnership with Pacific island states is rooted in the principles of South-South cooperation, centered on driving inclusive mutual development rather than advancing unilateral interests.

    Noting that all Pacific island countries are fully sovereign independent states that do not belong to any major power’s “backyard”, Wang underscored that these nations hold the unconditional right to independently select their own development partners, and that China-Solomon Islands relations should remain free of interference from third-party actors.

    China’s collaboration with the Solomon Islands adheres to three core principles: it comes with no attached political conditions, is never forced upon the Pacific nation, and is backed by tangible action rather than empty pledges, Wang added. Looking ahead, he said China stands ready to align national development strategies with the Solomon Islands, advance high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, expand practical collaboration in priority sectors including green energy, and deepen people-to-people ties across education, public health, and youth exchanges.

    Bilateral diplomatic relations between China and the Solomon Islands were established in 2019, after the country cut its unofficial diplomatic ties with the Taiwan region of China. Wang expressed China’s appreciation for the new Solomon Islands government’s repeated reaffirmation of its unwavering commitment to the one-China principle, noting that this shared commitment solidifies the political foundation of bilateral ties and creates a stable enabling environment for expanding cooperation.

    For his part, Houenipwela echoed the importance of the bilateral relationship, expressing profound gratitude for China’s long-running support for the Solomon Islands’ social and economic development. He pointed out that China is currently the Solomon Islands’ largest trading partner, and the two countries have signed dozens of memorandums of understanding covering a wide range of cooperation areas. The Solomon Islands is eager to grow bilateral trade and investment ties and deepen on-the-ground practical cooperation with China, he added, noting that the country also intends to take an active role in advancing broader cooperation between China and the wider Pacific island region.

  • Church of England votes to hear Palestinian Christians on Israeli genocide in Gaza

    Church of England votes to hear Palestinian Christians on Israeli genocide in Gaza

    In a landmark decision that breaks with longstanding norms in Western religious discourse, the Church of England’s legislative body, the General Synod, has voted to advance a motion calling on English congregations and church institutions to listen directly to the experiences of Palestinian Christians, overriding fierce opposition from pro-Israel groups that sought to block consideration of the community’s claims about Israeli “settler colonialism” and an “apartheid system”.

    The approved motion, amended during Monday’s deliberations, centers on engagement with testimonies compiled by Kairos Palestine, a Palestinian Christian grassroots movement. The revised text swapped the original word “receive” for “hear”, explicitly clarifying that the church does not require its members or institutions to endorse every claim laid out in the group’s latest document, Kairos II. The motion frames the text as a sincere reflection of the lived trauma of Palestinian Christians under occupation, and calls on the global Anglican community to stand in solidarity with Palestinians engaged in nonviolent resistance to Israeli occupation. It also explicitly condemns antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and all other forms of religious and ethnic prejudice.

    Formally titled *A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide*, Kairos II was published in November by Palestinian Christian clergy and lay leaders, drafted in direct response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, escalating settler violence and forced displacement across the occupied West Bank. The document labels Israel a colonial project waging a genocidal war on Gaza, and calls for global grassroots action including boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns to pressure the Israeli government. It also rejects Christian Zionism as a theological framework rooted in racism, colonialism, and ethnic supremacy, stating that any just resolution requires dismantling the settler colonial structure and apartheid system enshrined in Israel’s Nation-State Law, which enshrines Jewish supremacy.

    The framing used in Kairos II aligns with findings from multiple prominent independent and international bodies: a United Nations commission of inquiry, global human rights group Amnesty International, and leading Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem have all concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and carrying out ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank.

    The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, who publicly backed the motion following a fact-finding visit to the region in June, addressed the Synod to emphasize the urgency of listening to Palestinian voices. “The fear was palpable among everyone we met, Palestinian and Israeli. From Gaza to the north of Israel, from southern Lebanon to the West Bank, people across the region are traumatized by ongoing conflicts,” she said. Noting that the Kairos II document directly mirrors the pain and suffering of the Palestinian people, Mullally argued that the church has a moral obligation to hold difficult conversations and cross deep divides to engage with lived experience. “I am a pastor, not a politician. When I say the Palestinian people deserve their freedom, that is not a political statement, but a moral and spiritual one,” she added. “Put simply, Palestine, which the British government recognised last year, is disappearing.”

    For Palestinian Christian leaders, the vote marks a historic break from decades of Western religious institutions sidelining Palestinian Christian voices in conversations about the Middle East conflict. Munther Isaac, a prominent Palestinian Christian pastor based in the occupied West Bank, called the decision “a very positive sign and an important step forward” in an interview with Middle East Eye. “Kairos Palestine does speak of genocide, but it is hardly alone in doing so. We should not forget the many credible, extensive, and detailed reports that have reached the same conclusion or raised the gravest concerns about genocide in Gaza,” he said. “In this regard, the Church is simply being true to its calling: to engage seriously with what is happening in the world, with what its own members are wrestling with and speaking about, and with what its Palestinian Christian siblings are calling for.”

    The Synod’s vote drew immediate and fierce pushback from pro-Israel groups and leaders across the United Kingdom. Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, called the motion “highly problematic”, claiming Kairos II contains “falsehoods and distortions”. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described the decision as “shameful” and “a sad day for Jewish-Christian relations”. Isaac noted that the backlash was predictable, but criticized opponents for focusing on the language of the document rather than the atrocities that prompted its creation. “But it is shameful that they seem more concerned about the Church receiving and engaging with a document from Palestinian Christians than they are about the crimes and genocide itself. It is also very telling how easily they dismiss the entire question of genocide, despite the overwhelming body of credible reports and evidence,” he said.

    The pushback comes amid a documented rise in attacks on Christian communities and property across Israel and occupied Palestinian territories. The Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue recorded 155 separate anti-Christian incidents in 2025 alone, including 61 physical assaults, 52 attacks on church infrastructure, 28 cases of harassment, and 14 incidents of vandalism. The centre warns that the recorded figures represent only the “tip of the iceberg”, with many incidents going unreported. Violence targeting Christian sites has also extended beyond Palestinian territories: Israeli forces in southern Lebanon have damaged church buildings, bulldozed part of a Catholic convent, and released footage of soldiers desecrating religious statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

    Isaac called on global church leaders to follow the Church of England’s lead, and to amplify the growing number of Jewish voices that oppose the war in Gaza and criticize Israeli policies. “It is long overdue for church leaders around the world to listen more carefully to the growing number of Jewish voices who oppose the genocide and speak critically of Zionism and the State of Israel. These are important voices for genuine dialogue today,” he said. Addressing the common claim that criticism of Israel amounts to antisemitism, Isaac added: “Criticism of Israel must not be confused with antisemitism. Yet this remains a repeated tactic among some of those who opposed the vote, and I believe people are increasingly fed up with attempts to equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Such accusations should not be used to silence legitimate moral, theological and political criticism.”

  • Starmer becomes first UK PM to receive top French honour

    Starmer becomes first UK PM to receive top French honour

    In a landmark diplomatic moment held at the Élysée Palace, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has entered the history books as the first sitting British prime minister to receive France’s highest civilian and military distinction, the Legion d’honneur. The prestigious award was presented at the conclusion of a gathering of the Coalition of the Willing, a coalition of pro-Ukraine nations co-founded by Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

    During the presentation ceremony, Macron offered glowing remarks that celebrated both Starmer’s personal character and his far-reaching contributions to continental and global security. He underscored his gratitude, as well as the gratitude of the French people, for Starmer’s years of service in office, noting that “all the human qualities that we learn to appreciate, all those remain very important to all of us. We found with you a very reliable and friendly partner.” Macron specifically highlighted Starmer’s unwavering commitments to the United Kingdom, European collective security, Ukraine’s sovereignty, and the strengthening of Franco-British bilateral ties.

    The honor drew tributes from leading global figures who have stood alongside the coalition in supporting Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was among those who honored Starmer, who is set to step down from the post of prime minister next week. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also joined in offering public thanks to the outgoing UK leader for his work at the event.

    Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion d’honneur is awarded annually to roughly 2,000 French citizens and 200 foreign nationals in recognition of exceptional merit and service to the nation or broader global community. Past recipients span the spectrum of global leadership: British wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill received the order’s highest rank, Grand Croix, a distinction reserved for individuals with decades of outstanding contribution. Other prominent figures to hold the honor include former South African President Nelson Mandela, former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself.

    Despite its status as one of the world’s most recognizable state honors, the Legion d’honneur has long been mired in controversy, due to its past bestowal on a number of authoritarian and controversial leaders. Recipients have included Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Italian wartime fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, and Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. To date, only one foreign leader has been stripped of the honor: former Panamanian President Manuel Noriega. Under Macron’s presidency, disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein also had the decoration revoked following multiple public accusations of sexual harassment and rape.

  • Over 800 UK medical workers urge government to act to save Dr Abu Safiya

    Over 800 UK medical workers urge government to act to save Dr Abu Safiya

    A coalition of more than 800 doctors, nurses, and medical professionals across the United Kingdom has signed an open letter demanding urgent action from Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to free Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a prominent Palestinian paediatrician whose life is in imminent danger after more than 550 days of Israeli captivity.

    Dr. Abu Safiya served as the director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, and rose to global attention during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza for his unwavering commitment to treating civilian victims of the conflict. When Israeli forces designated northern Gaza a combat zone and ordered all medical personnel to evacuate Kamal Adwan, the last fully functioning hospital in the region, he repeatedly refused to abandon his patients. Before Israeli troops stormed the facility, he documented near-daily attacks on the hospital in dozens of public videos and issued urgent pleas to the international community to intervene to stop the bombardment. During the raid on Kamal Adwan, Israeli forces detained 44 hospital staff, and a drone strike killed Dr. Abu Safiya’s son, Ibrahim. He himself was seized by Israeli forces on 27 December 2024, and has been held without charge or trial ever since.

    The open letter, organized jointly by Amnesty International UK and NHS advocacy group Health Workers 4 Palestine, calls on Cooper to issue a clear, public demand for Dr. Abu Safiya’s immediate release and deploy every economic, political, and diplomatic tool at the UK government’s disposal to secure his freedom. It draws on first-hand testimony from a visit by a lawyer with Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) to Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention site on 2 July, which revealed severe bruising and torture marks covering the doctor’s head and body. The practitioner has been left severely weakened and is barely recognizable to visitors.

    PHRI’s additional reporting confirms that since his transfer to the Rakevet underground detention wing within Israel’s Ayalon Prison complex in Ramla, Dr. Abu Safiya has been subjected to daily beatings. He has been held in solitary confinement since last month, and has been repeatedly denied access to necessary medical care, despite living with multiple chronic health conditions. In a devastating message relayed through his lawyer, Dr. Abu Safiya warned, “This is the last time you’ll see me… they brought me here to kill me.”

    His son Elias has echoed this warning in an emotional public appeal, urging governments, global humanitarian bodies, and people across the world to intervene immediately to save his father’s life. “The world’s silence today could mean the loss of an innocent human life,” he said, noting his father is “living through critical moments between life and death.”

    Kerry Moscogiuri, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, called out the injustice of Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention, saying he has been tortured to the edge of death solely for refusing to leave his patients behind. “The UK government must act now, publicly and forcefully, to secure his immediate release – before it’s too late,” Moscogiuri said.

    Amira Nimerawi, CEO of Health Workers 4 Palestine, accused the British government of enabling what she called Dr. Abu Safiya’s slow death in Israeli custody by refusing to exercise political will to advocate for him and hundreds of other detained Palestinian health workers. “This is not an accident. It is the result of a system of detention designed to break him,” Nimerawi said.

    Signatories to the letter emphasize that Dr. Abu Safiya’s arbitrary detention and abuse is not an isolated incident. They note that since October 2023, more than 400 other Gaza-based healthcare workers have been arbitrarily detained by Israeli forces, and more than 1,700 have been killed – an average of two to three deaths per day before the October 2025 ceasefire. UN experts have labeled this systematic targeting of medical personnel “medicide.” A UN report confirms Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed every hospital in Gaza, driving the enclave’s entire healthcare system to the brink of total collapse as part of a consistent pattern of attacks. The letter argues that under international law, healthcare workers and medical facilities are protected, and this routine targeting has deliberately inflated civilian casualties. When considered alongside Israel’s broader military actions in Gaza, the signatories say these attacks constitute evidence of genocidal intent.

    Beyond the immediate call for Dr. Abu Safiya’s release, UK medical workers are urging the British government to pursue accountability for all arbitrary detentions and killings of Palestinian healthcare workers, including supporting ongoing investigations by the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

    Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, a professor of Conflict Medicine and a signatory to the letter, told Middle East Eye that the continued detention of Dr. Abu Safiya makes clear that the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system was never a side effect of the war – it was a core component of the genocidal campaign, and remains so today. Dr. Omar Abdel Mannan, an NHS paediatrician with 15 years of clinical experience in the UK and another signatory, added that a doctor who refused to abandon sick children is now being tortured to death while held without trial. “The foreign secretary has the power to act – she must publicly demand Dr Abu Safiya’s immediate release and back it with sanctions on Israel. Every day she doesn’t, his life hangs in the balance,” he said.

    International calls for Dr. Abu Safiya’s release have grown exponentially since news of his deteriorating condition broke. Multiple protests have been held across the UK, including a large rally outside Downing Street where hundreds of human rights activists, medical workers, and political figures gathered to pressure the British government to intervene. A group of UN experts has also called for his immediate release, noting he was detained illegally under Israel’s Unlawful Combatants Law – a statute UN experts have long held violates international humanitarian and human rights law. On 16 June, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected Dr. Abu Safiya’s appeal against his detention, extending his detention without charge through at least October 2026. To date, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not responded to requests for comment from Middle East Eye.

  • Brazil registered zero direct oil exports to Israel in 2025 in victory for boycott campaign

    Brazil registered zero direct oil exports to Israel in 2025 in victory for boycott campaign

    Newly released official data confirms that Brazil shipped no crude oil directly to Israel in 2025, a milestone that pro-boycott activists are calling a tangible win for grassroots pressure aimed at holding the South American nation accountable to international obligations amid escalating tensions over Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

    Data published in the 2026 Statistical Yearbook from Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP), which was released publicly in late June, verifies that no direct crude oil shipments from Brazil to Israel were recorded last calendar year. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a leading group advocating for economic pressure on Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, has attributed the shift to coordinated campaigning targeting both the Brazilian federal government and the country’s leading energy corporations.

    In a public social media statement, the movement welcomed the end of direct exports as a meaningful step toward reducing Brazil’s complicity in what the International Court of Justice has labeled a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza. The statement emphasized that sustained organizing from grassroots community groups and national trade unions has successfully pushed Brazilian leadership to align its trade practices with its public rhetorical commitments to international law.

    Despite celebrating the breakthrough, BDS activists were quick to note that the zero-direct-export mark only closes one pathway for Brazilian oil to reach Israel. ‘The direct route is closed, but the back door isn’t,’ the group acknowledged, indicating that indirect shipments via third-party re-exports still allow Brazilian crude to enter Israeli markets. The movement added that it would continue its pressure campaign, framing the 2025 result as one incremental step toward a full embargo.

    Recent trade data from clean energy advocacy organization Oil Change International contextualizes the shift: before 2025, Brazil had rapidly grown into one of Israel’s top crude suppliers. As recently as mid-2004, Brazil ranked as Israel’s fifth-largest crude provider, covering 9% of the country’s total crude import demand. Even amid a sharp diplomatic fallout in 2024, Brazil climbed to become Israel’s fourth-largest crude exporter that year, still holding a 9% share of Israeli imports, according to Oil Change International’s analysis.

    The diplomatic rift between Brasília and Tel Aviv widened dramatically in February 2024, when Israeli officials designated Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva persona non grata after Lula publicly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and compared Israeli military operations to the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Since that breakdown, bilateral relations have remained frozen: in July 2025, Brazil formally announced its diplomatic backing for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and recalled its ambassador to Israel in a sign of protest.

    Brazil’s state-owned energy giant Petrobras, which dominates the country’s crude export sector, has long maintained that it does not directly sell crude to Israeli buyers. The company has repeatedly stated that it only sells crude to international refineries, and claims it has no oversight or control over the final destination of products refined from its crude.

    The push for a full national embargo gained formal trade union backing in May 2025, when two of Brazil’s largest oil worker federations submitted an open letter to the federal government. The letter cited Lula’s own sharp public criticism of Israel and urged the administration to implement a formal embargo on all Brazilian oil exports to Israel, regardless of shipping route. To date, the federations have not received any official response from the government.

    BDS has argued that even indirect shipments via third countries still place Brazil under international legal responsibility for enabling Israel’s military campaign. ‘Under international law, a state’s responsibility is determined by its knowledge and its material contribution to the supply, not by the route the shipment takes,’ the movement stated. The group has vowed to continue organizing until all Brazilian crude, whether shipped directly or indirectly, is barred from reaching Israeli markets.

  • Villa warned over sportswashing after Visit Rwanda deal

    Villa warned over sportswashing after Visit Rwanda deal

    English Premier League side Aston Villa has landed the largest sponsorship agreement in its century-long history, a multi-year £20 million-per-year deal with Rwandan tourism board Visit Rwanda that has quickly reignited global debate over alleged “sportswashing” of Rwanda’s alleged human rights abuses and military interference in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

    The deal will see Visit Rwanda replace betting brand Betano on the front of matchday kits for Aston Villa’s men’s senior team, women’s senior team, and youth academy squads. The partnership marks the first major major commercial agreement negotiated by Francesco Calvo, who took over as the club’s president of business operations last year following the departure of Chris Heck. In a formal statement announcing the partnership, Calvo framed the deal as a milestone in the club’s global growth strategy, saying it unlocks cross-sector opportunities across tourism, foreign investment, and grassroots sports development.

    “This is a very exciting partnership for Aston Villa and a symbol of the club’s continuing expansion and growth into international markets,” Calvo said. “There is a great range and depth of opportunities for collaboration, learning and innovation and we are looking forward to working with Visit Rwanda to deliver meaningful activations through tourism, investment and sporting development.”

    But the agreement has drawn immediate condemnation from human rights advocates and political leaders, who accuse Rwanda of using high-profile football partnerships to distract the global public from systemic human rights violations at home and its role in fueling ongoing deadly conflict in eastern DRC. Felix Jakens, head of campaigns for Amnesty International UK, said the pattern of Rwanda leveraging elite football sponsorships for positive public relations is nothing new, and that Aston Villa and the Premier League have a responsibility to address the allegations.

    “It’s not new that Rwanda is using sportswashing to deflect attention from its terrible human rights record,” Jakens said in a statement to BBC Sport. “Aston Villa should be well aware that Rwanda is seeking to leverage this partnership to create positive PR. The country is prolific in arbitrary detention, torture and the repression of free speech – these are abuses at home. We are seeing bloodshed right before our eyes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda is playing a significant role in fuelling that conflict – both through its support to the M23 rebels and the direct actions of its military in Eastern Congo. Rwanda’s sportswashing needs to be called out, and we’d like Aston Villa and the Premier League to play their part in this.”

    The criticisms come amid a long-running international dispute between DRC and Rwanda. Just last month, DRC formally filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the neighboring country of violating multiple international treaties by deploying military forces and arming rebel groups to carry out illegal operations on DRC territory. The allegations stretch back decades, rooted in regional instability that followed the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Rwanda has repeatedly denied all claims that it supports armed groups in eastern DRC, but independent United Nations experts and several Western governments have verified that Rwanda provides backing for the M23, one of the most active and violent insurgent groups in the region.

    Aston Villa’s deal marks the latest high-profile Rwandan tourism sponsorship in global football that has faced public scrutiny. Visit Rwanda already holds partnerships with clubs across Europe’s top leagues, including Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Atletico Madrid, and previously Arsenal and Bayern Munich, and each of these deals has sparked protests and campaigns from fans and human rights groups.

    Last year, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC tied to the M23 insurgency, DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner openly called on Arsenal, Bayern, and PSG to end what she labeled “blood-stained” sponsorship deals, questioning the moral standing of accepting revenue from a nation she accuses of military aggression. “It is time Arsenal ended its blood-stained sponsorship deals with this oppressor nation. If not for your own consciences, then the clubs should do it for the victims of Rwandan aggression,” Wagner wrote in open letters to the clubs’ leadership.

    Fan campaigns have also pressured clubs to cut ties: PSG supporters launched a national petition demanding an end to the partnership in 2024, while Arsenal’s fan-led group Gunners for Peace ran a public campaign urging the club not to renew its Visit Rwanda sleeve sponsorship, even suggesting rival Tottenham Hotspur would be a more ethical alternative.

    In response to past criticisms, the Rwanda Development Board has repeatedly rejected the accusations as misinformation, saying the Visit Rwanda initiative is designed to showcase the country’s progress toward peace, stability, and inclusive economic growth, and that DRC has attempted to undermine the partnerships through unfair political pressure.

    In recent months, a handful of high-profile clubs have moved to end their commercial sponsorship deals with Visit Rwanda. Arsenal announced last November that its eight-year sleeve sponsorship agreement would conclude at the end of the 2025-26 season, a deal that was reportedly worth more than £10 million annually at its peak. Bayern Munich announced last August that it would transition away from commercial branding to focus solely on expanding its existing youth academy partnership in Kigali with Rwanda’s Ministry of Sports. However, other clubs have expanded their ties: just two months ago in April 2025, PSG extended its Visit Rwanda sponsorship until 2028, while La Liga side Atletico Madrid signed a new three-year deal to feature the Visit Rwanda logo on both its men’s and women’s senior team kits.

    Aston Villa’s need for a new front-of-shirt sponsor arose after all Premier League clubs agreed to remove all gambling industry sponsorship from the front of matchday kits by the end of the 2024-25 season, requiring the club to find a replacement for outgoing sponsor Betano. The BBC has reached out to Aston Villa for additional comment on the new sponsorship following the human rights criticisms, and the club has not yet issued a further response.

  • Argentina v England in the World Cup: much more than just a game

    Argentina v England in the World Cup: much more than just a game

    When Argentina takes on England in the 2026 World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, Georgia, the fixture carries far more meaning than 90 minutes of soccer for millions of Argentines. From the 1982 Falklands War to Diego Maradona’s legendary controversial 1986 World Cup moments, decades of shared history have turned this rivalry into something that extends far beyond the white lines of the pitch.

    The core of this layered history lies in the dispute over the South Atlantic archipelago Argentina calls the Malvinas, a territory claimed by Argentina but controlled by the United Kingdom since the 19th century. The 1982 war over the islands left 649 Argentines and 255 Britons dead, ending in a British victory that still stings for many in Argentina. Today, the claim to the Malvinas is enshrined in Argentina’s constitution, taught in every national school textbook, and woven into daily life through murals, tattoos, and place names honoring the disputed territory. In a deeply politically divided country, the national football team and the Malvinas claim remain two of the only unifying issues that bridge left-right divides.

    This historical weight is captured in Argentina’s 2026 World Cup anthem *La Cuarta Estrella*, which puts the Malvinas at the top of its rallying cries: “For Malvinas, for Diego, for Leo’s last, Argentina, I want to see you double world champions.” The anticipation has gripped the nation, with ordinary fans saying the excitement has crowded out all other thoughts. Thirty-three-year-old teacher Ezequiel Murmis told AFP, “I’m going crazy, I haven’t slept, I can’t think of anything else,” after attending a screening of *El Partido*, a new documentary revisiting Argentina’s iconic 1986 World Cup quarter-final win over England.

    That 1986 match remains one of the most famous in football history. Maradona’s opening goal, punched into the net with his hand and later dubbed the “Hand of God,” became a symbol of Argentine defiance just four years after the Falklands War defeat. Minutes later, Maradona scored what is still widely called the “Goal of the Century,” a stunning solo run that weaved through a bewildered England defense, cementing his legacy as a national hero before his death in 2020.

    Not all Argentines tie the current match to the decades-old conflict, however. Ernesto Alonso, a veteran of the 1982 Falklands War, argued that Maradona already gave Argentina the symbolic victory it craved in 1986. “Of course we’re all excited and want to win but we cannot shift the responsibility for the Malvinas issue onto the national team,” he explained.

    Andres Burgo, author of the original book that became *El Partido*, noted that 2026 is a far cry from 1986, when fresh war wounds made restoring national honor the overwhelming priority for the team. “That game was tainted by political pressure,” Burgo explained. “This year’s semi-final has less symbolic importance and more sporting significance.” Even so, the documentary has drawn packed audiences across Argentina, a clear sign the old tensions still run deep. Leaving a Buenos Aires screening, 33-year-old insurance agent Tomas Barbeito, wearing an Argentina national team jersey, admitted he felt “very anxious” ahead of the match: “It’s like we want to avenge something we shouldn’t have to avenge.”

    Despite the decades of rivalry, many Argentine fans acknowledge a deep respect for English football culture. After Argentina’s recent win over Switzerland, the entire team could be seen jumping in celebration to the traditional Argentine chant: “He who doesn’t jump is English!” That fiery, confrontational passion that defines Argentine fan culture has few parallels — and England is one of them. Both nations are famous for their all-consuming love of the game, and both have seen that passion spill over into crowd violence at times.

    Burgo pointed out that beyond the rivalry, Argentines recognize a kindred spirit in English football. “There are countries that don’t have a passion for football, like the United States; countries that have passion but not a distinct football culture. England has both, passion and culture, and I think Argentine fans recognize and respect that,” he said. Barbeito echoed that contradictory but warm sentiment: “But the truth is, I like the English and how they live and breathe football.”

    As kickoff approaches in Atlanta, the clash brings together sporting ambition and decades of shared history, for a match that means as much off the pitch as it does on it.