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UK lords working for consulting firm lobbying for UAE

An investigation by independent outlet Middle East Eye has uncovered a contentious link between three sitting members of the UK House of Lords and a global consultancy firm that is registered to lobby senior UK officials on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, a Gulf state widely accused of enabling widespread human suffering in Sudan’s ongoing civil war.

The three peers in question are Thangam Debbonaire, a former Labour Member of Parliament and shadow culture secretary elevated to the House of Lords by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 2024; Conservative peer Ruth Porter, a former deputy chief of staff to ex-prime minister Liz Truss who serves as a managing director at the firm FGS Global; and Andrew Cooper, an independent peer and former senior advisor to ex-prime minister David Cameron, who holds a partner role at the company.

Per filings with the UK’s Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, FGS Global has conducted active lobbying outreach to UK parliamentarians, senior civil servants, and other key stakeholders on behalf of the UAE since October 2025. The firm’s registered activities include organizing in-person meetings, telephone calls and email correspondence to boost awareness of the UAE-UK bilateral relationship, alongside providing strategic media guidance and content support to the UAE’s embassy in London.

The connection comes amid grave international allegations against the UAE: rights groups and United Nations Security Council investigators have repeatedly documented that the Gulf state has funneled weapons and logistical support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary group that has carried out mass atrocities over three years of civil war. The conflict has displaced an estimated 13 million Sudanese people and left hundreds of thousands dead, with UN investigators confirming that an RSF attack on the besieged city of El Fasher in October 2024 bore clear “hallmarks of genocide” that killed at least 6,000 people in just three days. The UAE has consistently denied all allegations of providing support to the RSF.

FGS Global has stated that no wrongdoing has occurred, emphasizing that all of its staff adhere strictly to UK transparency, disclosure and advocacy rules. The firm also clarified that none of the three House of Lords members associated with the company have worked on the UAE client account. No evidence has been presented to suggest the peers have engaged in any improper activity related to the UAE contract.

Despite these denials, transparency and human rights campaigners have raised urgent alarms about the conflict of interest inherent in having senior parliamentarians hold paid roles at firms lobbying for foreign governments accused of mass human rights violations. Steve Goodrich, head of research and investigations at Transparency International UK, argued that the current regulatory framework fails to address clear risks to democratic accountability. “When members of the House of Lords hold senior roles at firms lobbying for foreign governments, it’s hard to know whose interests are being represented,” Goodrich told Middle East Eye. “Peers are in Parliament to serve the public, not to open doors for paying clients. The rules should require peers to choose: keep their seat in the Lords, or keep their interests in the lobbying industry.”

Kristyan Benedict, crisis response manager at Amnesty International UK, echoed these concerns, noting that all parliamentarians have a duty to scrutinize the entities they associate with, particularly when those entities work for governments accused of breaking international law. The case of Debbonaire, one of the three peers, has added layers of controversy: she has previously been a vocal critic of outside paid lobbying for lawmakers, calling for a ban on second jobs for House of Commons members during a 2021 parliamentary standards debate, where she declared that “MPs should not be for sale” and that lawmakers are elected to serve the public good rather than private interests. In 2024, she also publicly opposed a proposed UAE-led takeover of UK media outlets the Telegraph and the Spectator, arguing that a foreign power-backed acquisition should not be approved.

Further scrutiny of FGS Global’s ties to UK politics has emerged following the investigation: the firm donated more than £27,000 to the UK Labour Party in 2024, with a portion of the funds used to second an FGS staff member, Kamella Hudson, as an election campaign advisor to current Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves. Hudson was previously accused of arranging private meetings between UK ministers and Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein, another FGS client, in 2024. The donations also funded a high-profile drinks reception following Reeves’ keynote speech to the 2024 Labour Party conference, UK media reports confirm.

The controversy also overlaps with longstanding criticism of the UK government’s continued arms sales to the UAE. Despite a full UN arms embargo on Sudan imposed in 2024, and UN findings that UK-manufactured arms are being diverted to the RSF via the UAE, the UK government has approved multiple arms export licenses to the Gulf state in 2025, including components for military vehicles, drone parts and gun silencers. “The UAE has been a known hub for arms diversion for years and the UK government has long been aware of weapons being routed through the Emirates to conflict zones like Sudan and Libya,” Benedict said. “The UK government has committed to help end the conflict in Sudan and to work to prevent atrocities, but it still hasn’t suspended all arms sales to the UAE, which it must do immediately.”

FGS Global’s lobbying work for the UAE extends far beyond the UK: the firm is also registered as a foreign agent for the Gulf state in the United States, where it has additionally represented the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland. Per US disclosure filings, FGS was contracted by the UAE to shape US policy on bilateral trade, investment and geopolitical issues through outreach to policymakers, media outlets, think tanks and academic circles. The UAE’s expanded global lobbying push comes as the country navigates a major diplomatic rift with its former ally Saudi Arabia, driven by disagreement over the UAE’s backing of secessionist movements across Yemen, Libya and Somalia.

In addition to the UAE, FGS Global’s UK client roster includes US tech giant Oracle, a company co-founded by billionaire Larry Ellison with close ties to the second Trump administration. Oracle is a major funder of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a think tank chaired by former UK prime minister Tony Blair that sparked widespread controversy in February 2025 after it was revealed that institute staff had drafted plans for a post-war Gaza dubbed the “Trump Riviera”, a proposal widely condemned for appearing to endorse the ethnic cleansing of the territory’s Palestinian population. Blair currently serves on US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace”, a body tasked with overseeing the besieged enclave after a planned end to Israeli hostilities.

12 6 月, 2026
Kids’ nonprofit in Seattle returns 20 free World Cup tickets over barring of Somali referee

SEATTLE – For Ali Abdulla, the news that his youth soccer nonprofit would secure 20 complimentary tickets to a 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match in Seattle felt like a once-in-a-lifetime gift. Most of the young athletes in his African Youth Sports Academy (AYSA) come from low-income immigrant households, with average tickets for the high-stakes match fetching close to $1,000 apiece – a price far out of reach for nearly all of the families the organization serves. Abdulla, a former semi-professional soccer player and Somali refugee, called the windfall the best news he had received in years.

The tickets were part of a 1,400-ticket community access program run by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s office and the local FIFA World Cup organizing committee. Abdulla had even helped promote the initiative, appearing in a social media campaign alongside a group of his academy’s young players, and the organization had already planned an intra-academy tournament to select 13 to 16-year-old players and their parent chaperones to attend the match. Everything seemed to be falling into place for a historic experience the kids would never forget.

That changed abruptly when the U.S. government barred Omar Artan from entering the country. Artan, who had already traveled to Miami for the tournament, was set to become the first Somali referee in history to officiate a FIFA World Cup match – a landmark milestone not just for Somalia, but for Somali communities across the globe. After the entry ban, FIFA removed Artan from its roster of tournament officials.

The news hit Seattle’s Somali community hard. Abdulla, who had been tapped to serve as a volunteer FIFA fan ambassador for the tournament, initially planned to resign from his ambassador role in solidarity. But when he shared his idea with AYSA’s parents and volunteer coaches, they proposed a bolder, more meaningful act of protest: give up the World Cup tickets entirely.

“They all sent a message saying, ‘We feel heartbroken, we feel betrayed,’” Abdulla told The Associated Press in an interview on June 12. “We don’t feel right to go celebrate while the only person in the history of our country (selected to referee the World Cup) is feeling pain and disappointed.”

Abdulla said he was deeply moved by the collective call to stand with Artan. “I felt so emotional when the parents said that, because to return a one-time opportunity for solidarity with our boy — that made me very proud to lead this organization,” he added. Even the young athletes who were in line to attend the match understood the importance of the decision. “The kids are very sad, man, very heartbroken,” Abdulla said. “We have to teach them to stand up for the right thing.”

City officials confirmed the tickets have been reallocated to another local community organization, declining further comment on AYSA’s decision. Hana Tadesse, a spokesperson for the local World Cup organizing committee, said the tickets were transferred to the Somali Health Board, another Seattle group that runs youth soccer programming. The Somali Health Board did not respond to requests for comment on Friday. The Seattle Times was first to report AYSA’s decision.

Abdulla, who works full-time as a transit security officer for Seattle’s light rail system and retired from semi-pro play with the Seattle Somali Stars in 2017, has stepped away from all of his World Cup-related volunteer roles. He says he will not even watch the tournament matches on television, and is instead turning his focus to another major community sporting event: the 28th annual Somali Week tournament, which he organizes after years of playing and coaching in the event. This August, Somali Week will bring teams from Canada, the United Kingdom, Minneapolis and other North American and European cities to Kent, a suburb of Seattle.

For Abdulla, the annual tournament embodies the unifying power of soccer that FIFA’s World Cup has failed to deliver for his community this year. The event draws hundreds of players of African heritage and beyond, he said, standing as a testament to what soccer can be when it lifts up marginalized communities rather than leaving them behind.

12 6 月, 2026
The college scam that promised students fleeing war a new life in Finland

For thousands of young Burmese displaced by the 2021 military coup, a vocational education spot in Finland represented far more than just a degree — it was a lifeline out of conflict, poverty, and uncertainty. But for hundreds of these aspiring students, that dream has collapsed into financial ruin and exploitation, at the center of what Finnish law enforcement calls one of the largest education fraud schemes they have ever investigated.

The story begins with the upheaval that shattered education across Myanmar after the military seized power in February 2021. Thousands of educators abandoned their posts, and pro-democracy students refused to enroll in institutions controlled by the junta. Many young people, including 19-year-old Ma Naw Phaw, fled to refugee settlements along the Thai-Myanmar border, where they scrambled to access alternative schooling in towns like Mae Sot. It was there that Ma Naw Phaw first encountered Brighter Future Way (BFW), an education recruitment agency that promised Burmese students access to vocational programs across Finland, complete with guaranteed residence permits and a clear path to stable employment that would let them support their families.

For Ma Naw Phaw, the opportunity felt too good to miss. “It didn’t matter what I studied,” she recalled. “I just knew I needed a degree to find a good job and earn a decent wage to lift my family out of hardship.” Like dozens of other students, she began preparing for the move, taking Finnish language courses organized by BFW and working to raise the exorbitant fees the agency charged. The 10,000 euros ($11,500) BFW demanded for language training, visa processing, and vocational school placement was a catastrophic sum for her family: it took nearly a year of sacrifice to raise, and her mother ultimately sold two plots of family farmland to cover the cost. But the investment felt worth it for a future in what agencies marketed as the “world’s happiest country,” where once students secured a study residence permit, their entire families could eventually join them.

This marketing pitch grew increasingly powerful after Western nations including the United States and United Kingdom tightened visa rules for Burmese nationals following the 2021 coup, over concerns that student visas were being used to claim refugee status. Finland, by contrast, was positioned as a welcoming, accessible alternative, with agencies touting easy visa approval, free high-quality education, and the ability to work while studying to cover living costs. BFW, which advertised itself as a specialist service supporting Burmese students seeking to study, work, and live abroad, even had registered offices in Myanmar, Thailand, and Finland, giving it an air of legitimacy that convinced hundreds of vulnerable young people to sign up.

But the promise quickly unraveled for most students. By April of this year, Ma Naw Phaw’s application for a Finnish residence permit was rejected — a outcome BFW had repeatedly insisted would never happen. When she reached out to BFW to demand a refund, the agency went silent. Within weeks, she learned that BFW founder Min Min Soe Shwe had been arrested by Finnish authorities, and her entire life savings were gone.

Interviews with six affected students, a Finnish vocational institution, and BFW’s Thailand-based co-founder Phitak Pakay confirm that BFW is the agency at the center of the large-scale investigation launched by Finland’s Border Guard. The probe covers activity between 2022 and 2025, during which BFW offered placement services to roughly 350 Burmese students. Investigators suspect the scheme operated under false pretenses: the agency charged exorbitant, hidden fees for services it never delivered, leaving hundreds of students and their families deep in debt.

Juho Sillanpää, the lead investigator on the case, told the BBC that the scam has left hundreds of students in extremely vulnerable positions, putting them at high risk of further financial or personal exploitation. While Sillanpää noted that Finnish law enforcement has investigated multiple education agent fraud cases over the years, most have been far smaller in scale. He added that the alleged conduct could amount to aggravated extortion, though he declined to name the organization or individuals under investigation publicly.

Students who fell victim to the scheme describe a pattern of deception from the start. Ma Naw Phaw told reporters that after paying thousands of euros for Finnish language training, she arrived at BFW’s Mae Sat facility to find no qualified teachers at all — students were forced to teach one another. When she asked to withdraw after a few months, BFW representatives told her no refunds would be issued under any circumstances.

For 21-year-old Ko Myint, the outcome has been even bleaker. His parents emptied their entire life savings and borrowed thousands of dollars from relatives to pay BFW’s 8,000 euro fee, while working as low-wage migrants at a Thai food factory earning just $305 a month. After Ko Myint already paid the lump sum, BFW suddenly demanded an extra 3,500 baht per month in accommodation fees that were never disclosed upfront. When he could not pay, he was dropped from the program despite already receiving an offer to study nursing in Helsinki. “They told me not a single baht of my money was left, but I never even got a visa,” he said. “I don’t understand how all the money could be gone.” Today, Ko Myint works back-to-back day and night shifts at the factory to pay off his family’s debt, and he faced harassment and intimidation after speaking out about his experience on social media.

Only a tiny number of students recruited by BFW actually made it to Finland to complete their programs. One of the few, 26-year-old Ko Myo, told reporters he was allowed to defer his fees until after he graduated and found work as a nursing home employee — a flexible arrangement none of the other interviewed students received.

Finnish vocational college EduSavo Oy had planned to accept its first cohort of BFW-recruited students in autumn 2025, but the partnership collapsed in May when BFW failed to deliver required tuition payments, just as news of the investigation broke. “We received information regarding the ongoing police investigation and information indicating that BFW was currently unable to complete the payment,” EduSavo CEO Mira Repo told the BBC. “My understanding is that Min Min Soe Shwe was detained by Finnish authorities.”

BFW co-founder Phitak Pakay, based in Thailand, told reporters that the organization has lost all contact with Min Min Soe Shwe and will wind down operations imminently, as no students remain in BFW-provided accommodation. The BBC has reached out to Min Min Soe Shwe’s legal representation and family, both of whom declined to comment for this report.

For surviving victims like Ma Naw Phaw, the aftermath of the scam has left deep personal and financial scars. She has relocated to another city in Thailand, too ashamed to return to her family’s home in Myanmar, and the loss of the farmland strained her relationship with her mother — who only came to understand they had been scammed after news of Min Min Soe Shwe’s arrest broke.

Finland’s Ministry of Education says it is not directly involved in the criminal investigation, but has expressed deep concern over the alleged violations. While third-party education agents like BFW have become common for international student recruitment worldwide, including in Finland, the ministry noted that new regulations set to take effect in August will eliminate the need for intermediaries: starting this year, all international students will be able to apply directly to Finnish vocational schools, cutting out predatory middlemen that exploit vulnerable applicants. Despite the forthcoming regulatory change, the hundreds of Burmese students caught in BFW’s scheme face a long, uncertain road to recover their lost savings and rebuild their shattered futures.

12 6 月, 2026
Spain back at full strength ahead of its World Cup opener against Cape Verde

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage approaches, Spain has received a major boost ahead of its opening matchup against Cape Verde: every member of the national squad has cleared fitness checks and will be available for selection, after a string of pre-tournament injuries threatened to derail the team’s preparations.

Three of Spain’s high-profile attacking players have all returned to full training in time for the tournament, with forward Víctor Muñoz rejoining group sessions on Friday. His comeback comes one day after young star wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams also stepped back onto the training pitch. The Spanish side has navigated a wave of injury issues through the closing weeks of the 2025-26 club season, forcing coaching staff to adjust their training and recovery plans in the lead-up to soccer’s marquee global tournament. Midfielders Mikel Merino and Fabián Ruiz also overcame minor injury setbacks to secure their spots in the final roster, though one casualty remains: Barcelona midfield prospect Fermín López, who suffered a fractured foot and was unable to recover in time to make the squad.

The most high-profile injury concern surrounded 18-year-old Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, who damaged his left hamstring during a La Liga fixture in April. The teenage winger, who has already established himself as one of the most exciting talents in global soccer, is expected to be a core playmaker for Spain as the side chases its second ever World Cup title. Spain’s only World Cup triumph came in South Africa in 2010, the same year Yamal was born.

Nico Williams, the Athletic Bilbao winger, also suffered a hamstring injury during his final club match of the season in May. Both Williams and Yamal were sidelined for the remainder of their domestic campaigns, allowing them to dedicate full time to structured rehabilitation to make it to the World Cup. Muñoz, the Osasuna forward, picked up a muscle injury in May during club play, and has now also completed his recovery program.

While the entire squad is technically available for selection, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente is not expected to start the three recently recovered players in Monday’s opening match against Cape Verde, hosted in Atlanta. The trio is instead on track to reach peak full fitness in time for Spain’s second group stage fixture against Saudi Arabia, which will also be held in Atlanta on June 21. Spain will close out its group stage play against South American powerhouse Uruguay on June 26 in Guadalajara, Mexico, the host city where the squad is currently based after earlier pre-tournament training sessions in Tennessee.

Spain enters this World Cup on the back of a strong run of international form in recent years, following a disappointing 2022 tournament where the side was knocked out in the round of 16 by Morocco. Since that exit, the team claimed the 2024 European Championship title in Germany and won the 2023 UEFA Nations League, finishing as runners-up to Portugal in the 2025 edition of the tournament. Despite this recent success, Spain has not advanced past the round of 16 stage of the World Cup since its historic 2010 title win, making this tournament a key opportunity for the young, talented squad to end that drought.

12 6 月, 2026
Expected to win 6th World Cup title, Brazil coach faces more pressure than nation’s president

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening round kicks off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, two nations with storied World Cup legacies are preparing to face off Saturday night, with Brazilian stars and coaching staff acknowledging the unprecedented pressure on their side to end a 24-year title drought.\n\nBrazil enters the tournament with a unique historical advantage the squad is looking to protect: the five-time World Cup champions have not lost a World Cup opening match since 1934, holding an undefeated 19-match streak with 17 wins heading into Saturday’s fixture. For decades, Brazil’s dynamic samba-style soccer, led by global icons such as Pelé, made the iconic canary yellow jersey the benchmark that every other international side strived to emulate.\n\nBut that long-held reputation has been tainted by decades of underperformance. Brazil has not lifted the World Cup trophy since its 2002 victory, and has advanced past the quarterfinal stage just once since that run—a devastating 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany on home soil in the 2014 tournament, a result that remains one of the most humiliating losses in the nation’s soccer history. For this year’s squad, the mission is clear: reclaim the global throne Brazil never should have lost, according to star striker Vinícius Júnior.\n\n”We’re here to try to change history, try to put Brazil back to where it never should have left, which is at the top,” Vinícius said Friday through an interpreter. “We are at the same level as the other major teams.”\n\nStanding in Brazil’s way in their opening match is Morocco, the seventh-ranked side in the world who made history as the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in the 2022 tournament, falling 2-0 to eventual champions France. The Atlas Lions also secured the 2025 African Cup of Nations title in controversial fashion earlier this year: after a 1-0 loss to Senegal, Morocco was awarded a 3-0 forfeit win when Senegal’s team left the pitch for 15 minutes during stoppage time to protest a penalty call against them.\n\nBrazil currently sits sixth in the global FIFA rankings, just one spot ahead of Morocco, and Brazilian head coach Carlo Ancelotti — the first non-Brazilian to lead the Seleção at a World Cup — warned against underestimating the African side. The legendary coach, who took over the Brazilian national side in May 2025 after a trophy-laden club career in Europe, stressed that underdog status no longer exists in modern international soccer.\n\n”In modern football, there is no — how we say? — small-time team,” Ancelotti said through an interpreter. “They are definitely up to the task.”\n\nAncelotti, who has won a record five UEFA Champions League titles and is the only coach to claim top-flight league titles across all five of Europe’s major domestic competitions, carries enormous expectations back in Brazil. Brazilian starting goalkeeper Alisson Becker noted that the pressure on Ancelotti to deliver a record sixth World Cup title is unlike any other.\n\n”His position perhaps has more pressure than being the president of the country,” Alisson said.\n\nMorocco captain Achraf Hakimi, who playfully joked that he has an advantage over Ancelotti after reading all of the coach’s books, said that even with Brazil’s recent struggles, the five-time champions still command full respect from his side.\n\n”We all respect Brazil. Some people say it’s not the Brazil of before. Well, it’s still Brazil,” Hakimi said through an interpreter. “They’re passionate, they love football, they have great qualities. They really want to win this World Cup.”\n\nThe two sides have only met once before in World Cup play, a 1998 group stage match that Brazil won 3-0 behind goals from Brazil legends Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Bebeto — who popularized the iconic baby-rocking goal celebration during Brazil’s 1994 World Cup title run in the United States. Ancelotti has already signaled he is fully supportive of the Brazilian squad’s tradition of celebratory goal dances, confirming that the practice remains allowed under FIFA’s updated match rules.\n\n”It’s not banned to dance in the new regulations of FIFA. This is not forbidden,” he said. “They want to optimize the time of play, but you can still celebrate and dance.”\n\nMatch conditions will bring an extra challenge for both squads, with forecasts calling for temperatures around 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius) at kickoff at MetLife Stadium, which will also host this year’s World Cup final on July 19. Hakimi said the heat will not be an issue for his squad, noting that Moroccan players are already accustomed to warm conditions.\n\nOff the pitch, the match will pit two close friends and club teammates against each other: Hakimi and Brazil captain Marquinhos play together at Paris Saint-Germain, and just weeks ago helped the French club win its second consecutive Champions League title. The pair have already agreed that their clubhouse friendship will be put on hold for the duration of the World Cup, as both chase a title with their national sides.\n\n”When we play together at PSG we have a good laugh and we said on the (World Cup) pitch we’re not teammates,” Hakimi said. “We will talk, of course, but we each want to win and may the best win.”\n\nBrazil will be missing its biggest attacking star for the opening match, as 34-year-old Neymar continues to recover from a torn right calf muscle. Picked for his fourth World Cup, Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79 career international goals is not expected to be available for Saturday’s kickoff, though Ancelotti expressed optimism that the veteran will return to full training next week. Ancelotti added that Neymar was selected for the squad not just for his unmatched on-pitch talent, but for his leadership as an example for Brazil’s young core of players.\n\nDespite the high expectations from fans back home that range from hopeful anticipation to outright demand for a title, Ancelotti said he feels confident in his squad’s ability to compete for the crown.\n\n”We have a possibility to compete to win,” Ancelotti said, switching to English. “We have a good feeling.”

12 6 月, 2026
Australia embraces immigrants on World Cup squad with message that soccer is for everyone

As Australia’s men’s national football team, the Socceroos, prepares to kick off its 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D campaign against Turkey in Vancouver, British Columbia this Saturday, the squad is using the global tournament spotlight to deliver a unifying message: soccer belongs to everyone, regardless of where you come from. This intentional stance comes as anti-immigrant rhetoric and hostility surges across Australia and much of the globe, creating a fraught backdrop for the team’s statement of inclusion.

Central to the message is the team’s own diverse makeup, which is showcased in a new video released by Professional Footballers Australia (PFA). Multiple current squad members arrived in Australia as refugees, each carrying a unique journey to the world’s biggest football stage. For attacking player Awer Mabil, who is set to make his second World Cup appearance after growing up in a Kenyan refugee camp born to South Sudanese parents, representing Australia carries layered meaning. “There’s a lot of journeys behind the jersey, so to be a Socceroo has many different meanings, but with one purpose, and that is to do the country proud,” Mabil shared in the video.

Mabil is not alone in his refugee background. Two of his teammates, both making their World Cup debuts this year, share similar origin stories. Mohamed Touré, a forward who currently plays club football for Norwich, was born to Liberian parents in a Guinean refugee camp before his family resettled in Adelaide. Nestory Irankunda, an attacker plying his trade at Watford, was born in a Tanzanian camp after his parents fled conflict in Burundi; his family first moved to Perth before ultimately putting down roots in Adelaide, where he and Touré became close friends. Even defender Milos Degenek’s story is shaped by refugee experience: his family fled Croatia when he was an infant, sought asylum in Serbia, and later resettled in Sydney to build a new life.

The timing of the Socceroos’ celebration of immigrant team members is anything but accidental. Across the world, recent weeks have seen growing tensions stoked by anti-immigrant rhetoric. Earlier this month, a knife attack in Northern Ireland, fueled by anti-migrant speech, sparked two consecutive nights of violent rioting. In the United States, where the team has been training in Oakland, California, the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown has even spilled over into the World Cup: Somali referee Omar Artan was denied a visa to enter the country for the tournament, barring him from his officiating assignment. Within Australia itself, a series of anti-immigrant “March for Australia” rallies have been held across the country, with events resulting in multiple arrests on hate speech charges and violent clashes with counter-protesters who support inclusive immigration policy.

PFA Chief Executive Beau Busch explained that the team’s public embrace of its multicultural roots is a deliberate rebuke to divisive rhetoric. “At a time when some seek to divide us and question who belongs, the Socceroos stand as a powerful reminder of who we truly are as a nation and as Australians,” Busch said. “The Socceroos highlight the profound impact of multiculturalism on our country. People who have come from all corners of the world have shaped football, our community and our sense of self in the world.”

Off the pitch, the team’s final preparations hit a small bump earlier this week when Touré—one of 17 first-time squad members selected for the tournament—was absent from a Wednesday training session, causing minor concern among coaching staff. Teammates confirmed Thursday that Touré had returned to practice, clearing the way for him to be available for Saturday’s opener. This will mark Australia’s sixth consecutive World Cup appearance; the Socceroos have advanced to the knockout round of 16 twice in their tournament history, including during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

12 6 月, 2026
Palestine Action activists sentenced as terrorists

In an unprecedented decision that has sent shockwaves through Britain’s legal and activist communities, a British High Court judge has branded four Palestine Action protesters as terrorists and sentenced them to seven years in prison — an extraordinary move that comes even after a jury refused to convict the group on any terrorism-related charges.

The case stems from a August 2024 direct action protest at an Elbit Systems UK facility near Bristol, where the four activists — Leona Kamio, Samuel Corner, Fatema Rajwani, and Charlotte Head — were found guilty by jurors only of criminal damage linked to the raid. Two additional co-defendants, Jordan Devlin and Zoe Rogers, were cleared of all charges entirely. Elbit Systems UK is a local subsidiary of the Israeli arms manufacturing giant that produces drones and military weapons deployed by the Israeli military in its ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

Presiding Justice Jeremy Johnson formally added the controversial “terrorism connection” designation to the activists’ offenses during Friday’s sentencing hearing. The judge first flagged a potential terrorism link in a March 2025 preliminary ruling, arguing the protesters aimed to influence the Israeli government by disrupting arms supply chains. Crucially, this preliminary finding was never shared with the jury that ultimately convicted the group on non-terrorism charges.

This ruling marks the first time in United Kingdom legal history that the terrorism designation has been applied to non-violent direct action protesters who were never convicted of terrorism offenses or intentional harm to people. Johnson justified his decision in court, stating the designation was grounded in findings that the group caused “serious property damage”, intended to pressure both the UK and Israeli governments, and intimidated members of the public, while acting to advance a clear political and ideological cause.

A central point of contention in the sentencing phase has been the late submission of prosecution evidence used to quantify the damage from the raid. Prosecutors turned over a report from an independent forensic consultant just days before the hearing, which estimated total damage just over £1.2 million, covering harm to building infrastructure, IT systems, operational equipment and 40 separate military assets.

Chief defense counsel Rajiv Menon KC lambasted the timing of the submission, calling it a last-minute move that came 20 months after the protest, long after Elbit finalized its insurance claim in March 2025. Menon argued that the delayed filing gave the defense no meaningful opportunity to review or challenge the report, which he dismissed as full of hearsay and unsubstantiated opinion. He further noted that the report included damage claims for sections of the factory the four defendants never even entered during the protest.

Menon argued that relying on this unvetted evidence to increase the sentence and apply the terrorism designation would be a fundamental violation of the activists’ right to a fair trial. He criticized prosecutors for their inconsistent approach to evidence: “The Crown cannot have their cake and eat it. It can’t exclude evidence on the one hand and somehow bring it through the back door for sentencing.”

Outside the courtroom, the ruling sparked immediate mass protest: hundreds of demonstrators gathered to demonstrate support for the activists, and police reported that more than 100 people were arrested simply for displaying signs in solidarity with Palestine Action, which has been proscribed as a terrorist organization in the UK.

12 6 月, 2026
US clears Paramount’s $111 bn Warner Bros. takeover

After eight months of rigorous regulatory scrutiny, the U.S. Department of Justice has given unconditional approval to Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a landmark media combination that reshapes the landscape of Hollywood and global streaming while drawing sharp criticism over potential political influence and antitrust harm. The department’s Antitrust Division concluded the tie-up would not undermine competition or harm U.S. consumers, even suggesting it could bolster competitive pressures in an increasingly crowded media space. The greenlight marks a defining victory for David Ellison, CEO of Paramount, whose father Larry Ellison—billionaire co-founder of Oracle and a close personal ally of former President Donald Trump—provided the bulk of the financing to seal the deal. The approval capped a contentious months-long bidding process that pitted Paramount against streaming giant Netflix, with Ellison’s personal financial guarantee ultimately winning over Warner Bros. Discovery’s board of directors after Netflix withdrew from the contest. Even as the federal government signed off, the merger faces significant remaining hurdles on multiple fronts. A coalition of 10 U.S. states, led by California, is preparing to file an antitrust lawsuit as soon as this month, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta confirming this week that the acquisition remains an active investigation. European Union regulators are also conducting their own parallel review of the combination, adding another layer of regulatory uncertainty. Critics of the merger have raised two core sets of objections. On one side, a group of Senate Democrats led by Senator Elizabeth Warren raised alarms that the deal could be tainted by political favoritism and corruption, calling on the Justice Department to base its decision solely on law and factual evidence rather than outside influence. On the other side, the Hollywood creative community has broadly opposed the combination, with hundreds of actors and directors signing an open letter warning the merger will further reduce production output in an industry already reeling from years of aggressive consolidation and widespread cost-cutting. The Justice Department directly rejected these industry concerns, stating that the evidence compiled during its eight-month review did not support claims that the merger would reduce media content production. The origin of the mega-deal stretches back to 2023, when Netflix and Paramount launched competing bids to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and its vast, highly valuable catalog of classic film and television content. Many Hollywood stakeholders initially backed Netflix as a more favorable alternative to Paramount, but Paramount’s steadily rising offer—backed by the Ellison family’s deep financial resources—eventually pushed Netflix to abandon its bid, clearing the way for Paramount to lock up the board’s support. Once completed, the combined entity will control an unparalleled portfolio of media assets, including global news outlet CNN, Warner Bros. Pictures, one of Hollywood’s largest film studios, and the popular HBO Max streaming platform, creating a new media giant poised to compete with the largest streaming and entertainment companies in the world.

12 6 月, 2026
Warner Bros $111bn sale to Paramount approved by US Justice Department

In a major turning point for the global media and entertainment landscape, the U.S. Department of Justice has granted formal approval to Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, clearing a critical regulatory hurdle that paves the way for one of the largest media mergers in Hollywood history. The green light allows the proposed takeover of the major Hollywood studio—home to leading media properties including global news outlet CNN and premium streaming platform HBO—to move forward after months of regulatory review.

This high-stakes merger has been mired in controversy from its earliest stages, drawing scrutiny on multiple fronts. Early on, Paramount Skydance engaged in a high-profile bidding war with streaming giant Netflix for control of Warner Bros Discovery, while industry observers and policymakers have raised repeated alarms about the growing concentration of power in the entertainment sector. Political scrutiny has also centered on David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance and son of billionaire tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison, a prominent donor to former President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Despite the federal approval, the merger is far from finalized. Multiple state attorneys general, led by California’s top law enforcement official Rob Bonta, are currently conducting independent reviews of the deal, and legal action to block the transaction remains a distinct possibility. Back in late February, Bonta publicly stated that he feared a takeover of Warner Bros Discovery would accelerate industry consolidation and erode competitive conditions in the U.S. entertainment market. Earlier this June, the attorney general confirmed he was on the cusp of a decision on whether to file formal litigation to stop the merger, and his office declined to provide any additional comment when contacted by reporters last Friday.

Opposition to the deal has also spread widely across the creative community in Hollywood. Back in April, more than 1,400 A-list actors, award-winning directors and established filmmakers signed an open letter publicly condemning the proposed merger. The signatories argued that the combined entity would squeeze independent creators out of the market, eliminate thousands of jobs across the film and television production ecosystem, drive up content distribution costs for consumers, and drastically reduce the range of programming choices available to audiences across the United States and around the globe. As state regulators wrap up their reviews, the future of the transformative media merger hangs in the balance, with implications that will reshape the entertainment industry for decades to come.

12 6 月, 2026
US deportation flight carrying Iranians lands in C.African Republic

A U.S. deportation flight carrying dozens of migrants from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Georgia has landed in the Central African Republic (CAR), lawyers and human rights advocates confirmed Friday, marking the latest controversial third-country deportation carried out by the Trump administration as part of its aggressive immigration crackdown.

The policy of deporting migrants—even those granted limited legal protection in the U.S.—to third countries with which they have no personal or familial ties has become a core pillar of President Donald Trump’s expanded immigration enforcement push. Notably, this flight included Iranian nationals who had previously fled their home country, despite Washington being officially at war with the Tehran government that Trump has labeled a “terrorist regime.” Legal representatives confirmed at least two Iranian women were among those on board, a group that included people granted “withholding of removal” status. This designation, which offers weaker protections than full asylum, was still recognized as a legitimate form of legal protection for migrants facing danger if returned to their home countries under previous U.S. administrations.

The flight departed from Alexandria, Louisiana, Thursday evening, according to tracking data from ICE Flight Monitor, a project run by the non-profit human rights organization Human Rights First. After a scheduled stopover in Ghana—already a well-established regional hub for U.S. third-country deportations—the plane touched down in Bangui, the CAR’s capital, around 21:00 GMT. Immigration lawyer Alma David, who is familiar with the details of the operation, said it remains unclear whether any migrants disembarked in Ghana or all passengers were brought on to the CAR. Ghanaian immigration officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment from AFP.

The deportation destination itself raises immediate alarm, as the U.S. State Department currently maintains a level 4 travel advisory for the CAR, urging Americans “do not travel to Central African Republic for any reason.” Though years of intervention by a United Nations peacekeeping mission, Rwandan defense forces and Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group have slightly reduced large-scale violence, armed rebel groups and anti-government factions still control large swathes of the mineral-rich, deeply impoverished country, leaving it one of the most unstable nations on the African continent.

Emily Trostle, an attorney representing several of the deportees, warned that the migrants face extreme risk of being forcibly expelled onward to the countries they originally fled—a pattern that has repeated across other U.S. deportation operations in Africa. “These individuals are being removed from the United States and abandoned in a country where they have no status, no connection and no support network,” Trostle told AFP. “We fear they will ultimately be forced to return to the countries they originally fled.”

The Trump administration has defended its third-country deportation policy, arguing that it is only prohibited from sending people with “withholding of removal” status directly to their country of origin, where they face verified danger. The administration claims this legal framework allows it to send such migrants to any other nation, even if those countries then choose to deport them onward to their original home. Past cases have already documented widespread abuse: deportees and their legal teams have reported unsanitary, overcrowded holding conditions in Ghana and prolonged, indefinite detention in Eswatini. In some cases, migrants deported to African hubs including Ghana and Equatorial Guinea have already been sent back to home countries where U.S. immigration judges previously ruled they would face persecution or harm.

This landing in Bangui is believed to be the first U.S. deportation operation carried out under a new opaque deportation agreement between Washington and the CAR, one of several non-transparent deals the Trump administration has struck with African governments in recent months. Local civil society leaders say CAR authorities have refused to share any details about the agreement or the status of the incoming migrants. “We don’t know if these migrants who are coming to and will be received on Central African soil are in transit or if they are entitled to apply for asylum,” said Paul Crescent Beninga, a Central African political scientist and civil society leader. “The government doesn’t want to provide any answers, the government isn’t communicating.”

A U.S. State Department spokesperson reiterated the administration’s hardline stance on immigration but declined to answer questions about the terms of the deal with the CAR, saying only: “we remain unwavering in our commitment to end illegal and mass immigration.” CAR authorities also did not respond to requests for comment.

The controversial operation comes just one week after a landmark lawsuit was filed against the U.S. and Equatorial Guinea at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Africa’s top regional human rights body. The suit seeks to halt U.S. deportations to Equatorial Guinea, which has become another key transit hub for U.S. third-country deportations, and block the Equatorial Guinean government from expelling migrants onward to their high-risk home countries.

12 6 月, 2026