In light of Shamima Begum's failed appeal to SIAC over the stripping of her citizenship, Patrick Galey is on @patrickgaley.bsky.social's 2019 thread provides essential background:

"Pete would saunter over, hand me a cigarette and give me the biggest hug in the world. A hug so big it fit in all the awfulness of the day." Cengiz with a beautiful tribute to our mate. Pete quit the cigs recently, making us all nostalgic ex-smokers. theguardian.com/world/2023/feb…

‘She’s just a young girl. I don’t know what they want from her.’ A Ukrainian family tells Nataliya Vasilyeva of their heartbreaking search for their daughter, detained by Russian forces in Mariupol nearly a year ago. telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…

"Freelancing is tough. It’s soul-destroying, confidence-shattering, mentally-destructive tough. Budgets are low, commissions can be hard to come by, and news desks rarely offer much logistic or emotional support." Liz Cookman on a year in Ukraine pressgazette.co.uk/comment-analys…

This is a big deal...genuinely. No, not because Saudi and Iran have patched things up. That will ebb and flow. But because the US was nowhere near it. Shifts are happening very very fast.

Always be suspicious of someone who can tell you why they run. Jimmy Watkins explains:

Breaking - I understand diplomats at the Israeli embassy in London have gone on strike

Russia's FSB confirms Evan Gershkovich, a Russia correspondent, for the WSJ has been detained on suspicion of espionage. Evan is an excellent journalist, a smart, fun and kind person. He has to be released immediately. Journalism is not a crime.

In eight years of bombing ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the UK says it has killed precisely one civilian. Two years ago I started looking for them. While searching for a victim, Emma Graham-Harrison and I uncovered a mystery. A brief thread of our findings: theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/a…

"Riyadh is no longer complacently reliant on Washington to act as a bulwark against Tehran..Saudi Arabia is looking elsewhere for security partners less subject to the vagaries of election cycles + less liable to harangue it on human rights" Campbell MacDiarmid telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…

The UK says its airstrikes against ISIS killed more than 4,000 militants and only one civilian. But it refuses to reveal even basic details about how it decides whether the dead are fighters or not So we are taking it to tribunal

Israeli army says 1 rocket fired from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory. Rocket intercepted by air defences. The last time a rocket was fired from Lebanon at N Israel was April 25 of last year

If you’re not already, follow Nada Maucourant Atallah for insightful and fearless coverage of Lebanon’s economy with all its shady characters and dodgy dealing

Weeks of escalating tensions between Sudan's military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has erupted into what looks like war in the Sudanese capital today

Allison Lehtinen, a dual British-Finnish national in her fifties, was hit in the foot by a stray bullet in her apartment. The Finnish embassy was in constant contact with her by phone and through WhatsApp, staff said, while she was ignored by UK officials. thetimes.co.uk/article/radio-…

Photo taken by @abd00oo77 today shows the Republican Palace complex in Khartoum after the RSF claimed its “complete destruction” by the Sudanese air force

In occupied territories of #Ukraine, civilians face an unacceptable choice: become Russian or suffer- writes Anthony Gale in today’s Daily Brief: trib.al/b4Chas8

Arab diplomats said the scheme was a way to test if Assad was serious and could be trusted to make reforms. But prior attempts to return displaced Syrians to areas under regime control have led to allegations of abuses (arrests, disappearances,harassment) on.ft.com/45hrPcU

Shameful : Diplomats at #USA embassy in #Khartoum destroyed the passports of Sudanese staffers & of visas applicants. The Diplomats left #Sudan safely, but left the passport owners trapped in a war zone unable to leave without passports. #KeepEyesOnSudan nytimes.com/2023/05/19/wor…