News
Artists Condemn UK Riots And Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Amidst Worst Unrest Since 2011
The UK has witnessed its worst rioting since 2011, with violent clashes erupting in the aftermath of a mass stabbing that killed three young girls during a Taylor Swiftthemed event in Southport, near Liverpool. The anti-immigration protests, fueled by false rumors on social media, have been widely condemned by artists such as Massive Attack, Kneecap, Nova Twins, and Nadine Shah.
Rioters threw bricks and chanted anti-Islamic slurs, with skirmishes breaking out in cities including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Several mosques, including ones in Sunderland and Southport, have been attacked, leading to hundreds of Islamic centers upping their security amid safety fears.
The protests were fueled by false rumors on social media about the background of British-born 17-year-old suspect Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, who is accused of killing six, seven, and nine-year-old girls, and injuring another 10 people in the knife attack. The false claim, promoted by EDL founder Tommy Robinson, stated that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker who recently arrived in the UK by boat, when in fact he was born in Wales to Rwandan parents.
The far-right has taken advantage of the stabbing attack to tap into concerns about the scale of immigration in the UK. Anti-fascist demonstrators have held counter-rallies in many cities, including Leeds, where they shouted “Nazi scum off our streets”, as the far-right protesters chanted, “You’re not English any more”.
BJ Harrington of the National Police Chiefs’ Council said in a statement on Sunday that 147 people have been arrested since last night in connection with violence and that he expects the number to rise in the coming days.
In response to the riots, Massive Attack posted a statement on X written by the Runnymede Trust, a race equality think tank: “This violent racism has long been simmering under the surface. What is happening is the direct result of years of normalised racism and Islamophobia, enabled by politicians and the British media. As far-right mobs threaten mosques, intimidate and harass people, and throw Nazi salutes, we offer our utmost solidarity to people of colour, and Muslim communities in particular.”
The statement also pointed out that Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper “fail to centre Muslim people, or call out racism for what it is”, adding: “What we are seeing unfold is more than ‘thuggery’, it is violent racism.”
“This is an inevitable outcome of years of state-sponsored Islamophobia and racism, where Muslims, people of colour, and migrants are scapegoated as a distraction from decades of economic hardship and political failings.”
The Runnymede Trust demanded that political leadership “recognises that challenging the far right is not simply a question of tackling online misinformation, or increased police surveillance. Instead, we urgently need our leaders to challenge the conditions that embolden the far right. These scenes should be unimaginable in 2024.”
West Belfast rappers Kneecap responded to the recent anti-immigration demonstration in Belfast by posting a quote by civil rights activist Bernadette Devlin, captioning the photo: “And if you know your history…. smash all fascists”.
CARICOM to Host Webinar on E-Waste Management in Renewable Energy Systems
As part of activities marking CARICOM Energy Month 2025, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has announced the second session in its ongoing webinar series, focusing on “End-of-Life Electric Vehicle and Renewable Energy System E-Waste Management in the Caribbean.”
The virtual session, scheduled for Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. AST, will be presented by Angelica Zapata, Consultant and Project Manager at Blackforest Solutions GmbH.
According to CARICOM, the webinar aims to highlight how Caribbean countries are addressing the growing challenge of managing electronic waste and hazardous materials resulting from renewable energy and electric mobility systems.
The discussion will explore policy interventions, recycling solutions, and sustainable disposal practices to ensure environmental safety and circular economy growth within the region’s clean energy transition.
Stakeholders, policymakers, academics, and the general public have been encouraged to register and participate in the virtual event via bit.ly/CEMWEB2.
The e-waste session forms part of a month-long CARICOM Energy Month Webinar Series, which features thematic discussions on critical aspects of the region’s energy transition and resilience.
Upcoming sessions include:
November 13: Incentive Mechanisms for Electric Mobility – Grenada, Jamaica, and St. Lucia
November 18: Recommendations for a Sustainable Green Public Procurement Policy
November 25: Geothermal Energy: A Game Changer for Resilient Caribbean Energy Systems – How to Maximise Opportunities and Benefits
CARICOM Energy Month 2025, celebrated under the theme “Resilient Energy, Greener Future,” seeks to promote dialogue and regional collaboration on sustainable energy development, climate resilience, and energy security across member states.
Trump Blasts ‘Corrupt Journalists’ After BBC Chief Resigns Over Documentary Scandal
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday launched a scathing attack on what he described as “corrupt journalists” following the resignation of the BBC chief over a controversy surrounding the editing of a documentary about him.
Trump accused the journalists involved of being “very dishonest people who tried to step on the scales of a Presidential Election,” in reference to the 2020 U.S. election.
The controversy centres on clips from Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech, which critics claim were misrepresented in the BBC documentary.
The speech came days before the storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump supporters, an incident that sought to challenge the certification of his re-election defeat.
While the BBC has faced internal scrutiny over its editorial decisions, Trump seized the moment to renew his criticism of mainstream media, which he has often labelled as biased against him.
“This is another example of the media trying to manipulate public perception,” Trump said, in remarks shared widely on social media.
Typhoon Fung-wong Hits Philippines, Forces Mass Evacuations as Death Toll Rises
Typhoon Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, made landfall in the Philippines on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction and forcing the evacuation of more than 900,000 people, officials said.
At least two deaths have been confirmed as the storm battered the country’s most populous island, Luzon, with sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) and gusts reaching 230 km/h (143 mph).
The storm’s eye struck Aurora Province at 21:10 local time (13:10 GMT), before weakening to a typhoon by 02:00 over La Union in western Luzon.
The country’s meteorological service warned of destructive winds and life-threatening storm surges, describing Fung-wong as “very intense” and urging residents in low-lying and coastal areas to seek higher ground.
This latest typhoon comes days after Typhoon Kalmaegi ravaged the country, leaving nearly 200 dead and more than 100 missing, highlighting the Philippines’ vulnerability to successive storms.
In preparation for the typhoon, residents in Catanduanes and other eastern coastal towns were evacuated, with hundreds seeking refuge in shelters such as sports centres.
In central Aurora, more than 200 evacuees arrived at temporary shelters, many of them parents protecting young children too small to remember the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which claimed over 6,000 lives.
“We felt very worried because of the strength of the typhoon, and we have young children to think of,” said Jessa Zurbano, one of the evacuees.
“Our house is made of wood and flimsy materials. We live close to the sea so we didn’t feel safe,” added Patry Azul.
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