JULY 2025 - Dec 2025
Drawing someone is a very intimate and contemplative process, both for the sitter and for the artist. Quiet conversation during the drawing process can illuminate so much more about the sitter than just a drawing ever can.
During Covid lockdown, I learned to draw people via Zoom! Portraits created via a screen have a different feel, but that is all part of this evolving story. More recently, I am back to doing portraits in person, but also have Zoom as a way of reaching sitters who are further away.
Record attacks on Palestinians in W Bank as they try to harvest olives.
14/11/25 R. Resident doctors begin 5 day strike. Given 29% settlement last year.
FLAGS NOTE : Faversham & Herne bay flagged, and now Whitstable. I have tried to get Jodie Mrs Kent” + Harry Hilden to speak to me. Both say no Jodie “I don’t trust anyone”. She has appeared on Tommy Robinson rallies.
10/11/25 Trump threatens to sue BBC for $1bn over Panorama edit.
9/11/25 Heavy bombardment of energy infrastructure in Ukraine; especially power plants serving two nuclear plants
– Tim Davie (BBC DG) + Deborah Turness (head of BBC News) to resign after Panorama editorial decision to fuse two unrelated sections of a Trump speech & made him appear to explicitly encourage Capitol Hill riots in Jan ’21. Leads to accusations of leftwing bias.
BBC’s Royal Charter up for renewal end 2027 — licence fee?
– COP 30 set to begin in Brazil. Trump, Xi & Modi not there. Is it still fit for purpose?
8/11/25 Trump gives Viktor Orban exemption buying oil & gas from Russia. Zelensky furious
7/11/25 Democrats ask Andrew Windsor to appear before Congress questioning over Epstein links.
– Elon Musk to get $1 trillion pay deal in shares if he hits targets for Tesla over 10 yrs. All focussed on self-driving vehicles + Robotaxis
5/11/25 Zohran Mamdani wins New York mayoral race. 1st muslim mayor. Democrats also win governor races in Virginia + New Jersey.
30/10/25 Trump announces testing of nuclear missiles.
Prince Andrew stripped of all his honours + titles. No longer Prince. Kicked out of his 30 room mansion in Windsor
29/10/25
– IDF air strikes on Gaza after Hamas killed 1 soldier. 100 killed incl. 46 incl women + children. Then resumed ceasefire. 13 bodies still to be released
– Sudan. City of El-Fasher in W., taken by RSF (Rapid Support Forces) from government forces. Reports of civilian slaughter. 150,000 have died + country at 14 million are displaced. Hundreds slaughtered in Maternity hospital.
28/10/25 Uxbridge – 22 yr old Afghan killed an elderly dog walker, & a teenage boy 1 man both in hospital. Attacker came over in back of a lorry in 2020, granted asylum in ’22.
"E.C." 28/10/2025 She lives in Israel, and tells me about the extraordinary network she has built up to support the soldiers. She then shines an unflinching spotlight on the current conflict.
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| "E.C." 28/11/25 |
27/10/25 Home Office squandered billions on asylum hotels in “flawed contracts”
25/10/25 Asylum seeker convicted of sexual assault is accidentally released from prison instead of being deported
23/10/25 Caerphilly by-election – Plaid Cymru beats Reform (47%/ 36%). Labour 11% + Con 2%. Two party politics is dead. Labour held for 100 yrs
22/10/25 “One in, one out” small boats policy failed so far. 47 flown back to France recently, at least one has returned in another small boat.
– Trump annoyed with Putin - sanctions oil and gas industries. Kindergarten hit in Ukraine.
19/10/25 Gaza ceasefire very tenuous. Both sides jittery.
– “No Kings” protests all over US
17/10/25 Zelensky fails to get Trump to send Tomahawk missiles.
Prince Andrew forced to give up title, in view of Epstein allegations.
16/10/25 Trump has 2 hr phone call with Putin, after voicing the threat to possibly send to Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine
15/10/25 In total 9 bodies have been handed back to Israel. Hamas says remainder are difficult to reach.
Israel threatens to resume fighting if the deal is not honoured.
13/10/25 All 20 surviving hostages are released! Trump flies to Israel + hailed as a hero says “This is a historic dawn of a new Middle East”. 1900 Palestinian have been released.
Release of remaining Israeli bodies has yet to happen.
International summit in Egypt to decide next steps with Arab State leaders, but no Hamas or Iranian representatives. Meanwhile, there is fighting in Gaza between Hamas & other armed groups
10/10/25 Trump threatens to impose extra 100% tariffs on China, if they restrict trade in rare minerals
10/10/25 Thousands of Palestinians go north to find if their homes still exist. Very little left. Fears of the ceasefire collapse before hostage release on Monday.
9/10/25 Trump announces that Israel + Hamas have agreed to Phase 1 of the peace plan. Release of all hostages, alive and dead, in the next few days; release of over 1000 Palestinian prisoners; withdrawal of IDF to a pre-agreed inner boundary; and access to aid trucks.
“Blessed are the peacemakers” - Trump. Mediators include Qatar, Egypt + Turkey. Marco Rubio handed Trump note in a meeting. Trump then made the announcement on Truth Social.
Many many points not agreed yet incl Hamas disarmament + Palestinian self-determination. Nothing is guaranteed. Ceasefire to start today.
7/10/25 2-year anniversary of Hamas attack
“N.K.” 7/10/2025 A tireless quest for the truth. Her determination to shine a light on the complexities of the UK Immigration and Asylum System and the people caught up in it. Human stories backed up with years of knowledge, experience and research. She has written (beautifully) a book that we should all read. “Anywhere but Here”. A very special conversation.
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| "N.K." 7/10/25 |
6/10/25 Renewables provide bigger proportion of global electricity supply than coal & gas for first time.
French PM resigns after less than 1 month. France in dire financial straits – national debt 114% of GDP.
4/10/25 Hamas response to Trump ceasefire plan – they will release all hostages, alive + dead. Trump tells Israel very forcefully to stop bombing. 61,000 dead.
7/10/25 2 year anniversary of Hamas attack.
6/10/25 Renewables provide bigger proportion of electricity supply in world for first time.
French PM resigns from hung parliament after less than 1 month. France in dire financial straights - national debt 114% of GDP.
4/10/25 Hamas response to Trump ceasefire plan - say will release all hostages, alive & dead. Trump tells Israel very forcefully to stop bombing. Hamas asks for further negotiations & does not mention disarmament or withdrawal from Gaza’s governance. Also Netanyahu has rowed back on a few of the proposals in the plan.
2/10/25 Terror attack at synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur. 2 killed & some hospitalised.
Pro-Palestinian protest in London went ahead despite Home Sec saying it was “dishonourable”.
New Archbishop of Canterbury a woman: Sarah Mullally (Bishop of London) was Chief Nursing Officer for England previously.
1/10/25 Government shutdown in US. Democrats demanded reversal of cuts to Medicaid and restoration of Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Keir Starmer speech at conference – Labour Party “fight for the soul of the country.” Also looking at ECHR definition to help the deportation of asylum seekers who have been refused entry.
"M.G." 31/09/2025 He lives in San Francisco. We talk about how "nasty" he feels society is now, and ponders on the reasons why. He tells me all about coming out in his youth, and living through the AIDS crisis, and also the changes he has noticed in today's society to anyone who is somehow in the minority, be it through their sexuality, their colour or their nationality. He loves travel and would advocate for everyone to travel at least once, to find out about the world and their place in it.
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| "M.G." 31/09/25 |
30/9/25 Trump & Netanyahu reveal new 20-point peace plan.
Bring back all hostages, dismantle Hamas’ military capability & release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Gaza would be under temporary admin headed by Trump. No-one would be forced to leave & Israel will not annex or occupy Gaza. No mention of Palestinian self-determination in plan. Many Arab states welcome the plan.
29/9/25 Moldova’s Pro-EU party wins election despite Russian interference.
Labour conference starts. Andy Burnham cornering all the attention.
Rachel Reeves announces funding for paid work for 18 months for young people.
24/9/25 UN conference in NYC – Majority walk out as Netanyahu takes the stage very dramatic. Starmer, Digital ID to be introduced. No work without ID.
24/9/25 Jaguar Landrover still not producing any cars 1 month after cyber attack.
22/9/25 Farage wants to axe Infinite Leave to Remain (currently migrants can apply after 5 yrs) & force those into current Settled Status to reapply for a new stricter visa, and no access to benefits.
Trump makes rambling speech about Tylenol (Paracetamol) in pregnancy causing autism, & about childhood vaccines like MMR being “bad”.
21/9/25 UK, Australia, Canada & Portugal recognise Palestinian Statehood. More to follow.
Israel hardens rhetoric, attempts to expand settlements in West Bank.
Charlie Kirk memorial 200,000 people. Kirk widow speaks of forgiveness, Trump speaks of hate.
18/9/25 Trump changes annual fee for H-1B foreign workers visa from $1,500 to $100,000. India : 71% of the visas, China at 17%.
Russian jets in Estonian airspace – UK sends jets to Poland to support UN show of strength.
13/9/25 Huge far right demonstration in London, led by Tommy Robinson - close confrontation with pro-immigration march. Many police injured. Elon Musk appeared by video saying “dissolution of Parliament” & "change of government" needed & “either fight back or you die.”
11/9/25 Peter Mandelson sacked as ambassador to US - links to Epstein.
Charlie Kirk, a US conservative activist, assassinated while speaking at a University rally. Trump blames “radical left-wing”.
"D.H." 11/09/2025 A US citizen through birthright who feels like she’s watching from the outside. Her passion is to travel “to the hard places” and to understand the world more honestly. Currently in Krakow, we talk about identity and belonging, about the drones seen in Polish airspace, and about history and politics.
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| "D.H." 11/09/25 |
10/9/25 Russian drones stray into Polish (NATO) airspace.
9/9/25 Remaining 1+ million people in Gaza City told to evacuate. To where?
Israel strikes at Hamas’ political leadership in Qatar’s capital, Doha. No warning. Qatar trying to act as intermediary. Trump “not thrilled”. Top Hamas leaders survived. International condemnation.
France in political turmoil. New PM. Much protesting.
9/9/25 Over 800 drones + 13 missiles sent into Ukraine. Overwhelmed air defences. Kyiv government buildings hit. Some civilian deaths.
8/9/25 Over 1,000 small boat arrivals yesterday. 30,000 so far in 2025.
6/9/25 Nigel Farage vows to make UK “great again”!
Trump signs executive order rebranding the Pentagon as the “Department of War”.
5/9/25 Angela Rayner resigns as deputy PM + housing minister - she didn’t pay enough stamp duty on house purchase.
4/9/25 40% of Gaza city apparently now under IDF control
Putin states that foreign troops in Ukraine ‘legitimate target’.
2/9/25 Massive military parades in Beijing. President Xi joined by Putin + Kim Jong Un - 1st time all 3 together
China supports N Korea. N Korea sends troops + drones + arms to Russia. Parade shows off very advanced nuclear ballistic missiles, drones, laser weapons etc.
31/8/25 Huge earthquake in remote Afghanistan. 1000s dead + injured.
30/8/25 Court of Appeal rule that decision to close the asylum hotel in Epping is unlawful.
29/8/25 Kyiv hit by missile + drones – the worst attacks for many months. 23 killed. EU office damaged. And Putin?
26/8/25 Double tap strike on al-Nasser hospital in Gaza. Journalists killed along with first responders and aid workers.. International condemnation. Israel says it was “tragic mishap”.
Netanyahu wants all hostage released – on his terms.
"H.K." 26/08/2025 a young man who has not long left school himself, and is now embarking on a teaching career. He says his was probably the last cohort to go through school without the current pressures of social media and smartphone use. He talks about his observations of the resulting decline in young people’s mental health, their abilities to socialise and even to use their imagination. He is full of passion about the potential of the students he works with, if they can just sometimes get away from the all-consuming digital world.
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| "H.K." 26/08/25 |
24/8/25 Demonstrations springing up everywhere against hotels & asylum policies. St George flag being painted on roundabouts & tied to lampposts. Government to overhaul asylum appeals system. 51,000 cases waiting an appeal for over 1yr. Reform promises mass deportations of those arriving by illegal + irregular routes.
21/8/25 IDF begin attack on Gaza city.
Permits granted for new big settlements in W. Bank cutting it in two & removing any future Palestinian state. UK + others protest about it.
20/8/25 Hamas agrees to latest ceasefire. A 60 day truce & release of half of the 50 remaining hostages, Israel still to respond.
20/8/25 High Court temporary injunction to block use of Epping hotel for asylum seekers. Reform councils will “do everything in their power” to follow Epping lead. Where will these people go? 30,000+ in hotels currently.
18/8/25 Zelensky meets Trump in the White House + European contingent. Conclusion - to encourage meeting between Zelensky + Putin followed by trilat talks to include Trump. Zelensky wore a suit!
16/8/25 Dreadful raids by settlers on Palestinian communities in the W. Bank. Burning farms, cutting down olive groves. If big new settlements go ahead, an independent Palestine can’t happen. Thousands of protestors in Tel Aviv demand end to war.
14/8/25 Trump & Putin meet in Anchorage Alaska. Putin has the PR win by even being there. No obvious breakthrough. Trump due to meet Zelensky & Europe leaders to discuss.
11/8/25 Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera journalist + 5 others, all killed in targeted attack in Gaza. Israel said he was a “terrorist” + he “posed as a journalist”.
10/8/25 Nearly 500 peaceful protestors arrested during protest in support of Palestinian Action
8/8/25 Israel security cabinet approves Gaza City take over, with the eventual intention of control of the whole of Gaza. International criticism. Where will 1m+ people move to?
7/8/25 The first group of recent arrivals across the Channel have been sent back to France in “1 in, 1 out” arrangement.
2/8/25 Trump sending 2 nuclear subs nearer to Russia after online spat with Dmitry Medvedev.
1/8/25 Trump trade tariffs come into force for 57 countries incl 35% for Canada + 50% for Brazil.
Deadliest attack on Kyiv - 23+ dead
"D.G." 31/07/2025 A retired Episcopal priest with extraordinary social conscience and courage. He reaches out to “the least, the lost and the left behind”, and has no hesitation in calling out the misuse of power in the name of religion in our current world. One of the most profound conversations I have had during a portrait sitting.
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| "D.G." 31/07/25 |
30/7/25 Starmer to recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel allows unhindered aid into Gaza & agrees to ceasefire over next 2 months. Israel must “commit to long-term sustainable peace” & revive prospect of a two state solution.
Netanyahu accuses Starmer of “rewarding Hamas” & “motivating terrorism”. Deaths through famine now a real thing.
27/7/25 Israel announce “tactical pause” in military activity in certain areas of Gaza & allow air drops of aid.
Trump visiting his golf course in Scotland.
The Bell Hotel in Epping, housing asylum seekers, targeted for 5 days so far by Far Right + locals because 1 man accused of sexual harassment.
25/7/25 Resident doctors (junior) begin 5 day strike despite 5.4% pay rise this year, and 22% ↑ over previous 2 years.
New restrictions by Online Safety Act. Age verification for porn, better filtering of suicide, self harm, dangerous stunts.
23/7/25 25 countries, incl Britain but not US finally come out & condemn the situation in Gaza.
23/7/25 Aid agencies, including MSF, Oxfam & Save the Children, warn of “mass starvation in Gaza”. UN says that Israel has killed more than 1000 people trying to get food from GHF.
21/7/25 Independent Water Commission findings published - “fundamental reform” needed. Shut down Ofwat + set up new powerful water regulator body.
20/7/25 Syria - Bedouin violence against the Druze militia. Civilians being shot & burned out of their homes, Israel also involved. Over 1,000 killed. Massacre of Druze patients in hospital.
18/7/25 Afghan data breach - names + personal details leaked, maybe 19,000. Some have been secretly brought to UK, rest fear retribution from Taliban
17/7/25 Trump gives Putin 30 days to agree ceasefire. Also now agrees to supply NATO countries with weapons, so that they can then supply Ukraine.
17/7/25 Decision to lower UK voting age to 16.
14/7/25 Israel blames technical error after drone delivered missile kills 10+, including 6 children, queuing for water in Gaza
10/7/25 Macron agreement with Starmer for “1 in, 1 out” deal on small boats.
7/7/25 Netanyahu visiting Trump to put together ceasefire deal
4/7/25 100s killed in vicious action in Gaza; & hard night of attacks in Kyiv; & new record set for boats crossing the Channel.
- 1 year’s rain in a few hours Guadeloupe river in Texas. 100s of people washed away
2/7/25 UK government U-turn on “disability welfare reform” bill. Keir Starmer humiliated. US Senate passes Trump’s “big beautiful bill”. Tax breaks for rich, cuts in welfare.
1/7/25 Israel send warning to people in N. Gaza & then set up biggest bombing since beginning of war.
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