Ferret Underground: The big announcement

Hi ,

Bombshell news rocked the UK on Wednesday, with rumours flying around all day and then an official announcement that had newsdesks scrambling.

That's right, The Ferret has reached 50 per cent of its crowdfunder... oh no, wait. Rishi Sunak called a snap election!

Our election coverage is already being set in motion at The Ferret's secret underground moon base, so stay tuned for updates.

We also have a special announcement of our own to make (take that Rishi!).

The Ferret will be hosting an event with writer, commentator and poet, Darren McGarvey, on 9 June in Glasgow.

'Telling your story: What I wish I'd known' will see Darren in conversation with Ferret co-editor Karin Goodwin, discussing what he wishes he’d known about sharing his story and trauma – and his advice for others.

The show will take place at The Glad Cafe as part of Indie News Week. For tickets and more information, click this link.

A Scottish Government agency has given hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer money to arms companies supplying Israel since it began its bombardment of Gaza.

The Ferret has learned that Raytheon, BAE Systems and Leonardo have all received six-figure grants from business agency Scottish Enterprise since Israel began bombing Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas terror attack on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians.

More than 35,000 people – the majority women and children – have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive.

BAE was paid its grant – worth £360,000 – on 4 April, the day after then-first minister Humza Yousaf wrote to the UK Government calling for an end to UK arms sales to Israel. BAE has partnered with a US firm on the F-35 fighter jet which Israel has used in its bombing of Gaza.