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Defection of former Tory minister to Reform is another twist in ambitious politician's career

Iconic performers' will visit 10 European cities, as event reels from boycott over Israel's 2026 participationThe Eurovision song contest will go on its first-ever tour to celebrate its 70th anniversary, its organiser has said, as it reels from a boycott due to Israel's participation.Five countries have pulled out of the contest over Israel's war in Gaza, leaving 35 to participate in the world's biggest live televised music event - the fewest since entry was expanded in 2004. Continue reading...

As has been the case with past Tory defections to Reform, there is a trove of social media snipes to embarrass the new stablemates

Visit by Damien Egan, Labour Friends of Israel vice-chair, was called off after opposition from pro-Palestine group and unionOfsted has launched a snap inspection of Bristol Brunel academy, the secondary school criticised for cancelling a visit by a local MP who is vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel.Inspectors arrived at the school on Thursday morning after revelations that its leaders had called off a visit by Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East, after opposition from a pro-Palestine group and members of staff belonging to the National Education Union. Continue reading...

Their cause drew global attention and they influenced a 2bn defence contract decision but some key demands were not met

Record 3.5 million visited in 2025 and plans are afoot to ensure gallery does not become overburdened like LouvreThe head of the Prado has said the Madrid art museum does not need a single visitor more" after it welcomed a record 3.5 million people last year, adding that plans are being drawn up to ensure it does not become a victim of its own success like the Louvre in Paris.In 2025 the Prado, which is home to such masterpieces as Velazquez's Las Meninas and Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights, was visited by 3,513,402 people, an increase of more than 56,000 from the previous year. Visitor numbers have risen by more than 816,000 over the past decade. Continue reading...

Health department unexpectedly announced nearly $2bn in program cuts Tuesday before rolling back decisionUS health officials reversed course and began reinstating nearly $2bn in cuts to mental health and substance use programs on Wednesday night, one day after they unexpectedly announced the immediate shutdown of programs.The reversal is a blow to the agenda of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, who has made aggressive and legally contested cuts to health agencies in the first year of the Trump administration and has proposed folding the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Samhsa) into a new agency he would call the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). Continue reading...

Providers and doctors say lack of access to contraception another reason for the 11% rise in procedures in 2023The rising cost of living and a lack of access to contraception have driven another rise in abortion rates in England and Wales, providers and doctors said.Government statistics released on Thursday showed that abortions increased by 11% in 2023 compared with the previous year. Continue reading...

Activist, who promotes conspiracy theories and anti-immigration rhetoric online, says her ETA has been revokedA Dutch anti-immigration influencer who has promoted conspiracy theories such as the great replacement" says she has been banned from the UK.Eva Vlaardingerbroek posted an image online of what appeared to be a notification from the British government that her UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA) had been cancelled on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Experts at the Mauritshuis in The Hague believe Paulus Potter toned down The Bull to respect 17th-century sensibilitiesThe Bull by Paulus Potter is one of the star paintings at the Mauritshuis in The Hague, a bucolic image of animals and a farmer.But new research suggests the painting has unexpected hidden depths: conservators restoring the artwork say the bull's testicles were originally much larger, and appeared to have been halved in size by the artist to respect 17th-century sensibilities. Continue reading...

Mayor urges calm as protesters gather at the scene as city continues to reel in aftermath of Renee Nicole Good's killing. Plus, how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering ageGood morning.A federal officer shot a man in the leg during an enforcement operation in north Minneapolis, sparking protests in a city still on edge after the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent last week.What did the Minneapolis mayor say? I've seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and intolerable," Jacob Frey said. But he urged protesters to go home. We cannot counter Donald Trump's chaos with more chaos ... Anyone who is taking the bait tonight, stop. You are not helping the undocumented immigrants in our city."What had Trump say he was going to do? Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the help of the Iranian people, saying the US was locked and loaded" if Iran started to shoot at the protesters. Continue reading...

Key maps show the growing strategic importance of Greenland as Arctic ice melts under global heatingLying between the US and Russia, Greenland has become a critical frontline as the Arctic opens up because of global heating.Its importance has been underscored by Donald Trump openly considering the US taking the island from its Nato partner Denmark, either by buying it, or by force. Continue reading...

Officials ask at least 43 states for sensitive details as critics fear effort to sow doubt about midterm election resultsThe justice department is undertaking an unprecedented effort to collect sensitive voter information about tens of millions of Americans, a push that relies on thin legal reasoning and which could be aimed at sowing doubt about the midterm election results this year.The department has asked at least 43 states for their comprehensive information on voters, including the last four digits of their social security numbers, full dates of birth and addresses, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Eight states have voluntarily turned over the information, according to the Brennan Center, and the department has sued 23 states and the District of Columbia for the information. Continue reading...

US president says he has been assured by Tehran there's no plan for executions' of protesters

Supply failures dramatic example of how climate crisis threatens basic human need - and with it political stability

The ACCC recalls Dr Schwartz Hand Sanitiser after it was identified as containing a high concentration of methanol

Claim comes after former festival board member Tony Berg accused Louise Adler and Randa Abdel-Fattah of hypocrisy' in their accusations of repressing freedom of speech

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Opposition leader says government took a month to deliver this bad bill' as Labor criticises Liberal hypocrisy' on proposed hate laws

Prime minister wants cabinet ministers to move on from policies that have tanked with votersBefore the 2015 UK election, the Australian political expert Lynton Crosby devised a strategy for the Tories that became known as scraping the barnacles off the boat" - shedding unpopular policies that hindered the party's electoral appeal.Instead, the party focused on core issues it believed would help win over floating voters: the economy, welfare, the strength of David Cameron (and weakness of Ed Miliband) and immigration. Everything else was deprioritised and the Conservatives stuck to their messages rigidly. It worked. Continue reading...

Apology comes as former Adelaide festival board member accuses Louise Adler of hypocrisy after she resigned citing free speech concerns

Shabana Mahmood has lost confidence in Craig Guildford over his force's exaggerated and untrue' intelligence assessments

Talks fail to solve fundamental disagreement' over Arctic island controlled by CopenhagenDonald Trump reiterated on Wednesday that the US needs Greenland and that Denmark cannot be relied upon to protect the island, even as he said that something will work out" with respect to the future governance of the Danish overseas territory.The remarks, which came after a high-stakes meeting between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials, indicates that there are still fundamental differences between how Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk see the political future of the island. Continue reading...

Four more who had paused their strikes choose not to continue after government opts against giving contract to Elbit Systems UKThree Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners have announced the end of their hunger strike after the government decided not to award a 2bn contract to the Israeli arms company subsidiary Elbit Systems UK - with another four who had paused their protest choosing not to continue.Fears had been growing for the welfare of those taking part. On Wednesday, Heba Muraisi, 31, would have been on day 73 of refusing food, the same number of days as reached by the Irish republican hunger striker Kieran Doherty, who survived the longest of 10 men who died in a 1981 action. The earliest death among the Irish republicans was after 46 days, raising fears about the risk to life of the prisoners in jail awaiting trial for offences relating to protests claimed by Palestine Action. Continue reading...

Lars Lokke Rasmussen acknowledges new security situation' in the Arctic but says US control is not the answer after brief meeting in WashingtonThis liveblog is now closed

Exclusive: Artist reminisces about his life in film using interviews recorded in last four years of his lifeFifteen years ago, Sir Ian McKellen was among the leading arts figures who criticised the Tate for not showing its collection of paintings by LS Lowry in its London galleries and questioned whether the matchstick men painter" had been sidelined as too northern and provincial.Now, 50 years after Lowry's death, McKellen is to star in a BBC documentary that will reveal a trove of previously unheard audio tapes recorded with Lowry in the 1970s during his final four years of life. Continue reading...

Failure to foresee fall of shah in 1979 was collective disaster for western diplomacy, but academic experts see little indication of mass defections nowWhen asked to predict whether fissures were appearing at the top of the multilayered Iranian state that may imply Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's days in power were finally ending, western diplomats adopt a haunted demeanour, perhaps recalling of one of western diplomacy's greatest collective disasters.Before the fall of the shah in January 1979, insouciant diplomats based in Tehran were sending cables to their capitals offering total reassurance that Mohammad Reza Pavlahi's hold on power was utterly secure. In September 1978, the US Defence Intelligence Agency, for instance, reported that the shah is expected to remain actively in power over the next 10 years". A state department report suggested the Shah would not have to stand down until 1985 at the earliest". Continue reading...

Human Rights Watch says attorney general has power to facilitate immediate bail, one of activists' key demandsHuman Rights Watch has written to the attorney general saying ministers' claims that they cannot intervene in the hunger strike by Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners is not fully true".One of the demands by those refusing food is for immediate bail and the NGO says Richard Hermer, the government's most senior law officer, could facilitate this by instructing prosecutors not to oppose their bail applications, although the government denied this. Continue reading...

Serious Fraud Office mounts seven raids on sites linked to Home Reit which raised 850m to tackle homelessness

Sam Levinson's hit HBO drama series returns in April with Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi returningThe first trailer for the third season of Euphoria promises more sex, drugs and violence, teasing a troubled life after high school for the show's characters.Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schafer and Jacob Elordi are among those returning for episodes four years in the making. The new season will take place five years after the characters were last seen. Continue reading...

Robin Kelly and other House Democrats move against homeland security secretary over ICE killing of Renee GoodThe Democratic representative Robin Kelly on Wednesday formally introduced articles of impeachment against Donald Trump's homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, following the fatal shooting of a US citizen by an immigration agent in Minneapolis last week.Secretary Noem has brought her reign of terror to the Chicagoland area, LA, New Orleans, Charlotte, Durham and communities east, north, to south to east to west" Kelly said in a press conference on Wednesday. She needs to be held accountable for her actions". Continue reading...

Sarah Porter was running 108-mile Montane Winter Spine Challenger South race when security team had to disable tracking deviceA woman was pulled out of Britain's most gruelling ultramarathon after receiving death threats over her fundraising for Afghan women and girls.Sarah Porter was nearly a third of the way through the 108-mile Montane Winter Spine Challenger South endurance race when organisers made the difficult decision" to withdraw her due to threats to her life in relation to the charity she runs helping women and girls in war zones. Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood's statement on Craig Guildford comes after inquiry finds intelligence on Israeli fans exaggerated or simply untrue'

French interior ministry issues territorial bans' after reports of anti-migrant activities by members of Raise the Colours movementFrance's interior ministry has announced ban on 10 British anti-migrant activists who travelled to the country.Officials said they took action after reports that members of the Raise the Colours movement had conducted anti-migrant activities in France. Continue reading...

NGOs estimate that there are still close to 1,000 political prisoners in Venezuela despite claims by new leadersThe United States has welcomed the release of US citizens by Venezuela, which has been freeing political prisoners in a process that NGOs describe as slow and opaque.Many in the country also warn that, despite efforts by the regime to appear more open after the seizure and rendition of Nicolas Maduro, repression continues, with residents still having their mobile phones searched by armed militias on the streets and afraid to engage in any form of public protest. Continue reading...

Country joins EU neighbours in demographic crunch of ageing population and falling birthrateFor the first time since the end of the second world war, France has recorded more deaths than births, suggesting that the country's long-held demographic advantage over other EU countries is slipping away.Across the country in 2025, there were 651,000 deaths and 645,000 births, according to newly released figures from the national statistics institute Insee. Continue reading...

PM will hold to account' campaigners who said Damien Egan's presence would inflame teachers'

Jonathan Gerlach remains in custody after officials say they found skulls, bones and other remains in his car and homeThe Pennsylvania man suspected of stealing more than 100 pieces of human remains from a historic cemetery has allegedly admitted to selling some of them online - while the graveyard solicits donations to upgrade its security.Jonathan Gerlach's purported admission, along with the most complete account yet of how he caught the attention of law enforcement, are contained in search warrants obtained by authorities investigating a case one government official called a horror movie come to life". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Claire Waxman says justice system risks collapse and no other viable way to drastically reduce courts backlogA potential government U-turn on changes to jury trials risks breaking a justice system on the brink of collapse, the new victims' commissioner for England and Wales has warned.The justice secretary, David Lammy, must face down MPs and the legal profession over proposals to reduce the number of jury trials or we will not have victims coming into the system", said Claire Waxman. Continue reading...

Craig Guildford says he gave incorrect evidence to MPs and mistake arose from use of Microsoft Copilot'

Right to work can be proved using digital ID card, e-visa or e-passport, in change to policy government insists is not a U-turn

It comes after opposition leader Sussan Ley has spent weeks calling for better legislative protections to tackle antisemitism

Aim is to speed up acquisition of WBD studio and streaming businesses and hold off rival Paramount bidNetflix is reportedly preparing to switch to an all-cash offer to seal its takeover of the studios and streaming businesses of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), as it tries to speed up the deal and fend off a rival hostile bid from Paramount Skydance.The changes to Netflix's $83bn (62bn) offer, first reported by Bloomberg, are designed to accelerate the acquisition, which is expected to take months to conclude, and make it more palatable for WBD shareholders. Continue reading...

Sydney stage adaptation and new book put on hold after Runt and Jasper Jones author arrested

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Crane was working on a high-speed rail project when it collapsed and hit the passing train, causing it to derail and briefly catch fireAt least 22 people in Thailand have been killed and scores injured after a crane collapsed onto a passenger train, derailing it on Wednesday, officials said.Footage from the scene verified by Agence France-Presse showed the crane's broken structure resting on giant concrete pillars, with smoke rising from the wreckage of the train below. Continue reading...

The 24 actor was taken into custody after officers responded to a call in Hollywood shortly after midnightKiefer Sutherland, who starred in the television series 24 and vampire flick The Lost Boys, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of assaulting a ride-share driver, according to Los Angeles police.The Canadian-British actor was taken into custody after officers responded to a call in Hollywood shortly after midnight. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Refugee status granted despite attempt by former home secretary James Cleverly to block 26-year-old's claimA Palestinian citizen of Israel has been granted asylum in the UK on the basis of a well-founded fear of persecution" despite a former home secretary's attempt to block the claim.Hasan (not his real name) is believed to be the first Palestinian with an Israeli passport to be given refugee status in the UK. But the decision came only after two about-turns by the Home Office and a protracted legal battle. Continue reading...