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Democratic city does not control its police force - and reform attempts have been thwarted by RepublicansQuinton Lucas said he thinks his city's police department is a colonial system".I think it is anti-Black. I think it is anti-immigrant. I think it is anti-almost everything we stand for in terms of making sure that diverse populations in major cities have a voice in terms of navigating it," the Kansas City mayor said. Continue reading...

Researchers say magic mushrooms' can help with traumatic symptoms, but urge caution as states expand access

From Vance's interest to Trump's commitment to disclosure, administration's fascination with UFOs has experts feeling close to evidence of aliensLike most politicians, Donald Trump did not campaign on the issue of space aliens. But 15 months into his second term, UFO enthusiasts have been buoyed by the Trump administration's apparent fascination with extraterrestrials, with one expert claiming the human race has never been closer" to being presented with hard evidence of aliens.After a largely alien-free first 12 months, the president has committed himself to UFO disclosure in 2026. In February, Trump directed various departments to release government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life", and the White House took the unusual step of registering domain aliens.gov" in March, setting pulses racing among believers online. Continue reading...

Two-time Grammy nominee was one of Bollywood's most versatile and celebrated voicesThe Indian singer Asha Bhosle, whose voice defined Bollywood music through the 1970s and 80s, has died aged 92, her family said.The two-time Grammy nominee had been admitted to hospital in Mumbai with complaints of extreme exhaustion" and chest infection. Continue reading...

Officials said many killed at popular tourist site were young, with more people reported injured or missingAt least 30 people, many of them young, have died and dozens more are reported to have been injured after a crush at a mountaintop fortress in northern Haiti that is a popular tourist spot.Jean Henri Petit, the head of civil protection for the country's Nord department, said the incident took place on Saturday at Citadelle Henry - also known as Citadelle Laferriere - a large 19th-century fortress built shortly after the Caribbean country's independence from France, which was packed with students and visitors. Continue reading...

Use of interns by Plum Sykes, an ex-assistant of Anna Wintour whose family owns a Yorkshire estate, reignites debate about creative industriesShe is said to have been the inspiration for a character in The Devil Wears Prada and was a personal assistant of Anna Wintour, so Plum Sykes knows a thing or two about the arduous and often unglamorous life of being a fashion industry intern.But that recognition does not, it appears, extend to paying her own interns a fair wage. Or, indeed, any wage at all. Continue reading...

Last year's drop may reflect rising unemployment and improved right to request flexible working, experts sayThe number of workers in Great Britain taking their bosses to employment tribunals over remote working fell last year for the first time since Covid hit, with a tightening labour market making some more reluctant to leave roles despite return-to-office mandates.There were 54 employment tribunals decided in England, Scotland and Wales in 2025 that cited remote working, according to an analysis of records by the HR consultants Hamilton Nash: down 13% compared with 2024. Continue reading...

President's proposed budget slashes health department by 12% while throwing $1.5tn - a 42% increase - to the militaryAmericans are dying in droves. Deaths due to avoidable causes in the United States -which could be dealt with via prevention or proper healthcare - far outpace those in most of country's peers in the industrialized world. Most notably, Americans die of treatable conditions at nearly twice the rate as Spaniards, French, Japanese and Australians.They would most likely live longer if they enjoyed better access to healthcare. Americans are the most likely to skip a doctor's appointment due to its cost, the most likely to skip a medical test and to skimp on prescription drugs. This is unsurprising, given the extraordinary lack of public health insurance in the United States. Americans face the highest out-of-pocket expenses for medical services in their peer group. Continue reading...

Exclusive: closures are part of pledge by Labour to end all use of hotels for asylum seekers by end of this parliamentThe Home Office is to announce the closure of 11 asylum hotels this week as part of its pledge to close all such facilities by the end of this parliament.The use of hotels to house asylum seekers has been controversial since it became widespread at the start of the Covid pandemic. Anti-migrant protesters have staged demonstrations outside hotels, claiming asylum seekers are living a life of luxury there. Continue reading...

Iranian sources, however, blame excessive' demands from Washington for breakdown of talks in Islamabad to resolve US-Iran conflict

Label tried to keep band members out of trouble during first tour, Nick Lachey says in Boy Band ConfidentialAs they embarked on their first tour and their record label tried to limit their potential for legal issues, members of the 1990s US boyband 98 Degrees were equipped with a handbook listing the age at which people across the nation can lawfully consent to sex , the group's lead singer, Nick Lachey, reveals in a new documentary.This is going to sound super shady, but ... I remember our first tour, someone at the label gave us a book, and it was the age of consent in every state in the country," Lachey says in Boy Band Confidential, which is premiering on Monday at 9pm ET on the cable network Investigation Discovery. And like, we kept that book on the tour bus." Continue reading...

Formerly unloved vegetable casts off lowly roots to feature in Great Pavilion after online craze among young gardenersThey are an unloved root vegetable traditionally grown for cattle feed, and when pulled from the ground they look like an ingredient destined for a witch's cauldron.But the humble mangelwurzel will be in pride of place in the Great Pavilion at this year's Chelsea flower show (19-23 May), after becoming the subject of an online craze among young gardeners. Continue reading...

As president Patrice Talon steps down after a decade, the west African country's finance minister is favourite to winThis Sunday, just four months after a failed coup, Benin heads to the polls for a presidential election that feels more like a coronation than a contest.Patrice Talon, the businessman turned politician who has been president since 2016, is ineligible to run again after serving two five-year terms. Continue reading...

War with Iran has brought 15 American sites across the UK countryside firmly into the spotlightThey are dotted across the UK countryside, often obscured from public view behind highly secured perimeter fences. Technically, they are on British soil, and misleadingly most have Royal Air Force" in their name.But in many respects, these military outposts are under the control of the US president and commander-in-chief. Continue reading...

Cyclone crossed coast near Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain and large swellsCyclone Vaianu made landfall in New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, triggering floods, power outages and forcing hundreds to evacuate.The cyclone crossed the coast near the Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain and large swells, national weather provider MetService said, describing Vaianu as a life-threatening" system. Continue reading...

Estate agents say rising mortgage costs have created a mood of fear, with Canterbury among the cities being hit

Rightwing leader trails in polls to Peter Magyar, despite support from JD Vance on recent visitHungarians are heading to the ballot boxes to vote in a hard-fought parliamentary election that could oust Viktor Orban after 16 years in power and potentially reshape the central European country's relations with the EU, Moscow and Washington.In the campaign, Orban - the EU's longest-serving leader - has trailed in the polls as he faces an unprecedented challenge from Peter Magyar, a former elite member of Orban's Fidesz party. Continue reading...

Australia's foreign affairs minister says priority must be to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations'

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Industry experts say booking of controversial US rapper was calculated risk that has implications for all festivalsThe fallout over Wireless announcing Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) as its 2026 headliner was both swift and considerable.Last Sunday, major sponsors of the three-day festival, including Pepsi and Diageo, began to withdraw their involvement in the face of a significant backlash to Ye's shocking pronouncements on the Jewish community and the Holocaust. UK Jewish groups threatened to protest if the shows went ahead. Keir Starmer called the decision to book the rapper who wrote a song titled Heil Hitler deeply concerning". Continue reading...

Exclusive: US state is targeting corporate heavyweights in the UK with subsidies and incentives

Described as the must-have' home accessory of 2026, sales of posh' matchboxes are up 121% at SelfridgesGoodbye Swan Vesta, hello Cartier. Matchboxes are the latest home accessory to get a luxury makeover - and some of the price tags are striking.At the upmarket department store chain Selfridges, sales of posh matchboxes are up 121% year-on-year and it said they were the must-have home accessory for 2026". The store has more than doubled its range to meet demand, selling over 100 styles at prices ranging from 5 to more than 230. Continue reading...

US vice-president says Iran chose not to accept American terms for a deal, including to not build nuclear weapons

Catherine King says while peace talks were best chance' at lowering fuel prices, further help may be included in budget

Study identified eight areas that can sustain a population and government has given 1m for recovery programmeThe world is grown so bad that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch." So wrote Shakespeare in Richard III, in a line of social commentary that feels ever more relevant with age.A note of good news then, in a world of so much bad, that the eagles the Bard was probably referring to could finally be reintroduced to England after more than 150 years. Continue reading...

Suspect in 40s arrested after man apparently climbed on to USAF C130 Hercules transport plane on remote taxiway in County ClareA man has been arrested after entering an unauthorised area of an airport in the Republic of Ireland and allegedly causing damage to a US military aircraft, police have said.The suspect, aged in his 40s, was arrested for alleged criminal damage and remains in custody over the incident on Saturday at Shannon airport in County Clare. Continue reading...

Animals were used legally as fishing bait, sheriff's office confirms after incident shook locals in Guemes IslandA Washington state sheriff's office says it has solved the mystery of nearly two dozen dead canines who washed ashore recently.The animals were foxes being used legally as bait for fishing operations, the Skagit county sheriff's office said on Friday. Continue reading...

Human rights lawyers say NDIS workers and their clients remain at risk despite newly bolstered whistleblower protections

Ukraine reports 469 violations of Putin's 32-hour ceasefire, hours after deadly drone attacks on Odesa and KhersonRussia continued to strike Ukrainian positions with drones after a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire took effect on Saturday, a Ukrainian military officer said.The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side," said Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade. Continue reading...

JD Vance leads American delegation while Iran's negotiators headed up by Iran's parliamentary speakerPeace talks between Iran and the US began in Islamabad this afternoon, with senior negotiators from both countries meeting face to face at the highest level for the first time since 1979, in the presence of mediators from Pakistan.Pakistani state TV said US and Iranian officials were sitting directly at the same table" - which was later confirmed by the White House - and discussions were beginning in a positive atmosphere, despite fighting continuing in Lebanon. Continue reading...

Police rescued boy after neighbour reported sounds of a child coming from vehicle in Hagenbach in eastern FranceA malnourished nine-year-old boy was rescued after being locked in his father's van since 2024 in eastern France, a prosecutor said.A neighbour alerted police to sounds of a child" coming from a vehicle in the village of Hagenbach, near the borders of Switzerland and Germany. Continue reading...

Three arrested by federal agents had family ties to Iranian military general, regime spokesperson or security chiefUnited States federal agents arrested three Iranian nationals - including the son of a revolutionary at the center of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis - after the US state department terminated their green cards, the department announced on Saturday.State department officials revoked the green card status of Seyed Eissa Hashemi, whose mother was an Iranian revolutionary who served as the spokesperson for Iran's regime during the hostage crisis that defined the late Jimmy Carter's presidency. The state department also revoked the green card - or legal permanent resident - statuses of Hashemi's wife and son. Continue reading...

Arrests and detentions took place at first mass demo since group's ban was ruled unlawful by high courtMore than 200 people have been arrested at the first mass demonstration opposing the proscription of Palestine Action since the group's ban was ruled unlawful by the high court.Hundreds of people gathered in Trafalgar Square in London and presented signs reading: I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." Hundreds of demonstrators sat on camping chairs and on the ground as they held up their placards on Saturday afternoon. The Metropolitan police said 212 people had been arrested by 4.50pm, with their ages ranging from 27 to 82. Continue reading...

Officials accept that time has run out to pass law to allow transfer of islands to MauritiusThe UK government has been forced to shelve its legislation to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after the US dropped its support for the agreement.On Friday, UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks. Continue reading...

Trump has upped the stridency and threatening nature of his complaints, but the US and Europe need each otherCollateral damage is a universally acknowledged hazard of war - more commonly known for its impact on truth and non-combatant civilians.Its consequences are much less frequently visited on military alliances. Continue reading...

Police arrest man on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in deathA 19-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a dog at a property in Essex.Police have arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in death, after the incident on Friday. He is now in police custody. Continue reading...

Lynette and Brian Hooker, from Michigan, were years into a sailing adventure when Brian said his wife fell overboardLynette Hooker bounced around the deck of the docked Soul Mate, smiled into the camera and proclaimed, We're finally leaving Kemah," referring to a Texas port town.It's only been four months," she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail. Continue reading...

Conservative leader promises biggest peacetime rearmament effort in UK history if her party is re-electedThe Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence in what Kemi Badenoch said would be the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country's history".Speaking at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader criticised the government for Britain's lack of readiness" for war, which has been exposed by recent world events. Continue reading...

Concerns raised over use of travel data in determining whether people are continuously' in Britain after HMRC fiascoUK ministers are to start removing post-Brexit residency rights from EU citizens who are no longer continuously" living in the country.The initiative is legal under the 2020 Brexit withdrawal agreement, but the decision to use travel data to partly determine absences has raised concerns after the HMRC fiasco that saw almost 20,000 parents stripped of child benefits because of inaccurate Home Office border data. Continue reading...

Finbar Sullivan was stabbed in north-west London in early evening on Tuesday and pronounced dead at sceneA man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of 21-year-old Finbar Sullivan, who was stabbed to death in London's Primrose Hill.The Metropolitan police arrested a 27-year-old man on Friday. A second man, who is 25, has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both remain in police custody. Continue reading...

Unite Here co-president demands improvement in working conditions and urges Fifa to keep ICE away from matchesA hospitality union that represents about 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles has threatened to strike during the World Cup if Fifa leaders do not heed their concerns about working conditions and the presence of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).This summer, SoFi Stadium will be thrust into the national spotlight as it hosts eight World Cup matches. Between June and July, Los Angeles is estimated to see 150,000 more out-of-town visitors than typical for the time period. Continue reading...

War spurs debate on US power and role in the world - and progressives eye chance to reorient American foreign policyWell over a year into Donald Trump's disruptive second term, few believed the US president could still genuinely shock. But at 8.06am on Tuesday he did just that, with an apocalyptic threat on Truth Social, to destroy a whole civilization" in Iran - a country of more than 90 million people. Democrats abandoned their forced restraint and immediately began to call for Trump's removal from office.Yet beneath Democrats' near-universal opposition to what they call the president's war of choice" are simmering tensions about the way America should engage with the world, especially when it comes to the Middle East. Since losing to Trump and his America First agenda in 2024, which promised not to start new wars, leading progressives have urged Democrats to reclaim the anti-war" mantle. Continue reading...

Sudanese national Alnour Mohamed Ali, accused of piloting small boat, is charged with endangering lifeA man accused of piloting a small boat carrying four people who drowned trying to cross the Channel has been charged over their deaths.Alnour Mohamed Ali, a Sudanese national, was charged with endangering life after two men and two women died trying to board a small boat crossing the Channel on Thursday, the National Crime Agency said. Continue reading...

Iran dropped explosives in the waterway erratically and may not have marked where it put all of them, US suggests

Iran war drives demand for solar panels, heat pumps and EVs, with energy bills expected to rise 18% from JulyBritish households are turning to green home energy upgrades in record numbers to try to keep bills down as the Iran crisis sends global oil and gas prices soaring, data from leading energy suppliers suggests.Figures show demand for solar panels, electric vehicles and heat pumps in Great Britain has leapt since the war began on 28 February, as households brace for a sharp increase in monthly payments when the next energy price cap takes effect in the summer. Continue reading...

Archaeological record suggests hunter gatherers were playing games of chance at the end of the last ice ageNative American hunter gatherers were using dice for gaming and gambling more than 6,000 years before the practice appeared anywhere else, a new study argues.It says dice were being made and used on the western great plains of North America at the end of the last ice age, more than 12,000 years ago. Continue reading...

Former Ukrainian major general says 4kg of material was most likely an attempt to influence Hungary's election

Chris Kempczinski's taste test was mocked online, to which he said his mother had taught him: Don't talk with your mouth full'The chief executive officer of McDonald's recently blamed etiquette guidance from his mother for a February on-camera taste test that made him a target for ridicule - and summarily recorded another video of him eating one of the fast-food giant's offerings in a manner potential consumers found awkward.Chris Kempczinski suggested to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) earlier in April that he was simply heeding maternal advice to never talk with his mouth full when he took the humorously small bite at the center of a viral video which depicted him discussing and sampling the new Big Arch burger from McDonald's. Continue reading...

Having received assurances from Singapore over refined fuels, diesel supply will surely be next on the prime minister's agenda

Britain's standing in the world was never the same after its assault on Egypt in 1956. Now the US risks repeating history in the Middle East