Descendants of Jewish brothers forced to sell company to Nazis say appropriation by German far right is repulsive'The Jewish descendants of a German motorbike manufacturer that was forcibly relinquished by the Nazis have voiced their repulsion at the appropriation of the vehicle by far-right populists.Members of the family, whose ancestors were forced to flee Germany in the 1930s, say they consider the use of the bike's name by the anti-immigrant Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) as a mockery of our history". Continue reading...
Discussions through Omani intermediaries may pave way for further meeting on nuclear programme, Iran saysIran has described the latest round of indirect talks with the US as more constructive" and said agreement had been reached on general guiding principles" that could lead to a further meeting on its nuclear programme.The talks - held in Geneva through Omani intermediaries - were to discuss the terms for Tehran constraining its nuclear programme under the supervision of the UN nuclear weapons inspectorate. They ended after three and a half hours. There was no immediate word from the US delegation. Continue reading...
High court judge rules in favour of force's decision to compel officers to declare membership of organisationFreemasons have failed in their attempt to bring a legal challenge against Britain's biggest police force over its decision to compel staff to declare whether they are or have been members.Mr Justice Chamberlain said on Tuesday that the Metropolitan police's decision serves a legitimate aim, maintaining and enhancing public trust in policing, and is proportionate". Continue reading...
Democrats, who haven't won statewide race since 1994, aim to gain ground with liberal rising stars as Republicans clash between incumbent and embattled Maga allyA Texas-sized showdown is brewing deep in the heart of the largest red state in the US. As early voting begins on Tuesday for the Lone Star state's 3 March primaries, Republicans and Democrats alike face a high-stakes choice that could set the stage for one of the fiercest Senate races of the 2026 midterm cycle.At the center of the fractious Republican contest is a clash between the party's old guard and a Maga culture warrior, with four-term incumbent John Cornyn, a conservative fixture of Senate leadership locked in the fight of his political career against the state's scandal-plagued attorney general, Ken Paxton. Continue reading...
Retail mogul's name was this week unredacted from trove of files - how did he and his model town fuel Epstein's rise?Les Wexner's alleged note to Jeffrey Epstein marking his 50th birthday in 2003 included a hand-drawing of a woman's breasts.And yet today, the billionaire Wexner's name and portrait sits front and center across Ohio's most respected institution - the Ohio State University. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England editor on (#73MCV)
Exclusive: Council in one of England's poorest areas says it needs urgent help with ballooning children's social care billKeir Starmer is facing a mass resignation of Labour councillors in one of England's poorest areas over a betrayal" of funding for children in care.Labour councillors in Hartlepool, County Durham, said they were between despair and open revolt" over an unfair" cash settlement that would leave them unable to balance the books. Continue reading...
A fixture in Democratic politics who ran for the 1988 presidential nomination, Jackson was once close to Martin Luther King Jr. Plus, did a prize-winning novelist steal a woman's life story?Good morning.The Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights campaigner who was prominent for more than 50 years and who ran a strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, has died. He was 84.What was Jesse Jackson's role in the civil rights movement? Once close to Martin Luther King Jr, Jackson was a fixture of Democratic politics since the 1960s. In an interview with the Guardian in May 2020, Jackson said: I was a trailblazer, I was a pathfinder. I had to deal with doubt and cynicism and fears about a Black person running [for president]. There were Black scholars writing papers about why I was wasting my time. Even Blacks said a Black couldn't win."How has the Minnesota governor responded to the news? Tim Walz demanded an impartial" investigation into the shootings. Trump's left hand cannot investigate his right hand," he said. Continue reading...
Israel accused of denying doctors re-entry into territory after they gave first-hand testimony on conflictMedics in the UK and US believe they have been denied re-entry to Gaza after speaking out on the conflict.Following reports of rising refusal rates, medical workers and organisationswho have provided humanitarian aid in Gaza have described what they see as arbitrary denials. Continue reading...
by Melissa Hellmann and Martin Pengelly on (#73M9Z)
A fixture in civil rights and Democratic politics since the 1960s, Jackson was once close to Martin Luther King JrThe Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights campaigner who was prominent for more than 50 years and who ran strongly for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, has died. He was 84.Our father was a servant leader - not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world," the Jackson family said in a statement. We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by." Continue reading...
Singer-songwriter Sam Battle has built online fanbase through building and playing unusual instrumentsThe YouTuber and experimental singer-songwriter Look Mum No Computer will represent the UK at the Eurovision song contest in Vienna in May, the BBC has announced.The performer and self-professed Eurovision fan, whose real name is Sam Battle, launched his YouTube channel in 2016. He has amassed more than 85m views and 1.4 million subscribers and followers across his various social accounts. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#73M9G)
A high street is punctuated by burned-out buildings like rotten teeth in an otherwise perfect smile - what's going on?On the banks of the River Clyde, half an hour to the south-east of Glasgow, Bothwell is one of the city's prettiest and most prosperous commuter towns, famous for its medieval castle and annual scarecrow festival. Bothwell's Victorian villas and secluded enclaves of luxury modern mansions sell into the millions to the TV personalities, professional footballers and entrepreneurs who favour its environs.Bothwell Main Street, a designated conservation area, showcases glorious floral displays in summertime and year round an array of independent boutiques, jewellers and beauticians buck the trend for high street degeneration. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: As Scottish voters prepare to go to the polls, how can Labour, Reform and the Conservatives capitalise on weakening trust in the SNP?Good morning. The SNP has been in government since 2007, a phenomenal 19-year run, but polling suggests Scottish voters' trust in its ability to deliver is weakening. In May, Scotland goes to the polls for the seventh Holyrood election since devolution in 1999 - a contest that could significantly realign the nation's politics.In what some viewed as a desperate attempt to capitalise on the moment, Labour's leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, called on Keir Starmer to resign last week, possibly trying to paint himself as his own man, not attached to a deeply unpopular Westminster government that currently polls third in the run up to May's elections. Meanwhile, Reform UK's steady polling numbers show them second to the SNP, which they are hoping to turn into a meaningful elected presence at Holyrood for the first time.UK politics | Ministers have dropped controversial plans to delay 30 local elections this May after receiving legal advice that doing so might not be lawful.Business | UK bank bosses will hold their first meeting to establish a national alternative to Visa and Mastercard, amid growing fears over Donald Trump's ability to turn off US-owned payment systems.Social media | Keir Starmer has pledged action on young people's access to social media in months, not years", while saying this did not necessarily mean a complete ban on access for under-16s.Sarah Ferguson | Six companies linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, are being wound down in the wake of revelations about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.Film | Robert Duvall, the veteran actor who had a string of roles in classic American films including Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, M*A*S*H and To Kill a Mockingbird, has died aged 95. Continue reading...
Tarique Rahman set to take oath and become prime minister after landslide victory prompted by ousting of Sheikh HasinaBangladesh's incoming prime minister Tarique Rahman and other politicians were sworn into parliament on Tuesday, becoming the first elected representatives since a deadly 2024 uprising.Rahman is set to take over from an interim government that has led the country of 170 million people for 18 months since the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina was overthrown. Continue reading...
Reina Sofia's three-year rehang of works by artists from Spain and beyond is billed as a critical reinterpretation'The Reina Sofia's new rehang opens, quite pointedly, with a painting of a detained man sitting, head bowed and wrists shackled, as he waits for the arbitrary hand of institutional bureaucracy to decide his fate.The picture, Document No ..., was painted by Juan Genoves in 1975, the year Francisco Franco died and Spain began its transition to democracy after four decades of dictatorship. Genoves's faceless, everyman victim of the Franco regime's control and repression is the natural starting point for the Madrid museum's exploration of the past 50 years of contemporary art in Spain. Continue reading...
Japanese prime minister's refusal to back down over Taiwan comments brings more criticism and travel warnings from ChinaChinese tourists are continuing to shun Japan in large numbers, with the country falling out of the top 10 destinations for those celebrating the lunar new year with a trip abroad.Japan has had a dramatic drop in the number of Chinese visitors since the end of last year as a diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing over the security of Taiwan continues. Continue reading...
Recognised with an honorary Academy Award in 2016, Wiseman directed and produced almost 50 films with a lifelong commitment to curiosity and naturalismFrederick Wiseman, the prolific film-maker whose documentaries primarily explored US public institutions and communities, has died aged 96.His death on Monday was announced in a joint statement from the Wiseman family and his production company, Zipporah Films. Continue reading...
Unnamed suspect accused of planning to bomb one of singer's Eras tour shows in ViennaAustrian prosecutors have filed terrorism-related charges against a 21-year-old who they say planned to attack one of Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna in August 2024.Three dates in Swift's record-breaking Eras tour were cancelled after authorities warned of the plot. Continue reading...
Three people stabbed in attack near Merrylands train station, with NSW police stating accused was known to them for past mental health incidents'Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
Yoon Suk Yeol could face the death penalty when judges rule on the martial law crisis that many in South Korea see as a dark moment they would rather forgetSouth Korea is awaiting one of the most consequential court rulings in decades this week, with judges due to deliver their verdict on insurrection charges against the former president Yoon Suk Yeol and prosecutors demanding the death penalty.When Yoon stands in courtroom 417 of Seoul central district court on Thursday to hear his fate, which will be broadcast live, he will do so in the same room where the military dictator Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death three decades ago. The charge is formally the same. Last time, it took almost 17 years and a democratic transition to deliver a verdict. This time, it has taken 14 months. Chun's death sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment on appeal, and he was eventually pardoned. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#73M4M)
London police say criminal gangs are using Snapchat to offer cash rewards of up to 380 for stolen iPhonesGangs are recruiting children to go out to steal smartphones before they head to school, using Snapchat to offer rewards of up to 380 for the latest Apple iPhones, police have revealed.The Metropolitan police said they were deploying new resources including drones and Surron ebikes to chase suspects as they step up their fight against phone snatching. Continue reading...
Messages from ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to sex offender, sent after his conviction, came to light last monthSix companies linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, are being wound down in the wake of revelations about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.According to Companies House, an application to strike off each company was filed after new details about Ferguson's contact with Epstein came to light in the millions of documents released by US authorities as part of the Epstein files. Continue reading...
Stuart Leslie, 46, and Shaun Overy, 51, died while skiing off-piste in Val d'Isere amid red avalanche alertTwo British skiers who died in an avalanche in the French Alps have been named as Stuart Leslie and Shaun Overy.The pair were part of a group of five people, accompanied by an instructor, skiing off-piste in Val d'Isere in south-east France on Friday when they were swept away by falling snow. Continue reading...
Advisory board member says Europe already paying price for lack of preparation but adapting is not rocket science'Keeping Europe safe from extreme weather is not rocket science", a top researcher has said, as the EU's climate advisory board urges countries to prepare for a catastrophic 3C of global heating.Maarten van Aalst, a member of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC), said the continent was already paying a price" for its lack of preparation but that adapting to a hotter future was in part common sense and low-hanging fruit". Continue reading...
Abbas Araghchi is steeped in more than a decade of nuclear dealmaking with a book on the art of negotiationsIf the US and Iran are to avoid a regional war, both sides need to start to make concessions at talks in Geneva on Tuesday, and also to accommodate one another's very different bargaining styles.The Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, steeped in almost 15 years of Iranian nuclear talks, is a near lifelong diplomat who has written a book on the art of negotiations that reveals the secrets of the Iranian diplomatic trade - the feints, the patience, the poker faces. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell, Andrew Gregory and Rachel Hall on (#73M03)
Calls grow for reform of England's vaccination system including delivery of jabs in pharmacies as take-up fallsChildren are at risk of measles because the NHS is clearly failing" to ensure they get the MMR vaccine and its system needs an urgent overhaul, MPs and health experts have warned.Calls are growing for major reform of how MMR jabs are delivered as it emerged that vaccination rates in some parts of England are now on a par with those in Afghanistan and Malawi. Continue reading...
Judge says people should not lose chance of parenthood by the ticking of a clock' after 10-year deadline missedMore than a dozen fertility patients have won a high court battle to save their embryos, eggs and sperm from destruction after errors meant they did not renew consent to store them within the 10-year window required by law.Ruling that the material could be kept, the judge said they should not have the possibility of parenthood ... removed by the ticking of a clock". Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#73M04)
Government drops plans to delay 7 May ballots for 30 councils undergoing reorganisation, leaving 11 weeks to prepareCouncils are experiencing whiplash" and face an unnecessary race against time" to organise ballots after the government abandoned plans to delay 30 council elections in England, local authority leaders have said.Ministers had wanted to delay elections at councils undergoing major reorganisation, with many set to be merged or subsumed into others, but faced a legal challenge from Reform UK, which argued it was undemocratic. Continue reading...
Experts say the detention centres were a breeding ground for extremism and a new generation of IS membersHumanitarians warned for years that the camps in north-east Syria holding tens of thousands of family members of suspected Islamic State (IS) fighters would have to be dealt with. Calling them a ticking time bomb", relief groups said the women and children could not just be left to rot in squalid desert camps indefinitely, because eventually they would come home.Despite the warnings, most states ignored the problem, refusing to repatriate their citizens. At least 8,000 women and children from more than 40 countries have been stranded in the camps of north-east Syria since 2019. Continue reading...
Dana Eden, 52, co-creator of hit TV series Tehran, reported by Greek police to have taken her own life on SundayThe co-creator of an Israeli hit TV series has been found dead in a hotel room in Athens where the fourth season of the spy thriller is being filmed.Dana Eden, 52, was discovered by her brother late on Sunday, Greek police said, attributing her death to suicide.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
The government was warned by its lawyers that such a move could be illegal as it pledges an additional 63m to help councils with reorganisationIn his Q&A with journalists, Keir Starmer was also asked to respond to a report by the BBC's James Landale saying he is looking at plans to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by the end of this parliament. In the past Starmer has just said that he would like to do this at some point in the next parliament.In his reply, Starmer said that at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend he was arguing that the UK, and Europe as a whole, needs to step up".We want a just and lasting peace, but that will not extinguish the Russian threat, and we need to be alert to that, because that's going to affect every single person in this room, every single person in this country, so we need to step up.That means, on defence spending, we need to go faster. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#73KWV)
More than 170,000 seek compensation after UCL Covid settlement opens door to claims across university sectorDozens of universities are facing legal action from more than 170,000 students seeking compensation after their studies were moved online during Covid.Pre-action claim letters have been sent to 36 universities in England and Wales, including Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Cardiff, Leeds, Imperial College London, Liverpool and Warwick, on behalf of aggrieved students. Continue reading...
Quentin Deranque, 23, who was on sidelines of a protest, died from a brain injury after attack that has fuelled political tensionsFrench police have launched a murder inquiry after a far-right activist died in hospital having been beaten up in an attack that has fuelled political tensions in France.Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old mathematics student, died from a severe brain injury at the weekend. The Lyon prosecutor, Thierry Dran, said Deranque was assaulted by at least six masked individuals. Police were working to identify suspects and no arrests had been made, Dran said. Continue reading...
Actor shouted down and pelted with fruit during Catarina, or the Beauty of Killing FascistsAn actor at a theatre in Germany was at the weekend shouted down, pelted with fruit and subjected to an attempted stage invasion as he delivered a final monologue in character as a far-right activist.The violent scenes came on Saturday during the German premiere of the Portuguese playwright Tiago Rodrigues's work Catarina, or the Beauty of Killing Fascists in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#73KTB)
Move could mean fewer free exhibitions and paid-for shows and more expensive ticketsThe National Gallery is to make significant cuts in the face of an 8.2m deficit in the coming year, which could mean fewer free exhibitions and ticketed shows, less international borrowing of artworks and more expensive tickets.As a result of considerably increased running costs and stagnant income, the gallery has said it will be looking to cut spending in areas such as public programmes, and activities where, for a number of reasons beyond our control, we can no longer justify their costs". Continue reading...
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