Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
The London stock market has opened to little fanfare.
After rallying yesterday to a near three-week high, the FTSE100 has risen by just 2 points (or 0.03%) to 8405 points.
The long-term investment outlook among customers is illustrated by the fact more than three-quarters of these trades were buys with the net investment totalling more than £300 million.
The retail chain that filed for bankruptcy in 2017 believes a film starring mass produced kids’ merch will be a good way to refresh its brand relevance. Let’s all blame Barbie …
Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ show The Studio has a compelling character at the centre; a studio executive who loves cinema but is forced to churn out endless soulless dreck based on increasingly miserable IP. In real life, however, it would be silly to assume that someone would be creatively barren enough to make a film based on Kool-Aid. And this is because in real life people are creatively barren enough to make a film about Toys R Us.
Variety has reported that a live-action Toys R Us movie is in the works, made by Toys R Us Studios which is apparently a real thing that exists in the world. The movie is said to be a live-action film, along the lines of Night at the Museum and Big, which “aims to capture that childhood wonder in a modern, fast-paced adventure that taps into the Toys R Us brand’s relevance across its more than 70 years in the toy industry.” And quite frankly this couldn’t have come soon enough, because if my children have been crying out for anything, it’s a film about the brand relevance of a shop.
For five decades the Japanese photographer has captured the internal lives of a host of unlikely subjects, from dockers to Black GIs. Now a new show celebrates an artist dedicated to documenting the underdog
In 1975, when Mao Ishikawa was in her early 20s, she took a job in a bar frequented by Black American GIs stationed at Camp Hansen, in Okinawa. She had grown up hating the Americans who controlled her home island and, to this day, maintain military bases there. Yet she found kindred spirits among the soldiers and her fellow barmaids, with whom she lived and loved and also photographed. These images became her first major documentary series, Red Flower: The Women of Okinawa, and capture a sense of their youthful freedom and outsider bonhomie, from the group of men and women hanging out in bed to the trio hitting the town for a night out, the women’s hair teased into afros, massive hoop earrings glinting.
Like much of what you can discover in Ishikawa’s first UK survey, spanning her five-decade career – from dockworkers to travelling actors or downtown Philadelphia’s African American community – these are natural, intimate photographs of a hidden world that could only have been taken by an insider. They are an act of political resistance, too.
French clubs are enjoying best continental season in decades but catastrophic crisis could engulf entire league
If it is results that count, tout va bien for Ligue 1. Having so far accrued its second-highest total of Uefa ranking points in a single campaign, the “league of talents” remains on course to register its best season in Europe since the 1990s, when Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and others regularly featured in the latter stages of Uefa competitions.
A transformed, exuberant if still-not-quite-perfect PSG hope to go one better than the Thomas Tuchel side who lost the 2020 Champions League final to Bayern Munich, and Lyon gave Manchester United an almighty scare in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Brest and Lille defied the odds by qualifying for the knockout stage of the Champions League, beating teams such as PSV, Atlético Madrid and the holders, Real Madrid, on the way. The conveyor belt of young talent shows no sign of slowing, the 17-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi of Lille and PSG’s Désiré Doué the latest French academy products to break through on the biggest of stages.
The UN has called the detention of Pablo López Alavez ‘arbitrary’, while human rights organisations say his sentence is part of a systematic and alarming pattern of criminalisation of Mexico’s environmental activists
The meeting room in the prison of Villa de Etla, a town in Oaxaca, Mexico, doubles as a classroom with school desks and a small library. The walls feature motivational phrases such as “First things first”, “Live and let live” and “Little by little, you’ll go far”.
Pablo López Alavez, a 56-year-old environmental defender, has had nearly 15 years to contemplate these sentiments – and faces 15 more, after being imprisoned for murders he says he did not commit.
The poet’s debut novel is a transcendent portrait of gay desire that pays homage to the English literary tradition
Seán Hewitt, the author of two acclaimedpoetry collections and an equally acclaimed memoir, now publishes his debut novel Open, Heaven – a tender, skilled and epiphanic work which I suspect will meet the same response. It takes its title from William Blake’s poem Milton, which speaks of wandering through “realms of terror and mild moony lustre, in soft sexual delusions of varied beauty” – a line that quite nicely describes the reader’s experience of this book.
Its opening recalls – with the sense of a deliberate engagement with literary tradition – TS Eliot’s Four Quartets, or LP Hartley’s The Go-Between: “Time runs faster backwards. The years – long, arduous and uncertain when taken one by one – unspool quickly … the garden sends its snow upwards, into the sky, gathers back its fallen leaves, and blooms in reverse.” Our narrator James, a librarian who loved but never desired his husband, is a man arrested in time past. Directed by doctors to rest after the “bewildered weeks” that follow his divorce, he returns endlessly to thoughts of his youth, “hoping to find the answer to something left unfinished”. He searches online for properties in the village of Thornmere, where he was once a solitary teen who loved – with disastrous single-minded loyalty – a boy called Luke. He discovers a farmhouse for sale which is achingly familiar; so he is prompted to return to Thornmere in person, having never really departed it in spirit, and we are plunged into the body of the novel.
This drama about dancers could have been as fun as Fame in tutus. Instead, it is a jarring, cringe-inducing mess. Wait till you see Simon Callow as an evil billionaire!
At first, Étoile looks as if it’s shaping up to be Fame in pointe shoes. One character even knowingly quotes the “This is where you start paying, in sweat” speech. This would be fine – great, even, because who didn’t love the quintessential 80s series about the high-energy kids from New York City’s High School of the Performing Legwarmers? The problem is that, as the new venture from Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino progresses, it doesn’t seem to be sure what it is. Apart from Whimsical with a capital W, an attitude that rarely works out well for anyone.
The setup is simple. Two dance companies – Le Ballet National in Paris and the Metropolitan Ballet Theater in New York City – are struggling after Covid and assorted other modern pressures such as anti-elitist attitudes and everybody’s terrible attention spans. So what if they swapped their top dancers and choreographers and launched a huge publicity campaign about it so everyone abandoned YouTube and became interested in ballet instead?
Mark Cohen’s photographs of his daily walks in New York show the world viewed from the height of a child – revealing fresh threats, thrills and perspectives
The UK’s first national trail was established to help secure a right to roam. To mark its anniversary, our writer takes on a particularly wild section
High on the ridges of the Pennines, somewhere between the waters of Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dales and Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders, a 31-year-old woman stands amid a group of mainly male walkers. She’s wearing bell-bottom jeans, a fitted long-sleeve top and an Alice band to keep her hair out of her face in the prevailing westerly wind. Her name is Joyce Neville and the year is 1952. She’s in the middle of a walk along a proposed national trail – the Pennine Way
Joyce had seen an advert for this self-described “Pioneer Walk” in the Sunday newspapers a few months earlier. It was placed by the writer and campaigner Tom Stephenson who was requesting “accomplished walkers, fit and over 18” to take part in a 15-day hike on the “long green trail” he was suggesting be created in Britain (inspired by the US’s 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail). Few women wore jeans back then, according to Joyce’s notes (which were passed on to me by Paddy Dillon, author of Cicerone’s Walking the Pennine Way guidebook), and the whole trip cost just £25.
Booming fintech company gives details of initiative to improve working culture as profits more than double
Revolut has been tracking staff behaviour, granting or docking points on an internal “Karma” system that is feeding into the UK bank’s decisions on bonus payouts.
The practice was detailed in Revolut’s annual report, which showed that profits had more than doubled last year, jumping 148% to £1bn in 2024. That increase was due to a rise in subscriptions, and revenues from its wealth and crypto trading divisions.
Gilmour, Waters, Wright and Mason are space rock whippets in the burning Italian sun in this outrageously indulgent yet vivid and beguiling music documentary
Here they are: Pink Floyd in 1971, amazingly young, amazingly thin, like four space-rock whippets standing mysteriously on their hind legs in the burning Italian sun. Dave Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason are performing “live at Pompeii” in this mesmerically peculiar and outrageously indulgent music documentary from film-maker Adrian Maben, now on rerelease over half a century later, available on freakily large Imax screens undreamt of in the 70s. The music and the atmosphere are an irresistible fan-madeleine for those who can remember referring to them solemnly as “the Floyd” (ahem).
The band are shown performing live in Pompeii’s ancient Roman amphitheatre in the late afternoon, but not to an audience as you might assume, but weirdly and almost haughtily alone. The banks of amplifiers are pounding out the music just to the ancient stones and pillars and to the film crew facing them (and to the crew filming them from behind), who like most of the band are shown shirtless in the sweating heat. (No one worried about sunscreen in 1971.) Maben’s vision was avowedly inspired by his experience as a young traveller searching frantically for a lost passport in this very amphitheatre, as well as by Wilhelm Jensen’s novella Gradiva, much admired by Freud, in which a German archaeologist in Pompeii has a sunstricken hallucinatory glimpse of a woman who lived thousands of years before.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that peace talks in London had been marked by “emotions” and pledged that Ukraine would abide by its constitution, which he has previously pointed out forbids surrendering territory such as Crimea. “Emotions have run high today. But it is good that five countries met to bring peace closer,” the Ukrainian president posted. “The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their inputs. And we hope that it is exactly such joint work that will lead to lasting peace.”
Zelenskyy posted a 2018 Crimea Declaration from Mike Pompeo, secretary of state during Donald Trump’s his first term, which said: “The United States rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.” Trump now appears to be proposing that the US formally recognise Russian control of Crimea – violating the UN Charter and principles that the US has led the way in upholding since the second world war, that borders must not be changed by force.
Zelenskyy’s post came as Trump scolded him for dwelling on Crimea, saying it was harming talks and that “nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognise Crimea”. Trump told reporters later that he thought the London talks had gone “pretty well … we’ve got to get two people, two strong people, two smart people, to agree. And as soon as they agree, the killing will stop.”
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, cancelled his trip to attend the London talks on Wednesday, leading to the cancellation of a broader meeting with foreign ministers from Ukraine, Britain, France and Germany. Downing Street said there were instead meetings with Washington’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and national security advisers from France and Germany. Donald Trump’s friend, the real estate dealer Steve Witkoff, is expected to meet Vladimir Putin again on Friday.
French president Emmanuel Macron’s office said: “Ukraine’s territorial integrity and European aspirations are very strong requirements for Europeans.” A spokesperson for Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, told reporters “it has to be up to Ukraine to decide its future”. Keith Kellogg said the talks with Andriy Yermak in London were positive. “It’s time to move forward on President Trump’s UKR-RU war directive: stop the killing, achieve peace, and put America First,” Kellogg posted.
At least 21 people were injured in Kyiv early on Thursday after a missile attack onthe capital. “The 21st casualty was already hospitalised,” said Vitali Klitschko, the Kyiv mayor. He said a three-year-old child was taken to hospital. Military authorities said damage had been reported in at least two districts. Kharkiv was also under missile attack early on Thursday, according to its mayor, Ihor Terekhov, who said explosions had been heard in the city. The Ukrainian air force reported Russian bombers taking off and firing missiles.
Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday that it hit a Russian long-range drone production site in Tatarstan, damaging the final assembly line. Russia extensively uses Shahed and other types of drones for strikes across Ukraine. Ukraine’s general staff said the plant could make 300 drones per day. Reuters could not independently verify the statement.
The death toll rose to nine after a Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers in the Ukrainian city of Marhanets – one of 134 large drones that Ukrainian authorities reported had attacked the country over Tuesday night and into Wednesday.
Former cricketer opens up on dark times during recovery
‘I thought my face had come off. I was frightened to death’
Andrew Flintoff has described his return to cricket as a coach over the past 18 months as “the one thing that saved me” as he struggled to come to terms with the mental and physical scars caused in a car accident during filming for the BBC’s Top Gear in December 2022.
Flintoff talks for the first time about the accident and its aftermath in a Disney+ documentary to be released on Friday. “After the accident I didn’t think I had it in me to get through,” he says.
Tensions escalate as Delhi announces series of measures to downgrade ties with Islamabad
India has summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat in Delhi after announcing a series of measures to downgrade ties with Islamabad after a deadly militant attack in Kashmir, an Indian diplomatic source has told the Guardian. Local media carried similar reports.
Saad Ahmad Warraich, the charge d’affaires at the Pakistan embassy, was summoned late on Wednesday night by the ministry of external affairs, according to a senior ministry official who was not authorised to speak to the media.
Victims include fans rushing to buy tickets at well over face value, data collected by Lloyds Banking Group suggests
Oasis fans have collectively lost more than £2m to scams since tickets for its reunion tour went on sale last year, a major bank has estimated.
Lloyds Banking Group based the calculation on the volume of fraud reports made by its own customers. Oasis fans make up more than half (56%) of all reported concert ticket scams so far this year, according to Lloyds’ data, losing £436 on average.
Expectations that the Fed will cut short-term interest rates and falling consumer confidence could indicate what is ahead
Imagine you are sailing a ship through dense fog, looking out for land. Your lookout spots species of birds typically found offshore. It now seems likely that you are approaching land, but it is impossible to know for sure until you see the coastline. If a US recession is land, the “birds” are already swooping into view. But these sightings offer no guarantees of what lies ahead, only probabilities.
An inverted yield curve, when the long-term interest rate falls to or below the short-term rate, is commonly considered to be a predictor of recession. The 10-year bond ratedidfall below the three-month Treasury rate in March, although the two are now at about the same level. In any case, the yield curve does not actually tell us much. It simply reflects financial market expectations that the US Federal Reserve might cut short-term interest rates in the future, which in turn reflects expectations that economic activity might falter.
Sophie Lloyd, who was expelled in 1991 when her deception was exposed, accepts belated apology from the society
Deception has always been an integral part of magic. So when Sophie Lloyd set about attempting to gain access to the formerly male-only ranks of the Magic Circle, she concocted an elaborate disguise.
To become the magician Raymond Lloyd, she wore a male bodysuit, wig, gloves to disguise her feminine hands – making sleight of hand even more difficult – and wore “plumpers” in her mouth to give herself a square jaw.
At least nine people have been killed and more than 70 injured in Kyiv after Russia carried out one of the most devastating air attacks against Ukraine for months, with Kharkiv and other cities also targeted.
Waves of drones as well as ballistic and guided missiles struck the Ukrainian capital early on Thursday. There were explosions for much of the night, beginning at about 1am local time, and the rattle of anti-aircraft fire as Ukrainian defences tried to shoot the missiles down.
The nation remembers pontiff’s trip to the Philippines, where he met Typhoon Haiyan survivors in a show of sympathy and humility
At Quiapo church in central Manila, the pews are filled with worshippers. Latecomers gather near the entrance, clutching fans to ease the stifling heat.
A prayer is read out in memory of Pope Francis, known affectionately as Lolo Kiko, or Grandpa Francis, whose image stands framed on the alter.
Groundbreaking project has produced some of the world’s most comprehensive studies on vaccine efficacy and safety
The largest ever global study into the safety of Covid-19 vaccines has been terminated just 13 months shy of completion, after becoming caught up in the Trump administration’s sweeping funding cuts.
The Global Vaccine Data Network, which was established in 2019 by the New Zealand-based vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris and the US-based vaccinologist Steven Black, has already produced some of the world’s most comprehensive studies on vaccine efficacy and safety, based on data from more than 300 million people.
Brazil has been the world’s leading coffee producer due to the forced labour of enslaved Africans and Afro-Brazilians
“John” was just days from turning 16 when he was allegedly recruited to work on a Brazilian coffee farm that supplies the global coffeehouse chain Starbucks.
Soon after his birthday, he embarked on a 16-hour bus journey to the farm in the state of Minas Gerais – only to discover that none of what he had been promised would be fulfilled.
Penn Badgley’s ‘sexy’ serial killer story was once ludicrously fun. But despite plenty of fan-pleasing cameos and a propulsive twist, the show’s sign-off is so bad that it’s offensive
You, in which a serial killer and stalker of women, but a sexy one, is somehow fashioned into the hero of the piece, is a fundamentally preposterous show. It washes its hands of plausibility in favour of vocal fry, phones without passwords and quasi-literary second-person monologues. Perhaps most preposterous of all is that it has stretched the story over five seasons. You used to be fun, at least: a guilty-ish pleasure, aware of its own over-the-top silliness, that once gave the impression of knowing that it wasn’t so much pushing at the edges of credulity as body-barging it into an abyss. But as the seasons have ticked away, the satire has seeped out, leaving a mess of its own making that it tries, and inevitably struggles, to clear up.
The main problem is that Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) is both the hero and the villain. In this final – and that really is a mercy – season, You falls back on its old habit of not knowing which it would prefer him to be. After a predictably murderous stint as a lecturer at an English university, Joe is now married to billionaire and philanthropist Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), living in New York with her and with his newly returned son Henry. He is no longer pretending to be dead and another person. Instead, he is a public figure, hiding from his many misdeeds in plain sight.
First clinical trial of its kind could be ‘life changing’ for those living in fear of severe peanut reaction
Adults with severe peanut allergies can be desensitised by daily exposure, according to the first clinical trial of its kind.
After being given steadily increasing doses of peanut flour over a period of months, two-thirds of the trial participants were able to eat the equivalent of five peanuts without reacting.
From personally promising to relocate vulnerable asylum seekers to speaking out against ‘cruel’ policies, the late pope was a voice for the marginalised
On a glorious spring day almost a decade ago, an Airbus A320 took off from Mytilene airport on the Greek island of Lesbos. For what seemed like an age, a small group of bystanders, including officials and the media, watched in disbelief until the plane veered left over the sun-speckled Aegean Sea and its Alitalia livery could no longer be discerned. On board was Pope Francis, who had spent barely five hours on Lesbos, then at the centre of the refugee crisis on Europe’s eastern fringes.
The whirlwind tour had been replete with symbolism but it was the pontiff’s fellow travellers who had caused such surprise. Moments after the head of the Roman Catholic Church had entered the aircraft, 12 refugees had also appeared, cheerfully making their way across the runway with expressions of stunned relief, their first taste of freedom after incarceration in the island’s notorious “reception” centre.
Working for Hope Not Hate, I infiltrated an extremist organisation, befriended its members and got to work investigating their political connections
Charlie, the leader of a white nationalist group, leaned over the sticky pub table. He pointed a big finger at me and locked eyes. “You better not turn out to be an infiltrator for Hope Not Hate,” he said. I froze. Flanked by several of his lieutenants, Charlie watched, waiting for my response. His face softened into a smile. He started laughing and yanked down his collar, pretending to talk into a hidden microphone. “Abort! Abort!” he shouted. I played along, lifting up my wrist like there was a wire stashed in my cuff. “Get me out of here!” I yelled into my sleeve. “They’ve discovered me!”
Charlie was right to be suspicious of me. I was, in fact, an infiltrator for the anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate. The only thing he got wrong was the location of my microphone: it wasn’t in my collar but strapped to my chest.
Instead of bazooka-level fines on global turnover, this €700m was no more than a slap on the wrist. It’s a missed opportunity
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, had some tough words for big tech this week, but it seems that at the last minute, the EU lost its nerve. Under the Digital Markets Act, companies that the EU has designated as “gatekeepers” – that is, digital platforms that provide core services such as search engines, app stores and messenger services – have special obligations and constraints that are meant to ensure a fair playing field for other companies.
Apple, which takes a significant cut of purchases (including subscriptions) made through its App Store, violated the act by preventing developers from directing customers to their own websites to get around the “Apple tax”. In Meta’s case, the company was fined for forcing Facebook and Instagram users to either consent to letting Meta use their personal data, or pay a monthly fee to remove ads.
Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss three intriguing science stories from the week. From a hint at alien life on a distant planet to a clue in the search for answers over why colon cancer rates are rising in the under 50s, and news from scientists who claim to have found a colour no one has seen before
When they’re not shouting at their own children, many of Britain’s soccer dads like nothing more than swearing at the officials, or even trading blows on the touchline. Isn’t this supposed to be fun?
A chilly Saturday morning on the Astroturf pitches at Coram’s Fields in central London and several youth football matches are under way. I’m watching an under-11s game. The sound is the thud of boot on ball, the shrill interruption of the referee’s whistle, and a whole lot of shouting. From the players (“Mine!”, “Here!”, “Pass!”, “Ref!”, etc). From the two coaches (“Press!”, “Stay wide!”, “Push up!”, “Ref!”, etc). And from the touchline dads. There is one mum here today, but she’s less vocal.
To varying degrees, the dads are part fan, part coach, part personal trainer to their progeny. There is one dad (there’s always one) who’s taking it a bit further, who’s a bit shoutier than the others. “Get rid of it!” he screams at the defence, meaning hoof it upfield, which is the opposite of the coach’s instructions to play it out from the back. “Ref! Seriously?” he shouts at the referee (who’s only about 17 himself).
Two Belgian 19-year-olds have pleaded guilty to wildlife piracy – part of a growing trend of trafficking ‘less conspicuous’ creatures for sale as exotic pets
Poaching busts are familiar territory for the officers of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), an armed force tasked with protecting the country’s iconic creatures. But what awaited guards when they descended in early April on a guesthouse in the west of the country was both larger and smaller in scale than the smuggling operations they typically encounter. There were more than 5,000 smuggled animals, caged in their own enclosures. Each one, however, was about the size of a little fingernail: 18-25mm.
The cargo, which two Belgian teenagers had apparently intended to ship to exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia, was ants. Their enclosures were a mixture of test tubes and syringes containing cotton wool – environments that authorities say would keep the insects alive for weeks.
The government began to roll out its free breakfast club scheme this week as part of plans to help struggling families. But with predictions that child poverty could increase by the end of this parliament, how serious is Labour about tackling the problem? John Harris hears from a headteacher, and speaks to our political editor, Pippa Crerar
Stuart Semple created his own version of the blue-green colour based on the US research published in Science Advances, which he is selling on his website for £10,000 per 150ml jar – or £29.99 if you state you are an artist.
Donald Trump signs orders that attack funding and accreditation as his administration pushes to reshape colleges – key US politics stories from 23 April
Donald Trump has signed executive orders targeting US universities as his administration seeks to reshape higher education institutions and crack down on diversity and inclusion efforts.
The actions address foreign gifts to universities as well as college accreditation, which the president has referred to as his “secret weapon” to upend US universities.
When his jet lands in Moscow, Steve Witkoff – Donald Trump’s envoy and longtime friend – will mark his fourth visit to Russia this year, a pointed gesture that says as much about who he is meeting as who he is not.
The 68-year-old real estate executive, who holds no formal diplomatic credentials, was expected in London on Wednesday for talks with Kyiv and European allies.
Nerys Lloyd had pleaded guilty to gross negligence manslaughter over expedition in swollen River Cleddau
A former police officer has been jailed for 10 years and six months after leading a paddleboarding expedition on a rain-swollen river that ended in four people losing their lives.
Nerys Lloyd, 39, pleaded guilty to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and a Health and Safety at Work offence over the tragedy on the River Cleddau in Haverfordwest, south-west Wales.
My singing voice is rarely tested, except for the occasional Happy Birthday. But a music festival choir singalong changed everything
When I was 16 I eagerly auditioned for our high school musical, singing a verse and the chorus from the Irene Cara song Flashdance … What a Feeling. Instead of taking the music teacher’s advice and picking something suitable for my voice, I chose this song because I secretly wanted to be just a dancer with a welding mask – just like the star of the film.
Preparations were intense. I spent hours rehearsing at home, nailing down the lyrics and watching the same scene over and over on my treasured VHS copy of Flashdance. I would have attempted some of the dance moves too but it was clear to everyone that was never going to be to my advantage.
Is the US president exploiting popular resentment towards elite colleges to achieve his political goals? Ed Pilkington reports
Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday on the grounds that a recent $2bn (£1.5bn) funding freeze was unlawful. It is the most significant act of resistance taken by a US college in response to Trump’s crackdown on higher education.
Ed Pilkington, chief reporter for Guardian US, explains to Michael Safi that capitulating to Trump’s demands would have severely undermined Harvard’s reputation, and that the administration was targeting it for being a bastion of liberal thought.
Belfast rappers criticised by US conservatives and Sharon Osbourne for the pro-Palestine and anti-Israel content of their set
Irish-language rap group Kneecap have responded to criticism of statements they made about Israel during their Coachella performance on the weekend, saying that statements are “not aggressive” in comparison to Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
During their second set at the Coachella music festival in California on 18 April, the rap group, known for their political performances and support of Palestine, led the crowd in chants of “free, free Palestine”. Messages displayed on the stage’s screens during their set read: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.” Another read: “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.”
Moises Sandoval Mendoza receives lethal injection in Huntsville for death of 20-year-old Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson
A Texas man convicted of fatally strangling and stabbing a young mother more than 20 years ago was executed on Wednesday evening.
Moises Sandoval Mendoza received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 6.40pm, authorities said. He was condemned for the March 2004 killing of 20-year-old Rachelle O’Neil Tolleson.
Government is ‘setting up conversations’ as companies arrive in London for clean energy summit
The UK is to woo global green investors, including those scared away from the US by the actions of Donald Trump, by offering cash and infrastructure improvements to encourage companies to set up manufacturing plants and supply chains.
The government will bring forward £300m for offshore windfarms, an area in which the UK retains a lead, and has invited banks and major international companies to a 60-country summit in London this week.
In elections gone by, Az Fahmi volunteered for Labor’s home affairs minister, Tony Burke, in her electorate of Watson in Sydney’s south-west. Now she wants change.
“Enough is enough. We’re sick of being taken for granted. We’re sick of being ignored,” says the campaign volunteer, who works in communications.
Connexion
