Exclusive: FOI request reveals Arts Council updated guidance after discussing Gaza conflict with DCMS Arts Council England (ACE) issued a warning that political statements could break funding agreements after discussions with the government about artists speaking out over the Israel-Gaza war, newly released documents suggest. A freedom of information request made by the actors union Equity has revealed that the conflict was discussed in a meeting between ACE and the Department for Culture, Media

Patients are already dying as wonder drugs lose their effectiveness. International action is urgently needed As apocalyptic horror stories go, its up there with thescariest. Yet its not fiction writers but top scientistswho are warning of how the world could look once superbugs develop resistance to the remaining drugs against them in our hospital pharmacies. Patients will die who can currently be cured; routine surgery will become dangerous or impossible. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) it happ

The departure this weekend of Chelseas Emma Hayes from the WSL and Liverpools Jrgen Klopp will be felt outside sport The departure this weekend of two of Englands most influential and successful football managers will be felt beyond sport. Theres no doubt that the loss of Chelseas Emma Hayes from the Womens Super League and Liverpools Jrgen Klopp from the Premier League offers important lessons for the gameon why leadership matters. Their personalitiesand tactical nous demonstrated why managers

Bodies of Amit Buskila and Itzhak Gelerenter also recovered from Gaza as Israel says 129 hostages remain in captivity The bodies of three hostages kidnapped by Hamas, including the German-Israeli Shani Louk, have been retrieved from Gaza by the Israeli military, it announced. The other two hostages were identified as Amit Buskila, 28, and Itzhak Gelerenter, 56, according to the military spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, who said the three victims were taken to Gaza after being killed by Hamas

Medical professionals and women who had bad experiences themselves respond to the findings of the birth trauma report The maternity trauma report is deja vu all over again ( Women having harrowing births as hospitals hide failures, says MPs report, 13 May ). I cannot read about it because it makes me want to scream. I was around for the Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust report a couple of years ago. All those dead babies, all those mothers and parents talking about not being listened to or r

We can only address the politics of Israel/Palestine by recognising the suffering of both Jewish and Palestinian people, writes Lynne Segal . Plus a letter from Ron Mendel It is indeed a tragic time for Jewish people, as Dave Rich argues ( The 7 October Hamas attack opened a space and antisemitism filled it. British Jews are living with the consequences, 16 May ). He rightly insists on the extreme dangers of historic and continuing antisemitism, today rising and falling with the extremities of

Exclusive: Experts call for higher taxes and tougher regulation as research shows cost to NHS, other public services and economy The cost of alcohol abuse is laid bare in a new study that shows 27bn a year being spent in England on the health and social harms of drinking. The research that found the extra burden on the NHS, social services, the criminal justice system and the labour market cost at least 37% more than in 2003, when comparable research by the Cabinet Office estimated the costs at

Chancellor also criticised for dodgy dossier on Labour plans as he aims to make low tax a key election issue Jeremy Hunt has been accused of exaggerating the Conservatives economic record and presenting a dodgy dossier on Labours spending plans, as he moved to put low tax at the heart of his partys offering at the next election. The chancellor gave a speech in central London on Friday, pitching the Conservatives as having helped the UK recover from economic troubles more quickly than expected. H

Cannes film festival Yorgos Lanthimos reinforces how the universe keeps on doing the same awful things with a multistranded yarn starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons Perhaps its just the one kind of unkindness: the same recurring kind of selfishness, delusion and despair. Yorgos Lanthimoss unnerving and amusing new film arrives in Cannes less than a year after the release of his Oscar-winning Alasdair Gray adaptation Poor Things . It is a macabre, absurdist triptych: three stories

Cannes film festival A drama of despair plays out in a remote village, as a debt-ridden father is mortified to discover his son is gay Here is a self-laceratingly painful tale of repression and denial in a remote Romanian village in the Danube delta, directed by Emanuel Parvu. Its in the gimlet-eyed observational and satirical style of the new Romanian cinema, a kind of movie-making that in extended dialogue scenes seeks out the bland bureaucratic language of the police and church authorities; t

The heavyweight on why hes happier picking up dog mess than facing life in the limelight before his fight against Oleksandr Usyk Tyson Fury can be boorish and crass. He can make you squirm and shudder with his outbursts and prejudices. The giant WBC world heavyweight champion can also seem petty and ridiculous when insulting his opponents. But there is a telling difference between the cartoon version of the Gypsy King and the reflective man who talks with stark candour about his life away from t

After an 81-year-olds fatal collision with a cyclist in Londons Regents Park, calls have risen for stronger sanctions It is a bright early spring morning in central London, and inside Regents Park the birds are chirping as the sun rises sleepily over the lawns and lake. On the road which encircles the park, however, the mood is anything but lazy. Scores of cyclists are riding on the 4.5km Outer Circle some of them clearly commuters, others on racing bikes and dressed in Lycra or the colours of

Wall Street Journal notes that British example may not be a good one, as plan hasnt gone into effect yet amid legal challenges Aides to Donald Trump working to transform US immigration policy should he return to power are pursuing goals including the largest mass deportation in US history while part-inspired by the UK governments deal to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda, the Wall Street Journal reported . The Conservative UK government reached an agreement with the African country in 2022. Since th

Shadow foreign secretary sets out vision for a more strategic, less elitist attitude to UK diplomacy The shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, has said his family history as descendants of enslaved people will inform his work in government as he seeks to deepen the UKs relations with the global south and the Commonwealth. I will take the responsibility of being the first foreign secretary descended from the slave trade incredibly seriously, he said in a speech setting out how Labour will reform

But economists say it could be offset by the creation of new roles and non-automated sectors Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence could lead to short-term increases in unemployment, a rise in carbon emissions and leave regulators trailing in the wake of technological advances, according to an international panel of experts. The inaugural report on the safety of advanced AI, inspired by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , raised a number of concerns about a technology which has sh

Politics is about achieving things and telling a compelling story. But neither the president nor Starmer can match Trumps gift for narrative The smile was the giveaway. Asked whether he was just a copycat of Tony Blair at the launch of his Blair-style pledge card on Thursday, Keir Starmer positively glowed. He was delighted with the comparison, which the entire exercise was surely designed to encourage. Blair won three elections in a row, Starmer said, beaming. Of course, hes thrilled to be li

Josh Hawley among conservatives delighted by football players commencement speech pummeling Pride and working women Harrison Butkers university commencement address at Benedictine College excoriating Pride month, working women, abortion rights activists and others has prompted the National Football League to disavow his remarks but the Kansas City Chiefs placekickers jersey sales have spiked as conservatives seize on their latest culture war. Butker has also drawn an impassioned statement of su

Jane Fonda in an animal print coat, Lily Gladstone in Gucci and Chris Hemsworth in an old Hollywood jacket there was a lot to enjoy on the Croisette this week Continue reading...

A woman alleged that the magician sexually assaulted her on his private island in 2007. His lawyers said he was falsely accused Lacey Carroll headed straight to Harborview Medical Center after touching down in Seattle following a three-day stay on David Copperfields private island in the Bahamas. It was August 2007 and according to police records she had gone to get medical treatment for sexual assault. The 20-year-old later alleged to Seattle police and in court filings that she had embarked

In this weeks newsletter: Even if Francis Ford Coppolas long-awaited passion project is the turkey some critics say it is, the French film festival remains the most exciting date in cinema Dont get the Guide delivered to your inbox? Sign up to get the full article here The Cannes film festival is raging away on the Riviera, and, for me, the fomo is strong. I went to Cannes a handful of times in what now seems like ancient pre-Covid history, and always had a blast. Admittedly, much of its appeal

Tigran Gambaryan faces allegations of serious criminality on behalf of worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange A Nigerian court has ruled that Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance executive detained on charges of tax evasion and money laundering, can face trial on behalf of the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange . In a judgment in Abuja on Friday Gambaryans 40th birthday the presiding judge, Emeka Nwite, denied the American national bail, saying he was likely to abscond. Continue reading...

Writedown by Canadian pension fund Omers highlights growing financial crisis at utilities firm Thames Waters biggest investor has slashed the value of its stake in the company to zero in the latest sign of an escalating financial crisis for Britains biggest water supplier. The Canadian pension fund Omers issued a full writedown of its 31.7% stake in Thamess troubled parent company in its annual report published on Friday, signalling that it believes its share is worth nothing. Continue reading..

Lidl-Treks team tactics work to perfection after sprint Pogacar maintains firm grip at head of overall standings Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek maintained his excellent form at the Giro dItalia to win stage 13 in a sprint finish, the Italians third stage victory. His teams tactics worked perfectly, leading him out into the last kilometre with Milan well placed in second as they rounded the final bend. It initially looked like Fernando Gaviria would grab the win as he took to the front, but Milan sh

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! First up, an apology to Arsenal fans and any others desperately wishing for a final-day Premier League upset. We just cant see it happening. Weve crunched the numbers, weighed up the matchups, scoured the history books for precedent right from when football began 32 years ago and cant find any legitimate reasons to suggest Manchester City wont claim a fourth consecutive league title this weekend. Their relentlessness over the last two months

Firm run by the Ticket Queen sold tickets worth more than 6.5m on sites including Viagogo and StubHub Ticket touts who conspired to fleece fans of artists including Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher and Lady Gaga were jailed on Friday for operating a fraudulent trading scheme worth more than 6.5m. Judge Simon Batiste sentenced four touts, who fraudulently bought and sold hundreds of tickets through a business called TQ Tickets, to up to four years in prison. Continue reading...

Speaking at Cannes, the director says Megalopolis, his reworking of ancient Romes Catiline conspiracy, has become ever more prescient Megalopolis review Coppolas passion project is megabloated and megaboring The US, whose founders tried to emulate the laws and governmental structures of the Roman republic, is headed for a similarly self-inflicted collapse, director Francis Ford Coppola has said at the premiere of his first film in more than a decade. Whats happening in America, in our republic,

Updated guidelines strip bishops of power to recognise supernatural nature of purportedly divine events Apparitions of the Virgin Mary and weeping statues have been part of Catholicism for centuries, but the age of social media has prompted the Vatican to issue a crackdown against potential scams and hoaxes. New rules issued on Friday say that only a pope, rather than local bishops, can declare apparitions and revelations to be supernatural. The document, Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment

PC Perry Lathwood handcuffed Jocelyn Agyemang last year over false suspicion of fare evasion in Croydon A Metropolitan police officer who manhandled a woman as she was arrested in front of her son on the false suspicion of fare evasion has been found guilty of assault. PC Perry Lathwood was found guilty of assault by beating after a one-day trial at City of London magistrates court last week. Continue reading...

Leaders Manchester City host West Ham while title contenders Arsenal face Everton at the Emirates Stadium Sunday 4pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Emirates Stadium Continue reading...

Israel complains of obscene exploitation of genocide convention and asks judges to throw out bid to halt Rafah offensive Israel on Friday attacked South Africas case against it in the international court of justice as an obscene exploitation of the genocide convention, claiming it aimed not to protect Palestinian civilians but to defend Hamas militants. Israels representatives told the court their country was fighting a war of self-defence it did not want and did not start. They said Israel had

Attack on prime minister lifts lid on divided politics of one of the most polarised countries in Europe On Friday morning, Father Tom stood solemnly in the small Catholic church nestled near a park along the banks of the Danube River in Bratislava. He had seen an increase in visitors since Wednesdays shock shooting of Slovakias prime minister, Robert Fico, which has prompted soul-searching among the countrys deeply divided society. The priest, who did not wish to give his full name, planned to h

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The invisible downside to our online lives is the data stored at giant energy-guzzling datacentres Its been called the largest coal-powered machine on Earth and most of us use it countless times a day. The internet and its associated digital industry are estimated to produce about the same emissions annually as aviation . But we barely think about pollution while snapping 16 duplicate photos of our pets, which are immediately uploaded to the cloud. Continue reading...

Scientist discovers a cast of recurring characters using burrows in the aftermath of bushfire, after sifting through more than 700,000 images First came a picture of an inquisitive red-necked wallaby, then an image of a bare-nosed wombat, followed by a couple of shots of the wombats burrow with nothing else in the frame. By the time research scientist Grant Linley had looked through a further 746,670 images, he had seen 48 different species visiting the 28 wombat burrows that he had trained his

An Aperol spritz/cosmo hybrid thats equal parts refreshing and bubbly A glorious combination of classic ingredients that is equal parts refreshing and bubbly think a fruity yet refined Aperol spritz/cosmopolitan hybrid with a sparkling edge. Enjoy with friends on a sunny afternoon and embrace those fragrant citrus flavours. Jouzas Jonauskas, head of food and beverage, Waeska Bar , The Mandrake, London W1 Continue reading...

The Chinese American author of The Book of Goose pays tribute to the late writer, reflecting on the rich rewards of revisiting her stories over many years A life in quotes: Alice Munro Five of the best Alice Munro short stories Two days after Alice Munro died, I went to an event in New York, and found myself among strangers. A woman asked me if Id heard that the great Janet Munro had died. Janet? The confusion was cleared up, and a man told me about Munros life story, with a detailed description

San Pedro Sula is rated dangerous as effects of forest fires, El Nio and the climate crisis cause a spike in respiratory illnesses The air quality in San Pedro Sula , the second-largest city in Honduras, as been classified as the most polluted on the American continent due to forest fires and weather conditions aggravated by El Nio and the climate crisis. IQAir, a Swiss air-quality organisation that draws data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations around the world, said on Thursday that air

Spurs manager admits he misread the atmosphere in City match If were in that situation again we would approach it differently Ange Postecoglou has described Tottenhams defeat by Manchester City on Tuesday as probably the worst experience Ive had as a football manager as he sought to smooth the waters of a stormy aftermath. That Citys 2-0 win , which prevented Arsenal from going top, was pleasing to an audible section of Spurs fans had enraged Postecoglou. His post-match comments, pinpointing fra

Trump will look to again cast Biden as greatly diminished while Biden will aim to remind voters why they rejected Trump in 2020 US politics live latest updates Its game on for a pair of presidential debates between two unpopular candidates most Americans wish werent running for the nations highest office. In a ratatat social media exchange on Wednesday, Joe Biden and Donald Trump agreed to participate in two debates on 27 June, hosted by CNN, and on 10 September, hosted by ABC. Continue reading

Presenter, who cared for late husband, said she was approached by people in street pleading for intervention The TV presenter Kate Garraway has said the UK governments prosecution of unpaid carers for thousands of pounds in benefit payments has a horrible echo of the Post Office scandal. In an emotional intervention on ITVs Good Morning Britain, Garraway said many people had pleaded with her to please do something to help those being pursued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Continu

Adversaries know migration is our vulnerability, says Kaja Kallas, spelling out negative consequences to Europe of Ukrainian defeat Vladimir Putin is seeking to weaponise the threat of mass migration to divide and weaken Europe as supporters of Ukraine struggle to maintain unity to defeat Russia, Kaja Kallas, the Estonian prime minister said on Friday. What our adversaries know is migration is our vulnerability, she said. The aim is to make life really impossible in Ukraine so that there would b

Big-name ballet dancers and rising choreographers have found a new home in the superclub where the after-party goes on until 5am Its the easiest rider weve ever done, says the Ministry of Sounds Mahit Anam. Normally its five bottles of Patrn, four bottles of vodka And this time? Water, bananas and protein bars. Its not your usual green room at the south London superclub, because this is not your usual show: the dancefloor is about to be taken over by professionals. Ballet Nights a monthly pro

FirstGroup submits application for alternative route between capital and Rochdale Plans for an alternative direct train service between Greater Manchester and London have been launched, promising competitive fares, by the transport group that already runs the main Avanti service linking the cities. Trains straight from London Euston to Rochdale will run from 2027, if approved, under FirstGroups Lumo brand, calling first at Warrington and going via Manchester Victoria. Continue reading...

Millions of households in Great Britain expected to remain in fuel poverty despite drop in prices Energy bills in Great Britain are expected to fall by 7% this summer the equivalent of more than 100 a year after a drop in wholesale gas prices, but will remain hundreds of pounds higher than pre-crisis levels. Analysts at Cornwall Insight, a well-respected energy consultancy, have forecast that the governments energy price cap will fall to 1,574 a year for the average dual-fuel energy bill from

Finance chief gives evidence on Paula Vennells and says company looked like corporate bullies in how it dealt with branch operators The former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells did not believe there had been miscarriages of justice, the Horizon inquiry has heard, as the current finance boss said the company looked like corporate bullies in the way it dealt with branch operators. Alisdair Cameron, the Post Office chief financial officer who joined the board in 2015, told the inquiry on F

Rebecca Joynes, 30, convicted of engaging in sexual activity with minors while in a position of trust A teacher has been found guilty of having sex with two schoolboys. Rebecca Joynes, 30, groomed the teenagers from the age of 15, Manchester crown court heard, and was on bail for sexual activity with the first child, boy A, when she began having sex with the second, boy B, by whom she went on to become pregnant. Neither teenager must be identified. Continue reading...

Americas military industrial complex took center stage at AI Expo for National Competitiveness, where a fire-breathing panel set the tone On 7 and 8 May in Washington DC, the citys biggest convention hall welcomed Americas military industrial complex, its top technology companies, and its most outspoken justifiers of war crimes. Of course, thats not how they would describe it. It was the inaugural AI Expo for National Competitiveness, hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project better kno

A 1C increase in global temperature leads to a 12% decline in world gross domestic product, researchers have found The economic damage wrought by climate change is six times worse than previously thought, with global heating set to shrink wealth at a rate consistent with the level of financial losses of a continuing permanent war, research has found. A 1C increase in global temperature leads to a 12% decline in world gross domestic product (GDP), the researchers found, a far higher estimate than

In this blueberry-studded cake, halva melts into the batter during baking to give it a velvety crumb and a hint of sesame My local Turkish grocers have about half an aisle devoted to halva. There are tubs and tubs of the stuff, in all manner of flavours from almond and vanilla to pistachio and chocolate, and I like to pick up a different type each time I go. I use halva in bakes and, of course, I eat it neat, too. In todays loaf, Ive used a vanilla one that, as the cake bakes, melts into the bat

Manchester City manager expects battle against West Ham Kevin De Bruyne facing a late fitness test for final day Pep Guardiola will remind his Manchester City players how good they are and inform them what is required to defeat West Ham on Sunday and ensure a historic fourth consecutive title. City start the final day two points ahead of Arsenal, who are at home to Everton. Guardiola said he planned to inspire his players during their preparation on Friday. There is something that belongs to us