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Officials directed to impose fees on those claiming asylum People who cross border illegally to be barred from working Donald Trump has directed officials to toughen rules for asylum seekers, including by introducing a fee for their applications and barring those who entered the country illegally from working until their claims are approved. The moves are the latest effort by the Trump administration to stem a growing number of migrants crossing the US southern border, many of whom then seek asylum in the United States. Many of the changes would be dramatic shifts in how asylum seekers are treated, but would also require time-intensive regulatory procedures before they go into effect, which will probably take months. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2UScWbT

Queen Wilhelmina tried to broker pact via Vatican for Leopold III, war diaries reveal Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands sought to broker a deal via the Vatican in which senior Nazis at the end of the second world war would be helped to escape Europe in return for Germany releasing the Belgian king, according to newly discovered documents. Diaries of her war-time foreign minister, Eelco van Kleffens, suggest that Wilhelmina, the great-grandmother of the current Dutch King, Willem-Alexander, ordered her government in March 1945, two months before the end of the war in Europe, to “scan” whether top Nazis could be offered an escape route as a trade. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2UT4OaJ

Military trolled over ‘photographic evidence’ of mythical Himalayan creature The Indian army has claimed to have found the footprints of the Yeti, sparking ridicule on social media. On Monday, the army tweeted to nearly 6 million followers that it had found “mysterious footprints of [the] mythical beast” for the first time. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VHp8AI

Extra officers drafted into German capital with as many as 20,000 activists expected to protest against gentrification German police say they are bracing themselves for violent protests in the capital on 1 May, a traditional day for leftwing demonstrations. As many as 20,000 activists are expected to concentrate their protests on the eastern district of Friedrichshain, railing against the spread of gentrification in the part of Berlin where the majority of new property developments are taking place. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2vr2xJK

Hundreds of patients died at Hampshire hospital, according to independent report A fresh criminal investigation has been launched into the deaths of hundreds of patients at Gosport War Memorial hospital, police have said. More than 450 people died at the Hampshire hospital, while a further 200 were “probably” similarly given opioids between 1989 and 2000 without medical justification, according to the Gosport independent panel report. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GRr698

Voters will not be given the chance to hold the Tory-run council to account, despite the lengthy list of failure and incompetence One of the commonplace virtues of elections is said to be the way they enable voters to punish political incompetence and hold to account politicians who fall out of step with their values. If you don’t like it, we are promised, you can always vote them out. Or almost always. On Thursday, voters will get their say in 248 local authorities in England, but not in the council where you’d expect that particular democratic virtue to be most emphatically demonstrated. Conservative-controlled Northamptonshire county council, dubbed by one local Tory MP “ the worst run in the country ”, would normally be holding elections this week, along with the county’s seven district and borough councils. However, the communities secretary James Brokenshire decreed in November that they would not take place . As the councils are due to be abolished in 2020, and replaced by two...

Ordnance Survey is recalculating how long it takes modern walkers to complete routes. Here are the things that hold us up It turns out that for the past 127 years anyone following standard walking directions has unintentionally been playing a game of “Are you fitter than a Victorian mountaineer?” As a result, Ordnance Survey has finally decided that it is going to shake things up and provide 21st-century directions for 21st-century walkers, with an update to the way it works out how long a given walk should take. Something obvious you want to know before you lace up your walking boots and set off into the wilderness is when you might expect to reach your destination, and the standard rule of thumb for working out whether you’re about to set out on a brief stroll or a back-breaking endurance test was formulated by William Naismith, the founder of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, in 1892. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GRF4aZ

Greenpeace poll findings released alongside group’s ‘manifesto’ to slash emissions Two-thirds of people in the UK recognise there is a climate emergency and 76% say that they would cast their vote differently to protect the planet. The findings, in a poll commissioned by Greenpeace, come as the group unveiled a detailed “climate manifesto” , listing 134 key actions they say the government should take immediately to ensure the UK hits zero carbon emissions as soon as possible. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2UTPfjq

Bells and Spells casts the French star as a kleptomaniac in a performance that leaves the audience guessing In her mystifying shows, Aurélia Thierrée has crossed the stage in an upside-down sedan, blown cigarette smoke through her ears and poured wine while trapped in a chest, her limbs spilling out of drawers. So it’s disarming to find this saucer-eyed queen of the uncanny sitting on a simple folding chair, sipping a can of Coke, in her attic room at Montmartre’s Théâtre de l’Atelier . You half expect the contents of the dressing table to disappear or the pictures to come alive as they do in her new show, Bells and Spells, staged several twisting flights of stairs below. But the only disruption comes from her cat, who stretches out on a yoga mat by our feet, scratches around in the litter tray and eventually hops into Thierrée’s lap. He is as sleek and mischievous a presence as his owner is on stage. Bells and Spells, which comes to the UK in May, is the dreamlike odyssey of a woma...

The university’s inquiry into its links to the slave trade is an admirable attempt to grapple with the whole truth of its history There is almost nothing Oxbridge people enjoy more than a really intense, no holds barred argument about themselves. So it’s perhaps not surprising that the University of Cambridge’s decision to launch an inquiry into its links to the slave trade has prompted some soul searching. On the one hand is a student body increasingly vocal about the legacy of colonialism and academics arguing – as Prof Martin Millett, the archaeologist chairing a panel overseeing the work, does – that Cambridge must confront its own role in a shameful episode of history. On the other is a handful of academics grumbling about rewriting history and, no doubt, some unspoken fears about what all this is going to cost both financially and in curricular terms. After investigation invariably comes reparation. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2DG4K8H

Opposition leader posts video showing him speaking in company of men in military uniform in Caracas Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó has posted a video of himself flanked by soldiers at the main military airbase in Caracas, promising the end of the regime of President Nicolás Maduro. “The moment is now,” Guaidó said in a three minute speech, apparently filmed just before dawn at La Carlota base. “We are going to achieve liberty and democracy for Venezuela.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2PEGwQN

Arctic Monkeys’ old haunt in Sheffield becomes latest casualty of spiralling costs that threaten to reshape UK’s music landscape The Harley in Sheffield has earned its place in history as one of the pubs where a pre-fame Arctic Monkeys cut their teeth. But the 200-capacity venue and pub, which also hosted early gigs by the xx and Royal Blood , closed without warning earlier this month. In a statement that has since been deleted, the owners said “mounting financial pressures” had made it impossible to continue with the business. For promoters like Hayley Woods, founder of drum’n’bass fundraising night Rave and Raise, the Harley offered a vital first chance to put on an event. “Everyone’s feeling a bit lost,” she told the Guardian. “It was a pivotal part of the Sheffield music scene and a big place for the whole community to come together and meet. It’s just an irreplaceable venue.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2LfTO7V

Single parents say they face a particular kind of isolation – especially when the world of parenting apps is dominated by ‘nuclear families’. One single mother has set out to change that I became pregnant at 21. It wasn’t planned. I was weeks away from my dissertation deadline, in the final months of a fashion journalism degree at the London College of Fashion. I was going through the fallout of a painful breakup (we are great friends now ), and I searched for healing in all types of ways, including the brief fling that led to my pregnancy. I want to say my decision to have my daughter was firm from the beginning, but that would be a lie. It took me a few days to realise that being a mother was something I wanted, and just because it wasn’t how I imagined – meet “perfect” man, marry said man, procreate on a predetermined schedule – it didn’t mean it wouldn’t still be fine. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GS8qGu

As the city mourned the rapper, local gang members saw an opportunity to unite longstanding rivals. But some fear any truce will be short-lived Days after Nipsey Hussle’s murder, his friend Shamond Bennett was unexpectedly feeling “on top of the world”. Bennett, who is 39 and goes by the name Lil AD, was like an older brother to Hussle, and part of the same Los Angeles gang. He was suffering through intense grief when something unprecedented happened: South LA’s rival gangs came together and, for the first time in decades, talked to each other about stopping the violence. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2ZKfBYF

The most worrying increase in antisemitism, Cas Mudde writes, is in terms of incidents which have exploded in the US since Trump’s election The terrorist attack on a San Diego synagogue, six months to the date after the terrorist attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue, was yet another painful reminder of two disturbing facts: (1) antisemitism is alive and deadly; and (2) antisemitism is part of the polarized partisan debate. As three victims were still being cared for in a San Diego hospital, conservatives from Meghan McCain to Zionist of America (ZOA) president Morton Klein were trying to link the terrorist attack to Muslim members of Congress – even though the suspected terrorist is both antisemitic and Islamophobic. Antisemitism is too serious to either ignore or instrumentalize. Often dubbed the “oldest hatred,” it is also still one of the most widely spread. According to a much-quoted 2014 survey by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), more than 1 billion people in the world “harbor a...

About 14,000 residents and 20,000 jobs at risk as rescue talks look likely to fail Care homes operator Four Seasons, which looks after more than 14,000 elderly and vulnerable residents and employs 20,000 people, is reportedly on the verge of administration, with protracted financial rescue talks expected to end in failure. More than a year after complex financial talks began between its US hedge fund lender H/2 Capital and its former private equity owner, Guy Hands’ Terra Firma, Four Seasons Health Care is thought to be close to appointing administrators. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2LfNSMb

Trio among victims of Ian Samson, who ran children’s home in Edinburgh The Church of Scotland has paid £1m in damages to three siblings who were sexually abused by a paedophile who ran a children’s home in Edinburgh. The woman and two men were among the victims of Ian Samson, who was jailed in 2013 for 14 years after being found guilty of 22 rapes and sexual assaults during abuse lasting three decades. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2V4xQcK

Tesco Mobile is network with poorest customer service and TalkTalk is at bottom of broadband league TalkTalk and Tesco Mobile have been named as the UK’s worst broadband and mobile providers respectively in Ofcom’s latest customer service survey. The study by the media and broadcasting regulator, which looked at customer satisfaction, complaints and call-waiting times, found that for the third year running TalkTalk’s broadband customers received the worst treatment of any provider . Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2XUemV1

Our cartoonist on who will blink first at the top and the goings-on at clubs limping towards Champions League qualification Take a look through David’s archive of cartoons Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2DEWF3U

Commission calls for more funding for older teenagers’ education and an extension of free childcare scheme Inequality will remain entrenched in Britain “from birth to work” without urgent government action, the body charged with promoting social mobility has warned. In its latest State Of The Nation report, the Social Mobility Commission said the situation had remained “virtually stagnant” since 2014. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2WgiT3x

Police detain 50-year-old on suspicion of murder following Canning Town discovery A 50-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the bodies of two women were found in a freezer in Canning Town, Scotland Yard said. The man was taken to an east London police station as detectives attempted to identify the women whose bodies were found in a flat in Vandome Close. No further details about the women have been released. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2V2IgcG

Despite their European Cup pedigree, the Dutch side’s lack of financial muscle make them the outliers of the final four When Tottenham and Ajax kick off in the Champions League on Tuesday, Spurs will be playing in their first semi-final in the competition. Ajax have won the European Cup or Champions League four times. But statistically speaking, Ajax are the great success story of this stage of the tournament. The numbers are stacked against them in almost every way. On paper, Ajax simply don’t have the same quality as their opponents – or that of Barcelona or Liverpool. Based on their Elo ranking – which calculates a team’s quality based on number of victories, margin of victory, quality of opponent and home or away advantage – Ajax are by far the weakest team of the four semi-finalists (Barcelona and Liverpool play in the other tie). Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2PLe6Fb

Instead of hoping market forces solve the climate crisis, the government needs to stop giving tax breaks to polluters Last October, the world’s most renowned climate scientists warned governments that humanity has just 12 years to prevent climate catastrophe. The UK government faces three choices to deal with carbon-heavy fossil fuels: force people to stop using them immediately; facilitate a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy; or hope business-as-usual market forces solve our problem for us. Strip away the rhetoric, and the Tory government is still relying on the latter option. A few weeks ago, lost in the never-ending fog of Brexit, the cross-party public accounts committee released a damning report on the public cost of decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure. Their report vindicates every argument Labour has made against the government’s massive tax breaks for oil and gas companies, under its Transferable Tax History (TTH) policy. Continue reading... f...

Hampshire police investigate intimidation of Springwatch presenter and family The broadcaster and wildlife campaigner Chris Packham has revealed he and his family received death threats days after dead crows were strung up outside his home. The BBC Springwatch presenter has been subjected to a campaign of intimidation since the Wild Justice group he co-founded successfully challenged a licen sing system that allowed the shooting of 16 bird species, including crows, jays and woodpigeons. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2IQ6RLu

Exeter and Saracens are dominant while Europe also occupies minds, leaving drama scarce at rugby’s business end The final month of the season should be the most gripping of all. For players and coaches it is the moment when 10 months of hard work are either rewarded or not. For anyone trying to market rugby to the uninitiated these should be the most precious of days when the game speaks for itself. Sunny weather, shirt sleeves, packed stadiums, firm grounds ... for a winter sport in the northern hemisphere there is no better moment to entice the elusive floating voter. All too often, though, things are not entirely what they seem. Take Exeter and Saracens, so far in front heading up the final straight that the galloping hooves of the rest of the Premiership pack are barely audible. With two regular-season games left the table-topping Chiefs are no fewer than 30 points ahead of Northampton in fourth place. Their director of rugby, Rob Baxter, spoke with typical honesty at the weekend...

By CHARLIE SAVAGE, ERIC SCHMITT and MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2W97a6Z

By JEREMY W. PETERS and SHANE GOLDMACHER from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2V5bgR5

By JEREMY W. PETERS from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2J5WJgX

By DAN LEVIN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2GQAJ6K

By AUDRA D. S. BURCH from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2UOUuRh

Maghaberry prison outside Lisburn contains about a dozen republican paramilitaries A Northern Ireland prison that holds some of the most dangerous republican paramilitary prisoners has banned a new academic book about dissident Irish republicans. Maghaberry prison , outside Lisburn in County Antrim, has prevented inmates gaining access to Unfinished Business: the Politics of ‘ Dissident’ Irish Republicanism , written by Marisa McGlinchey, a research fellow in political science at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2XZUD6t

The Icelandic-born musician’s fresh approach to Bach has won him rave reviews and a record of the year award. Why is he now mixing the baroque composer with electronic music? ‘We’re in a golden age for classical music,” says Víkingur Ólafsson. Spend time in the 35-year-old’s musical company and you might well agree. His album, Bach, has just been named recording of the year in the BBC Music Magazine awards – no surprise given the five-star raves it received on its release in September. “ Ravishing … a miracle of delicate control ”, “ Ólafsson’s Bach will quench your thirst ”, “ infectiously joyous energy … he is a remarkable musician” said the critics. The collection of 35 short pieces features original Bach works for keyboard interspersed with a variety of transcriptions that, from Stradal to Ólafsson himself via Kempff, Busoni, and Rachmaninov, traverse the last 150 years of Bach readings. In a world hardly short of Bach recordings, his does feel genuinely revelatory. I’ve been ...

Plan could lose support of more Tory MPs than it gains from Labour, says foreign secretary Follow the day’s political news - live A Brexit deal with Labour to enter a customs union could cost the Conservatives the support of as many of their own MPs as they would gain from Labour, Jeremy Hunt has said as pressure mounts on Theresa May’s leadership over the cross-party talks. Related: Brexit: Tory MPs won't accept cross-party compromise involving customs union, says Hunt - live news Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GRYCMG

Greenpeace poll findings released alongside group’s ‘manifesto’ to slash emissions Two thirds of people in the UK recognise that there is a climate emergency and 76% say that they would cast their vote differently to protect the planet. The findings, in a poll commissioned by Greenpeace, come as the group unveiled a detailed “climate manifesto” , listing 134 key actions they say the government should take immediately to ensure the UK hits zero carbon emissions as soon as possible. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2UTPfjq

The R&B veterans on navigating six decades of pressure, political provocation and dry spells The O’Jays: how we made Love Train It is 61 years after Walter Williams and Eddie Levert first formed a band, and the surviving founder members of the O’Jays can’t seem to decide whether or not they are about to split up. Their new album is called The Last Word, and at nearly 77, Levert thinks it is time to retire. “It’s like the body is saying to me: ‘You don’t need to do that strenuous choreography any more!’” he says, from his home in Las Vegas. “My knees are telling me they can’t take it.” Calling from his home, also in Vegas, Williams isn’t so sure. “Probably age-wise it should be,” he offers, “but the desire to continue what we started could go on another two or three years. If we’re still happy and God continues his blessings on us, I think we might be still around.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Lce8XI

It’s a sad indictment when highly intelligent marine mammals are exploited for military aims Last week, a curious scene played out in the small Norwegian fishing village of Inga. Here, a mysterious white beluga whale appeared from out of the water and proceeded to behave very strangely. Upon the body of this whale there was a strap. Upon the fabric of this strap was written a long chain of human hieroglyphs – “Equipment of St Petersburg”, the writing said. And then – almost as if it were all a dream – the whale disappeared. Although it sounds like something Douglas Adams could have written, I want to welcome you to the dizzying age of weaponised whales. Because as well as poisoning oceans, we humans are also capable of poisoning the minds of the animals that live there. First, some background. If the idea of the Russians using such a beautiful and intelligent organism to further their military aims disgusts you, I should tell you that many countries, particularly the US, have program...

President and his children oppose Democrat-controlled committees’ investigations Donald Trump , three of his children and seven of his companies have filed a US federal lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One in bid to stop them complying with subpoenas investigating his financial dealings. The lawsuit, filed late on Monday in a federal court in New York, states that demands for records by Democrat-controlled House committees have no legitimate or lawful purpose. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2vs0G7s

Police say 33-year-old alleged to have abducted two women is extremely dangerous Detectives searching for an alleged rapist who abducted two women off the streets of north London have identified the suspect as Joseph McCann. The 33-year-old is also known to use false names, including Joel, and has a slight Irish accent. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2DBM0XS

The Ajax CEO explains the strategy that kept their thrilling young side together and paved the way for Champions League heroics Last season, as Ajax’s future balanced on a gossamer thread, the club’s hierarchy called in seven of their most talented youngsters for a special talk and presentation. It felt like a pivotal moment. Off the pace in the Eredivisie, without any European football to spice up the season, Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars, the CEO and director of football, hatched a plan to try to keep their finest prospects from seeking greener grass. André Onana, Matthijs De Ligt, Donny van de Beek, Frenkie de Jong, Justin Kluivert, Kasper Dolberg and David Neres were called to a meeting. They were shown a video, made just for them, where they were each compared to an iconic player from the club’s past who played in their position. The message was unequivocal. Van der Sar picks up the story. “We said: ‘If you want to be a legend of Ajax you need to win something big’. In my ...

Bomb disposal team renders suspect package safe close to scene of mosque shootings New Zealand police say a man has been arrested after bomb disposal officers found a suspect explosive device at a vacant property in Christchurch, where 50 people were killed in attacks by a lone gunman on two mosques in March. Police cordoned off streets in the Phillipstown area of the city on New Zealand’s South Island, with a bomb disposal team, ambulance and fire and emergency crews sent to the scene. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Lc38JU

She is getting respite care soon and I am excited about having time alone for sexual pleasure – but I feel I must keep it a secret to avoid upsetting her I am a man aged 65 and my wife is 69. We have been married for nearly 25 years. As young people, we were both shy and found it difficult to make relationships, but then we got together and shared many activities, including a happy sex life. Recently, my wife has developed chronic back pain, which has been very debilitating for her. Many activities that we used to enjoy together, including sex, have fallen by the wayside. She finds any form of sex, even stimulation by hand, too painful. We have not had sex for several years, but I still feel the need for some sexual pleasure in my life. I have come to rely on fantasy and masturbation . My wife may need assistance at any time, day or night, so it is difficult to fit in a relaxed session. Soon, however, my wife is getting respite care and I will be able to take a holiday . With t...

Fox News Breaking News Alert Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein submits resignation 04/29/19 2:26 PM

Fox News Breaking News Alert 'Boyz n the Hood' director John Singleton dead at 51, family announces 04/29/19 1:38 PM

Fox News Breaking News Alert Michael Avenatti pleads not guilty in federal wire, bank fraud case; trial to begin on June 25 04/29/19 10:34 AM

Fox News Breaking News Alert First images emerge of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in five years, intelligence group says 04/29/19 9:30 AM

GiveCampus (YC S15) Seeks Senior Rails Engineers in DC by mkong1 | on Hacker News .

Upcall (YC W17) is hiring a remote account manager by samouch1180 | on Hacker News .

Flowspace Raised a $12 million Series A and Is Hiring Engineers by mrjasonh | on Hacker News .

ZeroCater (YC W11) is hiring a Full-stack engineer in SF: Must love food by arram | on Hacker News .

Labour must guarantee a second referendum, party leaders told … poor sense of smell linked to fatal dementia … and the 10,000 lies of President Trump Hello, I’m Warren Murray delivering the people’s note. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Wi9cBO

Impaired smell in later life can be an early warning of neurodegenerative and heart diseases, research suggests Olfactory tests could help doctors spot older adults who are at greater risk of developing dementia, researchers say. The sense of smell is known to deteriorate with age. However, researchers have previously found it might also hint at health problems: older adults who struggle to identify odours have a greater chance of dying in the near future regardless of how old they are. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2IOzlFc

Akihito will become the country’s first monarch to give up the chrysanthemum throne in two centuries Japan’s emperor Akihito is preparing to become the country’s first monarch to abdicate in two centuries, a day before his eldest son takes his place as the new occupant of the chrysanthemum throne. Akihito, who expressed a desire to abdicate in 2016, fearing his age would make it difficult for him to carry out public duties, will enter the Matsu no Ma (Hall of Pine) at the imperial palace early on Tuesday evening and relinquish his title in a short ceremony that will be broadcast live on TV. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Lc9nxx

Bob Menendez condemns administration in letter to Pompeo State department has not responded to UN’s official complaints The Trump administration’s refusal to engage with UN human rights monitors risks undermining standards around the world and will embolden repressive regimes such as China and Russia, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee has charged. Related: Trump withdraws from UN arms treaty as NRA crowd cheers in delight Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2L7YT22

Video comes weeks after Islamic State was ousted from last stronghold in Syria The fugitive Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has appeared in a propaganda video for the first time in five years, in which he recognises the terror group’s defeat in the Syrian town of Baghuz . The appearance is only Baghdadi’s second on video, and comes weeks after the remnants of Isis were ousted from their last organised stronghold in the eastern Syrian desert. Looking heavier than when he proclaimed the existence of the now collapsed caliphate in mid-2014, Baghdadi blames its demise on the “savagery” of Christians. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2DDMeOn

Centre of African Studies researchers will examine financial bequests and gifts The University of Cambridge is to launch a two-year academic study to uncover how the institution contributed to and profited from slavery and other forms of coerced labour during the colonial era. Two full-time post-doctoral researchers based in the university’s Centre of African Studies will conduct the inquiry to uncover the university’s historical links with the slave trade. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GR6YE5

‘We don’t make safety features optional,’ Dennis Muilenburg tells AGM in Chicago The boss of Boeing has denied accusations that its two 737 Max aircraft involved in fatal crashes lacked an optional safety feature, which might have alerted the pilots to technical malfunctions that partly caused the accidents. “We don’t make safety features optional,” Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing’s chairman and chief executive, said at the company’s annual meeting in Chicago on Monday. “Every one of our airplanes includes all of the safety features necessary for safe flight.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GRqQXL

Stephen Fry, Marina Abramović and Sharon Osbourne among stars describing the boycott movement as ‘an affront to both Palestinians and Israelis’ Public figures including Stephen Fry , Sharon Osbourne, Marina Abramović and pop mogul Scooter Braun have signed a letter speaking out against a proposed boycott of this year’s Eurovision song contest, which is to be held in Tel Aviv in May. Their letter states that Eurovision’s “spirit of togetherness” across the continent is “under attack by those calling to boycott Eurovision 2019 because it is being held in Israel, subverting the spirit of the contest and turning it from a tool of unity into a weapon of division”. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2XUTX2g

Theresa May has turned to her national security council to help her decide on whether to allow the Chinese firm Huawei to provide parts of Britain’s 5G network. Guardian reporters Rupert Neate, Alex Hern and Tania Branigan discuss the company at the heart of a diplomatic tussle. Plus, in opinion, David Kogan argues Labour needs clarity on Brexit to have a chance of winning power When the government’s decision to allow Huawei to build parts of Britain’s 5G network leaked from Theresa May’s national security council it set off a furious backlash. Not just that secret cabinet discussions had been revealed, but Britain also found itself in a diplomatic tug of war between the US and China. The US argues the Chinese tech firm is a potential security threat if it has access to critical infrastructure such as 5G networks. Huawei has said the US is creating a smokescreen for protectionism. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2XPOQA4

The US actor discusses his controversial new role, playing a notorious serial killer. It’s not a glamorisation, he says When Zac Efron first heard about a chance to play Ted Bundy, he was wary. This was a few years before he signed on for the new film about the serial killer, and it involved a different script. “I didn’t want to jump in too early to what could have potentially been the wrong version of this movie,” he says. “I was very hesitant to go into a darker genre in what could be perceived as an effort to change my perceived image.” The script for his new film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile felt, to him, like the right version: “A movie that could have been procedural and boring now explores a brand-new perspective, and is told through the eyes of Liz, the girl closest to Ted.” It is the morning after the London premiere, and Efron is with the film’s director, Joe Berlinger, in a hotel room. He’s drinking from a large pitcher of green juice – celery, cucumber, avo...

For decades, many psychiatrists believed depression was a uniquely western phenomenon. But in the last few years, a new movement has turned this thinking on its head. By Tina Rosenberg When Vikram Patel first began to study mental health, he believed depression only existed in rich nations. But today, he is the single most influential figure in the growing global movement to treat mental illness in poor countries, especially the most common disorder, depression. In 1993, Patel, who was born in Mumbai, finished his training as a psychiatrist in London and moved with his wife to Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, to begin a two-year research fellowship at the national university. His purpose was to find evidence for the view, then widespread among psychiatrists, that what looked like depression in poor countries was actually a response to deprivation and injustice – conditions stemming from colonisation. The remedy in such cases, he believed, was not psychotherapy, but social justice. C...

In the third of a series on local elections, we visit an electorate stuck between local issues and national crisis Labour faces credibility test in Stoke Labour’s battle for Brighton “I think everyone has just lost the plot.” Judith Judge was standing on her York doorstep in the sunshine, a Lib Dem leaflet in her hand. “In this country, it’s almost impossible to work out what is going on at all.” Judge’s sense of frustration is a trend that runs through York like the River Ouse. The Lib Dem voter lives in the battleground ward of Rawcliffe and Clifton Without. She said it was Brexit that had cemented her vote for the party, having occasionally tactically voted Labour. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2V9xMIN

Divided party faces ‘deep moral crisis’ despite anticipated victory in election in May Major Mgxaji, a retired union official in the poor township of Khayelitsha near Cape Town, was repeatedly jailed and tortured by apartheid authorities for his political activism with the ANC in the 1970s and 80s. “It is not the same party as back then,” the 67-year-old said in an interview in Khayelitsha, where rolling power cuts in recent months have been widely blamed on corruption at the national electricity provider. “The ANC people have developed the struggle of the belly instead of the struggle to better the lives of our people. That is very dangerous.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Wd5Bot

Riding an imaginary horse is a galloping success with young girls in the Scandinavian country – and the trend is taking off elsewhere Perhaps one of the more surprising articles to be widely circulated this month has been a New York Times feature on the girls of Finland and their fondness for hobbyhorsing. Hobbyhorsing is not a metaphor, nor indeed the repurposing of some veterinarian-standard tranquiliser by the nightclubbing youth of today. It is, in fact, the act and art of riding a rudimentary toy horse – a toy that is, to put it bluntly, a stuffed fabric horse’s head attached to a stick. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2ZMxt5k

In Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything, the singer’s allure is explored by an array of artists in a variety of different mediums Claudia Gould, the director of the Jewish Museum in New York City, describes the allure of Leonard Cohen as beyond mere fandom. “He goes right into your soul,” Gould explains. “Once he gets in there, it’s hard to extricate yourself. Leonard speaks to us on many different levels, whether through his music, activism, language and everything else he’s known for.” Related: Romance, regrets and notebooks in the freezer: Leonard Cohen’s son on his father’s final poems Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2V8uqp9

The US president has gone from urging a ceasefire in Tripoli to threatening to veto such calls in the UN Egyptian and Emirati influence on Donald Trump has thrown US policy on Libya into turmoil at a moment when Tripoli is under attack and the country is on the brink of a full-scale war once again. The state department went from encouraging a UN security council resolution calling for a ceasefire and an end to an offensive on the capital by the eastern Libyan warlord, Khalifa Haftar, to threatening to veto the same resolution a few days later. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2V8lvnF

The wilderness, Bryan Mealer writes, taught me how to be alone in the universe; to find comfort in silence For the past five years, I’ve taken my kids camping once a month. On Fridays I load our tent and gear and we drive to a nearby state park, where we fish and swim the rivers, build forts in the trees, and cook our meals over the fire. Aside from the occasional rain or freezing temperatures, there’s nothing rugged about it. For my kids, the trips have become paramount, anticipated events. And for me, they’ve become my very grip on sanity in this age of toxic politics, division and battering news cycles. I started these trips out of an almost primal response to something not right within me. It was like when I first started running. Twelve years ago, wrestling with depression and trying to kick some bad habits, I felt a sudden panicked urgency come over me one night, as if my better self was trying to escape the body that I’d given it. This was in Providence, Rhode Island, in Janua...

We are coming together across party lines to ally the issue of climate change with social transformation Three things stand out from the recent youth climate strikes, the visit of Greta Thunberg and the peaceful protests of Extinction Rebellion . The first is the call for truth. The campaigners have all been united in their call for politicians and policymakers to tell the truth about climate change – its impacts and the scale of the response required. The second has been the demand to treat the climate crisis as an emergency and the recognition that “ business as usual ” is now in effect a form of “climate appeasement”. The third has been the sense of hope. An increasing number of people, young and old, see that the way we run our economy is damaging our climate, our environment and our society, but that, crucially, it is within our power to change it for the better. And change it we must. On Tuesday, the Institute for Public Policy Research launches its Environmental Justice Commis...

The party is drawing up its European manifesto. From what I’ve seen, it won’t suffer a backlash by pledging a confirmatory vote “I voted out. Out means out and I’d do it again,” said the old man, as he harrumphed off up Kirkgate on his mobility scooter. Wakefield voted 66% to 34% in favour of leave, so here was the perfect vox pop. Bank it, let it stand for northern working-class leavedom and head back south? But what of the other voices I heard in the windswept West Yorkshire market precinct outside the cathedral? Fed-upness with all politics, indignation at Westminster chaos, resentment at three wasted years of empty argy-bargy. A few people said they wouldn’t vote again in another referendum, they were just too disillusioned. “Bring back Guy Fawkes!” one man joked. Plenty of well-justified grudge; but there were plenty of switchers too. Resentful, not ode-to-joy converts, but weary givers-in to the realities, trade-offs and hard choices that were never revealed during the referend...

Putting women who have been sexually assaulted through another kind of scrutiny is hard to stomach when rape continues to carry few consequences for the rapist Rape is a crime of opportunism. The chances of a man being prosecuted and found guilty of rape are low. Despite more women speaking out, despite the #MeToo movement and chat about consent, the grim reality is that the justice system is failing women. While more rapes are being reported, the number of suspected rapists being charged by the Crown Prosecution Service is the lowest in a decade . Related: Rape cases ‘could fail’ if victims refuse to give police access to phones Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2UQe0N8

Meghan and Harry’s child will have enough questions about its own heritage without adding to them Here are some of the things that people are saying about mixed-race babies at the moment: websites have run stories about the “viral” mixed-race children of Instagram, who are trending because of their “gorgeous blonde hair, light eyes, and golden skin that looks like sand”. White teenagers – in conversations that I have both overheard and been privy to – say, “I really want to have kids with a black guy because mixed-race babies are so cute! I just love their curly hair, and oh my God, the ones with freckles.” The Kardashians, who have been accused by some people of turning that particular fantasy into reality, are a never-ending source of related commentary. Kylie Jenner is currently causing people to “fall all over themselves with praise” because she learned how to do her mixed-race daughter’s hair. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2PEhqS5

It is time to change the education system before we have no one left in the classroom except the children Everyone seems to be dancing around the elephant in the room. Jeremy Corbyn is talking about scrapping Sats. The DfE is on the workload warpath. Ofsted is myth-busting itself out of the dark ages into the 21st century, saying it doesn’t care about marking any more. Almost a third of teachers quit in the first five years, and those who stay are burning out in record numbers. Let me clear up this edu-mess for you. It’s not Sats. It’s not workload. The elephant in the room is high-stakes accountability. And I’m calling bullshit. Our education system actively promotes holding schools, leaders and teachers at gunpoint for a very narrow set of test outcomes. This has long been proven to be one of the worst ways to bring about sustainable change. It is time to change this educational paradigm before we have no one left in the classroom except the children. Continue reading... fro...

Only mice show signs of life at Westminster, as beta versions of beta ministers struggle to explain themselves Only the mice are showing any real signs of life in Westminster. They scuttle from room to room with an energy unmatched by other residents. The government is no more than the Barely Walking Dead. Having secured a six-month extension to article 50, neither Theresa May nor anyone in cabinet has a clue what to do with it. There are occasional rumblings of having a fourth vote on the Brexit withdrawal agreement but only out of a sense of duty rather than any expectation of it being passed. A sign that the government would be doing something rather than nothing as tumbleweed rolls through the Commons chamber. Ministers have even given up pretending the EU elections can be avoided and have instead started to pretend they don’t care about their inevitable losses. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2PB0Ang

Totenham defender is not surprised by Ajax’s resurgence having been schooled at the club where a ‘win is never enough’ Jan Vertonghen was 19, he had scored a vital goal in a pivotal game and he feared that it had killed his career. On loan at RKC Waalwijk from Ajax, the goal came against his parent club in a 2-2 draw in the fourth-last match of the 2006‑07 Eredivisie season. Related: Tottenham’s story won’t be repeated in football, says Mauricio Pochettino Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2vucy94

English cricket’s governing body is under immense pressure to host a successful World Cup and is wobbling under the load Here is a line to keep in mind as we consider the whos, whats, whys and whens of the Alex Hales case. It is from Nathan Leamon’s recent novel The Test , which was inspired by his experiences working as the England team’s performance analyst. One of his characters is talking about the toilets in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s headquarters, where “on the back of the cubicle door someone had written, ‘500 people work for the ECB. At this exact moment in time you are the only one of them who knows exactly what he is doing.’” Related: Alex Hales 'devastated' after drugs ban costs him World Cup place Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2V4qshp

Arsenal coped with a rash of injuries to win the Women’s Super League with a game to spare and this is how they did it Arsenal were frontrunners for the title from the moment they kicked off their league season on 9 September. The 5-0 dismantling of Liverpool on the opening day announced Arsenal as serious contenders, but despite that it has not been plain sailing for Joe Montemurro’s side and it was only on Sunday, on the penultimate weekend of the season, that they secured the WSL title with a 4-0 win over Brighton . An unforeseeable injury crisis crippled the team for much of the season, stretching the squad to its limits and testing the manager’s tactical nous. So how has Montemurro done it? Related: Miedema's fitness proves vital while City may need a summer shake-up Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2vrSDYf

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In the second of a series on local elections, we visit the south coast’s remain enclave Labour faces credibility test in Stoke Jeremy Corbyn is about to take to the stage in Brighton – or rather, the actors portraying him in a Fringe Festival show promising “audience interaction” and “swearing” are. But while Young Corbyn: An Origin Story doesn’t open until next week, the Labour leader’s position on the vexed national issue of the day is already part of a quiet drama playing out on the doorsteps of one of England’s most remain-leaning cities. “Brexit is a problem and we need to get it sorted or else we could have an existential crisis that could well split our vote, and then the party,” says Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VwVoWZ

In granting anonymity to undercover officers, I believe John Mitting, the inquiry’s chair, has shown bias towards the police So now we know. When asked, the chair of the undercover policing inquiry, Sir John Mitting, has granted anonymity to two-thirds of the police spies who asked for it . I am dismayed that Mitting has erred towards keeping the police’s secrets, although I’m not really surprised. The chair, who is a member of the men-only Garrick Club and has described himself as old-fashioned, has repeatedly shown himself to be out of touch with the realities of institutional sexism, racism and political persecution, which are what the inquiry is about. It is hard not to conclude that he is biased in favour of the police. As someone who has invested so much into the fight for answers, I am deeply concerned. If you haven’t followed my story , in 2003 I fell in love with a man who did not exist. He was charismatic and romantic and shared my interests and dreams. We lived as lovers f...

There was a sense of weakness when Valverde took over but successive La Liga titles have made Barça look untouchable Not long after their 2-0 victory in Vitoria late on Wednesday, with Barcelona four weeks from the finish and three points from the title, Ernesto Valverde was asked if he would like to win the league the following evening or the following Saturday. “What I like,” he said, “is that I get asked that question.” It was done, again. And it was done early, again. Barcelona had beaten Real Madrid, beaten Atlético Madrid and beaten everyone else except Athletic Club and Valencia. Now they had beaten Alavés too, affording them the luxury of choice: they could take the title with a win over Levante three days later or they could be handed it with an Atlético defeat against Valencia the next day, watching it on TV – and no one wanted that. They didn’t want to be handed it in the car on the way to work three days after that, either. “I’d rather win it at home with our fans,” Sergi...

Ex-Catalan president’s candidacy declared ineligible after petition from rightwing parties The former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and two of his ex-ministers are to be excluded from standing in next month’s European elections after Spain’s central electoral board upheld an appeal from two rightwing parties. Puigdemont, who fled Spain to avoid arrest after his regional government’s unilateral independence referendum in October 2017, intended to run as a candidate in the European parliament elections for the Together for Catalonia platform. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GQOlA6

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Activists to rally at parliament urging government to declare environmental emergency Momentum, the youth climate strikers and Extinction Rebellion are to unite in protest outside parliament on Wednesday as Labour calls on the Conservatives to declare an environmental emergency in a parliamentary vote. In the first explicit collaboration between the three groups, a coalition of activists and campaigners will rally in Parliament Square to demand the government backs the plan, first put forward by Extinction Rebellion as the primary demand of the protests that engulfed London over the past fortnight. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2vr44PZ

The arrival of birth control for men has been ‘10 years away for the past 40 years’ – but the industry is holding back the science For Pierre Colin, 72, the search for a viable male contraceptive has been lifelong. Like the female hormonal pill, first prescribed (to married women only) on the NHS in 1961 , the history of male contraceptive development is long and complicated. Upon its release, the pill became synonymous with a revolution in sexual freedom. By the time it was made available in the UK regardless of marital status, in 1967, nearly 13 million women worldwide had used it – despite significant potential side-effects, including blood clots and stroke. In Toulouse, Colin, a geologist, wanted to push for a male contraceptive to alleviate this burden. “My female friends were active feminists and so us men wanted to do our part,” says Colin. “We realised it was not enough to just speak about masculinity; we needed to do something to help in the relationships.” Continue readin...

Artem Tkachuk, 18, of Piranhas film is believed to have been attacked by a ‘baby gang’ in city An actor who appeared in an award-winning film about child criminals in Naples has been stabbed by an alleged member of one of the Italian city’s “baby gangs”. Artem Tkachuk, 18, originally from Ukraine, played a young mobster in The Piranhas , which told the story of the phenomenon of baby gangs, criminal groups led by youngsters, in Naples. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2XR163x

Government-backed initiative aims to improve social media giants’ response to unsafe content Tech giants including Google, Facebook and Snapchat will work alongside suicide prevention experts from the Samaritans in a new government-backed project aimed at limiting the impact of harmful online content. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, will announce the initiative at a roundtable on Monday. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2IPKB43

It was a piece of black and white magic, a perfect fusion of sound and music boasting Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington – and lots of smoke. Can the landmark TV show now bewitch a new generation of fans? The camera holds its close-up on the pianist’s hands, his long fingers adding delicate inner voicings to the familiar melody of Come Rain or Come Shine. Then, very slowly, the camera tracks along the player’s arms and up his body until it reaches his head, which is lowered far enough to be virtually parallel with the keyboard. Nothing is intrusive, nothing is hurried, everything is keyed to the mood of rapt intensity. Captured in black and white because that’s all there was, the shot perfectly complements this music, the jazz of the 1960s. It’s a rare example of television finding a visual language to match a sound. Bill Evans was that pianist, and Jazz 625 was the programme. The hour of music he recorded for the BBC in London on that day in 1965 survives as a priceless document of o...

Chinese firm’s technology is a security risk, says official after ministers give go-ahead A US official warned that the UK and any other western countries which adopt Huawei technology for 5G mobile phone networks risked affecting intelligence cooperation with the United States. The escalation of the rhetoric comes days after a leak indicated the UK was prepared to given Huawei the go-ahead to supply “non-core” infrastructure – a security measure that the US said on Monday would not work in practice. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Vzfikb

The popularity of Vox contributed to Pedro Sánchez’s election win, but so did the decline of Unidas Podemos Pedro Sánchez is the clear winner of Sunday’s snap elections in Spain . With the highest turnout since 1996, the prime minister’s Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) won nearly double the number of seats of its closest competitor, the conservative Popular Party (PP). But in the country’s highly fragmented political system, it is unlikely to govern alone. Instead, Sánchez must look for support from other parties. Like many progressive parties in Europe, he will have to choose between a technocratic party looking to centralise power and a radical-left party that favours decentralisation. Sánchez’s victory is the result of two main trends. First and foremost is the rise of Vox, a new, openly misogynistic and xenophobic party that toys with nostalgia for Franco’s dictatorship. Backed by the likes of Steve Bannon, Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini , and indirectly financed (via the Madri...

Heinz-Christian Strache says term associated with extreme right is a ‘term of reality’ Austria’s deputy leader has said his party is fighting against a “replacement” of the native population, endorsing a term usually employed by the extreme right, as the country’s rightwing populists double down on their rhetoric before the European elections. Heinz-Christian Strache, the deputy chancellor in Austria’s conservative-nationalist coalition government and the leader of the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ), told the Krone newspaper on Sunday that his party was “consistently following the path for our Austrian homeland, the fight against population replacement, as people expect of us.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2UOF2Vk

This week sees the 25th anniversary of the Imola accident that took the Brazilian’s life and had a devastating impact not just on his millions of fans but on grand prix racing as a whole No doubt the Pope, like the Queen, receives many strange presents. But few can have been odder than the one that came his way the other day, when the family of Ayrton Senna presented the a bemused-looking pontiff with a bust of the late Formula One champion. Skilfully executed by Senna’s sister, Bianca, the gift was timed to coincide with this week’s 25th anniversary of the accident at the Imola circuit that took the Brazilian’s life and had such a devastating impact not just on his millions of fans but on grand prix racing as a whole. Much was always made of Senna’s occasional references to his religious beliefs, and a perceived aura of spirituality certainly marked him out from the general run of grand prix drivers. No one would have expected James Hunt or Nigel Mansell to say something like “If you...

On paper, Borussia Dortmund should have hammered Schalke but a 4-2 defeat has virtually ended their Bundesliga aspirations If it was going to fall apart maybe it was always going to be here, now and in this way. This was a Revierderby that looked as if it might be Schalke’s worst nightmare in a season full of them. The distance between them and arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund was 42 points at kick-off, a gap that had never been as pronounced at this stage of a Bundesliga season before. This looked like a Saturday afternoon in Westfalen – where Dortmund had been yet to lose in the league this season – in which clichés about derbies and form books could be safely left at home. And yet. A bruised team, mentally and physically, that even the legendary Huub Stevens has struggled to drag towards respectability, found a way to call the cops on Dortmund’s noisy party and to win 4-2. As the majority of Signal Iduna Park stood stunned at the final whistle, the home side had to face the fact tha...

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MPs call on party to support European election manifesto that campaigns for second vote ahead of crunch meeting The Labour MPs behind the parliamentary drive for a confirmatory referendum on Brexit have written to their party’s governing body urging it to use the European elections to campaign for a fresh poll regardless of whether a deal has been reached with the government. The call, from Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson, comes before a crunch meeting of the party’s national executive committee on Tuesday to consider a draft manifesto for the 23 May vote. Presented by Labour’s policy chief, Andrew Fisher, the manifesto is expected to stick closely to the conference policy of supporting a referendum but only to prevent a Conservative version of a Brexit deal. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2XSsuy4

Dame Sally Davies calls for Extinction Rebellion-style campaign to raise awareness Protests against climate change should be extended to the other greatest threat facing humanity, according to England’s chief medical officer, who says an Extinction Rebellion -style campaign is needed to save people from antibiotics becoming ineffective in the face of overuse and a lack of regulation. The threat of antibiotic resistance is as great as that from climate change, said Dame Sally Davies, and should be given as much attention from politicians and the public. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2V1AkIQ

Victory of PSOE in Sunday’s election comes at expense of centre-right that tried to outflank extremists A decisive socialist win in Spain’s election on Sunday may be seen in Europe as evidence of a gathering centre-left recovery – but it also underlines the dangers to moderate conservatives of courting the far right. Pedro Sá nchez’s Socialist party (PSOE) won 123 seats and 29% of the vote in Sunday’s election, well up on the 85 seats and 23% they got in 2016. The conservative People’s party (PP) lost half its vote share and half its MPs, finishing second with 66 seats. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GQGRgP