To celebrate the release of the film Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, in which a fashion designer creates a comeback dress for a pop star, we weigh up the best performative looks “Dressed like a fabulously turned-out carrion crow,” is how our reviewer described the gothic, avian-like get-up PJ Harvey wore to perform her journalistic and theatrical ninth album, The Hope Six Demolition Project, in Brixton, south London, in 2016. The dress was the work of Harvey’s longtime friend, the Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester, and epitomises the more dramatic stage looks – melodramatic but pared-back – that Harvey turned to for her later, darker albums. As she said of the clothes: “For me, it’s about the ability to meet the world. And it is a second skin, isn’t it? It’s protection, as well. It’s a very big part of clothing, the feeling of protection, particularly in Ann’s clothes.” Who would have thought that someone who earlier in their career took to the stage in Spice Girls co-ords and hot-pink catsuits would wind up in such serious Belgian high-fashion? Ellie Violet Bramley Continue reading...

OpenAI said the company had identified an account using abuse detection efforts, but determined at the time it didn’t meet threshold for legal referral The head of OpenAI has written a letter apologizing that his company didn’t alert law enforcement about the online behavior of a person who shot and killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. In the letter posted Friday, Sam Altman expressed his deepest condolences to the entire community. Continue reading...

Small boat destroyed in video posted on social media as US campaign has killed at least 178 people since September The US military announced on Friday that it killed two people in an attack on a boat in the eastern Pacific, part of a series of deadly strikes on vessels in recent months which it claims are targeting “narco-trafficking” operations. The US Southern Command declared in a social media post on X that Gen Francis L Donovan directed Joint Task Force Southern Spear, the counter-narcotics unit that operates in the region, to carry out a lethal strike. The US military posted a video, which it labeled unclassified, showing a small boat being destroyed in an explosion. Continue reading...

Ukraine ‘actively developing’ regional security arrangements for defence, food and energy, Zelenskyy says; Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners. What we know on day 1,522 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Azerbaijan on Friday for talks on “security and energy”, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP. Kyiv and Baku enjoy warm relations, with Azerbaijan repeatedly expressing support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sending humanitarian aid since the Russian invasion in 2022. Ties between Moscow and Baku have soured over the past year, after an Azerbaijani passenger plane was mistakenly hit by a Russian anti-aircraft missile in 2024, killing 38 people. The trip follows one to Saudi Arabia, where Zelenskyy met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as the Ukrainian leader seeks to share Kyiv’s drone expertise with the Gulf countries affected by the war in Iran. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was “actively developing” its strategic security arrangement across three key areas, including exports of Ukrainian military expertise and air defence capabilities, energy cooperation to help Ukraine, and food security. US weapons deliveries to Ukraine haven’t stopped despite the Iran war, and Ukrainian long-range strikes continue to hammer Russian oil production and manufacturing plants, Zelenskyy said on Thursday. “Of course, we are hitting what is painful for Russia, and it is very painful,” Zelenskyy said in voice messages to reporters, adding that Russian losses in the strikes have reached tens of billions of dollars. Russian officials have reported that attacks have struck infrastructure in regions more than 1,000km (600 miles) inside Russia. Russia and Ukraine on Friday swapped 193 captured soldiers each, the second exchange this month in one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv. The two countries have exchanged thousands of PoW throughout the four-year war – with the swaps often the only result of otherwise stalled peace talks. Photos of Ukrainian prisoners getting off buses at the scene of the swap in northern Ukraine showed them looking pale but relieved and wrapped in blue and yellow flags, embracing each other, or crying on the phone to loved ones. Ukraine’s defence ministry has fired a top commander after photos emerged of a group of emaciated soldiers who have been left on the frontline for months without proper food and water. The scandal erupted after the wife of one of the soldiers posted the images on social media. The four men appeared pale and visibly malnourished, with prominent ribcages and thin arms. Ukraine’s general staff said it had replaced the commander who was responsible for feeding the soldiers. The brigade acknowledged there were logistical problems and said deliveries were only possible by air because their location was extremely close to enemy lines. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday there was no prospect of Ukraine’s “immediate accession” to the EU, but suggested Kyiv could join meetings of the bloc’s members without voting rights. Ukraine is pushing to speed up its bid to join the 27-nation European Union as it fights Russia’s invasion on the battlefield. Kyiv’s progress has been blocked by Hungary’s nationalist premier Viktor Orbán, but his defeat in elections earlier this month raised hopes it can move to the next step. German prosecutors Friday launched a spying investigation into phishing attacks targeting lawmakers on the Signal messaging app, with an MP saying the latest Russia-directed plot against Germany was a “wake-up call”. Germany, Kyiv’s biggest provider of miliary aid, has been battling a surge of cyber-attacks, as well as espionage and sabotage plots since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moscow denies being behind any such actions. Continue reading...

Brussels officials will draw up a plan on how to use the EU’s little-known mutual assistance pact in the event of a foreign attack – key US politics stories from Friday 24 April EU leaders have agreed that the European Commission “will prepare a blueprint” on how the bloc will respond if the little-known mutual assistance clause is triggered, according to Nikos Christodoulides, the president of Cyprus, who is hosting the talks. They discussed the mutual defence clause, article 42.7 of the EU treaty, on Thursday night, before reports emerged that the US was exploring how to suspend Spain from Nato. Continue reading...

Scientists and economists will help countries develop plans to reduce dependence on oil, gas and coal A panel of global experts has been launched to provide scientific input for countries that want to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and manage the growing risks of high oil prices, geopolitical conflict and extreme weather damage. The initiative was announced on the opening day of a groundbreaking climate action meeting in Santa Marta, where the Colombian hosts set out a draft roadmap for their own national energy transition. Continue reading...

Late leveller is fresh blow to Madrid’s faint title hopes RB Leipzig’s 3-1 win is marred by online sexism row Héctor Bellerín struck deep into stoppage time to earn Real Betis a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on Friday, dealing another blow to the visitors’ fading title hopes. Álvaro Arbeloa’s side appeared on course for a narrow win after taking the lead in the 17th minute. Federico Valverde let fly from outside the box and the Betis goalkeeper, Álvaro Valles, could only parry the ball into the path of Vinícius Júnior, who reacted swiftly to guide a neat finish just inside the right post. Continue reading...

Millwall moved back into the Championship’s automatic promotion position places but could only snatch a late 1-1 draw at already relegated Leicester. Substitute Macaulay Langstaff’s first goal since February cancelled out a Foxes opener from Harry Souttar, who was playing his first game since rupturing an achilles 16 months ago. It moved Alex Neil’s visitors up to second, a point ahead of Ipswich who have two games in hand. Continue reading...

The three boys and one of the men were charged with rape while the other man was charged with aiding and abetting a rape Three boys and two men have been charged over the rape of a teenage girl in Kent, police said. Kent police received reports on Tuesday that a girl had been raped at a private property on Salisbury Road in Gravesend between 25 March and 19 April. Continue reading...

Spurs midfielder is not fully fit but will be on the bench at Molineux as his manager tries anything to lift his relegation-haunted players It was quite the admission from Roberto De Zerbi as he prepared for Saturday’s game at Wolves, which has the feel of a must-win for Tottenham in their increasingly traumatic battle against relegation. The manager reported that James Maddison was “not available yet” as he goes through the final stages of his rehabilitation from the anterior cruciate ligament rupture that has wrecked his season. The midfielder “felt pain” during the week, De Zerbi added, albeit it was not a major problem. So, there has to be no room for him in the matchday squad, then? Well, actually … “He will come with us on the bench because he is important,” De Zerbi said. “If he plays or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s better if he plays, for sure, but, as a guy, as a leader, he is positive. Inside of my dressing room I want to see nice people, positive people, and this is important also for his teammates.” Continue reading...

Vítor Pereira had promised Nottingham Forest would approach this assignment with a “Champions League mentality” and his players did not disappoint him. A fabulous attacking performance not merely succeeded in ruining Sunderland’s lingering European ambitions but also lifted 16th-placed Forest to 39 points. That is within touching distance of safety and given Pereira’s team are now six points clear of West Ham and eight in front of Tottenham, the struggle to avoid the final remaining relegation place is surely between the two London clubs now. Continue reading...

The chatshow host lifts the energy of this game where families battle to avoid being voted out of a street they move into. But he’s not onscreen often enough to save it I’ve had a good idea. Let’s apply for a moratorium on new reality shows, at least until the frenzied desire for a challenger to The Traitors’ crown is over. Otherwise they’re just going to keep happening. The Neighbourhood – presented by Graham Norton, its saving grace – is the latest to throw its cap into the ring. Six families take up residence in a suburban close (the neighbourhood, you get it) and each is aiming to be the last one voted out and thus claim the uncustomarily large pot of £250,000. This at least suggests that someone in the TV commissioning offices is beginning to understand the concept of inflation and the truth that yer 50 or 100ks are no longer universally life-changing amounts of money but closer to being a month’s rent or the price of a tank of petrol. Continue reading...

Home secretary indicates Whitehall talks about returns programme, a move that would shock humanitarian groups Shabana Mahmood has refused to rule out sending rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the Taliban-controlled country. The home secretary said she is “monitoring very closely” talks between Kabul and EU countries about a returns programme for refused claimants. She also indicated that “additional conversations” about Afghan returns were happening inside Whitehall. Continue reading...

Four men face murder charges in case of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp, whose body was found in a wooded area Four people have been arrested in connection to the 1982 killing of a Louisiana teenager, investigators announced on Friday. State police troopers said tips generated by a true-crime podcast they were involved in making – along with improvements in investigative technologies – helped them make arrests in the killing of Roxanne Sharp, 16, about 44 years earlier. Continue reading...

Martha Odom, 16, died from a gunshot wound to the chest according to the local coroner’s statement A high school senior has been identified as the person killed in a mass shooting that also wounded five others when two groups exchanged gunfire inside the food court at a mall in Louisiana’s capital city on Thursday afternoon, according to officials. Martha Odom, 16, died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to a statement issued Friday by the local coroner’s office. Continue reading...

Jake Reiner calls parents ‘center’ of his life and says brother being at ‘center’ of loss is ‘almost too impossible to process’ Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox The elder son of beloved director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, eulogized his parents, who were “the center” of his life, in a Substack essay published Friday, four months after the pair were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home. Nick Reiner, the couple’s younger son, who long struggled with drug addiction and mental illness, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to their deaths, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Continue reading...

Wendy Duffy died at Pegasos clinic in Basel as assisted dying bill in England and Wales fails to pass A grieving mother has ended her life at a clinic in Switzerland four years after the death of her only child. Wendy Duffy, 56, a physically healthy woman, died at the Pegasos clinic in Basel after struggling to cope with the death of her 23-year-old son, Marcus. Continue reading...

Furyk set for second stint as US captain Woods steps aside after arrest and treatment Europe chasing third straight win in Ireland Jim Furyk is returning as US Ryder Cup captain for the 2027 matches in Ireland, the PGA of America announced Friday, as the Americans try to get back on track against a European team that has dominated the last three decades. Furyk is the fourth US captain to get a second chance dating to 1979, considered the modern era of the Ryder Cup when continental Europe became part of it. Continue reading...

US judge orders release of a woman and her five children who were family of the 2025 Colorado fire attack suspect A woman and her five children, whose immigration detention of more than 10 months marked the longest family detention under Donald Trump’s second administration, were released on Thursday hours after a judge’s order, their lawyer said. US district judge Fred Biery of the western district of Texas ordered the family’s release. Continue reading...

Royal Court theatre, Liverpool Writer-actor Aron Julius captures the sparkling charm of Liverpudlian fighter John Conteh in a punch-by-punch account of his career Don King is singing the praises of his new signing. The boxing impresario, played by Zach Levene with an extravagant bouffant, sees something special in John Conteh, the light-heavyweight champion. It is a talent that goes beyond the ring. “He walks into a room and the air changes,” he says. Impressively, this is a quality captured by Aron Julius. Playing the Kirkby kid who became WBC light-heavyweight champion in 1974, he is muscular, light-footed and graceful. More than that, he sparkles. With a needling Liverpool wit, he is as cheeky as he is charming. Who wouldn’t want him to win? Continue reading...

Appellate panel finds president can’t circumvent laws that allow people to apply for asylum at the US-Mexico border Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox An appeals court on Friday blocked Donald Trump’s executive order suspending asylum access, a key pillar of the US president’s original plan to crack down on immigration at the southern border after he retook the White House. A three-judge panel from the US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit found that immigration laws give people the right to apply for asylum at the border, and the president can’t circumvent that. Continue reading...

Trump’s DoJ says it is taking steps to ‘strengthen the federal death penalty’ in opposition to Biden-era policies The US justice department announced on Friday that it is taking steps to “strengthen the federal death penalty”, including bringing back firing squads and readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump administration. “Today, the Department of Justice acted to restore its solemn duty to seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences – clearing the way for the Department to carry out executions once death-sentenced inmates have exhausted their appeals” the justice department said in a news release. Continue reading...

Fans of both sides are feeling similar levels of stress at different ends of the Premier League table Zadie Smith once wrote that “the square mile around Arsenal’s stadium could be a suitable surrogate for the whole wide world”. Perhaps you only really glimpse this on a match day, when the jerk chicken grills and paella pans fire up and belch delicious smoke across the rows of terraced houses, when the locals in weathered replica shirts brush shoulders with tourists bearing selfie sticks, when a small group of dedicated volunteers at a kiosk by the Ken Friar Bridge accepts non-perishable donations for the Islington food bank. And you shall scoff, and you shall sneer, because there is a north London of the popular imagination, and Islington in particular, which has become a surrogate for something else entirely. A slur, an insult, a byword for privilege and entitlement and metropolitan effeteness, the place of Blair and Corbyn and Starmer and a shrink on every street corner. North London is elite, north London is out of touch, north London looks down on the rest of you while eating plates of £16 pasta. Continue reading...

Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old vineyard owner, was hunting an antelope species in Africa when the incident occured Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox An American millionaire big-game hunter has died after being crushed by a group of elephants during a hunting expedition in Gabon. Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old vineyard owner, was hunting yellow-backed duiker, an antelope species, in the central African country of Gabon when the incident occurred last Friday. While in the Lope-Okanda rainforest, he and his guide unexpectedly came across five female elephants accompanied by a calf. Continue reading...

The Tale of Kaho, out in July, will be 16th novel by Japanese author who has faced criticism for portrayal of women The Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami will publish his first novel to feature a woman as the main character this summer. The Tale of Kaho will be published in Japan on 3 July, with an ebook edition released the same day. A UK edition has not yet been announced. Continue reading...