Communities secretary tells MPs that government has to act against record levels of hate crimes A new definition of anti-Muslim hate will not restrict freedom of speech, the communities secretary has pledged, as he said that “clear expectations” will still be set for new arrivals and existing communities in Britain to learn English. MPs were told by Steve Reed that the government had a duty to act against record levels of hate crime against Muslims, but that “you can’t tackle a problem if you can’t describe it”. Continue reading...

Kemi may be all in favour, but at least economic realpolitik is forcing her to take a slightly different tack There have been any number of opportunities for people to decide they wanted no part of America’s war with Iran. The first was after the US had launched its first wave of strikes. To be fair, this was the moment Keir Starmer and most of the UK reckoned enough was enough and that our involvement would be limited to defensive strikes only. You couldn’t really fault the logic. Did the UK really want to be part of a war that was illegal in most versions of international law and for which the Americans had no clear vision of how it might end? Other than Donald Trump gets bored and lets everyone else clear up his mess. Like a baby. Nor was the UK’s track record of wars in the 21st century any source of pride. Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya had all been in chaos. Iran was shaping up the same way. So Starmer decided to sit this one out. Applying the doctor’s principle of ”first, do no harm”. Continue reading...

Abbey theatre, Dublin Director Tom Creed brings this 1926 political classic into the present, with a tremendous cast navigating the tonal switch from comedy into tragedy Marking the centenary of the premiere of Seán O’Casey’s potent political drama, the Abbey’s latest production opens a door to looser, more experimental ways of staging it. Frequently produced in recent years, the tragi-comic work that caused a riot in 1926 is now embedded in the Irish theatre canon. It is set among Dublin tenement dwellers in the run-up to the Easter Rising of 1916, and O’Casey’s characters are caught up in events beyond their control. Try as she might, the newly married Nora Clitheroe (Kate Gilmore) can’t persuade her husband Jack (Eimhin Fitzgerald Doherty) to stay home rather than joining an Irish Citizen Army rally. Nor can she keep the outside world at bay, with her neighbours, the absurdly morbid Mrs Gogan (Kate Stanley Brennan) and hard-drinking Unionist Bessie Burgess (Mary Murray) bursting in constantly, with no privacy possible. At Abbey theatre, Dublin, until 30 April Continue reading...

Exclusive: Technology secretary urges tech companies to do more to tackle online misogyny Ministers need to act more quickly to combat fast-changing threats from technology such as deepfakes, the technology secretary has said, as she warned about the risks women and girls face online. Liz Kendall said on Monday that technology was developing at such a pace that it was outstripping the government’s ability to regulate it, even suggesting there could be regular annual reviews of regulations as happens at the budget. Continue reading...

⚽️ Updates from the 7.30pm GMT KO at the London Stadium ⚽️ FA Cup fifth round: talking points | Email Daniel 1 min Brentford set us away. Given the side Nuno’s sent out, they’ll surely fancy themselves. Our teams come out, Brentford wearing their away pyjamas. Continue reading...

Request for records related to election audit appears latest part of Trump effort to spread false claims about voting A federal grand jury subpoenaed Arizona’s legislature for records related the state senate’s widely criticized review of the 2020 election, the state senate president said on Monday, in what appears to be the latest part of the Trump administration’s efforts to spread false claims about the 2020 election and voting in the United States. Warren Petersen, the president of the Arizona state senate, confirmed on X on Monday the legislature had received a subpoena related to records of its review of the election results in Maricopa county, the most populous in the state. He added that “the FBI has the records”. Continue reading...

Ben Spencer defends tactic despite three straight losses Minimal changes expected for final Six Nations game England have vowed to double down on their kick-heavy gameplan against France on Saturday despite their drastic decline in recent weeks. It is a move that risks further provoking the anger of their supporters. Steve Borthwick and his side have come under intense scrutiny after last week’s first defeat by Italy and the manner in which they stuck rigidly to their kicking strategy left fans irate. England have kicked the most times and for the most metres of all the Six Nations teams and while it was a tactic that paid dividends last autumn when they were on a 12-match winning run, it is no longer having the desired effect. Continue reading...

While the set-up in Great Britain looks secure for now, the Iran war shows why more storage seems essential Alarmed that Great Britain has only enough gas in storage to cover two days of consumption? Actually, Michael Shanks, the energy minister, is right that the bald statistic is not a reason to run for the hills. But he would help his case if he admitted that the long era of running a “just-in-time” approach to gas supplies looks increasingly unworkable. Shanks is obviously correct that Great Britain does not source its supplies from storage. About 75% of our gas comes from the North Sea – from domestic fields and via the 725-mile underwater Langeled pipeline from Norway – and neither source is affected by the war in Iran. Continue reading...

Anglers describe harrowing phone calls to loved ones once ice detached from shores of Georgian Bay in Ontario Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Kevin Fox thought the spring-like temperatures that had temporarily pushed the cold away from south-eastern Ontario meant a good day on for ice fishing, a popular winter pastime in the region. After shifting location because the wind and ice “didn’t feel right” and the fish weren’t biting close to shore, he and a friend joined nearly two dozen others far out on a sheet of ice in Lake Huron. They followed the familiar routine of anyone who spends a day on the ice: they drilled holes, dropped their lines and waited. Continue reading...

The war reveals Britain’s exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices. More North Sea drilling will not shield households, building domestic green energy will What should Britain do when war in the Middle East sends energy prices soaring? If the strait of Hormuz were blocked for the month of fighting that Donald Trump predicts, British households could face another brutal cost of living shock. Goldman Sachs warns of prices at the pump rising to 2022 levels. That would put more than 50p on each litre in the tank. Prolonged disruption to global gas supplies could see energy bills in the UK rise by £900 to £2,500 a year. Such uncertainty strengthens the case for going big on clean energy. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has grasped this reality. By contrast, the Conservatives and Reform UK are doubling down on domestic fossil fuel extraction. The debate is framed around a simple claim of energy security: drill more at home. But the argument is rhetorical. Britain might export a bit more crude and have a smidgen more gas. But it would still need to import refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Households would remain exposed to global energy shocks. Clean electricity, by contrast, cuts gas demand and reduces exposure to volatile markets. The political pressures are jobs, tax revenues and the economies of Scotland and north-east England tied to a declining asset. Continue reading...

Treatments continue to improve. The challenge now facing ministers is hugely unequal outcomes New analysis from Cancer Research UK, revealing a 29% drop in the rate of people dying from cancer compared with 40 years ago, is a vital counterpoint to grim health headlines about the UK’s outcomes falling behind those of other countries, and the NHS missing its own cancer targets. Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, made a related point in a recent lecture. Stand back from the day to day, he said, and the extraordinary leaps forward enabled by vaccinations and other advances in treatment and public health come into focus. This longer view is not a cause for complacency or inaction. England’s latest cancer plan, launched last month, highlighted shocking lapses including lengthy waits for treatment and a failure to tackle inequalities in cancer mortality dating back 15 years. Last year, analysis by the Guardian found that about three-quarters of NHS trusts were failing to reach standards relating to diagnosis and treatment. Continue reading...

UK’s outstanding jumps rider is winless at the festival but says this could be his year, and explains the challenge of riding so many winners Sean Bowen can claim to be the best jockey in jumps racing by some distance. Next month he will be confirmed as champion jockey for the second successive year as, on 210 victories so far, he is 107 ahead of Harry Skelton, his closest rival. Bowen is already looking ahead to next season, where he harbours serious ambitions of becoming the first jump jockey to ride 300 winners in a single campaign. These are staggering numbers that stand in stark contrast to his miserable record at the Cheltenham festival. The Welshman smiles more than any other jockey I’ve met – for he operates in a gruelling trade full of hard and often taciturn men who are all fated to lose far more often than they win. But Bowen has a remarkably phlegmatic outlook that means he grins when I read out his meagre statistics from the Cheltenham festival. Apart from not having a winner in 52 rides, the average starting price of those horses was 40-1. Continue reading...

The latest blaze follows two devastating fires at Glasgow school of art – and others; however, the council is becoming more proactive about safety Major rail disruptions after large fire near Glasgow Central station It was a spectacle of weary familiarity for many Glaswegians: a crowd gathering to watch a conflagration in progress, streets clogged with emergency vehicles, the city skyline blurred out with smoke. For many who saw the fire at Glasgow Central railway station, which broke out on Sunday afternoon, the acrid smell of smoke dampened by the Monday morning drizzle recalled the blazes at Glasgow school of art’s Mackintosh building, which remains a burnt-out shell after two devastating fires in 2014 and 2018. Continue reading...

Murashkovskyi benefits from artificial intelligence support ‘I used it as a psychologist, coach and sometimes as a doctor’ Team Ukraine have hit the ground running at the Winter Paralympics, standing second in the medal table after three days of competition. Their resolve and determination has been inspirational to many, but one athlete has revealed a secret weapon in their search for a competitive edge: using ChatGPT as a coach. Maksym Murashkovskyi won silver in the men’s visually impaired biathlon on Sunday and he did not miss a shot. He has also been working with OpenAI’s large language model for six months, using artificial intelligence not just for coaching advice but psychological and health guidance too. Continue reading...

⚽️ Live coverage of the draw from the London Stadium ⚽️ FA Cup fifth round: talking points | Email Daniel How did they all get here? Evening all; it’s getting to that point, isn’t it? Southampton Port Vale Manchester City Leeds United Arsenal Liverpool Chelsea West Ham United or Brentford Continue reading...

With new supreme leader’s strong connections to the IRGC, critics fear worse is to come – if he survives At around midday, even as airstrikes hit several parts of the capital, large crowds gathered in Tehran’s famous Enghelab Square to chant their allegiance to Iran’s new supreme leader. Carrying banners showing the face of the country’s slain leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, people on Monday held a new portrait – that of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei. Continue reading...

Social media company tells MPs of continual fight against state-backed attempts, with Russia being most prolific Elon Musk’s X said it has suspended 800m accounts over a 12-month period as it fights the “massive” scale of attempts to manipulate the platform. The social media company told MPs it was continually fighting state-backed attempts to hijack the agenda on its network, with Russia being the most prolific state actor, followed by Iran and China. Continue reading...

Leader of rebel group says there is deep concern within Society of Labour Lawyers about courts and tribunals bill Lawyers affiliated to Labour were “blocked” from briefing party MPs to share concerns about plans to cut the number of jury trials in England and Wales, it has been claimed. The allegation was made by Karl Turner, the leader of a backbench rebellion against a flagship government bill that would remove the right to a jury trial in thousands of cases, before the first chance by MPs to vote on the legislation. As many as 65 Labour MPs are understood to have been considering voting against the courts and tribunals bill before Monday’s second reading. Continue reading...

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Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi and Osasuna’s Ante Budimir have 31 league goals between them this season, with three coming in a dramatic draw on Saturday This is the story of the Pirate and the Swan. When Vedat Muriqi was little, which he never really was, he couldn’t always find boots to play in. An adult and a giant before his time, working and shaving at 14, a striker starting out for KF Liria in Prizren, Kosovo, he was 6ft 4in, his feet were size 15, and back home back then you couldn’t get anything that big. Fortunately, one day an aunt in Finland came across a pair of European 48.5s and, pleased as could be, sent them his way. As he opened the box, Vedat released they were made for rugby but he didn’t have the heart to tell her and, anyway, at least they fit. They also fit. The man whose former coach had described him as “a strange, ugly beast” you would “cross the street to avoid” and who couldn’t help but agree, admitting “if I saw me I’d cross over too”, wasn’t much good, or so he said. For a time they called him the Cannibal – a name he identified with, albeit “one that doesn’t eat children” – and soon they called him the Pirate, which he liked more, placing a patch over his left eye when he scored, but a player? That was something else. Someone else too: “I look at Sergi Darder and Dani Rodríguez: if they’re footballers … what am I?” he asked. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t play football; I play a different sport.” Continue reading...

Researchers have found evidence of what many of us always suspected: ‘hasslers’ shorten your lifespan. And they know by exactly how long Name: Hasslers. Age: More like ageing. Continue reading...

Katie Nicholl’s name appears on many of the stories that Frost, Prince Harry and others have complained about A senior former Mail on Sunday journalist has denied commissioning a “blag” of sensitive medical information about Sadie Frost that the actor had not even told her own mother. At the high court, Katie Nicholl, the former diary editor and royal editor at the paper, was accused of using blagged information from a private investigator to uncover “extraordinarily intrusive” details of Frost’s medical history. Continue reading...

British chancellor says she will take steps to help families with cost of living as oil prices surge Middle East crisis – live updates Britain is likely to be hit by rising inflation because of the US war with Iran, the UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has said, as she suggested that a “rapid de-escalation” would be the best protection against a jump in energy prices. Both the chancellor and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, suggested the government would be prepared to intervene to protect UK households against major cost-of-living shocks as oil prices surged past $100 (£75) a barrel for the first time since 2022. Continue reading...

US president claimed he wanted to eradicate cartels and made comments about Mexico’s president that were deemed sexist in summit speech ‘Iron river’: Mexico’s cartel violence fuelled by trafficked firearms from US Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Claudia Sheinbaum has responded to Donald Trump’s description of Mexico as the “epicenter of violence,” by calling on the US government to step up efforts to combat gun trafficking. “There is something that the US can help us a lot with: stop the trafficking of illegal weapons from the US to Mexico,” the president of Mexico said. “If they stopped the entry of illegal weapons from the United States into Mexico, then these groups wouldn’t have access to this type of high-powered weaponry to carry out their criminal activities.” Continue reading...

Former Sinn Féin leader being sued for symbolic £1 each by three victims of Troubles-era bombings on UK mainland Gerry Adams is as culpable for IRA bombings on the UK mainland as the individuals who planted and detonated the devices, the high court has heard at the beginning of a civil trial. The former Sinn Féin leader is being sued for symbolic “vindicatory” damages of £1 each by John Clark, Jonathan Ganesh and Barry Laycock, who were injured respectively in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing, and the London Docklands and Manchester bombings in 1996. Continue reading...