On 11 April Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries attacked the country’s largest displacement camp. The extent of the brutality remains unclear, but some accounts are now emerging
Once they had massed on the perimeter of Sudan’s Zamzam camp, the Rapid Support Forces began the onslaught – shelling, firing from anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks and storming into the camp chanting racial slurs as they fired on their victims.
An estimated 700,000 people had sought refuge in Zamzam, Sudan’s largest displacement camp, but last weekend they were forced to seek cover and plot the best escape route. Most had fled these fighters before.
Pre-planned lunch is fine but is rarely about true connection. Surely unstructured time with friends is better
There’s a black and white image of the photographer and war correspondent Lee Miller and her friend Tanja Ramm. The two are having breakfast in bed at Miller’s studio in Paris, casually reading newspapers. Their faces are framed by untamed hair and they’re dressed in cotton shirts, with coffee cups in front of them. The image, captured in 1931, is quiet and intimate. They share a blanket, their arms touch. There’s no rush, no urgency. It’s a scene about love but, above all, it’s about friendship.
When was the last time I lay in bed with a friend like that? For most of us, it was probably during school or university, when staying over or crashing at someone’s house was a regular occurrence – sometimes a necessity, but mostly just part of our routines. It kept us close. Staying in a friend’s room or apartment felt like being on an island – safe, cosy and fun. It was about whispering, giggling and sharing secrets. And sometimes it was about nothing at all except being together.
Carolin Würfel is a writer, screenwriter and journalist who lives in Berlin and Istanbul. She is the author of Three Women Dreamed of Socialism and a regular contributor to Die Zeit
This week, Harvard University, the oldest and wealthiest in the US, defied Donald Trump a list of demands. The Trump administration responded by freezing $2.2bn in federal funding for the Ivy League school.
This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Harvard professor Ryan Enos to consider why the university is pushing back, how far this fight may go and why other universities are watching closely
Archive: ABC News, Bloomberg News, CBS News, CNN, National Conservatism, NBC News, Scripp News
A violent fanatic and pioneer in bigotry, Meir Kahane died a political outcast 35 years ago. Today, his ideas influence the very highest levels of government
PM focuses on threat from across the border as most polls show his Liberals leading Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party in tight race
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, faced sustained attacks from his Conservative rival at an election debate on Thursday but the Liberal leader sought to focus attention on what he calls Canada’s top threat: Donald Trump, the US president.
Most opinion polls show Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party trailing Carney’s Liberals ahead of the 28 April vote for Canada’s federal government.
Death toll, if confirmed, would make strikes on Ras Isa port one of the deadliest in month-long US campaign
US airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed 33 people and wounded 80 others, Houthi-run media said early on Friday, which if confirmed would mark one of the deadliest days of a campaign launched under US President Trump that has involved hundreds of strikes since 15 March.
The strikes hit the Ras Isa oil port and were intended to deprive the rebels of “illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years”, the US military’s Central Command said.
While generation Z are making gains at the gym, are they losing out on connection?
Gym membership in the UK is more popular than ever – and generation Z are a key demographic boosting the numbers. Gen Z are also drinking less than previous generations. So why are gen Z choosing working out over hanging out at the pub?
“I see on social media, people saying, if you do this, and you do this, and you do this, then you’ll feel better, and then you’ll look better,” Isabel Brooks, a freelance reporter and “zillennial”, tells Helen Pidd.
Under new rules, per tonnage or per container fees will apply to each Chinese-linked ship’s US voyage
The United States has unveiled new port fees on Chinese-built and operated ships in a bid to boost the domestic shipbuilding industry and curb China’s dominance in the sector.
The move – which stems from a probe launched under the prior administration – comes as the US and China are locked in a major trade war over President Donald Trump’s tariffs and could further escalate tensions.
Chris Van Hollen posts photo on X but does not provide update on status of man wrongly deported from US
The Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen met in El Salvador with Kilmar Ábrego García, a man who was sent there by the Trump administration in March despite an immigration court order preventing his deportation.
Van Hollen posted a photo of the meeting on X, saying he also called Ábrego García’s wife “to pass along his message of love”.
Just as much Russian bombing under energy ceasefire, says Ukrainian president. What we know on day 1,150
China is supplying weapons to Russia, including gunpowder and artillery, and Chinese representatives are involved in weapons production on Russian territory, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Thursday, citingreporting by Ukrainian security and intelligence agencies. “We are ready to speak in detail about this,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine expects to share documentation to support the claims next week.
Zelenskyy said: “We have finally received information that China is supplying weapons to the Russian Federation. … We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on Russian territory … We see the cooperation between these two countries in this area, and we must acknowledge it is happening.” The Associated Press could not confirm Zelenskyy’s statement. At the time of writing there was no response from China to the latest claims, but Beijing has consistently denied arming Russia against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Russia had reduced the number of strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities but stepped up attacks on civilian infrastructure instead. Zelenskyy told a press conference in Kyiv that in total, Russia was launching the same number of missiles and drones at Ukraine as before. “They reduced their strikes on energy. That’s a fact. But I wanted us to pay attention to this – Russia did not reduce the number of strikes, that was the strategy … by reducing [strikes on] energy, they are hitting other civilian infrastructure.”
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, on Thursday accused Ukraine at the security council of ignoring the energy ceasefire. In a joint statement after the council met, Slovenia, Denmark, France, Greece, and Britain urged Russia to agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire. Slovenia’s UN ambassador, Samuel Zbogar, said: “Ukraine wants peace, and has demonstrated this by agreeing to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire five weeks ago. At the consultations today, Russia again rejected the comprehensive ceasefire and refused to make its first step towards peace.”
Ukraine’s economy minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said on Thursday that Kyiv had signed a “memorandum of intent” with Washington on a planned “investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine”. Donald Trump, the US president, said they would sign a minerals deal “next Thursday”. The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, told AFP that a deal was targeted for 26 April.
Russian strikes killed two people and wounded at least 27 others overnight in Kharkiv and Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine, authorities said on Friday. “According to preliminary information, the strikes on Kharkiv were carried out by ballistic missiles with cluster munitions. That is why the affected areas are very large,” said Kharkiv’s mayor, Igor Terekhov, adding that 15 apartment buildings had been damaged. In Sumy, near the Russian border, a Russian Shahed drone attack on civilian infrastructure killed one person and injured one other, the regional military administration said.
Top negotiators from the “E3” grouping of Britain, France and Germany are scheduled to meet again in London next week with US counterparts after Donald Trump’s envoys finally met with European foreign ministers over ceasefire efforts. “What’s new is that the United States, Ukraine and the Europeans met around the same table,” said the French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, after Paris on Thursday hosted German, British and US foreign ministers, and Trump’s friend Steve Witkoff, as well as a Ukrainian delegation.
“The E3 are around the table and we’re doing it with a European ambition,” said a senior adviser to France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, after the talks at the Élysée Palace on Thursday. “What’s important is that we have started a process in Paris today that is positive and where the Europeans are associated.” Marco Rubio, Trump’s secretary of state, spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, said the US state department.
Luke Littler’s wait for a record-breaking fifth nightly win of a single Premier League season goes on as Chris Dobey reigned on night 11 in Rotterdam.
Dobey took his first nightly win in two years with a 6-2 victory over Stephen Bunting, who saw off Littler in the semi-finals. After avoiding a scare to edge out Rob Cross 6-5, Littler fell 3-2 behind to Bunting and then drew the ire of the Dutch crowd when he spent time changing his barrels – to no avail, as Bunting charged into a 5-2 lead.
A year after their debut, PJ, Chanyeon and Jiseok talk about the tough times, their global fanbase and what keeps them going
“People often ask how we can be a K-pop group with hearing loss,” PJ says in between rehearsals in Seoul. “But we want people to see us perform and be inspired, with our hearing status as almost a side note.”
PJ is the main vocalist for band Big Ocean, which made history almost exactly a year ago as the world’s first K-pop group composed entirely of members with hearing loss, a daunting venture in South Korea, a country where conformity is culturally valued.
Brighton hope their injury problems ease, Palace must stem the tide and Forest could do with Chris Wood fully fit
Considering the length of Brighton’s injury list, Fabian Hürzeler will be desperate to get Kaoru Mitoma back in time for Saturday’s trip to west London. The Japanese winger sustained a heel injury against Crystal Palace, ruling him out of the draw with Leicester. It was the first time he had missed a Premier League game all season after making 31 appearances. Whether he will be available against Brentford is yet to be seen but, with three teenagers on the bench last weekend, the more experience Hürzeler can name on the teamsheet the better. James Milner, Igor Julio, Georginio Rutter, Adam Webster, Ferdi Kadioglu and Tariq Lamptey are all out, while the goalkeeper Jason Steele returned to action for the under-21s this week but Carl Rushworth will remain the backup to Bart Verbruggen for now. If Mitoma can recover in time, it will be a timely boost as Hürzeler’s side fight for a European place. Will Unwin
Brentford v Brighton, Saturday 3pm (all times BST)
US president and first lady received invitation in February from King Charles for unprecedented repeat trip
Donald Trump has said he is expecting to travel to to the UK in September for his second state visit.
King Charles is preparing to host the US president and first lady as the UK government tries to bolster transatlantic ties after Trump imposed a series of tariffs on trading partners.
USOPC won’t set transgender eligibility rules for LA28
LA28 passes $1bn in sponsorship, confirms key venues
USA Football certified ahead of flag football’s debut
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has said it will not set any policy on transgender athlete eligibility ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, despite growing political pressure from the Trump administration and increasing scrutiny over access and inclusion in women’s sport.
Speaking Thursday after the committee’s first board meeting of 2025, chief executive Sarah Hirshland said the USOPC had no plans to define eligibility criteria, even as US president Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14201 – titled Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports – threatens to upend international participation protocols.
Manchester United unveiled a giant tifo that declared “Never Gonna Stop”, then did precisely this by knocking out 10-man Lyon in an electrifying end to extra time that ranks second in the club’s pantheon of late, late continental finishes.
For those here the drama of minutes 114-120 (+34 seconds) will never be forgotten. At this juncture United had gone 4-2 down to a Rayan Cherki strike and an Alexandre Lacazette penalty (on 104 and 109 minutes) that had the French side leading 6-4 on aggregate and apparently dumping Ruben Amorim’s men out of Europe.
The president and Italy’s prime minister spoke a common language – but for a discordant moment over Ukraine
She had been welcomed to the White House with open arms as few other foreign visitors had been since Donald Trump’s return, and Giorgia Meloni wanted to assure her host that – at least when it came to their political worldview – they spoke a common language.
Italy’s prime minister, whose Brothers of Italy party has roots in neo-fascism, was keen to stress that she shared many things with the man who had just hailed her as a “friend” who “everybody loves … and respects”.
Activists had called for boycotting the company after it announced a roll back of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts
On Thursday morning, the Rev Al Sharpton met with Brian Cornell, the Target CEO, to discuss the fallout from the company’s decision to walk back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts earlier this year. The meeting happened in New York at Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN) headquarters, and also included the NAN national board chair Dr W Franklyn Richardson and the NAN senior adviser Carra Wallace.
In January, activists in Minnesota called for a boycott of Target following the Minneapolis-based company’s decision to eliminate their DEI initiatives. Though Sharpton, one of the most prominent civil-rights activists in the US, did not directly call for a Target boycott, he supported the efforts of others to boycott, and, prior to the meeting, indicated that he would be open to calling for such an action depending on how the meeting went.
Maybe Ange Postecoglou’s luck has finally turned. After the manager complained that the football gods were against him last week, Dominic Solanke’s penalty after an intervention from the video assistant referee – another of the Australian’s pet peeves – was enough to seal his side’s progress to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
Postecoglou has probably regretted his decision to point out back in September after a defeat to Arsenal that he “always” wins trophies in his second year at a club. But after their north London rivals eased past the might of Real Madrid 24 hours earlier, Spurs also still have something to hang on to in a season that has otherwise been filled with disappointment.
Rangers’ resistance lasted for over two hours and then a briefer rebellion brought hope that they could do something extraordinary, but reaching the semi-final of the Europa League was a step too far. Instead, it is Athletic Club of Bilbao who face Manchester United, a unique club still hoping that a first continental trophy in their 124-year history will be won when they host the final.
Barry Ferguson’s side were still standing at the end of a first leg that finished 0-0, despite spending most of the night a man down, and they still hadn’t conceded 48 minutes into the second, but a penalty gave the Basques a breakthrough. “This hurts, and I want it to,” Ferguson said.
Chelsea must be the first team in history to be booed into a European semi-final. Such is life for Enzo Maresca at the moment. Losing 2-1 to Legia Warsaw on the night was embarrassing. Chelsea, who seemed intent on giving the fifth-best side in Poland hope of pulling off a comeback for the ages at a disgruntled Stamford Bridge, were shambolic and easily could have crashed out.
No wonder Maresca is not feeling the love from the crowd. Nobody celebrated Chelsea squeezing into a Conference League semi-final against Djurgården after winning 4-2 on aggregate. The defending was miserable and the attack was poor. Filip Jörgensen, Robert Sánchez’s understudy, was jittery in goal and the worries around Cole Palmer’s slump are not going away.
Environmentalists warn new proposal from US wildlife agencies could lead to habitat destruction and extinction
The Trump administration is planning to narrow protections for endangered species, in a move that environmentalists say would accelerate extinction by opening up critical habitats for development, logging, mining and other uses.
The proposal is the latest deregulatory effort by Donald Trump, who has made it a priority to dismantle endangered species protections as part of a broader quest to boost energy extraction and industrial access, even in the US’s most sensitive and vulnerable natural areas.
Streaming firm reported a $10.54bn revenue in first quarter, though analysts say consumers could reconsider spending
Netflix exceeded Wall Street expectations for quarterly results and offered a bullish revenue outlook on Thursday, signaling confidence amid the economic uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s erratic tariff plans.
Netflix reported revenue of $10.54bn for the first quarter, edging past analysts’ estimates of $10.52bn, according to data compiled by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). Shares of the company were roughly flat in after-hours trading at $970.10.
Toddler had wandered from his home in to mountain lion territory when Buford, out on his nightly patrol, found him
A two-year-old boy who spent a night alone in the Arizona wilderness was led to safety by a rancher’s dog and was recovering safely at home with his family on Thursday.
The toddler, identified as Boden Allen, disappeared from his home in Seligman, Arizona, at around 5pm local time on Monday, about 100 miles south of the Grand Canyon national park, prompting a large search operation. He was wearing just a blue tank top and pajama pants at the time, the Yavapai county sheriff’s office said in a missing person notice.
The actor will return for a follow-up series on Peacock rejoining the life of Cher Horowitz from the hit 1995 comedy
Alicia Silverstone will play Cher Horowitz once again in a new TV series follow-up to the hit 1995 comedy Clueless.
The 48-year-old actor has been set as star and executive producer of an episodic sequel at Peacock. The show will be written and produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, best known for Gossip Girl.
Wednesday’s outage the latest in series of blackouts to affect Puerto Rico in wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017
About 58% of Puerto Rico has has had power restored following an island-wide blackout on Wednesday, the government of Puerto Rico federal affairs administration said on Thursday.
It added that current generation stands at 1,439MW. A total of 31 generation units are online, with 16 additional units in the process of being brought back online, it said.
Two people injured after man took control of plane at knifepoint before being shot by another passenger
A US man has been shot dead after hijacking a small passenger plane and injuring two passengers in the Caribbean nation of Belize.
Fourteen passengers were onboard the aircraft when the hijacker, identified as Akinyela Sawa Taylor, took control of the flight at knifepoint. Two passengers were injured, including one who was stabbed in the back.
Quarterback insists he’s not holding teams hostage
Rodgers, 41, was released by New York Jets last month
Aaron Rodgers isn’t in a hurry: not to retire, not to return and not to sign with another team.
The 41-year-old quarterback, released by the New York Jets last month, said Thursday he’s not ready to make a commitment for the upcoming NFL season. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, the four-time MVP stressed that his current focus is on matters off the field, including a serious relationship and close friends facing personal challenges.
Last month, the Trump administration flew 238 Venezuelan immigrants to a brutal prison in El Salvador. Federal officials alleged that the detainees were members of the Tren de Aragua gang, calling them “heinous monsters” ,“criminal aliens”, “the worst of the worst”. The federal government has also revoked visas for a thousand international students over their alleged participation in protests against Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Some were abducted, like Mahmoud Khalil, who has spent more than a month incarcerated in one of the worst jails in the US. Officials alleged that Mahmoud “sided with terrorists … who have killed innocent men, women, and children”.
Media reports quickly revealed that the Trump administration is lying about “innocent” people to justify abducting them. But this raises a more important question: if Trump’s victims weren’t “innocent”, does that make them disposable? I worry that emphasizing the innocence of victims creates a rhetorical trap. It’s like carefully digging a pit that the fascists can shove us into.
Company behind Truth Social accuses London-based hedge fund Qube of alleged ‘suspicious trading activity’
Donald Trump’s fledgling media firm has urged market regulators to investigate “suspicious activity” after a London-based hedge fund disclosed a vast bet against its stock.
Trump Media & Technology Group, owner of the US president’s Truth Social platform, raised questions over trading by Qube Research & Technologies.
2 min: A little smoke from the pre-match pyro party still floating about. A couple of early touches for Onana. Casemiro has the opportunity to send Dorgu into space down the left but overcooks the pass and clanks it out for a throw.
A blast of John Denver, then Lyon get the ball rolling, with the aggregate score 2-2 after the first leg. The hosts are kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.
Scientists sound the alarm over substances such as arsenic and lead contaminating soils and entering food systems
About one sixth of global cropland is contaminated by toxic heavy metals, researchers have estimated, with as many as 1.4 billion people living in high-risk areas worldwide.
Approximately 14 to 17% of cropland globally – roughly 242m hectares – is contaminated by at least one toxic metal such as arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel or lead, at levels that exceed agricultural and human health safety thresholds.
Police took in suspect Phoenix Ikner, 20, a Florida State University student and son of a sheriff’s deputy
Two people were killed in a mass shooting at the Florida State University (FSU) campus in Tallahassee on Thursday, and six others were injured, police said.
The 20-year-old suspect is believed to be a student and the son of a sheriff’s deputy who had access to one of her weapons, a handgun, which was found at the scene, Sheriff Walt McNeil said at a news conference.
One person seriously injured after accident at Monte Faito near Naples
Four people have died and one is seriously injured after a cable car crashed to the ground near Naples in southern Italy on Thursday.
A cable broke on the link taking tourists from the town of Castellammare di Stabia, on the Gulf of Naples, to Monte Faito, about three kilometres(1.8 miles) away.
Williams says ‘I would have gotten 20 years’ if caught
World No 1 Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol
Serena Williams says she would have been hit with a 20-year ban if she had failed drug tests like men’s world No 1 Jannik Sinner, who received a three-month suspension in February.
“I love the guy, love this game,” Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam winner, told Time magazine this week after being named one of its 100 most influential people. “He’s great for the sport. I’ve been put down so much, I don’t want to bring anyone down. Men’s tennis needs him.
F1 world champion finished sixth in last race in Bahrain
‘I’m happy, I’m just not very happy with our car’
Max Verstappen played down concerns that he may leave Red Bull after the world champion was left frustrated and disappointed at the last round in Bahrain but reiterated that he was unhappy with the car and that as things stand it will be hard to defend his title this season.
Verstappen finished sixth in Bahrain, unable to make any impression against the frontrunners McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari. The car struggles with balance problems and is proving a handful to drive, with the team identifying a disconnect between their data from the wind tunnel and its real-world performance.
Abolishing tariffs would be welcome, but not at the price of reducing high regulatory standards or a reset with the European Union
Looked at objectively, a bilateral trade agreement between Britain and the United States is of relatively small economic significance to this country. Back in 2020, Boris Johnson’s government estimated that a US deal “could increase UK GDP in the long run by around 0.07%” – a figure that is not exactly transformative. The view touted by some Brexiters that a US trade deal would fire up the entire British economy was always a fantasy, the product of deregulatory yearning for which there was little public support, even among leave voters. Any urge of that kind is clearly even more delusional now, in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariff wars.
Hopefully, the right’s across-the-board deregulatory horror is now a thing of the past. But global trade has new traumas too. Mr Trump’s protectionism and bullying of US rivals are resetting the terms. There are nevertheless specific reasons why it is in Britain’s interest to pursue freer trade talks with the US. Chief among these is the threat posed by current tariffs, especially on cars and pharmaceuticals, as well as the prospect that a 10% tariff will be reimposed on all UK exports to the US after the current pause ends in July.
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The cost of borrowing has fallen across the 20-member euro area for the third time this year after the European Central Bank cut its main interest rate to 2.25% in response to slowing growth and Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The Frankfurt-based bank cut its benchmark deposit rate by a quarter of a percentage point on Thursday, in line with economist expectations, to tackle a slowdown in the bloc and the impact from the border taxes imposed earlier this month on all EU imports into the US.
Irish trainer set to have multiple Easter runners in UK
Charlotte’s Web best bet on all-weather finals card
A single winner on Cheltenham’s final card of the season was enough to maintain Dan Skelton’s narrow lead in the contest for the National Hunt trainers’ championship on Thursday, ahead of a busy Easter programme weekend when Skelton and the defending champion, Willie Mullins, will send dozens of runners to tracks in all parts of the country as the title race goes into its final week.
Mullins, who was the first Irish trainer to win the British championship for 70 years when he edged out Skelton 12 months ago, equalled his own record of 10 wins at the track’s festival meeting last month.
Connexion
