Department seeks instances of bias, with emphasis on Christianity, that may have occurred under Biden
The state department is ordering staff to report colleagues for instances of “anti-Christian bias” during the Biden administration, part of Donald Trump’s aggressive push to reshape government policy on religious expression in his first months back in office.
The internal cable, obtained by the Guardian, establishes a short seven-day window for employees to report perceived religious discrimination committed by state department officials, with particular emphasis on Christianity.
Actor claims working with Oscar nominee on set of thriller Girl is ‘one of the all time worst experiences’ of her life
Bella Thorne has accused fellow US actor Mickey Rourke of bruising her genitals with a metal grinder on the set of a movie that they filmed together during what she described as “one of the all time worst experiences” of her career.
In a story on her Instagram account on Friday, Thorne alleged that the episode was part of a broader campaign to humiliate her while they collaborated on the 2020 thriller Girl. She wrote: “This fucking dude. GROSS” and relayed the account in writing over a copy of a BBC article reporting that Celebrity Big Brother’s producers had reprimanded him for aiming homophobic comments at the singer JoJo Siwa while they competed on the reality show.
Boulter defeats Tatjana Maria 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 in The Hague
Kartal takes down Jule Niemeier 6-4, 6-2 on cup debut
An hour into her first national team assignment of the season, the forecast for Katie Boulter was grim. Down a set and a break against a cunning opponent, the British No 1 had been junkballed into oblivion and defeat drew near. Her recent difficult form and her lack of confidence in the surface beneath her feet was plain for ll to see.
From that uncomfortable position, Boulter showed her mental fortitude in full as she emerged with a strong 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Tatjana Maria to clinch a 2-1 win for Great Britain over Germany in their opening tie of the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in the Hague.
Vanessa Brown called police response in Cobham, Surrey, ‘a complete overreaction’ that left her ‘catatonic’
A history teacher has said she was arrested and blocked from seeing her daughters after she confiscated their iPads.
Vanessa Brown, 50, described her “unspeakable devastation and trauma” after spending seven-and-a-half hours in a cell on 26 March after a claim that she had stolen two iPads.
The aftermath of Trump’s tariffs, Russian airstrikes in Ukraine, raids in the West Bank and Indigenous people in Brasilia: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists
Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing
On the face of it the Egyptian’s new contract has no downside – but this is not entirely a free ride for Arne Slot and the club
Well, that’s good then. Things fall apart. But sometime they also don’t. And the centre does actually hold.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Mohamed Salah’s contract extension at Liverpool is the fact this is a rare crossover story, a signing that steps outside its own tribal margins. There will of course be localised delight. Liverpool fans can look forward to their own lost weekend in the sun, a sense that the good times will now continue to roll, that the time bar has shifted. Return to your seats. This is a lock-in.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have a chance to dominate in the desert as Max Verstappen scrambles to stay in touch
Three races into the new Formula One season and this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix represents something of a litmus test as to what may follow for the title protagonists. Everything points to a chance for McLaren to dominate at the Sakhir circuit but there may also be some indication if Red Bull are making real steps forward with their car.
For McLaren, Bahrain is a chance to throw off their hoodoo at the track where they have never won and at which, in recent years, they have struggled for form. This season in testing at the circuit they gave their first evidence that they had a much improved package; one swiftly reinforced with dominant victories for Lando Norris in Australia and then his teammate, Oscar Piastri, in China.
Meta ending DEI programs, getting rid of factcheckers and changing content moderation policies led to LDF’s decision
On Friday, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) announced its decision to exit Meta’s external civil rights advisory group due to its concerns over Meta’s content moderation and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) policy changes.
Supporter’ groups criticise response of authorities
Manchester United are investigating the treatment of their fans who attended Thursday’s 2-2 draw at Lyon. The local government admitted French police used teargas but said it was “proportionate” to restore calm.
Posts on social media showed United fans feeling the effect of the spray at the Europa League quarter-final first leg. The Rhône prefecture said in a statement: “English fans were seated in the away section waiting to be allowed to join their bus. They attempted to force their way through the security measures deployed by the national police. Projectiles were also reported to be thrown at the police. The police therefore used moderate, proportionate and necessary force (tear gas) to restore calm.
Mexico’s failure to keep up 81-year-old water-sharing treaty has sparked a diplomatic spat with the US
Mexico will make an immediate water delivery to Texas farmers to help make up its shortfall under a treaty that has strained US relations and prompted tariff threats by Donald Trump, said Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, on Friday.
Mexico is looking for alternatives to comply with the 81-year-old water-sharing treaty with the US, Sheinbaum said in her regular news conference. A proposal had already been sent to US officials, she said.
Trump ally Richard Grenell sends series of hostile emails to Yasmin Williams despite saying he was ‘too busy’ to do so
The Kennedy Center’s interim executive director, Richard Grenell – a staunch ally of Donald Trump – accused a professional musician of “vapidness” after she emailed him over concerns of the now Trump-controlled center’s rollbacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Earlier this week, Yasmin Williams, an award-winning musician who has performed multiple times at the Washington DC-based performing arts center, emailed Grenell regarding the center’s DEI plans, pointing to the cancellations of a concert by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington as well as Finn, a children’s musical about a shark who feels different from other sharks.
Facial recognition and a ‘journey pass’ stored on passengers’ phones are part of UN-backed plans to digitise air transport
The days of fumbling around for your boarding pass or frantically checking in for a flight on the way to the airport could soon be over under imminent plans to overhaul the way we travel.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN body responsible for crafting airline policy, plans to dramatically shake up existing rules for airports and airlines through the introduction of a “digital travel credential”.
Donald Trump’s tariff war has spooked stock markets and heightened fears of a recession in the US and Europe. But neither factor appears to have been what motivated the president’s sudden volte-face this week, when he paused most of his “liberation day” border taxes for 90 days.
Experts say prescribing a set solution can distract from therapy’s goal of ‘creating a space of greater understanding’
There was a time when entering couples therapy was seen as the death knell of a relationship – a last-ditch attempt to save a partnership beyond salvation.
“People are afraid that once you’ve gone to couples therapy, you’re on a negative track,” says Dr Matthew Siblo, a licensed professional counselor in Washington DC.
The Australian reaches last four of Monte Carlo Masters
He will play either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Lorenzo Musetti
Alex de Minaur has humbled Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov 6-0 6-0 to feast on the first “double bagel” of his professional career while powering into the Monte Carlo Masters semi-final.
The Australian was in merciless mood against the out-of-sorts veteran, taking only 44 minutes to hand the world No 18 one of his most embarrassing defeats on the Monte Carlo Country Club’s main arena, Court Rainier III, on Friday.
‘Average man from Derbyshire’ shocked to find photo of tattoo celebrating child’s birth was used to deport migrants
A British man was shocked to discover that a photo of his tattoo was included in a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document used to identify alleged members of a notorious Venezuelan criminal gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA).
Earlier this week, 44-year-old Pete Belton, who lives in the English county of Derbyshire, told the BBC that he was stunned to find a photo of his forearm tattoo featured in a DHS document among nine images of tattoos intended to assist in “detecting and identifying” TdA members.
The US president adores the attention, but while leaders struggle to mitigate the damage he causes, other emergencies are getting worse
We’re all having to master a vocabulary that was once the preserve of specialists. Now everyone needs to know their tariffs from their treasuries, their levies from their yields. But there’s one more term from the realm of economics that urgently needs to enter our lexicon. Given what Donald Trump is doing to the world economy – and the world – we need to talk about opportunity cost.
Put simply, opportunity cost is the value of opportunity lost. It’s the benefit you could have had if you had chosen a different path. For an economist, the opportunity cost of the Mars bar you bought is the Twix you didn’t.
Salah cites trophies, family and Slot as reasons to stay
Mohamed Salah should keep “trying to reach perfection” according to Arne Slot after ending uncertainty over his Liverpool future by signing a new two-year contract.
Salah agreed to extend his illustrious Anfield career to a decade after months of negotiations between his agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, and Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes. Financial details of the deal, which was confirmed by the player and club on Friday, have not been disclosed but the 32-year-old has not taken a pay cut. His previous three-year contract was worth a basic £350,000 a week, although his overall earnings were about £1m a week.
Move by Danish toymaker appears to reflect US pressure on inclusivity initiatives worldwide
Lego has cut diversity terminology from its annual sustainability report despite trumpeting the recent addition of “diverse” characters to make its toys more “inclusive”.
A rum espresso martini topped with white and dark chocolate shavings to give it an extra Easter edge
Coffee and chocolate go together almost as well as Easter and chocolate, and the use of dark and white chocolate shavings in this broody number give the drink a nice point of contrast, as well as different aromas.
The Guardian speaks to Manna Aero founder and orders coffee via startup’s app to be delivered to a suburban home
One drone lifts up into the sky at a shopping centre on the outskirts of Dublin, then another. They rise to 70ft (21 metres), tilt forward and zip away in different directions, each carrying a paper bag.
On a sleepy morning in the Irish capital the takeoffs build to a steady one every few minutes, with barely anyone glancing at the constant stream of aircraft buzzing back and forth.
Maria Matthes, a lifelong koala conservationist, says loss of habitat and the climate crisis have threatened the endangered species in eastern New South Wales. Almost 2m hectares of forests suitable for koalas have been destroyed since 2011. They are one of more than 2,000 Australian species listed as under threat in what scientists are calling an extinction crisis
Ukraine’s allies have announced a record €21bn (£18.2bn) in additional military support for Kyiv and accused Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet and delaying US-led negotiations over a ceasefire deal.
Speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine defence contact group in Brussels, the British defence secretary, John Healey, said the Russian president had rejected a 30-day pause in fighting proposed a month ago by Donald Trump.
Spurs hire ex-Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham
Ange Postecoglou has said there is a mole at Tottenham who is leaking sensitive team news and working against what he and the players are trying to achieve. The manager, who is preparing for Sunday’s Premier League game at Wolves, said he had a “fair idea” of the identity of the individual and was working to deal with the situation.
The subject came up as Postecoglou was questioned about Wilson Odobert’s fitness and at about the same time – on an unrelated topic – that Spurs announced the hire of the former Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham. He will join in the summer and take the same title that he held at Arsenal, which would appear to be bad news for Tottenham’s chief football officer, Scott Munn.
The head coach on staying calm against Real Madrid, learning to cope with losing and the challenge of Lyon
‘The tactical side is the easier part of the job because it’s like mathematics,” says Renée Slegers. “The challenging part is the people, in a positive way; that’s where the most energy goes, and I think that’s right.”
The Arsenal manager is on a sofa in her office, relaxed and open as we talk about how much of coaching is psychological and how much is tactical. Is the psychological side the most enjoyable part of the job, then? “I like the combination,” says Slegers, after a short pause. “I like puzzles and board games and, for me, tactics are kind of a game, but then working with people I get so much energy. That’s inspiring.”
Short of Everton being docked 20 points and their new Bramley Moore Dock sinking to the bottom of the Mersey without trace overnight, it’s difficult to imagine any news putting more of a spring in the step of Liverpool fans than the announcement that Mohamed Salah’s new contract until 2027. The Egyptian is one of three Liverpool stalwarts who were due to become free agents at the end of this season but is almost certainly the one whose replica shirt fans were least likely to set fire to in performative Instachat videos. While the nitty-gritty of the 32-year-old’s new deal have not been disclosed, he has not taken a pay cut from his basic £350,000 weekly stipend, although it is believed he earns nearer £1m per week when various side-projects such as image rights, sponsorship deals and a window-cleaning round are taken into account.
I’m sure they’re regretting that now. My favourite was the sparring. Initially, I started taekwondo for self-defence. That also really contributed to football, just with power, discipline and attitude. The type of training I did was absolutely brutal. I remember times when I was crying in pain, just from all the work I was doing, but it paid off” – Liverpool’s Olivia Smith tells Tom Garry about being bullied at school and how learning martial arts helped her deal with the physical demands of football.
Ange Postecoglou: from ‘I don’t usually win things in my second year, I always win things in my second year’ to ‘I’m resigned to the fact that the football Gods have got their eyes elsewhere this year – they’re obviously busy with other clubs and other managers’ in just six months. I’m trying to think of a word to describe Tottenham Hotspur being so up and down but nothing comes to mind” – Noble Francis.
If Big Sir Jim wants to make United great, he could start by manufacturing red ‘Make United Great’ hats to their fans. To save on costs – and for clarity – all he needs to do is put Make United Great’s initials on them” – Jon Harris.
If Rob Ford has supported ‘La Real’ for so many years, then he must be thrilled by the success of the Basque country teams’s former players in England such as Alexander Isak and Mikel Merino. Unless he actually supports El Madrid” – George Feldman (and 1,056 others).
Compromise deal falls far short of carbon levy poor countries were hoping for
Shipping companies will have to pay for the carbon dioxide produced by their vessels for the first time under new rules agreed by the world’s maritime watchdog.
Changes at two dozen prestigious firms underscore Trump’s successful intimidation campaign against legal profession
Nearly two dozen US law firms have quietly scrubbed references to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from their website and revised descriptions of pro-bono work to more closely align with Donald Trump’s priorities, a Guardian review has found, underscoring the Trump administration’s successful campaign of intimidation against the legal profession.
The changes, which have occurred at some of the nation’s most prestigious firms, include eliminating mention of pro-bono immigration work from firm websites and deleting sections entirely related to DEI. In some cases, firms appear to have dropped the word “diversity” from descriptions of their work. In at least one case, a change included revising a quote from firm partners to eliminate mention of diversity and inclusion.
The state, which has long ranked worst in the US for child wellbeing, became the first and only in the country to offer free childcare to a majority of families
There was a moment, just before the pandemic, when Lisset Sanchez thought she might have to drop out of college because the cost of keeping her three children in daycare was just too much.
Even with support from the state, she and her husband were paying $800 a month – about half of what Sanchez and her husband paid for their mortgage in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
US is not set up to supply mobile phones and would cost estimated $30bn to move just 10% of chain from China
The AI-generated video of tired-looking Americans making mobile phones, which circulated widely on social media this week, was a pointed vision of a post-tariff world. But Donald Trump wants it to become reality for Apple.
The iPhone maker is one of the biggest victims of the US president’s realignment of the global trading order because its flagship product is assembled in the epicentre of Trump’s protectionist ire – China.
The California-based festival will soar to potentially record-breaking highs of 103F (over 39C) in its first of two consecutive weekends, around 10-20 degrees higher than what’s typically expected at this time of year.
Stock markets slid further on Friday amid growing fears of an escalating trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, as China announced it would increase its retaliatory tariffs on US goods to 125%.
The increase from 84% ups the ante to the same level as the US 125% “reciprocal” tariff on Beijing’s imports that came into force on Thursday, although the White House clarified later that day that its total levies on Chinese goods were now at least 145%, when a separate 20% fentanyl-related border tax was included.
You can perhaps understand why Craig Wood suffered such a shocker in the first round in 1936, still shaken no doubt by what had happened to him the year before. Allow me to explain / plagiarise myself. Wood had missed out on the inaugural title in 1934 by one stroke, but looked odds-on to win in 1935, in the clubhouse with a three-shot advantage over his only real challenger. But that challenger was Gene Sarazen, who was still out on the course, in the middle of the par-five 15th having clattered a 250-yard drive down the 485-yard hole. He was playing with Walter Hagen, who upon hearing the news of Wood’s clubhouse mark, cried: “Well, that’s that!” Sarazen shrugged and replied: “They might go in from anywhere.” Whereupon he drew his 4-wood back and landed his second on the front of the green, the ball rolling to the far-right corner and into the cup for an albatross (or a double eagle, as the locals would have it). Now level with Wood, he parred his way in, then breezed the 36-hole play-off. His albatross became known as The Shot Heard Round The World, and one which put the Augusta National Invitation Tournament on the map.
Poor old Nick Dunlap had a bit of a shocker yesterday. An 18-over round of 90 that featured four double bogeys and a triple. Seven bogeys, just six pars. “He’s a very talented chap,” begins Simon Thomas, “Golf is hard. He’s got a bit of ground to make up; by my reckoning he needs to find at least 16 shots today if he’s to make the weekend. A 56 today then.” Well, let’s see now. Craig Wood shot a first round of 88 in 1936, bouncing back with a 67 the next day. He finished in a tie for 20th, and went on to win the event in 1941. So there’s always hope I guess. Admittedly that still stands as the biggest contrasting start in Masters history, 89 years on, and Dunlap would have to better Jim Furyk’s all-time low PGA Tour score of 58 by two strokes to beat the cut. But let’s rule nothing out until it’s mathematically impossible.
Exclusive: Lawsuit says ‘unconstitutional’ order violates right to share information with court’s chief prosecutor
Donald Trump’s executive order imposing sanctions on the international criminal court (ICC) is facing a legal challenge from two US human rights advocates who argue it is “unconstitutional and unlawful”.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court on Friday, the advocates said the order had forced them to stop assisting and engaging with the ICC out of fear the US government would punish them with criminal prosecution and civil fines.
Eisenberg’s Holocaust-heritage comedy-drama was a big hit in the country where it is set – though some have questioned its lack of engagement with locals. Historians, critics and heritage tour guides give us their thoughts
A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg’s film about two cousins on a heritage tour of Holocaust-related sites in Poland, has been largely embraced by Polish audiences, who appreciated its understated humour and conspicuous good intentions. Within a month of its release, the film had grossed more than $1m at the Polish box office – no small feat for an indie production in Poland. “There was a collective sigh of relief,” says Vogue Poland film critic Anna Tatarska, “that here was a Hollywood Holocaust narrative that didn’t cast Poles as historical villains.”
Poland’s fraught relationship with Holocaust narratives has made films touching on it into political battlegrounds for at least a decade. Since the nationalist backlash against films such as Aftermath (Pokłosie) in 2012, and Ida a year later – each of which confronted Polish complicity in wartime Jewish persecution – cinema has become a flashpoint in Poland’s ongoing struggle with historical memory. Against this backdrop, A Real Pain occupies an unusually diplomatic position, and this political neutrality helped Eisenberg’s film achieve what others couldn’t: acceptance not only from Polish audiences but also officialdom.
As a twentysomething comic, I think we should stop being mean about my forebears, the millennials. They may have landed us with Mumford & Sons but they also gave us four of my favourite things
Not in living memory has a generation received more abuse than millennials. First the older generation told them their economic woes were due to a weak handshake in job interviews and a crippling addiction to brunch. Now, an even more malignant torrent of abuse is coming from below. Gen Z, in an attempt to distance themselves from the tragic fate of their forebears, have declared war.
Every young person seems to be mocking the sincerity and optimism of a generation – born roughly between 1981 and 1996 – who imbibed the spirit of the Obama era and seemed to believe that if they worked hard, their dreams would come true. Except they didn’t: instead came Brexit, Trump, Covid and AI-generated videos of Elon Musk doing the moonwalk.
TV on the Radio’s frontman hit rock bottom at the height of the band’s powers and stopped performing music for good. But with his acting career taking off and a genre-jumping new solo album, one of rock’s great polymaths is back
Sitting in the belly of north London’s Islington Assembly Hall in the middle of four sold-out nights, TV on the Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe is recalling the precise moment he wanted to quit his band – and music – for ever. It was 2019 and the group, an art-rock four-piece who haven’t made a record that wasn’t adored by critics since emerging from Brooklyn in the early 00s, were opening for Weezer and Pixies at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Over the years, they’ve made five studio albums and also lost bass player Gerard Smith, who died suddenly in 2011. They’ve grieved and grown together. Adebimpe is their talisman. A tall, expressive focal point, able to rabble-rouse with songs such as Wolf Like Me, or calm the congregation with low-slung tracks such as DLZ or Young Liars.
Twelve dadikwakwa-kwa given to Manchester Museum on condition they are not permanently kept behind glass
They represent a “beautiful friendship” that defies preconceptions, spanning 9,000 miles with a complicated, 70-year history. The 12 dadikwakwa-kwa shell dolls, traditionally used to teach kinship, literacy, numeracy and about women’s health – have been given by the Indigenous Australian Anindilyakwa community to a UK museum on one condition – that children play with them once a year.
The relationship between Europe’s museums and the countries and communities where items were taken from has been replete with controversy in recent years. But Manchester Museum cemented a bond with the Anindilyakwa community, the traditional owners of the land and seas of the Groote archipelago in the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the northern coast of Australia, by returning 174 objects in 2023.
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