News

Labubus to burkinis: V&A unveils updated 21st-century design galleries

Museum’s revitalised galleries bring together 250 objects to show how design shapes modern life What do the first ever baby monitor, Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup kit, an 80s boombox, the smashed parts of Edward Snowden’s computer, a “Please offer me a seat” badge and a Labubu have in common? They are all included in the V&A’s Design 1990-Now galleries , which reopen to the public this week. The galleries, which run across two rooms on the upper floors of the museum, also house a collection of ant...

Limited government shutdown likely to linger for at least 10 days as Congress takes break

13% of federal civilian workforce is affected, although DHS – which spurred budget standoff – remains funded A limited US government shutdown came into effect on Saturday – the third of Donald Trump’s second term – after negotiations between the White House and Democrats in Congress failed to agree on new restrictions for federal immigration agents. The shutdown affects about 13% of the federal civilian workforce and is confined to agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Sec...

Roy Medvedev, Soviet Era Historian and Dissident, Is Dead at 100

His score of books and hundreds of essays documented Stalinist executions, Communist repressions and censorship, and the transition to post-Soviet Russia.

Senior Reform UK figures attend launch of How to Launder Money book

Co-author George Cottrell is close aide to party leader Nigel Farage and served several months in US prison As a choice for a book title, How to Launder Money certainly caught the eye. But then again, its co-author George Cottrell claims to know what he’s talking about. A close aide to Nigel Farage , Cottrell served several months in a US prison after being convicted there in 2017 for wire fraud – a chapter in his life he referred to at his book launch party on Thursday night. Continue readin...

Navalny Was Poisoned With Frog Toxin, European Governments Say

Traces of the toxin were found in the body of the Russian dissident Aleksei A. Navalny, who died in prison two years ago, five governments said in a joint statement.

Police seal off road near Arizona home of Today show host Samantha Guthrie’s missing mother

Sheriff’s, FBI and forensics vehicles passed through roadblocks 2 miles from missing 84-year-old woman’s home Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, sealed off a road near her home in Arizona late Friday night. A parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about 2 miles (3.2km) from the house. Continue reading...

Zelensky rules out holding elections until there is a cease-fire with Russia.

Casey Wasserman to sell talent agency after Epstein fallout - reports

The prominent agent and LA Olympics chief has come under scrutiny over past ties with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Tribes grant the Colorado River legal personhood - can this help save it?

The river, which runs through seven US states that share it, is currently facing the worst drought in 1,200 years.

Police set up national group to deal with UK-related Epstein allegations

Senior policing source says ‘tsunami’ of claims expected after US release of papers relating to disgraced financier British police have set up a new national group to deal with allegations that Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking of women had ties to Britain, as well as claims against his associates, such as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. At least three British police forces are dealing with allegations triggered by the revelations about Epstein and his associates in documents released in the US, with...

Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK and allies say

Former opposition leader’s death while in Arctic jail at age of 47 result of mixture of diseases, according to Moscow The Foreign Office has blamed the Russian state for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which it said was the result of poisoning from a dart frog toxin. The frog poison – called epibatidine – is said to have been used when Navalny, 47, died suddenly on 16 February 2024. Continue reading...

After Mass Shooting, the Town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia Is Forever Changed

The mass shooting in the remote British Columbia mining town has shocked and saddened the nation.

Starmer stresses ‘urgency’ of closer defence ties with Europe at Munich conference

The UK prime minister says stronger security relies on greater cooperation and integration across the continent Munich Security Conference – live updates Keir Starmer said there was an urgent need for a closer UK defence relationship with Europe, covering procurement and manufacturing, so that the UK would be at the centre of a stronger European defence setup. In a rare visit to the Munich Security Conference, the British prime minister told the audience, to applause, “we are 10 years on from...

Ban on Palestine Action ‘massively backfired’, says group’s co-founder

Huda Ammori calls for proscription to be lifted after high court finds it to be very serious interference with protest rights The co-founder of Palestine Action has said the ban on the group “massively backfired” and called for its proscription to be suspended after the high court found it to be unlawful . Three senior judges ruled on Friday that the ban was disproportionate and constituted very serious interference with the rights to protest and free speech. Continue reading...

Venezuelan deportee welcomes chance of US return but fears repeat of ordeal

Luis Muñoz Pinto, 27, who was sent to notoriously brutal prison in El Salvador would like to clear his name after US judge’s ruling A US federal judge’s order that some of the Venezuelan men sent by the Trump administration to a notorious prison in El Salvador must be allowed to return to the United States to fight their cases has been greeted with hope and a sense of vindication – but also fear – by one of the deportees. US district judge James Boasberg ruled on Thursday in Washington DC tha...

US fixation on the hard-hat economy and making manufacturing great again makes little sense

The dream of greasy overalls is driven by nostalgia and doesn’t justify policies that harm US consumers The exhortations to protect America’s industrial muscle have resonated in the US at least since maverick presidential candidate Ross Perot brought up the supposed “giant sucking sound ” of jobs pulled to Mexico by the Nafta trade agreement back in 1993. They flourished under Donald Trump ’s first presidency and his promise to restore jobs lost to trade agreements. Joe Biden , too, put “rebu...

Danish state could face legal action over deal that gives US powers on its soil

Claims that agreement is unconstitutional could pose problems in talks with Washington over Greenland Denmark could face legal action over an agreement that gives the US sweeping powers on Danish soil, over claims it is “unconstitutional” and could pose problems in talks with Washington over Greenland. The agreement, which was signed under the Biden administration in 2023 and was passed by the Danish parliament last year , gives the US “unhindered access” to its airbases and powers over its c...

In Munich, Rubio Stresses Shared History to Europeans but Warns of ‘Civilizational Erasure’

In his speech at the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced some far-right ideas, but his diplomatic tone came as a relief to the audience.

Open Road

On Valentine’s Day, consider the ways in which we’re sticking to established paths — and the places where we yearn to deviate.

Gisèle Pelicot plans to meet ex-husband in prison for answers on other allegations

Pelicot says she wants to look Dominique Pelicot ‘straight in the eye’ over potential abuse of daughter and case of estate agent who was raped and murdered in 1991 Gisèle Pelicot has said she needs to visit prison to look her abusive ex-husband “straight in the eye” after his conviction for drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her in a case that shocked France and the rest of the world. Pelicot, 73, said she needed “answers” from Dominique Pelicot over the potential abuse of their ...