âWe can all coexistâ: artist Es Devlin uses selfies to unite UK in portrait of a nation
A National Portrait for the National Portrait Gallery aims to bring people together in increasingly atomised countryCan a collective portrait of Britain hold together a country that feels as if it is splintering apart? That is the quietly radical hope behind Es Devlinâs new installation at the National Portrait Gallery: a living portrait comprised not of monarchs, politicians or celebrities but of thousands of ordinary faces drifting slowly into and out of one another.Created in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture Lab, A National Portrait for the National Portrait Gallery invites people across the UK to upload a selfie, which is then transformed into a portrait rendered in Devlinâs smoky charcoal-and-chalk style before joining a constantly evolving and revolving carousel of portraits projected on to a framed screen. Continue reading...
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Trump-Xi Beijing Summit Addresses Trade War, Technology, and Iran Strategy
⢠President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held high-stakes talks in Beijing focusing on resolving escalating trade tensions, technology competition, and coordinating responses to Middle Eastern developments. ⢠The two leaders discussed tariff rollbacks, semiconductor supply chain restrictions, and potential joint initiatives on artificial intelligence regulation, with both nations seeking to avoid further economic deterioration.
Read original ¡ watchingamerica.comUS-Iran Ceasefire Negotiations Show Progress Amid Regional Tensions
⢠Diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran have advanced ceasefire talks, with both nations signaling willingness to negotiate a formal agreement to end months of escalating regional conflict. ⢠Officials from both countries met in a neutral location this week to discuss terms, including sanctions relief, prisoner exchanges, and military de-escalation measures along disputed maritime boundaries.
Read original ¡ watchingamerica.comâMagicalâ objects from iron age hoard found in UK go on display
Exhibition of Melsonby hoard in York challenges ideas about life in northern Britain 2,000 years agoIron age objects that tell a dramatic story of female power and which dispel the myth that northern Britain was a left-behind backwater have gone on display for the first time.The objects exhibited in York are from the Melsonby hoard, the largest trove of iron age metalwork ever found in the UK, which experts say could alter our understanding of life in Britain 2,000 years ago. Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.comGB News should lose its licence, says ex-Sky News editor Adam Boulton
Veteran broadcaster accuses channel of âclear violationsâ of Ofcomâs due impartiality rulesUK politics live â latest updatesThe former Sky News political editor Adam Boulton has said GB News should lose its broadcasting licence, as he accused Britainâs media regulator of failing in its duty to protect impartial television news.Boulton, who was Sky Newsâs political editor for 25 years after the channel launched in 1989, said he believed it was too late to revoke GB Newsâs broadcasting rights, despite bringing a partisan brand of coverage to British television since its debut in 2021. Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.comCanadian officer accused of spying for China acquitted of charges
William Majcher was accused of helping Chinese police coerce a Vancouver-area real estate investor, accused of fraud, to return to ChinaA retired police officer Canada accused of being an agent for China has been acquitted of national security charges after prosecutors failed to prove he acted illegally.William Majcher, who served in the RCMPâs financial crime unit, was charged in 2023 over allegations he had breached Canadaâs Security of Information Act by helping Chinese police coerce a Vancouver-area real estate investor, accused of fraud, to return to China. Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.comLaborâs budget will benefit the young â but does little to woo voters drawn to One Nation
Jim Chalmersâ budget tips the scales in favour of younger and less well-off households â but itâs middle-class gen X that are turning to the rightwing partyExplore all of our 2026 Australia federal budget coverageLaborâs fifth budget will do what it says on the tin: it will benefit the young and the poor at the expense of the older and the rich.This is the most obvious takeaway from distributional analysis conducted by Ben Phillips, an associate professor at the ANUâs Centre for Social Policy Research. Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.comProminent Australian academic denies links to powerful Iranian politician
Prof Abbas Rajabifard of the University of Melbourne says he was listed as a co-author of research with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranâs chief negotiator in recent peace talks, without his knowledgeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA University of Melbourne academic has denied collaborating on research with the speaker of Iranâs parliament â who has been leading Tehranâs peace negotiations with the US â saying he was named as an author on a journal article without his knowledge.On Monday Guardian Australia revealed that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranâs top negotiator, had built extensive ties to Australia over the past decade, including links to a University of Melbourne engineering research centre. Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.comNDIS cuts could leave some participants with a funding gap. How will the changes affect you?
Proposals also grant the health minister power to change disability support rules without state or territory approval. Hereâs what you need to knowGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFunding for some services within the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be slashed â even in cases where participants could be left with a funding gap â as part of a sweeping proposal to drastically curb the schemeâs annual growth.The proposed changes, revealed on Thursday, will also grant the health minister, Mark Butler, god-like powers to reduce overall funding for support categories, determine pricing guides and caps for services and support, and the ability to change NDIS rules without state and territory approval for the first 12 months. Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.comMet chief says British Jews ânot safeâ in London after series of attacks
King Charles visits Golders Green to show support as commissioner discloses counter-terrorism team leading 11 investigationsCounter-terrorism officers in London have launched 11 investigations and arrested 35 people after âa sustained period of attackâ upon the Jewish community, the head of the UKâs biggest police force has disclosed.In one of his most stark comments on antisemitism in the UK Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner, told MPs in a letter: âBritish Jews are not currently safe in their capital city.â Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.comâItâs like stealingâ: Palestinian familyâs seized property listed on Booking.com
West Bank home described as âideal for outdoor gatheringsâ is among 41 listed rentals in illegal Israeli settlements Some of Mohammad al-Sbeihâs fondest childhood memories are of his small farm in the hills south of Bethlehem, where three generations of his family grew wheat and barley.âIt was a hard plot to farm as it was on a hillside with terraces, but it was so beautiful,â Sbeih remembers. Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.comWes Streeting quits cabinet and calls on Starmer to resign
Streeting, who is on the partyâs right, had long been rumoured to be gathering support for tilt at leadershipUK politics live â latest updatesWes Streeting has quit as health secretary and called on Keir Starmer to resign as prime minister, saying it would have been âdishonourableâ to remain in post and that there should now be a contest for the Labour leadership.But Streeting, who is on the partyâs right, will not immediately launch a challenge and said he wanted to see a leadership contest with a broad range of candidates â a suggestion that the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, could fight in the contest. Continue reading...
Read original ¡ theguardian.com