Cars and steps do not mix: why The Italian Job has a lot to answer for

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A driver who got stuck on the Spanish Steps in Rome is the latest in a series of similar vehicular misadventures

The 1969 caper The Italian Job spawned a Hollywood remake, helped drive the cool-factor of the Mini and launched decades of dad jokes about bloody doors being blown off. It may also have inspired one driver who got stuck trying to travel down the Spanish Steps in Rome this week.

The film ended with Michael Caine teetering on the edge of a cliff in a coach, claiming to have a “great idea”. In Rome, the 80-year-old’s navigational error on his way to work ended with emergency services having to bring in a crane to winch his vehicle off the Italian capital’s landmark.

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Macron lays out broad European offer for Iran to end war with Israel

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Proposal would cover uranium enrichment and ballistic missile programmes and aim to end terrorist funding

Europe is to make Iran a comprehensive offer to end its war with Israel that would include an Iranian move to zero uranium enrichment, restrictions on its ballistic missile programme and an end to Tehran’s funding of terrorist groups, Emmanuel Macron has said.

The proposals are surprisingly broad, spanning a range of complex issues beyond Iran’s disputed nuclear programme, and are likely to complicate any solution unless an interim agreement can be agreed.

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Israeli scientists scramble to save work after Iranian missile hits labs – Reuters

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  1. Israeli scientists scramble to save work after Iranian missile hits labs  Reuters
  2. Iranian missile strikes Israel’s ‘crown jewel of science’  AP News
  3. From heart tissue to DNA samples, Weizmann scientists mourn work vaporized in Iran attack  The Times of Israel
  4. Iran missiles severely damage Weizmann Institute labs, 'irreplaceable' samples destroyed  The Jerusalem Post
  5. 'The missiles completely erased decades of research; we will need to start from scratch,' Weizmann president says  Ynetnews
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Campaign for statue of British suffragette hero is hit by funding crisis

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Organisers seek an extra £40,000 for a memorial to Mary Clarke, the first suffragette to die for women’s rights

The campaign to commemorate the first suffragette to die for women’s rights is facing a funding crisis.

Mary Clarke, who was the sister of Emmeline Pankhurst, helped found the Women’s Social and Political Union and was imprisoned three times.

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Assisted dying set to become law in England and Wales after MPs pass bill

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Terminally ill people with less than six months to live will have right to choose procedure after approval from doctors and panel

Terminally ill people in England and Wales are to be given the right to an assisted death in a historic societal shift that will transform end-of-life care.

After months of argument, MPs narrowly voted in favour of a private member’s bill introduced by Labour’s Kim Leadbeater, which could become law within four years.

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Thousands Protest Across the Middle East as Israel-Iran Conflict Deepens – The New York Times

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  1. Thousands Protest Across the Middle East as Israel-Iran Conflict Deepens  The New York Times
  2. Iran says no to nuclear talks during conflict as UN urges restraint  Reuters
  3. Iranian insider acknowledges country weakened, but insists Iranians remain united against Israel  CBS News
  4. How people inside Iran are reacting to the war  PBS
  5. Tehran neighborhoods empty out as Israel and Iran exchange barrages  NBC News
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Canada poised to pass infrastructure bill despite pushback from Indigenous people

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Bill prioritizes ‘nation-building’ pipelines and mines, causing concern that sped-up approvals will override constitutional rights

Canada’s Liberal government is poised to pass controversial legislation on Friday that aims to kick-start “nation building” infrastructure projects but has received widespread pushback from Indigenous communities over fears it tramples on their constitutional rights.

On its final day of sitting before breaking for summer, parliament is expected to vote on Bill C-5. The legislation promised by Mark Carney, the prime minister, during the federal election, is meant to strengthen Canada’s economy amid a trade war launched by Donald Trump.

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British nationals who want to leave Israel to be offered flights to UK, says David Lammy

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Foreign secretary says government will provide charter flights from Tel Aviv when airspace reopens

British nationals who want to leave Israel will be offered charter flights from Tel Aviv as soon as airspace reopens, the government has said.

With the conflict with Iran continuing, Whitehall officials have been working to organise escape routes for the thousands of British and dual nationals in Israel.

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