Shabana Mahmood: lord chancellor with political nous unafraid to shake up system

Posted on by

Her introduction to politics began as the child of the chair of Birmingham Labour party and as justice secretary she’s made tough decisions from day one

Shabana Mahmood’s potential as a future cabinet minister was first noticed by the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson in the 90s over tea and samosas at her family’s end-of-terrace Birmingham home.

Watson, a seasoned fixer, had become a close friend of her father, Mahmood Ahmed, the chair of Birmingham Labour party. When political problems arose, Watson and fellow Labour party organisers would be guided through to comfy sofas in the family sitting room.

Continue reading...

Shabana Mahmood: lord chancellor with political nous unafraid to shake up system

Posted on by

Her introduction to politics began as the child of the chair of Birmingham Labour party and as justice secretary she’s made tough decisions from day one

Shabana Mahmood’s potential as a future cabinet minister was first noticed by the former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson in the 90s over tea and samosas at her family’s end-of-terrace Birmingham home.

Watson, a seasoned fixer, had become a close friend of her father, Mahmood Ahmed, the chair of Birmingham Labour party. When political problems arose, Watson and fellow Labour party organisers would be guided through to comfy sofas in the family sitting room.

Continue reading...

Palestinian American teen shot dead by Israeli settler, officials say

Posted on by

Omar Mohammad Rabea, 14, killed alongside two other teenagers in West Bank town as settler violence escalates

A Palestinian teenager with US citizenship was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, Palestinian officials said on Sunday, with the Israeli military saying it shot a “terrorist” who was allegedly endangering civilians by hurling rocks.

The incident is the latest in a surge of violence and near-daily confrontations in the volatile West Bank, where settler violence and clashes between Israeli forces and armed Palestinians have kept it on edge.

Continue reading...

Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph

Posted on by

John Lithgow, Imelda Staunton, Romola Garai and Layton Williams are among the winners at the annual stage awards

The play Giant, which portrays children’s author Roald Dahl amid an outcry about his antisemitism, has triumphed at the Olivier awards on a star-studded night at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

US star John Lithgow took home the best actor prize for his performance as Dahl, Elliot Levey won best supporting actor (for playing publisher Tom Maschler) and Mark Rosenblatt received the award for best new play.

Continue reading...

Olivier awards 2025: Giant, Benjamin Button and Fiddler on the Roof triumph

Posted on by

John Lithgow, Imelda Staunton, Romola Garai and Layton Williams are among the winners at the annual stage awards

The play Giant, which portrays children’s author Roald Dahl amid an outcry about his antisemitism, has triumphed at the Olivier awards on a star-studded night at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

US star John Lithgow took home the best actor prize for his performance as Dahl, Elliot Levey won best supporting actor (for playing publisher Tom Maschler) and Mark Rosenblatt received the award for best new play.

Continue reading...

ICC sent Hungary a request to arrest and surrender Netanyahu hours after his arrival – The Times of Israel

Posted on by
  1. ICC sent Hungary a request to arrest and surrender Netanyahu hours after his arrival  The Times of Israel
  2. The Sordid Scandal Behind Netanyahu's Weekend Trip to See Viktor Orbán  Haaretz
  3. Israeli leader Netanyahu applauds Hungary's ICC exit on Budapest visit  Reuters
  4. Shuttle diplomacy in action: Netanyahu’s quick pivot to Washington  JNS.org
  5. Hungary welcomes Netanyahu and says it will leave the International Criminal Court  AP News
Posted in Uncategorized

Lesley Manville calls for better funding for UK regional theatre

Posted on by

Actor, who won an Olivier for Oedipus, says her ‘bugbear’ is that venues outside London do not get enough money

Lesley Manville has called for better funding for theatres around the UK, saying her biggest “bugbear” with the stage industry was “there is not enough money thrown into regional theatre”.

Manville was speaking on Sunday night at the Olivier awards in London, where she was named best actress for her performance as Jocasta in Oedipus at Wyndham’s theatre.

Continue reading...

Lesley Manville calls for better funding for UK regional theatre

Posted on by

Actor, who won an Olivier for Oedipus, says her ‘bugbear’ is that venues outside London do not get enough money

Lesley Manville has called for better funding for theatres around the UK, saying her biggest “bugbear” with the stage industry was “there is not enough money thrown into regional theatre”.

Manville was speaking on Sunday night at the Olivier awards in London, where she was named best actress for her performance as Jocasta in Oedipus at Wyndham’s theatre.

Continue reading...

US attorney general says Trump likely ‘going to be finished’ after second term

Posted on by

Pam Bondi, Trump loyalist and top law enforcement official, expresses skepticism about recent third-term talk

Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, has expressed skepticism about the idea of Donald Trump serving a third term in the White House, saying that when her boss’s current presidency ends on 20 January 2029, he is probably “going to be finished”.

Bondi’s comments come just a week after Trump gave his most blunt indication yet that he was seriously considering trying for a third term to follow up ones that began in 2017 and this past January – despite the clear prohibition against doing so enshrined in the US constitution.

Continue reading...

Chinese woman detained by US border patrol in Arizona dies by suicide

Posted on by

Officials reportedly didn’t publicly acknowledge death until inquiries were made about woman, 52, who overstayed visa

A woman being detained in Arizona by US border patrol for overstaying her visa has died by suicide, according to Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal.

The woman, a 52-year-old Chinese national, had first been picked up in California after it had been determined that she had overstayed her B1/B2 visitor visa, Jayapal said in a statement. She was later sent to the Yuma station in Arizona where she stayed until her death on 29 March.

Continue reading...

Le Pen vows to fight ‘political’ ruling, as France’s main parties stage rival rallies

Posted on by

Far-right leader tells supporters she is victim of ‘witch-hunt’, while radical left says RN’s mask has slipped

• What is Marine Le Pen guilty of in National Rally embezzlement case?

The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has told supporters in Paris she would fight “a political, not a judicial ruling” that could bar her from the next presidential election, as a rival rally denounced an “existential threat” to the rule of law after her conviction for embezzling public funds.

“This decision has trampled on everything I hold most dear: my people, my country and my honour,” the figurehead of National Rally (RN) told a crowd of flag-waving supporters as the country’s three main political movements staged events in the Paris.

Continue reading...

Hamas leaders asked Iran for $500 million in 2021 to destroy Israel within 2 years – The Times of Israel

Posted on by
  1. Hamas leaders asked Iran for $500 million in 2021 to destroy Israel within 2 years  The Times of Israel
  2. Katz unveils intercepted document connecting Iran to Hamas Oct. 7 invasion  The Jerusalem Post
  3. Israel's Defense Minister Reveals Iranian Funding Hamas' Plan To Destroy Israel  i24NEWS
  4. Israel reveals correspondence proving connection between Iran, Hamas’ october 7 attack  ThePrint
  5. 'Iran is the head of the snake' - Israel reveals pre-Oct 7 correspondence between Iran and Hamas about $500 million for 'destroying the State of Israel'  All Israel News
Posted in Uncategorized

DoJ lawyer put on leave after not backing erroneous deportation of Maryland man

Posted on by

Erez Reuveni no longer on Kilmar Abrego Garcia case after not ‘vigorously’ defending Trump administration

A federal justice department attorney has been placed on leave by the Trump administration for purportedly failing to defend the administration vigorously enough after it says it erroneously deported a Maryland man to El Salvador, which a US judge called a “wholly lawless” detention.

The action against justice department lawyer Erez Reuveni came after US district judge Paula Xinis had ordered that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant who lived in the US legally with a work permit, be returned to Maryland despite the Trump administration’s position that it cannot return him from a sovereign nation.

Continue reading...

Pilots Keep On Making Special Announcements They Are Flying Over The Gulf Of America But Passengers Wonder Whether It’s One Big Political Stunt – PYOK

Posted on by
  1. Pilots Keep On Making Special Announcements They Are Flying Over The Gulf Of America But Passengers Wonder Whether It's One Big Political Stunt  PYOK
  2. Opinion | Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ might only accelerate a trend  The Washington Post
  3. Southwest Pilot Calls Gulf of Mexico as ‘Gulf of America’ in Support of Trump  Aviation A2Z
  4. How the right-wing's political name game turned what a place is called into an ideological fight  Milwaukee Independent
Posted in Uncategorized

Days of severe storms leave 18 dead as rising rivers threaten US south and midwest

Posted on by

Power and gas shut off in regions as flooding worsens, threatening waterlogged and badly damaged communities

After days of intense rain and wind killed at least 18 people in the US south and midwest, rivers rose and flooding worsened on Sunday in those regions, threatening waterlogged and badly damaged communities.

Utility companies scrambled to shut off power and gas from Texas to Ohio while cities closed roads and deployed sandbags to protect homes and businesses.

Continue reading...