Biometric checks stalled again for cross-Channel travellers

Fears of Easter chaos over scaling up of new EU border system are eased, with no facial IDs for Eurotunnel and Eurostar passengers

Passengers crossing the Channel from the UK to France will not face new biometric checks in the coming weeks, despite an imminent deadline for the complete implementation of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), ports say.

Airlines and airports across Europe have feared chaos over the Easter holidays.

Continue reading...

‘Wild west’ reformer pilates boom is causing rise in injuries, experts warn

Lack of regulation for specialist classes leaves UK fitness enthusiasts at risk, say professional bodies

The boom in reformer pilates has created a “wild west” of studios where poor regulation has resulted in inexperienced teachers and a rise in injuries, professional standards bodies have warned.

Pilates is not formally or legally regulated, and as its popularity has surged, industry experts say, so too has the growth of packed reformer-based classes often led by instructors with limited training.

Continue reading...

Italian council buys Mussolini’s villa to keep it away from ‘fascist nostalgics’

Riccione’s leftwing mayor, Daniela Angelini, says public purchase is victory for town and ‘act of love and vision’

An Italian council has bought a villa where Benito Mussolini spent his summer holidays, partly to avoid the property falling into the hands of “fascist nostalgics”.

Daniela Angelini, the leftwing mayor of Riccione, a town close to Rimini along Italy’s Adriatic coast, said the acquisition of Villa Mussolini through an auction was “an act of love and vision” and that bringing it back into public hands was a victory for the entire town.

Continue reading...

15 dead across Ukraine in ‘massive’ Russian aerial attack – Euronews.com

  1. 15 dead across Ukraine in 'massive' Russian aerial attack  Euronews.com
  2. Russia chose 'Easter escalation' over ceasefire, says Zelensky  BBC
  3. How Russia is taking advantage of the Iran war to pummel Ukraine  The Times
  4. Ukraine: 'Massive' Russian airstrikes kill at least 14  dw.com
  5. Zelenskiy accuses Russia of 'Easter escalation' as massive daytime attack kills two  Reuters
Posted in Uncategorized

‘Racist ideology lodges itself amid austerity politics’: newly elected French mayor on tackling far right – theguardian.com

  1. ‘Racist ideology lodges itself amid austerity politics’: newly elected French mayor on tackling far right  theguardian.com
  2. Prosecutors open hate speech probe against French rolling news channel CNews  Reuters
  3. French anti-racist activists rally, hoping to uplift fragmented movement  Le Monde.fr
  4. Thousands rally against racism in Paris suburb to defend newly elected Black mayor  France 24
  5. France’s CNews Under Investigation for Hate Speech After Comments Targeting Black Mayor  Variety
Posted in Uncategorized

Afghanistan earthquake kills eight members of same family – Al Jazeera

  1. Afghanistan earthquake kills eight members of same family  Al Jazeera
  2. 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing 8 on outskirts of Kabul  PBS
  3. Deadly Earthquake and Floods Worsen Afghanistan’s Troubles  The New York Times
  4. Death toll from Afghan quake rises, including 8 members of refugee family returned from Iran  AP News
  5. Eight dead after earthquake of magnitude 5.9 strikes Afghanistan  Reuters
Posted in Uncategorized

Confidential report found former home affairs boss Michael Pezzullo was ‘reckless’ in engagement with Liberal powerbroker

Previously unreleased report obtained via freedom of information battle says Pezzullo exceeded ‘boundaries of normal public service practice’

The former head of the Department of Home Affairs’ engagement with a Liberal powerbroker was “reckless”, “ill-advised” and beyond the boundaries of normal public service practice, a previously unreleased confidential report found.

The independent probe led to the sacking of Michael Pezzullo as secretary of the Department of Home Affairs in November 2023 after it concluded he had breached the government’s code of conduct at least 14 times. This included using his power for personal benefit.

Continue reading...

Two more arrested on suspicion of murder after pedestrian dies in Barnsley collision

Total of four, including 17-year-old boy, in police custody after fatal incident in Cudworth area on Friday evening

Two further suspects, including a 17-year-old boy, have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a fatal collision in Barnsley on Friday afternoon.

This comes after two people, a 60-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, were arrested earlier in the day on suspicion of murder after a man died after a collision in the Cudworth area of Barnsley. These two suspects remain in custody.

Continue reading...

Victoria police arrest two people as part of Dezi Freeman investigation

Man and woman released pending further enquiries after arrests at separate properties in state’s north-east on Saturday morning

Two people have been arrested as part of the investigation into how Porepunkah fugitive Dezi Freeman was able to survive on the run for seven months before he was shot dead on Monday.

A man and a woman were arrested at separate properties in north-east Victoria on Saturday morning around 7am, before being later released.

Continue reading...

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 3, 2026 – Institute for the Study of War

  1. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 3, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  2. Ukraine slows enemy advances, liberates land, drains Russia’s war chest  Al Jazeera
  3. Zelenskiy says frontline situation best for Ukraine in the last 10 months  Reuters
  4. Ukraine’s military success is exposing the myth of inevitable Russian victory  atlanticcouncil.org
  5. How Ukraine Turned the War Back on Russian Soil: A Timeline  UNITED24 Media
Posted in Uncategorized

Middle East war live: Trump says Iran has 48 hours to make a deal or US will unleash ‘Hell’ – France 24

  1. Middle East war live: Trump says Iran has 48 hours to make a deal or US will unleash 'Hell'  France 24
  2. Trump Ignores Frantic Search for Missing American in Crazy Posting Spree  The Daily Beast
  3. Trump gives Iran 48 hours to make deal; search goes on for missing U.S. pilot  Honolulu Star-Advertiser
  4. Critics scold Trump for staying mum on search for missing U.S. airman in Iran  MS NOW
  5. US and Iran race to find missing downed pilot as Lebanon faces intense Israeli strikes  Euronews.com
Posted in Uncategorized

Iran executes two linked to opposition group, media say – Reuters

  1. Iran executes two linked to opposition group, media say  Reuters
  2. Iran executes two convicted members of banned opposition group  Al Jazeera
  3. Searching for Iran’s Disappeared Prisoners  The New Yorker
  4. Iran: Seven protesters and dissidents at risk of imminent execution after four men arbitrarily executed in secret within 24 hours  Amnesty International
  5. Iran hangs 18-year-old over protests in latest wartime execution: activists  France 24
Posted in Uncategorized

‘Over the top and fun:’ TGI Fridays boss insists time is right for a UK revival

Ray Blanchette admits he may be a ‘little crazy’ as he outlines chain’s hopes of building 1,000 outlets globally

“I am a little crazy maybe,” admits Ray Blanchette, a former TGI Fridays kitchen manager who has taken on the revival of the bar-restaurant chain’s UK business in the face of blasting industry headwinds.

Blanchette’s family investment firm, Sugarloaf, rescued the Dallas-based parent business from administration in 2025. He then went on to pick up its UK arm in January after the local franchisee got into difficulties, retaining 33 UK restaurants but closing 16, with the loss of 456 jobs.

Continue reading...

With Mideast in conflict, Pope Leo criticizes those who invoke God for war – The Washington Post

  1. With Mideast in conflict, Pope Leo criticizes those who invoke God for war  The Washington Post
  2. Leo, the first US pope, emerges as pointed Trump critic  Reuters
  3. The pope schools the ‘secretary of war’  The Seattle Times
  4. Glenn Beck: God will not ignore Trump’s prayers  NewsNation
  5. Pope Leo XIV urges an Easter end to the US-Israel war on Iran, calling for dialogue  AP News
Posted in Uncategorized

April 3, 2026 – Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson

  1. April 3, 2026  Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson
  2. NATO Is Marking Its Seventy-Seventh Anniversary. Will It Be Its Last?  Council on Foreign Relations
  3. NATO’s structural crisis in a multipolar world and uncertain strategic future  weeklyblitz.net
  4. April 4th - NATO's birthday: how the Alliance was created and why it is currently experiencing one of its most difficult crises  Українські Національні Новини (УНН)
  5. 77th anniversary of NATO's founding, Haradinaj: KSF ready to become part of the Alliance alongside the USA  Gazeta Express
Posted in Uncategorized