Bono lambasts ICE, Putin, Netanyahu and more as U2 release first collection of new songs since 2017

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New EP Days of Ash features songs about Renee Good, Iranian protesters and other political topics, and precedes new ‘defiantly joyful’ album later in 2026

• Alexis Petridis on Days of Ash: six new tracks that reaffirm the band as a vital political voice

U2 have released their first collection of new music since 2017 – a politically charged EP entitled Days of Ash, which focuses on a series of high-profile global deaths including the killing of Renee Good by ICE agents.

Good, a mother of three children who was killed on 7 January while protesting against ICE activity in Minneapolis, is the subject of the opening song, American Obituary.

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Australia bans a citizen with alleged IS links from returning from Syria – NPR

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  1. Australia bans a citizen with alleged IS links from returning from Syria  NPR
  2. Australia bans citizen trying to return from IS camp in Syria  BBC
  3. Australia won't repatriate 34 women and children from Syria  NPR
  4. Australia to ban citizen from returning to country under rarely-used terror laws  Reuters
  5. Federal politics live: PM says he 'has nothing but contempt' for women in Syria with links to ISIS  Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Starmer says Reform’s pledge to restore two-child benefit cap in full is ‘shameful’ – UK politics live

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Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick has announced party’s plans to cut welfare spending

Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s Treasury spokesperson, is giving his speech now.

He has announced, or confirmed, three measures to cut welfare spending.

The number claiming disability benefits for an attention disorder has more than doubled since Covid. We all know a significant number of these claims are spurious …

We will stop those with mild anxiety, depression, and similar conditions from claiming disability benefits and instead encourage them into the dignity of work.

We will end the abuse of the Motability scheme, where expensive cars are handed out for conditions like tennis elbow, and paid for by working people who can’t afford them themselves.

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How a four-year onslaught has changed Ukraine – The Economist

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  1. How a four-year onslaught has changed Ukraine  The Economist
  2. Ukraine’s War of Endurance  Foreign Affairs
  3. Ukraine war latest: Putin planning to force Russians to fight, say analysts - and he's in 'place of weakness'  Sky News
  4. David Seymour: Volunteers from New Zealand are fighting in Ukraine for the idea that smaller countries can’t  Українська правда
  5. Ukraine’s no man’s land is the future of war  Financial Times
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Billionaire Les Wexner to testify before Congress about ties to Epstein

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Wexner, who has denied misconduct related to Epstein, is one of several subpoenaed by House oversight panel

The former boss of the Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand, Les Wexner, has provided a statement to Congress saying “I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide,” as he testifies on Wednesday before a congressional committee in relation to his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Wexner is one of several Epstein associates subpoenaed to testify before the House oversight committee in their continued investigation of the late financier’s crimes.

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Tom Noonan, actor known for Heat and Manhunter, dies aged 74

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Actor, whose credits also included RoboCop 2, Anomalisa and Heaven’s Gate, was also an accomplished playwright

Tom Noonan, the actor known for his Michael Mann collaborations, has died at the age of 74.

His death was confirmed by Fred Dekker, the director of 80s comedy horror The Monster Squad which saw Noonan play Frankenstein’s Monster.

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US union membership soared to 16-year high in 2025 despite Trump assault

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Union coverage slightly increased last year even as White House tried to eliminate contracts for thousands of workers

The number of workers covered under union contracts increased to a 16-year high in 2025, despite ongoing attempts by the Trump administration to wipe out collective bargaining agreements for tens of thousands of federal workers, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About 16.5 million workers were covered by a union contract in 2025, up from 16 million in 2024 and the highest level since 2009. The increase stems from workers joining unions as members – 14.7 million US workers were union members in 2025, up from 14.2 million workers in 2024.

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Hundred-year reveal: Catalonian chalet confirmed as Gaudí work in centenary year

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Xalet del Catllaràs contains elements of architect’s naturalistic style, expressed in works such as Park Güell and Sagrada Família

An elegant modernist building in the mountains north of Barcelona, originally constructed to house engineers establishing a nearby mine, has been confirmed as a work of Antoni Gaudí, Catalonia’s most celebrated and distinctive architect.

The Xalet del Catllaràs, about 80 miles from Barcelona in the county of Berguedà, was built in 1905 and commissioned by Eusebi Güell, Gaudí’s lifelong patron. Güell was the owner of a cement company with mines in the region and he needed somewhere to house the engineers, many of them British, who would help extract the coal for his factories.

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Belgian investigation into three Jewish men sparks diplomatic row with US

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US ambassador accused of interference after labelling inquiry into suspected illegal circumcisions ‘antisemitic’

A diplomatic row is escalating between Belgium and the US, with Donald Trump’s ambassador refusing to apologise for accusing his host country of antisemitism and reportedly threatening to bar a socialist politician from travelling to the US.

Bill White, a staunch ally of the president like many US ambassadors, on Monday demanded Belgium drop a “ridiculous” and “antisemitic” investigation into three Jewish men suspected of performing circumcisions without medical qualifications.

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‘Insidious shift’: Gobsmacked experts stunned as Trump admin trades Gulf access for cash – AlterNet

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  1. 'Insidious shift': Gobsmacked experts stunned as Trump admin trades Gulf access for cash  AlterNet
  2. Trump is privatizing US imperialism: His Board of Peace is the next step  The Hill
  3. 'A very MAGA agenda': Is Trump’s Board of Peace meant to replace the United Nations?  France 24
  4. What America forgets about the UN  Financial Times
  5. Everything you need to know about Donald Trump’s Board of Peace  BBC
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Britons living in Europe face repayment hikes amid Reeves student loans row

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Exclusive: UK graduates in Germany, Belgium and possibly other countries informed of rises as salary threshold is cut

Britons living in some European countries face a huge rise in their student loan repayments later this year, the Guardian can reveal, in a move that threatens to trigger a fresh backlash for Rachel Reeves.

UK graduates working in Germany and Belgium – and possibly other countries – have been told that their monthly repayments will increase from April, the Guardian can reveal.

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Shocking Footage Shows Moment ‘Flying Truck’ Crashes Into House – The Daily Beast

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  1. Shocking Footage Shows Moment ‘Flying Truck’ Crashes Into House  The Daily Beast
  2. Watch: Skier tells BBC of 'panic' as avalanche hit Italian slopes  BBC
  3. People Keep Dying in Italy This Winter. What the Heck Is Going on?  Outside Magazine
  4. Wild video shows avalanche spill down mountainside, engulfing skiers fleeing for their lives  New York Post
  5. Wall of Snow Swallows Group of Skiers During Powerful Avalanche  Yahoo
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