Exclusive: British scientists ‘over the moon’ with re-entry to funding scheme after losing out for three years
British scientists are “over the moon” to be back in the EU’s flagship science research programme Horizon after a three-year Brexit lockout, with new data revealing they have been awarded about £500m in grants since re-entry.
As the EU secretly draws up strategies for the next seven-year funding cycle in 2027, the UK is hoping its success in the first 12 months since returning to Horizon will leave it in pole position with Germany and France to dominate European science, despite Brexit.
Continue reading...President calls films ‘national security threat’ and claims he called on commerce department to immediately enact tariff
Donald Trump on Sunday announced on his Truth Social platform a 100% tariff on all movies “produced in Foreign Lands”, saying the US film industry was dying a “very fast death” due to the incentives that other countries were offering to draw American film-makers.
In his post, he claimed to have authorised the commerce department and the US trade representative to immediately begin instituting such a tariff.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Surprise challenger Zack Polanski says party can learn from success of Nigel Farage and Reform UK
A leading Green has launched a surprise campaign to oust Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay as party leaders, saying the party needs to be less timid and transform itself into a radical, mass-membership “eco-populism” movement.
Zack Polanski, who has been deputy leader since 2022 and serves as a London assembly member, will challenge Denyer and Ramsay this summer despite them taking the party to its best-ever general election result last year, winning four seats.
Continue reading...Two people have been arrested in connection to an alleged planned attack on Brazil’s LGBTQ community at the singer’s Sunday concert, police say
Two people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro, in what authorities believe was an attempt to target Brazil’s LGBTQ community.
The Rio event on Saturday was the biggest show of the pop star’s career. It attracted an estimated 2.1 million fans to Copacabana beach and had crowds screaming and dancing along.
Continue reading...George Simion will face centrist Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan in runoff vote
An ultranationalist who opposes military aid to Ukraine, has vilified the EU’s leaders, and calls himself Donald Trump’s “natural ally” has won the first round of Romania’s rerun presidential vote and will face a centrist in the runoff, as vote counting nears its end.
With 99% of votes counted late on Sunday, George Simion, whose far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) began as an anti-vax movement during the pandemic, was comfortably in the lead on a projected 40.5% of the vote.
Continue reading...New Writing North’s literary venture The Bee includes magazine and podcast, and is supported by Michael Sheen
Writing and publishing in the UK is in crisis, with a growing marginalisation of working-class people whose stories and experiences are not being heard, the backers of a new literary magazine and platform have argued.
The Early May bank holiday has been chosen for the launch of The Bee, a UK-wide initiative that will include a website, literary magazine, podcast and outreach programme.
Continue reading...Reported delays come as tax office says it is shutting free-to-use online filing service used by some small businesses
HM Revenue and Customs has come under fire for taking more than four months to process tax refunds owed to some individuals and businesses that accountants say used to take a maximum of a few weeks.
The reported delays coincide with anger over a separate HMRC announcement that it is shutting a free-to-use online filing service used by some small businesses.
Continue reading...Lawyers say evidence file outlines atrocities including torture and rape carried out by the Rapid Support Forces in the country’s brutal civil conflict
Scotland Yard has received a dossier of evidence documenting myriad alleged war crimes committed by a paramilitary group during the conflict in Sudan.
Lawyers have submitted a 142-page file of evidence to the war crimes unit of the Metropolitan police containing details of numerous atrocities perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Continue reading...PM writes of ‘debt that can never be fully repaid’ in letter marking 80 years since end of second world war in Europe
Keir Starmer has praised the “selfless dedication” of those who have served in the military before the anniversary of VE Day as the government unveiled a new £50m support system for veterans.
In an open letter to mark 80 years since the end of the second world war in Europe, the prime minister said the sacrifice made by members of the armed forces was a debt that could “never fully be repaid”.
Continue reading...Seventh season of hit ‘slow TV’ show followed annual trek of moose (or elk) heading to summer pastures
For thousands of years, moose have crossed rivers, navigated thawing forests and quietly followed ancient trails toward their summer pastures in northern Sweden.
A 24-hour live stream gave millions of viewers front-row seats to watch every unhurried step of the journey.
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