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More than 400 actors and film industry professionals sign open letter supporting trans rights
Eddie Redmayne, Katie Leung and Nicola Coughlan among those expressing solidarity after supreme court ruling More than 400 actors and film industry professionals have signed an open letter pledging their “solidarity” with the trans, non-binary, and intersex communities who have been affected by the recent supreme court ruling. Eddie Redmayne, Katie Leung, Nicola Coughlan, Charlotte Ritchie and Paapa Essiedu are among those to have signed the letter addressing the film and television industry as well as cultural bodies. Bella Ramsey, James Norton, Joe Alwyn, Himesh Patel, Harris Dickinson and the director Ken Loach are also signatories. In mid-April, supreme court judges unanimously ruled the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. This means a gender recognition certificate (GRC) does not change a person’s legal sex for the purposes of the Equality Act. The ruling has been interpreted to mean that trans women can be excluded from women-only spaces like toilets and changing rooms. The open letter said: “We believe the ruling undermines the lived reality and threatens the safety of trans, non-binary, and intersex people living in the UK.”It added the film and television community had previously come together in response to the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements by “reflecting” upon working practices and “uplifting” a broad spectrum of voices. Continue reading...
US and Ukraine sign minerals deal that solidifies investment in Kyiv’s defense against Russia
Move seals a deal to create a fund the Trump administration says will begin to repay roughly $175bn provided to UkraineThe US and Kyiv have signed an agreement to share revenues from the future sale of Ukrainian minerals and rare earths, sealing a deal that Donald Trump has said will provide an economic incentive for the US to continue to invest in Ukraine’s defense and its reconstruction after he brokers a peace deal with Russia.The minerals deal, which has been the subject of tense negotiations for months and nearly fell through hours before it was signed, will establish a United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund that the Trump administration has said will begin to repay an estimated $175bn in aid provided to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Continue reading...
US and Ukraine sign minerals deal after months of strained negotiations – Europe live
US treasury department announces agreement after reports of last-minute obstacles apparently overcomeUkraine war briefing: US and Kyiv ‘ready to sign’ minerals deal amid uncertainty over last-minute hurdlesIn Spain, harrowing stories have continued to emerge after much of the Iberian Peninsula was plunged into an hours-long blackout earlier this week.Jonathan Bernal, a window washer in Madrid, has detailed how he and a co-worker were cleaning the outside windows of a skyscraper when the power went out. For four hours they ended up stranded on hanging scaffolding, some 240 metres above the city. Continue reading...
Trump blames Biden for US economic shrinking amid his tariff war and attacks Fed chair over interest rates – live
President attempts to shift blame for weak GDP by calling it ‘Biden’s economy’ and claims superior understanding of interest rates over Jerome Powell US economy shrinks in first quarter of Trump 2.0 amid sweeping tariffsDonald Trump promptly claimed this morning that the contraction in the US economy had nothing to do with his tariff wars, repeated his habitual claim that this is all somehow his predecessor Joe Biden’s fault, and predicted the economy would boom when tariffs kicked in. He wrote on his Truth Social platform:This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden “Overhang.” This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!! Continue reading...
Bangladesh Supreme Court Orders Stay On Bail To Hindu Monk Chinmoy Das
The Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court on Wednesday evening stayed the High Court order given earlier in the day granting bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, or Chandan Kumar Dhar, the former ISKCON monk.
Ukrainian Journalist Tortured, Had Organs Removed In Russian Custody: Report
Belousov also noted that Roshchyna's body showed signs of an autopsy having been performed before it was returned to Ukraine, and that some of her organs were missing.
Trump Says He Could Help Man Who Was Mistakenly Deported, But Will Not
US President Donald Trump says he could help return an El Salvadoran man mistakenly deported from Maryland, but would not despite court-ordered action, in contrast to his administration's arguments that only El Salvador can act.
Meta’s quarterly earnings beat Wall Street expectations as its AI investments rise by billions
‘We’ve had a strong start to an important year’, Zuckerberg said as company posts $42.35bn in revenue for first quarterMeta reported earnings on Wednesday, beating Wall Street’s expectations for yet another quarter even as it lavishes billions on artificial intelligence.Meta posted $42.32bn in revenue in the first quarter of 2025, beating both its own quarterly revenue goals of $41.8bn at the higher end and Wall Street expectations of $41.38bn. Continue reading...
Microsoft beats Wall Street expectations for fourth quarter in a row amid AI boom
Tech giant has committed to investing $80bn in artificial intelligence this fiscal year as it reveals revenue of $70.07bnMicrosoft released its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday after the New York stock market closed, beating Wall Street’s expectations for the fourth quarter in a row amid a financial boom for artificial intelligence businesses.The company revealed revenue of $70.07bn and earnings of $3.46 per share. The result exceeded analyst predictions that revenue would grow to $68.42bn, or 10.6% year-over-year, and that earnings-per-share would come in at $3.22. Continue reading...
UK Woman's 20-Year Battle With Painful Periods Traced To Cyst With Hair, Teeth
Ms Milanova, now 30, got her first period at just nine but, without any education about menstruation, feared she was gravely ill.
Ukraine Expected To Sign Landmark Mineral Deal With US Today: Report
Ukraine is prepared to sign a landmark mineral resources agreement with the United States in Washington on Wednesday, according to two senior Ukrainian officials.
Trump administration to cancel $1bn in Biden-era school mental health grants
Funding will not be continued next year after bill signed in 2022 helped schools hire more mental health workersThe Trump administration is moving to cancel $1bn in school mental health grants, saying they reflect the priorities of the previous administration.Grant recipients were notified on Tuesday that the funding will not be continued after this year. A gun violence bill signed by Joe Biden in 2022 sent $1bn to the grant programs to help schools hire more psychologists, counselors and other mental health workers. Continue reading...
