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Ukraine war briefing: US envoy to meet Zelenskyy, Europe leaders in Berlin

White House official confirms Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Zelenskyy and European leaders this weekend. What we know on day 1,390 Donald Trump’s special envoy will meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Berlin this weekend , the White House said, as Washington presses for a plan to end the war. Germany said earlier on Saturday that it would host US and Ukrainian delegations over the weekend for talks on a ceasefire, before a summit involving European leaders and Zelenskyy in Berlin on Monday. Zelenskyy also confirmed that he will personally meet with Donald Trump’s Steve Witkoff in the series of meetings: “Most importantly, I will be meeting with envoys of President Trump, and there will also be meetings with our European partners, with many leaders, concerning the foundation of peace – a political agreement to end the war,” Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation late on Saturday. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov reaffirmed Friday th...
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Sunderland hero Gary Rowell dies aged 68 on eve of derby with Newcastle

Former striker scored a hat-trick in 1979 derby Rowell had been diagnosed with leukaemia The former Sunderland striker Gary Rowell has died at the age of 68, the Black Cats have announced. He was being treated for leukaemia. The Seaham-born Rowell, who scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 Division Two win over Newcastle at St James’ Park in February 1979, died on Saturday. His death comes 50 years to the day since he made his Sunderland debut and just a day before the Black Cats host the Magpies in the first Premier League derby between the clubs since March 2016, at which the hosts will mark Rowell’s death. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/50yFXC1 via IFTTT

Don’t blame Maria Balshaw for Tate Modern’s failings. Its lack of ambition goes much deeper | Jonathan Jones

Tate stresses its departing director has ‘diversified’ the collection, but it has hidden its treasures and let its galleries slide into insulting incoherence – and visitors have voted with their absence In the last nine years Tate has had some hits, but its misses have become embarrassing. Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall is currently occupied by a feeble installation that would be weak in an ordinary-sized art space, let alone this gigantic one. It’s become genuinely hard to understand what Tate’s priorities are when it chooses artists for the annual Turbine Hall commission. And the Turner prize is even more mystifying. Once the stage of shocking, provocative art that engaged – whether they were for or against – a massive public, it has retreated into wilful obscurity, its trips around the UK starting to seem part of a studied wholesomeness. What’s the point of staging it in Bradford when the shortlist just exports the enigmatic tastes of a metropolitan elite? Is Maria Balshaw, who is q...

81 women file civil suit against army gynecologist already charged criminally

Blaine McGraw accused of inappropriately touching and secretly filming patients during appointments on base Another 81 women have joined a civil suit against a US army gynecologist who was recently criminally charged in connection with accusations that he secretly filmed dozens of his patients during medical examinations. The civil lawsuit , which initially began in November, alleges that Blaine McGraw, a doctor and army major at Fort Hood in Texas, repeatedly inappropriately touched and secretly filmed dozens of women during appointments at an on-base medical center. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/eAcNos9 via IFTTT

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Gabriel Jesus is looking to impress, Daniel Muñoz is tough to replace and is this it for Mohamed Salah at Liverpool? Premier League top scorers: the Golden Boot race This season Chelsea have held Arsenal after going down to 10 men and have beaten Barcelona, Liverpool and Tottenham. They have also dropped points against Atalanta, Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton, Leeds, Qarabag and Sunderland. It is clear that winning against smaller sides remains a problem for Enzo Maresca. Chelsea rise to the big occasion but inconsistency flares when they are expected to win. They do not like playing against deep defences – Maresca has often reacted with dismay when opponents switch to a back five to counter his carefully formulated plans – and can be forgiven if they are edgy about hosting Everton on Saturday. David Moyes’s side have just recorded clean sheets at Bournemouth and Manchester United. They will back themselves to neutralise Chelsea’s attacking talents. Jacob Steinberg Chelsea v E...

Elon Musk teams with El Salvador to bring Grok chatbot to public schools

President Nayib Bukele entrusting chatbot known for calling itself ‘MechaHitler’ to create ‘AI-powered’ curricula Elon Musk is partnering with the government of El Salvador to bring his artificial intelligence company’s chatbot, Grok, to more than 1 million students across the country, according to a Thursday announcement by xAI. Over the next two years, the plan is to “deploy” the chatbot to more than 5,000 public schools in an “AI-powered education program”. xAI’s Grok is more known for referring to itself as “MechaHitler” and espousing far-right conspiracy theories than it is for public education. Over the past year, the chatbot has spewed various antisemitic content , decried “white genocide” and claimed Donald Trump won the 2020 election . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/aJrMt29 via IFTTT

Britain slipping down global league table for youth employment, says report

PwC warns that future of a generation is at risk and that jobs crisis is costing UK economy up to £26bn a year Britain is slipping down the global league table for youth employment amid a dramatic rise in worklessness that is putting a generation’s future at risk, research has warned. Sounding the alarm over a worsening youth jobs crisis , the report from the accountancy firm PwC said Britain’s economy was missing out on £26bn a year because of sharp regional divisions in youth joblessness. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/V5wikNW via IFTTT

Sean Duffy wants to bring ‘civility’ to air travel … so why is he doing pull-ups at the airport? | Arwa Mahdawi

Transport infrastructure in the US is a hot mess – and the guy in charge thinks ‘wellness spaces’ are gonna solve the problem Sean “Dog” Duffy is a legend in the lumberjack world: a three-time world champion in the 90-ft lumberjack speed climb who is renowned for his prowess in mounting and rolling big bits of wood. Not just a lumberjack, Duffy also made waves on late-90s reality TV shows The Real World: Boston and Road Rules: All Stars. And now Duffy is parlaying his experience on Road Rules into his role as US transportation secretary. Duffy has got a lot on his big lumberjack hands: transport infrastructure in the US is, to use the technical term, a hot mess. More than a third of the country’s bridges need major repair work or replacement. There has been little historical investment in railways and the country lags behind the rest of the industrialized world when it comes to high-speed trains . Meanwhile, there’s a chronic air-traffic-controller shortage , which was exacerbated...

Corridor care ‘endemic’ in UK, doctors say as study reveals scale of problem

One in five patients treated in hallways, offices and cupboards at almost every A&E, according to research Corridor care is “endemic” in the UK, doctors have said, as a major study found one in five patients were treated in hallways, offices and cupboards. Millions of patients are enduring undignified and unsafe care, with almost every A&E department in the country deploying the approach routinely, contravening national guidance, research reveals. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xa6wVPG via IFTTT

‘The Red Road flats were spectacular – and terrifying’: striking photographs of Glasgow in flux

From Franz Ferdinand fusing a basement pub’s lights to high-rise flats just days before their demolition, a new show captures the changing city. Its photographers talk us through their shots In the mid-1960s, with a shot called Beatle Girl, Joseph McKenzie made one of the most enduring images of Glasgow. His photograph showed a youngster in the slums of the Gorbals wearing a dirtied dress. Smiling and holding a cane, she stands next to a young woman who is wearing a dress patterned with the faces of the Fab Four. Images like McKenzie’s, and the street photography of Oscar Marzaroli, came to define Glasgow’s distinctive character – its Victorian tenements, grit and hardiness – charting industrial boom and subsequent bust, cycles of dereliction, regeneration and demolition. But what happened next? Featuring 80 photographs by artists of different generations, Still Glasgow , at the city’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), captures its changes and complexities through the eyes of people who ...

Trump unveils $12bn aid package for US farmers amid tariff fallout

President says money will come from tariff revenues and promises trade policies will make farmers ‘so strong’ Donald Trump announced on Monday $12bn in economic assistance to farmers, which he said would be drawn from tariff revenue. “This relief will provide much-needed certainty to farmers as they get this year’s harvest to market and look ahead to next year’s crops, and it’ll help them continue their efforts to lower food prices for American families,” Trump said during a roundtable discussion of American agriculture. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/08pkI1Q via IFTTT

Let it be: Paul McCartney urges EU to drop ban on veggie ‘burgers’ and ‘sausages’

Former Beatle argues use of terms for meat-free products ‘encourages attitudes essential to our health’ Paul McCartney has joined calls for the EU to reject efforts to ban the use of terms such as “sausage” and “burger” for vegetarian foods. The former Beatle has joined eight British MPs who have written to the European Commission arguing that a ban approved in October by the European parliament would address a nonexistent problem while slowing progress on climate goals. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xjho57u via IFTTT

Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future in doubt as Arne Slot faces Inter decision

Forward may be dropped from Champions League squad Saudi clubs set to renew interest during transfer window Mohamed Salah could be omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League trip to Milan to play Inter on Tuesday after his outspoken attack on the club and Arne Slot. Salah’s future at Anfield is in question after the incendiary interview he gave at Leeds on Saturday, in which he accused the club of throwing him under a bus. The 33-year-old also claimed he no longer has a relationship with Slot, who omitted the forward from his starting lineup for a third game in succession. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZvLRGFQ via IFTTT

Selby holds off Trump fightback in UK final to end four-year wait for major trophy

Mark Selby beats Judd Trump 10-8 in UK Championship Leicester player savours first triple crown title since 2021 Mark Selby withstood a brave fightback from the world No 1 Judd Trump to clinch the third UK Championship title of his career at the Barbican Centre in York. Selby had zoomed into a 5-0 lead in the opening session before Trump twice chiselled his way back to a single-frame deficit and threatened to dash his rival’s dream of a first “triple crown” title since 2021. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DUa2RlV via IFTTT

Ukraine war briefing: With no Miami breakthrough, Zelenskyy turns to European allies

Positive tone after Florida talks with Ukrainian president heading to London Street to see Starmer, Macron and Merz. What we know on day 1,383 Three days of talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Miami, Florida produced no evident breakthrough by the end of Saturday. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he joined his negotiators for a “very substantive and constructive” call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “ Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram, adding that the parties agreed on the next steps and a format for talks. Zelenskyy will next turn to European allies when he visits London on Monday for an in-person meeting with leaders Keir Starmer of Britain, Emmanuel Macron of France and Friedrich Merz of Germany . Macron said the group would “take stock” of peace negotiations. The four leaders took part in a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing” about...

‘It’s not your turn,’ the board's selection committee chair said. Instantly I felt as though I was back in the school yard | Julianne Schultz

While the tension between meritocracy and ‘jobs for mates’ is always there, the best boards are more than the sum of their parts Many years ago, I was encouraged to put my name forward to chair a significant government board. It seemed like a long shot to me, I wasn’t in anyone’s club, but my supporters were insistent. I agreed to let my name go into the mix. It was a surprise then when the chair of the selection committee called a few weeks later and said with an apologetic tone: “Sorry Julianne, it’s just not your turn.” Julianne Schultz is deputy chair of the Sydney writers’ festival board Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/cNuK5aF via IFTTT

Zootopia 2 bucks trend for Hollywood releases in China as it breaks records for foreign animation

Now China’s highest-grossing foreign animation, the films, known as Zootropolis in some countries, comes amid a boom for domestic productions A comedy about animal cops investigating a reptilian mystery has become the highest-grossing foreign animated film ever in China, bucking the trend of declining interest in overseas productions that has resulted in Hollywood films struggling in the Chinese box office. Zootopia 2 (called Zootropolis 2 in some European countries), a hotly anticipated and widely marketed sequel to 2016’s Zootopia, was released in China last week. In its first seven days, it made about 2bn yuan (£213m) in ticket sales, making it one of the best-performing films of the year. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/tvxJYb5 via IFTTT

L’Eau Du Sud bids to create history in Tingle Creek for title leader Skelton

Victory would make the trainer the first to complete four feature chase successes on consecutive Saturdays After his Crisp-like capitulation around the Elbow in the last two National Hunt trainers’ championships, Dan Skelton has set off at an even faster pace in this season’s title race and has already amassed more than £1.7m in prize money, nearly £1m ahead of second-placed Olly Murphy. The tally that is likely to matter most in April 2026, of course, will belong to Willie Mullins, who has shown that quality matters more than quantity by winning the last two titles with big hauls at the spring festivals, despite an overall aggregate winner-count of 300-66 in Skelton’s favour. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pgYX2Ll via IFTTT

Southampton name Tonda Eckert as manager after successful interim spell

Under-21 coach has overseen improvement in form ‘We go all in’ for promotion, Eckert says Southampton have appointed their under-21 coach Tonda Eckert as manager with a contract taking him through to 2027, the Championship club announced on Friday. The 32-year-old German has changed the team’s fortunes since taking over as interim coach last month following Will Still’s dismissal , guiding them to four wins in five matches. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PzgCNEs via IFTTT

Trump replaces architect overseeing $300m gilded ballroom project

President and James McCrery II disagreed over expanding ballroom’s size, but change prompted by firm’s limited staff Donald Trump has replaced the architect originally selected to oversee his $300m planned gilded ballroom. According to the Washington Post, which first reported the news on Thursday and cited three people familiar with the matter, architect James McCrery II and his boutique firm had been leading the project for more than three months, up until late October. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/hXgEuq8 via IFTTT

The 21 best gifts beloved globally that Americans are missing out on

Oaxacan napkins, a Koala beanie from Australia, skincare from Korea – these are the expert picks locals are gifting each other Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things I’m a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to physical gifts . Give me a certificate to a local restaurant or spa any day over yet more clothes or another gadget. But there are some notable exceptions: the Oaxacan napkins and mole my mother-in-law brought from Mexico. The sheepskin rug from New Zealand. The now-ubiquitous Turkish towels that were a novelty in the US a decade ago. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bLvcWMH via IFTTT

Constitution Hill should never be asked to jump a hurdle in public again | Greg Wood

There is no need to attempt to write a glorious final chapter, when an alternative ending does not bear thinking about Trainer Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley are still mulling over the options for Constitution Hill after his third fall in four starts at Newcastle on Saturday, but the simple fact that Henderson floated the question “can we go on asking him to do it?” in the immediate aftermath suggests that, in his heart, he already knows the answer. Whatever else might beckon for the eight-year-old – and a recent 160+ rating over timber suggests that he could compete at a very decent level on the Flat – this is a horse that should not be asked to jump a hurdle in public again. Henderson’s competitive streak is as fierce as ever after nearly half a century in the game, and so too his appetite for a challenge. As such, it would be odd if the urge to attempt a repeat of Sprinter Sacre’s unlikely return to Grade One-winning form at the 2016 festival was not nagging away at th...
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