Head of Runnymede Trust warns toxic rhetoric could lead to rise of vigilante groups that ‘just breed more violence’ The vitriol faced by Scouts and charity rowers mistaken for migrants was not an “innocent mistake”, a race equality campaigner has said, as she warned that toxic rhetoric could lead to more violence and vigilantism. A wave of anti-migrant protests outside asylum hotels in recent weeks has been followed by growing reports of vigilantism, with people facing abuse after being mistaken for migrants. Continue reading...

As Jena Friedman, Michelle Wolf and Sam Jay perform at the fringe, they discuss the threats to freedom of speech in the era of Donald Trump

No one believes that the deployment of troops to America’s most liberal, most racially diverse, and most culturally thriving cities is about solving a real problem

Match Group agrees to pay the FTC $14 million after it was sued for deceiving users into buying subscriptions.

Impose ceasefire on Russia, says France’s Macron, as leaders condemn deadly Palm Sunday strike on Sumy. What we know on day 1,146 Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, has urged Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to “understand what Putin did”. In a CBS interview broadcast on Sunday, Zelenskyy said: “Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead.” Russia’s missile strike on Sunday on the Ukrainian city of Sumy showed the urgent need to impose a ceasefire on Russia, declared the French president, Emmanuel Macron. “Everyone knows it is Russia alone that wants this war. Today it is clear that Russia alone wants to continue with it, showing its scorn for human life, international law and diplomatic efforts made by President [Donald] Trump,” said Macron. “Strong measures are needed to impose a ceasefire on Russia. France is working tirelessly toward this goal, alongside its partners.” At least 34 people were killed, writes Luke Harding, and 83 others wounded by the Russian ballistic missile strikes in Sumy on Sunday morning. Two missiles landed in the crowded city centre as people went to church for Palm Sunday. One hit a trolley bus full of passengers. Two of the dead were children. Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, called it “a perfidious act … and it is a serious war crime, deliberate and intended”. Merz, speaking to broadcaster ARD, said: “That is the response, that is what [Vladimir] Putin does to those who talk with him of a ceasefire. Our willingness to discuss with him is interpreted not as a serious offer to make peace, but as weakness.” Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said she condemned this “new horrible and cowardly Russian attack … which goes against all real engagement in favour of peace”. The EU chief, Antonio Costa, said: “Russia continues its campaign of violence, showing once again that this war exists and endures only because Russia chooses so.” The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he was ‘appalled at Russia’s horrific attacks on civilians in Sumy” and the Russian president “must now agree to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions”. Donald Trump late on Sunday said the Russian strike on Sumy was “a horrible thing”. “I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing,” he told reporters on board Air Force One while headed back to Washington. Asked to clarify what he meant by a “mistake”, Trump said that “they made a mistake … you’re gonna ask them” – without specifying who or what he meant, Agence France-Presse reported. There was condemnation from elsewhere in the Trump administration on Sunday. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, said: “The United States extends our deepest condolences to the victims of today’s horrifying Russian missile attack on Sumy. This is a tragic reminder of why President Trump and his administration are putting so much time and effort into trying to end this war and achieve a just and durable peace. The US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg – who has played little visible part in trying to bring about a ceasefire – said: “Today’s Palm Sunday attack by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency.” Dan Sabbagh analyses whether the civilian toll in Sumy could force the Trump administration to toughen its line in peace talks with Russia that have hardly developed in two months. Washington’s approach, under Trump, has been to try to negotiate an end to the war by talking directly with Moscow, while remaining mostly silent on Russian attacks on civilians. Zelenskyy called on allies to put “strong pressure” on Russia or it would continue to drag out the war. “It’s been two months since Putin ignored America’s proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said. “Unfortunately, they in Moscow are confident that they can afford to keep killing. We need to act to change the situation.” Military representatives of Turkey and foreign nations will meet in Turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss Black Sea security in the event of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, the Turkish defence ministry said on Sunday. It did not specify the countries attending. Continue reading...

Charities condemn ‘national scandal’ and call for pledge to build 90,000 social homes a year to meet demand The wait for family-size social housing has risen to more than 100 years in parts of England, which charities have condemned as “ludicrous” and a “national scandal”. Analysis from the National Housing Federation (NHF), Crisis and Shelter found that in 32 local authority areas across England, the wait for a home with at least three bedrooms was longer than 18 years – the duration of an entire childhood. Continue reading...

A swift loss of £4tn from global stock markets has led some to liken Trump’s trade war to 1929 Wall Street crash

Steve Witkoff says the UK plans for an international force to support a ceasefire are a "posture".

The US president’s cuts to health funding could lead to half a million deaths. They’re part of a strategy to condemn and isolate the country

Sheriff has said the couple may have died up to two weeks before they were discovered in February Authorities are set to reveal more information about an investigation into the deaths of the actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, whose partially…

Democratic primary battle promising to be biggest test for progressive movement since Trump’s presidential victory Several major Republican donors are throwing their financial support behind the primary opponent of Ed Gainey, who became Pittsburgh’s…

Billy McFarland is back, with Fyre Festival 2. Scheduled to take place in Isla Mujeres, Mexico from May 30 to June 2, tickets went on sale Monday, ranging from $1,400 to a truly brazen $1.1 million — even though no artists have been confirmed, and…

The CIA is conducting a formal review to assess the potential damage caused by an unclassified email sent to the White House in early February identifying some officers by first name and last initial,...

US stock markets fell sharply Friday after an economic report showed American consumers are growing increasingly fearful of price increases and how President Donald Trump’s tariffs could reignite the ...

An Israeli soldier broke the news to Eli Sharabi on Saturday, after almost 500 days in captivity The freed Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi did not know his wife and two teenage daughters were killed in the 7 October attack until after his release, his…

The new US president will almost certainly bring unpredictability but several themes will dominate the year ahead. Observer writers offer their guide on what lies ahead in politics, film, fashion, sport and more The only thing that can be predicted with…