6 h. ago Why trans art matters more than ever: ‘It reflects how people live and love’

After the controversy over Amy Sherald’s portrait of a trans Statue of Liberty, trans artists speak about why their work speaks to an important momentPart of the magic of portraiture is how it renders so much of the human experience accessible to us, things we might never see otherwise. This has been very much on Black artist Amy Sherald’s mind. When I spoke to her in advance of the debut of her exhibition American Sublime, she told me that Black representation was foundational to her practice: “I developed this idea that, when I look at art history, for the most part I don’t see portraits of people that look like me. So it started there.”That exhibition’s curator, Sarah Roberts, also spoke about Sherald’s passion for representing the LGBTQ+ community: “Amy has thought a lot about her role as an artist and the need for representation, and she has long been a champion of LGBTQ+ rights. This work is thinking about who gets depicted as being American.” Continue reading...

Politics

19 h. ago France has a massive debt crisis. So why is it spending billions a year subsidising business? | Alexander Hurst

The government is on the brink of collapse over planned austerity. Instead it must face up to the costs of its unnecessarily rigid labour marketAs someone who has always been against austerity, I find France, with a national debt at 114% of GDP and a budget deficit of 5.8% of GDP, a conundrum. Despite years of denunciation from his left and far-right opponents that Macron has engaged in “ultraneoliberalism”, there hasn’t been any. Not on a macro level, anyway, where both French government spending (57.3% of GDP) and tax receipts (51.4% of GDP) are among the highest in the world, including social spending, which outpaces any of its European neighbours.At the same time, it’s impossible to have spent the past decade in France without encountering the widely shared perception and accusation that public services are in decline. Doctors and nurses denounce a labour shortage in public hospitals; people who live in rural areas denounce the closing of rural train lines; students and academic...

Economics

3 d. ago Snowy peaks, orcas and an antique shop – the abandoned Norwegian fishing village that’s enjoying a revival

A handful of returning locals and adventurous tourists are breathing new life into Nyksund, a remote coastal outpost in Norway’s wild northwestWe land on a white sand beach under jagged black mountains. A sea eagle, surprised to see humans, flaps away over the only house with a roof on it – the rest are in ruins. “Hundreds of people used to live here,” says Vidar. “In the days when you had to sail or row, it was important to be near the fishing grounds. Now there’s just one summer cabin.”Jumping out of the boat, we walk along the beach. My daughter, Maddy, points out some animal tracks. “The fresh marks are wild reindeer,” says Vidar. “The older ones could be moose – they come along here too.” Continue reading...

Culture

3 d. ago Court blocks Trump bid to end protections for 600,000 Venezuelans

Appellate panel upholds lower court’s ruling as homeland security spokesperson attacks ‘activist’ judgesA federal appeals court on Friday blocked Donald Trump’s plans to end protections for 600,000 people from Venezuela who have permission to live and work in the US, saying that plaintiffs are likely to win their claim that the president’s administration’s actions were unlawful.A three-judge panel of the ninth US circuit court of appeals unanimously upheld a lower court ruling that maintained temporary protected status for Venezuelans while TPS holders challenge actions by the Republican president’s administration in court. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Appeals court blocks Trump administration from ending legal protections for 600,000 Venezuelans

A federal appeals court has blocked the Trump administration’s plans to end protections for 600,000 people from Venezuela who have had permission to live and work in the United States

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Massive’ Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv kills at least 14 people

Zelenskyy says Moscow ‘chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table’ after assault affecting more than 20 locations• Europe live – latest updatesRussian airstrikes have killed at least 14 people in a succession of attacks on Kyiv and wounded dozens in the most deadly night raid on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.Twelve people were reported killed when a five-storey residential building in the eastern Darnytskyi district was struck in the middle of the night, Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Home Office planning to halve time asylum seekers given to find accommodation

Charities sound alarm over plan to give asylum seekers just 28 days to find new housing once they have a decision on their caseUK politics live – latest updatesRefugee charities warn that thousands of people in the UK could find themselves homeless on the streets this winter after the Home Office quietly reversed its asylum accommodation policy.The Guardian has learned that ministers are planning to halve the period asylum seekers are given to find new accommodation after getting a decision on their case, from 56 to 28 days. Refugee organisations say this is not enough time to find work and a home to rent and will lead to many people pitching tents in the streets. Continue reading...

Society

6 d. ago Charities raise alarm after Home Office reverses part of asylum accommodation policy

The Guardian has learned ministers are planning to halve the time asylum seekers are given to find new accommodation after getting a decision on their caseUK politics live – latest updatesRefugee charities warn that thousands of people in the UK could find themselves homeless on the streets this winter after the Home Office quietly reversed its asylum accommodation policy.The Guardian has learned that ministers are planning to halve the period asylum seekers are given to find new accommodation after getting a decision on their case, from 56 to 28 days. Refugee organisations say this is not enough time to find work and a home to rent and will lead to many people pitching tents in the streets. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago ‘There needs to be justice,’ UN tells Israel after Gaza hospital bombing

Human rights office demands that Israeli investigation into ‘double tap’ attack that killed 20 people yields resultsMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe UN has demanded that Israel’s investigations into unlawful killings in Gaza, including its “double tap” bombing of Nasser hospital which killed 20 people, among them five journalists, yield results and ensure accountability.“There needs to be justice,” Thameen Al-Kheetan, the spokesperson for the UN’s human rights office, told reporters on Tuesday in Geneva. He added that the number of journalists killed in Gaza raised many questions about the targeting of media workers. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago New £7 million Loretto development to transform Cardonald community

Work has started on a new £7 million housing development in Glasgow to help people aged 55 and over live more independently in their community.

Economics

8 d. ago 'I went on luxury steam train from London to Bath and people couldn't believe price'

The British Pullman Belmond Train journey, which departs from London Victoria, allows guests to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a day and be transported back to the 1920s through its art deco carriages

Politics

1 week ago Beautiful UK town 'ruined' by tourists is now 'like Blackpool'

The Lake District has always been a popular tourist destination, but the impact of holidaymakers in the past few years has become so extreme, say people who live there, that it is irreparably changing the place and pushing locals out

Politics

1 week ago M25 traffic LIVE: Gatwick rush hour chaos on major UK motorway over 'people in road'

Commuters are facing long delays on the M25 this morning in a police-led incident due to "people in the road" which is affecting motorists heading along the motorway in Surrey, near Junction 6

Events

1 week ago Treatment that can double bladder cancer survival rates available to 1,000 patients in England

People with disease that has spread have been found to live twice as long when given treatment hailed as ‘hopeful’More than 1,000 patients living with bladder cancer in England will be eligible for a treatment which can double survival rates from the disease.In England, 18,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year, and only about 10% of people with stage 4 bladder cancer will survive five years or more after they are diagnosed. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Man moves to Edinburgh from London and receives 'abuse' from Scottish people

Man moves to Edinburgh from London and receives 'abuse' from Scottish people  Edinburgh Live

Events

2 w. ago Man goes from London to Edinburgh on Caledonian Sleeper train and price floors people

Man goes from London to Edinburgh on Caledonian Sleeper train and price floors people  Edinburgh Live

Politics

2 w. ago Man takes London to Penzance sleeper train and price leaves people floored

Man takes London to Penzance sleeper train and price leaves people floored  Cornwall Live

Politics

2 w. ago ADHD medication reduces risk of suicide and criminal behaviour, study finds

About 2.6 million people in the UK live with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) , but in the just over half are prescribed medication for it

Events

2 w. ago Memphis man who killed 3 in live streamed shooting rampage pleads guilty

A Tennessee man has avoided a trial and a possible death sentence by pleading guilty to fatally shooting three people and wounding three others in a daylong series of shootings live streamed on social media

Events

3 w. ago Thousands evacuated in Spain amid deadly wildfires and new heatwave

Temperatures of 44C predicted as blazes rage across EuropeEurope live – latest updatesAlmost 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in northern, central and southern Spain as wildfires continue to burn amid a heatwave that could bring temperatures of 44C to some parts of the country.The deadly heat across large parts of Europe has created what scientists have called a “molotov cocktail” of climatic conditions that is fuelling vast wildfires. Continue reading...

Events