The former president claims immunity in his federal election subversion case a is the court indulging his bid for a delay?

The US supreme court will on Thursday hear oral arguments in Donald Trump v United States, the former presidentas appeal in his federal election subversion case, in which he claims presidents are immune from prosecution for acts committed in office.

In briefs to the court, lawyers for Trump said aa denial of criminal immunity would incapacitate every future presidenta.

At least 34 arrested at University of Texas in Austin and 50 more detained at University of Southern California while House speaker jeered at Columbia University

Dozens of protesters were arrested on Wednesday while participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations across US college campuses.

At least 34 protesters, including a member of the media from a local news station, were arrested during protests at University of Texas in Austin and at least 50 more were detained by police at University of Southern California (USC).

New EPA directive will cut pollution equivalent to the emissions of 328m cars, but industry group decries it as a areckless plana

Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued on Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants are the Biden administrationas most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the power sector, the nationas second-largest contributor to climate change. The rules are a key part of Joe Bidenas pledge to eliminate carbon pollution from the electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide by 2050.

Animals ran through rush-hour streets, colliding with vehicles and leaving four people in hospital

Two of the military horses that broke loose during a morning exercise and bolted through central London on Wednesday are in aserious conditiona and have been operated on, according to officials.

The runaway horses, including one white horse drenched in blood, ran through the rush-hour streets of the capital, colliding with vehicles and resulting in four people being taken to hospital.

Israel says the graves were dug by people in Gaza a few months ago but the corpses had been examined by IDF soldiers

Here are some of the scenes in Jerusalem, where people, including Israeli interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have been worshipping during the Passover holiday.

Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah for Al Jazeera, states that two people have been killed there by drone strikes. He writes for the news network:

A surge in attack drones flying over Rafah has taken place over the past couple of hours. At least two people have been hit in what appear to be targeted killings a one in the western part of the city and the other in the east. They were killed when the drones fired missiles about half an hour apart. The tragedy keeps unfolding. The destruction is overwhelming. Everywhere you go, you see rubble-filled roads.

Alexander Lukashenko also said there could be an aapocalypsea if Russia used nuclear weapons in retaliation for western actions.

Russia has vetoed a UN security council resolution calling on all nations to prevent a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space, describing it as aa dirty spectaclea.

The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, would have called on all countries not to develop or deploy nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction in space, which are already banned under a 1967 international treaty.

Federal prosecutors looking at relationship with Purdue Pharma and other drug manufacturers, and its role in US opioid crisis

McKinsey is under criminal investigation in the United States over allegations that the consulting firm played a key role in fueling the opioid epidemic, with federal prosecutors homing in on its work advising OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and other drugmakers, three people familiar with the matter said.

The consulting firm and the US justice department declined to comment.

Blades of famous cabaret venue fall from roof overnight

The blades of the Moulin Rouge windmill, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, have collapsed, firefighters have said, just months before the French capital hosts the Olympics.

There was no risk of further collapse, Paris firefighters said after the incident overnight.

Drake used AI to simulate the voice of the late rapper and have him chide Kendrick Lamar, which the estate calls a aflagrant violationa

The estate of the late Tupac Shakur has sent a cease and desist letter to Drake, following the release of a Drake track that uses an AI version of Shakuras voice to lambast Kendrick Lamar.

As seen by Billboard, the letter instructs Drake to remove the track, Taylor Made Freestyle, within 24 hours, or face legal action.

Anistonas production company will reportedly reimagine the hit 1980 Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton comedy about sexism in the workplace a with a script by Diablo Cody

Jennifer Anistonas production company, Echo Films, are to reimagine classic comedy 9 to 5 for a modern day audience, according to reports. The script is being written by Juno and Young Adult writer Diablo Cody.

No plot details have yet been revealed, but the 1980 original centred on three female colleagues in an office who team up to take revenge on their asexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigota boss. Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Dabney Coleman starred in the film, which was scripted by Patricia Resnick with Colin Higgins, who also directed. It was based on an idea by Fonda, who commissioned the film as a vehicle for herself and Tomlin before bringing Parton on board.

As the climate crisis has deepened, protesters have become more confrontational a and their ambitions have grown

The head of ExxonMobil told to aeat shita as he was about to receive an award. A US senator and coal boss called a asick fucka, almost sparking a brawl. Theatre shows interrupted. As the climate crisis has deepened, protests aimed at those deemed responsible are becoming starkly personal, and often confrontational.

At the vanguard of this new style of in-your-face activism is Climate Defiance, a group of just a handful of core staffers now marking its first birthday following a year of disrupting, often crudely, the usually mundane procession of talks, speeches and panels that feature Joe Biden administration officials, oil company bosses and financiers.

The former US president often describes himself as the abest friend that Israel has ever hada, but he may not be so reliable

At a windy rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, earlier this month, Donald Trump began his hour-long address by sending prayers and support to Israel as it withstood Iranas aerial assault.

aTheyare under attack right now,a the former president and presumptive Republican nominee said. aThatas because we show great weakness.a

Years after the emergency, the Michigan city is yet to replace all lead pipes and affected families are still awaiting justice

Earlier this month, Brittany Thomas received a call that her 11-year-old daughter Janiyah had experienced a seizure at school.

aShead been seizure-free for about two years now,a said Thomas, a resident of Flint, Michigan. aAnd they just came back.a

These stunning, extremely relatable women, with nuanced facial expressions and sensible shoes, helped me outline success on my own terms

I love watching television a ideally in bed with a bowl of salt and vinegar potato chips and a bottle of Coke, zoning out for hours.

Iave always been like this. In my teens and 20s I watched back-to-back-to-back Law & Order and Law & Order SVU episodes. I loved the comfort and reliability of the form: the drama of a murder, investigation, plot twist and resolution, all in under 60 minutes. But several years ago, I stopped watching Law & Order; I grew uncomfortable with its uncritical portrayal of the police.

With her husband on trial over hush money payments a and desperate for cash a the ex-first lady isnat worried about optics

If your husband was a legally adjudicated sexual predator who cheated on you with an adult film star shortly after you gave birth to his son, and then allegedly paid her hush money to cover it up in an attempt to illegally influence the 2016 election, and then went on trial for those hush money payments, while also facing a litany of other criminal charges, what do you think you would do?

In Melania Trumpas case, the answer seems to be: ignore all that hoo-ha and sell a $245 necklace to celebrate Motheras Day. On Sunday, the notably un-effusive first lady announced that she had adesigned the aHer Love & Gratitudea necklace to express immense gratitude and honor all mothersa. The necklace features a flower pendant made of gold vermeil (sterling silver with a solid gold plate) and can include a custom engraving. Best of all, every purchase comes with a limited-edition digital NFT collectible that is minted on the Solana blockchain. Just what every mother wants!

Do you love reading a but all too often find yourself just scrolling through your phone or watching TV? Here is how to get lost in literature again

In the age of digital distractions, it is easy to struggle to find the time and headspace to get lost in literature. How can you get back into the habit? Librarians share the best ways to rediscover reading, make it a regular habit a and their tips for the most unputdownable books.

As Taylor Swift tops $1bn in tour revenue, musicians playing smaller venues are facing pitiful fees and frequent losses. Should the state step in to save our live music scene?

When you see a band playing to thousands of fans in a sun-drenched festival field, signing a record deal with a major label or playing endlessly from the airwaves, itas easy to conjure an image of success that comes with some serious cash to boot a particularly when Taylor Swift has broken $1bn in revenue for her current Eras tour. But looks can be deceiving. aI donat blame the public for seeing a band playing to 2,000 people and thinking theyare minted,a says artist manager Dan Potts. aBut the reality is quite different.a

Post-Covid there has been significant focus on grassroots music venues as they struggle to stay open. Thereas been less focus on the actual ability of artists to tour these venues. David Martin, chief executive officer of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), says weare in a acost-of-touring crisisa. Pretty much every cost attached to touring a van hire, crew, travel, accommodation, food and drink a has gone up, while fees and audiences often have not. a[Playing] live is becoming financially unsustainable for many artists,a he says. aArtists are seeing [playing] live as a loss leader now. Thatas if they can even afford to make it work in the first place.a

Kerry Condon plays a potty-mouthed IRA gang leader and Neeson is the quiet antihero in this action thriller set at the height of the Troubles

Producer-director and veteran Clint Eastwood collaborator Robert Lorenz is now saddling up for this aDonegal westerna. It is an action thriller that finds the cowboy spirit in the lush rolling grasslands of County Donegal in Irelandas north-west, neighbouring Northern Ireland but geographically sequestered from the rest of the Republic.

In 1974, at the height of the Troubles, an IRA gang led by icy-hearted and potty-mouthed Doireann (Kerry Condon) accidentally kills a bunch of kids with a Belfast bomb blast. Without especially regretting the collateral damage, she leads her crew as they escape over the border into Donegal to lie low, fetching up on the outskirts of a village that appears populated by adorable stereotypes. These include a stolid Gardai officer (CiarA!n Hinds), and his best mate, widower Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson), a quiet man who apparently makes a living dealing in secondhand books a and shyly courting neighbour Rita (Niamh Cusack).

Beccy, 49, and Natalie, 60, became best friends after she visited Natalieas rescue farm in Ontario, Canada. They now run events together on the farm and love travelling together

• Tell us your story of how you met someone special

When Beccyas cousin suggested they go to an open day at a local farm, she jumped at the chance. aWe live in a small rural area called South Glengarry in Ontario. She told me about this woman who rescues animals and was raising money through a visiting day,a she says. aWe got there and she had so many animals and beautiful gardens. I was impressed.a

They tried to find Natalie, the farm owner, to say hello, but she was nowhere to be found. Instead, Beccy looked up the rescue centre on Facebook to learn more. A few months later, in the autumn of 2017, she mentioned the farm visit to some friends. aThey told me they knew Natalie and suggested we all get together for dinner with her and her husband.a

Exclusive: Hungaryas PM and EUas most isolated leader says he is pursuing afriendship with everybodya a particularly the former US president

Europeas most isolated leader was beaming.

Standing in a hallway in Brussels, Viktor OrbA!n, the Hungarian prime minister, spoke excitedly about the politician he hopes will change his political fortunes a Donald Trump.

This multigenerational tale travels from China to New York in search of the true meaning of good fortune

Itas often said that good luck is the result of good planning: you make your own. But is our luck in life ever entirely under our control? And how much luck, and planning, might be enough? Real Americans, Rachel Khongas second novel, strikes directly at the heart of these questions. Its Chinese-American characters are brought into contact with fabulous wealth a a prototypical stroke of luck. But their resulting choices demonstrate how the obsessive pursuit of money and control can warp a life, and what it might take to reject this overAabundance. At one point a Chinese geneticist named Mei, recently arrived in the US, reflects on the dual definitions of the word afortunea as both luck and money. aMaybe there was an amount of money that was as unfortunate as poverty could be,a she thinks.

Each of the novelas three parts tells a rags-to-riches story, tracing out fairytale trajectories that make it easy to inhale Real Americans even as Khongas understated prose and eye for detail ground the narrative. In 1999, Lily Chen is an unpaid intern, the aimless daughter of ambitious immigrant parents, when she meets Matthew at a party in New York City. In short order, he gives her a flatscreen TV, takes her to dinner and whisks her to Paris in a whirlwind romance that culminates in a wedding and the birth of a child. Twenty-two years later, Lilyas son Nick grows up not knowing his father, and his search for Matthew reveals an inheritance he hadnat bargained for. A final section leaps back in time to 1960s China, when Mei leaves behind a brutal farmeras life for a job at a New York research lab and gives birth to Lily. This narrative time travel serves a dual purpose: Meias story offers answers to lingering mysteries in Lily and Nickas lives, and illustrates the extent to which our lives are shaped even before weare born a a further indication of how little we control our own luck.

Idahoas law requires doctors to treat pregnant womenas health as disposable a and the loss of their lives as an acceptable risk

The risk of stating plainly what Idaho argued at the US supreme court on Wednesday morning is that it is so sadistic and extreme that people might not believe you. Idaho has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. Prohibiting all abortions at any stage of gestation, with no exceptions for rape or incest, the Idaho law allows doctors to perform abortions in cases where the life a but not amerelya the health a of the pregnant woman is at risk.

In practice, this has wound up being a ban on abortions needed to save womenas lives: according to Idaho hospitals, six pregnant women experiencing medical emergencies have had to be airlifted across state lines to hospitals in states with life and health exemptions in the months since Idaho began enforcing its abortion ban. One way to describe this state of affairs is to say that Idahoas abortion law has come into conflict with medical best practice. Another way to describe it is to say that the law has forced pregnant women to flee the state for their lives.

Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist

The safety and security of Palestinians and Jews are interdependent, so we should use language carefully

In reporting on the encampments springing up on college campuses across the US, the media seem to have convened a terminology confab and agreed on two descriptions: apro-Palestiniana and aanti-Israela. These labels oversimplify Americansa opinions on Israelas onslaught against Gaza, which marked its 200th day on Tuesday with no end in sight. But the error is worse than semantic.

aUniversities Struggle as Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations Grow,a says the New York Times. aColleges Struggle to Contain Intensifying Pro-Palestinian Protests,a reports the Wall Street Journal. In Minneapolis, the Star Tribune has the local news that the aUniversity of Minnesota police arrest 9 after pro-Palestinian encampment set up on campusa. Some publications less shy about displaying their political biases take the opposite tack. A headline in the right-leaning New York Post, for instance, exaggerated the literally incendiary nature of the demonstratorsa tactics: aAnti-Israel protesters carry flares to March on NYPD HQ after 130 arrested at NYU.a The accompanying video is cast in red. Ever evenhanded, CBS does both: aPro-Palestinian, pro-Israel protesters gather outside Columbia University.a

Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept and the author of five books

Our former PM has a dire warning and a book to sell, but it isnat really cutting through. A bit more Brit-style bumbling might help

aI know the name,a texts a friend when I ask if she knows who Liz Truss is, but like most Americans canat quite put her finger on why. aLike 8%,a guesses another when I ask her to put a number on how many of her countrymen she imagines know of Truss. The standard response, in my extremely unscientific poll of Americans as to whether or not they know of Truss, however, was: aNo, should I?a a the answer to which, of course, depends entirely on whether you want to understand why the Tory party is polling around 20% or whether you happen to be Liz Truss.

Truss, the only one of us to suffer that particular misfortune, was in Washington DC this week trying, like so many minor British celebrities before her, to catch the eye of the Americans. At the Heritage Foundation, a rightwing thinktank that hosted the launch of Trussas book Ten Years to Save the West, she came bearing a awarninga. Not an ideal ice-breaker, perhaps, but one clearly tailored to an audience receptive to the frisson of the term aforces of the global lefta.

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

Finance chiefs say higher taxes for the super-rich are key to battling global inequality and climate crisis

• Billionaires should pay minimum 2% wealth tax, say G20 ministers

When the governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund convened for the spring meetings last week, it was all about the really big questions. What can the international community do to accelerate decarbonisation and fight climate change? How can highly indebted countries retain fiscal space to invest in poverty eradication, social services and global public goods? What does the international community need to do to get back on track towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? How can multilateral development banks be strengthened to support these ambitions?

There is one issue that makes addressing these global challenges much harder: inequality. While the disparity between the richest and poorest countries has slightly narrowed, the gap remains alarmingly high. Moreover, in the past two decades, we have witnessed a significant increase in inequalities within most countries, with the income gap between the top 10% and the bottom 50% nearly doubling. Looking ahead, current global economic trends pose serious threats to progress towards higher equality.

Svenja Schulze is Germanyas minister for economic cooperation and development; Fernando Haddad is the minister of finance in Brazil; Enoch Godongwana is the minister of finance in South Africa; MarAa JesAos Montero is first vice president and minister of finance and Carlos Cuerpo is the minister of economy, trade and business in Spain

Devolution has been too cautious, and England has less say about community affairs than almost any other democracy

• Tony Travers is a visiting professor in the LSE department of government and a director of LSE London

All the bigger British political parties are in favour of devolution, yet it proves oddly difficult to deliver. England is a remarkably centralised country, with the UK government responsible for setting every tax, including the annual cap on council tax. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also, despite their devolved status, heavily centralised within their own national systems of government.

It is exactly 50 years since the major reform of local government structure in England and Wales. Prior to the 1974 changes, there were 1,245 councils in England; after the reforms were implemented, the number of councils was slashed to just 412. Today there are 317 councils, and the number continues to fall as the result of a near-continual reorganisation, which has turned two-tier counties a where there were county councils plus districts within them a into one or more unitary councils, where a single council provides all municipal services. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, after more recent reforms, now have a single tier of large municipalities.

Our writers take a look at the best prospects coming out of college, and which teams needs to nail their picks over the coming days

It feels like a lock that it will be LSUas Jayden Daniels, thought I wouldnat put it past the Commanders to fall in love with Michiganas JJ McCarthy. Daniels is a funky prospect; he was a starry duel threat at LSU, but itas tough to see whether the best elements of his game a his running, his deep ball a will smoothly transition to the NFL. He doesnat possess Lamar Jackson-esque breakaway speed and has a brittle frame. As a thrower from the pocket, he has a snappy delivery but struggles to shift to his second and third reads. There is some RGIII to his game. Do Washington really want to tread that path again? OC

• Bears unveil $5bn proposal for new domed lakefront stadium
• Plan calls for $900m from Illinois Sports Facilities Authority

The Chicago Bears unveiled a nearly $5bn proposal Wednesday for an enclosed stadium next door to their current home at Soldier Field as part of a major project that would transform the cityas lakefront, and they are asking for public funding to help make it happen.

The plan calls for $3.2bn for the new stadium plus an additional $1.5bn in infrastructure. The team and the city said the project would add green and open space while improving access to the cityas Museum Campus and could also include a publicly owned hotel.

• NFL to open academy for teenagers on Gold Coast
• Move is latest step in leagueas global expansion efforts

The NFL will expand its international search for talent by opening an academy in rugby-mad Australia to develop promising teenagers in the Asia-Pacific region into college and pro prospects.

The NFL Academy will open in September for student athletes aged 12 to 18, following recruitment camps taking place this summer in Australia and New Zealand, the league announced on Thursday.

Everton were set on closing down their rivals from the off and the tactics sapped the belief from the title challengers

It is little wonder JA1/4rgen Klopp is running out of energy when he is having to come up with a new lineup every few days. For the Merseyside derby defeat to Everton there were six changes to follow on from the half-dozen made for Sundayas win over Fulham. On this occasion, however, it did not work.

The latter weeks of the season are a tricky balance for any coach with so much at stake. Trying to maintain a rhythm and build momentum while keeping everyone fresh for crucial fixtures is an unenviable task. It cannot help a manager when hours before the match a starter withdraws but not even the riches of football can dictate when a mother-to-be enters labour.

First minister says deal was no longer providing stability in parliament and parties will cooperate but less formally in future

Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, is holding a press conference now.

He says he has been in the post for little more than a year.

We are investing record [sums in the NHS], ensuring it can employ record numbers of staff delivering the best performing A&E units in UK. We are, of course, the only part of the UK to avoid strike action in NHS. Iave delivered the council tax freeze this year in every local authority, helping families a|

And last week we approved plans for Europeas largest floating offshore wind farm. These are just some of the actions that are making Scotland a better country.

Locals say city is against plan and accuse authorities of turning Venice into a atheme parka by charging day trippers for visits

The latest target in Amsterdamas decade-long battle against overtourism is an unlikely one: river cruises.

City finance chief Hester van Buren announced this month that the city wants to halve the number of river cruises by 2028, from the current total of 2125. Councillors have already voted to close an ocean cruise terminal in the city centre.

Scheme for plastic bottles and cans put back to 2027 while environment minister says glass recycling aundulya complex

A UK deposit return scheme for recycling drinks bottles has been delayed to 2027, meaning it will not be in place until almost a decade after it was proposed.

Campaigners say the delay is a ahuge disappointmenta, adding they are doubly dismayed that the plan will not include glass bottles.

Israel says the graves were dug by people in Gaza a few months ago but the corpses had been examined by IDF soldiers

Here are some of the scenes in Jerusalem, where people, including Israeli interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, have been worshipping during the Passover holiday.

Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah for Al Jazeera, states that two people have been killed there by drone strikes. He writes for the news network:

A surge in attack drones flying over Rafah has taken place over the past couple of hours. At least two people have been hit in what appear to be targeted killings a one in the western part of the city and the other in the east. They were killed when the drones fired missiles about half an hour apart. The tragedy keeps unfolding. The destruction is overwhelming. Everywhere you go, you see rubble-filled roads.

Animals ran through rush-hour streets, colliding with vehicles and leaving four people in hospital

Two of the military horses that broke loose during a morning exercise and bolted through central London on Wednesday are in aserious conditiona and have been operated on, according to officials.

The runaway horses, including one white horse drenched in blood, ran through the rush-hour streets of the capital, colliding with vehicles and resulting in four people being taken to hospital.

Blades of famous cabaret venue fall from roof overnight

The blades of the Moulin Rouge windmill, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, have collapsed, firefighters have said, just months before the French capital hosts the Olympics.

There was no risk of further collapse, Paris firefighters said after the incident overnight.

Party pledges to bring all passenger rail a but not rolling stock a into public ownership as contracts with train operators expire

• Analysis: Labouras plans all but set up by Tory government

Labour will fully nationalise the train network within five years of coming to power, with a pledge to guarantee the cheapest fares as part of athe biggest reform of our railways for a generationa.

One of Labouras first major acts in government will bring all passenger rail into national ownership under Great British Railways as contracts with private operators expire, a plan endorsed by the architect of the Conservativesa own rail plan.

Exclusive: MSF calls for transparency after its bill for a trial of TB treatment came to a fraction of the billions claimed by pharmaceutical companies

Doctors have for the first time released details of their spending on a major clinical trial, demonstrating that the true cost of developing a medicine may be far less than the billions of dollars claimed by the pharmaceutical industry.

MA(c)decins Sans FrontiA"res (MSF) is challenging drug companies to be transparent about the cost of trials, which has always been shrouded in secrecy. Its own bill for landmark trials of a four-drug combination treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis came to a!34m (APS29m).

Chemical thought to be in emerald green covers of four 19th-century books identified by Poison Book Project

Franceas national library has removed four 19th-century books from its shelves whose emerald green covers are believed to be laced with arsenic.

The library said on Thursday that handling the books, which were printed in Britain, would probably cause only minor harm, but it was taking them away for further analysis.

Drake used AI to simulate the voice of the late rapper and have him chide Kendrick Lamar, which the estate calls a aflagrant violationa

The estate of the late Tupac Shakur has sent a cease and desist letter to Drake, following the release of a Drake track that uses an AI version of Shakuras voice to lambast Kendrick Lamar.

As seen by Billboard, the letter instructs Drake to remove the track, Taylor Made Freestyle, within 24 hours, or face legal action.

Hundreds voice dismay at Sunak and Starmer, accusing them of misreading UK attitudes towards Europe

• UK politics a latest updates

Elena, 35, was aflabbergasteda when she heard that both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer had dismissed a proposal by the European Commission to reintroduce freedom of movement for young people between the EU and the UK.

Last Friday, the prime minister rejected the post-Brexit youth mobility deal, which would have allowed Britons aged between 18 and 30 to live, study or work in the EU for up to four years, after Labour declined the offer the previous day.

Pedro SA!nchez accuses opponents of abullying operationa conducted against him and his wife, BegoA+-a GA3mez

On Wednesday night, Spainas socialist prime minister, Pedro SA!nchez, abruptly announced he was cancelling his public duties for the rest of the week and considering resigning from office. He said he would announce his decision on Monday.

Denounced as giving a aveneer of legality to slaveholdinga and despite claims of reform, kafala laws persist, allowing bosses to abuse women, who vanish from society. This is their testimony, gathered over two years in a Guardian investigation

Condemned as dangerous and abusive, the kafala labour system not only disregards migrant workersa rights but depends on exploitation. But 10 years after Qatar was advised by the UN to abolish kafala (asponsorshipa) entirely and replace it with a regulated labour network, the system is thriving across Lebanon, Jordan and the Gulf states a with the regionas most vulnerable migrants hidden behind closed doors.

Over two years, the Guardian spoke to 50 women who are or were domestic workers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar or Jordan. Their testimony reveals a section of society operating under appalling conditions facilitated by the stateas employment apparatus.

What broke me as a child was my motheras death from breast cancer. But around that shattering, I became a person a and learned how to parent my son

I try to remember her hands. They were younger than mine are now. I imagine her long fingers and yellow, uneven and unpolished fingernails. Or had her nails fallen out? I am eight, about to turn nine; she will be dead in two weeks. Today is Motheras Day and I am allowed to stay home alone with her while everyone else goes to church. I am to be her helper, so I carry a basket up from downstairs. I set it on her bed. She is sitting up.

I know this is meant to be our day, our time; it is the first and last time I will be alone with her in this house. But I donat want to be here. Within weeks, she has transformed from my mother into a ghost, a skeleton; no hair, scarves covering her head. I know I am supposed to want to be with her on this day, but how can I want that? To be with a dying woman, my disappearing mother, whom I resent. It is too much. aWhat are you doing?a, I want to scream. aWhat do you expect me to do now, here without you?a

Beccy, 49, and Natalie, 60, became best friends after she visited Natalieas rescue farm in Ontario, Canada. They now run events together on the farm and love travelling together

• Tell us your story of how you met someone special

When Beccyas cousin suggested they go to an open day at a local farm, she jumped at the chance. aWe live in a small rural area called South Glengarry in Ontario. She told me about this woman who rescues animals and was raising money through a visiting day,a she says. aWe got there and she had so many animals and beautiful gardens. I was impressed.a

They tried to find Natalie, the farm owner, to say hello, but she was nowhere to be found. Instead, Beccy looked up the rescue centre on Facebook to learn more. A few months later, in the autumn of 2017, she mentioned the farm visit to some friends. aThey told me they knew Natalie and suggested we all get together for dinner with her and her husband.a

These stunning, extremely relatable women, with nuanced facial expressions and sensible shoes, helped me outline success on my own terms

I love watching television a ideally in bed with a bowl of salt and vinegar potato chips and a bottle of Coke, zoning out for hours.

Iave always been like this. In my teens and 20s I watched back-to-back-to-back Law & Order and Law & Order SVU episodes. I loved the comfort and reliability of the form: the drama of a murder, investigation, plot twist and resolution, all in under 60 minutes. But several years ago, I stopped watching Law & Order; I grew uncomfortable with its uncritical portrayal of the police.

Could they agree on immigration and housing? And why did the conversation turn to pigeon racing?

Sian, 56, Herefordshire

Occupation CEO of a social enterprise

From Gold Lion winner Archie Moore to Brazilians the TupinambA! collective, First Nations artists are making their voices heard at athe Olympics of arta. They talk hammocks, hunting and human connection

aIam not using the word arepresentinga as I canat represent Australia,a says the softly spoken Indigenous artist Archie Moore, recovering after the packed opening of the Australian pavilion at the Venice Biennale. aI canat even represent all the Aboriginal people a because weare not a homogenous group. So I choose to just say Iam presenting an exhibition for the Australian pavilion.a

Although First Nations artists have been to Venice before, with the Nordic pavilion hosting SA!mi artists in 2022, this time they seem to have broken through en masse at the biennale. The main exhibition, called Foreigners Everywhere, is packed with their work, sourced from all over the world by the Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa. The idea is that being colonised makes you feel like a foreigner in your own country, with the erasure of your culture, the robbery of your land, and at worst the extermination of your people.

Britainas first black female MP faced hostility from the media and political establishment from the start. Nearly 40 years on, she is still not giving up

Six weeks ago, the Conservativesa biggest donor, Frank Hester, was revealed by the Guardian to have spoken at a meeting of his healthcare company, the Phoenix Partnership, about one of Britainas longest-serving and most pioneering MPs. aYou see Diane Abbott on the TV and a| you just want to hate all black women,a Hester said. aI think she should be shot.a

The meeting had taken place in 2019, when Abbott was Labouras shadow home secretary. As a lifelong defender of civil liberties, a radical leftwinger and a close ally of the then party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, Abbott was notably different from previous holders of the role. But there was an anger and viciousness to Hesteras remarks, which are being investigated by the police, and also a limit to the Labour support for her that they prompted, which was very striking.

As Taylor Swift tops $1bn in tour revenue, musicians playing smaller venues are facing pitiful fees and frequent losses. Should the state step in to save our live music scene?

When you see a band playing to thousands of fans in a sun-drenched festival field, signing a record deal with a major label or playing endlessly from the airwaves, itas easy to conjure an image of success that comes with some serious cash to boot a particularly when Taylor Swift has broken $1bn in revenue for her current Eras tour. But looks can be deceiving. aI donat blame the public for seeing a band playing to 2,000 people and thinking theyare minted,a says artist manager Dan Potts. aBut the reality is quite different.a

Post-Covid there has been significant focus on grassroots music venues as they struggle to stay open. Thereas been less focus on the actual ability of artists to tour these venues. David Martin, chief executive officer of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), says weare in a acost-of-touring crisisa. Pretty much every cost attached to touring a van hire, crew, travel, accommodation, food and drink a has gone up, while fees and audiences often have not. a[Playing] live is becoming financially unsustainable for many artists,a he says. aArtists are seeing [playing] live as a loss leader now. Thatas if they can even afford to make it work in the first place.a

Do you love reading a but all too often find yourself just scrolling through your phone or watching TV? Here is how to get lost in literature again

In the age of digital distractions, it is easy to struggle to find the time and headspace to get lost in literature. How can you get back into the habit? Librarians share the best ways to rediscover reading, make it a regular habit a and their tips for the most unputdownable books.

Our capital has many problems, but it is time to push back against attacks from those who neither know nor understand it

I have been reading about the most abysmal place. It is a land where children, red-faced with their own radicalism, march alongside bearded Islamists to make the streets a no-go zone, while nodding-dog liberals curse the Brexiter masses for inflating the cost of their arugula. It boasts an infinite array of pronouns; multimillion-pound townhouses whose residents demand you check your privilege; a thousand rainbow flags, but not a single St Georgeas cross. It is rife with criminal behaviour, which extends far beyond the prices charged by pub landlords. Hieronymus Bosch, put down your paintbrush: this place truly is Hell.

It also happens to be my home.

Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist

Our former PM has a dire warning and a book to sell, but it isnat really cutting through. A bit more Brit-style bumbling might help

aI know the name,a texts a friend when I ask if she knows who Liz Truss is, but like most Americans canat quite put her finger on why. aLike 8%,a guesses another when I ask her to put a number on how many of her countrymen she imagines know of Truss. The standard response, in my extremely unscientific poll of Americans as to whether or not they know of Truss, however, was: aNo, should I?a a the answer to which, of course, depends entirely on whether you want to understand why the Tory party is polling around 20% or whether you happen to be Liz Truss.

Truss, the only one of us to suffer that particular misfortune, was in Washington DC this week trying, like so many minor British celebrities before her, to catch the eye of the Americans. At the Heritage Foundation, a rightwing thinktank that hosted the launch of Trussas book Ten Years to Save the West, she came bearing a awarninga. Not an ideal ice-breaker, perhaps, but one clearly tailored to an audience receptive to the frisson of the term aforces of the global lefta.

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

Devolution has been too cautious, and England has less say about community affairs than almost any other democracy

• Tony Travers is a visiting professor in the LSE department of government and a director of LSE London

All the bigger British political parties are in favour of devolution, yet it proves oddly difficult to deliver. England is a remarkably centralised country, with the UK government responsible for setting every tax, including the annual cap on council tax. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also, despite their devolved status, heavily centralised within their own national systems of government.

It is exactly 50 years since the major reform of local government structure in England and Wales. Prior to the 1974 changes, there were 1,245 councils in England; after the reforms were implemented, the number of councils was slashed to just 412. Today there are 317 councils, and the number continues to fall as the result of a near-continual reorganisation, which has turned two-tier counties a where there were county councils plus districts within them a into one or more unitary councils, where a single council provides all municipal services. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, after more recent reforms, now have a single tier of large municipalities.

It is perverse that adults are legally protected from violence, yet striking a child can be defended. Calls for a ban are getting louder

When a child is scared of their parents, they can spend a long time plucking up the courage to talk. I learned this during a decade of volunteering as a Childline counsellor. There is a 20-second period, in between saying your name and waiting for them to share theirs, that is the most silent the air can ever be. You could hear a pin drop or just a calleras breath echoing on the receiver. In that moment, a young girl who has been slapped by her father is deciding whether to ask for help or to hang up and try again to form the words in a week or two.

I thought of this silence as I read calls from leading doctors to ban parents from smacking their children in England and Northern Ireland. Unlike in Scotland and Wales a where over the past four years the Victorian-era law that allows it has been overturned a it is still legal for a parent or carer to hit, smack or slap their child if it is a areasonablea punishment.

Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist and author of Crippled: Austerity and the Demonisation of Disabled People

Idahoas law requires doctors to treat pregnant womenas health as disposable a and the loss of their lives as an acceptable risk

The risk of stating plainly what Idaho argued at the US supreme court on Wednesday morning is that it is so sadistic and extreme that people might not believe you. Idaho has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. Prohibiting all abortions at any stage of gestation, with no exceptions for rape or incest, the Idaho law allows doctors to perform abortions in cases where the life a but not amerelya the health a of the pregnant woman is at risk.

In practice, this has wound up being a ban on abortions needed to save womenas lives: according to Idaho hospitals, six pregnant women experiencing medical emergencies have had to be airlifted across state lines to hospitals in states with life and health exemptions in the months since Idaho began enforcing its abortion ban. One way to describe this state of affairs is to say that Idahoas abortion law has come into conflict with medical best practice. Another way to describe it is to say that the law has forced pregnant women to flee the state for their lives.

Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist

The safety and security of Palestinians and Jews are interdependent, so we should use language carefully

In reporting on the encampments springing up on college campuses across the US, the media seem to have convened a terminology confab and agreed on two descriptions: apro-Palestiniana and aanti-Israela. These labels oversimplify Americansa opinions on Israelas onslaught against Gaza, which marked its 200th day on Tuesday with no end in sight. But the error is worse than semantic.

aUniversities Struggle as Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations Grow,a says the New York Times. aColleges Struggle to Contain Intensifying Pro-Palestinian Protests,a reports the Wall Street Journal. In Minneapolis, the Star Tribune has the local news that the aUniversity of Minnesota police arrest 9 after pro-Palestinian encampment set up on campusa. Some publications less shy about displaying their political biases take the opposite tack. A headline in the right-leaning New York Post, for instance, exaggerated the literally incendiary nature of the demonstratorsa tactics: aAnti-Israel protesters carry flares to March on NYPD HQ after 130 arrested at NYU.a The accompanying video is cast in red. Ever evenhanded, CBS does both: aPro-Palestinian, pro-Israel protesters gather outside Columbia University.a

Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept and the author of five books

The late elder statesman understood the need for a progressive realignment of British politics. That prize shouldnat be lost

David Marquand and Frank Field, both of whom died this week, never sat on the Labour benches together. The professor of politics and the long-serving backbench MP had very different temperaments too, one searchingly academic, the other a bold moraliser. They also disagreed about many of the big issues in British politics, the European Union above all.

But they also had some hugely important things in common. Both started as free-thinking Labour MPs a Marquand in 1966 and Field in 1979. Both possessed a rare degree of intellectual and spiritual hinterland. Both then went on lifetime political journeys. These took them increasingly away from Labour, though they always remained in Labouras orbit.

Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnist