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For the first time, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) is creating a dedicated reparations role, appointing Prof. Keon West—a Rhodes Scholar and author of The Science of Racism—to lead the effort. West, who also serves as a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and heads research at the Runnymede Trust, will begin his tenure later this month. The appointment arrives amid intensifying global calls for former colonial powers to confront historic injustices. West’s mandate is to map how enslavement, indentured labour and European imperialism fed the supply chains of Rowntree’s iconic brands such as KitKat, Fruit Pastilles and Smarties. Founded in 1904 when philanthropist Joseph Rowntree endowed the trust with profits from his chocolate and cocoa ventures, JRCT operates on Quaker principles aimed at tackling the roots of inequality. Recent research, spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement, uncovered that African and Asian workers were exploited in Rowntree’s production lines throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Historical investigations by the Rowntree Society revealed that, while the family never directly owned enslaved people, their businesses sold commodities produced by enslaved or unfree labour as far back as 1822. The company also benefitted from the indenture system, acquiring plantations in Dominica, Jamaica and Trinidad in the 1890s to grow cocoa, bananas and other crops. Further links to colonial exploitation include purchases of cocoa from Portuguese‑controlled São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as commercial interests in Nigeria, Ghana and apartheid‑era South Africa. In the early 1980s, Black workers at the South African subsidiary Wilson Rowntree faced harsh labour suppression. In 2021, JRCT issued a public apology, stating it was “deeply sorry” for its historical connections to “abhorrent practices” and acknowledging the lasting impact of these actions on systemic racism today. West will design a comprehensive reparations programme that engages directly with affected communities—“Black people, brown people and people of colour”—to develop long‑term restorative justice strategies. He said, "I am honoured to accept this role. It offers the power and the responsibility to make real, meaningful changes in the lives of those who have been exploited." JRCT chief executive Nicola Purdy expressed enthusiasm, noting that the reparations initiative aligns with the trust’s charitable purpose of promoting peace, equality, human rights and climate action. Financially, JRCT allocated £13.5 million in grants in 2025, supporting organisations that advance its core missions. In 2023, it contributed £10,000 to an all‑party parliamentary group advocating for a formal UK apology for slavery and colonisation. The Rowntree family, alongside fellow Quaker dynasties Fry and Cadbury, were central to the British confectionery trade during the colonial era. Their brand was later acquired by Nestlé in 1988, but the trust’s new reparations focus underscores a broader reckoning with the historical foundations of the industry.

A Lebanese‑French visual artist, Ali Cherri, has lodged a formal complaint with the French war‑crimes unit in Paris, accusing Israel of committing a war crime after a 2024 airstrike on his family home in Beirut killed his parents and a domestic worker. The filing marks the first time a French court has taken up a case concerning Israel’s bombing of Lebanon and is an unusual move by an individual to pursue war‑crimes accountability. Israel has faced repeated accusations of violating international humanitarian law in Lebanon and Gaza, including attacks on civilians, medical facilities and forced displacement, yet no Israeli officials have been prosecuted to date. Cherri said, "Our demand is that an investigation is opened so that we know for a fact what happened, to name this attack as a war crime against civilians, and hopefully be able to name the people responsible." The apartment, built by his grandparents in central Beirut, was struck a few hours before a cease‑fire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect on 26 November 2024. The 13‑month conflict had already claimed roughly 4,000 Lebanese lives. The blast, which gave no prior evacuation warning, destroyed three floors, killing Cherri’s 86‑year‑old father Mahmoud Naib Cherri, 76‑year‑old mother Nadira Hayek, their employee Birki Negesa and four other civilians. In February, Amnesty International’s investigation concluded there was no military target at the time of the strike and urged that the incident be examined as a war crime. Forensic Architecture, a UK‑based investigative group that helped draft the complaint, produced a 3‑D reconstruction of the building and identified the munition as a GBU‑39 guided bomb – a 250 lb US‑made weapon frequently used by Israel in Lebanon and Gaza. The analysis underscored the targeted nature of the attack and, according to the group, demonstrated direct responsibility of the Israeli army. Amnesty International’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Heba Morayef, called the French civil complaint “a rare opportunity” to hold Israel accountable in a European court, given the usual impunity. The case arrives amid renewed hostilities: on 2 March Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, prompting an Israeli aerial campaign and ground invasion that has killed 1,318 people so far. Photographer Mohammed Shehab, who collaborated with Forensic Architecture on the Cherri investigation, was himself killed in an Israeli strike on 11 March, which also claimed his infant daughter’s life and wounded his wife – an incident the group described as “circumstances similar” to the Cherri bombing. While Cherri doubts any Israeli officials will face criminal charges, he insists that filing the suit is a moral duty to give a voice to victims who cannot pursue legal recourse themselves.

Seven civilians were killed in Israeli attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs on April 1, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. The strike on the Jnah district killed five people and injured 21, while a separate raid on the town of Khaldeh resulted in two deaths and three injuries.Israeli officials said the operation aimed to eliminate a senior Hezbollah commander, though the militant group has neither confirmed nor denied the target. Security sources described the Jnah strike as a targeted assassination of vehicles rather than an apartment block, noting that many cars were parked near a school sheltering displaced residents.Hezbollah, meanwhile, reported cross‑border attacks and “fierce clashes” with Israeli soldiers near the border town of Shamaa, roughly 5 km from the frontier. The group also claimed to have fired more than 40 rockets toward northern Israel and engaged Israeli troops in other sectors.Since the latest escalation, at least ten Israeli soldiers have been reported killed, and three UN peacekeepers from UNIFIL lost their lives in southern Lebanon, prompting an investigation.The humanitarian toll continues to rise: Lebanon’s Health Ministry cites a death count of over 1,200 and notes that more than one million people have been displaced by the conflict.In Jerusalem, far‑right ministers are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex southern Lebanon, while the prime minister has ordered the army to expand the ground invasion to fundamentally alter the security situation in Israel’s north.Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that homes in Lebanese border villages would be demolished and that the estimated 600,000 displaced residents would not be allowed to return until Israel deems the area secure, fueling fears of a prolonged occupation.Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam recently banned Hezbollah’s military activities and called on the national army to prevent attacks from Lebanese territory. However, the Iran‑aligned militia, which operates independently of the Lebanese government, has refused to disarm and insists on repelling Israeli advances.

In the early hours of April 1, 2026, residents living close to Erbil International Airport reported a noticeable disturbance and subsequently inspected the site of a drone‑related impact. The incident left visible damage to airport infrastructure and surrounding property, prompting community members to document the aftermath. While official details remain limited, the presence of debris and scorch marks suggests a low‑altitude drone strike that reached the airport perimeter. Local authorities have yet to release a comprehensive statement, but the event underscores heightened concerns over aerial security in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Security analysts note that such incidents can have broader implications for regional stability and air travel confidence. The immediate response by civilians—inspecting and reporting damage—reflects a growing public awareness of the potential risks associated with unmanned aerial systems in densely populated areas. Further investigations are expected to determine the source of the drone, the extent of the damage, and any necessary measures to reinforce airport defenses.

A recent investigation has exposed a vast illegal casino network targeting UK gamblers, operating with impunity in jurisdictions like Curaçao. The network, linked to Santeda International, includes brands such as MyStake, Velobet, and Goldenbet, which have attracted an average of 2.3 million monthly unique visitors from the UK.The investigation reveals that these illegal casinos are not licensed by the UK's Gambling Commission, a legal requirement for serving UK customers. They offer a range of games, from football betting to classic casino games and slot machines, and have been linked to fraud, financial harm, and even suicide.The network's digital trail leads to Santeda International BV, a company with a licence from Curaçao, and Upgaming AG, a Swiss-based business. Georgian businessmen, including Tornike Tvauri, Alexander Makashvili, and Mikheil Merebashvili, appear to be involved in the operation.The UK's Gambling Commission has been criticized for its limited success in stopping these illegal casinos. The regulator has targeted affiliates recommending these sites and sent takedown requests to Google. However, the vast majority of these sites remain easily accessible from the UK.The Labour MP Alex Ballinger has called on the Gambling Commission to take urgent action, stating that these sites deliberately target vulnerable people trying to stop gambling. The Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith has also urged the regulator to liaise with authorities in countries where these operators are based.The investigation highlights the significant economic costs of gambling harm in the UK, estimated to be between £1bn and £2bn. The chancellor has allocated an extra £26m over three years to tackle illicit gambling sites.

CCTV footage has emerged that appears to show the moment a US journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad. The video, which has been widely reported, provides a glimpse into the circumstances surrounding the journalist's disappearance.The footage is believed to be from a security camera and shows the journalist being taken away by unidentified individuals. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of journalists in conflict zones.The US journalist's kidnapping has sparked an investigation, with authorities working to determine the circumstances surrounding the event and to ensure the journalist's safe return.

Police in Wuhan reported a sudden "system malfunction" that immobilised several autonomous robotaxis operated by Baidu’s Apollo Go service, leaving passengers stuck on an elevated highway for up to an hour and a half.Local authorities said they received a flood of calls on Tuesday night from riders whose vehicles froze in the middle of the road. A police statement confirmed that “multiple Apollo Go cars stopped in the middle of the road, unable to move,” and preliminary investigations point to a technical failure.Baidu maintains a fleet of more than 500 driverless cars in Wuhan, though the exact number affected was not disclosed. One commuter shared a 90‑minute ordeal on the Chinese platform RedNote, describing how the vehicle stalled at 9 p.m. on an overpass, surrounded by dump trucks, while customer‑service lines remained unanswered.The rider eventually was rescued after the order was cancelled at 10:30 p.m., but criticized Apollo Go’s support team for offering “useless platitudes” instead of concrete solutions. Social‑media users also posted videos captioned “Apollo Go, are you paralysed?” showing futile attempts to contact the company via the in‑car tablet.This is not Baidu’s first controversy. In December, authorities in Zhuzhou halted robotaxi operations after a Baidu‑manufactured autonomous vehicle struck two pedestrians, sending them to intensive care.Despite these setbacks, Baidu’s autonomous‑mobility arm continues to grow. Company filings reveal that Apollo Go delivered 3.4 million driverless rides in the fourth quarter of 2025, a jump of over 200 % compared with the same period in 2024. The firm is also pursuing international expansion, having announced partnership deals with rideshare giants Lyft and Uber to deploy its vehicles on their platforms.When approached for comment, Baidu did not respond, according to Reuters.Additional reporting by Yu‑chen Li

Lamine Yamal, a Spanish footballer, has expressed his disappointment and frustration with Islamophobic chants made by some Spanish fans during a friendly match against Egypt in Barcelona. The chants, which included "who doesn’t jump is a Muslim", were aimed at the opposing team but Yamal, being a Muslim himself, found them to be intolerable and racist.The incident has sparked widespread condemnation, including from the Spain coach, Luis de la Fuente, and Spain’s justice minister, Félix Bolaños. Police investigations are underway to identify those responsible for the chants.The match, which ended in a 0-0 draw, was expected to be a significant event ahead of the World Cup, with Spain set to face Saudi Arabia and other tough opponents. The incident highlights the ongoing issue of racism and Islamophobia in sports and the need for greater awareness and respect among fans.Criticism has been mounting against those responsible for the chants, with many calling for greater accountability and action to prevent such incidents in the future. The Spanish football community and beyond have been urged to stand against racism and support inclusivity in the sport.

In a recent interview published by the Free Press, former UK prime minister Tony Blair asserted that the British left has entered an “unholy alliance” with Islamist groups, framing criticism of Israel’s Gaza operations as a new form of anti‑semitism. He further praised former President Donald Trump’s proposed plan for Gaza, describing it as “bold and intelligent.”The commentary arrives amid a sharp decline in British public support for Israel. A YouGov poll found that only 12 % of respondents back Israel’s actions in Gaza, while a clear majority favor measures such as an arms embargo, sanctions, and even the prosecution of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes.Blair’s allegation that the left “casts the Jewish community as supporters of the Israeli government” is challenged by evidence of a broader shift in public sentiment. The Greens, now a leading force on the English left, oppose the Gaza offensive and reject Islamophobia, yet they are led by a Jewish gay politician and champion a socially progressive agenda that includes LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality—hardly the hallmarks of “Islamism.”Data on American Jewry is also invoked. While 71 % of Jewish Americans voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, a separate poll indicated that 40 % of Jewish respondents believe Israel’s military actions amount to genocide, a figure rising to half among those under 35. These figures illustrate that criticism of Israel does not automatically equate to anti‑semitic sentiment.The piece also revisits Blair’s own controversial foreign‑policy record. His government approved extensive arms sales to Saudi Arabia and shut down investigations into those deals, while his post‑premiership institute continued to receive substantial Saudi funding even after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Moreover, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by Blair, is widely regarded as having provided a recruitment boost to Islamist extremist groups.Critics argue that Blair’s narrative is a strategic attempt to deflect growing Western criticism of Israel by painting opponents as extremist sympathizers. The term “Islamo‑gauchisme,” used in France to describe similar accusations, exemplifies a broader pattern of demonising Muslim participation in democratic politics.In sum, the article contends that Blair’s claim lacks substantive evidence, overlooks prevailing public opinion, and mirrors past tactics of smearing dissenting voices. As the debate over Israel’s conduct in Gaza intensifies, the left’s opposition appears rooted in humanitarian concerns rather than any covert Islamist agenda.