A spectacular record of a year in Normandy, the photogenic buildings of Sir John Vanbrugh and extraordinary paintings of horses – all in your weekly dispatch

Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse
George Stubbs’s emotional, sublime equine portrait Whistlejacket is rightly one of the best loved paintings in the National Gallery. This exhibition takes a closer look at what makes his paintings of horses unforgettable.
• National Gallery, London, from 12 March to 31 May

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Federal and local officials have announced more patrols, counterterrorism measures and heightened monitoring

Government officials across the US have taken new security measures because of fears that Iran, or its supporters, may launch attacks on targets in America to retaliate for the US and Israel’s bombing of the country.

Federal and local public officials have announced that they have taken steps such as increasing law enforcement patrols to prevent any attack, which could come directly from the Iranian regime or a lone actor, security experts said.

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Juanita Avila later helped expose ICE’s ‘arrest first, justify later’ tactics in a lawsuit that won a major victory for immigrants’ rights

The moment 19-year-old Emely Agustin spotted the group of masked immigration agents tackling a woman facedown on the pavement, her heart dropped.

She saw the woman’s red jacket.

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The bombing of Iran is deeply unpopular. Despite the Tories’ urgings, Keir Starmer must not further embroil the UK in this disaster

Keir Starmer’s immediate response to the Israeli-US attack on Iran last weekend was sensible and correct. Donald Trump had lied that the US was at risk of imminent attack, and had presented no coherent reason for going to war. Even after Starmer weakened and allowed the US to use British bases , although it did not really need them, Trump was furious. He accused Starmer of being “no Winston Churchill”. Starmer should have been equally furious and said Trump was no Franklin Roosevelt – more George W Bush.

Britain is now contending with an unreliable, mendacious and warmongering ally across the Atlantic. It surely must hold itself consistent and principled at a deeply uncertain time. But does its Tory opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch, agree? She goes to her spring party conference this week having hurled abuse at Starmer in parliament, supporting Trump on the dubious grounds that: “We’re in this war, whether they like it or not.” This appeared to be a confession of weakness, that other states can order Britons to go to war. As it was, Starmer found he had a navy left him by Badenoch’s party with hardly any seaworthy destroyers. It was surely a moment for a joint stance, not dispatch box point-scoring.

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The bombing of Iran is deeply unpopular. Despite the Tories’ urgings, Keir Starmer must not further embroil the UK in this disaster

Keir Starmer’s immediate response to the Israeli-US attack on Iran last weekend was sensible and correct. Donald Trump had lied that the US was at risk of imminent attack, and had presented no coherent reason for going to war. Even after Starmer weakened and allowed the US to use British bases , although it did not really need them, Trump was furious. He accused Starmer of being “no Winston Churchill”. Starmer should have been equally furious and said Trump was no Franklin Roosevelt – more George W Bush.

Britain is now contending with an unreliable, mendacious and warmongering ally across the Atlantic. It surely must hold itself consistent and principled at a deeply uncertain time. But does its Tory opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch, agree? She goes to her spring party conference this week having hurled abuse at Starmer in parliament, supporting Trump on the dubious grounds that: “We’re in this war, whether they like it or not.” This appeared to be a confession of weakness, that other states can order Britons to go to war. As it was, Starmer found he had a navy left him by Badenoch’s party with hardly any seaworthy destroyers. It was surely a moment for a joint stance, not dispatch box point-scoring.

Continue reading...

The bombing of Iran is deeply unpopular. Despite the Tories’ urgings, Keir Starmer must not further embroil the UK in this disaster

Keir Starmer’s immediate response to the Israeli-US attack on Iran last weekend was sensible and correct. Donald Trump had lied that the US was at risk of imminent attack, and had presented no coherent reason for going to war. Even after Starmer weakened and allowed the US to use British bases , although it did not really need them, Trump was furious. He accused Starmer of being “no Winston Churchill”. Starmer should have been equally furious and said Trump was no Franklin Roosevelt – more George W Bush.

Britain is now contending with an unreliable, mendacious and warmongering ally across the Atlantic. It surely must hold itself consistent and principled at a deeply uncertain time. But does its Tory opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch, agree? She goes to her spring party conference this week having hurled abuse at Starmer in parliament, supporting Trump on the dubious grounds that: “We’re in this war, whether they like it or not.” This appeared to be a confession of weakness, that other states can order Britons to go to war. As it was, Starmer found he had a navy left him by Badenoch’s party with hardly any seaworthy destroyers. It was surely a moment for a joint stance, not dispatch box point-scoring.

Continue reading...

• World Cup winners will miss club games this weekend

• England cricketers move training camp to South Africa

Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya, two of England’s Women’s World Cup winners, are stranded in Dubai amid Israel’s and the United States’ war with Iran.

Kildunne , the Red Roses standout player as John Mitchell’s side were crowned world champions at Twickenham last summer , will miss Harlequins’ home Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) fixture against Saracens on Saturday. Kabeya will be unavailable for Loughborough’s match at Sale.

A joint Rugby Football Union, PWR, Harlequins and Loughborough Lightning statement confirmed that the Quins full-back and the Lightning back-row Kabeya are in contact with their clubs and the RFU but their prospects of flying home from a short break in coming days remains uncertain.

The statement said: “During the reserve Premiership Women’s Rugby week, Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya travelled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a short break. Due to ongoing airspace disruption, they have been unable to return to England as planned and will therefore not play in PWR games this weekend.

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• World Cup winners will miss club games this weekend

• England cricketers move training camp to South Africa

Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya, two of England’s Women’s World Cup winners, are stranded in Dubai amid Israel’s and the United States’ war with Iran.

Kildunne , the Red Roses standout player as John Mitchell’s side were crowned world champions at Twickenham last summer , will miss Harlequins’ home Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) fixture against Saracens on Saturday. Kabeya will be unavailable for Loughborough’s match at Sale.

A joint Rugby Football Union, PWR, Harlequins and Loughborough Lightning statement confirmed that the Quins full-back and the Lightning back-row Kabeya are in contact with their clubs and the RFU but their prospects of flying home from a short break in coming days remains uncertain.

The statement said: “During the reserve Premiership Women’s Rugby week, Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya travelled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a short break. Due to ongoing airspace disruption, they have been unable to return to England as planned and will therefore not play in PWR games this weekend.

Continue reading...

• World Cup winners will miss club games this weekend

• England cricketers move training camp to South Africa

Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya, two of England’s Women’s World Cup winners, are stranded in Dubai amid Israel’s and the United States’ war with Iran.

Kildunne , the Red Roses standout player as John Mitchell’s side were crowned world champions at Twickenham last summer , will miss Harlequins’ home Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) fixture against Saracens on Saturday. Kabeya will be unavailable for Loughborough’s match at Sale.

A joint Rugby Football Union, PWR, Harlequins and Loughborough Lightning statement confirmed that the Quins full-back and the Lightning back-row Kabeya are in contact with their clubs and the RFU but their prospects of flying home from a short break in coming days remains uncertain.

The statement said: “During the reserve Premiership Women’s Rugby week, Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya travelled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for a short break. Due to ongoing airspace disruption, they have been unable to return to England as planned and will therefore not play in PWR games this weekend.

Continue reading...