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US Bishop Hoeppner resigns after Vatican probe into cover-up

A Minnesota bishop who was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse has resigned

How to Double the Vaccination Pace

With Covid cases rising, more experts think the U.S. should start delaying second vaccine shots.

Kurds impose 10-day curfew in NE Syria amid coronavirus wave

A 10-day curfew in areas controlled by U.S.-backed fighters in northeast Syria has gone into effect in an attempt to try limit the spread of coronavirus in the region

The race to succeed Germany’s Angela Merkel just got more exciting

Germany's Merkel is leaving after 16 years in power and the race to replace her is "binge-viewing-worthy political series."

Lawyer: Egypt releases activist after 18 months of detention

Egyptian authorities have released an activist known for his outspoken criticism of the government after he spent more than a year and a half in pre-trial detention

Just say no: negativity is secret of political tweet success, study finds

Want to go viral on Twitter? Steer clear of positive terms, Spanish researchers say

You’ve treated your Twitter followers to a pithy 280-character comment about the government’s latest gaffe – but what gives your tweet the fuel to spread like wildfire? It’s how negative the tweet is, say researchers, that raises its chances of going viral, at least in the political context.

Previous studies have suggested that the main factors affecting the virality of a tweet are user features (such as the number of followers or the number of friends), specific tweet features (number of URLs, hashtags and so on), and aspects of the tweet topic – but few have investigated the importance of a specific type of sentiment as an overarching link among these factors.

Business

Brexit prompts JD Sports to open Dublin warehouse

The firm's imports to GB now incur tariffs when they are distributed onward to its stores across Europe.

Bouncing back? UK businesses’ views mixed as Covid lockdown eases

Some are optimistic for a return to normal, while others voice concerns over social contact and Brexit

The UK economy returned to growth in February despite continued pandemic-related restrictions, as businesses and consumers adapted and prepared for the relaxation of lockdown.

The Guardian spoke to three businesses about how they have coped with the crisis over the past year and their hopes for post-lockdown trading.

UK trade recovering but picture is clouded by Covid and Brexit | Larry Elliott

Government figures showing a bounceback in February rightly come with a health warning

The government’s monthly trade figures come with a health warning – and rightly so. A combination of Covid-19 and Brexit means it is impossible to draw any firm conclusions about the trend from a single month’s data.

Look at what has happened to the UK’s exports to the EU. These collapsed by a revised record 42% in January but according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics subsequently rose by more than 46% in February.

Greensill: Labour to press ministers over Cameron lobbying

The former prime minister has been criticised for lobbying on behalf of Greensill Capital.

What Is Hospitality? The Current Answer Doesn’t Work.

The host-guest relationship puts all the work on the server, particularly during the pandemic, and points to the dysfunction at the heart of the business.

Finance

Life’s a Bitche: French town’s Facebook page shut down over ‘offensive’ name

Ville de Bitche in north-east France has fallen foul of social network’s algorithm

Life’s a Bitche for one town in north-east France that had its Facebook page shut down for offensive language.

Bitche in the Moselle, population 5,000 and home to the Bitchois, has fallen foul of the social network’s algorithm, which has deemed it insulting.

Some states require amended tax returns for $10,200 unemployment tax break refunds

Many states are asking taxpayers to file amended tax returns in connection with the tax break on up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits.

Here's why robo-advisors are striving toward a 'hybrid model,' as the industry passes the $460...

Robo-advisors have had a meteoric rise in popularity since their debut in 2008, and the industry continues to evolve and grow based on its consumers' needs.

Why is Macron abolishing France’s school for the political class? | Philippe Marlière

With Marine Le Pen rising in the polls, the president has turned his attention to the ENA, a symbol of inequality

On Thursday 8 April, Emmanuel Macron announced the closure of the prestigious École Nationale d’Administration, France’s elite school for turning out senior civil servants and politicians. The president’s announcement sounded familiar – he had already pledged to reform the ENA, a school renowned for its conservatism and aversion to change, back in 2019 – but this time it’s final: Macron said that the time had come to abolish an institution that is widely regarded as a symbol of elitism and inequality.

With just a year until the next presidential election, Macron is neck and neck in the polls with Marine Le Pen. The ENA abolition looks, therefore, as if it’s part of a strategy to reconnect with “the people”. It’s easy to forget, given the pandemic, but before France entered lockdown in March 2020, it had been experiencing the most sustained anti-elite movement for generations in the form of the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests. Macron has certainly has not forgotten this.

Philippe Marlière is professor of French and European politics at University College London

Cybersecurity start-up Darktrace plans to go public in London despite Deliveroo's IPO flop

Darktrace on Monday announced plans for an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange.

Entertainment

Edinburgh's International Festival to be outdoors with shorter shows

Three temporary pavilions will be erected in Edinburgh Park and the University of Edinburgh's Old College Quad.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West agree joint custody after divorce

US reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who married the rapper in 2014, filed for divorce in February.

The Owners: 'We were immersed in the movie - it was traumatising'

The band Never Not Nothing have gone from writing songs to scoring a horror movie.

Julia Bradbury's sister's car hit by rock thrown from M1 bridge

Julia Bradbury's sister Gina was driving from London to Sheffield when her car was struck.

Cressida Cowell: Children's Laureate leads call for £100m primary school library fund

Cressida Cowell and other writers want yearly funding to aid primary school libraries post-pandemic.

BBC 'receives 100,000 complaints' over Prince Philip coverage

Thousands of viewers contacted the BBC to say they felt the amount of coverage was excessive.

'The Talk' returns with Sheryl Underwood remarks and an episode on race

"The Talk" returned Monday by jumping right into a conversation about race.

Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song welcome their first child together

Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song have welcomed a new baby, a rep for Culkin confirmed to CNN.

Lifestyle

A ‘Blue Bloods’ Regular on the Importance of ‘Yes’

For the actor Vanessa Ray, what makes a one-bedroom near Lincoln Center home are a few essentials: Bill Nye, blankets and one three-letter word.

Missing Girls and a Bit of Mysticism, in Paula McLain’s Debut Thriller

In “When the Stars Go Dark,” the author of “The Paris Wife” tries her hand at a new genre.

An Old Man’s Youthful Fascinations Animate Cynthia Ozick’s New Novel

The protagonist of the author’s latest work, “Antiquities,” recounts his obsession with Egyptian artifacts and his boyhood friendship with an unusual classmate.

‘Love Made You Black’: Gazes of Desire and Despair in a New Novel

Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut, “Open Water,” sets a romance between 20-somethings against the backdrop of racial oppression in southeast London.

On the Run From the Nazis, Taking Train After Train

Written in the wake of Kristallnacht, “The Passenger,” a novel by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz, follows a Jewish man in an increasingly hostile world.

Paul Theroux’s New Novel Takes On Life’s Crashing Waves

“Under the Wave at Waimea” follows a former surfer through a reflective and ultimately transformative period.

Voyages of Hope and Anguish: New Science Fiction and Fantasy

“The Memory Theater,” “On Fragile Waves” and “Victories Greater Than Death” take readers tumbling through realms and ever stranger stories.

Sports

Barcelona pips rival Real Madrid to be named world's most valuable soccer club

Despite a tumultuous period on and off the pitch, Barcelona is now the richest soccer club in the world, according to Forbes.

The Joy of Playing Soccer With Strangers

Joining a pickup game can be a way of freeing yourself from the fear of failure.

The 4,000km, 6-month skateboard journey across Oz

If you've been out driving on the eastern coast of Australia in the last few months, you might have seen Tom Drury. He would have been hard to miss, a 28-year-old with a droopy moustache and a backpack, cruising along by the side of the Bruce Highway. Cruising, on a skateboard.