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San Francisco‑originated Philz Coffee announced on Friday that it will keep Pride flags displayed in all of its locations, overturning a policy introduced just days earlier that called for their removal.Chief executive Mahesh Sadarangani said in a statement, "I made a mistake and I am sincerely sorry," adding that the Pride flag represents "a symbol of safety and belonging for people who don’t always find that in the world," and that he does not wish to deprive any customer of that feeling.When the policy was first unveiled, Sadarangani framed it as a move toward uniformity, indicating that other non‑U.S. flags would also be taken down to maintain consistency across stores.The decision triggered an immediate and vocal backlash from both employees and customers. An online petition opposing the ban quickly amassed more than 7,300 signatures, reflecting the chain’s long‑standing reputation as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.State Senator Scott Wiener, whose district includes San Francisco, condemned the policy on social media and suggested it was linked to Philz’s recent acquisition by private‑equity firm Freeman Spogli, raising concerns about corporate influence on inclusive practices.Sadarangani credited San Francisco Pride leaders Suzanne Ford and Jupiter Peraza for prompting the reversal, noting their outreach helped the company understand the broader impact of the decision."What gave me reason to engage with Mahesh was something I don’t always see from a CEO in this situation: genuine humility," Ford said. "He reached out, listened, and understood that this wasn’t about optics—it was about whether queer people and the employees who support them feel safe and seen. That matters."Founded in 2003, Philz Coffee has grown from a single San Francisco shop to a network of over 80 locations across California and Chicago, positioning itself as a community‑focused brand.The controversy occurs against a backdrop of nationwide debates over Pride symbols. Republican‑led states have recently removed rainbow flags from public spaces, and the Trump administration previously took down a rainbow flag at New York City’s Stonewall monument before agreeing to a settlement that restored it.Across the country, rainbow crosswalks have been targeted for removal, prompting cities like Miami Beach to install alternative displays—such as rainbow‑colored benches and plaques—to demonstrate solidarity with LGBTQ+ residents.

In the Colombian city of Medellín, a neighbourhood called Comuna 8 has taken proactive steps to address climate change and disaster risk management. The community, with the help of organisations and experts, has developed a climate resilience plan that focuses on nature-based solutions.Róbinson Velásquez Cartagena, a community leader, designed and built a rainwater harvesting system to reduce the risk of flooding and landslides. This initiative is part of a larger plan that includes reforestation to control erosion and sedimentation on hillsides and in ravines, and establishing eco-gardens and agroforestry systems.The plan, which was formally launched in August 2023, comprises eight measures to address climate risks. These measures were developed in line with the Medellín city council's Climate Action Plan and with the involvement of several organisations, including Medellín's disaster risk management department (DAGRD) and Heriot-Watt University in the UK.The community's efforts have led to a disaster risk and climate adaptation plan for all 21 comunas in Medellín. While challenges remain in securing government support and funding for grassroots initiatives, the work in Comuna 8 serves as a model for other communities.“The plan reflects the views of the community and the organisations' proposals that we have made for years,” says Velásquez Cartagena. “We want the municipality to acknowledge it financially. We hope they put effort into implementing it, as these small actions make a real difference.”

Olivia Rodrigo returns with “Drop Dead,” a single that instantly grabs listeners with a razor‑sharp lyric about online stalking and instant infatuation. The opening couplet—“One night I was bored in bed / And stalked you on the internet”—sets a tone of modern romance that feels both playful and unnervingly catchy.The 23‑year‑old, who burst onto the global stage in 2021 after a Disney Channel stint, has built a reputation for “acute, obsessive” love songs that balance self‑awareness with raw emotion. Her debut “Drivers License” cemented her as a heartbreak anthem, while the pop‑punk edge of her first album Sour and the riot‑grrrl‑infused follow‑up Guts displayed her versatility.“Drop Dead” marks a decisive pivot from the punk‑kiss‑off expectations that surrounded her recent breakup. Instead of a straightforward revenge track, the song delivers a “gorgeous rush of romantic intensity,” aiming to freeze a fleeting moment before plunging back into it with relentless momentum.The track’s production, helmed by longtime collaborator Dan Nigro, layers lush strings and bright power‑pop guitars, creating a sound that feels “one bauble short of festive.” Critics note a vocal delivery that stays in Rodrigo’s highest register throughout the chorus, with melodic bends that echo both Chappell Roan’s maximalism and Taylor Swift’s signature style.Visually, the music video—directed by Petra Collins and filmed at the Palace of Versailles—portrays Rodrigo as a runaway figure reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” and Emma Corrin’s Diana in “The Crown.” The lavish setting amplifies the song’s theatricality.Adding a rock pedigree, the single includes a subtle nod to Rodrigo’s friendship with The Cure’s Robert Smith, referencing his classic “Just Like Heaven.” Their rapport, highlighted in a recent Vogue cover story, underscores Rodrigo’s expanding artistic circle.Overall, “Drop Dead” blends maximalist pop production, romantic lyricism, and rock‑infused credibility, delivering a track that feels both instantly addictive and deliberately chaotic—mirroring the messy emotions it portrays.

Britain is bracing for its most severe economic contraction in decades, a side‑effect of the United States’ escalating conflict with Iran and the resulting shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz. The British Treasury and the IMF warn that the nation’s growth could be crushed, public confidence in the government is eroding, and the prime minister’s position may become untenable. The original aim of sanctions was to punish hostile states and force leaders like Vladimir Putin to change course. Yet, data shows that in the years following the sanctions, Russia’s growth outpaced that of the United Kingdom. Similarly, the 2010s sanctions on Iran, intended to halt its nuclear programme, appear to have accelerated it, and current measures aimed at toppling the ayatollahs show little prospect of success. The United States now enforces economic restrictions on around 30 countries, including North Korea, Myanmar, Belarus and Afghanistan. Despite the breadth of these measures, the targeted regimes have largely remained in power, indicating a systemic failure of sanctions to destabilise entrenched governments. Beyond their limited impact on regime change, sanctions have unintentionally bolstered the Sino‑Russian trade bloc and driven many nations toward the BRICS alliance, positioning it as a counterweight to the G7. This realignment underscores the counter‑productive nature of the policy. Academic research, such as Nicholas Mulder’s The Economic Weapon, reinforces the historical pattern: except for very small states, trade restrictions are easily circumvented, and authoritarian regimes insulated from democratic pressures are largely immune. Mulder concludes that “the history of sanctions is a history of disappointment,” a sentiment echoed by critics who warn that each new round of sanctions repeats the same mistakes. One of the most damaging side‑effects is the exodus of skilled professionals. Iran, for example, has seen a diaspora of over four million people as of 2021, many of whom belong to the educated middle class that could have fueled internal reform. The brain drain weakens any potential opposition and inadvertently benefits Western economies that absorb this talent. Russia experienced a similar talent flight after the 1990s, when a vibrant civil society briefly flourished. Today, the remaining dissenters face both Kremlin repression and Western ostracism, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of McCarthy‑era loyalty tests. Given these outcomes, the article argues that the West must abandon blunt economic coercion in favour of nuanced, soft‑power strategies. Supporting opposition groups through academic, cultural, and diplomatic channels could nurture the very alternatives that sanctions have helped to erode. In sum, sanctions have proven illiberal and counter‑productive, reinforcing authoritarian borders while draining the human capital needed for genuine change. Restoring constructive relationships with societies like Iran and Russia, rather than relying on punitive trade measures, may offer a more viable path to long‑term stability.

OnlyFans, the UK-based adult video platform, has reached a valuation of over $3 billion as it engages in advanced talks to sell a minority stake to US investment firm Architect Capital. The London-based company is looking to offload less than 20% of its shares, with sources confirming the talks to the Guardian.The deal comes at a significant time for OnlyFans, following the death of its founder, Leonid Radvinsky, a Ukrainian-American billionaire who passed away from cancer last month at the age of 43. Radvinsky's death has prompted the company to seek a minority stake sale as a means to guarantee stability for the business.OnlyFans has reportedly chosen Architect Capital for its expertise in the financial services sector. This aligns with the UK company's plans to offer banking products to its creators, who have historically struggled to access such services due to the nature of their work.The platform, synonymous with adult content, operates with a strict 18+ age limit and has 4.6 million creator accounts registered. These creators split their subscription proceeds 80:20 with the platform. OnlyFans also boasts 377 million fan accounts, allowing users to purchase videos and send messages to their favorite performers.In terms of financial performance, OnlyFans posted $1.4 billion in revenues for the year ending November 30, 2024, with a pre-tax profit of $684 million, marking a 4% increase from the previous year. The platform also reported $7.2 billion in payments to creators, a nearly 10% increase.Radvinsky himself received $701 million in dividends from OnlyFans in 2024, adding to the over $1 billion he had previously received. The company had previously explored sale talks with various investors, including a potential 60% stake sale to Architect Capital and a consortium led by Forest Road Company.If the minority sale proceeds, control of OnlyFans will remain with the family trust holding Radvinsky's shares. OnlyFans has declined to comment, while Architect Capital has been contacted for a statement.

The play 'Huw Fyw' by Tudur Owen takes audiences on a sentimental journey through the life of a curmudgeonly World War II veteran, exploring themes of PTSD, generational trauma, social exclusion, and the weight of irreconcilable grief.Starring Tudur Owen in the eponymous role, the Welsh-language production is marked by its absolute and unironic sincerity, with its heart unabashedly worn on its sleeve. The play's setting, mostly confined to Huw's grimy living room, adds to its plausibly compact and winningly persuasive nature.Despite some convoluted plotting, the play is deftly directed by Steffan Donnelly, with four very fine performances from the cast, including Owen, Leah Gaffey, Owen Alun, and Dafydd Emyr. The play's sentimentality resists tipping into mawkishness, instead offering a poignant survival strategy to cope with the horrors of war.The production's strange double nostalgia for the 1990s and 1940s adds to its uncanniness, making it a must-see for audiences. 'Huw Fyw' is currently showing at Dance House, Cardiff until 18 April, and will be touring until 8 May.

Mr Cobra arrives as the latest statement from Korean‑American experimental musician Lucy Liyou, translating her solo music‑theatre piece into a full‑length album that confronts the corrosive nature of desire. From the opening track, listeners are greeted by a fractured piano motif that feels like shattered glass against an empty canvas, immediately setting a tone of tension and vulnerability.The record refuses to settle into any single genre. Liyou’s soundscapes swell into glossy disco bursts, dissolve into a tongue‑in‑cheek Taylor Swift skit, and even collapse into farmyard noises and text‑to‑speech monologues. This kaleidoscopic approach mirrors the emotional volatility of the central character, Babygirl, who oscillates between yearning and revulsion as she navigates a predatory romance.Key moments illustrate the album’s thematic focus on shame and power dynamics. On “Constrictor (Haha)”, Babygirl’s submissive cravings are drenched in cold‑water imagery, only to be abruptly repelled in the whimsical “Old MacDonald Had a Charm”. By the close of the track she is once again flirting, underscoring the cyclical trap of abusive attraction. Liyou also toys with celebrity culture; the track “Romeopathy” reworks Swift’s “Love Story” into a desperate plea for validation, repeatedly urging Mr Cobra to “just say yes”.While the album’s nursery‑rhyme hooks and disco interludes can momentarily distract from its darker undercurrents, they are integral to the smart, playful chaos that defines Liyou’s artistic vision. Mr Cobra stands as a daring, semi‑autobiographical exploration of how desire can both enthrall and erode, offering listeners a richly layered experience that rewards repeated, attentive listening.

A new report has found that media coverage of violence against women and girls has reached a 'dismal' low, despite a proliferation of high-profile cases of men abusing women and children, and a rise in AI-assisted violence against women and girls. The analysis of 1.14bn online stories published worldwide between 2017 and 2025 found that the proportion of articles including terms related to misogynistic abuse dropped to 1.3% of all global online news in 2025, the lowest level in that period.Coverage peaked at 2.2% in 2018, the height of the #MeToo movement. In Africa, where multiple conflicts have involved extreme levels of sexual violence, coverage sank to a nine-year low of 1.18% in 2024. The report also found that when misogyny-related stories are covered, men's perspectives and opinions dominate, with 1.5 men quoted for every one woman in stories about misogyny.The research identified a failure to address the structural nature of misogyny that enables abuse through long-standing prejudices and power imbalances. One in nine women worldwide have experienced violence from men in the last 12 months and one in three women have been subject to physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. The report recommended solutions to improving coverage of violence against women and girls, including putting female journalists and editors in charge of shaping coverage, and victims and survivors of violence at the heart of the story.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has declared that his country is prepared to fight if necessary, despite not seeking conflict with the United States. This statement comes as Cuba marks the 65th anniversary of its socialist revolutionary character, amid heightened tensions with the US.Diaz-Canel's defiant remarks were made before a crowd commemorating Fidel Castro's declaration of the socialist nature of the Cuban Revolution and the failed Bay of Pigs invasion by US-aligned forces. He emphasized Cuba's readiness to confront serious threats, including military aggression, stating, 'We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if it becomes inevitable, to defeat it.'The US, under President Donald Trump, has been increasing pressure on Cuba, threatening the island nation's government and tightening energy restrictions. Trump has suggested that the US could overthrow the Cuban government, following the US-Israel conflict with Iran. These actions have contributed to fuel shortages and energy blackouts in Cuba, straining workers and businesses.Cuba's economy has long suffered from a US economic embargo, economic mismanagement, and political repression, prompting many Cubans to leave the country. A United Nations vote in 2025 saw 165 countries demand an end to the US embargo, with only seven countries, including the US, Israel, Argentina, and Hungary, voting against.Diaz-Canel has strongly defended Cuba, stating, 'Cuba is not a failed state. Cuba is a besieged state,' facing multidimensional aggression through economic warfare and an intensified blockade.