Warnings were ignored and processes rushed because No 10 had already made up its mind to let Peter Mandelson sail through

The arrogance takes your breath away, even to the end. Sacked in disgrace for bringing shame upon those who trusted him, Peter Mandelson’s response, we now know, was to unsuccessfully demand half a million pounds of public money to go quietly, all while haughtily insisting upon his dignity as a servant of the crown. In other words, this week’s disclosures suggest Mandelson behaves in a tight corner pretty much exactly as bitter experience suggests he might. What they still don’t explain satisfactorily is why Downing Street, seemingly alone, failed to anticipate that.

To understand what went wrong, imagine the three-step process by which he became ambassador to Washington as a sandwich: two bland slices of officialdom, representing the Cabinet Office’s initial efforts at due diligence and a deeper vetting process at the end, glued together with political filling. Take away the middle, which is the political operation around the prime minister himself, and what’s left is dry bread falling apart in your hands.

Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columinst

Guardian Newsroom: Can Labour come back from the brink?
On Thursday 30 April, ahead of the May elections, join Gaby Hinsliff, Zoe Williams, Polly Toynbee and Rafael Behr as they discuss how much of a threat Labour faces from the Green party and Reform UK, and whether Keir Starmer can survive as leader of the Labour party
Book tickets here or at guardian.live

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The German chancellor and his Social Democrat coalition partners need to learn the right lessons, after an election reverse in Germany’s third-largest state

For most of the postwar period, the state of Baden-Württemberg was both a bastion of German conservatism and – as the home of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche – an economic powerhouse. But in volatile times, even regions that embodied political stability and industrial prowess now deliver the unexpected. A come-from-behind victory for the Greens last Sunday, in the first of a series of important regional elections this year, suggests that Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrat-led national government is alienating voters in the same way as other centrist administrations in Europe. If Sir Keir Starmer has Gorton and Denton to anguish over, Mr Merz and his Social Democrat coalition partners now have Baden-Württemberg.

Caveats apply. The Greens already had an impressive power base in Germany’s third-largest state, where they have been the senior partner in coalition administrations for 15 years. In Cem Özdemir, their victorious candidate, they also fielded a charismatic and popular campaigner. Mr Özdemir’s personal achievement is in itself a cause for celebration. The son of immigrants who arrived in the country in the 1960s, he becomes Germany’s first state premier with Turkish roots.

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The streamer’s biggest film of all time, also nominated for two Oscars, is getting a followup

A sequel to record-breaking hit KPop Demon Hunters has been officially confirmed at Netflix.

The film will again be a collaboration between the streamer and Sony with Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the writer-directors, returning.

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Fabien Galthié hopes ballet excursion can help Les Bleus put Scotland debacle behind them for Six Nations finale

A night at the opera may not be to every Frenchman’s taste these days, but for Fabien Galthié the outing will have been an integral part of his team’s Six Nations finale preparations.

Two evenings out from their clash against England, Les Bleus were set to leave their training camp to watch rehearsals for a performance of the ballet Romeo and Juliet at the Opéra Garnier in central Paris. “It’s important for us to take a step back,” the head coach explained. “We’re going to be meeting the lead dancers, watching them at work, speaking to them, and experiencing that legendary venue.”

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Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Prof. dr. Francio Guadeloupe, bijzonder hoogleraar Publieke Antropologie van Koninkrijksrelaties, hield vandaag, donderdag 12 maart, zijn oratie bij de Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA). Guadeloupe hield zijn inaugurele rede als houder van de leerstoel Publieke Antropologie van Koninkrijksrelaties. Deze leerstoel is in 2024 ingesteld door het ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties (BZK).

Met een zogenoemde ‘interventieverklaring’ beschrijft Nederland omstandigheden waaronder het Israëlische geweld in Gaza als genocide aangemerkt kan worden. Het kiest daarbij geen partij voor of tegen Israël.

WEST BLOOMFIELD (ANP) - Bij het schietincident bij een synagoge in de Amerikaanse staat Michigan zijn voor zover bekend geen gewonden gevallen. Dat meldt de county-sheriff aan CNN. "Op dit moment zijn er geen berichten dat iemand gewond is geraakt, op wellicht de schutter na."

Bij de Temple Israel in West Bloomfield nabij Detroit ramde eerder een auto de gevel van de synagoge. Vervolgens zou er zijn geschoten, naar verluidt door een bewaker. In het complex bevinden zich onder meer een school en een voorschoolse opvang. Die waren op het moment van het incident geopend.

Clive Thompson wrote about coding with AI agents. “Software developers point out that coding has a unique quality: They can tether their A.I.s to reality, because they can demand the agents test the code to see if it runs correctly.”