Iranian Palme d’Or winner Jafar Panahi calls for fall of Tehran regime
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Netherlands returns more than 100 Benin Bronzes looted from Nigeria
Nigeria and the Netherlands have returned 119 Benin Bronzes to the country. The artefacts were looted by British colonial troops in 1897. The official handover ceremony will take place on 21 June in Lagos. It is the largest physical return of Benin artefacts to Nigeria to date. Most of the Bronzes were exhibited at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden. Four items will remain on display there on a loan agreement. The stolen pieces were eventually sold to over 130 museums in 20 countries, mostly in the United Kingdom and Germany. The country signed a repatriation agreement with Germany in July 2022 for the return of 1,130 Bronzes. Twenty of them landed in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, in December 2022.
It took more than a century but they are finally home. The Netherlands have returned 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, nearly 130 years after they were looted by British colonial troops.
This shipment is the largest physical return of Benin artefacts to Nigeria to date. The Netherlands had agreed to their transfer in February upon request from the Nigerian government.
The official handover ceremony will take place on 21 June at the National Museum in Lagos, in the presence of representatives from both nations.
“The symbolism of this occasion cannot be overemphasised and what it means for the pride and dignity of not just the Benin people, but the whole of Nigeria”, said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, in a statement.
“We thank the Netherlands for the good example set and look forward to forging even greater ties between our two nations through cultural diplomacy”, he added.
Benin Bronzes are inspected before the official handover ceremony on 21 June @gbileholloway/Instagram
Most of the Bronzes were part of the Dutch State Collection and were exhibited at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden. Four items will remain on display there on a loan agreement.
“We congratulate Nigeria on their persistent advocacy for the return of the Benin Bronzes”, said Dutch Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation Dewi van de Weerd.
“We hope that this restitution is not the final chapter, but the foundation for further cooperation between Dutch and Nigerian museums.”
The Benin Bronzes are a group of several thousand plaques and sculptures made between the 15th and 19th centuries. Artefacts include ornaments, jewellery and masks, many of which decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, now the Southern Nigerian Edo state.
Most of these objects were stolen in 1897, during a brutal punitive expedition in which British troops killed thousands of people and looted the palace.
Following the violent raid, the Kingdom of Benin was absorbed into colonial Nigeria. The stolen pieces were eventually sold to over 130 museums in 20 countries, mostly in the United Kingdom and Germany.
The result of a long-running effort
Nigeria has relentlessly campaigned over the years to reclaim the Bronzes.
The country signed a repatriation agreement with Germany in July 2022 for the return of 1,130 Benin Bronzes. Twenty of them landed in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, in December 2022.
Nigeria also sent a repatriation request to the British Museum in October 2021. The institution retains over 900 objects from the Kingdom of Benin.
Debates over the restitution of Africa’s looted art has reached several European countries in recent years.
Benin received 26 royal treasures from France in 2021. The pieces were stolen during the 1892 colonisation of the Dahomey kingdom. Mati Diop’s 2024 documentary Dahomey chronicled the restitution process.
The Nigerian government has yet to announce how and where the newly returned Benin Bronzes will be displayed.
In the meantime, young contemporary artists from Benin city, in southern Nigeria, have put together an exhibition on “Reclaiming heritage: new narratives”, currently on display in the National Museum in Lagos.
Iranian Cannes Winner, Oscar Nominee Call for End to Israel-Iran Conflict
Oscar-nominated director Jafar Panahi signs open letter calling for an end to the conflict. The letter also calls on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to step down. The U.S. President has called for Iran to surrender, but has not said if he will do so. Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel on Thursday, killing at least three people. The Israeli military responded with a barrage of its own missiles, killing two people and wounding several others, including an Israeli air force pilot and an Israeli soldier. The two countries have been at odds over Iran’s nuclear program since the 1980s, when it was accused of developing weapons of mass destruction. The United States has accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Palme d’Or winner Panahi and the Oscar-nominated Rasoulof added their signatures to the op-ed published Wednesday in French newspaper Le Monde. Other prominent Iranian signatures included those of Nobel Peace Prize laureates Narges Mohammadi and Shirin Ebadi and human rights activists Sedigheh Vasmaghi, Shahnaz Akmali and Abdolfattah Soltani.
“We demand the immediate halt of uranium enrichment by the Islamic Republic, the cessation of military hostilities, an end to attacks on vital infrastructure in both Iran and Israel, and the stopping of massacres of civilians in both countries,” the open letter reads.
Iran’s enrichment of uranium has for decades been a cause of tension with the West and Israel. The latter justified its attacks on Iran last Friday, which sparked the current conflict, arguing Iran was close to building an atomic bomb, something Tehran denies.
“We believe that continuing uranium enrichment and the devastating war between the Islamic Republic and the Israeli regime neither serves the Iranian people nor humanity at large,” the Le Monde letter continues. “Uranium enrichment is in no way in the interest of the Iranian people. They must not be sacrificed for the nuclear or geopolitical ambitions of an authoritarian regime,” they said.
The signatories also called on Iran’s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to step down. “The current leaders of the Islamic Republic lack the capacity to resolve Iran’s domestic crises or its external tensions. The only credible path to preserve this country and its people is for current authorities to step down.”
In a post on his Instagram account, Panahi said he has been stranded in Australia since the invasion. The director was visiting the Sydney Film Festival when the conflict started. “Since that day, I have been looking for a way to come back home [to] my family and especially my mother,” Panahi wrote on his Instagram post, according to the Farsi to English translation.
“This situation is deeply painful and deadly for me; not only because of the inevitable distance from home, but because of the feeling of incapability to face the suffering of the people who are sacrificed every day in the heart of this war. When the fate of a nation comes hostage to high-flying and power seekers, what is left for us is nothing but anger, grief and the heavy responsibility of telling the truth to future generations.”
Panahi returned to Iran last month after winning the Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident. He has been able to travel freely since 2023, when Iran’s Supreme Court overturned an earlier travel ban. Rasoulof, who received an Oscar nomination for The Seed of the Sacred Fig, fled Iran last year and currently lives in Germany.
The Israel-Iran conflict continues unabated, with Israeli media reports that Iran fired dozens of 30 ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday morning.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” but, so far, has not said whether the U.S. military will join Israel’s ongoing attacks.
‘Dire Threat’: Prominent Iranian Dissidents Call for End to Nuclear Activity and the Israel-Iran War
Leaders of Iranian civil society call for an end to the Israel-Iran war. The letter was published in the French newspaper Le Monde. It was signed by Narges Mohammadi, Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof. The signatories are known for their criticism of the Iranian regime and for their political activity. They call on the U.N. to intervene to stop the war. and for Iran to stop uranium enrichment.
In a joint op-ed published in French daily Le Monde, the signatories called on the governments of both Iran and Israel to stop targeting civilian areas and infrastructure, and appealed to the United Nations and the international community to intervene.
“We, activists from Iranian civil society and signatories of this statement, demand the immediate halt of uranium enrichment by the Islamic Republic, the cessation of military hostilities, an end to attacks on vital infrastructure in both Iran and Israel, and the stopping of massacres of civilians in both countries,” they wrote.
The letter was signed by Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2023; Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2003; Jafar Panahi, Palme d’Or winner at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival; and Mohammad Rasoulof, winner of the 2024 Special Jury Prize at Cannes.
Other signatories include legal scholar and former Tehran city council member Sedigheh Vasmaghi, human rights activist Shahnaz Akmali, and lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani.
They argue that Iran’s nuclear ambitions do not reflect the will or interests of its people. “[The Iranian people] must not be sacrificed for the nuclear or geopolitical ambitions of an authoritarian regime.”
The signatories are known for their criticism of the regime and dissidence: Mohammadi served multiple jail terms for her advocacy for women in Iran, and Panahi and Rasoulof were both imprisoned for their political activity. They called for a political transition, writing, “The only credible path to preserve this country and its people is for current authorities to step down and facilitate a peaceful transition to authentic democracy.”
They also called for the international community and the United Nations to intervene to pressure the Islamic Republic to cease all uranium enrichment activities and stop hostilities.”This conflict not only obliterates infrastructure and takes civilian lives – it poses a dire threat to the very foundations of human civilization.”
Stephen Fry trending online for comments on J.K. Rowling: ‘She seems to be a lost cause’
Stephen Fry has labelled Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling a “lost cause” and stated that she has been “radicalised by TERFs” – the acronym that stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist’ Fry spoke in the aftermath of the UK Supreme Court ruling in April that determined that ‘woman’ meant a biological female and not gender. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have all spoken out against her controversial views. Earlier this year, Rowling reignited tensions with the actors by taking an indirect jab at Radcliffe,. Watson and Grint. “Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces,” she wrote on X.X.Millionaire actor Tom Felton remains “grateful’ to Rowling.
Renowned British actor, author and broadcaster Stephen Fry has labelled Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling a “lost cause” and stated that she has been “radicalised by TERFs” – the acronym that stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”.
The term is used by transgender activists against gender critics like Rowling, who has dedicated much of her online presence to defending her views while expressing transphobic views.
During the recording of the podcast The Show People, Fry, who previously narrated all seven Harry Potter audiobooks, said: “She has been radicalised I fear and it maybe she has been radicalised by TERFs, but also by the vitriol that is thrown at her.”
As reported by The Daily Mail, Fry continued: “It is unhelpful and only hardens her and will only continue to harden her I am afraid. I am not saying that she not be called out when she says things that are really cruel, wrong and mocking. She seems to be a lost cause for us.”
“I am sorry because I always liked her company,” he added. “I found her charming, funny and interesting and then this thing happened, and it completely altered the way she talks and engages with the world now.”
He continued by saying that Rowling’s “contemptuous” comments “add to a terribly distressing time for trans people.”
Stephen Fry – pictured at Newport Beach Film Festival in London – Thursday 13 February 2025 AP Photo
Stephen Fry spoke in the aftermath of the UK Supreme Court ruling in April that determined that ‘woman’ meant a biological female and not gender.
Lord Hodge said the five Supreme Court justices had unanimously decided that “the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex.”
Many expressed fears that the ruling could put trans and non-binary people in danger. Stonewall’s chief executive Simon Blake said that the ruling “will be incredibly worrying for the trans community and all of us who support them.”
Meanwhile, Rowling celebrated the ruling by posting a picture of herself smoking a cigar on her yacht.
Fry’s recent comments have been met with a torrent of bile online…
… as well as some support, highlighting quite how divisive the issue remains.
Fry is not the only former Harry Potter star to speak out and criticise Rowling’s continued hateful rhetoric. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have all spoken out against her controversial views.
Last year, Radcliffe told The Atlantic that Rowling’s views “make me really sad”, adding: “Because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”
Watson expressed her support, stating: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”
Meanwhile Rupert Grint said: “I firmly stand with the trans community… Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”
Rowling previously said that she wouldn’t forgive the Harry Potter stars who have criticised her views. “Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces,” she wrote on X.
Earlier this year, Rowling reignited tensions with the actors by taking an indirect jab at Radcliffe, Watson and Grint. In March, she was asked: “What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?”
Rowling replied: “Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.”
By contrast, Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the franchise, said he remains “grateful” to Rowling.
“I’m not really that attuned,” said Felton. “The only thing I always remind myself is that I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world. Here I am in New York. And I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter, and she’s responsible for that. So I’m incredibly grateful.”
His comments sparked a wave of differing reactions – some applauded him for what they called a “classy response,” while others condemned his words as “atrocious,” “spineless,” and “disappointing.”
World War II hero Alan Turing’s saved papers sell for record price at UK auction
Documents were discovered in a loft at a property in Bermondsey, London, and were almost destroyed during a house clearance. Rare items included a personal signed copy of Turing’s 1938 PhD dissertation, “Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals”, which sold for £110,500 (€129,200) His paper “On Computable Numbers” – also known as “Turing’s Proof” – introduced the world to the idea of a universal computing machine in 1936. The papers were originally gifted to Turing’s friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing’s mother, Ethel. Routledge kept the papers and, on his death, they were taken to his sister’s loft.
A collection of rare scientific papers written by mathematician, computer scientist and Second World War codebreaker Alan Turing has sold for a record £465,400 (€544,400) at auction in Lichfield, UK.
The documents were discovered in a loft at a property in Bermondsey, London, and were almost destroyed during a house clearance.
Some of the rare items that went under the hammer included a personal signed copy of Turing’s 1938 PhD dissertation, “Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals”, which sold for £110,500 (€129,200), as well as his paper “On Computable Numbers” – also known as “Turing’s Proof” – which introduced the world to the idea of a universal computing machine in 1936.
The collection also included “The Chemical Basis Of Morphogenesis”, which sold for £19,500 (€22,800). Dating from 1952, it is Turing’s last major published work.
The Turing papers Rare Book Auctions
The treasure trove of Turing material had originally been gifted to Turing’s friend and fellow mathematician, Norman Routledge, by Turing’s mother, Ethel. Routledge kept the papers and, on his death, they were taken to his sister’s loft.
Hansons Auctioneers had estimated the lots would sell for £40,000 to £60,000 each, but “On Computable Numbers” alone sold for £208,000 (€243,000).
Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, said of the papers, which were brought to experts in a carrier bag: “Nothing could’ve prepared me for what I found in that carrier bag. These plain, academic papers were absolutely electrifying – they are the very bedrock of modern computing. Handling them was both humbling and haunting.”
He continued: “Knowing the tragic arc of Turing’s life only adds to the emotional weight. He was treated appallingly despite all he had done and yet, here, his ideas remain alive, relevant, and revolutionary.”
Spencer added: “This was the most important archive I’ve ever handled. The papers came within inches of being destroyed, and instead they’ve captured the world’s imagination. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime discovery – not just for collectors, but for the sake of preserving the story of one of the greatest minds in history.”
Jim Spencer from Rare Books Auctions Rare Book Auctions
Turing is widely regarded as the father of computing science and played a central role in breaking the Enigma code, used by the Nazis during the Second World War.
After the war, he was convicted of being involved in homosexual acts and accepted a procedure commonly referred to as chemical castration as an alternative to prison. Truing took his own life on 7 June 1954, aged 41.
Following a campaign in 2009, British prime minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology for the “appalling way” Turing was treated after the war. Queen Elizabeth II granted a pardon in 2013.
The “Alan Turing law” is a term used informally to refer to a 2017 law in the UK that retroactively pardoned men convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts.