Sweden This article is more than 9 months oldSweden ‘places on hold’ deportation of UK woman with Alzheimer’sThis article is more than 9 months oldExclusive: Charities have called Kathleen Poole’s removal order a ‘cruel’ misapplication of Brexit withdrawal agreement An elderly British woman with Alzheimer’s threatened with deportation from Sweden has been given a stay following international condemnation of a move that was called a cruel, inhumane and deeply shocking misapplication of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Isabella Hammad – a natural storyteller. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The ObserverIsabella Hammad – a natural storyteller. Photograph: Sophia Evans/The ObserverBook of the dayFictionReviewAn engaging hero’s journey through the end of the Ottoman empire to the rise of Palestinian nationalism Isabella Hammad’s remarkably accomplished debut novel very quickly snares the reader’s attention. Ranging from Nablus in thedying days of the Ottoman empire via Istanbul and Cairo to Montpellier and Paris, and always connecting the personal with the political, the journey of our hero Midhat Kamal – who as the book opens in 1914 is sailing to pursue his studies in medicine in France – makes for compelling reading.

Mary GaitskillReviewThe anger and ambiguities of #MeToo are masterfully distilled into the account of a complicated friendshipMary Gaitskill’s formidable new novella opens in the aftermath of an intense period of reckoning, during which sexual abusers and harassers have been called out. Trials are set; justice is pending. In other words, the book’s fictional world is our current one. The duo narrating the story are friends of 20 years – Quinlan Maximillian Saunders (known as Q), and Margot (M).

US elections 2024Trump wins big in Iowa as Republican contest kicks off 2024 presidential raceFormer president a step closer to Joe Biden rematch, as Ron DeSantis edges out Nikki Haley for distant second place finish Iowa caucus 2024 – full results Donald Trump has won an overwhelming victory in the US’s first election contest of 2024, easily fending off a winnowed field of Republicans in the Iowa caucuses. The Associated Press called the race for Trump rapidly, while caucus-goers in much of the state were still casting ballots, a sign of the wide lead the former president had in the race.

The ObserverPolitics booksInterviewAnthony Seldon on Boris Johnson: ‘At his heart, he is extraordinarily empty’Tim AdamsThe distinguished historian and headteacher discusses his latest book about a contemporary prime minister, a devastating – and dispiriting – account of Johnson’s chaotic reign Andrew Rawnsley reviews Johnson at 10 by Anthony Seldon and Raymond Newell Sir Anthony Seldon, the famous headteacher, has been writing book-length report cards on British prime ministers for 40 years.