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After new feature tells people to eat rocks or add glue to pizza sauce, company to restrict which searches return summaries Google announced on Thursday that it would refine and retool its summaries of search results generated by artificial intelligence, posting a blog explaining why the feature was returning bizarre and inaccurate answers that included telling people to eat rocks or add glue to pizza sauce. The company will reduce the scope of searches that will return an AI-written summary. Google has added several restrictions on the types of searches that would generate AI Overview results, the company’s head of search, Liz Reid, said, as well as “limited the inclusion of satire and humor content”. The company is also taking action against what it described as a small number of AI Overviews that violate its content policies, which it said occurred in fewer than 1 in 7m unique search queries where the feature appeared. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HBTsJ...

Author of Anansi’s Gold, a nonfiction account of a notorious Ghanian conman ‘told with biting wit’, wins £1,000 award Yepoka Yeebo has won the 2024 Jhalak prize for her nonfiction book about a Ghanaian con artist. Anansi’s Gold is an “exhilarating journey” through the life and “almost unbelievable” adventures of John Ackah Blay-Miezah, “told with great panache and a biting wit,” said prize director Sunny Singh. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dZucnP

I was shocked to learn of the brazenness of Israel’s intimidation effort. It is to the credit of the ICC prosecutors that it has failed I should not be surprised at the lawlessness of a government that bombs and starves Palestinian civilians in Gaza, but I was still shocked by the brazenness of Israel’s efforts to subvert the international criminal court’s investigation of its war crimes. As exposed by the Guardian along with Israeli media outlets +972 and Local Call, the Israeli government over the course of nine years “deployed its intelligence agencies to surveil, hack, pressure, smear and allegedly threaten senior ICC staff in an effort to derail the court’s inquiries”. The effort was brazen. Mysterious men visited the former chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, outside her private home and handed her an envelope of cash, which the ICC believed “was likely [Israel] signalling to the prosecutor that it knew where she lived,” the Guardian has reported . They allegedly threatened her ...

Rishi Sunak is so palpably convinced he can’t win he’s promising any old mad thing. Meanwhile, the Lib Dems are falling off kayaks People say manufacturing has declined under the Conservatives, but the sheer volume of outrage manufactured by Rishi Sunak’s national service wingnuttery at the weekend was last night compounded by his decision to unveil a quadruple lock to the state pension. Truly the seven-blade razor of advanced pensions technology. It’s so innovative it might even spin off and manufacture another deranged Loose Women segment . I am still howling at the moment on the show a couple of weeks ago when Janet Street-Porter demanded of Sunak: “Why do you hate pensioners? WHY DO YOU HATE PENSIONERS? That is the only conclusion I can come to.” State of the art lunacy, made end-to-end in the UK. Let’s face it: this is what you call a joined-up manufacturing industry. But look, for whatever reason, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves preferred to spend their afternoon at a facility ...

Few of us have the money to take a long pause from work or caring responsibilities. But, as I found, even a day can make a difference You might imagine that escaping from your everyday life would involve relocating to a Hebridean croft or attending a series of rejuvenating retreats. But, according to Emma Gannon’s new book project, A Year of Nothing, it could be as simple as staying at home. “I did nothing,” writes Gannon. “I stopped replying to emails. I used my savings. I slept. I borrowed a friend’s dog. I ate bananas in bed. I bought miniature plants. I read magazines. I lay down. I did nothing. It felt totally alien to me.” For Gannon, the sabbatical was enforced after she experienced burnout, caused by chronic exhaustion from occupational stress. “All the while, I was keeping diaries,” she says. “Writing down the ‘nothingness’ of my days. I journalled all the things I noticed, the stuff I usually ignored, the people I met, the kindness of strangers, the magical coincidences – t...

This revealing memoir about the author’s 20 years in the City of Light identifies the complex codes of behaviour that newcomers are obliged to master In 1990 the Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo published a short essay called Paris, Capital of the 21st Century. By the end of the 20th century, he had decided that Paris was exhausted. The city of avant gardes, ideas, revolutions and class struggle, which had defined so much of European and world history, was now no more than a museum. As almost a lifelong Parisian and a lover of the place, Goytisolo desperately wanted Paris in the 21st century to retake its place as a great metropolis. But this could only happen, he argued, if Paris reinvented itself by “de-Europeanising” itself. By this, he meant it had to look towards the world beyond Europe, welcoming its sometimes dissident non-French, non-European voices to make itself a truly global city. Only in this way could Paris be brought back to life. More than 30 years on from that essay, Si...

Dominant Pogacar wins by biggest margin since 1965 Tim Merlier outsprints Jonathan Milan to take final stage Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar emphatically won the Giro d’Italia on his debut when he retained his unassailable overall lead after the 21st and final stage in Rome on Sunday, winning by the biggest overall margin since 1965. The 25-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider had been in the leader’s pink jersey since winning stage two, the first of his six stage successes, and finished the ceremonial 125km flat run on Sunday safely in the bunch as Tim Merlier won the stage. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/jVsG3bO

Bilbao is used to being decorated in stripes, the flags of their beloved Athletic Club hang from every other window, but on Saturday the city found itself swamped in less familiar colours, Barcelona’s red and blue filling every bar and populating every square as travelling fans celebrated beating Lyon in a Champions League final at the third time of asking. It was their talismanic duo, playmaker Aitana Bonmatí and superstar Alexia Putellas, who delivered in front of 50,827 fans. Bonmatí’s effort taking a deflection off Vanessa Gilles to take it past Christiane Endler shortly after the hour mark, before Putellas added the second a minute after coming on deep into injury time. It was deserved, the French champions were unable to handle the guile of the world’s best passers of the ball. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Vsb9tAm

The world champion speaks on dealing with Red Bull’s internal strife, learning from mistakes and focusing on performance Max Verstappen takes a breath, gathering his thoughts, the usually ebullient and unpredictable driver for once appearing stilted. It is almost as if he is assessing the parameters of what he can and cannot say, knowing his words carry more scrutiny than ever this season. “The more I talk about it, the more people have to write,” he says, almost apologetically. “You write it down, you make a story out of it and people will pick up little things and it becomes a massive shit storm. You know what I mean? I tell you a story that might get translated to Spanish, Dutch, whatever. The more I say about it is not going to help the situation.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/L18RTbO

Ceiling of Medusa Beach Club on the seafront at Palma de Mallorca gave way, according to reports At least four people have been killed and 27 injured after a building collapsed on a beachfront in Mallorca, emergency services said on Thursday. The two-storey building, the Medusa Beach Club, collapsed in Palma de Mallorca, according to reports. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1AzYfcr

Last of state’s Indigenous tribes vote ‘in solidarity’ to bar Noem after she claimed tribal leaders benefit from drug cartels South Dakota’s far-right governor Kristi Noem is now officially barred by Indigenous groups from visiting all tribal lands in her own home state. The sweeping ban is the latest development in the contentious relationship between Noem and Indigenous tribes after controversial comments the governor made connecting tribal leaders to international drug cartels. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lCNUTAZ

Cannes film festival Gilles Lelouche’s new movie aims for a Springsteenesque blue-collar energy but buckles under the weight of its own naivety Gilles Lelouche’s new film is a giant operatic crime drama of star-crossed lovers and hurt feelings; it’s very French, but aiming for some blue-collar Springsteen energy. There are some good performances, and a very serviceable armed robbery scene. But Beating Hearts suffers from a lack of subtlety and bloat, with an increasingly insistent cry-bully sensitive-macho ethic, and a colossally inflated final section belatedly reassuring us of the film’s belief in the power and importance of love. In the end it is sentimental and naive, particularly about the legal consequences of beating your husband half to death in a phone box, however abusive he has been. And I had a strange taste in my mouth after a late scene in which the heroine, working on the checkout of a supermarket where her boyfriend is employed in the loading bay, coolly tells the obn...

Ex-president recasts FBI’s standard policy statement limiting use of deadly force into claim Biden officials were ‘locked and loaded’ On social media and in a Tuesday fundraising email, Donald Trump raised an alarming concern. The Department of Justice, he said, was ready to kill him. The wild distortion came against the backdrop of Trump’s hush-money trial in New York and amid fears of rising political violence around the coming presidential election, predominantly from the far right. The comments cement an inverted picture Trump and his allies have painted, in which a patriotic Trump is pitted against anti-democratic deep-state foes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/RmbU7p2

High temperatures in Mexico have been linked to dozens and perhaps hundreds of deaths of howler monkeys It’s so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees. At least 83 of the midsize primates, who are known for their roaring vocal calls, were found dead in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. Others were rescued by residents, including five that were rushed to a local veterinarian who battled to save them. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/0PLondy

People infected as well as close relations of victims or those caring for victims will be eligible Victims of the infected blood scandal – seen as one of the worst treatment disasters in the history of the NHS – have raised concerns about the government’s pledged compensation scheme. There are worries that existing payments could be conflated as being part of the wider compensation scheme. An injury impact award, to recognise the physical and mental injury the infection has caused victims. A social impact award to acknowledge the stigma or social isolation. An autonomy award. A care award. A financial loss award. Hepatitis B or hepatitis C acute, defined as an infection shorter than six months. Hepatitis C or hepatitis B chronic, defined as infections longer than six months. Hepatitis C or bepatitis B cirrhosis, which left long-term liver damage. Hepatitis C or hepatitis B – decompensated cirrhosis HIV. Co-infection of HIV and hepatitis C or hepatitis B. Hepatitis C (acut...

Former world No 1 is more confident and at ease with herself since her return to action in January after 15 months away Naomi Osaka is a worrier. There are times, she says, when she cannot stop her mind from working itself into overdrive as it fixates on her future. One of her concerns in recent years has been what lies ahead after tennis; she is not sure if she is good at many things beyond the brutal treatment she can dole out to a ball. Considering the common theme of much of the conversation so far had been Osaka’s growth and maturity, this disclosure naturally prompts a question about how she has managed to move past her tendency to overthink her future plans. She responds, laughing, without hesitation: “Who said I’m past that?” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5Rt3uSf

The US and others have criticised the chief prosecutor for seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. The ICC needs support The international criminal court was born more than two decades ago, largely from the genocides of Rwanda and Yugoslavia, and the contradictory impulses that they inspired: the grim recognition of the worst of human nature and the optimistic determination to address it. More than 120 countries ratified its founding treaty. But the world’s superpower – and other major players including Russia, China and India – refused. The result, almost inevitably, was that it became regarded – in the reported words of one elected official to the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan – as “built for Africa and thugs like Putin”. In fact, Vladimir Putin’s indictment a year ago, applauded by the US and others, was regarded as a gear change for a body that had overwhelmingly charged African leaders and officials . Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you wo...

Which? readers have consigned the Lincolnshire town to the bottom of the list of beach resorts – despite its affordability, unspoilt coastline and clean water Name: Skegness. Age: Inhabited since the iron age. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/l1U7Vfk

Anfield said goodbye to a coach that has reinvigorated the club since 2015, even if his trophy haul is underwhelming There was a game of football at Anfield on Sunday, and Liverpool, despite missing countless chances, as they have done consistently over the past couple of months, won it 2-0. But nobody seemed to care too much; even Gary O’Neil was restrained in his reaction to the VAR upgrading Nelson Semedo’s yellow card to a red. It was only last week that Wolves called for the review system to be abolished : if you come at the VAR you’d best not miss. But beneath a sky of perfect unbroken blue, this was not a day on which the game or the league table mattered; this was a day for saying goodbye, and saying thank you. “Danke Jürgen,” as the tifo running round two sides of the ground read, culminating with a heart on the Kop in the colours of the Germany flag. Liverpool knew that, whatever happened, they would finish third. That’s three places higher and, as it turned out, 20 points...

Ukrainian makes convincing case as greatest of all time after rocking the Gypsy King to unify the heavyweight division In the final shake-up it was those 30 seconds at the end of the ninth round that determined Oleksandr Usyk would finish the night holding all four heavyweight belts, the first man to do so this century; and in the process complete an ascent to the most rarefied all-time champion air. This was a wonderful heavyweight fight, 12 rounds of craft , heart and in Tyson Fury’s case, bloody-minded will to keep throwing punches from the edge of unconsciousness. If that half a minute was pivotal, a knockdown that ultimately shaped the judges’ cards , it also captured the wider patterns of a fight during which Usyk worked away at Fury like a man chopping down a tree with a forged steel hatchet. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Hpu9yQf

Zverev will be among French Open favourites amid stellar form Raducanu switches focus to upcoming grass-court season Alexander Zverev defeated Nicolas Jarry in Rome to win his second Italian Open title. The German first lifted the trophy in the Italian capital back in 2017 and repeated that thanks to a 6-4, 7-5 victory over unexpected finalist Jarry. The Chilean dug deep to try to force a decider, saving three match points, but Zverev – who lost only five points on serve all afternoon – finally forced a decisive error, sinking to the clay in delight. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1LlMWx9

And so, the fabled Oxfordshire adage rings true again. Yes, revenge truly is a main course best dished up in the Wembley sunshine, in front of a 30,000-strong yellow wall, and with a Championship spot to contest. Well, at least that could have been Des Buckingham’s message to Oxford’s players as they wandered out to face a team who had, less than 10 weeks prior, swatted them aside by five goals. Because what followed cackled in the face of Bolton’s “clear favourites” tag. Josh Murphy sparkled, scoring twice in the first half, and Oxford were promoted. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/B8IvWYw

World champion equals Senna record of eight straight poles Oscar Piastri demoted to fifth so Lando Norris second on grid Max Verstappen had to pull off a comeback he believed was the best he had managed for more than five years to claim pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, delivering a suitably superb lap under immense pressure that raised him to stand alongside Ayrton Senna with a record eighth consecutive pole. In the year of the 30th anniversary of Senna’s death at Imola, Verstappen had to dig deep to deliver, after a torrid weekend during which he and Red Bull have struggled with the car’s grip and balance. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Z5wo3v0

Swiatek beats Belarusian 6-2, 6-3 in Rome Pole is third woman to win in Madrid and Italy in same year World No 1 Iga Swiatek brushed aside the No 2 Aryna Sabalenka to win the Italian Open in Rome. The 22-year-old Pole needed just one hour and 29 minutes to ease to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over her Belarusian opponent on the clay to claim the crown for the third time in four years. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZgJu1rh

Yonaguni is a tourist hotspot – but its location just 100km from Taiwan means residents must wrestle with the creeping militarisation of their home In the minds of many Japanese people, Yonaguni is a sleepy paradise of crystal-clear sea and pristine beaches, where miniature horses graze on clifftops and empty roads dissect fields of sugar cane; where tourists dive with hammerhead sharks and marvel at the Ayamihabiru – the world’s largest Atlas moth. But this tiny island, located far closer to Taipei than Tokyo, now finds itself at the centre of regional tensions triggered by a new round of Chinese aggression towards Taiwan . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MPorITH

Hotel surveillance cameras at InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles captured incident Combs had vehemently denied A newly released video shows Sean “Diddy” Combs manhandling and kicking singer Cassie Ventura – his former girlfriend – in plain view of hotel surveillance cameras in 2016, before the rapper, music producer and businessman rapidly settled a lawsuit that she brought against him this past November, according to footage exclusively obtained by CNN . The video in question illustrates in the most graphic nature possible one of the beatings alleged and described in Ventura’s lawsuit , which Combs had vehemently denied. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ba92CTt

DePape, a rightwing conspiracy theorist, broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home in 2022 and hit Paul Pelosi with a hammer David DePape, a rightwing conspiracy theorist who broke into Nancy Pelosi’s northern California home in 2022 and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. A federal jury convicted him of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official in November 2023 , just over a year after the attack in the former House speaker’s San Francisco home. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/YrEtPeh

Firm asked to back up claims about Fiona Harvey after executive’s appearance before select committee An MP has asked Netflix to provide evidence that the woman who inspired the character Martha Scott in Baby Reindeer is a “convicted stalker”, claiming that a record of her conviction has not yet been found. Netflix’s director of public policy, Benjamin King, told the culture media and sport committee on 8 May that the show was “the true story of the horrific abuse that the writer and protagonist, Richard Gadd, suffered at the hands of a convicted stalker”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/sSUg2yt

The Treasury has been quietly selling off the government’s stake at ever-higher prices on a rising market. Why mess with that? The government’s plan to sell shares in NatWest to the general public is so advanced that the odds on the chancellor pulling the plug on a pet project are slim. Investment bankers from Barclays and Goldman Sachs are doing their well-remunerated stuff, and M&C Saatchi is knocking up some adverts. The go-ahead for a rah-rah pre-election retail share offer is expected any week now. In a rational world, though, Jeremy Hunt would call the whole thing off. He already has a tried-and-tested method for disposing of the state’s NatWest shares and – this is the point – it is working splendidly. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DqOr9Rm

Suppressed DWP study told of hardship endured by carers forced to repay thousands after minor allowance breaches Ministers were warned three years ago that unpaid carers were being treated unfairly and forced to repay huge sums for minor benefit breaches, a long suppressed government report has revealed. A Department for Work and Pensions document presented to politicians in 2021 detailed how carers – the majority of whom were on low incomes and spending 65 hours a week caring for loved ones – endured financial hardship, stress and anger after being heavily penalised for falling foul of strict carer’s allowance eligibility rules. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/75vBsSI

But coroner finds no evidence to suggest trust directly caused death of Maya Siek in December 2022 An inquest into the death of a six-year-old girl has concluded an NHS hospital trust made a number of failures in her care before she died. However, a coroner found there was no evidence that suggested the trust had directly caused or contributed to the death of Maya Siek in December 2022. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Oe83SZf

Cannes film festival Taylor-Joy makes a fantastic action heroine, facing down a hilariously evil Chris Hemsworth in signature high-speed fights ‘My childhood! My mother! I want them back!” With this howl of anguish, young Furiosa, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, sets the tone of vengeful rage that runs through George Miller’s immersive, spectacular prequel to his Mad Max reboot from 2015 . Once again, there are the crazily colossal and weird convoy-action sequences which fuse the notion of “chase” and “violent combat” into a series of delirious high-velocity contests between motorbikes, 18-wheelers and armed parascenders all attacking and shooting at each other while fanatically zooming in the same direction. The vehicles themselves are what makes the Mad Max movies so very strange. Many films are called “surreal”, but these strange, ritualistic gladiator-vehicle displays in the reddish-brown emptiness really do look like something by Giorgio de Chirico or Max Ernst . Furiosa is the ori...

Researchers also find lack of fresh fruit and vegetables in schools and say portion sizes sometimes not enough Free school meal allowances are not enough for students from lower-income backgrounds to buy healthy school lunches, research suggests. The study, presented at the European Congress of Obesity (ECO), involved 42 pupils aged between 11 and 15 at seven schools across the UK. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xBKLlG6

The prime minister as a stork: would you trust him with your infant? Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gA8k0pD

Writer known as ‘Canadian Chekhov’ captured the desire and darkness of ordinary life in rural Canada, particularly for women Alice Munro, Nobel winner and titan of the short story, dies aged 92 Alice Munro, the 2013 Nobel laureate considered one of the greatest short story writers in the English language, has died at the age of 92 at her care home in Ontario, after suffering dementia for more than a decade. Born and raised in south-western Ontario, the “Canadian Chekhov” captured the desire and darkness of ordinary life in rural Canada, particularly for women – subjects long out of focus for the mainstream, finally achieving recognition later in life. A housewife and mother of four children, one of whom died in infancy, Munro would sneak in writing around naps and housework, publishing her first collection of short stories, Dance of the Happy Shades, in 1968, at age 37. Lives of Girls and Women, her only novel – really a collection of interlinked stories, as she called it – follo...

Significant advances by Vladimir Putin’s forces in the Kharkiv region must concentrate minds in the west at a critical moment Antony Blinken’s unannounced visit to Kyiv on Tuesday was a welcome and timely show of support. It was the US secretary of state’s first trip to Ukraine since America belatedly signed off on a $61bn aid package last month, allowing a desperately needed supply of new arms to finally flow to troops in the east. As Mr Blinken met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the capital, events continued to underline how urgently such assistance – and much more of the same – is required. The ultimate scope of Russia’s significant offensive in the Kharkiv region is yet to become clear. In part it may be intended to create a buffer zone, protecting Russian territory close to the north-east border. But as thousands of residents are once more displaced, and the prospect looms of a huge artillery assault on the city of Kharkiv, the incursions are also diverting threadbare Ukrai...

The most harrowing experiences of women in labour come under eight common themes in the MPs’ report Women suffering ‘harrowing’ births as hospitals hide failures, says MPs’ report A parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in the UK received more than 1,300 written submissions. The stories shared were harrowing. In many cases, the trauma experienced by women was caused by blunders before, during and after labour. Failures were often covered up by hospitals seeking to frustrate efforts by families to find answers, according to a review of the evidence by the Guardian. There were also many stories about a lack of compassion. Women were often ignored when they felt something was wrong, and were mocked, shouted at or denied basic needs such as pain relief. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wepMOGg

With many NHS maternity services struggling and a shortage of midwives, MPs’ plan for overhaul is ambitious That the findings of the UK’s first inquiry into birth trauma are far from surprising does not diminish the fact that they are shocking, devastating and difficult – indeed distressing – to read. The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for birth trauma’s 80-page report should give ministers, NHS bosses and the midwives and obstetricians who deliver care serious pause for thought. It highlights how “mistakes and failures” by maternity staff lead to stillbirths, premature births, babies being born with cerebral palsy because they were starved of oxygen at birth, and also “life-changing injuries to women as the result of severe tearing”. How some mothers were mocked, shouted at, denied pain relief, not told what was going on during their labour, left alone in blood-stained sheets, with desperate bell calls for help going unanswered – all examples of “care that lacked compassion”. ...

Glamorgan beat early Division Two pacesetters Sussex inside three days in Cardiff What a start to the season Daniel Bell-Drummond is having – after a disappointing 2023 (an unbeaten 300 against Northants notwithstanding!) – with two hundreds and two seventies under his belt already, and 67 not out against Worcestershire. His fellow batter Leaning has just reached his first fifty of the season at Canterbury , Kent 131-2. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/QuCGN2E

The television cut-aways to the ­enclosure housing the Arsenal ­supporters perfectly captured the anxiety. It was not supposed to be like this, not against this ­Manchester United. But the lesser spotted a­cceptable version of Erik ten Hag’s team was on show, fighting for the badge, and Arsenal were made to suffer. Leandro Trossard scored their goal midway through the first half after a United defensive malfunction – of course it was – but the advantage was slender and everyone knew, least of all Mikel Arteta, that it could take only one moment to rub out. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/BUcS7Tg

The second series of Things Fell Apart, the writer and broadcaster’s podcast series exploring conspiracy theories and the culture wars, topped the charts earlier this year. He explains why journalistic values such as evidence and fairness are needed more than ever Just turned 57, Jon Ronson has had a number of successes in his multi-platform career, with books such as 2011’s The Psychopath Test and documentaries such as Stanley Kubrick’s Boxes . But perhaps none of his works has resonated quite so powerfully with audiences as the podcast Things Fell Apart – in particular the second series released by the BBC in January. Later this month he is due to discuss the show as a star guest at Sheffield’s podcast festival. Like the first series, it traces the origins of a number of conflagrations in the so-called culture wars, but it ingeniously sews together these disparate events and disagreements, tying them all to the early days of lockdown, so that listeners don’t so much hear abo...

FA Trophy final: Solihull 2-2 Gateshead (aet; 4-5 on pens) Solihull lost playoff final on penalties to Bromley last week Solihull Moors and Gateshead knew their Wembley trip was only ever going to be double or quits. Tears and deja vu were guaranteed either way – it was merely a matter of dishing out the joy and despair. In the end, it was Gateshead who, courtesy of Dajaune Brown’s penalty – the 16th and coolest of an enthralling shootout – who avenged their defeat on this very occasion 12 months back. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ki0jyG7

Summer’s would-be blockbuster has hit a brick wall – did it simply typify everything the public hate about Hollywood or does it belie broader box office blight? On paper, it couldn’t fail. The Fall Guy was a lock as this summer’s first – and possibly biggest – box office smash. It had it all. Action, comedy, romance. Record-breaking stunts. Two of the hottest stars around. Great reviews. And a dog. Yet fail – or at least stumble – the The Fall Guy did. David Leitch’s bells and whistles blockbuster was tracked to make $40m at the US box office on its opening weekend. Instead, it landed just shy of $28m: a soft opening echoed overseas, where it picked up $30m across 68 other territories. Its current global total stands at $70m. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/V1QSY0u

Death toll may rise as search continues for victims under mud and rubble and as more rain approaches At least 50 people, mainly women and children, have been killed in flash flooding in the northern Afghanistan province of Baghlan. The number was confirmed by Hedayatullah Hamdard, the head of the provincial natural disaster management department, who said it could increase in the coming days. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VJgyH2K

Defense paints Trump as a distracted multitasker who signed papers without review as texts between Stormy Daniels’ ex-publicist and a former editor were shown Donald Trump returned to the Manhattan courthouse this morning, marking his 15th court appearance since 15 April as the fourth week of his historic hush-money criminal trial came to an end. Friday’s court session, which was a lot less tame and featured a handful of custodial witnesses who provided more technical supplements to testimony or evidence, followed several closely followed days of testimony involving adult film star Stormy Daniels, who divulged lurid details on her sexual affair with Trump. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DWnuoXi

Anneliese Dodds drew the short straw and was sent out to pretend Nat had always been Labour through and through Defections tend to be one-day wonders. An awkward photo op with your new party leader. Thirty minutes in the limelight at prime minister’s questions. And then oblivion. Seldom to be seen or heard of again. Take Christian Wakeford . By all accounts a decent enough bloke. But can you remember anything he has said or done since he jumped ship to Labour? He’s just another backbencher. Albeit one with some explaining to do with the constituents who elected him. Likewise Dan Poulter . He was barely seen in the Commons when he was a Tory MP. Don’t expect that to change much as he serves out his time as an opposition backbencher before stepping down at the coming election. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/nLXIcP8

The Israeli leader is dragging out the war and undermining a ceasefire for political reasons. Can Biden toughen up? On Monday, the Israeli military ordered Palestinians in the city of Rafah to evacuate ahead of airstrikes, which unleashed fears that Israel was starting a ground invasion of Gaza’s southernmost city, where 1.4 million Palestinians have taken shelter. Hours later, Hamas announced that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal outlined by Egypt and Qatar. But the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected the deal and doubled down on his plan to invade Rafah and achieve “total victory” against Hamas. It was a dizzying day in Israel’s brutal seven-month war on Gaza. But one thing was clear: Netanyahu does not want to end the war – and he’s doing all he can to undermine negotiations for a ceasefire and an agreement to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas since its 7 October attack on Israel. Netanyahu and his extremist allies fear that once the war ends, th...

Christopher Kirker tells members that normal waiting times will apply for most women as concerns raised about tokenism The chair of the Garrick has told its members that the club may consider “allowing one or two exceptional … lady members” to join in the near future but that normal waiting times will apply for the majority of women. A leaked email from Christopher Kirker to all members on Wednesday described Tuesday’s vote ending the London institution’s men-only rules as “momentous” and addressed questions about how quickly the club might move to admit women. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vCjc1Zq

Former Spanish soccer federation chief faces one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for alleged actions in the aftermath The former Spanish soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales will stand trial for his unsolicited kiss of the national team player Jenni Hermoso after a high court judge admitted the case, the court said on Wednesday. Rubiales faces one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss. The offences carry prison terms of one year and 18 months respectively. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MGwtbAj

Guard was shot inside Drake’s home and had serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while the assailant fled in a vehicle A security guard at the mansion of Canadian hip-hop artist Drake has been “seriously injured” in a shooting outside the musician’s Toronto home . The victim, an adult male, was rushed to a Toronto hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries following the shooting early on Tuesday morning. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ynvre2L

MPs and election candidates to be given guide about conspiracy theories covering topics such as 5G and the climate crisis MPs and election candidates are being provided with a guide on recognising conspiracy theories – ranging from false claims about 5G technology to others about vaccines and global organisations such as the International Monetary Fund. The guide was commissioned by Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, who launched it on Tuesday with the shadow leader, Lucy Powell, amid concern about the impact of conspiracies theories, in many cases with antisemitic overtones. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/IxLtXv7

It’s a moment of truth for Biden’s policy on Israel and the Palestinians – and at the least will make continued prevarication harder to disguise When Israeli troops paraded through the Rafah crossing with an oversized star of David on Tuesday morning, they were making a point to Hamas – and at the same time driving up to the very edge of Joe Biden’s “red line”. The Biden administration avoids that phrase at all costs. Its top officials also served Barack Obama, who drew a red line he did not enforce over Syria’s chemical weapons . But there is no hiding from the fact that they have clearly and repeatedly stated US opposition to a Rafah offensive , absent proper humanitarian provision for the more than 1 million people sheltering there. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Rjr1gDy

Ten men, including a boxer and an ex-marine, make allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour against the star who was once box office dynamite. Then this documentary goes even further In Kevin Spacey’s written right-of-reply statement at the end of Spacey Unmasked, he reminds the world that every criminal and civil court case accusing him of sexual assault has been resolved in his favour. He has a right to reiterate that fact. Public opinion, however, has long since turned against an actor who was one of the most acclaimed in the world when he won Oscars for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, but who has been an industry pariah since Netflix fired him from House of Cards in 2017. This new two-part documentary details further allegations of inappropriate behaviour. Spacey Unmasked is more, though, than a blizzard of marks on one side of an is-he-isn’t-he ledger. Viewers who are minded to believe what is alleged in these interviews are given a picture not just of whether an A...

UCLA watched the chaos unfold in the middle of the night and did nothing until it was far too late Things had been tense at the University of California, Los Angeles, with some ugly jibes and the occasional shove exchanged between students who support Israel’s war on Gaza and those who have set up encampments to call for a permanent ceasefire and the university’s divestment from companies that arm and otherwise profit from Israel’s occupation and military incursions in the Palestinian territories. But what happened in the middle of the night last Tuesday was no scuffle. It was not even one more of the outsized, excessively brutal raids that college administrations have invited the police to inflict on their students. Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept, and the author of five books Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XHF3uam

During a decade of American disillusionment, a series of films, from Seconds to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, represented a culture cracking up In assembling a slate of films, a programming team or other curatorial body will often be made to answer the question of why now , what relevance old art has to the current moment. In the case of the Criterion Channel’s new series Hollywood Crack-Up: The Decade American Cinema Lost Its Mind , a sampling of arthouse hysteria from across the 60s, the argument all but makes itself. These bursts of celluloid madness come from a not-so-remote time when governmental credibility had hit an all-time low and the culture-war rift yawned wider than ever; when the disillusionment of a mistreated youth generation exploded into student protests against an overseas war colored by unsavory political imperatives; when ascendant minority groups demanded rights and dignity in the face of high-boil prejudice; when a terrified old guard felt that everything the...

Despite disastrous election results, long-threatened coup lacks numbers to force no-confidence vote After months of plotting to oust Rishi Sunak by some on the right of the Conservative party, the rebellion fizzled out with barely a whimper this weekend despite a disastrous set of local election results . Senior Tories had long predicted that bad losses could be enough to push their despondent colleagues over the edge, even those who could see that changing leader yet again before the general election could have dire electoral consequences. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/waAIZbx

Menotti led Argentina to success in home World Cup in 1978 He also coached Barcelona and Atlético Madrid The World Cup winning coach César Luis Menotti, who led Argentina to the title in 1978, has died at the age of 85, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said on Sunday. Menotti, who played for Rosario Central, Boca Juniors and Santos, began his coaching career at Newell’s Old Boys and won the Argentinian championship with Huracán in 1973, before taking over as head coach of the Argentinian national team in 1974. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/koqNr0W

Live updates from the Miami International Autodrome Miami thrice: Another blast of sold-out showbiz in the sun Have any thoughts? Send Tom an email We posted this earlier but a reminder once again of the starting grid: 1 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1min 27.241secs, 2 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:27.382, 3 Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:27.455, 4 Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:27.460, 5 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:27.594, 6 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:27.675, 7 George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:28.067, 8 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:28.107, 9 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 1:28.146, 10 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) RB 1:28.192, 11 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:28.222, 12 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:28.324, 13 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:28.371, 14 Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:28.413, 15 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:28.427, 16 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Kick Sauber 1:28.463, 17 Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 1:28.487, 18 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) RB 1:28.617, 19 Kevin Ma...

Three men from Scotland and one from Colombia held in connection with discovery at Stags Head Inn, Lelley, East Yorkshire Four men have been arrested after £40m worth of cocaine was found in the back of a van in a Yorkshire village pub car park. About 500kg of the drug was discovered in a Vauxhall Vivaro in the car park of the Stags Head Inn in Lelley, East Yorkshire, the National Crime Agency said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PrJWC7L

Devastating defeats give Tory MPs more reasons to fear what will befall them when the country delivers its verdict The mayoral elections demonstrated that there is a way to win for a Conservative. This is to make out that you have nothing to do with the Tories. Of the metro mayorships that were up for grabs, just one has been bagged for the Conservatives. The re-election of Ben Houchen in Tees Valley is being used as a human shield by Rishi Sunak to fend off any attempt to depose him from Downing Street. He’s relying on this sole glimmer of cheer for his party to convince it that a disastrous general election defeat is not inevitable and to blunt the daggers of those in his own party who want him gone. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/hJFdfzy

Girona briefly promised the unlikeliest of triumphs but the sheer variety in Ancelotti’s side made them a cut above the rest Over two hours had passed since the final whistle went on Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Cadiz and some of their players were still inside inside the Santiago Bernabéu watching on TV when they officially found out they were champions, but they had known for a long time. The title, eventually delivered by Girona’s 4-2 victory over Barcelona 681 kilometres to the north-east and confirmed at 8.30pm on the 34th Saturday of the season, did not see them board an open-top bus down the Castellana to Cibeles, although fans did gather by the goddess of fertility. There was more to do – Bayern Munich come on Wednesday night – and, besides, this was already done. It had been for some time. Two weeks earlier, Jude Bellingham had scored a 94th-minute goal to win the clásico , their last remaining contenders eliminated, if you could truly call Barcelona that. Two months earl...

Leinster 20-17 Northampton Irish side survive late fightback after Lowe’s superb hat-trick They were not given much of a chance – and sure enough, for most of the match they did not have one. But Northampton, having looked completely lost in front of 82,000 at Croke Park, burst into life in the final quarter to give Leinster something of a scare. The home side, though, are too packed to the rafters with international quality to lose from such a position. They have had their wobbles in the recent past, but letting slip a 20-3 lead early in the first half would really have been too painful to contemplate. As it is, with a hat-trick for James Lowe – one of the very best players in the Six Nations, let alone the Champions Cup – they march on to London for the final at the end of the month. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZX02yeA

Ex-president’s former communications director says Access Hollywood tape ‘was a crisis’ for his campaign Hope Hicks, Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign press secretary, broke into tears Friday while testifying in the ex-president’s New York criminal hush-money trial , hours after she described his complete control over the campaign. Hicks, who cut a skittish figure in judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom, is a key prosecution witness. She described Trump campaign staffers’ panic when a recording emerged in which Trump bragged about groping women. “This was a crisis” for his presidential bid, she said, describing the sentiment among the campaign staff. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Y7IrJsx

Berlin’s finance minister says property owned by Hitler’s propaganda minister will be demolished if no offers are made Berlin’s government is offering to give away a villa once owned by Adolf Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, hoping to end a decades-long debate on whether to repurpose or bulldoze a sprawling disused site in the countryside north of the German capital. “I offer to anyone who would like to take over the site, to take it over as a gift from the state of Berlin,” Berlin’s finance minister, Stefan Evers, told the state parliament, the German Press Agency reported. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/f6EMNjC

More than 23,000 people forced to leave homes after heavy rains in southern Rio Grande do Sul prompt record-breaking floods Heavy rains in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul have killed 37 people, with another 74 still missing, as record-breaking floods devastated cities and forced thousands to leave their homes. It was the fourth such environmental disaster in a year, following floods in July, September and November that killed 75 people in total. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/y4JPO83

Agency pushing to raise funds as research shows 44 years of development in health and education could be erased by the war Rebuilding homes in Gaza destroyed during Israel’s seven-month military offensive could take until 2040 in the most optimistic scenario, with total reconstruction across the territory costing as much as $40bn (£32bn), according to United Nations experts. An assessment, which is to be published by the UN Development Programme as part of a push to raise funds for early planning for the rehabilitation of Gaza, has also found that the conflict may reduce levels of health, education and wealth in the territory to those of 1980, wiping out 44 years of development. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bcr7KLQ

Teenager killed and another injured after attempted burglary at east Midlands farm A man in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after a teenager was shot dead and another injured following an attempted burglary at a farm in the east Midlands. Officers were called to the property in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, at about 1.20am on Wednesday and found a teenager with fatal gunshot wounds. The force said he was not the owner of the property. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/en9sDX6

The star makes for a charming lead playing a mother falling for a younger pop star in a passable adaptation of Robinne Lee’s bestselling pulp There are lithe, low-level pleasures to be had in the glossy pop romance The Idea of You, Amazon’s latest attempt to turn a fanfic fave into a broadly alluring date movie. It follows last year’s Red, White and Royal Blue , a smartphone screen adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s what-if gay romp. In that film, it was the fantasy of a president’s son and an English prince. Here it’s a 40-year-old mum and a Harry Styles-level pop star, a blogpost daydream of love and lust, played out with both jostling for space. It’s a far sleeker and far more satisfying package than the former, illuminated by the genuine movie star power of Anne Hathaway and made with a higher level of craft, from the sturdy studio-level direction of Michael Showalter to a mostly smooth-going script. The romcom genre has allegedly been “back” for a while now but that’s mostly trans...