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Maro Itoje’s rise to the very top of his sport brings both pride and idolisation from the British-Nigerian community It is 2017 and Maro Itoje has just been selected as the youngest member of the British & Irish Lions squad. He is asked for his favourite Lions memory and his response is illuminating. “Ugo Monye scoring his try in the third Test [against South Africa in 2009]. When you’re young and growing up, you look at players that look like you. And, by that, I don’t mean eyes, ears, nose, I mean who have the same skin colour, who you can identify with. Ugo is one I could identify with, as we’re both of Nigerian descent. To see him score that amazing try resonated with me.” On Saturday, when the Lions begin their series against Australia, Itoje will win his 100th Test cap. He is England captain, the first black captain of the Lions and the country’s most prominent rugby player. And you cannot help but wonder to what extent he himself has passed the torch. For there can be lit...

A New York doctor faced a $113,000 penalty from Texas after being accused of shipping abortion pills across state lines A New York county clerk again rejected an effort by Texas to fine a New York-based doctor accused of shipping abortion pills across state lines, in a case that could tee up a US supreme court showdown between states that protect abortion access and those that ban it. On Monday, acting Ulster county clerk Taylor Bruck rejected a court filing by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, which sought to collect a $113,000 penalty against Dr Margaret Carpenter. Paxton had sued Carpenter in December 2024 over allegations she shipped abortion pills to a Texas woman in defiance of the state’s ban on virtually all abortions. When Carpenter didn’t show up to a court hearing earlier this year, a judge automatically ruled against her and ordered her to pay the fine as well as stop mailing pills to Texas. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iaukn1B

We’ve fled the attacks again and again. Now Israel plans to force us into the ruins of Rafah in order to increase pressure on Hamas After 21 months of war, the Israeli minister of defence, Israel Katz, has proposed a new initiative to force all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp on the ruins of Rafah . I lived west of Gaza city, just five minutes away from the beach. I used to see the waves from the roof of our house. The area was marvellous, with luxury architecture, hotels and tourist resorts. Nour Abo Aisha is a freelance writer based in Gaza Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/G2ABDpf

Actor known as Admiral Piett in the Star Wars movies, and for his many roles in the films of Ken Russell Kenneth Colley, who has died aged 87, after suffering from Covid and pneumonia, was a character actor widely admired by both the press and public for his screen roles over 60 years, from the Imperial officer Admiral Piett in two of the original Star Wars films and Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian to historical figures such as Nelson and Napoleon, and two Adolfs, Hitler and Eichmann. He described his parts as “mad and bad”, while critics variously commented that the sad-eyed actor had “a defeated look if ever there was one” and he could “make your spine tingle with pleasure”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZxWPG9d

Leader who ousted Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 three decades after brief stint as military ruler dies after ‘prolonged illness’ Nigeria’s former president Muhammadu Buhari, who led Africa’s most populous country from 2015 to 2023 and was the first Nigerian president to oust an incumbent through the ballot box, died in London on Sunday, a presidential spokesperson has said. President Bola Tinubu’s spokesperson said in a post on X: “President Buhari died today in London at about 4.30pm [1530 GMT], following a prolonged illness.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pOKCMmv

Defender has gone from villain to hero at Chelsea and can embellish his cult status by lifting the Club World Cup Marc Cucurella is thinking back to his early days at Chelsea. Signed from Brighton for £62m in August 2022, the left-back struggled to adapt to life at a big club. Chelsea were experiencing teething problems during the opening months of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership and it was Cucurella’s misfortune to be held up as a symbol of the club’s apparent malaise. It is funny to think that the Spain international was booed on to the pitch by Chelsea supporters before a Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund in February 2023. Cucurella is a cult figure these days. He is loved by the Chelsea faithful and has come a long way since that difficult first season at Stamford Bridge. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/mQ1zEvu

Group C clash to decide third and fourth places Get in touch: email Sarah about the game The players are out and the anthems are in full swing, just a few moments until kick-off. Ben Mock has emailed : Denmark and Poland both have some top-notch cheeses. My personal favorites are Fynbo and Maribo from Denmark and Oscypek from Poland. Poland is also great for meats (Kielbasa and Kabanos are personal highlights!) Hope to see a better showing from Denmark today, disappointed with them this entire tournament. And of course, rooting for Poland to avoid becoming the first-ever team not to score at their debut Euros! Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/efZ7LBM

Prosecutors allege Ovidio Guzmán López and his brother, Joaquin Guzmán López, ran a faction of the Sinaloa cartel A son of notorious Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” pleaded guilty Friday to US drug trafficking charges, becoming the first of the drug lord’s sons to enter a plea deal. Prosecutors allege Ovidio Guzmán López and his brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, ran a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. They became known locally as the “Chapitos”, or “little Chapos”, and federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as a major effort to send “staggering” quantities of fentanyl into the US. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dyInD3J

Temperatures made Argentinian lie down in semi-final He brands playing conditions in US as ‘very dangerous’ Enzo Fernández has said that the high temperatures at the Club World Cup are dangerous and revealed that he needed to lie down during Chelsea’s win over Fluminense because the heat left him feeling “really dizzy”. The Argentina midfielder is the latest player to criticise the tournament’s scheduling and call for Fifa to make changes before the World Cup takes place in Canada, Mexico and the US next summer. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/fdAtxjv

The 26-year-old’s van had been found abandoned but police hail a ‘great result’ in finding her safe but ‘ravaged by mosquitoes’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast German backpacker Carolina Wilga has been found alive after going missing 12 days ago in remote Western Australian bushland. Insp Martin Glynn of WA police told reporters on Friday evening that the 26-year-old had been located walking on a bush track on the edge of the reserve where she had gone missing. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/07LSmvi

The star comic will follow up Curb Your Enthusiasm with a new show partnering with the former president and his wife Barack Obama and Larry David are making comedy history for HBO. The programmer announced on Thursday that the 44th US president and the Curb Your Enthusiasm comic would team up for a sketch comedy series focused on American history, in honor of the country’s 250th birthday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/IjdH2mk

Judges praised the Sudanese author for centring Muslim women, describing her writing as “a balm, a shelter, and an inspiration” Leila Aboulela has won this year’s PEN Pinter prize for her writing on migration, faith and the lives of women. The prize is awarded to a writer who, in the words of the late British playwright Harold Pinter, casts an “unflinching, unswerving” gaze on the world, and shows a “fierce intellectual determination … to define the real truth of our lives and our societies”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LRkx0ih

At a press conference, authorities leading search efforts seemed to dodge questions about weather alert systems Rescue crews continued on Tuesday to comb through parts of the Texas Hill Country devastated by catastrophic flash flooding over the Fourth of July weekend, but with more than 100 dead and hope fading for survivors, efforts have increasingly turned to search and recovery. As of Tuesday morning, the death toll across the six affected counties surpassed 100. Most of the deaths were in Kerr county, where officials said 87 bodies had so far been recovered, including 56 adults and 30 children. Identification was pending for 19 adults and seven children with one additional person still unidentified, county sheriff Larry Leitha told a news conference. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dGPFhZa

Milestone comes as health secretary RFK Jr has injected upheaval into US vaccine policy and spread misinformation The annual tally of measles cases in the US is the highest in 33 years, as an ongoing outbreak in west Texas continues to drive cases. The latest figures mean Americans will have to look back to 1992 to find a worse year with the vaccine preventable disease. The official tally very likely undercounts the scope of the outbreak, experts told the Guardian. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/mg9Jkd6

British player wins 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-3 Norrie to face Rublev or Alcaraz in last eight Cameron Norrie was practically fighting for his tennis life by the final set of an agonising four-hour duel on his beloved No 1 Court. As he watched ace after ace fly past him from one of the most destructive servers in the world, Norrie’s momentum had disappeared along with his two-set lead and match point. The Briton has been on an unforgettable journey over the past few years and, after enduring one of the most difficult periods of his career, he has rebounded with even greater courage and self-belief. He drew upon that conviction in the final moments as he continued his brilliant run at Wimbledon by bravely holding his nerve to close out a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over the qualifier Nicolás Jarry after four hours and 27 minutes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gGQiPmE

Scott Bessent suggests Musk focus on business a day after tech billionaire announced his new political party Elon Musk should focus on running his companies and keep himself out of politics, Donald Trump ’s treasury secretary said on Sunday, a day after the world’s richest person – and a former White House adviser – announced the formation of a new political party . “The principles of Doge were very popular – I think if you looked at the polling Elon was not,” Scott Bessent said on CNN’s State of the Union, referring to the so-called “department of government efficiency” that Musk temporarily headed after Trump’s second presidency began in January. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/rHqwOpy

Violence and shootings tend to surge during the summer, especially on one of the deadliest days of the year Friday’s US Independence Day holiday was marked by multiple shootings across the US, including one in Indianapolis that left at least two dead and five wounded as a police chief voiced frustration over the latest acts of violence in his city. Indianapolis metropolitan police chief Chris Bailey told reporters early Saturday morning that the Fourth of July mayhem a day earlier was “completely unacceptable and unnecessary” – and that parents and guardians needed to better control their children. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/misYdgO

Quarter-final: Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Bayern Munich Doué 78, Dembélé 90+6 PSG were a goal up and two men down, deep into stoppage time, when they went on one last run of hundreds here. Suddenly, as had happened so many times in a breathless afternoon in Atlanta the pitch had opened up and footballer’s flew into the space. They should have been exhausted, barely able to move, but off went Vitinha through the middle, Ousmane Dembélé sprinting up alongside. He smashed the crossbar with the first shot but this wasn’t done just yet; Achraf Hakimi got possession back, dribbled through three men and set up Dembélé to score the goal that ended it. Actually, ended might not be the word because although that was the 96th minute, there was still time for Bayern to have a penalty given to them and then taken away again. But after Désiré Doué had got the opener on 78 minutes, Dembélé had secured PSG’s passage to the Club World Cup semi-final. Bayern were out. Worse, they had seen Jamal M...

Province’s language police had a petite contretemps when it challenged Montreal transit agencies use of word on buses Quebec ’s mercurial and controversial language police have decided that using the word “go” is a legitimate way to cheer on sports teams in the province, paving the way for excited fans – and Montreal ’s transit agency - to celebrate without fear of recrimination. In new guidelines, the Office Québécois de la Langue Française (OQLF, the Quebec Board of the French Language) said that “go” was now “partially legitimized”, according to reporting by the Canadian Press, although the language watchdog says it prefers the French equivalent: allez . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/tH6I85s

EU says it ‘favours a negotiated solution’ but is prepared for potential trade war with retaliatory duties Donald Trump threatened to impose 17% tariffs on food and farm produce exports from Europe during talks in Washington this week, it has emerged. Such tariffs would hit everything from Belgian chocolate to Kerrygold butter from Ireland and olive oil from Italy, Spain and France, all big sellers in the US. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/W5qLYnS

Russell confident of new contract despite Verstappen links Mayer to stand against Ben Sulayem for FIA presidency George Russell believes he “won’t be going anywhere” and is set to have a new contract confirmed with Mercedes as he played down suggestions that he could lose his seat to Max Verstappen. As he prepared for this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Russell, whose contract with Mercedes has yet to be renewed, said he thought the chances of him not being with the team next season were “exceptionally low”. Verstappen, in turn, flatly refused to comment on the matter. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/o6LWsbX

Brazilian president meets Cristina Fernández de Kirchner at her flat in Buenos Aires before regional summit Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , has eschewed a one-on-one meeting with the Argentinian president, Javier Milei , during a trip to Buenos Aires, instead opting to visit Milei’s political rival, former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner , who is under house arrest . Lula was in the Argentinian capital on Thursday to attend the Mercosur summit. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Y45c1W7

Researchers to follow fresh clues that suggest pioneering aviator may have crash-landed on remote Pacific island A new mission to locate Amelia Earhart’s long-missing plane is being launched, researchers announced on Wednesday, following fresh clues that suggest she may have crash-landed on a remote island in the South Pacific. A satellite image may show part of Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E protruding from the sand on Nikumaroro, an isolated island in Kiribati about 1,000 miles from Fiji, according to Richard Pettigrew, head of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, a non-profit based in Oregon. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/NpzIC79

Nottingham Forest have bid accepted for Lyon’s Fofana Sunderland complete £30m signing of Habib Diarra Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal will benefit from Kepa Arrizabalaga’s experience and “real hunger to win” after the world’s most expensive goalkeeper completed a £5m transfer from Chelsea . Arrizabalaga leaves Chelsea seven years after joining for £72m from Athletic Bilbao and will compete at Arsenal with his Spanish compatriot David Raya. After falling out of favour at Stamford Bridge Arrizabalaga has spent the past two seasons on loan, at Real Madrid and then Bournemouth. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PWs5Uti

Fashion house acknowledges work of traditional artisans after accusations of cultural appropriation Prada has acknowledged that its new leather sandal design was inspired by India’s famous Kolhapuri “chappals” – handcrafted shoes known for their toe-loop design – after facing criticism over its failure to credit the footwear’s origins. “We acknowledge the sandals … are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage,” Lorenzo Bertelli, the corporate social responsibility chief at the Italian fashion house, said in a letter to the Maharashtra chamber of commerce. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Jec4Pg9

Rafael Grossi says some of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile could have been moved before US attacks Middle East crisis – live updates The UN nuclear watchdog chief has said Iran could produce enriched uranium “in a matter of months”, in an interview in which he also contradicted Donald Trump’s assertion that US strikes had “completely and totally obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear facilities. Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the US broadcaster CBS News that the strikes on three Iranian sites had clearly caused severe damage but “not total” damage. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/nEYZikh

Meta CEO reportedly to offer pay packages worth up to $100m, a gambit OpenAI’s Sam Altman calls ‘crazy’ Mark Zuckerberg reportedly spent months putting together a list of the top AI engineers and researchers across the globe, preparing to offer potential recruits lucrative compensation packages in Meta ’s attempt to poach AI talent from key competitors. Silicon Valley has been talking for weeks about the Meta CEO’s quest to attract top AI talent, including by offering pay packages worth up to $100m. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iC5HWAY

Minute-by-minute updates on the action in North Carolina Any comments or thoughts? Feel free to email Scott Chelsea make seven changes to the team that started the easy win over Espérance Tunis. Robert Sánchez, Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo and captain Reece James are back; Filip Jörgensen, Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Josh Acheampong, Malo Gusto, Noni Madueke and Christopher Nkunku drop to the bench. Enzo Fernández, Roméo Lavia, Benoît Badiashile and Liam Delap are the only players to remain in the starting XI. There, that’s everyone mentioned. Benfica make just two changes after their 1-0 win over Bayern Munich. Orkun Kökçü and Florentino replace Gianluca Prestianni and Renato Sanches, who drop to the bench. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iRVY9ce

Defense secretary said the vessel will be renamed after Oscar V Peterson to take ‘politics out of ship naming’ The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has formally announced that the US navy supply vessel named in honor of the gay rights activist Harvey Milk is to be renamed after Oscar V Peterson, a chief petty officer who received the congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of the Coral Sea in the second world war. “We are taking the politics out of ship naming,” Hegseth announced on Friday on X. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4YZPzIN

The annual list of creatives invited to join the Academy also includes Andrew Scott, Gillian Anderson, Mikey Madison and Jason Momoa Stephen Graham, Jodie Comer and Ariana Grande are among the names invited to join the film Academy in this year’s just announced list. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extended the invite to 534 names this year, up from last year’s total of 487. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/j3lkCbY

Dr Michael Ross was involved in multiple private healthcare firms and withdrew after a review of financial holdings A member of the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s newly overhauled federal vaccine advisory panel withdrew after a conflict of interest review, a spokesperson has told the Guardian. Dr Michael Ross, who was involved in multiple private healthcare companies, withdrew after review of his financial holdings. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/eCzZtGV

The limited rollout in Austin, Texas, included pro-Tesla influencers using the paid ride service The US’ main transportation safety regulator is requesting information from Tesla after videos showed the company’s self-driving Robotaxis exceeding the speed limit or veering into the wrong lane. The company launched the service in Austin, Texas, over the weekend. Tesla heavily promoted the initial, limited rollout of its Robotaxis, which included pro-Tesla influencers using the paid ride service and showing off footage of their trips. Instead of positive promotion, though, those videos appear to have drawn scrutiny from the US National Highway Transit Safety Administration (NHTSA), as the cars struggled to comply with traffic laws. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Kr5gaWe

Crude oil prices dropped by 7% on hopes that the conflict would not immediately disrupt region’s oil supplies Oil prices dropped sharply after Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on a US airbase reduced concern that the country was poised to strain energy markets by closing off a vital trade route. Crude oil prices sank by 7% on Monday, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures dropping to $68.51, as the Iranian action on the Al Udeid base in Qatar raised hopes that the conflict would not immediately disrupt oil supplies from the region. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/S69U4zD

UK foreign secretary wants Iran to return to negotiating table but refuses to endorse strikes by US and Israel Middle East crisis – live updates Any Iranian move to close the strait of Hormuz waterway would be an act of monumental self-harm, said David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, as he continued to refuse to endorse the Israeli and American strikes on Iran, or lay out the UK view of their lawfulness. Lammy said there was no need for the British government to say if the strikes were legal since the UK was not involved in the action and had not been asked by the US to take part, or to allow the US to use the UK’s Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean to target Iran. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Qy9Z6Ee

Bloc’s foreign affairs chief warns of a response unless action is taken to ‘stop the suffering’ in Gaza Strip The EU may take action to increase pressure on Israel unless there are “concrete” improvements for the inhabitants of Gaza, its foreign policy chief has said. After meeting the bloc’s foreign ministers in Brussels, Kaja Kallas said it was “very clear” that Israel had breached its human rights commitments in Gaza and the West Bank. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/KXJOCPy

The Iraq war was built on a lie. Now history is repeating itself In May 2003, George W Bush landed on the deck of a US aircraft carrier to deliver a triumphant speech, declaring that major combat operations in Iraq had ended – six weeks after he had ordered US troops to invade the country. Bush spoke under a now infamous banner on the carrier’s bridge that proclaimed, “Mission Accomplished”. It would turn into a case study of American hubris and one of the most mocked photo-ops in modern history. As Bush made his speech off the coast of San Diego, I was in Baghdad covering the invasion’s aftermath as a correspondent for a US newspaper. It was clear then that the war was far from over, and the US was likely to face a grinding insurgency led by former members of the Iraqi security forces. It would also soon become clear that Bush’s rationale for invading Iraq was built on a lie: Saddam Hussein’s regime did not have weapons of mass destruction and was not intent on developing them. An...

England’s most gifted shotmaker since Kevin Pietersen happily took on Bumrah and Siraj on his way to 99 Scientists say that the typical human can recognise 21 distinct facial expressions. After seven years of Test cricket, Jasprit Bumrah has grown to know a good handful of them about as well as any man can, from awe, through disgust, to fear, sadness, surprise and all their many combinations. You would guess it’s been a while since he’s seen a happy batsmen looking back at him from 22 yards, but if you had the binoculars on Harry Brook first thing on Sunday morning, you could see he was wearing such a big, goofy grin that his teeth were glinting through the gloaming. You don’t want to kink-shame him, but you’d think there must be easier ways to get your kicks than to go running down the pitch to hit a man bowling 90mph bouncers. But Brook’s brain seems to be wired a little differently. On the third ball Bumrah bowled him on Sunday, he decided to take two quick steps forwards and wall...

Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns 3-4 Borrusia Dortmund Second-half own goal ensures Dortmund go top of group Borussia Dortmund held off a spirited comeback from Mamelodi Sundowns to secure a 4-3 victory and move closer to the Club World Cup knockout stages. Dortmund were behind after 11 minutes to the South African champions at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati but rallied to win their second game in Group F and move top of the standings with four points, one more than Sundowns. Felix Nmecha, Serhou Guirassy and Jobe Bellingham scored for the Bundesliga club, who also profited from an own goal. Lucas Ribeiro had given Sundowns the lead while Iqraam Rayners and Lebo Mothiba scored in the second half as they looked to rally from 4-1 down in blazing hot conditions. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/D05sxlG

Football competitions are expanding, overlapping and bleeding into one another, but is a month off too much to ask? Does it feel too much? Premier League bleeding into the playoffs into the Champions League into the international break … we’re still bleeding … rip off your shirt and make a tourniquet! The European Under-21 and Under‑19 Championships into the Club World Cup, overlapping with the Women’s Euros … oh look the Premier League fixtures for 2025-26 are out and the EFL ones come out next week … and there’s David Prutton paying (excellent) homage to David Mitchell’s pisstake of Sky Sports on Sky Sports: “Catch all of the constantly happening football here it’s all here and it’s all football. Always. It’s impossible to keep track of all the football.” You start to imagine Billy Joel rewriting We Didn’t Start the Fire … an endless list of footballers and pundits, of owners and streaming services, of controversies and grimness amid the beauty and joy. Will i...

Fears grow of drought as well as hunger as medics report more killings by Israeli forces of Palestinians seeking aid Middle East crisis – live updates The collapse of water systems in Gaza is threatening the territory with devastating drought as well as hunger, Unicef has warned, as medics reported that Israel had killed more desperate Palestinians seeking aid. On Friday at least 24 people waiting for aid were killed by Israeli fire in central Gaza, according to local health authorities, in addition to other deaths by airstrikes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/nO4iF0S

Flying winger brushes off allegiance jibes and cannot wait for Australia after a testing Lions tour in 2021 Duhan van der Merwe does not want to shake hands. It is not that the hulking Scotland winger is being rude – he is polite to a fault – but after a gruelling gym session the British & Irish Lion has blisters as big as golf balls. A fist bump – a touch daunting given the size of his biceps – must suffice. Van der Merwe’s war wounds are the first indication that public perception about him can be misleading and there are many to follow in the ensuing half-hour. From an impassioned response to accusations he is a “SpringJock”, to discussing why he runs roughshod over England once a year , Van der Merwe is illuminating company. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ylFZh46

Seven-year-old wins by seven lengths Fifth victory of meeting for Gosdens It was simple but ruthlessly effective as Trawlerman and William Buick made all the running to win the Gold Cup on Thursday. The Gosden stable’s seven-year-old faced two four-year-old rivals with a touch more class but no experience of racing at two and a half miles and when Buick challenged them to catch him with a quarter of a mile to run, neither Illinois nor Candelari could summon a response. Candelari was a spent force with half a mile left, while Illinois’s brief effort in the home straight scarcely made an impression on Trawlerman’s lead as he galloped on relentlessly for the line. He had a seven-length advantage at the post and it was seven more back to Dubai Future in third. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7PVIuMs

Manchester City 2-0 Wydad AC (Foden 2, Doku 42) Lewis sent off after late VAR decision upheld This midday kick-off in the Philadelphia heat that ended in victory against Morocco’s Wydad AC offered a glimpse of Manchester City’s hopes for the 2025-26 campaign as their Club World Cup defence was given the best start. It told us that Tijjani Reijnders can operate in the No 6 or “Rodri role” for Pep Guardiola despite being bought to scheme primarily as a No 8. It said that City’s high line remains a weakness though mitigation could be found in their big defensive guns, Rúben Dias and John Stones, being substitutes only. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/rsQEZ0y

The Mission: Impossible actor and country singing multi-hyphenate will be honoured alongside actor Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton will be among this year’s recipients of honorary Oscars . The pair join choreographer, actor and director Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas, all scheduled to receive special Oscars at this year’s governors awards in November. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UqoFODB

US president said Ukraine war would not have happened if Moscow had not been thrown out in 2014 over Crimea Donald Trump has displayed his disdain for the collective western values supposedly championed by the G7 group of industrialised countries by again demanding that Russia be readmitted to the group. He also said the war in Ukraine would not have happened if Moscow had been kept in the club. Trump made his remarks in front of media, alongside Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, who is hosting the G7, at the start of the summit’s first round of talks. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VoTy0mz

Club’s largest shareholder lists Eagle Football for IPO Timing is curious given Europa League uncertainty The Crystal Palace ownership saga has taken another twist with the club’s largest shareholder, John Textor, listing his holding company Eagle Football for an initial public offering in the US. Textor’s multi-club operation, which also owns majority shares in Lyon and Botafogo, has submitted a draft registration statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. An IPO is when a private company first sells shares to the public. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/91YjWAz

German champions have 31 shots during rout New Zealand part-timers suffer through tough afternoon The good news for Auckland City was that they stopped Harry Kane scoring on Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati. The bad news was that his Bayern Munich teammates were a little more prolific, scoring 10 between them in the opening match of their Club World Cup campaign. If Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, was hoping his expanded Club World Cup – now containing 32 teams, playing across four weeks in 11 US cities – would showcase the depth of talent in global football, this was not a good example. The statistics were excruciating: the German champions had 31 shots – 17 of them on target – to Auckland’s one, and enjoyed 72% of possession. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/6sIXeF9

Sporting striker wants to play in Champions League Mikel Arteta thought to prefer Benjamin Sesko Manchester United’s pursuit of Viktor Gyökeres appears doomed after the Sporting striker said signing for Arsenal would be a “dream”. United held exploratory discussions about buying the 27-year-old, with Ruben Amorim intent on strengthening the position. But it is understood the player’s representatives have told United he does not wish to join the club. Instead Gyökeres is understood to view Arsenal as his preferred option since they will play in the Champions League next season. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MfAPl1e

Iranian forward remains in Tehran due to closed airspace Inter to start Club World Cup campaign on Wednesday The Inter forward Mehdi Taremi will not be able to join his teammates at the Club World Cup in the United States as he is stuck in Tehran because of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. Flights from all Iranian airports have been grounded after an exchange of military strikes between Iran and Israel over the past two days. That meant the Iran international was unable to take his scheduled flight on Saturday to join his teammates in Los Angeles. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qQpnSR5

Among other concerns, the US military parade will produce as much pollution as created to heat 300 homes for a year Donald Trump ’s military parade this weekend will bring thousands of troops out to march, while dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers roll down the streets and fighter jets hum overhead. The event has prompted concern about rising autocracy in the US. It will also produce more than 2m kilograms of planet-heating pollution – equivalent to the amount created by producing of 67m plastic bags or by the energy used to power about 300 homes in one year , according to a review by the progressive thinktank Institute for Policy Studies and the Guardian. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/1YUrRC3

Dane joins from Brentford after almost seven years there He replaces Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked Tottenham have confirmed the appointment of Thomas Frank as their new manager. The 51-year-old Dane joins from Brentford on a contract that runs until 2028 and succeeds Ange Postecoglou, who delivered Europa League glory to end Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought but was sacked because of dismal results in the Premier League. Spurs moved to line up Frank before dismissing Postecoglou last Friday, holding talks via intermediaries and plainly keen to avoid a protracted search for the person to lead them forward after a season in which they finished 17th with 38 points. Only once in club history have they had a worse league record: in 1914-15. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Qx71MuH

Fears of possible Israeli strike against Iran and retaliation after IAEA issues strongest rebuke of Iran in 20 years Donald Trump has warned that a “massive conflict” could break out in the Middle East soon if talks over an Iranian nuclear deal break down, amid concerns over a possible Israeli strike against Tehran. Trump said on Thursday he was worried that an Israeli strike could “blow” the negotiations, and he confirmed he had ordered some US personnel to evacuate from the Middle East in case of an Iranian counterattack that could include “missiles flying in their buildings”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xUTXkl6

Nonfiction award goes to Rachel Clarke’s ‘beautiful and compassionate’ The Story of a Heart, about a lifesaving transplant seen from all sides Dutch debut novelist Yael van der Wouden has won this year’s Women’s prize for fiction, while British doctor Rachel Clarke took home the nonfiction award. Van der Wouden’s The Safekeep and Clarke’s The Story of a Heart, which made last year’s Booker and Baillie Gifford prize shortlists respectively, were announced as the winners on Thursday evening, with each author awarded £30,000. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LdNKQSE

The chancellor has announced extra money for housing, energy, the NHS, defence and more, so is this the start of a new phase for the government? And should they have done it sooner to combat the rise of Reform? John Harris is joined in Westminster by our political editor, Pippa Crerar, and political correspondent, Kiran Stacey, to discuss the spending review and what it tells us about Labour’s plans and priorities Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/T8AZ9cM

Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were convicted last week of their role in the anti-corruption journalist’s murder in 2017 Two men have been sentenced to life in prison for supplying the car bomb that killed the anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta eight years ago. The sentencing on Tuesday of Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, reported to be members of the island’s criminal underworld , marked a significant step in the long campaign to bring those charged with Caruana Galizia’s murder to justice. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/cLsDQta

Exclusive: ex-Doge staffer Justin Fulcher suggested he had evidence of wiretap that would help investigation Days before Pete Hegseth fired three top aides last month over a Pentagon leak investigation into the disclosure of classified materials, according to four people familiar with the episode, a recently hired senior adviser said he could help with the inquiry. The adviser, Justin Fulcher, suggested to Hegseth’s then chief of staff, Joe Kasper, and Hegseth’s personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, that he knew of warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA) that had identified the leakers. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/hM4tGaN

Potential fee could be most expensive for German club Playoff winner Tommy Watson sold to Brighton for £10m Jobe Bellingham is poised to swap Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund after the clubs agreed an initial fee of around £28m, potentially rising to £32m. The 19-year-old England Under-21 midfielder, the younger brother of Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham , has just played a key part in helping Sunderland to secure promotion to the Premier League but is now following in his sibling’s footsteps and heading to the Bundesliga. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5NpoHWg

Environmental groups welcome government proposals to clamp down on destructive fishing practice Environmental groups have welcomed government proposals to ban the destructive fishing practice known as bottom trawling in half of England’s protected seas. The plan, to be announced on Monday by the environment secretary, Steve Reed, came before a UN summit in Nice to tackle the ocean’s failing health. It follows pressure from conservationists and the release of a David Attenborough film featuring rare underwater footage of the devastation to the seabed caused by bottom trawling in British waters. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/JqHarW4

Tottenham chair was not blinded by silverware and decided finishing fourth-bottom of the Premier League was not enough In football, there is always a lot of light and noise. There is always a lot of emotion. That is both its appeal and why it is so difficult for those in the game to make decisions. Ange Postecoglou gave Tottenham one of the great nights in the club’s history when they won the Europa League in Bilbao. A first trophy in 17 years. A first European trophy in 41. It’s easy to understand why the instinct is gratitude, to hope that somehow victory can be self-replicating, that silverware begets silverware and something fundamental in Tottenham’s being was transformed at San Mamés. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MEGBDze

Jacob Bethell’s pure talent puts him in high demand, but Shoaib Bashir is the real freelancer in cricket’s deeply confusing world Bruised skies, sun through clouds, dualism, life in death. Welcome to the bloom of another England Test Match summer, the summer, this time around, of Bethell and Bashir. But of Bethell first because he’s the easy bit. The battle for Jacob Bethell is of course just beginning. Everyone wants a piece of England’s most thrillingly talented young cricketer. The broadcasters are frothing. The papers want to know whose shirts he wears. Actually the papers don’t really care. Maybe the Daily Telegraph wants to know this at a push. But Bethell is still kind of perfect right now, a future-bomb, all promise and new things, in a sport that is always desperate for these. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/j8gSBdm

Pitlochry Festival theatre Richard Baron and Ellie Zeegen’s play follows the writer from wide-eyed child discovering nature in rural Scotland to feisty care-home resident The title comes from a short story about two hikers on a camping trip. They decide to cast off their clothes and walk through the countryside as nature intended, only to be mistaken for poachers. The story’s combination of humour, transgression and ear for the Doric dialect of north-east Scotland were characteristic qualities of its author, Nan Shepherd (1893-1981), a writer unashamed by her nakedness and celebrated for her evocations of Scotland’s rural environment. Celebrated, that is, once The Living Mountain , her short book about walking in the Cairngorms, was published. That was in 1977, three decades after its completion, but more especially in 2011 when it was republished by Canongate, just as it was slipping back into obscurity. At Pitlochry Festival theatre until 14 June Continue reading... from The G...

Glitzy Euro squad launch helps the feelgood factor but there are still questions over squad harmony, strength in depth and player welfare Music thumping, quick transitions, a host of celebrities and inspirational words. There’s nothing like an England squad announcement video to get you in the mood for a major tournament. “I hope you can feel it from the streets to the stands, the summer is in the safest hands,” the poet Sophia Thakur tells us, exactly one month out from England’s first game of Euro 2025 against France. The slogan is “It’s time to go again” and the squad is announced by a host of big names, from Maisie Adam, Daisy May Cooper and Keely Hodgkinson, to David Beckham, Alex Scott, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TPkIN5a

Heckles, chants and legal threats at meeting as people condemn plan for ‘brutalist’ block where loved ones are buried Dozens of grave owners confronted Highgate cemetery’s bosses and their architects this week in a growing row over a maintenance and toilet block in a part of the graveyard where almost 200 people were recently buried. The cemetery called Tuesday’s private meeting in an attempt to placate objectors by setting out adjustments to a new building that is part of an £18m redevelopment of the graveyard. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/KZvhBLx

Music executive claims defamation in suit seeking $20m from the film-makers and distributors of On the Record Russell Simmons is suing HBO and the film-makers of a 2020 documentary detailing allegations against the music mogul of sexual abuse, claiming that together they defamed him and ignored his version of events. On The Record , directed by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick, expanded on reporting by the New York Times, the Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Times and other publications on numerous allegations against Simmons. It featured the testimony of several women who claim they were sexually assaulted by Simmons in the 1980s and 90s, when he was at the height of his influence as the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, the hip-hop label behind LL Cool J, Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and other top acts. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pC3T9AS

Ex-movie mogul is charged with assaulting three women from 2006 to 2013, and has attended trial in wheelchair The third sexual misconduct trial of former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was rapidly heading toward a conclusion on Tuesday, as prosecutors and the defense began delivering closing arguments in Manhattan criminal court. “If there is a doubt about their case, you gotta throw it out,” defense attorney Arthur Aidala said of three women who testified against Weinstein. “These are the people they want you to believe – they’re all women with broken dreams.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ak20zHc

After years as a directionless collection of celebrity footballers, PSG are a true team now. But they still represent one of the sport’s darkest trends Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here Paris Saint-Germain’s success in the Champions League final on Saturday was a victory for youth and adventure . It was a victory for a team built with a coherent vision, and a rebuke to those who believe the game is just about collecting the biggest names. It was a victory for Luis Enrique , a very fine coach who has suffered dreadful personal tragedy. It was a victory for forward-thinking, progressive, fluent football. But it was also a victory for sportswashing. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/hD7JEZV

AB Hernandez, 16, ties for first place in two events as Trump administration threatens to withhold federal funding A teenage transgender athlete in California, who has been at the center of widespread political attacks by rightwing pundits and the Trump administration, won in two track events over the weekend. The 16-year-old athlete, AB Hernandez, tied for first place alongside two other athletes in the high jump, and tied for first place in the triple jump. This comes as the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal funding from California for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2F3o6kC

Nomi Kaltmann supported her boyfriend Daniel’s campaign for federal parliament when he was 21. Watching the results roll in, she felt immense pride Find more stories from The moment I knew series Daniel and I went to the same high school in Melbourne. He was a year older than me, and we must have passed each other thousands of times, but I have no memory of ever talking to him. We knew of each other but we didn’t know each other’s names. We met properly for the first time at a pre-drinks when I was in my first year of university. He was holding a six-pack of beer and looked vaguely familiar. I introduced myself, he offered me one of his drinks and we got talking. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/IqButOm

Washington state officials swarmed to scene to find 70,000lbs of hives and bees abuzz in a sticky situation Officials near the US border were abuzz after being relentlessly attacked on Friday morning by a swarm of fugitives: honeybees had escaped after a truck carrying hives overturned near the Canadian border. About 250m honeybees flew free of the truck around 4am a few miles south of Canada. The truck that was transporting around 70,000lbs of hives and honeybees rolled over on a road in north-western Washington state . Local sheriff deputies and bee experts swarmed to the scene, where they removed the box hives to help recover and rescue as many bees as possible. The driver of the truck was not injured. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gqBlpXe

Organizer points to president’s anti-diversity push as companies join Adidas and Clorox in withdrawing support In another blow to one of the largest celebrations of LGTBQ+ people in North America, Pride Toronto has unexpectedly lost two more major corporate sponsors, just weeks before the festival in a setback the festival’s organizer says is direct result of Donald Trump ’s campaign to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the US. Google and Home Depot both announced their plans to abandon the festival in the form of one-line emails, said Kojo Modeste, the executive director of the Canadian event. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EqGdlwD

Twenty-two plaintiffs between ages seven and 25 allege government is engaging in unlawful executive overreach Twenty-two young Americans have filed a new lawsuit against the Trump administration over its anti- environment executive orders. By intentionally boosting oil and gas production and stymying carbon-free energy, federal officials are violating their constitutional rights to life and liberty, alleges the lawsuit, filed on Thursday. The federal government is engaging in unlawful executive overreach by breaching congressional mandates to protect ecosystems and public health, argue the plaintiffs, who are between the ages of seven and 25 and hail from the heavily climate-impacted states of Montana, Hawaii, Oregon, California and Florida. They also say officials’ emissions-increasing and science-suppressing orders have violated the state-created danger doctrine, a legal principle meant to prevent government actors from inflicting injury upon their citizens. Continue reading... ...

Trump officials offer to move 300 birds to Mehmet Oz’s Florida ranch after Canada’s kill order over avian flu fears What is bird flu, and should you be worried about it? Senior officials in the Trump administration have intervened in attempt to save more than 300 ostriches on a farm in British Columbia which the Canadian government had ordered to be killed over fears the flock is infected with avian flu . Robert F Kennedy Jr , the US health secretary, and Mehmet Oz, a physician and former TV host appointed by Trump as the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid , have offered to move the birds to Oz’s ranch in Florida – despite the kill order imposed by Canadian health authorities. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/9eijZ3K

Registrations for new vehicles in April drop to half 2024 figure despite a broader rise in battery electric cars Sales of new Tesla electric cars are sliding across Europe, data suggests, amid a political backlash against its billionaire chief executive, Elon Musk. The figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) showed registrations for new Teslas halved in April compared to the same month a year earlier, despite a broader rise in battery electric vehicles overall. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/9GxqAXn

French president denies quarrelling with Brigitte Macron after footage is seized on by Russia and far-right accounts Emmanuel Macron has denied he and his wife, Brigitte, had an altercation after a viral video promoted by Russian state media and French far-right accounts appeared to show her pushing him in the face as they prepared to get off a plane in Vietnam. The video, shot by an Associated Press camera operator, shows the French president appearing in the doorway of the plane at the start of a visit to Hanoi. His wife’s hand appears to shove him, causing him to step back before recovering and waving. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/PD4oMjX

St George’s Bristol The former church was an excellent setting for Robert Hollingworth and his group’s superb exploration of Benevoli’s baroque masses for multiple choirs I Fagiolini may be a small vocal ensemble, but their director Robert Hollingworth thinks big, always pushing boundaries in an imaginative way. Their 2023 recording of music by the 17th century Orazio Benevoli – a leading composer in Rome’s post-Palestrina era – was much admired and they’re now exploring more of Benevoli’s masses for multiple choirs. Bristol’s St George’s , whose gallery runs on three full sides of the former church, offered an excellent setting. In Benevoli’s Missa Angelus Domini for three choirs of four voices – a single voice to each part as was the usual practice – the complexity of the interweaving lines emerged with clarity, the singing gutsy rather than overly refined. Individual voices were free to come through the texture with colourful flourishes when appropriate, the primacy of the text...

It’s like Midsomer Murders with jokes, or Rosemary and Thyme – but good. This fun new murder mystery bounces along with verve. It’s a cut above By some curious dint of mathematics, one of life’s greatest pleasures is coming across something that is just a little bit better than it needs to be. It’s such rarity, such a treat – and to pessimists, such a shock to the system – that it becomes disproportionately, though still genuinely, delightful. Such a phenomenon is Death Valley, a new Sunday night comedy drama in which an amateur sleuth helps the police solve crimes in a bucolic village – usually English, this time Welsh – with an astronomically high murder rate and a suspect under every gooseberry bush and felt hat. So far, so Gently cum Midsomer cum Marple cum Agatha Raisin cum pull-up-a-chair-and-a-teacake-and-enjoy. Death Valley was on BBC One Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3fkZO7e

Marilyn’s Mater Paddle, now in its second year, held at Balcarrick beach to raise funds for women’s cancer care Almost 200 Marilyn Monroe lookalikes have made a splash by taking part in a themed charity swim at an Irish beach. Sporting retro swimsuits and blond wigs, swimmers dressed as the film star took the plunge at Balcarrick beach in Donabate, County Dublin, for Marilyn’s Mater Paddle. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Aypi1CD

Six of Sunday’s 10 games potentially have something riding on them – testament to the English elite’s enduring rude health In a perfect world, what would the final day of the Premier League season look like? You’d have two sides going for the title – perhaps three or even four, all playing teams of similar standard and motivation. You’d have maybe six teams contesting the three relegation slots, possibly playing each other, and also a skirmish for European qualification. Ideally all 10 games would mean something and there should be times over the course of the afternoon when each side have the set of results they need to achieve their aims. And there should definitely be a moment when it becomes apparent that a harassed television presenter has forgotten or overlooked a goal so viewers can mutter furiously at the screen: “For heavens’ sake, that puts Brentford in ninth.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/oImrzAX

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, evacuations in Ukraine, tornadoes in Missouri and the FA Cup final at Wembley: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/hAMweol

Legislation would dismantle regulations in farming, mining and energy, increasing risk of widespread destruction Environmental activists in Brazil have decried a dramatic rollback of environmental safeguards after the senate approved a bill that would dismantle licensing processes and increase the risk of widespread destruction. The upper house passed the so-called “devastation bill” with 54 votes to 13 late on Wednesday, paving the way for projects ranging from mining and infrastructure to energy and farming to receive regulatory approval with little to no environmental oversight. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/E2aNwi0

Cannes film festival Focusing on the rogue’s gallery of hypocrites and crooks surrounding him, Assange himself is in the background of a pretty definitive examination Julian Assange sits at the centre of this gripping account of the WikiLeaks founder’s rise, fall and protracted seven-year limbo inside the Ecuadorian embassy. Eugene Jarecki’s documentary takes its title from the price the incoming Ecuadorian government supposedly charged the Trump administration for helping furnish his extradition to the US, thereby reneging on a promise of political asylum. If The Six Billion Dollar Man doesn’t rebuild Assange, exactly, that’s because it’s more interested in comprehensively demolishing his enemies. Compared to the hypocrites, scoundrels and crooks who surround him, the man himself looks almost virtuous. Actually Assange is mostly a background presence here. He’s more talked about than talking up; a karmic victim of his own success. While even his supporters admit to his personal fai...

Homeland security agent Gerard Gannon testifies about federal raid on Miami Beach property in March last year The federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs entered its eighth day of testimony in New York on Wednesday, with a homeland security agent resuming testimony about the federal raid of Combs’s Miami property last year. Combs, 55, is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was arrested in September and has pleaded not guilty. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ezb84kJ

UK justice secretary says victims should have chance to give impact statements as new bill goes through parliament Defendants who refuse to appear in court for sentencing are giving a “final insult to victims and their families”, the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has said, as an impact statement from the mother of a murdered girl was read to MPs. During the second reading of the victims and courts bill, the Labour MP Anneliese Midgley read a statement on behalf of Cheryl Korbel, the mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot dead in her Liverpool home in 2022. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/diSlR6V

Report finds Nestlé used purification treatments that were unauthorised for natural mineral water France’s lucrative mineral water industry is under scrutiny after a report by the senate found the French government had covered up a scandal over illegal filtering treatments of premium brands. At the heart of the report, released on Monday, is France’s world-famous fizzy water, Perrier . Obtained from a source in southern France and traditionally served on ice with a slice of lemon, Perrier has long been long known as the “champagne of table waters”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bqEyxCv

Chris Murphy says Trump strategically visited Gulf states ‘willing to pay him off’ as backlash rises against luxury offer Donald Trump ’s acceptance of a $400m Boeing jet from Qatar is the “definition of corruption”, a leading Democrat said on Sunday, as several senior Republicans joined in a bipartisan fusillade of criticism and concern over the luxury gift. Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut , condemned the “ flying grift ” on NBC’s Meet the Press as he assailed the president’s trip to several Gulf states this week that included a stop in Qatar. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UrbKOqG

Horden Methodist Church, County Durham Ensemble ’84 generate an exhilarating racket in this gutsy rendition of Brecht’s play about the thirty years’ war The noise is constant. It is in the eight marimbas lined up across the stage, which add a South African bounce to Bertolt Brecht’s 1939 epic of the thirty years’ war. It is in the operatic songs, all lush harmonies and pulsing percussion. And it is in the vocal effects of the large cast, adding birdsong or insect rhythms to the battlefields. Sometimes it is in the crackle of a plastic bottle to suggest fire, the shuddering boom of a drum to indicate an execution, or the grind of hands across metal for machine-gun fire. All of it is generated by the actors, much like the set, by the ensemble with Janet Brown and Eve Booth: a resourceful collection of corrugated iron, wooden pallets, old tyres and buckets. It gives Mark Dornford-May’s production an in-built theatricality: each performance created anew. Continue reading... from The ...

As a song contest on a space station descends into terror, Ncuti Gatwa gives his most disturbing performance yet – and the Doctor in rage mode is terrifying For an episode that started out like a joyfully camp romp into the world of Eurovision, Juno Dawson turned in a script that truly had ice in its heart, in just the way the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) told Kid (Freddie Fox) that the Time Lord now had ice in his hearts. Doctor Who stories often feature alien invasions, conquest, destruction and the desire for revenge, but they have seldom so bleakly painted the determination to carry out a mass casualty terrorism event. That in turn provoked one of the most extreme reactions we have ever seen from the lead character. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/E5mZ0uV

Former coaches and teammates reflect on the Leicester striker’s singular journey to the pinnacle of the game Where to start with the wiry teenager turned Premier League icon who once worked 12-hour shifts in a carbon-fibre factory? Perhaps at the beginning of an extraordinary career, his release by Sheffield Wednesday and those days earning £30 a game at Stocksbridge Park Steels hounding defenders in the Northern Premier League. For six months an electronic ankle tag – after he was convicted of assault – meant midweek matches were off-menu and games often saw him being subbed after an hour so he could jump over fences and into his parents’ car to beat his 6pm curfew. By then, his work was usually done. Word of mouth spread. He signed for Halifax for £15,000 in 2010, then Fleetwood a year later for 10 times that. Ten months on he joined Leicester in the Championship in a £1m deal, a non-league record. The story goes that he first appeared on Nigel Pearson’s radar while scoring 66 goal...

No 3 seed masters windy conditions to win 6-3, 7-6 Alcaraz will face Jannik Sinner or Tommy Paul in final Carlos Alcaraz will attempt to complete his set of clay-court Masters 1000 titles on Sunday after reaching the Italian Open final for the first time in his career with a demonstration of his improving discipline and consistency in windy conditions to defeat the home favourite and eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4). Alcaraz is the fourth active player to reach the finals of all clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments, after Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka. Alcaraz, the reigning Roland Garros and Monte Carlo champion alongside his two previous Madrid Open titles, will contest his 25th career ATP final in Rome. He will either renew his rivalry with Jannik Sinner, the No 1, or face the 11th seed Tommy Paul in the final. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/qdpNSvX

£20,000 award for writers aged 39 or under goes to story ‘tackling trauma and grief with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour’ A novel about a Palestinian woman who participates in a pyramid scheme reselling Birkin bags has won this year’s Swansea University Dylan Thomas prize. Palestinian journalist Yasmin Zaher took home the £20,000 prize – awarded to writers aged 39 or under in honour of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who died at that age – for her debut novel The Coin. She was announced as the winner at a ceremony in Swansea, Thomas’s birthplace. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EPXLear

Daré accepted the £10,000 prize for her latest novel, And So I Roar, the follow-up to her bestselling debut The Girl with the Louding Voice Nigerian writer Abi Daré has won the inaugural Climate fiction prize for her novel And So I Roar, the follow-up to her bestselling debut The Girl with the Louding Voice. Daré was announced as the winner of the £10,000 prize at a ceremony in London on Wednesday evening. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iKZg0oq

The writer and director, whose credits also include Bonnie and Clyde, Superman and Places in the Heart, died at his New York City home Oscar-winning writer and director Robert Benton has died at the age of 92. He won his two Academy awards for divorce drama Kramer vs Kramer . His longtime assistant and manager confirmed his death to the New York Times . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/vLR0WCg

A consortium would help Tehran deal with US objections and tie in Gulf states to its enrichment programme Iran has floated the idea of a consortium of Middle Eastern countries – including Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – to enrich uranium, in a effort to overcome US objections to its continued enrichment programme. The proposal is seen as a way of locking Gulf states into supporting Iran’s position that it should be allowed to retain enrichment capabilities. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/13/iran-proposes-partnership-with-uae-and-saudi-arabia-to-enrich-uranium

Peers back amendment to data bill requiring AI companies to reveal which copyrighted material they have used The government has suffered another setback in the House of Lords over its plans to let artificial intelligence firms use copyright-protected work without permission . An amendment to the data bill requiring AI companies to reveal which copyrighted material is used in their models was backed by peers, despite government opposition. It is the second time parliament’s upper house has demanded tech companies make clear whether they have used copyright-protected content. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/dJ5g40M

Exeter 42-14 Northampton ‘We have a lot to work on,’ admits Chiefs director Sometimes there is just one acceptable outcome and, from Exeter’s perspective, this victory was the absolute minimum requirement. Had the Chiefs been beaten by what was almost Northampton’s third team, having folded embarrassingly at Gloucester last time out, the sound of teeth being gnashed would have been heard from Totnes to Tiverton. Not that Rob Baxter, now back in a more hands-on role following the removal of two of his senior coaches, sounded the least bit triumphal. He had been seeking a witheringly physical, no-nonsense response to the Kingsholm drubbing but made it crystal clear afterwards that standards had to rise significantly on and off the field if the Chiefs want to revisit the sunlit uplands of English club rugby. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5DqnVKH

Alyssia Algeri and her new girlfriend knew they shared a love of music. But everything changed when Elissa started singing Adele’s One and Only In 2023 I made my regular queer pilgrimage from Melbourne to Sydney to strut the streets at Mardi Gras in flared pink pants. With my best friend in tow we moved through the masses of glittered faces. We stumbled on a house party – the balcony overflowing with people dancing. Partygoers littered the street below, praising the DJ as they hung from trees and danced on car roofs, waving their rainbow fans in sync with the music. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Tqx5w1F

Murals of McTominay in Naples? Don’t rule that out with the volatile manager who never stays long despite serial success There’s always a Tottenham exception. Since leaving Siena in 2011, since he got his first break with a club that had a realistic chance of winning trophies, Antonio Conte has won league titles with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter. Going into Sunday’s matches, with three games remaining, his Napoli lead Inter by three points. In a decade and a half he has won a trophy with every club he has managed, apart from Tottenham. Maybe Tottenham simply aren’t a club that had a realistic chance of winning trophies. Certainly it’s not as familiar to them as it is to Juventus, Chelsea and Inter. Napoli were Serie A title winners the season before last . Conte led Tottenham for 17 months and although he has the fifth-best win record of any Spurs manager, although he took them to fourth in his first season, having replaced Nuno Espírito Santo in the November , and although they were ...

Ncuti Gatwa takes his Doctor to get a haircut in Lagos and encounters gods, myths … and a giant spider Set in Lagos, The Story and the Engine attempted to weave elements of western African folklore with wider myths and legends, alongside the mythology of Doctor Who itself. Like a lot of recent episodes, it was eager to play with the idea that the viewer is aware they are watching a story. At the Q&A after the London premiere of The Robot Revolution , Ncuti Gatwa said that this was the episode he was most looking forward to people watching this year, and he seemed to have had an absolute hoot on set. He clearly relished showing his Doctor feeling alive and accepted within a Black African community on Earth, but as events unfolded, he also got to flex flashes of anger alongside all the joy. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/d5rJ9oI

Actors contribute to the poet and singer’s anthology exploring ceremony, loss and worship Actors Channing Tatum and Pedro Pascal have written poems for a new anthology curated by Canadian musician and poet Mustafa that also includes contributions by the writers George Saunders, Max Porter and Hanif Abdurraqib. The book, titled Nour, explores themes of ceremony, loss and worship. “You told me God wasn’t real/ as we sat in the water in the dark that night/ I couldn’t see your eyes but I could feel the anger/ in the water”, opens Tatum’s poem, extracted below along with Pascal’s. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pDfhq5A