Hungarian election winner Magyar vows to rebuild EU relationship after stunning defeat of Viktor Orbán - Europe live

The Tisza leader said the electorate voted ‘not just for a change of government but for a change of the regime’

in Brussels

The EU will start work with the new Hungarian government “as soon as possible” to make progress on issues including energy and the release of frozen European funds, the head of the European Commission has said.

“We will start working with the government as soon as possible on the topics you mentioned and much more to make a swift and overdue progress to the benefit of the Hungarian people.”

“I think moving to qualified-majority voting in foreign policy is an important way to avoid systematic blockages as we’ve seen in the past. And we should use the momentum now really to move forward on that topic.”

Tucker Carlson to launch publishing imprint with books by Russell Brand and Milo Yiannopoulos

Former Fox News host says publishing house Skyhorse ‘looking for books that nobody else will publish’

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is set to launch his own imprint and publish books by the likes of Russell Brand and “alt-right” commentator Milo Yiannopoulos.

The imprint, Tucker Carlson Books, will be part of the US-based publisher Skyhorse. “I think most people don’t read books anymore because they’re too absorbed in all the other available media,” said Carlson, according to the Wall Street Journal. He added that those who do “tend to be disproportionately influential in policy conversations and conversations about ideas”.

Trump faces backlash over post depicting him like Jesus

The image depicts President Trump in a white robe and red sash with a ball of light in one hand and the other hand extended in healing.

Oil price tops $100 a barrel after peace talks fail and Trump orders blockade

US Navy to impose blockade today in bid to choke off flow of Iranian oil

• Explainer: strait of Hormuz blockade

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Oil prices jumped back above $100 a barrel and global stocks fell after weekend talks between the US and Iran ended without an agreement and Donald Trump imposed a blockade of the strait of Hormuz.

The US president announced the blockade on Sunday, targeting Iranian vessels and ships that have paid a toll to Iran for passage through the strait, in an attempt to choke off the flow of Iranian oil.

U.S. begins blockade in Strait of Hormuz; Trump warns Iran 'attack ships' to stay away

The U.S. blockade would apply to "any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz," President Donald Trump said.

I was a professional fairy. The kids made the job magical – but the adults could be a nightmare

My special skills included driving a small car filled with helium balloons, memorising children’s names – and tolerating parents’ behaviour

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From the age of 16 to 22, I was a children’s entertainer. Most often a fairy, sometimes a witch, ballerina, princess or mermaid – with conspicuous legs underneath her tail. One time, hilariously, a ladybug.

The hourly rate was excellent, the costumes were cute and the tiny customers even cuter.

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The world is gripped by 3am dread thanks to an unhinged US president. Can someone turn the history machine off? | Brigid Delaney

Amid the daily horror show in the Middle East is the realisation the so-called adults in the room are insane or powerless or just as bewildered as you are

That funny feeling is back – the one many of us felt at the start of the Covid pandemic, where we had to absorb and accommodate things that once seemed unimaginable.

That funny feeling that doesn’t have a name is part dread, part horror, part captivation as you watch through your phone at whatever this is unfolding.

Less pomp, more cosplay: Prince Harry and Meghan’s ‘faux royal’ Australian tour

Promotional events with hefty price tags are on the agenda, alongside visits to a children’s hospital, women’s homeless service and the war memorial

Prince Harry and Meghan will touch down in Sydney on Tuesday for what has been described as a “faux-royal” tour that will be dramatically different from the pair’s first visit to Australia.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Sydney and Melbourne during their four-day visit, while Harry will do a solo Canberra trip.

Middle East crisis live: US launches blockade of Iran’s ports as Pope Leo says he has ‘no intention to debate’ Trump over war

Centcom says blockade in the strait of Hormuz to begin at 10am ET

Circling back to Donald Trump’s coming naval blockade, the US military said it would block all Iranian Gulf ports on Monday at 10am ET on Monday (5.30pm in Iran and 1400 GMT), effectively seizing control of maritime traffic in the strait of Hormuz.

“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” US Central Command said on X.

This is like a game of chicken. It’s who caves first. The Iranian regime is hoping that Trump will cave. Today, he showed he’s not.”

Meta creates AI version of Mark Zuckerberg so staff can talk to the boss

Digital avatar being trained on his thoughts, tone and mannerisms to help workers feel connected

If you’re one of Meta’s 79,000 employees and can’t get hold of the boss, don’t worry. The owner of Facebook and Instagram is reportedly working on an AI version of Mark Zuckerberg who can answer all your queries.

The AI clone of Zuckerberg, the company’s founder and chief executive, is being trained on his mannerisms and tone as well as his public statements and thoughts on company strategy.

Congress returns as historic DHS shutdown is unresolved and Trump’s strict voter ID bill looms – US politics live

House speaker under pressure over Senate proposal hardline Republicans claim is a win for Democrats; Senate to debate Save America act that would require new voters to prove US citizenship

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A federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s $10bn lawsuit against Wall Street Journal and its publisher Dow Jones, after the president claimed the Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet defamed him by reporting on the president’s alleged message to Jeffrey Epstein, as part of the late sex offender’s 50th birthday album.

Judge Darrin Gayles said that Trump’s legal team failed to proved that the Journal acted with “actual malice”, a key requirement in defamation cases involving a public figure. The ruling also noted that the president failed to prove that the Journal’s reporting resulted in “special damages”, which amount to out-of-pocket losses.

Eyes on the prize! Backstage at the Olivier awards 2026 – in pictures

Guardian photographer David Levene was at the Royal Albert Hall to photograph the stars and the special performances at London’s biggest night of theatre

• No need for hard stares as Paddington: The Musical triumphs at Olivier awards

• Olivier awards 2026: full list of winners

• ‘I want to thank my amazing husband, who doesn’t exist!’ – Olivier awards’ best quotes

Oil price tops $100 a barrel as US blockades strait of Hormuz; Goldman Sachs posts rise in profits – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

• Strait of Hormuz blockade explained: why is Trump threatening it now and will it increase the price of oil?

Shares in European airlines are dropping in early trading, amid disappointment that the talks between Washington and Tehran broke up without a breakthrough last weekend.

British Airways’ parent company, IAG, are down over 2% this morning, with budget rivals Wizz Air (-6.5%) and easyJet (-3.8%) falling more sharply.

Judge dismisses Trump suit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein letter

A federal judge in Miami handed President Trump a defeat in his defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a story about a birthday book for Jeffrey Epstein.

Congress returns to grapple with Iran war, DHS shutdown, expulsion votes

Lawmakers are returning to Washington to face major developments in the war with Iran, a lingering DHS shutdown and possible expulsion votes for some of their own members.

U.S. stocks dip, oil prices rise amid Trump's blockade plan

Global oil prices jumped over $100 a barrel as investors fret over Trump's threat to launch a partial naval blockade of the vital trade route.

Karol G at Coachella review – electrifying set destined for festival’s hall of fame

Empire Polo Club, Indio, California
With dazzling choreography and head-spinning set pieces, the Colombian star delivered a victorious statement of Latin pride

Late on the final night of Coachella’s first weekend, after more than a dozen songs, several glorious costume changes and some of the most luscious choreography ever seen in a headliner set, the Colombian superstar Karol G finally introduced herself in English: “I am Carolina Giraldo from Medellín, Colombia, and today, I am the first Latina woman to headline Coachella,” she said to deafening cheers from a crowd dotted with the flags of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia and other Latin nations. “I’m very happy and very proud,” she added, but “at the same time, it feels late. There has been 27 years of this festival.” Both sincere and pointed, her remarks recalled Beyoncé in 2018, thanking the festival for allowing her to be the first Black woman to headline: “Ain’t that ’bout a bitch?”

Beyoncé is quite the name to invoke – we may never again see a set as virtuosic and culturally significant as Beychella – but on Sunday night, Karol G sure made the case for her inclusion in the festival’s hall of fame. Seeming at once years in the making and effortless, her 90-minute set was, like Bad Bunny’s landmark headliner slot three years earlier, an exuberant statement of Latin pride and pan-American unity as well as the joys of absolutely lethal, ass-shaking music so relentlessly danceable I broke a sweat on the coldest night of the festival. From the minute she first appeared, luminous in a glittering gold bikini and flanked by an army of sinuous background dancers, her hip undulations visible to the naked eye from the back rows – “not even Nascar has these curves,” she boasts in saucy opener Latina Foreva – the fireworks literal and physical barely ceased. If it’s going to take 27 years, well, best throw an undeniable fiesta.

Trump blasts Pope Leo for criticism of U.S. foreign policy

Leo, the first U.S.-born pope who hails from Chicago, has condemned Trump's war effort with Iran.

Roblox introduces age-based accounts amid child safety concerns

The California-based company said it will assign users ages 5 to 8 to a Roblox Kids account and users ages 9 to 15 to a separate account called Roblox Select.

‘Blasphemy’: outrage after Trump posts AI image of himself as Christ-like figure

The US president’s conservative, Christian supporters decried the Truth Social post, calling it ‘disgusting’

Just months after signing legislation that will pull nearly 12 million Americans off health insurance by gutting Medicaid, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself to Truth Social on Sunday depicting him as a Jesus Christ-like figure, with divine light emanating from his hands as he heals a stricken man in a hospital bed with a demon from hell floating in the background.

Some of his most high-profile and loyal Christian supporters, many of whom have stood by the president through multiple other indiscretions, are unable to contain their righteous fury.

‘A disturbing lack of integrity’: Columbia students file complaint against energy thinktank taking big oil money

Members of Sunrise Movement chapter claim university’s energy center engaging in deceptive trade practices

A thinktank at Columbia University is engaging in deceptive trade practices by hiding the extent of its financial ties to the fossil fuel industry, according to a first-of-its-kind administrative complaint filed by student activists and shared with the Guardian.

Columbia’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) describes itself as an independent organization producing research on energy policy. But that representation is “misleading”, alleges the complaint to the New York City consumer protection bureau, filed Monday by Columbia’s chapter of the youth-led environmental justice organization the Sunrise Movement.

‘That crazy old man should leave Cuba alone’: farmers bear the brunt of Trump’s pressure campaign

In Artemisa, the country’s agricultural heartland, sanctions and fuel shortages have made a tough life almost impossible

Abraham Rodríguez stares at the corn furrows he must plough before the end of the day. It is not even noon in Artemisa, Cuba, but the sun beats down hard and he’s already tired: working the land is a tough job. He has done it for almost half his life, since he was 13 and his mother got a divorce. He is turning 26 this year.

Farming has always been hard, he says, but now it is almost impossible to sustain. “I make 1,200 pesos (£1.80) a day, so I have to work two days to buy a bottle of oil.”

Trump calls Pope Leo "WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy"

Pope Leo has been critical of the war in Iran and other priorities of the Trump administration, but says his comments are "not meant as attacks on anyone."

Rise in online gambling among kids and teens

A recent survey shows 36% of boys between the ages of 11 and 17 have gambled in the past year. Among 17-year-old boys, it rises to 49%. Psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma explains how parents can approach the topic with their kids.

Fallout from Swalwell scandal grows as lawmakers eye House expulsion votes

The political crisis surrounding Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell is rapidly escalating into a broader bipartisan showdown that could reshape the makeup of the House.

Rory McIlroy hails his parents after second Masters triumph

Golfer puts spotlight on Rosie and Gerry McIlroy’s sacrifices to support his dream in emotional victory speech

In a sport filled with pushy parents the McIlroys do things differently: Rory McIlroy had to push his parents to attend the scene of his greatest triumph.

Rosie and Gerry McIlroy feared their presence might jinx their son’s defence of the Masters, so they planned to steer clear of Augusta National.

Bollywood classics, rave bangers and Michael Stipe duets: 10 of Asha Bhosle’s greatest recordings

After her death aged 92, we look back on the vast and varied catalogue of one of India’s greatest vocalists, who brought actorly skill to her Bollywood playback performances

• Indian music legend Asha Bhosle dies aged 92

With more than 12,000 songs to her name, Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle is one of the most recorded and well-known voices in Bollywood cinema. Born into a musical family, with her father Deenanath Mangeshkar working as a singer for regional Marathi theatre and film throughout the 1920s and 30s and her older sister Lata Mangeshkar becoming a Bollywood playback singer in her own right, Bhosle entered the industry at just 10 years old with this debut performance in the Marathi film Maze Baal. Duetting with Lata, Bhosle’s melismatic falsetto in the song gives voice to the playful innocence of the film’s central love-child. Keening and crystal-clear, her vocal immediately cuts through the rollicking instrumental and already displays the yearning emotion that would become her signature as her voice matured.

Spring clean in Seoul and tribute to an Indian music legend: photos of the day – Monday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Hate small talk? You may enjoy that ‘dull’ chat more than you think, say researchers

Participants reported enjoying the human connection regardless of whether they thought the topic was dull

The human aversion to dull experiences was nailed by the author Paulo Coelho when he declared: “I can stand defeats, pain, anger. But I can’t stand boredom.”

But the natural desire to avoid boring conversations comes at a cost, according to researchers, who found that people enjoyed chatting about tedious topics far more than they expected.

Don’t mention the climate: Trump creates ‘beyond absurd’ situation at global finance talks

Developing countries face possible shelving of crucial green action plan at IMF and World Bank spring meetings

Governments desperate for cash to protect their citizens from the growing impacts of the climate crisis are being put in a “beyond absurd” situation this week at global finance talks: they are being urged not to mention the climate, even as they address the current oil crisis.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) spring meetings take place this week amid a fragile ceasefire in Iran and upended geopolitics. One of the priorities was to forge a new “climate change action plan” (CCAP) for the world’s biggest provider of funds to developing countries, to replace the current strategy, which expires in June.

Delta Air Lines unveils first new Delta One suite in premium cabin arms race

Delta and other carriers are ramping up premium seats on board.

What Brian Hooker says happened the night his wife vanished in Bahamas

During a nearly 40-minute phone conversation, Brian Hooker told friends​ in descriptive detail what led to the incident where his wife allegedly went missing.

Lynette Hooker told friend in 2024 text: "I can't be out there with him"

Two years before her disappearance, Lynette Hooker temporarily split with her husband Brian, telling a friend, "Our marriage lasted 6 weeks cruising," and "It was bad. I can't be out there with him."

Ineos Automotive: Startup backed by a knighted billionaire and soccer mogul wants to rekindle the rugged SUV market

The automaker has plans to grow sales in the U.S. by roughly 30% to 35%, as well as a target to achieve breakeven this year, executives exclusively told CNBC.

Brazil’s Lula, 80, livestreams workouts before election against rival half his age

President contrasts his health with challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, who fainted during a TV debate

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is seeking to lunge and leg press his way to a historic fourth term, as the octogenarian politician uses a flurry of workout videos to convince voters he is fighting fit ahead of October’s crunch election.

Lula looks set to face off against a senator almost half his age in what will be the leftist’s seventh presidential campaign since he first sought Brazil’s top job in 1989, when he was 44.

Rep. Eric Swalwell ends bid for California governor amid sexual assault allegations

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell announced he is suspending his campaign in the California governor's race following mounting allegations of sexual misconduct. Democratic congressional leaders have called for an investigation as Swalwell denies the allegations of sexual assault.

Ghanaian winger Dominic Frimpong killed at age of 20 in attack on team bus

• Armed men fired at Berekum Chelsea bus on Sunday

• Frimpong dies of wounds at hospital

Berekum Chelsea winger Dominic Frimpong was killed in an armed robbery on his team’s bus as they returned from a match on Sunday, the Ghana Football Association said.

Berekum Chelsea said six “masked men wielding guns and assault rifles” had blocked the road as the team returned from their Ghana Premier League match against Samartex.

Sunshine Women’s Choir review – weepie prison musical is huge Taiwan hit but drowns in own gloop

This schmaltzy film about a choir of inmates might make you cry – but in exasperation, frustration and disbelief rather than heartfelt emotion

Everyone involved with this feelgood/feelbad prison musical/weepie, and Taiwan’s biggest local box office hit ever, should be put on immediate cinematic probation and banned from film-making until it’s clear they are no longer a danger to the public. Starting out as merely heavy schmaltz, it resorts to increasingly manipulative tactics to wring out every drop of available emotion from the audience, like some merciless warden during exercise hour. There’s so much theatrical crying in the final stages that the inmates could have floated over the prison walls on the rising tide of their own tears.

In a story adapted from 2010 Korean film Harmony, Hui-Zhen (Ivy Chen) has to raise her infant daughter Yun-shi behind bars after murdering her abusive husband. Either this is movie jail or Taiwanese correction facilities are ridiculously plush, as her cell comes with soft-play fittings and supportive cellmates, including former stage diva Yu-ying (veteran singer Judy Ongg, who appeared in Peter Greenaway’s The Pillow Book). Already under pressure from hardass warden Chief Fang (Miao Ke-li) to give up Yun-shi for adoption, Hui-Zhen’s hand is forced when the youngster develops a vision-threatening cataract she can’t afford to treat.

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for chilli eggs with miso beans and spinach | Quick and easy

A hearty dish that makes a great get-ahead breakfast for busy mornings

My go-to cheat ingredient for a dash of heat is White Mausu’s peanut rāyu – it has a gentler flavour profile than, say, Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli in oil, and works perfectly in this dish of creamy, lemon-spiked beans and eggs. I recommend using jarred white beans for the speediest cook time. For an easy, get-ahead breakfast, make and chill the spinach and beans the night before, then reheat the next morning and crack in the eggs when the beans are piping hot.

Trump says U.S. will blockade Iranian ports. And, Orbán loses Hungarian election

President Trump announced a blockade of Iranian ports after peace talks with Iran collapsed. And, Viktor Orbán concedes defeat after 16 years in power in Hungary.

Elon Musk’s X cuts payments to users who post clickbait

Platform says it will reward original creators as it penalises ‘aggregators’ for flooding timelines with ‘stolen posts’

• Business live – latest updates

Elon Musk’s X has reduced payments to users who post clickbait and recycle news stories as it warned account holders against “flooding the timeline” with low-quality content.

Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, wrote on the social media platform that all “aggregators” – users who quickly repackage and repost news from other accounts – had received less money from the creator revenue sharing programme.

Napoli’s title defence looks done – without McTominay it would have ended sooner | Nicky Bandini

Midfielder has again been Napoli’s star but ageing squad has taken club backwards and Conte’s future is uncertain

Was this the end of the Serie A title race? On a weekend when the last two teams pursuing them both slipped up, Inter delivered another statement victory, recovering from two goals down to win 4-3 away to a Como side who had been playing some of the best football in the division.

When the final whistle went, manager Christian Chivu celebrated like a man who knew exactly what it meant, hugging an assistant so hard he lifted them off the floor. Inter were nine points clear now in first place, with six games to go. But when the cameras arrived for post-game interviews, he played coy.

Ken Loach revisits I, Daniel Blake: ‘We were asking if food banks are tolerable. Now they’re an institution’

The scene at the food bank, recalls the director, where Katie is so hungry, she pours baked beans into her hand from a tin and eats them cold, came from a real story

In 2016, we were – as we continue to be – in a time of mean-spiritedness. If you were vulnerable or needed support, you were met with punishment, and there was a constant vilifying of people who needed help. I, Daniel Blake was based on that. It’s very much a film about the cruelty of the system that says: “Poverty is the fault of the poor. You’re not striving enough. You’re not doing enough job interviews.” Dave Johns’ character, Daniel Blake, shows us this. He needs to work, he wants to work, but the system makes it hard for people not to be tripped up.

The U.S. military is about to block ships from Iran's ports after talks failed

The U.S. Central Command said the blockade would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations" from 10 a.m. EDT, following the breakdown of talks after 21 hours of negotiations.

The US small town coffee shop that created a viral drink: ‘I still don’t understand how it went so far’

The raspberry danish latte is making its way around the world after its inventors decided to share the recipe

A viral coffee drink created by a little college town coffee shop on the outskirts of Minneapolis is now making its way around the world after its inventors decided to give the recipe away for free.

After Little Joy Coffee’s raspberry danish latte, a spring seasonal drink, went viral in March, the shop’s owners decided to encourage coffee shops to rip off the recipe directly and add it to their menus.

And the election winner is … the candidate who can afford Africa’s soaring nomination fees

Presidential elections in Djibouti and Benin at the weekend highlighted how a costly electoral system is reshaping democracy

Alexis Mohamed would have loved to stand against his former boss. A longtime adviser to Djibouti’s president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, Mohamed resigned last September, citing democratic regression in the country.

But at the election at the weekend, Mohamed was not on the ballot. Now outside the country, he says he cannot return home to file nomination papers or campaign freely without credible security guarantees. Even if he were allowed to compete, nomination costs would still loom as a steep barrier in a political environment many critics describe as ceremonial, with Guelleh the habitual winner.

Are we heading for ‘super El Nino’ – and what could we expect?

Experts say climate pattern could supercharge extreme weather events and push temperatures to record highs

There is a high likelihood that the phenomenon known as “El Niño” will emerge this summer – and it could be exceptionally strong. A so-called “super El Niño” could supercharge extreme weather events and push global temperatures to record heights next year if it develops, according to experts.

Meteorologists are keeping a close eye on the climate patterns developing in the Pacific Ocean that will enable stronger predictions about what’s to come in the year ahead.

Booking.com warns customers of hack that exposed their data

Undisclosed number of names and contact and reservation details accessed in latest cybercrime attempt

• Business live – latest updates

The accommodation reservation website Booking.com has suffered a data breach with “unauthorised parties” gaining access to customers’ details.

The platform said it “noticed some suspicious activity involving unauthorised third parties being able to access some of our guests’ booking information”.

Trump says U.S. will blockade Iranian ports after peace talks fail

On Sunday, President Trump said the U.S. would blockade the Strait of Hormuz after negotiations between the U.S. and Iran broke down over the weekend.

Retired U.S. Navy admiral on Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz

NPR's Michel Martin speaks to retired U.S. Navy Adm. James Foggo, dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy, about President Trump's command to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.

Pope Leo stands firm with Trump as Vatican–Washington rift deepens over Iran war

Pope Leo XIV says he will not be deterred by criticism from President Trump, vowing to continue his calls for peace as tensions escalate between the Vatican and Washington over the Iran conflict.

‘The perception is Carney is a wartime leader’: why Canada’s PM could secure a majority

As Trump’s actions spark a desire for stability, analysts say Carney is in effect assembling a union government

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, is on the brink of securing a majority government, with his Liberal party poised to win at least two closely watched byelections and courting an “almost unprecedented” string of defections from rival parties.

Carney’s ability to turn a strong minority into a narrow majority through electoral gains and floor crossing has strengthened his reputation as a pragmatic leader above the cut and thrust of partisan politics. But his efforts to bring in lawmakers from across the political spectrum has also sparked a fierce internal debate over the Liberals’ values and the risks of consolidating more power.

The pet I’ll never forget: Chilly, the kitten I saved from freezing to death

I found Chilly literally frozen to the spot beneath a Detroit dock, warmed her up and took her home. She’s now part of the family

Earlier this year, I was walking along the marina in the Jefferson Chalmers neighbourhood in Detroit, Michigan. It was a terribly cold winter; the water had frozen over and everything was coated in a thick layer of frost. Suddenly, a sound caught my ear – the loud cries of a tiny animal.

I didn’t know what it was at first, or where exactly it was coming from, but I kept hearing it – so I decided to turn around and walk towards the wailing. Suddenly I spotted a little kitten, trapped between the wooden dock and the plank of metal underneath it. I realised its paws were stuck, frozen to the metal, and it had been crying out to be rescued.

I have just one secret from my husband. If he reads this, even that will be gone | Emma Beddington

I know that hidden depths are sexy and intriguing – but after 30 years together, we effectively share a single brain

How bad are secrets in a relationship? That’s what I’ve been wondering ever since I saw The Drama, the slightly silly if slickly entertaining Zendaya and Robert Pattinson vehicle about what happens when you discover an unimagined side to someone you thought you knew completely.

We all keep secrets – a small study published in January found that respondents had, on average, nine types of secret squirrelled away (stuff you’d expect: lies they’d told, romantic desires, sexual behaviours, money). The most important ones crossed their minds on average every two hours, with a potentially negative effect on psychological wellbeing.

What a chimpanzee 'civil war' can teach us about how societies fall apart

A long-term study of the world's largest known community of chimpanzees has documented a rare event: what the researchers describe as the primate equivalent of a "civil war."

ICE detaining fewer non-criminals, driving a decline in detention population

The average daily ICE detention population declined by 12% from January to March, as a shakeup in DHS leadership suggests a potential shift in enforcement strategy.

OpenAI announces first permanent London office after halting UK Stargate project

In February, the company said it would make London its largest research hub outside of the U.S.

Britney Spears enters rehab after March DUI arrest

Singer voluntarily enters facility after erratic driving incident, where she was found to have drugs and alcohol in her system

Britney Spears has entered a rehab facility after her arrest in March for driving under the influence.

The pop singer was stopped by police in Ventura county, California, after driving erratically, and was found to have drugs and alcohol in her system. She was briefly detained, and her manager called Spears’ actions “completely inexcusable. Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”

The one change that worked: in a hectic world, taking up jigsaw puzzles calmed my mind

Every time I successfully place a piece, I get a little rush and a sense of achievement. How could I have thought puzzles were only for children?

Until last year, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d done a jigsaw puzzle. It must have been at least 20 years ago. As far as I was concerned, puzzles were for children. There were always other more exciting, interesting and productive things to do – or so I thought.

While rummaging around at home on a rainy autumn afternoon, however, I stumbled upon a jigsaw puzzle that had been lying untouched since my husband and I were given it a few years ago. I’m not sure what came over me – perhaps it was because my husband was watching a film that didn’t particularly interest me – but I decided to give it a go. I was immediately hooked.

AI to predict how bowel cancer patients will respond to new NHS drug

PhenMap tool could spare thousands of patients from treatment that would be ineffective for them

A new AI-driven way of identifying how patients with advanced bowel cancer will respond to a drug that was recently introduced by the NHS has been announced.

Researchers at London’s Institute of Cancer Research and the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin have developed the method with the goal of sparing potentially thousands of patients from being given drugs that would be ineffective in fighting their cancers.

‘Endearing and enduring’: why Hot Fuzz is my feelgood movie

The latest in our ongoing series of writers highlighting their go-to comfort watches is a journey back to 2004 and the unusually violent village of Sandford

With the endless library of films we all have at our fingertips, in our DVD collections and on whatever the cloud is, finding your top feelgood movie can be a deceptively hard task. Though it seems obvious now, mine was so familiar to me that somehow it managed to hide in plain sight. Eventually, I had to ask my partner what she thought my comfort movie was. She answered decisively: Hot Fuzz. And she’s absolutely right. How could it not be?

Hot Fuzz is Edgar Wright’s second entry in his Cornetto trilogy, preceded by the cult classic Shaun of the Dead and followed by pub crawl alien invasion adventure The World’s End. I’m not convinced Hot Fuzz is Wright’s best film – it’s not even my favourite. But as far as feelgood movies go, it’s unbeatable.

TikTok psychic seeks relief from $10m verdict for false claims in Idaho student murders

Tarot card reader Ashley Guillard, who falsely accused history professor Rebecca Scofield, plans to appeal

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A self-proclaimed psychic who in TikTok videos falsely accused a University of Idaho professor of being involved in the murders of four of the school’s students in 2022 is appealing for relief after a civil court jury ordered her to pay $10m in damages to the educator.

In a recent legal filing that she prepared herself, tarot card reader Ashley Guillard called the case brought against her by history professor Rebecca Scofield “fraudulent” and asked the federal court in Idaho where a jury delivered a verdict against her to set aside the judgment.

How a $75 billion windfall from Congress has insulated ICE

Last year, Congress approved $75 billion for immigration enforcement. That money has allowed ICE to operate nearly unfettered during a record-long shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

Pennsylvania town faces fallout from Trump's environmental rule rollback

The Trump administration is ratcheting up attacks on environmental protections that Make America Healthy Again followers hold dear.

Viktor Orbán is gone. What does his fall mean for Europe? Our panel responds

Hungary’s return to democracy will be hard. But the impact of Péter Magyar’s decisive victory could be profound, inside the country and beyond

Weather tracker: Super Typhoon Sinlaku threatens Mariana Islands

Rapidly strengthening storm brings destructive winds, flooding risk and dangerous seas to western Pacific

The Mariana Islands archipelago in the western Pacific, home to the US territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, are bracing for extreme weather early this week as Super Typhoon Sinlaku approaches.

The system originated as a cluster of thunderstorms over the seas of Micronesia before strengthening into a tropical storm and then a typhoon on Friday and Saturday.

Keir Starmer defends plan for closer alignment with EU rules

PM rejects claim plan is integration with EU ‘by stealth’, saying changes will happen only if parliament passes law

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Keir Starmer has defended plans for the UK to align more closely with some EU rules without parliamentary votes, saying a closer relationship with Europe “is in the UK’s best interest”, particularly given the international turmoil over the Iran war.

Speaking to the BBC after the Guardian revealed that ministers were planning to use so-called Henry VIII powers to dynamically align with EU rules by default, Starmer argued that, nearly 10 years after the Brexit referendum, it was time to “look forward”.

Cardiff stages thriller while Women’s Six Nations favourites show strength

Wales and Scotland produced drama at the Principality Stadium while England and Ireland drew a record crowd as the tournament began at major venues

Sporting theatre reached Shakespearean heights at the Principality Stadium on Saturday as Wales and Scotland produced the best match of the opening Women’s Six Nations weekend. Welsh hearts broke seven minutes past the full 80 as Scotland managed to get a comeback win over the line. The fixture had sensational tries and late drama, and played out on BBC Two. The only thing missing was the type of crowd that such a thriller deserved.

Wales hosted the game at the national stadium, the only one taking place there during this year’s tournament, watched by 10,569 supporters. The number is a record for a fixture between the two teams in Wales but if it had been held next door at Cardiff Arms Park, which has an official capacity of just over 12,000, or at Cardiff City Stadium, which holds about 33,000 and is hosting Wales men v Fiji in July, the atmosphere would have translated better to the players as well as to those watching at home.

Feminists began raising the alarm about the manosphere decades ago – and we were ignored | Laurie Penny

We were told we couldn’t take a joke, and that social media isn’t real life. Now the misogyny of early chatrooms and Gamergate has reached the White House

Why has it taken so long for us to treat misogyny as a political problem? The modern manosphere has been metastasising for many years – and for years, mainstream culture has responded with a helpless shrug. There was nothing unusual about men hurting women, even if the technology was new.

In the early aughts, angry and alienated men began indulging in recreational misogyny online, bombarding women and girls in the public eye with threats, insults, harassment, hacking, and hideous “revenge porn”. Strange as it may now sound, though, “the internet” was still seen as separate from “real life”.

Laurie Penny is a journalist, author and screenwriter. They write the substack Force of Culture

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Is it true that … having a diverse microbiome stops you from getting sick?

Having diverse microbes in the gut has been promoted as a way to boost immunity, but studies suggest it’s more complicated than that

The trillions of microorganisms that live in and on our bodies – known as the microbiome – have been hailed as the key to better immunity. “Lots of studies correlate the types of bacteria in your microbiome with health and disease across almost every mental and physical condition,” says Prof Daniel M Davis, head of life sciences at Imperial College London and the author of Self Defence: A Myth-busting Guide to Immune Health. “But most of that evidence is correlative, and we still need to understand exactly how the microbiome affects health.”

Scientists often look at one measure: diversity. In other words, how many different species of microbes live in the gut. “The more diverse your microbiome is, the more it seems to correlate with not being ill.”

Can you solve it? Are you smarter than a Navy admiral?

A trio of tricky teasers

Tanya Khovanova is a luminary of the recreational mathematics scene. She is one of its foremost bloggers and also runs Number Gossip, a site where you can submit a number and she “will tell you everything you want to know about it but were afraid to ask.”

Tanya has now written her first book, Mathematical Puzzles and Curiosities, in collaboration with two other puzzle enthusiasts, Ivo David and Yogev Shpilman. It’s packed with fantastic new puzzles and twists on old ones.

What this real-world oil price says about the level of stress in the energy market

Energy analysts warn that the Iran ceasefire is not likely to alleviate acute signs of stress in the physical oil market.

My search for the perfect bodega in Madrid

Good wine, cheap tapas, ramshackle decor and a sense of history are the key ingredients of these Madrileño institutions. I went on a bar crawl to find my favourite

The first hurdle to overcome when searching for the Spanish capital’s top bodegas is the correct interpretation of the word “bodega”. It is defined as a warehouse, winery, wine cellar and wine shop or bar specialising in wine. In Spanish slang it can also mean a convenience store.

I asked several people working in the Madrid wine trade, and they all struggled to define exactly what a bodega is – and sometimes disagreed with each other. For example, while La Bodega de los Reyes fits the description because it has a wine cellar, a nearby bar owner said it couldn’t be classed as a bodega as it was just a wine shop.

‘This scene is alive’: Abidjan art week showcases city as growing cultural hub

Late-night gallery tours and new venues signal a city staking its claim as a regional arts capital

On a recent weekday evening, the doors of more than a dozen galleries and museums across Abidjan stayed open till midnight, several hours later than usual, as art enthusiasts went around town on a bus tour. It was the Night of the Galleries, designed for people to drop in after work and enjoy Abidjan art week to the fullest.

The after-hours special showcase was first tested in January 2024 on the sidelines of the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament hosted and won by Côte d’Ivoire. The tradition continued this year during the art week’s third edition, which ran from last Tuesday to Sunday.

In the UK, Keir Starmer has few fans. I learned that in China it’s a very different story | Martin Rowson

The prime minister’s meal in a Yunnan restaurant in Beijing has spawned a national menu. The man has, bizarrely, become a phenomenon

It’s always heartening when people agree with you. I had Keir Starmer down as a non-ideological technocratic centrist dad the moment I first clocked him, with a tin ear for both simple human interaction and the darker subtleties of the political arts. So despite carrying his famous “Ming vase” over the line in the 2024 election, I’ve been wholly unsurprised by him flatfooting and pratfalling through jagged shards of porcelain ever since, living down to all my worst fears. Now absolutely everybody else thinks he’s crap too.

Or so I thought, until a family visit to China last month, when I established a connection beyond mythical Ming vases. The “Keir Starmer menu” has become a foodie phenomenon.

Martin Rowson is a cartoonist and author

Harissa carrots and preserved lemon potatoes: Helen Graham’s recipes for roasting vegetables with hawaij spice mix

The bold, lively and versatile flavours of the Yemeni spice mix bring out the natural earthiness of roast vegetables

Hawaij is a Yemeni spice mix that came into my life during my time at the Palomar in London, and it has not left my spice cupboard ever since. It’s a mix of turmeric, black pepper, cardamom and ground coriander, giving it an earthy, vegetal flavour, and it’s traditionally used in soups and stews; it’s also a key component in zhoug, a spicy coriander and chilli sauce. It’s one of the most enlivening and versatile spice mixes I know, and should be your forever companion, too.

Is Gout Gout faster than Usain Bolt? Australian sprinter sets sights on Jamaican great’s 200m record

Coach believes there’s no limit to 18-year-old’s talent while athlete himself says he’s ‘ready for more’

Having cracked the 20-second barrier with a sizzling run over 200m – and in the process fulled comparisons with the great Usain Bolt – the question now is, how fast can Gout Gout go?

“How long’s a piece of string?” said Gout’s coach and mentor, Di Sheppard, after he clocked 19.67sec at the Australian championships in Sydney on Sunday.

The incredible life of the ‘bird man’ refugee who brought tweets, chirps and trills to British radio

Ludwig Koch was once as influential as David Attenborough is today – a new film by his granddaughter sheds light on a tragic event in the naturalist’s life in Berlin before he fled the Nazis

In his lifetime, pioneering German sound recordist Ludwig Koch’s heavily accented voice was as familiar to British audiences as David Attenborough’s is today. His tireless passion for capturing birdsong and bringing it first into German and, after his exile from Nazi Germany, British homes via sound books and BBC radio, made him a household name from the late 1930s onwards.

He was celebrated beyond his life, parodied by Peter Sellers (playing Koch observing life at a Glasgow traffic junction) and immortalised in Penelope Fitzgerald’s 1980 novel Human Voices, about the wartime BBC, which depicts Koch’s assiduous approach to capturing natural sounds and indirectly highlights how the organisation benefited from new voices like his.

Iran war could plunge 32 million into poverty, says United Nations

‘Development in reverse’ taking place involving rising energy and food costs and weaker economic growth

More than 32 million people worldwide could be plunged into poverty by the economic fallout from the Iran war, with developing countries expected to be hit hardest.

In a report issued amid doubts over a fragile ceasefire, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said the world was facing a “triple shock” involving energy, food and weaker economic growth.

4/12/2026: Pope Leo's Church; Risk on the Road; What Happened to the Great White Sharks?

First, Pope Leo's voice on American politics. Then, a report on the ticking time bomb on U.S. roadways. And, South Africa's missing great white sharks.

4/12: CBS Weekend News

Trump says U.S. will blockade Strait of Hormuz after Iran peace talks collapse; oil prices fueling inflation amid Iran war.

Latest on Iran war as Trump announces Strait of Hormuz blockade

A marathon round of talks between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend failed to produce a peace agreement, leading President Trump to announce a bloackade of the Strait of Hormuz. Imtiaz Tyab and Taurean Small have more.

Recapping the historic Artemis II mission around the moon

Artemis II's crew has returned home to Houston after covering nearly 700,000 miles on their voyage around the moon. Mark Strassmann has more.

Euphoria season three review – grubby, desperate and absolutely not worth the wait

What a relief that this is the end for Sam Levison’s grim drama. A show which was once blackly funny is now humourless torture porn

To say that season three of Euphoria is long-awaited would be something of an understatement. HBO’s high school drama debuted in 2019, when it garnered a fanfare of attention with its heady mix of grinding trauma, heavenly eyeshadows and cheap/daring (delete as appropriate) feats, including a locker room scene starring 30 penises. In the years since, it cemented itself as a show with much to say about gen Z’s relationship to sex, drugs and mental health, and pushed Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney and former Disney teenybopper Zendaya to the A-list. It has also released a mere 18 episodes in that time, a victim of everything from the Covid pandemic to the Los Angeles fires. Like a new Rihanna album, Euphoria season three has – in time – become shorthand for a pop culture mirage that would maybe, possibly arrive sometime before 2030. At least, we hoped, before most of the cast were in their 30s.

Excitement, too, has waned over time. Rumours of rifts between the cast and creator Sam Levinson have only grown since its return was confirmed last autumn, and the press tour that followed has had a distinct flavour of “contractual obligation” about it (social media posts from the cast were few and far between, while Zendaya, in an interview with Variety, ambiguously described filming as a “whirlwind”). It brings me no pleasure, then, to report that, based on the three episodes released for review, Euphoria’s third (and probably final) run was absolutely not worth the wait. It’s a grubby, humourless work of torture porn that’s obsessed with and repulsed by sex work.

Titaníque review – delightfully campy Céline Dion musical shows bigger isn’t always better

St James Theatre, New York
The hilariously deranged riff on Titanic loses some scrappy charm in its Broadway transfer

According to its creators, the idea for Titaníque, the extremely campy Céline Dion jukebox musical now open on Broadway, originated as a drunken riff between friends – what if the Québécois Queen of Feelings not only sang the theme song of the movie Titanic, but sincerely believed she survived the disaster? A Céline-ified Titanic is an appropriately silly concept – possibly no one has provided the world as much camp sincerity as the 90s power ballad pioneer, and the beloved movie could use some unserious updates. Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue, the co-authors, made the show extra zany, extra gay, extra “kooky crazy” (to quote the truly inimitable Dion) and set sail in the theatrical equivalent of a rowboat; the first staging of Titaníque took place in the basement of a shuttered Manhattan grocery store. Adaptable and very meta, the show upgraded to a series of ever-larger craft: a buzzy, post-pandemic Off-Broadway run, a world tour, then an acclaimed West End stint.

Though, to my deep regret, I missed out on the original Off-Broadway run, I found myself nostalgic for those humble beginnings while attending the new-and-improved Titaníque at the too-cavernous St James Theater, where the jazzed-up show now has the budget and scale befitting an ocean liner. Or, more accurately, a corporate reality TV show; the tiered risers, on-stage band (who, it should be noted, sound great) and, most evocatively, neon-red stage lights look less like Titanic, even a very loosely interpreted one, and more like The X Factor, as Mindelle joked in one of her many asides as the singer. Why? Who’s to say. Self-awareness counts for a lot in the very funny Titaníque, though not an explanation.

Trump says U.S. will blockade Strait of Hormuz, intercept ships that paid Iran

President Trump said the U.S. Navy will begin blockading ships from entering or exiting the Strait of Hormuz and intercept vessels that have paid tolls to Iran.

Eric Swalwell suspends campaign for California governor amid sexual misconduct allegations

Multiple women have reportedly accused Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct, among them a former staffer who alleges he sexually assaulted her.

Rory McIlroy wins second straight Masters Tournament

Rory McIlroy has won his second straight green jacket after beating Scottie Scheffler by one stroke in the Masters Tournament. Jim Axelrod has more.

Brian Hooker sent friends maps that he says show where his wife went missing in Bahamas

Brian Hooker sent images of maps to his friends and other boaters, telling them the drawings purportedly showed where his wife, Lynette, went missing in the Bahamas last week. The friends gave the images to CBS News.

Iran's parliament speaker says U.S. will be "nostalgic" for $4 gas as oil prices fuel inflation

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Americans would soon be "nostalgic for $4-$5 gas" after President Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Taurean Small reports on the pain at the pump currently being felt across the United States.

Swalwell ends bid for California governor amid sexual assault allegations

Swalwell faced pressure from his own party to drop out of the race after a former staffer accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was too drunk to consent.

Trump says U.S. will blockade Strait of Hormuz after Iran peace talks collapse

President Trump says the United States will blockade the Strait of Hormuz, stepping up pressure on Iran after peace talks in Pakistan ended without a breakthrough. Imtiaz Tyab has more.

Eric Swalwell quits California governor race after sexual assault allegations

Democratic congressman, running to replace Gavin Newsom, has faced multiple accusations

Representative Eric Swalwell, the Democratic frontrunner in the fiercely contested race to be governor of California, has suspended his campaign amid a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least three other women.

The woman who worked for Swalwell said the California congressman had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too inebriated to consent, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, which was published on Friday.

Britain could adopt single market rules without MPs’ vote as part of UK-EU reset

Exclusive: Ministers planning new legislation for alignment without full parliamentary scrutiny if in national interest

Ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote.

In a major development in the prime minister’s push for closer ties with the continent after the Iran war, the Guardian understands ministers are bracing to face down opposition to “dynamic alignment” with the EU from those who “scream treason” over the powers in a new EU-UK reset bill.

4/12: Face The Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Mike Turner and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter join. Plus, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and CBS News' Anthony Salvanto.

The Guardian view on US-Iran talks: Trump’s diplomacy falters as risk of war grows | Editorial

An American blockade in the strait of Hormuz raises energy-market dangers after failed negotiations – pushing a fragile ceasefire closer to collapse

As the US vice-president, JD Vance, took to a podium in Pakistan after 21 hours of diplomacy and said no deal had been reached to end the war with Iran, his boss Donald Trump was in Miami watching a mixed martial arts fight. The contrast was stark. Just when the outcome of a war and the stability of global markets hung in the balance, the president chose spectacle over engagement. Mr Trump may intend to project strength. But the impression he creates – in Tehran and among America’s allies – is of a president less interested in the substance of diplomacy than in the politics surrounding it.

The talks in Islamabad didn’t fail accidentally; the US and Iran were talking past each other. Washington’s position is that Iran must abandon its capacity to develop a nuclear weapon, while Tehran insists it is not seeking one and has the right to a civilian nuclear programme. The US vice-president’s “final and best offer” would have required Iran to give up that capacity altogether – terms that looked less like the basis of a negotiation than an attempt to impose the conditions of victory.

The Guardian view on AI politics: US datacentre protests are a warning to big tech | Editorial

In both Republican and Democratic states, scepticism and hostility towards an unregulated construction boom is growing

When blue-collar Trump voters and Maga-friendly midwest states join the same cause as Bernie Sanders and liberal California teachers, something novel is afoot. Last month it was the turn of the Republican party in Texas to express forthright opposition to the construction of datacentres for artificial intelligence, pending adequate environmental safeguards for local communities. Across the United States, similar campaigns are being waged, as voters from across the political spectrum rail against the outsize influence and power of big tech.

For the White House, which has made the rapid rollout of datacentres a priority in its AI action plan, the scale of the protests is an unwelcome surprise. One of Donald Trump’s first acts on returning to office was to authorise the deregulated “build, baby, build” approach demanded by the Silicon Valley backers who helped to fund his campaign. Industry giants such Amazon and Microsoft are driving an estimated $710bn worth of investment in datacentres this year, as they stake their future on staying ahead in the AI race.

Mauritius vows to ‘decolonise’ Chagos Islands after Starmer shelves handover

Mauritian foreign minister pledges to ‘spare no effort’ to regain control of islands, as US fails to give approval of deal

A senior official in Mauritius’ government has vowed that the Chagos Islands will be “decolonised” after Keir Starmer was forced to shelve legislation to hand the islands back to Mauritius.

On Friday, UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks, after a lack of support from Donald Trump.

Justin Bieber at Coachella review – pop’s troubled prince mostly hits right notes in low-energy set

Empire Polo Club, Indio, California
For a reportedly record-breaking amount of money, the increasingly reclusive star proves his voice is still golden in a headliner performance light on enthusiasm

Throughout the Strokes’ main stage set on Saturday evening, you could see them: fans, many of them women, unaffected by the New York indie rockers as they pushed forward through the crowd to stake out spots hours in advance for the night’s closer, Justin Bieber. “I know why you’re here … JUSTIN BIEBER!” the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas joked, sort of, between songs. “We’re happy to lube you up for him.”

Perhaps Casablancas picked up on an anxious energy from the crowd: the chance to see Bieber in a Coachella primetime slot seemed at once inevitable and improbable. Save a stripped-down Grammys performance and two very selective LA warm-up shows, the 32-year-old pop star had not performed publicly in over four years, since cancelling his 2022 Justice World Tour amid a host of health issues. Maybe it’s because vulnerability is an established element of a performer who, for years, appeared dead behind the eyes in public, or the fact that Bieber recently ditched the managerial framework that guided his rocky career, or the lingering sting of Frank Ocean’s disastrous headliner set in 2023, when a generationally beloved artist with little recent performance experience cracked under the pressure: few Coachella headliner sets have generated this much buzz – Saturday broke Coachella’s single-day ticket record – and perhaps this much parasocial concern.

Nicola Jennings on Trump and the strait of Hormuz – cartoon

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