Linda Noskova beats Karolina Muchova to win Wimbledon 2026 women’s singles final – live

Women’s singles final updates, start from 4pm BST
You can now follow us on TikTok | And email Katy

And the Press Association’s report on the doubles double for Patten and Heliovaara:

Britain’s Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) victory over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in Saturday’s final.

Top seeded Patten and Heliovaara have now won three Grand Slam doubles titles together, having previously triumphed at Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open last year.

It feels somehow fitting that at the end of one of the most open women’s singles events in history, two Czech players should find themselves fighting it out for the biggest title in the game. Saturday’s clash between Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova is the first all-Czech Wimbledon final, but it is also the latest example of a long line of Czech players who have found grass the surface on which to show their best.

Martina Navratilova, perhaps the greatest female player of all time, started the ball rolling when she won the first of her record nine Wimbledon titles in 1978 (she was officially a US citizen by the time she played Hana Mandlikova in the 1986 final).

England beat India by 56 runs in fifth men’s T20 to complete series sweep – live

Updates from the series finale (2.30pm BST start)
Sign up to The Spin | Email Geoff

1st over: England 4-0 (Salt 2, Buttler 1) Another quiet opening over for England with the bat. Arshdeep Singh is swinging the ball with his left-arm efforts, and neither Salt nor Buttler tries anything expansive.

Looks like we’re finally going to get a game.

Norway v England: World Cup 2026 quarter-final – live

⚽️ World Cup kick-off: 5pm EDT/10pm BST/7am AEST
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Scott

England won their first five games against Norway, between 1937 and 1980, to the cumulative score of 24-2. No wonder, then, that the commentator Bjørge Lillelien went off on one like he did when Norway eventually chalked up their first victory against the Three Lions in September 1981. And if you haven’t yet read Lars Sivertsen’s entertaining account of that famous rant, right that wrong immediately!

It’s been a lot closer between the two nations since then. In six subsequent meetings, England are two wins to one up with three draws, but it’s Norway’s sole victory that lingers longest in the memory: Oslo 1993, and a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win that marked the beginning of the end for poor old Graham Taylor. The famous yelps of “Do I not like that!” and “Can we not knock it?!” came earlier in that ill-fated campaign against Poland, but Phil Neal stole the show in Oslo with his spot-on impersonation of a lyrebird, while Taylor himself delivered a couple of off-screen “aw fucking hell”s that were a masterclass in comic timing and bathos. He was a good man, Graham; time’s been kind.

England trail India by 269 runs after punishing second day in first women’s Test – as it happened

India lead England by 269 runs with nine second innings wickets in hand after a bruising day for the hosts at Lord’s

15th over: England 38-3 (Sciver-Brunt 1, Capsey 5 ) Alice Capsey joins Sciver-Brunt in the middle with a rebuild job needed. Her first ball jags bag at the pads and she is fortunate to get an inside edge on it to tickle away for four runs. India have been on the money this morning, much more accurate than England’s seamers in the first 10-15 overs yesterday and they are reaping the rewards.

Huge wicket! Knight is done by one that moves up the hill and the umpire raises the finger! Knight reviews but she looks like she already knows her fate. Sure enough it is Umpires Call on the DRS and Knight has to go. England in strife!

Spain’s Mikel Merino enjoys happy knack of scoring late winners

The midfielder has risen from the bench to come up with the decisive goal in the last two rounds – his country’s first World Cup knockout wins since they were champions in 2010

“I look behind me and I see Mikel Merino and I think: ‘I’m calm as can be,’” Luis de la Fuente said when at last the heart rates had returned to normal. Everyone else’s heart rates, anyway. In those moments when time is running out and the tension is running high, there’s something about the Spain coach. And there’s certainly something about the midfielder.

On the afternoon before Spain faced Belgium in their quarter-final, De la Fuente had an attack of the giggles as he recalled how when he was a kid only three television events gathered his family around the screen: the national team, Eurovision and the gloriously silly, inexplicably bizarre gameshow Un, dos, tres (whose UK version was 3-2-1). He had watched Spain fall at this stage repeatedly, the quarter-finals a barrier they couldn’t overcome, knocked out there in 1986, 1994 and 2002, but now that it was his turn to face it instead of stress here he was falling about, crying with laughter.

Ann Widdecombe may have been killed 24 hours before her body was found

Police working on assumption ex-politician, found dead at her Devon home on Thursday, was attacked on Wednesday afternoon

• Ann Widdecombe: obituary

Ann Widdecombe may have been dead at her home for nearly 24 hours before her body was discovered, police believe.

In an update on Saturday afternoon, officers said they were working on the assumption that the 78-year-old former politician was attacked at about 12.30pm on Wednesday.

Venezuela quake death toll passes 4,300 as scale of recovery effort looms large

Nearly 17,000 injured and thousands more listed as missing amid calls by president Delcy Rodríguez and UN for financial help

The death toll in Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has passed 4,300, the government said on Saturday.

At least 4,333 people were killed and 16,740 injured in the back-to-back quakes on 24 June that flattened entire districts in the coastal state of La Guaira, the Venezuelan parliament chief, Jorge Rodríguez, wrote on Telegram. Thousands more people are listed as missing.

US congressman says he was detained by armed Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank

Ro Khanna said settlers were armed with US-made weapons and Israel Defense Forces refused to intervene

The US congressman Ro Khanna says armed Israeli settlers detained him during a visit to the Israel-occupied West Bank recently, describing the experience as a first-hand view of the realities faced by Palestinians living under occupation.

In an interview with Reuters on Thursday from a Palestinian village, the progressive US House Democrat from California said his detention happened the previous day while his delegation visited an area of the southern West Bank that has experienced repeated attacks by Israeli settlers.

Apalachee High School shooting suspect set to change plea, documents show

Colt Gray is scheduled to appear in Barrow County Superior Court on July 24 for a plea hearing, court documents show.

Houston man didn't threaten ICE agent before being fatally shot, lawyer for witnesses says

Eyewitnesses say Lorenzo Salgado Araujo did not threaten ICE agents before he was shot and killed during a vehicle stop, an attorney said, contradicting an agent's account. The Department of Homeland Security said that officers were looking for a different person when they stopped Salgado Araujo's vehicle.

Football without faith is nothing so Infantino is playing with fire at World Cup | Jonathan Wilson

Swirl around Fifa’s machinations and about big team and big name bias creates doubt – and that’s a dangerous game

About 25 years ago, I was in the office of a sports newspaper in Bucharest on a Saturday afternoon following the Premier League games with some local journalists. With about five minutes to go, Chelsea trailed 2-1. Somebody had backed Chelsea to lose and brandished his betting slip. Chelsea scored. A couple of minutes later, they scored again. The reporter tossed the slip away. I saw drama; the Romanians saw a fix.

This is why integrity and the perception of integrity are so important. I don’t think that game was fixed. There is no evidence whatsoever it was fixed. Given the salaries players earn and the sophistication of the early warning system for unusual betting patterns, there is little chance Premier League games are fixed. But if you grew up in the declining days of the Ceauşescu era or the wild west that followed, when match-fixing wasn’t so much an open secret as a simple fact, cynicism is the natural response.

Justice Department subpoenas New York Times reporters over Air Force One reporting

The Times says federal agents turned up on the doorsteps of several of its journalists to force grand jury testimony next week over their coverage of the Air Force One plane gifted to Trump by Qatar.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that will help improve your everyday lifestyle. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns commissions on purchases made through cbsdeals.com.

200 young campers, staff rescued amid record flooding in Missouri

More than 200 people at Camp Taum Sauk in Missouri, were rescued after 6 to 12 inches of rain fell along the Taum Sauk Reservoir.

Trump warns Iran "missiles are locked and loaded" if they attempt assassination

President Trump threatened to "decimate and destroy" Iran if they try to assassinate him. This comes as the U.S. and Tehran continue negotiations. Here's what to know about where things stand.

Will these extreme stadium eats hit a home run?

Baseball season is in full swing, and millions of fans are dreaming about their team winning -- and their favorite bleacher grub. Here are the most extreme eats and the creative combos that knock it out of the park.

Nolan Wells' mom speaks out after son found dead: "We just want to know what happened"

Teen football player Nolan Wells was found dead on a Mississippi island days after he vanished during a July Fourth outing. Wells' parents are searching for answers, saying that they don't believe their son would have stayed behind on the island by choice.

Heatwave forces Tour de France organisers to shorten Sunday’s stage nine

• Stage eight: Tadej Pogacar untroubled in overall lead

• Merlier produces superb sprint win for second day
  

Sunday’s ninth stage of the Tour de France has been shortened by 30km due to a red heatwave alert in the Corrèze département of central France. The stage from Malemort to Ussel will now be raced over 155.5km instead of the scheduled 185.5.

In a statement the Tour said: “This decision aims to ensure that the race can take place under conditions compatible with the red heatwave alert.”

Elon Musk’s family foundation took Tommy Robinson to Russia, says Musk’s father

Errol Musk says far-right activist is ‘a fine young man’ and held meetings with Russian business figures

Elon Musk’s family foundation took Tommy Robinson to Russia, according to the billionaire X owner’s father, who was with the British far-right activist in Moscow as he encouraged anti-migration protests in Britain.

Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – appeared last month in Moscow, from where he issued calls for supporters to take to the streets after a knife attack in Belfast. He shared video of himself in a luxury Moscow hotel with the older Musk, whose son has been a vocal supporter of Robinson.

New York Times journalists issued subpoenas over Air Force One reporting

The subpoenas were issued after the New York Times reported on alleged security concerns with the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One.

Chef Greg Baxtrom serves delicious Midwestern meals to New Yorkers

Chef Greg Baxtrom is bringing approachable Heartland flavors to New York City with 5 Acres, a Midwestern restaurant in the iconic Rockefeller Center. Baxtrom talks about creativity with vegetables and shares his struggle with sobriety.

Superior Sinner provides true measure of Zverev’s step up in Wimbledon final

German’s long-awaited first slam title came in Paris after his rival wilted in the heat but was his triumph a turning point or a blip?

For a brief moment on the first day of Wimbledon, there was reason to believe that Jannik Sinner was still processing his collapse at Roland Garros. Any loss in Paris would have been significant, considering the certainty with which he had dominated the clay court season beforehand, but it was the manner of his defeat that stung.

Sinner, it cannot be repeated enough, had been leading the innocuous Juan Manuel Cerundolo by two sets to love and 5-1 in set three when he crumbled physically. No matter how Sinner tried to emphasise his satisfaction at his achievements in the entire clay court swing, this was an excruciating loss.

Train lovers seek out the lingering romance of steam locomotives

Trainspotters love to see a Union Pacific locomotive rounding a curve or crossing a bridge. First built in 1941, these moving museums showcase the best of American railroad history.

Pollock’s hat-trick powers England’s 11-try Nations Championship mauling of 14-man Fiji

• Fiji 8-73 England

• Scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli sent off before break

To say England needed to shine in sub-tropical Liverpool is the understatement of this protracted season. Had they slipped to a sixth straight Test defeat it would probably have been the end of Steve Borthwick’s tenure as head coach. Instead a one-sided romp, their first win since February, has given the management a little respite as they prepare to head to Argentina for the last leg of their continent-hopping summer itinerary.

In all honesty, though, Fiji were so disjointed and ill-disciplined for lengthy periods that the game resembled something close to a training run. A litany of botched offloads, silly penalties and back-pedalling mauls had long since allowed England to cruise away over the horizon even before Simione Kuruvoli was sent off just before half-time with his side already 35-3 behind.

The biggest steam locomotive is whistle-stopping across the U.S.

Huge crowds of train fans turn out as the 1940s era Big Boy steam locomotive is making a rare trip cross country.

Hunter Biden wins $1.7m in suit over Iran bribery claim by ex-CEO of Overstock.com

Biden sued Patrick Byrne for defamation over claim that he sought bribe to lobby his father to free $8bn in Iran assets

A federal judge on Friday awarded Hunter Biden $1.7m in punitive damages in a defamation lawsuit he filed against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne.

Biden sued Byrne – a Donald Trump ally who denied the results of the 2020 election and funded efforts to overturn them – in 2023, accusing Byrne of lying in an interview that Biden had previously sought a bribe from Iran’s government in the fall of 2021.

Hundreds rescued amid historic flash flooding in Missouri

A deluge of rain flooded roads and homes in Missouri, prompting a state of emergency. Hundreds of people were rescued.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 12)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

Trump administration subpoenas New York Times journalists over new Air Force One reporting

Outlet said journalists subpoenaed to testify before grand jury after story detailed security concerns with Qatar-gifted plane

The Trump administration has issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists after the newspaper reported on security concerns with the president’s new plane, according to the outlet.

The Times said its journalists were subpoenaed on Friday by the US justice department to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan five days later, marking the latest effort by the Trump White House to compel testimony from journalists under the threat of penalty. Agents delivered some of the subpoenas to the Times reporters at their homes, the paper added.

Jürgen Klopp reaches agreement to take over as Germany head coach

• Former Liverpool manager to replace Julian Nagelsmann

• Germany lost to Paraguay in last 32 of the World Cup

Jürgen Klopp has “reached an agreement on the key points” to become the next Germany head coach, the German football association (DFB) has said. The 59-year-old is expected to sign a contract until 2030 to succeed Julian Nagelsmann.

A statement said: “The DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and DFB vice-president Hans-Joachim Watzke held their first in-depth talks with Jürgen Klopp yesterday in New York regarding his potential appointment as national team coach. During the constructive exchange, an agreement was reached on the key points of a potential contract. Talks will continue next week.

“Both sides are confident that the negotiations – subject to an agreement with Klopp’s current employer, Red Bull – can ultimately be successfully concluded. Any potential contract must be finalised in a joint meeting of the supervisory board and shareholders’ meeting of DFB GmbH & Co. KG.”

Is the US trying to make scientists’ work so difficult that they simply give up? | Daniel Malinsky

New Trump administration rules would undermine longstanding research practices. It’s death by a thousand cuts

A politician who aims to gradually privatize and ultimately destroy an institution funded by tax dollars – say, a public school system or public transportation network – may choose to do so by strategically disinvesting resources from that institution until it becomes barely functional, leading users to look elsewhere to meet their needs. Eventually, the user-base of the public system gets so low or frustrated that it seems reasonable to scrap the thing entirely, or re-direct public funds to private companies as contractors to provide the needed “service”. We’ve seen this strategy play out many times in states and city councils across America.

It appears that the endgame of the Trump administration’s attacks on science and the research funding ecosystem is similar: grant freezes and administrative disarray at federal funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), new layers of project review by political appointees hunting for forbidden keywords such as “disparity” and “marginalized”, and proposed new restrictions to make international collaboration difficult or impossible all point towards a world where it’s just too onerous to do federally-funded scientific research. Is the goal to make scientists simply give up on the endeavor?

Daniel Malinsky is an assistant professor of biostatistics in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University

‘A slap in the face’: small farmers say Trump is turning his back on them

The president wooed farmers in his campaign, but now the USDA is yanking funding, citing ‘DEI’ and wasteful spending

It’s just an eighth of an acre, but for Lawrencia Rogers, the plot where she grows broccolini, lettuce and beans on land once tilled by poorhouse residents in eastern Iowa is the closest she has come to living her dream.

Iowa is one of the most agriculturally productive states in the country, but getting into farming is not easy, particularly for people like Rogers who have no family connections to the business. It’s nonetheless been a lifelong passion for the 33-year-old Iowan: at age six, she planted a rosebush that’s still alive today, and managed to grow cantaloupe on a strip of dirt and chain-link fence next to the driveway of her grandmother’s house.

7/11: CBS Saturday Morning

Hundreds were rescued from flooding in Missouri. President Trump threatened to "decimate and destroy" Iran if they try to assassinate him. Plus, Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy sat down with Kelly O'Grady to discuss his new book.

Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro reportedly involved in physical altercation at NBA Summer League

• Adebayo and Herro involved in altercation

• Young unfazed by scrutiny over Wizards deal

• NBPA vows fight against second apron

Former Miami Heat teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had a brief verbal and physical altercation at a practice facility for the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas on Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Adebayo struck Herro at least once during the encounter, said the person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither player nor their teams revealed any details publicly.

South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies aged 25

• Adams played in South Africa’s World Cup group games

• Midfielder played for Mamelodi Sundowns

Jayden Adams, who played in South Africa’s three group games at the World Cup, has died aged 25.

The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder started the tournament opener, a 2-0 defeat by Mexico, and the 1-1 draw with Czechia, being substituted in both matches. He then came off the bench in the 1-0 win against South Korea, but took no part in the 1-0 last-32 defeat by Canada.

Book excerpt: "They Stole a City" by Lauren Collins

The New Yorker writer's new book examines how, in 1898, white supremacists staged a coup against Wilmington, N.C.'s multi-racial government – a case study in the sabotage of American democracy.

These are America’s 10 worst states to live in for 2026

Some states may have low costs and light regulation, but high crime and lack of healthcare are among important factors when people choose where to live. 

The best states to live in for 2026: No. 1 has a six-year winning streak

Return to office mandates and a decline in remote work have companies looking more closely at the quality of life in the place where they establish offices. 

TV presenter Dermot Murnaghan dies of prostate cancer, aged 68

The former ITV, BBC and Sky News journalist died peacefully at home in London on Saturday, his family say

The former BBC and Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has died aged 68 after a “period of illness with prostate cancer”, his family have said.

The journalist, who was long a fixture on British TV screens, was also known for hosting the quizshow Eggheads.

As Democrats pick up the pieces after Graham Platner, many wonder: how did this happen?

The former US Senate candidate’s spectacular fall has upended the Maine Senate race and left voters fuming at the party

Almost exactly one year ago, Graham Platner, who has no political experience, was cherry-picked by out-of-state political activists.

According to a person familiar with the campaign, Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan, who have made a name for themselves by recruiting populist candidates across the country, traveled to Maine and rented a house near Platner’s home in Sullivan to convince him to run for the US Senate. Throughout the process, Moraff became Platner’s “right-hand man”, the person described, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of backlash.

Drones are detecting more sharks at US beaches, but do they make the public safer?

Increase in sightings may not reflect increase in sharks with little evidence that threat to swimmers has risen

Experts say that despite recent increased investment in drones to monitor for sharks in states like New York, the machines have limited usefulness as a public safety tool and there does not appear to be evidence that the threat to swimmers from sharks has increased.

There have, however, been more reports of sharks around local beaches.

Is Mitch McConnell secretly deceased? | Arwa Mahdawi

The senator’s health is shrouded in mystery after he was hospitalized. Why can’t we get a clear answer?

Is Mitch McConnell dead?

This shouldn’t be a difficult question to answer. The response is either “yes”, “no”, or something along the lines of “he’s on life-support but appears to be brain dead.”

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

Burnout, frustration and heartbreak: Amazon layoffs take their toll in saturated job market

In the eight-plus months since Amazon announced its most expansive job cuts ever, laid off workers have been thrust into an increasingly saturated labor market.

A tiny GLP-1 implant is the latest bet to help patients maintain their weight loss

Vivani Medical is developing an implant of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's obesity injection Wegovy and diabetes counterpart Ozempic.

Opinion: Is democracy a joke? Count Binface says no.

Populist British MP Nigel Farage resigned from Parliament over questions about his finances, and is running for re-election in his constituency. His biggest rival? Count Binface.

Nigeria says army has killed 300 bandits in north-western state of Zamfara

Vigilantes also took part in the fight that raged all night and the following morning, residents say

Nigerian soldiers killed more than 300 members of kidnapping and cattle bandit gangs in the north-western state of Zamfara this week, according to a government official.

Government troops targeted the gangs in Gummi district in a two-day operation that “led to the elimination of more than 300 terrorists”, Zamfara’s information commissioner, Mahmud Muhammad Dantawasa, said in a statement.

Most people who need glasses don't have them. Can the post office change that?

In some towns in India, a visitor to the post office who's squinting at fine print might be asked: Do you want an eye test?

Judge vacates convictions of 4 Proud Boys in Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection

A federal judge on Friday agreed to dismiss the convictions of four members of the far-right Proud Boys group for their actions in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Jailing children does not make us safer – we need to get rid of this Dickensian delusion | Kirsty Brimelow

We have a Victorian attitude to child offenders. It is harmful to them – and, when they reoffend, damaging to everyone

• Kirsty Brimelow KC is chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales

It is said that there can be no truer revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children. The Bar Council of England and Wales has just concluded an expert review of the minimum age of criminal responsibility. At 10, it is the lowest in Europe. We recommend that it is raised to 14.

Society should have moved on since the 1800s, when Charles Dickens railed against the storm cloud of unfairness that gathered over children. However, Dickens’s anger at the law and society, and the harsh treatment of children, remains familiar today. England and Wales are outliers in bringing the criminal justice system to bear on young children who cause harm.

Kirsty Brimelow KC is chair of the Bar Council of England and Wales

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.

Tunnel vision: candid photos of World Cup 2026 stars

Footballers are known for their eclectic matchday rituals: Lionel Messi likes to drink maté with teammate Rodrigo De Paul at exactly 9.30am, while Harry Kane always dons the left side of his kit first. These candid photos show the 2026 World Cup’s elite players finalising their mental and physical preparations

‘I was a captive in this water prison with over 1,000 miles left to sail’: how an ocean odyssey with my old flame turned into a nightmare

I had always longed for adventure, so when ‘the Captain’ invited me on a 4,000-mile sailing trip, I took the plunge. Then coronavirus hit, and I found myself stuck in a relationship as choppy as the sea we were navigating. Who exactly was the man I’d followed onboard?

I sat on the stern bench, the sun shining down on me. The bright orange wheel spun gently on autopilot, keeping us on course to the Marquesas Islands. We were a week out of Panama, and it had been a smooth passage so far, with everyone settling into their rhythm and responsibilities as we worked as a team to sail the 4,000 nautical miles. Then, the email from the Pacific Crossing network we were part of arrived.

Coronavirus had become a worldwide pandemic – borders were closing fast. There was nowhere to land. I was on a 47ft (14-metre) sailboat with my on-again, off-again boyfriend (the Captain), three strangers and a dog – the safest place on Earth, and the most stuck I had ever been in my life.

Safe from AI: which jobs will help you thrive in the future?

Experts say there will still be opportunities ahead in everything from teaching to hotels and the law

Entering the world of work often brings some uncertainty, but now there is another question: how can I AI-proof my career?

We asked people from across various industries what they think the impact of AI will be on careers, and which jobs may be less affected. While it is still early days for the tech, many had ideas about how you can best prepare yourself for a successful career in this new world.

Madeline Horwath on the advantages of an older partner – cartoon

Continue reading...

‘‘It’s difficult for children to avoid the temptation of screens’: Soumayan Biswas’s best phone picture

The photographer was looking for inspiration near his home in West Bengal when he spotted a girl lying near a tangle of fishing nets

In the Hooghly district of West Bengal, just a short walk from his home, photographer Soumayan Biswas found himself circling the edges of a large village pond, searching – as he often does – for “stories”. He remembers that the weather was “cloudy that day, and the wind was light”. It was the kind of muted afternoon when your attention is sharpened.

The story appeared in the form of Sabana, a 12-year-old student lying beside a tangle of fishing nets. Biswas had never met her before and, while spending some time around her, was struck by how absorbed she was in her phone.

Minnesota is pulling troops early from D.C., as pressure grows on Michigan

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pulling his National Guard early from Washington, D.C. as the chorus against Democratic governors sending troops to the city amid President Trump's ongoing deployment grows louder.

My holiday from hell: I wanted to go zipwiring and eat chips. But my mum insisted we find the ‘real’ Mallorca

My sister and I were enjoying our all-inclusive getaway, but my mum hated forced fun and sitting by the pool. So we went off exploring in the searing heat. Our hike through the island’s building sites didn’t end well

Package holidays weren’t yet a thing people did, in 1983 or 84, and Mallorca hadn’t completely become itself, but wasn’t unspoilt either. Me, nine, my sister, 11, and my mum, 46, would have been early adopters of the all-inclusive getaway, if in any sense my mum had arrived in an adopting frame of mind. It’s hard to describe the attitude she brought with her without making her sound like a monster, so you just have to fill between the lines with “she had other nice qualities”.

She didn’t like small talk and didn’t like buffets; didn’t like bumptious dads who invited your kids to join theirs; didn’t like nuclear families; and she wasn’t wild about other single-parent families either. She hated sitting by the pool, drinking piña coladas, group activities and any kind of quiz. She had an aversion to forced fun, which she used as cover for her distaste for many other kinds of fun. Me and my sister loved forced fun. We would lose our shit over a cocktail umbrella.

Mitch McConnell mystery deepens as health questions remain unanswered

Senator’s office has released only sparse details about hospital stay, leaving fevered speculation to fill vacuum

Mystery surrounding Senator Mitch McConnell’s health is deepening as the US Congress prepares to return from recess next week.

McConnell, 84, has not been seen in public since he was admitted to hospital in the Washington area on 14 June. Nearly a month later, the Kentucky Republican’s office has released only sparse updates, saying he is “continuing to improve” and remains engaged with Senate business, while refusing to disclose the nature of his illness or explain why he remains hospitalised.

Ben Okri: ‘What happens when we die? We don’t die. We change realms’

The Booker prize-winning novelist on the art of lying for a living, the cosmic force of love, and gargling loudly

Born in Minna, Nigeria, Ben Okri, 67, spent his childhood in Nigeria and London. He published his first novel Flowers and Shadows in 1980 and won the Booker prize in 1991 with The Famished Road. His subsequent work includes Astonishing the Gods, which in 2019 was selected as one of the BBC’s 100 novels “that shaped our world”. In 2023, he was knighted for services to literature. His latest novel, Waking the Warriors, is published on 16 July. He lives with his partner and their child in London.

When were you happiest?
On a train journey to Arcadia many years ago while making a TV documentary.

With the white nationalist group Patriot Front, what you see is not what you get

Hundreds of masked white nationalists marched in the nation's capital on July Fourth. Who were they and where does their funding come from?

Shy on the dance floor? Virtual reality 'partners' aim to help you find your groove

VR dance lesson apps like Dance Guru and Trip the Light offer a judgment-free way to learn partner dancing.

‘Like a sauna’: London tube travellers swelter in temperatures higher than legal limit for cattle

The tube cannot easily be adapted to cope with heatwaves, making conditions almost unbearable

As the escalator descends below ground at King’s Cross St Pancras station in London, the shift from what was already a hot station entrance to the furnace-like subterranean depths is perceptible.

On the tube it’s worse: a man leans back in his seat, eyes closed, sweltering; people hold electric fans an inch away from their faces. London commuters are known for their stoicism and the heat appears to be another tribulation to accept. They will need to: heatwaves in the capital are becoming routine.

A swarm of stink bugs and a river of rats: why India’s flowering bamboo causes a crisis for humans

Every few decades mass blooming in Mizoram’s forests causes a rodent boom – and devastation to crops. The cycle is well-known, so why aren’t farmers and authorities better prepared?

In the hills of Mizoram state in north-east India, the first thing that farmers notice are the swarms of stink bugs, known locally as thangnang. It can mean only one thing: the rats are coming. And with them, famine.

As dawn breaks in Mamit district, Maunsanga, a 62-year-old farmer, walks across his plot, stopping where his rice crop once stood. He bends down to examine a broken stalk.

Pressed for time? 20 brilliant books you can read in a day

From novels by James Baldwin and Han Kang to a guide to quantum physics – a former Booker prize judge recommends immersive one-sitting wonders

A one-sitting read is typically the domain of the short story – a form that largely depends on a reader’s pure, unbroken attention. But there is some­thing special about the intensity of beginning and ending an entire book in a single day. Of all my reading experiences, these have been among the most memorable.

As a judge for last year’s Booker prize, faced with 153 books and just over six months in which to read them, it was my task to try to turn every novel into one that could be read in a day. While I loved the experience, it wasn’t exactly a recipe for satisfying reading.

‘Politicians have always been schemers’: upheld conviction fails to dent Le Pen’s popularity

Presidential bid by leader of far-right National Rally has no shortage of supporters in scenic Montargis

In the small French town of Montargis, Jean-Antoine, a retired decorator, was pleased Marine Le Pen had again shaken up French politics by launching a bid for the presidency, despite her legal woes.

“Even the judges said she didn’t personally profit from the money, it was for her party,” he said of Le Pen’s newly upheld conviction for embezzlement. “All politicians in France have always been schemers, it’s just a fact of life.”

The ad machine: how David Beckham conquered America

The former England midfielder is everywhere at this World Cup, having reached a popularity in the US other Britons have rarely achieved

Watch US television for any length of time and the endless spume of adverts will eventually separate into three distinct types.

The first are adverts for units of generic food-substance, each one essentially the same hand-sized grenade of glossy and salted microminced matter; but each also with its own industrialised repertoire of colours and noise and packaging required to dress it as a distinct genre of actual human food. Try the delicious new Flame Sauced Philly Cheese Taco Wing Waffle Dog Deep Dish MegaDeath Burger Grenade-Shaped Eat Thing. You won’t be disappointed. Or you will be. Whatever.

‘A new consumer’: how weight-loss drugs are shaking up clothes shopping

As they slim down, UK and US users of GLP-1 jabs and pills are changing their spending habits – and their wardrobes

• Tell us: what does the new weight-loss pill mean for you?

“I’m now at a point where I’m going to buy even more clothes,” says Hayley Grice, 50, from Shropshire, who has dropped seven sizes after starting on the GLP-1 weight loss jab Mounjaro two years ago. “I’m very happy with my physique right now.”

Grice, the financial director of a business she set up with her husband, tried gastric bypass surgery in 2009, but put most of the weight back on, and had been between UK dress sizes 26 and 28 (US sizes 22 and 24) all her adult life.

Spain edges Belgium and will face France in World Cup semifinal

Spain and France will meet Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, in a matchup anticipated for years. Neither team has lost at this year's World Cup.

Trump threatens Iran after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral saw calls for his killing

Trump made the comments on his Truth Social after U.S. officials demanded that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open.

‘Spermageddon’: is the world facing a male reproductive crisis?

Reports of falling sperm counts and testosterone levels have fuelled fears over chemicals, pollution and modern lifestyles. But how much do scientists agree on what is affecting male fertility?

The world is unwittingly walking into a male reproductive crisis, scientists warned this week as they presented data that revealed an apparent halving of average male testosterone levels over the past 50 years.

“It is mind-blowing that testosterone has declined by 50%,” Prof Hagai Levine, who led the work, told the Guardian. “This is a lot. Wake up people. Wake up.”

Casual by Chappell Roan helped me ditch dead-end relationships

After years of one-sided commitment, revisiting her hit song Casual finally gave me a reality check

‘Sadie,” I say. “I would call our daughter Sadie. Or I like Leo for a boy.” I’ve been on the phone for two and a half hours, speaking about our hypothetical children to a man who has explicitly said that he does not want a relationship. At the same time, he’s said things like: “I told my mum about you. She wants to meet you.” When he makes those comments, I can’t help dreaming – in the words of a certain song – of us in a year: maybe we’ll have an apartment, and he’d show me off to his friends at the pier?

That’s the fantasy Chappell Roan imagines in her 2022 hit Casual. My own vision looks a little different: instead of a pier there is an apartment (where the now familiar sound of his key in the door still excites me), and his friends say things like: “I’ve never seen him act like this with anyone else before.” But crucially, in this fantasy, we’ve made a commitment to each other. The first time I heard Casual, I was in a committed relationship. I listened to it often, singing along loudly in the bedroom I shared with my boyfriend to “Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you’re eating me out”. (Roan was nervous about that line – “it’s crass,” she said – but fans loved it.) I also loved the song’s sense of unrequited yearning, but I couldn’t really relate to it. Not yet.

Lucky: Anya Taylor-Joy is undeniably cool in this explosive tale of cons, revenge and ass-kicking

Leapfrogging the roofs of lorries, slipping in and out of different personae to evade capture, The Queen’s Gambit star is audacious in this reluctant last stand drama

This is a story about a girl named Lucky. Early morning, she wakes up – knock, knock, knock, on the door. It’s the FBI, and they’re pursuing her across the country because she’s stolen $10m. Don’t make the mistake I did, imagining this new Apple TV thriller (from Wednesday), starring Anya Taylor-Joy, to be a dramatisation of the song Lucky by Britney Spears. I’ve tried to find a connection between the two and, as you can see, it’s a stretch.

The seven-part show falls into the “one last heist” genre – but intriguingly, starts the morning after it. Our antiheroine stands on the roof of a Las Vegas casino hotel, having successfully stolen millions, toasting to a new, legitimate life. Within hours, Lucky appears to have been betrayed by the man she loves. She’s forced to run, penniless, from both the authorities and the murderous enforcers of a crime boss – who are collecting on a different debt incurred by her career criminal father. I guess what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay there.

Summer on the Slovenian Riviera

The country’s coastline is one of the shortest in Europe, but it packs a punch with unspoilt nature reserves, vibrant Venetian towns and a thriving foodie scene

I’m riding a salt-coloured horse through the Dragonja valley, deep in the green hills of Slovenian Istria. Electric-blue dragonflies zip over the river as we gallop past olive trees and vineyards. The landscape rises steeply in a series of grassy terraces, and at the top of the hill we rein in the sweating horses to take in the view. Far below, the huge grids of solinas (salt pans), glittery and light-blue in the early morning light, look strange and somehow elegant against the wild, expansive sea beyond.

The Istrian peninsula is the largest in the Adriatic Sea, with 90% of it in Croatia and smaller portions in Slovenia and Italy. I’ve come to explore the Slovenian section. At just 29 miles (47km), the country’s coastline is one of the shortest in Europe, from the Italian city of Trieste down to the Croatian border, but it boasts colourful seaside towns, hilltop villages and an emerging gastronomy scene.

Trump administration rolls back a key protection for imperiled wildlife

The Trump administration finalized a rule Friday that changes how agencies enforce the Endangered Species Act. The administration narrowed the definition of "harm" under the landmark law.

Meta ditches Muse Image AI feature because it ‘misses the mark’ on users’ privacy

Meta was criticised for feature launched on Tuesday that automatically lets users generate images using content from public Instagram accounts

Meta has said ⁠it is discontinuing an AI feature launched this week that allowed users to generate images using public Instagram ⁠accounts, after drawing widespread ⁠criticism over ​privacy concerns, including from a Hollywood union.

“Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control ⁠over whether their public content could be referenced in this way,” Meta said in a statement.

Blind date: ‘I should have made a move, but I’m not good at that sort of thing’

Abigo, 26, a supervisor in retail, meets Suli, 25, an animation graduate

What were you hoping for?
To meet someone I felt comfortable around and easy to talk to.

Tim Dowling: I do have principles. Rule one is to avoid DIY at all costs

I do occasionally contemplate getting my toolbox out. But these are idle urges – I’m only too aware of the harm my past interventions have caused

It would be fair to say that none of the maintenance issues I’ve faced this year have fixed themselves. But many of them have become conveniently irrelevant – a testament to my DIY philosophy: First, Do Nothing.

The collapsed brick wall is now overgrown with ivy, and all but invisible. The partially collapsed pergola remains in the same condition, but the wisteria it was holding up died, so it can carry on collapsing for all I care.

Lizzo answers her critics: ‘I’m a fat, black, happy girl – they were always going to try to tear me down’

Three years ago, the pop star was riding high after a sellout tour. But then a slew of shocking accusations from her former dancers changed everything. Where does she go from here?

On 30 July 2023, Lizzo finished a 10-month world tour. She had played 80 shows across North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia, selling more than 853,000 tickets and grossing $86.3m. The rapper turned pop star was on top of the world. Then everything came crashing down.

Two days later, three of her former dancers alleged that they had been subject to sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, religious and racial discrimination and fat-shaming on the tour. Two had been sacked, and one resigned. After the accusations, there was a huge pile-on from mainstream media and social media. And it seems to have gone on ever since. Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, disappeared. We were told that she was busy recording the follow-up to her huge hit album Special. But there were also rumours that she’d had a terrible breakdown.

Meera Sodha’s recipe for rollercoaster apple muffins | Meera Sodha recipes

These easy bakes are packed full of the good stuff, and will keep kids fuelled all summer long

My children are mostly vegetarian, which means that at home I’m always searching for what we call “rollercoaster foods” due to their obsession with being allowed on Mandrill Mayhem at Chessington World of Adventures. In other words, food that will help both of them reach the next level on the rollercoaster height chart – that is, food packed full of the good stuff (protein, wholegrains, healthy fats and nutrients). This muffin was created with that in mind: tasty (crucially) without tasting worthy, high in protein (9g per muffin), and mindful of sugar. It’s a mix-in-a-bowl job or, you could say, child’s play.

Europe considering proposals to allow navigation fees in strait of Hormuz

Plans specify tolls must not be compulsory as US officials urge Iran to make public guarantee of safe passage for shipping

Europe is studying proposals that could allow navigation fees to be charged in the strait of Hormuz, provided the payments are not compulsory and have the support of the UN agency that regulates maritime transport.

Britain’s deputy prime minister, David Lammy, said imposing mandatory tolls would be disastrous. But some cabinet colleagues said they recognised that payments for specific navigational services were permissible in many natural waterways, including the strait of Malacca and the English Channel.

Apple sues OpenAI alleging trade secret theft, says scheme was 'at every level'

The two companies entered into a high-profile partnership in 2024 when ChatGPT was integrated into the iPhone's operating system.

Haaland’s hometown hails ‘little boy who grew into a huge Viking’

The people of Bryne are proud of local hero’s rise to the top of world football as Norway prepare to face England

Surrounded by red hats, No 9 shirts and Erling Haaland action toys at her fabric shop in the small Norwegian town of Bryne, Olinda Haaland – no relation but proud to share the now world-famous name – said everybody in the striker’s home town was a football fan these days.

“It’s been pure joy,” she said of her namesake’s rise to the top of world football. “We all love him so much and he’s doing so much for Bryne.”

Bipartisan housing bill becomes law after Trump refuses to sign it

A landmark housing bill automatically became law overnight after President Trump declined to sign it.

Gordie Howe Bridge connecting Detroit, Canada expected to open in late July

The 1.5-mile-long bridge, which spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario, is expected to open on July 27.

Peter Falconio murder 25 years on: new footage shows dying Australian outback killer’s refusal to reveal body’s location

NT police release body-worn camera vision of Bradley John Murdoch denying knowing where UK backpacker’s body is weeks before his death

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Infamous killer Bradley John Murdoch aggressively denied knowing where the body of still-missing backpacker Peter Falconio was during a police interview weeks before he died.

NT police released body-worn camera vision of the interview on Saturday, days before the 25th anniversary of the killing of the 28-year-old British man on the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, in July 2001.

Hegseth frustrated with lack of adherence to grooming rules

Eight months ago, Hegseth told top military leaders there would be "no more beardos" and "fat troops."

A boy's simple habit of waving to his neighbors transformed his community

Roman Butzlaff brought together a group of neighbors who say they would have barely known each other if not for a little boy, who lived in a neighborhood but needed a village.

Graham Platner formally drops out of Maine Senate race

Graham Platner had until 5 p.m. on Monday to formally suspend his campaign or he would remain on the ballot in November.

4-year-old heals "inner loneliness" by bringing his neighborhood together

The old adage "it takes a village to raise a child" was turned on its head when it took a child to unite a village in North Carolina. Steve Hartman goes "On the Road" with the story.

Detainees say ICE officer shot Houston driver through passenger window, lawyer says

Three men who witnessed a fatal shooting involving federal immigration officers in Houston say no officer was threatened, a lawyer who has spoken with them said.

Iran admits to Trump advisers "they made a mistake" in shooting at ships in strait

The White House wants Iran to publicly acknowledge that shooting at the ships was a mistake.

Apache pilots' suspensions lifted after flyby over South Carolina beach

The decision to suspend the pilots quickly led to backlash online and drew the attention of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Apple sues OpenAI, accusing ChatGPT maker of stealing trade secrets

Apple alleges that OpenAI and two of its employees stole trade secrets and engaged in a "pattern of misconduct."

Pete Hegseth lifts Apache helicopter pilots' suspension for low flyover

Four Army helicopters did a low flyover for spectators in South Carolina on the Fourth of July, prompting their suspension by the state's National Guard. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stepped in and lifted the suspension. Charlie D'Agata has more.

How American farmers are under pressure from escalating Iran tensions

The ripples of the Iran conflict are starting to appear in unexpected ways. High energy costs are putting new pressure on America's farmers. Mark Strassmann has more.

White House official says it wants Iran to publicly acknowledge "that they screwed up"

The Trump administration said there is still a chance to get nuclear talks back on track with Iran, but only if Tehran publicly states that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that it will no longer shoot at ships. Nancy Cordes reports.

‘It’s good to do nothing’: why hundreds gathered to sit still on one Bangkok weekend

Responding to a Facebook event which promised a chance to ‘escape’ the screen, young people turned out in Thailand’s capital to spend an hour being ‘useless’

Bangkok is a city thrumming with an energy you can feel from its skyscrapers to the street, but an invitation last week to change the pace and do nothing drew hundreds to the lush green oasis in its centre.

On beanbags, fold up chairs and picnic mats in Lumphini Park on 4 July, people laid back looking at the sky, while others sat upright facing the lake. One examined a twig, a few dozed off and only a handful checked their phones.

7/10: CBS Evening News

Millions are under threat of dangerous flooding; a Mexican man was stopped by ICE officers before he was fatally shot.

The AI race is shifting from bigger models to cheaper, smarter systems

Companies are starting to choose AI models by task, cost and control, not just leaderboard rank.

Rapper Pitbull and fans set ‘bald cap’ Guinness World Record at London show

Crowd of more than 22,000 people – and the musician himself – filled Hyde Park with the ‘largest gathering of people wearing bald caps’

A tight plastic cap is not an attractive option for protective headwear in 30C (86F) heat. Yet 22,141 people opted for just that – along with a white shirt, black tie and aviator sunglasses – in Hyde Park, London, on Friday afternoon. It was both a homage to the rapper Pitbull, the night’s headliner at the BST festival, and part of setting a Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people wearing bald caps”.

“I’m speechless. Who would have thought a first-generation Cuban would be record-breaking and record-making?” said the rapper, accepting the award in an all-black suit.

SK Hynix rises 13% in Nasdaq debut. Chairman tells CNBC 'demand is enormous'

SK Hynix has soared to a trillion-dollar market cap by serving some of the biggest names in technology, including Nvidia and Apple.