US targets Iran in ninth night of strikes in wake of US troop deaths – Middle East crisis live

Preliminary deal aimed at ending the war has collapsed as US and Iran fight to break deadlock over strait of Hormuz

• US says another service member killed as Israel warns Tehran’s attacks coming close

A vessel is on fire in the Hormuz strait off Oman, the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations agency is saying, citing military authorities.

It said it received a report of an incident eight nautical miles north-west of Kumzar in Oman’s far north – on the southern edge of the strait.

The Hello Girls, America's first women soldiers, finally getting their recognition

Hundreds of women served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War I, connecting calls for the Army in France. The women were called the "Hello Girls" and they were among America's first women soldiers. But it took decades for them to be recognized as veterans. Noel Brennan reports.

FBI shifts immigration agent cases to HSI after recent fatal shootings, sources say

HSI is an arm of ICE, meaning the immigration enforcement agency would effectively be investigating incidents involving its own agents.

The rare "Super Scooper" planes battling wildfires

This past week, Los Angeles County renewed a $41 million contract to keep two aerial water bombers available for fighting wildfires. The so-called "Super Scoopers," of which there are only about 160 in operation, are world-renowned for their decades of fire-fighting. Ian Lee reports.

Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami

Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested by federal authorities Saturday in Miami.

2 U.S. service members killed, 1 missing following Iranian strike on Jordan

U.S. forces launched a new round of airstrikes against Iran Saturday evening at the direction of President Trump following the deaths of two U.S. service members.

Latest details on arrests of Andrew and Tristan Tate

U.S. Marshals arrested social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate in Miami on Saturday due to recent developments in the U.K. Authorities there, who already had a case against the duo, say four more alleged victims of the brothers came forward with accusations including rape, sex trafficking, assault and child pornography. Cristian Benavides reports.

Gas prices on the rise again as Iran war reignites

Gas prices are on their way up again as the U.S. and Iran continue to launch strikes at each other and ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz dries up. Lindsey Reiser has more.

‘We defeated Los Ingleses’: Argentina fans search for consolation as Messi misses out on perfect ending

Fans in Buenos Aires head to Obelisco monument to celebrate a semi-final victory over England and honour what looks like Lionel Messi’s last World Cup

• Spain win the World Cup after Ferran Torres dethrones 10-man Argentina in extra time

• Trump show offers fitting fever-dream end to a World Cup of excess and damage

“What happened?” people outside an empanada shop in downtown Buenos Aires ask, trying to read the groans and gestures of the customers inside whose TV was a minute ahead of theirs.

“Spain scored,” says Julián Escalante, 20, holding up his phone. Spain’s Ferran Torres had delivered the decisive blow in the 106th minute of a final that had gone into extra time, sealing a tense, largely one-sided showdown that ended 1-0.

U.S. soldier killed in Iraq, Trump orders more strikes against Iran

A U.S. service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday, CENTCOM announced. Separately, unidentified remains were found in Jordan at the location where a U.S. service member went missing and two others were killed following an Iranian strike. Taurean Small reports.

Spain wins 2026 FIFA World Cup with grueling 1-0 win over Argentina

Spain dominated the match, outshooting Argentina 20-3, but couldn't manage a goal in regulation.

Spain beats Argentina 1-0 to win World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in extra time on Sunday to win their second ever Men's World Cup title and first since 2010. Nicole Valdes reports.

India’s Cockroach party protesters to defy police and march to parliament

Youth-led movement has been galvanised after Delhi police forcibly moved hunger-striking activist Sonam Wangchuk ⁠to hospital

Thousands of protesters in Delhi are set to defy police orders and march at the Indian parliament amid growing calls for prime minister Narendra Modi’s education minister to be sacked over exam paper leaks.

Setting up a possible showdown with students, activists and political groups, police have denied supporters of the youth-led Cockroach Janta party ⁠permission to march on Monday.

Ukraine war briefing: Russia behind deadly strike on cargo ship, says Ukraine, as Putin thanks North Korea

Cargo ship attack kills six people; Russian president tells visiting foreign minister that Moscow will ‘never forget’ Pyongyang’s support. What we know on day 1,608

Ukraine has blamed Russia for a deadly strike on a Turkish cargo ship that killed six people. Ukraine’s navy said Russia had launched three cruise missiles at the Golden Leo – flying a Guinea-Bissau flag – as it was “leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain”. Foreign minister Andriy Sybiga said the crew included citizens of Syria and India, while prime minister Sergiy Koretsky said the vessel was struck near Odesa after leaving port. “Eight crew members were rescued,” Kyiv transport minister Mykola Kalashnyk said on Telegram. “Two of them were injured. Unfortunately, as of now, six sailors are confirmed dead, and four more are missing.” Sybiga confirmed a Ukrainian maritime pilot had been killed in the attack, adding in the statement on X: “While the world is still responding to Russia’s brutal overnight attack on Kyiv, Moscow continues its campaign of terror throughout the day.”

Russia carried out one of its biggest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on Sunday, launching a five-hour overnight assault that left at least six people dead and dozens injured, and caused fires and damage across the capital. Ukrainian officials said the capital had been hit with about 40 Iskander-M and hypersonic Zircon missiles, Luke Harding reports. A three-storey building caught fire in the capital’s central Shevchenkivskyi district, with rescuers digging out several people trapped inside and recovering a body. Four other areas were hit, with fires reported at offices and residential buildings and a dormitory.

Ukrainian ⁠forces struck three oil depots and ⁠a ⁠fuel facility ​in Russia’s southern Stavropol region, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on ⁠Sunday. Three Russian ​tankers ​from the “shadow ​fleet” had ‌also been ​struck ​in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian president also said on X.

Vladimir Putin has thanked North Korea for supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine as he met visiting foreign minister Choe Son Hui. “I would like once again to express my gratitude for the support provided to the special military operation we are conducting,” Putin said on Sunday. “We will never forget” the “heroic deeds” of North Korean soldiers, who would be “honoured in the same way as our compatriots”, the Russian president added. Russia’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that Choe was visiting at the invitation of foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. North Korea has sent troops to Russia’s Kursk region and supplied weapons systems to support Moscow’s war effort, while in return analysts say the impoverished and isolated country has received financial assistance, food, energy supplies and military technology from Moscow.

Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin has said he will not be running in September’s legislative elections, saying he has been “silenced” and “pushed out of politics”. Nadezhdin – one of the few politicians in Russia openly criticising Putin and Moscow’s Ukraine offensive – had recently been convicted for displaying “extremist symbols”. “My ability to legally engage in opposition politics in Russia has been exhausted,” he wrote on Telegram on Sunday. “I’m not prepared to put at risk those who support me and took part in the election campaign”. The 63-year-old’s campaign had been severely compromised since he was declared a “foreign agent” earlier this month, followed by his sentencing for “displaying extremist symbols”, in that case posting a video in 2023 that briefly showed deceased dissident Alexei Navalny.

Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino booed before US president attempts to crash Spain celebrations

• US president watches Spain v Argentina match

• Match report: Spain beat Argentina in extra-time

Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino were booed as they took to the field for the presentation ceremony before the US president attempted to gatecrash Spain’s victory party.

Trump arrived at the stadium on Marine One, with the president’s helicopter first flying over the stadium about 45 minutes before kick-off. He sat in a glassed-in section of luxury seats for the match, along with Infantino. Other dignitaries and former players sat nearby, including Spain’s king, Felipe VI, Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, and Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

Lionel Messi’s World Cup fairytale ends with pitiful Argentina as final villains | Pablo Iglesias Maurer

Game’s greatest player will not see his legacy sullied by defeat to Spain but his team’s display destroyed the game

Playing on the grandest stage in sport for the last time, Lionel Messi seemed almost certain to provide one last memorable moment in this World Cup final.

Yet as the sun ducked behind the west stand of New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, it became clearer and clearer that Argentina had lost the magic they had carried through this tournament. And as Spain gradually wrested control, one was left to confront reality: Messi, and Argentina, had finally run out of time, having long since given in to their worst instincts in a 1-0 defeat.

At the World Cup of superstars, a team take home the trophy | Sid Lowe

The European champions conceded just one goal in the tournament and Spain’s success is a victory for a system

Release the pressure, let it out. All of it and all of them. Again and again they had come, again and again they had been halted but they would not be denied. A dozen different players had taken aim at Emi Martínez’s goal but somehow he was still standing and time was slipping away, yet Spain refused to do so, so they came some more.

And then, suddenly, only this wasn’t really sudden, the result instead of the purest logic, the clearest justice, Pedro Porro’s deep cross found Nico Williams at the far post and he headed back. The ball dropped deep inside the Argentina penalty area, bounced on the turf and just kind of sat there: waiting, willing someone take this moment.

U.S. death toll rises again as Iran war escalates over the weekend

Centcom says it hit Iran's coastal surveillance and air defense facilities a day after two U.S. troops were killed in an Iranian strike on Jordan.

JD and Usha Vance welcome baby boy, first child born to sitting VP in 156 years

Vice-president and second lady announced birth of Alec Neel Vance, their fourth child, in social media statement

Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, on Sunday announced the birth of their fourth child, the first born to a sitting vice-president in more than 150 years.

Born on Sunday, Alec Neel Vance joins older siblings Ewan, nine; Vivek, six; and Mirabel, four.

Patience beats overreliance on Messi: how the final was won and lost

Argentina tried to kill the spectacle and make it a physical battle but Spain refused to take the bait and kept passing

A worrying thought as a tepid first half drew to a close: was the half-time show going to be better than the football? This was a slog. Argentina could not match Spain’s possession approach but they had ways to level the playing field. There was physicality from Lionel Scaloni’s side, whose aim was to kill the spectacle before taking control in the second half, and they were allowed to take it to the limit by the Slovenian referee, Slavko Vincic. Alexis Mac Allister could have been booked for an early foul on Dani Olmo and the leniency, together with a pitch not conducive to playing flowing football, allowed Argentina to disrupt Spain’s passing game, creating the conditions for one of the most tedious World Cup finals.

Vice President JD Vance and wife Usha welcome their 4th child

This is the first time in more than 150 years that a vice president's family had a child while in office.

Five family members found dead after flash flood in Utah canyon, police say

Victims were Provo’s fire captain, his wife and their three sons, who were hiking in Bicknell amid heavy rains

Five family members who had set out for a day of hiking were killed after a flash flood swept through canyons of southern Utah on Friday, law enforcement officials said.

The victims were a captain in the Provo fire department, his wife and their sons, according to fire officials. A daughter who was not on the trip survived.

Spain win World Cup after Ferran Torres breaks 10-man Argentina’s resistance

It was the triumph of an idea, an identity. Of an unshakable and patient faith. And when it was over, Spain’s new generation having emulated the one from the 2010 World Cup, all of those legendary names, there was simply delirium for them.

Spain were the only team that turned up to play this World Cup final, from the first whistle to the last in extra time. Argentina were damned by their lack of ambition even before they had Enzo Fernández sent off towards the end of the regulation time. It was extraordinary to report that they did not have an attempt on goal until the 115th minute.

A cavalcade of international stars headlined the World Cup's first-ever halftime final show

With President Trump in attendance, an all-superstar lineup that included Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber and Burna Boy felt a little more political than it might have otherwise.

FBI will no longer investigate ICE confrontations, The New York Times reports

The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security have both denied that any change in oversight has taken place.

Dozens missing after passenger ferry sinks off coast of Guyana

Emergency response has rescued 67 people, including 15 children, from one of the country’s worst maritime disasters

A ferry carrying 116 passengers and crew sank ⁠off the coast of Guyana in South America ⁠late Saturday, with 67 ⁠people, ​including 15 children, rescued so far, according to Guyana ⁠authorities.

A massive search-and-rescue operation continues for dozens of missing passengers in what has been described by officials as one of the country’s worst maritime disasters.

Russell’s Mercedes problems ‘100% on us’, says Toto Wolff after Belgium blow

• Russell clipped by Hamilton on lap one after power loss

• British driver 50 points behind Antonelli in standings

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes principal, has admitted the team let George Russell down at the Belgian Grand Prix. The British driver failed to score a point after a clash with Lewis Hamilton that Russell attributed to his car’s performance not being up to scratch.

The race was won by Kimi Antonelli, who now leads his teammate Russell by 50 points in the world championship, a serious blow to the latter’s title hopes.

Ryan Fox crowned Open champion as heavyweights wilt under pressure

• USA’s Cameron Young falls short by a single shot

• Rory McIlroy hints at DeChambeau joining Irish Open

What a way to enhance a family dynasty. Ryan Fox, son of a New Zealand rugby legend and grandson of one of the country’s cricket captains, is the Open champion. Three generations, three sports, one Claret Jug. Fox displayed the fortitude of Grant, his old man, to snatch victory from Cameron Young on such a dramatic Open Championship Sunday.

Fox took to the 18th tee level with Young at nine under par. The American had finished more than two hours earlier, his total looking ever-more promising as others took it in turn to wilt under the heat of Royal Birkdale. Fox laughed in the face of adversity. He crashed a drive 330 yards down the fairway, flicked an iron to 11ft and holed out for a birdie three. This will trigger quite the party, including in his homeland. This Open needed something to switch the conversation from Bryson DeChambeau and a rules breach. In Fox, the tournament found a bold and deserving champion.

England take India ODI series after Duckett’s ton and Bethell’s brilliant star turn

• 3rd ODI: England, 387-3, bt India, 360-7, by 27 runs

• Rohit Sharma hits searing century but India fall short

After a cascade of wickets during the much-criticised Test here six weeks ago came a landslide of one-day international runs. In the end, despite a ferocious century from Rohit Sharma that turned Lord’s into his personal playground, England had enough on the board to seal a 2-1 series victory against India.

Harry Brook must have thought it was mission accomplished for his side at the halfway stage, with Ben Duckett’s 141 from 135 balls having powered England to 387 for three. Both were men’s ODI records at Lord’s, with Duckett having surpassed Viv Richards and the unbeaten 138 he made during the World Cup in 1979.

Burnham to say UK must be honest about its challenges as he prepares to become PM

Labour leader will visit king to accept role on Monday and will start making cabinet appointments that afternoon

Andy Burnham will say Britain must be honest about the challenges it faces when he becomes its sixth prime minister in a decade on Monday, as he prepares to introduce measures to ease the cost of living and allow more North Sea fossil fuel drilling.

The Labour leader is expected to start making appointments in the afternoon after going to Buckingham Palace to accept the role of prime minister from the king.

Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," July 19, 2026

On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Sen. Mark Warner and border czar Tom Homan join Margaret Brennan.

Kane says Tuchel will ‘learn a lot’ from England pressures after exit to Argentina

• German created ‘best England group for togetherness’

• Captain underlines importance of Nations League games

Harry Kane has backed Thomas Tuchel to learn from England’s World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina and believes they must use the forthcoming Nations League campaign to gain experience of playing against the top teams.

Kane was an unused substitute as England sealed third place with an entertaining 6-4 victory against France on Saturday – their best finish at a World Cup on foreign soil. Tuchel, who signed a contract extension before the tournament, has been criticised heavily for his tactics against Argentina when he opted to switch to a back five to try to defend a 1-0 lead.

Nine people injured in Arizona shooting; suspect shot by police

Nine people were shot and injured in a shooting in Tucson, Arizona, early Sunday morning, police said. A suspected gunman was shot and wounded by police.

ICE officers to use body cameras during vehicle stops, Trump ‘border czar’ says

Tom Homan’s comments come amid scrutiny over federal immigration agents’ fatal shooting of two men in six days

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will require its officers to record vehicle stops with at least one body camera, said Tom Homan, the Trump administration “border czar”, on Sunday. The action comes as the agency is under renewed scrutiny after ICE officers fatally shot two men earlier this month.

“They exonerate more law enforcement than they convict, and I want officers to wear body cameras because I want the American people to see what the ⁠officers saw when they took that action,” Homan said on the Fox & Friends Weekend program.

Homan says "I think body cameras are the way to go" after ICE shootings

White House border czar Tom Homan said "I think body cameras are the way to go" after fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Texas and Maine earlier this month.

Ella Baron on the revolving door of Downing Street – cartoon

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Earthquake in Peru leaves at least six dead

More than 30 injured and 300 displaced after buildings collapse near Sicaya

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook the Andes region of Peru, killing at least six people, authorities said Sunday. More than 30 people were injured and 300 have been displaced.

The US Geological Survey reported the quake struck on Saturday at 9.24pm, with its epicentre located 2km (1.2 miles) west-south-west of the city of Sicaya in Huancayo province. It was 10km (6.2 miles) deep.

Mark Warner says he'll vote against Trump pick Jay Clayton as DNI

Sen. Mark Warner said he'll vote against Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, citing disappointment in his testimony at a confirmation hearing last week despite his previous optimism about the nominee.

Feyi-Waboso gives England more bite but there is no ignoring elephant in the room

Returning world-beater has made real difference but Fin Smith laments continuing ill discipline after Argentina win

The most impressive analysis of England’s fluctuating July fortunes, as is so often the case nowadays, came from their fly-half Fin Smith. Where others choose to obfuscate, deflect or shoot the messenger, the admirably clear‑eyed Smith prefers to tell it as it is. And at the end of a long, draining season, his view is that England are still frustratingly short of where they need to be.

Yes, they beat Argentina 31‑24 on Saturday in a turbulent game containing eight tries and the tightest of finishes. It means they have claimed back-to-back Test wins for the first time since November and, in Manny Feyi-Waboso, they have a genuine world-beater. Equally, though, there can be no ignoring the bright yellow elephant in the dressing room. Four more yellow cards has taken England’s tally to 14 in 10 games this year, a habit they still seem unable to break.

Second person dies in legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City

Outbreak has sickened dozens in the city but officials say they believe source of outbreak ‘has likely been eliminated’

A second person has died amid a legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened dozens of people in New York City, according to officials, who also say there is evidence that the source of the outbreak “has likely been eliminated”.

New York City’s health department served notice of the second death in a statement on Saturday. The statement didn’t have any information about that person’s identity, age, or details on when and how they fell ill, as was the case when city officials on Friday announced the first death in the outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

The Guardian view on perceptions of superpowers: the world isn’t Chinamaxxing, it’s America-avoidant | Editorial

Startling new research shows that in many countries – including old US allies – the public prefers Beijing to Washington

Earlier this year, a spate of western TikTok and Instagram creators announced that they were at “a very Chinese time in my life” – drinking hot water and wearing slippers around their homes. The Chinamaxxing phenomenon primarily reflected the constant need of influencers for novel content. But social media trends also reflect a growing fascination with China, as the economic historian Adam Tooze has noted.

While it broods over China’s economic, military and technical advance, the Trump administration is accelerating Beijing’s diplomatic progress, as striking new polling by the Pew Research Center shows. For the first time, China and Xi Jinping are seen more favourably than the US and its president in most of the 36 major countries surveyed – including Canada, Mexico and Australia. Only in six countries did people rate the US more highly. While Beijing has seen significant improvements in some places, the slump in Washington’s standing is more dramatic. Across 20 countries, the median percentage with a favourable view of China rose from 32% to 46% between 2023 and this year; for the US, it fell from 58% to 36%. Views of China were much more positive in Latin America, Africa and parts of south and south-east Asia than in wealthier European and east Asian countries.

The Guardian view on pubs: football gave them a boost – now they need another | Editorial

Communal spaces where people can share big moments are a vital part of our shared life

“People can’t get enough of football fever,” a pub landlord, Sam Hale, told the Guardian last week. The World Cup provided the UK’s struggling hospitality industry with a much-needed boost, with pubs benefiting from extended opening hours and one estimate suggesting that an extra 5.5m pints were sold in the group stages alone. The tournament lifted customers’ spirits too – even if it ended in disappointment for England and Scotland fans – as millions of people relished the communal spectacle.

These sociable few weeks could not have come at a better time for pubs, which are closing at a rate of two a day, with about 2,000 gone since 2020. This reflects a long-term trend away from going out, combined with pressures from rising costs including energy bills, business rates, wages and national insurance contributions. The hope in the sector, and among its advocates, is that the temporary uplift of the past few weeks will focus minds on the importance of venues, including pubs, in promoting social cohesion and “watercooler moments”.

Vingegaard crashes out of Tour de France after ‘inhuman’ 2am doping control

• Dane was woken by doping control at 2am on day of stage

• Remco Evenepoel outsprints Pogacar to claim victory

Jonas Vingegaard crashed out of the Tour de France on the first Alpine stage on Sunday, only hours after being woken up in the early hours to undergo doping controls. He will have collarbone surgery in the next few days.

The double Tour winner, who also won the Giro d’Italia this year, climbed gingerly into a race ambulance, his right arm in a sling, after falling as the main peloton exited a roundabout in Bonneville.

US boxer Hannah Rapp struck and killed by driver while cycling, police say

Investigators arrest 31-year-old man identified as Charles Medina in connection with death of Rapp who was 26

US boxer Hannah Rapp, who in June fought for the World Boxing Council (WBC) women’s featherweight championship, was killed on Saturday while she bicycled in Texas after a motorist struck her with his car, according to authorities.

Rapp was 26, and investigators arrested a 31-year-old man identified as Charles Medina in connection with her death, the sheriff’s office of Brazos county, Texas, said in a statement.

Who is Andy Burnham, the U.K.'s new prime minister?

On Monday, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer as the United Kingdom's prime minister. Burnham's politics have been shaped by England's north-south class divide.

‘He’s a war criminal’: Mamdani exploring whether he can arrest Netanyahu if he visits New York

NYC mayor says in Times interview that’s he’s in ‘active conversation’ with city’s law department about the matter

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he was reviewing whether his administration could arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if as expected the Israeli prime minister visits the city for the UN general assembly in September.

Mamdani’s comments on Saturday’s episode of the New York Times’s the Interview podcast echoed ones he had made to the publication as he successfully ran for mayor last fall.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 19)

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

Maps show wildfire smoke forecast, air quality alerts in swath of U.S.

Heavy smoke from several large wildfires blazing in Canada and Minnesota engulfed large swaths of the Midwest and East Coast.

Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in US on UK rape and sex trafficking charges

Britain seeks extradition over charges including rape, trafficking for sexual exploitation and offences relating to extreme pornography

The controversial influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in the US as part of a UK police investigation into a number of alleged sexual offences.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was bringing further charges in relation to four further individuals, and had requested the two men’s extradition.

How do Spain and Argentina stack up? World Cup final teams by the numbers.

Forty-eight nations​ competed in the largest FIFA World Cup in history and two are left standing, with Spain in search of its second World Cup title and Argentina shooting for back-to-back​ championships.

How to watch the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup today

Spain will face Argentina in the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup final match on July 19. Here's how and when to watch the soccer game.

The kindness of strangers: After losing my wife and son, I ate alone one Father’s Day – and another diner paid my bill

I went out into the car park to see if I could spot anyone nearby who might have just left the restaurant

• Read more in the kindness of strangers series

I lost my wife in 2020 and my son in 2021. A few years later, I was living alone in a retirement complex when I decided to go out one night for dinner. There was a little Vietnamese restaurant nearby that my wife and I used to frequent, which had excellent food and held many happy memories. It just so happened to be Father’s Day.

I dined alone, ordering my usual rice paper rolls. When I went to settle the bill, the lass behind the counter told me my meal had already been paid for.

I want a place for ritual in my daughter’s life, so together we created one | Jackie Bailey

Ellie wanted a high tea. We picked a sunny afternoon in spring, not long before her 12th birthday

When I was about 12, I had my confirmation. I wore the same lacy white dress my terminally ill sister had worn two years earlier, with a red sash I had screen-printed at my Catholic school with a dove, symbolising the Holy Spirit.

Typically, a child picks a saint’s name as their confirmation name, someone they would most like to emulate. I was permitted to take the name of someone who was still alive, Lúcia of Fátima. Her cousin had been the one to see Mary, mother of God, before dying young and innocent. Lucia, on the other hand, had been condemned to live into old age. I could relate to Lucia. My sister, living with brain cancer, had always been the religious one.

Rise in overseas surrogates ‘increases risk of stateless babies’

Calls grow for global regulation as rising numbers of westerners use surrogates in countries with different laws

• Why Mexico is at the heart of ethical debate over global surrogacy

The rise in the use of surrogates abroad is leaving more babies at risk of becoming stateless, experts have said, amid growing calls for urgent global regulation of the practice.

The warning follows the suspension of a 15-year effort by The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) to establish a global surrogacy convention, which was paused due to divisions among member states.

Thunderstorms expected to clear Canadian wildfire smoke before World Cup final

A storm front largely moved the smoke out of the Northeast before the final between Spain and Argentina, but additional smoke lingered over the middle of the country.

Nature: Scrub-jays in Florida

We leave you this Sunday with scrub-jays in the city of Rockledge, Florida. Videographer: Doug Jensen.

7/19: Face The Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," as the U.S. struck back at Iran overnight, Sen. Mark Warner joins to discuss the latest in the Middle East. Plus, CBS News contributors Chris Krebs and David Becker discuss election security.

A retirement sendoff for a guardian angel

In 1965, Marco Houpe was just 15 months old when he was injured in a fire, with third-degree burns over 85% of his body. Wynola Wayne, then a young trainee nurse at her Columbus, Ohio hospital's burn unit, helped save his life. Recently, when Wayne retired after nearly six decades as a nurse, it was no ordinary farewell party, as Houpe made plain. Steve Hartman reports.

Judge Ronald Gould on his MS: "Just take life a step at a time"

At 79, Ronald Gould, a federal judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Seattle, shoulders a full caseload despite living with progressive multiple sclerosis – a condition he faces with grit and a healthy dose of humor.

Judge Ronald Gould on persevering despite his MS

Ronald Gould is a federal judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Seattle, one rung below the U.S. Supreme Court. At 79, he shoulders a full caseload despite living with progressive multiple sclerosis. He talks with CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook about working with MS, a condition he faces with grit and a healthy dose of humor. LaPook also talks with one of Gould's former law clerks, Karla Gilbride, an attorney who has been blind since birth.

Pitch perfect: Developing natural grass for the World Cup

FIFA rules state that World Cup matches must be played on natural grass. For this year's tournament, scientifically-engineered sod (that can withstand playing conditions and differing climates) was deployed in stadiums with artificial turf.

Almanac: July 19

"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date.

What's the matter with Congress?

Congress was granted many powers under Article I of the Constitution. Nonetheless, in recent decades, lawmakers – including under current GOP majorities – have ceded much of their authority to the president, while Washington has been plagued by gridlock, and a sense that Congress has been marginalized. As both parties point fingers, "Sunday Morning" national correspondent Robert Costa talks with Capitol Hill observers who discuss why the House and Senate are for the most part failing to address many problems facing Americans, and whether they are optimistic that Congress – beset by partisanship, gerrymandering, and the president's pressures to do his bidding – could one day find its way again.

When Maga’s power fades, we cannot abandon those ICE killed | Moira Donegan

When this is all over, people will tell us to move on. But those who perpetrated this reign of terror must be held accountable

One day, when Maga is out of power and the conditions of political possibility have changed, there are going to be people who tell you that the best thing for the country is to move on. There are going to be people who tell you that attempts to hold the purveyors of Trumpism accountable are petty, vindictive, engaging in a kind of petulant recrimination and score-settling. There are going to be people who tell you that there must not be investigations, that it would be a waste of time to have trials. There are going to be people who tell you that it is not wise to change the law to allow for prosecutions and lawsuits; that too great an emphasis on the past will only divide the country, and keep us from looking toward the future. This argument was made after Watergate; it was made after the civil war. It was wrong back then, and it will be wrong again when it is delivered, with piety and smugness, after Trump.

When Maga leaves power, all of the officers, bureaucrats and leaders of ICE – from the uniformed thugs in masks on the streets, to the contractors guarding concentration camps, to the suited vultures directing the operation in Washington and drafting legal memos to justify it – all of them must be held accountable. Their immunity from criminal prosecution and civil suits must be eradicated, and their liability must be made retroactive. They must be investigated, tried, fined, punished and ostracized. Needless to say, ICE must be abolished – attempts to merely reform it must be resisted as betrayals of democratic values. But it is not enough to abolish ICE. Those who are responsible for ICE must be driven from public life.

Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist

Readers reply: Why is there no rugby culture in Germany?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions answers a sporting puzzle

This week’s question: Some people want to break up the EU. Why don’t they want to break up the US?

France and Italy play rugby to a very high standard, but Germany has no comparable rugby culture. Why? Tim Hare, by email

Send new questions to [email protected].

Going offline is fun. Living offline was not – just ask a child of the 90s | Emma Beddington

The neo-luddites are fighting the good fight. But my life before smartphones felt lonelier and more dangerous

Welcome to the Summer of Ludd. That’s the name of an anti-smartphone festival recently held in New York. It was slightly under the radar for obvious reasons – there was no Instagram, TikTok or website; advertisements were on “wheatpasted monochrome posters”. Those attending followed the rules: “Be present, and absolutely no phones, recording, or photos allowed.”

That’s perhaps why, the Economist reported, “crowds were small” – but they seemed to be having fun, with events including “Google in Real Life” (festival attenders answering questions on their specialist subjects), “flirting rehabilitation” and “hanging out with rats”. I was particularly charmed by the festival’s “media spokespuppet”, Gowanus: more events should be fronted by carpet offcuts with sock arms and button eyes.

7/19: Sunday Morning

Hosted by Lee Cowan. Featured: What's the matter with Congress?; singer Shania Twain; special grass for the World Cup; "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe"; a federal judge discusses working with progressive multiple sclerosis; steel artist Carol Bove; and Ted Danson on aging creatively.

The women running death salons for people of color to process grief: ‘It allows for freedom’

Death salons are spaces that allow free-flowing conversations about mortality and are becoming more popular around the country

In a small cream-colored room at a cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Nefertiti Moor sat at the head of a semicircle. Dressed in black with her long hair in locs, she delivered instructions for the evening discussion. “It’s not death counseling or a debate,” said Moor. She invited the two women in attendance to talk freely about their cultural associations with dying and grief. Tasha Johnson, who worked in behavioral health, said that she felt desensitized after the recent deaths of several people she knew. She was grappling with “the reality that it can be anyone at any point”.

The free-flowing conversation about mortality, otherwise known as a death salon or death cafe, was unique in that it was designed for people of color. Death salons for marginalized communities are becoming more common around the country, with practitioners addressing the unique end-of-life concerns of queer, trans, or Black and brown people. Acting on a lifelong interest in how communities process grief, Moor became a death doula, a non-medical professional who provides emotional and practical support to people who are dying and to their loved ones.

Venice fireworks and a Kate Bush flash mob: photos of the weekend

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

Nigel Farage admits George Cottrell paid for filming and let him use his home

Reform leader says support from fraudster before last election is ‘totally undeclarable in every single way’

Nigel Farage has admitted his close friend the fraudster George Cottrell let him use one of his London homes and paid for social media filming before the last election but insisted it was “totally undeclarable in every single way”.

The Reform UK leader spoke in depth for the first time about his support from Cottrell and the £5m gift from the Thailand-based businessman Christopher Harborne in an interview with the anti-woke Triggernometry podcast.

Brenda Fricker obituary

Actor who was the first Irish woman to win an Oscar for her role in the 1989 film classic My Left Foot

Brenda Fricker, who has died aged 81, was only the second Irish actor – and the first female one – to win an Oscar, for her role as Daniel Day-Lewis’s mother in the 1989 film My Left Foot, after shooting to fame in the original cast of the BBC medical drama Casualty.

As the nurse Megan Roach, she was the Mother Earth of the fictional Holby City hospital’s A&E department for the programme’s first five series (1986-90). “We knew the show had to have compassion,” said Casualty’s first producer, Geraint Morris. “We made Megan the person everyone could talk to.”

Sphinxes, movie stars and 3m books: inside Los Angeles’s beloved art deco library

The showcase library’s centenary was celebrated by thousands who filled the still-relevant public institution

The central library in downtown Los Angeles has seen its fair share of colorful moments.

The architectural gem, which turned 100 this week, has been the backdrop to the epic street battle between Pacino, De Niro et al in Heat, and was where the original Ghostbusters came across their first ghost, a friendly older lady librarian who was anything but. Television shows such as Moonlighting; Murder, She Wrote; and LA Law filmed there too, when characters were researching or investigating a case.

How to make Russian salad – recipe | Felicity CLoake's Masterclass

Cooked vegetables, pickles and good mayonnaise are key components of this traditional but adaptable dish

In much of the world, including Russia itself, this richly satisfying collation is known as salade olivier, after the 19th-century Belgian-born chef credited with its creation. Its wide popularity is testament to its adaptability and essential deliciousness: robust enough for picnics and packed lunches, it also keeps well and is great paired with just about anything, from fish to a simple green salad.

Prep 40 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4

Housing costs is the top political issue for young voters, CNBC survey finds

The cost of housing is the top priority for voters ages 18 to 34, besting food and healthcare cost concerns, the CNBC All-America Economic Survey found.

American Airlines CEO lays out his vision to close a more than $3 billion profit gap

The carrier is working on improving reliability, investing in more premium seats and lounges, and considering Boeing and Airbus for a new wide-body plane order.

Are money and soft power draining World Cup football of its magic? | Richard Partington

Fifa’s orchestration of incompatible or frankly absurd corporate sponsorship suggests the balance may have tipped too far

It’s almost all over. No more hydration breaks, no more obligatory pans of the TV cameras to Hollywood A-listers, or dread of the crushing inevitability of English disappointment. The Fifa World Cup 2026 is at an end, after another month of planet-straddling drama laced with significance and symbolism, both on and off the pitch.

Before the kick-off between Spain and Argentina on Sunday evening, the result is already clear: football’s greatest prize is more than a sporting event; it is a geopolitically charged economic juggernaut.

‘Liberate the lidos!’ Who will win the war over Italy’s private beaches?

Almost all of the sandy stretches on the country’s 8,000km of coastline are run for profit. Now ‘free beach’ campaigners are fighting back against the mafia, the military and those profiteering from sun loungers and cocktails

Walking along Italian beaches is like strolling through a rainbow. The sand will be subdivided into colours: for 50 metres or so the perfectly spaced parasols and deck chairs will be all red, then they become orange, then yellow, green and so on.

These are the country’s famous bagni (lidos), formally known as concessioni balneari (bathing concessions). They’re simple but stylish. The sand is raked at dawn. The bar plays ambient music and serves negronis or fried squid. There will probably be a table-tennis table, or a beach volleyball area. Some have swimming pools.

Trump is invoking foreign election interference to justify his own | Jamil Smith

The president no longer treats the people who defeated him as voters. He treats them as suspects

There is a version of this country in which Donald Trump tells Americans the truth he has been handed: that their elections are secure. Once, he apparently wanted to.

The Atlantic reported after Thursday night’s address that a February 2020 election-security briefing pleased Trump so much he wanted to announce the news himself. The press conference never happened. The election did, and Trump lost it.

Could AI be conscious?

Experts believe it’s at least possible. We urgently need a plan to navigate the ethical implications

In January, the AI company Anthropic published a new constitution for Claude, its most advanced large language model (LLM), which contained the comment: “We are caught in a difficult position where we neither want to overstate the likelihood of Claude’s moral patienthood nor dismiss it out of hand.” A month later, Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei went on a podcast and said his company couldn’t rule out the possibility that Claude was conscious. Philosopher David Chalmers, who coined the phrase “the hard problem of consciousness”, has said there is a significant chance of conscious LLMs within a decade. And what about Claude itself? When asked during testing to estimate the probability that it is a moral patient, meaning that its wellbeing matters in its own right, it gave numbers ranging from 5% to 40% and stressed how uncertain it was.

Modern AI systems are extraordinarily complex, and they are advancing fast. In terms of structural complexity and computational scale, by some measures a few are already in the range of a mouse brain, and at recent growth rates, they could reach the range of a human brain within five to 10 years.

How Trump and his administration have mired the US in multiple crises

From manufactured election insecurity to an outbreak of ‘explosive’ diarrhea, Americans are bearing the brunt of harmful policies

Between widespread cuts to vital government agencies, various disease and illness outbreaks, and new environmental disaster vulnerabilities, the United States is facing a convergence of crises with widespread repercussions.

Yet the Trump administration has hamstrung the federal government from addressing these crises – and in some cases is actively fanning them. Over the past year, the administration has moved to shrink the federal workforce, roll back environmental protections and policies intended to fight the climate crisis, reduced funding for scientific research and is seeking to advance legislation that would impose new voting restrictions.

Violence repeatedly erupts in dementia care despite warnings, inspections show

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities can be fertile ground for violence between residents with dementia, including fatal assaults. Court records and inspecitions how safeguards fall short.

‘White men get to fail’: Graham Platner collapse illuminates toxic double standard in US politics

Expectations that prioritize privileged identities keep women and people of color from even running for office

Since Kamala Harris’s defeat to Donald Trump in 2024, Democrats have chased candidates who exude an ever-elusive “authenticity”. For many on the left, the answer was Graham Platner, a military veteran turned oyster farmer with a gravelly voice and deep hostility toward the political establishment.

Even as controversy after controversy emerged – racist, sexist, homophobic online posts; a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he later covered up; sexually explicit messages sent to other women while he was married; and allegations from former partners of toxic and threatening behavior, which he denied – Platner’s momentum didn’t slow. It was only after a woman accused Platner of rape – which he denies – that his political support collapsed.

This is how we do it: ‘My ex didn’t find me attractive after I put on weight. With Denzel, I finally feel loved’

Both Denzel and Sarita left sexless relationships before they met, but together they have discovered toys and Tantric sex

• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

She’s brought a different side to my life I didn’t know existed

An Israeli paraglider tries to save migrating swifts that nest in the Western Wall

Swifts have nested in Jerusalem's Western Wall since biblical times. Now one Israeli paraglider is trying to save them.

Deadly overnight Russian attack on Ukraine targets the capital

Russia launched 41 missiles and 125 attack drones across Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force.

5 clever design tricks to make a small home look bigger

Just because you live in a small place doesn't mean it has to look or feel cramped. Interior designers share creative strategies to create the illusion of space that work for renters and small budgets.

‘We were in danger of running it into the ground’: Brittany Howard on fleeing fame, fighting Trump and the epic return of Alabama Shakes

The soul-rockers achieved worldwide success before surprising everyone by deciding to quit while they were ahead. Now they’re back with a new album railing against the state of contemporary America

In the autumn of 2024, Alabama Shakes showed no sign of ending their indefinite hiatus – and nobody was asking them to. Seven years had passed since the blues-soul-rock band, who exploded out of Athens, Alabama in 2009, had last shared a stage. Their transatlantic Top 10 2012 debut Boys & Girls announced them; the million-selling 2015 follow-up Sound & Color went to No 1 in the US and won them four Grammys. Their fanbase included Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant and Barack Obama. But by 2017 they were physically and creatively spent, and they stopped. Then, in December 2024, with almost no warning, they played their first show in more than seven years.

“We had a friend in Tuscaloosa who had a brewery, but it wasn’t doing so well after Covid,” explains singer Brittany Howard. “He called me and said he was going to do a fundraiser and asked if I’d like to perform. I said, ‘For sure.’” But then she started reminiscing, remembering how that particular friend had been a huge help to the band, not just her personally. She felt the band owed him something, collectively. “So I called the fellas,” she smiles. “‘Do y’all wanna perform at this thing – like, all of us, together?’ And they instantly said yes.”

Spain and Argentina's World Cup trophy count before 2026 final

When Spain and Argentina face off Sunday in the World Cup final, it will mark just the second meeting between the two sides in the tournament's history, and their first in 60 years.

Russia pounds Kyiv for five hours in one of its biggest ballistic missile attacks

Attack on Ukraine’s capital and other cities leaves at least six people dead and dozens injured

Russia has carried out one of its biggest ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, launching a five-hour assault that left at least six people dead and dozens injured, and caused fires and damage across the capital.

Ukrainian officials said the capital had been hit with about 40 Iskander-M and hypersonic Zircon missiles. Residents heard an air raid siren at 1.30am. There was the sound of air defences, followed minutes later by a series of booms and explosions.

‘People say they’ve conceived to my music’: Tricky’s honest playlist

The trip-hop star doesn’t believe in getting jiggy to songs and would choose Cyndi Lauper at karaoke. But which classic reminds him of his mum?

The first song I fell in love with
I was going out with this Jamaican girl when we were about 15, and would listen to Night Nurse by Gregory Isaacs all the time. We had a daughter together when we were 17 – she’s 35 now and works as a social worker in Bristol – so that song has always stayed with me.

The song that makes me cry
Astral Weeks by Van Morrison, because it reminds me of my mum and growing up in Bristol. He sings about his mum dressing him and showing him pictures, and my mum was exactly like that. In every childhood photo I’m in a shirt and tie and looking proper.

Cuban artist and dissident exiled from country after 5 years in prison arrives in US

A famous Cuban dissident artist and musician, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, arrived in Miami on Saturday after being released from a five-year prison sentence on the condition that he leave his country.

Aperol, late-night laughs – and some gritty life truths: why girls’ trips aren’t just fluffy fun | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

From Shirley Valentine to my own adventures with friends in Italy, all-women holidays offer the perfect mix of freedom and self-discovery

I have just come back from a much-anticipated girls’ holiday to Puglia, and to say that it fulfilled expectations would be an understatement. We swam, we napped, we reminisced, we ate little bits of crudo alongside lovely sips of fiano, we danced around the table of the Airbnb while singing along to Sarà perché ti amo. Most of all, we laughed, sometimes until our stomachs hurt and our faces were wet with tears.

What a joy the girls’ trip is (despite our ages, “women” doesn’t feel right here somehow). Maybe that’s because at times during the holiday I was transported back to when we were indeed “girls” and studying together in Italy (although this time with far less street harassment – a realisation that prompted mixed feelings until a belated “Che bellissime!” saved the day).

MLS works to bring in a new generation of fans as the World Cup comes to an end

In 1994, the last men's World Cup the U.S. hosted sparked soccer fever, from youth leagues to TV broadcasts to the formation of MLS. Now, can MLS harness this World Cup for a new generation of fans?

Israel threatens to seize ancient water reservoirs near Bethlehem

Solomon’s Pools date back to the second century BCE, and have become a source of recreation for nearby Bethlehem

Israel is threatening to seize ancient water reservoirs near Bethlehem, in what would be a significant escalation in an intensifying campaign for control of West Bank land and the Middle East’s historical narrative.

Since Israel’s extremist finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, made an explicit threat in May to “erase” the agreements that confirmed Palestinian ownership of Solomon’s Pools more than 30 years ago, Israeli settlers and troops have stepped up their presence around the spectacular site.

‘We noticed a login from a new device’: the message from fraudsters targeting your X account

They are out to steal your password to commit further fraud such as crypto scams or phishing attacks

You have had an X account for years, since it was known as Twitter. When an email arrives about a new login from a location nowhere near where you live, alarm bells begin to ring.

“We noticed a login to your account from a new device. Was this you?” the email asks.

No car? No problem! Six cheap family days out in England by bus

With bus fares capped at £3 and free for kids in August, it’s the ideal time for wildlife watching, woodland walks, world-class art and more

Trips to waterfalls, gardens, galleries, medieval forests and prehistoric caves will make the long school holidays a lot more fun. To help families explore affordably, throughout August buses in England will be free for kids and adult fares will be capped at £3 single. Or, if you arrive somewhere by train, you could buy a PlusBus ticket, which include unlimited local bus travel. Here are six ideas for family outings by bus around England.

‘We couldn’t let her story end there’: Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s brother on the year since her shocking death – and why he’s still fighting in her name

She was the young girl in that infamous photograph with Prince Andrew, and the best-known survivor of Jeffrey Epstein. As Virginia’s explosive posthumous memoir continues to reverberate, her brother Sky Roberts and his wife, Amanda, talk about her final tragic months

A British prince was arrested at 8am and was stripped of his title; ambassadors, politicians and numerous other high-profile men lost their prestigious jobs; millions of files relating to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released and a US president remains under scrutiny. So much has happened since the death of Virginia Roberts Giuffre in April last year, and the posthumous publication of her memoir Nobody’s Girl six months later, detailing for the first time the full story of her abuse by Epstein and his associates. “This year has been extraordinary,” says Sky Roberts, Giuffre’s younger brother. “I just wish Virginia was here to see it.”

He is determined that there will be many more advances to come. Giuffre had become one of the most recognisable survivors of Epstein; in the midst of grief, Sky and his wife, Amanda, have become accidental advocates. “She paved the way, and we want to keep paving that road forward for other survivors out there,” says Sky.

Vieni, Birmingham – ‘A happy hubbub – you cannot pipe this in’ – restaurant review

Vieni dances a fine line where British Italian restaurants often fail

Vieni, an Italian restaurant in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, is small, Sicilian and scrappy. The Instagram bio of its chef and founder Angelina Adamo reads, “Bite off more than you can chew and learn how to fucking chew”, which feels like a battle cry for almost everyone stepping into hospitality, especially independent places like Vieni, where the waters are choppy and your skillset needs to be varied. Arancini with one hand, signing off payroll and ordering loo paper with the other.

Vieni, which is about a mile or so from the city’s Bull Ring, is a million miles from Albert’s Schloss, Big Mamma’s La Bellezza and the multitude of vast, impersonal pleasure machines that have spread their legs in Brum city centre. Of course, a gigantic Rosa’s serving pad thai and Tattu with a plastic purple flower ceiling all have their place, and make people happy, but I have joy in my heart for places like Vieni.

One week, two killings: Trump’s immigration crackdown turns deadly – again

The fatal shootings of two men, both killed in their vehicles by ICE agents, have rekindled anger over the US’s militarized deportation push

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was driving to work with his brother and two other passengers in Houston, Texas, when immigration agents began tailing his car. They pulled him over and fired a fatal shot through the open passenger-side window.

Six days later in Biddeford, Maine, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 26, was driving around his neighborhood when agents stopped him at an intersection – right outside the laundromat where he’d often go with his three-year-old daughter – and shot him dead.

Lashes, langers, bozzers and belly bachelors: a new book decodes Cork’s local slang

Sex, drink and religion are common motifs in the ‘extraordinarily rich’ colloquial vernacular of Ireland’s second city

If Des MacHale had to nominate a favourite from the lexicon of insulting and inexplicable terms that comprise Cork slang, it would have to be “langer”.

Depending on tone and context it can mean idiot, drunkenness or penis, a versatility that baffles outsiders and further enhances the word’s value. “Langer is an absolutely beautiful word. I’m very fond of it,” says MacHale.