South Africa 45-21 England: Nations Championship rugby union – live

Live updates from Ellis Park, kick-off at 4.40pm BST
Australia 31-33 Ireland | NZ 34-32 France | Email Daniel

‘The final countdown’ blasts around Ellis Park.

Decent crowd in as James Doleman blows his whistle and we’re under way with Libbok kicking us off!

Canada v Morocco: World Cup 2026 last 16 – live

⚽️ Kick-off time: 12pm local/1pm EDT/6pm BST/3am AEST
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email Scott

The prize on offer today is a quarter-final against either Paraguay or France. There’s a cheap strikethrough gag begging to be made there, and goodness knows we’re cheap and jaded enough to usually do it. But nobody’s taking anything for granted after Argentina’s scrape with disaster against the heroic and inspired Cape Verde. Here’s how last night’s instant-classic antics went down in Rotterdam, where six of the Blue Sharks were born.

It’s the big pennant showdown … and it’s as good as a walkover for Morocco. Achraf Hakimi will hand over this uniquely shaped artefact that almost literally drips with beauty. The Arabic script translates as Royal Moroccan Football Federation, so there’s no detail anywhere of today’s fixture and opponent; unfortunately that’s one point docked. However two bonus points are awarded for the sheer elegance of Arabic script. Total score: 11 out of 10.

Tour de France 2026 stage one: Vingegaard in yellow after team time trial success – live

‍♂️ Visma-Lease a Bike win opening test in Barcelona
‍♂️ Stage-by-stage guide | Team guide | Email Andy

The team time-trial route wends around Barcelona, taking in several landmarks.

The Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s Parc Guell, the Camp Nou footballl stadium, La Rambla and the Tour Glories. Who knows, maybe some punters will be tempted to visit this charming, off-the-tourist-trail place…

Wimbledon 2026: Swiatek and Rybakina crash out, Fery into decider on day six – live

All the latest news from Saturday’s live action at SW19
Sabalenka finds form on grass | Order of play | Mail Sarah

Away from the singles courts, there’s plenty to keep an eye on in the mixed doubles too. It’s not been a good morning for the British-Dutch fifth seeds Julian Cash and Demi Schuurs, already knocked out in straight sets by Brit-Canadian duo Joe Salisbury and Leyla Fernandez.

There’s a tough match coming up for Brits David Stevenson and Jodie Burrage who must face Italian top seeds Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani on court 14.

Tens of thousands march in London for annual Pride parade

More than 35,000 people from about 600 groups made their way from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall via Piccadilly

Tens of thousands of people marched through central London for the annual LGBT+ Pride parade.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, joined the crowd as they proceeded through the capital on Saturday afternoon.

England beat India by four wickets in second T20 international – as it happened

England chase down 191 to beat India at Old Trafford
WT20 World Cup final preview | Mail Tim

Sooryavanshi faces his first ball in international cricket… and misses! He flashed outside off at Josh Tongue, whose lift was too much for him.

1st over: India 4-0 (Sharma 4, Sooryavanshi 0) Never mind the prodigy, Abhishek can play a bit too. Archer starts well, beating him with a lifter, but the next ball is swished over slip for four, with one hand off the bat. Archer beats him again, and again, before finishing with a rap on the glove. The wind assisted both the bowler’s movement, away from the left-hander, and the lone scoring shot.

July 4th celebrations mark America's 250th birthday. Follow live updates.

Americans are celebrating 250 years of independence this Fourth of July with events including the largest fireworks display in history.

Kimi Antonelli takes pole for British F1 Grand Prix with Hamilton third on grid

• Mercedes driver holds nerve with Leclerc a close second

• Russell fourth, with Norris and Piastri sixth and eighth

Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, seeing off a concerted challenge from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in second and third and his Mercedes teammate George Russell who was fourth.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could manage only sixth and eighth for McLaren, with four-time champion Max Verstappen in seventh for Red Bull.

Washington's July 4 parade is off. The fireworks are still on

Organizers called off the Independence Day Parade late Friday, citing an extreme heat warning with temperatures expected to reach up to 115 degrees. The evening fireworks display remains scheduled.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 5)

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

Beyoncé releases surprise new track for Fourth of July weekend

Morning Dew (Donk) reportedly conceived for Beyoncé’s second album B’Day, which will be reissued for its 20th anniversary in September

She popularised the shock drop in 2013 with the surprise release of her self-titled album. And on Saturday, Beyoncé did it again, dropping a new song out of the blue.

The singer released the new track, titled Morning Dew (Donk), on the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Reports say the track was initially intended for her second album, B’Day, released in 2006.

Who were the last residents of Liberty Island?

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognized works of art in the world, symbolizing American progress and the welcoming promise of immigration. Lady Liberty stands on a 15-acre island, now crowded by tourists — but once, a small group of residents called the island their home.

England bowlers fear Rita Ora show will spoil Women’s T20 World Cup final warm-up

• The hosts take on Australia at Lord’s on Sunday

• Nat Sciver-Brunt’s finalists frustrated by singer’s stint

The England captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, admitted her bowlers are frustrated their usual warm-up routines will be inadvertently impeded by Rita Ora on Sunday.

The singer will headline the Women’s T20 World Cup closing ceremony on the Lord’s outfield from 2.30 to 3pm, wrapping up 30 minutes before the start of the final between England and Australia. While the sides are permitted on to the main ground before and after the performance, anything in between will have to take place at the Nursery Ground, largely used for net practice on training days.

Serena Williams withdraws from Wimbledon doubles match with sister Venus

Serena Williams cited a knee injury behind her decision to withdraw from a doubles match at Wimbledon.

Flying "Old Glory" and the history of America's most iconic flags

The iconic American flag is recognized around the world, representing the ideals and image of the nation. Author and photographer Roland Miller joins "CBS Saturday Mornings" to showcase some of the most famous flag moments in American history.

DNA technology leads to identification of Revolutionary War soldier

The remains of a Revolutionary War soldier were identified as a young man from Maryland just before America's 250th anniversary.

Three children dead after boat capsizes during storm in Wisconsin

Officials rescued seven other people after a sudden storm led to a boat sinking on Geneva Lake

Three children died after a boat capsized on Wisconsin’s Geneva Lake during inclement weather on the eve of the US’s semiquincentennial celebrations, and seven other people had to be rescued by emergency responders, according to officials.

A recreational motor boat with 10 passengers, including four children, sank on Friday afternoon as the boat “attempted to navigate to safety as weather conditions deteriorated” amid an intense, sudden storm, the city of Lake Geneva police department said in a statement.

The US celebrated the end of a ‘long national nightmare’ as it turned 200. What about now?

A decade in the making, the 1976 bicentennial had a cathartic impact on the wounded national polity

• Americans: how do you feel about the country’s future after 250 years of independence?

It felt like a proper jamboree – a coming together of diverse peoples who thought they had something to celebrate. But the defining moment of the 1976 bicentennial, the US’s last epic birthday celebration, came two years before.

“My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over,” Gerald Ford declared in his presidential inauguration speech of 9 August 1974. “Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men.”

Jac Morgan double earns clinical Wales victory over Fiji in Nations Championship

• Fiji 24-39 Wales

• Wales scores six tries to secure second successive Test win

A rare away win for Wales. In Cardiff maybe, but the “visitors” claimed a classic smash-and-grab victory against hosts who at times played as if they came from a different hemisphere indeed, possibly even planet. How Fiji found themselves level at the break, let alone 15 down come the end, defies analysis, but Jac Morgan is one answer, or at least the aptest representative of it.

Back on Wales’ flank now, having missed most of the season through injury, Morgan scored two tries in the first half, but his defensive work was heroic throughout. And boy it had to be.

Move over Chutes & Ladders: Schisto & Ladders has educational value plus worms

Spread by parasitic worms that can infect via a splash of water, schistosomiasis causes debilitating symptoms. It hits kids hard. A board game teaches how to prevent it.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates America's 250th birthday, receives Liberty Medal

Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, celebrated America's 250th birthday with a speech, praising the nation's tradition of welcoming immigrants. The National Constitution Center also awarded the pope with a Liberty Medal.

Revolutionary War soldier's identity revealed after 250 years

After 250 years, a soldier who fought for the birth of the nation has finally been identified and recognized for his service. Bradley Blackburn has more.

‘The situation is terrible’: aid workers on life in Sudanese city pummelled by drone strikes

El Obeid becomes key battleground in war between Sudan’s armed forces and their paramilitary enemies, the RSF

Fatima has lost count of the number of drone attacks on the besieged city of El Obeid in Sudan, but said the attacks this past weekend were the most violent so far.

The drones hit schools and fuel stations, killing more than 20 people, including students, she said. “Over the past few months, seeing 40 or 45 drones is the norm. You can literally count them,” said the aid volunteer, whose name has been changed for fear of retribution.

Elon Musk posted twice as often on UK race and immigration as about SpaceX in IPO run-up

Guardian analysis of X feed shows how keen world’s richest person was to air his views and ‘interfere’ in British politics

Elon Musk posted about race and immigration in the UK on his social media network X twice as often as he did about SpaceX, which he also owns, in the run-up to the aerospace and AI company’s initial public offering.

A Guardian analysis of Musk’s posts, replies and reposts between 31 May and 12 June has shown the extent to which the social media activity of the world’s richest person, who lives primarily in the US, has focused on UK politics.

UK woman, 21, arrested in Thailand after allegedly stabbing boyfriend to death

Officers found body of 34-year-old man in luxury rental home in Pattaya area, local media says

A 21-year-old British woman has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly fatally stabbing her boyfriend, according to local media reports.

The Bangkok Post reported that on Thursday morning local time, officers found the body of a 34-year-old man, who operated a cannabis farm, in a luxury rental home in the Pattaya area, a beachside region two hours from Bangkok known for its large expat population and nightlife.

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.

Week-long heatwave due in England with 34C peak in south-east

Heat health alerts in place in most regions of England from Sunday to Saturday with mercury also rising in Wales

Another heatwave is on the way across parts of the UK with peak temperatures of 34C forecast.

Temperatures in the south of England could reach 28C on Saturday, according to the Met Office.

Philadelphia buries time capsule to commemorate America's 250th birthday

To commemorate America's 250th birthday, Philadelphia will bury a time capsule on the same grounds where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

Pride in London – in pictures

Members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community gather to celebrate the annual parade in London

Scorching heat disrupts some Fourth of July celebrations

Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia have called off some celebratory events amid searing heat. Intense storms in the Midwest and a shark sighting in New York also disrupted holiday activities. Lana Zak reports.

Football Daily | Argentina advance. But for Cape Verde, they’ll always have for ever

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They couldn’t, could they? They almost did. Fair play, Gianni Infantino, adding an extra knockout round has proved a worthy addition to the Geopolitics World Cup. Sure, the group stage occasionally dragged like a wet Sunday in February, with attendant Scottish and South Korean tears, and Uruguayan rage, but jeopardy is king content. And “the 32” signed off with an all-time classic that went close to delivering the greatest shock of all shocks.

Have to say I just unsubscribed from Football Daily because of the relentless negativity during the GWC, both from the writers and the letters that are being published. Normally I enjoy a bit of snark but, my goodness, this seven-day-a-week version of the email is on another level. What a shame” – Jeff Round.

In honour of Gianni Infantino, I have decided to introduce my own hydration breaks when reading Football Daily. Following several cans of Tin each day, it almost becomes funny” – Martyn Shapter.

Re: yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs (full email edition). Education minister Jacqui Smith may have been planning a disco nap before watching England, but her ex-husband is more famously a fan of jazz” – David Maddock.

Re: Rick Costigan asking about giving the USA USA USA their exclamation marks and dropping the A (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). Does Rick know that their fans are already supporting his campaign? Having recently returned from Boston, Miami and Atlanta (final one was a stop-off on the way home to see Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s birth place and resting place), the place was full of USA USA USA fans holding up signs and wearing T-shirts saying ‘Why not US?’. Does this count as the first mass movement in support of a letter to the Football Daily email?” – James Thomson.

Bessent on Trump Accounts, gas prices and affordability

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke exclusively with Kelly O'Grady about inflation, gas prices and Trump Accounts, which are now available.

China's military promotes 2 new generals after anti-corruption purge thins ranks

The shake-up is believed to be an effort to ensure the military's loyalty to the Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping.

Overcrowded and underfunded: Trump’s cuts to national parks threaten the US’s ‘best idea’

This summer, Yosemite national park has been rife with traffic jams and throngs of visitors. Can these popular national treasures withstand a future of strained resources?

On a crisp, sunny morning at the end of June, dappled light filtered through the canopy of an ancient grove of giant sequoias, casting a tranquil backdrop for a mule deer as it ambled across the trail. Families from around the world gazed up at the towering trees in awe, speaking in hushed tones and different languages.

Experiences like these draw more than 4 million people to Yosemite national park each year. But as an increasing number of visitors come to take in the dramatic vistas, camp under the stars or feel the mist cascading off its thundering waterfalls, Yosemite’s landscapes are being pushed to their limits.

Burnham will change No 10 ‘boys club’ briefing culture, says Lucy Powell

Deputy Labour leader says No 10 must become more meritocratic as party’s female MPs press Burnham on gender balance

Andy Burnham will change a “boys club” culture of factional briefings at No 10 which silenced critics, according to the deputy leader of the Labour party.

Lucy Powell said she had experienced “unpleasant” briefings in Downing Street, which left people afraid to speak out or challenge Downing Street’s position.

German riot police clash with protesters hoping to block far-right AfD conference

Thousands of police deployed to Erfurt in central Germany as party holds conference on key Nazi date

Riot police have clashed with opponents of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on the streets of Erfurt in Germany, where thousands met to block roads and prevent AfD delegates from attending the party’s biennial national conference to elect its leadership.

Police reported 20,000 protesters were demonstrating in the eastern city, where Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to be re-elected as the party’s co-leaders in the run-up to crucial regional elections in which AfD could win power at state-level for the first time.

‘This is a hellhole’: Aramco makes its presence hurt in the shadow of the World Cup

The oil giant’s sponsorship deal with Fifa has featured prominently at matches in Houston. But 100 miles away in another Texas city, residents say the firm’s refinery is exposing them to poisonous gases and long-term health problems

The street is wide, its grass verges thick and scruffy after a week of rainstorms. Jamal Johnson will walk home straight down the middle carrying his plastic shopping bag, a jot of motion through the stillness. He lives in one of the modest wood-panelled houses spaced out on each side, most lovingly kept and passed through at least two generations. There is nobody else in sight, but a freight train breaks the silence, grinding left to right along the line flanking the north-facing gardens. The west side of Port Arthur, Texas, could be any lower-income neighbourhood in the southern states if it were not for the looming menace on the other side of the track.

This is a sad, unsettling place. “I’ve got a load of friends and family who’ve had weird diseases,” says Johnson, his face contorting at the thought. He lists a grandfather and aunt who died of cancer, the latter at a young age after relocating here to care for other relatives. An uncle died with complications from ALS (motor neurone disease). “You know what I’m saying? Man, they’ve let off all these poisonous gases; it’s like that all the time. It’s fucked up.”

Crowds gather as six-day funeral for former Iranian supreme leader begins

Up to 30 million people expected to attend delayed events for Ali Khamenei, killed at start of war with US and Israel

Huge crowds have gathered at the funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader after the gates of the sprawling Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran let in thousands of mourners who had been waiting through the night to enter the grounds.

Iran is staging mass funeral processions for Ali Khamenei – whose ⁠37-year reign was brought ⁠to an ​end in February by the first airstrike of the war launched by the US and Israel. By 5.30am, the Tehran streets surrounding the mosque were already filling up as Iranians, some travelling for hours and many carrying flags or posters of Khamenei, made their way to an event designed to emphasise the country’s sense of loss at the killing of the supreme leader and desire for revenge. Emotions filled the air as the crowds chanted Death to America and Israel.

Three-year-old injured in UK crocodile enclosure faces ‘long rehabilitation’

Boy who was allegedly thrown into the area at a Cambridgeshire zoo has undergone five surgeries

A three-year-old boy left seriously injured after being allegedly thrown into a crocodile enclosure has undergone five surgeries and faces a long “rehabilitation journey”.

His family, who provided the update, also thanked donors who had raised more than £25,000. His parents said they had been “living at the hospital” since the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo, in Cambridgeshire, on 18 June.

‘All men are created equal’: America has lost its values. It’s time to go back to the founding text | Ted Widmer

As the US celebrates 250 years, the Declaration of Independence has been curiously absent. Yet its language on the consent of the governed is more relevant than ever

It’s America’s birthday. Ear-splitting pyrotechnics will be heard across the land tonight, as they were a few weeks ago, after the cage fight at the White House. On 24 June, the administration launched the Great American State Fair, with “spectacular flyovers” from fighter jets and stealth bombers. Six 18-wheel “Freedom Trucks” are barreling down the highways, bringing history-lite pop-up displays, mainly to red states. Later this summer, we will hear drivers revving their engines, deafeningly, as they leave skid marks around the National Mall during the Indy car race scheduled for 22 August. It’s gonna get loud.

But one guest is apparently not invited to the party. The Declaration of Independence, the reason we are convening, has been curiously absent from the lead-up. That feels strange for a document that essentially rewrote world history.

OpenAI’s apparent failure to visit key site raises questions over UK investment

Exclusive: £20bn of ‘potential’ £30bn AI investment touted by UK ministers appears to have been hypothetical

It was to be the biggest undertaking in Britain for OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Stargate UK – a multibillion-pound UK datacentre project – would represent “a major step forward in the US-UK technology partnership”.

But the plans were paused in April, with an OpenAI spokesperson citing concerns over regulation and high energy costs.

Opinion: America is still a work in progress

Poets like Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes have written movingly about America.

Family-owned company prepares to put on the largest fireworks display in history

When the sun goes down on Independence Day, the skies of Washington, D.C., are expected to fill with a record-setting 850,000 individual fireworks for a 40-minute spectacle like no one has seen before.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce married in ceremony officiated by Adam Sandler

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Trump warns of "communist menace" in speech at Mount Rushmore

The president kicked off America's 250th anniversary celebrations with a speech at Mount Rushmore where he warned of a resurgence in communism.

Mexico’s kidnapping crisis: 'How can they hold a World Cup?’ - video

As England prepares to take on Mexico in the Fifa World Cup, another battle is playing out just beyond the Azteca Stadium. More than 130,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Mexico as cartel violence surges, leaving thousands of families searching for answers. They say the authorities have failed them and are demanding justice. The Guardian follows two families as they confront the police and challenge the government, determined to use football's biggest tournament to expose Mexico's disappearance crisis.

Birdsong data from Merlin ID app to help global biodiversity project

Cornell Lab for Ornithology plans data linkup between app and population monitoring on eBird platform

The Merlin bird ID app will allow users to feed real-time bird identifications into one of the world’s biggest citizen-science biodiversity projects in an update it is hoped will aid conservation of at-risk birds.

Since 2021, the free Merlin app, created by the Cornell Lab for Ornithology, has used machine learning to provide an almost instantaneous sound-identification service for birdsong, along with an image for each bird identified. In future, the detections of bird species recorded by people will be automatically collected on the global online database eBird, which contains more than 2bn bird observation records.

America’s 250th birthday celebrations are a mess. Here’s how we should mark the day | Dave Schilling

Instead of a UFC event and poorly attended state fair, how about ditching the electoral college and a new season of Game of Thrones?

I hate birthdays, especially my own, which is ominously arriving next month. I used to love them, back in those days when I had something tangible to look forward to: getting my first car, graduating high school, my first legal alcoholic drink, a new Star Wars film that’s actually good. That time is long gone. I can do all those things I listed, plus I haven’t seen a good Star Wars movie in more than 20 years. What am I even celebrating at 42? A slightly paunchier waistline? A larger bald spot? If the present you’re getting me isn’t a free Turkish hair transplant, I don’t want it. I don’t relish being 42, but imagine if I were 250?

America (the country, not the band) turns 250 this weekend, and we’re all meant to celebrate that fact on the Fourth of July. Millions of dollars have been poured into marking the occasion, though few of the events hold much appeal for me. I didn’t watch the UFC event; I have no desire to watch a bunch of cars driving around in circles, and the PragerU Freedom Truck hasn’t even come to my town. I couldn’t even get to finally see Vanilla Ice live in concert. Like every birthday, a lot of money has poured into a day where no one has any fun.

Taylor Swift wears Dior wedding dress for marriage to Travis Kelce

In coup for Dior, couple wear French haute couture designed by Northern Irish creative director, Jonathan Anderson

Your English teacher and your gym teacher wore Dior: Jonathan Anderson, the Northern Irish creative director of Dior, has been revealed as the designer of haute couture wedding looks for Taylor Swift and her new husband, Travis Kelce.

Photographs have not yet been released, with Swift’s team in charge of timing, but a Dior statement confirmed that Swift is the first bride for whom Anderson, who joined Dior last year, has created an haute couture gown.

Labour should win next election under Burnham after work already done, Starmer says

Prime minister holds no ‘personal animosity’ toward likely successor and stresses he has a platform to build on

Keir Starmer has said Labour “should go on to win the next election” under his likely successor, Andy Burnham, based on what the prime minister had already achieved.

In his first interview since he announced he would stand down, Starmer also said he held no “personal animosity” toward Burnham, who is expected to succeed him.

‘I filled a white ceramic bowl and carefully placed the fish inside’: Rashid Sheriff’s best phone picture

The Indian photographer dunked his iPhone underwater to get this shot of his pet

Rashid Sheriff’s fascination with photography and drawing originated in his school days, though “due to various limitations and circumstances, I couldn’t pursue those interests”, he says.

For the past 18 years, Sheriff, who is from Kerala, in south-west India, has been working in Qatar as an auto electrician. Smartphones, however, have allowed him to return to his passions once again.

This is how we do it: ‘I fell in love with my lover’s husband – and now we’re a trio’

Jonathan met Sadie when she was dating his wife. Now the two women share him – but he insists that they are the ones in control

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

When he suggested we stop seeing each other because he developed feelings for me, I told him: ‘This is too special to give up’

6 presidential speeches that shaped American history

These six presidential speeches are some that have most reverberated through the ages, and whose impacts are still felt today.

England get hostile welcome on arrival at Mexico City hotel for World Cup showdown

• Hundreds of fans greet the players, with many booing

• Increased security outside after Ecuador team disturbed

England received a hostile welcome as they arrived at their Mexico City hotel for Sunday’s World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico.

England had been hoping to keep their location undisclosed after Mexico supporters used loud speakers, horns and motorcycles to try to disturb the sleep of Ecuador’s players before their last-32 tie, which the co-hosts won 2-0 on Wednesday night.

Trump launches America’s 250th birthday celebrations with partisan attack

In a speech at Mount Rushmore, the US president claimed a resurgent ‘communist menace’ posed a severe threat to the country

Donald Trump has kicked off America’s 250th birthday weekend with an extraordinary partisan attack on the “communist menace” in America, framing its supporters as “the enemy of July 4th 1776”.

The US president spoke for half an hour on Friday night at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the latest stop on his tour celebrating the milestone anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from Britain.

Why can’t Britain turn its green revolution into cheap energy? A visual analysis

Labour has approved a wave of renewable energy projects, but turning plans into power remains slow. Why is that?

Labour has a race on its hands if it is to lock in its promise to achieve a virtually zero-carbon electricity system by 2030.

Britain’s next prime minister will have to move fast: the climate emergency is raging, high energy bills are driving up the cost of living and the reactionary right is threatening a fossil fuel push if it wins power.

Esther Freud: ‘My parents died within four days of each other. I was engulfed’

The novelist on grief, being a terrible liar, and wanting to join the circus

Born in London, Esther Freud, 63, is the daughter of Bernardine Coverley and Lucian Freud. She trained as an actor and, in 1992, released her debut novel, Hideous Kinky, which was made into a film starring Kate Winslet in 1998. Freud’s work has been translated into 13 languages, and her 10th adult novel, My Sister and Other Lovers, is out in paperback. She has three children with the actor David Morrissey, and lives between Suffolk and London with her current partner.

What is your greatest fear?
Decline.

‘A halo of optimism’: why The Pitt is the most hopeful show on TV

It’s full of heart, humanity and such extreme competence it’s actually comforting to watch. No wonder it’s swept the boards at awards

‘Let’s go save some lives.” That’s the mantra of Noah Wyle’s A&E doctor at the start of every shift in The Pitt. The gritty US hospital drama seems an unlikely contender to be the most hopeful show on air. Yet despite the death, disease and pointed social commentary, The Pitt somehow pulls it off.

The smash HBO hit’s second season climaxed last night in a blaze of Fourth of July fireworks, group cuddles, cute babies and cathartic karaoke. A third season is about to enter production. For millions of devoted fans, it can’t be stretchered back on to our screens soon enough.

'Cautiously optimistic': Swing voters describe their view of America at 250

As America turns 250, voters from our Swing Shift project talk about the state of the country. Their views ranged from "uncertain" and "concerned" to "excited" and "cautiously optimistic."

The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues review – stomping blues and anti-Musk politics make this another late triumph

(Polydor)
Continuing the rejuvenated sound of 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, there’s touching vulnerability from Keith Richards while Jagger confronts war and autocracy

Mick Jagger recently launched the Rolling Stones’s 25th album declaring, “The thing about this record is, the Stones are a rock band that also has the capacity to do ballads, country music or dance music. So we don’t get stuck in one kind of style.” The same could be said of numerous bands, but what the singer was probably driving at was that the Stones have always been able to do all this while sounding utterly like themselves. Nobody else has been able to assemble their quintessentially just-shaky Jenga tower of sound, which often sounds like it could fall to pieces at any moment but somehow never does.

They have certainly also made their share of albums that sounded like they’d been phoned in from the cricket, but Foreign Tongues continues the creative renaissance that began with 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, which at the time was their first album of original songs in 18 years. Once again, producer and occasional musician Andrew Watt captures the rejuvenated band’s joy of playing in a room together – and, as guitarist Keith Richards put it recently, kicks their asses when needed. Perhaps drummer Charlie Watts’ death five years ago has sharpened the founding pair’s awareness that their band may not last much longer, so they may as well go down blazing and have fun while they do so.

Overseas education project for women and girls axed by UK after two years

The programme, aimed at keeping 1m girls in school across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, withdrawn after aid cuts

A leading higher education programme, aimed at keeping 1 million girls in school across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, has been axed by the British government just two years after it was announced.

The scheme, Strengthening higher education for female empowerment (SHEFE), which was unveiled with some fanfare two years ago by the outgoing Conservative government, had a £45m budget to increase access to higher education for 1 million students worldwide. It has now had its tender withdrawn, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.

How AI is changing language

As allegations of LLM use rock the literary and media worlds, linguists explain what really distinguishes human and machine language, while novelists including Jennifer Egan and Jeanette Winterson reflect on the future of fiction in an age of ChatGPT

Three paragraphs, from three different hotel reviews. Can you tell which, if any, were AI‑generated?

“The hotel is in a great location for everything. Lots of places to eat and drink. The hotel itself is always abuzz. The tavern located on the ground floor is definitely a must. Food, service, prices and atmosphere were great.”

Farewell to Jackass, the finest catalogue of male idiocy – it could only go on for so long | Tom Usher

When I was 12, the antics of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and co were an invitation to jump out of trees. These days, I see something deeper in their refusal of filtered perfection

My name is Tom, and I am an idiot. I’ve been an idiot almost my entire life, ever since I was old enough to think it was funny and interesting to be one. So there was something sentimental for me in watching Jackass: Best and Last. It’s a final swansong for a 26-year project that is the finest document of idiocy and the Freudian death drive the modern world has seen.

Jackass debuted in 2000, when I was 12 years old. I was already obsessed with professional wrestling. I’d watch grainy VHS-quality videos of Mick Foley matches in awe, as he would jump headfirst into barbed wire, get repeatedly hit in the head with steel chairs or, famously, be thrown off a five-metre steel cage and through a table.

Tom Usher is a freelance writer

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‘An incredible man’: how Carlo Ancelotti has turned Brazil into potential World Cup winners

Italian’s man-management and decisiveness has shielded the talented Seleção squad and made fans believe again

Brazil arrived at the World Cup with several open wounds. Since Qatar in 2022 there were four changes of manager, 95 players called up and a political crisis, including the ousting of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president. It has been a big mess, with many uncertainties, and the mood among the fans was one of pessimism.

But then Carlo Ancelotti arrived. Gradually under the Italian, the team has taken shape and transformed its relationship with fans, who are again dreaming of a sixth World Cup after 24 years without one, the longest such drought along with the period between 1970 and 1994.

How many teeth do caiman have and what makes cats purr? The kids’ quiz

Five multiple-choice questions – set by children – to test your knowledge, and a chance to submit your own junior brainteasers for future quizzes

• ​Submit a question

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book, as well as her new title, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World.

The Guide #250: All the US/UK cultural crossovers you may have missed but need to read about

In this week’s newsletter: A tour through the moments when American celebrities crossed the ocean and landed somewhere entirely unexpected

Hurrah! Today is the Guide’s 250th instalment, an anniversary celebrated the world over, with concerts and ticker tape parades and 10-part documentaries about its historical significance. You’re probably already a bit exhausted by all the wall-to-wall coverage, in fact. Also tomorrow, the United States of America might be celebrating some birthday or other, though it doesn’t sound like anybody is terribly fussed about it.

To mark both anniversaries, this week’s Guide is a “special relationship” special, with 25 of the most unlikely US/UK pop-cultural crossovers – those moments where American celebrities find themselves rubbing their stardust, intentionally or otherwise, all over weird corners of British popular culture, or vice versa. Read on for tales of Orson Welles in Norwich and Matt Berry at the Oscars.

Celtic nations begin to plan for breakup of UK in event of Reform election win

Politicians brace for constitutional turmoil if Nigel Farage’s party end up in government – or even as a strong opposition

The rise of Nigel Farage has prompted political leaders across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to game the unthinkable: the breakup of the United Kingdom.

Unionists who wish to save the union and nationalists who wish to end it are bracing for constitutional turmoil if Reform UK emerges triumphant – with Farage as prime minister or official leader of the opposition – after the next election.

I fell in love with ballet as a young girl – now it’s keeping me active in my eighties

The first time I saw a show, I felt like I had discovered a new language. It’s since become one of my greatest pleasures

When I was a young girl living in suburban London in the early 1960s, I was looking for ways to find excitement. The first time my mother took me to see the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet), I felt a sense of rapture as I realised that the body could say things words could not.

I was yearning for more, and that night at the Royal Festival Hall, I saw glimmers of the world out there waiting for me. Watching the dancers, I felt something shift in me. It was like discovering a new language, one that I immediately wanted to speak.

Cape Verde's historic World Cup ride ends after pushing Argentina to the brink

Cape Verde didn't win a match at the World Cup, and somehow, that didn't seem to matter. The African team's debut on this stage was unforgettable.

Dayslong funeral for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei begins in Tehran

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, was killed in an airstrike on Feb. 28 at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Blind date: ‘I made him take a few too many selfies…’

Lily, 26, a PhD student, meets Brodie, 24, a chef

What were you hoping for?
Love, passion … marriage. Failing that, some good craic and a free dinner.

Hunting the tardigrade: one small step in sequencing DNA of all life on Earth

As this year’s invertebrate of the year competition launches, we join scientists studying last year’s winner

• Nominate your invertebrate of the year

Witek Morek is closely inspecting an old brick-and-flint wall on the Cambridgeshire campus of the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

“We are going to use a very advanced tool designed by bioengineers and evolved over millions of years – the human hand – and grab some moss, and put it in an envelope,” he says.

I’m taking the plunge and buying a new swimsuit: the Becky Barnicoat cartoon

Continue reading...

Burning flags, busty blondes and bison skulls: 48 photographs that capture America at 250

From the gold rush to civil rights, the moon landing to 9/11, the US has always understood, mythologised and sold itself through the power of the still image

The United States was founded in 1776, but did not begin to see itself until the autumn of 1839, when daguerreotypes, the first form of photograph, reached American cities. You could argue the US began again on the morning it could look at its own face.

At first photography seemed to answer the democratic promise of 1776. A portrait was no longer reserved for the rich; almost anyone could now leave a trace of their existence. The gold rush became one of the first great American dramas to find the camera: ordinary diggers squinting into the lens, looking beyond it for gold. A more emblematic American scene can scarcely be imagined: what would be called the American Dream, a lottery everyone plays and very few win. The myth was not that they all found gold – it was that the search itself made them American.

An AI philosopher, the conflict and chaos in Taylor Swift’s songs and the erasure of US history from national parks

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days

Malta’s ‘trial of the century’ revives interest in murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia

Investigative journalist had enemies in high places and accused, Yorgen Fenech, is establishment figure from powerful family

On the steps of the courts of justice in Valletta, there is a bronze statue of Malta’s late president. A bundle of papers in one hand, Guido de Marco stands on a plinth, looking out at passersby in the busy street below.

Every morning since Wednesday this week, his daughter has walked up the steps of the same courthouse, in dark glasses and smart clothes, a bundle of papers in her hand. A sought-after criminal lawyer, Giannella de Marco is representing the man accused of ordering the 2017 murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, in a case that continues to dominate public debate nearly nine years after the event.

Fight them for the beaches: the real villain of Europe’s overtourism is big business | Adam Almeida

From Albania to Portugal, privatisation of the coastline is bringing locals out on to the streets. For them, the economic benefits are few and far between

Few scenes better capture the essence of a European summer than the terminals of our airports in the early hours of the morning. Britons necking pints like a football match is on, German couples eagerly murmuring about their cycling tour across Croatia, and passengers sleeping peacefully on corridor floors. This holiday season, millions will embark on an annual pilgrimage to the hotspots of Mallorca, Corfu and Albufeira to enjoy a much-anticipated break in the sun.

But it’s increasingly likely that they will face some kind of hostility there. In Barcelona, demonstrators might spray them with water pistols or tape off the entrance to their hotel. In Tenerife, visitors might see “tourists go home” graffiti on the side of the road as they drive their rental car down to the beach.

Adam Almeida is a writer and researcher living in London

Reflections on America's 250th birthday

NPR member station reporters across the U.S. asked people how they are thinking about their country on its semiquincentennial.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule and how to watch

With 104 World Cup games being played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, it's like "a Super Bowl every single day for five weeks," U.S. team captain Tim Ream told CBS News.

Maps show this July 4th could be hottest ever in parts of U.S.

Extremely dangerous heat, coupled with humidity, could result in heat index readings of 100 to 115 degrees from the Midwest to the East Coast, forecasters said.

Ukraine war briefing: Germany calls reports Russian soldiers are being trained in China ‘deeply disturbing’

German foreign ministry summons China’s ambassador and says anything that enables Russia to continue its war of aggression represents a ‘threat’ to Germany’s security. What we know on day 1,592

The Chinese ambassador in Berlin has been summoned for urgent talks about media reports that Russian soldiers were being trained in China, the German foreign ministry said on Friday. These “deeply disturbing” reports point to support for Russia from Chinese state actors, in particular the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, it said. “Anything that enables Russia to continue its war of aggression against Ukraine also represents a threat to our security,” the ministry said. On 20 May, the German daily Die Welt reported that the Chinese army had secretly trained several hundred Russian soldiers on its territory, some of whom had been deployed in Ukraine, citing classified documents from European intelligence services.

Russia’s ⁠Defence Ministry claimed ⁠on ⁠Friday its ​forces had “completely” taken ⁠control of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, ⁠whose capture Moscow ‌has long sought in its advance through Donetsk ‌region. The battle for this city, which had about 78,000 inhabitants before the war, has been taking place since late 2025 and now constitutes the main Russian effort on a front more than 1,000km long. “The city is now entirely under our control,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. There was no independent verification of the claim.

A massive Russian glide bomb strike on the centre of the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Friday has killed at least four people, including a ⁠child, ⁠and injured ​27, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said. Other areas in the Sumy region and in southeastern Ukraine, closer to the frontlines, also came under Russian ⁠attack, killing a total of six people. After the attack, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Ukraine’s allies to intensify pressure on Russia “so that the terror can be stopped”. Sumy region, under near-constant attacks by Russian forces, is on the Russian border and Moscow has been trying to expand what it describes as a buffer zone there.

Ukraine is looking ⁠for ways to lower tension ⁠with Warsaw, Poland’s ​prime minister Donald Tusk said on Friday, adding that Poland’s neighbour to the east should come to terms with its history in order to join the European Union. Diplomatic relations between the two countries ⁠deteriorated after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s top honour because Zelenskyy had named an army unit after insurgents who massacred Poles in the second world war. Tusk, a political opponent of Nawrocki, has ​been trying to smooth tensions, and said he ‌had received positive signals from Friday’s meeting ‌between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski in Warsaw. There are proposals for consultations between historians and talks between religious leaders from both nations, Tusk said.

Lithuania’s president said Friday his country wants to be integrated into western nuclear deterrence against Russia as it moves to end a ban on atomic weapons deployment. Speaking at a Berlin press conference, President Gitanas Nauseda said Lithuania was taking steps to remove the constitutional ban and added: “We would like to be the integral part of this nuclear deterrence.” “A few days ago, I initiated a constitutional amendment to remove the existing restriction on the possible deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania,” he added. Shortly afterwards, a group of 50 Lithuanian lawmakers submitted an amendment, which still has to be put before parliament.

The World Athletics Council on Friday reaffirmed its decision ⁠to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition, four years ⁠after it ⁠initially ​imposed sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. World Athletics voted to end its eight-year ⁠doping ban of the Russian Athletics Federation in 2023 but the separate ban over ⁠the invasion of Ukraine kept out their athletes. “We ​presented options for the ‌Council to ‌consider on this matter, however the original decision remains ‌on the sanctions that protect the integrity and fairness of our competitions, with no tangible movement towards peace negotiations having materialised,” World Athletics President Seb Coe said in a statement.

Feds seek lower prison term for $100M New Jersey deli fraudster — but some reasons why are hidden

James Patten is the third person who will be sentenced in the stock manipulation scheme related to Hometown International, a company that owned just one deli.

How to save money on air conditioning as electric bills climb

As Americans endure another bout of extreme heat, experts say small thermostat adjustments and other energy-saving steps can help reduce soaring cooling costs.

Inside the security operations for July Fourth celebrations in D.C.

The Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C., are deemed a "national special security event," which is the highest possible designation.

After 10 years, one man's mission to preserve WWII veterans' legacy continues

Rishi Sharma started his journey 10 years ago by driving around his Southern California neighborhood to record interviews with veterans and later expanded his outreach.

How the Secret Service is managing America 250 security: "We're in a heightened threat environment"

Saturday's Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall is the first tagged as a "national special security event," meaning a law enforcement presence akin to a Super Bowl or an inauguration. Nicole Sganga has more.

Young man aims to preserve "real superhero" WWII veterans' stories

Every Fourth of July marks the loss of more veterans of World War II. Steve Hartman met a young man who is racing against time to preserve their stories.

What it takes to attempt the biggest fireworks display in history

A company called Pyrotecnico will attempt the biggest fireworks show in history in Washington, D.C., on the Fourth of July. Tony Dokoupil gets the exclusive on how.

Trump announces pardons for pollution violators prosecuted for "fixing their car"

CBS News previously reported President Trump was weighing pardons of a slate of people convicted of emissions and clean air-related violations.

Trump announces new pardons after privately weighing "Diddy" clemency, sources said

The four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore collectively issued over 1,100 pardons. President Trump, who is visiting there tonight, has outdone them all and is now adding more. Nancy Cordes reports.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce officially married

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially married, according to Swift's publicist. Jo Ling Kent reports.

7/3: CBS Evening News

Nearly 200 million Americans are under heat alerts; a string of shark attacks hits the East Coast.

CDC investigates parasite that’s caused cases of ‘explosive’ diarrhea in 18 US states

Parasite cyclospora spreads through produce and water contaminated with feces and causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis

The US Centers for Disease Prevention has been working to find the source of a parasitic illness that causes “explosive”, watery diarrhea, with more than 400 cases of the sickness reported across 18 states.

The parasite, cyclospora, spreads through raw produce and water contaminated with human feces – and it causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis, whose symptoms include cramps, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, low-grade fever and vomiting. The most commonly reported symptom is “watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements”, according to the CDC.

After weeks of speculation, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce wed in New York

Superfans and sleuths appear to have their hunches confirmed on Friday, as dozens of black cars dropped off elegantly dressed guests outside of Madison Square Garden in New York City. The wedding bash is expected to last into Saturday morning.

Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a powerful bargaining chip

Despite efforts by U.S. negotiators, Iran says it wants to charge a toll for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. It's yet another unresolved issue of the U.S.-Iran war.

Extreme heat wave threatens U.S. power grids and July 4 travel

The heat wave threatens to overwhelm U.S. grids and may force some to change their plans on one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, the aftermath of the earthquakes in Venezuela, a brutal heatwave in Europe and Harry Kane at the World Cup – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

American Express and Chase move luxury lounge wars beyond the airport

Credit card companies are increasingly offering access to lounges and perks at festivals and sporting events, often exclusively for premium cardholders.

Acting DNI Pulte fires dozens of intelligence officials: MS Now

President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the office of the Director of National Intelligence has begun firing intel officials, MS NOW reported.

The Guardian view on Labour’s next chancellor: send for Ed Miliband | Editorial

Andy Burnham needs the Treasury to serve devolution, raise living standards and renew the economy. The energy secretary meets that test

There are few things on which this column would agree with George Osborne. Voting to remain in the European Union was one. Backing Labour’s Ed Miliband to be the next chancellor is another.

Mr Osborne, whose austerity programme redistributed pain downwards while protecting privilege at the top, had only a week ago on his podcast, Political Currency, dismissed Mr Miliband as too difficult a sell to business and the press. He now recognises what should have been obvious: if Andy Burnham is serious about governing differently, he needs a chancellor with the authority, knowledge and political relationship with the prime minister to bend the Treasury to the project.

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.