French Open 2026: Sabalenka v Shnaider; qualifier Chwalinska into semi-finals – live

Updates from Wednesday’s quarter-final matches
Email Katy | Zerev sees off Jódar | Kostyuk through

Make that four, although the Pole is make to work for the hold, saving a break point at 30-40. Chwalinska is giving Kalinskaya so little rhythm and the Russian is totally befuddled in the next game as Chwalinska zips 15-40 ahead. Now Kalinskaya is trying to get in on the drop-shot act … but it’s not her natural game, it doesn’t work and Chwalinska charges forward before dispatching a winner into the open court! It’s now 5-1. Phew.

The 5ft 5in left-hander Chwalinska, who makes up for her lack of height and power with intelligence, is drop-shotting and slicing Kalinskaya into submission here, and it gives her a break point at 30-40. Kalinskaya saves it with a big backhand – but soon enough it’s break point again and after a nine-shot rally Kalinskaya’s forehand drifts wide! Chwalinska breaks for 3-1 and that’s three games on the spin.

Private payrolls grew by 122,000 in May, stronger than expected, ADP reports

Unlike prior months, where job growth was concentrated in healthcare and a few other sectors, gains were more broad-based.

Four migrant workers are burned alive in their car in Italy

Petrol station attack throws spotlight on widespread exploitation of foreign farm labourers

The exploitation of farm workers in Italy has come under the spotlight again after four men – three Afghans and one from Pakistan – were allegedly burned alive in a car at a petrol station in Calabria.

The attack was captured by a surveillance camera at the garage in Amendolara, close to Cosenza. Two Pakistani nationals have been arrested on charges of aggravated murder, according to public prosecutor Alessandro D’Alessio.

Farage exploiting Nowak’s murder against wishes of his family, says Starmer – UK politics live

Reform leader jeered in parliament as he is urged to condemn violence

Zia Yusuf, the Reform UK home affairs spokesperson, told Sky News this morning that he thought the treatment of Henry Nowak did justify his party’s claim that two-tier policing operates in the country. He said:

Having watched that footage [of Nowak’s arrest] … it’s hard to escape the conclusion that it is a demonstrable example of structural two-tier policing that is embedded in Hampshire police force and forces across the country.

People can go to Hampshire police’s website and read their race action plan that was brought about under a Tory government.

We understand and appreciate as police officers that we are accountable for our actions. What we ask, however, is that those actions are judged through fair and transparent processes. In this case, that process is already underway with the IOPC conducting their independent investigation.

What we, as a society, cannot accept is the violent scenes we saw in Southampton last night.

I know that since the release of the body-worn video footage from the night of Henry Nowak’s murder, there is a desire for answers and accountability but that must be done in the right way and not used as an excuse to threaten and intimidate my officers and bring violence to our streets causing fear and harm to those living and working in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iranian supreme leader is involved in US negotiations

President says he would ‘like to meet’ Mojtaba Khamenei, who US officials have previously said was injured in attacks, and says Iran has said it will not have a nuclear weapon

Lebanon’s health ministry said two paramedics were killed on Wednesday in an Israeli strike on the country’s south, with at least 130 emergency and health workers now killed since the Israel-Hezbollah war began in March.

A ministry statement said that “the Israeli enemy directly targeted an ambulance belonging to the Risala Scouts Association”, which is affiliated with Hezbollah ally the Amal movement, adding that “this resulted in the martyrdom of two paramedics and left a third with highly critical injuries.”

Josh Turek wins Iowa Democratic Senate primary that could shape Democrats' path to Senate majority

Iowa's Senate primary where state Rep. Josh Turek beat state Sen. Zach Wahls could be critical as Democrats look to take back power in Congress.

How to turn spent coffee grounds into barbecue sauce – recipe | Waste not

Spent coffee grounds add depth to a smoky-sweet, intense barbecue sauce that’s a knockout with pulled mushrooms, grilled veg and meat alike

Three pillars underpin my cooking style – pleasure, people and planet – and I believe that all three need to be taken into account to make a truly delicious and nourishing meal, hence the title of my most recent book, Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet. Today’s recipe is taken from one of the tastiest recipes in the book, Venezuelan corn cake arepas with “pulled” oyster mushrooms and this sweet, umami-rich and intense barbecue sauce, all topped with a refreshing kohlrabi and mango salsa.

Takeaways from Iowa's primaries. And, DOJ nixes Trump's 'anti-weaponization' fund

Polls have now closed in six states that held primary elections yesterday. Here are the key takeaways. And, the Justice Department has scrapped plans for Trump's "anti-weaponization" fund.

Trump says Vance-Rubio ticket for 2028 presidential election would be ‘unbeatable’ – US politics live

President tells podcast that vice-president and secretary of state ‘would be very hard to beat’ if they ran together in 2028

• The Democrats to watch after Tuesday’s primaries

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A set of sweeping policy changes unveiled by the White House would leave officials appointed by Donald Trump vetting every public grant issued to universities and nongovernmental organizations on the basis of their fidelity to “American values”, as defined by the president, triggering widespread concern.

All federal grants approved by Trump’s political appointees must “demonstrably advance the president’s policy priorities”, according to a lengthy proposal published by the office of management and budget (OMB).

Delhi fire blazes through hotel building – video

A fire in a building in south Delhi has killed at least 21 people, police say. The blaze hit a hotel in Malviya Nagar, a residential neighbourhood popular with students and young professionals

CBS News fires longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley

CBS News has fired longtime 60 Minutes correspondent and former "CBS Evening News" anchor Scott Pelley one day after he had a tense and confrontational exchange with new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton.

From God of War to Until Dawn – seven reveals from last night’s PlayStation event

The PS5 era has been in some ways disappointing for Sony – on Tuesday, the company revealed a slate of games they hope will change that

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PlayStation’s future has looked a little uncertain these past few years. Although the PS5 has sold well and been very profitable, the brand is far from the runaway market leader it was in the PS2 days. Earlier this week, Game File dug into Sony’s most recent earnings reports to illustrate how PlayStation has been selling fewer and fewer of its own flagship games since a peak during the pandemic. About 54.1m copies of games either developed or published by Sony were sold in the 2018 financial year; in 2025, it sold 32.1m.

Sony has put out some great homegrown games since the PS5 was released in 2020, from Astro Bot to Ghost of Yōtei, but it has also had some expensive and very public failures and cancellations; PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, who retired in 2024, placed big bets on live-service games and only a few panned out (hello, Helldivers). Sony also seems to have rolled back on releasing its single-player PS5 games on PC after a polite interval of time, suggesting it wants to preserve what advantage and exclusivity it has.

Trump says Iran agreed to not have nuclear weapons, but 'they can change their mind'

The president was speaking to the New York Post's "Pod Force One" podcast in a wide-ranging interview.

Leftwing US pair refused entry to UK will address Oxford Union remotely

Home Office barred Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker on grounds their visit was ‘not conducive to the public good’

Two leftwing US political commentators who were banned from entering the UK will still speak at the Oxford Union via livestream.

The Home Office told Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker their presence in the UK was “not conducive to the public good” when they attempted to come to London to attend this week’s SXSW London event.

France's Macron invites Sam Altman to attend G7, OpenAI tells CNBC

French President Emmanuel Macron has looked to win over tech bosses amid hopes to boost AI capability.

Antibiotics use in livestock could rise by a third in next 15 years, UN report warns

Governments urged to act to prevent potentially disastrous impacts on human resistance to medicines

The use of antibiotics on livestock will rise by nearly a third in the next 15 years without government intervention, according to new global estimates, with potentially disastrous impacts on human resistance to essential medicines.

Animal husbandry accounts for close to three-quarters of global use of antimicrobial medications and in many countries their use is poorly monitored. Some herds are routinely dosed and in many countries antimicrobials are used to increase the growth of animals bred for meat.

Amazon faces lawsuit over Ring facial recognition software

A Virginia man is suing Amazon over Ring's "Familiar Faces" feature, alleging the technology violates people's privacy.

Wimbledon confident of no prize money protests following ‘positive’ player talks

• Productive meeting held with officials on Monday

• Buildup to French Open dominated by discontent

The All England Club is confident that there will be no player protests at Wimbledon following their meetings with representatives of the top tennis players at the French Open.

Individuals representing top tennis players, led by the former WTA chief executive Larry Scott, met Wimbledon officials on Monday to discuss the state of the dispute, discussions that both parties viewed as productive.

Kidnappings, threats and ‘protection fees’: how can Mexico confront rise in deadly extortion?

With corrupt police on the streets and shopkeepers forced to pay gangs, president has vowed to tackle crime that now affects all parts of society

It was about 11pm and Luis* was about to get into an Uber to go home when the police car pulled up. One of the officers produced two plastic bags with what looked like drugs: one contained some sort of powder, the other little crystals. Luis had never seen them before.

Luis, who asked not to use his real name for fear of reprisals, insisted that the drugs weren’t his, but the officers didn’t seem to care. They shoved him into the back of the police truck and drove into the night.

Future AI weapons such as drones should have moral code, says former UK spy chief

Software could make ethically superior decisions to humans in high-pressure moments, claims ex-GCHQ head David Omand

Drones will need to be programmed with moral guidelines as AI-driven decision making reduces human involvement in autonomous warfare, according to a former UK spy chief.

David Omand told the Guardian that he had changed his mind on unmanned weapons systems, more than a decade after concluding that autonomous drones could not comply with international humanitarian law.

Mortgage rates are easing slightly, but homebuyers are retreating

Mortgage rates fell slightly last week, but neither current homeowners nor potential homebuyers were inspired. Demand for mortgages fell overall.

President Trump seeks control of science funding

The White House Office of Management and Budget is moving to take more control of billions of dollars in federal grants. Critics say the proposed change would jeopardize the integrity of U.S. science.

Peabo Bryson, singer known for Disney movie hits, dies at 75

Peabo Bryson, a two-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter known for Disney movie hits "Beauty and the Beast" and "A Whole New World," has died at age 75.

Pulte appointment as spy chief would give a Trump attack dog access to a trove of intelligence

In his role atop the housing finance agency, Bill Pulte has used his access to mortgage records to refer some top Trump opponents for prosecution.

Trump threatens tariffs on 60 trading partners including UK and Canada over ‘forced labour’

Proposal for 10-12.5% levies, to also include EU, Taiwan and Australia, would allow US president to skirt court-imposed limits

Donald Trump has threatened tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners including the UK, the EU and Australia over alleged forced labour failures, in the latest attempt to revive his signature trade policy.

The EU immediately hit back, saying it expected the US to respect the tariff deal it entered into last July and arguing that stealth tariffs breached the spirit of that agreement.

As the tech mega-IPO race heats up, has OpenAI missed its moment?

With rivals racing to market to raise ‘eye-popping sums’, the spotlight is now on the AI sector’s one-time ‘poster child’

A year is a long time in AI. Just 12 months ago, Sam Altman was predicting his company OpenAI would build a super intelligence and fundamentally remake society. Now the boss of the ChatGPT developer is walking back those ideas after failing to make money from ads and erotic chatbots.

Meanwhile, rivals are storming ahead with plans to expand and go public on the stock market, in what is widely expected to be a season of record-setting initial public offerings (IPOs).

NWSL plans to gain growth through men’s World Cup pandemonium

Plenty of women watch the men’s tournament but are yet to translate fandom to the women’s game – will that change this summer?

The NWSL’s 14th regular season wrapped up match week 10 of 27 over the weekend, officially commencing a month-long break to honor the terms of their collective bargaining agreement (which stipulates a week-long intermission during the season) and a pause from play for the opening phase of the men’s World Cup.

So, how will the World Cup break affect the NWSL? And could it provide a boost to the league?

This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts will be sent out once a week, on Wednesdays, in the close season but will be back on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September.

The ‘fricy’ flavour sensation: why spicy fruit is the sweet hot taste of this summer

We’ve had swicy. We’ve had swavoury. Now a new fusion of flavours is flying off the shelves. So what do these South American-inspired drinks and dishes actually taste like?

When the balance of fruit and spicy flavours is right, “I love it,” a fellow customer at a dessert cafe in London tells me as we wait to be served. It’s 26-year-old Hannah’s third time visiting Mango Twist in Seven Sisters, which sells South American-inspired slushies and fruit bowls. She’s here, like me, to order one of its “fricy” (fruity and spicy) offerings: the “Volcano” slushie, which is the cafe’s take on the traditional Mexican chamoyada, a mango and chilli drink.

Hannah has family in the US, so is familiar with the Mexican sweet treats that are commonly available there; as a child she was “obsessed” with the flavours. So when she found out about Mango Twist, “I was like, ‘I need to come here,’” she says.

Ukrainian drones strike a St. Petersburg oil terminal ahead of Putin visit

Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and set it ablaze, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as the city hosted an annual economic forum promoted by President Putin.

Louisiana church solicits prayers for pastor convicted of sexual assault – but not for his victims

Anthony Odiong was sentenced to life in prison for sex crimes against his congregants in Texas

A Louisiana church where a Roman Catholic priest served as pastor before being recently convicted in Texas of criminal clergy sexual assault and sentenced to life in prison has been criticized by his victims and their supporters for soliciting prayers on his behalf in a parochial bulletin published after his guilty verdict – which neglected to mention the survivors.

One of the two women whom Anthony Odiong was convicted of assaulting in Waco, Texas – identified in court proceedings as Mary Doe – issued a statement on Tuesday encouraging St Anthony of Padua’s community in the New Orleans suburb of Luling, Louisiana, to pray for his victims, too.

‘A kind of reconnecting with the past’: the Met celebrates the art of the portrait

In a new exhibition, work from artists including Pablo Picasso and Wifredo Lam offer different ways to see what a portrait can represent

What exactly is a portrait? At its simplest, it might be an attempt to depict oneself or someone else via a painting. But then consider German expressionist Max Beckmann’s masterpiece The Beginning, a triptych of scenes from his childhood, or Cuban artist Wifredo Lam’s Ídolo, a melange of forms based around the goddess Oyá. Rooted more in memory and myth than a mere physical likeness, these pieces stretch just what we might decide counts as a portrait.

Works such as the Beckmann and the Lam – as well as cubist abstractions, an ornate hand mirror, and one of Joan Miró’s pieces of “painting-poetry”, — are all portraits as defined by The Met’s new show The Face of Modern Life, which gathers close to 80 works from the museum’s permanent collection. A boisterous and effusive selection of work from one of the nation’s most storied museums, this show gives audiences a peek into the museum’s estimable archives and a chance to wonder just what defines this seemingly simple but truly elusive form.

Police want to decide which journalists can cover the Delaney Hall protests. That’s not their job | Adam Rose

New Jersey police must not deny streamers press freedoms

The line of New Jersey state police blocked every exit on the street. Clear plastic riot shields covered helmet to knee.

A few dozen people were stuck inside their formation, known as a kettle. Some were protesters defying a curfew order, which was intended to quell demonstrations at a nearby ICE detention facility. But most appeared to be journalists who were just there to do their job.

The Spin | ‘Nobody likes to be belittled’: how New Zealand’s ‘Ilford seconds’ made history in 1986

Jeremy Coney’s tourists 40 years ago lacked the resources and professionalism of their opponents but got under England’s skin to claim a famous series win

Jeremy Coney is barking with laughter recalling the story of winding up England’s Phil Edmonds at Trent Bridge 40 years ago.

“We needed about 70-odd runs to win the match and go 1-0 up in the series. Edmonds was bowling to myself and Martin Crowe with this rather garish sponsored wristwatch on.”

‘The story of Hong Kong is the sound of it’: the cross-cultural joy of the city’s Cantopop music

Emma-Lee Moss, AKA singer-songwriter Emmy the Great, has written a memoir rooted in her love of Hong Kong’s east-meets-west pop. She picks her favourite tracks

Emma-Lee Moss, a singer-songwriter who released four albums as Emmy the Great, was born in Hong Kong to an English father and Hongkonger mother. She lived there until she was 11, when her family moved to England, one of many who left Hong Kong before its transfer of sovereignty from the UK to China in 1997.

Even as a child, Moss understood the significance of the handover, which returned Hong Kong to Chinese control after 156 years as a British colony. “Thanks to our British passports, we would avoid the greatest schism our city had ever known – and its consequences, which were unwritten,” Moss writes in her memoir, My Cantopop Nights. Later, as a touring musician, Moss played gigs in Hong Kong, where she reconnected with her childhood love of Cantopop – predominantly Hong Kong music that blended Chinese and western pop sensibilities. In 2017, she moved back there to write her fourth album. That year, which marked 20 years since the handover, saw thousands of pro-democracy protesters on the streets after activists including Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow were imprisoned. Amid the unrest, Moss sought to capture Hong Kong’s sound and spirit through her music.

What the Hellenic! Why is Christopher Nolan’s new Greek epic entirely devoid of Greeks?

Set to be this year’s biggest blockbuster, The Odyssey’s cast has been selected to ‘represent the world’. Fair enough – except that one key country seems to have gone completely unrepresented …

There are the American accents, gleaming body suits and a muddy Dunkirk palette. And then there is Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, a casting choice that recently drew racist attacks from the usual moaners of the internet, including Elon Musk, who complained it wasn’t authentic. Authenticity matters. He’s just focusing entirely in the wrong place. To many Greeks, what concerns us most about the first look at Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey is the whereabouts of Billy Zane.

Zane, like other beloved members of the Greek diaspora in Hollywood, has recently appeared on “Alternative Odyssey” lists on the Greek side of social media, as well as over dinner table debates from Patras to Palmers Green. (Theo James, Jennifer Aniston, Hank Azaria, and Dave Bautista are among the other nominees.) Greek and Greek Cypriot media platforms are writing open letters. It’s a symptom of feeling left out by Hollywood, again and with no explanation, from our foundational mythologies and epics, with a cast list that features not even a token –opoulos, –edes, or –iannou. Not a single Greek.

Suspect barricaded with hostages in Southern California bank, officials say

Bakersfield police said the suspect had agreed to release two of the hostages.

Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg as ‘Russian Davos’ opens in city

Energy and military sites targeted as guests gather for economic forum where Putin is due to speak on Friday

Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in St Petersburg early on Wednesday hours before international guests gathered for the city’s flagship economic forum, in a blow to Vladimir Putin.

Several long-range drones crashed into oil storage facilities after Russian air defences tried unsuccessfully to shoot them down. There were loud explosions and black smoke rose high above the city from the blazing oil terminal.

‘More than just a team’: Leclerc signs long-term Ferrari deal before home race in Monaco

• ‘It has always been more than just a team to me’

• Driver is third in this year’s standings

Charles Leclerc has signed a new multiyear deal to remain driving for Ferrari, with the 28-year-old Monegasque extending his relationship with the team which began in 2019. He will continue to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton, who also has a long-term contract with the team.

Ferrari announced their decision to continue with Leclerc on the eve of his home grand prix at Monaco this weekend. He has been a staunch Ferrari driver for almost all of his career and has competed in 155 races for the Scuderia, a tally second only to Michael Schumacher’s enormously successful tenure with Ferrari between 1996 and 2006.

David Cameron offered Boris Johnson senior cabinet role if he agreed not to push for Brexit

Johnson tells BBC documentary he played tennis in early 2016 with then prime minister to discuss EU referendum

• UK politics live – latest updates

David Cameron offered Boris Johnson a senior cabinet position in return for campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum, it has been revealed

In the event, and with four months to go before the vote, Johnson transformed the terms of the debate by announcing in February 2016 that “after a huge amount of heartache” he was throwing his weight behind the campaign to take Britain out of the EU.

James Ellroy: ‘It’s satanic to me, the dependency people have on computers’

The outspoken crime novelist talks his provocative new book, his hatred of technology and why the film adaptation of LA Confidential is a ‘turkey’

James Ellroy does not own a computer, his publicist explains, so will a phone interview be OK? When the self-proclaimed “mad dog of American crime fiction” picks up his landline at the appointed hour, it transpires that he has never owned a mobile phone either. Nor sent an email. Nor figured out how to turn on his ex-wife Helen Knode’s TV set.

“Everything is very complex and it’s satanic to me, the dependency that people have on computers,” Ellroy, 78, says cheerfully in a bass baritone drawl from his pad in Denver, Colorado. “I don’t engage in internet chat and I understand there’s all this crazy shit on the internet and people with the most outlandish beliefs on God’s green Earth.”

NBA finals 2026 predictions: will Wembanyama and the Spurs halt the red-hot Knicks?

Will New York end their long wait for a title? Our contributors pick the winner, key players and dark horses before the season’s grand finale tips off

Where to even begin? Victor Wembanyama, the brightest young star in the NBA, appears on the biggest stage imaginable (in this galaxy, at least ... I’m not sure how big the stages are where he comes from), while one of the most storied franchises in American sports has its return to relevance cemented. And, maybe most importantly of all, The Garden, baby! CDL

The doctor who mends broken brains: why there is room for hope after a stroke or head injury

The neurologist Orlando Swayne doesn’t suggest everyone can recover. But he does argue that early, targeted and intense therapy can sometimes bring about life-changing improvements – and we have a moral obligation to provide it

Claire was in bad shape. She had been brought to the ward on a stretcher and hoisted on to a bed where she lay curled up in a ball. She was unable to speak, her eyes flat and face expressionless. While she could move her right arm a little, her left arm and both legs were immobile.

Life had changed dramatically for Claire, a mother of three in her late 30s, many months earlier, when she collapsed while on a night out with friends. A weakness in an artery at the base of her brain had ruptured, spilling blood around her frontal lobe. She was taken to hospital, where surgeons removed two side plate-sized pieces of bone from her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain. She spent months in intensive care.

Thank God for Pope Leo. He’s the leader our world desperately needs | Arwa Mahdawi

Even for nonbelievers like me, the pope has become a reassuring – and all too rare – voice of moral clarity

Do you remember the early 2000s, when Silicon Valley buzzed with idealism and tech bros told us they were going to save the world? “Don’t be evil” was Google’s unofficial motto; it’s 2004 IPO prospectus declared that doing “good things for the world” was more important than “short term gains”. Mark Zuckerberg similarly wrote in Facebook’s 2012 IPO letter that the social network was “built to accomplish a social mission – to make the world more open and connected”.

As was obvious to anyone paying attention, this was all performative bullshit. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic about that period of time – which came to a definitive end in 2018, with the Cambridge Analytica scandal. By and large, billionaires and CEOs still cared what the hoi polloi thought of them. They were self-aware enough to realize that, even with all their billions, there’s a lot more of us than there are of them.

Sali Hughes on beauty: the best facial self-tans for summer

Think self-tan is too much effort – or too risky? Not any more. The latest products are so simple to use you can just go with the glow

I can’t be without a facial self-tan in spring/summer. Keen to offload heavier coverage foundations that can slip, slide and suffocate in the sunshine, I reach for a subtle tanner as a warmer, lighter and, truly, easier base layer for makeup.

People wrongly imagine self-tan to be too effortful, fiddly and risky, and understandably wonder where to slot it into their skincare routine, but a new crop of facial self-tanners simplifies both these issues.

Upcoming billing change could make pregnancy pricier

Come January, pregnancy care physician billing codes will change from a bundled system to an à la carte one.

The world is connected by copper. It's a huge target for thieves

The value of copper is rising, and thieves can make money by stripping it from phone poles, streetlights and EV chargers. But those thefts cost the rest of us.

We finally know enough about how the brain breaks to focus on fixing it, experts say

The Allen Institute in Seattle says scientists have now learned enough about how the brain works to start fixing it when it breaks.

Perplexity CEO tells CNBC one metric will determine who wins the AI race

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said that whichever company can provide the "most taken value per watt per user" will be the AI winners in the future.

California's primary for governor is undecided as candidates vie to be in the top two

Republicans and Democrats all compete together in the unusual primary to set the one-on-one race in November. Two Democrats and one Republican were in close contention.

Ambivalence by Brian Dillon review – an odd man out

The critic’s memoir’s is a portrait in determination to go against the grain and ‘pursue a life in words and ideas’

Brian Dillon lost his parents early, his mother when he was 16, his father at 21. He writes of them in passing here, as he did in his first book, In the Dark Room, but with little overt display of grief. Narrated in the third person, with young Dillon a removed he rather than an emotionally manipulative I, this isn’t a weepy orphanhood memoir. It describes instead his awkward Dublin education, as he struggles to carve out an identity for himself and to accommodate his passion for avant garde music and literature within academe.

He grows up surrounded by the books acquired by his father, who left school early and went to university late. He reads them avidly and adds to them with library borrowings and purchases of his own. But, to begin with, his greater attachment is to music magazines and to David Bowie, whose excitingly ambivalent sexuality echoes his own. His father speaks of duty – to homework, weekly mass and getting a decent job. But his commitment is to jouissance, if only he can find it.

Battle of football influencers delivers Australia’s Kai Trewin 100k Instagram followers

• Campaign to make Socceroo ‘Cristiano Ronaldo of World Cup’

• New Zealand’s Tim Payne reaches 4.6m passing All Blacks

Forget the football pitch, Instagram is the pre-World Cup battleground for Australia, New Zealand and … social media influencers.

Socceroos defender Kai Trewin has become the latest player to be caught up in an Instagram trend that aims to make relatively low-profile World Cup squad members famous before the tournament begins.

Sweden World Cup 2026 team guide

With Graham Potter at the helm and Viktor Gyökeres finding form, hopes are high after playoff success

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

A bird has better protection than an Afghan woman. Welcoming the Taliban to Europe is a slap in the face | Fawzia Koofi

The EU must enact laws to stop gender apartheid and end impunity – not invite the perpetrators to Brussels. For Afghan women and girls it is a matter of survival

The Taliban in Afghanistan recently arrested three of my family members, kept them in captivity, tortured one, and confiscated my house. It was to silence me. I was about to write to European diplomats to seek support for the release of my innocent family when I heard the shocking news that the EU is inviting Taliban officials to Brussels.

After nearly five years, what has changed in Afghanistan to make life better for its women and its people? Five years with no official schools for female students beyond sixth grade, while thousands of religious schools have been established across Afghanistan, where girls may attend without restrictions. Five years of bans on women becoming doctors, while maternal and infant mortality have skyrocketed. Five years of exclusion from the job market, leaving women to beg on the streets.

Iran and the US trade strikes in the Persian Gulf, further testing the ceasefire

Kuwait briefly shut the country's main airport after Iranian drones heavily damaged it and killed one person, the latest in a series of attacks by Iran and the U.S. that have tested a fragile truce.

Women behind the lens: ‘Once naked, they formed a circle. The kicking and screaming occurred naturally’

Taken shortly after a spate of femicides in Peru, this image by the photographer Ana Elisa Sotelo captures a moment of sisterhood and solidarity

This image is from Women of the Water, a project I started in 2022 in Puerto Natales, in southern Patagonia, Chile, when three female swimmers I met asked me to photograph them naked in the place they felt most powerful: the water.

It was winter and the water was probably about zero degrees, but we experienced an incredible sensation of ease and freedom. When I got back to my home city of Lima in Peru, I decided to continue, developing the series through open calls. I have since expanded to Argentina, the US and Barbados.

Wimmy Road Boyz by Sufiyaan Salam review – an electric debut set on Manchester’s Curry Mile

Written in breathless multilingual prose, this coming-of-age meets state-of-the-nation novel is an incredible literary performance

Three twentysomethings “drive and dream of an impossible night on an endless street. moving as a massive through mad sticky traffic, destination: where else? manchester, wilmslow road, the curry mile, yo!” Thus opens Sufiyaan Salam’s high-octane debut novel, written largely in gen Z lowercase – and you’re in for a ride.

The Boyz are British Pakistani friends in their early 20s. Immy is “something of a bad-boy muslim slut who don’t never text back”; Khan is “the mogul mowgli himself … the type to recite Warren Buffett epigrams like they’re hadiths”; and Haris has “a mind that never switches off, philosophy subreddits doing bares”. Each is looking for an escape – from their past, present, someone else, or themselves – and they come together for one night “cruising and bruising in a hire car towards what might just be the natural elastic endpoint of a friendship beginning to fray”.

Pot shot takes top spot in World Food Photography awards 2026 – in pictures

A selection of winning images from this year’s World Food Photography awards sponsored by Tenderstem. The photographs offer insights into the lives of people around the world through the lens of food, from growing, farming and harvesting to cooking, eating, celebrating and surviving

• A free exhibition of all 203 finalist images is at the Mall Galleries, London, from Wednesday 3 June to Sunday 7 June

Microsoft unveils new AI models to lessen reliance on OpenAI and lower costs for developers

At its Build developer conference, Microsoft announced a series of generative AI models to try and crack a market controlled by OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.

A moment that changed me: I became an uncle – and it helped me heal from childhood bullying

My ‘niblings’ gave me a positive reason to return to the home town where I’d experienced homophobia as a boy. Over time, they transformed my sense of family and self

When I found out I had become an uncle, I was 22 and on a year abroad as part of a languages degree, living in Madrid. I’d spent much of my time there having raucous fun on the city’s gay scene, dancing till the early hours then sloping off with Spanish men. It felt a long way from my family life back home in Bolton.

As this was 1997 – a time before mobile phones – calls from landlines had to be rationed to once a week. But my mum phoned to tell me my sister had gone into labour and then, two days later, the phone rang again with the news that I had a nephew. It felt like an abstract concept, not quite real.

Mandelson messages could form a manual in the dark arts of wielding power and keeping it

Files shed light on how the Labour grandee juggled patrons and supplicants using flattery, fury and contempt for three decades

Political analysts have been frustrated by the mass redactions in the Mandelson files published on Monday: with so much obscured, many serious questions remain unanswered.

But step aside from the vetting debate, and the files do shed light on another matter: how Peter Mandelson wields power, and how effectively he uses communication as a tool for maintaining it. Over the many years of retirement that lie ahead, the former ambassador might easily reshape them into a manual for his would-be successors.

Andy Burnham offers Labour a refreshing new voice to reach lost voters – but with what message? | Rafael Behr

It will take more than blokeish affability to reach across the Brexit faultline that scars British politics

Andy Burnham’s stint as health secretary in the final year of Gordon Brown’s government was not especially memorable, although one observation from a senior civil servant in the department at the time has stuck in my mind. Working for Burnham, I was told, felt like “revising for exams with a mate who might turn to you and say: ‘shall we sack this off for a bit and play football instead?’”

It was meant as a compliment, mostly. The secretary of state didn’t defer government business for kickabouts on Whitehall, he just had the vibe of someone who was tempted. That image confirms everything Burnham’s Labour supporters and critics already think about him.

Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist

Specieswatch: Scientists trace haunting sea thrums to humpback whales

Understanding whale sounds could help prevent strikes from ships and even aid in search for extraterrestrial life

If you stand on certain shorelines and listen carefully you might just hear deep rumbling noises. Sharp-eared fishers, lighthouse keepers and sea kayakers have been haunted by these late-night sounds for centuries and now, for the first time, scientists have recorded these thrums and pinpointed them to humpback whales, proving that whales have a far larger vocabulary than previously thought.

Fred Sharpe from the Alaska Whale Foundation and his colleagues set up land-based microphones to tune in to the mysterious ocean noises. Tip-offs from Alaskan coastal communities helped to narrow down the best recording locations. Along with the previously documented trumpets, blows and shrieks that humpback whales make, the researchers recorded very low frequency rumbles, a bit like distant thunder, and new sounds including pizzle, howl and hooting noises. The night thrums travelled through the air and could be heard up to 6 miles (10km) away.

Country diary: My family has lived near here for 300 years – no wonder it feels like home | Andrea Meanwell

Tebay, Cumbria: Some of my ancestors were fell pony hauliers and our farmhouse used to be a coaching inn. Might they have called in for a drink?

There is always some waiting around at lambing and calving time, so I like to have a project ongoing. Some years I have written books; this year I’m researching my family tree, in particular whether any of my ancestors may have visited Low Borrowdale farm when it was a coaching inn in the 18th century. I knew they had been involved in fell pony haulage around the north of England, but could they have called in here for a drink?

I’m mainly investigating the Binks family – my maiden name. Almost within living memory, there is my grandad’s grandad, George Binks, a fell pony haulier who lived in Great Asby from 1862 to 1934. My grandad told me which house he lived in, eight miles from our farm. Two more generations of George Binkses take us to 1785, when one was born in Middleton-in-Teesdale and died in 1840 at Kirkby Stephen, 11 miles away.

Why one of the cities most dependent on the Colorado River now has water for sale

Once one of the most dependent on the Colorado River, San Diego now may have water to sell to states that are seeing their supplies from the shrinking river cut.

The EU should fast-track Ukraine’s membership of the club – it has the most to gain | Mujtaba Rahman

Many EU governments oppose it, but the strategic advantages of swift admission could be immense

Russia’s war on Ukraine is now in its fifth year and a ceasefire remains elusive. The US’s attention is divided, limiting external pressure for compromise, while Moscow and Kyiv both still believe they can strengthen their respective negotiating positions through battlefield gains.

At some point, however, a deal will have to be done. The parameters of that deal are already understood by negotiators on all sides. Russia will give up on its original war aims and Ukraine will make de-facto territorial concessions. The US will provide Kyiv with security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression and the EU will provide Ukraine with a membership path as well as help with the country’s postwar reconstruction.

Mujtaba Rahman is the managing director for Europe at Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm

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Clarkson’s Farm review – you might as well call him Jeremy Kardashian

From his multi-million pound beer brand to souvenir emporium flogging cufflinks, there’s such a cult of personality around the bumbling berk now that he’s basically morphing into Kim, Khloé et al. Stick to the farming, Jeremy!

By now, five series in, the fatal flaw at the heart of Clarkson’s Farm has become unignorable. Ultimately, this is meant to be a show about failure; about an oafish man who wades in to an industry he knows little about and mucks everything up.

Except, well, it isn’t that any more, is it? Because in real life, Clarkson’s Farm has become so successful that Clarkson has now essentially colonised the entire Cotswolds in his image. His Farmer’s Dog pub is now such an attraction that it recently had to turn a nearby field into a 360-space car park – the same as a large supermarket – to cope with demand. His Diddly Squat farm shop is a souvenir emporium, catering to anyone who wants to buy branded hats and cufflinks, or to own a jar of honey with Clarkson’s face on it. And this isn’t even mentioning his Hawkstone beer brand, which reported sales of £21.3m in the year to March 2025 and has a stated goal of putting Peroni “out of business”.

Clarkson’s Farm is on Prime Video

‘You can be made a laughing stock to millions’: can gen Z escape the fear of being cringe?

With the constant risk of being recorded, many young people are afraid of showing enthusiasm – let alone doing something so potentially embarrassing as dancing in public. Is there a way to set themselves free?

In a video posted to TikTok, where Katie Whitney has 2.5 million followers, she says to camera, bluntly: “This video is for Cynthia Erivo. If you’re not Cynthia Erivo … you can keep on scrolling.” Her demeanour then shifts, her voice becomes softer; more the way a person might talk to their puppy: “Hi Cynthia. Hi baby. Hey baby. How are you?” It’s toe-curling – or, in modern parlance, cringe – to watch. “I feel traumatised,” says one commenter. Others post photos of a stunned-looking Erivo and imagine: “What if the Wicked star were to actually watch this video?” Cringe!

Now 25, but having started making this kind of content – “weird skits” – at 20, Whitney is part of what is known online as CringeTok, a subsection of the internet that deals in content designed to make your toes curl. It’s in many ways a reaction to a fear of being “cringe”, which is seeping into all parts of life – from social media to classrooms to the workplace.

Iowa voters pick their nominees for competitive general elections

Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek will face Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in the Senate race. For governor, Democrat state Auditor Rob Sand and Republican businessman Zach Lahn move on to November.

DOJ says it has superseding indictment against Southern Poverty Law Center

The superseding indictment does not contain any new charges or name new defendants from the original version, which was returned in April.

Chip, chip ... boom? South Korea tech makers join the trillion-dollar club but some fear a short-circuit looms

South Korea’s Kospi stock market has hit record highs thanks to AI, but experts urge caution over boom-bust cycles and a heavy reliance on two chipmakers

South Korea has leapfrogged India to become the world’s sixth largest share market, leaving equity markets in the UK, Germany and France trailing in its dust. But despite the runaway success, some are raising concerns that the Kospi index is too dependent on two freshly minted trillion-dollar chipmaking companies.

Chip company SK Hynix last week claimed a seat in Asia’s trillion-dollar company club, alongside South Korean compatriot Samsung Electronics and Taiwan’s TSMC. Explosive demand for chips used in AI has propelled the trio past the valuation threshold.

Supreme Court allows Alabama to use congressional map that dilutes Black vote

The ruling is a victory for Republicans, who have sought to retain their slim majority in the House of Representatives by redistricting in various states.

Spiced pumpkin and tamarind eggplant: cosy Bengali recipes from Kishwar Chowdhury

Melbourne MasterChef alumn and author shares two vegetable-focused, winter-friendly Bengali recipes: one with bhaja, another with begun

(Pictured above)

60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley fired by CBS News after clash

Move comes after meeting in which Pelley said network chief Bari Weiss was ‘murdering’ news show

• US politics live: latest news updates

Scott Pelley, one of the most well-known and respected journalists in broadcast journalism, has been fired by CBS News after clashing with network brass over last week’s severe round of cuts at 60 Minutes, the show he has worked on since 2004, the Guardian confirmed.

While changes were long expected at 60 Minutes, CBS News management shocked staffers last week by firing the network’s executive producer, executive editor and two correspondents, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, without giving a specific reason for their terminations.

‘The ball won’t roll’: Mexico’s striking teachers threaten to disrupt World Cup days before kick-off

Teachers associated with the CNTE union are calling for salary raises and the reversal of pension laws

Striking teachers wreaked havoc on Tuesday in downtown Mexico City, a few days before the city hosts the first match of the World Cup, with protesters pulling down giant mannequins of football players, ripping off their clothes and setting them on fire on the city’s main Paseo de la Reforma.

They also set soccer balls alight and blocked main roads across the capital.

6/2: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Primary battles are underway in six states; acting AG Todd Blanche testifies before the House Appropriations Committee.

Lynette Hooker's Bahamas disappearance being investigated as possible murder

According to an official familiar with the investigation, new digital forensic evidence appears to undercut Brian Hooker's account of his wife's disappearance, although they did not specify how.

Army specialist surprises brother at his graduation ceremony: "It was a blessing"

A high school graduation and an Army specialist's reunion happened on the same day in Milwaukee. Tony Dokoupil has the story.

Search for Michigan woman in Bahamas is "potential murder investigation," official says

The search for the missing Michigan woman in the Bahamas is a "potential murder investigation," a U.S. official told CBS News. Coast Guard divers recently began searching for Lynette Hooker in new areas. Cristian Benavides is following the case and has exclusive video of the search.

Meteor lights up southern Michigan as it burns through Earth's atmosphere

Days after a meteor exploded over New England, another fireball was spotted, visible in the Midwest to the Northeast. Rob Marciano has more.

Trump names controversial housing official Bill Pulte as acting intel chief

President Trump on Tuesday announced he's tapping housing official Bill Pulte to serve as the acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard.

Russian airstrikes hit Ukraine's capital Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told people last week to take cover ahead of what his government feared would be a massive Russian attack, which came on Tuesday. Swarms of missiles and drones killed more than 20 people and wounded over 100. Aidan Stretch reports from hard-hit capital Kyiv.

Trump's appointment of housing chief as intelligence director raises eyebrows from both parties

President Trump appointed a new intelligence chief. Bill Pulte will serve as acting Director of National Intelligence, overseeing a major wartime role. But the appointment has raised questions from both parties. Ed O'Keefe has the details.

Previewing California's "jungle primary"

Voters cast their ballots in six states on Tuesday, including Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico, but California is the marquee contest with voters weighing in on races for governor and LA mayor. Matt Gutman has more.

Louisville officer may be fired after killing unarmed suspect

Warning: Graphic video. A Louisville police officer faced discipline on Tuesday after body camera footage showed him shooting and killing a suspect who was naked and unarmed on Saturday. Jericka Duncan has more details.

Active hostage situation and bomb threat at California Chase Bank

Police say a man with a bomb allegedly strapped to his chest took at least one hostage in a California Chase Bank on Tuesday. Carter Evans reports.

One-ton cocaine bust reveals secret US-Mexico tunnel

Members of Jalisco New Generation cartel used fake retail store in San Diego as front for trafficking drugs, officials say

Federal prosecutors have charged four suspects with trafficking more than one ton of cocaine for the Jalisco New Generation cartel using a fake retail store in San Diego as a front for a sophisticated tunnel that ran across the border to Tijuana, Mexico.

The defendants include two Mexican nationals and two Americans charged with conspiring to traffic drugs across the US-Mexico border. The suspects, who range in age from 18 to 32, all face sentences that could put them in prison for life. One of them, Gregorio Epifanio Hernandez Lopez, also faces the charge of “constructing, financing or using unauthorized tunnels”.

The main reason some young college grads are struggling to find work

Economists at the New York Federal Reserve say they've identified the main reason some recent college grads are having trouble landing a job.

Puffins, dolphins and bumblebees in running to feature on new UK banknotes

Bank of England says updated imagery will celebrate native wildlife while bolstering anti-counterfeit features

Puffins, dolphins and bumblebees are among the wildlife that could feature on new banknotes in the UK as the Bank of England announces its shortlist.

There has been controversy over the decision, with figures including Nigel Farage criticising the Bank for, he claimed, wanting to replace Winston Churchill with a beaver. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said it was “a silly thing to do”, and Reform UK’s Farage called it “absolutely crackers”. In the end, no beaver appeared on the shortlist. Mammal options include bottlenose dolphins and red foxes.

Netherlands World Cup 2026 team guide

The Oranje had high hopes but a spate of injuries has tempered expectations

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

Trump still protected from tax enforcement, but anti-weaponization fund is dead, Blanche says

The DOJ's $1.8 billion fund faced strong criticism because it could have compensated people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Riot.

Dismay as Trump officials to dismantle key ocean monitoring system

Ocean Observatories Initiative, $368m network that has provided crucial climate data, latest victim of Trump cuts

The Trump administration plans to dismantle a $368m deep-sea observation system that has for more than a decade provided crucial data on ocean systems and climate change.

In a notice, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it had “initiated descoping of the Ocean Observatories Initiative” (OOI), a vast ocean observation network comprising more than 900 instruments that collect data on ocean health, including current patterns, climate variability and marine biodiversity.

Weight-loss drugs may prevent thousands of knee replacements, study suggests

Patients with knee arthritis who took medications for at least three years at reduced risk of needing surgery

Taking weight-loss drugs for at least three years could prevent thousands of knee replacements a year, research suggests.

Globally, more than 500 million people have osteoarthritis. Knee arthritis is the most common form, affecting about 14 million people in the US and more than 5 million in the UK. Many will require knee surgery. In the UK more than 120,000 knee replacements are carried out every year.

6/2: CBS Evening News

Hostage situation, bomb threat reported at California Chase Bank; President Trump names controversial new acting director of national intelligence.

Video shows massive drug-smuggling tunnel connecting U.S. and Mexico

Four people were arrested and charged with trafficking more than $45 million in cocaine through the 2,000-foot-long tunnel complete with reinforced walls, ventilation and a rail system.

Cassidy: Pulte not 'competent' for intelligence director role

Intelligence community veterans have warned that Pulte is ill-prepared for the job and could target Trump's foes in the role.

After woman's murder, detectives learn killer was "only half the story"

After Alyssa Burkett was murdered in broad daylight in Carrollton, Texas, Andrew Beard, the father of her child, became a suspect. Investigators would eventually discover a twisted murder plot they say was orchestrated by his fiancée, Holly Elkins.

Gas prices likely to remain high for months, energy experts say

"It will be a very long, multi-month to multi-year process for things to fully normalize," GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan said.

Liverpool agree deal in principle with Andoni Iraola for two-year contract

• Negotiations with Spaniard have progressed quickly

• Assistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper to join too

Andoni Iraola is close to being confirmed as Liverpool’s new head coach after agreeing a deal in principle to succeed Arne Slot.

Iraola has been in talks with Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, over replacing Slot after the Dutchman was sacked on Saturday. As expected, negotiations have progressed quickly and the Spaniard is set to sign a two-year contract at Anfield.

Pilot of fighter jet downed over Iran previously shot down in Kuwaiti incident

About a month after ejecting during the friendly-fire incident, the pilot was on a mission over Iran when his jet was hit by a surface-to-air missile, prompting a daring rescue operation.

Jeffries: Democrats aren't focused on Trump impeachment 'at this moment'

In conversation with CNBC's Emily Wilkins, the House leader laid out Democrats' path to a majority next Congress and plans to rein in President Donald Trump.