Scotland v Brazil: World Cup 2026 – live

⚽ In pictures: the best images from the game in Miami
⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Group tables | Mail Scott

The BBC have flashed up a graphic of Scotland’s chances of reaching the knockout stage. It shows that if they win tonight, they’re 100 percent sure of getting through. A draw puts them on 99.99%. A defeat by one goal still gives them an 84.7% chance, while a two-goal loss drops the number down to 66.8%. All fairly promising, but then diminishing returns set in: a three-goal loss reduces the chance of progress to 49.2%, a four-goal defeat and it’s 38.7%, a five-goal stuffing and it’s just 31.3% and … well, if it gets much worse it’d probably be for the best to pack up and pop back over the briny. But there’s a big reminder that all hope is not lost should things go awry tonight.

The first setback for Scotland tonight comes early. Bosnia and Herzegovina have already seen off Italy in the qualifiers, and now they’ve done for Qatar in Group B with a 3-1 win. Bosnia and Herzegovina therefore finish third in the group, and their four-point haul means one less potential lifeline for Scotland, who have three points in Group C, should they lose tonight.

Morocco v Haiti: World Cup 2026 – live

⚽ Match kicks off at 6pm ET/11pm BST/8am AEST

⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Group tables | Mail Ella

No region benefited as much from the expansion of the World Cup as Africa. Earlier this week, Jonathan Wilson took a look at how the continent’s 10 teams – including Morocco – are doing:

Thiago Alcântara, in an appearance on Fox’s US prematch show, highlights how Morocco will be looking to remedy some of their recent scoring concerns in this matchup. Across the two games, the Atlas Lions have 26 shots, but just five on target and two goals to show.

Trump gets in shouting match with Republican senator amid standoff over housing bill and president’s anger at war powers vote - live

Senator Bill Cassidy said he confronted president over Iran war and Trump ‘did not particularly care for my comments’

• Trump abruptly cancels signing of bill aimed at lowering housing cost

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A man or a movement? That was the question being asked when Zohran Mamdani gambled his political capital on Tuesday’s elections in New York.

The answer from voters was emphatic: they prefer Mamdani and his brand of democratic socialism to the Democratic party establishment and its lukewarm version of capitalism. America’s biggest city has swung even further to the left.

This is a battle between the establishment and this insurgency. And the roof is collapsing on the Democratic party establishment tonight … This is no longer a movement; this is a movement and a machine at the same time.

South Africa v South Korea: World Cup 2026 – live

• ⚽ Kick-off at 9pm ET/2am BST/11am AEST

• ⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Group standings | Mail Beau

Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what everyone needs in the group:

Mexico are through as group winners and will face a third-placed team from Group C, E, F, H or I. South Korea could match their points total but Mexico beat them so would be top on head-to-head.

Czechia v Mexico: World Cup 2026 – live

• ⚽ Match kicks off at 9pm ET/2am BST/11am AEST

• ⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Group standings | Mail Alex

Alex will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what’s left to play for in the group:

Mexico are through as group winners and will face a third-placed team from Group C, E, F, H or I. South Korea could match their points total but Mexico beat them so would be top on head-to-head.

Micron stock jumps 15% as soaring prices from memory crunch lead to quadrupling of revenue

Micron's quarterly earnings report follows a 700% surge in the memory maker's stock price over the past year.

Some states want to regulate prediction markets. Should the feds let them?

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued nine states to block them from regulating prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket.

Met gets extension to Palantir AI project after Sadiq Khan blocked deal

Mayor’s office grants extra 12 months to run pilot while London force procures long-term supplier

The Metropolitan police have been granted a 12-month extension to a pilot project with the spy-tech firm Palantir while the force carries out a procurement process.

The development comes weeks after the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, blocked a £50m deal between the Met and the US company to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations.

Trump meets defense CEOs as Iran operations strain U.S. missile stockpiles

The White House is pressing major defense firms to expand missile and munitions output as Iran talks and weapons stockpile concerns put new pressure on the Pentagon’s industrial base.

Israel says IDF is staying in southern Lebanon, undermining Iran peace talks

Defence minister says troops not withdrawing though Tehran sees end to war in Lebanon as part of deal with US

The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, has said that Israeli troops would not withdraw from southern Lebanon, further complicating Iran peace talks as fighting in Lebanon continues to be an obstacle to permanent peace.

Speaking on stage in an interview in Tel Aviv, Katz said Israeli troops would remain in south Lebanon – echoing sentiments from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Bill Gates said Epstein tried to use knowledge of his affairs "to pressure me"

Bill Gates testified June 10 for nearly six hours before the House Oversight Committee, which is examining the government's handling of the Epstein case and those with ties to him.

‘It’s unimaginable’: deadly shooting hits California city that has faced tragedy after tragedy

Teen fatally shot two people on Monday at library in Chico, which has seen deadly wildfires and nearby shootings

Even before a teenager strolled into the public library in Chico where police say he fatally shot two people on Monday afternoon, this building stood apart in the northern California community.

It is the only public library that serves the city of about 107,000 people, and most residents have some connection to it.

Wyatt-Hodge propels England past West Indies and into T20 World Cup semi-final

• Group 2: England, 186-7, bt West Indies, 148-5, by 38 runs

• Wyatt-Hodge scores 65 off 42 balls; Knight adds 43

England propelled themselves into the semi-finals of their home T20 World Cup with a 38-run win against West Indies on Wednesday evening at Lord’s.

A half-century from Danni Wyatt-Hodge and a laboured 43 from Heather Knight helped England put 186 on the board, although the hosts’ effort was not without its nervy moments: Knight ran out first Wyatt-Hodge then herself, while the Freya Kemp-Dani Gibson engine room failed to ignite this time as England finished seven wickets down.

Bill Gates says Epstein sought to blackmail him over extramarital affairs

Transcript of congressional testimony shows Microsoft founder spoke of ‘veiled’ threats made by late sex offender

The Microsoft founder Bill Gates told US members of Congress that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had sought to “blackmail” him over his extramarital affairs, according to a transcript of the testimony.

The tech pioneer testified behind closed doors before the House oversight committee on 10 June regarding his friendship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes.

Canada lose home advantage for last 32 after Switzerland win to take top spot

With Canada’s home World Cup on the line, Jesse Marsch used his captain, Alphonso Davies, as a “decoy”. A shrewd Switzerland side, alas, never took the bait and so the switch is now Marsch’s lot as his team are forced to become road warriors.

A pulsating second half in the sauna of BC Place followed a dogfight of a first. At the end of it all, despite a gatecrashing intervention by the Canada supersub Promise David, Switzerland had won Group B and with it the rights to call Vancouver home through the first week of the knockout stages.

Yosemite visitor dies after being swept over nearly 600ft waterfall

Josue Baires Alfaro, 22, identified as victim in Nevada Fall incident that nearly claimed life of woman who tried to help

A 22-year-old visitor to Yosemite national park in California died after he was swept over a 594ft-high waterfall on Saturday, officials confirmed this week.

A fellow parkgoer, Freesia Gaul, was capturing a photo when she noticed the man, reportedly identified by local authorities as Josue Baires Alfaro, in the Merced River.

Trump cancels housing bill signing, reiterates demand for SAVE America Act

President Trump canceled a planned signing ceremony on Wednesday for a housing affordability bill that passed Congress by wide bipartisan margins.

Did a father use his 6-year-old son as an alibi for murder?

Reginald Reed Sr. said he was playing video games with his son, Reginald "Reggie" Reed Jr., when his wife, Selonia Reed, was killed. But detectives doubt his story.

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.

Has the American project failed? Eddie Glaude Jr on the US at 250 – Stateside with Kai and Carter

As the US prepares to celebrate 250 years since its founding, Kai Wright sits down with Eddie Glaude Jr, a Princeton University professor, to talk about the conflicts at the heart of the American project. Glaude argues that Black Americans have played a vital role in establishing the country, but their presence is a constant reminder that the American fantasy – the story of a white republic – doesn’t exist. He and Kai discuss how the Trump administration has normalized white supremacist rhetoric and the myriad ways the president is trying to whitewash history. Glaude’s book America, USA: How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries, is out now.

• 'We’re witnessing the end of the America that made our lives possible’: author Eddie Glaude on US’s 250th birthday
  

• Trump is desecrating the Lincoln memorial - a civic sacred ground

Qualcomm stock pops 15% after chipmaker almost doubles projection for 2029 non-handset revenue

Qualcomm's primary business has been smartphones, which accounted for two-thirds of the company's product revenue in it's most recent quarter.

Trump cancels signing of bipartisan housing bill ahead of tense meeting with GOP senators

President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the signing of a bill aimed at increasing housing affordability an hour before he was due at the Capitol for the ceremony.

FBI, NYPD carry out searches tied to bribery investigation of police officials

The searches stemmed from an ongoing probe into the conduct of former NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, a source told CBS News.

Jacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega and Stephen Fry among new invited Oscar voters

Annual list of creatives invited to join the Academy also includes Josh O’Connor, Teyana Taylor and Jon Bernthal

Jacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega and Stephen Fry are among the 529 creatives invited to join this year’s member class of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“We are delighted to invite this remarkable group of film artists and professionals from around the world to join the Academy,” said CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor in a statement. “Through their commitment to filmmaking, this year’s exceptionally talented class has made significant contributions to our global movie industry.”

Trump has testy meeting with GOP senators, telling Cassidy to sit down

President Trump met with Republican senators soon after canceling plans to sign bipartisan housing affordability legislation at the Capitol.

‘We should be worried’: report sheds light on ICE’s booming arsenal of hi-tech surveillance tools

Spending on government contracts with tech firms that use AI-powered tools to track immigrants has soared to record levels under Trump 2.0, report says

A new report sheds light on the unprecedented growth of the US government’s immigration surveillance arsenal, revealing fresh details about how spending on technology and AI tools to find and track migrants has soared to record levels during Donald Trump’s second term.

The report, released this week, analyzed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) contracts with 11 companies the authors said provide surveillance tech. They found the money awarded to these firms doubled from 2024 to 2025, to just over $310m – and in 2026, that number soared to a record $513m.

Appeals court rejects Trump administration's bid for Michigan's voter rolls

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit is the first appeals court to weigh in on the Trump administration's attempts to obtain sensitive voter information from 30 states and D.C.

Trump meets with GOP senators after refusing to sign housing bill

President Trump's decision to abruptly cancel the signing of a landmark bipartisan housing bill marked the latest misalignment between him and GOP lawmakers.

Elon Musk loses trillionaire status as SpaceX and Tesla stock drops

Falling shares push tech mogul back down to billionaire ranks after SpaceX IPO made him world’s first trillionaire

Elon Musk was no longer a trillionaire by the time markets closed on Wednesday. Plunging shares in Tesla and SpaceX dragged the tech magnate down to billionaire status. As of 4pm ET, Forbes listed Musk’s net worth as $970.2bn.

Musk reached trillionaire status on 12 June after SpaceX’s historic initial public offering. The rocket, satellite and AI company’s debut on the stock market made Musk the first person with a net worth of more than $1tn. His fortune continued to hover around that gigantic figure in the weeks following the initial public offering (IPO).

Cerebras CEO says margin forecast was 'misunderstood' as stock plummets after earnings

AI chipmaker Cerebras has a staggered lock-up expiration that includes some shares becoming available for trading this week.

Bipartisan housing bill aims to boost homeownership. Could it work?

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which has rare bipartisan support, would make it harder for major investors to hoard homes.

Chemours to pay $450M in first federal "forever chemicals" settlement

Chemical maker Chemours allegedly discharged chemicals linked to cancer and other health conditions in three states.

Officials will lobby Burnham to revive ‘war bonds’ idea to pay for higher defence spending

Senior figures, including some in No 10, want the Treasury to be allowed to borrow more for military spending

Senior government officials are planning to lobby Andy Burnham during access talks to revive the idea of “war bonds” to pay for higher defence spending when he becomes prime minister, the Guardian understands.

Senior figures, including some in No 10, want the Treasury to be allowed to borrow more for military spending and will try to convince Burnham to invest beyond the £13.5bn earmarked for the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (Dip).

Tennis stars’ protests over prize money share to continue at Wimbledon

• Revenue share is 14.4%; players want 16%

• Players to limit time they give to the media

The top men’s and women’s tennis players have decided to continue their protests for a greater percentage of grand slam tournament revenues at Wimbledon.

A month after the top players chose to limit their pre-tournament media duties at the French Open to 15 minutes, the players will extend the protest until the end of the first week of the tournament, also limiting their post-match media duties during the event.

Meta plans to release AI-powered prediction market app, documents show

The company is building an app separate from Facebook and Instagram where people can wager on the outcome of real-world events, using "play money."

Pakistan police rescue French woman and children allegedly held captive by husband for 12 years

Husband arrested after Sylvie Yasmina, 54, and five children found at home in north-western province

Pakistan police say they have rescued a French woman and her five children after she told authorities she had been held captive by her husband for more than a decade and subjected to years of domestic abuse in the country’s north-west.

The woman, identified as 54-year-old Sylvie Yasmina, was rescued earlier this week from a mud-brick home in Bara, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, the district police chief, Waqar Ahmad, said.

Nvidia's Huang calls black market data centers made of smuggled parts a 'dead end'

Washington regulators and the Trump administration are increasingly wary of China getting ahold of advanced AI software and hardware.

UK records its hottest June day and France its hottest day ever as heatwave sweeps Europe

Temperature of 36.1C (97F) recorded in Hampshire, while two-thirds of Europe’s population experience temperatures above 30C

The UK has broken its all-time temperature record for June and France has recorded its hottest day ever for the second day running, as a heatwave affecting more than 90 million people sweeps across swathes of Europe.

As the UK and France registered record-breaking temperatures, the World Health Organization warned that the extreme temperatures are “putting lives at risk”.

A judge says the Kennedy Center must update him on its plans — and address that tarp

A federal judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to update him on programming and operational plans. But with most of the staff gone and many artists booked elsewhere, what shows would they present?

Nasa rover detects potential signatures of ancient microbial life on Mars

Perseverance identifies organic carbon molecules in rocks on riverbed that carried water billions of years ago

Nasa’s Perseverance rover has detected complex carbon molecules in Martian rocks that are already in the spotlight for bearing potential signatures of ancient microbial life.

Measurements taken by the rover’s Sherloc instrument identified organic carbon in mudstones from the Bright Angel outcrop as it trundled along Neretva Vallis, a dried-up river that carried water into the planet’s Jezero crater billions of years ago.

England have cause for concern but Thomas Tuchel’s strategy is for the very best | Jacob Steinberg

Draw with a negative Ghana is unlikely to define World Cup campaign, with plans in place for tougher opposition

Not as easy as it looks, is it? After looking as if he had all the answers a week ago, Thomas Tuchel has tumbled into a place Gareth Southgate knew all too well. This is the moment when anxiety rises and selection decision choices are questioned. Tuchel, a newcomer to international football, will have to ignore the noise and keep in mind that this is usually how it goes when England experience their traditional tournament stumble in their second group game.

The inevitable response to Tuesday’s goalless draw with Ghana will be people wondering why Tuchel left their favourite player out of his squad. Top pundits are bemoaning the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden, Adam Wharton and Cole Palmer. Not unfairly, there is an argument that England have too many similar types and needed a player to unlock the game at Boston Stadium.

The Guardian view on priorities for a new prime minister: foreign policy cannot be an afterthought | Editorial

Keir Starmer came to power without a strategic concept of post-Brexit Britain’s place in the world. His successor must not repeat that mistake

Sir Keir Starmer had years in opposition to prepare for government. His likely successor, Andy Burnham, has weeks. Unlike the outgoing prime minister, Mr Burnham will bring past ministerial experience to the top job as well as lessons learned as the mayor of Greater Manchester. But as every veteran of No 10 attests, the pressures in that building – the intensity and unpredictability of events – are like nothing else.

To take office without clear priorities or a sense of how to drive an agenda through the machinery of government is a recipe for drift and loss of control, bouncing from one crisis to the next. That was Sir Keir’s fate. His failure to use the run-up to power more fruitfully accounts in large part for the truncation of his tenure.

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.

Germany’s railways grind to halt as IT maintenance snag takes down network

Deutsche Bahn widely criticised after hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded in operator’s latest setback

Germany’s rail network ground to a halt late on Tuesday as a result of maintenance work that went wrong, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers unable to get home as the national operator faced widespread criticism over the chaos.

The Deutsche Bahn (DB) meltdown was initially thought to have been caused by a cyber-attack, but it later emerged that it was likely to have been triggered by a scheduled attempt to replace an ageing component in the railway’s internal communication network, without which the trains are unable to run.

Brazilian federal police arrest Spanish citizen at São Paulo airport for racism

Woman detained at airport after allegedly making racist remarks directed at workers unloading baggage, police say

Brazil’s federal police have detained a Spanish citizen in São Paulo’s international Guarulhos airport for racism, in the latest of a series of high-profile arrests of foreign tourists on similar grounds.

Brazil has some of the strictest anti-racism laws in Latin America. Insulting a person on the basis of race carries a penalty of imprisonment from two to five years and a fine.

Slate Auto says $24,950 electric truck will be profitable; targets positive cash flow next year

EV startup Slate Auto CEO Peter Faricy told CNBC that every vehicle the company produces will be gross margin positive.

Amazon's Zoox unveils redesigned robotaxi ahead of upcoming expansion

Zoox is updating its robotaxis as the Amazon division plots expansion in additional markets and prepares to charge for rides.

Fan of TV show Dexter killed and dismembered two men in Cornish woodland, jury hears

James Desborough told team searching for missing men he enjoyed gory scenes in serial killer series, prosecution says

A fan of the television serial killer show Dexter murdered two men before dismembering and burning their bodies in Cornish woodland surrounding the cabin where he lived, a jury has heard.

James Desborough, 40, allegedly killed Claudio Aquilino and Daniel Coleman and hid their bodies in the dense undergrowth close to his cabin near St Austell.

Toyota gains on General Motors in new U.S. sales forecast: 'GM may be looking over their shoulder'

Toyota has notably leaned into hybrid vehicles while GM and others bet on all-electric vehicles, which saw lower-than-expected adoption from consumers.

Trump-linked firm is lobbying for pardons and its first client already paid $500K

Mo Strategies, started by former Trump campaign and administration officials, recently expanded its practice into the lucrative world of pardon lobbying.

IOC scraps 130 years of tradition by paying athletes $10,000 at Olympics

• IOC sets up £106m fund for all athletes at Games

• Milano-Cortina competitors will be first to be paid

The International Olympic Committee has broken with 130 years of tradition by deciding to pay athletes to compete at the Olympic Games.

Starting with the recent Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, all competitors will be entitled to a $10,000 (£7,600) grant from the IOC regardless of whether they are NBA stars or on the poverty line.

Postal Service says its cash crisis is delayed until at least 2031, but problems loom

The U.S. Postal Service is no longer set to be out of cash in 2027, the agency's head says. But its finances remain shaky as Trump officials keep putting it in political hot water.

ODNI under Pulte fires 6 staff, sends 45 back to home agencies

Those who were fired and sent to their home agencies didn't have tasks, or their assigned tasks were outdated, a source said.

Want to continue living at home as you age? Here’s what to consider

Safety concerns, caregiving needs, and, of course, finances all come into play when considering aging-in-place at home

My mom is the model boomer. At 77 years old, she runs her interior design business, organizes a book club, plays pickleball and dominates in mahjong. She is the picture of health; good luck matching the pace on her 5 mile walks. As is the trend for her generation, mom and her 83-year-old husband have chosen to continue living right where they are at home.

Circumstances led her to make age-in-place plans well ahead of her peers. When my dad died unexpectedly 22 years ago, my mom found herself widowed at 55 and living alone in a two-story, four-bedroom home. Mom wanted to remain in her community, so she downsized into a smart townhouse with a first-floor bedroom and bath, and nearby shops.

Supergirl review – sprightly and sparkling superhero yarn without the usual baffling DC backstory

Milly Alcock’s Supergirl joins with Eve Ridley’s Ruthye to fight an evil intergalactic human trafficker

The sexual politics of perceived female maturity has always been a problem in this particular set of superhero films. Quite why Kara Zor-El gets to be a “supergirl” while Kal-El gets to be a “superman”, despite not being that much older, is not obvious. Even that notorious wokester Friedrich Nietzsche went with the non-gender term “Übermensch”. The issue is in fact pre-emptively raised here in an early scene, but the dialogue breaks off without the question being explicitly resolved. Maybe there is a copyright issue. If our heroine really did have a title exactly corresponding to “Superman”, the spirit of Shirley Conran would no doubt angrily barge on to the screen with a phalanx of lawyers and a bag of defiantly unstuffed mushrooms.

Well, after her brief walk-on in last year’s muddled and boring Superman reboot feature, Supergirl now gets a sprightlier and sparkier film of her own, with 26-year-old Australian actor Milly Alcock in the lead. Rising British comer Eve Ridley, as gutsy alien teen Ruthye Marye Knoll, joins forces with SG to avenge the death of her dad at the hands of the evil intergalactic human trafficker Krem of the Yellow Hills, an odious pirate who kidnaps women for breeding stock purposes, played with watchable relish by Matthias Schoenaerts. SG is after Krem, too, because he has taken her adorable dog Krypto, of all the appalling things (though sadly Krypto hasn’t yet got his own little cape). Meanwhile, Jason Momoa turns in a cheerfully cigar-smoking man-mountain performance as Lobo the bounty hunter, who is schooled by Ruthye in how to escape from prison – the movie’s one clear feminist moment.

Can Slate's $24,950 electric pickup truck win over EV skeptics?

Backed by Jeff Bezos, Slate's EV pickup sells for about half the cost of a typical new vehicle. But car experts say its unconventional design may be a hurdle.

Nicola Jennings on Andy Burnham’s chance to state his case – cartoon

Vegas murder solved 20 years after man strangled with phone cord

DNA testing has identified a suspect in the 2005 murder of Daniel Zeisler in Las Vegas, according to a forensic lab.

AI helps read papyrus scroll burnt to crisp during Vesuvius eruption

Previously hidden text revealed without unrolling scroll discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art and human behaviour

The surviving part of an ancient scroll that was burnt to a crisp when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago has been virtually unwrapped and read with help from artificial intelligence.

Researchers uncovered 20 columns of previously hidden text covering more than a metre of charred papyrus without physically unrolling the scroll. The work discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art and human behaviour and dates to the second or late-third century BC.

Colombia’s leftwing candidate concedes election to Trump-endorsed millionaire

Leftist Iván Cepeda conceded to far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella who won by razor-thin margin

The defeated leftwing candidate in Colombia’s presidential runoff has conceded to the far-right, Trump-admiring millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella.

Since Sunday night, the preliminary count had already pointed to a De la Espriella victory by a razor-thin margin of less than 1% of the vote.

‘Let the magic begin’: Ronaldinho signs for Serie C side Ravenna at age of 46

• Brazil legend last played professionally in 2015

• ‘I cannot wait to dance with the ball,’ he said

The Brazil great Ronaldinho has signed with the Italian Serie C club Ravenna at age 46, more than a decade after retiring.

“I cannot wait to dance with the ball,” he said. “Football has always been joyful for me, and I’m excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin!”

Will Texas' new top voting official be a 'disruptor'? Locals are preparing for it

Just ahead of closely contested midterms, Texas is about to get a new top voting official. Many locals there fear the frontrunner is a state lawmaker and pastor with no election experience.

Job-dropping: why employees are turning down high-paying promotions

Climbing the career ladder may soon be a thing of the past, as workers prioritise their mental health and lifestyle. But job-dropping has its drawbacks …

Name: Job-dropping.

Age: About a month.

Bill Gates testimony on Jeffrey Epstein ties released by House oversight panel

"I should never have met with Epstein in the first place," Bill Gates told members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Alice Zaslavsky’s tacos with roasted celeriac and pickled jalapeño sauce – recipe

Gnarly, shrivelly celeriac is an unconventional taco filler. But peeled and roasted in Alice Zaslavsky’s recipe, the root vegetable yields an almost carne asada-like flavour

• Check out more Alice Zaslavsky recipes

Could it be time to consider the celeriac? If you’re looking for a tasty and left-of-field taco combo for the cooler months that’s full of flavour, low on cost and easily veganised, then it just well might.

Celeriac is firm and fibrous enough to hold its shape under heat, sweet enough to crack some caramelisation, and its centre yields to a creamy and fluffy mashed potato texture when cooked. The flavour is surprisingly meaty, which makes more sense when you consider how the parsley and liquorice notes intensify when caramelised, a bit like a bite of steak with herby sauce, or carne asada with salsa verde.

South Korea’s biggest chipmaker SK Hynix plans to raise $29 billion via Nasdaq listing as soon as July 10

The company plans to issue 17.79 million new shares at a value of 45.45 trillion won ($29.65 billion).

Understanding 'masculinism,' a movement to restore the primacy of men

Masculinism is a belief that feminism emasculates men, and men should be in control while women stay at home raising children. The Atlantic writer Helen Lewis says the movement is becoming mainstream.

OpenAI unveils first chip as part of Broadcom deal in effort to 'build the full stack'

Eight months after announcing a custom chip deal, OpenAI and Broadcom are revealing their first joint project: Jalapeño.

US eases restriction on Iran's World Cup team, allowing travel 2 days before next match

The U.S. is easing its restrictions on Iran's World Cup team. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday the squad could travel into the country two days before its next match.

German swimming lake criticised for ban on non-German speakers

Policy at Heidesee lake in Halle introduced after cases in which visitors ignored rules and lifeguards’ instructions

An open air swimming lake in the eastern German city of Halle which has refused entry to bathers who don’t speak German has been told it must lift the ban or face possible legal action.

The Heidesee lake, a lake in a flooded former open-cast mine, recently introduced a check at the entrance to filter out visitors whose German was deemed not good enough to follow safety instructions.

Treasury Secretary Bessent says U.S. GDP growth can return to 3% before end of the year

Bessent sees his "3-3-3" plan as still in reach — 3% growth, a 3% deficit-to-GDP rate and a 3 million barrels per day increase in oil production.

Dior mashes up laid-back ‘indie sleaze’ with elegant luxury

Jonathan Anderson’s golden touch is on display in Paris with mix of metallics, brooches and ripped jeans

Fashion brands were tuned to the weather forecast in Paris in the run-up to the menswear shows this week – and aware temperatures would reach 40C on Wednesday. This weekend a decision was made – the Christian Dior show, originally scheduled for the afternoon, would be moved to 9am, to avoid the heat of the day.

The change in time certainly made the experience more palatable – as did (in possibly a fashion-week first) the cool towels handed to guests on arrival, umbrellas to block out the sun and personalised fans on seats. In the grounds of the grand Musée Nissim de Camondo, which is under renovation to reopen in 2030, those in the garden even had the benefit of the occasional breeze.

‘It’s giving me carnival vibes’: how Fête de la Musique became a must-visit event for the Black diaspora

Begun in 1982, the festival is now a magnet for Black Britons, who spill across Paris enjoying genres from amapiano to zouk. But can it resist commercialisation – and is it getting too big?

At 4.45pm in Châtelet, central Paris, a man leans out of his third-floor balcony, blasting EDM from his speakers. A makeshift cardboard sign is strapped to his decks, detailing his Instagram account in capital letters. On both sides of him, his friends hype him up from opened windows, and on the ground a crowd has started to gather. Completely spontaneous, slightly ridiculous and entirely alive, this is typical of Fête de la Musique.

Born in 1982 as a free, France-wide, government-sanctioned initiative to encourage citizens to pick up instruments and play for their neighbours, the Fête has long since outgrown its origins. Word of mouth, TikTok and the growing allure of French language music have propelled it to heights no arts ministry could have planned for, and Black Francophone culture has become the heartbeat of the weekend. Bouyon, shatta, zouk, French Afrobeats, trap, hip-hop and R&B are the sounds that have travelled farthest, enticing fresh crowds of Brits, predominantly Black, to Paris every June.

‘It’s defiance’: why some Bosniaks are reviving historic flag as they cheer on World Cup squad

Lilies making a vivid comeback alongside foreign-imposed flag, as younger generation wrestles with national identity

Before each game in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup adventure, Sarajevo has blossomed with primary colours – and two distinct flags.

One is the national flag dating to 1998: blue and yellow diagonal halves emblazoned with a slanting line of white stars. The other has golden lilies on a blue shield set against a white background, and has a far deeper history, steeped in centuries of complexity. Its striking resurgence as a national symbol, showcased during Bosnia’s first World Cup for 12 years, comes with its own powerful message.

The history of brilliantly terrible World Cup video games

As football fans revel in the real world tournament, its digital counterparts continue to stumble in capturing the ​hyped up ​atmosphere

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I come with a warning to all football fans: if you’ve been enjoying the World Cup enough to think, “I’d like to re-enact this on a football video game”, do not go to Netflix and play Fifa World Cup: Launch Edition, the officially licensed game of the tournament, which streams via your smart TV or computer. Developed by the virtually unknown Delphi Interactive, it’s a juddering, dated calamity, with sluggish controls (via your phone, once you’ve downloaded the app) and commentary courtesy of Clive Tyldesley that delivers all the excitement of a robotic train station announcement.

Until this, it was largely agreed that the worst World Cup football game in history was World Cup Carnival, the first official Fifa tie-in, which was released on various home computers in 1986. Publisher US Gold thought it had a deal with the Manchester studio Ocean Software to repurpose its acclaimed title Match Day, but the agreement fell through. With three months to go before Mexico 86, US Gold was forced to effectively rebadge a dire 1984 sim, World Cup Football, by the fading developer Artic. To add some value to the package, the game was released in a fancy big box complete with a fixtures chart, a World Cup facts poster and some flag stickers. Nobody was fooled – the World Cup Carnival was a critical and commercial disaster.

Democrats see midterm hope in reliably red Iowa as Trump approval ratings sag

The path back to a House majority could run through states such as Iowa, where Democrats in recent elections have struggled to win over rural voters.

Louis Vuitton brings the beach to Paris in near 40C heat

Pharrell Williams’s menswear collection had a surf theme, while Saint Laurent models wore skinny suits

In temperatures close to 40C, most of Paris would have loved to go to the beach this week. Guests at the Louis Vuitton show got the look at least – the ground was covered with sand and there was a huge artificial wave as a backdrop.

The menswear collection, designed by Pharrell Williams, had a surf theme. There were branded wetsuits, Ugg-style boots and the chunky knits surfers wear at the end of a day. There were some jumpers and slouchy suiting, but the active lifestyle idea took centre stage with board shorts, caps, skate-style sneakers and a gilet. Some models carried surfboards branded with the Louis Vuitton logo and the final look was a model in a monogram wetsuit carrying a bike on his shoulder.

I was wary of driverless cars and their tech overlords – but they could give me a different future | Gabriel Stewart

For those of us who can’t drive due to disabilities, the drawbacks of these vehicles are vastly outweighed by the possibilities they offer

The robotaxis are coming! The robotaxis are coming! Well, actually, they’re already here. Until now they’ve been the stuff of science fiction, but this summer London’s streets have seen Silicon Valley-based company Waymo testing out self-driving cars. It hasn’t been the smoothest of introductions – from cars getting stuck in a cul-de-sac and repeatedly waking up the residents of Shoreditch to one driving into a crime scene, after a double stabbing in Harlesden.

The automated vehicles (AVs) have so far had trained drivers waiting behind the wheel to take control if needed, but will soon be shedding their human minders. Waymo and British rival Wayve are hoping to launch driverless minicabs in the capital this year, subject to approval from the British government and Transport for London, among others. A subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, Waymo currently operates ride-hailing services in 10 US cities, but London, with its narrow streets and densely populated centre, will serve as one of its biggest challenges yet.

Gabriel Stewart is a freelance writer and an intern on the Guardian’s positive action scheme

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Ex-Oklahoma inmate who was nearly executed 3 times gets new trial

A new murder trial is scheduled for Richard Glossip, a former Oklahoma death row inmate who was released on bond last month after being on the brink of execution three times.

Making earwax melt and teeth rattle: the project returning music to our bodies

Listeners in the 17th and 18th centuries experienced music in a startlingly vivid – and physical – way. A fascinating academic project is wondering if we should let ourselves be much more moved, and get moving. Plus: a prime minister’s musical legacy?

Professor Bettina Varwig wants to get us moving – and feeling, and listening, but primarily moving. The University of Cambridge academic says classical audiences today are “asked to leave our breathing, pulsing, feeling bodies at the door”. In concert halls we are told not to move or make a sound, subdue all the things that make us human. Whatever you do, don’t give in to the things your body is viscerally telling you when you experience a piece like Bach’s St John Passion, the way the music churns emotions and agitates your sinful heart. You have to listen passively, you can’t sigh or cry or clap in the wrong place, even if that’s what your whole being is telling you that you need to do to communicate the corporeal and spiritual pain the music is putting you through.

Varwig dreams of a different world. Her research focuses on how 17th and 18th-century listeners responded to music. “When you read about how music affected listeners in Bach’s time, their testimonies are striking in their bodily intensity,” she says. “Music contracted their innards and made their hearts leap. It could taste like vinegar in your throat. It could melt your earwax. It could draw your soul out of your body.”

Three New York Democrats backed by Mamdani win House seat primaries; 2 incumbents lose

Two candidates backed by the Democratic Socialist of America won their primaries, a year after the DSA-backed Zohran Mamdani won New York mayor's race.

German war hero Annika at her farm for struggling veterans: Jan Kraus’s best photograph

‘She was in Germany’s biggest battle since the second world war, but the army took years to recognise her PTSD. Annika now runs a farm with pigs and geese where struggling veterans come to stay’

Annika Schröder’s story is an amazing one. She was in the military here in Germany for almost 20 years. She joined when she was young, adventurous and needed to earn money – they let her do fun things like jump out of an aeroplane and drive a tank. But then she got deployed to Afghanistan, and within a month her unit got sent on a rescue mission, which is now infamous as the Good Friday Battle – the biggest German military battle since the second world war. She recovered two dead soldiers and one who was heavily wounded, but went on to develop severe post-traumatic stress disorder. It took the Bundeswehr (German army) over a decade to fully recognise that. Meanwhile she was discharged because they said she wasn’t fit to do her job any more. In 2025 there was a television documentary made about her life.

She now gets a full army pension that she can live off and has started what’s called a veteran farm outside Leipzig, where she keeps pigs and geese and two dogs. This image was taken in her kitchen there. Living self-sufficiently helps with her PTSD and while the dog in the picture isn’t an official support dog, it helps her feel calm.

Trump claims Iran has assured U.S. there won't be tolls on the Strait of Hormuz

There will be no tolls, insurance costs, or charges of any kind for ships looking to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said.

Tartan Army in the US and heatwave in Europe: photos of the day – Wednesday

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

American boy attacked by shark in Bahamas while swimming with brother

The boy was on a tour of the Bahamas' Exuma Cays with his family when the attack occurred, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.

Warriors come out to Broadway with Lin-Manuel Miranda musical

Miranda and Eisa Davis’s concept album based on the 1979 film is to be realised for the stage, co-directed by Jenny Koons and Hamilton’s Andy Blankenbuehler

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’s concept album based on The Warriors, the cult novel and film about warring New York gangs, is to become a Broadway musical next year.

The album, Warriors, was released to critical acclaim in 2024 and followed the eponymous Coney Island clan’s odyssey back to the Bronx after being falsely accused of killing the leader of the city’s biggest gang. The original story was written by Sol Yurick, whose 1965 book was inspired by Xenophon’s ancient epic Anabasis, and it became a Walter Hill action film in 1979.

‘The family rift is as strong as ever’: how Brexit rocked our relationships

Remain voters recall how they dealt with division over 2016 referendum – and how they feel about their loved ones now

Ten years on from the EU referendum, we asked people how their voting experience had affected their relationships with friends and family.

Some spoke of painful family divisions that emerged between leave and remain voters, while others shared how, despite their political differences, they were able to move on with magnanimity.

Wounded soldiers, families accuse Army of downplaying war injuries

Soldiers say the Army disregarded warnings about thin defenses and ignored requests for medical supplies. Now they question whether the Army is being transparent about their injuries.

Wounded soldiers, families accuse Pentagon of downplaying injuries from Iranian strike

Survivors and their families are accusing the Pentagon of downplaying the injuries service members suffered during the deadly Iranian drone strike in Kuwait on March 1. In an exclusive interview with CBS News' Jonah Kaplan, a wounded soldier said he "absolutely" believes the Army and the Pentagon have tried to downplay the incident.

Bahraini award to UK envoy shows ‘our diplomats are up for grabs’, says peer

Rights activists call UK ambassador ‘morally compromised’ for accepting honour from Bahraini king in apparent breach of Foreign Office rules

The British ambassador to Bahrain has been accused of breaching government rules over accepting an award by the Gulf state’s king, a move critics suggest signals diplomats and civil servants are “up for grabs”.

This week, the ambassador, Alastair Long, received the Order of Bahrain from King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, in recognition of his diplomatic tenure, which human rights activists and politicians say is in “direct breach” of the Foreign Office’s rules on accepting foreign awards.

Hail, flooding and large wildfires just some of dangerous weather hitting across the U.S.

Hail almost the size of grapefruits pounded the Texas Panhandle as torrential rain slammed parts of the state and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, at least five wildfires continue to burn in Utah. Rob Marciano reports.

Game of stones: how paintings of marble reveal a world of magical medieval mysticism

From trippy swirls to blood-soaked slabs, a new book mines gothic and renaissance art for the supernatural significance of the precious rock

When we think of marble, we think of it as a desirable commodity: of luxurious interior decoration, from deluxe kitchens to the most corporate of foyers – and of a roaring global market. Yet in the centuries prior to the enlightenment brought about by science and the birth of geology, marble captured the popular imagination as a mysterious, living structure with spiritual properties.

It is a way of thinking that’s alien from today’s knowledge, informed by the comfortable conclusions of empirical science: we know marble is a metamorphic rock created millions of years ago under extreme pressure and heat, deep below the Earth’s crust. In his new book, Divine Presence, creative director, author and one-time Wolfgang Tillmans muse Karl Kolbitz invites us to consider a pre-science mentality, when civilisations believed in the reality of miracles, dragons, astrology and the governance of an unknown but omnipresent divinity as a means of making sense of the world.

France confirms first Ebola case in doctor who had worked in DRC

French health ministry says patient’s contacts are being traced and that risk to European public is very low

The first case of Ebola has been confirmed in France, the country’s health ministry has said, in a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission to an area affected by the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The patient was transferred to a specialist facility and was in a stable condition, the ministry said in a statement. “All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were taken upon his arrival in the country, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination.”

How to turn under- or over-ripe strawberries into a brilliant no-churn ice-cream – recipe | Waste not

Two problems, one delicious and simple solution …

Over- and under-ripe strawberries have opposite problems but the same solution: roast them. This intensifies their flavour, and also allows you to add sugar to sweeten flavourless, under-ripe fruit, while at the same time cooking away any blemishes or unpleasant soft patches.

The weirdest things a leak revealed about Peter Thiel’s secret club | Tayo Bero

The Dialog society grades its attendees on a hidden scale, tackles issues from sex to world wars, and offers matchmaking

What would happen if roughly 200 members of the global elite gathered every year for a top secret retreat? What would they do? What would they talk about? Who would be on the guest list?

Well, data leaked by the Swiss hacktivist maia arson crimew (who also brought us the justice department’s no-fly list back in 2023) is shedding new light on Dialog, the private social club co-created by the former PayPal boss Peter Thiel and the angel investor Auren Hoffman.

Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist

Star Fox Review: Can't quite teach an old Fox new tricks

The Switch 2 Star Fox remake comes with high-effort visuals and a fun battle mode, but its campaign feels stuck in the past.

Greetings from sweltering Switzerland

On the waterfront in Lucerne, Switzerland, soccer fans watched jumbo TVs showing a World Cup match played an ocean away. But the air felt more like the tropics.

Tech companies would have to pay AI data center energy costs under bill moving in Congress

A House subcommittee may advance legislation Wednesday to make tech companies pay the energy costs for operating data centers to power AI.

U.N. nuclear chief says inspectors will visit Iran, but Iran says only after final deal

The head of the U.N.'s atomic agency said Iran's nuclear enrichment sites would be inspected as part of the interim deal. Iran insists any such visit would only come after a final deal.

Congress passes major housing bill. And, Mamdani-backed candidates sweep NYC primaries

Congress has passed the largest housing affordability bill in decades. And all three candidates endorsed by New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani have won their primaries. 

‘This is injustice’: how leftist zines were used to sentence anti-ICE protesters to decades in prison

Advocates sound alarm after zines were used as evidence to convict protesters of terrorism charges tied to 2025 protest at Texas ICE facility

It’s the day after Mother’s Day, the first one Elizabeth Soto has spent apart from her three children. Sitting in jail in Wichita Falls, Texas, her face is washed out by the overhead fluorescent lighting, and her dingy jumpsuit blends into the cinder block walls surrounding her.

Speaking through a glass separator, she tells me she celebrated the holiday with her children over the jail’s video-call system while they had dinner at their grandmother’s. “I’ve been a full-time mother all of their lives,” she said. “I’ve never been away from them.”