Why Ferrari’s rocky EV launch may not be the disaster investors fear

Ferrari has endured a firestorm of criticism following the launch of its first fully electric vehicle.

LG Energy Solution's shares surge as much as 16% after landing major U.S. battery storage deal

The deal comes as the South Korean battery company expands its energy storage systems business in the U.S.

DOJ investigating whether Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll committed perjury

The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into whether author E. Jean Carroll committed perjury in connection with her civil lawsuits against President Trump, sources familiar with the matter said.

US and Iran exchange strikes as Israel intensifies attacks on southern Lebanon

US forces down drones near strait of Hormuz, sparking attack on American airbase in Kuwait

• Trump accuses Iran of stalling peace deal to ‘outwait’ him until US midterms

The US has carried out new strikes inside Iran , targeting a military facility and downing Iranian attack drones, US officials said, which prompted an apparent Iranian retaliatory attack on an American airbase in Kuwait.

US Central Command forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the strait of Hormuz, according to US officials, who were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

To reverse the ‘greenlash’, Europe’s Green parties should embrace Polanski’s boldness | Tarik Abou-Chadi

Be more strident and ambitious, take on economic inequality, and progressive voters will reward you as they have the UK’s Greens

• Tarik Abou-Chadi is a professor of European politics at the University of Oxford

European Green parties have been through a phase of stagnation and crisis in recent years. Long gone seem the days of the “green wave” across Europe. Back in 2019, Green parties secured their best-ever result in the European parliament elections, with 74 seats. In the same year, Green parties also scored record results in Switzerland, Belgium and Austria. Shortly after, they were part of governing coalitions in Finland, Germany, Ireland and Austria.

But more recently, there has been much discussion of a “greenlash”: a backlash against climate policies and other green projects throughout Europe. Across the continent, Green parties dropped out of nearly all government coalitions, and these parties’ recent election results have often failed to meet expectations. With apparently declining enthusiasm for the climate movement, and the decreasing salience of climate breakdown at the ballot box, Green parties are debating how to turn their fortunes around.

Tarik Abou-Chadi is a professor of European politics at the University of Oxford

Loss of manual jobs could be driving toxic masculinity, says Sting

Musician says ‘we’ve lost that direction for our energy’ as his play The Last Ship returns to West End

The fact many men no longer use their hands and physicality on a daily basis may be driving some of the toxic traits in modern masculinity, according to Sting.

The singer, who on Wednesday announced that his musical about the last days of a shipyard was coming to the West End this autumn, told the Guardian that one of the byproducts of deindustrialisation was the loss of physical productivity for men.

The Last Ship will be at Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 22 Sep to 3 Oct. Tickets go on sale from midday on 28 May.

‘Seriously the best boss ever’: inside the world of Jeffrey Epstein’s assistant

No one’s name appears in the Epstein files more than that of Lesley Groff, his assistant. Reading through the thousands of emails, a troubling question arises: what did she know?

Jonathan Whitcomb, attorney for Lesley Groff, 5 June 2020

“She did not know.”

FBI interview with Lesley Groff, 24 September 2021

Groff met with a headhunter, and he told her that “there was a job to organize one man’s life. This man was EPSTEIN, a Manhattan socialite. GROFF had never heard of EPSTEIN before this.”

Interview with Lesley Groff in the New York Times, 5 February 2005

“It comes down to the bond. I know what he is thinking and I know when I need to be fast. It’s a nice roll we are on.”

Spanish PM’s family affair: the corruption cases involving Pedro Sánchez’s brother, wife and predecessor

Socialist leader insists no wrongdoing by family and backs former prime minister, but has much to contend with

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, is facing a long and difficult summer as corruption cases involving his brother, his wife and his predecessor José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero come before judges over the coming days and weeks.

The socialist leader – who took power eight years ago after using a vote of no confidence to topple the corruption-mired government of the conservative People’s party (PP) – has insisted there has been no wrongdoing by his family. He has also defended Zapatero and his right to the presumption of innocence.

‘We’re waiting for the plan to find us’: Mouse on Mars on working with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and 30 years of oblique adventures in sound

The German duo are returning with the results of their whirlwind session with the late dub legend, best heard in a ‘spatial audio’ installation. They explain why such an unexpected move is par for their artistic course

Interviewing Mouse on Mars is no easy feat. Not because the duo are hard to find, even though their current studio is hidden in a courtyard deep in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. Nor because they continue to be notoriously busy, particularly since one half of the band, Jan St Werner (born Jan Stephan Werner), is now a professor in pop music, at the Folkwang University of the Arts in the western German city of Essen. No, a conversation with Mouse on Mars is an exercise in perseverance and endurance.

Which does not mean it is unpleasurable to chat with Andi Toma and St Werner, as well as their unofficial member and longtime collaborator, the percussionist Dodo NKishi. But any answer to a question may end up somewhere entirely different than originally intended, spanning from the quality of the fruit juice NKishi brought to the studio, to esoteric, tech-optimist digressions on the possibility of forensic resynthesising of the past through archival audio.

Two killed in US strike on another alleged drug boat in Pacific as campaign’s death toll nears 200

Military claims boat targeted in second deadly attack this week was travelling along a known smuggling route

The US military attacked what it called a drug trafficking boat on Wednesday in the eastern Pacific, killing two men, officials said.

It was the second deadly attack in as many days in the Trump administration offensive that began last September and has now left almost 200 people dead. Rights groups say the attacks could amount to extrajudicial killings.

5/27: CBS Evening News

Latest details on Washington state chemical tank rupture; Trump's optimism on an Iran peace deal seems to waver.

AI ‘art’ is boring, soulless theft – and when I see it as an artist I see red | Jess Harwood

I draw the old way – with my hand. Doing it with AI would not make me more creative, it would drain the colour out of my existence

Last week I went to a gig by myself for the first time. I sat myself down in my single seat, possibly the youngest person in the room and one of thousands excited to see Split Enz. I loved it – I felt joy and heartache as the lyrics spoke of human experiences, really lived. I happily realised that I did not have to wonder whether Split Enz had used AI in their work (as I so often do nowadays) as these bangers were created long before it was even dreamed of.

As a visual artist and writer myself, when I see AI generated images, music or words presented as “art”, I see red. It’s boring, it’s theft, it’s soulless, sterile and it’s killing the planet through energy and water-guzzling datacentres. Someone suggested AI “visual art” should be called “Computer Rendered Artificial Pictures” (CRAP).

Patagonia sues drag queen Pattie Gonia for trademark infringement

Outdoor clothing company is suing US environmentalist drag performer for $1 plus legal fees, claiming ‘we wish we didn’t have to do this’

Patagonia has launched a trademark lawsuit against an environmentalist drag queen named Pattie Gonia, who has accused the outdoor clothing company of “trying to erase an activist”.

Wyn Wiley, who performs as Pattie Gonia, has accumulated millions of followers online for their environmental activism, raising almost $4m for non-profits so far. Last year they raised $1m while hiking 100 miles in full drag from Point Reyes national seashore to San Francisco.

5/27: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Takeaways from Texas primary runoffs; Trump paints murky picture of Iran peace talks.

US justice department reportedly opens criminal inquiry into Trump accuser E Jean Carroll

Officials said to be examining whether Carroll committed perjury in 2022 deposition tied to lawsuits against president

The Trump administration has opened a criminal investigation into E Jean Carroll, the writer who accused the president of sexual assault, according to news reports.

Prosecutors, the New York Times and CNN reported on Wednesday, are looking into whether Carroll, 82, committed perjury in a 2022 deposition during her civil lawsuits against Trump, in which she said she did not accept outside financial support for her legal battles.

2 dead, 9 workers "unrecovered" after Washington chemical tank implosion

The damaged tank at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. held approximately 900,000 gallons of white liquor, a chemical used in paper processing, authorities said.

Marco Rubio says no more Ebola patients will be allowed into U.S.

The Trump administration announced plans to set up an Ebola quarantine and treatment center in Kenya for Americans exposed to the deadly virus overseas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now saying no Ebola patients will be allowed into the U.S. Mark Strassmann reports.

‘Fractured’ society – but New Zealand’s young have hope across difference and distance

Isolation and falling trust is driving disconnection, though under-35s are more optimistic about social cohesion than older people, report finds

Tucked between a tiny restaurant and a small supermarket on Auckland’s colourful Karangahape Road, a laundromat doubling as a music installation offers customers a chance to listen to tunes while their washing completes a cycle.

It is the work of 34-year-old Auckland musician Jefferson Chen and artist Quentin Lind, 32. The pair chose a laundromat – rather than a gallery or online – to share their music while also serving another function: bringing together people from different walks of life.

Tank-rupture tragedy may be deadliest in Washington history, governor says

Two people dead and another nine missing and presumed dead after paper mill tank holding chemicals imploded

The death toll from the tank-rupture incident at a Washington state paper mill on Tuesday rose to two, with nine people still missing and presumed dead, authorities said.

The Longview fire department said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon that one person who was transported to the hospital following the disaster at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co on Tuesday morning had died.

Ukraine war briefing: Eliminate Putin’s ‘last major advantage,’ Zelenskyy urges Washington

Patriots would neutralise ballistic missiles and force Russia to negotiate, says Ukrainian president; half a million Russian dead – GCHQ boss. What we know on day 1,555

Anti-abortion activist concedes pictures of human foetuses may have been sugar glider joeys

Joanna Howe posts on social media that if purported images of human foetuses are in fact sugar gliders, ‘it doesn’t actually matter’

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

The anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe has conceded she may have used a “scam” email featuring a picture of sugar glider joeys, referring to them as human foetuses, to promote her views – but it “was an insignificant detail”.

In a video posted to Facebook on Wednesday afternoon, Howe said it appeared she had been “scammed” when someone emailed her claiming to give details about their medical abortion, including an image that Howe referred to as twin girls she called Ruth and Emma.

Mark Zuckerberg says a Meta cloud computing business 'definitely on the table'

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company could enter the cloud computing market if it overspends on data centers and has excess capacity.

Analysis: What Stephen Miller gets wrong about debt, deficits and immigration

The White House immigration hawk and deputy chief of staff is pointing the finger in the wrong direction when assigning blame for the federal budget deficit.

Ex-judges push to look into "anti-weaponization fund" deal

A group of 35 former federal judges asked a court to reopen a legal dispute between President Trump and the government, calling the deal to create a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" potentially fraudulent.

GPS data appears to contradict Brian Hooker's account of wife's disappearance

After forensic evidence appeared to contradict Brian Hooker's account of where Lynette Hooker was​ the night she disappeared, U.S. investigators are renewing their search in the Bahamas.

Spelling bee coach says, "everyone has this potential"

The 98th Scripps National Spelling Bee finals are on Thursday night. Tony Dokoupil has the story about one spelling bee coach's mission to "make every speller the best speller they can be."

New questions about Brian Hooker's account of wife's Bahamas disappearance

New forensic evidence appears to contradict Brian Hooker's account of where he says he was the night his wife Lynette went missing in the Bahamas. Cristian Benavides has the details.

Americans on health insurance: "I pay a lot of money for and it covers very little"

In the 1800s, Hartford, Connecticut, picked up the nickname, "The Insurance Capital of the World." Tony Dokoupil visits the city to ask people about rising insurance and healthcare costs.

Ken Paxton to face James Talarico in Texas Senate race

In Texas, the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton ousted four-term Senator John Cornyn, making him the third Republican incumbent to lose this month after failing to earn President Trump's endorsement. Ed O'Keefe spoke with Paxton's Democratic opponent, James Talarico.

New York City man sentenced to 10 years in plot to kill Iranian American writer

A federal judge has given a onetime truck and bus driver charged in an assassination plot against an Iranian American writer a 10-year prison sentence.

Matthew Perry's assistant sentenced over ketamine injection

"Friends" star Matthew Perry drowned in his hot tub in 2023 under the effects of ketamine. The 54-year-old's longtime personal assistant, who gave him the fatal injection, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to over three years in prison.

DOJ charges Google staffer over Polymarket trades netting $1.2 million

It's the second known case of the federal government filing criminal charges against someone who allegedly used insider information to make a large profit on a prediction market site.

Jill Biden says she thought Joe Biden was having a stroke during 2024 debate

In CBS interview set to air Sunday, former first lady says she was ‘frightened’ during husband’s debate with Trump

Jill Biden said she had been “frightened” as she watched Joe Biden’s faltering performance during his 2024 presidential debate, and thought her husband might have suffered a stroke.

“I was frightened, because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” the former first lady said in a 30-second clip of an interview with CBS, set to air on Sunday.

Trump's optimism on an Iran peace deal seems to waver

President Trump warned on Wednesday that even with control of Congress on the line in November, he'll wait out Tehran on a peace deal. As he put it, "I don't care about the midterms." Nancy Cordes has more.

Latest details on Washington state chemical tank rupture

Officials in Washington state are still working to recover nine bodies after a massive chemical tank at a paper mill ruptured on Tuesday. Jonathan Vigliotti reports on the latest details.

Trump's IRS case should be reopened so court can probe possible 'fraud,' ex-judges argue

Reopening the Trump-IRS case "will allow the Court to commence an inquiry into whether the Court was deceived," the ex-judges wrote.

Leonora Carrington work painted during psychiatric confinement to go on show for first time

Exclusive: Villa Pilar, painted in 1940 during the surrealist artist’s stay in a Spanish sanatorium, will be displayed at London’s Freud museum

A recently discovered painting by the surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, made during her confinement in a Spanish psychiatric hospital during the second world war, will go on public display for the first time in London this summer.

Known as Villa Pilar, the work was painted in 1940 while Carrington was a patient at sanatorium Morales in Santander, after fleeing Nazi-occupied France after the arrest of her partner, the German artist Max Ernst.

Top FEMA official Bob Fenton says "we're ready for hurricane season"

FEMA says it's ready for hurricane season, though it's still racing to recover from months of shutdown disruptions, delayed grants and a depleted Disaster Relief Fund.

Salesforce beats on earnings and revenue but full-year guidance comes in light

Salesforce has been hammered by investors on concern that artificial intelligence models and services will disrupt some traditional software products.

Prediction markets regulation proposal by CFTC eyed by White House

The CFTC has argued it has exclusive authority to regulate the growing prediction market sector rather than state-by-state regulation.

Snowflake rockets 36% on earnings beat and plan to spend $6 billion on Amazon cloud

Snowflake is going deeper with Amazon's Web Services, and plans to use its Arm-based Graviton chips.

Trump visited soldiers at Walter Reed — but not the 14 injured in the Iran war

More than a dozen soldiers injured in Operation Epic Fury are still recovering at the military hospital.

YouTube taking steps to make clear when realistic videos are made by AI

YouTube said it will automatically label photorealistic content created by AI, the video platform said.

Dell wins a $9.7 billion Pentagon software deal after cozying up to Trump

The purchase comes after Dell spent considerable time courting the White House and after President Trump urged purchases of the company's computers.

Crystal Palace win Conference League after Mateta strike sinks Rayo Vallecano

After being denied their rightful place in this season’s Europa League, Crystal Palace finally have their revenge. In Oliver Glasner’s final match in charge, it was fitting that Jean-Philippe Mateta should score what turned out to be the winning goal after his January move to Milan was scuppered by a failed medical. It has been that kind of season.

Having rescued the south London club from the brink of extinction only 16 years ago, how Steve Parish must have relished this occasion. The Palace chair found himself sitting next to the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, for the biggest night in their history and he can now start planning for the Europa League campaign that was denied to them as last year’s FA Cup winners were adjudged to have broken European football’s governing body’s rules on multi-club ownership. As for Glasner, who performed a full-length dive on the pitch before going up to collect his winners’ medal, it ends any debate over whether he is the greatest manager in Palace’s history.

Meta to start testing AI subscription services, with cheapest plan at $7.99 a month

Meta confirmed Wednesday that it will begin testing two subscription plans for its AI offerings.

Report ‘phone hack’ to police or I will do it for you, Labour chair tells Farage

Anna Turley gives Reform leader 24 hours to report Russian hacking claim in ‘public and national interest’

The Labour chair has given Nigel Farage 24 hours to report to security services the claim that his phone was hacked by Russia-linked actors or the party will do it for him.

In a letter to the Reform UK leader, Anna Turley said it was “in the public and national interest” to ensure that a suspected overseas hack of a senior politician’s phone by a hostile state was properly investigated.

Jakub Mensik labels French Open heat ‘insane’ after collapsing at end of five-set win

• Mensik offered wheelchair to get back to locker room

• Djokovic calls for more night games on hot days

Jakub Mensik claimed it was “insane” for players to compete in such hot conditions at Roland Garros and after collapsing on court due to cramps and being escorted back to the locker room in a wheelchair at the end of his dramatic 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (11) second-round win over Mariano Navone. Novak Djokovic called on organisers to use common sense and push more matches to later in the day during extreme heat.

“It’s insane to play in this weather and especially in front of the sun,” Mensik said. “To be there for more than four and a half hours, that’s just insane, and even with the breaks you don’t have that much time, the ballboy cannot bring you a towel during the changeover. You have just one minute, which obviously before, when you sit, it’s already just 30 seconds. So there is not that much time to cool yourself down.”

Stocks are rallying despite the Iran war and stubborn inflation. Here's why.

The S&P 500 hit a new record on Wednesday, even as soaring gas prices fuel inflation and consumer confidence sinks.

Nasa images show wildfire damage to island dubbed ‘Galapagos of California’

The satellite visuals reveal vast burn scars after blaze tore through rare ecosystems on Santa Rosa Island

Images from a Nasa satellite showcased the devastating scars left behind by a wildfire that consumed roughly a third of Santa Rosa Island, one of the five islands that make up Channel Islands national park off the southern California coast.

Taken on 20 May, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Modis) took the false-color image of the burn area, showing swaths of blackened land.

Biden sues Justice Department to block release of files from biographer interviews

Former President Joe Biden has sued the Justice Department seeking to block the release of files related to interviews he conducted with a biographer that later became a central part of a special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents.

Anthony Gordon to undergo Barcelona medical before £69.3m move from Newcastle

• England winger flying out for medical on Thursday

• Gordon could double wages to around £300,000 a week

Anthony Gordon is due to undergo a medical in Barcelona on Thursday after the La Liga winners agreed a £69.3m transfer with Newcastle on Wednesday night. Should everything proceed to plan the England winger is set to double his wages to around £300,000 a week.

Bayern Munich had been favourites to sign the England winger and even saw a late bid rejected on Wednesday but Gordon’s heart was set on Barcelona and a new life at the Camp Nou. Accordingly a player who also interested Liverpool swiftly agreed personal terms before Newcastle and the Catalan club entered more protracted negotiations regarding the structure of the fee.

NPR's newsroom shrinks through buyouts and layoffs

At least 18 NPR journalists have accepted buyouts and another 10 have been laid off as the public media network attempts to save money and reorganize the newsroom.

Influential US skateboarder Marc Johnson dies aged 49: ‘Everything he did was art’

• Tributes pour in from across skateboarding world

• Johnson was Thrasher’s 2007 skater of the year

Marc Johnson, the influential professional skateboarder whose inventive street style and Bay Area roots helped define modern street skating, has died at the age of 49.

Johnson’s death was announced in a statement attributed to longtime friend and fellow professional skateboarder Louie Barletta and shared by Thrasher Magazine. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Teenage star Sooryavanshi smashes 97 as Rajasthan advance in IPL playoffs

• Fifteen-year-old hits 12 sixes in 29-ball knock

• Jofra Archer wickets help Royals past Sunrisers

The teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a staggering 12 sixes to lead Rajasthan Royals to a 47-run drubbing of Sunrisers Hyderabad in Wednesday’s Indian Premier League eliminator.

The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi, who won the regular season’s orange cap for the most runs scored (680), destroyed Hyderabad’s famed bowling with an incredible 29-ball 97, around which Rajasthan constructed an imposing 243-8 in Chandigarh.

More people are going hungry now than at the height of the pandemic

Food insecurity affects more families now than during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

How much money you need to earn to afford a home in 49 U.S. cities

A household earning the average income would need to spend 40% of its income to afford the typical U.S. home, according to Redfin.

After Ferrari Luce backlash, Lamborghini CEO says canceling its own EV was the right choice

Lamborghini CEO said the automaker's decision to kill its EV to focus on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles was "the right way to go" for his company.

Uefa drags its heels over action against Russia’s fake Ukrainian clubs

Imitation versions of Shakhtar Donetsk and Zorya Luhansk remain in Russian league, despite the real teams playing in Ukrainian competition

Uefa is yet to take action against the integration of clubs from illegally occupied parts of Ukraine into Russia’s football system despite being urged to do so by the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) last year.

Imitation versions of Shakhtar Donetsk and Zorya Luhansk, two of the most successful clubs in Ukraine’s Premier League, have been competing in Russia’s fourth tier since its season began in March. They have joined the Crimea-based sides Rubin Yalta and FC Sevastopol in group 1 of the regionalised Football National League 2B, meaning a quarter of the teams in their division purport to represent areas of occupied Ukraine.

Novel about ‘Disneyfication’ of nature wins climate fiction prize

Hum, Helen Phillips’ third novel, featuring a woman whose job is taken by a humanoid robot, is a terrifying look into a future where AI rules and nature is scarce

A novel featuring a protagonist whose job is taken by AI has won the Climate fiction prize.

Hum by Helen Phillips, the American writer’s third novel, is about a woman, May, who loses her job to a “hum” of the title – a humanoid robot. Struggling to find work, she becomes a guinea pig for an experimental injection that alters her face so it can’t be recognised by surveillance. When she gets paid for it, she splashes out on family passes to the Botanical Garden, the last remaining green space in her city. There, things take a turn for the worse.

Hum by Helen Phillips (Atlantic Books, £16.99). To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

Helen Phillips will appear at Hay festival to discuss the book on Friday 30 May

‘We are not criminals’: protests erupt as hunger strike rocks New Jersey ICE jail

A day after ICE officials pepper-spray senator, tensions ramp up outside facility on fifth day of hunger and labor strike

• Chaos breaks out at New Jersey immigration detention center – in pictures

Protests against immigration enforcement at a facility where detainees are on a hunger and labor strike erupted in fresh violence on Tuesday night as federal officers sprayed chemicals and charged demonstrators outside the jail in New Jersey.

Following hours of relative quiet, a day after masked and armored Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel pepper-sprayed US senator Andy Kim, tensions ramped up again outside the Delaney Hall facility on the fifth day of the strike.

California veteran known for pro-Trump display outside his home dies after assault

Authorities have said they are still investigating motive of alleged attack on Kerry Sheron, 69, by Thomas Butler

A southern California man has died after an assault last week in front of his San Diego area home, which was well known for its extensive collection of US flags and signs supporting Donald Trump.

Authorities confirmed on Monday that Kerry Sheron, a 69-year-old US army veteran, died days after he was attacked on Wednesday outside his home in Escondido. Police have arrested Thomas Butler, a 32-year-old who media outlets have identified as a navy veteran, on multiple charges including attempted murder, elder abuse and battery.

The Guardian view on Lebanon’s suffering: the ‘ceasefire’ didn’t stop Israeli attacks. Now they’re intensifying again | Editorial

Civilians including children are among the thousands to have died in this war, yet the world is paying remarkably little attention

Lebanon was an afterthought when Israel and the US were bombing Iran, and remained one when they stopped. It still appears to be one even as Washington and Tehran speak of peace. The US has suggested that a deal is within reach, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that a return to war was unlikely, though profound differences remain evident. Tehran says that Lebanon must be part of any agreement.

Yet this week, Lebanon’s supposed ceasefire looks more threadbare than ever, with Israel intensifying its offensive as Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah. Israeli strikes killed 31 people on Tuesday alone, and on Wednesday the military ordered the evacuation of the entire city of Tyre. Its troops have pushed out of the buffer zone that it established in the south, which far-right ministers want to annex. Israel may be intensifying attacks before the US reins it in, or in the hope of destabilising the talks. War allows Mr Netanyahu to dodge accountability at home. Domestic demands for continued attacks on Hezbollah are also growing, given the mounting threat from its drones to soldiers in Lebanon and residents of Israel’s north.

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.

Trump opposes Russia or China taking Iran's highly enriched uranium

Trump also said the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil-shipping route, is "going to be open to everybody."

Giro d’Italia: victorious Valgren shows off son’s lucky Pokémon chip as he claims stage 17

• Dane wins first Grand Tour stage after sweltering effort

• Jonas Vingegaard holds four-minute lead over Felix Gall

Denmark’s Michael Valgren chose his moment perfectly to power towards victory on the 17th stage of the Giro d’Italia, leaving himself enough room before the line to be able to pull a lucky Pokémon chip out of his pocket and show it off to the cameras. Further back, his compatriot Jonas Vingegaard continued his march to a first overall win on the Grand Tour.

Valgren took the honours in Andalo after attacking from a small group with a kilometre remaining of the undulating 202km ride from Cassano d’Adda with riders suffering from the punishing heat and also sudden downpours.

Talarico: Paxton "clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption"

Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in the Lone Star State, concedes some past statements during debates over transgender policy "missed the mark."

Football Daily | To all USMNT rejects, Mauricio Pochettino hopes this email finds you well

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As a football newsletter whose entire raison d’etre is sending people emails they are desperate to receive and read, Football Daily is fully behind Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentinian has taken a leaf out of our tried-and-trusted playbook by electing to use the medium of email to let assorted soccerball players around the world know whether or not they’d been selected to play for Team USA USA USA at this summer’s Geopolitics World Cup. His method of communication has been criticised in some quarters due to its lack of a personal touch for those who have not made the cut, with some American hacks saying those left out were at least owed an explanatory phone call from the Argentinian. Defending himself, Pochettino pointed out that as a player, he wouldn’t have wanted to converse with a manager who had just cut him from an international squad because ... well, why would you bother?

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

Zelenskyy pushes U.S. for more Patriot missiles, warning of Russian attacks

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the U.S. to expand deliveries of Patriot missile systems, warning that Russia is preparing a broader campaign of ballistic missile attacks.

TV bailiff accused of murder sobs, "I live with it every day"

Renard Spivey was found not guilty of his wife's murder, but he says he still can't sleep at night.

TV bailiff accused in wife's shooting death: "I didn't pull the trigger"

Renard Spivey says he was trying to protect himself when he says his wife Patricia confronted him at gunpoint in their Houston home.

Why is Ferrari facing such a backlash to its first electric car?

The Italian marque has broken with the past with its four-door, €550,000 Luce and traditionalists are furious

Ferrari is different from other carmakers, and so are its product launches. So revered is the company in its native Italy that among the first people to sit behind the wheel of its first electric vehicle were the country’s president and the pope.

Yet judging by the backlash from investors, some critics and – inevitably – a horde of online commenters, the company may need help from a higher power if it is to win over its traditional fanbase.

The Luce – pronounced “loo-chey”, Italian for “light” – is priced for the super-wealthy, at €550,000 (£476,000), with an electric motor for each wheel and the ability to get from zero to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds. But the design, led by the former Apple executive Jony Ive, has proven controversial. It is certainly unlike anything Ferrari has made before.

‘Sexy as hell’: filthy and hilarious Heated Rivalry parody musical comes to New York

The smutty hockey show gets the Off-Broadway treatment with shirtless scenes, hilarious one-liners and a Liza Minnelli send-up

Walking into the Culture Club in West Chelsea, New York, for a performance of Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody last week, I was met by three ghosts left over from when the space was called the McKittrick hotel and it hosted the immersive spookfest, Sleep No More. The first was the phantom of clever detail: cans of Athletic IPAs for sale, a cute, non-alcoholic nod to the mega-popular series’ hockey setting. The second was of unnerving fright, as I realized there would be no booze at this singing satire. Would I be able to make it through 90 minutes of jokes about an overexposed Canadian gay sports romance, with zero quality guarantee and an even lower blood alcohol concentration? At least at the downtown premiere of the popular parody Titanique, long before it proved itself worthy of a handful of Tony nominations, you could stand up and order a bucket of White Claws.

But then the third specter materialized, the ghost of immersion and surrender, as this very funny production completely won me over. (I’ve since learned that a liquor license is forthcoming.) Heated Rivalry, for the uninitiated, is a television show adapted from a series of gay romance novels by Rachel Reid, a straight woman who unwittingly launched a thousand discussions about who gets to be horny over whom, how and when. Fans of the books petitioned for a wider release of the show produced for the Canadian streamer Crave, last November and, some six months later, its formerly unknown stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams are in easy contention for the most photographed people alive. Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody is the latest addition to New York City’s musical parody cottage industry, which has led me to a theater lobby where a woman in a branded hockey jersey is telling the stranger next to her that she’s seen the series “probably not as many times as you think, but still a lot”.

Republicans stare down inflation abyss with midterms fast approaching

Republicans are struggling to find a clear message to battle high prices as President Trump pushes for funding for a White House ballroom.

Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow congressional map found racially discriminatory

Alabama Republicans asked the Supreme Court to allow the state to use a congressional map that would give the GOP an edge in the midterm elections.

Carlo Petrini obituary

Italian activist, author and pioneer of the Slow Food movement

On 20 April 1986, Carlo Petrini was part of a group who cooked and distributed spaghetti to passers-by in Piazza di Spagna in Rome. The huge pot of pasta was their response to the opening, the previous month, of the biggest McDonald’s in the world just metres from where they stood. For Petrini and fellow members of Arcigola, a group dedicated to the pleasures of food and shared political ideals, the opening of McDonald’s in the centre of Rome represented an attack on Italian culinary identity, local biodiversity and the natural rhythms of life: the spaghetti was a declaration of resistance.

A few months laters, during a meeting over dinner at Osteria dell’Unione in Treiso, Piedmont, in north-west Italy, the group came up with the idea of ​​trying to stem the fast food invasion, whose single value was profit, with slow food, which they saw as a defensive trench. The essayist Folco Portinari, then head of the Rai TV company, wrote the text, while Petrini gathered signatures, and on 3 November 1987, a manifesto was published on the front page of Gambero Rosso, a supplement of the communist newspaper Il Manifesto.

Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow congressional map that dilutes Black vote

A three-judge panel in Birmingham, Alabama, found that the state's proposed map of House districts was 'intentionally discriminatory."

Judges block Alabama redistricting maps that would dilute Black vote in midterms

A three-judge panel found that the 2023 congressional district maps adopted by Alabama intentionally discriminated against Black voters.

Calls for Barnsley Reform councillor to resign over apparent swastika tattoo

Publicly accessible Facebook images dating back to 2018 appear to show the symbol on Andy Arnold’s arm

A newly elected Reform UK councillor in Barnsley has come under pressure to resign after photographs emerged appearing to show him with a swastika tattoo.

Andy Arnold, who was elected to Barnsley council earlier this month to represent Wombwell, can be seen with what appears to be the symbol tattooed on his arm in a series of publicly accessible Facebook images dating back to 2018.

Bondi undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer after recent diagnosis

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, she told CBS News.

UK will get no special treatment from EU, European ministers say

There will be ‘no cherrypicking’ of policies, EU says, after Starmer says he hopes to negotiate single market for goods

The UK will get no special treatment in its future economic relationship with the EU, European ministers have said, in a further blow to Keir Starmer’s hopes of negotiating a single market for goods.

The EU’s ministers for Europe, who met on Tuesday, said they wanted deeper cooperation with the UK, but this had to be in line with fundamental principles, including no cherrypicking of EU policies, according to three diplomatic sources, who spoke about the private discussions.

Canada to order military plane fleet from Sweden in shift from US suppliers

Mark Carney announces purchase of Saab’s GlobalEye early warning aircraft to patrol Arctic territory

Canada has announced plans to buy a fleet of early warning planes from Sweden’s Saab rather than a competing option from Boeing, as the country seeks to reduce reliance on US defense firms.

Mark Carney, the prime minister, said on Wednesday that Canada would opt for Saab’s GlobalEye, which is based on Bombardier’s Global 6500 jet. Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail plane – which has suffered from delays and cost overruns – had also been in contention.

New York and New Jersey subpoena Fifa over ‘manipulated’ World Cup ticketing

• Joint investigation run by NY and NJ attorneys general

• Subpoena seeks information on Fifa’s ticket practices

• Investigation centers on games at MetLife Stadium

The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have launched an investigation into Fifa’s ticketing practices around the 2026 World Cup, focusing specifically on the matches due to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The investigation, announced Wednesday by New York’s Letitia James and New Jersey’s Jennifer Davenport, centers on fans who say they were misled about the location of the seats and on claims that Fifa’s own public messaging around tickets has contributed to the inflated prices seen throughout the tournament.

WHO chief calls for DRC ceasefire to tackle Ebola outbreak

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns of ‘catastrophic collision of disease and conflict’, as Uganda closes border with DRC

The head of the World Health Organization has called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to help tackle the Ebola outbreak there, as Uganda closed its border with its neighbour in an effort to stop the spread.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on social media that the region was in the midst of a “catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response”. Tedros said on Monday that he would travel to the DRC this week.

Forget limoncello! How Lillet became the fruity, floral drink of the summer

In 2008, only 70,000 cases of this classic French aromatised wine were sold. In 2024, that boomed to 1.3m. What accounts for its sudden enormous resurgence?

I’m a sucker for a spritz. So when I saw a sign in the French House pub in London, advertising its spring special, “Lillet spritz, £6.50”, I immediately ordered one. I wasn’t exactly transported from rainy Soho to sunny Saint-Tropez in just one sip, but the honey-scented, golden-hued bubbles did put me in a summery mood.

Since then, I’ve started seeing Lillet more often. In the UK, it is on the spritz menu at Greene King and Young’s pubs for a second summer. It is a staple in French-style restaurants such as Côte Brasserie and Café Rouge, and in Gallic bars such as Boulebar and Baranis, where punters can play petanque while they drink. Venues around the world have started to serve it too, from Wolf food market in Brussels to Bar Bridge in Sydney. Global sales are reported to have grown from 70,000 cases in 2008 to 1.3m in 2024.

Nicola Jennings on Tony Blair’s critique of Labour policy – cartoon

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Former Obama adviser reflects on the 'Battle for American Identity'

Ben Rhodes was a speechwriter and security adviser for President Obama. His book, All We Say, is a collection of 15 speeches — from Ben Franklin to Trump — about what it means to be American.

Alice Zaslavsky’s parsnip and pear soup with cheesy toast tops – recipe

Parsnip at a clip! The root veg is affordable now and, paired with pears, the retro combo works wonders in Alice Zaslavsky’s midweek soup

• Check out more Alice Zaslavsky recipes

Some vegetables are a Tuesday night no-brainer, while others feel like more of a Sunday schlep. Poor parsnip falls into the latter category, relegated to slow braises and weekend roasts.

Weather-resistant root veg such as parsnips, swedes and celeriac are affordable at this time of year but their fibrousness doesn’t yield as easily or quickly as tender, fair-weather veg.

Greetings from Cape Verde, where the sounds of samba, jazz and morna fill the air

Music is interwoven with the sounds of daily life in this West African island nation, which hosted two international music festivals in April and has been named the African Capital of Culture for 2028.

Streeting and Burnham accuse Blair of failing to confront inequality in Labour criticism

Potential leadership candidates join senior figures in saying the former PM’s essay does not address today’s challenges

• Wes Streeting: Blair wants to leave our future to the markets

Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham have criticised Tony Blair’s “striking weakness” in failing to engage with inequality, as senior party figures hit back at the former prime minister’s castigation of the Labour party.

Blair has published a lengthy critique of Labour’s time in office under Keir Starmer, arguing for the government to crack down on welfare spending, abandon restrictions on oil and gas production, and smooth relations with Donald Trump.

Extreme heat in Europe ‘a brutal reminder’ of climate crisis, UN chief says

Simon Stiell said burning fossil fuels was driving intense heatwaves as UK and France broke temperature records on consecutive days

The UN climate chief has said an extreme early heat event sweeping parts of western Europe was “a brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis”, after France and the UK set new temperature records for May on two consecutive days.

Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said on Wednesday the “main culprit” was humanity’s burning of coal, oil and gas – known to be the primary driver of climate change.

Palestinians use recycling as Israel's restrictions trigger a trash crisis

Palestinians in the West Bank live amid garbage following Israeli restrictions. Two Palestinian entrepreneurs are trying to make a change.

Jimmy Kimmel on Trump’s no-show at Don Jr’s Bahamas wedding: ‘Flying to an island makes him miss Epstein’

The late-night host slammed the president’s Iran bombings, ‘perfect’ health reports and reacted to RFK Jr’s snake attack

On Tuesday night, Jimmy Kimmel addressed Donald Trump Jr’s wedding, the New York Knicks making it to the NBA finals and raised an eyebrow to claims that Donald Trump’s physical went “perfectly”.

‘Worry no longer, I am back’ – Tony Blair’s Why I Have Always Been Right About Everything, digested by John Crace

Former PM’s essay on Labour’s self-delusion shows he is the perfect person to provide such a critique

Hi guys. And the laydeez. It’s me, Tony. You know, the best prime minister the country ever had. The man with the rictus smile, the diamond skull and dead behind the eyes. The divinity who understands everything but himself.

I know what you are thinking. It’s been far, far too long since you have last heard from me. You’ve all been lost in the political wilderness. Bereft without your spiritual leader. Worry no longer. I am back. To comfort and hold you all. To shine a light into your sad little worlds. All I’ve ever wanted is to serve. And to be loved. But I hold no bitterness for the way you all turned your backs on me. So often the fate of many a messiah.

Ribbit is the new Wordle, and I’m here to share it with you

A gentle daily puzzle is quietly becoming the most joyful part of my morning routine​ and reminds me that not every win needs to be epic

There’s been some pretty big news in the last couple of weeks in video game world: the long-running space shooter Destiny 2 is winding up after almost nine years, PlayStation appears to have decided to stop releasing its flagship single-player games on PC, and Microsoft wants us to look like we’re shouting every time we type XBOX. But the biggest news for me is that I have found my new favourite word game. I am going to be so bold as to call it the new Wordle.

Ribbit is one of the varied suite of daily games on Puzzmo, an online puzzle platform. It launched at the beginning of January, but I only recently discovered it because I have been unwell, bored, and spending too much time on my phone. Puzzmo’s daily hits include a satisfying shape-arranging game, variations on chess that make me feel extremely stupid, and pleasing word games, which are my favourites. Circuits has you making connections between the beginnings and ends of phrases (eg “stone cold > cold medicine > medicine cabinet”) as fast as you can. Bongo gives you a bunch of letter tiles and asks you to arrange them for a maximum score.

Paxton bests Cornyn in Texas Republican Senate primary after Trump endorsement

President Donald Trump last week endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

Two Venezuelan boys in a forest full of vultures: Silvana Trevale’s best photograph

‘I left Venezuela after someone held a gun to my head. But I returned to show what beauty it has – like these two boys coming back from a fishing trip at an amazing beach’

My parents encouraged me to leave Venezuela. The situation in the country at that time, the mid-2010s, had started to get really hard, with food and medicine shortages – and violent robberies were becoming a regular thing. A lot of people had started to leave and my parents were worried that if I stayed something bad would happen. I had already seen my mum robbed and I’d had a gun held to my head, but that was normal. I was lucky enough to be able to go to England. But when I arrived, to study at Huddersfield University, I had the feeling many immigrants have – of not belonging, questioning who I was and where I was from. I understood what I was losing, too, and it hurt.

I remain deeply connected to Venezuela and whenever I go back to visit my parents we always go to the beach. My whole family loves the ocean: it’s how I spent a lot of my childhood. I started shooting there, too, hanging out with kids, spending time with young people and seeing what they were going through, but I also felt I could give something back. The kids had so much fun during those shoots.

Federal judge had sex in chambers with high-ranking police officer, panel says

The judge sits in a district court in either Alabama, Georgia or Florida, but their name is being kept secret by a disciplinary panel.

Five villagers found alive in Laos cave as search continues for two missing

Video appears to show divers discovering group sitting on a rock surrounded by flood water

Rescuers have reached five of seven people who have been trapped for a week in a flooded, remote cave in Laos, after days spent navigating narrow, inundated passageways amid persistent rain.

Video footage shared on social media by rescue divers showed the five men crouched together on a rocky ledge in a dark cave chamber, surrounded by muddy water. “There’s no need to cry,” one of the rescue team told the men, who first entered the cave on Wednesday. Two men remain unaccounted for.

Raging torrents, fighting gulls and Muslim devotion: photos of the day – Wednesday

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

Lord Howe Island got rid of its rats and mice – now its ‘wonderful’ insect life is back

Invasive vermin decimated the island’s native flora and fauna – but its unique cockroaches and beetles are thriving once again

In the summer months, Lord Howe Island’s unique stag beetle, with wing cases that appear forged from iridescent green metal, fly around the ancient tree tops looking for a mate.

“That’s really something wonderful,” said Ian Hutton, a naturalist and nature guide on the World Heritage-listed island.