Tour de France 2026: Van der Poel wins incredible sprint on Champs-Élysées – live

Shortened 89km stage begins at 5.50pm CEST/4.50pm BST
Stage 20 report | Share your thoughts with Tom via email

75km to go The riders are getting into their saddles now and it looks like we’ve got some racing. The peloton is still together but the pace is quickening.

Well this is a treat. My colleague Amy Sedghi, who is usually a regular on the Tour blogging beat, has emailed in to from her maternity leave: “Hi to the readers from me and from the latest addition sporting her polkadot jersey! Sad to be missing blogging the chaos and festivities of the Tour but hopefully I’ll be back at it next year!”

Commonwealth Games 2026: gymnastics gold for Scotland, Ramsay-Peaty bounces back, and more on day three – live

• Action, news and reaction on opening weekend

• 10 things to look out for at Glasgow 2026 | Mail Rob

I posted the Ramsay-Peaty report from last evening a few minutes ago, an d he’ll need to have recovered quickly, as he goes in the 50m breaststroke heats in this morning’s sesh. Back with the weightlifting final, meanwhile, Mboya goes for 115kg … and it’s up, but Chananbam of India just about gets there with 116 and takes the lead.

Our first netball match is over, Scotland beating Wales 56-47; they lost to NZ yesterday, but will hope to finish second in Pool B. In Pool A, England beat Norther Ireland 83-34, while Australia thumped Tonga 99-38.

Police shoot dead Berlin Pride van and knife rampage suspect, officials say

Abdul Ballout, 21, reportedly shot in operation at allotment in Spandau district after fatal attack in Tiergarten park

A man suspected of a driving a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival then going on a knife rampage in an Islamist terror attack has been shot dead by police, German officials have said.

Police confirmed on Sunday evening that the chief suspect had been shot dead, reportedly during an operation at an allotment garden complex ⁠in the city’s Spandau district.

Ella Baron on the wildfires in France and Spain – cartoon

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Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," July 26, 2026

On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.N. ambassador Mike Waltz join Margaret Brennan.

Sanders says polls show voters want change in midterm elections

Senator Bernie Sanders said the major obstacle progressive candidates are facing in the midterm elections is massive spending in key races by the "billionaire class."

Every new UK home should have air conditioning, say Liberal Democrats

Exclusive: Party says housing stock ‘woefully unprepared’ for extreme heat and new rules for builders must be set

All new UK homes should be built with air conditioning to cope with the effects of the climate crisis, according to the Liberal Democrats.

The party says British homes are dangerously unsuited to rising temperatures, meaning passive cooling measures such as planting more trees in residential areas are necessary.

U.S. appeals court upholds ruling blocking Trump's order on mail-in voting

A federal appeals court has upheld a judge's ruling that halted President Trump's efforts to create a federal voter list and limit who can receive a mail ballot.

Industry star David Jonsson to play Black Panther in Marvel sequel

Director Ryan Coogler announces British actor in lead role alongside co-stars Letitia Wright and Winston Duke

The British actor David Jonsson has been unveiled as the new Black Panther by the film’s director, Ryan Coogler.

Jonsson, 32, known for roles in Industry, The Long Walk and Alien: Romulus, will play the son of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa in the third Black Panther movie.

U.S. pauses attacks on Iran for a second straight day and Tehran does too

The United States paused attacks on Iran for a second straight day Sunday and Tehran said it had done so too, as efforts continued to bring the countries back to negotiations on an interim ceasefire.

England’s north-south life expectancy gap grows despite record longevity

King’s Fund report finds men and women live, on average, for 80 years and nearly 84 years, but gains are in south

The north-south divide in life expectancy in England has grown over the past decade, with people in northern regions facing more illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, but also suicides and deaths related to alcohol and drug misuse.

Provisional figures show life expectancy reached an all-time high in 2025, with men and women in England living, on average, for 80 years and nearly 84 years respectively, but the gains were overwhelmingly in the south, the King’s Fund said.

India’s Cockroach Janta party protest victory signals trouble ahead for Modi

Ally forced to resign, with opposition parties reinvigorated and strongman leader’s grip over media channels rocked

Even the night before Narendra Modi accepted the resignation of his education minister, India’s prime minister appeared confident that the largest mass uprising to take place in his 12 years in power would do little to rattle his government.

Addressing his “young friends” in a late-night Instagram selfie reel on Friday, he thanked the people – who were mobilised en masse across the country, shouting anti-government slogans – for their “thoughtful suggestions”.

The Guardian view on a US-Saudi nuclear agreement: an offer that further erodes international safeguards | Editorial

Even if no reactors are built, Donald Trump’s announcement of a double-standards deal with Riyadh has wrought further damage in a new era of proliferation

Even as he threatened to escalate an unlawful war sold in part as preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, Donald Trump opened the door to proliferation in the region on Wednesday. The US announced that it had signed a deal with Saudi Arabia which would potentially allow the kingdom to enrich uranium in future and to avoid the fullest inspection rights for the international watchdog.

Experts have long warned that a civilian nuclear programme could create a path towards a nuclear-armed Riyadh. Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince and de facto leader, has said that if Tehran gets a nuclear weapon, “we will have to get one”. Concerns are magnified by the agreement’s terms. Washington previously argued that the “gold standard” was the United Arab Emirates’ agreement to permanently forgo enrichment and accept full monitoring by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency. Weakening it sets a precedent that Russia or China could also cite in nuclear deals in future.

The Guardian view on a new director at Tate: an old institution must tackle fresh issues | Editorial

A decline in visitor numbers, staff strikes and budget cuts – Jessica Morgan faces many challenges as she takes on the biggest role in the British arts scene

A lack of clear vision, low morale, dwindling popularity and financial shortfalls – this may sound like a description of the previous Labour government, but these are also criticisms levelled at the UK’s most powerful arts institution, Tate. Maria Balshaw’s tenure as the first female director of Tate – comprising Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives – lasted nine years and saw as many culture secretaries. One of Sir Keir Starmer’s last acts as prime minister was to approve the appointment of her successor, Jessica Morgan, a former curator at Tate and head of the Dia Art Foundation in New York.

With record-breaking Frida Kahlo and Tracey Emin shows currently at Tate Modern, suggestions that Ms Morgan is inheriting an institution in a state of “existential crisis” seem exaggerated. Tate Britain, often overshadowed by its more fashionable younger sister, pulled in crowds for its Turner & Constable and Lee Miller exhibitions. These blockbusters in the past year also rebut accusations that Ms Balshaw focused on little-known artists instead of bankable stars. Her commitment to diversifying the collection will surely be taken up by Ms Morgan, who also has a strong track record in promoting marginalised artists. Ms Balshaw is leaving on a high.

Gary Stevenson to quit YouTube channel, citing health concerns

Former City trader’s weekly Gary’s Economics videos took off during the Covid pandemic

The City trader turned wealth tax campaigner Gary Stevenson has announced he is quitting the YouTube channel that made his name, citing health concerns.

His announcement, in a 48-minute address to camera, came after a mixed reaction to a televised documentary that brought him to a wider audience but drew some scepticism from left-leaning tax experts as well as more rightwing critics.

Ed Miliband indicates development and climate will be at heart of UK foreign policy

Exclusive: Foreign secretary to take up World Bank seat and play active role in shaping changes to global lender

Britain’s foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, is to indicate he will put the climate crisis and overseas development at the heart of UK international relations by taking up the country’s seat on the board at the World Bank.

The position, which is usually delegated to a junior minister, means Miliband will play an active role in shaping the changes to the World Bank that developing countries have called for, and ensuring the climate remains a core focus for overseas aid.

Chiesa wants ‘new chapter’ with Iraola after frustrating time under Slot at Liverpool

• Forward scored in friendly win against Sunderland

• Chiesa had frustrating two seasons under Arne Slot

Federico Chiesa has said he wants “a new chapter” at Liverpool with Andoni Iraola following a frustrating time under Arne Slot and claimed the club were lucky to qualify for the Champions League last season.

The Liverpool forward has been linked with a return to Italy this summer having struggled for minutes during his two years at Anfield. Chiesa made 36 appearances for Slot last season, a healthy return on paper, but only five were starts.

Joy in Greece as Mount Olympus joins Unesco list of world heritage sites

Mythical home of the ancient Greek gods designated alongside the D-day landing beaches in Normandy

After a 12-year wait, Mount Olympus, the mythical home of the ancient Greek gods, has been inducted into a hall of more modern fame as Unesco announced it would be added to its world heritage list.

Greece’s highest mountain made the list alongside the second world war D-day landing beaches in northern France and the ancient Japanese capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara. South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo landscape, host to one of the world’s largest land mammal migrations, also won a designation – a first for the east African country.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 26)

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

Lando Norris takes F1 Hungarian GP for first victory of season as Piastri retires

• World champion wins from pole; Piastri’s gearbox fails

• Max Verstappen second, Kimi Antonelli third

Lando Norris finally had reason to celebrate after a testing opening to the season, as McLaren’s defending Formula One world champion took his first win of the year at the ­Hungarian Grand Prix.

However, while the ­victory was thoroughly deserved in an incident-packed race, there was an all too familiar feel to the bigger picture as Kimi Antonelli emerged from a weekend that might have been considered damage limitation for the Mercedes driver having once more extended his advantage at the top of the drivers’ championship.

Home, not alone: Helping aging seniors in rural America

Health risks associated with loneliness and social isolation are more common among the aging population of rural America. In North Dakota, the program Aging in Community aims to build connections among neighbors to help isolated rural seniors.

Burnham v Starmer: one week in, how do their leadership styles compare?

From TikTok appearances to ‘sugar rush’ policies, new prime minister is taking different approach to predecessor

Six weeks ago Andy Burnham was not even an MP; now the former mayor of Greater Manchester is the most important political figure in Britain. After orchestrating a bloodless coup against Keir Starmer, in which he was crowned as Labour leader unopposed, the new prime minister has started his tenure in Downing Street with some eye-catching policies and a radically different approach to communication. A week into the job, how do their leadership styles compare?

Exfoliate, use ice and conceal eyebags wisely – makeup artists on how to look fabulous, at every age

Are you stuck in a makeup rut? Or maybe just beginning to wear cosmetics? Here, experts reveal how to to find the right products for you

Makeup trends change over time – and so does our skin. How can you enhance what you have and refresh your look? Here, makeup artists share the fundamentals of applying cosmetics, at every age.

Tom Gauld on the punctutation factory – cartoon

US pauses attacks on Iran for a second day as peace talks continue

Trump weighs up his options after military chiefs warn of dwindling munitions stockpiles

The US has paused strikes on Iran for a second night as diplomatic negotiations to avoid a return to all-out war continued on Sunday.

Donald Trump is said to be weighing up diplomatic and military options in the nearly five-month-old conflict, with Benjamin Netanyahu expected to visit the White House on Tuesday. The Israeli prime minister is a vocal critic of Washington’s negotiations with Iranian leaders.

Romania summons Russia’s ambassador after downing third drone since Friday

F-16 fighter jet intercepted drone in Romanian airspace over Black Sea, defence minister says

Romania has said it is summoning Russia’s ambassador after the Nato member’s military shot down a third drone in as many days.

Romania has experienced frequent drone incursions since Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but had not shot down any until Friday.

7/26: Face The Nation

This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Sens. Bernie Sanders and John Kennedy join, along with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. Plus, CBS News' Anthony Salvanto has the latest poll results.

Inside the S&P 500 AI boom, industrials are getting as rich as tech stocks

The industrials sector of the stock market is benefitting from the AI infrastructure boom with its P/E ratio up close to tech levels and investor flows strong.

The "magic" of worm grunting

If you are looking for live fishing bait, you could dig up some worms – or, you could use a bizarre trick involving vibrations to conjure earthworms out of the soil. Correspondent Conor Knighton looks into a little-understood process known as "worm grunting." He also visits Sopchoppy, Florida, the self-described "Worm Capital of the World," to attend the Worm Gruntin' Festival – a big party celebrating the town's favorite invertebrate. (Originally aired June 15, 2025.)

These United States: Revolutionary War hero Thaddeus Kosciuszko

Polish-born Thaddeus Kosciuszko (1746-1817) was a military engineer who became key to Gen. George Washington's success against the British. Mo Rocca looks at the immigrant hero whose contributions to the Revolutionary War helped secure independence for America.

Joshua emerges from Prenga fight with urgent questions while Fury is uninspiring

Joshua’s lack of punch resistance is clear, which could place him in danger in the highly anticipated £150m fight with Tyson Fury

The bedlam and madness lasted for just five minutes and 43 seconds and, after Anthony Joshua was back in the sanctuary of his dressing room, he claimed to have learned “a valuable lesson”. Joshua had been knocked down twice by Kristian Prenga before he rescued himself in the second round with a brutal stoppage of the previously obscure Albanian.

Joshua also looked ahead to the hugely anticipated fight with Tyson Fury after the two faded former world champions came through wildly contrasting bouts which were meant to be routine exhibitions this weekend. “I’m gonna come back stronger now,” Joshua claimed as he tried to clear the concussive fog from his brain after the worst round of his tumultuous career.

How Trump admin cuts have compromised food safety

Since May, more than 11,000 cases of illness caused by the parasite cyclospora have been reported in 41 states. This comes after the Trump administration drastically cut FDA and CDC staff, prompting one expert to call this summer's outbreaks "a national wake-up call."

Restricted eating hours may reduce cognitive decline in older age, researchers find

Preliminary study shows older people who avoided food four hours before bed did better in problem solving tests

Confining mealtimes and snacks to a nine-hour window and avoiding food for four hours before bed may help stave off cognitive decline in older age, researchers say.

A pilot study of older women living with overweight or obesity found hints of improvement in mental skills among those who ate within the restricted period compared with those who spread their meals over a longer time.

How Trump admin cuts have compromised food safety

Since May, more than 11,000 cases of cyclosporiasis, caused by a parasite, have been reported in 41 states. The outbreak comes after the Trump administration drastically cut FDA and CDC staff; disbanded a national advisory committee on how to prevent microbial contamination in food; winnowed down an early-warning surveillance program for specific pathogens; and further delayed a rule that would have required tracing contaminants from field to store. Correspondent David Pogue talks with experts who see the current compromises of food safety as "a national wake-up call."

ICE to target Haitians as Temporary Protected Status is set to end, sources say

The plans include arresting migrants in Ohio and quickly putting them on deportation flights to crisis-stricken Haiti, the internal documents indicate.

Almanac: July 26

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

Love thy neighbor: Helping aging seniors in the heartland

According to the USDA, the number of counties where at least 20% of residents are over the age of 65 has nearly tripled since 2010 – and it's in those older, more rural populations where the health risks associated with loneliness and social isolation are more common. Correspondent Lee Cowan goes to North Dakota, where the program Aging in Community, aimed at building connections among neighbors, takes a grassroots approach to helping rural seniors.

‘It was like something was crawling over me’ – the worrying rise of shingles among millennial women

Stress, the cost of living, long working hours and even excessive exercise have all been touted as reasons the illness is rising among women in their 30s and 40s. What can be done to help them?

The “lightning strike” pain was like nothing Francine Jones had experienced before. “That is the only way I can describe it,” she says, of the stabbing in her torso that would occur every 10 minutes or so. “It was a really sharp, intense pain, as if someone was giving me an electric shock … it took my breath away.”

It had started in May with a strange pricking sensation under her bra. Then 10 large blisters, plus a host of smaller ones, formed in a band from her stomach to her back. They burned, “like someone was putting an iron on me. I don’t think I wore underwear for five or six weeks.” Showering, or even a cold flannel, would make her skin burn. Then came “the itch”, which lasted for five weeks and was so intense that she was lucky if she slept for four hours a night. “It was like something was crawling all over me all the time.” I can hear her wincing.

Readers reply: Some people want to break up the EU. Why not break up the US?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions looks at secessionary movements on both sides of the pond

• Answer the latest question: What is the true Breakfast of Champions?

If it’s wrong, as some would say, for European countries to come together as a fully federal European Union, rather than individual states, why is it right for the US to be a federation rather than separate states? It always strikes me that the EU gets unfairly criticised for a system that was established over the Atlantic many years back. The US hasn’t looked back, but has become powerful as a result of being an umbrella for smaller entities. Just imagine if each state needed its own army, air force and currency, with its own customs and border controls not to mention trade tariffs! There’d be no White House and no Congress. Why is it so wrong for European countries to want similar strength, coming together as a union? Howard Phillips, Lisbon

Send new questions to [email protected].

Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts looks back: ‘It was my dream come true, but we were all burned out’

Roberts on refusing to take no from her dance teacher, moving to the US aged 18, and reuniting with Kimberly Wyatt and Nicole Scherzinger

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1981, Ashley Roberts joined the Pussycat Dolls in 2002. Their debut single, Don’t Cha, spent three weeks at No 1 in the UK in 2005. The sextet sold more than 55m records worldwide before splitting in 2010. Roberts has since appeared on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! and Strictly Come Dancing, and was a judge on Dancing on Ice. She hosts a show on Heart 00s every Saturday. The Pussycat Dolls – now a trio of Nicole Scherzinger, Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt – are currently on a 21-date tour.

This tutu picture was taken at my first ever dance recital, and I’m happy as can be. It was the 80s, so everything’s pink and fluffy, and I have big hair and a serious fringe. I love the way my feet and hands are angled a little bit abnormally. I thought I was posing for the gods.

Lena Headey looks back: ‘I told Harvey Weinstein where to go. A decade of possibilities disappeared’

The Game of Thrones actor on her feral youth, not playing the fame game, and being protective of her daughter

Born in Hamilton, Bermuda, in 1973 and raised in West Yorkshire and Somerset, Lena Headey is an actor, writer and director. She made her film debut in Waterland in 1992. Her career spans 300, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Game of Thrones, in which she played Cersei Lannister from 2011 to 2019, earning five Emmy nominations. Intimacy, which she writes, directs and stars in, is an eight-part comedy audio drama for BBC Sounds and Radio 4.

I was an OG onesie wearer. This was taken on Christmas Day in our house in Bermuda. My parents were in the police force, and for some reason one day the Yorkshire branch decided: “We’re all going to go to Bermuda for some training.” I don’t remember much from that time, but I know that it was hot, everyone had scooters, and that it was fun.

7/26: Sunday Morning

Hosted by Mo Rocca. Featured: Aging in rural America; compromises to food safety; supermodel and actress Lauren Hutton; singer Corinne Bailey Rae; artist Derrick Adams; worm grunting; and how plants are affected by touch.

CBS News poll finds many changing their eating habits amid cyclospora outbreak

Nearly as many Americans are following news about the cyclospora parasite as they are the conflict with Iran.

Pedro Sánchez says Spain is suffering effects of climate crisis as firefighters battle wildfires in France

Blazes near Madrid coming under control but efforts to contain huge fire near Bordeaux hampered by windy conditions

Authorities in France are battling to contain a huge wildfire near Bordeaux in the south-west as Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, warned Spain and the Iberian peninsula were suffering the effects of the climate emergency.

Efforts to extinguish the blaze in the Gironde region of France – which has consumed an area four times the size of Paris and caused nearly 220,000 people to be evacuated – were hampered by windy conditions on Saturday night.

Rainbow people and Katy Perry in a bottle: photos of the weekend

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

Loyal to the look: why Zohran Mamdani wears a suit in all seasons

Around town, on the pitch and even in the pool, the New York mayor keeps his suit on – what do his sartorial choices tell us?

Playing football. Playing in the sand. Dancing on a stage with Alicia Keys and the entire New York Knicks roster. Swimming in a swimming pool. Swimming in the ocean.

Traditionally, a suit and tie would be considered inappropriate attire for each of these activities. Yet over the past year Zohran Mamdani has seemingly been on a one-man crusade to prove otherwise: to convince people that a formal suit is, actually, suitable for all activities.

How to make the perfect homemade viennetta – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …

Your rosy memories of the classic ice-cream dessert may not hold up to scrutiny today, but thanks to our resident perfectionist, you can make a delicious version of your own

When I was growing up, viennetta was something I had in other people’s houses – for some reason, my mum regarded these frilly blocks of ice-cream as a waste of money, which made them all the bigger treat on the rare occasion I did get a front-row seat at the cracking of the chocolate. Launched, like me, in 1982, when developers at Wall’s realised that pumping ice-cream on to the production line slightly faster than the speed of the conveyor belt created a concertina effect that, I think we can now, with the wisdom of age, agree, is more impressive to behold than to consume. No doubt diehard devotees will beg to differ, but even as a child I couldn’t help but notice that all that air made the viennetta distinctly light on flavour (no wonder one slice is never enough, as the old advertising campaign had it). Happily, you can recreate the magic at home with something that looks good and tastes great – and you don’t even need your own conveyor belt!

100 days until midterm election: DCCC Chair DelBene says Democrats have the momentum

Democrats see a path back to the U.S. House majority this November as President Donald Trump's approval dips.

Inter enter talks with Tottenham over signing captain Cristian Romero

• Inter sporting director confirms attempt to sign Romero

• Spurs captain helped Argentina reach World Cup final

Inter have entered talks with Tottenham over the potential signing of Cristian Romero. The Spurs captain helped Argentina reach a second straight World Cup final this month, but could leave this summer for a significant fee after an eventful five-year spell.

The centre-back has made 156 appearances since he joined Tottenham in 2021 and guided the club to Europa League success last year, but served four separate suspensions during a difficult 2025-26 campaign.

From the strait of Hormuz to the North Sea, a global maritime war rages around us – and more than the price of oil is at stake | Simon Tisdall

The collapse of the rules-based order is not confined to the land: we’re imperilled as centuries of maritime cooperation sink beneath the waves

The US military campaign to protect merchant shipping from Iranian attacks by asserting direct maritime control in the strait of Hormuz is not an idea unique to Donald Trump’s administration. Almost exactly 200 years ago, in the period 1825-27, a powerful US naval squadron led by Commodore John Rodgers was sent to the Mediterranean to defend American ships from the depredations of Greek corsairs and pirates.

For all the new-minted republic’s brave talk of liberty, the US squadron did not assist Greece’s ongoing “regime change” struggle for independence from the Ottoman empire. Its sole, self-serving purpose was to defend US trade, markets and business interests. After abandoning his call for a people’s revolution in Tehran, this, too, is what Trump’s reckless war with Iran has now boiled down to.

Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator

He’s a doctor and a progressive. Will he win a key US Senate race in Michigan?

Abdul El-Sayed may be buoyed by a younger, anti-establishment coalition as he runs against an establishment candidate

Abdul El-Sayed spends a fair amount of his day not taking himself so seriously. He jokes about his haircut, films selfie videos with supporters and has taken – more than once – to cringey dancing and lip-syncing on camera.

But ask him after a long day on the campaign trail to explain the difference between a virus and a bacterium, and the epidemiologist takes over from the entertainer.

Is Burnham’s Oxbridge-heavy cabinet a sign of social mobility or lack of progress on class?

PM’s team can be seen as backward step even though in some ways it is more diverse. Yet its makeup points to wider access to power

• Race, school, gender: the makeup of Andy Burnham’s cabinet – in charts

Like 20 British prime ministers before him, Andy Burnham’s new cabinet minister for AI, Kanishka Narayan, went to Eton. After graduating from the country’s most elite private school, Narayan attended Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied – what else? – PPE (politics, philosophy and economics), like David Cameron, Rishi Sunak, Ed Miliband and a host of other senior politicians. An MBA at Stanford and a career in the City followed.

But Narayan’s background is hardly typical of the British ruling class. Born in Bihar in eastern India, he moved with his family to Cardiff when he was 12. He and his younger brother were sleeping on the floor of their one-bedroom home when a teacher at his local high school suggested the bright young boy apply for some private schools. His parents, who had joined the Labour party almost as soon as they arrived in Wales, ran a petrol station. Eton was possible only thanks to a full scholarship.

From author to anime hero: the unlikely revival of a Japanese literary star

More than seven decades after they were first released, the dark novels of Osamu Dazai have become a publishing sensation, as a new generation of readers engage with his bleakness, humour and brilliance

There’s no question that Japanese literature has been one of the outstanding successes for British bookshops in recent years: in 2024 close to half of the bestselling translated fiction titles were from Japan. Much of the Japanese fiction translated into English fits into broad categories – cats, crime, coffee shops – but one surprise bestseller stands alone.

Sales of books by Osamu Dazai, who killed himself in 1948 aged 38, have rocketed in the last few years. His best-known novel, No Longer Human (1948), has sold more than 75,000 copies in the UK alone. An intense semi-autobiographical account of one man’s alienation, it was the last work of fiction completed before Dazai’s death.

‘We count every litre’: how Cuba’s energy crisis sparked a daily struggle for water

Power cuts not only leave people in the dark but leave taps dry, forcing millions of Cubans to spend their days fetching water any way they can

In the cramped kitchen of her flat in Havana’s Chinatown, Mirella Martínez pushes an old metal trolley stacked with empty jerrycans. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she fans herself gently. “It’s so hot!” she says, as the electric fans remain still due to another power outage that has left her flat sweltering in near darkness for hours.

Mirella Martínez’s flat in Havana has been without running water for nearly three years

This is how we do it: ‘I could have sex every day, but he says no about 80% of the time’

Will’s lack of self-worth is creating a barrier between him and Fi, but talking more could help them adjust to their mismatched libidos

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

I worry that Will sees me more as a mother figure than a sexual being

Trump revives old tropes as he pushes warnings of ‘communist menace’

President harks back to red scare of his childhood to attack US left – but will such language resonate beyond Maga base?

Perhaps above all else, Donald Trump is a child of the cold war.

Three months before the US president was born, Winston Churchill delivered a historic speech in Fulton, Missouri, that ushered in a generations-long existential struggle between western capitalism and Soviet communism.

Rage-giving, innovation and cuts: How public media has survived without federal funds

A year after President Trump signed a law ending six decades of federal funding of public media, it's a time of reinvention, innovation and clear anxiety at public tv and radio stations nationwide.

Lebanese displaced by war turn to satellites to check their homes

Unable to return home, some Lebanese displaced by Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon are buying satellite images to see whether their houses survived.

Keith David on his incredible career: ‘I want you to understand Black men as full-scope human beings’

The hard-working character actor has over 400 screen credits, from The Thing to Platoon to Rick and Morty, and he isn’t slowing down any time soon

Keith David’s voice precedes him. Deep and resonant, with mellifluous notes that hark back to his boys’ choir days, it has spent decades inhabiting warriors, gods, rogues, fathers and a welter of cartoon oddballs. Before David appears in a Zoom window from his Los Angeles home office, his voice reverberates through my tinny laptop speakers like a foghorn. “Can you see me now?” he booms once our connection is established after fits and starts. “OK. Outside of technology, you know I’m … OK.”

He fizzes about the project he just wrapped: a dark buddy comedy called My Friend Jim, in which he stars opposite Rob Lowe. It’s the latest entry in a seemingly unstinting slew of productions that have kept him booked and busy since the late 1970s, from The Thing to Platoon to There’s Something About Mary to Nope.

ADHD looks different in women and poses unique health risks

For decades, ADHD was viewed as a childhood condition that mostly affected boys. Researchers now know ADHD manifests differently in girls, but many still go undiagnosed until adulthood.

Meet the robots programmed by kids to speak their Indigenous languages

Many Native American languages are endangered. With the help of his mentor, a 12-year-old in Michigan hopes to help preserve his language through robotics.

Shania Twain’s honest playlist: ‘If Dancing Queen comes on, you rush out’

The country-pop superstar loves Abba and secretly listens to Lloyd Webber, but which British heartthrob’s single gets her out of bed in the morning?

The song that changed my life
There’s many critical songs on The Mission soundtrack, but Gabriel’s Oboe [by Ennio Morricone] hit me hard. I had to pull off the road, I cried like a baby. I didn’t realise how powerful music could be until that moment. I was 22.

The first single I bought
At Seventeen by Janis Ian. I reference it in my album Little Miss Twain and it says so much about the emotions of a teenage misfit. I felt like her, I related – but I was also thinking: “Wow, I have to some day write this well.” It gave me a goal; I was so in awe. I made very little money, babysitting, taking care of my neighbour’s horse, singing in bars. I would get like 20 bucks, that I would mostly give to my family, but I got that record for myself.

Student murdered by ex thought she was meeting him one last time

Catina Salarno's sister, Nina Salarno, became a prosecutor in California to warn others about a common tactic abusers use.

Family's battle for justice has impacted victims' rights

The 1979 murder of 18-year-old California college freshman Catina Salarno changed the course of her family's lives—sparking a decades-long battle to keep her killer in prison.

Horse trainer discovers pre-dug grave of missing California teen

After seeing a freshly dug hole while conditioning a horse, the equestrian found out later it was used to bury 17-year-old Justine Vanderschoot.

How the death of Jayden Adams shook a community: ‘Being on the pitch was his happy place’

Those who knew the South African, who died aged 25 not long after playing at the World Cup, describe a humble and hard-working man who cared about friends and family

For Jayden Adams, the South Africa midfielder who died this month at the age of 25, football was a “safe space”. Those words, used by Adams’s junior coach Steve Barker at his memorial service 10 days ago, tell you everything you need to know about his life beyond the pitch.

Adams’s battles were bestowed on him almost from birth. Though he was born into newly democratic South Africa, by the early 2000s the revolution was well on its way to being betrayed. The vote was extended to all, but few could make full use of the freedoms available to them because socioeconomic circumstances in the country had barely changed. Stellenbosch, where the Adams family were based, is a perfect example.

Am I a chicken-shop lefty? Here's what a French fast food row taught me about politics | Coco Khan

Feathers are flying over the halal chicken chain Master Poulet opening a branch in gentrified Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine – it’s an issue of wealth and class we know only too well

How do you like your progressive politics? Are you net-zero left or anti-identity politics left? A “legalising drugs” kind of radical or someone whose public sector solidarity includes police? Nato or Nat-no? The reputation for infighting in lefty spaces – where policy disagreements harden into personal tests of morality – needs neither introduction nor encouragement.

But reading about the left-on-left battle at Master Poulet, a French chicken chain that just opened its first UK branch, I found myself mulling a question that felt more than a little personal: am I chicken shop left?

Coco Khan is a freelance writer and co-host of the politics podcast Pod Save the UK

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‘It’s like bringing the kitchen into the piazza’: seven of the best Italian village food festivals

Sagre – the historic local events that pop up in villages across the country in summer – are the perfect way to get a taste of regional cuisine and culture

I cannot remember a summer when at least one evening hasn’t been spent following signs to a local sagra. Not quite a food market and not quite a village fete, a sagra is like a village moving its kitchen outdoors for a few nights.

When I think back to those nights from childhood, the first image that comes to mind is of a woman’s hand closed into a fist above a pan of hot oil. Through a tight circle formed between her thumb and forefinger, she would squeeze soft lumps of batter, one small ball at a time, into the oil. In a few seconds, each soft mass would become a pittula, a small Salento fritter: swollen, uneven, golden, too hot to eat straight away but too good to wait for.

Inside a family's fight to keep teen daughter's killers in prison

Justine Vanderschoot was 17 when she was brutally murdered by her boyfriend and his roommate in Placer County, California. More than 20 years later, her family continues to fight for justice.

UK journalists ‘self-censoring stories about Trump and the right over safety fears’

Government-backed investigation finds risks are normalised amid ‘a narrowing of the public conversation’

Journalists are self-censoring their reporting on rightwing protests, Donald Trump’s administration and trans issues because of growing concerns about their personal safety, with newsrooms accused of “normalising” the risks they face.

Hundreds of journalists from across the UK have anonymously disclosed increasing nervousness over their security. Some have reported avoiding or altering coverage on certain topics due to intimidation, leading to self-censorship and “a narrowing of the public conversation”.

Lennox. Manchester: ‘A boot camp of flavours’ – restaurant review

You’ll leave fed, challenged and gastronomically punch-drunk

Nico Simeone is the Scottish-Italian chef behind the Six by Nico restaurant empire, and Lennox, in Spring Gardens, Manchester, is his new baby. If you are unfamiliar with Six by Nico, it’s a fever-dream version of fine dining: Simeone conjured up themes such as “The Chippie”, “Italian Road Trip” and “Ancient Rome”, then served six courses in homage to them. Tokyo! Mad Hatters! Childhood! At one point, the Six empire was growing like knotweed, and by 2025 there were 17 restaurants. You had more chance of eating at a Six by Nico than finding an NHS dentist.

Suffice to say, many adore the concept – overlooking its middling cooking skills – because it’s pocket-friendly, and the six-course format gives a night out with friends a sense of occasion not available at Pizza Express. Lennox, Simeone says, will be very different: à la carte, focused on dry-aged meat, but with the same playfulness and invention. There would be a fish finger with katsu curry and celeriac remoulade; a tempura oyster shell filled with dry-aged beef tartare and oyster emulsion; and gnocchi with deboned chicken wings and parmesan. Lennox would be personal, bespoke and absolutely unscalable. No rollout planned, no siree. But by August 2026, there will be three of them. Hang on, what? Yes, shortly after Manchester came Glasgow, and then Edinburgh. Simeone sleeps with one eye open; I salute his indefatigability.

My partner’s mother dominates him and it makes me feel helpless | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

You are stepping into a family system with its own history and loyalties; try to consider how you might set boundaries without rejecting his mum

I’m in my 30s and have been living in Spain for a decade. My partner is Spanish and we have lived together for a year.

The bond he has with his mum sometimes makes me feel angry, jealous and helpless. I’m aware that, culturally, Spanish people often have closer bonds with their families and I try to accept that. He is an only child and his father left his family when he was a teenager and started another. I feel my partner has developed an unhealthy and codependent relationship with his mum.

Cocoa prices are easing. So why is chocolate still so expensive?

Chocolate firms look to win shoppers back with premium products and social media trends after poor weather conditions, tariffs, and the Iran war hit sales.

Typhoon Noul forces more than 715,000 from homes and cancels hundreds of flights in China and Hong Kong

Noul is the strongest typhoon to make landfall in China so far this year, state media reported

Typhoon Noul made landfall early Sunday bringing strong winds and heavy rain to southern China, including Hong Kong, over the weekend.

It prompted the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in Guangdong province with the region on high alert and hundreds of flights cancelled.

Gold dresses, flower markets and sitars: Pirelli’s 2027 calendar features all-Indian cast

Latest edition of one of world’s most influential fashion photography publications is also shot entirely in India

Against the ancient, weathered walls of Jaigarh fort, high on the hills above Jaipur, Bhavitha Mandava stood barefoot and draped in gold.

Just a few months earlier, the Indian model had been catapulted from a life of obscurity as a student at New York University to become one of the most recognisable and celebrated new faces of fashion. This year, she became the first Indian woman to open the Chanel catwalk at their Métiers d’Art show and her divisive Chanel outfit for the Met Gala, fashion’s most exclusive event, became an international talking point.

Beaten, robbed and driven out: violent demonstrations target immigrants in South Africa

Thousands have fled amid months of anti-immigration protests as campaigners demand undocumented people leave the country

In Thembelihle, an informal settlement south of Johannesburg where thousands of breeze-block houses and metal shacks line dirt streets flooded with filthy water, Malawians had lived for years alongside South Africans without any problems.

But in the last few weeks, a series of armed robberies has shaken the community. On 29 June, several men broke into the compound of Eibraheem Hussein, a 60-year-old Malawian who has lived in South Africa since 2000. They beat him and stole valuable items.

‘I panic. It turns to rubber’: could I learn to make omurice, the ‘world’s hardest omelette’?

These unctuous rice-filled Japanese egg dishes are all over social media. But what does it cost to make them? A lot of eggs and a whole lot of pans ...

Among the endless videos of cute animals, influencer vlogs and celebrity content, something unusual has been going viral across social media recently: omelettes. A far cry from the usual solid egg slabs served in cafes, these bright yellow omelettes are a fluffy, oval-shaped treat filled with unctuous liquid curds, which are typically sliced open to unfurl across a mound of rice. Called omurice, the Japanese dish has been called “the world’s hardest omelette to make”.

London-based software engineer Jeremy Ocampo, who goes by the social media tag OmuricePapi, has spent the past six months documenting his journey to perfect the art of the omurice online. In the process he has amassed 110,000 followers on YouTube and more than 68,000 on Instagram. “I’m Filipino, so I grew up eating rice and eggs every day, but it took going to Japan for the first time in 2025 to have my mind blown by omurice,” he says. “I was hooked: the presentation of slicing it open over your rice makes it so alluring, while you can’t replicate that texture of egg in any other dish. It’s so unique that when I got home, I decided to teach myself how to do it.”

One dead, several injured after vehicle plows through crowd at Berlin Pride event

Germany's interior minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a likely "Islamic terror attack", and named the suspect as Abdul Ballout, who was born in Germany and has Lebanese roots.

Man, 83, who went missing near Grand Canyon rescued after overnight search

Multiple teams worked to find and rescue Gerald Guinn, 83, after he disappeared during a hike near the Grand Canyon.

83-year-old rescued near Grand Canyon after missing for 2 days

An 83-year-old Utah man was found safe, two days after he went missing on what was supposed to be a brief hike in Grand Canyon National Park.

France and Spain fires force more than 300,000 to flee homes

In France, around 50,000 people were evacuated from their homes overnight into Sunday, according to interior minister Laurent Nuñez. At least one person has died in a fire in Spain, officials said.

California woman trying to swim down entire California coast

California woman Catherine Breed is trying to swim the entire length of the state's coast, over 900 miles. Kenny Choi has more on the potentially history-making feat.

Cyclospora outbreak dubbed "lettuce-gate" as health concerns spread across U.S.

Americans say they aren't convinced the cyclospora outbreak is under control as confirmed cases near 2,000.

Confusion around cyclosporiasis outbreak as RFK Jr. tries to calm concerns

The Centers for Disease Control said the cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce has expanded to four more states and sickened thousands. In the weeks following the initial reports, some consumers expressed confusion about what's safe and what's not. Ali Bauman has more details.

Americans struggling with even higher energy costs: "I'm getting shafted at the pump"

The escalating war with Iran is threatening even higher energy costs for Americans as many are already struggling with affordability. Olivia Gazis reports.

7/25: CBS Weekend News

Wildfires torch France and Spain; Iran war drives up gas prices again.

Saudi military strikes Houthi targets in Yemen after Iran-backed militia attacked Red Sea shipping

Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles from Yemen, Greek security sources told Reuters, as fighting in a second front in the Iran war escalates.

Millions of people are losing weight using GLP-1s. How do the drugs affect their love lives?

Prescribing doctors often warn of the medications’ potential side-effects – but unexpected impacts on romantic relationships are less understood

For Jennifer, obesity was the obvious culprit for most of her problems.

The litigation attorney told herself it was the reason why she wasn’t being invited to parties, and why she and her husband struggled with physical intimacy in their otherwise “solid” marriage.

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What makes a woman a witch? Financial independence

Women aren’t being burnt at the stake any more, but there is still risk and violence implicit in the label ‘witch’

When Katherine Harrison’s husband passed away, she became the wealthiest woman in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Rather than wallow in her new status as a young widow she decided to run the farm she’d inherited on her own. She took up ranching and a slew of other hobbies including brewing ale, spinning yarn and beekeeping. She traded honey and beeswax for candles. She was by all accounts, headstrong, outspoken and clever.

In many corners of the internet, Harrison’s interests are having a moment. Craft brewers have been spruiking classic ales for years, urban beekeeping is surging in popularity, and people are looking to textile-based crafts as ways to practise mindfulness.

Romantasy star Stacey McEwan: ‘You’re not going to recommend Fifty Shades of Grey to your Catholic grandma’

The author and BookTok luminary on the nightmare trope, how to convert a straight man into loving fantasy romance, and words that should never be used in a sex scene

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done for love?

I was working in a bakery on the Gold Coast and across the way was a Go Sushi, and I had a crush on the boy that worked there. I was about 16. We’d close at about the same time in the evening, and I would have to throw away all of the bread that we didn’t sell and he would have to throw away all the sushi. He would always finish first, so sometimes he’d come across and help me – not allowed, by the way. And I thought it would be really funny, on one such occasion, if I did a bit where I hollowed out a cob loaf and put it on my head and stacked loaves of bread up my arms, and I put Vienna loaves on my shoes and started skating around the floor calling myself Bread Girl, thinking that he’s obviously going to find this hilarious. He laughed along, then about five minutes later he asked me if he could have my older sister’s phone number.

Biden ghostwriter tapes to be released

Former President Joe Biden is declining to appeal a court ruling that allows the Justice Department to publicize recordings of conversations between him and a writer collaborating on his memoir.

Russian attack cuts power to around 150,000 in Ukraine’s north as Kyiv hits missile, oil facilities

The update comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed strikes on a key missile components facility in the Russian city of Kirov.

Eight family members found dead in Michigan fire, some with gunshot wounds

Firefighters responded to an emergency call and found the bodies, six of which were those of children

A devastating tragedy has unfolded in Michigan after emergency crews responding to a house fire found eight members of the same family, including six children, dead. At least some of the dead inside the home had gunshot wounds.

Deputies with the Ottawa county sheriff’s office and firefighters from the Grand Haven fire department were dispatched at about 11.40am local time on Friday to a residence on Riverside Trail in Grand Haven Township.

India's 'cockroach' movement ousts minister, but can Modi calm youth?

Led by Gen-Z youth across India, the movement has become perhaps the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 12 years in office.

Trump sued hours after new tariffs take effect, as experts say they may not hold up

President Donald Trump has renewed a flurry of tariffs, including slapping 25% duties on Brazilian imports and vowing 50% tariffs on goods from Canada.

From Silicon Valley to DC, the tech world is suddenly obsessed with one concept in AI: Distillation

Distillation has long been a topic for AI wonks, but it's become a hot-button issue of late as techies and lawmakers debate how it should be regulated.

Lou Koller, frontman of New York hardcore band Sick of It All, dies aged 59

Koller, who co-founded the celebrated band in 1986, had been battling cancer of the esophagus

Lou Koller, the singer and co-founder of New York hardcore band Sick of It All, has died after a battle with cancer, his bandmates announced. Koller was 59.

In a social media post on the band’s Instagram page, a statement paid tribute to Koller and his work and said: “The level of loss that we feel at this time is overwhelming.”

Trump cracks jokes at White House Correspondents' Dinner redo

President Trump cracked jokes at the redo of the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Friday night, after an armed assailant upended April's dinner.

Analysis: A powerful new coalition of AI skeptics is coalescing right in Trump's blind spot

Evangelicals, labor unions and anti-AI-data-center activists are part of a groundswell worrying about how fast technology is changing.

Euphoria gave me the courage to come out to my friend – now we’re together

I was uncertain about expressing my queerness, until I saw the way Zendaya and Hunter Schafer’s characters opened up to each other in HBO’s drama

I don’t remember the exact moment when I started catching feelings for my friend Ellen. It might have been when she trusted me to cut her hair into a feathered bob, or when I noticed she’d taken to keeping my favourite tea at her parents’ house. But in the summer of 2019, a month before our final year of school together, I realised I was falling in love.

We were 17 at the time and had been best friends since our first year of high school, both of us part of the same tight-knit group of girls. Ellen and I knew each other well and were quick to make each other laugh, but we were also very different. Whereas Ellen is reserved and gentle, I’m loud and loquacious. So my sudden attraction to her was confusing – especially since neither of us was openly queer.