Greetings from a surreal expanse of sand dunes dotted with freshwater lagoons in Brazil

The pristine white sand dunes of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park are bordered by thick jungle on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Thousands of lagoons fill up after the rainy season.

UK heatwave live: Burnham considers ban on disposable barbecues to prevent wildfires

Prime minister suggests possible measure as he prepares to chair emergency Cobra meeting in response to extreme heat

Here’s today’s latest Met Office forecast for UK cities:

Aberdeen 22C

Belfast 24C

Birmingham 32C

Cardiff 33C

Glasgow 25C

Liverpool 32C

London 32C

Newcastle 29C

Plymouth 31C

Sheffield 31C

Powerball jackpot grows to $1 billion, the biggest lottery prize of the year so far

The Powerball jackpot Wednesday has risen to $1 billion. The last person to win the jackpot was in May. Jason Allen reports.

U.S. Marine veteran freed from Russian prison after nearly 4 years

A U.S. Marine veteran from Massachusetts who has been held in Russia for more than four years on disputed charges has been released.

CoreWeave surges 20% in premarket after a 'cleaner quarter.' Here's what's happening

AI cloud giant CoreWeave jumped in premarket trading after reporting that its second-quarter revenue doubled on surging AI demand from hyperscalers.

Powerful storms in US midwest leave three dead and 800,000 without power

Winds of more than 80mph, severe flooding and tornadoes swept through Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky

Powerful storms swept across ⁠the midwest on Tuesday, leaving three dead and more than 800,000 without power in four states as winds gusts of more than 80mph (130km/h) tore down trees and power lines.

⁠In Indiana, a four-year-old child died after a tree fell on his ⁠home in Geneva Township and a person died in a suspected weather-related house explosion in Portage, a city about 30 miles south-east of Chicago.

Eli Lilly takes aim at illicit market for its experimental weight-loss drug

The pharmaceutical company is filing lawsuits against six outlets selling versions of its promising but unapproved weight-loss drug, retatrutide.

CPI report shows inflation eased in July to a 3.4% annual pace

The CPI report was in line with economists' expectations, marking the second consecutive month with cooler price pressures.

‘Today’s Brazilians have no idea what it feels like to lose democracy’: Joyce Moreno on her battles to become a Latin musical great

After her defiant femininity outraged many in Brazil, she lived through a military dictatorship and was boycotted for years. But after more than 30 albums, she explains how she kept going

At 78, Joyce Moreno is one of Brazil’s musical icons, but for decades that status seemed far from assured: this headstrong singer, guitarist and composer was frequently viewed as a threat by her country’s establishment. Aged 19, the reaction to her song Me Disseram – which began “I was told my man didn’t love me” – almost torpedoed her career before it even started. “I’d often heard the expression ‘my man’ sung by Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf, so for me it was normal,” she says. “But I was a beach girl from Ipanema, writing and singing in the first person. People were shocked.”

Then, inspired by trailblazing actor Leila Diniz (“her liberal attitudes lost her jobs”), Moreno refused requests that she “dress like a sexy bimbo”, and endured male critics who thought her music “too good to have been written by a woman”. When, in 1980, she discovered that her label had given another female singer the blueprints for songs she had written, she “looked for a lawyer, of course” and successfully sued; in her memoir she claims she was then boycotted by Brazil’s major record companies for a decade.

His wedding guests gave $6k to fund a health startup. Now it's won a $3 million prize

Dr. Raj Panjabi founded Last Mile Health to bring healthcare to people living in remote areas. The group is the 2026 recipient of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

Consumer prices rose 0.1% in July, as expected, putting the annual rate at 3.4%

The consumer price index was expected to increase 0.1% in July, with an annual rate of 3.4%.

Trump addresses secret Air Force One swap as new questions swirl

President Trump secretly left Turkey last month following a NATO summit on a different plane than Air Force One even though many others were still allowed to board. Mr. Trump on Tuesday made his first public comments about the secret switch. Nancy Cordes reports.

Global energy watchdog warns oil stockpiles ‘rapidly depleting’ – business live

The International Energy Agency calls for urgent reopening of the strait of Homuz amid ongoing pressure on global oil supplies

Opec has lowered its full-year forecast for world oil demand growth for the fourth month in a row.

The oil producing cartel said it was now expecting oil demand to have grown to 580,000 barrels per day, according to a copy of the monthly report seen by Reuters.

Etna, fishing boats at dawn and Berlin Wall art: photos of the day – Wednesday

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

Zhu Rongji, who drove China's 1990s economic reforms, has died at 97

Zhu was renowned for reforms that sought to transition China from the post-Maoist years to a more global market-oriented financial system, without ceding party control over the economy.

Panama canal fees soar due to Iran war and El Niño as ship ‘pays $4m to jump queue’

Falling water levels linked to weather system are expected to limit number of slots to transit shipping lane

• Business live – latest updates

Commercial ships travelling through the Panama canal are facing a rise in costs amid disruption triggered by the Iran war and falling water levels linked to this year’s intense El Niño weather system.

Highlighting the fragility of global trade, a container ship reportedly paid about $4m (£3m) to jump a queue of vessels waiting to pass through the vital maritime choke point.

White House asked DOJ about new Reflecting Pool case against David Hearn

Earlier this month, however, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the case, citing new information that the damage was caused by a "botched installation" by a contractor, not vandalism.

At least 44 dead after overcrowded ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe

Operation under way to rescue dozens missing after boat overturned by waves at world’s largest human-made lake

At least 44 people have died after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, police said.

The boat had a capacity of 90 people, but was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unknown number of children, Zimbabwe’s civil protection unit (CPU) said earlier on Wednesday, citing ticket sales.

Fighter jets intercept civilian plane over Geneva, Ohio

F-16 fighter jets intercepted a civilian plane that violated a temporary flight restriction over Geneva, Ohio, where President Trump attended the 2026 Patriot Games.

Cambridge agrees to hold independent inquiry into Jason Arday appointment

Vice-chancellor Deborah Prentice says she recognises the ‘difficult case’ has damaged the university

Cambridge University’s leadership has bowed to internal pressure for an independent investigation into its appointment of Jason Arday as a professor, with its vice-chancellor admitting the affair has damaged the institution.

Prof Deborah Prentice said she recognised the “anger and anxiety around this damaging and difficult case” but described it as an aberration that should not be used to cast aspersions on the abilities of its staff of colour.

Mortgage rates finally stop rising, causing demand to trickle back

Mortgage rates finally eased a tiny bit, but it was enough to bring some demand back to a very beleaguered mortgage market.

Hong's defeat in Wisconsin deals blow to rising Democratic socialists

Progressive Democrats keep their winning streak rolling in Minnesota.

Humpbacks return to Rio: the whales are back from the brink of extinction – but will tourism help or hinder?

The gigantic aquatic acrobats are exciting Brazil’s tourists as numbers recover from whaling. But some marine biologists question how booming tourism and conservation can coexist

The anticipation is palpable onboard the Boaventura II as the yacht sets off from Rio de Janeiro at sunrise. Once beyond the Cagarras Islands, rocky outcrops just three miles off Ipanema beach, the group gathers at the bow and starts scanning the horizon.

They do not have to wait long. “Eleven o’clock!” someone calls out, as a pod of bottlenose dolphins appears, playfully diving in and out of the water. Then, two spouts of vapour hanging in the air signal the reason for the outing: a pair of humpback whales. The majestic mammals surface to breathe with an unhurried chuff, before revealing the underside of their fluke as they dive back underwater.

How to use up parmesan rind to make pesto – recipe | Waste not

Why waste the tastiest bit of the cheese?

Although parmesan rind is tough, it has just as much, if not more flavour than the cheese from inside the wheel itself. It can be used just as it is to flavour stock or risi e bisi (Venetian pea risotto), but grating it opens up a whole range of other uses, such as in my mac and cheese “rinds” and today’s parmesan rind pesto. The flavour is very powerful, though, so add it to taste: you may find that you need a lot less than you think you do.

Meta and Nvidia plant 'very firm flag' in open-weight AI race led by Chinese Labs

With China way ahead in the market for open-weight models, Meta and Nvidia are both doing what they can to put the U.S. on the map.

Scorching heat is straining Europe's nuclear power supplies — and prompting drastic measures

Heat and drought are curbing nuclear output across Europe, with Romania facing a possible reactor shutdown and France reducing generation.

Deadly storms, tornadoes slam Midwest, causing widespread power outages

More than 700,000 customers in the Midwest were still without power early Wednesday after perilous thunderstorms and tornadoes hit the region.

Double murderer and rapist Simon Levy handed whole-life tariff

Errors by police and prosecutors left serial sex offender free to murder Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins

Simon Levy, the sexual predator left free by police and prosecution errors to murder two women, will never leave prison after being sentenced to a whole-life tariff.

Levy was convicted on Friday of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins five months later. He was also convicted of attacking and raping another woman, 35, in January 2025, who survived and gave damning testimony against him.

How the Secret Service is cracking down on card-skimming scams

A Secret Service analyst told CBS News a single skimming device can net a scammer up to $1 million.

Fever’s White says critics can ‘go to hell’ over handling of Sophie Cunningham controversy

• Coach was booed by sections of Fever fanbase

• Fever’s success on court continues despite distractions

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White has pushed back on those who have criticized how she has handled the controversy that erupted after Saturday’s game between her team and the Chicago Sky.

Sky’s DiJonai Carrington was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul after she struck Fever’s Sophie Cunningham in the head and neck during Saturday’s game. Afterwards, White, – who previously coached Carrington at ⁠the Connecticut Sun – said she did not believe Carrington intentionally aimed for Cunningham’s neck. White was booed by some Fever fans before Tuesday’s win over the New York Liberty, while Indiana’s lieutenant governor has called for her to be fired.

Takeaways from Tuesday primaries. And, Iran threat prompted Trump's secret plane swap

Yesterday's primaries provided more insight into what voters in both parties want from their new leaders. And, Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey last month amid a foreign threat

Premier League 2026-27 preview No 6: Chelsea

After a period of underachievement and upheaval for the Blues, the arrival of Xabi Alonso could signal a change in fortunes

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 3rd (NB: this is not necessarily Billy Munday’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 10th

Halting the march of the armyworm: fungus discovery offers hope to African farmers

South African scientist’s breakthrough research shows soil fungus could be used in fight against devastating crop pest

Hearing about fields full of dead caterpillars enveloped in a mysterious white substance intrigued the South African scientist Letodi Luki Mathulwe. Something was killing off the African armyworm – one of the most devastating pests for farmers in east and southern Africa.

The white substance was a naturally occurring fungus and it was wiping out the caterpillar, which gained its name from its march-like advance through fields of crops.

‘It is just smelling football’: Tielemans says adjusting to life at United has come naturally

• Midfielder says experience has helped him settle in

• ‘It’s what I’ve been doing from when I was young’

Youri Tielemans has stated that adjusting to Michael Carrick’s vision for Manchester United has been as easy as “smelling football” for the vastly experienced £35m midfield signing.

The 29-year-old, who joined from Aston Villa last month, made his debut for Anderlecht at the age of 16. He has been integrating with the United squad during the past 10 days of the club’s pre-season tour, making his first appearance in the 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on Saturday.

Barcelona make improved £51m bid for Rodri as Manchester City target Fernández

• Latest offer close to City’s valuation for Spain midfielder

• Chelsea’s £120m price for Fernández may be too high

Barcelona have made an improved bid to Manchester City of around €60m (£51m) for Rodri. This follows Barça’s initial offer of €45m that was rejected out of hand by City.

The Spanish club’s new offer – which may include add-ons – is close to City’s valuation for the 30-year-old who captained Spain to the World Cup and won the Ballon d’Or in 2024.

Andrew Tate's extradition fight tests his influence with Trump's America

After President Trump took office, Andrew Tate proclaimed, "The Tates will be free." A year later, Tate is being held in federal prison after he was arrested following a U.K. extradition request.

Germany approves lifting curbs on spy agencies in security ‘revolution’

Reforms comply with wishlist of intelligence services which say Germany lags behind allies and enemies

The German government has approved a draft law aimed at lifting many of the restraints on its spy agencies imposed during the postwar period as the country reels from two attacks in a month that have exposed serious security gaps.

The controversial changes, which must still pass parliament, largely comply with a wishlist pulled together by the foreign and domestic intelligence services, which have long complained Germany lags behind its allies and enemies.

Heard about the ‘luteal uglies’? Women know more about our hormones than ever – and that’s beautiful | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

When I was younger, female biology was seen as something to be overcome. Now we can talk about the reality of living in our bodies

Have you got the “luteal uglies”? I’m not trying to insult you, merely deploying the latest hormonal buzz phrase on social media, which refers to the phase in a woman’s cycle, two or so weeks between ovulation and menstruation, when she apparently feels at her lowest and most unattractive due to a drop in oestrogen levels.

Women’s hormones have become trending topics and, as someone who only found out what a “luteal phase” is when she Googled it, mid-fertility panic, in her late 20s, I am somewhat in awe of the expertise with which younger women discuss their menstrual cycles now. They’re just so incredibly literate.

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist and the author of Female, Nude

Trump’s secret flight switch indicates severity of assassination threat by Iran

Iran lost top leaders in the war and US ‘humiliation ... a form of revenge’, say experts, after administration’s flight ruse

Since the joint US-Israeli strikes in February that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and scores of other senior Iranian officials on the first day of the war, a revenge plot to kill Donald Trump should not have appeared far-fetched.

But the US administration’s elaborate ruse to spirit Trump off of Air Force One in Turkey last month indicates a credibility to the Iranian threat that has surprised many in Washington – including the Trump aides and journalists left on the jet that may have remained the target of an Iranian missile strike.

‘Bold and ethical’: doctors on AOC’s egg-freezing journey - and Maga’s criticisms of it

In documenting the process, AOC is defying the right’s pronatalist narratives about motherhood and women’s careers

On Sunday, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced that she is freezing her eggs. The 36-year-old New York congresswoman took to Instagram to document the process, complete with jabbing a syringe into her stomach on camera.

“Don’t be weird about this,” Ocasio-Cortez said, “even though I know all of you will be.”

I was enjoying growing vegetables. Then the climate crisis raised its ugly head | Bim Adewunmi

My child and I were bonding over our hit-and-miss approach to reaping crops. But with heatwaves pushing more of Britain into drought, it’s starting to feel like a luxury we can’t afford

For the first time in my life, I live in a home that has real outdoor space. What a concept! There are no downsides to a garden. Back in spring, I made grand plans – I watched all the TikToks, I bought seeds and trays and pots and grow bags, I ordered soil, a trowel and a watering can. I knew what I was after: super-tiny-scale subsistence farming with a side of Zen. A little fruit, a little veg, lots of flowers to attract pollinators. And I knew I wanted my elder child to gain an understanding of how things come to be and how to cope if and when they fail.

We love a tomato side salad, so that was the first thing we attempted. The seedlings flourished and then died in the first heatwave of the season. An omen, surely. The dahlias, ranunculus and freesias refused to grow, let alone bloom. My enthusiasm began to wane.

David Crowley wins Democratic primary for Wisconsin’s governor in upset over progressive Francesca Hong

Crowley pulls off last-minute victory in tight race after polls had shown Hong as the clear Democratic frontrunner

David Crowley, the Milwaukee county executive, won the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor after beating the Democratic socialist Francesca Hong.

Crowley pulled off a last-minute victory after re-entering the campaign and snagging an endorsement from Tony Evers, the outgoing governor.

Saudi Pro League tries to move on from era of ageing megastar but big names still loom | John Duerden

As Ronaldo heads towards 1,000 career goals, the league plans to lift the standard of Saudi Arabian football, not just the clubs

There is no Mohamed Salah in the new Saudi Pro League season that kicks off on Thursday and while the era of the ageing megastar is ending, there is still the strong chance that the next few months will be dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo. The 41-year-old is 24 shy of 1,000 career goals and, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner having scored 102 in 107 league games for Al-Nassr so far, the milestone could – should – be reached this season.

Huge as that will be, just how it fits into the plans of the league is unclear. This is the fourth season since the spending started with $957m (£710m) splashed out in that summer of 2023. It delivered thousands of articles, dozens of international broadcasting deals and untold numbers of people worldwide sporting the yellow CR7 Al-Nassr shirt. Now, though, the focus is on getting a little more value for money and lifting not just the clubs but the standard of Saudi Arabian football in general.

Feel so busy you don't even realize you're busy? Try doing a time audit

The exercise can help you identify what's wasting your time — and make room for what matters, says psychotherapist Niro Feliciano. Take a moment to try it. You might be surprised with what you find.

Mutants assemble: what does the future hold for the X-Men?

After the introduction of a key character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Marvel is bringing back one of its most beloved franchises – but the return comes at a precarious time

Later-period Marvel movies have resorted to more fantastical plot devices such as parallel universes and time travel in an attempt to raise stakes in an increasingly complicated, superhero-populated cinematic universe. After Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a Marvel/Sony co-production that’s making a run at biggest-movie-of-all-time status, it feels as if those devices are making incursions into the real world and messing with the sacred timeline of superhero movies. Brand New Day has spurred speculation about the upcoming MCU reboot of the X-Men, seeded with the introduction of powerful telepath mutant Jean Grey (Sadie Sink). It’s like a reversed version of the early-century superhero boom, when the first X-Men movie became an unexpected smash in the summer of 2000, priming audiences for the record-shattering debut of the first Spider-Man two years later.

The only teasing of Spider-Man in the 2000 X-Men movie hid in the DVD’s blooper reel, featuring an outtake where someone (not Tobey Maguire) runs into the frame in full Spidey regalia, as a prank. At the time, there was no Marvel Studios making in-house movies; the company’s superheroes were at the mercy of whatever studio happened to license them. Fox had the X-Men, and parlayed them into a 20-year, 13-movie franchise. Meanwhile, Sony had Spider-Man, and made five of those (three with Maguire, two with Andrew Garfield) before striking a deal for the ascendant Marvel Studios to produce further installments within their MCU, while Sony retains the actual movie rights.

Carcass Clad: stifling tank combat promises tension, terror and surprising laughs

After the success of space horror Mouthwashing, Swedish developer Wrong Organ has created a Battlefield-inspired co-op with a supernatural twist

‘Claustrophobic”, “oppressive”, “pretty depressing” – these are the words Jeffrey Tomec and Dave van Egdom volunteer when I ask them to reflect on their work as part of Swedish indie developer Wrong Organ. I’d add “nightmare-inducing”, too. Their last game, Mouthwashing, was an acclaimed work of horror storytelling set on a scuttled space freighter, in which players uncover the horrible things its desperate crew have done to each other.

When you’re planning a follow-up to something so pitilessly nasty, how do you raise the stakes? Well, you could set the entire game in the stifling crew compartment of a heavily armoured tank, a coffin-like interior you share with two other players as you co-operatively attempt to pilot your beleaguered war machine to safety through the crumbling remains of a city in enemy territory.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls review – an anime-style rumble that’s rooting for you

PlayStation 5, PC; Arc System Works/Sony Interactive Entertainment
With tremendous visuals and accessible controls, this superhero-themed fighter has the chops to inspire a new generation of champs

Arriving at the turn of the millennium and the twilight of the video arcade, Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes has long been a high-water mark for fighting games, with no heir apparent; its massive, colourful roster and frenetic, spectacular combos have lured newcomers and elite competitors alike. Developer Arc System Works, a fan-favourite studio famous for its hyper-fluid and extremely technical anime-style fighting games, has been on a long journey to usurp Capcom’s throne. With Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, it may have finally achieved this difficult task.

Marvel Tōkon is less an attempt to recreate a Marvel vs Capcom-esque phenomenon out of whole cloth, and more a thoughtful evolution of the developer’s previous riffs on the formula such as 2018’s BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Dragon Ball FighterZ, building on its low-floor, high-ceiling approach. Simplified inputs allow players to execute combos and finishers with a single button, which gives novices the confidence to keep playing and inspires them to study and improve – because when anyone can pull off a flashy ultimate skill or EX attack, strategy and mastery take on a premium. And Marvel Tōkon has great depths to plumb.

Are hacks of U.S. water facilities a new front in the Iran war?

A recent series of cyberattacks on U.S. water systems has exposed vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure during the Iran war.

How a road could change West Africa's urban future

A 600-mile journey along the shores of Nigeria, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast reveals one of the world's most consequential transformations.

Millions of US tax dollars sent to rightwing European thinktanks. Did any Trump supporters vote for that? | Arwa Mahdawi

It’s a great betrayal: poor communities neglected while multimillionaires peddle a global Maga agenda. How is that America first?

“THE CORRUPTION IS AT LEVELS RARELY SEEN BEFORE,” Donald Trump posted on Truth Social in February 2025. He was not referring to his own administration, but to the US Agency for International Development (USAID). “CLOSE IT DOWN!” the president added.

Just a few hours later USAID was in effect closed down, with most of the staff placed on indefinite administration leave. This was framed as part of Trump’s “America first” agenda. USAID, the Trump administration and his sycophants in the rightwing media had argued, was wasting taxpayers’ hard-earned money on ridiculous projects abroad instead of improving life at home. In the lead-up to the shuttering of USAID, for example, one of the most shameless lies about the agency, repeated without any evidence by the likes of Fox News, was that it was spending millions on condoms for Gaza.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

Chum review – daft shark attack movie with wedding guests running gamut of toothy undersea beast

Producer-star Alice Eve seems to be laughing along with the audience in this deeply silly high-concept thriller

To be as clear as the crystalline waters in which the characters here frolic before their blood turns the ocean the colour of sangria: this is grade A tosh. It’s a deeply stupid high-concept feature wherein a bunch of bourgie wedding guests run afoul of an errant great white shark. The twist is (and it’s really not much of a surprise) that the true enemy is not really the shark, which is only following its sharky instincts. No, the bad guy is a bereaved weirdo called Roy (Jim Klock), who wants revenge on the shark for eating his wife in the opening pre-credits sequence.

Alice Eve, who is also one of the film’s producers, at least seems to be having a bit of a giggle playing Tina, the most resourceful of Roy’s victims. Tina is a lawyer who should be enjoying the first days of her marriage to Tom (Eric Michael Cole) after their lavish destination wedding – except it looks like they are heading for a swift annulment, because ecowarrior Tom is disgusted with Tina for considering taking on an oil company as a client. They can’t make peace on the topic, and in the middle of an endless bicker they are press-ganged into what is supposed to be a relaxing three-hour cruise with a bunch of disposable secondary characters.

‘Sometimes they credit the janitor. But not us’: what’s it like to be a child chaperone on a film set?

Safeguarding young people in films is a vital role, often remembered by their charges later in successful careers, but not always recognised. Some of the best share their tips

Linda Matthews has rarely had to stop a production in its tracks. Steve Stone’s 2017 psychological horror In Extremis was an exception. Set on an isolated country estate during an apocalyptic storm, it follows a family that have to confront the oncoming disaster and their own personal demons to survive. For Matthews, however, the real drama unfolded behind the camera. “I don’t mind being the big bad person,” she says. “I was working with a young girl who was playing a cancer patient. She had to wear a bald cap and everything. Just as we were about to film, she burst into tears. She told me it reminded her of her friend’s mum, who was going through cancer treatment. That was the end of that.”

You may assume Matthews is a producer or a very hands-on investor, but you would be mistaken. After leaving a career in banking, she founded Premier Chaperones in 2010 and has spent the past 15 years safeguarding children on some of the world’s biggest film and television sets.

Songs of Forgotten Trees review – sensitive, ambiguous drama of female intimacy in Mumbai

A sex worker and a call centre employee forge an ambiguous relationship in a film of strong feelings

In a tiny crumbling Mumbai apartment two women move around each other, squeezing into the kitchen to cook, or past one another in the hallway. The cramped space hems them in – just as society limits their choices. That is surely the point first-time director Anuparna Roy is making in a gentle drama set mostly in the apartment about the closeness that develops between the two women.

One of the roommates is Thooya (Naaz Shaikh), an actor and part-time sex worker. The apartment belongs to a client, Nitin (Bushan Shimpi), an arrangement that outrages the neighbours. Thooya doesn’t care what they think, and has rented the second bedroom to a stranger, Shweta (Sumi Baghel), who works from home for an IT call centre. There is an awkwardness between them at first that develops into … what exactly? Romance? It looks that way, although the film’s final scene is ambiguous.

Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent. What is to blame?

The climate crisis is hitting Europe hard in 2026, warming twice as fast as any other continent – and the consequences are deadly

The whole world is getting hotter as carbon pollution from fossil fuel burning traps ever more heat, but Europe is heating up twice as fast as other continents. The consequences are increasingly deadly, with tens of thousands of heatwave deaths so far this summer.

The Guardian’s climate forum 2026: On Tuesday 20 October, join Damian Carrington and our panel of experts, including Professor Andy Haines, Katie White MP, Asad Rehman, Shruti Suresh Gareth Thomas and Amy Fairman, for a hopeful and solutions-focused evening. Book tickets here or at guardian.live

Expecting to fly: Avery Norman’s moving images of girlhood – in pictures

The Texas-born photographer – and LensCulture critics’ choice award winner – talks us through her images exploring youth, identity and desire

Katendrecht: Rotterdam’s sailors’ quarter reinvented as cultural hub

The regeneration of historic warehouses has transformed this former red-light district into one of the port city’s most vibrant areas

A thin peninsula just south of Rotterdam’s centre, Katendrecht was once at the heart of the world’s busiest port, home to continental Europe’s first Chinatown and a lively sailors’ quarter. Its later reputation as a red light district has been shrugged off – part of the city’s wider reinvention in the aftermath of extensive second world war bombing.

A moment that changed me: My stammer made life a misery – then a song gave me back my voice

As a teenager, I was so ashamed of my speech disability that even my family didn’t know about it. When Scatman John came on the radio, celebrating his own stammer in a hit about self-esteem, I knew I had to meet him

For most of my life, I had one goal: don’t get found out. I was a covert stammerer (or stutterer). Nobody realised I had a speech disability, because whenever I felt I was going to get stuck on a word, I switched it or stayed silent. I appeared fluent by avoiding certain sounds, words, situations and people. You’d never catch me on the phone. In restaurants, I ordered what was easier to say, rather than what I wanted. At school, I skipped any class where I might have to read aloud. On top of that, I was a shy, geeky redhead with braces who was bullied relentlessly. Not even my family knew I stammered. I believed I would never have a good job, a relationship, or a way out.

What changed that was not therapy or a chance moment of inspiration. It was a weird song blasting from my dad’s car radio in the summer of 1995.

Thailand suspends gun licences as teen shooter and grandparents he killed are cremated

Prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul calls for tighter gun controls and ‘decisive penalties’ after nine dead in school shooting

Thailand has suspended firearms licences after the deadly Nonthaburi school shooting, as the bodies of the teenage attacker and the grandparents he killed were cremated.

The prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, said he had ordered the interior ministry and police to stop issuing licences to possess, purchase and carry firearms, and called for “tighter controls and decisive penalties”. The measures are temporary until a new gun control law is in place, according to government operated news-channel NBT World.

Tarte tatin, spicy pork chops and crumble: Ravinder Bhogal’s gooseberry recipes

The gooseberry makes itself welcome in both sweet and savoury settings: in a tarte tatin, in a lively salad for spicy, herby pork chops and in a crumble custard cake

In the summer glut of saccharine fruits such as strawberries and peaches, gooseberries may not be the ones you reach for first. But behind their strange burr of fine fuzz, these translucent, marble-like fruits offer a complex, defiant flavour. They are juicy, fragrant, a little sweet (especially the red ones that come along later in the season), but, overall, they are raspishly sour. Like rhubarb, they need sweetening if you’re using them in compotes or desserts, but their natural tartness offers a wonderful contrast and cuts through cheese, fatty meat such as pork or oily fish such as mackerel.

Mass evacuations in Beijing as Typhoon Dolphin brings more torrential rain to China

Forecasters warned the Chinese capital could receive more than one-third of its average annual rainfall over 24 hours

Thousands of people have been evacuated from areas at risk of flooding and landslides in Beijing, as the remnants of Typhoon Dolphin continue to bring torrential rain to northern and central China.

Forecasters warned on Tuesday that the Chinese capital could receive more than 150mm of rain over the following 24 hours, with some districts forecast to exceed 200mm – more than one-third of Beijing’s average annual rainfall of 528mm.

High school football player in Arkansas practices with 2ft viper in helmet

• Two-foot venomous snake found inside helmet

• Player wore gear for nearly an hour without a bite

• Officers used water to force reluctant reptile out

A high school football player in Arkansas had every right to be rattled after finding a venomous snake inside his helmet during practice.

The Maumelle High student felt unusual movement inside his headgear following warmups last week and brought his helmet to an assistant coach for inspection. A slithering two-foot cottonmouth was discovered behind some padding.

Israel deliberately starting wildfires in southern Lebanon, firefighters say

First responders, residents and environmental groups say military dropping flares to destroy forests and crops

Firefighters and residents of south Lebanon have accused the Israeli military of lighting wildfires in the region, as forested areas burned down in blazes sparked by Israeli bombing.

Environmental groups said the fires in recent weeks were part of a longstanding Israeli practice of targeting Lebanon’s natural environment.

British man with dementia told to leave Sweden after losing migration case

Exclusive: Horace Mason, 74, who has lived in Sweden for 25 years, faces being deported after court ruling

A 74-year-old British man who has been living in Sweden for 25 years who needs round-the-clock care for dementia has been given 10 days to leave the country after he lost a post-Brexit migration court case.

The deportation order comes after a Swedish court ruling in July that the government’s drive to reduce immigration trumped the needs of a man in full-time care.

‘I turned down Gandhi because I’m terrified of snakes’: the amazing movie memories of Bruce Dern

Famed for playing loners, cranks and wayward angels, the Hollywood star is now a wolfish 90 – but he still jogs daily. As he takes his latest film to Edinburgh, we meet the man Hitchcock called ‘the golden calf’

‘Can you take another story?” asks the veteran actor Bruce Dern towards the end of our talk, as though every tale is a drink and the landlord has called last orders. He doesn’t want to keep me and knows we’re running out of time. It’s just that one memory sparks another and these tales won’t tell themselves. He says that the next one is a doozy. “It’s about Marilyn Monroe.”

Throw out all the questions and turn the clocks to the wall. One does not interview Dern so much as say hello, hit record and sit back. The man began his career acting alongside Montgomery Clift and Mary Astor and has collaborated with everyone from John Wayne to Tom Hanks, Hitchcock to Tarantino. He’s the lawless survivor of American movies, blown in from the past, and talking 19 to the dozen. “I’m 90 fucking years old,” he tells me. “So I’m not going to be around to see all this AI shit or whatever. But I don’t consider myself old. I still walk and jog every day.”

‘It’s going to be spectacular’: Millions flock to Spain seeking best view of total solar eclipse

Eclipse chasers, tourists and astronomers searching for the clearest skies to watch the two minutes of totality

The online forums are abuzz as people debate potential cloud cover and trade tips on the best viewing points. Hours before wide swathes of Spain were set to experience the country’s first total solar eclipse in more than a century, the excitement was palpable.

“It’s going to be spectacular,” said César González, an astronomer and science communicator at the Madrid Planetarium. “A total solar eclipse is one of the best spectacles in nature.”

Trump’s Air Force One deception faces scrutiny over ‘decoy’ passengers

Journalists and others were allowed to fly on presidential jet despite security threat while Trump was spirited away

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Democrats called on Tuesday for a congressional briefing over a stunning charade in which Donald Trump was secretly spirited to a different plane than the one the public and press believed he was travelling on. Critics now question why reporters and the public had been deliberately misled.

When US intelligence allegedly found a credible threat that Iran plotted to kill him last month, Trump left Air Force One in a catering truck, an episode first reported by the Washington Post and also by the New York Times. While the president was reportedly snuck out the side door of the plane, more than a hundred aides, officials and reporters were kept onboard to fly towards Britain, without being told there was a threat to their lives.

14-term Rep. John Larson ousted by challenger in Connecticut Democratic primary

Democratic Rep. John Larson — who has represented central Connecticut since the late 1990s — lost his party's primary Tuesday to former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, CBS News has projected.

Passenger jet billed as China’s answer to Boeing and Airbus prepares to make first international flight

The Comac C919 will fly from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, although experts say it could take generations for it to challenge the west’s dominance of the industry

China hopes to break into the world of commercial aviation with the first international flight of a Chinese-made passenger jet scheduled for Wednesday.

The Comac C919 will take off from Beijing capital international airport at 3pm, landing in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, just over two hours later.

High school football player finds venomous snake inside helmet he was wearing

The Maumelle High football player wore the helmet for nearly an hour and was fortunate he wasn't bitten, animal services director Chris Davis said.

ICE plans to give officers gloves that can deliver electric shocks

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks that are intended to gain compliance from combative individuals.

Beach town mayor worries social media trend could lead to shark attack

Bay Head Mayor Bill Curtis worries that baiting sharks close to shore in order to take pictures and videos of them could be a recipe for disaster.

Some fishers lure sharks into shallow waters, causing concern in New Jersey

Shark fishing videos caused concern this summer in New Jersey, as some people lured big sharks close to swimmers. Tom Hanson has the story.

Farm linked to cyclosporaisis outbreak went years without FDA inspection

The FDA has long fallen short of legally required inspection targets, and foreign inspections fell further last year amid agency layoffs.

Melon-gate was a non-issue in Japan. How did it get elevated to a crisis in Australia? | Malcolm Farr

Anthony Albanese’s comments about melons given to him by Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi continue to make headlines weeks after they were made

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The government continues to face an all-out effort, led by parts of the media, to depict Anthony Albanese as the Benny Hill of international diplomacy endangering Australia’s regional standing.

There is ongoing anger – or so we’re told – over a crude double entendre from the Australian prime minister made over a month ago that indirectly involved his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi and her gift of two melons during her recent Australian visit.

Doctor discusses released Fauci texts on the COVID vaccine and pregnant women

Republican senators this week released 11 new text messages from Dr. Anthony Fauci's government phone in 2021 as part of the investigations into his handling of the COVID pandemic. In the texts, he discussed the potential risks and benefits of the vaccine for pregnant women. Dr. Serena Chen, an OB-GYN and the director of advocacy at CCRM Fertility of New Jersey, has more.

Thunderstorms cause major travel delays, ground stops

Storms in the Midwest caused widespread travel troubles on Tuesday. More than 7,000 flights were delayed or canceled, with the biggest backlogs in Chicago and New York. Kris Van Cleave reports from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and Rob Marciano has the forecast.

Storms hit Midwest as wildfires rage in western states

Powerful storms swept across the Midwest and into the mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday night. The outbreak of storms brought hurricane-force winds of up to 100 miles per hour, along with tornadoes and flash flooding. Ian Lee reports.

Trump took secret flight from Turkey NATO summit last month due to Iranian missile threat

President Trump secretly switched from Air Force One to a different plane after a NATO summit in Turkey last month. The U.S. had learned of a credible Iranian missile threat as he left Turkey's capital. Ed O'Keefe reports.

CoreWeave stock pops 14% as revenue doubles on accelerating AI infrastructure demand

CoreWeave's revenue is surging as the AI boom continues, but the company is also sitting on $35 billion in debt.

Trump administration bars use of Medicaid funds for some youth transgender care

Medicaid said it won't pay for gender-affirming surgeries or hormones for transgender minors.

GM reaches up to $4.5 billion parts deal designed to avoid supply chain troubles

The deal follows years of global automotive supply chain issues for GM and other companies.

Trump Media sells $100,000 Truth Social data access, drawing scrutiny

Customers are paying up to $100,000 a month for faster access to Truth Social posts from President Trump and other top users of the social media platform.

8/11: CBS Evening News

President Trump took secret flight out of July's NATO summit due to Iranian missile threat; storms hit Midwest as wildfires rage in western states.

Romell Glave soars to European men’s 100m title in British one-two ahead of Jeremiah Azu

• Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs pulls up injured

• Italy’s Nadia Battocletti wins gold in women’s 5,000m

On Marcell Jacobs’ right arm there is a tattoo of the Roman colosseum and a gladiator: a reminder of his fighting spirit and what Italy’s capital means to him. But in the swirling bearpit of a European championships 100m final, the former Olympic champion’s body dramatically broke down.

That was the first shock. The second was the sight of two Britons, Romell Glave and Jeremiah Azu, blasting through to take gold and silver.

8/11: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Six states hold primaries as the 2026 midterm election cycle continues; New details on Trump's secret plane switch.

Play video games? You, too, could become an air traffic controller

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is touting the success of a campaign targeting video gamers to train as air traffic controllers.

Flames shoot out of plane's engine after apparent bird strike

An American Airlines plane bound for North Carolina was forced to return to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, when flames erupted from its left engine due to an apparent bird strike.

Social Security adds 14 conditions to fast-track disability list

The Social Security Administration is expanding its list of diseases and other health conditions that may qualify for accelerated approval of disability benefits.

An inflation report Wednesday should be a big deal for the Fed. Here's what to expect

The consumer price index is expected to show only a modest increase for July.

Richard Tice accused of ‘nasty tactics’ over legal threat to the Guardian

Reform deputy leader condemned for seeking disclosure of documents that could reveal reporter’s sources

Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice has been accused of using “nasty tactics” in an attempt to intimidate journalists and deflect attention from his own financial affairs after issuing a legal threat to the Guardian.

In a letter sent from his lawyers, a Guardian correspondent was singled out for her reporting on a series of Tice’s financial transactions that were referred to the National Crime Agency.

Trump says NYC pied-à-terre tax 'must be stopped,' eyes federal block

Trump in a Truth Social post called Mamdani's pied-à-terre tax a "dangerous political 'experiment' in New York will destroy" the city and state.

Democrats clash again in Minnesota and Wisconsin primaries as big midterm races take shape

In Minnesota, progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig are competing for the nomination to succeed the retiring Sen. Tina Smith.

The Guardian view on wildfires: firefighters can’t handle this crisis alone | Editorial

The response to this summer’s record heat and drought should be led by ministers – not left to the emergency services

The wildfire that began on protected heathland in the New Forest in Hampshire on Sunday was reported to be under control on Tuesday. But with temperatures forecast to reach 36C or higher in parts of England on Thursday, the risk of further outbreaks remains high. Firefighters responded to 185 wildfires in the first 10 days of August. In coastal Suffolk, conservationists and locals are counting the cost of the blaze that devastated Dunwich Heath. Its vegetation and rare bird populations are expected to take decades to recover.

Although the immediate cause of many wildfires is litter, the risks are elevated by heat and drought, and repeated warnings from climate scientists do not necessarily lessen the shock and distress caused. As people and governments across Europe assess this summer’s damage, experts including the UN climate chief, Simon Stiell, hope that the fires will focus minds on the urgent necessity of cutting emissions – as well as investing in emergency planning. Europe is currently heating up faster than any other continent, due in part to proximity to the melting Arctic.

The Guardian view on AI money in US politics: not the way to hold an urgent democratic debate | Editorial

Amid public concern over the impact of new technology, Silicon Valley’s use of its wealth to influence specific election races is an unwelcome development

As the huge societal ramifications of artificial intelligence have become clear, some of the tech industry’s most senior figures have taken to writing thinkpieces on what comes next. The latest to do so is Mark Zuckerberg, who this week published 6,500 words making the case for a laissez-faire approach to AI development. Worrying too much about regulation, Meta’s CEO unsurprisingly opines, could lead to the United States falling behind in the race to own the future.

Mr Zuckerberg’s plea for maximum autonomy is, of course, self-serving. Much of his essay – which airily envisions “invention superpowers” for every entrepreneur and “an abundance of jobs in the future” – reads like unadulterated tech-utopianism. But the lobbying at least has the merit of being out there in the open. As midterm elections loom in the US, darker arts are also being used to counter popular concern about what AI will mean for a host of topics, from the labour market to child safety, the environment and cybersecurity.

Will Andy Burnham’s everyday fixes be enough to get the public on his side?

The prime minister’s money-saving policies are popular but they are yet to convince voters he can take on the big things

It was last year that Martin Lewis, the money-saving guru, advised the government to find “100 small things that piss people off” and set about sorting them out.

That approach has been adopted almost immediately by Andy Burnham since entering office, as he began his programme of “everyday fixes” to tackle problems that can be dealt with through minor policy tweaks.

Salad is supposed to be good for you – so what’s behind all the cases of lettuce poisoning?

Iceberg lettuce has been blamed for a surge in American cases of the parasitic illness cyclosporiasis. Symptoms include ‘frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements’

Name: Salad.

Age: Legend has it that in the Byzantine period, the Greek island of Kos was a centre for growing a long-leafed variety of lettuce that your grandparents might know as cos, though that variety is now more commonly referred to as romaine.

Invitation Homes CEO says ban on institutional homebuying will bring down prices, but not immediately

The CEO of the nation's largest single-family rental landlord said the new law banning large-scale investors from the market will lower prices in the long term.

Trump wants to split the MMR vaccine. Experts say that's unlikely — and comes with consequences

Doctors and other experts say that splitting the measles, mumps and rubella shot has no scientific basis and is unlikely to get off the ground. 

Typhoon Dolphin hits Beijing as city braces for one-third of annual rainfall over 24 hours

Flooding already reported in some districts of Chinese capital and rains are expected to get worse overnight

Typhoon Dolphin hit China’s capital on Tuesday as the storm caused flooding in parts of Beijing’s Shunyi district. Rains are forecast to intensify overnight.

Although the storm has been downgraded to a tropical depression, several districts in Beijing activated the highest level of emergency flood responses as the city braced for one-third of its annual rainfall, which is expected over the next 24 hours.

Manus to return as independent company after China forced Meta to unwind $2 billion deal

Last December, Meta said it planned to acquire Manus for $2 billion, its latest effort to shore up its AI strategy.