World Cup 2026: France v Spain semi-final buildup; Atlanta police step up security for England v Argentina – live

⚽️ Latest news before first of the semi-finals in Dallas
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Atlanta police are increasing staffing and resources for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina.

The department says additional officers will be deployed around the stadium and across the city’s entertainment and high-traffic areas, with large crowds expected before and after the match:

As Atlanta prepares to host an upcoming World Cup semi-final match and welcomes increased numbers of residents and visitors, the Atlanta Police Department has enhanced its citywide public safety and security posture. Additional personnel and resources are already deployed and will continue to be strategically assigned in and around the event venues, entertainment districts, and other high-traffic areas to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. These proactive measures are designed to protect the public, deter criminal activity, and ensure residents and visitors can safely enjoy this historic event.”

New York enacts nation's first statewide moratorium on building new data centers

Building new data centers in New York will be paused for a year in order to allow state officials to establish guidelines protecting residents and the environment, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

Trump drops threat of strait of Hormuz tolls, saying Gulf states agreed ‘massive’ US investment instead – Middle East crisis live

US president claims shipping route is open for all except Iranian ships after another night of strikes on Iran

• US launches third night of strikes on Iran as Trump announces Hormuz blockade

Resurgent oil and fuel prices could cement a fourth interest rate rise in Australia this year if Donald Trump’s renewed conflict with Iran is not resolved within a week, economists warn.

US missile strikes on Iran and Trump’s announcement of a new maritime blockade has lifted oil prices to their highest point in the month since the two countries agreed to a peace deal.

Tour de France 2026: Pogacar underlines dominance with stage 10 win on Bastille Day – live

Race leader extends overall lead after latest stage victory
Pogacar urges Tour overhaul amid heatwave | Mail Luke

Luke Rowe, a sports director at Decathlon CMA CGM, is asked about it being Bastille Day. Will it affect their approach for Seixas?

“Same as every other day … is there more pressure to go in the break? … Whatever day it is, it’s not going to impact the way we race … morale’s high. We have to respect that it is Bastille Day. But it makes no difference.”

Rare T. rex fossil sells for record $50.1 million at auction

The T. rex, nicknamed Gus, is a towering figure, standing at 12.5 feet fall and roughly 38 feet long.

England v India: first men’s one-day cricket international – live

Tourists chasing 259 at Edgbaston in the first ODI
Sign up for The Spin | T20 Blast quarter-finals preview

2nd over: England 8-0 (Duckett 4, Bethell 0) Prasidh Krishna is sharing the new nut and he runs in to bowl to Jacob Bethell. His first ball keeps low, scuttles under Bethell’s bat and beats the keeper too. Prasidh is nippy and there is movement through the air and off the pitch. Bethell defends and misses an attempted pull. Nowt more off the over.

1st over: England 4-0 (Duckett 4, Bethell 0) Bumrah’s first ball snakes off the pitch, Duckett watches it closely, defending into the off side. He plays and misses at the next one… and the next! Bumrah gives Duckett a cheshire cat smile, he’s getting some big movement away to the left hander with the new white ball. Inswinger coming surely… sure enough a booming inducker is next up and it smashes into Duckett’s shin! BUT it pitched outside leg, so no dice.

Johnson government wasted £10bn on PPE, Covid inquiry finds

Chair criticises use of ‘VIP lane’ to prioritise PPE contracts for companies with Tory connections in damning report

• ‘Catastrophic failure’: UK Covid families welcome inquiry findings on PPE

Boris Johnson’s government wasted £10bn of public money because of the flawed way it went about buying personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic, an official inquiry has concluded.

The Covid-19 inquiry chair, Heather Hallett, also criticised the then Conservative government’s controversial “VIP lane”, which gave high priority for PPE contracts to companies with political connections to the Tories.

Bastille Day celebrations in France tempered by fear of more wildfires

Firework displays cancelled as Paris military parade asserts ‘France’s rearmament … and Europe’s strategic awakening’

Emmanuel Macron has presided over his final Bastille Day parade in Paris amid a searing heatwave and wildfires that forced authorities around the country to cancel traditional firework displays and balls celebrating France’s national day.

The French president was joined for the annual military procession and flypast by his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the British ‌prime minister, Keir Starmer, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and two dozen other national leaders.

Supreme Court pushes Congress for more security: "Threats have come very close"

Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett urged Congress to provide additional funding to enhance protection for the justices as they face a rise in threats.

How Jeffrey Epstein parlayed his elite network into a $25 million payday

Former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler worked with Epstein on a Swiss bank settlement.

ICE halts most vehicle stops following deadly shootings, sources say

Neither of the victims of the ICE shootings in Maine or Texas were the target of enforcement operations, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

‘A frightening piece to perform’: can Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece still shock?

Sixty years after its first staging, performance artist MPA is restaging the provocative piece in Los Angeles

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, a traveling retrospective on view at Los Angeles’s The Broad museum, features black and white footage of Ono’s 1964 Carnegie Hall performance of Cut Piece projected onto one of its walls. It was a landmark event in performance art history, in which the artist, aged 31, sat motionless on the stage as strangers took turns with a pair of scissors to cut away pieces of her clothing. As an emblem of the Fluxus artistic tradition, Cut Piece “relies on the audience’s actions to complete the performance”, says Sarah Loyer, curator and exhibitions manager at The Broad. This is precisely the work’s inherent risk: it leaves the artist’s body totally vulnerable to the viewer’s unpredictable whims. Consequently, as Ono herself told the art historian Ina Blom in a 1992 interview, “It is a frightening piece to perform.”

The tension in the footage is palpable, particularly as Ono struggles to retain her composure while a young man snips away at the straps of her undergarments. But as Loyer points out, “Looking at documentation of Cut Piece in the gallery, we are a step removed.” In order to convey the full impact of the piece, the museum is staging two Cut Piece live at the Redcat theater on 17 and 18 July to be performed by the Los Angeles based artist MPA.

Warsh vows to tackle inflation in first testimony as Fed chairman

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh told the House Financial Services Committee that the central bank has "no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation."

‘Anti-ageing is anti-life’: why longevity culture is just ageism in a lab coat

Rapid scientific progress has given us the tools to stop time more convincingly than ever – but lurking behind these claims is the same fear of ageing

Andrea holds a PhD in literature and works for a nonprofit in Dallas. She’s in her late 40s and tells me that the pressure to remain youthful in her city is palpable. Almost completely irresistible.

“You don’t know what it’s like here,” she said. “Everyone has a facelift if they can afford one and everyone has had some work done. I’m a feminist to the core, but if I had the money, I would get a deep-plane facelift in a heartbeat. I’m saving up to get my neck done.”

Supreme Court Justice Barrett says 'the threat level is really high' in budget testimony

Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are testifying about the high court's budget request, which includes higher spending for security.

Consumer prices rose 3.5% annually in June, less than expected as energy prices eased

The consumer price index in June was expected to increase 3.8% from a year ago.

EU rejects Trump administration claims that ICC threatens US sovereignty

US government says it wants to ‘systematically disable’ The Hague-based international criminal court

A spokesperson for the EU has pushed back against the Trump administration’s assertion that the international criminal court poses a threat to US sovereignty, a day after the US government said it would work to “systematically disable” a global tribunal that seeks to prosecute the perpetrators of the world’s gravest crimes.

Anouar El Anouni, an EU spokesperson, said on Tuesday: “We stand firm in our support for the international criminal court (ICC). Attacks or threats against the court, elected officials, personnel or those cooperating with the court are simply not acceptable.”

Investigative journalist reports on the abuse inside ICE's largest detention facility

The New Yorker writer Jonathan Blitzer says thousands of people are being held in tents in the El Paso desert, where inhumane conditions have become a tool to pressure people to accept deportation.

Warsh pledges Fed policy 'regime change' to rid inflation 'tax' on American people

Warsh pledged Tuesday to "get monetary policy right" and defeat the inflation that has bedeviled the central bank for the past five years.

Police say husband asked spellcasters to hex his now missing wife

Shortly before Maya "May" Millete vanished, authorities say her husband Larry messaged a spellcaster, "Please punish May and incapacitate her enough so she can't leave the house."

Where's Maya Millete? Family, friends continue search for missing California mom

A California mother disappears without a trace – did her husband try to have a hex put on her so she wouldn't leave him?

T rex fossil ‘Gus’ sells for $50.1m at New York auction, setting new record

Skeleton judged to be one of the largest and most complete ever unearthed was excavated on a ranch in South Dakota

A vast, fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex nicknamed Gus sold at Sotheby’s in New York on Tuesday for $50.1m with fees (£37.4m) to a phone bidder – making it the most valuable dinosaur fossil sold at auction.

It also sold well above a pre-sale estimate of $20m to $30m (£15m to £22.4m).

Who could replace Lindsey Graham in the Senate after his sudden death?

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's sudden death late Saturday has set off a scramble for who will succeed him in the Senate.

DoD watchdog finds 155mm artillery plant built 2 years ago has produced nothing

An ammunition plant in Mesquite, Texas, has not produced any metal projectile parts after the Army spent $469 million to establish the facility.

United Airlines' new upsell: Keeping other travelers out of the middle seat

United Airlines will allow customers to pay more to keep the middle seat open on its Airbus A321XLRs

E Jean Carroll receives $5.6m owed by Trump after court releases damages

Funds released from escrow account after Trump’s efforts to block sexual abuse and defamation award fail

A Manhattan federal court has released more than $5.6m that Donald Trump owes E Jean Carroll in her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation trial against him, records reveal.

The disbursement, made public in a 14 July entry on Carroll’s case docket, indicates that the funds were released by a court-held account on 9 July – one day after judge Lewis Kaplan ordered the release of this money.

Trump, who has been fighting against the release of this money since June after the supreme court on 29 June denied his request to hear his appeal, has denied wrongdoing.

“Three years ago, a unanimous nine-person jury found President Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E Jean Carroll. Today, we are pleased to report that she has received the damages payment the jury awarded her as a result of that verdict,” Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s lead lawyer, said in a statement.

United's newest economy upgrade guarantees an empty middle seat

United Airlines has a solution to passengers squabbling over who gets the armrest: empty middle seats.

E. Jean Carroll receives $5M from Trump in abuse, defamation case

A jury concluded in 2023 that Trump should pay Carroll $5 million in damages.

TikTok policy chief defends safety measures amid EU push to limit children's social media access

TikTok's policy chief defended the platform's safety measures as the European Union pushes ahead with restricting children's access to social media.

‘For Diego’: spectre of Maradona looms over Argentina ahead of England clash

The image of the national icon has been ever present through this World Cup, in banners and songs and memory. It adds a fresh layer to Wednesday’s semi-final

Not two minutes after his side’s dramatic, extra-time quarter-final victory over Switzerland on Saturday, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni was already getting asked about the semi-final. Looming on the horizon was a matchup against bitter rivals England.

“This won’t just be a special game from a footballing standpoint,” the reporter asked in Spanish, “but also in an emotional sense. How do you imagine you and the players will come out for this game and what message would you give to all of us Argentines that are …”

Young Germans opting out of military service as Berlin strives to boost army

Almost 6,000 young men apply to be excluded on moral or religious grounds despite ‘conscription lite’ policy

The number of young men applying to be conscientious objectors and refuse armed military service in Germany has risen sharply this year, undermining a drive by Berlin to create Europe’s strongest conventional army and deter the Russian threat.

More people had applied to exclude themselves from service on religious or moral grounds in the first half of 2026 than in the whole of last year, according to figures provided by the government on Tuesday.

‘I’m back’: Suni Lee announces return to gymnastics two years before LA 2028

• Six-time Olympic medalist resumes training

• Tokyo all-around champion targets LA 2028

• Latest Paris gold medalist planning comeback

Suni Lee is making a run at a third Olympics.

The America gymnastics star announced she is returning to the sport on Tuesday, about two years out from the Los Angeles Games.

Confessions of a Shopaholic: a charming Isla Fisher romcom worth taking to the checkout

The PJ Hogan-directed film may not have the polish of The Devil Wears Prada but it has new relevance in the buy now, pay later era

The year was 2009. The global economy was enduring the final throes of the worst financial crisis since the second world war and Isla Fisher, clad with an American accent and a shopping addiction, played a financially illiterate New Yorker with more than $16,000 in personal debt; an auburn-haired Marie Antoinette of the late oughts.

Confessions of a Shopaholic was awarded a measly two stars by this outlet when it was released. The film, based on the Sophie Kinsella novel series of the same name and directed by the Australian film-maker PJ Hogan, was practically doomed from the start. Financially battered audiences weren’t exactly chomping at the bit to watch a plucky fashionista make terrible spending decisions for 104 minutes. It was also just as romcoms’ box office dominance was coming to an end, replaced by a new era of unsaturated and action-packed superhero franchises. But while Confessions of a Shopaholic isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it is charming now – and arguably ahead of its time in regards to its depiction of overwhelming personal debt.

Lionel Messi’s first meeting with England will be a contest of will and aura

The Messi arc reaches a decisive point in Atlanta – passage to a third final or an exit to test the limits of Argentina’s love for their unassuming athlete-genius

Wednesday night, Atlanta Stadium, 101 games down, three left to play, and finally it makes sense. Bring on The Countdown, that moment just before kick-off in every one of those quietly fascinating World Cup matches where suddenly the world’s most excited man is bellowing over the PA system in a state of outraged, crowing transport, like the last voice you’ll ever hear before the American century explodes in a ball of inanity, fried chicken and porn.

“NAYYYN!! EEEIGHYYT!! SEEEVEERRN!! …” the world’s most excited man shouts, prelude to some cautious rolling possession, maybe an early back-pass, and an agreeable reminder that the game itself will not be stage managed. You want quiet bathos? This World Cup will deliver the greatest goddam quiet bathos the galaxy has ever seen.

Would you and your sexual partner like to share the story of what you get up to in the bedroom?

The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is interested in hearing from couples, partners and former lovers to talk about their sex lives

How often do you have sex? The Guardian is looking for couples to talk honestly – and completely anonymously – about what they get up to in the bedroom for the Saturday magazine’s much-loved This is How We Do It column.

The idea behind the column is to provide a counterpoint to the airbrushed, exaggerated stories about sex we see on TV and in the media. We want to publish un-sensationalised interviews with real couples, so we are particularly keen to hear from you if you have hit a roadblock in your sexual life. How do you navigate intimacy when your partner wants sex more than you do? Or after an affair? Or when you are not feeling spectacular about your body?

We’re looking for couples of all ages and sexualities. We would not publish your names or where you live.

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Football Daily | Will France’s showdown with Spain be the World Cup final in spirit?

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Sure, an Argentina-England Geopolitics World Cup semi-final has a lot going for it. It’ll be 40 years since the Hand of God and, somehow, the first meeting between the two teams since an incredibly rare event: a memorable friendly, with Michael Owen’s late headers setting up a 3-2 victory in Geneva 21 years ago. In Atlanta, England supporters will finally have the chance to send some choice words in the direction of Lionel Messi. But we all know that the real show – the final in spirit, the game that’ll be far easier on the eye – is the other one: Les Bleus against La Roja.

Filling the gap in GWC action, I just watched Ein Sommer in Italien, the story of the 1990 World Cup from the perspective of the West German national team. It’s a fascinating documentary piece that mixes old home movie clips, archive TV footage, and fresh interviews with the 1990 squad. One moment really stood out. Having beaten Czechoslovakia to reach the semi-final, their manager Franz Beckenbauer wasn’t impressed. Interviewed on German TV straight after the game, he said: ‘It was an awful performance. I simply cannot understand how we played worse against 10 Czechs than against 11.’ As (substitute goalkeeper) Raimond Aumann recalled: ‘We’d won 1-0 and we were actually very happy with the result. Only one person wasn’t happy, and that was Franz.’ With the knowledge of what that German team went on to achieve, here’s hoping there’s a parallel with today’s England squad/manager dynamic” – Roger Mart.

Why your favorite international artist might be reconsidering their next U.S. tour

The visa process for visiting artists has always been complicated and expensive. Under the current administration, it's gotten significantly worse.

Inflation slowed sharply -- but it may not last

Annual inflation hit 3.5% in June, down from May's more than three-year high — but the resumption of the conflict with Iran threaten to push up inflation as energy costs once again spike.

New York becomes first state to impose one-year pause on new AI datacenters

Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order enacting a moratorium on the large, resource-intensive AI facilities

New York became the first US state to enact a moratorium on new datacenters on Tuesday.

Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order mandating a one-year statewide pause on the large facilities used to power artificial intelligence products.

Watch Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh testify live to House Financial Services committee

In remarks prepared for the appearance, Warsh promised a vigilant fight to return inflation to the Fed's 2% target.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that will help improve your everyday lifestyle. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns commissions on purchases made through cbsdeals.com.

‘It wasn’t a dream, it was a threat’: the film festival celebrating pan-Africanism’s rich and complex history

Project a Black Planet: Film, a new season of screenings at the Barbican in London exemplifies how the movement was an act of solidarity, resistance and fierce creativity

Algiers, 1969. What had, for seven years, been the metropolis of a newly independent country became, over the course of 12 days in July, the cosmopolitan centre of an entire continent. That summer, Algeria played host to the first Pan-African Cultural festival (Panaf) and the capital’s streets were transformed into a vista of energising performers, flanked by placards announcing each country’s delegation: Ethiopia, Liberia, Mali.

Picture an Olympics-style opening ceremony, then discard it, for the images captured in William Klein’s documentary of the event, The Pan-African Festival of Algiers, hint at the very dissolving of barriers between spectacle and spectator – an act that brings to life a quote, shown on screen, from Guinea’s first president Sékou Touré: “We must make this revolution with the people … and the songs will come.”

The truth about Pete Hegseth's strange campaign against beards | Arwa Mahdawi

His facial hair fixation might seem perplexing – but it is part of an aestheticisation of politics that is central to the Trump project

The year is 2018 and Pete Hegseth has just come back from his summer holidays. Hegseth, who is still just a Fox News host, not a defense secretary keen on ordering possible war crimes, has grown a nice little beard during his time off. He is hoping his bosses at Fox might let him keep the facial hair, even if it’s just the moustache. He seems to think it makes him look quite dapper. Alas, some of his viewers disagree.

A woman called Patti writes in to Fox & Friends urging him to get that “fur” off his face. A viewer called Mary bemoans the fact that “all American cute” Pete now looks “awful”. People on the internet joke that he looks like a duck hunter. And then a final humiliation: Hegseth’s co-hosts cackle as his vacation beard is lopped off by a barber live on daytime TV. “A man without a beard is like a lion without a mane,” a Fox fan called Michael commiserates. “That’s how I feel!” Hegseth wails.

U.S. citizens traveling in Congo must spend 21 days elsewhere before entering U.S.

U.S. health officials are concerned about the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Inflation eased more than expected in June, CPI report shows

Lower gasoline prices slowed inflation in June, though many household costs remained stubbornly high.

Man fatally shot by ICE in Maine was not intended target of warrant, lawmakers say

Maine Sen. Angus King said he told Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that he wanted a transparent investigation into the shooting in Biddeford.

Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis calls for U.S. to spearhead AI standards body

Tech giant's AI boss said "urgent action" was needed as AI capabilities advanced.

California faces highest shark numbers in years as great whites head north

El Niño climate phenomenon heating waters off Mexico but incidents with humans remain a rarity

California is set to see one of its sharkiest summers in a decade, with large numbers of juvenile great whites already on a reverse vacation from the warm waters of Mexico to cooler pastures along the western United States.

The marine predator has become more common along the west coast in recent years, with stories of surfers seeing underwater behemoths closer to shore and scientists saying swimmers and ocean-lovers alike are probably already sharing their favorite beaches with great whites, whether they know it or not.

Maps show extreme heat and flood threats across U.S.

Much of the U.S. is facing either extreme heat or excessive rainfall and potential flooding on Tuesday. Here's where the greatest threats are expected.

Spanish PM’s brother banned from public office after misconduct trial

Conviction over hiring by socialist-led council is one of a series of corruption claims facing Pedro Sánchez’s family

The brother of Spain’s prime minister has been banned from holding public office for nine years after being found guilty of administrative misconduct relating to his hiring by a socialist-led council in the south-western region of Extremadura nine years ago.

Corruption allegations involving Pedro Sánchez’s family, his government and his Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) have triggered repeated opposition calls for a snap general election. All the accused have denied wrongdoing.

‘Fun, propulsive, full of queer joy’: readers’ favourite albums of 2026 so far, from Muna to Raye and J Cole

After the Guardian’s music critics chose their best of the half-year, we asked you for your picks – from Brian Jackson and Arlo Parks to Maya Hawke, Flea and more

• The best albums of 2026 so far
• ‘I saw it seven times in the cinema’: readers’ favourite films of 2026 so far

The album is a fun, punchy dance record that will definitely be the soundtrack of my summer. It’s propulsive, full of queer joy, cheeky lyricism, and relatable insecurities as they ruminate on “being past their prime” as pop stars in their early 30s. It will undoubtedly be an amazing live show and is a testament to the importance of artists taking breaks, going out and living and resting before coming back with new things to say and experiences to detail. Jane Tytla, New England, US

Sen. Tim Scott wants to hear from Warsh on data centers and artificial intelligence

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., will host Kevin Warsh before the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday for his first time testifying as Fed chairman.

US House committee advances bill to make daylight saving time permanent

Bid to end clock-changing has bipartisan support, including the backing of Trump and some Democratic co-sponsors

A bill to end the practice of changing clocks twice a year and make daylight saving time permanent passed a key committee in the US House of Representatives, setting it up for a potential full vote of the chamber.

The bid to end clock-changing, dubbed the Sunshine Protection Act, has bipartisan support, including the backing of Donald Trump and some Democratic co-sponsors.

Trump to claim declassified intel reveals 2020 election interference: MS NOW

Trump said he will make a "Speech to the Nation on Thursday evening, at 9 P.M. Eastern," without providing further details.

UK to continue sending potential trafficking victims to France despite court ruling

Court ruled last week against policy to reduce protections for asylum seekers facing removal under one in, one out scheme

The Home Office is set to ignore a high court ruling and continue sending asylum seekers to France without looking into claims they have been trafficked, which last week was found to be unlawful.

On Friday Mr Justice Sheldon ruled against the home secretary’s policy to reduce protections for trafficking victims earmarked for forced removal to France. Home Office sources told the Guardian that operational activity could continue despite the ruling. Home Office removed certain protections for this group because they could delay removals to France by at least 30 days.

Frontier Airlines to debut in-flight Wi-Fi in 2027 with SpaceX's Starlink

Frontier is signing with Starlink for in-flight Wi-Fi, with service debuting as early as next year.

Bangkok bar fire: death toll reaches 30 as police say negligence is ‘primary theory’

Bar owner offers ‘deepest apologies’ as police investigate whether exits were either blocked or hard to access

The Bangkok pub that became the scene of the city’s deadliest blaze in 17 years has said it will cooperate with an investigation into alleged negligence, as the death toll rose to 30.

The local district office said on Tuesday that three more people had died after the devastating fire that broke out in the early hours of Monday. An initial assessment by disaster officials found an electrical short ‌circuit in an air conditioner located in the ‌ceiling had caused the fire.

More extreme heat across parts of U.S.

CBS News meteorologist Rob Marciano tracks high temperatures across parts of the U.S.

Bryce Harper says he "did not consent" to FanDuel video being used for commercial purposes

The popular sports betting site FanDuel is accused of catering to its biggest spenders with VIP rewards, including a video from 2024 of baseball star Bryce Harper. Harper said he had no idea how the video would be used, but the fan he made it for is now suing FanDuel. Jo Ling Kent reports.

New US Ebola patient arrives in Germany for treatment

Aid worker flown to Berlin as Trump administration bars Americans from traveling to US on commercial flights

A US national who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has arrived in Germany for treatment, the health ministry in Berlin said on Monday, weeks after another American infected with Ebola in the DRC was treated in Berlin.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration on Monday said it was blocking American citizens in ⁠the DRC from traveling to the US on commercial flights, Reuters reported, citing a White House official.

U.S. to reinstate Hormuz blockade. And, states sue over Paramount-Warner deal

The United States plans to reinstate a blockade over the Strait of Hormuz today. And, several states are suing to stop the massive Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.

Trump says Reflecting Pool has been drained for repairs

President Trump said the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was drained for repairs, after weeks of railing against alleged vandals.

Jordan Walker tunes out Philadelphia boos to stun Kyle Schwarber in Home Run Derby

• St Louis Cardinal homers on final six swings

• 24-year-old outfielder wins $1m and title

• Schwarber, Contreras finish second and third

Jordan Walker silenced Philadelphia’s boo birds by homering on his last six swings, chasing down Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber in the final round and becoming the first St Louis Cardinal to win the Home Run Derby on Monday night.

Schwarber hit 11 homers during his 15-swing turn in the final round. Philly fans, who loudly booed everyone but Schwarber and Bryce Harper throughout the night, quietly headed toward the exits when Walker’s winning shot soared over the left-field wall.

A Chinese waiting hall and World Cup mania at No 10: photos of the day – Tuesday

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

‘If we die, we die together’: wife of Ryanair passenger almost sucked through window speaks

Svetlana Grković says she grabbed her husband’s legs while he was ‘outside up to his chest’ for two minutes

• Ryanair passenger almost sucked out of window during flight

• Ryanair has axed family seating policy – but kids’ fees add up

A woman who saved her husband from being completely sucked out of a Ryanair plane mid-flight has said she thought as she held on to his legs: “If we die, we die together.”

Ljubisa Karović was sucked out headfirst on the flight on Friday after an engine failure resulted in parts smashing the acrylic window.

The burning question: what can I serve at a vegan barbecue?

Jerk aubergines, lentil-stuffed courgette, griddled pineapple with maple syrup … Meat-free doesn’t need to mean treat-free when it comes to barbecue season

I’ve recently turned vegan. How do I have a great barbecue?
Nia, by email
Happily, most vegetables benefit from a bit of barbecue action, but the key is not to get too carried away, says Genevieve Taylor, author of How to BBQ: “There’s a real leaning for people to overdo barbecues, but you should approach it just as you would any meal, with one central star and a few sides. After all, there’s no other meal where you’d be expected to eat a chop, a sausage, a kebab and a chicken wing.” Not a meal you’d find Nia devouring, sure, but you get the general idea.

Shaun McAnuff, author of Original Flava: Easy Caribbean, would be inclined kick things off with tostones. “They’re a bit like crisps,” he says. “Boil green plantain, which are more dense and not as sweet as yellow ones, then peel and cut into thick circles.” Smash those flat with the bottom of a mug, then barbecue until nice and crisp and serve with guacamole or salsa. Alternatively, grab some aubergines, Taylor says: “They’re such a sponge for smoky flavours.” Slice lengthways, brush with oil, season and grill until soft. “Spread a filling, such as walnut paté with spices, herbs and pomegranate molasses, over the slices and roll up.” Those would be nice at room temperature, which also helps with getting ahead.

Got a culinary dilemma? Email [email protected]

Family of a man shot by agents responding to a 911 call seeks answers

A troubling pattern of federal agents fatally shooting civilians is developing, with deaths in Maine, Texas and Tennessee. The family of a man shot by agents told NPR they want answers.

Manchester City set sights on signing Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi for £85m

• Lille teenager impressed during the World Cup

• Signing would make it £200m on two midfielders

Manchester City are intent on signing Lille’s 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for €100m (£85m).

Bouaddi is attracting a host of suitors following his performances for Morocco at the World Cup, and while the proposed fee is high for a teenager, City view him as a long-term investment.

Why gaining full control of Strait of Hormuz has proven so hard for U.S.

Restoring oil tanker traffic in the vital Middle East shipping corridor to prewar levels likely will require a much bigger armada of U.S. warships if not tens of thousands of American troops on Iranian soil, experts say.

Can humans hibernate their way to Mars?

Scientists are trying to recreate the biology that lets animals survive months without food or water, in hopes of making deep-space travel possible

Long-term space travel is bad for your health. Very bad. Being in space exposes humans to dangerously high levels of radiation; extended exposure to microgravity can damage a range of organ systems, including muscles, bones and eyes. Living for months or years in tight quarters can have severe psychological effects.

The key to solving these problems could be a 250m-year-old physiological strategy that allows mammals, birds, fish and other animals to survive extreme scarcity by essentially going offline: hibernation. When they hibernate, animals almost completely switch off their bodily functions; they don’t eat, drink or move, and just as importantly, aren’t hungry, or thirsty and don’t seem to suffer from the cold. This remarkable ability could prove crucial in helping humans get to Mars and beyond – and could also help save lives on Earth.

‘Give us his body to bury’: a mother’s six-year fight for justice for son killed in Nigeria’s anti-police protests

Pelumi Onifade, a young journalist, was allegedly shot while covering the #EndSars demonstrations in 2020. His body has never been released and no one has been held responsible

Sitting in her family’s two-bedroom apartment on a sweltering Sunday afternoon, Bosede Onifade says she is tired of waiting for news about her son. Pelumi Onifade has been missing for six years. The last time his mother saw him was on the morning of 24 October 2020.

An intern with a Nigerian news channel, the 20-year-old was excited to be going on assignment to cover the #EndSars protests, an anti-police brutality movement that had rocked the country that year, while unleashing a further onslaught of state violence against Nigerian citizens.

Undercover in Laos: how Chinese tourism fuels animal trafficking – video

Chinese tourism is booming in Laos and the illegal wildlife trade is booming with it. Pangolin scales, rhino horn and elephant ivory are all being sold at secret shops and restaurants as a new high-speed rail line brings millions of visitors to the country. Working with Chinese activists, the Guardian goes undercover to investigate the criminal networks profiting from this trade and to reveal how wildlife trafficking is pushing the critically endangered pangolin ever closer to extinction

World Cup and Ballon d’Or in reach as Harry Kane enters defining week of his career

The striker is driven by a sense of destiny but to be remembered as an all-time great outside England requires big-game performances

Five days to win the Ballon d’Or. The way to do it: outshine Lionel Messi in Atlanta, then see off Kylian Mbappé or Lamine Yamal on Sunday. For Harry Kane, nothing will come without a fight. The England captain was doubted when he was a kid, back when the youth coaches at Tottenham wondered if it was worth keeping him, and he faces another seismic battle against Argentina on Wednesday.

This could be the crowning moment of Kane’s career. The Bayern Munich striker has enjoyed the season of his life, with more domestic trophies in the bag and 73 goals in 64 appearances for club and country. There are more steps to take, though. The chance to lead England into a first World Cup final abroad is within reach. All Kane has to do to is outperform the greatest footballer of all time.

Jane Campion remembers Sam Neill: ‘He was radiating peace, beaming love’

The Piano director shares her memories of the actor on set – and the last time she saw him in hospital

• Sam Neill’s final interview and his life in pictures

• ‘A true gentleman’: actors, directors and leaders pay tribute to Sam Neill

• Neill interviewed in 2023, 2024 and 2026

Sam. So effortlessly handsome, and that rare thing in New Zealand and Australia: a movie star.

My hands actually shook when I met him at a cafe in Vulcan Lane, Auckland, to discuss rehearsals. He had arrived, we all had, to start pre-production on The Piano. He was to play the repressed and violent Stewart, the one who would chop off his wife’s finger. Who but Sam could play that part, could surprise with that part?

China’s monthly car ‌exports top 1m for first time as overall trade soars

Country risks new tariffs from US and EU as it looks likely to match or beat last year’s record surplus of $1tn

• Business live – latest updates

China’s monthly car ‌exports topped 1m for the first time in June as overall overseas shipments from the world’s second biggest economy rose 27%.

Official Chinese customs data showed that a stronger-than-expected trade performance kept China on track to match or beat last year’s record trade surplus of $1tn (£748bn), achieved despite Donald Trump’s curtailed tariff war.

'The Trojan Teddy Bear': The promise and peril of childhood in the age of AI

AI is moving beyond chatbots and into toys, dolls, and robots built to befriend children. A leading child-development expert says the technology offers real promise — but also risks crowding out the human relationships children need most.

A French underwear brand is taking on fast fashion — with an IPO

Le Slip Français will make its stock market debut in Paris on Tuesday, betting that consumers will pay for locally made clothing amid competition from Shein.

David Squires on … England’s high-wire act continuing to the World Cup semis

Our cartoonist sets the scene before the semi-finals, with Thomas Tuchel’s team taking on old rivals Argentina

• Buy David’s cartoons | Some of his favourite works

• And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now

With New York Times subpoenas, Trump is brazenly escalating his attacks on the press | Margaret Sullivan

Federal agents showed up at reporters’ homes, targeting journalists for doing exactly what the first amendment protects

To non-journalists, receiving a government subpoena is a serious thing but probably not a violation of basic rights.

To journalists, it’s quite a different matter – an attack on a foundational right to gather information in the public interest and to provide confidentiality to sources.

It’s the hope that kills you – so fingers crossed for Andy Burnham | Zoe Williams

World Cup victory for England next week could raise expectations the likely new prime minister can’t live up to

Andy Burnham yesterday got himself clear of the magic number – the 323 Labour MPs who had to support him to make any leadership challenge mathematically impossible. Half a week had gone by in limbo, his endorsements standing at 322, everyone knowing he was the next prime minister, nobody able to call it anything more than “likely”. What were those last MPs waiting for? Maybe they were just in it for the atmospherics.

You can’t run a coronation like a slam dunk; it needs choreographed suspense, a sense of ceremony. In an ideal world, the last names would have arrived in the form of a wax-sealed letter, carried by a horse or a bird.

Trump scraps his Hormuz shipping charge idea but presses ahead with an Iran blockade

The U.S. military announced it will begin its blockade of Iranian ships over the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, as Iran vowed to assert its own control over the critical international waterway.

The Breakdown | Let gamechangers Jordan, Pollock and Bielle-Biarrey off the leash to grow game

Emerging stars need a leg up from media and marketing teams to ensure they get the recognition they deserve

By any measure it is a remarkable achievement. While many have fantasised about how it might feel to score a try for the All Blacks, no one in history has now lived that dream more frequently than Will Jordan. At the weekend the New Zealand wing took his tally to 50 tries in only 56 appearances, overhauling Doug Howlett’s all-time national men’s record of 49 in 62 Tests.

Perhaps the biggest compliment to pay Jordan is how relatively easy he makes it all look. Where others blow hot and cold, the 28-year-old glides around like a smooth, top-of-the-range sports car. A devastating little surge of electric acceleration here, exquisite running lines, world-class anticipation, deceptive pace … by the time defenders finally work out what he is doing it is usually too late.

‘We met and two minutes later we were kissing’ – how Gavin and Stacey became Britain’s most bang tidy TV couple

To kick off Making Love, our new series in which the stars behind TV’s hottest relationships relive their romances, Mathew Horne and Joanna Page talk about meeting the one, snogs with strangers – and saving people’s lives

It’s a classic romcom story: Essex boy from Billericay meets Welsh girl from Barry, they declare their love in a coach station, he proposes in a train station before being dragged away by police and – with the help of a fake-vegetarian mum, a crackin’ friend who had a fling with John Prescott and a top-secret fishing trip – they win the hearts of the nation.

Gavin & Stacey was the 2007 love child of Ruth Jones and James Corden, following the ordinary couple played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page. Their mates Nessa (Jones) and Smithy (Corden) became the “will they/won’t they?” relationship of the show – and Gavin’s parents, Pam (Alison Steadman) and Mick (Larry Lamb), were proof of everlasting love – but Gavin and Stacey were the pair we could all relate to. So much so that they are regularly voted one of Britain’s ultimate TV couples.

Morning news brief

Trump says the U.S. will collect tolls and impose blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, man killed by federal agents in Maine, states sue to stop Paramount-Warner Bros merger.

‘God is punishing the politicians’: anger at earthquake response grows in Venezuela

Threat of social unrest rises as public indignation at lack of disaster aid comes on top of fallout from US military intervention

• A revolution in ruins: fury amid the rubble of a housing project in quake-hit Venezuela

Public anger at what many perceive as the Venezuelan government’s botched response to twin earthquakes that killed nearly 4,500 people is growing, with one grieving mother caught on camera berating the son of former president Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro’s politician son received a hostile reception while visiting a semi-destroyed social housing project named after his father’s late mentor Hugo Chávez.

They Fight review – boxing drama is an emotional gutpunch

Anchored by an indelible André Holland performance, the film finds tenderness and warmth amid its gritty Washington DC backdrop

In the lineage of Creed and Million Dollar Baby, They Fight makes yet another compelling case for why boxing remains a timeless allegory for the human condition. This time it’s Walt (André Holland) who’s staring up at a 10-count. Once a luminary on Washington DC’s boxing scene, Walt saw his promising career derailed by the city’s drug trade. After an extended prison stint, he is paroled and intent on reuniting with his old flame (Samira Wiley) and their young son.

Walt trudges back to the disregarded after-school gym where he first found his footing in the sweet science, hoping to chart a new path forward, only to be drawn into its revival by the resident counselor, Slim (Wendell Pierce), and a trio of boys spoiling for a fight. But it’s best friends Quincey (Toussaint Francois Battiste) and Peanut (Anthony B Jenkins) who wind up on a collision course for a national title belt as their futures, Walt’s reintegration into society and the gym’s place in DC’s rapidly changing Ward 8 hang in the balance.

Houseplant hacks: should I pinch out trailing plants for bushier growth?

It might sound brutal, but this is exactly the kind of damage plants are built to recover from – and thrive on

The problem
Trailing plants tend to grow long and bare. A pothos or tradescantia that started full and lush can become a few sad vines with all the leaves clustered at the ends, trailing toward the floor with nothing in the middle. The instinct is to leave the plant alone and hope it fills out on its own. It rarely does. Yet the fix – cutting off healthy growth – feels counterintuitive and slightly brutal.

The hack
Pinching out means removing the growing tip of a stem, just after a node. This redirects the plant’s energy, prompting it to activate and produce new shoots. The result, in theory, is a bushier, fuller plant rather than a few straggly vines.

Some states will ask voters to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments

Several states have ballot measures this year that could raise the thresholds needed to pass state constitutional amendments. Many advocates are critical of such limits on direct democracy.

Trump's National Guard deployment in D.C. has been extended until 2029

President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., has been extended several times. Now it's set to last until Inauguration Day 2029.

Polish-Ukrainian solidarity over Russian threat undermined by bitter historical dispute

Kyiv’s decision to honour second world war fighters who killed about 100,000 Poles has revived simmering tensions

In the aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, Polish-Ukrainian solidarity emerged as one of the most heartwarming subplots of the Kremlin’s brutal war. Millions of Poles, remembering their country’s own tragic history with Russia, mobilised to help Ukrainian refugees with food, shelter and support as they crossed the border in huge numbers to flee the conflict.

Four years later, that outpouring of generosity and solidarity is a distant memory, as the two countries find themselves locked in a bitter dispute over history that has led to angry rhetoric, mutual mud-slinging and a threat from Poland to block Ukraine’s EU accession until it gets its historical house in order.

Goodbye Chinatown by Kit Fan review – a chef’s elegy to London

Skipping between London, Shanghai and Hong Kong, this tale of family migration, politics and food has plenty of flavour and fire

Amber Fan, the 22-year-old protagonist of Kit Fan’s heartfelt and elegiac second novel, is ready to say goodbye. Goodbye to her parents, who are booked on the midnight flight from London to Hong Kong, there to enjoy their sunset years having sold the family restaurant in London’s Chinatown. And goodbye to the old Chinatown that they and their generation of hard-working Hong Kong émigrés represent, the Chinatown of peking duck, red lanterns, rude waiters and sticky tables. She loves them both, in their way, but she has her own plans for the future.

The story begins in late 2001, not long after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, as Amber prepares to open her own restaurant – an east meets west “fine fusion restaurant” called Luna. It is, she notes, “the worst possible time to open a restaurant”. Global markets are in meltdown and the old Cantonese-style joints of Chinatown, often established by those who, like Amber’s parents, fled Hong Kong for Britain in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, are closing down and selling up, usually to cash-rich mainland Chinese investors. Everyone agrees that it is the end of an era.

Deep Water review – plane-crash survivors play existential roulette with bitey fish

Renny Harlin’s disaster movie brings aquatic mayhem along with suspense and schadenfreude as aircraft passengers battle to survive hungry sharks

If done right, a disaster movie can scratch a cinematic itch like nothing else, serving up sentimentality, suspense and schadenfreude in tidy parcels of action. Deep Water, in which an American plane full of minor movie stars crashes in shark-infested waters, knows exactly what it’s doing even as it nods towards a number of predecessors.

For starters, the poster pays homage to, or steals from, Jaws with its images of tiny swimmers up top and a big toothy shark heading up from the depths below. Later on, an older woman is jokingly likened to Shelley Winters, a the Oscar-winning actor remembered for swimming for her life in the disaster classic The Poseidon Adventure. Best of all, the film brazenly eggs viewers on to wish and pray that the schlubby, obnoxious and constantly cigarette-seeking US guy (Angus Sampson, a hoot) will get to become shark chum before the credits roll.

Alexandra Eala is the giantkiller who lit up Wimbledon – but will she rise to the top?

Filipino sensation has been embraced by her nation yet star power outweighs her career achievements … so far

In the opening week at Wimbledon queues snaked around the grounds as fans lined up for the chance to catch one of the second-round matches. Afterwards, they thronged the exit of No 3 Court so densely that the eventual winner was preceded by two men in suits and panama hats struggling to clear a path. You’d be forgiven for thinking that, if you peered through the mass of bodies, you might catch a glimpse of a former grand slam champion or leading British player such as Katie Boulter. But the figure that emerged, signing notebooks, balls and whatever fans waved blindly in her direction was the 21‑year‑old Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala.

Eala’s Wimbledon run was one to note. Already the highest‑ranked Filipino player of all time, after winning on No 3 Court she went on to upset the defending champion, Iga Swiatek, in straight sets on Centre Court to achieve her deepest grand slam run before bowing out against Jasmine Paolini in the fourth round. She has been billed as the star turn of September’s WTA 500 Singapore Open and features on the poster for this month’s Mubadala Citi DC Open. Her company on the publicity material? The four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka, Venus Williams and the current world No 10, Elina Svitolina, among a host of equally decorated players.

Heat can be deadly, but sunshine itself? Science says we could use more of it | Rowan Jacobsen

Extreme exposure should be avoided, but we’ve gone too far the other way – enjoyed safely, the sun can have enormous health benefits

High summer has returned to the UK, and with it, the usual warnings about the dangers of sunlight and reminders to seek shade and cover up. After years of such advice, most members of the public naturally assume that the science connecting sun exposure to poor health is well established, so people are often shocked to learn that the opposite is true: those who spend more time in the sun tend to be healthier. A lot healthier.

I know because I began researching the subject nine years ago after stumbling upon some studies – and I’ve stayed on the case ever since, now summarising everything we know in my new book, In Defense of Sunlight. It contains good news for many people: we don’t have to fear the sun nearly as much as we thought. In fact, most of us could benefit from a bit more exposure.

Rowan Jacobsen is a former Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a media fellow at the Nova Institute for Health in Baltimore. His book In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure is published this month

Giving nature a say: why Scottish marine scientists appointed the ocean to their board

As the rights of nature are increasingly being recognised, the Scottish Association for Marine Science is the latest organisation to make the ocean a trustee

In a boardroom in an office building in Oban, a picturesque town on the west coast of Scotland, trustees attending meetings have long been able to see the breaking waves of the Atlantic through the windows. But since last month, the ocean has also been present in the room, with an unusual new initiative ensuring that it now has a say on decisions shaping the future of the 140-year-old Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams).

Sams was set up during the Scottish Enlightenment, a time of growing interest in oceanography when nature was seen as something to be dominated and exploited.

The Last First Time review – queer coming-of-age drama gives itself up to pleasure

A Mexican student’s post-exams night out becomes a heady voyage of self-discovery in this slight but joyful coming-of-age drama

This queer coming-of-age drama from Mexico feels a little familiar, with its story of 18-year-old Eduardo, a small-town boy finding himself in the big city. And yet nothing about it feels forced or fake – it is upfront about pleasure and desire, Eduardo’s teenage horniness and his intense need to be in the gay world. There are terrific performances from its young cast too.

Alejandro Quintana plays Eduardo, a studious kid who arrives in Mexico’s second largest city, Guadalajara, in a sensible button-up shirt to sit a university entrance exam. His phone pings constantly with messages and calls from his mum, whose harsh tone suggests a tension, possibly around his sexuality. After the exam Eduardo meets student Mario, a Caravaggio-esque beauty who invites him back to his house. But when they arrive – surprise! – Mario’s family have thrown him a birthday party. Which only briefly interrupts the hookup, since Mario is totally accepted at home.

A family group walking holiday in Exmoor: steam trains, tree climbing and lashings of ice-cream

Would walking buddies convince reluctant children that hiking can be fun? A group trip with an Enid Blyton vibe proved a hit with the whole family

“I’m not going to wake her up,” I hiss at my 12-year-old son who’s standing half naked in a dark corridor of a Victorian house. “Please, Mum. She said we could come at any time! I don’t want to get Lyme disease,” he begs.

This is not the kind of drama I was expecting when I signed up to a family walking holiday in Exmoor. A few meltdowns about an extra mile or a blister perhaps, but not a night mission to one of the guides to request a tick removal.

The Art of Opposition by Courttia Newland review – piercing essays on culture and creativity

The novelist issues a inspiring call for artists to exercise their autonomy in a world of gatekeepers

In 1988, the late Ghanaian writer and filmmaker Kwesi Owusu edited Storms of the Heart: An Anthology of Black Arts & Culture, a collection of writings and images by Black artists in Britain, including Ben Okri on Shakespeare, Shobana Jeyasingh on Indian dance theatre, Jacob Ross on decolonising language, an interview with Ntozake Shange, and early pieces from the artist Sonia Boyce. Its intention was to document the advances made in Black diasporic arts in postwar Britain, to give voice to the creative and political concerns of practitioners, and importantly, to push back against the routine ghettoisation and marginalisation of their work. As a young writer aware of such realities, it was a huge inspiration for me.

Courttia Newland’s essay collection The Art of Opposition is entirely his own work, but it has a similar impact, mainly because of its provision of a space for Black or “othered” creatives to feel supported and understood in their endeavours, and as a counter to the pressures of the mainstream. Newland, a novelist, screenwriter and playwright, is no stranger to these pressures himself, his work is sometimes subject to the dismissiveness of an industry that expects writers to serve commercial imperatives. In these erudite, fierce and clear-minded essays, he draws on his substantial experience and cultural knowledge to emphasise “the greater goal of saying what we mean”.

Most UK media reports on June heatwave failed to mention climate crisis

Exclusive: Analysis of nearly 2,500 articles finds almost three-quarters made no reference to global heating

Most of the UK media stories about the record-breaking heatwave that struck in June failed to mention the climate crisis, analysis has found.

Nearly 2,500 articles about the extreme heat – when temperatures topped 37C, a record for the time of year – appeared in the UK’s nine main national daily media publications. But nearly three-quarters of them – about 72% – left out any mention of global heating or the climate, according to the analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

Fritters and slow-cooked: Ben Tish’s recipes for cooking with courgettes

This often underrated but hugely versatile vegetable can be cooked in copious delicious ways. Here are two of them

Courgettes are an early summer delight, when, such is their appeal and versatility, you often can’t move for them in my kitchen. Even so, I am not entirely sure they get the full recognition they deserve in the UK, not least because we grow some marvellous varieties here. I use courgettes in everything from raw salads (very thinly sliced courgettes tossed in salt and lemon) to slow-cooked, crisp-fried (the flowers are especially good stuffed with cheese or meat, then deep-fried) or lightly charred on a barbecue, which brings out a wonderful sweetness; you can even bake them into a deliciously moist cake. Can you show me a more versatile vegetable?