Amazon engineers in Seattle slam employer for building AI data centers while laying off 30,000 staffers

Amazon engineers called out their employer for conducting mass layoffs while it commits to spending $200 billion this year on AI infrastructure.

NBA finals 2026 Game 1: New York Knicks v San Antonio Spurs – live

• NBA finals predictions: our writers give their verdicts

• Why Wembanyama is unlike anyone basketball has seen

• Tip-off at 8.30pm ET for opener at Frost Bank Center

• Email [email protected] with your thoughts

Knicks 6-2 Spurs, 10:20, 1st qtr: Referee Scott Foster is mic’d up. He yells like an auctioneer before throwing the ball up.

And we’re off. Knicks have possession, and Jalen Brunson drains a 3-pointer. Wemby hits a pullup jumper. The Knicks come back with Josh Hart winning a rebounding battle and tossing out to OG Anunoby for a corner three.

Middle East crisis live: Israel and Lebanon agree to renew ceasefire; US House rebukes Trump over Iran war

Statement with US after Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington says agreement will create ‘pilot’ security zones in Lebanon from which Hezbollah banned

• One killed and 63 hurt in Iran attack on Kuwait airport as Trump says ceasefire talks ongoing

The Kuwaiti defence ministry said it intercepted 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones launched by Iran today.

A drone and missile attack on Kuwait’s international airport killed one person, which Kuwaiti authorities identified as an Indian national. It is the first reported death in a Gulf state since the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April.

6/3: The Takeout with Major Garrett

House passes measure that would rein in Trump on Iran; Trump says Iran talks are ongoing despite recent attack.

Japan sees shortage of plastic bags, trays and gloves, as Iran war-induced naphtha shortage worsens

The Middle East is Japan’s main source of crude oil, from which naphtha is extracted and used to make items including printing ink and plastics

Takeaways, supermarkets, and bakeries in Japan are running out of plastic bags, trays and food service gloves amid widening shortages of the key plastic ingredient, naphtha, due to the Middle East crisis.

The food sector accounts for nearly one-third of Japan’s annual plastic use of more than 8m tonnes, and price rises and shortages are hitting hard across the industry and beyond. Some outlets have begun offering perks to customers who bring their own bags, plates or containers.

Companies that sold gender-reveal fireworks which ignited California wildfire agree to $4m settlement

El Dorado blaze that burned 22,744 acres and claimed the life of a firefighter was ignited by an illegal device

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Nearly six years after a couple’s gender-reveal stunt sparked a deadly wildfire in southern California, the companies that sold the pyrotechnic device have agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement.

The Hubbard, Ohio-based Wholesale Fireworks Corp and its subsidiary American Fireworks Wholesale LLC have agreed to pay more than $4m, the US attorney’s office in the central district of California announced on Tuesday. A third company, the Miami-based Pink or Blue Gender Team Inc, agreed to pay $50,000.

Hostage situation at bank building in California ends after suspect shot dead

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene early Wednesday morning, the Bakersfield Police Department said.

CBS News fires longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley

CBS News has fired longtime 60 Minutes correspondent and former "CBS Evening News" anchor Scott Pelley one day after he had a tense and confrontational exchange with new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton.

Middle school gym teacher breaks basketball records, awing his students

The NBA Finals tip off on Wednesday, and viewers can expect lots of scoring. But in Maine, a middle school teacher was able to set the Guinness World Record for most three-pointers, most free throws and most half-court shots in an hour. On Monday, he worked to break another record. Tony Dokoupil has the story of "Dr. Buckets."

Special Coast Guard team searching waters for Lynette Hooker case evidence

A team of specialized Coast Guard divers and investigators have been searching the Sea of Abaco in the Bahamas for missing Michigan mother Lynette Hooker. Cristian Benavides reports.

CBS News editor-in-chief addresses Scott Pelley's firing

Scott Pelley, a 60 Minutes correspondent and former anchor of the "CBS Evening News," was fired on Tuesday. Jim Axelrod and Tony Dokoupil have more.

Republican-led House passes war powers vote

For the first time since the war with Iran started, the Republican-led House passed legislation that would force President Trump to stop all military action against Iran. However, it still has to go to the Senate. Charlie D'Agata reports.

California awaits official primary results

As the votes are still coming in for California's primaries, it seems voters will likely send two Republican political newcomers to the November elections. Meanwhile, CBS News projects current Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will advance to a runoff this fall. Matt Gutman has more details.

Trump declines to say whether he's dropped "anti-weaponization" fund plans

President Trump called the idea of establishing what the White House calls an "anti-weaponization" fund, "the greatest thing," on Wednesday, and wouldn't say whether he's agreed to drop plans for it. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had told lawmakers this week that the fund would be dropped after a federal judge temporarily blocked its establishment. Ed O'Keefe has more.

FBI kills hostage-taker in California after 15-hour standoff

A 15-hour standoff at a bank building in Bakersfield, California, ended Wednesday after all hostages were freed and the suspect was killed by the FBI. Jonathan Vigliotti reports.

‘Every year I get new pictures’: the fight to preserve the memory of Tiananmen

Amid growing censorship at home under the rule of Xi Jinping, efforts to document the massacre of 4 June, 1989, are intensifying abroad

Discussions about the bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters that took place around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on 4 June, 1989 – and in cities across China – often dwell on the risk of forgetting the massacre.

The passage of time, with the world’s eyes soon drawn elsewhere, and suppression by authorities at home mean that the pivotal moment in Chinese history is at risk of fading into grey.

Belgium World Cup 2026 team guide

Not much of the fabled golden generation remains, but the Red Devils have a winnable group and possess genuine quality in De Bruyne and Doku

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

Savage House review – Claire Foy and Richard E Grant sell it hard in bewigged 18th-century caper

The leads are the most watchable thing in this raucous period yarn about a grimy pair of status-obsessed nobles

Black-belt performances from Claire Foy and Richard E Grant put some vim and vigour into this haranguingly one-note and unidirectional period romp of the raucously bewigged and be-poxed 18th century. It’s written and directed by American film-maker Peter Glanz, who gives us candlelit interiors like a knockoff Barry Lyndon, and periodic deafening orchestral stabs with a touch of Amadeus as furious people in costume storm down corridors. But Grant and Foy are always there, selling it hard and there are one or two nice lines.

They play Sir Chauncey and Lady Savage, who are living in a vast crumbling country estate: he’s a parvenu, an adventurer, a lover of the new Hanover dispensation who loathes Jacobites, but fundamentally a social alpinist who married for money and took his wife’s noble name. She was entranced by his roguish ways and she forgave him everything but is, however, having an affair with the footman, Halifax (Jack Farthing), while he is carrying on with the maid, Dorothy (Bel Powley). Richard McCabe and Vicki Pepperdine play two ghastly neighbours with dodgy teeth: the only people who will associate with them.

Broadcom stock plunges on weak software sales, unchanged AI chip forecast for the year

Broadcom reported fiscal second-quarter results on Wednesday and missed estimates for revenue.

Elon Musk's net worth poised to sail past $1 trillion in SpaceX IPO

Based on SpaceX's updated IPO prospectus, Elon Musk owns shares in the company worth over $866 billion.

SpaceX targets biggest ever stock market debut, putting Musk on course to be trillionaire

IPO could raise up to $75bn, giving SpaceX market value of $1.75tn as it sets up Musk for extraordinary wealth

Space X is seeking to raise about $75bn through its imminent initial public offering, a company filing on Wednesday revealed, which would make it the largest IPO ever.

If the stock market launch – primed for next week – goes accordingly, founder Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, could be poised to make history as the first trillionaire.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman meets with lawmakers, Trump officials in DC

President Donald Trump signed an executive order about AI this week, which Altman voiced support for.

Pérez confirms Mourinho will return to Real Madrid if he is re-elected president

• Rival Enrique Riquelme promises Rodri and Haaland

• Madrid without major silverware in last two seasons

José Mourinho will return to manage Real Madrid if Florentino Pérez wins the club’s presidential election on Sunday, the sitting president confirmed on Wednesday as he campaigns for another term at the helm.

Pérez, facing the renewable energy entrepreneur Enrique Riquelme in the club’s first contested election for 20 years, delivered the campaign announcement through his social media channels with a short video featuring Mourinho saying simply: “Yes!”

House passes war powers resolution directing Trump to end hostilities with Iran

The vote marked a rare bipartisan rebuke of the war, but is mostly symbolic. Democrats have been unable to pass a war powers resolution in the Senate, and even if they could it would likely be vetoed.

Senate Republicans start debate on ICE funding package

The Senate voted along party lines to start debate on a Republican bill to fund immigration enforcement through the end of President Trump's term.

Victim of "horrifying" Chelsea murder identified after 26 years

"Chelsea Jane Doe" has been identified as Tiffany Bradley of Pennsylvania.

‘Maybe we’ll never ever take it down’: Trump says UFC arena at White House could stay permanently

• President likens South Lawn setup to Eiffel Tower

• Area will stage Freedom 250 fight card on 14 June

Donald Trump has floated the idea of permanently keeping the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) arena that is being constructed on the White House South Lawn for a series of fights later this month.

In a video posted on his official TikTok account on Tuesday, the president likened the structure to the Eiffel Tower.

NASA reluctantly gives up on lost orbiter: "Best Mars mission ever"

NASA officials said the $582 million MAVEN orbiter could not be recovered after a problem on the far side of Mars late last year, and that its extraordinarily successful mission was at an end.

Chinese spies use LinkedIn to target UK officials and military staff

Advertisements for non-existent jobs aim to draw in people with access to classified or sensitive information

Chinese spies are targeting UK government and military staff on job websites including LinkedIn to try to get access to classified or sensitive information, MI5 has warned.

A bulletin has been released by the Five Eyes powers – the UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – highlighting an “aggressive” online recruitment strategy where spies for Beijing military intelligence pose as workers acting on behalf of private businesses or thinktanks.

Security clearance holders, especially those who specialise in defence, foreign affairs and security and intelligence.

Military personnel, including those stationed in the Indo-Pacific region, who have knowledge of regional capabilities and general activities.

People with either indirect or peripheral access to government information, including academics, journalists, freelance writers, thinktank employees or anyone with links to the defence, security, policy and economic sectors.

Possible flesh-eating screwworm case in Texas, USDA says

A possible case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm is being investigated in Texas, the USDA reported Wednesday.

Robert Reich on why Trump's slush fund was a bridge too far – Stateside with Kai and Carter

This week the bipartisan furor over Donald Trump’s $1.8bn slush fund escalated to the point that the administration balked, saying they are no longer moving forward with it. But Robert Reich, a Guardian columnist and former US secretary of labor, says the fund, and specifically, the additional detail of the settlement giving Trump and his family immunity from future IRS audits, are the essence of corruption – and if Democrats can successfully connect that corruption to the affordability crisis, they might just have a winning message on their hands.

• Robert Reich: 'The language of the American presidency doesn’t apply to Trump'

• Read Reich’s newsletter on how Democrats could tie the affordability crisis to Trump administration corruption

Senate advances reconciliation bill, dropping ballroom funds

Senate Republicans moved forward with a package to fund the Department of Homeland Security's immigration agencies Wednesday.

Senate Republicans drop plans for $1bn to fund security at Trump’s ballroom

Fears that push for ballroom spending could jeopardize $70bn funding for immigration enforcement

Senate Republicans on Wednesday formally dropped their attempt to spend $1bn on security improvements for Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, as it became clear the president’s demand for the money could jeopardize long-term funding for immigration enforcement.

The Senate judiciary committee had last month included funding for security improvements related to the new ballroom in a broader measure that would authorize $70bn in spending for agencies involved in Trump’s mass deportation campaign through the duration of his term.

American Airlines suspends 6 routes because of high jet fuel costs

American Airlines said it is temporarily cutting six routes amid rising jet fuel costs, including several flights to Los Angeles.

Bessent testifies he told Pulte he was "going to kick his a**," not punch him

Bill Pulte, President Trump's pick for acting director of national intelligence, is being met with some skepticism on Capitol Hill.

Senate GOP strips up to $1B for Trump ballroom security from immigration enforcement bill

GOP leaders reportedly privately concluded that the funding proposal risked derailing the broader immigration bill, both politically and procedurally.

Supreme Court's Alabama redistricting decision could encourage more chaos, experts warn

The court's repudiation of a lower court decision was only the latest case in which it has played a role in changing the congressional maps for Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, and California.

Wim Wenders withdraws 1975 film featuring 13-year-old Nastassja Kinski topless

German director says he recognises actor should have been better protected during filming of Wrong Move

German director Wim Wenders has withdrawn from circulation his 1975 film Wrong Move, because of a scene featuring a child actor topless who was 13 at the time of filming.

The director said in a statement released on Wednesday: “Streaming, TV and distribution partners have been instructed to no longer make the film publicly accessible.”

Trump strips job protections from 8,000 federal workers

President Trump signed an executive order that puts some 8,000 high-ranking civil servants into a new category of employees who can be fired for any reason.

In first, California city overwhelmingly votes to permanently ban datacenters

While many US city councils have passed moratoriums, Monterey Park is first where residents have voted on a ban

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Residents in Monterey Park, California, became the first in the US to vote on a permanent ban on datacenters on Tuesday, and early results indicate a resounding victory for the prohibition.

While many cities and counties have already passed temporary or indefinite moratoriums via their local governments, Monterey Park would be the first to do so through a ballot initiative.

Ford recalls nearly 420,000 vehicles over faulty seat belts

Safety watchdog said seat belts in certain Ford Expedition and Lincoln vehicles may inadvertently lock, preventing them from functioning properly.

Grenell says he was "rattled" by sentencing of man convicted of threatening him

Ric Grenell, the former president of the Kennedy Center, gave a victim impact statement in court about the threats.

What travelers should know about Europe's new Entry/Exit System

Travel experts say to be prepared for potential disruptions as countries implement the new Entry/Exit System now in place across the EU and other countries.

Pete Hegseth removes all women and some Black service members from navy promotion list

Defense secretary’s latest interposition resulted in all-male, overwhelmingly white picks for promotion to admiralty

• US politics live – latest updates

The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, stripped nine navy officers including women and Black service members from a promotion list last month, according to a person familiar with the matter, resulting in an all-male, overwhelmingly white slate of 22 advancing as nominees to become one-star admirals.

Hegseth’s unusual intervention violated promotion rules designed to be merit-based and apolitical, the New York Times said on Tuesday, and extended the Trump administration’s push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the military.

Underdog victories at the World Cup: what were the biggest and best upsets?

We’ve looked at data from USA 1994 onwards to see how and when classic upsets take place – and what that could mean for this year’s competition

This year, the biggest ever World Cup will feature 48 teams, an increase from 32, opening up the tournament to even more upsets, shocks and surprises. The vagaries of the World Cup draw have given rise to classic underdog victories over the years, from an amateur USA team’s shock defeat of the then-favourites England in 1950 onwards. But what does the data tell us about upsets in football’s modern era?

Starting from the launch of the Fifa men’s world ranking system in 1993, we have analysed each World Cup match in which an underdog beat a higher-ranked team, along with the ranking disparity between the teams: the bigger the gap, the higher the “upset score”, and the larger the circle in the graphics below. Upsets are marked in red, while matches decided on penalties are represented with a white border.

England in thrall to franchise world before visit of tricky New Zealand

Debate over Jofra Archer’s absence after his IPL stint and at least one new face in Emilio Gay add to enticing storylines

Lord’s hosts its 150th Test match this week and, like its famous lunch menu, there are plenty of enticing options as regards storylines. England are seeking redemption and refinement, apparently, following that god-awful Ashes winter. New Zealand are both familiar opponents and a tricky first assignment.

There is at least one new face for England, with Emilio Gay confirmed to make his debut at opener after patience with Zak Crawley finally snapped. There is an old one too, with Ollie Robinson back from the cold and set to take the new ball after convincing the management that he is now a committed professional.

‘Of course we will give it back’: Bayeux tapestry set for secret journey across Channel

Operation will use specially built container to protect fragile 11th-century embroidery

As the Bayeux tapestry wends its way across the Channel in a top secret operation there will be no jolts, no bumps, no shakes or vibrations – unlike the voyage of William the Conqueror whose 1066 victory at Hastings the artefact recounts.

“Nothing has been left to chance,” Catherine Pégard, the French minister of culture, told a gathering to mark the historic loan, which will be physically achieved with the tapestry, which is really an embroidery, transported in a specially constructed cradle within a container, the minister said.

Trump confirms calling Netanyahu 'crazy,' says they still get along

The president also acknowledged that he cursed at the Israeli leader in a heated phone call in which he told Benjamin Netanyahu not to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Bessent says he is performing IRS commissioner duties amid Trump tax settlement scrutiny

Democrats pressed the Treasury chief over whether other taxpayers affected by the leak that included Trump's tax returns would receive similar treatment.

People with cancer or HIV could lose Medicaid under new work rules, advocates say

Adults on Medicaid will be required to work 80 hours per month. The Trump administration says people who are sick will have to prove they are too sick to work to be exempt from the new work rules.

Trump appointee leading $205bn US agency had personal ties to Epstein, emails show

Ben Black’s lawyers deny relationship with disgraced financier, but DoJ records reveal years of interactions

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Ben Black, the head of a little-known government investment agency funded by billions of dollars from US taxpayers, had personal and business ties to Jeffrey Epstein, according to emails and business filings released by the Department of Justice.

His father, Leon Black, had once been the disgraced financier’s highest-paying client – calling on the convicted sex offender for tax advice and to orchestrate payments to women, according to the New York Times and Bloomberg.

Khanna and China committee press Blanche for report on Chinese manufacturing in U.S.

The Justice Department report on illegal Chinese labor in the U.S. auto industry was due in May.

Michael Jackson's shadow of doubt

A sanded-down biopic about the King of pop and propaganda has resurfaced his music on the charts — along with questions about how his enduring magic became make-believe

Firings at CBS' '60 Minutes' reflect the fight for media control in the age of Trump

The show's new leader says he fired star Scott Pelley for insubordination. Pelley says he was defending the integrity of the show's journalism after three top executives and two reporters were fired.

Air traffic controller calls pilot "insane" after close call at Florida airport

Air traffic control also referred to the pilot of a small plane as "Mad Max."

The Guardian view on Henry Nowak and the far right: sinister exploitation of a disturbing case | Editorial

Proper debate is at risk of being crowded out of the political arena by extremists peddling racially aggravated conspiracy theories

In Germany, it is a Brandmauer, a firewall. In France, it is the cordon sanitaire – a refusal by mainstream parties to do deals with the far right. That resolve has weakened in recent years, but naming the taboo still serves an important function. To invigilate the line where radical conservatism turns to ultranationalism, it is first necessary to say it exists.

That is not happening in Britain, as has become clear in the aftermath of Henry Nowak’s murder. The episode is disturbing. Police failed to recognise the severity of a young man’s stab wounds and, after being misled by a false claim that he had carried out a racist assault, briefly treated the dying victim as a suspect. However difficult and confused the scene was, this was a catastrophic outcome. It is right that every aspect of the case be thoroughly reviewed.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

DRC Ebola outbreak could have begun as early as January, WHO chief says

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the virus ‘had a big head start’ but that the response was catching up

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could have begun as early as January, the head of the World Health Organization said, giving the virus “a big head start”.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said the response was being hindered by blanket travel restrictions and highlighted high levels of community mistrust and low levels of contact tracing as key concerns.

Outback Steakhouse sued for $1.5M over alleged mashed potato slip-and-fall

A Virginia woman alleges she suffered serious injuries after slipping on what appeared to be mashed potatoes at an Outback Steakhouse.

EU aims to ensure foreign governments or firms cannot disrupt tech services with ‘kill switch’

European Commission proposals aim to reduce ‘risky dependencies’ on foreign suppliers in cloud computing, AI and semiconductors

The EU executive wants to ensure no foreign government or company has access to a “kill switch” to turn off or disrupt vital tech services across the continent, as part of an effort to cut dependencies on the US and China.

Publishing “technological sovereignty” proposals that risk further tensions with Donald Trump, the European Commission said on Wednesday the bloc needed to reduce dependency on foreign suppliers in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and semiconductor production.

How the murder of Henry Nowak is being exploited by the far right - The Latest

There has been violent disorder on the streets of Southampton sparked by the murder of student Henry Nowak. Politicians and community leaders have called for calm amid fears that Nowak’s death will be used to whip up racial resentment against minority ethnic Britons. Lucy Hough speaks to community affairs correspondent Aamna Mohdin.

Sellers are pulling homes off the market at the fastest pace since 2020

Frustrated sellers are pulling their homes off the market at an increasingly high pace, as demand weakens and bidding wars wane.

How a single decision made a century ago split a family in half by race

Pope Leo's Black family roots inspired journalist Susan Saulny to research her Creole great-uncle who moved to Chicago, became white and didn't return. She describes her journey to reunite her family.

Former police officer in hiding after being falsely linked to Henry Nowak arrest

Christi Hill and male officer misidentified in Vickrum Digwa murder case on AI platforms including Grok

A former police officer has been forced to flee to a safe space after she was falsely accused online of being involved in the arrest of Henry Nowak.

Christi Hill, who served as a police constable for 12 years, has criticised social media and AI platforms, including Elon Musk’s Grok, for spreading the false claim that she was one of the officers who arrested Nowak as he lay dying after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa.

It’s not just Rosamund Pike who struggles with badly behaved theatre-goers. I was nearly beaten up by a hen party | Polly Hudson

They text, they chat, they throw popcorn: some people would rather do anything than just sit and watch a show. And my friend and I have the mental scars to prove it

Rosamund Pike probably lost a fan last weekend, while simultaneously gaining many more. The secret texter she called out without identifying presumably wasn’t too thrilled to be unnamed but shamed at the end of Pike’s play Inter Alia, but for everybody who has ever had a bad trip to the theatre, it was a good point, well-made and about time, too.

After the final curtain, Pike returned to the stage to explain: “I am trying to tell you a story, and I’m feeling you, and I hope you’re feeling me too ... Maybe it was very important, and maybe you’re a doctor, and you’re saving someone’s life, and I hope you are, but we do see these, we do feel them.”

Marcia Lucas obituary

Film editor who won an Oscar for her work on Star Wars, which she nevertheless referred to as ‘a kids’ movie’

In February 1977, George Lucas screened a rough cut of his science-fiction fantasy Star Wars, devoid of any music or special effects, to a select audience at his home in northern California. Among those in attendance, reported Peter Biskind in his book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, were studio executives from 20th Century Fox, colleagues such as the screenwriter Gloria Katz and the director Brian De Palma. Katz recalled that the screening was greeted by “stunned silence”. De Palma was heard asking: “What is this shit?”

Lucas’s wife Marcia, who had edited Star Wars with Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch, was in tears, convinced the film was doomed. Katz advised her: “Don’t cry when there are people from the studio there.”

Men are worried about their fertility. Enter the regrettably named trend of spermmaxxing

Sperm counts have fallen sharply in recent decades, fueling anxiety, misinformation and a flood of fertility advice

I’m sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this, but according to reports, men are engaging in a practice known as “spermmaxxing”.

Spermmaxxing, according to the many articles on the subject, is a way of increasing the quality and quantity of one’s sperm. The approaches range from the sensible (get more sleep, eat nutritious foods) to the more dubious (eat raw garlic, dip your testicles in ice water).

Social Security checks could be cut by $500 a month in 2032, report finds

Beneficiaries would continue receiving payments if Social Security's trust fund is depleted, but checks could shrink by about 24%, according to a new report.

Mina the Hollower review – squeaky fresh fun full of vintage magic

PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox; Yacht Club Games
This brilliant adventure creates a whole world from one character with a unique ability

You could mistake Mina the Hollower for something found on the liquid-crystal display of a Game Boy Color around the turn of the millennium. Like the pocketable Zelda and Pokémon games of the time, it presents a kind of snow-globe reality that you peer into from above, relying on imagination to decipher each two-colour clump of pixels into a tree, or a skeleton, or a cloaked mouse wielding a hammer twice her size.

This is Mina, our hero: she jumps, she moves at a clip, and she can delve downward into the soil or floorboards, tunnelling underfoot for a moment or two before popping back up, like an inflatable forcibly submerged in a swimming pool. This is her signature move, perfectly elastic in sensation – the way the released button springs back against your thumb! – and in application. The burrow-jump is an excavation tool, unearthing any treasure you happen to dig through, and a navigational one, used to hop over gaps, reach high-up spots and nose into tiny hidden spaces, where more treasure almost invariably awaits.

Campaign to deliver ‘biggest complaint Fifa has ever received’ launches before World Cup

• ‘Reboot Fifa’ calls for investigation into Infantino

• Complaint to be sent to ethics committee after World Cup

A quest to deliver the “biggest complaint Fifa has ever received” is being launched by campaigners a week before the World Cup.

With fans concerned over safety and the cost of tickets at the tournament, and complaints ongoing against Fifa from human rights organisations and football competitions, a class action-style complaint is calling for an investigation into the president, Gianni Infantino.

Tunisia World Cup 2026 team guide

Having stormed through African qualifying without conceding a goal, can Sabri Lamouchi lead the Eagles of Carthage out of the group stage for the first time?

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

Private payrolls grew by 122,000 in May, stronger than expected, ADP reports

Unlike prior months, where job growth was concentrated in healthcare and a few other sectors, gains were more broad-based.

​Why is Europe still not ready for extreme heat?

​The first heatwaves of the season reveal how ​ill-prepared governments across the continent are to protect people from increasingly dangerous temperatures

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Meteorological summer has begun, ushered in with scorching heat that struck before spring was up. Although western Europe is now mostly free from last week’s heat dome – which shattered temperature records for May in the UK and Ireland – it is already bracing for yet another sweltering summer. Oppressive days, restless nights and furious fires are brewing. On Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organisation warned us all to prepare for the imminent return of the warming weather pattern El Niño.

Scientists have not worked out how many people died during this latest bout of hot weather, but one environmental epidemiologist’s early modelling pegged it at 250 extra deaths in the UK alone on the weekend before temperatures peaked. The full death toll is likely to be particularly high because the heat struck before people had properly adjusted their behaviour to stay safe in the heat.

Trump says Iran agreed to not have nuclear weapons, but 'they can change their mind'

The president was speaking to the New York Post's "Pod Force One" podcast in a wide-ranging interview.

Sabalenka says she wants ‘to quit tennis’ after shock French Open defeat by Shnaider

• No 1 seed loses 6-3, 5-7, 0-6 in quarter-final meltdown

• Player says roof should be closed in windy conditions

Aryna Sabalenka said she wanted “to quit tennis” in an immediate outburst after one of the worst meltdowns in her career, losing 10 consecutive games en route to a shocking 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 defeat to the 25th seed Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals of the French Open.

Asked by the moderator to explain her thoughts and emotions at the beginning of her post-match press conference, Sabalenka responded: “No thoughts, no emotions. Just want to quit tennis right now,” she said, shrugging. “But we’ll see. We’ll see in a few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.”

YouTube overtakes Netflix in average daily viewing around the world

Analysts say Alphabet-owned platform’s evolution is one of the defining media shifts of the decade

YouTube has overtaken Netflix in average daily viewing among users around the world, according to analysis that reveals the digital platform’s ever greater media muscle.

A major shift to watching YouTube on television has fuelled a growing rivalry between the world’s pre-eminent digital and streaming platforms. “YouTube is not just cat videos any more,” Netflix’s co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos, said recently. “YouTube is TV.”

Is there a pianist in the house? How audience members – and fellow musicians – have saved the show

A Sydney screening of La La Land with live orchestra was rescued by a brave (and skilled) amateur pianist. What happens when classical performers, or their instruments, suddenly collapse? Plus, Tavener’s mystic pantomime finally gets to the stage

Music’s equivalent of catching a home run at a baseball game happened on Saturday in Sydney, when a 21-year-old university student jumped in to save a performance of the movie La La Land with live orchestra. The band’s keyboardist had fallen ill and couldn’t perform in the second half. Unable to find a replacement at such short notice, the conductor Justin Hurwitz (winner of two Oscars for the film’s music) asked the audience if there was a pianist in the house. Sterling Nasa answered the call, and performed in the second half, improvising a solo, and not getting a tempo change or key signature wrong.

It’s a great story – and incredible that an audience member had the requisite sight-reading and technical skills to carry it off. Could it happen in a classical concert? There have certainly been moments here too when an audience member has saved the day. The best of those stories comes from the summer of 1974, when the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus brought Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana to the Proms, conducted by André Previn, with the baritone Thomas Allen among the soloists. You can actually hear the shocking moment from the live radio broadcast when Allen collapses into the cello section in an episode of the BBC World Service’s Witness History. He had fainted and was carried off the stage. After a brief pause, Previn chose to keep going rather than stop the performance.

UK government to pay £1.3bn to help fund Universal Studios theme park in Bedfordshire

Chancellor hails deal saying it will create tens of thousands of jobs in the construction, hospitality, creative and technology sectors

British taxpayers will provide £1.3bn in funding to help the Hollywood studio giant Universal build its first theme park in Europe.

Comcast, the US media company that owns NBC Universal and Sky, had been considering a number of countries in which to build its first European theme park.

‘It’s a relief … I’m irrelevant!’: Rufus Norris on life after the National Theatre

He stood down as boss of the NT – and threw himself into kayaking, writing and DIY. The veteran director talks about his new start aged 60, mourning his mother – and directing Death of a Salesman in Turkish

There were several big endings for Rufus Norris in 2025, all crammed into the same few seismic months. Firstly, the close of his tenure as director of the National Theatre after a decade at the helm. That planned ending collided with the loss of his mother, who died three weeks before he left the NT. On top of that, a significant birthday concluding his 50s.

So what did Norris do after turning 60, on the other side of the Big Job, alongside the grief of losing a parent? DIY, plenty of kayaking and a house move, it turns out: “It felt important to have a complete break,” he says. “I’m a bit of a workaholic, but I’m also a bird of simple brain so I can as easily lose myself in how to build a shed or do up a place.”

Europe unveils tech sovereignty package amid growing concerns over reliance on U.S. tech: 'We want to be sure nobody has a kill switch'

The proposals include new acts to bolster advanced chip manufacturing and homegrown cloud computing.

Greetings from Porto, whose lanes are lined with colorful textiles

Linen scarves, cotton aprons and dishtowels adorn the entrances to souvenir shops, many of which are run by Bangladeshis whose home country shares Portugal's rich tradition of textile manufacturing.

White House Correspondents' Dinner rescheduled for July 24

Prosecutors have accused Cole Allen of attempting to assassinate the president when he allegedly attacked the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25.

Martin Scorsese accused of ‘throwing artists under bus’ with AI storyboards

The director defends investment in and use of AI-generated storyboards, saying the immediacy of communicating his vision to cast and crew is ‘creatively freeing’

Martin Scorsese’s announcement that he has invested in an AI company and uses the technology to create storyboards has triggered a backlash from fellow members of the film industry.

The New York Times reported that Scorsese had been appointed in 2025 as a partner and adviser to Black Forest Labs, a German-based venture that specialises in text-to-image generative AI.

Meta is trying to sell AI agents to businesses in latest effort to diversify away from ads

The Meta Business Agent will be included in the company's Meta One paid subscription offerings.

U.S. Coast Guard investigators in Bahamas to search for evidence in missing American case

U.S. Coast Guard investigators are in the Bahamas to start a new search for evidence of missing American Lynette Hooker. One official says the probe now includes the possibility that Hooker was murdered. Cristian Benavides reports.

Twins in a spin at the great British seaside: Sophie Green’s best photograph

‘In a really simple way, this photo captures that intense colour and joy of being at the seaside with your loved ones’

Our British seaside has such a distinctive look: the bingo halls, the buckets and spades and pinwheels, and all the amazing colours of the funfairs. I find them the most amazing environments. I love that visually super-charged, maximalist style.

The seaside is nostalgic to all of us. My grandpa lived in Pembrokeshire and we’d go and see him when I was little. The beach provokes this childlike sense of wonderment. It is a space that anyone can be a part of, friends and family, whatever age, whatever background. It unlocks the connection to nature, which inspires freedom and fun. There are not really any rules, and it’s playful – the funfairs, the arcades, splashing in the water. We don’t have many outlets for play, especially as adults.

Trump names controversial housing official Bill Pulte as acting intel chief

President Trump on Tuesday announced he's tapping housing official Bill Pulte to serve as the acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard.

Man with apparent bomb barricaded with hostages inside Southern California bank

Police say a man barricaded himself inside a bank in Bakersfield, California, on Tuesday and appeared to have a bomb strapped to his body. The suspect also took several people hostage. Jonathan Vigliotti has the latest.

Stormy weather and a footballer protest: photos of the day – Wednesday

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

Cape Fear review – Amy Adams and Javier Bardem’s immaculate update is a wild, wild ride

Bardem has the absolute time of his life terrifying everyone in this remake of the classic thriller. It’s a masterclass in tension, sublime directing – and never forgets the power of a jump scare

“Ever look around and wonder if we deserve all this?” a woman asks, standing by their sprawling mansion’s swimming pool with her handsome, ripped, fellow lawyer husband.

“No,” he replies.

Cape Fear is on Apple TV on 5 June

Sixty thousand love letters and counting: volunteers help sift through vast German trove of devotion

Team is working to digitise archive of correspondence donated by public, charting relationships, social history and evolution of language

After four decades together, Tatiana and Steffen Missbach still write each other love letters. “A good love letter is specific – not only declaring your feelings but also, you know, ‘good luck at music practice, I’ll be thinking of you’,” said Tatiana, 66, a retired personnel manager. “If he’s leaving early on a work trip, I like waking up and finding one at the breakfast table waiting for me.”

Steffen, 68, a car appraiser, said it was his way of giving Tatiana “something to hold in her hands for the time that I’m not there, when I can’t be here to speak the words”.

Mortgage rates are easing slightly, but homebuyers are retreating

Mortgage rates fell slightly last week, but neither current homeowners nor potential homebuyers were inspired. Demand for mortgages fell overall.

Josh Turek wins Iowa Democratic Senate primary that could shape Democrats' path to Senate majority

Iowa's Senate primary where state Rep. Josh Turek beat state Sen. Zach Wahls could be critical as Democrats look to take back power in Congress.

How to turn spent coffee grounds into barbecue sauce – recipe | Waste not

Spent coffee grounds add depth to a smoky-sweet, intense barbecue sauce that’s a knockout with pulled mushrooms, grilled veg and meat alike

Three pillars underpin my cooking style – pleasure, people and planet – and I believe that all three need to be taken into account to make a truly delicious and nourishing meal, hence the title of my most recent book, Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet. Today’s recipe is taken from one of the tastiest recipes in the book, Venezuelan corn cake arepas with “pulled” oyster mushrooms and this sweet, umami-rich and intense barbecue sauce, all topped with a refreshing kohlrabi and mango salsa.

Delhi fire blazes through hotel building – video

A fire in a building in south Delhi has killed at least 21 people, police say. The blaze hit a hotel in Malviya Nagar, a residential neighbourhood popular with students and young professionals

From God of War to Until Dawn – seven reveals from last night’s PlayStation event

The PS5 era has been in some ways disappointing for Sony – on Tuesday, the company revealed a slate of games they hope will change that

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PlayStation’s future has looked a little uncertain these past few years. Although the PS5 has sold well and been very profitable, the brand is far from the runaway market leader it was in the PS2 days. Earlier this week, Game File dug into Sony’s most recent earnings reports to illustrate how PlayStation has been selling fewer and fewer of its own flagship games since a peak during the pandemic. About 54.1m copies of games either developed or published by Sony were sold in the 2018 financial year; in 2025, it sold 32.1m.

Sony has put out some great homegrown games since the PS5 was released in 2020, from Astro Bot to Ghost of Yōtei, but it has also had some expensive and very public failures and cancellations; PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, who retired in 2024, placed big bets on live-service games and only a few panned out (hello, Helldivers). Sony also seems to have rolled back on releasing its single-player PS5 games on PC after a polite interval of time, suggesting it wants to preserve what advantage and exclusivity it has.

Leftwing US pair refused entry to UK will address Oxford Union remotely

Home Office barred Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker on grounds their visit was ‘not conducive to the public good’

Two leftwing US political commentators who were banned from entering the UK will still speak at the Oxford Union via livestream.

The Home Office told Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker their presence in the UK was “not conducive to the public good” when they attempted to come to London to attend this week’s SXSW London event.

France's Macron invites Sam Altman to attend G7, OpenAI tells CNBC

French President Emmanuel Macron has looked to win over tech bosses amid hopes to boost AI capability.

Antibiotics use in livestock could rise by a third in next 15 years, UN report warns

Governments urged to act to prevent potentially disastrous impacts on human resistance to medicines

The use of antibiotics on livestock will rise by nearly a third in the next 15 years without government intervention, according to new global estimates, with potentially disastrous impacts on human resistance to essential medicines.

Animal husbandry accounts for close to three-quarters of global use of antimicrobial medications and in many countries their use is poorly monitored. Some herds are routinely dosed and in many countries antimicrobials are used to increase the growth of animals bred for meat.

Kidnappings, threats and ‘protection fees’: how can Mexico confront rise in deadly extortion?

With corrupt police on the streets and shopkeepers forced to pay gangs, president has vowed to tackle crime that now affects all parts of society

It was about 11pm and Luis* was about to get into an Uber to go home when the police car pulled up. One of the officers frisked him and produced two plastic bags with what looked like drugs: one contained some sort of powder, the other little crystals. Luis had never seen them before.

Luis, who asked not to use his real name for fear of reprisals, insisted that the drugs weren’t his, but the officers didn’t seem to care. They shoved him into the back of the police truck and drove into the night.

Future AI weapons such as drones should have moral code, says former UK spy chief

Software could make ethically superior decisions to humans in high-pressure moments, claims ex-GCHQ head David Omand

Drones will need to be programmed with moral guidelines as AI-driven decision making reduces human involvement in autonomous warfare, according to a former UK spy chief.

David Omand told the Guardian that he had changed his mind on unmanned weapons systems, more than a decade after concluding that autonomous drones could not comply with international humanitarian law.