Freiburg 0-3 Aston Villa: Europa League final – live reaction

⚽️ Europa League final updates from the 8pm BST kick-off
⚽️ Freiburg lowdown | The Europa League king | Mail Scott

Villa have form for goalkeeper woes in European finals. Jimmy Rimmer went into the 1982 European Cup final with a sore neck, having taken a whack in training a couple of days before the match. He lasted nine minutes before giving way to 23-year-old substitute goalie Nigel Spink, who went on to have the match of his life. So all won’t be lost should the worst happen to Martinez …

… though our man on the spot, Ben Fisher, has just reported that “the glove is now back on and he’s practising claiming crosses from coaches and the other goalkeepers.” So panic over, for now at least.

Emi Martinez may have an issue here: Villa’s goalkeeping coach, Javi Garcia, has just spent the past couple of minutes taping one of Martinez’s fingers and now the Argentinian World Cup winner is continuing to warm up with his right goalie glove in his left hand. He looks very mobile, but it doesn’t seem ideal.

Alice Capsey shines as opener to give England lead in T20 series against New Zealand

• 1st T20i: England, 140-3, bt New Zealand, 136-7, by seven wkts

• Capsey finishes unbeaten on 74 with 16 balls remaining

England got off to a winning start in their Twenty20 series against New Zealand after Alice Capsey struck an unbeaten 74 from 51 balls – her highest score for England, and her first T20i half-century since July 2024.

Capsey has generally batted at No 3 for England but on this occasion was promoted to open in place of Danni Wyatt-Hodge, missing this series due to the imminent birth of her first child. She made full use of the extra time available to her, smoking three sixes and seven fours as England chased down their 137-run target with three wickets and 16 balls to spare.

Bolivia rocked by protests as US warns of ‘coup d’état’

Clashes between demonstrators and police in La Paz have entered second week, shaking centre-right president

Protests blocking roads across Bolivia and turning the centre of the capital, La Paz, into a battleground between demonstrators and police have entered a second week.

It is the most turbulent moment of the centre-right president Rodrigo Paz Pereira’s mere six months in office since he ended nearly two decades of rule by the leftwing Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).

Tennessee man jailed over Charlie Kirk post wins $835,000 settlement

Larry Bushart was jailed for 37 days over a Facebook post after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk

Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

While many people across the US lost their jobs over social media comments about Kirk’s death, Larry Bushart’s case stood out as a rare instance in which such online speech led to criminal prosecution. The 61-year-old retired police officer spent 37 days behind bars before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October.

Murder inquiry launched after fatal assault on London bus driver

Police say 64-year-old was attacked after confrontation near Battersea Bridge

A murder investigation has been launched after a bus driver died after an assault on Battersea Bridge in London, police said.

Sergei Krajev, 64, died in hospital on Tuesday after the incident in the early hours of Monday morning.

Police believe he was attacked following a confrontation on the pavement near the bus, which was stationary at the time.

Gary Jones, 32, was arrested at the scene.

He was later charged with causing grievous bodily harm and appeared at Wimbledon magistrates court. He has been remanded in custody.

Jones will next appear at Kingston crown court on 15 June, the Metropolitan police said.

The family of Krajev paid tribute to him, saying: “We feel fortunate to have had such a wonderful husband, father and grandfather in our lives.

Intuit plans to cut workforce by about 17% as tax software maker reckons with slowing growth

Intuit's stock has been hammered this year as investors worry that generative artificial intelligence models could threaten software companies.

Zuckerberg's Meta layoffs memo: 'Success isn't a given' in the AI era

Meta on Wednesday commenced its latest round of layoffs, which affect about 10% of the company's workforce or roughly 8,000 jobs.

Sinkhole shuts down runway at New York LaGuardia airport

Officials say sinkhole discovered at about 11am as emergency crews rush to complete repairs

A sinkhole was discovered at New York’s LaGuardia airport on Wednesday, shutting down a runway while emergency crews sought to determine its cause and how to fix it.

In a post on X, LaGuardia, which handles domestic travel, said the sinkhole had been discovered at about 11am “near runway 4/22” while the airport’s operator was conducting its daily morning inspection.

Judge orders White House staff to comply with presidential records law

A federal judge ordered White House staff and President Trump's top advisers to comply with a law that requires certain presidential records to be preserved.

Aaron Rodgers says 2026 will be his final NFL season: ‘This is it’

• Four-time MVP agreed to one-year deal with Steelers

• Rodgers is reuniting with ex-Packers coach McCarthy

Aaron Rodgers has said that the 2026 season will be the final one of his NFL career.

“Yes. This is it,” the Steelers quarterback told reporters in Pittsburgh on Wednesday when asked if the upcoming campaign would be his last.

Bezos defends billionaires, hypes AI, talks taxes and praises Trump in major CNBC interview

Jeff Bezos rejected accusations that Amazon's decision to release a documentary on first lady Melania Trump was an effort to curry favor with the president.

DOJ charges ex-prosecutor with stealing Trump documents case report prepared by Jack Smith

Carmen Mercedes Lineberger allegedy emailed herself a copy of Volume II of special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump's criminal case.

Ram unveils lineup of Hemi V-8 engine-powered 'muscle trucks' despite high gas prices

Stellantis plans to launch a new lineup of what it's calling "muscle trucks" for its Ram brand despite elevated U.S. gas prices due to the war in Iran.

The U.S. threatens to revoke the Palestinian U.N. ambassador's visa

A leaked State Department memo shows the U.S. threatened to revoke Palestinian visas if they pushed for a senior United Nations post.

UK struggles to reassure Ukraine after easing new sanctions on Russian oil

Diplomats mount salvage operation after ‘clumsy’ announcement upsets Kyiv

The UK was last night desperately trying to reassure Kyiv its new sanctions policy on Russia did not weaken restrictions, after Ukrainian officials warned the change could help Moscow fund its war efforts.

While Downing Street insisted the decision to allow the temporary import of Russian oil and jet fuel was only one element of a tougher overall sanctions package, a British minister conceded that the matter had been handled “clumsily”.

UK radio station apologises for accidentally announcing death of King Charles

Announcement made due to computer error at Radio Caroline’s main studio in Essex

A radio station has apologised for “any distress caused” after accidentally announcing that King Charles had died.

The erroneous announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon due to a computer error at Radio Caroline’s main studio in Essex.

What sagging bond prices are telling us about the U.S. economy

U.S. government bonds are sagging as investors fret that hotter inflation will keep interest rate cuts on hold.

‘He sacrificed his life’: security guard killed in San Diego mosque attack hailed as hero

Security guard Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad were killed in shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego

A security guard who was killed during the shooting at a San Diego mosque on Monday is being hailed as a hero after police said that his actions “undoubtedly” saved lives.

On Monday, two teenagers opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California, shooting and killing three men. The two attackers, aged 17 and 18, were found dead several blocks away, from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, officials said.

San Francisco turns to AI to save whales from ship strikes as deaths soar

Climate change is pushing starving grey whales to San Francisco Bay, where ship strikes led to 40% of 21 deaths

Ferries, cargo ships and tankers cut through choppy waters in the San Francisco Bay on Tuesday as a whale surfaced nearby, its spout barely visible against the white caps. Until now, whales could easily go unnoticed by mariners, but an AI-powered detection network launched this week is designed to track them day and night.

The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby.

DRC cancel World Cup training camp and fan event due to Ebola outbreak

• Friendlies against Denmark and Chile still going ahead

• Team staff who are based in DRC ‘leaving in next hours’

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have cancelled their three-day World Cup preparation training camp and a planned farewell to fans in the capital, Kinshasa, because of an outbreak of Ebola in the east of the country.

Preparations will take place elsewhere after an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, which is thought to have killed more than 130 people and caused nearly 600 suspected cases. The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern.

Wendy's taps former Potbelly CEO to lead struggling burger chain

Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management is seeking funding to take Wendy's private, according to a Financial Times report.

Meta slashes 8,000 jobs as it pivots towards AI

Facebook and Instagram's parent company has been investing huge sums of money in AI, but it lags behind competitors.

Teen attackers in mosque shooting were wallowing in nihilistic hate

"These subjects did not discriminate in who they hated," said Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego Field Office.

Israeli security minister stirs diplomatic outrage with flotilla activist abuse video

Far-right figure Itamar Ben-Gvir shares footage of himself taunting bound international detainees

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has sparked a diplomatic crisis by publishing footage of Israeli security forces abusing international activists who were detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid.

There was a rapid and furious response from countries whose citizens were onboard the boats, including the UK, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Ireland, in many cases delivered in person from the top of government.

After the Kars4Kids ad is banned in California, we check in on nostalgic jingles past

A California judge has given Kars4Kids 30 days to either take its ads off the air or update them to disclose its affiliations to a Jewish charity based in the Northeast.

Summer travelers face "vacation inflation" as airfare, gas prices rise

Gas prices, airfares, accommodations and other vacation essentials are more expensive this year compared to last year.

Guardiola leaves Manchester City as one of the game’s greats – and someone who knows its dark heart | Barney Ronay

While there is no denying the magnitude of his achievements, his legacy is also tied up in politics, propaganda and hard power

Well, that’s that then. Put out more flags. Mount the iconic Jedi‑style woollen cardigan in the club museum. He really does seem to be done this time.

In the absence of formal denials, it now seems highly likely the scheduled final year of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City contract will be spent trawling the high-concept food ateliers of the Iberian peninsula, debating spatial architecture with a Slovenian Cluedo grandmaster over hummingbird martinis, and generally recharging after a decade of unceasing devotion to victory.

Trump's face doesn't belong on U.S. passport, senators tell Rubio

The State Department announced a special edition U.S. passport that will feature President Donald Trump's likeness.

U.S. grand jury indicts Raul Castro, ex-Cuban president

The 94-year-old former leader of Cuba faces several charges, including four counts of murder for an attack on a humanitarian group more than 30 years ago.

The Guardian view on Britain and Europe: a changing world demands new terms of debate | Editorial

The world has changed dramatically since the Brexit referendum and politics needs to catch up

The spectacle of a prime minister clinging to power while his party grows increasingly desperate for a replacement is painfully familiar from the end of the last Tory government. British politics feels trapped in a loop. This condition is not wholly a result of Brexit, but the failure of that project is a significant part of it. None of the benefits promised in the referendum by the leave campaign have materialised. It is all downside, but political discussion of any significant rewriting of the terms of departure is taboo. Sir Keir Starmer’s “reset” of European relations is mostly tinkering at the margins.

Meanwhile, the strategic calculus has changed entirely since 2016. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine exposed European complacency about continental defence and energy security. Donald Trump’s aggressive contempt for old allies makes it clear that they cannot depend on the US for protection.

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

The Guardian view on tackling Ebola: pathogens aren’t the only things that kill | Editorial

Conflict and aid cuts are hampering the fight against an outbreak of the deadly virus centred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced the deadly threat of Ebola 16 times since the virus was discovered there in 1976, with a 2018-20 outbreak killing almost 2,300 people. On Sunday, the World Health Organization declared the 17th outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern. So far, 139 suspected deaths and almost 600 suspected cases of the haemorrhagic fever virus have been identified, nearly all in the DRC’s north-eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, with two cases in Uganda of people who had travelled from the DRC.

There is also anxiety about neighbouring South Sudan. The WHO fears the disease has been spreading for a couple of months and, given the highly mobile population, warns that it could take months more to bring it under control. While it judges the risk of global spread to be low, it thinks the regional risk is high.

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

Cheap AI could derail OpenAI and Anthropic's IPOs

Chinese AI labs are matching American frontier capability at a fraction of the cost.

Meghan Markle’s anniversary candle: who wouldn’t want to pay $64 to celebrate someone else’s marriage?

It smells like sunshine, blue skies and love and laughter, apparently. And it’s all in aid of her and Harry’s eight years together

Name: Anniversary candle.

Appearance: A “modern and elegant” candle, “housed in a beautiful ceramic vessel”.

Bipartisan home affordability bill passes the House

The bill is meant to encourage home construction, and would ban corporate investors from buying up more homes to rent out.

Norwegian court blocks extradition to Greece of migrant rights activist

Case hailed as human rights victory as Tromsø court says Tommy Olsen’s actions are lawful and protected under international treaties

The decision of a Norwegian appeals court to dismiss the extradition of an activist accused of facilitating the illegal entry of people into Greece has been hailed as a rare victory for human rights.

In a judgment described as unprecedented by lawyers representing Tommy Olsen, the Norwegian founder of the NGO the Aegean Boat Report, the court unanimously rejected the request saying his actions were not only lawful but protected under international treaties to which both countries adhered.

‘If you keep looking we will kill you’: death stalks those searching for Mexico’s disappeared

Organised crime groups are targeting some of the only people looking for victims of the country’s cartel wars – their relatives

Beneath the cooling towers of Mazatlán’s power plant, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, a dozen women pick through the marshland, looking for the upturned soil – and the scent – that betrays the location of a buried body.

They are part of Hearts United for One Cause, one of hundreds of collectives scattered across Mexico looking for the members’ missing relatives. But these searchers have been marked out by another layer of tragedy: one of them was murdered in February, and another disappeared in October.

The story of Cuba's 1996 shootdown that led to Raúl Castro's indictment

Thirty years ago, a Cuban fighter jet shot down two civilian planes operated by Florida-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, an incident that inflamed U.S.-Cuba relations.

Bezos says bottom half of U.S. earners should pay no federal income tax

The Amazon founder said eliminating taxes for lower-income Americans could ease financial pressure and encourage entrepreneurship.

The Justice Department gives Trump an unprecedented settlement

D.O.J. gave Trump and his family immunity from tax audits and set up a $1.8 billion fund for victims of "government weaponization." Former government lawyer Andrew Weissmann explains the settlement.

Xi and Putin condemn ‘irresponsible’ US foreign policy at Beijing summit

Chinese and Russian leaders boast of close ties and warn ‘of a drift back to the law of the jungle’

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin issued a joint condemnation of “irresponsible” US foreign policy on Wednesday, warning of “a drift back to the law of the jungle”.

The statement came after the Chinese and Russian leaders held a summit in Beijing that followed a visit to the capital by Donald Trump.

US indicts former Cuban president Raúl Castro as it seeks to oust regime

Charges filed in Miami against 94-year-old for allegedly shooting down exiles’ planes in 1996

The United States issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, and five others on Wednesday in a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign to oust the country’s six-decades-old communist regime.

The 94-year-old political figurehead was charged in Miami, Florida, with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft.

Are Xi and Putin still ‘best friends’? - The Latest

Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin to Beijing with pomp and pageantry, just days after hosting Donald Trump. But as Russia’s war in Ukraine makes Moscow increasingly dependent on China, and western leaders thaw relations with Beijing, what does the power imbalance mean for Xi and Putin’s relationship? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s deputy head of international news, Devika Bhat

Russian jet causes ‘dangerous’ near miss after flying close to RAF spy plane

UK calls incident ‘unacceptable’ after Su-27 jet comes within six metres of unarmed RAF plane over Black Sea

A Russian jet flew within six metres of an RAF spy plane flying at 500mph over the Black Sea, one of two mid-air incidents last month described as “dangerous and unacceptable” by the defence secretary, John Healey.

An Su-27 jet conducted six passes in front of an unarmed RAF Rivet Joint flying close to its nose in mid April, risking a collision that could have caused a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

Another Trump victory: Republican Rep. Thomas Massie loses Kentucky primary

President Donald Trump had targeted Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., for opposing GOP priorities.

The San Diego mosque shooting victims remembered as 'heroes' for protecting children

Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad and Mansour Kaziha distracted and delayed two gunmen at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Their actions saved the many children and staff inside the mosque and cost them their lives.

Greetings from Bali, where a kecak dance shows the triumph of good over evil

The kecak dance involves a retelling of one of the stories in the Ramayana, the Hindu epic poem. At the story's climax, there is an eruption of fire as tufts of dried coconut husks are set aflame.

I didn’t think it was possible to love Kylie Minogue any more – her new Netflix series changed that | Emma Brockes

After the glut of brand-building shows from other celebrities, the Kylie documentary is radical for simply allowing the star to come across as human

Kylie, the new three-part documentary that launched on Netflix on Wednesday and has been making me verklempt ever since, is great in every way it’s possible for TV to be. But on the basis of the first two and a half episodes, a couple of things jump out: Kylie’s almost superhuman ability to stay cheerful in the face of intense provocation, and the extraordinary rudeness she had to tolerate from interviewers back in the day.

Here’s Michael Parkinson in 2004, grinning like an alligator and asking her a question considered totally fine at the time: “What about children? You’re 35 now, leaving it a bit late aren’t you?” And a few years later, Cat Deeley, asking roughly the same question, albeit slightly more diplomatically, right after Kylie had emerged from chemotherapy for breast cancer. Nice work, guys!

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

Jan. 6 police officers sue Trump to block $1.8B 'lawfare' fund

The Department of Justice agreed to create the fund to settle a $10 billion lawsuit by President Trump over the leak of his tax records by an IRS employee.

January 6 officers sue Trump over $1.8bn fund, alleging ‘presidential corruption’

Retired Capitol police officer and DC officer allege Trump’s $1.8bn fund unlawfully rewards January 6 rioters and allies

• US politics live – latest updates

Two police officers who clashed with rioters at the US Capitol during the January 6 insurrection in 2021 have sued Donald Trump over plans to create a $1.776bn “anti-weaponization” fund.

The fund, which critics have argued is essentially a slush fund, is set to compensate allies of the US president who he claims were victims of prosecutorial overreach.

UK strikes £3.7bn trade deal with six Gulf states

Keir Starmer describes the agreement, worth double original estimates, as a ‘huge win’ for British businesses

Keir Starmer has struck a trade deal with six Gulf states in what he described as a huge win for British business, ending four years of talks led by four different prime ministers.

The deal will offer £3.7bn worth of opportunities for exporters – double the original estimates – particularly in the food and luxury car sectors but also defence, aerospace, hospitality and other services, the government said.

Tesla Cybertruck pulled from Texas lake after attempting ‘wade mode’

Police said the vehicle became disabled and took on water, prompting the driver and passengers to abandon it before calling for help

Authorities in Texas have removed a Tesla Cybertruck from a lake after the driver intentionally drove into in an attempt to try the vehicle’s “wade mode.”

On Tuesday, the Grapevine police department announced the vehicle’s recovery from Katie’s Woods Park Boat Ramp, adding that the “driver stated he intentionally drove into the lake to use the Cybertruck’s ‘wade mode’ feature”.

How Arteta overcame setbacks, crises and boos to defy the doubters at Arsenal

Manager’s early seasons were far from plain sailing but insiders credit club’s owners for staying the course

It didn’t start well for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. On a crisp December night in 2019 at about 1am in a Manchester suburb, Vinai Venkatesham stepped out of Arteta’s home. The Arsenal managing director looked around, satisfied with his meeting. Arteta had just outlined a “hugely impressive” five-year plan to rebuild a club reeling from Arsène Wenger’s departure and Unai Emery’s failed succession. Venkatesham stepped into his car and was driven away with his colleague Huss Fahmy.

The club were about to take a huge gamble, but one with which they were increasingly comfortable. For many Arsenal executives, Arteta had won the interview round in 2018 when Wenger left. Yet it seemed too much to ask a 36-year-old rookie to manage a seismic transition and Emery had pedigree and experience; Arteta had charisma and a strong playing record.

Giro d’Italia: Narváez storms past Mas for third win as Eulálio keeps pink jersey

• Ecuadorean collects stage victory No 3 of this edition

• Favourite Vingegaard stays 27 seconds behind leader

Ecuador’s Jhonatan Narváez edged out the Spaniard Enric Mas at the end of Wednesday’s stage 11 to win his third stage of this year’s Giro d’Italia as Afonso Eulálio retained the leader’s pink jersey.

Narváez (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and Mas (Movistar) were left to battle for the win after leaving the breakaway group on the final climb and Mas made the first move, only for the Ecuadorian to overtake him before the line. The Italian Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana) won the race for third place at the end of the entertaining 195km ride from Porcari to Chiavari.

James Murdoch to acquire half of Vox Media in deal reportedly worth $300m

Deal is the biggest acquisition for Murdoch since family resolved dispute over future control of media holdings

James Murdoch, second son of publishing giant Rupert Murdoch, has agreed to acquire some of Vox Media’s assets, including New York Magazine, in a deal believed to be worth about $300m.

The 53-year-old publishing scion is acquiring the assets through his company, Lupa Systems, which has built up holdings in Art Basel, the traveling art fair business, and Tribeca Enterprises, the media and entertainment company co-founded by Robert De Niro, and Bodhi Tree Systems, a strategic investment platform that is a major stakeholder of India’s largest media and entertainment company, JioStar.

Retired officer jailed over Charlie Kirk post wins $835,000 settlement

Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Jeff Bezos calls Amazon’s $40m Melania film ‘a good business decision’

The Amazon founder has denied any personal involvement in the film, which failed to recoup its budget on release

Jeff Bezos has defended Amazon’s controversial Melania documentary as “a good business decision” while denying any personal involvement.

The Amazon founder and executive chairman was asked about the film during an interview on CNBC this week. The film, which followed the first lady in the period before Donald Trump’s second inauguration, was purchased by the company for $40m with Melania herself making a reported $28m. Amazon also spent about $35m on marketing.

2 officers in Jan. 6 riot sue to block DOJ "anti-weaponization" fund

The $1.776 billion fund, which is part of the agreement to settle Trump's lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Dept., is to be used to compensate those who claim that the government weaponized the legal system against them.

Which college majors offer the best long-term return on investment?

College grads outearn people without a degree within 15 years, even after paying for tuition, study finds.

Immunotherapy could be used to treat depression, early trial suggests

UK scientists find tocilizumab, used for rheumatoid arthritis, may help antidepressant-resistant patients

Immunotherapy could be used to treat depression among patients who have not responded to conventional antidepressants, according to the results of an early clinical trial.

Researchers at the University of Bristol investigated whether tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug commonly used for immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, could improve symptoms of difficult-to-treat depression.

Open plan is not the answer: design professionals on the dos and don’ts of small space living

From furniture with ‘skinny legs’ to making sure spaces work for multiple purposes, three experts who live in tiny homes share their best lessons

In 2010 Colin Chee picked up the keys to his 37 square metre off-the-plan apartment in Melbourne’s city centre. “It was only then that I realised how shit it was.”

With no design experience and a limited budget, his quest to find inspiration eventually led to the birth of Never Too Small, a YouTube channel showcasing clever designs for small spaces from around the world. Launched in 2017, it now has more than 3 million subscribers.

Plastic food and drink packaging ‘world’s most common coastal litter’

Global study finds wrappers, bottles and lids on shorelines of 93% of countries analysed as UN talks to tackle issue in turmoil

Plastic food wrappers, bottles, lids and caps are by far the most common items of litter found on the world’s shorelines, a study has found.

Researchers looked at data from more than 5,300 surveys of coastal litter to produce the first global analysis of its kind. They found the data in 355 existing studies on the subject.

A rare Ebola strain is spreading with no vaccine. Here's what you need to know

This outbreak is being called "the perfect storm." How did it start, what are the characteristics of the strain that's causing it and how much of a threat is it to global health?

Barney Frank, former congressman and gay-rights pioneer, dies at 86

The former congressman was politically engaged until the end. As GBH reports, Even in hospice, Frank was actively working to spread the message of his forthcoming book, "The Hard Path to Unity: Why We Must Reform the Left to Rescue Democracy."

Google DeepMind in talks with UK unions amid staff concern over US and Israel’s AI use

Exclusive: Google DeepMind agrees to Acas talks after workers sign petitions about governments’ use of AI for defence and intelligence

Google DeepMind has agreed to enter formal talks with UK tech workers that could lead to trade union representation amid growing staff concerns about the use of its AI by the US and Israeli governments’ defence and intelligence.

In a groundbreaking move, the artificial intelligence arm of the multi-trillion dollar Google empire, led by the Nobel prize winner Demis Hassabis, has agreed to meet the Communications Workers Union and Unite at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) after workers based at its London headquarters this month voted to make a bid to unionise.

US and Israel ‘hoped to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader’

Airstrike at the start of the war was aimed at freeing populist ex-president from house arrest, US newspaper claims

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Fresh questions have been raised over the US and Israeli effort to depose the Iranian regime after it was claimed that Israel wanted to put the populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.

Ahmadinejad’s turbulent presidency, from 2005 to 2013, was marked by incendiary attacks on Israel but he recast himself as a critic of the regime and champion of the poor after falling out with the supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

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Pedro Almodóvar says film-makers have a ‘moral duty’ to speak out against the far right

‘Europe must never be subjected to Trump’ says Spanish film-maker at a Cannes press conference for his new film, Bitter Christmas

Pedro Almodóvar has argued that film-makers have a “moral duty” to speak up about politics or they will enable the kind of stifling of free speech taking place in the US, warning that “Europe must never be subjected to Trump”.

Speaking at the Cannes premiere of his new film Bitter Christmas, the veteran Spanish director was responding to questions about previous comments in which he had remarked on a lack of protests at the Oscars earlier this year.

Tips for avoiding vacation inflation

"CBS Mornings" offers some tips to avoid spending extra on vacation amid inflation concerns. Kris Van Cleave reports.

Iran threatens to extend conflict ‘beyond the region’ if U.S. and Israel resume attacks

Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday threatened to extend the Middle East conflict "beyond the region" if the U.S. and Israel resume attacks against Tehran.

‘Messy, chaotic, funny’: inside the hilarious comedy about teen Muslim schoolgirls

Proper Ladies is being compared to Derry Girls for its portrayal of a wild but relatable girl gang. Its creator opens up about trying to reshape the way Black and Muslim characters are used in TV

It’s not every comedy that dares to feature a character trying to strangle herself with her own hijab. Yet the BBC’s Proper Ladies has caused a storm on social media thanks to its chaotic energy and sharply observed teenage dynamics, drawing comparisons to shows such as Derry Girls and Some Girls. “We saw our first fan edit and it had 100,000 likes,” says writer Sabrina Ali. “It feels like we made it.”

Set in a faith school, Proper Ladies is a 10-minute short that follows four schoolgirls in detention, where friendships, rivalries and acts of rebellion unfold. Absurd, quick-witted and fast, it leans into the heightened logic of teenage life – where the smallest things escalate quickly and everything feels urgent. In one scene, a student delivers a dramatic monologue about setting off the fire alarm to conceal the fact that she used the staff toilets to defecate.

Details emerge on San Diego mosque victims, gunmen

More details are emerging on the victims and two gunmen from the deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Lana Zak reports.

Southampton hit out at ‘largest penalty ever’ for spying on opponents

• Club say expulsion from playoffs is ‘disproportionate’

• Saints’ chief executive apologises to their supporters

Southampton have prefaced an appeal against their expulsion from Saturday’s Championship playoff final for spying with a pre-emptive strike, describing the punishment as “manifestly disproportionate”.

Shortly before a hearing in front of a senior judge began early on Wednesday evening, Southampton’s chief executive, Phil Parsons, hit out at the decision of an English Football League independent disciplinary commission to throw them out of the playoffs and impose a four-point deduction next season. While Parsons was at pains to apologise for espionage offences against Middlesbrough, Ipswich and Oxford, he described the sanctions imposed on the club as being markedly out of step with English football precedent.

Lithuanian leaders rushed to bunkers as drone violates country’s airspace

Vilnius residents urged to take shelter during alert, after Nato and EU warn that Russia is diverting Ukraine’s drones

• Europe live – latest updates

Lithuania’s president and prime minister were rushed to underground bunkers and residents of the capital, Vilnius, urged to take shelter during a warning issued after a drone violated the country’s airspace.

Air and train traffic in and around the city was suspended after the mobile phone “take shelter” alert, the first issued in an EU and Nato country since the start of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Fighter jets intercept plane that entered restricted airspace over D.C.

The aircraft entered the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area Special Flight Rules Area, or DC SFRA, around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday.

‘Brits are not as groovy as us – but they’re less square than Europeans’: how drum’n’bass united Brazil and the UK

When drum’n’bass grew stale in the 90s, it got a samba-splicing Brazilian twist. As that style returns, the scene’s legends and newcomers celebrate a cross-cultural triumph

Wagner Ribeiro de Souza wasn’t carrying much in his backpack. A local compilation of techno, house and jungle hits, a couple of news clippings and a VHS tape with footage from the club where he played weekly: small fragments of a music scene that he, under the moniker DJ Patife, and some friends were building in São Paulo, Brazil.

It was 1998. He had travelled to London to talk his way into the office of Movement, one of Britain’s most important drum’n’bass nights, with a single goal: pitching an edition of the party in Brazil. “I played that tape recorded at the club,” Patife remembers. “And when Bryan Gee saw like 2,000 people singing, he said: ‘Let’s go to Brazil right now!’”

Dog yoga and the Ministry of Hound: Goodwoof festival – in pictures

Photographer Jill Mead went to Goodwoof – a show for dogs at the Goodwood estate in West Sussex – and turned her camera on canines and their humans

New wildfires break out in Southern California

At least a dozen more wildfires broke out in Southern California over the last 24 hours, prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people. Matt Gutman reports.

College career path ‘over’ as skilled trade get 30% pay bump, recruitment giant says

"I would say you can make a good career and good money in skilled trade. That's definitely a career track," CEO of world's largest recruitment firm told CNBC.

Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa is about to unveil his plan to turn the company around as the automaker's stock lags

Shares of Stellantis are off nearly 30% since Antonio Filosa, a veteran who climbed through the company ranks, was named CEO nearly a year ago.

Eva v Goliath: the 20-year-old climate activist taking on Trump and the fossil fuel industry

Young Americans are suing the president for violating rights with executive orders that fuel the climate crisis

Eva Lighthiser was at a dorm party on her Colorado college campus last month when she had to call it an early night.

“I said, ‘Hey, I’ve got to go to bed, I’m flying out to Portland tomorrow,’ and then of course follow-up questions get raised,” she said. “I’m like, ‘Well, it’s a lot to explain.’”

Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: Posh Grandpa is fashion’s new main character

The latest character dressing trend may be a little silly but there’s an off-kilter pleasure in its mellow, vintage vibe

Welcome to the season of the Posh Grandpa, fashion’s newest main character. We’ve had Brat, we did Coastal Grandma, we loved Tomato Girl Summer. The world is pretty heavy right now, as you’ll have noticed, so any opportunity to lighten up is precious. The nonsense is the point.

Character dressing is style that makes you smile, but it’s not just that. There is infinitely more joy in these looks, however silly they are, than there is in aspiring to look rich and pretty, which is where the aesthetic centre of gravity of our culture swings back to again and again. The esoteric sides of fashion’s personality capture something important about style, which is that it needs a bit of friction to make it interesting. The pebble in the boot, the surprise to snag the eye. This is where the magic happens.

Tennis players plan ‘work-to-rule’ French Open media protest over prize money

• Walkouts to take place at Friday’s press conferences

• Dispute with grand slams has lasted more than a year

The world’s top tennis players are planning to protest over prize money by reducing their media appearances at the French Open as their public battle with the grand slams intensifies.

Players selected to take part in Friday’s opening press conference at Roland Garros will walk out after 15 minutes, symbolising the fact that the slams allocate an average of 15% of their revenues to prize money. The rest of the draw will refuse to conduct additional interviews with the tournament’s main media rights partners, TNT Sports and Eurosport.

Fantastic visions and cosmic rhythms: how Whistler is making me see – and hear – differently

A new exhibition at Tate Britain includes canvases titled after symphonies and nocturnes, but the inspiration flows in both directions. Plus, how Felicity Lott led me to an epiphany

Comparisons between music, painting and sculpture have never quite rung true for me because you’re talking about fundamentally opposed ideas of what the experience of art is all about. A painting can be experienced in a second’s contemplation or an hour’s, but a piece of music, be it symphony or sonata, has to be journeyed through for just as long as the performance lasts.

And yet, the week the James McNeill Whistler exhibition opens at the Tate in London (here’s Jonathan Jones’s five-star review), I’m having to reconsider. Whistler was profoundly influenced by music, a connection that goes so deep that the results aren’t only aesthetic but visceral, in the fabric of the form and expression of his pictures and his philosophy of painting.

Vaccine to tackle Ebola outbreak will take six to nine months, says WHO

The response to the current wave of the disease, which has caused 139 deaths in central Africa to date, has been hampered by security concerns

Doses of the “most promising” potential vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus that is causing an Ebola outbreak in central Africa will not be available for six to nine months, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, as the number of suspected cases rose to 600.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, told a press briefing on the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, that there had been 139 deaths, with numbers expected to rise.

The lesson from John Travolta’s dramatic new look: always dress for the job you want | Morwenna Ferrier

The first-time director admitted he wore a beret to channel ‘old school’ auteurs at Cannes – though mimicry can only take you so far

It happened, as most of the best fashion moments do these days, at Cannes. I’m not talking about Demi Moore wearing a pink bow the size of a dog, or Jane Fonda sparkling in Gucci to the point of blindness, but John Travolta, of all people, who appeared at the festival this week to debut a new film and a new look, the centrepiece of which was a beret.

He actually had three in rotation, in black, brown and cream. On the seafront boulevard La Croisette, he paired them with wire-frame spectacles and a beard that appeared to have been applied with a felt-tip pen. A beret, beard and specs you say? Hardly a radical glow up for a 72-year-old celebrity. But that didn’t stop images of Travolta from going viral, sparking some lively online conversations comparing him to – in no order – a barista, a Bond villain and a character from Guess Who?.

‘The flavour crisis’: a satirist’s exposé on the origins of broken Britain

Whether it’s the traditional boiled diet, a dental epidemic or white-winged extremism, Patrick Gathara explains why political turmoil is engulfing the UK

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The UK has been in a state of political crisis for months, but recent local elections have resulted in the most serious challenge yet to the country’s prime minister and ruling elites, with experts predicting the UK could be facing its sixth regime change in 10 years amid “tribal disputes and separatist movements.”

To make sense of it all, I spoke to the Nairobi-based British affairs satirist Patrick Gathara about the future of the “island Kingdom of Britain”.

Forced disappearances, killings and torture: why is Ecuador’s brutal drug war being backed by the west?

The US, EU and Britain have increased their ties with Daniel Noboa’s militarised crackdown, despite reports of widespread rights abuses

The raid began at 4am. As the children slept, soldiers charged into the family home, rifles raised. “They said they were entering under the emergency powers,” says Rosa*, the family’s matriarch, whose name has been changed for fear of retaliation. “They pointed their guns at us. I thought they were going to kill us all.”

The soldiers quickly singled out her son, 16-year-old Jairo Damián Tapia Álvarez, and her nephew, 17-year-old Jostin Elian Álvarez Chávez, she says, separating the boys from the family.

How to turn leftover cooked new potatoes into a spicy Indian snack – recipe

Leftover new potatoes – if there are any – are a gift of the season. Try them in these samosas

As with asparagus, I get completely seduced by the arrival of new potato season and cook and eat them with wild abandon. Any leftover cooked potatoes, meanwhile, are a kitchen gift with infinite possibilities, from a simple crushed potato salad to these spicy, Punjabi-inspired samosas.

Tell us: have you emigrated because of rising anti-migrant sentiment?

We would like to hear from people who have emigrated - or are considering doing so – due to rising anti-migration sentiment or policies

The Unite the Kingdom march attracted tens of thousands of people to the capital on Saturday. While some insist it was a display of national pride, others see the Tommy Robinson rally as a hostile display of anti-migrant sentiment. US vice president JD Vance appeared to align himself with those who attended the march at a White House press briefing on Tuesday.

We would like to hear from people who have emigrated - or are considering doing so - because of anti-migration sentiment or government policy. Since the UK is just one country where anti-migration sentiment has flared, we’re keen to hear from people globally who have made life decisions because of the current climate.

Assistant principal "did nothing" when told about 6-year-old with gun, prosecutor says

A prosecutor in the trial of a former assistant principal facing criminal charges over a 2023 school shooting said she dismissed concerns about a gun in a student's bag.

Totó la Momposina, vocalist and Colombian music legend, dies aged 85

The singer was one of her country’s most’s popular musical exports, and travelled the world with an evangelistic vision for spreading cumbia music

Totó la Momposina, one of the most celebrated musicians in Colombian history, has died aged 85.

Her three children announced her death from a heart attack on Instagram. “Totó was a woman who, with her voice and extraordinary dedication, carried the culture and memory of the Colombian people to the far corners of the world,” they added.

Democrats make demands of U.S. trade representative ahead of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement review

CNBC obtained a letter from a group of Senate Democrats to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer laying out what they want to see in a key trade agreement.

U.S. soldier fears newly freed wife could still be deported by ICE at any time

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class and Afghanistan war veteran Jose Serrano told CBS News his wife, Deisy Rivera Ortega, was detained by ICE despite doing the "right thing."

Raúl Castro indictment expected to be announced in Miami today, sources say

Raúl Castro is being indicted on charges related to Cuba's deadly 1996 shootdown of planes operated by humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, U.S. officials told CBS News earlier this month.

Rising mortgage rates cause surge in demand for riskier loans

Mortgage rates continued to rise last week, causing more borrowers to head to adjustable-rate loans, which are cheaper but considered riskier.

U.S. Army soldier worries his wife could be deported despite release from ICE custody

A U.S. Army soldier and Afghanistan war veteran says he's worried that his newly-freed wife could still be targeted by ICE and deported. Camilo Montoya-Galvez reports.

At least 80% responsibility for ill health in old age down to individual, study says

UK report argues people have greater control over longevity than widely understood, but others say claim is simplistic

Individuals bear at least 80% of the responsibility for their ill health in old age, according to a report aimed at challenging the belief that physical decline is either inevitable or primarily the responsibility of the state.

The report, launched at the Smart Ageing Summit in Oxford last week, argues that individuals have far greater control over their longevity than is commonly understood. The authors call on the government to take legislative action on alcohol comparable to restrictions on smoking.

Vance defends stock trading spree in Trump financial filings: 'Come on, man'

Vice President JD Vance said at the White House on Tuesday that he and President Donald Trump both support banning congressional stock trading.

Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt review – is culture the best medicine?

A professor of psychobiology argues that art – from painting to theatre – has a measurable impact on our health

After Daisy Fancourt’s daughter Daphne was born prematurely, she was confined to an incubator, fighting for her life against a series of infections. Unable to touch her baby or even properly enter the room, Fancourt kept vigil just inside the door, dressed head to toe in PPE, singing lullabies over the whir of instruments and alarms. The songs calmed her, and may have been crucial for Daphne too. Studies show that singing to babies in intensive care reduces their heart rate, improves their breathing, and encourages them to feed.

It was a moment when Fancourt’s professional and personal lives collided. A professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London, she researches how social connections and behaviours affect our health. In Art Cure, her first book for a popular audience, she aims to make a scientific case that the arts – from playing music to theatre-going to painting – aren’t a merely aesthetic aspect of life. Instead, they are deeply entwined with our mental and physical wellbeing at every level – from the workings of our cells and molecules to cognition, memory and mood. In an era of shrinking arts funding and overstretched healthcare systems, her message is urgent. But how to compile rigorous evidence for something as holistic, indefinable – and, perhaps, resolutely unscientific – as art?

An Epstein ‘reading room’ is showing 3.5m printed-out files. Why does it feel like a troll?

A New York exhibit of more than 3,000 volumes bills itself as ‘an exercise in radical transparency’ – and a bid for attention

This February, a story broke that seemed like it might finally be the one. Reporters at NPR had noticed that there were pages missing from the enormous tranche of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice. Further reporting revealed that the files in question were 2019 FBI interviews with a woman who claimed to have been sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump when she was a minor. The justice department had no good explanation for why the documents had been withheld. Trump issued blanket denials.

It was all starting to feel like a good old-fashioned something-gate, the kind of scandal that might even bring down a presidency. But then, as with so many other stories in the era of Trump, its spark was subsumed by a new fire. On 28 February, Trump launched an unprovoked and likely illegal war against Iran, and the Epstein files were once again pushed off the front pages.