Procter & Gamble revenue misses estimates as volume stays unchanged

Procter & Gamble reported quarterly earnings per share that topped Wall Street's estimates, but its revenue fell short of expectations.

Commonwealth Games 2026: swimming, athletics and weightlifting on day six – live

• Updates from Wednesday’s live action in Glasgow

• Medal table | Hunt wins silver in storm | Mail Martin

Men’s 200m freestyle James Guy qualifies for the final with the quickest time but Scott hasn’t done enough with Tom Dean making it through depsite finishing fourth in his heat.

Men’s 200m freestyle Scott looks like he’ll miss out with heat six seeing three men, including Matt Richards of Wales and Northern Ireland’s Jack McMillan, go faster.

Pedro Sánchez says next 12 hours will be ‘decisive’ in battle to contain wildfires – Europe live

Authorities fear progress in containing the fires in the Gironde and Madrid regions may be set back by temperatures expected to hit the low 40s

Authorities in the Gironde region said the blaze had not spread overnight, but rising heat and afternoon winds could revive smoldering hotspots, carry embers across firebreaks and open new fronts beyond crews’ reach, AP reported.

At the command center in Lège, firefighters bent over maps spread across a car hood, tracking three danger zones: northern Cap-Ferret; the wooded corridor around Marcheprime, Cestas and Saint-Jean-d’Illac; and a military site near Martignas, where a major outbreak forced a large deployment.

Trump has singled out us Canadians for special treatment in his tariff war – there is no choice but to get nasty | Matt Gurney

The White House fails to understand that Mark Carney and Canada’s regional leaders can’t cave in to the US president: it’s too toxic to voters

• Matt Gurney is a journalist based in Toronto

Though many hate to admit it, Canadians have long wished for more attention from the US. Well, we’re getting it now. And it turns out that President Trump and some of his top supporters in the Maga movement don’t much like us.

The first big hint was when he started talking about annexing us, saying we couldn’t survive without American support. But the most recent example of Trump’s dislike for Canada can be seen in his latest tariff policies. Canada was largely spared the impact of his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025 by its pre-existing free trade deal with the US (and Mexico), but earlier this month, as expected, the US declined to extend that deal for another 16-year term. It’s now subject to annual renegotiations. Then, last week, the White House announced tariffs as high as 50% on a selection of Canadian products including, for the first time, items previously protected by the trade agreement. The US called it retaliation for Canadian trade practices.

Matt Gurney is a journalist based in Toronto, and co-editor of The Line, an online magazine

U.S. and Iran resume attacks. And, Fauci to face Senate questions on COVID pandemic

The U.S. and Iran have resumed fighting after Iran attacked U.S. forces in the Middle East yesterday. And, a Senate committee will question Anthony Fauci about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caribbean bears brunt of £43bn climate-fuelled damage to developing islands

Findings can inform conversations about global climate reparations and financing for mitigations, researchers say

Caribbean nations suffered $53.2bn (£40bn) of damage from climate-fuelled disasters between 2000 and 2024, research into the cost of the climate crisis to developing small islands has found.

The figure is more than 90% of the total $57bn in economic damage caused by floods, storms and drought across 39 developing island nations in the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, according to a study by development thinktank ODI Global.

The gut's link to Parkinson's — and more takeaways from this week's "Healthful"

"Ask a Doctor" columnist Dr. Trisha Pasricha joined "Healthful" to discuss the brain-gut connection.

Cyclospora outbreak tied to Taco Bell will steal the spotlight from Yum Brands' earnings

Wall Street is projecting a strong second quarter for Yum Brands, but investors' focus will be on updates related to the cyclospora outbreak tied to Taco Bell.

Burnham does not rule out tax rises for social care reform as he fast-tracks Louise Casey’s review – UK politics live

The prime minister says that current inefficiencies in the system will be tackled first, as he reveals final recommendations will be out by summer 2027

Andy Burnham is speaking now.

In a reference to how he started campaing for social care reform almost two decades ago, he says it is good to see faces in the room “who’ve been on this journey with me for a long, a long time”.

When someone in your family is receiving care, you look at everything through new eyes, don’t you? You notice things that maybe you didn’t notice before because you watch it so closely and so carefully.

And I’ve just been really overwhelmed by their care, the skill in what they do, the professionalism.

Can I just remind everybody that nobody thought we could get everybody in off the streets?

So we can do difficult in this country and we can do it well.

The Spin | Boris Karloff’s unlikely love of cricket lives on with foundation in his name

Actor known for his haunting film roles was president of Hollywood CC and his estate helps to fund the Windrush cricket festival

September 1954 and with the first Ashes Test just two months and 10 days away a crowd gathered at Tilbury Docks to see off England’s cricketers as they departed for Australia. The previous night the traditional dinner had been held at Lord’s in their honour and according to one report the players indulged so freely of “an endless supply of champagne and cocktails” that, rather than wave at the well-wishers as the boat pulled away, most of them were by then already unconscious, sleeping it off.

So they would probably have been grateful that, as they boarded the boat, the man the signature-seekers seemed to be focusing on was not one of them at all, but a 66-year-old wearing a handsome moustache and an air of discomfort. “These are the chaps you want, I am in the background,” he said. “I would give my boots to go.”

Ukraine has found a new pressure point in Russia’s wartime economy

Ukraine's drone attacks on Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries have ratcheted up the pressure on Moscow's wartime economy.

Rescue teams face ‘race against time’ in search for trapped survivors as death toll in Japan rises to at least 13 – live updates

Emergency workers are continuing their search for survivors in southern Japan after yesterday’s powerful earthquake

• ‘Race against time’: Japan earthquake death toll rises as rescue teams search for missing

Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun newspaper has been speaking to people at the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro, where a chimney collapsed on to the site.

“I never imagined something like this would happen,” said a 33-year-old man who worked at the factory. “I never thought that the chimney could collapse. I’m worried about the people inside.”

He was off duty and at home when the earthquake struck, and was unharmed. The names of those rescued and those trapped have not yet been released. “Someone I know might be affected,” he said.

According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, as of 2pm local time today seven people had been rescued. Of those rescued, five have died and two were injured. The whereabouts of four people remain unknown.

Warren probes Pentagon program to hire highly paid private sector workers

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she is concerned about a Pentagon program to pay high salaries to Wall Street recruits.

Fauci testifying to Senate panel after Rand Paul releases trove of diary entries

Dr. Anthony Fauci is testifying to the Senate on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, setting up a showdown between the infectious disease expert and GOP Sen. Rand Paul.

IPL’s value soars past $20bn to rival NFL as one of world sport’s biggest brands

• Two big franchise deals power 10.3% increase

• IPL second only to NFL in per-match brand value

The Indian Premier League’s value has surged to an estimated $20.6bn (£15.5bn), boosted by ownership deals involving two of its biggest franchises, according to a report by the investment bank Houlihan Lokey.

The T20 competition’s value rose 10.3% over the past year, underlining its position as one of the world’s most valuable sports brands, it said. “On a per-match basis, only the NFL ranks ahead of the IPL globally,” it added.

Even Maga is falling out of love with JD Vance. If only his rivals weren’t even worse … | Arwa Mahdawi

The US vice-president is facing a barrage of allegations and complaints from inside and outside the Republican ranks. Good news for Marco Rubio – but not for the rest of the world

There’s something a bit off about JD Vance. And I mean that literally: the vice-president has been snacking on sauerkraut and other fermented foods as part of a weight-loss regime. Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr got a number of Trump officials, including Vance, on to the diet, and is thrilled with the results. “Within 20 days I lost 20 pounds,” Kennedy said at an event in Michigan last month. “JD Vance is also on the diet and you can see how different he looks.” Dunno about that: still looks like a naked opportunist to me.

If you want to get into Donald Trump’s good books, improving your looks is a surefire way to do so. According to MS Now, the president is loving Vance’s svelte new figure; it’s helped propel him back into Trump’s good graces. Which is lucky for him because he doesn’t have many other fans. They may be full of beneficial bacteria, but everyone around Vance seems to hate his guts.

Canada’s worst wildfire seasons fuel push for national emergency agency

More than 900 fires are burning as experts warn Canada lacks a body to coordinate a growing climate threat

As more than 900 wildfires burn across Canada, prompting evacuation orders and pushing Ontario into its worst wildfire season on record, officials are renewing calls for the country to develop a national wildfire strategy through the creation of a federal agency.

Canada is the only G7 country that does not have a national emergency agency that is mandated to respond to wildfires.

US joins forces with Saudis to strike Tehran-backed militias in Iraq

Oil price spikes after flare-up of fighting and claimed Iranian attacks on three tankers in strait of Hormuz

The US military said it knocked down an Iranian missile barrage and worked with Saudi Arabia forces to strike sites in Iraq that Tehran-backed militias have used to launch attacks in recent days. The strikes on Wednesday killed at least 20 members of a former paramilitary alliance that includes pro-Iran groups.

In what Washington cast ⁠as “an attempted surprise ⁠attack” by Tehran, Iran had launched multiple ballistic missiles at US forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting. Iran’s target was a US base in Jordan, Axios cited a US official as saying.

New York school pauses plan to deploy humanlike AI robot teacher after backlash

A school district in upstate New York is pausing plans to deploy an AI-powered, humanoid robot in the classroom after state education officials, teachers and local residents raised concerns.

FA joins criticism of Fifa plan to sell off World Cup stakes to private investors

• FA in talks with other European associations

• Options include boycott and potential breakaway

• Members given 19 September deadline to opt in

The Football Association has joined Uefa in condemning Fifa’s plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning the FA said it has yet to see any details of the controversial proposals, and expressed grave concerns over Fifa’a governance.

Heathrow passengers face higher fares as airport can recover early expansion plan costs

CAA says airport can recoup £320m through higher airline charges, which are usually passed on to travellers

Heathrow passengers face decades of higher fares after the airport was given permission to recover early costs from developing its expansion plan.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced it had permitted Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) to recoup £320m spent on its proposal to build a third runway since the start of last year.

Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles as U.S. and Saudi Arabia strike militias in Iraq

Jordan intercepted five missiles launched from Iran, the country's military said, hours after the U.S. military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces.

Sali Hughes on beauty: the new crop of fig perfumes make perfect scents

Fragrances with superior tones are cutting through the sugary, cheaper efforts that have been pervasive recently

After a lengthy sabbatical, I’m ready to let fig fragrances back into my life. There were years when I couldn’t get enough of lush, green Philosykos by Diptyque – a bona fide masterpiece and the greatest of all fig scents. Then a million sugary, inferior dupes sullied the whole category, cynically transporting it from the fruit groves of Turkey to the air freshener aisle at Halfords. With familiarity, grew contempt. But a new crop of figs is emerging to restore reputation and none are attempting to pass off as Diptyque.

Tom Ford’s recent Figue Erotique (£188 for 30ml), takes fig at various stages of its life cycle (sharp, nutty, green and unripe; rich, juicy, warm and sun-drenched; and finally sugary, creamy and ready to burst) and isolates each in its own accord. Bigger and bolder than most figs, with a sultry, musky sexiness that reads almost as humid, it may not be your most worn in a heatwave (reach for Chloé’s vivid, sparkling fig, Plage du Figuier (£115 for 50ml) then) but do give it a sniff when next you’re next at the shops – it’s a glorious scent for all seasons.

Why US military prosecutes alleged rapes of women in UK as ‘sexual assaults’

Experts say lower-severity charges for American service personnel are deepening traumatic impact on survivors

American service personnel accused of rape on British soil are being charged with lesser offences by their military courts, a discrepancy that experts say is deepening the traumatic impact on survivors long after verdicts are passed.

There are more than 12,000 personnel stationed in US military bases across the UK, most of them in England. Although UK law enforcement has primary jurisdiction over crimes that occur when personnel are off duty, local police often choose to cede authority to the American military.

Anthony Fauci to face grilling from Senate Republicans on Covid pandemic

Hearing is part of a longtime Republican investigation into pandemic’s origins, led by Senator Rand Paul

Anthony Fauci, the former veteran director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid) who served as a key adviser to Donald Trump and Joe Biden on the Covid-19 pandemic, is due to testify on Wednesday at a high-profile US Senate hearing.

Senators are expected to question Fauci about whether the Covid-19 virus began as a “lab leak”, a claim virologists have argued is unlikely. The testimony is part of a longtime Republican investigation into the origins of the pandemic, led by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

To win over working class voters, Democrats need to stop talking about democracy

Working class voters have moved away from the Democratic Party. Winning them back is key to the party's future, a new reports shows. But first, the messaging has to change.

Rand Paul released Fauci's pandemic-era 'diary.' Now they'll face off on Capitol Hill

At a Senate hearing Wednesday, Anthony Fauci is likely to face questions from Sen. Rand Paul related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's what you need to know

Shares in Asian chip firms plunge further as AI sell-off continues

Drop comes after South Korean company SK Hynix’s results undershoot investors’ expectations

• Business live – latest updates

Shares in companies linked to AI have plunged further after disappointing results from the South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix, which sent the country’s stock market tumbling for a second day in a row.

Seoul’s Kospi index, which is dominated by semiconductor manufacturers, slid by as much as 12.6% at one point on Wednesday, following on from a near 11% slump the previous day, reaching its lowest level since early April.

Morning news brief

President Trump met with the leaders of Ukraine and Israel on Tuesday at the White House, heatwave threatens firefighters' hold on wildfires in France and Spain.

SK Hynix shares tank as exponential earnings growth fails to satisfy AI-charged expectations

SK Hynix shares fell as exponential profit and revenue growth failed to meet analysts' lofty expectations for a darling of the artificial intelligence sector.

Petrol bombs, drugs and Bradley from S Club 7: inside the wild 00s hood movie that the police seized

Breakin’ the Cycle had celeb performers who hoped it would go to Cannes. Until they realised its creators were still running a drug gang while filming – and it all went very wrong

The story of the making of the 2005 British film Breakin’ the Cycle is surely more compelling than the film itself. Nobody can say for sure, because a rough cut was confiscated by the Met police and the raw footage was considered lost. But the film’s origins and subsequent unravelling is extraordinary. Two of Hackney’s most notorious drug dealers try to go straight and become movie producers. It’s a strange combination of comedic chaos, an accidental stabbing, drug money and shootouts, big dreams of making a different life through art, and, ultimately, tragedy. The film-makers had to navigate real-life gang warfare, and an elitist, perhaps racist, film industry.

The cast included the rapper Lethal Bizzle, and Bradley McIntosh from the pop group S Club 7. If McIntosh was desperately trying to escape his clean tween pop image, he wasn’t the only one trying to escape something, though the stakes were far higher for others. Colin Browne, the leader of the Hackney gang Love of Money, wrote the film while serving a prison sentence for cocaine smuggling, and directed it; he had plans to take it to the Cannes film festival. Browne would be killed shortly after filming had finished.

Rare moment humpback whale gives birth captured by drone off Australian coast – video

A drone pilot has captured what is believed to be only the fourth complete humpback whale birth ever recorded on film anywhere in the world, and the first ever documented by drone. While conducting aerial observations of migrating humpback whales off the NSW north coast for the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (Orrca), Alexander Forrest witnessed an adult female give birth in calm sea conditions, capturing the newborn calf's first moments of life, including its first breath and union with its mother

Read more:

• Pirouetting and gaping: mysterious whale behaviour documented as humpback migration begins

Alive by Melanie Challenger review – a maverick study of what it means to have a body

In this disorienting book, a poet argues we have been looking at nature – and ourselves – the wrong way

The eastern breakwater of Granton harbour is almost 1km long, and swimmers can follow its crooked finger, heading straight out into the Firth of Forth, while benefiting from its reassuring presence. One Thursday lunchtime, I thought: why not, let’s give it a go, and headed for its tip. I felt cold, but, as I progressed, I seemed to grow strangely warmer. I did not notice the complaints from my body: the creeping numbness which proceeded from my fingers to my elbow, nor the coldness of my pee. Only by the time I exited the water, club footed and claw handed, did it hit me that I was hypothermic.

The irony of this reckless exercise was that in my swim bag there was a book by Melanie Challenger called Alive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World. It’s an ambitious examination of the wisdom of bodies, a rhizomatic guide not just to our own, but also all the living forms around us: from bacteria to chimps. Her case is that we have ignored or misread the agency and purpose of bodies to our detriment; in a way it is a plea to listen to them. I wish I had read it before my ill-advised swim.

Deep breathing: the asthma clinic buried 250 metres into an Armenian salt mine

Underground clinic’s fate hangs in the balance after government withdrew state funding

For most people, spending hours deep underground in darkness would seem an odd prescription for better health.

Yet every morning, a handful of Armenians descend 250 metres beneath the earth into an active salt mine where they spend six hours in cavernous chambers carved from rock salt, hoping the air below ground will help them breathe more easily.

What makes the perfect news image? Ask our head of photography your questions now

How do you choose what makes the front page? How hard is genAI making the job of the picture editor? Fiona Shields is the Guardian’s global head of photography, overseeing all the images across our websites and print publications. She’ll be taking your questions at 3pm on Wednesday BST

Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion

Join us as 3pm on Wednesday 29 July, as the Guardian’s Fiona Shields answers your questions about the art, sciences (and logistics) of covering the world through images.

Over the last few years Fiona has worked closely with photographers covering the wars in Ukraine, the Middle East and beyond; the seismic political shifts in the US and UK as well as thousands of daily events (captured brilliantly in our daily news photo galleries).

Please post your questions for Fiona now.

Iran launches surprise ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East

Centcom in a post on X said that the attack originated from Iran, but all missiles were intercepted.

‘Terminally online’: why frustrated Greens want Polanski to hand over his social media

As Labour enjoy a ‘Burnham bounce’, post by Green leader that appeared to welcome violence against Nigel Farage has left some supporters bemused

It is just coincidence that a very public mishap by Zack Polanski arrived at the same time as new polls showed Labour in the lead. But it did neatly illustrate the point that while Andy Burnham is enjoying a political honeymoon, the Green leader’s now seems over.

This is not to say the Green party in England and Wales is too worried about the arrival of a new prime minister, or that there is necessarily much evidence yet that they should be.

Silent Hill Townfall: the series is coming to Scotland, but what fresh horrors will it bring?

An amnesiac loner arrives in a remote town for who knows what reason … this may sound familiar but this time we’re on a remote Scottish island and surprises lie in wait

A man washes up at the harbour of a small coastal village, his memories vague, an eerie sea fog rolling in all around him. As beginnings go, this couldn’t be more Silent Hill – an amnesiac loner drawn to a remote town for who knows what reason. But this time, we’re not in the Pacific Northwest of the original games or the Japan of last year’s excellent Silent Hill f. We’re on an island off the northern coast of Scotland, and it’s 1996. Lead character Simon Ordell knows this place, but isn’t sure how – and why does he have an IV cannula stuck in his hand?

Announced back in 2022, Townfall is the work of Glasgow-based studio Screen Burn, previously responsible for tense horror adventure titles Stories Untold and Observation. Like Silent Hill f, it moves the setting far out of Silent Hill itself: St Amelia is a fishing town, inspired by St Monans and dozens of other seafront towns the team visited and extensively photographed.

Where all 20 Premier League clubs should strengthen before the season

Manchester United and Arsenal need midfielders, Liverpool should sign a winger and Chelsea require a goalkeeper

By Opta Analyst

Declan Rice was worked to the bone by Arsenal last season, playing 4,456 minutes in all competitions. This showed at points during the World Cup, when the midfielder’s body looked on the verge of breaking down. Arsenal need high-quality reinforcements in the centre of the pitch so Rice can occasionally have a rest. Christian Nørgaard struggled to get on to the park last season, with Mikel Arteta seemingly not trusting in the former Brentford captain. An extra midfield option could prove crucial to Arsenal retaining their crown.

What makes a good wedding these days? I say flirting and chaos, but not three days in a French castle | Rachel Connolly

Modern weddings seem to have become all about the spectacle – although, if you do take the opulent route, I still want to come

Am I allowed to start a column about weddings by saying I don’t know exactly what I think about weddings and marriage in general? Well let’s see.

One thing I do know: I really like attending weddings. I love to go as a valued guest, to see close friends in love and watch dads I have known for many years gruffly and fearfully breach the dancefloor. But I also love to go as a totally minor guest (the better for people-watching) and collect anecdotes about who, from the various overlapping families, hates who. People will just tell you these things, especially if your presence is quite random. I like to see the freshly single sporting their revenge dresses and haircuts and physiques. I like to witness and partake in the abundance of flirting. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad time at a wedding.

Rachel Connolly is a writer and the author of the novel Lazy City

Take the plunge! A deep dive into New York and other great American cities – in pictures

A new exhibition featuring work by Peter Hujar, Garry Winogrand, Edward Steichen and more paints a picture of a nation in motion

Portrait of a City review – master photographers capture the US cityscape

San Lorenzo: Rome’s rebel neighbourhood shaped by resistance, art and students

This overlooked quarter swaps the grandeur of tourist-saturated central Rome for murals, graffiti, cheap eateries and a working-class rhythm

One of Europe’s hotspots, central Rome has increasingly come to resemble a tube station during rush hour: stifling, overpacked and claustrophobia-inducing. Last year, the Eternal City welcomed a record number of tourists, driven in part by the 2025 Vatican Jubilee - 22.9 million arrivals stayed in the city, almost 10 times the number of residents.

A moment that changed me: I’d lost my libido – then I saw Richard Ashcroft on stage and it came bursting back

I was nearly 60 and hadn’t had sex in 10 years. And I was fine with that. But seeing the Verve’s former frontman reminded me how much fun it is to fancy someone

When the world entered lockdown in 2020, I’d just moved into a new flat where, at the age of 56, I found myself living alone for the first time in my life. I’d been separated for nearly a decade from the father of my two kids – one of whom had already flown the nest. The other was just starting at uni. So it was just me and my cat, Trinity, in what I now thought of as my “forever home” for one.

I’d embraced all those nice, selfish things about being single. I’d travelled alone, I ate when I wanted, went to bed when I felt like it, did housework only to please myself – and usually only in times of dire need. I reconnected with friends in a fresh way, as an individual. It felt empowering and less cluttered, after the years of motherhood and partnerdom. Mealtimes were at my own volition (well, and Trinity’s) and were a case of “Mmm, what shall I have?” rather than, “Oh God, what shall I do for tea?” I know people in decades-long relationships who would bite their own arm off for this level of autonomy.

Comey claims DOJ ordered illegal surveillance, seeks dismissal of "86 47" case

Former FBI Director James Comey filed new motions late Tuesday in his effort to toss out federal charges accusing him of threatening President Trump's by posting a photo of seashells arranged to form the numbers "86 47."

Ships stuck in strait of Hormuz pose ‘super-spreader’ biodiversity threat, scientists warn

Biologists say cargo ships stranded in Gulf may carry highly potent invasive species around the world as trade resumes

The closure of the strait of Hormuz has created conditions for an extreme global biodiversity threat, with scientists warning that thousands of stranded ships could spread invasive marine species across the world’s oceans once they begin sailing again.

More than 1,500 commercial vessels have been stuck in the Gulf since the strategic waterway closed on 28 February after the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran. An international team of marine biologists said that with the stranded ships remaining motionless, their hulls were becoming encrusted with marine life – from microbes and algae to barnacles and other invertebrates – that could hitchhike to ports around the world when trade resumed.

Birdwatch: A song thrush connects me with the great-grandfather I never knew

No other bird speaks to us quite so directly, its serenade conjuring memories of old family tales

I wake early on these bright summer mornings. And now that the birds in my garden have mostly fallen silent, only one is still serenading me at this hour: the aptly named song thrush. Its measured, deliberate repetitions – which this particular bird has provided without a break since the turn of the year – are unmistakable.

Whenever I hear a song thrush, I’m taken back in time. First, to my childhood, when the first sign of spring was when thrushes started singing from the roofs of our suburban housing estate as I walked home from school in the dim light of a February afternoon.

Why America's super rich have embraced the appeal of British soccer teams

American investors now control more than half the Premier League. CNBC examines why U.K. soccer clubs have become attractive long-term assets.

Country diary: In poet John Clare’s garden, I contemplate my ancestor who lived here too | Nic Wilson

Helpston, Cambridgeshire: I picture Henry as a young lad, hiding in flowerbeds, chasing butterflies, learning to love nature

If there’s one thing better than a gatekeeper butterfly, it’s wild marjoram playing host to a flurry of gatekeepers. Almost impossible to count for all the rising, fluttering and resettling, their warm orange and brown wings with white double-dots in a black eye-spot are only a wing-flick away from mottled invisibility: now you see me, now you don’t.

I’m their lone admirer, sat on a mossy stone in the garden at John Clare cottage, but I don’t feel alone. Honeysuckle has me in a heady hug, undulating fronds of hart’s-tongue fern wave from beneath a rock, the whiteness of a teneral damselfly in the grass intrigues and delights me. I know this garden has a long history of providing companionship, not least to the poet after whom the cottage is named, who knew “the woodbine at the garden gate” as “affection’s friend” and asked of the butterfly: “Wouldst thou in my garden come, / To join the bee’s delightful hum”.

Germany's leaders say the Berlin Pride attack targeted 'all of us'. What utter hypocrisy | Fatma Aydemir

The queer community has lost resources and protection due to decisions made by the people now mouthing solidarity in public

It feels like a well-rehearsed script. First come the flowers, then the pious statements. One after another, mainstream German politicians have lined up to claim that the attack on Berlin Pride last weekend was an attack on “all of us”, “our values” and “our society”.

Except it was not. This atrocity in which a van was rammed into the crowd was, first and foremost, an attack on queer people. A vulnerable community that has been fighting for its rights for many decades; that, in recent years and all over the world, has increasingly been targeted by conservative forces.

Magic circle: Stonehenge offers lucky visitors 20 minutes alone in monument

Handful of ticketholders will be selected at random for up-close visits to ancient site throughout August

Trips to Stonehenge can be a little hectic. Tens of thousands of people turn up to celebrate summer and winter solstices and most other days the site is a place of bustle, excited conversation and selfie action.

But throughout August, English Heritage is offering visitors the chance to win some guaranteed solitude within the hulking stones.

AI tool will lead to more child refugees being treated as adults, charity warns

‘Racist bias’ overestimating ages in Home Office’s facial-recognition software will lead to solo children being housed with adults, says Human Rights Network

Flawed and racialised models that underpin the AI-powered age-detection systems to be introduced by the British government will endanger children, rights groups and children’s charities have warned.

Urging ministers to reverse plans to introduce facial age-estimation technology to screen migrants, critics have warned that black children arriving from conflict zones are at risk of being of thrust into the adult system.

‘Farage’s got to come clean or clear off’: what voters on Clacton beach think about their MP – and the country

Nigel Farage’s constituency takes in genteel resorts and one of England’s poorest villages. With a snap byelection approaching, what do the residents want from the Reform UK leader – or the bin who’s challenging him?

‘If it’s the Tin Man, then I suppose I’ll vote for Nigel,” says a Clacton resident, a retiree on a slow stroll towards the seafront, when I ask whom she will vote for in the forthcoming byelection. “I would sooner have Farage than the Tin Man!” As political slogans go, it is as good as any.

The sun is beating down, but the sky is hazy, which accurately describes the mood of this constituency since the Reform UK leader quit as MP for Clacton on 7 July, forcing a byelection that sent shock waves through Westminster and confusion through Clacton. I am spending a couple of days here with the photographer Andy Hall, traversing the coast between Jaywick to the west and Walton-on-the-Naze to the east. An incessant wind is blowing from the North Sea, sending waves crashing on to Clacton beach. Nicky Friday, who at 11am is already handing out 99s from her aptly named kiosk, Seabreeze, isn’t exactly exercised by the Reform UK leader’s latest gambit. “This is going to sound terrible, but I’m so busy running this business and working here,” she says. “I don’t really do politics.”

Nicky Friday, who owns and runs the Seabreeze kiosk in Clacton

American Airlines nationwide ground stop lifted after IT outage disrupts flights

According to the Air Traffic Control System Command Center, all airports and facilities were being impacted by the IT outage.

Fauci diaries, released by Sen. Paul, touch on COVID origins, Trump

Republican Sen. Rand Paul released more than a thousand pages of journal entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci, teeing up what is likely to be a contentious hearing on Wednesday.

‘Thought it was a plane on fire’: large meteor sightings stir delight in New Zealand

Footage shows North Island skies lighting up followed by a ‘huge boom’ days after a separate fireball in South Island

Two large suspected meteors have flashed and boomed across New Zealand’s skies in recent days, delighting those who glimpsed the celestial events and sending some animals into a frenzy.

A fireball was seen over parts of the North Island just after 10.20pm on Tuesday night, after a separate one streaked across South Island’s skies on Sunday evening.

Elon Musk's xAI sues Minnesota over law to ban 'nudify' apps

Elon Musk's xAI, now owned by SpaceX, is challenging a law that would ban so-called nudify apps in Minnesota

Ukraine war briefing: Wildberries attacks shake Russian economy and banking

Kremlin and state bank VTB may be forced to prop up online retailer amid crippling Ukrainian attacks; Kyiv prosecutors may target Lukashenko. What we know on day 1,617

Trump meets with Zelenskyy and Netanyahu amid wars in Iran, Ukraine

President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday.

Former Cowboys star Tony Romo arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Wisconsin, sheriff says

Romo has a court date scheduled for Sept. 21 at 8:30 a.m.

Trump, DOJ ask Supreme Court to toss $83.3M defamation award to E. Jean Carroll

The Supreme Court recently rejected President Donald Trump's bid to hear his appeal of another $5 million verdict in favor of Carroll.

Swaths of damage as tornado tears through Wisconsin

Trees and power lines collapsed around cars as a tornado with winds of 140 miles per hour tore through central Wisconsin on Monday. The National Weather Service found a 12-mile-long swath of damage. Jason Allen reports.

Kenya investigating unexpected deaths of 15 elephants in national park

Potential toxic substance detected in several of 15 elephants found dead in Kenya’s Amboseli national park

Officials are investigating the deaths of 15 elephants over the past month in Kenya’s Amboseli national park.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said 10 of the elephants showed signs of partial paralysis before dying within two days.

Senate confirms Jay Clayton as Trump's director of national intelligence, replacing Pulte

Bill Pulte had been serving for months as DNI after Tulsi Gabbard resigned the post.

Senate sets up votes to sanction Russia for Ukraine war

The sanctions target Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons, Russian banks and financial institutions and the Russian shadow fleet.

Trump calls Graham "beloved friend" and "American original" in eulogy

President Trump delivered the eulogy for friend and ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly just a short time after visiting Ukraine earlier this month.

SpaceX, Blue Origin could get quicker launch approval under FAA move to waive environmental rules

"America won the first Space Race, and we can do it again — but only if we get government red tape out of the way," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

How to keep your Claude chats and Google files private

Some ‘private’ chats and docs are showing up on search engines. Here’s how to protect yours

Users of Anthropic’s Claude chatbot were surprised over the weekend to learn that some of their conversations may be discoverable on search engines like Google and Bing. The revelation is raising questions about how much control people actually have over what they share online.

Anthropic allows Claude users to create public links to their chat threads, which gives anyone with the link the ability to view their conversations – similar to sharing options on apps like Google Docs. But what users may not have realized was that means their Claude conversations, however sensitive or personal, could show up in public search results.

Florida executes 2 men in one day, including ex-cop who killed girl

Florida on Tuesday became the first state in nearly a decade to carry out two executions in a single day,​ putting to death an 80-year-old man who was the second-oldest inmate known to receive a lethal injection in modern U.S. history.

Ford raises guidance after Q2 earnings beat, says F-Series recovery is on track

Ford cited operational improvements, resilient vehicle pricing and a high sales mix of profitable products for its performance and the improved guidance. 

How Trump drafted renovation plans for Dulles, a "terrible airport"

President Trump asked for 3D models of the renovation proposals as he personally tweaked ideas to overhaul Dulles International Airport that are scheduled to be unveiled on Wednesday.

7/28: CBS Evening News

Storms batter the Northeast, triggering travel delays; deadly earthquake devastates southern Japan.

Canadian tourism slumped in the U.S. last year amid heightened tensions

Millions of Canadians shunned travel to the U.S. in 2025, opting to vacation at home or travel to other countries.

US diplomats stage UN walkout after France criticizes human rights record under Trump

France had also intervened after Trump administration had opposed the reappointment of UN human rights chief

US diplomats walked out of a United Nations meeting after France criticized the country’s human rights record under Donald Trump.

The staged walkout, which occurred on Monday during a UN security council meeting on the Ukraine-Russia war, came days after the Trump administration cited “forced labor” allegations as it imposed sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries.

Americans face higher back-to-school costs. Here's what's pricier.

U.S. households will spend roughly $4,000 per student on school supplies and lunches this year, a new analysis found.

Former Gavin Newsom aide shares fresh details of affair

Ruby Rippey writes in Vanity Fair of relationship with then San Francisco mayor and appears to contradict his account

A former aide to Gavin Newsom has publicly shared for the first time her full account of their affair, which took place more than two decades ago when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco.

In a new essay published in Vanity Fair on Tuesday, Ruby Rippey writes about her struggles with alcoholism, substance abuse and her relationship with Newsom while she worked as his appointments secretary and was married to his deputy chief of staff and later the manager of the mayor’s re-election campaign.

Gomorrah: The Origins review – a mob prequel so stylish you’ll look for Al Pacino

There’s a cheekiness, freshness and tenderness to this show that sets it apart from standard crime dramas. It’s so wonderfully rich that the Godfather cast wouldn’t be out of place

It’s worth it just for the leather. The prequel to formidable Neapolitan mobster saga Gomorrah hurls us into the filthy bustle of Secondigliano, a broken quarter of northern Naples which, in 1977, has been abandoned by God and government, leaving organised crime as the only alternative to destitution. But even in this purgatory, the style of the city and the late 70s abides: the young men of Secondigliano might not be able to escape their fate, but they’ll look fantastic trying.

Sashaying forcefully through the throng is Angelo (Francesco Pellegrino), with his messianic collar-length curls, eyes that seem to mascara themselves and an array of spectacular leather jackets. Kids gather to gawp when his car skids to a dusty halt and Angelo, chest hair and medallion nestling in the open collar of a patterned silk shirt in two exquisite shades of brown, emerges and strides to his next appointment. Angelo is in his early 20s and is the hippest gangster in his neighbourhood, but he bears the pained intensity of the thwarted: on a citywide level he has no sway, and he’s worked out that the cut of the action the big bosses give him is a paltry percentage of the overall pie. His crew, sporting their own leather outerwear in boxy mustard or calf-length burgundy, are happy enough, but Angelo wants more.

7/28: The Takeout with Major Garrett

The funeral for Sen. Lindsey Graham is held in Washington, D.C.; Trump meets with Zelenskyy and Netanyahu.

Apple becomes second $5tn company as investors flee AI stocks

Share price rally driven by strong product demand as well as decision to sit out AI spending race, amid wider tech sell-off

Apple has become only the second company to pass the $5tn valuation mark, as it benefited from investors fleeing AI and semiconductor stocks amid a wider tech sell-off.

The iPhone maker’s shares hit a session high ⁠of $342.89 on Tuesday, giving it a market ⁠capitalisation of $5.04tn (£3.78tn), then eased back down to $340.08 – around the $5tn mark.

DOJ tests limits of never-before-used court to deport suspected terrorist

The Alien Terrorist Removal Court was created by Congress in 1996 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Before now, it had never been used.

Apple touches $5 trillion market cap for first time

The jockeying between Apple and Nvidia reflects a debate about the future of AI that has preoccupied investors this summer.

Director Mike Leigh likely to retire after his next film due to illness

Film-maker’s drama Tender Loving Care ‘likely’ his final one as he manages myositis, a disease affecting immune system

Film-maker Mike Leigh has said his next film is likely to be his last.

According to Indiewire, the Oscar-nominated writer-director was speaking at a recent Golden Globes-hosted roundtable in London about his next film Tender Loving Care, a drama set to premiere during this fall festival season.

Amazon, Meta and Microsoft face skeptical investors this week after Google report sparked sell-off

Alphabet's free cash flow has turned negative, and the company lifted its capital spending forecast. Slower-growing cloud rivals report this week.

Trump backs 'fantastic' Warsh while calling for lower rates and citing 'bad intentions' of other Fed officials

President Trump Monday voiced support for Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh while insisting that the U.S. should have the lowest interest rates in the world.

Analysis: Kevin Warsh has three reasons to hold off on a Fed rate hike this week

At the Fed’s July meeting, the new chairman will reveal how he weighs energy shocks, AI-driven price pressure, the task forces and pressure from Trump.

Kentucky Gov. Beshear calls on Mitch McConnell to prove he can serve or resign

McConnell’s prolonged absence could complicate the GOP’s narrow Senate majority and trigger an untested Kentucky vacancy process.

Retaining Rodri is key to Manchester City success under Enzo Maresca

New manager’s No 1 priority must be to persuade World Cup-winning captain to stay as Real Madrid circle

“Welcome home,” was Khaldoon al-Mubarak’s warm greeting to Enzo Maresca on his appointment last month as Manchester City manager. Now, after two previous spells at the club, the Italian’s task is to keep the chair content, and ensure a three-year contract does not end early. To achieve that, Maresca’s tenure must continue Pep Guardiola’s glittering legacy of 20 trophies across a decade of excellence.

The key to the 46-year-old, who was Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022-23 treble season and City’s elite development squad leader two years before that, being successful can be summed up in two words: “Keep Rodri”. Yet with Real Madrid almost certain to launch a bid for the peerless No 6, and him seemingly wanting to play for the Spanish giants, a move away from City may become inevitable.

U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve faces stress as emergency releases strain old infrastructure

The reserve has an authorized storage capacity of 714 million barrels, according to the Department of Energy.

Ella Baron on Andy Burnham’s plans for youth employment – cartoon

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The Guardian view on India’s gen Z revolt: the cockroaches are coming together | Editorial

A youth movement born from exam leaks and online mockery has pierced Narendra Modi’s aura of invincibility and may yet reshape Indian politics

“What if all cockroaches come together?” was the question that humbled India’s strongman prime minister, Narendra Modi. It was posted on X by Abhijeet Dipke, an Indian student in the US with a master’s in public relations. Enraged that India’s top judge likened unemployed youths to insects and “parasites”, and that millions saw medical exams compromised by leaks, Mr Dipke lit a fuse. For India’s nearly 400 million gen Z, public exams are often the only ladder to a secure future. When papers leak or tests are cancelled, that ladder is kicked away. By June, young people were protesting peacefully in Delhi as the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), a parody of Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). They demanded the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.

This weekend, Mr Pradhan became the first senior minister in Mr Modi’s 12 years in power to be forced from office by a mass-protest movement. It came after credible reports suggested police officers attacked protesters marching to parliament. Security sources say it was they who were attacked. This may be just the beginning. The concession has taught the Cockroach movement’s leadership that pressure works. They could have declared victory and gone home. Instead they have accused the government of breaching the terms of the settlement offered by Mr Modi’s government. The CJP claims at least 100 people have been arrested, many on non-bailable charges. Its leaders are now demanding the release of detainees and threatening to remobilise nationally.

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 noise pollution: keep it down | Editorial

New research linking the issue to Parkinson’s disease adds to the evidence of serious health repercussions from traffic volume and other sources

The roar of late-night traffic is not just annoying for those trying to sleep. It can also have profound effects on their health. A pioneering new study, published this month, has found a clear link between road noise and Parkinson’s disease. The research, which followed more than 3 million Danish participants, found a modest but consistent effect: for every 11.5dB rise in noise level, the risk of the degenerative disorder rose by 3% over the 18-year study.

The study adds to the growing body of evidence that auditory nuisance is associated with serious physical consequences. The European Environment Agency reported last year that more than 110 million people across the continent suffer high levels of health-damaging noise pollution, with physiological stress and sleep disturbance leading to 66,000 early deaths annually as well as heart disease, diabetes and depression. It found that the harm caused was greater than from secondhand tobacco smoke exposure.

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.

‘They’re part of folklore’: storks return to Derbyshire after 600-year absence

Conservationists are thrilled at the arrival of three juvenile birds at Willington Wetlands, hoping more will follow

A long orange beak poked curiously out from its wooden crate, followed by a sleek head and slender body. Then the first white stork of the morning flapped its wings and took to the air. Moments later a second emerged tentatively to stalk through the long grass, followed closely by a final sibling who stretched its wings and explored the length of the enclosure.

The trio of juvenile white storks have just arrived at their new home in Willington Wetlands in Derbyshire and conservationists are hopeful that their presence will kickstart the return of the birds to the Midlands after an absence of more than 600 years.

Trump: New tariffs 'doing the same thing' as the ones struck down by Supreme Court

President Trump dismissed fears his tariffs could hurt the economy — especially as affordability concerns have become a key issue of the 2026 midterm elections.

Canadians spent $3.3bn less on travel to US in 2025 after Trump’s return to office

Data shows Canadians have replaced US vacations with other international trips in apparent rebuke to Trump

Canadians spent $3.3bn less on travel to the US in 2025 than in the previous year, as Donald Trump’s hostile policies towards his northern neighbour continue to incur an economic cost, new government data shows.

The research also indicates that Canadians are not bucking travel overall and instead have replaced US vacations with other international destinations, in a rebuke to Trump’s tariff regime and the president’s continued musings on annexing Canada.

EBay, former execs to pay $56 million in blogger harassment and stalking case

Ina and David Steiner run a popular ecommerce blog that had angered eBay executives due to its critical coverage.

Microsoft touts cost-saving AI model for cybersecurity

Microsoft says that when integrated with OpenAI's GPT-5.4, its new cybersecurity model can beat Anthropic's new Mythos 5.

Ian McDonald obituary

Trinidad-born author and poet whose novel The Humming-Bird Tree is a classic of Caribbean literature

Ian McDonald, who has died aged 93, wrote only one novel, but it is considered a classic of Caribbean literature. The Humming-Bird Tree (1969), set in Trinidad in the late 1940s, tells the story of Alan, a young white boy, as he falls into friendship with his family’s yard-boy, Kaiser, who is of Indian extraction, and in love with Kaiser’s younger sister, Jaillin, who is also employed by Alan’s wealthy parents.

While Alan and Jaillin skirt around each other, trying to come to terms with the confusing feelings of their mutual attraction and the disapproval of Alan’s mother and father, wider emotional turmoil is at play in Trinidad, where the masses are beginning to throw off the yoke of British rule.

How to get a good night’s sleep in hot weather – and why it’s so hard

Avoid espresso martinis and wear the right pyjamas: experts give tips on how to sleep when it’s hot outside

• Tell us: what impact have GLP-1s had on your relationships?

Getting a good night’s sleep when it’s hot out can feel impossible. Unfortunately, worrying about not being well-rested doesn’t help.

Experts say worrying about sleep in warm weather will inevitably make you feel worse. “When people cannot sleep because they are too hot, it often becomes both a physical and a mental challenge,” says Dr Shelby Harris, founder and director of NY Sleep and Psychology, and author of The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. “They may start watching the clock, worrying about how tired they will be the next day, or trying harder to force themselves to fall asleep.

Blurred front lines: Trump meets Zelenskyy as Ukraine, Iran wars collide

Trump and Zelenskyy meet as the U.S war against Iran and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine have threatened to overlap in recent days.

‘We’ve always been wary of working together’: Val McDermid and Jo Sharp on writing a novel as a couple

The bestselling crime writer and Scotland’s first female Geographer Royal had long kept their work separate, until a chance discovery about a doomed 17th-century expedition forced them to collaborate

The airy, modern house on the outskirts of Edinburgh shared by Val McDermid and Jo Sharp is surrounded by greenery and feels as though it was designed to provide enough space for two minds to think.

Both women are high achievers in their fields, a Scottish power couple made up of the Queen of Crime and the Scottish Geographer Royal. Happily for them, there is normally no overlap in their work.

Jon Stewart on Trump’s comedy routine: ‘Normally I’d say don’t quit your day job but in this case …’

Late-night hosts raked over the president’s much-ridiculed performance at the White House correspondents’ dinner

Late-night hosts ridiculed Donald Trump’s disastrous attempt at a comedy routine at the weekend’s White House correspondents’ dinner.