Spirit Airlines CEO on carrier's collapse: 'We just kind of ran out of runway'

Spirit Airlines shut down before dawn on Saturday ending its run as the most famous U.S. discount airline.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni reach settlement in "It Ends With Us" lawsuit

A trial in the lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was set to begin later in May.

Pinterest surges 17% after earnings beat as company posts strong guidance

Pinterest cut nearly 15% of the company's workforce and reduced office space in January as it pushes more resources into AI.

Met Gala 2026 live: stars walk red carpet on fashion’s biggest night as Bezos backing could spark protests

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams co-chair annual New York event alongside Anna Wintour; Bezos sponsorship has sparked criticism

• Why the Bezos-backed Met Gala is so controversial

Chloe Malle has been working at Vogue for more than 15 years, but tonight is her first as head of editorial content. Earlier this week she described her style as if “Katharine Hepburn was a librarian”. We’re sure the late actor would approve of this pretty egg-yolk dress with its delicate cap sleeves.

And we have our first actual art reference – from Lauren Sánchez Bezos no less. Her dress – by Schiaparelli designer Daniel Roseberry – is a homage to Madame X, the John Singer Sargent painting of socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau from 1884. Causing a scandal at the time for its raunchy nature because the original had one of the straps slipping off, Roseberry and Sánchez Bezos missed a trick there. A real art snob version of the dress would include this detail.

Democrats say ‘fight is just beginning’ after supreme court’s temporary reinstatement of abortion pill access – live

Supreme court issued a temporary order to restore access to the abortion pill mifepristone by mail on Monday

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The supreme court issued a temporary order to restore access to the abortion pill mifepristone by mail on Monday.

This comes after two companies who manufacture mifepristone the drug filed an emergency appeal to the court on Saturday asking it to halt a court decision that would require an in‑person exam before the medication can be prescribed.

Palantir tops estimates on 85% revenue growth, fastest expansion since market debut in 2020

Palantir reported better-than-expected revenue and profit, driven by growth in sales to U.S. government agencies.

Shaun Murphy v Wu Yize: World Snooker Championship final goes to deciding frame at 17-17 – live

Wu Yize leads 13-12 going into the final session
Day one report | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail Daniel

Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (72-37) Shaun leaves a snick to left corner but wu’s radar isn’t booted up yet; it’s the fourth such shot he’s missed in the frame, all of them by a way – though he gets second prize of a fluked snooker. The escape, though, is straightforward and, on his next visit, Shaun can go at a long one … which he drains nicely, before tucking in behind the brown. And, with the final red defended by blue and black, if Wu misses he’s almost certain to leave a free ball … but he hits the big dog, so it’s seven away and back in … to sneak through a tiny gap, great work. This frame is on a rolling boil now, the youngster botching yet another long pot – one you really expect him to take – punished with a snooker behind the pink, close to the side, with the red down the rail. Wu will need to deploy the swerve here, but he doesn’t get anywhere near with his first two goes, seeking to come off the bottom cushion, so he tries the side and hits the blue. The penalty points are piling up here, another miss takes Wu to within a foul of needing all the balls to tie … and it duly arrives, leaving a free ball. Shaun, though, refuses it, Wu finally hits, and the frame is almost over, the lead 35 with 35 left.

Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (39-37) Shaun gets a red off the side then goes to remove another off the blue, but misses it by a way; end of break. So he sends a ball down the table, using the black to block off the white, and Wu’ll have to go some to hit either target, never mind get it safe; he plays it well, and this frame is maturing into a crucial battle of wits and skill.

Everton 3-3 Manchester City: Premier League – live

⚽ Premier League updates from the 8pm BST kick-off
⚽ Scores | Tables | Read Football Daily | Mail Taha

2 min: City dominate the ball … until Ndiaye tries to drive down the left wing.

1 min: Guéhi gets a good look at the ball as City roll it around at the back. Khusanov narrowly escapes Beto’s press.

Middle East crisis live: Trump warns Iranian forces they will be ‘blown off the face of the Earth’ if they target US ships

US president’s comment echoes threat that ‘whole civilisation will die’ as tension over strait of Hormuz ramps up again

• Donald Trump sends warships to break Iran’s strait of Hormuz blockade

We have a bit more of the statement from Maj Gen Ali Abdollahi, the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, who said earlier that the US or any other foreign armed forces would be attacked if they entered the strait of Hormuz (see post at 07.39 for more details). Abdollahi also said:

We will maintain and vigorously manage the security of the strait of Hormuz with all our might, and we inform all commercial ships and tankers to refrain from any attempt to transit without the coordination of the armed forces stationed in the strait of Hormuz, so as not to jeopardise their security.

SEC and Elon Musk agree to settle lawsuit over Twitter buyout in 2022

The SEC and Elon Musk agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the regulator last year against the world's richest person.

Pirro rips judge in Trump attack case for apologizing to Cole Allen over jail conditions

Cole Allen is charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

How much does a ticket to the Met Gala cost in 2026?

Tickets for Monday's Metropolitan Museum of Art event in New York City are into the six figures — if you get an invite.

Judge ‘disturbed’ over ‘legally deficient’ treatment of Trump gala shooting suspect

Cole Allen was isolated from other inmates, denied a Bible and placed on suicide watch despite showing no suicidal tendencies

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A US judge on Monday apologized to the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump for the “legally deficient” treatment he has faced in a Washington DC, jail, including being placed on suicide watch, separated from other inmates and denied a Bible.

The US magistrate judge Zia Faruqui said he was disturbed by the conditions for Cole Allen, who allegedly fired a shotgun during a foiled attack on Trump and senior officials in his administration at a 25 April press gala. The judge said the conditions were inappropriate for a person with no criminal history.

Pirro abandons plan to appeal Powell subpoenas in Fed investigation

It likely won't be enough to persuade Fed Chair Jerome Powell to step down from the Fed's board.

Feminism play Liberation and first world war novel Angel Down among Pulitzer winners

This year’s winners also include Jill Lepore’s book on the constitution and Brian Goldstone’s on housing insecurity

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Pulitzer prize officials awarded the fiction award to an author with a long history in fantasy, horror and young adult novels: Daniel Kraus, cited for Angel Down, a first world war narrative that unfolds in one long sentence. Liberation, Bess Wohl’s look back at the feminist consciousness-raising groups of the 1970s, received the drama prize.

Winners announced on Monday included two books rooted in the founding of the US. Jill Lepore’s We the People: A History of the US Constitution won for history, and Amanda Vaill’s Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution was the winner for biography.

Modi's party takes control of India's West Bengal in key state election

The outcome is expected to strengthen Modi's political position midway through his third term.

Spirit Airlines says it has refunded most customers after shutdown

Some Spirit Airlines customers with flight tickets could be out of luck after the discount carrier ceased operations.

After SCOTUS Voting Rights ruling, Jeffries ramps up quest to redistrict New York

Democrats are vowing to fight back after the Supreme Court eliminated a majority-Black Louisiana House district, as more states look to redraw maps.

Dolly Parton cancels Las Vegas residency over health issues: ‘I’ve still got some healing to do’

The 80-year-old singer will not be performing rescheduled dates in September but assured fans she is receiving treatment and ‘improving every day’

Dolly Parton has canceled her Las Vegas residency over ongoing health issues.

The 80-year-old singer had originally been scheduled to perform six shows at Caesar’s Palace last December but moved the dates to September 2026. She has now announced on social media that she won’t be able to perform as planned.

Mikel Arteta promises fired-up Arsenal will play ‘like beasts’ in Atlético second leg

• Champions League semi-final delicately poised at 1-1

• ‘We are so hungry to get the game we want tomorrow’

Mikel Arteta promised that Arsenal’s players will turn into “beasts” as they attempt to reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2006.

Arsenal drew 1-1 in the first leg of their semi-final against Atlético Madrid last week and will be confident of overcoming Diego Simeone’s side after winning five of their six matches in this competition at the Emirates Stadium so far this season, conceding only three goals. Viktor Gyökeres scored twice in a 4-0 win over Atlético during the group stage, although Arsenal will be wary of underestimating the team that knocked out Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

Title-chasing Hearts clear crucial hurdle as Shankland shatters Rangers’ hopes

A three-horse race has witnessed a faller. This most magical of Hearts seasons has edged closer to delivering the ultimate prize, an outcome that would shake Scottish football to its very foundations.

This was a game Rangers and their manager, Danny Röhl, dare not lose. They did, courtesy of a stirring second-half comeback from Hearts. Rangers now trail the Edinburgh club by seven points. The Hearts lead over Celtic has been restored to three with the same number of fixtures to play.

Rapper Kid Cudi fires MIA from tour after ‘offensive’ Republican rant

The British artist was booed after identifying as a Republican voter while on stage in Dallas

Rapper Kid Cudi has fired MIA from his tour after the British artist went on a rant that went viral while on stage in Dallas.

While opening up for the hip-hop artist on 2 May, MIA was booed after saying, “I’ve been canceled for many reasons. I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter,” as reported by Variety.

A United jet struck a light pole and a truck near Newark airport, police say

New Jersey State Police say a United Airlines passenger jet struck a light pole and damaged a truck as it was coming in for a landing at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday.

Several New York City synagogues and homes vandalized with swastikas

Police are searching for at least four individuals responsible for ‘terrifying signals of hatred and threats of violence’

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Several synagogues and homes in the New York borough of Queens were vandalized overnight on Monday with swastikas, according to the city council speaker.

On Monday, Julie Menin, along with other city council members including Lynn Schulman and Phil Wong, visited Congregation Machane Chodosh, one of the sites targeted in Forest Hills.

Trump family's World Liberty Financial sues billionaire for defamation

The lawsuit ramps up a feud between World Liberty Financial and Sun, who last month sued the Trump-backed company for fraud.

Champions Cup final will have independent TV director in charge

• Bath unhappy with collision between Barbeary and Lucu

• Some camera angles were unavailable to TMO in semi-final

An independent broadcast director is set to be in position for this month’s Champions Cup final in Bilbao after disquiet about the lack of crucial replays available to match officials during Bath’s 38-26 semi-final defeat against Bordeaux-Bègles on Sunday.

Johann van Graan, Bath’s head of rugby, suggested three high tackles on his No 8, Alfie Barbeary, were missed because the referee and television match official (TMO) had not been supplied with all the requisite angles by the French host broadcaster. Members of the commentary team on Premier Sports also highlighted the absence of replay footage.

Two killed and several hurt after car ploughs into crowds in German city of Leipzig

A suspect has been apprehended, but detectives say little is known about their motivation at this stage

At least two people have been killed and several injured after a driver in an SUV ploughed into a crowd in the centre of Leipzig in eastern Germany, the city’s mayor has said.

“The police have apprehended the suspected assailant,” Burkhard Jung said on Monday, adding that the authorities had the scene in a pedestrian zone under control. “We still don’t really know the motivation. We don’t know anything about the perpetrator.”

Narendra Modi’s BJP wins election in West Bengal for the first time

Result in key Indian state is set to have significant implications for the country’s political landscape

Narendra Modi’s party has won a resounding election victory in West Bengal, a state which had been a rare opposition stronghold, expanding his unrivalled consolidation of power across the country.

It is the first time that the Indian prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) has won assembly elections in West Bengal, a large and politically significant state in eastern India.

The Guardian view on Trump, Merz and Europe’s security: EU countries cannot go it alone | Editorial

The announcement of the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from Germany underlines the urgency of a pan-European defence strategy

As Donald Trump’s second term has become overshadowed by plunging poll ratings and an illegal, ill-advised war in the Middle East, European governments have regularly been singled out to bear the brunt of the US president’s growing frustration. Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to militarily back the attack on Iran led to unfavourable comparisons to both Winston Churchill and King Charles. “Unfriendly” Spain has been threatened with a trade embargo for similar reasons. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, previously seen as a key political ally, has also been on the receiving end. “I’m shocked by her,” Mr Trump said last month. “I thought she had courage. I was wrong.”

Currently it is Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who finds himself in Washington’s crosshairs. In the wake of Mr Merz’s accurate observation that the US has no convincing strategy on Iran, the Pentagon has announced the future withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from bases in Germany. Vital long-range weapons are also to be withheld as American military stockpiles are depleted by events in the Middle East. For good measure, Mr Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on European car manufacturers to 25% – a measure that would hit Germany hardest.

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The Guardian view on the green transition: politicians should speed it up – and households too | Editorial

Party divisions over energy have deepened, but the need to move beyond fossil fuels has never been clearer

Energy has not been a prominent subject for discussion in the run-up to Thursday’s UK elections. In England this is logical enough, since the big policy decisions are taken by ministers in Westminster, not at council meetings. But the stances adopted by the new governments in Scotland and Wales matter a great deal. They will have an influence beyond their borders, helping to shape the national climate debate in the coming years.

In both nations, as in England, divisions have deepened as Conservatives have moved away from support for net zero and Reform UK has ramped up its opposition to renewables. Among Scottish parties, only the Greens are categorically against new fossil‑fuel developments in the North Sea. Under John Swinney, the Scottish National party’s earlier opposition to the Rosebank oilfield has softened in advance of the upcoming decision over whether it should go ahead. Scottish Labour, by contrast, has thrown its weight behind new nuclear power.

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.

Scramble to evacuate two people from cruise ship amid suspected hantavirus outbreak

Cape Verde blocks MV Hondius from docking in order ‘to protect public health’ after deaths of three passengers

• What is hantavirus, the infection thought to have killed three on cruise ship?

Medics are scrambling to evacuate two people from a luxury cruise ship stranded off the coast of Cape Verde, after a suspected outbreak of a rare respiratory virus killed three people, left three others seriously ill and forced nearly 150 people from across the world to isolate onboard.

The plight of the MV Hondius, which set off in March from southern Argentina carrying 149 people from 23 countries, emerged late on Sunday after the World Health Organization said it was investigating a suspected outbreak of hantavirus, a disease primarily found in rodents.

Why the Bezos-backed Met Gala is so controversial | The Latest

It's the grandest and glitziest event in the fashion calendar, but this year’s Met Gala has sparked backlash thanks to its new honorary chairs, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. The billionaire Amazon founder’s involvement has led to boycotts and criticism of the event. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s fashion and lifestyle editor, Morwenna Ferrier

Derby-winning trainer hopes more women will succeed after historic win

Cherie DeVaux reflected on her place in history after becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner with Golden Tempo.

Britney Spears pleads guilty to reckless driving charge in DUI case

Ventura county district attorney says pop star made plea through lawyer after being arrested in March for allegedly driving erratically

Britney Spears pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of reckless driving in the driving under the influence case against her, sparing the 44-year-old from any jail time.

The pop star, who was initially charged with driving while under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug, did not appear in court in California’s Ventura county. Because she faced a misdemeanor, she was not required to attend proceedings.

How Spirit Airlines' demise will benefit rivals — and raise airfares even more

Spirit Airlines' collapse will give some carriers more pricing power as they race to capture Spirit's customers.

Awoniyi doubles up as much-changed Forest step towards safety and add to Chelsea gloom

After making eight changes for this match, Vítor Pereira was asked why, with Nottingham Forest just three points clear of the relegation zone, he had taken such a risk with his personnel. “We change the players, but we keep the spirit,” he said. After this result, Chelsea’s hierarchy might be wondering quite what the “spirit” thing amounts to and where they might buy some of their own.

Forest ran through the home side, extending their unbeaten Premier League run to seven matches and doubling their gap to the bottom three with just three games remaining. Pereira was also able to rotate his squad before Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa. For Chelsea, however, this was a sixth straight Premier League defeat for the first time since 1993, a 13th consecutive top-flight game without a clean sheet and a first (and solitary) goal in the league since the beginning of March. That the boos from the Stamford Bridge crowd were less oppressive at the finish than at half-time was only because so many had already left the stadium.

Marcelino returns Villarreal to the Champions League … then walks away | Sid Lowe

It took six years and a lot of soul-searching for the coach nicknamed Salvador Milagros to return in 2023. After more miracles, he is off again

In the final minutes before Villarreal met Copenhagen in December, they came down the tunnel, marched on to the pitch, lined up before the ballboys holding out that starry tarpaulin like firemen waiting for a leap from a burning building, and listened to the Champions League anthem blasting out. Only there was no die besten that night, no grosse sportliche veranstaltung and no grandes équipes either. No lyrics at all, in fact. Someone somewhere had put on the Europa League tune by mistake, so they shifted their feet and looked awkward instead. Then they went out and got beaten again. But that was then and this was now and this time the DJ played the right record and everyone danced, singing along to the chorus, life good again.

That was December, before week six in the Champions League, and Villarreal were soon gone. Without a win, having picked up a single point in eight games, they were the second-worst team there and eliminated early: the continent’s premier competition, it seemed, was not their place, some kind of musical metaphor in that mix-up. But this was May, five months on, and they had just beaten Levante 5-1, securing the opportunity to go back and try again. They had done that early too. So at the full-time whistle on Saturday afternoon, week 34 in La Liga, the right anthem did go round the Cerámica, and so did the players, setting off on a lap of honour. Above them, a message appeared on the scoreboard. “We are a Champions League team (again),” it said.

Rudy Giuliani hospitalized in critical condition, spokesperson says

The 81-year-old former New York City mayor has been hospitalized for pneumonia, his spokesperson said.

Supreme Court gives abortion pill mifepristone a 1-week reprieve from a major change

The Supreme Court says rules that allow patients to get the abortion pill mifepristone through the mail can stay the same for at least a week.

The rise of cosy gaming: is this the closest many young people will get to home ownership?

More than a quarter of 20- to 34-year-olds still live with their parents. No wonder they are escaping into virtual properties that they can decorate and furnish as they like

Name: Cosy gaming.

Age: Has its origins in social simulation games such as Harvest Moon (1996) and The Sims (2000).

Uncontained wildfire burns hundreds of hectares across rural Arizona – video

Firefighters continued to battle the Hazen fire burning near Buckeye, Arizona, on Monday. The fire began on Saturday afternoon and, as of Sunday evening, was estimated to have covered about 400 hectares (1,000 acres) and was '0% contained'. Local media reported that no evacuations had taken place and there were no reports of damage to homes

Reform UK plan to set up migrant detention centres in Green-voting areas condemned by other parties – as it happened

Nigel Farage’s party proposed to place detention centres in places that vote for Green council leaders or MPs

Keir Starmer has said that Europe has to face up to the fact that its alliance with the US is under strain.

He made the remark in public comments during the plenary session at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan in Armenia.

And both of those are impacting all of us in a very material way.

In the United Kingdom, if you look at the economic forecast now and compare it to the economic forecast just three or four months ago, they are in materially different places, and this is going to play out with our electorates in all of our countries.

Reform are now openly threatening voters and not only that they’re threatening them with a power they don’t actually have. This is absolutely pathetic. People across Scotland are proud of the fact that this is a welcoming country that shows solidarity to people who need it.

Reform are essentially saying ‘If you don’t vote the way we want you to, we will punish you’. I think the people of Scotland and voters across the UK are not going to take kindly to that kind of Donald Trumpesque threat.

Reform know that absolutely bombed last week. The only thing they’ve got to move on to are open threats, not against the Greens but against voters across the country. It’s really quite sinister. This is exactly the kind of politics you see in Donald Trump’s America. People across Scotland are going to reject that on Thursday.

The U.S. fights to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as UAE says it's attacked by Iran

The U.S. military said it battled Iranian forces and sank six small boats as it moved to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said Iran fired missiles and drones its way.

Rudy Giuliani in critical condition with pneumonia

President Donald Trump called Rudy Giuliani a "True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR," in a Truth Social post.

British Gaza flotilla activists say they needed hospital care after Israeli forces’ abuse

Alice Chapman and Zak Khan say they were beaten, kicked and spat on after detention near Crete last week

Two British activists have said they were admitted to hospital after being beaten by Israeli forces who intercepted their Gaza aid flotilla last week.

Alice Chapman and Zak Khan were among 180 members of the Global Sumud flotilla detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in international waters near Crete late on Wednesday.

Nigerian refinery accused of sacking union members is key to UK plan to tackle jet fuel shortage

Heidi Alexander says part of answer to strait of Hormuz crisis is importing more fuel from US and west Africa

A refinery in Nigeria accused of dismissing workers for joining a union has emerged as key to the UK government’s hopes of saving the summer holiday amid a jet fuel shortage.

Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said at the weekend that part of the answer to the strait of Hormuz crisis was to import more fuel from the US and west Africa.

What does Spirit Airlines' shutdown mean for travelers?

Have tickets to fly on Spirit? Here's what to know about refunds and alternative flights now that the budget airline has ceased operations.

John Oliver on gas station drugs: ‘Dangerous substances that can be made by just about anyone’

The Last Week Tonight host dug into the unregulated ‘wild west’ of kratom, boner pills and ‘gas station heroin’

On the latest Last Week Tonight, John Oliver focused on the rise of gas station drugs, the brightly colored bottles and pills that are sold at the registers of US convenience stores. Promising increased energy, pain relief or improved sexual performance, these unregulated products often contain tianeptine, a drug known as “gas station heroin”.

“While you might assume they’re just snake oil, that’s not necessarily true,” said Oliver. “Some of these drugs can be actively dangerous, presenting risks of addiction just like controlled substances.”

Supreme Court temporarily lifts mail ban on abortion pill mifepristone

Two drugmakers, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, over the weekend asked the Supreme Court to restore the ability to order Mifepristone through the mail.

Video shows United flight strike truck on N.J. Turnpike before landing at Newark

An investigation is underway after a United Airlines plane struck a light pole and truck on the New Jersey Turnpike as it was coming in for a landing at Newark Liberty Airport on Sunday afternoon, officials said.

Alito temporarily restores FDA rule allowing abortion pill to be sent by mail

A federal appeals court blocked a FDA rule that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail.

Weather tracker: Cold spells in Greece and Turkey, and storms in Bangladesh

High winds have hit the South Aegean and heavy rain has fallen in Turkey, but Central Europe has felt summer heat

Greece and Turkey have found themselves in the grip of a late-season cold spell this weekend. Conditions will persist over the next few days as an area of low pressure situated over Turkey is pulling in colder, moisture-laden air from the north-east via the Black Sea; this meteorological set up has suppressed temperatures well below where they should be for the time of year. Away from the Mediterranean coast, much of Turkey struggled to reach double figures, which is around 10C below the average, while Greece saw a similar chill. In Athens, temperatures only crept into the low teens Celsius, a far cry from the mid-20s typically expected in early May.

But they haven’t just faced colder temperatures. Greece had gale force winds whipping through the islands in the South Aegean – gusting at around 60mph on Sunday evening and the unsettled weather has brought a surge of heavy rain to Turkey. The Central Anatolia region of Turkey would normally see about 50mm of rainfall across the entire month of May, but on Sunday had already seen many areas pick up half that total in just 24 hours. With colder air in place, higher elevations have even seen a return to winter, with up to 30cm of fresh snow forecast across the Anti-Taurus Mountains on Monday and Tuesday. In Ankara, temperatures on Monday were expected to peak at just 7C – nearly 14C below average – before slowly edging back towards normal by the weekend.

My rookie era: ‘Why don’t I cut my own fringe? I have hands. I have a mirror. What’s stopping me?’

There are many online techniques for self-cutting a fringe – but would I end up looking like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction or a low-budget Grimes?

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I have had a fringe since I was 15 years old. I will never forget this life-altering haircut. For years before it I had been suffering lingering effects from a bob cut I received unwillingly in primary school.

You were not a cool person if you had a bob as an adolescent in the early 2000s. But finally, my hair had grown sufficiently for styling, and I got it cut to sit neatly on my shoulders with front bangs.

Nazi database takes Germans on personal journey into their families’ dark pasts

Die Zeit’s online database of individuals’ Nazi membership is prompting a reckoning as people uncover ties to regime

Olaf Köndgen is 64 years old, a German citizen and a senior European human rights expert who has lived and worked in France for several years. Last month, Köndgen learned that he is also the son of a Nazi.

Despite a strong interest in history and its lessons, Köndgen is typical of many 21st-century Germans in having had only the roughest outlines of his own family’s complicity with Hitler’s regime.

‘Get rid of the battery’: F1 under increasing pressure to make more changes to engine rules

• Norris and Piastri call for long-term changes to sport

• Mercedes’ Wolff suggests battery needs to remain

Formula One is under increasing pressure to consider immediate changes and the long-term future of its new engines, with the world champion, Lando Norris, reiterating after the Miami Grand Prix that the only answer to address the sport-wide dissatisfaction was to “get rid of the battery”.

At the race in Florida, which was won by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, with Norris second, F1 and the FIA had brought in fresh regulations to address unhappiness and safety concerns prompted by the pivotal role energy management plays under the new 2026 formula.

GameStop offers to buy eBay for $55.5 billion, threatens hostile bid

EBay said on Monday that it will "carefully review" GameStop's unsolicited $ 125-per-share takeover offer.

Austria expels three Russian embassy staff after ‘forest of antennae’ discovered

Austrian foreign minister says Russian diplomatic mission in Vienna was being used for illicit collection of data

Austria has expelled three Russian embassy staff on suspicion of spying after determining that a “forest of antennae” on the diplomatic mission in Vienna, Europe’s espionage capital since the cold war, was being be used for illicit data collection.

“It is unacceptable that diplomatic immunity be used to commit espionage,” Austria’s foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said on Monday. She added that the three embassy staff – whose expulsions bring the number of Russian diplomats sent home by Vienna to 14 since 2020 – had already left the country.

Germany’s military power is on the rise. This time it must be firmly embedded in Europe | Timothy Garton Ash

As Russian aggression continues and Trump’s US threatens Nato, it is even more vital for a unified defence of the continent

As we mark the 81st anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe this Friday, 8 May, it’s clear that Germany will again be the leading European military power.

Already next year its defence spending will be as much as that of France and Britain combined – and it is projected to be significantly larger by 2030. The German government’s declared goal is to have the strongest conventional army in Europe. True, France and Britain have nuclear weapons, but that means less money to spend on the rest of defence. So the question is not, will this happen? Barring unforeseen developments, it will. The question, particularly on this solemn anniversary, is: how can we ensure that this time the growth of German military power is a positive development for all of Europe?

Warsh's take on Fed independence is met with confusion and some concern

Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh is putting his own spin on the independence of monetary policy. Many former Fed officials aren't sold.

A surfing competition and a cheese race: photos of the day – Monday

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

Galilee String Quartet review – Palestinian ensemble improvise their signature east-west blend

Milton Court, London
The four siblings start with Webern before ditching traditional instruments for mics, voices, percussion and oud

‘We’ve done many concerts, but this is the first time I’m stressed,” the first violin confesses with a grin, lowering his instrument before a single note has sounded. But before he can launch into the story he’s interrupted by the cellist. “We’re actually supposed to play first!” she chides.

A string quartet is often compared to a four-way marriage. But what if the dynamic was closer to four siblings? One group that doesn’t need to imagine the answer is the Saad family: brothers Omar, Mostafa and Gandhi, and sister Tibah – AKA the Galilee String Quartet.

U.S. military denies Iran's claim it struck American warship in Strait of Hormuz

Iran has blocked tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel started the war in late February, resulting in supply and price shocks.

Man produces sperm from testicular tissue frozen as a child in breakthrough trial

Exclusive: Sperm re-transplant offers hope that boys left infertile by chemotherapy could have biological children one day

In a groundbreaking fertility trial, a man whose testicular tissue was frozen before he underwent chemotherapy as a child to be re-transplanted 16 years later has been able to produce sperm.

It is the first time a transplant of cryopreserved prepubertal testicular tissue has been demonstrated to restore sperm production in an adult patient. The 27-year-old man had the sample frozen when he was 10, before undergoing potent chemotherapy as part of treatment for sickle cell disease.

Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," May 3, 2026

On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, White House Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett and Sen. Raphael Warnock join Margaret Brennan.

‘We got a drive-by egging in Baltimore’: Super Furry Animals on making The Man Don’t Give a Fuck

‘The man is the establishment, I suppose, the military industrial complex. A few year later, when we played it live, we added a loop of Bill Hicks saying: “All governments are liars and murderers”’

Gruff was the first person I ever met who could just churn out songs – good, catchy ones. I joined his band Ffa Coffi Pawb, but by 1992 they’d split and Gruff and I were living in Cardiff, as were Bunf, Guto and my brother Cian, the other future Furries. We started out doing techno sets, and I had a little home studio where we demoed ideas for songs. Our first singer, the actor Rhys Ifans, slept on a mattress in the corner.

Kirsty, 11, seeks more Kirstys to help raise money for brain tumour research

Kent schoolgirl tracks down 10,000 namesakes as part of campaign – but non-Kirstys are welcome to donate too

Calling all Kirstys! A schoolgirl from Tunbridge Wells in Kent is seeking people who share her name to help raise money for research into paediatric brain tumours like the one for which she is being treated.

Kirsty Waugh, who turns 12 on Monday, has already persuaded more than 10,000 Kirstys, Kirsties, Kersties and assorted other variants to plot their locations on a map that shows Kirstys can be found everywhere from Colombia to Malaysia, and even at the Rothera research station in Antarctica.

‘Of course I accepted!’ Angel Otero on Bad Bunny – and bringing some Puerto Rican flair to Somerset

The artist’s dreamlike paintings, inspired by his childhood home, led to an invitation from a global icon. Now he’s opening a casita in Bruton. What will the locals think?

Angel Otero is on the brink of tears. He’s describing the feeling of being part of fellow Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny’s La Casita – a set the musician used on stage during his 31-show residency on the island last year, a recreation of a typical single-storey home found across Puerto Rico and the wider Latin American diaspora.

“When I was invited, of course, I accepted,” Otero tells me, standing in his temporary studio in Somerset. “Although I tend to shy away from things like that. The replica is a very similar setting to the one I grew up in, and I had multiple feelings when I got there. Of course, there’s the spectacle of being on the stage of a significant artist of our time, who is from my island. But it also transported me into the subject I’ve been working on for so long. It was a sort of validation, seeing people enjoying the culture, people specifically from my kind of upbringing.”

More unbridled nastiness from Reform – but would it really create migrant detention centres in Green-voting areas? | Zoe Williams

What’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf playing at with his new policy? Is it about pushing Labour further to the right, or just an attempt to ramp up rage and resentment?

All parties struggle to invest local elections with meaning, because no party can alter the consequences of what is coming up to two decades of austerity. They can promise they’ll work hard for local people, and many of them will, but they can’t change the maths of inadequate funding and soaring social care costs. All they can do is hope to exist in an affluent enough area.

Instead, the results are taken as a popularity contest, which – if things go your way – will hopefully supply enough buoyancy to last into a general election, and, if things don’t, will hopefully evaporate.

Iran executes three men in relation to January anti-regime protests

Hangings are latest in wave of near-daily killings as authorities seek to instil fear amid war with US and Israel

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Iran has executed three men charged in connection with political protests this January, authorities have said, the latest in a wave of hangings against the backdrop of the war against the US and Israel.

Iranian authorities have carried out executions on a near-daily basis in recent weeks in what activists have denounced as a bid to instil fear in society at a time of international and domestic tension.

The many ways Trump wants to change D.C., from buildings to statues to parks

Many of the changes Trump wants to make to the White House and the city are facing legal challenges. Some are reversible, while others could reshape the nation's capital for generations to come.

Michael Carrick expected to be offered head coach deal by Manchester United

• Carrick has taken side into Champions League as interim

• Matheus Cunha feels Carrick has Ferguson-era ‘magic’

Michael Carrick is expected to be offered the chance to continue as Manchester United’s head coach after qualifying for the Champions League.

Carrick has not held talks regarding turning his interim role into a permanent one because the executives were intent on waiting to see whether he could lead United into Europe’s top club competition.

'Godspeed my friend': Inside the final hours of Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines ceased operations overnight after a failed government bailout.

Radical left Jean-Luc Mélenchon announces 2027 French presidential bid

The controversial leader will seek presidency for the fourth time – despite previously vowing to stand aside

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, France’s radical left leader, has confirmed he will run again for president next spring, saying it was urgent for the country to stand up against war being waged by the US and Israel in the Middle East.

The 74-year-old veteran leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), announced in an interview with the French broadcaster TF1 that he would run for the presidency for the fourth time in 2027.

Trump says U.S. will 'guide' stranded ships through the Strait. And, key Senate races to watch

President Trump announced that the U.S will "guide" stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz. And, Democrats face an uphill battle to gain Senate control. Here are the key races to watch.

Kokuho review – passionately male Cain-and-Abel kabuki epic of gender-crossing actors

Lee Sang-il’s heartfelt drama spans 50 years following the bond and rivalry between two brothers who play the rigorously observed female roles in the traditional art form

Lee Sang-il’s heartfelt and muscular epic (whose title means “national treasure”) was a box-office smash on its Japanese home turf, winning a host of festival awards and an Oscar nomination. It’s a mighty Cain-and-Abel drama spanning five decades, set in the rarefied world of kabuki theatre where some of the most exotically prized performers are the onnagata, the men who have mastered the rigorously observed discipline of playing women in classical kabuki roles, a convention which arose from Japan’s 17th-century banning of women on stage, rather as they once were in England 100 years before. It is a semi-intentional irony of this intensely and even passionately male film that actual women are of subordinate importance.

The story begins in an outrageously melodramatic way, with a situation which might even itself have once been amenable to kabuki dramatisation. In 1960s Nagasaki, a yakuza gangster is holding a social event to underline his prestige; he has provided kabuki entertainment for his guests, and such is his reverence for this Japanese high-cultural form that he has permitted his teenage son Kikuo to perform as an onnagata. Kikuo’s performance stuns a renowned kabuki actor called Hanjiro, played by Ken Watanabe. But the event is chaotically attacked by a rival gang, the yakuza is killed, and Hanjiro offers to adopt Kikuo and train him up as a onnagata in his kabuki company, alongside his own son Shunsuke.

Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for spanakopita orzo | Quick and easy

Oozy and creamy like a good risotto, this is the perfect midweek taste of Greece

For me, it isn’t really spring until the first May bank holiday; the days are longer, the flowers are out, and an abundance of green graces our shelves. This spanakopita orzo is a celebration of all things light, bright and spring. It’s a great weeknight dinner that will instantly transport you to Greece.

Meta's public nuisance case in New Mexico has billion-dollar consequences

Meta is back in a Santa Fe courthouse in a child safety case that could determine whether the company is a public nuisance.

Europe will not submit to an ‘insular and brutal world’, says Carney

Meeting of European Political Community comes amid renewed doubts about the US commitment to Nato

Europe will not submit to a more “brutal world”, and can instead be the base from which a new international order can be rebuilt, Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, has said.

Carney was speaking as the first non-European leader to attend a meeting of the European Political Community, which opened on Monday amid high tensions in the strait of Hormuz and renewed doubts about the US commitment to Nato.

Not sure what to get Mom for Mother's Day? Get ideas from our listeners

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10. If you're stumped on what to get the moms in your life, get some inspiration from our audience. They share the best gifts they've ever received from their loved ones.

Here's how medication abortion works with just one drug

The Supreme Court on Monday said that telemedicine access to the abortion drug mifepristone can stay — for at least a week. But as mifepristone faces court challenges, another drug that remains available is safe and effective at ending early pregnancy.

9 tribes sue to stop exploratory drilling in Black Hills near sacred site

Nine Native American tribes in South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska are suing the federal government in a bid to stop exploratory drilling for graphite near a sacred site in the Black Hills.

At the 2026 Met Gala, 'Fashion is Art.' Here's what to expect

On the first Monday of every May, the rich, famous and well-dressed gather in New York City for the Met Gala fundraiser. Ivy Buck offers a lookahead - covering this year's theme, where to watch, who's coming, and more.

'Bubble effect': Weight loss drug fueled growth is putting the pharma sector at risk, report finds

Obesity assets represent about 25% of total forecast sales of the late-stage pipeline, while oncology's share has slipped to 20%, Deloitte found.

AI chipmaker Cerebras targets $3.5 billion raise in IPO

The share sale could give the company a valuation of up to $24.5 billion, compared with $23 billion as of February.

How the SCOTUS voting rights ruling could affect Congress, according to Eric Holder

Eric Holder, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, talks with NPR's Michel Martin about a Supreme Court ruling that could pave the way for a drop in Black representation in Congress.

The pet I’ll never forget: Merlin the sassy pig, who helped me meet my husband

I always knew my Vietnamese pot-bellied pig was smart and special – and he has brought love, chaos and happiness into my life

We have lots of animals in our home in Sacramento, California – a dog, two chicks, a pigeon, a bearded dragon, three rats and two rescue cows. But our pig, Merlin, is special.

I had a pig obsession for a while. I remember going to visit some animal sanctuaries and getting emotional when I saw the pigs. There’s just something about them that I felt a connection to. I knew how smart they were. I remember telling myself that one day I’d have a pig.

The Devil Wears Prada 2: bitchy one-liners, devious double-crossing and Lady Gaga – discuss with spoilers

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway shine in frothy sequel that smartly comments on struggling media industry

• This article contains spoilers for The Devil Wears Prada 2

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 review – a sequel? For spring? Groundbreaking

After a promotional blitz that has run the full gamut from haute (Meryl Streep on the cover of Vogue with Anna Wintour) to not (a heinous line of Target sweats), The Devil Wears Prada 2 is finally here, and set for very chic box office takings of over $200m in its first week.

Praised as one of the few Hollywood sequels to measure up to its beloved original, the movie sees Streep reunite with Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci two decades after the original movie’s release in a flurry of designer rags, withering put-downs and a slew of celebrity cameos. Surprisingly enough, it mostly works. At my screening on opening weekend, fans crowded to take pictures with promotional cardboard cut-outs and clinked cocktails as the lights went down. Read on for a spoiler-packed breakdown of the film, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Want a green card? Better make sure you haven’t criticized Israel on social media | Arwa Mahdawi

Updated guidelines issued by the Trump administration mean immigrants could potentially be denied a green card for their political opinions

Let’s play a fun game of Will This Get Me Deported? The first contestant is myself: a British-Palestinian green card holder in the US. I’ll start by quoting some recent news items concerning Israel. I don’t have the space to list every atrocity that the US ally has been accused of in the past few weeks so, unlike certain trigger-happy soldiers, I’ll restrict myself to two bullet points.

“Israeli soldiers and settlers are using gendered violence and sexual assault and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, human rights and legal experts say.” (The Guardian; 21 April)

“Israeli forces shot and killed a young female student on Thursday while she was attending a class held in a tent in the town of Beit Lahiya in ‌the northern Gaza Strip … third-grade student Ritaj Rihan was hit by a bullet in front of her classmates.” (Reuters; 9 April)

Self Driver review – cabbie who signs up for sinister app offers Travis Bickle take on the gig economy

A desperate driver joins a service that directs him down a shadowy path in this interesting, less-is-more satirical thriller

Canadian film-maker Michael Pierro makes his feature debut with this low-to-no-budget sortie, a modern-day Travis Bickle nightmare which, though flawed and in need of some script development, adds up to a pertinent satirical comment on the gig economy and the Waymo-isation of the service industry.

Nathaniel Chadwick has the everyguy role of a Toronto driver working for an Uber-style app, slumped in his hoodie at the wheel, deeply depressed about providing for a partner and baby at home, avoiding calls from his landlord, exhausted and exploited by customers who are rude and throw up in his car. He’d prefer to be paid by the app every day rather than every week but that would mean upgrading to some higher “platinum” level of driver, and paying a non-returnable membership fee which would supposedly entitle him to be first in the queue for jobs and various other questionable perks. He can’t afford it, in an interesting insight into Uber world.

‘As reassuring as a warm hug’: why Donnie Darko is my feelgood movie

The latest in our series of writers paying tribute to their most rewatched comfort films is an unusual journey back to the 1980s through the lens of the early 2000s

If the stereotypical feelgood movie is a cashmere comfort blanket – the kind of film that leaves viewers blissed out on the sofa as the credits roll and Bridget Jones finally gets to snog Mark Darcy – I should probably notify a qualified team of specialists that my own is a tale of teenage alienation, suburban hypocrisy, apocalyptic dread and a man in a monstrous rabbit suit issuing stern instructions about death. Then again, it does have a considerably better soundtrack.

Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko explored alternate realities decades before the Marvel films and Everything Everywhere All at Once made the multiverse a pop-cultural touchstone. Its tree-lined streets, Halloween skies and teenagers pedalling through suburbia were like a weirder, sadder blueprint for Stranger Things long before Hawkins existed. It’s a suburban fever dream about fate, madness and collapsing timelines, a nightmarish physics puzzle steeped in existential dread. But beneath all the cult-film weirdness, it is also the oddly uplifting story of a lonely, damaged kid who finally understands his place in the world – and sacrifices himself to save it against the backdrop of some of the most luminous 80s alt-pop atmospherics ever recorded.

‘Point of no return’: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level, study finds

Louisiana’s cultural hotspot could be surrounded by Gulf of Mexico before end of this century, authors say

The process of relocating people from New Orleans should start immediately, as the city has reached a “point of no return” that will see it surrounded by the ocean within decades due to the climate crisis, a stark new study has concluded.

Ongoing sea-level rise and the rampant erosion of wetlands in southern Louisiana will swallow up the New Orleans area within a few generations, with the new paper estimating the city “may well be surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico before the end of this century”.

Put those weights down! How ‘eccentric’ exercise opens up a whole new world of fitness

For years we have been told the best way to get fitter and stronger is to lift something heavy, whether that’s a barbell or our own bodyweight. What if how we put it down was just as important?

We all love a power move, such as running, jumping, throwing balls, swinging kettlebells or scaling walls. In comparison, deliberate, controlled movement can seem a bit boring. But this slower side of exercise is frequently safer and less physically demanding than its more showy rival. And according to the latest research, one form of it is more effective than it has traditionally been given credit for.

“Eccentric exercise training provides numerous benefits for physical fitness and overall health, making it suitable for a wide range of individuals,” Prof Kazunori Nosaka writes in a new paper published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science. It “offers unique advantages over concentric or isometric exercise, particularly in promoting neuromuscular adaptations”.

London schools trialling VR to relieve pupils’ stress

Phase Space pilot programme with NHS mental health trust used to calm anxiety around exams, ADHD and home troubles

Schools have begun deploying virtual reality to help pupils cope with stress caused by impending exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or difficult home lives.

All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using VR headsets made by tech firm Phase Space in a pilot in conjunction with the local NHS mental health trust.

Breakwater review – troubled souls cross class and age barriers in nicely judged debut feature

An Oxford theology student and a middle-aged fisher are drawn together despite their many differences in an ambitious first film from Max Morgan

This evocative debut feature from Max Morgan is a film of many contrasts. One is the May-December attraction between Otto (Daniel McNamee), a theology student and aspiring violinist, and John (Shaun Paul McGrath), a middle-aged fisher with a shadowy past. The worlds that they inhabit seem poles apart. Compared with the storm-ravaged Suffolk coast that curves around John’s rugged village, the imposing halls of Otto’s college at Oxford are at once grand and isolating. Despite their differences in age, the two men are bound by shared trauma and turmoil: both struggle with their sexuality and the loss of a loved one.

The highly textured cinematography renders these inner conflicts strikingly tactile. The camera at times stays uncomfortably close to the main characters, highlighting the gnawing anxiety of not belonging. From the demands of a frustrated girlfriend to the prying gaze of close-minded townsfolk, the film stacks these moments of unease to breaking point. Much emphasis is placed on minute gestures – a panicked gaze, a gentle touch of the hands – to communicate the gradual bonding of two unmoored souls.

Lasers, hawks and even guns haven’t solved the UK’s pigeon problem. There is a better way | Sydney Lobe

Councils spend heavily on grisly yet ineffective methods. Why won’t they consider a proven, low-cost and humane strategy?

By some estimates there are almost 3 million pigeons residing in London, which has the highest pigeon population in the country. Known as “rats with wings”, “flying ashtrays” and “gutter birds”, pigeons do not have popular sentiment on their side. And cities in the UK have an extensive history of attempted pigeon pest control – having tried everything short of an exorcism to remove them – to no avail.

London’s best-known victory in the war against pigeons was self-declared, after an operation in Trafalgar Square in the early 2000s. Ken Livingstone’s city government flew two Harris hawks around the area to “deter” pigeons – although the hawks went further than that, killing 121 pigeons in what ended up being a years-long bloodbath. The blitz cost the city £226,000. Wildlife activists deemed it an act of unimaginable cruelty. And it did little to permanently cut down pigeon populations. Last year in Manchester at least 81 pigeons were shot and killed by pest control services – employed by Northern Trains – in early morning offensives at Manchester Victoria station. The event is known to some as the Manchester Victoria pigeon massacre.

Sydney Lobe is a freelance writer based between Vancouver and London

Is it true that … your lungs regenerate when you quit smoking?

Our lungs have evolved to heal from damage, but some smokers will suffer irreversible effects

It used to be thought that the lungs couldn’t regenerate,” says Dr Charlotte Dean, head of the lung development and disease group at Imperial College London. “But we know now that’s not the case. Broadly speaking, they can repair when you quit smoking.”

Smoking is in effect damaging your lungs, Dean says, and the lungs have a substantial capacity to heal themselves. They have evolved to cope with pollution or getting infected by bacteria or viruses. “Because they’re so vital – you can’t survive without your lungs – they needed to have this capacity,” she says.

‘My generation have deluded themselves’: ex-Vampire Weekender Rostam on pop, protest and life as an Iranian-American

Inspired in part by Zohran Mamdani’s NY mayorship, Rostam Batmanglij’s gorgeous new album fuses Americana with sounds of the Middle East. So why isn’t his mum happy?

The first song Rostam Batmanglij ever learned to play on guitar was Chuck Berry’s Johnny B Goode, the quintessentially American rock’n’roll hit about being an American rock’n’roll star. “It doesn’t get more American than that,” he says, with a smile.

The 42-year-old superproducer (Frank Ocean, Charli xcx, Carly Rae Jepsen) and former Vampire Weekend member is sitting across from me in a coworking cafe in London, trying to explain the fixation he’s always had with US culture. “My brother was born in France, my parents were born in Iran,” he says. “But I was in my mum’s womb when I first came to America. My position is different. So what is my relationship to the American flag? What is my relationship to American citizenship?”

Iran and the Revolution by Homa Katouzian review – how the Islamic Republic was born

A landmark new account of the 1979 revolution provides much needed context for current events

As Wordsworth found in Paris after 1789, revolutions are deeply enthralling. There is nothing so bold, so self-sacrificing, so brave, so cruel as a revolutionary crowd. What’s more, revolutions have shaped the modern world. The European Union has been transformed by the overthrow of Marxism-Leninism in eastern Europe, while the near-revolution in Tiananmen Square in 1989 feeds the neuroses of the Chinese Communist party to this day.

Yet in some ways it was a revolution 10 years earlier that has been even more formative for our times: the overthrow of the shah in Iran. That, indeed, was a genuine revolutionary archetype on the 1789 model: barricades in the streets, crowds armed with old hunting rifles and kitchen knives facing up to the tanks (British-made, naturally); palaces, barracks and secret police headquarters stormed and sacked, the uniforms of the shah’s supposed “Immortals” lying on the ground, abandoned in utter panic. I even came across the ultimate revolutionary image: the body of an unfortunate cop hanging from a lamp-post. Squeamishness back at the BBC in London meant the shot wasn’t used.

Ready for their close-ups: celebrity passport photos

In 1953, Dave Sharkey, a former professional boxer, and his wife, Ann, founded a photographic studio in Oxford Street, London. The studio promised prints ‘ready in 10 minutes’ long before anyone else in the city could provide such a quick turnaround. Conveniently located near the US embassy and Selfridges, the studio, which was eventually taken over by the couple’s son Philip, became a bustling crossroads for artists, actors, musicians and athletes alike, all looking to get their passport photos taken. Muhammad Ali, Bianca and Mick Jagger, David Hockney, Tilda Swinton and many more sat for their passport photo.

Passport Photo Service, published by Phaidon Press, features more than 300 celebrity portraits from the 1950s to the 2010s.

A new start after 60: I embarked on a colourful, glamorous, life-changing new career at 72

Isabel Walker has worked as a journalist, writer and co-founded her own charity, but a chance encounter led to her fourth career, in colour analysis – and she has no regrets

Isabel Walker was taking her adult daughter out for her 36th birthday. She had wanted to do “something unusual and special”, so first Walker accompanied her to get her colours analysed. While the specialist draped swatches over her shoulders and assessed the best fit for her skin tone, Walker kept chipping in, “because I know a bit about colour analysis. At one stage I was a beauty editor for a magazine.”

Finally, the analyst turned to her. “She said: ‘You should be doing this kind of work.’ I said: ‘Nonsense. I’m far too old. I’m 72.’ But she wouldn’t let it go. She said: ‘You’re born to do this.’”