The Guardian
England v New Zealand: Ben Stokes bows out in third men’s Test, day five – live
Updates from final day at Trent Bridge, starts 11am BST
Stokes announces England retirement | Email Cameron
We’ve had a couple people emailing in (get in contact here) about their thoughts from yesterday.
Liam (hello, Liam) doesn’t hold back: “I thought yesterday was a display of complete arrogance, in keeping with the shambles of the last couple of years.”
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:57
The Guardian
Andy Burnham to propose devolution plan in first major policy speech since launching bid for No 10 – UK politics live
Makerfield MP and hopeful prime minister to pledge ‘growth in every postcode’
Asked what she thought of Andy Burnham not taking questions this morning, Badenoch said:
Andy Burnham doesn’t like questions. Nigel Farage doesn’t like questions. Even Keir Starmer in parliament, he doesn’t like questions here.
If you want somebody who can answer questions, please come to me. I will answer all of your questions.
I know that it should not be Ed Miliband. He is the single person who has done the most to deindustrialise our country and make us poorer. He should not be rewarded with an even more powerful job where he can completely bankrupt the country.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:56
The Guardian
Escalating US-Iran strikes threaten interim peace agreement
Tehran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait amid efforts to open strait of Hormuz without Iran’s direct oversight
A new round of escalating strikes between Iran and the US has continued, further undermining the fragile interim peace agreement between the two countries, and prompting Donald Trump to threaten violence that would ensure Iran “will no longer exist”.
On Sunday, Tehran launched drone and missile attacks against Bahrain and Kuwait after new US strikes on sites in southern Iran, and threatened a “complete halt” to negotiations to end the war. Trump said that a moment might come soon when he abandoned talks and the US would “militarily finish the job”.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:55
The Guardian
World Cup 2026: Reaction to Canada’s win plus buildup to Brazil v Japan – live
Let’s turn our attention to Germany. Jonathan Liew content incoming.
Brazil v Japan (1pm EST, 6pm BST)
Germany v Paraguay: (4.30pm EST, 9.30pm BST)
Netherlands v Morocco (9pm EST, 2am Tue BST)
The Guardian
Wimbledon 2026: Sinner, Sabalenka, Djokovic and more in action on day one - live
Updates from first day of year’s third grand slam
Truce agreed over pay dispute | Email Yara
Men’s singles: Jannik Sinner starts his bid for a second successive Wimbledon title today, while Novak Djokovic also takes centre stage on day one.
Twelve months after Sinner Wimbledon with his triumph, the All England Club storylines are richer and more varied than ever. From Serena Williams’ astonishing return after four years in retirement to Djokovic’s relentless pursuit of grand slam history, not forgetting Sabalenka’s challenge for her first Wimbledon crown, the stars will be firmly in the spotlight over the next fortnight.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:53
The Guardian
Venezuela in ‘critical hours’ to find earthquake survivors as more search and rescue teams arrive – latest updates
At least 1,450 are known to have died but the number is expected to rise
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has said rescue teams from El Savador, Venezuela and Mexico are working to pull out Aaron Levi Cantillo Vargas, 21, from a building he remains trapped under in Caraballeda, La Guaira state.
“We have already managed to locate him, and one of our doctors has been able to administer fluids to keep him hydrated,” he wrote in a post on X.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:51
The Guardian
Extreme heat continues in central and eastern Europe with temperatures of 38C expected – Europe live
At least 130 million Europeans will see temperatures of 35C and above today
While some readers in western Europe may be thinking that the worst of the heatwave is gone, the latest AFP analysis shows that at least 130 million people are set to experience temperatures of 35C and above today.
It is (way) more than mid last week, when the heatwave peaked in Britain.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:50
The Guardian
Putin admits Ukrainian drone strikes are driving Russian fuel shortages
President says attacks on infrastructure are causing ‘obvious’ problems but that they are ‘not critical’
Vladimir Putin has admitted Russia is facing fuel shortages as Ukraine steps up its long-range drone campaign, with repeated strikes setting oil refineries ablaze and forcing multiple regions to introduce unprecedented petrol rationing.
Speaking to Russian state television late on Sunday, the Russian president acknowledged for the first time that Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure were affecting domestic fuel supplies. “Of course, they create problems, that’s obvious,” Putin said. “Right now we’re observing a certain shortage, but it’s not critical.”
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:37The AI boom is colliding with a new threat: severe weather
Heatwaves and severe weather are raising risks for AI data centers, from grid strain to higher insurance and repair costs.
29th June 2026 09:20
The Guardian
Park strife: Delhi’s historic polo club becomes a battlefield for the city’s fate
Opposition is mounting to the government’s requisition of two of the last green spaces in India’s overheated capital
For decades, the social highlight of winters in Delhi for the “beautiful people” was the polo season. A sprinkling of royalty and diplomats, impeccably groomed women in pearls and chiffon saris, along with wealthy industrialists sporting silk pocket squares used to gather to watch polo players compete under the mild, balmy sun.
They cheered on handsome players who, once the match was over, had children shrieking in delight as they put on a heart-stopping display of tent-pegging derring-do. Swish champagne lunches and other après-polo celebrations followed.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:00
The Guardian
Sun, salt and sand: the best beach food from around the world
Coconuts, watermelon … hot doughnuts? We asked five globetrotting chefs for their most memorable seaside eats
Picture a high-summer day at a far-flung beach: the faint putter of lapping waves, drifting plume of suncream scent, and the approaching call of a food hawker making their way across the molten sand. What would you expect, or want, them to be selling? Though cold drinks, fresh fruit and miraculously unmelted ice-creams feel universal, the street snacks and beachside dishes that we crave vary wildly across countries and cultures.
So what pairs best with open water and a coastal breeze all around the world? What should you be on the lookout for when holidaying this summer? And what should you avoid? Here, from custard doughnuts in Portugal and chilli-spiked Mexican coconut pulp to flash-fried red mullet in Cyprus, five chefs fly the flag for the culturally distinct, freshly prepared beach dishes that they spend the whole year craving.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 09:00
NPR Topics: News
3 World Cup rivals find 'Common Ground' in a cross-border beer
A trio of craft breweries from the global soccer event's three host nations are using the tournament to brew something increasingly rare: cross-border solidarity.
29th June 2026 09:00
NPR Topics: News
Red, white and glowing blue: Trump's push for new reactors reaches the finish line
A program initiated by the Trump administration has allowed small companies to rush their testing of several new nuclear reactor designs. Some worry that safety is being compromised.
29th June 2026 09:00
NPR Topics: News
Morning news brief
U.S. and Iran exchange strikes over the weekend, the search for survivors continues after the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, Trump's immigration agenda gets boost from SCOTUS.
29th June 2026 08:45Protein coffee? Brands cash in on functional beverage boom
"We're selling [almost] as much protein cold foam as we do flat whites," Starbuck's EMEA Manager of Beverage Development Sam Henderson told CNBC.
29th June 2026 08:43
The Guardian
Court rules identities of multiple survivors of Bondi attack cannot be published – as it happened
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Royal commission hearings resume today
The next round of hearings for the antisemitism royal commission begins today.
Regretfully, we’re here until Thursday night with Parliament and the game is at 4am Saturday morning. So I’ll be watching on the TV. And like I’ve said before, sometimes I’m the minister for sport and it’s important I’m at major events because there’s all kinds of elements and stakeholders that are there for me to be there in person. Sometimes I’m the minister for communications and I need to see what that experience is like for Australians watching that on free to wear with regard to any siphoning legislation and reforms, etc. So this one I’ll be watching on TV.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 08:06
The Guardian
How children in West Bank are being killed by Israel ‘without accountability’
IDF has killed 235 children in territory since 7 October 2023 with no indictments in what activists say is ‘licence to kill’
On the day he died, Mohammad al-Halaq had been jubilant about a new school bag he had been given in class, printed with the logo of the UN child protection and advocacy agency, Unicef.
“He was extremely happy. It was something out of the ordinary for him to be given a bag,” recalled his mother, Aliyah. “He came knocking on the door to tell me had this new bag to put pencils and pens in.”
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 08:00
The Guardian
The Last Assassins review – shades of Blade Runner in dystopian thriller shrouded in silty-green murk
Athena Park flees futuristic marauders in a post-apocalyptic tale that looks handsome but very familiar
Close to a decade after the year in which Blade Runner was set, that movie continues to be the gold standard for dystopian futures. That’s obvious from the silty-green murk and Asian signage of the broken-down metropolis where this ponderous sci-fi thriller kicks off; the last remnants of civilisation after an obscure catastrophe called the Event. With the Earth locked in a new dark age, outside the cities a noxious fog keeps everything shrouded in a permanent winter.
Lucky then that protagonist the Kid (Athena Park) has the comfiest-looking knitted snood this side of Topshop. She is forced to flee when her father, head of some important clan, is waylaid, asphyxiated and run through by masked marauders demanding to know her whereabouts. Lustrously bearded vassal Nobel (Josh Bainbridge), katana at the ready, is on hand to guide her into the badlands – and hopefully into the arms of an aunt (Lora Burke) she never knew existed.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 08:00
The Guardian
Pakistan carries out deadly airstrikes along Afghanistan border
Dozens of civilians reported dead by Taliban after strikes launched following militant attack in Karachi
Pakistani airstrikes in three eastern provinces of Afghanistan killed 36 civilians and wounded 163 others, the Taliban government’s deputy spokesperson has said as attacks between the two countries showed no sign of abating.
Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the operations on Sunday night were aimed at a terrorist group his country blamed for a deadly militant attack in Karachi that killed three security personnel over the weekend.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 07:55Putin details Russia’s fuel shortages after Ukrainian drone strikes
Putin's comments mark the first time he has detailed the extent to which Ukraine's deep-strike successes have hampered Russia's fuel production.
29th June 2026 07:45
NPR Topics: News
Israel moves to formally recognize Armenian WWI deaths as a genocide
Israel's Cabinet approved a proposal to designate violence against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as a genocide. The step reflects deteriorating ties between Israel and Turkey.
29th June 2026 07:04
The Guardian
Is it true that … vitamin C serums provide added sun protection?
This antioxidant may enhance the protection sunscreens provide, but it is no substitute for them
Sunscreen does two important jobs. It is largely used for its UVB protection benefits – blocking the rays that cause sunburn and are a major contributor to the development of skin cancer. But it also blocks UVA radiation, filtering out the rays that lead to signs of ageing.
Vitamin C does neither of these things, says Rosalind Simpson, a professor of dermatology at the University of Nottingham. That said, it is thought to help prevent sun damage in a different way.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 07:00
The Guardian
How link between Bellingham and Kane has unlocked England’s stodgy attack
Thomas Tuchel’s side have struggled in open play in the US but midfielder’s partnership with his captain has started to change that
Thomas Tuchel faces an attacking conundrum. England have to extract the maximum output from Harry Kane while getting other players to contribute more. Jude Bellingham’s performance against Panama showed how both sides of this equation can be solved.
Kane has scored 13 goals in Tuchel’s 17 England matches, with no other player contributing more than three. He scored a penalty and a header from a corner against Croatia, then blazed over the bar from a rebound in the Ghana match. There was little of note created for him in open play.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 07:00
The Guardian
Women’s T20 World Cup ‘breaks cricket into mainstream’ but money still an issue
Success of hosts England has helped the tournament but Netherlands coach had to give up her job to guide her country
The results are in: England will play South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final on Thursday, after Australia face off against West Indies on Tuesday. It all came down to the double-header at Lord’s on Sunday, played in front of a crowd of 27,000, which began with South Africa limping across the line against Bangladesh despite a flurry of late wickets, and ended with India crashing out of the tournament after a six-wicket defeat against Australia.
This has been a good fortnight for women’s cricket. The tournament director, Beth Barrett-Wild, was upbeat on Sunday. “It’s been incredible,” she said of the tournament so far. “We set out on a mission to break women’s cricket into the mainstream, and over the course of the last three weeks we’ve seen record-breaking crowds. I feel like we’ve definitely delivered.”
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 07:00
The Guardian
Brazil fans were waiting for Vinícius Júnior to be their hero. He’s arrived
Vini Jr has been a star at Real Madrid for a long time. Now he is truly delivering for his country at a World Cup
“I’m so happy to see you happy. Living a dream. It’s Brazil,” wrote Vinícius Júnior on Instagram after Brazil’s 3-0 win against Scotland. In the accompanying photograph he was holding his arms open – in the style of his Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham. When Bellingham pulled out that pose after scoring for England at Euro 2024, he famously shouted: “Who else?” When Vinícius found the net it felt more like he was saying: “I’ve arrived.”
It took a while. Vinícius won his first cap in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Peru in 2019 and was mostly on the bench when Brazil hosted the Copa América in 2021. He didn’t score his first international goal until his 19th appearance – a 4-0 thrashing of Chile in a World Cup qualifier in 2022. By the time the World Cup kicked off in Qatar later that year, he had added clinical finishing to his speed and there were greater expectations.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 07:00
NPR Topics: News
Australia to double potential fines over child social media accounts
Australia plans to double potential fines for social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, who fail to prevent Australian children from holding accounts.
29th June 2026 06:46
The Guardian
Pauline Hanson will not go away! Is she up or down in the polls? Or both?! | First Dog on the Moon
Now we have to look at her policies instead of merely shuddering and looking away
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The Guardian
A Ukrainian military school graduation ceremony – photo essay
For most teenagers, the last day of school is about summer, freedom and new beginnings. At a military school in western Ukraine, it marks the end of years spent living, studying and training together – and, for many, the first step towards a career in the armed forces at a time of war
The school in western Ukraine is home to about 400 cadets from across the country. On paper, it resembles any other high school, where students study mathematics, physics, English and history before taking the same national exams as their peers. But the daily life for these cadets is different.
As cadets wait to march out for the graduation parade, one straightens her classmate’s collar
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 06:00
The Guardian
The uneasy story about an alleged Russian spy: best podcasts of the week
Nicky Woolf’s investigation into a rightwing YouTuber reveals much more than state interference in social media. Plus, why did a kid pretend to be Steven Spielberg’s nephew?
Lauren Southern tells journalist Nicky Woolf she feels as though she’s in a spy movie, “but the dumbest ever made, because I’m just a YouTuber”. Along with other members of the right-wing commentariat, the Canadian found herself linked with the Kremlin when a company she had worked for was revealed as a front for the Russian state. Her candour is striking, as Woolf’s investigation unfolds across six uneasy chapters. Hannah J Davies
Audible, all episodes out now
The Guardian
Trekking through a living mountain culture: Spain’s Picos de Europa
A landscape of forbidding peaks west of Bilbao plays host to an improbable world full of wild flowers, animals and resilient cheesemakers
Halfway across the first glacial depression, I leave the footpath to stand on a snow patch, disturbing a spider that runs off across the frozen crystals. A few yards farther along, the mountainside is awash with colour: tiny Alpine flowers alive with bees and crickets in a world surrounded by jagged peaks. A pair of chamois watch from a crag, then clatter off up an almost vertical face. Having stopped walking, I’m cooling down fast and put on a jacket. I am in Spain, I tell myself, during a European heatwave.
When I tear myself away from the wildlife, my hiking group are distant dots on a path that is snaking up a wall of rock. This is the Picos de Europa mountain range in northern Spain, a cluster of peaks rising to more than 2,500m and famed for the steepness of its slopes. I set off in pursuit, catching up with the group as they scramble over a ridge to find an unexpected view: a gun turret from a second world war aircraft carrier that is now a mountain refuge hut. (Cabin Verónica was cut from the USS Pulau in 1961 at a Bilbao breakers’ yard and dragged up here by mule.)
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 06:00
The Guardian
‘Buy the haystack’: how tracker funds beat searching for shares
Designed to mirror the stock market, they are an easy and cheap way to save. Here’s how to start investing in them
Tracker funds have been around for about half a century, providing investors with access to a range of assets without them having to make difficult and risky decisions.
Built to follow the fortunes of a given financial market index, trackers do not need management teams, which means they generally come with low charges. If you have a workplace pension, you probably already invested in one without realising it. If you want to start investing, you are likely to be directed towards a tracker fund.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 06:00
The Guardian
‘We were broke, but fascinated by freedom’: exhibition showcases East German artist Gabriele Stötzer
Show at Martin Gropius Bau gallery in Berlin is biggest ever celebration of an East German female artist in a state museum
Gabriele Stötzer remembers the days when she had to decide: “Am I buying a sausage, or film for my Super 8 camera?”
Stötzer was one of the most radical artists in communist East Germany, and her desire to create was born in defiance of and in spite of the material conditions and oppressive restrictions of the GDR regime.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 06:00
The Guardian
Communion by JD Vance review – a strange, poignant book about faith and the modern world
JD Vance’s Christian vision is thoughtful – but impossible to square with the political company he keeps
At the heart of this strange, perhaps rather poignant, book is the biblical question: “What must I do to be saved?” Not in the crude sense of how to secure a place in heaven, but as an urgent challenge to a whole repertoire of destructive assumptions and habits endorsed by the majority culture. Vance’s famous first book, Hillbilly Elegy, chronicled, among other things, the impact of substance abuse on generations of the rural poor. It is not too much of a stretch to see this book as a vision of the modern west through the lens of addiction and its generational effects. Except, this time, it is the norms and expectations of elite modernity that are as lethal for the ambitious young professional as fentanyl is for the less privileged.
Vance offers a diagnosis that is not particularly original, but derives its force from the intensity of the personal questioning he undertook to arrive at it. The US vice president describes with clarity the pervasive mechanisms, in education and the professional and political worlds, that induct us into wanting what others want – not what we regard as inherently desirable. Most of us instinctively desire emotional security, meaningful work and, perhaps above all, hope and joy in nurturing the next generation, introducing them to a world of value and promise. One of the most telling moments in the book is the spectacularly successful young Vance’s painful bafflement when faced with the challenge of becoming a parent: “I knew exactly how to help my kid get into a good college but was woefully underprepared to make him a good man.”
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 06:00
The Guardian
Monday briefing: Will the heatwave spark action, or further inflame the culture wars?
In today’s newsletter: Last week’s extreme weather should galvanise the political response to global heating. But the sad paradox is that it could bolster support for climate-sceptical parties
Good morning. You could be forgiven for thinking that last week’s heatwave in Europe would be a galvanising moment for action on the climate crisis. At one point, more than 150 million Europeans sweltered in temperatures above 35C (95F) – with several parts of the continent soaring past 40C. A heatwave of this magnitude has never been recorded this early in the year.
When scientists finish their calculations, the death toll will probably number in the thousands. Spain, one of the few countries that produces real-time statistics on excess deaths linked to heat, has recorded more than 100 per day since Wednesday. French authorities said that at least 1,000 additional deaths had been recorded between 24 and 27 June, a figure that is likely to rise. They include four toddlers who died in incidents linked to the heat. A three-year-old boy in a Paris suburb was found dead last week after climbing into a car and becoming trapped.
Iran | The sudden eruption of fresh hostilities in the Gulf – just 10 days after Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict – threatens to put the two countries back on the path to war.
Europe heatwave | Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary reached record temperatures of more than 40C on Sunday as a heatwave linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe spread east.
UK politics | Andy Burnham is the most popular man at Westminster right now, and Labour MPs, the unions, Whitehall civil servants, political advisers and thinktanks are all battling for the ear of the next prime minister.
UK news | One pound in every £11 of UK government spending on contractors went to private equity-controlled companies last year, research shows, including key services such as transport, waste management and healthcare.
Royal family | The Duke of Sussex fears his children will not meet King Charles in the coming days after their UK visit was “pulled out from under their feet at the 11th hour”.
Today | Andy Burnham will give his first major speech since winning the Makerfield byelection and becoming Labour leader in waiting, setting out his economic vision and plans for radical devolution.
Tomorrow | The Amos review into NHS maternity services will be published.
Wednesday | The review into the sentences in the Fordingbridge rape case, which shocked the country and prompted a debate about leniency towards young offenders, will be heard in the court of appeal.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 05:45
The Guardian
A new start after 60: I spent eight years thinking I had Parkinson’s. Then doctors ‘de-diagnosed’ me
Mike Bell was 53 when he got the diagnosis that changed his life – and 61 when he learned it was wrong. He felt relieved, but also totally adrift
When he was 61, Mike Bell, who had spent eight years living with a Parkinson’s diagnosis, saw a new consultant. Though he still had pains, tingling, tremors and skin problems, Bell had stopped taking his prescribed medication and his symptoms had not worsened. Further brain scans were arranged – “everything, in every possible position” – after which Bell was “de-diagnosed”.
He still felt unwell, with unexplained pains, but he didn’t have Parkinson’s. In that moment, he says, he “lost his roadmap”, his sense of community with other people he had met with the same illness and his work campaigning for better understanding of the condition.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 05:45
The Guardian
Not just for rich people: the progressive case for air conditioning | Phineas Harper
Air conditioning can bring significant benefits but also real harms. The answer is for it to take its place alongside a comprehensive state plan for climate adaptation
As Britain reels from Europe’s worst ever heatwave, many households are, for the first time, seriously considering air conditioning. Leftists have often been critical of AC, pointing out that there are cheaper, more ecological ways to combat severe heat. But with decades of underinvestment leaving the UK dismally unprepared to handle further heatwaves, is it time to rethink the progressive position on air con?
Like many new technologies, air conditioning can bring significant benefits but also real harms, contributing to external air temperatures and global emissions. Dogmatically denying these harms, as AC boosters tend to, is unhelpful, but likewise refusing to explore how mechanical air-cooling systems could play a more productive role in progressive climate adaptation is just as blinkered.
Phineas Harper is a writer and curator
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 05:00
The Guardian
Bulgur ‘risotto’ and tahini rice pudding: Anissa Helou’s Lebanese recipes
Grains are such a staple of Lebanese cooking that you could devote an entire book to them. Here are two shining examples: a tabbüleh-style southern dish and a Sunni speciality for dessert
If bread is the main staple of Lebanese cooking, grains and legumes are next, and there is hardly a meal without one or the other. Bulgur wheat is the preferred grain, especially for rural communities of all confessions; in the old days, they grew their own wheat to make it, harvesting, threshing and parboiling the wheat before drying it in the sun and sending it to the local mill to be ground into fine and coarse grades to last the household until the next harvest. In fact, given the sheer number of recipes across the country, I could have easily devoted a whole book to Lebanese recipes for grains alone.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 05:00
The Guardian
‘We’re up against forces that have all the money in the world’: Erin Brockovich on her battle against AI datacentres
In 1993, she squeezed a $333m settlement from a Californian energy company in a scandal over contaminated water. Three decades later, she has a new target in her sights – and it’s global
When Erin Brockovich woke to find 30 emails from people from the same town, she realised something was going on. People email Brockovich all the time because of what happened in 1993, when she was instrumental in suing Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on behalf of residents of the town of Hinkley, California, whose groundwater had been contaminated. The case resulted in a settlement of $333m – then the largest ever payout for a direct-action lawsuit. When she was immortalised by Julia Roberts in the 2000 film Erin Brockovich, she became the hero we didn’t know we needed, a modern day Joan of Arc. She had won against PG&E with no formal legal training.
The emails she received a few weeks ago were about datacentres. In April, she put a callout on her website asking for anyone with concerns about one near them to get in touch. Within a month, 3,862 people had replied. Tech companies have needed datacentres to power their technology “for ever”, she says, but the new ones being built to power AI? “This feels like Hinkley on steroids.”
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 04:00
The Guardian
From burning bogs to boutique bonanzas: how did Britain become a nation of festival obsessives?
They used to mean crusties, hippies, all-male lineups, near riots and burning toilets. Now, from Dorset to Inverness, there’s a festival – and a costume – for everyone. What caused this boom? And is there a dark side?
It’s 7pm on the first day of Gala festival in Peckham Rye park and dry ice drifts into the trees as grime MC Novelist, born just miles away, raps about a south London bus. “Four eight four! Going on raw on the 484,” he spits with a grin, bouncing like the sweaty moshpit in front of him. There are already hands in the air for this hyperlocal elegy when the DJ teases the next instrumental, Skream’s unmistakable Midnight Request Line – dubstep’s greatest ever anthem.
Gala is one of the first festivals of the now overflowing British summer season. That same weekend, Black Water County kicked off the Cursus cider and music festival in Dorset, Fatboy Slim headlined the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Sunderland, and scores more fizzed into action, from Elderflower Fields in East Sussex to Devauden in south Wales, Slam Dunk in Hertfordshire, Dot to Dot in Nottingham, as well as Sidmouth jazz and blues festival and Chippenham folk festival.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 04:00
The Guardian
Trafficked, beaten and raped: raids reveal scale of abuse of women in Asia’s cyberscam centres
As tens of thousands are freed, female survivors are increasingly reporting gender-based violence in the compounds, previously thought to hold mainly men
Late one evening in October 2023, Sarah* felt labour pains starting. It was 11pm, but at the cyberscam compound inside Laos’ Golden Triangle, workers were logging on for a long night shift, scamming Americans online.
Every night, workers sat at their computers until the early hours, building fake profiles of glamorous, jet-setting women on Facebook and Instagram. Sarah trawled the web to find older men to target with messages, where she fawned over their jobs, asked how their day had been and exchanged photos of luxury travel and beach trips. Each conversation she had was meticulously designed to follow a multi-day script, and monitored by bosses who walked up and down the long rows of desks.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 04:00
The Guardian
Morocco and the Netherlands look to move mountains in Monterrey matchup
Two teams with plenty of connections meet in a ‘clash of titans’ at one of the World Cup’s most picturesque venues
Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi had just been asked what would inspire his players to justify the feverish expectation hanging over them. Would they turn to the example of history, or would they draw on something else? “The biggest motivation the players have is to put on the jersey and represent the country,” he began. “That is motivation enough to move mountains.”
It would be some feat if they managed to alter the geology of Cerro de la Silla, the claw-shaped double peak that overwhelms the skyline around Estadio Monterrey, where Morocco and the Netherlands will play in the World Cup Round of 32.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 03:456/28/2026: Betting on War; The Looting of Cambodia
First, high win rate of bets on military operations a likely sign of insider trading. Then, a report on Cambodia tracking down looted antiquities.
29th June 2026 03:00U.S., Iran pause hostilities as Hormuz shipping resumes after weekend clashes
The U.S. and Iran agreed to pause hostilities and allow commercial vessels to move freely through the Strait of Hormuz, easing fears of a prolonged disruption to global oil supplies after a weekend of military exchanges.
29th June 2026 02:53The 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule and how to watch
With 104 World Cup games being played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, it's like "a Super Bowl every single day for five weeks," U.S. team captain Tim Ream told CBS News.
29th June 2026 02:00A 35-foot fried apple pie at a McDonald's on Route 66
Noel Brennan takes a look at some of the history of fast food in the United States and visits a 35-foot fried apple pie at a McDonald's on Route 66.
29th June 2026 01:51Union Pacific Big Boy, the largest, most powerful steam locomotive in the world, tours the U.S.
As part of America's 250th birthday celebration, Union Pacific is sending Big Boy, the largest, heaviest and most powerful steam locomotive in the world, across the country. Ian Lee reports.
29th June 2026 01:48Iran launches strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, threatens "complete halt" to talks
Iran on Sunday launched missiles and drones towards U.S. military sites in the region. A U.S. official says no casualties were reported. Iran says the attacks were in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes that hit the Islamic Republic, and threatened a "complete halt" could come to negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks. Aaron Navarro reports.
29th June 2026 01:303 firefighters killed, 2 injured fighting wildfires near Colorado-Utah border
The U.S. Wildland Fire Service said the firefighters had been part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires near the Colorado-Utah border.
29th June 2026 01:233 firefighters killed battling wildfire on Colorado-Utah border; deadly flooding in Kentucky
Three firefighters were killed and two others were burned battling a wildfire along the Colorado-Utah border. Meanwhile, at least four people have died in flash flooding in Kentucky. Adam Yamaguchi reports and Andrew Kozak has a look at the forecast.
29th June 2026 01:21
The Guardian
‘They ruined our dream’: Revenge on Socceroos’ minds for clash with Egypt
Egypt ended Australian medal hopes at Tokyo Olympics in 2021
Two nations meet again in World Cup last 32 this week in Dallas
The memory flashed back instantly for Socceroos midfielder Connor Metcalfe, when asked about the last time he played against Egypt.
“It actually feels like a blur to be honest,” he said, recalling the Olyroos’ match five years ago at the Tokyo Olympics.
Continue reading... 29th June 2026 00:35
NPR Topics: News
A 'heat dome' is driving dangerous heat across the U.S. into the July 4 weekend
Dangerous heat is expected across large swaths of the U.S. this week, according to the National Weather Service.
28th June 2026 23:37
The Guardian
About 170,000 people in England expected to die from obesity-linked heart conditions by 2035
British Heart Foundation expects about 45 people a day to die over next decade if current trends continue
About 170,000 people are expected to die from heart-related conditions linked to obesity – one of the leading causes of preventable illnesses – by 2035, according to a leading charity.
The analysis, conducted by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), found that about 45 people a day are expected to die from cardiovascular disease linked to excess weight and obesity in England over the next decade, as long as current trends in obesity rates continue. In the UK, about two in three adults are overweight or living with obesity, and worldwide, more than half of adults and a third of children and young people will be overweight or obese by 2050.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 23:01
The Guardian
England facing children’s mental health ‘crisis’ as referrals hit 1m
Commissioner calls for overhaul of state support after reporting 10% rise in young patient referrals last year
More than 1 million children were referred to mental health services across England last year, with referrals up 10% from the year previous, according to a report by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza. She said the country faced a “crisis” in young people’s mental health.
The number of patients who had an active referral to children and young people’s mental health services across England surpassed 1 million for the first time in 2024-25. This was almost double the number recorded in 2018-19, and an almost 10% rise on the previous year.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 23:016/28: CBS Weekend News
Three firefighters killed battling wildfire on Colorado-Utah border; deadly flooding in Kentucky; Death toll from Venezuela quakes tops 1,400.
28th June 2026 22:30
The Guardian
The aftermath of the earthquakes in Venezuela – in pictures
Thousands of rescuers, relatives and volunteers have been digging day and night through piles of smashed concrete to find survivors of the Venezuelan earthquakes. Jorge Rodriguez , the Venezuelan national assembly president, said at least 1,430 people were killed after two powerful earthquakes struck the country on 24 June. Authorities have restricted access to some disaster zones and deployed the military as relief efforts continue.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 21:45
The Guardian
Andy Burnham to pledge ‘good growth in every postcode’ in devolution plan
Makerfield MP on course to be PM will argue for more decision-making in regions and communities as he sets out 10-year platform for government
Andy Burnham will pledge to deliver “good growth in every postcode” by overseeing a significant transfer of power out of Whitehall to local communities as he sets out his case for a decade as UK prime minister.
In his first major speech since winning the Makerfield byelection, Burnham will argue for decision-making to be devolved to regions and communities to drive economic growth locally, replacing the current top-down national model.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 21:30
The Guardian
Canada first into last 16 as Stephen Eustáquio scores in stoppage time against South Africa
As Canada’s players and staff huddled on the pitch to savour reaching the last 16 for the first time, the overhead Spidercam and the cameras belonging to the host broadcaster were the only outsiders present for Jesse Marsch’s impassioned victory speech. “You guys are Canadian heroes today, Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport,” he said, wagging his right index finger at different squad members, before a series of whoops, cheers and applause.
If that was a sacred, special moment, then so was the sight of Marsch kissing the Canada crest on his grey zip-top before embracing Ismaël Koné, who took to the field to join the celebrations on crutches after surgery on a broken leg.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 21:23
NPR Topics: News
In Venezuela, silence has become a rescue tool
In Venezuela rescue crews now stop almost everything and ask for silence so they can hear anyone still alive underneath the rubble. NPR's Eyder Peralta reports from the port city of La Guaira.
28th June 2026 21:00
The Guardian
Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary swelter through hottest days on record
Heat records of over 40C set as extreme weather spreads east, with more than 191m in Europe enduring 35C or above
Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary reached record temperatures of more than 40C on Sunday as a heatwave linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe spread east.
More than 191 million people in Europe faced temperatures of at least 35C, with extreme heat warnings across the region.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 19:27
The Guardian
Lewis Hamilton rues Ferrari’s ‘reality check’ after F1 Austrian GP struggles
George Russell wins for Mercedes; Ferraris 5th and 8th
Hamilton says: ‘We have a good car but are down on pace’
Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari’s underwhelming performance at the Austrian Grand Prix represented a reality check for him and the team after the euphoria of his first win with the Scuderia at the last round in Spain.
Hamilton finished in fifth at the Red Bull Ring, after a race where Mercedes’s George Russell took victory from pole position ahead an enormously quick Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull had made great strides with upgrades the team brought to Austria. Hamilton had moved to second in the championship after the last round and was looking so competitive that he was being touted as a potential title contender, but he has dropped back to third, behind Russell and his teammate Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 18:36Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," June 28, 2026
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Sens. Bill Cassidy and Tim Kaine join Margaret Brennan.
28th June 2026 18:35Alan Jackson gives emotional farewell concert
Five years ago, Alan Jackson shared that he has a degenerative nerve condition that affects his balance called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which he was first diagnosed with a decade prior.
28th June 2026 18:31
The Guardian
Zohran Mamdani says he and allies he endorsed carry a ‘national message’
Mayor says progressive peers who swept primaries speak to Americans ‘coast to coast’ as moderates have reservations
Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor, said on Sunday that he and a slew of democratic socialist allies who prevailed in recent primary elections are carrying a “national message” to struggling working Americans hungry for a new kind of politics “coast to coast”.
Mamdani made that triumphant clarion call on ABC News’s This Week just five days after he had seen his endorsed candidates win Democratic nominations in three races for New York congressional seats, as well as for five state legislature positions in Albany. He made no effort to disguise his delight that his clean sweep marks a dramatic shift in Democratic politics – not just in New York City, which he has led since January, but also across the US.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 18:24Dangerous heat wave impacting large swathes of the U.S. this week
A heat wave will blast a large swath of the U.S. this week. The National Weather Service says temperatures will feel hotter because of the high humidity that's arriving with it.
28th June 2026 18:24
The Guardian
Ella Baron on Andy Burnham’s big plans for Britain – cartoon
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 17:25Kaine says guardrails on Pentagon firings could see bipartisan support
Sen. Tim Kaine said guardrails on Pentagon firings could see bipartisan support in Congress, following a string of high-level officers exiting the military during the second Trump administration.
28th June 2026 17:09Douglas Brinkley on America at 250: History tells us hoping for unity is not futile
In these fiercely-polarized times, the presidential historian reminds us that Americans' freedom has been tested – and has survived – much worse.
28th June 2026 16:44
The Guardian
The Guardian view on US military justice in Britain: a disturbing assault case should raise the alarm | Editorial
The court martial system for personnel on overseas airbases serves US interests – but what about those of their host nations?
A British victim of crime, on British soil, might reasonably expect their assailant to be tried in the British justice system. That was not Sarah Steele’s experience. US military police quickly took charge of investigating her assault by Jacob Wulfson in late 2023, and the airman was prosecuted in a US court martial – for a crime that took place off duty and off base, in an English city. Downing Street said on Friday that it was “very concerning” that the case never reached the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Ministry of Justice has said it will look into it.
Dr Steele waived her anonymity to speak to the Guardian about the “distressing and degrading” experience, casting light upon the little-known US military justice system and its use within the UK. Wulfson was convicted of strangling an intimate partner but acquitted of sexual assault and “aggravated sexual contact” by an all-male panel of air force officers stationed at the same base, RAF Lakenheath. Legal experts said the latter offence would probably have been categorised as rape in a British court. Dr Steele faced invasive, aggressive and lengthy questioning; her attacker chose not to testify.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 16:30
The Guardian
The Guardian view on universities: public confidence in degrees is wavering – ministers should shore it up | Editorial
Unfair changes to student loans and concerns about job prospects must be weighed against the life-changing potential of education
Is going to university financially worthwhile? New research on graduate incomes is unlikely to help the beleaguered sector’s reputation. Even though most benefit from an earnings premium, worth around £100,000 on average over a lifetime (after tax and student loan repayments), the finding that one in four people end up worse off proves that there are no guarantees. The premium has shrunk by around 30% compared with forecasts from six years ago.
The study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) could be viewed as a vindication of the latest British Social Attitudes survey. It found that the proportion of people who think a degree is not worth the time and money has risen from 14% to 34% in 20 years. While the research predated Rachel Reeves’s most recent, unfair worsening of the terms on which graduates repay loans, it arguably reflected reduced confidence in the government’s commitment to protect the graduate earnings premium, as well as anxiety about salary prospects and the economy more broadly.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 16:25
The Guardian
‘I eat pasta almost every day’: a day in the life of a world champion pizza athlete
Francis Tolu works at his family’s restaurant in Spain and also competes in pizza acrobatic contests internationally
Francis Tolu is a freestyle pizza champion. For those who don’t know what that is, he uses pizza dough to compete in acrobatic performances. He can make pizza blindfolded; he also throws pizzas in the air and sets them on fire. Among his achievements are the 2026 masters acrobatics title at the World Pizza Games, and four wins at the Pizza world championship.
Then he returns to work, serving customers at Pizzeria Venezia in Alginet, Spain, the restaurant his family has owned for 40 years.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 16:00
The Guardian
French skydiving plane crashes near Nancy, killing all 11 onboard
Five students and five instructors dead along with pilot after plane fell suddenly near aerodrome, says prefect
A skydiving plane has crashed in north-eastern France, killing all 11 people onboard, according to the region’s prefect.
The parachuting-school plane crashed near Nancy at 11am, said Yves Séguy, the prefect of the Meurthe-et-Moselle region.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 15:58This week on "Sunday Morning" (June 28)
Jane Pauley hosts a special program celebrating our nation's semiquincentennial, "These United States - America at 250."
28th June 2026 15:21
The Guardian
Kindness of strangers: We were hopelessly lost in the Sudanese desert. Then villagers offered us a hut to stay in
We were exhausted and in need of rest. In the morning, the kind locals prepared a huge breakfast and refused to accept any payment
Read more in the kindness of strangers series
Sudan in the 1980s was relatively quiet. In 1987 I was based there, working for aid agency Care in the final years before Omar al-Bashir seized power.
One day I was returning from the city of El Obeid to the capital, Khartoum. After two weeks of dust and extreme heat we were thankful to be travelling overland across the desert at night, when it would be cooler. There were no tarmac roads, just dusty tracks. Two colleagues, our driver and I left at sundown for what should have been a six or seven-hour drive.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 15:00
The Guardian
AI claims to have the answers to life’s big questions. But sometimes not knowing brings us closer to the truth | Amy Galliford
ChatGPT relieves me of my discomfort, but in doing so it robs me of contemplation, of the holy ground between question and answer
Making sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday life
As a person of faith raised in a religious household, I have a fairly clear picture of what prayer means to me. Prayer is the practice by which I draw closer to God, petition for my needs and desires, request guidance and ask forgiveness.
The deal has always been that in times of trouble I cast my anxieties and questions and emerge with either some answers or some sustaining sense of peace. Take it to the Lord in prayer, the song goes.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 15:00
The Guardian
Lucy Powell agrees Ed Miliband would be ‘good’ as Andy Burnham’s chancellor
Labour deputy leader says she thinks energy secretary would suit Treasury but ‘tittle-tattle’ over posts ‘unedifying’
Ed Miliband would make a “good” chancellor to Andy Burnham, Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, has said, before the likely next prime minister’s first major speech on the economy since he returned to Westminster.
Powell, who served as Miliband’s chief of staff in opposition and is close to the former party leader, appeared to endorse him to run the Treasury – although some in Burnham’s camp acknowledge such a move could be politically risky.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 14:33Nature: Bald eagles
We leave you this Sunday with an enduring symbol of our United States: the bald eagle, first seen on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782. Videographer: Carl Mrozek.
28th June 2026 14:306/28: Face The Nation
This week on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Sen. Bill Cassidy discusses the explosive meeting between President Trump and Senate Republicans as well as why he changed his vote on the Iran war powers resolution. Plus, Sen. Tim Kaine and CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford join.
28th June 2026 14:30Douglas Brinkley on America at 250: History tells us hoping for unity is not futile
In these fiercely-polarized times, the presidential historian reminds us that Americans' freedom has been tested – and has survived – much worse.
28th June 2026 14:26American Panorama: From sea to shining sea
"Sunday Morning" presents views of America the Beautiful. Photographs by Jonathan Irish.
28th June 2026 14:16Photography and the secret of Frederick Douglass' power
Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery and became an influential orator, writer and intellectual, was the most photographed person in America in the 19th century. Nancy Giles explores how Douglass used the early photographic medium to promote the cause of abolition.
28th June 2026 14:12
The Guardian
Feeling bored and disconnected for your job? You may be facing workplace 'rust-out' | Gene Marks
The latest work buzzword describes feeling under-stimulated at your job – but you can break free from workplace monotony
There is a woman I know who works in the accounts payable department at one of my clients. She’s in her late 40s and she’s been doing the same job for at least 10 years. Entering payables, reconciling expense accounts, matching documents, calling suppliers.
Sound boring? Not to her. She’s happy, enjoys the routine and appreciates her employer. She’s not “rusting-out” – the latest workplace buzzword.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 14:00Celebrating Fourth of July fireworks
Fireworks were invented in China, and perfected in Italy. But it was immigrants that brought their pyrotechnical secrets to America, creating a Fourth of July tradition: ever-grander fireworks displays. Correspondent Faith Salie visits the New Castle, Pa., fireworks company Pyrotechnico, which will be creating a world-record-worthy Independence Day celebration in Washington, D.C. this July 4th.
28th June 2026 13:59The Equal Rights Amendment: A promise unfulfilled
An Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – guaranteeing rights to all Americans regardless of sex – was first proposed to Congress in 1923. More than a century later, the ERA still has not become a formal part of our nation's bedrock of laws.
28th June 2026 13:51Extended interview: Feminism then and now
In this web exclusive, correspondent Martha Teichner talked with three generations of women – Ms. Magazine co-founder Letty Cottin Pogrebin and her daughter, New York Times journalist Robin Pogrebin, and granddaughter Maya Klaris – about the Equal Rights Amendment and their views of gender equality from the 1960s to today.
28th June 2026 13:51The Equal Rights Amendment: A promise unfulfilled
An Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – guaranteeing rights to all Americans regardless of sex – was first proposed to Congress in 1923. More than a century later, it still has not become a formal part of our nation's bedrock of laws. Correspondent Martha Teichner looks at the long road of the ERA, and talks with three generations of women for whom equal rights under the Constitution remains an unfulfilled goal.
28th June 2026 13:49Governors Island: An oasis in New York Harbor
One of New York City's most unique public spaces is a 172-acre island off the tip of Manhattan. Jane Pauley offers a tour of Governors Island, celebrated for its parks, cultural events, and sweeping harbor views.
28th June 2026 13:35Poll: America at 250 and some of what Americans think is best about U.S.
Americans weighed in on what's best about the U.S., its greatest invention, most representative food and more in latest CBS News poll.
28th June 2026 13:10
The Guardian
Do you need electrolytes? Will tea cool you down? Is it safe to drink beer? How to stay hydrated in a heatwave
The hotter it gets, the faster our bodies lose water. Obviously, we need to replace it – but is anything better than plain H₂O? And does timing matter? Here’s what the science says
Hydration is important. In temperatures like those we’re increasingly seeing in much of the world, sweating can be the only way for our bodies to cool down, and our thirst isn’t always the best indicator of how much water we’ve lost or need. The consequences of not being sufficiently hydrated as temperatures creep towards the 40s can be severe, and can kick in much faster than most people realise. The good news is that remembering to drink plenty of water at regular intervals throughout the day will be enough for most people to avoid the worst. But if you’d like to understand why dehydration is so dangerous, whether you really need extra electrolytes, or if a cup of tea really can cool you down, read on.
To start with, it’s helpful to understand that our bodies are producing heat – and therefore losing water – all the time. “All the cells in our body are constantly using fuel for energy for various different processes, whether that’s movement or just staying alive,” says Dr Lewis James, a lecturer in sport, exercise and health sciences at Loughborough University. “About 75 to 80% of the energy that we use appears as heat.” If we didn’t have any way of dissipating this heat, then even lying on the couch would see your body temperature rise about 1.3C in a single hour (already enough to make you noticeably feverish) – but of course, we do. Normally, we lose a decent amount of heat through a combination of convection and radiation: the blood vessels in our skin dilate, allowing the blood to be cooled by the outside air. The problem is that when the external temperature goes up, this process becomes less effective and eventually stops working altogether. At this point, our main way of losing heat is through sweating: our bodies produce tiny droplets of warm water mixed with trace minerals, which (usually) evaporate on contact with the air, drawing heat away from the skin in the process. And as we rely more on sweating, it’s increasingly important to replace the fluids our bodies are losing.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 13:006/28: Sunday Morning
Host Jane Pauley celebrates America at 250. Featured: The Founding Fathers; driving historic Route 66; the Essential American Songbook; a melting pot of cuisine; the ERA; the transcontinental railroad; fireworks; and Larry David's skewed take on American history.
28th June 2026 13:00
The Guardian
How to make the perfect chicken souvlaki – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …
Interpretations of Greece’s most popular street food abound, but whose version of these smoky, juicy skewers is the best?
I’m aware that, fittingly, I’m dancing across hot coals by tackling souvlaki: in her book Taverna, Georgina Hayden devotes an entire page to the subtle differences between Greek and Cypriot barbecued meat kebabs (souvla, souvlaki, kalamaki, kontosouvli … the list goes on), yet, as Carolina Doriti observes in her beginner’s guide, “the beauty of souvlaki, Greece’s most popular street food, is its simplicity”. Though I’d steer you elsewhere for a more definitive explanation of what qualifies in different places, the name comes from the word souvla, or “skewer”; souvlaki is the diminutive, and it’s usually cooked on small skewers rather than on a big spit. That’s all you need to know, because – although what’s on there, how it’s seasoned and what accompanies it changes according to region and season – the ancient pleasure of smoky, juicy, grilled meat (as featured in the Iliad!) or indeed vegetables, remains the same wherever you go.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 12:00Seniors in Medicare are about to get landmark obesity drug coverage — but many may not know it yet
Many seniors may be unaware of the landmark coverage shift starting on July 1, with limited advertising seen from the government or Eli Lilly and Novo.
28th June 2026 12:00
The Guardian
What if doing more isn’t always the answer?
It’s tempting to treat overwhelm with clever fixes – but that might be part of the problem
According to my Instagram feed, I am not doing enough. Not spending enough, not saying enough, not taking enough care. I feel more sure of this than anything. And it’s bringing out an irrationality I’m not proud of: one afternoon, in between screengrabs of masked men snatching civilians from their homes, videos of wellness influencers evangelising “anti-trauma” hip stretches, and carousels of political action items disguised as catchy memes, I am served a targeted ad for a “Don’t Talk to Me About AI or I’ll Kill Myself” crochet pattern; and even though I have never crocheted anything in my life, I find myself looking up the materials to get started … on Etsy to avoid supporting any big, Maga-oriented corporations.
It’s overwhelming, this general pressure, palpable not only on social media but throughout the larger culture: today’s most urgent issues, from technological end times to tight hips, can only be solved by squeezing as much into the day as humanly possible.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 11:00
The Guardian
Home is where the art is: the rise of the epic domestic novel
Writing about home life doesn’t have to be humdrum argues the author of Natural Disaster – just look at world-spanning, taboo-shattering works such as Ducks, Newburyport and All Fours
‘There’s no place like home,” Dorothy declares at the end of The Wizard of Oz, as she departs the dazzling Emerald City for Aunt Em’s Kansas farmhouse. It’s a powerful metaphor for the way the domestic sphere is often portrayed in art: action, adventure and drama happen “out there” in glorious Technicolor, with the home rendered by contrast in sober sepia tones. Home may be the place we ultimately yearn for, but only once we have left it behind.
While working on my second novel, Natural Disaster, I was periodically plagued by the potential pitfalls of putting domestic life front and centre. The story takes place over 24 hours, following a woman who plans to spend her final day of maternity leave having a nice time with her two small boys (spoiler: it doesn’t go to plan).
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 11:00
The Guardian
‘British food will disappear’: trade deal after Brexit is hitting UK farmers hard
Home-grown food may become a niche product for wealthy in our supermarkets as British farmers’ incomes plummet
For Liz Webster, who farms 647 hectares (1600 acres) in Wiltshire, south west England, the latest impact of Brexit has been particularly brutal. About £400 per animal has been wiped off the price she can get for her beef cattle, a hefty blow at a time when all the inputs – feed, energy, fertiliser – are going through the roof.
The fall in price, on livestock that typically fetch £2,000 to £3,000 per animal, is the result of a flood of cheaper meat arriving from Australia, the result of one of the new trade deals the government has signed since the UK left the European Union. Prices for beef in the supermarkets have remained broadly the same, but farmers have seen their income plummet.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 11:00Trump-endorsed Julia Letlow projected to win Louisiana GOP Senate runoff
Rep. Julia Letlow was endorsed by President Trump in the state's Republican Senate runoff to replace Sen. Bill Cassidy, who did not receive enough votes in the primary to advance.
28th June 2026 10:08
The Guardian
Ronald Reagan to JD Vance: minimizing Watergate is a Republican tradition | Rick Perlstein
On the American right, there is an unbroken lineage of Watergate propaganda going back to the 70s from today
When JD Vance spoke at the Richard M Nixon presidential library last week about his new book on his journey from atheism to an allegedly devout Catholicism, he raised eyebrows by minimizing Watergate. “The idea that it [took] down a presidency is crazy,” he said. He said it was the “deep state that took down Richard Nixon”– not the 37th president’s implication in serious crimes.
Commentators were shocked. Did the vice-president not know that the investigation proved Nixon directed a conspiracy to bribe the men who broke into the Democratic party headquarters to lie in court from a secret, illegal slush fund?
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 10:00
The Guardian
This is how we do it: ‘I expected to be a little old spinster, but kinky sex broadened my horizons’
Graham and Josephine were friends for years, but after their spouses died they discovered a mutual attraction – and a fondness for adventurous sex
• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously
Our sexual preferences cover everything from vanilla to being tied up and spanked
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 10:00
The Guardian
Australian man charged with murder in Thailand after teenage girl’s body found in suitcase
Simon Peter Carman, 46, has denied the charges against him
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
An Australian man has been charged with the murder of a teenage girl whose naked body was found in a suitcase in Thailand.
Pattaya City police told the Guardian the man, identified as Simon Peter Carman, 46, has denied the charges against him.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 09:25
The Guardian
Stir-fry, soup, smoothies and even cake: 17 delicious ways with lettuce – that aren’t salad
Forget vinaigrette: if you really want to make the most of these leaves, apply some heat, herbs or double cream and bacon
When wild lettuce plants were first domesticated in the Caucasus 6,000 years ago, the crop was the seed, which could be pressed into oil. As cultivated plants migrated west through Egypt into Europe, the Greeks and Romans transformed them into salad leaves.
There are now hundreds of commercially grown varieties of lettuce, available all year round. But if you do grow them, you’ll probably be in the midst of your annual glut right now. And while lettuce is not difficult to give away – nobody hates it – in my experience it doesn’t make for a very exciting present.
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 09:00
The Guardian
The hill I will die on: Forget potholes – the true indicator of societal decline is the ropey shoelace | Coco Khan
They have one job, the clue’s right there in their name – but I’ve noticed that ‘optimised’ shoelaces on pricey trainers are anything but
If political coverage has you never wanting to hear the word “pothole” again, let me spice things up with an entirely new symbol of decline – one even more everyday, more easily fixed (and therefore even more damning). Potholes 2.0: ladies and gentlemen, I give you the shoelace, and how they do not stay tied any more.
If you’re wondering what my evidence is, I say: evidence schmevidence. Like most political grievances (PC gone mad! Migrants stealing our jobs!) it doesn’t need to be true, only to feel true. And a quick search online suggests I am not the only one who feels like shoelaces – which, let’s be clear, have one job! – are rubbish now. Reddit, Quora, Facebook: the shoelace‑curious are everywhere, with some even turning to the science of the knot itself. (Apparently common ways to tie shoelaces are versions of “the granny knot”, which physicists say is “destined to fail” – much like we are if we keep putting our physicists on jobs like this.)
Coco Khan is a freelance writer and co-host of the politics podcast Pod Save the UK
Continue reading... 28th June 2026 07:00