The 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.

Iran talks on hold after fighting breaks out and Trump once again threatens annihilation

Iran says it targeted U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain following U.S. strikes on targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

South Africa v Canada: World Cup 2026 last 32 – live

⚽️ Kick-off: 8pm BST/3pm EDT/5am AEST
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Daniel

Oh man, my eyeballs are sweating and we’re 45 minutes away from watching the teams come out. Can Stokes play football?

Oh my goodness. Nothing to do with football, but everything to do with humanity: Ben Stokes, what a man. If you’re near a telly with Sky, get it on – it’s montage time.

A bridge to Canada may be blocked by the Trump administration

The Gordie Howe bridge spans the most important border crossing between the U.S. and Canada. President Donald Trump has said he doesn't want it open yet.

Father figure Carlo Ancelotti will have a plan for Brazil. He always has a plan

For anyone outside the dressing room it is hard to predict what the Mister will do but he will be prepared for Japan on Monday

The 2022 Champions League semi-final. The Santiago Bernabéu. More than 60,000 fans in the stands, and Manchester City leading 1-0. I was on the Real Madrid bench when Carlo Ancelotti called me over and told me to get on the pitch, play aggressively and decide the match.

I stepped on to the field in the 68th minute. In the 90th minute, I equalised but we still trailed by a goal on aggregate. We restarted, and the next minute I scored again to force extra time. We won and the rest is history: another title for the club after beating Liverpool in the final. I bring up this moment to highlight how important coaches are to a team’s journey and how decisive they are in a player’s career, doing work that often goes unseen by the public.

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

• After decades of warnings, why is Europe so unprepared?

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.

US homeland security secretary tells migrants to seek permanent status or leave

Markwayne Mullin’s remarks come after controversial supreme court ruling to strip TPS from over 350,000 people

Migrants in the US on temporary protected status should seek permanent residence or leave, Markwayne Mullin, Homeland Security secretary, said in the wake of last week’s supreme court decision that stripped humanitarian protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants.

The remarks to CNN’s State of the Union program comes after a decision ⁠that could allow Donald Trump’s administration to deport Haitian and Syrian immigrants to home countries plagued by conflict and ​destitution.

Ben Stokes marks England retirement in extraordinary fashion but New Zealand dominate

• Third Test D4: NZ 438 & 288-9dec; England 354 & 103-4

• Captain takes wicket moments after announcement

It was one of the most extraordinary scenes witnessed in a career positively littered with them. Ten or so minutes before tea on the fourth day against New Zealand, about to start the 11th over of another marathon spell, Ben Stokes stood at the top of his mark as a ripple of applause suddenly turned into a standing ovation.

Moments earlier the England and Wales Cricket Board had announced that Stokes would be retiring from internationals at the end of this deciding third Test. The players had been informed by Stokes before the start of play and now the public was in on the secret, people in the stands rising as one to roar as their champion all-rounder set off on another bullocking charge to the crease.

3 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.

Full 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.

Alan 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.

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.

Dangerous 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.

U.S. and Iran exchange strikes, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire

President Trump accused Iran of violating their framework agreement, and Tehran threatened to halt negotiations with the U.S. entirely. Meanwhile, violence continued between Israel and Hezbollah.

British man arrested in Ecuador after woman’s body found in suitcase in Colombia

Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, from Dorset, is accused of killing Natalia Villalba in an apartment in Bogotá

A British man has been arrested in Ecuador after the body of a woman was found inside a suitcase in Colombia.

Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith is alleged to have caused the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in an apartment in the Chicó neighbourhood of Bogotá on 18 June, local authorities said.

‘We don’t want penalties’: Pickford backs England’s attacking approach

Jordan Pickford has enjoyed shootout success but believes his England side can deliver World Cup glory without penalties

Jordan Pickford has pretty much seen it all since making his first England appearance at under-16 level in 2009. Although he experienced the embarrassment of conceding the only goal scored by a goalkeeper from open play at a Fifa World Cup match against Canada in the under‑17 edition in Mexico two years later, the 32-year-old has more than made up for it.

The 2-0 victory against Panama on Saturday was the 29th major tournament England game in a row to feature Pickford, as Thomas Tuchel’s side secured top spot in Group L to set up a meeting with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday. As the Everton goalkeeper is fully aware, things are about to get much more serious.

Australia dump India out of Women’s T20 World Cup with record chase

• Group 1: Australia, 172-4, beat India, 170-4, by 6 wkts

• Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner put on 100 off 59 balls

It was the quintessential Australian performance. They had no need for a win in their fifth and last group game, having already qualified for a Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final by winning their first four. India, conversely, desperately needed one to qualify. And it looked as if they had it, after a late surge with the bat to reach 170, then an early squeeze to have Australia needing 86 from eight overs.

Then in a trice it was gone, as an accelerating century stand from Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner squashed the world-record chase with an over and six wickets to spare. Ruthless, nerveless, pitiless.

Emma Raducanu pledges to ‘do everything’ in race for fitness at Wimbledon

• British No 1 is nursing foot injury before opening match

• ‘I pushed beyond what I would for any other tournament’

Emma Raducanu says she will do everything she can to be ready to compete in her first-round match at Wimbledon on Monday as she continues to nurse a right-foot injury at the end of a nightmarish week of preparation.

Raducanu, the 30th seed, is sche­duled to face Antonia Ruzic at 1pm on No 1 Court. Speaking in her ­rescheduled pre-tournament press ­conference on Sunday afternoon, Raducanu said: “I’m going to do everything with my team in terms of treatment, and that’s the current plan. That’s the plan right now, to play.”

Ella Baron on Andy Burnham’s big plans for Britain – cartoon

Kaine 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.

Douglas 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.

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.

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.

Mortuary in Caracas ‘overwhelmed’ as Venezuela struggles to respond after earthquakes

Volunteers provide counselling and funeral directors donate coffins after loss of at least 1,430 lives

The bodies turn up on motorcycles, in the backs of cars or the load beds of pickup trucks: victims of a natural disaster that has shaken an already fragile nation to its core.

“[Yesterday], the entire street was packed with people arriving with deceased relatives,” said Camila Rodríguez, a psychology student who is offering emotional support to grieving families at the Bello Monte mortuary in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

‘Financial pandemic’: £1 in every £11 spent on UK public contractors goes to private equity

Almost £24.4bn of government money went to private equity-run firms in year to April 2025, Guardian analysis shows

• ‘Treating children like cattle’: what happens when private equity takes over a UK care home?

• Nurseries, vets and shops: the sectors where private equity plays a big role

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.

Politicians and economists have raised concerns over the “financial fragility and sharp cost cutting” created by private equity-backed firms, which often have high levels of debt, and the “conflicting interests” in running public services for maximum profit.

‘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.

Small-minded SFA must ditch parochial mentality if Scotland are to thrive | Ewan Murray

Search for Steve Clarke’s replacement must look outside the country’s borders to avoid future World Cup disappointment

There was one element of the Scottish Football Association’s otherwise baffling decision to give Steve Clarke a four‑year deal weeks before a World Cup ball had been kicked that made sense.

When assessing alternatives to Clarke as the Scotland manager, it is apparent that paucity of talent among the country’s footballers is replicated in the coaching ranks. Clarke’s sudden resignation places the SFA in a position it was not only desperate to avoid but requires something it typically lacks; out‑of‑the-box thinking. Clarke has spared himself and his paymasters an acrimonious, lengthy goodbye while placing them in precisely the quandary they thought they had seen off.

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.

Trade tensions shake up Brazil's caipirinha spirit

U.S. tariff pressure is pushing Europe and Brazil closer—opening new global doors for everything from aircraft parts to Brazil's cachaça, the base of the caipirinha.

‘Street football on world stage’: Morocco and Netherlands face off in last-32 tie with a backstory

Moroccans began moving to the Netherlands in the 1960s, lending match in Mexico a feeling akin to ‘a derby’

Thirty-two years to the day since their first official encounter, Morocco and the Netherlands face each in what has the makings of a blockbuster last-32 match. Many things have changed since the 1994 World Cup group game in Orlando, that Netherlands won 2-1, but Morocco’s history is never far from the plot.

Take the venue for Monday’s encounter – Monterrey, where the Atlas Lions played most of their 1986 World Cup campaign, in the process becoming the first African team to progress through the group stage. So many in Morocco spy a golden opportunity for revenge and glory. And they would be right to do so given how four years ago, in Qatar, Morocco stunned the world by reaching the semi-finals, beating Belgium, Spain and Portugal in the process. They now have another European heavyweight firmly in their sights.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (June 28)

Jane Pauley hosts a special program celebrating our nation's semiquincentennial, "These United States - America at 250."

Fresh hostilities in Gulf suggest US-Iran memorandum was too broadly worded

Document appears to have been subject to conflicting interpretations on key issues of Lebanon ceasefire and strait of Hormuz

• Middle East crisis live – latest updates

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.

It appears the deliberately opaque wording in the memorandum has been unable to withstand the pressure of conflicting interpretations, and as a result supporters of the deal inside Tehran are on the back foot. Statements to the effect that Iran’s government should never have agreed to reopen the strait of Hormuz are proliferating – and not just among the country’s hardliners.

George Russell holds off Max Verstappen to win Austrian F1 Grand Prix for Mercedes

• Kimi Antonelli claims third behind Red Bull’s Verstappen

• Russell overtakes Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in standings

There are legs still then in a Formula One world championship that continues to ebb and flow, now almost on a race-by-race basis. At the Austrian Grand Prix, George Russell was riding the wave to win but only after a gripping battle with an almost shockingly resurgent Red Bull in the hands of Max Verstappen. Ferrari, heady victors in the last round, well, they were but flotsam in Austria.

The victory was of import of course to Russell who has been in sore need of making the point to his teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli that the British driver remains a force to be reckoned with. With Antonelli finishing third, after a grandstand finale in which Russell, Verstappen and the Italian were separated by just under two seconds, Russell has now closed the gap to him to 40 points.

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.

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.

Biden calls Trump ‘a loser’, portraying him as incompetent, corrupt and vain

Pugnacious speech invokes Trump’s ‘vanity projects’ to makeover Washington and the ‘brazen, blatant corruption’

Joe Biden called Donald Trump “a loser” in a pugnacious speech on Saturday that invoked his presidential successor’s attempted makeover of Washington DC to portray him as incompetent, corrupt and vain.

He delivered those remarks while giving the keynote address at a gala in Hanover, Maryland, hosted by the state’s Democratic party, which is hoping to help wrest control of Congress away from Trump and his Republican allies during November’s midterm elections.

3 firefighters killed on Colorado-Utah border as wildfires intensify

The deaths occurred as crews battled multiple fires across a parched region. Two other firefighters were injured.

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.

Nature: 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.

6/28: 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.

Douglas 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.

American Panorama: From sea to shining sea

"Sunday Morning" presents views of America the Beautiful. Photographs by Jonathan Irish.

Photography 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.

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.

Celebrating 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.

The 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.

Extended 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.

The 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.

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

• Fresh hostilities in Gulf suggest US-Iran memorandum was too broadly worded

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”.

How trains drove American history

The transcontinental railroad changed just about everything in America: transportation, communications, commerce, cities, politics, even our perception of time. Correspondent David Pogue visits Steamtown National Historic Site, in Scranton, Pa., home to Big Boy, the biggest functioning steam train in the world, to learn how trains helped define an expansive America.

Only in America: The rise of Viet-Cajun cuisine

Chef Trong Nguyen came from Vietnam as a teenager in the 1980s, and discovered that the clean bright flavors of Vietnamese food he grew up with paired perfectly with, of all things, the earthy, smoky spice of Cajun cuisine. Since then, Nguyen's Houston restaurant, Crawfish & Noodles, has been a leading proponent of Viet-Cajun fusion cuisine. Luke Burbank reports on how the American melting pot has become a cauldron of international flavors.

Governors 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.

Historic Route 66: Americana on the go

Though long bypassed by interstates, the historic "Mother Road," stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, remained a place for drivers to "get their kicks." Today, marking its first 100 years, Route 66 continues to attract travelers searching for an America of yesterday.

Historic Route 66: Americana on the go

Route 66, the "Mother Road" stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, was also a place for drivers to "get their kicks." Though long bypassed by interstates, the historic highway, home of scenic vistas and roadside curiosities, continues to attract travelers searching for an America of yesterday. Correspondent Lee Cowan takes a drive along Route 66, which is now marking its centennial.

The Founding Fathers: Why their radical beliefs continue to shape America

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence were flawed, but what they did in the summer of 1776 changed the world forever – and their fight for equality continues today.

The radicalism of our Founding Fathers

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence were flawed, but what they did in the summer of 1776 changed the world forever. Correspondent Mo Rocca talks with experts about how 18th century colonists such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams defied a king and proposed a government of the people, and how their fight for equality continues today.

Poll: 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.

Readers reply: Why does silence feel so horribly awkward?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

This week’s question: Are there places on Earth where humans haven’t been?

Why does silence feel so horribly awkward? Ruth Thompson, by email

Send new questions to [email protected].

Someone you know well: silence is fine. Not listening to them is fine, too, but you might wish to tell them that you are switching off, just in case they have something of import to say.

Someone you don’t know and do not plan to know: silence is fine.

Someone you do not know, but will have to know (colleague, inherited family members): talk about the weather, scenery, seating, anything bland and immediate.

Someone you do not know or not well but looks scared or stressed (shivering, twisting hands, looking like they need the loo): smile blandly and make a small comment that does not require an answer.

I’ve always hated houseflies – but maybe I misjudged the little sods

Yes, they’re filthy and annoying. But they’re also far smarter and more interesting than you’d think if you just watched one throwing itself against a window pane

I consider myself a broadly live-and-let-live sort. I don’t eat animals and treat my garden as a habitat for wildlife, including greenfly, blackfly and the slugs eating all my strawberries. I love bees and tolerate wasps. We’re all just trying to survive; I get it. But here are some things I have said recently (minus the expletives that made up the majority of each sentence) to houseflies: “You’ll be dead soon, because I’m going to murder you”; “Get out – I hate you”; “If you don’t leave, I’ll kill you”; “Shut UP”; “That’s it – you’re dead.”

I can’t stand flies. Bloodlust boils in me at the sight and sound of a bluebottle casually vibing in the fruit bowl, buzzing frantically around my office or banging against the window again and again like a dopey drunk. Opening windows in search of a heatwave cross-breeze has brought them buzzing in; they seemingly have no inclination or ability to leave and it’s driving me wild.

6/28: 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.

A melon-eating contest and a naked bike ride: photos of the weekend

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

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.

Seniors 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.

World Cup glory could all come down to penalties. What’s the best strategy?

As the knockout stages begin, penalties are inevitable. What do the stats say about the best ways to take them?

The 2022 World Cup final was a nail-biting affair, decided by a penalty shootout after Argentina and France were evenly matched with three goals apiece. Argentina subsequently won 4-2 on penalties, taking the title.

Even outside penalty shootouts, a single spot kick can easily decide the outcome of a game at a World Cup, making any advantage in taking a penalty crucial. So what can we learn about the best strategy for penalty kicks from statistics and research?

World Cup 2026 colour chart: fans of all 48 teams join the party – in pictures

We take a look at the creativity and emotion shown by fans of each nation during the group stage of the World Cup

The 2026 World Cup has set a new all-time attendance record for the men’s tournament, surpassing the previous record of 3,587,538 set during the 1994 World Cup – and the group stages have only just ended.

As ever, fans have brought colour and fun to the tournament – from Mexico’s duck mascot to Norway’s Viking rowers, with plenty more in between. Here are a selection of our favourite images of fans at the matches and at watch parties across the globe.

‘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.

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).

These church members disagree on politics. Together they're wiping out medical debt

Trinity Moravian Church, a politically diverse congregation in Winston-Salem, N. C., has been raising money to retire medical debt in the surrounding community.

250 essential American songs to mark nation's birthday

What are the essential American songs? Ahead of the nation's 250th birthday, we asked that question to Sunday Morning's familiar faces, from performers to artists and writers to community leaders.

Trump-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.

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

‘Tech firms are losing the public’: social media age bans near tipping point

UK is latest country to set minimum age for social media access but big tech is fighting back globally against curbs

• Social media bans go global: big tech faces a reckoning after Australia’s crackdown

Arturo Béjar, a former employee turned whistleblower at Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, has talked to parents around the world. He says they share the same perspective: they dread the day their children are old enough to go online.

Governments appear to be listening too. This month the UK became the latest country to state that it would set a minimum age of 16 for accessing major social media platforms. Social media bans are becoming a legislative trend after the precedent set by Australia last year, when it imposed an age limit on platforms including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, Google’s YouTube, Elon Musk’s X, TikTok and Snapchat.

Tips for taking care of your pets when fireworks are booming

Communities around the U.S. are putting on epic fireworks shows for America's 250th birthday — but that spells trouble for dogs and cats. Here's a guide to help the animals in your life.

July 4th fireworks in Washington: What's different for America's 250th?

Dozens of technicians will fire off about 851,000 fireworks on July 4, aiming to break a world record in what organizers hope will be the "most memorable display this generation will have ever seen."

Venezuelan earthquakes test Trump’s new western hemisphere policy after gutting of USAID

Marco Rubio is scrambling to provide effective disaster response to country whose president US deposed in January

This week’s dual earthquakes in Venezuela are a test for the new era of American power in the western hemisphere, as the Trump administration scrambles to provide an effective disaster response mission to a country that it now calls an ally in Latin America, after a US special forces raid in January deposed the country’s strongman leader, Nicolás Maduro.

The US is marshalling what secretary of state Marco Rubio called a “big, fast, effective” and “whole-of-government” response as the state department sent three specialised urban search and rescue teams and pledged a $150m assistance fund that one former disaster relief expert called the largest he had seen within 24 hours of an incident.

Prince Harry and family’s UK visit ‘pulled from under their feet at 11th hour’

Duke reportedly fears his children will not get to meet king after government declines request for police protection

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”.

Prince Harry and Meghan were planning their first trip to Britain as a family in four years for events related to the Invictus Games, due to be held in Birmingham in July.

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.

Will the new student loan limits actually drive down tuition? Economists weigh in

The idea that there's a connection between federal student loans and what colleges charge dates back almost four decades. But it's unclear that link can lead to lower costs.

Food defined social hierarchy in 1776. Here's what was on the table

Around the time the United States was founded, Americans' diets included Parmesan ice cream and terrapin. But what you ate depended on your social status.

World Cup 2026 power rankings: France still kings but who has climbed 26 places?

From Algeria to Uzbekistan, we assess the standing of the 48 nations after the group stage of the tournament

It took a little over an hour for Kylian Mbappé to find his groove. Irked by a poor refereeing decision, he scored twice in France’s opener against Senegal. Ably supported by a stunning cast, Mbappé will already have his sights on winning the competition. Michael Olise has shown his class throughout, while Ousmane Dembélé dazzled with a hat-trick against Norway. We’ll see if anyone can stop Didier Deschamps’ team.

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

Did a father use his 6-year-old son as an alibi for murder?

Reginald Reed Sr. said he was playing video games with his son, Reginald "Reggie" Reed Jr., when his wife, Selonia Reed, was killed. But detectives doubt his story.

‘Hearty fare, red gingham tablecloths and chalkboard menus’: my search for the perfect bouchon in Lyon

These traditional restaurants are the culinary backbone of this gastronomic capital, but finding the real deal means tackling offal – and red wine – for breakfast

I first went to a bouchon as a 20-year-old Erasmus student. I’d accidentally ended up spending a semester of my year abroad in the Auvergne countryside, which meant every weekend I’d thumb a ride to the nearest big city – Lyon. I didn’t know much about Lyon, except that it was famous for its food – in particular the hearty fare served up at these traditional restaurants with their red gingham tablecloths and chalkboard menus. So when I found myself eating stringy, overpriced beef muscle that cost more than my night at a hostel, I wondered what the hype was about.

But after nearly five years living in the city, I’ve now learned how to avoid the tourist traps (which largely line Vieux Lyon between souvenir shops selling fridge magnets and sweet shops). Historically, most bouchons weren’t in Lyon’s old town anyway, writes Yves Rouèche in Histoire(s) De La Gastronomie Lyonnaise, but in the neighbourhoods of Vaise, Croix-Rousse and La Guillotière, the gateways to the city in the Renaissance period where merchants and travellers stopped for the night.

Jaron Ennis survives scare to stop Xander Zayas and unify 154lb titles in instant classic

• Ennis stops Zayas in seventh to unify 154lb titles

• Boots survives toughest test to stay unbeaten

• ‘I loved it’: Ennis says hostile crowd fueled win

Jaron “Boots” Ennis navigated the deepest waters of his professional career before stopping Xander Zayas on Saturday night in a wildly entertaining scrap to capture the WBA and WBO super-welterweight titles and become a two-division world champion.

The unbeaten Ennis knocked Zayas down three times and fought through a heart-stopping third-round crisis before referee Harvey Dock halted the bout at 1:49 of the seventh round in front of an announced sellout crowd at Barclays Center, giving the Philadelphia native the signature victory that had eluded him despite years of being regarded as one of boxing’s brightest talents.

Reform UK makes dramatic first impression in Senedd opposition role

With more than a third of Welsh parliament seats, Reform MSs have caused tears and walkouts – and voted against their own party

Tears, walkouts, own-goal votes: the Welsh parliament has only been sitting for a few weeks, but Reform UK has already made a dramatic first impression in its new role as the official Senedd opposition.

Plaid Cymru won May’s historic Welsh elections, ending 100 years of Labour dominance and blocking the momentum of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which came second.

Will the Mamdani effect make 2028 the year of the leftwing president?

The mayor hopes to ‘write a new chapter in the party’s history’ – and recent democratic socialist wins prove he might be able to do it

In the back yard of a Brooklyn bar, beneath strung-up lightbulbs and swaths of fabric that swooped like great sails, an ecstatic crowd greeted Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor, and his victorious ally, Brad Lander. These Democrats also had a withering verdict on their own party establishment.

“To me, centrists can go fuck themselves,” said Léa Zimmerman, 34. “They’re fucking useless, they don’t stand for anything, and if they do stand on something, it’s pathetic. I’m done with pathetic, performative people.”

Still blazing after all these years: Mel Brooks at 100

The director of The Producers hits his century as a uniquely beloved entertainer who embodies his conviction that ‘comedy is the opposite of death’

Mel Brooks’ story is that of the US and Jews and American Jewish comedy. He was born on the kitchen table of a tenement in Brooklyn a century ago in the same month Marilyn Monroe made her own entrance on the opposite coast. The son of European immigrants, Brooks was brought up by his mother after his father died when Melvin was just two years old. He was a small, sickly child and the youngest of four brothers, perhaps an explanation for an almost pathological desire for attention. In the words of his colleague Larry Gelbart: “Mel thought when he got slapped in the ass by the doctor who delivered him that was applause, and he has not stopped performing since.”

In his youth, Brooks’ preferred method of making a noise was playing the drums and he was actually taught the instrument by Buddy Rich. Neither could possibly have known at the time that they would both go on to have seismic effects on the two great American artforms: comedy and jazz. That youth, like so many others, was interrupted by Adolf Hitler. The teenage Brooks joined the army and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. If one is looking to understand the artist’s fearlessness or his utter commitment to mocking Nazis for the remainder of his days, those war years provide ample explanation. It may also explain his assertion that “comedy is the opposite of death”.

I was a whinger, a cynic, a misanthrope. Then I saw Harry Styles live – and I will never be the same again

I knew my 11-year-old son would love an evening at Wembley with his favourite star. But nothing prepared me for what it would mean to me

The answers to some little questions are hugely revealing. We pass it off as small talk, but asking about somebody’s first anything often reveals all you need to know about who they are today and why. If only I’d understood the implications of buying Wig Wam Bam by Black Lace as my debut music purchase – had known it would shape so many future interactions and realised how ridiculous you feel simply saying those words, even to those too young or cool to be familiar with the full sonic horror.

So, to halt generational trauma, when the opportunity came to supply my son with the dream reply to “What was your first concert?” I took him to Harry Styles at Wembley during a thermometer-shattering heatwave.

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New Caledonia polls open in first local vote in the French territory since 2019

Election will determine balance of power in New Caledonia before fresh negotiations with France on the territory’s status

Polls opened in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia on Sunday for the archipelago’s first provincial elections since 2019, after the vote was delayed as talks stalled over its political future.

The election, initially planned for 2024, will determine the balance of power in New Caledonia ahead of fresh negotiations with France on the territory’s status, with independence remaining the defining political issue.

Fatboy Slim says he felt paralysed at prospect of DJing sober after rehab

Speaking on Desert Island Discs, the Grammy-nominated musician referred to his alcoholism as a parasite

Fatboy Slim has said he felt paralysed and “rigid with fear” at the prospect of DJing sober after spending time in rehab to deal with his alcohol addiction.

The artist, whose real name is Norman Cook, referred to his alcoholism as a parasite and said getting sober was “probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done” during an appearance on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs with Lauren Laverne.

U.S. military attacks Iranian targets after commercial tanker hit in the Strait of Hormuz

The attacks come as the United States and Iran are supposed to be engaging in a 60-day ceasefire as they attempt to work toward a resolution.

Trump says he will nominate Lance Schroyer as next ICE director

Schroyer, whom Trump calls ‘a patriot’, led deportation campaign in Oklahoma under ICE-partnered program

Donald ​Trump said on ⁠Saturday ⁠that ​he ‌will ‌nominate ‌Lance Schroyer as ‌the next director of US ​Immigration ⁠and ​Customs ​Enforcement (ICE), succeeding David Venturella, who had been performing the duties of the director.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that Schroyer “has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma — A State where I WON all 77 Counties in 2016, 2020, and 2024! Lance is a former Oklahoma State Trooper, and United States Marine”.

‘Really good flatmate’: what happens when the love is gone but it costs too much to move out?

The cost of living is putting pressure on relationships – and preventing some couples from properly splitting up

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The separate sleeping arrangement started seven years before the marriage finished. When Mary-Ann’s* hot flushes turned the bed into a furnace, her husband, Bill, moved into another bedroom. For the next two years there was some travel between the bedrooms for the purposes of intimacy. Then that stopped too.

The distance grew after each argument; they took separate holidays and, when Bill inherited money, he separated it from their pooled finances. Mary-Ann says it was clear Bill’s mind was no longer in the marriage – he was what is termed “quiet quitting”. But she acknowledges she was drifting away too, focused on a demanding new job.

The moment I knew: After witnessing trauma at a refugee detention centre, we held each other and cried

First Liza Shaw and Rohan were housemates, then they had a casual relationship. But a protest at Woomera would deepen their emotional connection

• Find more stories from the moment I knew series

I met Rohan in 1998 in Lismore, New South Wales, where we were both going to university. Before that, I’d noticed him around town in his sarong and peacock feather earrings. He was distinctive and slightly dandyish, sometimes wearing dresses on campus. I had another partner at the time but our mutual friend introduced us, and Rohan and I became housemates.

We bonded living together and hosting dinner parties, where we’d talk about life and politics well into the night. I was intrigued by his friends. One time Rohan invited a member of the Black Panthers to come and stay at our house.

UK minister working up plans for state-owned housing developer

Exclusive: Steve Reed is looking at government run scheme that could borrow at lower rates than private developers

The housing secretary has been working up plans for a state-owned housing developer, according to details leaked to the Guardian, as the government looks for ways to stimulate stubbornly low rates of housebuilding.

Steve Reed has been looking at proposals to set up a new state-owned developer which could borrow at lower rates than private developers and housing associations, according to plans leaked to the Guardian.

White House unveils new images of US ‘patriot passports’ for America’s 250th

Democrats called plans for commemorative passport and gold coin with Trump portrait ‘more befitting a monarchy’

Donald Trump’s efforts to brand the US government with his name and image advanced on Friday when the White House unveiled new images of a passport watermarked with his portrait to mark America’s 250th anniversary.

The White House called it simply the “patriot passport”, while on Truth Social the president introduced it as “The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’”

U.S. strikes Iran after Trump accuses Tehran of ceasefire violation in Strait of Hormuz

The attack comes as the United States and Iran are supposed to be engaging in a 60-period of no hostilities as they hold talks to end their war.

Appeals court rejects Trump EPA bid to abandon rule restricting deadly soot pollution

Decision leaves in place Biden-era standard on pollution from coal-fired plants, factories and other industrial sources

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to abandon a Biden-era rule that sets tough standards for deadly soot pollution.

The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel is a setback for the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda and its repeated efforts to boost coal, a reliable but polluting energy source.

Red Lobster's Ultimate Endless Shrimp promotion is described as a 'car crash' for the company, lawsuit says

"Thai Union doubled down on a campaign to squeeze out every drop of value that it could," creditors said

The memory shortage shaking Apple and Microsoft is 'existential crisis' for smaller players

While Apple and Microsoft raise prices on key devices to help cover the soaring costs of memory, smaller consumer electronics companies are in dire straits.