US family reunited with pet cat seven years after it was lost: ‘We always thought about him’

Amber Davidson-Orozco said the family had lost Dodger, their cat, during their move out of California

A family cat who got lost amid a move from California across the US is said to be settling back into his old ways with his humans at their new home in Georgia after experiencing an unlikely – but long hoped for – reunion more than seven years in the making.

As owner Amber Davidson-Orozco put in an interview Wednesday, her cat Dodger still responds to his name and allows her sons to flip him playfully over their shoulders despite an absence from them that to the cat lasted the equivalent of roughly 24 years.

‘I really was one of those bandwagon fans’: meet Katharina Nowak, F1’s youngest race president

Before her first Miami Grand Prix in charge, Nowak opens up on F1’s boom time in the US and flying the flag for women in the sport

There is an air of buoyant confidence about Katharina Nowak that is striking but also understandable given the robust state of Formula One in the United States and at the Miami Grand Prix, where the 29-year-old who is at the helm of the race believes the sport only has more to come.

“F1 is at its strongest right now that we’ve seen, the interest in F1 is still going up and will go further,” she says in the buildup to this weekend’s meeting in Florida. “From my seat at the table, we are seeing the interest continue to grow.

The supreme court’s voting rights decision is a death knell for American democracy | Moira Donegan

The US was not a true democracy before the Voting Rights Act. Wednesday’s decision has essentially destroyed the law

Is America a democracy? The term implies an equality of rights and dignity among citizens, a collective and uniform right of individuals to participate in self-government and to shape the laws that rule them. In that sense, the answer is no: though it has been a republic since its founding, America has only rarely been a true democracy, one where all citizens have the full right to vote and to have that vote counted.

Political scientists such as the University of Notre Dame’s Christine Wolbrecht have argued that America wasn’t really a democracy, not in the meaningful sense of the term, until the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the law that formed the signature achievement of the civil rights movement and sought to end racial barriers to voting across the south when it was passed in 1965. If you accept that premise, you could say that the era of American democracy officially ended on Wednesday, when the supreme court finished its project of dismantling the VRA in its 6-3 decision in Louisiana v Callais. Whatever this country has become now, “democracy” does not describe it.

Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist

The Iraq vet redefining mindfulness, one bourbon at a time

Like many vets, it took Fred Minnick time to find the best way to cope with what he would learn was PTSD. For Minnick, sense and peace came with bourbon — and "taste mindfulness."

Mirroring Gaza, Israel is destroying towns and villages in southern Lebanon

In southern Lebanon, towns near the border with Israel have been largely destroyed by Israeli demolitions and strikes. Israel says it has been attacking Hezbollah infrastructure, but civilian infrastructure has also been significantly affected.

Nvidia just invested in the AI legal startup that's splashing Jude Law ads everywhere

Swedish startup Legora has raised more than $800 million in the past 12 months, and the latest deal values it at $5.6 billion.

Shock in India after man takes remains of his sister to bank to prove her death

Jitu Munda says he was repeatedly refused access to money left in her account in case highlighting ‘lack of humanity’ in Indian bureaucracy

The sight of a man bringing the remains of his dead sister to a bank in India after officials had refused to let him withdraw money without proof of her death has caused shock in India.

Jitu Munda, 52, from the Indian state of Odisha, was captured on video carrying the remains of his recently deceased sister through the streets of Keonjhar and placing them outside the local bank.

At least six Australian activists detained by Israel navy after Gaza flotilla boats intercepted

Spokesperson says just two out of 14 Australians remain in communication, after CCTV footage showed Israeli navy boarding vessels in international waters

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

The family of a Newcastle man among at least six Australians onboard boats that were intercepted by Israeli navy personnel in international waters has issued a tearful plea for his safety and lashed out at the Australian government for not intervening.

More than 50 boats set sail to Gaza from Italy on Monday as part of the Global Sumud flotilla in the hope of delivering 500 tonnes of aid and volunteers to the Gaza Strip, which remains under naval blockade by Israel.

Shares of Jeep maker Stellantis fall as much as 10% after first-quarter results

The multinational conglomerate posted first-quarter adjusted operating income of 960 million euros ($1.12 billion), comfortably beating analyst expectations.

Forbidden Solitaire review – cards flip into delirious trip back to 90s horror

PC; Grey Alien Games, Night Signal Entertainment
An innocent-looking charity shop find draws you into a compulsive world of demons, ogres and retro delights

For a while in the mid-1990s, meta horror movies were the genre everyone was talking about. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Scream, the Blair Witch Project – these films simultaneously examined and exploited genre conventions, seeking to scare audiences while also distancing them from the narrative action. You didn’t know whether to laugh or gasp in shock, you weren’t sure what was story or what was framing. Did that just happen or was it a dream sequence? You just had to go with it.

Now developers Grey Alien Games and Night Signal Entertainment have brought this multilayered approach to the card game solitaire, infusing a straightforward puzzler with a bloody gush of meta meaning and a dollop of nostalgia just for the self-reflexive hell of it. In Forbidden Solitaire, lead character Will Roberta picks up an old 1990s game called, yes, Forbidden Solitaire, in a charity shop vaguely recalling some internet myth about it being cursed. He discovers that the game is a sort of narrative card-battler set in a haunted dungeon filled with monsters and treasure – and then you, the player, are transported from his computer desktop into the game. So you’re both him and you.

‘Nightmare’ queues and missed flights: a turbulent start to EU entry-exit system

Some travellers spent hours in lines at airport, with kiosks not working, little seating and few staff on hand to help

Some travellers passing through the new EU entry-exit system (EES) have faced huge delays at border checks, with some waiting for up to three hours, airports say.

The new rules have gradually been introduced in Europe since October 2025, and came into effect on Friday in the Schengen countries – 25 of the EU’s 27 states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

‘We’re coming for you’: NT police search for suspect after body of missing five-year-old found

Mother of Kumanjayi Little Baby, whose body was found after five-day search near Alice Springs, says ‘it’s going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without you’

• Warning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have died

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Police in the Northern Territory are searching for a man they suspect of murder after finding a body believed to be that of a five-year-old girl who went missing from Alice Springs on Saturday.

The NT police commissioner, Martin Dole, told reporters the tragic discovery was made just before noon local time on Thursday, about 5km south of Old Timers town camp, where she was last seen. The girl’s family requested she be referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby, in line with cultural protocols.

Jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai wins free speech award in Germany

Media tycoon honoured in absentia as critics decry his 20-year sentence under national security law

The jailed media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai has been awarded Deutsche Welle’s freedom of speech award for his contribution to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.

The German public broadcaster said on Thursday that Lai would be presented in absentia with the 12th iteration of the award on 23 June at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn.

Hey, Good Morning, How Are You? by Martina Hefter review – a hit in Germany that falls flat in English

The premise of this novel about a ballet dancer who baits love scammers into conversation is great – but the story feels overwritten and underfelt

Martina Hefter’s Hey, Good Morning, How Are You? has caused much argument in German literary circles. It won the country’s most influential fiction award in 2024, and quickly sold 80,000 copies. But critics were divided: Die Zeit compared the book’s seductive power to the love scammers it depicts, while Deutschlandfunk Kultur criticised its shallow characters and monotonous dialogue.

I was instantly drawn in by the premise: a feisty middle-aged dancer trolling romance scammers, only to connect with a Nigerian man on the other end of the phone. Juno is a ballet dancer whose obsessions with ageing, death and her body have crippled her personality. With her career waning and most of her time spent caring for her ailing husband, Jupiter, she yearns for meaning. But she’s depressed, full of unexamined anger and guilt. Everywhere, through her scathing lens, she sees decay and deception. Unable to sleep, she baits love scammers into conversation. “Go ahead and write to women who are dumb enough to fall for that,” she thinks. “The main thing is that I have a counterpart.”

‘I craved excitement!’ Japan’s Kyotographie festival

Highlights of this year’s international photography festival in Kyoto include Linder Sterling’s exclamatory collages, a retrospective of groundbreaking Daido Moriyama and a journey though apartheid South Africa with Ernest Cole

Kyotographie is Japan’s foremost festival of international photography. Held each spring since 2013, each edition has a different theme – and this year it is “Edge”.

It is a broad enough theme to allow for some freedom in the curation while evoking a sense of tension across the 14 exhibitions in the main Kyotographie festival.

An untitled image by Daido Moriyama that exemplifies his use of are-bure-boke. © Daido Moriyama Photo Foundation

Activists say Israel has intercepted their Gaza aid flotilla near Crete

Activists sailing on dozens of boats attempting to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip to deliver aid say Israeli forces intercepted them, detaining the crews while the flotilla was sailing near the Greek island of Crete.

UK to invest further £25m in security for Jewish communities after London attack

Home secretary says she will ‘take every step’ to protect Jews as police say suspect is Somalia-born UK national

Shabana Mahmood has promised to “do everything in my power” to keep British Jews safe, as police said the suspect in the stabbing of two men in north-west London was a 45-year-old British national born in Somalia.

Ministers said a further £25m would be invested to increase security for Jewish communities after the suspected terrorist attack in Golders Green on Wednesday. The funding will be aimed at boosting police patrols and protection around synagogues, schools and community centres.

Disney+ to broadcast live men’s Champions League games for the first time

• Several European countries, including Sweden, covered

• Auction outcome will be welcomed by clubs and leagues

Disney+ has secured live rights for men’s Champions League matches for the first time, with Uefa attracting a new buyer in the auction of broadcast packages for its flagship club competition.

Disney has been named as the preferred bidder in several European countries, one of which is understood to be Sweden, in the auction of 19 TV markets for the 2027-31 cycle that concluded this week.

‘Outrageous’: Rebel Wilson denies she was behind Snapchat leak of actor’s nude photo, court hears

The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the lead actor of Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Hollywood star Rebel Wilson has slammed as “outrageous” an accusation she directed a cyber attack on her co-star’s social media account that led to a nude photo leak.

The Pitch Perfect star is being sued for defamation by Charlotte MacInnes, the 27-year-old lead actor of the musical comedy The Deb, which is Wilson’s directorial debut.

In Australia, support is available at Full Stop Australia (1800 385 578). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

Man on Fire review – some of this action show’s scenes are so dark they’ll make you wince

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is formidable in Netflix’s take on the thriller novel Denzel Washington turned into a noughties action movie. But it’s a great lesson in why shows don’t normally have a glum high-octane hero

Who doesn’t love a thriller in which a lone wolf takes down an all-powerful criminal network? Jack Reacher, Ethan Hunt, whatsisname from The Night Agent – however adverse the circumstances, these capable chaps will prevail. Hand-to-hand combat against a highly trained ninja henchman? No problem. Breaking into a phenomenally secure facility, stealing the valuable thing, then striding out again? Easy. Defeating a warehouse full of men with Kalashnikovs, armed only with sunglasses and string, all while rescuing a screaming female civilian? All in a day’s work.

These yarns are healthy, silly fun and we enjoy them. But, Netflix’s new six-parter Man on Fire asks, what if we kept the core idea but made it less silly and fun, more sad and serious? Wouldn’t that be even better? Well, it seems it wouldn’t be a complete disaster, but in this case it makes life more difficult for everyone, the viewer included.

The $13bn World Cup: how the numbers stack up on Fifa’s 2026 balance sheet

The earnings from the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada will make it the most lucrative competition in the history of sport, even if some of the 48 competing countries say they are struggling to make ends meet

A World Cup that Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, billed at the draw last December as “the greatest event that humanity has ever seen” will certainly be the most lucrative competition in sporting history.

Fifa has spent the last few years upgrading its revenue projections, with the most recent financial report stating that the world governing body will make $13bn (£9.6bn) from the four-year cycle culminating in this summer’s tournament, almost $9bn of which will be brought in this year.

Captain. Leader. Far-right sympathiser. Terry joins ranks of football’s radicalised | Jonathan Liew

John Terry’s journey into the internet pipeline is by no means an isolated case – what makes footballers so susceptible?

And so we ask ourselves: how did it come to this? Did we miss the signs? Were there red flags that went unheeded, cries for help that fell on closed ears, forks in the road not taken? Or ultimately, for all our best efforts, was it always going to end like this? Is it, in fact, possible that John Terry was a far-right sympathiser all along?

Yes, it’s been a chastening week for those who have been fighting Terry’s corner for more than a decade. Who steadfastly defended him against the racism charges, who accepted his explanation that he was simply repeating what Anton Ferdinand had been saying to him, who turned up at his trial in full kit, who lamented his failure to land the coaching jobs he so coveted, who right to the end just wanted to believe.

From Shankly v Revie to the ‘ghost goal’: all-English European semi-finals

Before Nottingham Forest face Aston Villa in the Europa League, we look at seven other all-English semi-final clashes in Europe

There can be few more enjoyable feelings for an away player than to silence Anfield. Billy Bremner did so in the first leg of this tie when he headed home unmarked to score what turned out to be the only goal across 180 minutes of action. John Toshack tried to respond but his shot was blocked on the line as Leeds’ fearsome defence defied Liverpool. “If you miss chances like we did, you do not deserve to win,” Bill Shankly said. The clubs were at the top of their game under Shankly and Don Revie and Liverpool had defeated Leeds in the 1965 FA Cup final after extra time, creating a heated rivalry. Bremner had struggled badly with injury in the 1970-71 season and was made to prove his fitness in a friendly against Bradford the day before the match at Anfield, something modern sports scientists would not suggest but which clearly worked. He was recalled to the lineup and ignited Leeds’ charge to winning the trophy. They beat Juventus on away goals in the final.

‘Infinite pleasure’: the strip club drama that leaves you horny, vulnerable – and dialling your parents

Tender by Dave Harris follows the male strippers at the failing Dancing Bears Club. Its playwright and stars discuss sex, power and their research trip to Magic Mike Live

When the LA wildfires burned last year, playwright Dave Harris watched as everyone’s “crisis personalities” emerged. “Mine,” he recalls, “was that I was incredibly horny.” During that period, when the power was out and he could see flames in two directions, he busied himself with three activities: “Having a lot of sex with my girlfriend, cooking all the food in our fridge, and finishing this play.”

Set in a failing strip club where nothing is off limits, Tender is as preoccupied with sex as its creator is. “I have always been obsessed with sex,” Harris says, “since before I knew what it was. The four places I feel the most myself are writing, sex, cooking and dancing.” His character descriptions dictate that all four performers for this show need to be astonishingly good looking: young hot, dad hot, arrogant hot, and inaccessibly beautiful. “We’re really just trying to gird everyone’s loins,” Harris laughs.

How rising jet fuel prices are driving up the cost of fighting wildfires

The Iran war has nearly doubled jet fuel prices in the United States. That means the bill for firefighting aircraft operations this summer will likely rise by tens of millions of dollars.

Oil price tops $126 a barrel after Trump warns Iran blockade could last ‘months’

Oil markets spooked as US president appears willing to maintain US Navy blockade and Iran keeps strait of Hormuz all but shut

The global oil price has soared above $126 a barrel, its highest level since 2022, after Donald Trump warned the US blockade of Iranian ports could last for months and peace talks remained stalled.

After surging more than 13% in 24 hours, the price of Brent crude futures reached its highest price since the war began on 28 February. Not since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has Brent topped $120, with the price then peaking at $139.

From Life Itself by Suzy Hansen review – Turkey in the age of Erdoğan

This portrait of everyday life in an Istanbul neighbourhood buffeted by change has far wider relevance

Thankfully, the attack left only black eyes and bloodied faces. It was in Karagümrük, a tough neighbourhood in Istanbul’s old city, once known for mafia types and Turks on the hard right. But, as Suzy Hansen explains, it had been transformed by an influx of Syrian refugees – until the locals apparently decided they’d had enough, and came for them with sticks, baseball bats and knives for carving doner kebab.

So begins From Life Itself, in which Hansen traces a story that illuminates a politics of mass migration and nationalist backlash that has resonances far beyond Turkey. It is a more ambitious book than that, too. An American who lived in Istanbul and visited Karagümrük for more than a decade – during which Turkey’s enfeebled democracy came under ever more sustained assault – she hoped to convey “how ordinary people experience authoritarianism in the 21st century – how our era feels”.

In plane sight: how the gilded elite live – in pictures

From golf tournaments to shooting parties, these images of photographer Will Vogt’s social circle offer us an intimate glimpse of a world that feels out of reach

Revealed: British ad firm’s billion-dollar greenwash of US oil industry

WPP accused of breaching its climate policy after report reveals firm linked to twice as much oil advertising as US rivals

A British advertising conglomerate has helped the oil companies ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP spend an estimated $1.5bn (£1.1bn) on adverts in the US since the 2015 Paris agreement to tackle the climate crisis, a report shows.

London-based WPP was the leading advertising group serving the US’s oil industry over the past decade, according to analysis by the climate investigations platform DeSmog. The figure is nearly twice the respective amounts linked to its US rivals Omnicom and Interpublic Group (IPG), which merged in November.

Galaxy S26 review: Samsung’s still-compact flagship Android

Small top-tier Android is great to use, being fast, AI-loaded and with reasonable battery life, but falls short of rivals on camera

Samsung’s compact flagship phone hasn’t changed much in a year, but the S26 is still one of the best smaller handsets available as rivals grow larger and larger.

The S26 is the cheapest and smallest of this year’s top Samsungs, dwarfed by the top-of-the-line S26 Ultra in size and price. But like everything with a memory chip at the moment, the S26 has increased in price by £80 or the equivalent to £879 (€949/$899/A$1,349). At least it has double the starting storage.

How a father and daughter duped NYC's art world with fake Warhols and Banksys

A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings

Trump says he is weighing reducing American troop presence in Germany after Iran feud

President Trump suggested he could soon reduce the U.S. military presence in Germany as he continues to feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israel war against Iran.

Taiwan accuses China of vegetable laundering via Vietnam

Taiwanese officials have accused firms in China of attempting to evade import restrictions by rerouting vegetables through neighbouring Vietnam

Taipei has accused China of smuggling vegetables into Taiwan via Vietnam in a bid to evade import restrictions, with officials vowing to crack down on a practice they say amounts to “origin washing”.

Taiwan, which bans the importation of more than 1,000 Chinese agricultural and fishery products, said firms in China were evading restrictions by rerouting vegetables like Napa cabbage and shiitake mushrooms through neighbouring Vietnam.

Labour is facing wipeout in its final stronghold. Why? It’s housing, housing, housing | Aditya Chakrabortty

In the 1980s, Labour-controlled London built 52,000 council homes. During the Tony Blair decade, just 280. It’s brought this local-election catastrophe on itself

Over the week to come, journalists will repeat three things until they, and you, are sick: that local elections fall next Thursday; that the results will decide the fate of Keir Starmer; and that he is set to do badly. But just how badly, and where? Last week, Starmer’s own party dropped a big clue.

The most popular politician in Britain came down from Manchester to spend the whole day campaigning in London. As Andy Burnham went from Haringey to Brixton, he rallied Labour’s footsoldiers. “Don’t go into the last two weeks with your shoulders down,” he told them. “Get your shoulders up.”

Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist

Thursday news quiz: interrupted dinners and shows, and a salamander

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge on the the fifth anniversary of our quiz. How will you fare?

It is time for the Thursday news quiz – and this week marks our fifth birthday. Like the elephant in our illustration by Anaïs Mims, we have a long memory, and we are quietly delighted to still be here asking you questions after all this time. We are also grateful for all the comments and emails over the years – not least because this was pitched as an eight-week experiment. But enough nostalgia; how much can you remember from the past week’s news? Fifteen questions await, covering topical developments, pop culture and general knowledge. There are no prizes, but we always enjoy hearing how you got on in the comments. Allons-y!

The Thursday news quiz, No 245

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for spaghetti with crab, chilli, herbs and lemon | A kitchen in Rome

Crab pasta done (mostly) the River Cafe way, with an ‘electric sauce’ of olive oil, red chilli, parsley, garlic and lemon

My copy of the River Cafe Cookbook is silver, having lost its original blue sleeve some years ago. Naked, the hardback cover is completely plain, so it is my handwriting of “River Cafe blue” along the metallic spine, even though there is little chance of mixing it up with the yellow softback River Cafe Cookbook Two or the emerald cover of River Cafe Cookbook Green.

Blue was first published in 1996, a sobering fact, because that’s the same year I enrolled at the Drama Centre London, as well as the year when Pierce Brosnan took on rogue agent Alec Trevelyan (played by Sean Bean) in GoldenEye. That was Brosnan’s debut as James Bond and Dame Judi Dench’s first appearance as M. Brosnan trained at Drama Centre between 1973 and 1976, which is why, when I bought the blue book in 1996, I had good reason to imagine my future career as looking a little like that of Pierce, or Judi, or both.

Jarvis Cocker and Kim Sion to curate art exhibition at Hepworth Wakefield

Musician and his wife, a creative consultant, hope the Hodge Podge can expand ideas of creativity and community

A new exhibition curated by Jarvis Cocker and his wife, the creative consultant Kim Sion, will open at Hepworth Wakefield next year, aiming to encourage people to discover their own creativity.

Opening in May 2027, the Hodge Podge will bring together a personal selection of works challenging conventional ideas of what art can be.

Family of New Zealand woman detained by ICE pleads for government help to secure her release

Everlee Wihongi, 37, holds a green card but was detained upon her return to Los Angeles due to an issue with a historic conviction for marijuana possession

The family of a New Zealand woman detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pleading with the New Zealand government to help secure her release, claiming she is confined to a room with 46 people for 22 hours a day.

Everlee Wihongi, 37, moved to the US with her family aged six, and holds a green card, her mother, Betty Wihongi, told local broadcaster RNZ.

The Rendlesham Forest mystery: ‘It’s the perfect storm of a UFO case’

In 1980, two US airmen reported an extraordinary encounter near a military base in the east of England. What really happened?

In 1996, Nick Pope wrote his first book. Open Skies, Closed Minds was a semi-autobiographical examination of well-known UFO cases mixed with his own research. Pope worked at the UK Ministry of Defence for more than two decades, from 1985 to 2006. For three of those years – 1991 to 1994 – he worked on what was known colloquially in the department as “the UFO desk”. The desk’s official name, the Secretariat (Air Staff ) Sec (AS) 2a, was responsible for assessing the defence significance of reported UFO sightings.

To promote the book, Pope appeared on BBC Newsnight. The UK’s flagship news programme was famous for its adversarial interviews that left even the most formidable politicians and intellectuals looking like startled deer. Given the subject matter and the platform, this could have gone horribly wrong, but Pope held his own. “I wasn’t nervous, probably because I’d been media-trained by the MoD,” he says. “The irony was that when I was posted to the UFO desk, I occasionally had to go on television in my role as the department’s subject-matter expert and play down both the phenomena and the true extent of our interest and involvement in the subject.” His interrogator that night was Peter Snow. “What do you believe now that you didn’t believe five years ago?” Snow began.

As a Ukrainian journalist, I’ve covered the US for 20 years. I find it increasingly shocking

My country has been under occupation, dogged by corruption and war. Yet even I’ve been bewildered by the way the US seems to be fracturing

• A version of this piece appeared in the Dial under the headline No Common Ground

In 2008, when I was a reporter for a leading Ukrainian TV station, I insisted on following Barack Obama’s campaign for US president. Few Ukrainian media outlets could afford to send a journalist to travel around the US to report on the election; even the newsrooms of those that could took some convincing.

As a media student in 2004, I had spent two months on the streets of Kyiv during the Orange Revolution, where people protested a stolen election and succeeded in defending their vote. The excitement of the fight for freedom and justice, combined with the energy of mass gatherings, was seductive. I recognised a similar momentum in the US during Obama’s campaign and wanted to see how things felt on the ground. As a Ukrainian, I could relate to Obama’s promises to restore respect for human rights and the rule of law, and his desire to mobilise people around the idea of “hope”. It also stood in contrast with what I knew of the US: I had studied foreign news reporting at the time of the US invasion of Iraq and the military’s crimes in Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo.

I took an algorithm to court in Sweden. The algorithm won | Charlotta Kronblad

Gothenburg promised to optimise school admissions with a piece of code. The resulting chaos showed how unaccountable systems are ruining lives

We like to imagine that injustice announces itself loudly. That when something goes wrong in the public system, alarms go off and someone takes responsibility or is held accountable if they do not. But in 2020 in Gothenburg, injustice arrived quietly, disguised as efficiency.

For the first time, the city used an algorithm to allocate places in its schools. After all, working out geographical catchment areas and admissions is an administrative headache for any municipality. What better than a machine to optimise distances, preferences and capacity? The system was designed to serve public efficiency: framed as neutral, streamlined and objective.

Charlotta Kronblad researches digital transformation at the University of Gothenburg.

Comey appears in court after his indictment for allegedly threatening Trump

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Tuesday for allegedly making threats against President Trump.

US father and daughter admit selling fake Picasso and Banksy works, duping art world

Pair apologise in court after being accused of defrauding buyers including some of New York’s most prominent fine art auction houses

A father and daughter in New Jersey have pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeiting scheme to trick art galleries and auction houses into buying forged paintings of works by prominent artists such as Andy Warhol, Banksy and Pablo Picasso.

Federal prosecutors said Erwin Bankowski, 50, and Karolina Bankowska, 26, commissioned an artist in Poland to create at least 200 of the fakes and ultimately defrauded buyers of at least $2m.

King Charles III, Queen Camilla visit New York City

As part of his four-day trip to the U.S. to commemorate America's 250th birthday, King Charles III took part in a series of events in New York City.

Christchurch gunman fails in bid to appeal against guilty pleas in New Zealand court

Australian white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslims said poor mental health made him admit to crimes

The Australian white supremacist who murdered 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch in 2019 has been prevented from appealing against his guilty pleas, after one of New Zealand’s highest courts said his bid was “utterly devoid of merit”.

Brenton Tarrant, who is responsible for the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s history, asked the court of appeal in February to allow him to appeal against his guilty pleas, claiming harsh prison conditions had affected his mental health and compelled him to admit to the crimes.

Amazon earnings beat expectations with strong cloud growth

Revenue in Amazon's cloud computing segment expanded 28% year over year, topping analysts' estimates.

Microsoft calls for $190 billion in 2026 capital spending on soaring memory prices

Microsoft's forecast on revenue and operating margin was light, but the company sees $190 billion in 2026 capital spending, well above Wall Street's estimate.

Meta stock drops on quarterly results as 'internet disruptions' in Iran drag down user numbers

Meta beat on revenue, but showed disappointing user numbers and its capital expenditures were below estimates.

Meta’s Reality Labs lost over $4 billion in first quarter

In Meta's first-quarter earnings report, the company said Reality Labs recorded an operating loss of over $4 billion while bringing in $402 million in sales.

OpenAI sued by families of school shooting victims in Canada's Tumbler Ridge

Several families of victims of a mass shooting in Canada are suing OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging the company's generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT, played a role in the February shooting.

US charges Sinaloa governor and other Mexican officials with drug trafficking offences

Indictment accuses high-level officials in Sinaloa of offences such as drug trafficking, weapons offences and kidnapping

The US justice department has charged the governor of Sinaloa and nine other current and former officials for alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel, accusing them of aiding in the massive importation of illicit narcotics into the United States .

Some officials were members of Mexico’s progressive ruling party, Morena, posing a political conundrum for Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum as she seeks to offset mounting pressures from the Trump administration.

Supreme Court weakens Voting Rights Act, voiding Louisiana congressional map

The Supreme Court rule 6-3 in a decision that has implications for the scope of the landmark Voting Rights Act.

Secret Service officer shot at gala was not hit by friendly fire, sources say

Federal investigators have also determined that the suspected gunman, 31-year-old Cole Allen, fired his shotgun, the sources said.

Colorado retiree learns a life lesson when completing the world's largest puzzle

In retirement, Lou Salas decided to take on a 29-foot puzzle, a map of the globe and its wonders. After over four years, he got to the end. Tony Dokoupil speaks with him about the lesson he's learned.

U.S. charges 10 Mexican officials, including Sinaloa governor, with drug trafficking

The U.S. government has charged the governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state and nine other current and former Mexican officials with drug trafficking and weapons offenses in a federal indictment.

Nick Reiner appears in court weeks after pleading not guilty to killing his parents, Rob and Michele

Nick Reiner appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, several weeks after pleading not guilty in the grisly death of his famous parents, Rob and Michelle Reiner. Carter Evans has more details.

Violent tornado rips through North Texas area, leveling homes

The central and southern U.S. have seen severe weather for a week straight, and the threat continues on Wednesday evening. Jason Allen reports from Mineral Wells, Texas, which was devastated by a tornado Tuesday.

How significant is the Supreme Court's decision limiting the Voting Rights Act?

The Supreme Court made a ruling on Wednesday that limits lawmakers' ability to consider race when drawing up districts for voting. The decision focused on the creation of a majority Black district in Louisiana, which supporters said was necessary and legal under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The court said that the map itself was unconstitutional. Jan Crawford has more on the decision.

James Comey turns himself in after second federal indictment

Former FBI Director James Comey turned himself in on Wednesday after he was indicted and charged with threatening the life of President Trump last year.

Mirror selfie released of suspect allegedly gearing up for correspondents' dinner shooting

Cole Allen, the man accused of trying to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, took a mirror selfie, allegedly gearing up for battle, officials said. Matt Gutman reports.

Iran war has cost $25 billion to date, defense official says

The war with Iran is now in its ninth week, and Congress is concerned about the reduction of global munition stockpiles and the ability to restock them.

Hegseth takes aim at Iran war critics during House testimony

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth answered questions under oath in his first testimony since the war with Iran began. He said America's biggest adversaries are not overseas, but are on Capitol Hill. Caitlin Huey-Burns has more details.

Anthropic in talks with investors to raise funds at $900 billion valuation, higher than OpenAI

Anthropic is in talks with investors about raising cash at a valuation of $900 billion, CNBC has confirmed.

Arteta left ‘incredibly fuming’ after VAR denies Arsenal penalty against Atlético

• ‘At this level, I’m sorry but this cannot happen’

• Both sides had converted penalties in 1-1 draw

Mikel Arteta described ­himself as “incredibly fuming” after ­Arsenal were denied a penalty that might have given them a lead to take from the first leg of their ­Champions League semi-final against ­Atlético Madrid.

With the score at 1-1 in the 78th minute, the Dutch referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot after the Atlético defender David Hancko caught Eberechi Eze, who was on as a substitute for Arsenal, with a late tackle.

Democrats vow to fight back after Supreme Court Voting Rights Act ruling

The Supreme Court's decision on Wednesday to weaken a provision of the Voting Rights Act strikes down a Democrat-held, majority-Black district in Louisiana.

‘Your questions are designed to trick me’: combative Musk grilled over battle with Sam Altman

Lawyers for world’s richest person try to paint him as humanitarian as judge cuts off his long-winded replies

After a dramatic first day of opening statements and testimony from Elon Musk in his case against Sam Altman and OpenAI, the trial continued on Wednesday with a cross-examination of the Tesla CEO. Musk began his second day of on the stand by repeating the accusation that Altman “stole a charity” and would endanger humanity with AI multiple times. OpenAI’s attorneys pressed the world’s richest man on his allegations, resulting in testy exchanges and multiple interventions from the judge.

Musk often refused to answer questions as instructed, and the judge interjected several times to tell Musk to simply give a yes-or-no response. At various points, Musk told OpenAI’s counsel, “You’re being misleading with your question,” and “Your questions are not simple, they are designed to trick me, essentially.”

Shaun Murphy finds form to end Zhao’s title defence and set up Higgins clash

• Murphy wins 13-10, Higgins fightback sinks Robertson

• Mark Allen to face China’s Wu Yize in other semi-final

Shaun Murphy stormed into the world championship semi‑finals in Sheffield as the defending ­champion, Zhao Xintong, became the 21st player to fall victim to the so-called “Crucible curse”.

Murphy’s 13-10 triumph means Zhao joins the list of first-time ­winners who have failed to return the following year and successfully defend their crown.

Elon Musk tells court he was a "fool" for funding OpenAI

Elon Musk alleges that OpenAI reneged on a promise to operate as a nonprofit dedicated to human progress.

4/29: CBS Evening News

Hegseth takes aim at Iran war critics during House testimony; James Comey turns himself in after second federal indictment.

How a company likened to a sex cult is lobbying Trump for pardons

OneTaste, a company in San Francisco that prosecutors likened to a sex cult, has embarked on a campaign to court allies of President Trump as it seeks pardons for its two convicted leaders, CBS News has learned.

Claude AI agent’s confession after deleting a firm’s entire database: ‘I violated every principle I was given’

PocketOS was left scrambling after a rogue AI agent deleted swaths of code underpinning its business

It only took nine seconds for an AI coding agent gone rogue to delete a company’s entire production database and its backups, according to its founder. PocketOS, which sells software that car rental businesses rely on, descended into chaos after its databases were wiped, the company’s founder Jeremy Crane said.

The culprit was Cursor, an AI agent powered by Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.6 model, which is one of the AI industry’s flagship models. As more industries embrace AI in an attempt to automate tasks and even replace workers, the chaos at PocketOS is a reminder of what could go wrong.

Supreme Court appears to lean toward ending TPS for some migrants

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared sympathetic to the Trump administration's move to end temporary protected status for Haitians and Syrians in the country.

Powell to stay on Federal Reserve board as policy makers hold rates steady

Fed chief Jerome Powell said he will remain as a governor on the central bank's board after his term as chair ends on May 15.

Ford to receive $1.3 billion government refund for Trump's IEEPA tariffs

Detroit automaker expects big financial boost from refund of tariffs struck down earlier this year by the Supreme Court.

LIV Golf poised to inform players that Saudi funding will end this year

• LIV staring at closure in absence of alternative funds

• Leading names expected to eye return to main tours

LIV Golf executives are poised to confirm to players that Saudi Arabia’s funding of the circuit will cease at the end of 2026, in a move that will begin a scramble between some leading names in the sport to return to traditional tours.

Without an alternative and unlikely funding source from 2027 onwards, LIV in its current form is staring at closure just four years on from staging its first tournament. Nothing has materially changed for LIV in recent weeks yet formal admission of an upcoming Saudi exit will be viewed as a key moment in a disruption story that is heading towards a messy finale.

Ford raises 2026 guidance as $1.3 billion tariff refund assists in offsetting higher costs

Aside from earnings and any changes to the automaker's 2026 guidance, investors will be monitoring effects from the Iran war, tariffs and the pullback in EVs.

House passes FISA extension ahead of Thursday deadline

A powerful surveillance authority that the U.S. government uses to spy on foreigners cleared the House on Wednesday.

Chipotle posts surprise same-store sales growth in early sign chain could be breaking its slump

Chipotle shares have plummeted 35% over the last year.

Jannik Sinner ends hopes of fast-rising teenager Rafael Jodar at Madrid Open

• World No 1 halts Jodar’s run 6-2, 7-6 (0) in quarter-finals

• Anastasia Potapova beats Karolina Pliskova in three sets

Jannik Sinner ended the inspired run of teen home favourite Rafael Jodar with a 6-2, 7-6 (0) victory at the Madrid Open on Wednesday to complete his set of semi-finals reached at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.

The 19-year-old Jodar has taken the tour by storm this clay season, winning a maiden ATP title in Marrakesh, and making the semi-finals in Barcelona and the quarter-finals in Madrid before he was stopped by the world No 1 at the Caja Mágica.

Stephen Fry sues tech conference organisers for £100,000 over fall from stage

Actor and presenter broke his hip, right leg, pelvis and ribs when he gave a talk at CogX festival at O2 Arena in 2023

Stephen Fry is suing two companies that organised a tech conference where he was injured in 2023 after falling off the stage, high court documents show.

The actor and presenter broke his hip and had multiple breaks in his right leg, pelvis and ribs when he attended the CogX festival at the O2 Arena, where he delivered a talk on artificial intelligence on 14 September 2023.

Warsh hints at a new reading of the Fed's power over swap lines amid UAE discussion

Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh responded to Senate Banking about swap lines by saying the Fed isn't fully independent in matters of international finance.

Analysis: The Warsh revolution is coming. Powell won’t stand in the way.

The outgoing leader may be staying on in a lesser capacity, but he won't be a spoiler in Kevin Warsh's Fed.

Carvana stock pops as used car retailer reports record first-quarter results

The online used car retailer reported retail sales of 187,393 units, a 40% increase compared with a year earlier.

Cole Allen took selfie before Trump assassination attempt at WHCA dinner, prosecutors say

Federal prosecutors' detention memo shows guns and knives Allen was allegedly carrying as he tried to enter the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

Knee surgery for cartilage damage does not benefit patients, study suggests

People with meniscus tears who underwent surgery had poorer knee function and worse osteoarthritis after 10 years than those who did not

A common knee surgery for cartilage damage does not benefit patients and may lead to worse outcomes, a 10-year trial suggests.

The study tracked outcomes for patients treated for a meniscus tear, who were given a partial meniscectomy, one of the most common orthopaedic surgeries. Their trajectories were compared with patients who had randomly been assigned to receive “sham surgery”, in which no procedure was carried out.

4/29: The Takeout with Major Garrett

The Supreme Court weakens the Voting Rights Act; Pete Hegseth defends the Trump administration's handling of the war with Iran.

Amazon's cloud unit reports 28% sales growth, topping estimates

Amazon Web Services now accounts for over 20% of its parent company's total revenue.

Senate Banking Committee advances Kevin Warsh's nomination for Fed chair

Senators voted along partisan lines, with Republicans backing Warsh's nomination to lead the Fed and Democrats on the panel opposing him.

Dinner on a gold plate, then a snub: an uneven US welcome for King Charles III

Zohran Mamdani said he would not meet UK monarch privately, noting Indian diamond claimed by crown in 1849

In a way, it must be tough being king. One day, you’re lauded by the US president, applauded by Congress and served spring-herbed ravioli and parmesan emulsion on a golden plate.

The next, you’re essentially snubbed by the mayor of New York City, who makes it clear that a) he does not want to meet you, and b) you should return a diamond that your ancestors took from a 10-year-old Indian boy.

DOJ seeks pretrial detention of shooting suspect Cole Allen, shares new photos

Cole Allen was charged Monday in federal court with three counts, including attempting to assassinate the president. The other two charges involved the use and transport of firearms.

Trump says it's 'great' that UAE pulled out of OPEC

The UAE has faced repeated missile and drone attacks by Iran, a fellow OPEC member, as it responds to the U.S.-Israeli war.

OpenAI’s subtle drift from Microsoft has become an aggressive move toward Amazon

While OpenAI and Microsoft remain partners, the AI company has been rapidly pushing into Amazon's world.

Jerome Powell says he will continue to serve as a Fed governor, calls Trump criticism 'unprecedented'

Powell addressed the question of whether he will stay on as a Board of Governors member after his term as chair ends.

Fed holds rates steady but with highest level of dissent since 1992

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released its latest decision on interest rates.

US supreme court ‘demolishes’ Voting Rights Act, gutting provision that prevented racial discrimination

Justices rule in landmark decision Louisiana must redraw congressional map, largely killing major civil rights law

• US politics live – latest updates

• Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email

The US supreme court has ruled that Louisiana will have to redraw its congressional map, in a landmark decision that effectively guts a major section of the Voting Rights Act.

In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, the court rendered ineffective section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the last remaining powerful provision of the 1965 civil rights law that prevents racial discrimination in voting. Section 2 has long been used to ensure minority voters are treated fairly in redistricting.

Hegseth defends Iran war's mission, costs in first testimony since conflict began

Democratic lawmakers grilled Hegseth about the Iran war in a hearing about the Pentagon's budget.

Brent oil tops $118 after Trump says he will blockade Iran until it agrees to a nuclear deal

The latest move higher comes amid reports that the U.S. will look to extend its blockade of Iranian ports.

Comey will challenge Trump seashells threat indictment as vindictive prosecution, lawyer says

Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted twice since President Donald Trump regained office. The first case was dismissed by a judge.

Video shows middle school students take control of bus after driver has medical emergency

Middle school students in Missouri jumped into action after their bus driver suffered a medical emergency while driving on a four-lane highway. Tom Hanson reports.

James Comey surrenders to authorities after indictment over seashell post

Indictment claims ex-FBI director’s social media post last year of shells arranged into ‘86 47’ was threat against Trump

• US politics live – latest updates

James Comey made a brief appearance in court on Wednesday after the justice department indicted him over a social media post in a renewed bid to prosecute one of Donald Trump’s longtime political adversaries.

The former FBI director was indicted in North Carolina on Tuesday over a photograph he posted last year of seashells arranged in the numbers “86 47” – a message the justice department says amounts to a threat against Trump, the 47th US president.