World Cup 2026: countdown to opener, NYC renames street after Thierry Henry, Infantino tells fans to ‘chill’ – live

⚽️ Infantino tells fans to ‘chill’ in response to Fifa’s critics
⚽️ Match centre | Player guide | Bracketology | Mail John

BTL chat is thus far dominated by Gianni Infantino’s ritual pre-tournament torching of his own dignity. SonOfThe Desert offers this:

“Infantino is just absolutely wretched, isn’t he? An absolute nothing of a man, sucking up to tyrants because he thinks it makes him look strong.

”But you know what’s really annoying me? All those heads of national associations who could have unified around a candidate - anyone - to oppose Infantino and try and rescue Fifa from humiliation. Couldn’t be bothered though, could they? Might’ve had to do some actual work that way.

New York has honored two footballing greats by temporarily renaming streets after Thierry Henry and Pelé ahead of the World Cup kickoff …

Crowds gathered at West 50th Street and 6th Avenue in downtown Manhattan to mark the unveiling of “Thierry Henry Way” by city officials, according to FOX Sports.

What my dad taught me about the inevitability of death | Amanda Sloat

Most fathers would shield their children from death. Mine, a psychologist, did the opposite

My dad and I kept a running list of ways we didn’t want to die. Being buried alive was always No 1. Whenever we learned about unusual deaths – accidents involving farm machinery, medieval torture, mobsters encasing victims’ feet in cement before throwing them in the ocean – we added them to our shared catalogue.

Most fathers would shield their children from such morbid fascinations. Mine, a psychologist, did the opposite. He saw death as life’s most honest teacher and ensured I wouldn’t meet it as a stranger.

Amanda Sloat is professor of practice in international relations at IE University in Madrid, Spain

Brazilian woman who is 38 accused of years of ‘elaborate fraud schemes’ by posing as a child

Police who arrested Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira say she admitted that she had lied to obtain financial support

A 38-year-old woman has been arrested in Brazil, accused of pretending to be a 12-year-old girl, allegedly to deceive a couple who took her into their home for more than a year.

Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira was charged in the southern state of Santa Catarina with fraud and false identity offences.

Kelsey Lu: So Help Me God review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

(Dirty Hit)
Aided by Jack Antonoff, Kim Gordon, Sampha and more, the cello-playing singer-songwriter’s abstracted yet tuneful second album is worth the seven year wait

Seven years separate the release of cello-playing singer-songwriter Kelsey Lu’s debut album, Blood, from its follow-up. Lu has suggested the long gap was an act of artistic rebellion against a music industry obsessed with providing a constant stream of new product – “tuning into my intuition, trusting myself and building a team to support that”, as they put it.

Perhaps they wanted to carve their own path after a cover version – of 10cc’s I’m Not in Love, used in HBO drama Euphoria – became their most successful song, or perhaps they simply didn’t have the time to make an album amid their plethora of other interests. They have scored two movies: the Bafta-winning Earth Mama and the Netflix documentary feature Daughters. They have collaborated with Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Yves Tumor, Mykki Blanco, Jamie xx, Boys Noize and visual artist Kevin Beasley and contributed a version of Manchild to a Neneh Cherry tribute compilation and more. They have been photographed by Nan Goldin for a Gucci campaign and staged a performance art piece at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. They have also appeared on stage with Debbie Harry, while dressed as Kermit the Frog, recreating the Blondie vocalist’s famed 1981 appearance on The Muppet Show.

How FIFA World Cup rules on extra time and tiebreakers work for 2026

Games are likely to be tied at the end of regulation at the 2026 World Cup, especially in the late stages of the tournament with a highly competitive field.

‘She slept in the hallway on a lawn chair’: how Bettina’s astonishing art outgrew her Chelsea Hotel room

The reclusive figure spent decades filling every surface of her apartment at the legendary New York hotel with artworks that rose in teetering piles. Some are now on display for the first time in Glasgow

When the artist Yto Barrada stepped through the door of room 503, up on the fifth floor of New York’s Chelsea Hotel, she was overwhelmed by what she saw. Every inch of the walls was plastered with Xeroxed word art, graphic reproductions of geometric sculptures, hundreds of photographs of passersby in the street below and collections of leaves laid out in grids. Piles of cardboard boxes and crates, full of yet more artworks, prints, books and maquettes, created teetering canyons through which Barrada had to turn sideways to navigate. Every visible surface was covered with sculptural forms in brass, marble and wood. In the midst of it all, on a small daybed surrounded by this aggregation of 40 years of fervent work, was Bettina, as the resident artist of the famous New York landmark was simply known.

“One sees Bettina and understands that some disaster has taken place, long ago,” writes Barrada in Bettina, the book she edited with the designer Gregor Huber, published by Aperture in 2022. Barrada was one of only a handful of people the reclusive artist had permitted to enter 503 since she moved into the Chelsea in 1972. Despite the bohemian buzz around the hotel, with neighbours including Patti Smith, Bob Dylan and many of Andy Warhol’s entourage, Bettina chose to lock herself away, devoting her life to conceptual works that seemed to flow unstoppably from deep within, a creative impulse she likened to a divine energy.

Middle East crisis live: Three Indian sailors killed in US strike on tanker as Iran and US exchange strikes

US launches second round of airstrikes on Iran, and Tehran responds by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan

• US strikes Iran for second day, as ceasefire appears close to collapse

Three Indian seafarers were killed in a US attack on an oil tanker earlier this week, India’s shipping minister, ‌Sarbananda Sonowal, said.

“It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified,” he wrote in a post on X.

The Middle East is being pulled deeper into crisis & the consequences reach far beyond the region.”

China’s Jingye seeks compensation from UK over British Steel takeover

Sources say firm is asking for more than £1bn in row that could put pressure on two countries’ relationship

• Business live – latest updates

The Chinese owner of British Steel has started a formal process under an international treaty to win compensation from the UK government over its decision to nationalise the Scunthorpe steelworks.

Jingye Steel said it would seek to recover money via China’s bilateral investment treaty with the UK, after more than a year of negotiations over the size of any payout. The dispute could put pressure on the relationship between China and the UK.

2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off with Shakira at 1st of 3 opening ceremonies

With matches being played in 11 cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada​, fans are getting three World Cup opening ceremonies.

The best games of 2026 so far

If you fancy roaring around Japan’s open roads, scaling impossible mountains and playing with post-apocalyptic Pokémon, this year’s highlights mean you can do so without leaving your chair

‘Life has always managed to crawl through’: docuseries takes us back to mass extinction events

Co-creator of Walking with Dinosaurs returns with Surviving Earth, a blockbuster new series that shows ‘how life bounced back’ from deadly events throughout history

Almost three decades have passed since producer Tim Haines reimagined natural history with Walking with Dinosaurs, using CGI and animatronics to bring to life the beasts that roamed these lands millions of years ago.

With his latest project, Haines is applying that same visual magic to look even further into the past. Surviving Earth, a docuseries premiering on Thursday on NBC, explores eight mass extinction events going back 450m years through the lives – and eventual annihilation – of the creatures that preceded or existed alongside the dinosaurs.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule and how to watch

FOX and NBCUniversal​ have the broadcasting rights for the 104 World Cup games being played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

When the U.S. men's soccer team is playing in the 2026 World Cup

The U.S. men's national soccer team, which last appeared at the 2022 World Cup, will face Paraguay to kick off its 2026 World Cup.

Along the 7 train in Queens, World Cup fans welcome the 'beautiful game'

The 2026 World Cup is being played in New Jersey, but in Queens, New York, home to immigrants from all over the world, soccer is not just a sport. It's a way of life.

SpaceX is poised for blastoff with an IPO likely to break records

Elon Musk's rocket company, recently merged with xAI, is aiming to raise $75 billion in its initial public stock offering. It's the first of a trio of mega-IPOs from AI companies expected this year.

‘We feel betrayed’: 52 clubs demand vote on plans for WSL academy sides to join third tier

• National League sides write to FA as backlash intensifies

• Plans viewed as ‘a disaster waiting to happen’

An alliance of 52 Women’s National League clubs who oppose plans for Women’s Super League’s academy sides to be added to the third tier of the English pyramid have written to the Football Association to call for a vote on the matter.

The clubs, which represent a more than two-thirds majority of the 72 FAWNL clubs that compete in tiers three and four of the pyramid, believe the competition’s rules dictate that they are entitled to call for a special general meeting about the proposals.

Morning news brief

U.S. launches a second-round of strikes against Iran, inflation jumps to its highest level in more than three years, 2026 World Cup kicks off in Mexico.

Wolves sack Rob Edwards and target Portuguese manager César Peixoto

• Head coach failed to save club from relegation

• Wolves have signed Kieran Trippier and Raúl Jiménez

Wolves have sacked head coach Rob Edwards after seven months in charge. The 43-year-old was appointed in November on a three-and-a-half year deal to replace Vítor Pereira but was unable to stop Wolves from being relegated to the Championship after eight years in the top flight.

It is understood they will replace Edwards with the Gil Vicente coach, César Peixoto, who guided the club to sixth place in Portugal’s Primeira Liga last season.

Strictly Ballroom review – Baz Luhrmann’s dizzying, dance-tastic swirl of fun is a classic ugly-duckling tale

Luhrmann’s goofy and lovable film is reissued for generations who don’t know where TV’s Strictly Come Dancing got part of its name

Generations who don’t know why TV’s Strictly Come Dancing is called that (or even what the old Come Dancing show used to be) need to catch up with Baz Luhrmann’s debut directing feature from 1992; it is goofy, lovable and as sweetly romantic as you like. It was the feelgood crowdpleaser from Australia that made Luhrmann a star, and that “strictly” sounded a defiant note. Ballroom dancing may not have been cool (though it is now, more or less), but the film revealed it had passionate fans and underdog cred, like being an Abba nut in PJ Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding from 1994, which also starred veteran Oz comedy turn Bill Hunter in a very similar role.

Strictly Ballroom also laid down the narrative template for Strictly Come Dancing; the film’s pairing of the brilliant dancer and the gutsy ingenue became the professional/celeb partnership on TV, and the not-so-secret eroticism of their growing relationship in the rehearsal studio became the small-screen’s all-important practice montage and backstory content. Brilliant young ballroom dancer Scott Hastings (smoulderingly played by Paul Mercurio) has been preparing for a prestigious national championship since he was six years old. His blowsy mum Shirley (Pat Thomson) is a teacher and frustrated dancer, while timid dad Doug (Barry Otto) is depressed, as a result of an awful dance-related trauma climactically revealed at the end. Scott has in the past got into trouble for departing from the strictly conceived dance steps, controversially improvising flashy moves of his own devising, but now looks as if he can win, reined in by his competent but uninspired partner.

The Evil Lawyer review – gripping, twisty and ludicrously hammy

The lead character in this Thai courtroom drama may have more than a whiff of pantomime villain about her, but this a fun, very watchable show – albeit one that is faintly ridiculous at times

If the title of this Thai crime-thriller-cum-courtroom-drama feels a little splashy, wait until you meet the scoundrel in question. Her name is Jittri and she is, at least at the show’s outset, a pantomime villain in a power suit, her hair even bigger than her ego. Known for getting murky clients off the hook by any dirty trick necessary, she stiletto-struts in slow motion, flashes a trademark crooked smirk after each victory, and (like all bona fide wrong ’uns) wears sunglasses inside. If she had a moustache, she would absolutely be twirling it.

But don’t be fooled; one boo-hiss baddie does not a pantomime make. Directed by Nottapon Boonprakob, whose 2025 drama Mad Unicorn won a clutch of awards, this eight-episode series may be tonally erratic and at times faintly ridiculous, but it also has confronting questions about power, corruption and systemic injustice plus a gripping, twisty plot.

Panama World Cup 2026 team guide

After impressive showings in recent major tournaments, Thomas Christiansen’s players are aiming to prove a point on the global stage

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.

You be the judge: should my girlfriend make better use of our shared calendar?

Jordan wants one catch-all digital resource for him and Charlene, so their social lives don’t clash, but she prefers to communicate in person. You decide whose time is up

• Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a juror

I’m not trying to control her but having one shared calendar helps us plan our lives together

Ryanair investigated over charging parents to sit with their children

Budget airline describes inquiry as ‘bogus’ as watchdog says it is only large carrier flying from UK to impose charge

• Business live – latest updates

Europe’s biggest low-cost airline, Ryanair, is facing an investigation over the mandatory fee it charges a parent to sit with their child.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the Irish carrier’s terms and conditions require at least one parent to sit with their children, including those with disabilities, and bills them about £8 a flight to do so.

French star Patrick Bruel charged with rape and sexual assault

Singer and actor has denied all charges after more than 20 women made allegations against him dating back to 1990s

The French singer Patrick Bruel has been charged with rape and sexual assault in one of the biggest #MeToo cases in the French music industry.

The 67-year-old, a major figure in French pop culture, was placed under formal investigation over four cases that included alleged rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Amnesty accuses Israel's government of 'ethnic cleansing' of West Bank Palestinians

The London-based rights group says the Israeli government is deliberately trying to annex the Palestinian territory.

Fields of the Gods: Mexico’s football pitches from above – photo essay

In Mexico, football is played wherever space permits. The Reuters photographer Raquel Cunha spent three months taking photos of amateur matches across Mexico City and beyond

Across Mexico, a co-host of the 2026 World Cup, football pitches are laid out wherever communities can find the space. On the edges of towns, on highway underpasses, and even in a volcano crater, spaces are cleared that allow people young and old to share in the dream of the beautiful game.

In an impoverished neighbourhood in Monterrey, northern Mexico, 14-year-old Humberto Guadalupe, nicknamed “Messi” by friends and family, spends his weekends on the community’s only football field, surrounded by abandoned cars and dirt roads.

Humberto Guadalupe (left), 14, and Eduardo Reyes, 12, play football, followed by snacks organised by evangelists, in Monterrey

Frida Slattery As Herself by Ana Kinsella review – will-they-won’t-they in a skilful theatrical romance

This impressive and charismatic debut novel revisits an actor and a director over various collaborations

The central characters of Frida Slattery As Herself, Ana Kinsella’s debut novel, are the eponymous Frida, 23 when the novel opens, and John Reddan, five years older. Both live in Dublin. Frida loves acting but has never had a significant role, and didn’t even get into drama school. John is a writer-director who has just had a play put on at a “real theatre”. What’s compelling about Frida is not necessarily what she says, thinks or does, but the way she is, and a large part of that lies in the physicality Kinsella writes into her. Frida, we learn, is “addicted” to the theatre. “Every time she came off stage she felt like a prizefighter. The curtain fell in the community theatre and there she was, rolling her neck, bobbing on her feet.”

However, Frida’s acting aspirations are going nowhere. She eventually confides in her friend Catherine, who at university was a much more successful actor in student productions, but now has a proper job (“She owned an espresso machine and Frida lived in a bedsit”). “I just want something to happen,” Frida says. Catherine introduces Frida to John. They meet in Kehoe’s pub, then he asks Frida to accompany him on an errand which turns into a long, mystifying walk through Dublin, during which he interviews her. She asks in return what he is working on: “Are there any roles for women in their early twenties?” To which he responds, “Is that how you think of yourself, Frida? As nothing more than ‘a woman in her early twenties’?”

Police blast water cannons at protesters amid unrest over stabbing in Belfast

Protesters in Northern Ireland set small fires and hurled bricks and bottles at the police during a second night of violence over a stabbing in Belfast. The incident sparked anti-immigrant violence.

Knicks rally from 29 points down and beat Spurs for 3-1 NBA Finals lead

The New York Knicks made a record comeback from 29 points down and moved to the brink of their first championship since 1973 by beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 on Wednesday night.

David Sullivan is a relic – the day of the celebrity ‘porn baron’ is over. But the vileness he peddled is much worse now | Joan Smith

While he denies wrongdoing, Sullivan traded on the idea of womens’ bodies as consumable objects. His terrible era laid the ground for the 21st-century porn industry

There was a time, not so long ago, when female breasts appeared daily in some national newspapers. It was part of a culture that stripped and infantilised women, presenting very young “girls” with a nod and a wink, as though it was all a joke. Feminists who objected were dismissed as killjoys, even though the campaign against what became known as “Page 3” was ultimately successful.

This week’s Panorama programme revisited that era, focusing on the alleged activities of one man, David Sullivan, who made a fortune from sex shops and sleazy tabloid newspapers. The allegations against Sullivan, which he angrily denies, are that he “interviewed” young women at his mansion in Essex and demanded sex in return for furthering their careers as “glamour models”. The women’s stories were horrible.

Joan Smith is an author, journalist and a former chair of the mayor of London’s violence against women and girls board

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Lightning stops play: how electrical storms could disrupt the World Cup

Under US rules, even a distant strike can suspend a game – and some will take place in Florida, the thunderstorm state

Hot weather will be a major concern at the World Cup, but lightning may also prove a particular problem. Under US safety regulations, a strike within 10 miles (16km) of a stadium triggers a 30-minute suspension of the game, during which players must leave the pitch.

The size of the safety zone was dictated by research on the distance that lightning can strike from a storm even with no clouds overhead. This is more than a theoretical risk. During a game in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1998, an entire team was killed by a single bolt of lightning. There have been many other deadly incidents.

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for spaghetti with mussels, parsley and lemon | A kitchen in Rome

Savour the glorious sound of mussels popping open and finish cooking the pasta in the shellfish liquor really to ramp up the flavour

If you put your ear close (but not too close) to a covered pan full of mussels, olive oil, garlic and a bit of white wine (not too much) over a lively heat, you will hear the sound – a cross between a crack, or that of a rip and an unzipping – of the mussels opening. To begin with, it’s intermittent, so you lift and look under the lid to reassure yourself that they are indeed starting to open … But there are only a few, so the lid goes back on. You shake the pan until, like popcorn, the mussels are off – crack, rip, unzip – at which point, get the lid off and the mussels out, so you can admire the liquor. Taste to see how salty it is and measure how much you have: you want about 200ml, so take some out, reduce or add water to get the proportions and taste to your liking.

Spaghetti (or linguine) with mussels is a recipe that benefits from finishing the cooking of the pasta in the sauce, which is also a great technique to know generally, because it can be applied to countless pasta recipes. The benefits of finishing the cooking in the sauce (or broth) are: deep flavour (because the pasta absorbs and gets completely coated in the sauce), shine and a slightly thickened sauce, thanks to the starch that seeps from the pasta and combines with the fat.

Country diary: A tiny orchid with mighty powers of deception | Oliver Southall

Wolstonbury Hill, West Sussex: The fly orchid looks like no fly I’ve ever seen – its target insect is a wasp. And if you see one being pollinated, you’re one up on Charles Darwin

Many British orchids are named for their animal or humanoid appearance. List some and you have all the characters for a nursery-rhyme tale of transformation and trickery: lady, frog, man, fly and spider. Today’s protagonist is the fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera), a subtle conjuror of alternate realities and a plant I’m fortunate to encounter yearly on my local South Downs hill. Favouring the dappled interface of chalk grassland and woods, it flowers here from mid-May. It’s hard to spot amid the bugle, wild marjoram, agrimony and dock, but once I have my eye in, I find upwards of 20 plants.

While they look like no fly I’ve ever seen, the tiny blooms do have an uncannily insectile appearance. This is mostly down to a special petal, the labellum, which is minutely modified for luring in pollinators. Up close, I can see how its edges are curved back just so, a sleight of folding which gives the illusion of volume. An iridescent blue patch at its centre suggests the sheen of folded wings.

Omar Artan scandal reveals Gianni Infantino for what he is: one of sport’s greatest cowards | Jonathan Liew

Fifa president has prostrated the organisation before Donald Trump and lost control of his own tournament as a result

Even the Nazis tried to tone things down a bit. Before the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, acutely conscious of how it might be perceived by foreign visitors, the Third Reich tried to soften some of its harder, more intolerant edges. Antisemitic signs and images were removed from shops and other public places. Der Stürmer was removed from newspaper kiosks. Paragraph 175, the country’s strict anti‑homosexuality law, was temporarily suspended.

By contrast, the 2026 men’s World Cup is being co-hosted in a country utterly indifferent to what a foreign visitor might think of it. In this respect, the US of Donald Trump is tonally different to any host of a major sporting event that has preceded it: a country that actively wants you to see the darkness in its heart, the inhumanity at its core, that gets off on your revulsion.

Children hit by parents more likely to bully others, research finds

The UCL study also found physically punished children were more likely to struggle in school

Children smacked by their parents struggle to get good exam results and are more likely to bully others, causing a negative impact on society, according to new research calling for smacking to be banned.

The study by University College London (UCL) found that children in England who were physically punished at the ages of three, five and seven were significantly less likely to pass GCSE exams compared with other children, even after factors such as family background were taken into account.

How did Mexico’s president become the world’s most popular leftwing leader?

Claudia Sheinbaum started as an activist. Now she is Mexico’s president. Has she stayed true to her ideals?

The president’s dressmaker works at home, down a narrow road in a working-class neighbourhood on the southernmost edge of Mexico City. There is no sign, just the house number marked in chalk on a rusted metal door. In the brightly lit, pink-walled room at the back of her modest house, Olivia Trujillo sits at her sewing machine, piecing together the president’s signature suits and dresses. Trujillo sews everything here, accompanied only by her family, three dogs, and one green parrot. Once finished, an assistant spirits away the items by motorcycle straight to the National Palace, where the president lives. Claudia Sheinbaum’s clothing – tailored from modest fabrics produced in Mexico and featuring Indigenous motifs – is one of the many ways that her administration communicates its slogan: “For the good of all, first the poor.”

The dressmaker has just one problem with the president. People who wear made-to-measure clothes normally sit for the tailor twice: first, to have their measurements taken, then a second time for final adjustments. “Not once has she done a fitting for me, never!” says Trujillo, an exacting and neatly turned-out woman in her 60s. She knows the president is busy. “Still,” she objects, “any normal woman does a fitting for important clothes, like their wedding dress.”

The EU is inviting the Taliban to Brussels. Europe’s credibility lies in tatters

As ICE-style deportation rules come into force, the unsavoury circle the EU wants migrant deals with includes the Afghan regime. This is a nadir

I sometimes think of the former EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson, who just six years ago spoke of crafting a European migration policy with “cool heads and warm hearts”. What’s happened since is the exact opposite.

Governments across Europe – with the exception of Spain – are cracking down harder than ever before on migrants through measures they once dismissed as politically toxic. It is a dream come true not only for the EU’s far right but also for mainstream conservatives and centre-left politicians such as Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen.

Knicks beat Spurs with largest NBA finals comeback to move to brink of first title since 1973

• Knicks erase 29-point deficit to win Game 4

• Anunoby scores winner with 1.2 seconds left

• New York take commanding 3-1 Finals lead

The New York Knicks stared into the abyss and somehow found a way out.

Facing a 29-point deficit in front of a shell-shocked Madison Square Garden crowd, New York completed the largest comeback in NBA finals history on Wednesday night. OG Anunoby’s tip-in off a Jalen Brunson missed three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left made the difference in the 107-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4. The Knicks are now within one win of their first NBA championship in 53 years.

Australian billionaire Brett Blundy wages high-stakes campaign to oust chair of Victoria’s Secret

Blundy’s investment firm, BBRC International, owns about 13% of the US-listed lingerie brand, giving it a potential platform to launch a hostile takeover

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

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

Australian billionaire Brett Blundy is waging a high-stakes campaign to oust the long-term chair of Victoria’s Secret & Co, setting the stage for a showdown at the company’s annual meeting in the US on Thursday.

Blundy’s investment firm, BBRC International, owns about 13% of the US-listed Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand, making it the second-biggest single shareholder and giving it a potential platform to launch a hostile takeover.

Canada’s social media ban for under-16s goes to parliament

Legislation would exempt platforms that can prove they have safeguards for children in place

Canada’s government has introduced legislation to parliament that could ban children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe.

Ottawa is joining a growing global effort to tighten online safety. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put in place sufficient safeguards.

French man on trial accused of raping partner after contact with Dominique Pelicot

Man accused of sedating and filming abuse of partner had contact with Pelicot, who was jailed for drugging wife and inviting men to rape her

A bodyguard from Lyon is to go on trial for allegedly sedating and raping his partner after he was in contact online with Dominique Pelicot, who was convicted of drugging and raping his own wife, Gisèle Pelicot.

Pelicot, one of the worst sex offenders in modern French history, is serving 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of drugging his then wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her in their home in the south of France over almost a decade. He and 50 other men were found guilty after the biggest rape trial in French history in 2024.

Far-right influencer arrested in Texas on charge of making terroristic threats

Jake Lang, a far-right influencer who was charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, was arrested in Dallas on a state charge of making terroristic threats.

In a tough economy, many U.S. teachers forced to work second jobs

According to a recent survey, 71% of U.S. public school teachers said they work at least one second job.

Hong Kong files manslaughter charges against seven people and two firms in deadly apartment fires

Massive blaze in eight high-rise apartment blocks killed 168 people in one of the world’s deadliest residential building fires

Hong Kong has filed manslaughter charges against several people and companies over the world’s deadliest residential building fire in decades, which killed 168 people at a public housing estate last year.

The massive blaze, which engulfed seven of the eight high-rise apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court estate in November, prompted a months-long investigation into the cause.

Oracle beats on earnings, but stock drops on plans to raise another $20 billion

Oracle topped quarterly expectations, but free cash flow is negative, and the company plans to raise more capital for data center projects.

Jude Bellingham clicks alongside Kane at last. He should start in England’s World Cup opener | Jacob Steinberg

Midfielder delivered complete performance against Costa Rica that should make up Thomas Tuchel’s mind for him

It only took eight seconds for Jude Bellingham to steal the lightning’s thunder. Given the nod over Morgan Rogers, Bellingham set the tone for England when their friendly against Costa Rica finally got under way. The No 10 pressed from the front, racing to charge down a clearance from Darril Araya, and was key to the way Thomas Tuchel’s side made light of the unpredictable Florida weather by imposing themselves on inferior opposition from the first whistle.

The skies had cleared by the time the game kicked off an hour later than advertised. The torrential downpour earlier in the day arrived after a three-week drought in Orlando, giving England a taste of what they can expect at the World Cup. Will they cope with the ups and downs of an American summer? Here at the agreeably compact Inter&Co Stadium, Tuchel had an encouraging response. The lineup looked close to the one that will face Croatia in Group L next Wednesday and, after last Saturday’s glorified training exercise against New Zealand, there was a sense of England’s level rising as they eased to a 3-0 win.

Pacific nation of Nauru wants to change its name as it moves on from colonial past

Island may soon be called Naoero – an Indigenous name that honours the country’s heritage and identity

Nauru, the world’s smallest republic, may soon make a big change: renaming itself “Naoero”.

The switch would “more faithfully honour our nation’s heritage, our language, and our identity”, said the president of the Pacific microstate, David Adeang, in a speech to parliament in January.

6/10: The Takeout with Major Garrett

U.S. forces conduct more strikes against Iran; House member describes Bill Gates' Epstein testimony.

Police use water cannon against rioters in Northern Ireland

Force disperses crowd of 300 people who burned truck and reportedly planned to target hotel hosting migrants

Police have used water cannon against rioters in Northern Ireland during a second night of anti-immigration protests.

It dispersed a crowd of about 300 people who burned a truck and threw bricks and petrol bombs close to the Sandyknowes roundabout near Newtownabbey, eight miles north of Belfast.

A look at the global fanfare for the World Cup

The world's eyes are focused on North America, as the Men's World Cup kicks off in Mexico City on Thursday, with matches in the U.S. and Canada on Friday. Matt Gutman reports.

Ruthless Australia set sights on T20 World Cup after clinical warmup win over West Indies

• World No 1 easily chase 131 to win by six wickets

• Georgia Voll hits 77no off 48 with 10 fours and two sixes

Sophie Molineux’s Australian team, without a world title to their name, look determined to put matters right at the Women’s T20 World Cup, if the ruthless manner of their warm-up wins is anything to go by.

After crushing tournament hosts England on Monday, world No 1 Australian hammered West Indies by six wickets in Cardiff for their last warmup match on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) before launching their campaign against South Africa this weekend.

Bill Gates tells Congress that meeting Epstein was "a grave error in judgment"

Bill Gates told members of Congress on Wednesday that Jeffrey Epstein put his philanthropic work at risk, and that meeting him represented "a grave error in judgment."

Outbreak of dangerous weather hits U.S.

A multi-day severe storm threat widened to more than 100 million Americans. In addition to tornadoes, forecasters are looking out for hail storms, damaging winds and temperatures soaring into the triple digits. Tom Hanson reports.

Inflation topped 4% in May as CPI surged to highest level in 3 years

The Consumer Price Index rose last month at a 4.2% annual rate amid a spike in U.S. energy prices.

Brunel’s SS Great Britain site drops historical name in ‘cool’ rebrand

New name, Bristol Dockyards, and museum revamp aimed at becoming more rooted in community, says chief executive

One of the UK’s maritime landmarks is being renamed as part of a drive to make it “cooler” and more inclusive.

For a decade, the dockland site in Bristol that houses the ocean liner SS Great Britain, which was designed by the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, has been promoted as Brunel’s SS Great Britain.

Sole survivor of Air India crash demands ‘honesty and answers’ one year on

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only passenger to survive the incident in June 2025, which killed 260 people

The only survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people in June 2025 has called for “honesty, transparency and answers” a year on from the disaster, and spoken about his “significant psychological scars” and financial hardship.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, has previously described his fate as a “miracle” after being the only person to survive the incident, in which a Boeing 787 Dreamliner struck a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport.

Meta launches program to train workers for data center jobs

Meta pledged to invest $115 million to train electricians, plumbers and other workers needed to operate data centers.

What Albania teaches us about Kushner's real estate tactics – video explainer

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has finalized a deal with Albanian officials to allow construction on Sazan Island in the Adriatic Sea. The $1.6bn project is expected to build luxury tourism real estate on the pristine island and surrounding waters and wetlands. Spurned by the potential environmental impact of the plan and the possibility of corrupt dealings, demonstrators have taken to the streets of Albania's capital city demanding an end to the project. Cate Brown, the Guardian's political enterprise reporter, examines what the Kushner real estate deal on Sazan Island can teach us on how Donald Trump’s son-in-law pursues real estate ventures and examines why Albania isn't alone in its fight

• Protests in Albania grow over Jared Kushner-backed luxury resort

• Sold to the Trump family: one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean

6/10: CBS Evening News

U.S. military announces new strikes against Iran; inflation hits 3-year high in May.

USDA's Rollins called screwworm a 'little pest' amid U.S. spread. Last year, she called it 'terrifying'

The U.S. agriculture secretary is downplaying the threat posed by the spreading screwworm now compared with her more dire remarks last year.

Analysis: Trump said he loves inflation. Why that should be music to Kevin Warsh's ears

The president said Wednesday he is happy with inflation at 4.2%. That will be welcome news for new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.

Chiefs sign Patrick Mahomes to restructured contract worth more than $500m

• Quarterback has two years added to his deal

• Contract will last until Mahomes is 38

The Kansas City Chiefs and their starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, have agreed to a restructured contract that adds two years to his deal and pushes his total compensation past a half-billion dollars, according to sources.

Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450m contract in 2020 that set a benchmark not only for the quarterback position but for any NFL player. The latest extension ties the two-time MVP to the Chiefs through the 2033 season, when Mahomes will be 38, and it comes in at $504.75m, with incentives and escalators that could push the value beyond $520m.

Trump says "I love the inflation" because U.S. is "taking out" Iranian oil

President Trump said the U.S. has taken out "millions" of barrels of Iranian oil in the dead of night, and said inflation will come down when the war ends.

America's birth rate has plunged. Are smartphones to blame?

The iPhone was introduced in 2007, the same year the U.S. birth rate started to slide. The issues could be linked, a new analysis finds.

Trump keeps saying an Iran deal is close. Markets keep believing it

Analysts still assume that, despite the continued conflict, a deal will eventually be reached that ends the war and reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

Gianni Infantino tells football fans to ‘chill’ in response to Fifa’s critics

• Fifa president defends handling of tournament

• ‘Screaming and shouting does not find a solution’

Gianni Infantino told football fans to “chill and relax” on the eve of the World Cup, while Fifa faced criticism from the United Nations over the immigration issues that have overshadowed the buildup to the tournament.

The Fifa president launched a staunch defence of his organisation’s handling of the tournament, particularly regarding ticket prices and visa problems, and claimed no one else would have been able to secure the participation of Iran, who are at war with one of the three host nations, the United States.

American teenager Lutkenhaus stuns Olympic champion as Gout learns lesson

• Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17, wins 800m by 0.01sec

• Gout Gout sixth; Tebogo says: ‘He has a long way to go’

There are few venues more deeply embedded into track and field’s soul than the Bislett Stadion. An extraordinary 70 world records have been set here. Plenty of reputations have been made. Plenty more left frayed, too.

And so it proved again as the brilliant 17-year-old American Cooper Lutkenhaus added to his staggering résumé by taking down the Olympic 800m champion, Emmanuel ­Wanyonyi, with a race for the ages in Oslo. But another, the Australian star Gout Gout, learned what it is like in the big leagues.

Trump doubles down on Pulte for DNI, as Congress eyes short-term patch for foreign surveillance law

Unless Congress acts, a key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will expire at the end of this week.

Nottingham Forest reject Manchester City’s £122m bid for Elliot Anderson

• City intensify their pursuit of England midfielder

• Forest want fee to match British record £125m for Isak

Manchester City have made a second bid worth £122m for Elliot Anderson which has been rejected by Nottingham Forest, who want a British record transfer fee of £125m before any add-ons for the England midfielder.

City’s offer follows an initial bid of £80m for the 23-year-old and is worth a guaranteed £106m plus £16m in potential add-ons. This would break the club’s record transfer of £100m paid to Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in August 2021.

F1 leaders agree 2027 and 2028 engine changes to placate Verstappen and co

• Changes will address energy management issues

• Verstappen one of most outspoken critics of current rules

The key players in Formula One have come to an agreement to settle the proposed changes to the sport’s engines for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. These have been seen as crucial in addressing widespread driver dissatisfaction with the current formula, not least for the four-time champion Max Verstappen who has repeatedly threatened to leave the sport owing to how unhappy he is with the current engine rules.

Verstappen has been particularly outspoken, declaring the rules “anti-racing”, but he has been far from alone. The FIA, teams, engine manufacturers and F1’s owners have since been in discussions looking at ways to address the issue. Notably their resolution does not reach the minimum scale of improvement Verstappen believed was needed until 2028.

Bill Gates tells House panel 'I should have never met' with Jeffrey Epstein

Gates reportedly prepared for his testimony with the help of Jake Greenberg, who previously was the Oversight committee's chief investigations counsel.

Social Security's insolvency date is projected for end of 2032

Medicare's hospital insurance trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits in 2033, which could lead to higher health care costs for Americans over 65.

Amazon trucking expansion sparks freight stock sell-off

Amazon has been spinning out more of its in-house logistics offerings for others to access, posing a growing threat to industry incumbents.

NASA chief defends choice of all-male crew for Artemis III mission

NASA's Jared Isaacman says the crew was selected solely based on their experience, expertise and availability for flight assignment.

Trump says 'I love the inflation' after consumer price index hits 3-year high

President Trump suggested that inflation would drop when the U.S. war against Iran ends, and said, "We've been taking out millions of barrels of oil."

ICE mandates additional training for new hires after backlash

ICE has extended training for new officers and mandated additional instruction for those onboarded under a shortened process that has now been scrapped.

Trump signs $70 billion immigration funding bill after months of delay

The $70 billion package will fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through the end of President Donald Trump's term.

Company that bet big on Trump-backed crypto says its fortunes have improved

AI Financial Corp. says it has mitigated some of the concerns that prompted it to say earlier that it may not be able to stay in business.

Wall Street needs a crash course in the token economy ahead of AI IPOs. SpaceX offers a preview

When OpenAI and Anthropic make their IPO prospectuses available to the public, investors are going to have to learn about a whole new economy.

Glenn Close and Ridley Scott among names set to receive honorary Oscars

The actor and director who have long been snubbed will finally take home Oscars at November’s Governors awards

Glenn Close and Ridley Scott are among the names set to receive honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors awards.

The two have long been snubbed at the Oscars, with Close receiving eight nominations and Scott receiving four. The pair will be awarded this November alongside animator Floyd Norman and producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler.

Ben Jennings on Britain’s anti-immigration protests – cartoon

• Discover and buy more of Ben’s cartoons here

• Order your own print of this cartoon from the Guardian Print Shop

The Guardian view on far-right violence: digital radicalisation is threatening democracy | Editorial

Violence on the streets of Northern Ireland is the real-world expression of a sinister mechanism that goes unchecked online

Masked men who drive terrorised families out of their homes cannot be called protesters, since the word implies legitimate grievance. The outbreak of racist violence in Northern Ireland this week is connected to the politics of migration, but not in the way that the mob and those who incited it claim.

The ostensible trigger was a brutal assault, partially captured on video. A man of Sudanese origin has been charged with attempted murder. The footage was widely shared online. The attack was depicted as part of a wider threat to white Britons by foreign “invaders”. Far-right agitators summoned vengeful crowds. Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the activist who campaigns as Tommy Robinson, was instrumental in this process. So was Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, whose platform helped mobilise racist fury.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

The Guardian view on the men’s World Cup: the build-up was unedifying, but now the football takes over | Editorial

Rows over US visas and excessive ticket prices have overshadowed flawed tournament preparations. But fans will still hope for a gripping spectacle

One hundred and four matches involving 48 competing nations, to be played in 16 venues across a continent and four time zones: the sheer scale of the men’s World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico, which begins on Thursday and ends on 19 July, makes it easily the biggest and longest football tournament ever staged.

Whether it will ultimately be judged the greatest in sporting terms will depend on the 1,248 players competing in gruelling conditions, ranging from the heat of Houston to the high altitude of Guadalajara. But after a lead-up marred by hubristic hype, visa rows and the eye-watering cost of buying tickets for games, for many people it will be a relief when Mexico finally kick off against South Africa in the Estadio Azteca on Thursday evening.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Honda recalls 880,000 vehicles over possible rear suspension issue

The recall affects certain Honda Pilot, Ridgeline, Passport, and Acura MDX vehicles sold in 23 states and the District of Columbia.

Pay what you wish: the restaurant where customers can eat for free – if their conscience lets them

Ever since the Post Modern Times cafe in Minneapolis ditched its price list, half the customers have chosen not to pay. It’s still making a profit

Name: Pay what you wish.

Age: Popular since the 00s, but dating back to at least the 80s.

David Harbour on Lily Allen’s West End Girl album: ‘It wasn’t my experience’

Stranger Things actor makes first public comments about his ex’s revealing hit album which tracks the dissolution of a relationship

David Harbour has spoken about his ex Lily Allen’s tell-all album West End Girl for the first time in a new interview.

The Stranger Things actor, who is on the Emmys trail for the HBO crime drama DTF St Louis, separated from the singer in early 2025 after they married in 2020. The couple filed for divorce months after their separation.

Deepest and most extensive whale graveyard discovered in Indian Ocean

Some remains found in Diamantina fracture zone date back more than 5m years and reveal species and ecosystems unknown to science

The oldest, deepest and most extensive whale graveyard yet discovered has been found in the south-eastern Indian Ocean, with fossils dating back more than 5m years.

Whale falls – the term for dead whales that sink to the ocean floor – are not uncommon, but most have been found at depths of less than 4km (2.5 miles). By contrast, the newly discovered necropolis reaches depths of more than 7km, and extends hundreds of miles across the sea floor.

‘Russian’ manicures are on the rise – but experts say a lot can go wrong

More customers are seeking out meticulous e-file manicures, but there are concerns about the risk of infection with the cuticle-raising beauty treatment

A drill with a speed of 35,000 revolutions per minute sits on Alina Huck’s orderly work station. The drill bit is the length of an almond, and as soon as it touches the client’s nail it whips up a fine dust of dead skin.

“It’s definitely a satisfying experience,” says Huck, a Sydney-based nail technician who has spent nearly a decade specialising in e-file manicures, also known as Russian manicures.

The truth about my famous ‘Party girl Kate Moss’ shot: Greg Brennan’s best photograph

‘The tabloids will always try to sensationalise. But it was 6.30pm. If Kate really had been falling out the door blind drunk, it’s not a picture I’d particularly want to take’

I have photographed Kate Moss a fair few times. The first time was probably around 1990, during the Johnny Depp days. I also shot her with Jefferson Hack and many of her other boyfriends, but it was only on official occasions, Topshop launches and things like that.

There was a period when whatever she did, 200 photographers would turn up. For her 33rd birthday, I was asked to cover her party at the Dorchester hotel. Then I got a call saying she was at the Donmar Warehouse theatre watching a matinee of a play with Rhys Ifans in it. “Could I go over there and get a picture of her leaving before arriving at the birthday party?” When I got there, there must have been 200-250 people outside. They had the front door surrounded – photographers, camera crews, fans, you name it. It was absolutely packed. I quickly realised that getting a decent picture was going to be very difficult.

Consumer prices rose 4.2% annually in May, highest in three years

The consumer price index was expected to show a 4.2% gain from a year ago, according to the Dow Jones consensus estimate.

‘Demonized, called hysterical’: the rise of witchcraft retreats where US women go to defy man and church

In an age of spiritual isolation, witches are flocking to the woods of Ireland and elsewhere to form covens of ‘sisterhood’

On the floor of a sun-drenched room in a 200-year-old Irish estate, a group of 15 witches gather to commune with the spirits. Everyone has someone they want to talk to – dead ancestors, forest fairies, the witches who came before them – and the room has the same expectant charge as the first day of school. Some of the witches wear long black capes and bandannas. Some wear Columbia fleeces, spaghetti-strap tank tops and Adidas sneakers.

Isabella Ferrari, known as Penny the Witch, guides the women as they make divination maps, sheets of paper covered with “yeses” and “nos” that work like Ouija boards: the witches ask their questions and the spirits guide the crystal pendulums in their hands towards the answer. One of the women, Tara Monte, screeches as her pendulum begins circling uncontrollably. “Isabella, do I stop this? Someone really wants to talk to me.” Later, she will confess she believes it was her archangel Michael letting her know yes, her parents were proud of her. Yes, they still loved her.

U.S. bars entry of FIFA World Cup referee from Somalia

Federal immigration authorities barred a Somali soccer referee who was slated to officiate the FIFA World Cup from entering the U.S. over the weekend, citing "vetting concerns."

Trump says Iran will 'pay the price' and claims they have 'taken too long' to agree to a deal

The president's comments came after U.S. forces on Tuesday evening launched strikes against Iran.

Stokes out of second Test with New Zealand over nightclub incident as Root made captain

• Stokes in talks with agent and advisers over his future

• Atkinson also left out, with Baker and Archer set to play

Joe Root will captain England in next week’s second Test against New Zealand after Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were left out of the squad for breaking the team curfew as they celebrated victory in the first game of the series on Sunday night.

While the England & Wales Cricket Board continues its investigation into that incident Stokes, the team’s full-time captain, is being given some time to consider his future. He is reported to have spent Wednesday in meetings with his agent and advisers debating whether to stand down as captain permanently, or to end his international career completely. He may still choose to do neither, with the former England captain Michael Vaughan having joined those backing him to stay. “Yes, he broke a curfew,” Vaughan said. “Is that a sacking offence as England’s Test captain? I don’t think so. A short suspension would be fine, but this is not a big enough incident over which to lose the captaincy.”

Video shows family’s car slowing before Israeli troops shot dead Palestinian baby

Footage appears to contradict Israeli military’s account of killing of seven-month-old Sam Abu Haikal in West Bank

Footage has emerged that appears to contradict the Israeli military’s account of the shooting that killed seven-month-old Sam Abu Haikal in his mother’s arms, showing the family’s car slowing near a military post before soldiers opened fire.

On Friday, the killing of the infant by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank caused outrage, after soldiers opened fire on the family’s vehicle despite it having complied with an order to stop. Sam was killed and his mother, Daniyah Abu Haikal, and father, Fahed Abu Haikal, were both injured.

Super Micro stock falls 13% on $7 billion financing plans as company touts AI server orders

Super Micro is the latest company tied to the AI boom to announce that it's tapping the capital markets.

Marty the moose and Le Mans hypercars: photos of the day – Wednesday

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

No fairytale: what happened to the real children behind fiction’s best-loved characters?

Peter Pan, Christopher Robin and Alice in Wonderland … being the star of a classic story might seem like a dream, but there’s a dark side, argues the author of The Children

I’d loved the children for years before discovering they were real. I can almost summon the magic I felt when I first saw the photographs that proved it: the little boy clad in an approximation of hunters’ skins, posing victorious. The dark-haired girl with the offset gaze, her interior expression that of a person just growing used to being looked at.

And – this is the one that really kills me – the big-eyed, dimple-chinned seven-year-old in a soft sweater and tenderly mummish haircut, clutching the teddy bear that would end up even more famous than he would.

Sardinian beach bans umbrellas for people aged 10 to 65

Incredulous Italians ask if they should bring grandparents to beach to stay safe, after unpopular move in Villasimìus

Umbrellas have been banned on a beach in Sardinia for anyone between the ages of 10 and 65 in the latest flashpoint in Italy’s long-running beach disputes.

The measure was among several imposed by local authorities at Punta Molentis beach in Villasimìus, on Sardinia’s south-east coast, as part of an initiative to protect its pristine environment.

AI will help young workers 'mature' faster by automating grunt work, Thoma Bravo says, amid youth job crisis

"If you look at our associates, they're spending a lot less time doing models or comparables than before," Orlando Bravo, founder of Thoma Bravo, told CNBC.