Rubio doubtful of diplomacy with Cuba as Trump renews threat of military action

US secretary of state says president would like a negotiated agreement with Havana but likelihood ‘is not high’

The US president, Donald Trump, and the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Thursday again raised the spectre of military intervention in Cuba, a renewed threat that takes on greater weight a day after the administration announced criminal charges against the island’s former leader, Raúl Castro.

Trump said previous US presidents have considered intervening in Cuba for decades but that “it looks like I’ll be the one that does it”.

Australians allege they were abused after IDF intercepted Gaza flotilla and Itamar Ben-Gvir taunted them

‘Every activist on the flotilla … has only had their heart more emboldened by witnessing and experiencing the brutality of the Israeli state,’ Zack Schofield says

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Australian Zack Schofield watched, powerless, as Israeli soldiers beat his fellow flotilla activist, an Irish woman, to the ground after she was filmed shouting “free Palestine” at Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

“Her hands [and] feet were zip-tied together, and then she was dragged around the rest of the processing centre, before she was taken into a prison bus,” Schofield says from Istanbul after the activists were deported from Israel.

Spider-Noir to Star City: the seven best shows to stream this week

Nicolas Cage plays Spidey as a 1930s private eye – and really gives it his all. Plus, an enthralling look at the Soviet space race that could well be the new Chernobyl

‘An unforgettable train ride through deep gorges, canyons and mountain peaks’: readers’ favourite European rail journeys

Vintage locomotives, alpine classics and a dramatic urban ride feature in your memorable train journeys
• Tell us about a favourite family summer holiday – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher

I travelled across Norway by rail on the spectacular Bergensbanen, running between Oslo and Bergen, and the unforgettable Flåmsbana branch line. The Bergensbanen crosses the high mountain plateau of Hardangervidda, passing lakes, forests and snow‑covered peaks before descending toward the fjords of western Norway. At Myrdal, I transferred on to the steep Flåmsbana, which drops dramatically to Flåm on the Aurlandsfjord, with waterfalls and sheer-sided valleys at every turn.
Daniel

Homes for sale in England with great gardens for parties – in pictures

From a farmhouse with a wildflower meadow to an award-winning London flat with a neat garden for al fresco dining

UN gravely concerned by an Afghan Taliban law that has provisions on child marriage

The United Nations expressed "grave concern" on Thursday about a new law issued by Afghanistan's Taliban government on separation in marriage which includes provisions on child marriage.

Trump says he's sending 5,000 more troops to Poland

President Trump's announcement stirred confusion in Europe following weeks of changing statements from his administration about reducing the American military footprint in Europe.

Republicans call off vote on Iran war resolution that was on the verge of passing

Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.

Rubio doubtful of diplomacy with Cuba as Trump raises new threat of military action

President Donald Trump and America's top diplomat on Thursday again raised the specter of U.S. military intervention in Cuba, a day after the administration announced criminal charges against the island's former leader, Raúl Castro.

Stephen Colbert signs off "The Late Show" one last time

Stephen Colbert said goodbye to "The Late Show" for the final time Thursday night as the franchise came to an end after 33 years.

Ditched government projects lost taxpayer £6.6bn last year, watchdog says

Spending committee finds MoD most wasteful and also points to cancelled schemes such as Rwanda and Stonehenge

Cancelled government projects such as the Rwanda deportation scheme and the road tunnel under Stonehenge are wasting billions of pounds of taxpayer money a year, parliament’s spending watchdog has found.

About £6.6bn was written off by government departments last year alone – state spending that did not achieve its intended objectives or create any value for the taxpayer, the public accounts committee said.

Taliban ‘legitimising child marriage’ with new edict, activists warn

Up to 70% of girls may be in early or forced marriages but law now makes divorce impossible if husbands disagree

Child marriage appears to have been legally recognised for the first time by the Taliban in Afghanistan, as activists say “shameful” new laws make it almost impossible for girls and young women to seek divorce against their husbands’ will.

There are no official statistics on forced and underage marriages in Afghanistan, but activists say it has risen at an alarming rate in recent years, driven by the ban on girls being in education after the age of 11.

Victims’ commissioner to step in after Southport parents say support ‘woeful’

Some parents have not received proper psychological help nearly two years after the atrocity, solicitor says

• Girls who survived Southport attack meet again: ‘It was like having big sisters’

The parents of a girl critically injured in the Southport attack were allowed no more than 12 counselling sessions after the atrocity, while others described a “woeful” lack of support.

The victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman, said she would raise the “deeply concerning” experiences of Southport families with ministers, after their accounts were shared with the Guardian.

Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for hazelnut banoffee cake | The sweet spot

This fun, indulgent dessert makes a perfect holiday bake to share with visiting friends and family

If I’m baking for a crowd over the bank holiday weekend, choosing something fun and a bit over the top seems the only way to go. Enter the hazelnut banoffee cake. It’s everything you love in the classic dessert: banana, toffee sauce, fluffy whipped cream and shaved chocolate, but with added nuttiness and overall less sickly sweet.

The Cuba situation is starting to resemble a pre-conflict playbook

The U.S. pressure campaign against Cuba appears to have entered a new phase.

A pursuit in the senate, gunfire, now on the run: why is a former Philippines police chief in hiding?

Government orders Ronald dela Rosa’s arrest over role in Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ that killed thousands of dealers and users

Ronald dela Rosa, a former head of police in the Philippines, is wanted for alleged crimes against humanity over his role in a bloody “war on drugs” during Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016-2022 presidency. The controversial senator has gone into hiding after a dramatic entry, then escape from the senate building in Manila last week.

The Philippines justice secretary has since ordered his arrest, calling him a “fugitive from justice”.

Here’s everything to know about dela Rosa and the case against him:

‘I want to hit 100’: Derek Jacobi on Aids, ageing and failing to boil an egg

The giant of stage and screen is 87 and still hates looking in the mirror. At home with his husband, he talks about weeping, sleeping with Daniel Craig, terrifying directors and the joys of white wine and a nap

Derek Jacobi is chatting to the photographer in the living room. His voice is unmistakeable – rich, buttered, every sentence beautifully parsed and phrased. I’m in the kitchen with his husband, Richard Clifford, who is making coffee. He tells me they have been together 47 years. “We met when I was 22 and he was 39.”

“I’m a child snatcher,” guffaws Jacobi from the lounge.

Experience: we found a baby on the subway – now he’s our 26-year-old son

I was rushing towards the turnstile when I noticed a bundle of clothes in a corner. I walked over, peeled back a dark sweatshirt, and saw him

In the summer of 2000, I could never have imagined becoming a father. I was 34, living in New York City, with a good job in social care, but still in a tiny apartment. I had been with my partner, Pete, for just over three years; we were serious, but we didn’t live together. Becoming a parent was not on my radar.

One August evening, I had finished work late and was hurrying to a dinner reservation I had with Pete. I was rushing towards the turnstile at Union Square station when I noticed a bundle of clothes in a corner. I saw it move and stopped in my tracks. I walked over, peeled back a dark sweatshirt, and saw him: a newborn baby, with the umbilical cord still attached.

Even These Things review – mapping Manchester’s history, from a Victorian fist fight to the IRA bomb

Royal Exchange, Manchester
Rory Mullarkey’s play, expertly directed by James Macdonald, is a bold attempt to encapsulate a whole city in decisive events from across three centuries

The theme of the Royal Exchange’s 50th anniversary season is “a homecoming”. But whose home do they mean? Who lives here? Who belongs?

Is it, for example, the heavily pregnant Annie Donovan, an Irish immigrant who, in the Manchester of 1846, brushes shoulders with Friedrich Engels on her way to a fist fight? Incomer or not, she acts as though the place of the fight, St Michael’s Flags and Angel Meadow Park, is hers to inhabit. The 40,000 people buried beneath the flagstones of this former cemetery would presumably have felt the same.

At Royal Exchange, Manchester, until 15 June

GOP senators press Blanche on "anti-weaponization fund" in tense meeting

Some Republican senators openly expressed their concerns about the Justice Department's new "anti-weaponization fund" in a tense meeting Thursday with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Chinese authorities destroy villager’s ramshackle 10-storey Studio Ghibli-esque home

The home in the village of Xingyi in Guizhou province had become a tourist attraction, but officials said it lacked the necessary building permits

A ramshackle 10-storey home that had become an offbeat tourist attraction in south-western China has been torn down, ending a years-long battle between the structure’s owner and local authorities.

Chen Tianming said local authorities took just hours to return the stone bungalow – which had been transformed into a pyramid-shaped structure of plywood rooms stacked upon one another – back down to its original single storey.

Guzman y Gomez exits US after succumbing to ‘graveyard’ for Australian fast food chains

Company founder Steven Marks says US stores will close as it can no longer justify cost of trying to break into crowded market

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Guzman y Gomez is closing its US business after failing to establish itself in a market already rich with Mexican food, confirming the American country’s reputation as a “graveyard” for Australian fast food companies.

The Mexican-themed chain told shareholders on Friday that the performance of its US stores had not been acceptable, despite its well-publicised plans to “become the best and biggest restaurant company in the world”.

Teen attackers in mosque shooting were wallowing in nihilistic hate

"These subjects did not discriminate in who they hated," said Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego Field Office.

Trump pledges an additional 5,000 troops for Poland in apparent u-turn

The US president’s announcement comes a day before Nato foreign ministers are due to meet, with Marco Rubio criticising the alliance’s failure to help with Iran

Donald Trump has announced he will deploy an “additional” 5,000 US troops to Poland, just days after the Pentagon controversially halted a long-planned deployment of forces to the country – the largest on Nato’s eastern flank.

“Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Several people watched San Diego attack live on video calls, recordings show

At least three people watched a livestream as gunmen filmed their deadly attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. One viewer urged another to alert law enforcement, but it is not clear if anyone did.

Is Trump's $1.7+ billion "anti-weaponization fund" legal? Experts weigh in.

The new fund to provide payouts to those who say the legal system was "weaponized" against them raised immediate questions about its legality, implementation and enforcement.

House bill would ban use of federal money for DOJ's "anti-weaponization" fund

GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi introduced a bill to ban the use of federal money for paying out claims under the Justice Department's new "anti-weaponization" fund.

South Korea hosts America’s biggest overseas military base – but what does its future look like under Trump?

Camp Humphreys is a vital expression of the alliance between Washington and Seoul, but the nature of the partnership is shifting

There are school bus routes, baseball diamonds and American football fields. Soldiers queue for lunch at Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Arby’s outlets. A postbox stamped with the logo of the US postal service stands outside the commissary stocked with American groceries. The signage is all in English and the US dollar is the currency in use.

Beyond the perimeter fence, military helicopters rise above the airfield and cut across the blue sky.

U.S.-bound flight diverted over passenger from Congo amid Ebola restrictions

An Air France flight from Paris to Detroit was forced to divert to Montreal due to U.S. flight restrictions linked to the Ebola outbreak.

5/21: The Takeout with Major Garrett

New U.S. travel restrictions imposed over Ebola outbreak; fallout continues over DOJ's "anti-weaponization fund."

Sister of Cuban military conglomerate chief arrested in Florida, Rubio says

The sister of the head of a company that is accused of having close ties to Cuban government operations has been arrested in Miami, federal authorities announced.

SpaceX launch of more powerful Super Heavy-Starship rocket scrubbed at last minute

The new rocket features a host of upgrades intended to improve safety and performance of the world's most powerful rocket.

Organization aims to honor veterans after death with live "Taps" renditions

Americans might hear a bugle playing a piece called taps each Memorial Day. Tony Dokoupil has the story about an effort to guarantee that all veterans, when they die, are properly honored with it.

NASCAR star Kyle Busch dies at 41 after a severe illness, his family says

Kyle Busch's family earlier Thursday announced he had been hospitalized with a "severe illness."

SpaceX scrubs test flight of massive Starship rocket, will retry Friday

SpaceX's attempted Starship launch follows the company's release of its IPO prospectus, which set the stage for what's likely to be a record offering.

New weight-loss drug Retatrutide showing stronger results than current options

A new weight-loss drug, so new it is not on the market yet, is showing promising results in trials, doing much more than what current medications can. Dr. Jon LaPook breaks it down.

CBS News Radio, an American institution, will sign off for the last time

Over the decades, radio's listeners drifted to television, podcasts and streaming. On Friday, CBS News Radio will sign off for the last time. Mark Strassmann takes a look back at the institution.

Todd Blanche tries to sell Republicans on "anti-weaponization fund"

The Justice Department has a new $1.776 billion fund, designated to pay people who allege that politics played a role in their prosecutions under the Biden administration. It's a settlement without precedent, drawn up by the president's own appointees after he sued the government. Weijia Jiang has more details.

Stormy week for travelers heading into Memorial Day weekend

A record-breaking 45-million Americans are expected to be on the move this holiday weekend, and it could get messy, especially in the East, across the South, and into Texas. Rob Marciano is tracking the forecast.

U.S. steps up Ebola prevention efforts at airports

The U.S. is stepping up efforts to prevent Ebola from entering the country through its airports, with one flight diverted to Canada on Wednesday evening. Ian Lee reports from Detroit.

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch dies at 41 after "severe illness," his family says

One of the greatest NASCAR racers of all time, Kyle Busch, died on Thursday at 41. His family earlier in the day had said he "experienced a severe illness resulting in hospitalization and was undergoing treatment." Tom Hanson reports.

Why did Kouri Richins want her husband dead?

Kouri Richins published a children's book to help her sons cope with the loss of their father – then she was convicted of Eric Richins' murder.

Melanoma skin cancer cases in UK hit record level, analysis finds

Cancer Research UK figures show number diagnosed with most serious form of skin cancer has risen above 20,000 for first time

The number of cases from the most serious form of skin cancer have reached a record high across the UK, according to analysis by a leading cancer charity.

Melanoma cases in the UK have risen above 20,000 for the first time ever, with 20,980 people being diagnosed with the form of cancer in 2022, according to analysis of the latest figures by Cancer Research UK.

Premier League: 10 things to look out for on the final day of the season

Arsenal’s party heading south, fights for Europe – and survival – and Londoners cheering on West Ham

• Premier League top scorers: the latest standings

Last week’s costly defeat to Leeds means Brighton must overcome Manchester United on the final day to ensure they secure a place in Europe for the second time in their history. The good news is that Michael Carrick’s side have nothing to play for and United have a wretched record at the Amex, losing in three of their past four visits in the Premier League including a 4-0 drubbing back in 2022. Danny Welbeck could be key against his former club having enjoyed his most prolific season with 13 league goals. The veteran striker still has a chance of finishing as the highest scoring English player in the division if he can find the net on Sunday, with World Cup rival Ollie Watkins leading the way on 14 as it stands. Ed Aarons

Brighton v Manchester United (all games Sunday 4pm BST)

Burnley v Wolves

Crystal Palace v Arsenal

Fulham v Newcastle

Liverpool v Brentford

Guardian journalists win across categories at Press Awards in London

Political editor Pippa Crerar and features writer Simon Hattenstone top major categories and Malak A Tantesh wins for Gaza reporting

The Guardian’s political editor, a prominent features writer and a brave young Palestinian reporter are among those to have been honoured at the Press Awards in London.

The awards celebrate the best journalism across all news media publishers distributing in the UK.

NASCAR superstar Kyle Busch dies at 41 after hospitalization with 'severe illness'

Kyle Busch, who won more races than anyone across NASCAR's three national series, has died at 41. A joint statement from the Busch Family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR said he died after being hospitalized.

5/21: CBS Evening News

NASCAR champion Kyle Busch dies at 41; an Ebola scare causes travel chaos.

Feeding Our Future fraud ringleader Aimee Bock sentenced to 41+ years

Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota, was sentenced to more than 40 years in prison on Thursday.

McConnell calls DOJ Trump fund 'utterly stupid, morally wrong' after Blanche meeting

Critics of the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" fear it will give money to Trump supporters who attacked police defending the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Kyle Busch, two-time Nascar champion, dies aged 41

Nascar says it is ‘heartbroken’ to share news of Busch’s death after he was hospitalized with a severe illness

Two-time Nascar Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has died at 41 after being hospitalized with a severe illness, Nascar said in a Thursday statement.

“We are saddened and heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup champion and one of our sport’s greatest and fiercest drivers. He was 41 years old,” the racing organization wrote on social media. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Busch family, Richard Childress Racing and the entire motorsports community.”

NASCAR star Kyle Busch hospitalized with severe illness, family says

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch has been hospitalized with a severe illness and won't compete at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, his family said.

Workday jumps 14% as it bumps up margin forecast on AI strength

Workday's CEO says the company is seeing success in artificial intelligence.

Why Google's Gemini Spark AI agent could be a game changer

AI tools that autonomously perform tasks for users mark a major step forward from chatbots, according to tech experts.

Trump postponing AI executive order "because I didn't like what I was seeing"

President Trump said he doesn't want to "do anything that's going to get in the way" of leading the world on the technology.

Epstein island trespasser says he was hog-tied, thrown into "dungeon"

Little St. James in the Virgin Islands has attracted seekers lured by tales of Jeffrey Epstein's private island.

Andy Robertson: ‘It was easy to fall in love with Liverpool – I’m fortunate Liverpool fell in love with me’

As he prepares to say farewell to the club, the veteran left-back considers the highs – and tragic lows – of a stellar career at Anfield

There was the Barcelona comeback on the night he ruffled Lionel Messi’s hair, the Champions League triumph in Madrid, winning Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years and pressing five Manchester City players in one career-defining run at Anfield when 4-1 up. But the best feeling Andy Robertson experienced at Liverpool was “climbing the mountain” with Jürgen Klopp’s all-conquering team. Nobody climbed higher or harder.

The boy who was rejected by Celtic at 15 and tweeted: “Life at this age is rubbish with no money” after his debut for Queen’s Park aged 18 became the man many consider to be Liverpool’s finest left-back, and arguably the best in the world at his peak. With 377 fiercely committed appearances in a Liverpool shirt behind him, Robertson will say goodbye on Sunday. The 32-year-old Scotland captain leaves “with no regrets, no bitterness” and “glad that one of our Egyptian friends might take a bit more of the limelight. I can just sneak underneath that.”

The chosen and the forgotten: Tuchel finalises his 26-strong England World Cup squad

While Friday morning is the official announcement, the makeup of the squad has become clear and features some big calls

Thomas Tuchel has a way to go to emulate his Brazil counterpart, Carlo Ancelotti, in terms of sheer spectacle when it comes to the announcement of a World Cup squad. Ancelotti took centre stage at the elegant Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday to reveal his 26 players, going name by name, the large audience of celebrities and influencers erupting when he eventually confirmed that Neymar was in.

There will nevertheless be a sense of razzmatazz on Friday morning when Tuchel confirms his England squad for the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico. It is a seismic day in the football cycle, one that does not need additional trimmings. But it will get them anyway, with the Football Association going digital-first in an effort to harness the excitement and zap it straight to supporters’ devices.

Trump's towering arch clears another federal hurdle, despite public pushback

The Commission of Fine Arts gave the arch design its final approval, even though it's missing some visual components. The president said Thursday that he doesn't need approval from Congress.

Spotify and Universal Music agree deal to let subscribers create AI remixes

Licensing agreement will allow listeners to use AI to create content on streaming platform for first time

Spotify and Universal Music Group have agreed on a deal that will allow subscribers to generate song covers and remixes using artificial intelligence.

The licensing agreement is the first time the Swedish streaming company will allow listeners to use AI to create content through its platform.

Republican congressman explains his objections to $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., about his concerns with the so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund.

American passenger feels 'betrayed' by federal order to stay in hantavirus quarantine

Two passengers from the cruise ship that had a hantavirus outbreak were blocked by the federal government from leaving the quarantine unit. One says she is being detained against her will.

Spygate commission accuses Southampton of ‘determined plan from the top down’

• Commission gives reasons behind playoff expulsion

• Tonda Eckert ‘specifically authorised’ spying on rivals

The independent disciplinary commission investigating the spygate affair found that Southampton had formed a “contrived and determined plan from the top down” to obtain illicit information for sporting advantage, as they explained their decision to kick the club out of the Championship playoffs.

In a strongly worded assessment of the disciplinary process, the commission also revealed that Southampton had initially denied filming Middlesbrough in training before their playoff semi-final, before ultimately accepting the charges, and that the Saints manager, Tonda Eckert, had “specifically authorised” the spying on three occasions during the season.

Phantom Days by Angela O’Keeffe review – a rich, lyrical story told through the ‘eyes’ of a book

Though O’Keeffe’s third novel is partly narrated by a seemingly sentient object, the result is wonderfully human

How do we deal with the loss of a life never lived? As with her first two novels, Night Blue and The Sitter, Angela O’Keeffe’s latest book uses an unconventional narrator to tell a beautifully layered story about human creativity, connection and longing.

At the centre of Phantom Days is Isabel, a woman in her mid-30s. She’s childless, single, unambitious and working the same arts job she’s had for a decade. She has a few close friends and a loving but complex relationship with her mother, Maggie, who is recovering from chemotherapy. Though her mother thinks she’s going nowhere, Isabel is outwardly content with her life. But something is missing. “If I were to create a thing outside of myself, what would it be?” she asks herself.

Anthropic, Microsoft in talks for AI chip deal after $5 billion investment

Microsoft has not made the Maia 200 chips available to customers, but they are used in the company's data centers, offering better efficiency than other silicon.

Trump 'slush fund' a flashpoint as Senate heads home without funding DHS

GOP tensions over President Donald Trump's DOJ fund derail Senate attempt to pass immigration enforcement funding package.

Designs for 250ft arch in Washington approved by panel of Trump appointees

Approval marks key step forward for project dubbed ‘Arc de Trump’, which will be near Arlington national cemetery

The US Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday approved designs for Donald Trump’s proposed 250ft triumphal arch in Washington.

The vote by the panel, which is made up of Trump appointees, marks a key step forward for the project. Next month, the proposed design is set to be reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission, another federal panel that oversees planning for federal buildings and land.

Tim Henman steps in to grand slam pay row to deter player protests at Wimbledon

• Players have demanded bigger prize pots at top events

• Henman has secured meeting with players at Roland Garros

Wimbledon will offer to create a new player council in a meeting with leading player representatives scheduled for Roland Garros next week, with Tim Henman having intervened in the ongoing row over grand slam prize money.

The Guardian has learned the former British No 1 and All England Club Board member held talks with several top players, including representatives of the WTA Players’ Council at the Italian Open in Rome earlier this month. A formal meeting between Wimbledon officials and player agents at the French Open will follow.

‘We’re the good ones. I really believe that’: meet the German billionaire behind the Enhanced Games

Having unearthed the world’s largest triceratops head, Christian Angermayer knows where to find treasure among the dirt. Step forward Sunday’s inaugural ‘Steroid Olympics’ promoting PEDs to the masses

Before we get to doping and psychedelics, arguably the most controversial man in sport is discussing how he came to own the largest triceratops skull ever discovered. And how he plans to install it in his London apartment.

So how much did you pay for it, I ask Christian Angermayer, the German billionaire who has made fortunes from biotech, bitcoin and psychedelics and now intends to do the same again using – and many believe abusing – sport. “Not a lot, because I find them.”

Alec Segaert’s attack plan pays off as Afonso Eulálio stretches overall Giro d’Italia lead

• Belgian ‘always planned’ late attack that sealed stage 12

• Jonas Vingegaard now 33 seconds off the pink jersey

Alec Segaert stole a march to win stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday and his Bahrain Victorious teammate Afonso Eulálio snatched bonus seconds in the intermediate sprint to extend his overall lead.

The 175-km ride from Imperia to Novi Ligure looked to be headed for a sprint finish before the Belgian rider Segaert made his telling move 3km from the line and held off the chasing pack to take the win on his Giro debut.

Senate Republicans rebel against Trump's $1.8 trillion fund

In a rare rebuke, Senate Republicans postponed a vote to fund immigration enforcement amid alarm over the novel fund

Palestinians drop bid for a senior U.N. role after U.S. pressure

The Palestinian delegation to the United Nations has dropped its bid to secure a top U.N. job after the U.S. threatens to revoke their visas.

The Black Ball review – the complicated secrets of gay sexuality in Spain are brilliantly told

Cannes film festival: Threading together three stories from distinct eras of Spanish life, this narrative triptych is superlatively acted and beautifully shot

The Black Ball is a narrative triptych about the lives of three different Spanish men at various times: a meditation derived from Lorca about the secret history of gay men’s sexuality, which has been erased, excluded or denied – sexuality transfigured into a mysterious, restorative poetry of the soul. In Lorca’s words, “only mystery keeps us alive” and in fact the small regret I have about this superlatively acted and beautifully shot film is that once the connection between the three narrative strands is explained, some of the mystery and poetry is lost.

In 1932, Carlos (Milo Quifes) is a young man of a good family in Granada, who applies for membership of the elite “Casino” club but is turned down on the grounds of his rumoured homosexuality, blackballed in an oppressively elaborate ceremony presided over by politicians and clergymen, in which the white and black balls are solemnly rolled down a special chute. In 1939, Sebastián (played by the actor and musician Álvaro Lafuente Calvo) finds himself chaotically enlisted into the pro-Franco nationalist army during the civil war and falls in love with the wounded Republican prisoner-of-war that he is supposed to be guarding. This is Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau), an actor and footballer with Atlético Madrid, an impossibly handsome, captivatingly vulnerable man whose bandages ooze blood like the tears of a miraculous statue.

Stellantis unveils $70 billion turnaround plan, targets positive cash flow by 2027

Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa unveiled a new five-year strategic plan Thursday worth 60 billion euros ($69.7 billion).

Democrats belatedly publish 2024 election autopsy report: ‘It won’t meet your standards’

DNC chair Ken Martin apologizes for initial bid to block release of report on party’s disastrous election defeat

The Democratic party has belatedly published a postmortem on its disastrous 2024 election defeat, after an initial decision to withhold the document triggered an angry backlash.

Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), released the report – which fails to mention Gaza or Joe Biden’s age – accompanied by an apology to party members angered by his initial decision to keep the analysis of Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump and defeat in both houses of Congress under wraps.

DOJ charges ex-prosecutor with stealing Trump documents case report prepared by Jack Smith

Carmen Mercedes Lineberger allegedy emailed herself a copy of Volume II of special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump's criminal case.

Colbert hosts "The Late Show" one last time tonight as franchise ends

"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert is marking the end of an iconic late-night franchise on CBS.

Risk of snakebites increasing as reptiles adapt to changing world, says study

Research led by WHO predicts hotter climate will lead to more contact between humans and venomous snakes

The risk of snakebites is increasing across the world as reptiles shift their habitats to cope with rising temperatures and growing human pressures, a study of venomous snakes has found.

Spitting cobras in Africa, vipers in Europe and South America, cottonmouth moccasins in North America and kraits in Asia are coming into greater contact with people as a result of climate disruption and landscape change, according to the research, which was led by the World Health Organization.

Italian police stop party attended by Mick Jagger over music ban

Music is banned on Wednesdays on island of Stromboli where Rolling Stones frontman was celebrating wrapping a film

Police on an Italian island stopped a party attended by Mick Jagger – because music is banned on Wednesdays.

The Rolling Stones frontman was on Stromboli, the volcanic island among Sicily’s Aeolian archipelago, for the production of Three Incestuous Sisters, a film by the Italian director Alice Rohrwacher in which he stars.

‘I refuse to be a second-class citizen in my own land’: Taiwanese International Booker winner Yáng Shuāng-zǐ

The author of historical novel Taiwan Travelogue, and its translator Lin King, discuss the threat from Beijing, LGBTQ+ rights and the island’s culinary delicacies

As Yáng Shuāng-zǐ accepted the 2026 International Booker prize at the Tate Modern on Tuesday night for Taiwan Travelogue, alongside her translator Lin King, she used her speech to speak frankly about the political questions at the centre of her novel, set in 1930s Japan-occupied Taiwan. “Some people believe that art and literature must be kept far from politics,” Yáng told the audience. “But I believe that literature cannot be separated from the soil in which it has grown.”

When we speak the following morning, the 41-year-old writer returns quickly to the same theme. “Taiwanese people are suffering from an identity crisis,” she tells me. “Some of us believe ourselves to be Chinese and then others believe that we are Taiwanese, and I wanted to express that somehow through my book. As Taiwanese people, we need to ask ourselves now – do we want to go back to being colonised? Do we want to have to live like that again? Be second-class citizens in our own land? I refuse.”

Ebola: US ban on travellers from DRC, Uganda or South Sudan ‘not the solution’

Africa CDC says restrictions could increase public health risks and highlight ‘deeper structural injustice’ in global health

A US travel ban for people coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in response to the Ebola outbreak could make the situation worse, critics have said.

The outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday and continues to spread, with a new case reported in the DRC’s South Kivu province, an area under the control of armed rebel groups.

Turkish court ruling removes head of main opposition party

Ruling annuls 2023 CHP leadership contest and deposes Özgür Özel, the face of opposition to Erdoğan

A Turkish court has issued a ruling that removes the head of the main opposition party, in the latest blow to challengers of the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The ruling, issued by an appeals court in Ankara on Thursday, annulled a 2023 leadership contest within the Republican People’s party (CHP), deposing the party’s leader, Özgür Özel.

Jeffrey Epstein assistant fiercely denies she was an accomplice and claims he abused her

Sarah Kellen tells lawmakers that convicted sex offender ‘sexually and psychologically abused me … and gaslit me’

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One of Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistants has fiercely denied she was an accomplice of the convicted sex offender, claiming in a congressional interview she was “sexually and psychologically abused” by the late financier.

“I am here today to answer your questions, to dispel rumors and conspiracies, and to tell you the truth,” Sarah Kellen told lawmakers on the House of Representatives oversight and reform committee on Thursday morning, as part of its review of the federal investigation into Epstein.

The Guardian view on the Mountbatten-Windsor papers: they expose the collapse of Britain’s 'good chap' state | Editorial

New papers matter less for royal gossip than for what they reveal about the UK’s fragile constitutional culture of trust, prestige and informal power

The most shocking revelation in files released on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as Britain’s trade envoy isn’t that he loves golf or prefers ballet over theatre. It is that no one asked the obvious question: how risky would it be for a headline-grabbing prince with no business experience to front the UK’s commercial diplomacy without formal vetting? The 11 documents that were released on Thursday show that having experience and being an expert weren’t as important as being a member of the royal family. After the Epstein scandal, those assumptions no longer look merely anachronistic. They look dangerous.

The late Queen pushed, wrongly as it turned out, for her son to inherit the role from the Duke of Kent, according to the papers released through a humble address motion. David Wright, then head of British Trade International, wrote that it was her wish for the then Duke of York to assume a “prominent role in the promotion of national interests”. In 2000, royalty was not peripheral to Britain’s commercial diplomacy. It was central to it.

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 Grenfell prosecutions: court dates cannot come soon enough | Editorial

Survivors are right to be angry at the nine years taken to reach this point. Those to blame for the fire must face justice

Relief at this week’s news that police are sending files to the Crown Prosecution Service, recommending charges against 77 individuals and organisations for their roles in the Grenfell Tower fire, is mixed with grief and anger. On 14 June the disaster’s survivors and their supporters will gather for the ninth annual silent walk around the west London neighbourhood in which the ruined tower stands. Next year marks a decade since the fire.

The public inquiry into the disaster pointed the finger at multiple public and private bodies, decisions and individuals. Three construction firms, Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex, were found to have been deliberately dishonest about their products. Poor regulation of building safety was the fault of central government. Kensington and Chelsea council, and its tenant management organisation, were strongly criticised for poor fire safety and other lapses. So were the architects and contractors commissioned to oversee the block’s refurbishment. The London fire brigade was culpable for its dangerous “stay put” policy, which should have been changed following previous cladding fires, including the one that killed six people in Lakanal House, south London, in 2009.

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.

Jason White on the UK’s prime ministerial merry-go-round – cartoon

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DNC releases 2024 election autopsy, party chair slams it

A disclaimer sits at the top of each page saying: "This document reflects the views of the author, not the DNC."

Stellantis targets 35% North American sales increase, led by Ram Trucks and Chrysler revival

Stellantis said at an investor day Thursday that it plans to increase its North American sales by 35% by 2030.

Bullying, hazing and the making of a ‘soccer president’: Donald Trump’s forgotten career on the pitch

The US president will have a prominent role at this summer’s World Cup, but his involvement with the sport started in military school

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Drive north from New York City and into the Hudson valley. Take Exit 17 and follow Route 7 as it heads south along the river, past the abandoned shipyard and the aptly named Cadet Motel. Hang a left after a few miles, wind up a long driveway and you’ll arrive at New York Military Academy.

It’s open, barely. Hundreds of students used to attend this place, but that number has dwindled to a few dozen; most of the 50 or so buildings on campus have fallen into disrepair and many seem entirely abandoned. Come here after dark and you’ll start to feel a little uneasy.

Atlantic hurricane season is coming up. Here's what NOAA predicts.

The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season is quickly approaching, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is releasing its forecast for what to expect.

OpenAI makes breakthrough on 80-year-old maths problem

Company says work on Paul Erdős planar unit distance problem shows advance in AI reasoning

OpenAI has claimed a further advance in AI reasoning after its technology successfully tackled an 80-year-old maths problem.

The company behind ChatGPT said it had made a breakthrough with a challenge first posed by Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős in 1946: the planar unit distance problem.

Oil markets nearing ‘red zone’ as Iran crisis continues, warns IEA chief

Surging demand, low reserves and reduced Middle East exports predicted to cause global crunch by August

Oil markets will enter the “red zone” by July and August as stocks dwindle before the summer travel season amid a shortage of fresh oil exports from the Middle East, the executive director of the International Energy Agency warned on Thursday.

Fatih Birol added that the most important solution to the Iran war energy shock was a full and unconditional reopening of the strait of Hormuz.

Passenger review – generic jumpscare horror offers bumpy journey to nowhere

A demonic entity attaches itself to travellers on the road in this competently directed but hopelessly indistinctive scare-free misfire

As Obsession, a micro-budget horror made by a YouTuber, continues to overperform with critics and audiences, and as another twentysomething content creator prepares to break a potential record with the release of Backrooms, here comes a stodgy by-the-book Paramount horror that feels like someone’s embarrassing dad just gatecrashed a college party. While others might be trying to innovate, those involved with Paramount’s generic schedule-filler Passenger are perfectly content to keep things lazily trucking along as they always have. Even if it wasn’t stuck in an unfortunate gen Z genre sandwich, it would still be a struggle to see why anyone would want to hitch a ride with this one.

Like February’s cursed misfire Psycho Killer, another junky on-the-road studio horror, Passenger plays like something that would have gone straight to unrated DVD back in the 2000s. It’s marginally better but similarly baffling that with all of the unproduced horror scripts stacking up on desks in Hollywood, this would not only make it to production but be warranted a wide release on a prime May weekend. I kept waiting to understand what might have nudged this one to the top of the pile, but left without clarity.

Congress has strongest path to stop Trump DOJ’s $1.8 billion compensation fund, attorneys say

The Department of Justice has set up a $1.8 billion fund that will purportedly compensate victims of prosecutorial overreach under the Biden administration.

Bloom Energy rises 12% after partnering with European AI infrastructure upstart in $2.6 billion deal

Nebius said Wednesday that it would deploy Bloom's fuel-cell technology to generate electricity faster and more quickly at its data centers.

No evidence of formal security vetting when Andrew became UK trade envoy, minister says

Documents released by government also show late queen was ‘very keen’ for her son to have prominent role

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Formal security vetting and due diligence appear not to have been carried out before the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a trade envoy, the government has said, as it emerged that the late queen was “very keen” for her son to take a prominent role in promoting Britain’s interests.

The first batch of documents relating to the appointment of the then prince as trade envoy by Tony Blair in 2001 includes a memo dated 25 February 2000 and addressed to Robin Cook, the then foreign secretary, in which the then chief executive of British Trade International (BTI), David Wright, said Queen Elizabeth II’s “wish” had been for Mountbatten-Windsor to take on the role.

Big science and uncanny prescience: Laurie Anderson’s greatest songs – ranked!

Forty years since her pioneering concert film Home of the Brave, and ahead of a European tour, we count down the best of a surprisingly poppy avant garde catalogue

From a compilation released by William Burroughs associate John Giorno – fellow contributors included Patti Smith, Philip Glass and the Fugs – comes the fledgling sound of Laurie Anderson’s breakthrough Big Science: spoken word, electronically manipulated voices, violin. It doesn’t quite work, but it’s worth hearing, not least for the distinctly country-ish slant to her violin playing.

I’m 21 and anxious about the future. How do I take care of myself without living in a bubble? | Leading questions

Retreating from reality is a brittle way to feel better, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Find people who feel as you do and then face these problems together

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I’m 21, and all my life I’ve been anxious about the future. It’s not getting better. There are a lot of things that worry me – no job prospects even with a degree under my belt; I won’t be able to find a partner who will respect me; I’ll never own a house. And outside these, of course, I’m worried about climate change and global politics.

The advice I have been offered is to “not think about it” or “focus on what I personally can control”. But I have dreams and aspirations; I want to be a writer and an artist and I am working harder than ever to make those things happen, even if AI might make those fields even more competitive. So my question is: How do I balance my dreams and aspirations practically, and take care of myself, without living in a bubble?

‘Really entertaining in a horrible way’: the indestructible appeal of Tosca

With its screams, sex, bells and bloodshed Puccini’s opera was initially derided as a noisy disaster. Ahead of Glyndebourne’s first ever production, we look the ‘shabby little shocker’ that’s become one of opera’s most bankable masterpieces

Gustav Mahler hated it. Its publisher was convinced it would be a commercial disaster. Critics complained it was mostly just “noise” and predicted that it would quickly be forgotten. But more than 125 years since Tosca’s premiere in January 1900, Giacomo Puccini’s fifth opera remains one of the most bankable in the business.

We love a hard-won success story in classical music. Think of the tales of woe that still swirl around Beethoven’s life and works, with their implied happy ending in our own Beethoven centrism. Or there’s Wagner’s Tannhäuser being booed off the stage in 1861, before finding its way into the operatic pantheon. Or the riot supposedly provoked by Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring at its 1913 premiere, before everyone calmed down and the score was acclaimed a masterpiece.

Arrest made in Connecticut 40 years after woman's murder in Virginia

The body of 22-year-old Roberta Walls was found in a field in Virginia Beach on the morning of May 15, 1986.

Parody Cockroach Janta political party’s rise reflects youth anger in India

Satirical project is viral sensation and outlet for protest on social media as it taps into young people’s frustration

It began as a satirical online project after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to cockroaches. Now millions of young Indians are flocking to it as an outlet for their frustration.

A parody political party with the insect as its symbol has exploded across India’s social media by turning absurdist humour into protest. Memes and short videos mocking corruption, joblessness and political dysfunction have flooded social media sites, where millions of users are embracing the cockroach – an insect known for its ability to survive harsh conditions – as a tongue-in-cheek symbol of endurance.