Australia v Egypt: World Cup 2026 last-32 tie goes to penalties – live

⚽️ Kick-off time: 1pm local/2pm EDT/7pm BST/4am AEST
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Scott

A message to all Australian fans who have got up early / talked the whole night through. And to think England fans are moaning about the 1am shift they’ll have to put in on Monday. Some people don’t know they’re born.

A peek inside the Australian dressing room. Yes, someone’s been giving those Ted Lasso blu-rays a good old spin, haven’t they.

Argentina v Cape Verde: World Cup 2026 last 32 – live

⚽️ Kick-off time: 6pm local/8am AEST/11pm BST
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | World Cup draw | Mail Tom

Aand we’re going to penalties in Australia v Egypt. Follow along here. I am now liveblogging a liveblog. They actually pay me for this:

During my exhaustive research for this liveblog – googling “Who is this Messi guy” and the like – I had a look at Cape Verde. I now want to go on holiday there. I am not taking money from the Cape Verde Tourist Board for this. For the sake of balance, I hear Argentina is great too.

Wimbledon 2026: Auger-Aliassime races past Zheng; Gauff, Djokovic and Sinner win; Fonseca out – live

All the latest news from Friday’s live action at SW19
SW19 diary: birds stop play | Order of play | Mail Tanya

It seems the injury problem for Kalinskaya is to do with her left hamstring, but the treatment seems to have done the trick, because the Russian races to 15-40 on Bencic’s serve, the first break points of the second set. Bencic blocks them both, securing four straight points to hold for 6-4, 4-4.

Safiullin strolls to 0-15, 0-30, 0-40 on Fonseca’s serve; it looks as if the Russian qualifier won’t even have to serve this second set out. Safiullin doesn’t win the first set point but does the second, when he drills deep to Fonseca’s backhand side … and the Brazilian can only net! Safiullin leads 6-3, 6-3. But … Fonseca did come from two sets down to defeat Djokovic a month ago, as the 19-year-old came of age at the French Open, and he’ll be hoping to draw on the spirit of that victory now.

Trump announces pardons for pollution violators prosecuted for "fixing their car"

CBS News previously reported President Trump was weighing pardons of a slate of people convicted of emissions and clean air-related violations.

Sabalenka shows off growth on grass to dominate Ostapenko at Wimbledon

• No 1 seed looks strong in 6-4, 6-4 victory against Latvian

• ‘The plan is to get better every day,’ insists Sabalenka

As Aryna Sabalenka marched towards a convincing victory over the ever-dangerous Jelena Ostapenko, she opted for a slight change of pace. Leading 6-4, 2-1 and 30-0, Sabalenka followed up a massive serve by immediately flitting to the net.

She surely had visions of her serve and volley attempt ending in triumphant Tim Henman-esque fashion, but that is not quite how things played out. She instead misjudged the path of Ostapenko’s slow, lofty return, and her shanked smash landed harmlessly on the service line. Ostapenko calmly ended the point with a forehand passing shot winner.

Swift-Kelce wedding day arrives with MSG under tight security

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are expected to welcome around 1,000 guests at Madison Square Garden to celebrate their wedding, sources say.

Dads of Camp Mystic flood victims on the pain of losing their daughters, pushing for safety changes

Ryan DeWitt and Matthew Childress, the fathers of a camper and counselor who died during last year's deadly floods at Camp Mystic in Texas, spoke to CBS News' Jason Allen about the pain of losing their daughters and their mission to push for safety changes in summer camps across the U.S. to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.

Iran plans dayslong funeral for Supreme Leader Khamenei after war death

The country's theocracy hopes to see millions flood the streets of the capital beginning Saturday in scenes reminiscent to the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Taylor Swift fans brave the New York heat to be (at least somewhat) near wedding to Travis Kelce

People gather outside Madison Square Garden despite security keeping them from seeing anything noteworthy

Taylor Swift’s fans gathered in the heat outside New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday for her wedding – or at least the celebration of it – to Travis Kelce, and the sense of being close to the superstar singer-songwriter and her NFL champion groom on their big day.

Whether or not Swift and Kelce have already tied the knot, which has been at the center of contradictory reports, fans said they were thrilled at the union – and the location.

Feds seek lower prison term for $100 million New Jersey deli fraudster — but some reasons why are hidden

James Patten is the third person who will be sentenced in the stock manipulation scheme related to Hometown International, a company that owned just one deli.

Extreme heat wave threatens U.S. power grids and July 4 travel

The heat wave threatens to overwhelm U.S. grids and may force some to change their plans on one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

England’s game against Mexico could be moved to noon local time, 7pm UK time Sunday

• Game originally set to kick off at 6pm local time

• Could be rescheduled due to risk of thunderstorms

Fifa is in discussions over moving the kick-off time of Mexico v England to earlier in day on Sunday due to risk of weather disruption including flooding and thunderstorms, a source has confirmed to the Guardian.

The round of 16 game at the ‌Estadio Azteca was scheduled to start at 6pm local time (1am BST) but it could now be brought forward by six hours to midday local time (7pm BST).

Maps show this July 4th could be hottest ever in parts of U.S.

Extremely dangerous heat, coupled with humidity, could result in heat index readings of 100 to 115 degrees from the Midwest to the East Coast, forecasters said.

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, the aftermath of the earthquakes in Venezuela, a brutal heatwave in Europe and Harry Kane at the World Cup – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Two Romanians jailed over stabbing of Iranian TV journalist in London

Judge says evidence indicates attack on Pouria Zeraati outside home was carried out on behalf of Tehran regime

Two Romanians who took part in a “targeted” knife attack on a television journalist in London “on behalf of the Iranian state” have been jailed.

Pouria Zeraati, who worked for the Persian-language channel Iran International, which is critical of the Tehran regime, was left bleeding in the street after being stabbed three times outside his home in Wimbledon.

American Express and Chase move luxury lounge wars beyond the airport

Credit card companies are increasingly offering access to lounges and perks at festivals and sporting events, often exclusively for premium cardholders.

US heatwave threatens 250th anniversary events and World Cup

Weekend’s high temperatures and humidity ‘virtually impossible’ without climate crisis, researchers say

The scorching heat blanketing much of the US this week would have been “virtually impossible” if not for the climate crisis, researchers have found, warning that the high temperatures could threaten Independence Day celebrations and World Cup matches this weekend.

“The climate the country has today is fundamentally different to the one it had when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence,” said Theodore Keeping, extreme weather and wildfire researcher at Imperial College London, in a press release.

Acting DNI Pulte fires dozens of intelligence officials: MS Now

President Donald Trump's controversial pick to lead the office of the Director of National Intelligence has begun firing intel officials, MS NOW reported.

More than 100,000 fireworks recalled ahead of July 4

Federal safety regulators are urging consumers to stop using the recalled fireworks and return them for a full refund.

The Guardian view on Labour’s next chancellor: send for Ed Miliband | Editorial

Andy Burnham needs the Treasury to serve devolution, raise living standards and renew the economy. The energy secretary meets that test

There are few things on which this column would agree with George Osborne. Voting to remain in the European Union was one. Backing Labour’s Ed Miliband to be the next chancellor is another.

Mr Osborne, whose austerity programme redistributed pain downwards while protecting privilege at the top, had only a week ago on his podcast, Political Currency, dismissed Mr Miliband as too difficult a sell to business and the press. He now recognises what should have been obvious: if Andy Burnham is serious about governing differently, he needs a chancellor with the authority, knowledge and political relationship with the prime minister to bend the Treasury to the project.

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 how culture is taking on tech: the ultimate handheld device | Editorial

Transcription, the winner of the Orwell prize for political fiction, and Toy Story 5 show life before smartphones and screen time

In the opening pages of Ben Lerner’s novel Transcription, the unnamed narrator mentions his mobile phone more than 25 times. He is on a train to Providence in the US to visit a German intellectual called Thomas, who has just turned 90. The narrator worries that he will fail to record the interview on his phone; he texts his wife; the guard scans his ticket; he takes a photo; he FaceTimes his daughter; he uses Google Maps for directions to his hotel. He even dreams about his phone. Then he accidentally drops it in the sink.

The novel is set during Covid, but there is no mention of Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Last month Transcription was awarded the Orwell prize for political fiction. “The question of how certain forms of media flatten or monetise our attention – I do think that’s political territory,” the author said of his win. With its shiny black cover and stark white typeface, this slim novel is designed to remind to us that the book is also a handheld portable device. It invites us to consider the relationship between art and technology. The smartphone has rewired us. “I was glitching, craving my cellular phone on a cellular level,” the narrator confesses.

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.

UK parents warned over posting images of children amid AI sexual abuse fears

Exclusive: National Crime Agency and safety watchdog issue guidance amid rise in explicit material online

• AI prey: why watchdogs are telling parents to protect children from nudification apps

Parents should not put photos of their children on public display online, according to landmark guidance issued to tackle the rise of AI-generated sexual abuse material.

The recommendation has come from the National Crime Agency and the Internet Watch Foundation, which fear that most people are unaware of the dangers posed by paedophiles and criminal networks.

They suggest that parents and guardians make their social media accounts private or share pictures of their children through a “close friends” group. The NCA and the IWF stressed they were not telling parents how to behave online, but said they should be aware of the problem and how to tackle it.

Sources: Trump likely to pardon pollution violators; weighing clemency for Diddy

President Trump hasn't committed to a firm number of people who will receive clemency — he's scheduled to have a meeting on pardons Friday afternoon, sources said.

Fulham make move for Crysencio Summerville while Granit Xhaka stays at Sunderland

• Chelsea and Manchester United also interested in winger

• Real Madrid issue statement denying Fernández contact

Fulham have joined the race to sign Crysencio Summerville from West Ham. The winger is expected to move this summer and is attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs.

Chelsea and Manchester United have been monitoring Summerville, who is likely to leave West Ham following their relegation from the Premier League, but it remains to be seen whether the Netherlands international earns a move to one of the top flight’s leading sides.

Lewis Hamilton delights home crowd with pole position for British GP sprint race

• Ferrari driver qualifies first ahead of Kimi Antonelli

• Hamilton: ‘I love this place, I love this crowd’

Lewis Hamilton gave the home crowd reason to roar as he took pole position for the sprint race at the British Grand Prix for Ferrari, beating the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli into second, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third.

The pole for the short format race to be held on Saturday morning at Silverstone must be considered somewhat against the odds, as Ferrari had been expected to be somewhat on the back foot to Mercedes, at the power dominated track.

Reform UK-led council fails to attract any sponsors for union flag scheme

Party had justified plan to hang flags in Nottinghamshire on basis that local businesses would foot £75,000 bill

A £75,000 scheme by a Reform-led council to hang union flags at sites across the county, which the party said would “not cost the taxpayer a single penny” as it would be sponsored by local businesses, has failed to attract a single sponsor, it has emerged.

The plan to attach the flags to brackets on about 180 lamp-posts and other places was agreed in the autumn by Nottinghamshire’s council, won by Nigel Farage’s party in last year’s May elections.

How to save money on air conditioning as electric bills climb

As Americans endure another bout of extreme heat, experts say small thermostat adjustments and other energy-saving steps can help reduce soaring cooling costs.

James Burrows obituary

A leading light of American TV comedy, directing sitcoms such as Friends, Frasier and almost every episode of Cheers

James Burrows, who has died aged 85, was one of the most influential figures in US television sitcoms for more than four decades. He was the co-creator and primary director of Cheers, one of America’s most beloved and successful sitcoms, which ran for 11 seasons between 1982 and 1993 and won 28 Primetime Emmy awards. Its final episode was second only to that of M*A*S*H as the most-watched of all time.

However, unlike producer/writers such as Nat Hiken, Norman Lear or Larry Gelbart, who had stamped their marks on previous generations, Burrows’ influence came entirely as a director. As such he was intimately involved in the creation of many shows, and enjoyed long runs on sitcoms such as the Cheers spin-off Frasier, Friends, and Will and Grace. For years he was the first-choice director of pilot episodes, used to sell programmes to the networks; he did almost 100 of them, including two versions of some, if the first produced only a lukewarm response.

Deaths in France surged 30% during hottest week of record June heatwave

Public health authority says 2,025 excess deaths probably an underestimate and that it expects toll to rise further

The number of deaths recorded in France surged by nearly 30% during the hottest week of the record-breaking heatwave that scorched much of Europe last month, the public health authority has said, adding that it expected the toll to rise further.

Public Health France said on Friday there had been “an increase of 29.1%, corresponding to 2,025 additional deaths compared with the previous week”. It said the figure was probably an underestimate and “mortality will rise further”.

Inside the security operations for July Fourth celebrations in D.C.

The Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C., are deemed a "national special security event," which is the highest possible designation.

Prince William appears on "New Heights" podcast ahead of Swift-Kelce wedding

Prince William will appear on the podcast hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce just hours before Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's anticipated wedding.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding: everything we know so far – The Latest

The US superstar golden couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are finally tying the knot in a rumoured major event in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The couple – who got engaged 10 months ago, announced via an Instagram post that received 14m likes in its first hour online – held an intimate rehearsal dinner at MSG with a rumoured guest list of 1,000 for today’s ceremony and construction of a custom-made fairytale castle inside.

But with tight security, NDAs and New York streets on lockdown – what do we know? Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian writer Elle Hunt

Here's who won — and lost — under Trump's "big, beautiful bill"

A year after President Trump signed the sweeping tax and spending package, its effects on households, businesses and federal programs are increasingly evident.

Zohran Mamdani rebukes Trumpism with pro-immigrant speech for US’s 250th birthday

New York mayor’s speech cut ideological counterpoint to policies of president, who will deliver his own remarks later today

New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, exalted the city’s legacy of immigrants on Friday in a historically laden, ideological counterpoint to a US semiquincentennial address that was expected later in the day from Donald Trump – who has sought to deport immigrants en masse throughout his second presidency.

Speaking from behind a desk at New York’s city hall that belonged to the US’s first president, George Washington, and which itself is a century older than the Resolute desk in the White House, Mamdani was surrounded by naturalized citizens like himself as he listed the waves of immigrants who shaped the city.

I used to revere the great experiment that is the United States. After Trump, I’m not so sure | Jonathan Freedland

On paper, the US constitution is a thing of beauty. But the would-be emperor in Washington has revealed its great weakness

America’s big birthday has come at a bad time. On Saturday it will be a divided nation that marks 250 years since 13 North American colonies declared their independence from the Great Britain of George III. Many will be anxious that the republic they established that day is fragile – not least because of the would-be emperor in the White House.

Some will console themselves that hope and angst have always been intertwined in the American story. From the very start, confidence in a bright, exceptional US future was combined with foreboding and doubt. At the close of the 1787 constitutional convention, a woman approached one of the founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, to ask if the delegates had established a monarchy or a republic. Franklin’s answer: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist

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.

Mbappé becomes leader of France’s collective under Deschamps’ regime of trust

Les Bleus’ thrilling front four is built on the spirit the head coach has fostered in his squad, allowing them to be both secure and adventurous

It was a striking image, the picture that best captured France’s World Cup campaign to this point. Not the one that caught Michael Olise in full flight as he executed a perfect bicycle kick that only sprang ungratefully off a Swedish post. Nor the one of the squad posing together on their private jet, turqoise hoods drawn tight to their chins. Instead it was the one of the hug, first between Kylian Mbappé and Didier Deschamps, and then with the rest of the squad too, as they celebrated the opening goal of their 3-0 last-32 victory over Sweden in a purposeful manner.

Deschamps said later that Mbappé’s dash towards the technical area had “touched me deeply”. The head coach had briefly stepped back from his duties the week before to grieve the loss of his mother. Mbappé and the squad had wanted publicly to show how much he meant to them. “The group is united,” Deschamps said. “They delivered when I was away and now I’m back, they know I’m here 100%. Team spirit doesn’t win you matches but it can help you lose them. The collective strength is above everything and Kylian is the best shining example.”

New pipeline in Canada to proceed after C$150bn pledged to ease BC and First Nations concerns

Port expansion and protections for whales part of BC and Alberta plan to expand country’s presence overseas

The governments of Canada and the province of Alberta will move forward on a major new oil pipeline after the pair announced a plan to ease concerns of British Columbia and First Nations on the Pacific coast.

Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, shuttled between British Columbia and Alberta on Thursday to announce more than C$150bn in new investments in both provinces, part of a broader project of reducing trade with the United States and expanding his country’s presence in overseas markets.

Martin Rowson on Donald Trump and 250 years of US independence – cartoon

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Three men found not guilty of murdering journalist Lyra McKee

Family of woman who died after being hit by a bullet as she observed rioting in Derry say justice system has failed her

Three men from Derry have been found not guilty of murdering the journalist Lyra McKee in 2019.

Her family said the verdict at Belfast crown court meant the justice system had “completely failed” them and McKee.

Supergirl is a box office catastrophe. How can Marvel and DC save the superhero movie?

Cinematic universes rely on audiences investing in minor characters – but as that interest wanes, it may be up to the big guns to keep the genre afloat

It’s sometimes hard to believe that modern Superman movies existed for nearly four decades before the Man of Steel met Batman on the big screen. Since 2008, when Iron Man first clanged into life, we’ve become used to superhero cinema as one giant, interlocking machine: capes, gods, aliens and magic rocks all rattling around the same cosmic pinball table. There have been dozens of these comic book films, often built around characters once little known to the average cinemagoer: Rocket Raccoon, Ant-Man, Blue Beetle.

Until recently, audiences lapped up each new arrival like an all-you-can-eat superhero buffet. It felt as if there would always be another dusty helmet, glowing cube or giant talking tree waiting in the great comic book attic to be transformed into a billion-dollar proposition. Nobody expected the well to run dry this soon. Which brings us somewhat awkwardly to Supergirl’s disastrous box office.

Six cocktails for summer good times

A rainbow assortment of sunshine quenchers that look lavish but can be dispensed in short order

Cynar is an artichoke amaro – unfashionably brown but incredibly delicious. It can be made into an ugly spritz, or you can embrace its hue and make this little number. My aperitivo of 2026.

Armour? Power? ‘Walk-on fits’ bring moment for fashion set at Wimbledon

Naomi Osaka leads way in making bold sartorial statements just before a tennis match – but she is not alone

At Wimbledon this week, Naomi Osaka walked on to court wearing frills, a bustle, outsized bows and extended sleeves. Based on Japan’s ceremonial dress, as well as Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, the pieces designed by Hana Yagi conformed to the all-white Wimbledon dress code but the first one was so high-fashion that it debuted on Vogue before it was seen near a tennis court.

Osaka, who in January went viral at the Australian Open for wearing an outlandish design with mega-pleats based on the look of a jellyfish, is leading the way when it comes to experimental “walk-on fits”. But other players have also used the moment to make sartorial statements, not least Frances Tiafoe who did a surprise reveal – dramatically ripping off his trousers to show the shorts underneath.

In Thailand’s sex tourism hub, bright lights flash, loud music blares – and underage girls are exploited

The death of a Thai girl has highlighted the dangers of the country’s illegal but ‘normalised’ sex tourism trade

Sky Kanyarat was playing pool in the early hours of the morning in one of Thailand’s most famous red light districts when a middle-aged foreigner with a heavy gait approached her.

She had often seen him walking past the bar where she worked in Pattaya, a city about a two-hour drive from Bangkok. But this was the first time Kanyarat had seen him come in.

Football Daily | Time waits for no man, nor Cristiano Ronaldo’s football legacy

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Before Football Daily’s inbox is flooded by an angry reader with fingers busier than Arsenal fans at a Viktor Gyökores lookalike contest, we would like to shout from the rooftops that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest male football players of all time. How far up or down that list is another matter, but there is no denying his place at the top table of our sport. Clutch moments, sublime bits of skill and athleticism, a trophy cabinet big enough to holiday in: Ronaldo has done (almost) everything for club and country. But time waits for no man.

Football died a bit yesterday, didn’t it? No one actually saw the ball touch Igor Matanovic’s head for Croatia against Portugal. The ball’s trajectory didn’t change significantly, even the ball’s spin didn’t change. Yet the computer sensor felt something, and thus we must all bow to it. What’s objective to a machine is more objective than our own sense apparatus. This feels momentous – not a ‘paradigm shift’ or anything so dramatic, but it does encapsulate in a neat anecdote how our attitude to technology has been changing over the decades, how we feel happier and happier to delegate important decisions to it, how we become, in a literal way, ever more irresponsible. The GWC, as several of your own writers have already described it, is a weirdly warped microcosm of the world at large. And what happened yesterday can be read as a very ill omen” – Fábio Ribeiro.

Abandoned review – this real-life mystery makes for TV that’s a wild helter-skelter ride

Now grown, three siblings search for clues as to why their parents left them at a Barcelona railway station in 1984 – and uncover a secret family history they could never have imagined

Did you know your surname when you were five years old? The more you think about it, the harder the question becomes to answer. Most of us will have been lucky enough for it not to matter – parents or guardians were always on hand to look after those details. But for Ramón, Elvira and Ricard, it was a very real issue. Their family name was a mystery. Over its four episodes, this gripping documentary series both shows and tells what that absence really means.

The three siblings were found by a station guard as they wandered around Barcelona’s Estació de França in 1984. They carried no luggage or ID. The oldest of them ( Ramón) was five. They had been driven there by a man they knew only as Denis. He had left, ostensibly to buy them sweets, and never returned. No adults came forward to claim them so they found themselves in the Spanish childcare system.

Abandoned is on Disney+

North and south collide in new Nations Championship of punishing itineraries

Six matches from Cardiff to Córdoba are bound to be intriguing – but player welfare is taking a back seat

Welcome to rugby’s latest controversial ruse. The next time World Rugby spouts that thing about player welfare being their No 1 priority, just say “Nations Championship” back at them. The next time the governing body goes on about the sanctity of the World Cup, do the same.

The Nations Championship begins this weekend, a coming together of six teams from the north against six from the “south” – well, five plus Japan (it’s just not working, is it).

This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 5)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

‘If you see one movie this year’: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey set to storm the box office

The summer’s most anticipated film will raise epic questions about culture wars, classics and the nature of film-making

In a plot twist worthy of the ancient bards themselves, the hottest movie of the summer isn’t a superhero flick, or an alien-invasion yarn, or a crinolines-and-bonnets period drama. Instead, it is an adaptation of a nearly 3,000-year-old epic poem, which film-maker Christopher Nolan is releasing as a follow-up to Oppenheimer, his grim, Oscar-winning study of the origins of nuclear war. Nolan, previously director of Memento, the Dark Knight trilogy and Dunkirk, has now turned his attention to the Odyssey, the classical Greek saga that, along with its companion epic the Iliad, is one of the foundational works of western civilisation.

Nolan’s adaptation is a big-budget affair, the largest of his career at an estimated $250m, and the director has peopled it with a cast ranging from established Hollywood stars such as Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, newer teen-friendly faces including couple of the moment Zendaya and Spider-Man’s Tom Holland, and idiosyncratic choices such as Lupita Nyong’o, Mia Goth, Samantha Morton and fellow director Benny Safdie.

Spain’s conservatives and far-right Vox increase ties with Andalucía coalition

Deal including ‘national priority’ policy brings prospect closer of countrywide agreement between parties

The prospect of a national coalition between Spain’s conservative People’s party (PP) and the far-right Vox party has drawn closer still after the two groupings sealed another deal that will allow the PP to continue ruling the southern region of Andalucía.

The PP, which has governed the former socialist bastion for the past seven years, lost its absolute majority in May’s regional election, forcing it to look to Vox to help it stay in power in Spain’s most populous region.

Meet the members of The U.S. Army Brass Quintet

The U.S. Army Brass Quintet joins "CBS Mornings" to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday. Master Sgt. Kevin Gebo shares the band's favorite songs to play and discusses what they're looking forward to most this weekend.

Ali Khamenei’s six-day funeral expected to draw millions in Iran

Country’s leadership vows to never surrender as memorial on grand scale aims to relay message of resistance to world

In the small hours of Friday the police roadblocks, stalls, posters and army vans were starting to appear across Tehran, as millions of Iranians prepared to attend the long-delayed six-day funeral ceremony for Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for 36 turbulent years.

Khamenei was killed aged 86 in the opening salvo of the US-Israeli attack on the country in February, and the final farewell ceremony is intended to be an epic display of personal mourning, national power, resilience and social cohesion. By Thursday, knots of mourners carrying flags and blankets were already gathering along roads festooned with banners showing the red fist, the symbol of the funeral, alongside the slogan: “We must rise.” Many were heading to special hostels being set up across Tehran for the pilgrims. In Revolution Square a giant statue of a clenched fist was being installed.

From jalapeño relish and peanut butter to sliced peach and granola: Ella Risbridger’s recipes for fancy toast

You can elevate a simple bit of toast to something sublime using this simple formula

Toast is a baseline meal for me. A daily friend. A daily best friend I’m always glad to see. And much like a best friend, it’s always fun to see her get gussied up a little once in a while. Think elegant; think dainty; think, as a general guideline: soft, sharp, frill.

Soft is self-explanatory. Even butter counts, if you keep it cool and thick. Avocado.

Hormones on the brain? Everything you need to know about HRT, testosterone, melatonin and more

Cortisol is bad. Testosterone makes you aggressive. Melatonin helps you sleep. Experts bust common hormone myths

False The main puberty hormones are oestrogen and progesterone for girls and testosterone for boys. “They are active in the womb during foetal development and in infancy in a phase called mini-puberty,” says Sasha Howard, clinical reader and honorary consultant in paediatric endocrinology at Queen Mary, University of London and Barts Health NHS trust.

Actors bring historical figures and America's 250-year history to life in Philadelphia

Actors with Historic Philadelphia turn sightseeing in the city into storytelling - bringing historical figures like Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross to life. Janelle Burrell shows how they're celebrating 250 years of America.

Behind the scenes of July Fourth fireworks show to celebrate America 250

The Fourth of July festivities in D.C. will include what's expected to be the largest fireworks show in American history. Pyrotecnico, which has been putting on displays for more than a century, is in charge of the celebration. Rocco Vitale, the company's president, gives a sneak peak at the operation.

View from Freedom 250 Ferris wheel

The Great American State Fair has taken over Washington's National Mall and includes a massive 110-foot-tall Ferris wheel. Ed O'Keefe reports.

Alan Gignoux: Homeland Lost review – a landscape as bereft as its people

P21 Gallery, London
Resonant black and white photographs show Palestinian refugees and the sites today of the homes they were forced to leave during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war

These places were once filled with conversation, smells of cooking, laughter, comfort. Now I’m staring into a silent, rubble-strewn abyss. Eyewitness accounts that accompany documentary photographer Alan Gignoux’s black and white portraits of Palestinian refugees and the homes they were forced to leave refer repeatedly to the abundance that once came from these razed fields – olives, grains, figs, carob and grapes. Where there was life, now there is nothing. The vast losses seem etched into the faces of Gignoux’s subjects, even as they look back at his camera with defiance.

All Gignoux’s subjects have either been exiled by the Nakba – the mass displacement of Palestinians in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war – or are their descendants. They now live in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank or Gaza. Gignoux promised each of his subjects that he would to return to their homes on their behalf, and photograph them. The series gives a detailed view of what happened in different villages in 1948, the circumstances under which people left and the repercussions across generations.

Ukrainian woman suspected of Monaco parcel bombing was ‘disguised as a man’

Suspect seen in Germany after attack apparently targeting tycoon Vadym Iermolaiev

The main suspect in a Monaco bomb attack this week that seriously injured a Ukraine-born business tycoon and two of his family members is a Ukrainian woman living in Germany who disguised herself as a man, authorities have said.

Interpol, the international police organisation, on Friday issued a red notice for Anastasiia Berezovska, aged 39, describing her as German-speaking with dark hair and a tattoo, possibly of a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow.

The American innovation that made millions of others possible

From the lightbulb to the airplane, to medical breakthroughs and the internet age, the past 250 years have been defined by America's intrepid intellect.

Messi dogs and a Himalayan pilgrimage: photos of the day – Friday

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

‘The wheels are coming off’: readers reflect on the 250th anniversary of the American experiment

Against a backdrop of sweeping rollbacks of civil rights and deteriorating relations with allies, many are feeling cynical

As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary on 4 July, the country faces a turbulent moment under the Donald Trump administration.

The anniversary coincides with sweeping rollbacks of civil rights, deteriorating relations with traditional allies and growing domestic opposition to the administration’s handling of immigration and free speech. Against this backdrop, many Americans say they feel increasingly cynical about the country’s future.

Inside look at security operations for July Fourth celebrations in D.C.

Security is heightened around Washington, D.C., as crowds are set to gather to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday. Nicole Sganga reports.

The Tech Download: Amazon’s devices chief Panos Panay on tech giant's AI gadget push

CNBC's Arjun Kharpal sits down Amazon's Panay on the latest episode of The Tech Download podcast.

Mission launched to rescue a falling space telescope

Katalyst Space's LINK spacecraft is designed to capture and boost NASA's Swift observatory back to a safe altitude.

Dangerous heat wave impacting much of the U.S. ahead of Fourth of July celebrations

An intense heat wave is sweeping across the East Coast as final preparations are underway for Fourth of July celebrations. Rob Marciano has a look at the forecast and its impact.

The US turns 250 and Taylor Swift gets married. I think we all know which is a bigger deal | Marina Hyde

The cultural phenomenon is beginning her latest era in a castle built inside Madison Square Garden. It’s the perfect celebration for our post-privacy age

It is a cast-iron rule of the comments-section era that there is absolutely no celebrity you can write about without some person dialling in to post a contemptuous: “Who?” Did I say some person? Forgive me: I think I might have meant some guy. Strangely, you never see a “who?” below articles about sport, as though the posters have somehow grasped that ostentatiously announcing that they have precisely no idea about Ousmane Dembélé is not some status-symbol flex, and could secure them quite a painful wedgie.

I am looking forward to catching my first “who?” about Taylor Swift on the occasion of her wedding to Travis Kelce, which is taking place – perhaps you’ve heard? – in New York today. Because of course Miss Americana and her NFL star fiance are getting married over the Fourth of July weekend. And not just any Fourth of July, but the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson. (I know: who?)

Ford achieves quality milestone, as CEO targets flawless new vehicle launches

Ford CEO Jim Farley told CNBC that the automaker has learned from its past quality and recall issues, which have hurt its earnings and stained its reputation.

Cocktail of the week: Society Manchester’s Salford fog – recipe | The good mixer

A refreshing Mancunian twist on two classic British gin-based drinks, infused with elderflower liqueur and earl grey

This is a reimagining of two classic British drinks, the English garden and the London fog, but with a Mancunian twist. It brings together gin, earl grey, elderflower and honey in a refreshing, lightly floral cocktail that’s perfectly suited to drinking in the garden on a hot day. We like to champion local producers, so use Salford Distillery’s gin, but any well-balanced, citrus-forward dry gin will work.

Lucy Bryant, Society, Manchester

‘Suddenly I was a celebrity. I didn’t want to be!’ Sue Johnston on fame, loneliness and her new robot pal

She’s been a soap icon, a Royle and even a zombie pensioner. Now the actor is starring in Ann Droid, Diane Morgan’s madcap comedy about an elderly woman and her cybernetic companion

Sue Johnston is the kind of actor who usually can’t stand seeing herself on screen, but for Ann Droid she made an exception. The new sitcom by Diane Morgan and Sarah Kendall stars the 82-year-old as a recent widow whose son hires a humanoid robot called Linda (played with delightful uncanniness by Morgan herself) to assist her after he moves out. The results are initially farcical: Linda is a dated – and therefore relatively cheap – model who lacks the intelligence of newer variants and attempts to cheer people up by blasting Cotton Eye Joe at them. Yet the pair soon become inseparable. Johnston describes the show as “rich with humour and love”. When she watched it back, she found it so absorbing that “I forgot it was me – I very rarely do that and I just enjoyed it.”

Ann Droid is worth raving about on its own terms – it’s rambunctiously funny and exceptionally poignant – but it is clear Johnston’s enthusiasm stems from somewhere else too. “I’m proud of Diane and I just want it to work for her,” she says with feeling. The pair met on the set of the Sky sitcom Rovers before Morgan made it big with Philomena Cunk and Motherland and kept in touch. “Which you don’t with everyone. We’re both silly about our dogs; we just made a connection.” She was thrilled to reunite. “There’s a lot about Diane that reminds me of Caroline Aherne. They’ve got that northern, straight-face, cut-through humour. And they’re geniuses.”

July 4th events threatened by heat wave. And, Russia strikes on Ukraine's capital

July 4th events for America's milestone birthday are being threatened by a brutal heat wave. And, Russia has struck Ukraine's capital, killing several people in what it calls retaliatory attacks.

‘All those lovely floaty clothes!’ How Penelope Keith supercharged 70s style as Margo Leadbetter

With her kaftans and her headbands and even the odd paper hat, snobbish Margo stole every scene in the sitcom The Good Life. This was what colour TV was made for

Penelope Keith died this week at the age of 86. A formidable actor who came across in real life as grounded, humble and charming, she was known for playing brittle, status-obsessed characters on stage and screen. And none were more memorable than The Good Life’s Margo Leadbetter, whose command of a room depended as much on her diva-level wardrobe as on her pristine home counties vowels. Here was someone who refused to accept the concept of being overdressed, even when answering the hallway telephone. From the moment we first see Margo (in episode two – she is only heard off-screen in episode one), in a screamingly loud chiffon tangerine kaftan, it is obvious that she is the one to watch – first and foremost for her style.

In the 2025 documentary The Good Life: Inside Out, now on Apple TV, celebrating 50 years of the 1970s sitcom, Keith explains that most of the series’ costume budget went on Margo because of her frequent outfit changes: “And people couldn’t wait to see what Margo would wear next.” Keith used to spend Mondays – “my one day off” – in Harrods (“occasionally Harvey Nichols”) trying on pieces: “All those hours in there I spent, trying on those lovely floaty clothes …”. Here are a few of her best looks.

Norway have finally lived up to World Cup billing – a reunion with Brazil is perfect timing | Lars Sivertsen

Ståle Solbakken’s side have surpassed previous golden generation as they prepare to meet team they beat in 1998

For a country of 5.6 million people, Norway’s list of competitive achievements is remarkable. Our Winter Olympians gobble up medals at a freakish rate, our women’s handball team is all-conquering, we’ve had standout successes in athletics such as the Ingebrigtsen brothers, we’ve had two tournament winners on this season’s PGA tour and, improbably, Norway has also produced the greatest chess player of all time. And while these successes are cherished and celebrated, nothing unites the country quite like football – and no match has stopped the country in its tracks quite like the 2-1 win against Brazil in the final group game of the 1998 World Cup.

The sound of commentator Arne Scheie announcing “Vi har scoret i Marseille!” (“We have scored in Marseille!”) is as firmly etched into our brains as much as anything said by Norwegian poets and politicians in the last 50 years. Scheie was already something of a national treasure, a commentator known for his level-headedness and factual rigour, but when Norway won a late penalty with the score 1-1 he lost the run of himself entirely. He referred to the penalty taker, the Hertha Berlin midfielder Kjetil Rekdal as “Kjetil Reknett, of Werder Bremen” (Reknett is not a surname in Norwegian or, as far as I am aware, any other language).

‘I can only describe it as a war zone’: the rescuers navigating Venezuela’s post-quake hellscape

Thousands of volunteers are joined by overseas teams in the hope of finding more survivors in the rubble, reports Tom Phillips in Caraballeda.

Photography and video by Manu Quintero

When twin earthquakes tore through Venezuela’s northern coast last week, Israel Rivas was at home hundreds of miles away in the industrial city of San Félix. As the scale of the catastrophe became clear, the 24-year-old knew he had to react. A mechanic and budding photographer, Rivas gathered the money he had been saving to buy a new camera lens and jumped on a bus to make the 12-hour journey to La Guaira, the coastal state that has suffered the most damage.

“I couldn’t eat well. I couldn’t sleep well, knowing that my brothers and sisters from this country are dying, so I … came here and I’m doing the best I can,” he said on Wednesday, exactly a week after the disaster, as he stood outside Residencia La Gabarra, a 12-storey block of beachside apartments that had collapsed into a jumble of reinforced concrete and bricks with at least three children inside.

I’m putting creatine in my breakfast - but will it make me stronger, healthier and happier?

I am having the world’s most basic midlife crisis. I have not found God. I have found a fitness supplement that was once the preserve of male bodybuilders

I like to think that I’m not an easily influenced person who chases every trend. But what can I say? It can be hard to resist the power of the almighty algorithm. So let me confess that I find myself in the throes of the world’s most basic midlife crisis. I have not found God (religion is back in fashion, apparently), but I have found creatine.

It’s possible that you too have discovered creatine: the supplement is all the rage right now. For those who haven’t started mainlining it every morning, a quick primer. Creatine is a fitness supplement that used to be the preserve of male bodybuilders looking to build big muscles. Now, however, it’s being touted as a wonder product that can do everything from improving your memory to boosting your mood to controlling your blood sugar.

Just gave birth or are about to? Share your story and questions about costs

The costs of having a baby in the U.S. can be hard to predict and budget for. We want to hear your stories and questions about how to navigate the system.

The best recent poetry – review roundup

Cafés by Holly Pester; The Acrobat by Wisława Szymborska; Volvelle by Rachael Boast; Tree of Knowledge by Victoria Chang; Talk a Blue Streak by Lila Matsumoto

Cafés by Holly Pester (Fitzcarraldo, £12.99)
Beginning with a sequence of prose poems in which the speaker embarks on an anti-epic quest to open her own cafe, Pester’s second collection builds into a meditation on the nature of desire and disappointment. Comic timing remains a strength, as does her linguistic flexibility, wielding language as a weapon in the face of exploitative working conditions, endless monthly direct debits (“Even my egg subscription is a disaster”) and an intensifying cost-of-living crisis. Juggling the demands of caring for an ageing parent, the excited desperation of a love affair, the “fudgy ordeal” of work and the possibility of parenthood, Pester’s speaker discovers solace in the third space of the cafe, both a meeting point and melting pot. “Here begins inspiration, here begins drama,” she suggests. “I order another coffee in honour of circumstantial life.” Ambitious and inviting, this confident collection confirms Fitzcarraldo’s entry in the arena of contemporary poetry.

The Acrobat by Wisława Szymborska, translated by Stanisław Barańczak and Clare Cavanagh (Faber, £12.99)
A slimline selection of Szymborska’s work, showcasing intimate and immediate poems that explore themes of endurance and astonishment. Reflecting the turbulent history of Poland in the 20th century, Szymborska describes life both during and after conflict, documenting the violence of war alongside moments of resilience and poignant domesticity. “After every war / somebody has to tidy up,” she reminds us. “Someone has to shove / the rubble to the roadsides / so the carts loaded with corpses / can get by.” With plainspoken wisdom and deadpan humour, these poems celebrate the ordinary in extraordinary times. Rooted in the pains and joys of everyday human experience, Szymborska’s poetry proves “The commonplace miracle: / that so many common miracles take place.” The book ends with her 1996 Nobel acceptance speech, in which she praises the inexhaustible wonder of the world: “It looks as though poets will always have their work cut out for them.”

Add to playlist: the high-camp Irish trad of SexyTadhg and the week’s best new tracks

The Irish fiddler brings pop exuberance to traditional songs that range from disco to haunting a cappella with a fearless sense of genre fluidity

From Carlow, Ireland
Recommended if you like The Mary Wallopers, Chappell Roan, Anohni
Up next SlutTrad EP out now, UK and Ireland tour starts in October

At a recent London show, SexyTadhg – real name Tadhg Griffin – appeared in a glittering pink corset, channelling high-camp cabaret. And then, they started playing the fiddle.

This is how seriously a patient’s skin colour can affect the quality of medical care they receive | Devi Sridhar

New reporting from the Guardian has shed further light on the ‘ethnicity pain gap’. This is what has to be done to close it

• Read more from the Guardian’s ethnicity pain gap series

I always know someone is going to say something racist when they start a sentence with, “I’m not racist, but …” Nobody likes to think they would ever discriminate against someone based on the colour of their skin – and some people seem increasingly uncomfortable about acknowledging that such discrimination exists at all in the world. Yet we are now seeing a backlash from certain political groups against diversity initiatives, including from Kemi Badenoch who wants to do away with “DEI bureaucracy”, and Nigel Farage who promises to get rid of “woke” council roles such as those involved in increasing diversity, equity and inclusion.

Whatever your political views, no one wants debates to be lost in emotion rather than based on the evidence. So it is helpful to come back to facts about race and how it affects people’s lives. And as new Guardian reporting on racial inequalities in pain relief reveals, when it comes to healthcare, the evidence is overwhelming: race and ethnicity are associated with differences in the quality of care people receive and, ultimately, in their health outcomes. Regardless of whether anyone is being racist, it is clear that some people receive worse healthcare because of their racial or ethnic background.

Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh

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.

Former USAID head grieves its closure while hoping for its future

Former USAID administrator reflects on a year since USAID's shutdown and the new direction of US foreign aid.

I’m in no mood to ‘celebrate’ America. Our country is broken and needs repair | Jamil Smith

America at 250 is not a finished monument, but a structure still under repair

To call this Saturday the nation’s 250th birthday is to indulge a comfortable fiction. 1776 was a declaration, not a birth certificate – and the founders wrote its claims of human equality while this nation enslaved human beings. A truer account of American freedom runs through 1619 and Juneteenth, when Americans forced the country, at last, to begin making its promises answerable to reality.

So I’m not in the mood to celebrate “America 250”, and I’m not alone. The affection is thin this summer: the Pew Research Center found that 69% of Americans were dissatisfied with the country’s direction early this year. That is not ingratitude. Sometimes a sour mood is simply clear vision.

Jamil Smith is a Guardian US columnist

Got a sunny bed going spare? Tayberries offer great bang for your buck

They are a delightful cross between a raspberry and a blackberry – and fruit abundantly with the right care

This time last year, when my veg patch was feeling chaotic, I decided to make a big and fairly consequential change to my setup – devoting one of my five annual beds to perennial fruit. I figured that it would be less effort, more bang-for-your-buck and, importantly, less water and resource-intensive once the plants were settled in. It felt very daring to give up the sunniest bed in a relatively small space but now that the tayberries are here, I’m seeing that my bold decision has really paid off.

Tayberries are a delightful cross between a raspberry and a blackberry that grows vigorously and fruits abundantly with the right care. I purchased my tayberries as small potted plants, although it tends to be cheaper to buy them as bare root stock in winter. If you’re fortunate enough to know someone who has an established tayberry, plants can be readily propagated through tip layering – rooting long branches when they touch the ground.

What's open and closed on July 3 and July 4? See which stores are operating.

Major retail stores will be open on Friday, although some may have modified hours on Saturday, July 4.

"Vanishingly rare" copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K.

A volunteer at the National Archives in London found the document among other papers seized from an American ship in 1776.

The Badger, the Professor and the teenager: France’s long wait for a Tour champion | William Fotheringham

The hype around Paul Seixas is fully justified as the 19-year-old bids to end four decades of French disappointment

When you write about the Tour de France for the best part of (deep breath) 40 years, the same themes recur, constantly evolving and mutating. The contorted fortunes of France’s finest cyclists have been a constant narrative since 4 July 1990, when the late Laurent Fignon put foot to tarmac in the feed zone somewhere in the bocage between Avranches and Rouen. It was cold, dank and wet, which given the canicule concerns gripping France at the moment seems like a bit of history in itself.

Fignon had started as one of the favourites, but that was the beginning of the end for “the Professor”. The search for a successor to the five-time winner Bernard Hinault had begun in 1986, the Badger’s retirement year when the ephemeral heir apparent was Jean-François Bernard; 1990 was when the doubts gained pace, intensifying with each passing year and with each potential champion who emerged, went under the spotlight, and eventually crumbled: Richard Virenque, Luc Leblanc, Laurent Jalabert, Romain Bardet, Warren Barguil, Thibaut Pinot.

But first, coffee: The drink that energized the American Revolution

Colonial Americans were drinking coffee long before they dumped tea into Boston Harbor or fought a war for independence. The establishments that served it were already brewing revolutionary ideas.

How young people feel about American identity, on the nation's 250th birthday

Listen to the best student podcasts about what "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" means for young people today.

What is Paralives? The creative life simulator game that could rival The Sims

With players leaving EA’s series once life there felt like a grind beset by ethical concerns, this quirky new sim promises a better life elsewhere

For 26 years, the life-sims genre has been dominated by one series: The Sims. Originally designed by Will Wright, creator of Sim City, EA’s virtual dollhouse series has grown into a $5bn [£3.8bn] empire with the constant release of new games, expansion packs, and collaborations cementing its place among the bestselling video game franchises of all time. But things are beginning to change. New contenders are emerging and turning the heads of even loyal players in The Sims community.

The most recent, and promising, of these is Paralives, once the solo project of indie designer Alex Massé, who is now employing a small team of developers. Released on the PC games platform Steam in May 2026 as an early access title (meaning it’s technically unfinished and looking for user feedback), it sold 250,000 copies in just eight hours. On that first day, the concurrent player count hit 78,603 – not far off The Sims 4’s all-time peak of 96,328 in 2022. While Paralives is a small project, this success is understandable. Following the news of EA’s controversial acquisition by a Saudi-backed business consortium, some simmers are looking for what they see as a more ethical alternative. But this is only part of the game’s appeal. The real draw is the game’s focus on creativity over realism: the quirky details that made many fans fall in love with The Sims in the first place.

Morning news brief

Heat threatens U.S. 250th celebrations, Russian advances slow as Ukraine hits back, infighting risks derailing Democrats' House hopes.

Oman walks a diplomatic tightrope over Strait of Hormuz fees, creating a ‘blind spot’ for markets

Oman is using strategic ambiguity as talks over possible Strait of Hormuz fees raise legal, diplomatic and oil market concerns.

Sports quiz of the week: World Cup, Ben Stokes, Wimbledon and LeBron James

Have you followed the big stories in football, cricket, tennis, rugby union, basketball, cycling and Formula One?

Week in wildlife: Neil the seal, a pink grasshopper and condors in love

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world

On the Mark by Florence Hazrat review – a fascinating history of punctuation

This lavishly researched book shows that dots and dashes are an essential component of style, whether you’re a medieval monk or Donald Trump

How do you feel about exclamation marks? Otherwise known as gaspers, screamers, dog’s cocks, or shrieks. In his Modern English Usage, Fowler said that using too many betrays an “uneducated or unpractised writer”. Martin Amis called them “joke badges”, and Theodor Adorno “soundless cymbal-crashing”. The novelist Elmore Leonard specified that you were allowed only two or three every 100,000 words. He was being generous.

Florence Hazrat notes that the Nazis loved exclamation marks, with Goebbels pencilling in triplets of them into a speech for Hitler. The modern German linguist Konrad Ehlich is described here as believing that “slapping exclamation marks on to the end of statements turns all utterance into shouting, and all thinking into order”. At the same time she derides male scholars who have complained about previous editors inserting exclamation marks into the speech of Beowulf on the grounds that it feminises the hero.

‘The clearest seas I’ve ever swum in’: readers’ favourite holidays to Greece

Beach-hopping, gorge hikes and awesome archaeological sites feature in your best memories of Greece

• Tell us about a family day out in the UK – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher

We first noticed Milos as we travelled home from Crete, flying directly above it and deciding that was where we must go next. It didn’t disappoint. The island was calm, peaceful and strikingly beautiful. Milos isn’t well known, but it should be; the true home of the Aphrodite of Melos, displayed in the Louvre, Paris as the Venus de Milo. The northern coast was spectacular, shaped by volcanic activity and particularly picturesque. Sarakiniko is the perfect stop for photographs with its white rock. Truly an unforgettable trip.
Chris Rimell

The 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule and how to watch

With 104 World Cup games being played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, it's like "a Super Bowl every single day for five weeks," U.S. team captain Tim Ream told CBS News.

Spyware used against MEP investigating Pegasus abuses, report finds

Researchers say Stelios Kouloglou’s device was compromised after he joined European parliamentary committee

NSO Group’s hacking software was repeatedly used against a member of the European parliament while he was conducting an investigation of spyware abuses in Europe, according to a new report.

Researchers at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto said they could not attribute the attacks against Stelios Kouloglou to any particular government operator of Pegasus spyware. But their investigation found the attack against the Greek now-former MEP bore the hallmarks of a previous hacking campaign against exiled Russian and Belarusian journalists in Europe.

Love story: what to wear to celebrate Taylor Swift’s wedding

As Taylor and Travis tie the knot, lean into the Swiftie mania with a nod (subtly) to red, white and blue, and add bejewelled accessories

Weatherwatch: How thunder is made

Sound of thunder varies depending on distance of listener from lightning as atmosphere muffles and absorbs sound

A bolt of lightning heats the air almost instantly to as high as 30,000C, causing explosive expansion and a supersonic shock wave that becomes thunder. What that thunder sounds like to a listener depends largely on where they are.

Nearby lightning produces a distinctive snap or crack, or a startling explosive boom. Large, complex lightning with multiple segments generates a peal of thunder, a series of booms of different pitches as the sound from each of the segments reaches you in turn.

‘I feel both thrilled and ruined by this’: Olivia Wilde and Edward Norton on making sex comedy The Invite

Their movie about marital bed death is this summer’s buzziest, funniest film. Its director and her co-star talk self-loathing, psychosexuality and unexpected eruptions

Earlier this week, Edward Norton took a night flight from New York to London and felt so dreadful the next day he decided to get a massage. “I hadn’t had one in such a long time,” he says, “and I almost started crying. You’re like: ‘Oh! Ah!’”

He has heard similar sounds from cinemas screening his new movie, The Invite, which is about the devastating impact of marriage on your sex life. “People are almost tearful. They’re like: ‘I haven’t had a good, adult laugh that made me feel seen in a long time.’”

‘Scavenger’ dolphins increasingly rely on trawlers for food in overfished Adriatic, say scientists

In one area 76% of fishing boats were followed, with baby dolphins learning the technique from their parents

Bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic are increasingly following trawlers to scavenge for food, with baby dolphins learning the technique from their parents, a study has found.

“These days the easiest way to find [bottlenose dolphins] is to look for trawlers,” said Giovanni Bearzi, a co-author of the study and the president of Dolphin Biology and Conservation in Italy. “Many of them are followed by the dolphins that go to forage and scavenge in their wake.

Details emerge of Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding events at MSG

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding plans include a rehearsal dinner and a late-night celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York City, according to sources familiar with the security planning.