Scottish Premiership title decider, FA Cup final buildup and WSL finale – matchday live

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How the Premier League table looks after last night’s result…

Aston Villa cruised to a huge 4-2 win over Liverpool last night to secure qualification for next season’s Champions League. An Ollie Watkins double, along with goals from Morgan Rogers and John McGinn, saw Unai Emery and Co jump to fourth in the table.

The Guardian view on Middlemarch: the greatest novel in the English language | Editorial

George Eliot’s masterpiece of provincial life still has much to teach us about sympathy and tolerance

Virgina Woolf declared Middlemarch “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people”. Henry James said that some of its scenes were the most intelligent in English fiction. Even Martin Amis, over 100 years later, called it “a novel without weaknesses”. Now this 900-page portrait of 19th-century provincial life has been voted the best novel of all time in a Guardian poll of writers, academics and critics.

George Eliot (the pen name of Mary Ann Evans) was already a highly successful novelist by the time Middlemarch was published in instalments in 1871 and 1872. Beginning with a marriage, and a deeply unhappy one, it upends “the marriage plot” established by Jane Austen. Nineteen-year-old Dorothea Brooke has “a passionate desire to know and to think”, and a longing “to lead a grand life here – now – in England”. Unfortunately, that England didn’t afford many opportunities for women, and she misguidedly hitches her idealism to the desiccated scholar Casaubon. This is not the novel’s only disastrous marriage. The ambitious young doctor Tertius Lydgate makes an ill-suited match to the vain and shallow Rosamond Vincy.

Do people actually hate Arsenal? Yes, they do. The real question is why? | Barney Ronay

Mikel Arteta’s side will be deeply unpopular champions, but this probably says more about us than it does about them

There was a minor stir a few years back when some American scientists bred a strain of “gene-edited” hamsters with the chemical that causes anger removed, presumably so they could achieve one of humanity’s historic goals: the dream of a more docile hamster.

Unfortunately the opposite happened. What the scientists created was a race of hyper-angry hamsters. These were described a little glibly in the media as Mutant Rage Monsters. But science is always more nuanced than this. We shouldn’t put angry hamsters in a box, even when we are literally putting angry hamsters in a box. Longer studies have shown more varied results. Sarcastic hamsters. Hamsters that hold grudges. Hamsters that retreat into silence on long car journeys. Even a subset of passive-aggressive hamsters who are, seriously, just fine with this. It’s pretty much what they expected from you, anyway.

France plot England’s downfall but Marlie Packer and co defiant in final crunch

On Sunday the Red Roses chase an eighth straight Women’s Six Nations title, with hosts Les Bleues seeking a slam too

It all comes down to this, again. France have been runners-up to England in the Women’s Six Nations for the past six years, edging ever closer: last year’s decider was settled by a single point. But can François Ratier’s team not only end England’s dominance in this competition but also halt their 37-game winning run on Sunday? If they show up from minute one to 80, France can do it.

England will be favourites to lift their eighth straight Six Nations trophy but have been contending with a lot this tournament. Retirements, pregnancy and injury mean the team are without a wealth of talent including Zoe Stratford – the usual captain – Abbie Ward and Alex Matthews. They have continued to win with a depleted squad but their depth will be given its biggest test yet against an in-form France team.

‘It defies belief’: West Ham and Tottenham fans fume amid relegation panic

Our photographer, Tom Jenkins, captures the discontent at both clubs after years of mismanagement as the trapdoor awaits one of them

Fury. Grief. Embarrassment. Horror. Resignation. The emotions run hot for supporters of West Ham and Tottenham right now as the two grand old clubs stare at potential relegation from the Premier League.

With their spiritual homes demolished at the altar of progress and profit, first Upton Park in 2016 and then White Hart Lane in 2017, both clubs had visions of glory days ahead. Instead they have been consumed by greed, mismanagement and false promises. Key perpetrators such as Karren Brady at West Ham and Daniel Levy at Spurs have exited the scene, but David Sullivan is still the Hammers chairman and the damage remains.

Pictured above: Home fans react to a missed chance during the Premier League match between West Ham and Everton at the London Stadium on 25 April 2026. Pictured below: The London Stadium, claret boots and caps, and signs from a protest against the club’s owners. All photographs by Tom Jenkins.

The release of the UFO files won’t satisfy conspiracy theorists – but it certainly serves Trump’s agenda | Daniel Lavelle

If there’s no proof of aliens, the president can blame the deep state. If there’s proof, he’s a hero. Either way, it helps his popularity

The US Department of Defense released the first batch of its UFO files last week at the direction of the president, Donald Trump, who promised to make them public “based on the tremendous interest shown”.

Trump’s right, of course. Nearly half of Americans believe aliens have visited Earth, and many believe that the government is hoarding the evidence in some shadowy laboratory or military base. This conspiracy began in 1947 at Roswell, New Mexico, when the Roswell army airfield issued a news release about the crash of a “flying disc”, and has never truly gone away.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed: Tatiana Maslany and Murray Bartlett make this pleasurable TV indeed

Apple’s superbly twisty thriller about a beautiful camboy blackmailing a divorced mum is like the new No Country for Old Men – with added Nick from New Girl

I was drawn to this week’s show for the worst reason. That name is pure critic bait, and I like my fruit low-hanging. Other famously pre-roasted works include the films The Happening and Fantastic Four, and the Oasis album Be Here Now. (No, thanks.) In my schadenfreude-soaked soul, I wondered if Apple’s show might join them. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (Apple TV, from Wed)? Do I need the warranty?

It stars Tatiana Maslany, who also led the brilliantly titled, if widely slated, show She Hulk: Attorney at Law. No one doubts Maslany’s chops. She won an Emmy playing 17 distinct clones in the sci-fi series Orphan Black. Here she plays Paula, a divorced mother going through a custody battle. Paula’s only access to intimacy is with a young online sex worker named Trevor. Despite his name, Trevor is beautiful, like Jeff Buckley. I suppose Jeff isn’t the most exotic name either.

Who claimed ‘the most beautiful thing in Florence is McDonald’s’? The Saturday quiz

From Blue Sharks and White Wolves to the Zhurong vehicle, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz

1 Where did the Zhurong vehicle take a selfie in 2021?
2 Which artist claimed “the most beautiful thing in Florence is McDonald’s”?
3 Which record company’s HQ had a sign reading Hitsville USA?
4 What carpet shark has an Australian Aboriginal name?
5 What, in 1970, was the last horse to win English racing’s triple crown?
6 Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft are stages of membership of what?
7 What term for a reused document comes from Greek for “scraped again”?
8 In Japan, ama are women who seek what?
What links:
9 Booker prize, 1974, 1992 and 2019; best actress Oscar and Eurovision, 1969; best actor Oscar, 1932?
10 Plato; Francis Bacon; Aquaman; Patrick Duffy?
11 Alentejo; Dão; Douro; Porto; Madeira; Vinho Verde?
12 Walter Plinge; Alan Smithee; George Spelvin?
13 Alternate nostril; box; diaphragmatic; 4-7-8?
14 Chinese leader, 11; big clothes, 40; engine size, 200; audio format, 400; US capital, 600?
15 Blue Sharks; Blue Wave; Chivalrous Ones; White Wolves?

Record numbers of UK renters crowdfunding to cover bills

Rent donations on GoFundMe up 60% since 2022, with 100,000 donors helping people keep a roof over their heads

A record number of people in the UK are turning to crowdfunding to cover rent and household bills, with GoFundMe reporting more rent-related fundraisers were created in April than in any month on record.

The platform said donations towards rent support had risen by 60% since 2022, with more than 100,000 people a month contributing to help others meet their housing costs.

UK drivers struggle to get insurance for Chinese EVs such as Jaecoo

Firms do not offer cover for some models, or charge more than for equivalent petrol cars, research finds

UK insurers are more hesitant to cover some hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) from China than cars from other countries, research suggests.

While some drivers can save money by buying cars made in China, they may have more limited options to get insurance than those buying electric, hybrid and petrol cars from Europe, the US and South Korea.

The Eurovision Song Contest reaches its grand final with pop and protests

The final of the Eurovision Contest arrives Saturday, with tight security and rainy weather failing to dent the enthusiasm of fans, or the opposition of critics who think Israel shouldn't be invited.

Gaza airstrike targeted Hamas military wing leader, Israel says

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Friday targeted the leader of Hamas' military wing, Israeli officials said, but it wasn't immediately clear if Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed or injured.

Capes, crinkles and couture: the best red carpet looks from the Cannes film festival – in pictures

The style on the Croisette is off to a strong start

The 100 best novels of all time

The top 100 novels of all time published in English, as voted for by authors, critics and academics worldwide. How many have you read?

It wasn’t exactly The Devil Wears Prada, but my time working at Vogue in the 90s was preposterous fun | Charlotte Higgins

The decline of the glossy magazine industry as depicted in the sequel made me cry – but I shed no tears for how it was back then

I didn’t think The Devil Wears Prada 2 would make me cry, but it did. All the fashiony high camp, all the sharp one-liners of the first movie (“By all means, move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me”) deliquesce into melancholy for a struggling media industry in the second film. We meet the older Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) – the put-upon assistant of Runway editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) in the original movie – when she and her newspaper colleagues are receiving an award for investigative reporting. Except that at precisely that moment they are laid off, by text message. Perfectly realistic: swathes of the Washington Post, including Pulitzer finalists and correspondents in war zones, suffered a similar fate (in this case, sacking by email subject field) in February.

I didn’t think it would make me feel so nostalgic, either. The original Devil Wears Prada came out in 2006. Watching this thinly disguised portrait of American Vogue then was fun. I had served my apprenticeship at Condé Nast, at British Vogue and The World of Interiors, and I felt some vague kinship with Andy and her terrible blue jumper, who arrives a sceptic, goes native, then leaves for her true calling at a progressive newspaper. But now, 20 years on, other feelings crowd in. As my former Vogue colleague Louise Chunn wrote in the New Statesman recently, in the 1990s we had no idea we were working “at the high watermark of the circulation and power of the glossy magazine industry”. When those enormous, thick-papered tomes thunked down on our desks at Vogue House (which they literally did, hand delivered) they were so solid, so reassuring, so full of the promise of glamour and gorgeousness, that we thought it would go on for ever.

British Palestinians feel ‘gaslit’ and unable to speak out, says leading activist

Ahead of Nakba march, Sara Husseini says many feel they are being treated as suspects rather than victims of mass suffering

British Palestinians feel unable to speak openly about Israel’s war on Gaza, the director of the British Palestinian Committee has said, amid what campaigners believe is a growing climate of hostility around Palestinian identity and activism in the UK.

Some were afraid to wear Palestinian symbols at work or display Arabic jewellery and keffiyehs in public, Sara Husseini said.

Meera Sodha’s recipe for cauliflower and parmesan risotto with lemon breadcrumbs | Meera Sodha recipes

A lighter risotto made with whizzed cauliflower as well as rice, but with a reassuringly rich cheese sauce

In series eight of Peep Show, Mark (David Mitchell) is working as a salesman in a bathroom shop when a customer asks him for a “modern but traditional” bathroom. Aghast, he tells the customer that these opposing styles can’t be married when his boss, Super Hans, swoops in to say they can: “Fancy taps but a rainforest shower head?” I was reminded of this silliness because here I’ve tried to create a risotto of opposing styles: lighter than a traditional one, because I’m using some blitzed cauliflower, while maintaining that richness you get from a cauliflower cheese. I think it works, but I’ll let you be the judge.

A man’s search for his daughter’s killer, the secrets to spotting a liar – and what is hot divorcee energy?

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days

Rivals to The Christophers: the week in rave reviews

Jilly Cooper’s over-the-top TV industry romp returns, and Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel make a bracing artistic double act. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews

Trump says Islamic State ‘second in command’ killed by US and Nigerian forces

US president calls Abu-Bilal al-Minuki ‘most active terrorist in the world’ and says he was eliminated in ‘very complex mission’

Donald Trump has said US and Nigerian forces killed the “second in command” global leader of the Islamic State.

“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” the US president said on his Truth Social platform on Friday.

Man dead after shark attack off WA’s Rottnest Island

The incident happened near Perth about 10am on Saturday, a St John WA ambulance service spokesperson says

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A man has died after being attacked by a shark at a popular Australian holiday island off Western Australia.

The incident happened at Rottnest Island, near Perth, about 10am on Saturday, a St John WA ambulance service spokesperson said.

Giant green pickle tells us UK’s Jewish culture month has begun

Inaugural festival aimed at bringing ‘less oy and more joy’ has events that span food, fashion, music and literature

Londoners may have spotted a giant green pickle bobbing through the capital, turning up at landmarks including the Tate Modern and Southbank Centre, with a simple message: the UK’s first Jewish culture month has been launched.

The celebration is aimed at bringing “less oy and more joy” after difficult years for the Jewish community.

I’m a Eurovision superfan, but this year’s contest brings only sadness. I won’t be tuning in

Mismanagement and political campaigning have sucked the joy out of an event meant to bring people together

For the past two years, amid intensifying controversy over Israel’s participation in Eurovision, I and most other Eurovision superfans have stuck by the contest, despite clear misgivings.

This week, however, as the usual collection of power ballads and jokey songs compete in Vienna, we are not bonding over a common joy, but rather over our shared sense of sadness about the politicisation of the contest. This sadness pales in comparison to the trauma and grief experienced by the people affected by the wars fuelling this politicisation, but it is there nonetheless.

Dave Keating is a Brussels-based journalist and author of The Owned Continent: How to Free Europe from American Military, Economic and Cultural Dependence

Declare climate crisis a global public health emergency, experts tell WHO

Exclusive: Commission says alert would trigger coordinated international response that could help avoid millions dying

The climate crisis should be declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization, or millions more people will die unnecessarily, leading international experts have said.

The independent pan-European commission on climate and health, which was convened by the WHO, concluded the climate crisis was such a worldwide threat to health that the WHO should declare it “a public health emergency of international concern” (Pheic).

New York doctor who survived Ebola says he fears for healthcare workers

A New York doctor who contracted and survived Ebola more than a decade ago says he is worried for healthcare workers who are at the center of treating the latest outbreak.

Donald Trump does ‘not feel optimistic’ for Jimmy Lai after speaking with Xi Jinping

Family and supporters had hoped the US president could help free the 78-year-old British citizen during summit talks in Beijing

Donald Trump raised the case of jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but was told it “is a tough one”.

Family and supporters of the 78-year-old British citizen had hoped the US president could help secure his release.

Prominent N.Y. synagogue targeted in alleged terror plot, prosecutors say

An Iraqi national allegedly plotted to carry out terror attacks in the U.S., including at a prominent synagogue in New York, prosecutors said Friday.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy vows retribution over deadly Russian bombardments

President says three days of strikes will not ‘go unpunished’ and points to Ukrainian attack on Russian oil refinery. What we know on day 1,543

Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised retribution against Russia on Friday after laying red roses at the rubble of a Kyiv apartment building where a Russian missile strike killed 24 people, including three children. “Ukraine will not allow any of the aggressor’s strikes that take the lives of our people to go unpunished,” the president said after meeting top military and intelligence officials to discuss retaliatory long-range strikes. Zelenskyy said later in his nightly video address that retaliatory actions had already been approved, and pointed to an overnight attack on an oil refinery that the military said triggered a large fire in the central Russian city of Ryazan.

The strike on Ryazan’s huge oil refinery was part of a large-scale Ukrainian long-range drone attack targeting several regions in Russia after Moscow’s forces pounded Ukraine with three days of massive strikes with missiles and drones, reports Peter Beaumont. The scale of the attacks appeared to put paid to claims of Donald Trump that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine was close, after recent remarks by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, that the war might be approaching an end.

Trump told reporters that the strikes on Kyiv – launched hours after a three-day US-brokered ceasefire expired – could disrupt efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the war.

A Russian court has ordered Belgian financial group Euroclear to pay about $250bn in damages over the freezing of billions of dollars’ worth of Russian assets in the EU since the Ukraine war. It was not clear how Russia intended to recover the funds, and Euroclear said it did not recognise the Russian court’s jurisdiction. The Moscow court said it upheld the Russian central bank’s claim, while Euroclear told Agence France-Presse the bank’s claims were “without merit”.

Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, doubling the number of oil refineries targeted since the start of the year, according to information posted on social media by Russian officials. The strikes have reduced Russia’s oil output – the world’s third-largest after the US and Saudi Arabia – adding pressure to Moscow’s federal budget.

Ukraine’s mental health crisis is palpable and growing amid the war, the World Health Organization said, warning the effects could be felt for generations. WHO’s latest data showed 71% of people “have episodes of anxiety, stress, sleepless nights”, said its representative in Ukraine, Jarno Habicht.

Greek investigators believe a military sea drone found on a Greek island last week went off course due to a technical failure and may not have travelled far, Reuters quoted sources as saying on Friday. The explosives-laden drone – which Greece says is Ukrainian, a claim Kyiv has denied – was discovered on the shores of Lefkada on 7 May, triggering diplomatic tensions between Athens and Kyiv.

A Russian attack struck a grain terminal at a Ukrainian port, injuring seven people and causing other damage, Ukraine’s development ministry said on X on Friday, without specifying the port.

German prosecutors said a German judge had enforced an arrest warrant against a Ukrainian national suspected of spying for Russia. The defendant, identified only as Sergey N, had been detained in Spain at the end of March and extradited to Germany on Thursday, the prosecutors added.

Controversial FDA official leaving drug center post in latest departure at agency

Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, leader of the Food and Drug Administration division responsible for regulating prescription and over-the-counter drugs, is leaving her post, a senior FDA official confirmed.

Stateside with Kai and Carter: Stacey Abrams on why gutting of the US Voting Rights Act is ‘evil’ – podcast

The US supreme court demolished the 1965 Voting Rights Act when they ruled in Louisiana v Callais in April that states can’t consider race in redistricting. Southern states from Tennessee to Alabama have rushed to erase majority Black districts, sparking chaos for the midterm elections. Kai Wright talks with Stacey Abrams, voting rights activist and former Georgia house minority leader, about the fallout from the decision, and why, even now, she thinks the way forward is still through engaging more voters to participate in democracy: ‘They have fractured communities and said we’re going to scatter these seeds. Our job is to grow’

A longtime Atlanta principal retired, then returned to his school as a handyman

David White retired as the longtime principal at the Burgess-Peterson Academy in Atlanta, and then returned to the school as its handyman.

School principal retires, but returns as a handyman: "I'm contributing meaningfully"

58-year-old David White retired after 33 years in education, the last 15 spent as an elementary school principal in Atlanta. But after "just hanging out with the cat," he decided to go back to school as a handyman. Steve Hartman goes "On the Road" with the story.

2 senators call on FAA to study impact of reduced flight attendant staffing

Sens. Tammy Duckworth​ of Illinois and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin say their concern is there may be more emergency exit doors than flight attendants in the event of an evacuation.

From bottles to bars: easy swaps to cut plastic from your personal care routine

Almost all cosmetic packaging is thrown away. But with a bit of forethought, it’s not hard to keep both your skin and your conscience squeaky clean

• Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint

• Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at [email protected]

Who hasn’t opened a bathroom cupboard on a cleaning spree, scanned the shelves of half-full volumiser, long-forgotten eye shadow palettes and blunt razors and tossed them in the bin – one guilty, satisfying clunk at a time? Very few of us, since 95% of cosmetic packaging is thrown away.

Given the Australian cosmetics and beauty industry was valued at $17.25b in 2025, this amounts to an incredible volume of waste. To add insult to injury, almost 60% of beauty packaging is made from plastic, with the complicated makeup of spray bottles, pumps and tubes meaning they are difficult to recycle.

Scheffler remains in hunt at halfway despite ‘absurd’ pin positions at US PGA

• Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy lead on four under

• Rory McIlroy makes progress after poor opening day

“Golf should be a pleasure,” wrote Donald Ross, the man who designed Aronimink, “not a penance.” And a fine sentiment it is, too, even if it wasn’t immediately clear that any of the many men competing here for the PGA Championship were having very much fun doing it. Shane Lowry didn’t seem to be when he shanked the ball into the water at 17, nor did Scottie Scheffler when he threatened to slam down his wedge after hitting one thick on the 6th, and Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley didn’t look too enthused when they were busy ranting at the rules officials who put them on the clock for slow play.

The pleasure, such as it was, seemed to be mostly in purists’ appreciation of the high standard of lag putting on show, and everyone else’s schadenfreude at watching the world’s best golfers endure the same sort of frustrations amateur hackers suffer every weekend.

Trump says China and Taiwan should 'both cool it'

President Donald Trump spoke about Taiwan after a two-day visit to China, where he said he discussed Iran, and trade deals with Chinese President Xi Jingping.

Trump talks up trade deals with China, but experts see no big wins for U.S.

President Trump's trip to China could bolster economic relations, but failed to deliver a breakthrough deal, some trade and energy experts said.

1 firefighter dead, 10 other people injured in fire and explosion at lumber mill

Firefighters responded to a fire at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, Maine, about 95 miles from Portland.

Driverless Waymo cars get into traffic jam in Atlanta

Atlanta residents woke up to Waymo traffic jams on Friday. The driverless cars took over a quiet cul-de-sac. Skyler Henry has more details.

What did Trump, Xi accomplish from China summit?

President Trump has wrapped his high-stakes summit with China, calling it "very good," but it's hard to tell exactly what the takeaway is. Ed O'Keefe has more details.

SpaceX launches cargo ship to International Space Station

The International Space Station-bound SpaceX Cargo Dragon is loaded with 6,500 pounds of needed equipment, research gear and crew supplies.

Health officials battle new Ebola outbreak: Doctor who survived virus speaks out

Doctors are monitoring an Ebola epidemic in Africa that may be to blame for dozens of deaths so far. Lilia Luciano reports and spoke with a U.S. doctor who recovered from the virus.

Wind-driven wildfires rip across Texas Panhandle

Powerful winds fueled wildfires that raced through the Texas Panhandle this week. Firefighters are working around the clock to get the upper hand. Jason Allen reports and Rob Marciano has the forecast.

Trump’s lack of focus on human rights in China is big departure for US diplomacy

Change reflects both transformation of US in Trump era and China’s increasing confidence on world stage

Asked before he departed for Beijing if he would raise with the Chinese president the case of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy activist jailed in Hong Kong, Donald Trump said: “I’ll bring him up.”

But, the US president added: “It’s like saying to me, ‘If Comey ever went to jail, would you let him out?’ It might be a hard one for me.” Trump was referring to James B Comey, a former FBI director and a frequent target of Trump’s ire.

Explosion rips through historic Maine lumber mill, injuring at least 11

A massive explosion at a historic lumber mill in Maine injured multiple people on Friday. Ash-har Quraishi reports.

Terror plot targeting Jewish institutions foiled, suspect under arrest

A terror plot targeting Jewish institutions in New York, California and Arizona has been foiled, and a man linked to the alleged scheme is under arrest on Friday. Prosecutors say the Iraqi suspect is tied to other global attacks and claim he wanted payback for the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran. Tom Hanson reports.

Supreme Court rejects Virginia Democrats' bid to revive new congressional map

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a bid by Virginia Democrats to revive its new voter-approved congressional map that was drawn to advantage the party for the upcoming midterm elections.

Where is Dela Rosa? Philippine senator outmanoeuvres president in evading arrest

Chaotic week in which enforcer of ‘war on drugs’ flees senate building leaves government looking ‘incompetent’

The wanted man outran security agents, rallied protesters and even serenaded the media with a military hymn. Then, after a sudden exchange of gunfire, the Philippines’ most controversial lawmaker slipped out of the heavily guarded senate building in the middle of the night.

Senator Ronald dela Rosa, who is wanted by the international criminal court for crimes against humanity, is now nowhere to be seen.

Supreme Court is death knell for Virginia's Democratic-friendly congressional maps

The new map was drawn by Democrats and approved by Virginia voters, but the state Supreme Court declared the referendum null and void because lawmakers failed to follow the proper procedures to get the issue on the ballot.

Increasing bear encounters across U.S.

The U.S. is seeing more bear encounters that have gotten so dangerous that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed some of its popular hiking trails. Mark Strassmann reports.

5/15: CBS Evening News

An Iraqi national was charged with plotting terror attacks in the U.S.; several were injured in a massive explosion at a Maine lumber mill.

Pep Guardiola swears he’s not leaving Manchester City before contract ends

• FA Cup final will be 24th trip to stadium as City manager

• Spaniard aiming to win 17th major honour in decade

Pep Guardiola has described his ­decade managing Manchester City as “fucking fun”, and suggested Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea might not be the last time he leads the team out at Wembley.

While Guardiola’s contract expires in summer 2027, there is increasing expectation that he will depart the club in the close season. Saturday’s final will be City’s 24th cup appearance at the national stadium under the Spaniard, with Guardiola aiming to claim the 17th major trophy of his 10 years in charge.

Gentle Monster review – disquieting drama about two women facing the truth about the men they love

Cannes film festival: Léa Seydoux is a wife and mother whose life unravels when police arrive to quiz her husband; Jella Haase is a detective dealing with her ailing father’s misdeeds

Marie Kreutzer is the Austrian director who created impressive and stylish pictures such as the psychological thriller The Ground Beneath My Feet and the Habsburg biopic Corsage. Now she brings us this coldly eloquent and disquieting Franco-German drama about two women who find themselves imprisoned by a duty of care and loyalty to the men in their lives. One discovers something terrible about her husband and immediately goes into a state of negotiated denial, the other loves her demanding job as a police officer, and is all the more dependent on the live-in cleaner/care worker who looks after her difficult elderly father.

Léa Seydoux plays the first, Lucy Weiss, a French musician who has built up an enthusiastic, though niche following for her experimental pop-classical hybrid performances. Her mother, played in cameo by Catherine Deneuve, was a more conventionally successful concert pianist. Lucy has a comfortable home in Munich with her German TV director husband, Philip (Laurence Rupp), and their lively nine-year-old son, Johnny (Malo Blanchet). But Philip has had a breakdown, collapsing sobbing in Lucy’s arms, apparently due to overwork and drug problems. She agrees to move to the countryside to soothe his emotional pain, and for a while things look better. Philip is evidently devoted to Johnny, playfully filming him and Lucy for some little personal project, and manfully building his son a trampoline in the garden.

U.S. reups $6M reward for American missing in Afghanistan for 12 years

Paul Edwin Overby Jr. vanished in May 2014 while researching a book in Khost province, Afghanistan, the FBI said.

Aston Villa back in Champions League as Ollie Watkins double sinks Liverpool

It almost felt like Aston Villa were trolling Liverpool as someone inside this throbbing stadium pressed play and the operatic Champions League anthem blared over the speakers. Villa had just qualified in style, a stirring victory superbly spearheaded by Ollie Watkins that exposed the kind of blind spots that have undermined Arne Slot’s meek title defence. For Villa, this was the perfect tonic before Wednesday’s Europa League final in Istanbul and for Unai Emery, arguably his greatest triumph yet given the financial muscle of their rivals. Well, for a few days at least.

Somehow, Emery was left off the Premier League’s six-strong manager of the season shortlist. Afterwards Villa basked in the achievement and Emery yelled into a microphone: “Up the Villa!” And then: “We’re going to Istanbul!” It was a rare break from Emery’s cold laser focus; after the final whistle he shook hands with Slot and clenched his left fist in celebration as he marched towards the tunnel.

5/15: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Iraqi national charged with planning terror attacks; President Trump touts "fantastic trade deals" as Xi summit ends.

Which college majors offer the best long-term return on investment?

College grads outearn people without a degree within 15 years, even after paying for tuition, study finds.

What we know about hantavirus cases tied to deadly cruise ship outbreak

Health officials have identified at least 10 confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus tied to an outbreak on the M/V Hondius cruise ship.

Colorado's Democratic governor will let Trump ally Tina Peters out of prison early

Gov. Jared Polis' controversial commutation follows a pressure campaign by the Trump administration to free Tina Peters, an ex-county official who was convicted of tampering with election equipment.

Cerebras stock falls 10% in first full day of trading after blockbuster debut

Cerebras Systems' shares were lower in early trading Friday, after its blockbuster stock market debut on Thursday.

How will Jerome Powell be remembered as he exits as Fed chair?

As Powell steps down after more than eight years leading the Federal Reserve, economists say he helped steer the U.S. through historic shocks but misread inflation.

Trump went big on tech stocks in first quarter of 2026, new filings show

Trump bought shares of Amazon, Meta, Oracle, Broadcom, Motorola and Dell worth millions, new ethics disclosure filings show.

Democrats blast Trump over 'slush fund' in possible IRS lawsuit settlement

ABC News reported President Donald Trump could settle a lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a $1.7 billion fund to compensate his allies.

Man accused of killing two people outside Washington DC Jewish museum could face death penalty

Prosecutors have described fatal shooting outside of DC’s Capital Jewish Museum last year as calculated and planned

The US justice department will seek the death penalty for the man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum, prosecutors said in a court filing on Friday.

Elias Rodriguez faces federal hate crime and murder charges in the killings of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum last May. Rodriguez shouted “free Palestine” during the shooting and later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to his indictment.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (May 17): "By Design"

"Sunday Morning" presents its annual edition touching on all aspects of design, hosted by Jane Pauley.

Hantavirus countdown: U.S. cruise passengers settle in for 42 days of waiting

The hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship has potentially exposed passengers to a deadly disease. Most returning Americans are now housed in Nebraska. Some may be cleared to quarantine at home. 

Shakira returns to official World Cup song duty, this time with Burna Boy

FIFA's official 2026 World Cup song is "Dai Dai" from Shakira and Burna Boy. There are a number of factors that shape which songs define a tournament — and endure beyond it.

Stephen Miran exits the Fed. How he set the stage for Kevin Warsh.

The outgoing Fed governor shares big ideas with the incoming chair.

Traders now see next Fed interest rate move as a hike following inflation surge

The fed funds futures market is pricing in an increase as soon as December.

Pentagon's rush to counter drone threat may pose safety risks, specialist says

The safety specialist's warning appeared in a memo describing how a mini-drone had detonated and injured an Army Special Forces soldier.

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Russian drone attacks on Kyiv, Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Trump in Beijing and a mural of Lamine Yamal – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Ebola outbreak kills 65 people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Uganda also reports outbreak and health officials say cases were caused by Bundibugyo strain of virus

An outbreak of Ebola has killed 65 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, health officials said.

There have been 246 suspected cases of the haemorrhagic fever reported so far in the conflict-hit Ituri province, which shares borders with Uganda and South Sudan.

Harvey Weinstein’s New York retrial ends in mistrial with jury deadlocked

Weinstein has been convicted of other crimes in the US and is already behind bars but move leaves rape charge in limbo

Harvey Weinstein’s retrial in New York on a rape charge ended in a mistrial on Friday after the jury deadlocked in the closely watched criminal case that another jury had already failed to decide last year.

The disgraced former Hollywood mogul has been convicted of other sex crimes on the US east and west coasts and is already in jail. But Friday’s declaration of another mistrial leaves the New York rape charge in limbo after three trials.

Doe d’oh! Wild deer rescued after escalator escapade in Norwich M&S

Female muntjac given nickname of ‘lucky’ Lucy after being freed from department store’s moving staircase

“There’s a deer trapped in an escalator” was not a phrase anyone at Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norfolk was expecting to hear when staff at a Marks & Spencer department store in central Norwich called last Tuesday.

“In Norfolk, deers often get themselves in trouble,” said the sanctuary’s founder, Wendy Valentine. “They get stuck between walls and sheds, and in gates. It’s quite common for deer to get trapped … but ‘trapped in an escalator’ was a first.”

Inflation rate projected to hit 6% in the second quarter, top economic forecasters say

The recent surge in inflation is likely to get worse over the next several months, according to a survey Friday.

The Trump administration is planning a prayer event on the National Mall. All but one of the speakers is Christian

The event comes as a new survey finds that many Americans aren't comfortable mixing religion and politics.

Harvey Weinstein's third sex crimes trial in New York ends in mistrial

It was the second time in a year a jury was unable to reach a verdict on a rape charge brought by Jessica Mann.

Andy Burnham will push to become PM before Labour conference, allies say

Autumn conference in Liverpool targeted for victorious homecoming but Reform UK to fight hard in byelection

Andy Burnham will push to become prime minister in time to address Labour’s autumn party conference in Liverpool, his supporters have said.

The Greater Manchester mayor cleared his first hurdle to becoming the candidate in the Makerfield byelection on Friday when Labour’s ruling body gave him permission to stand for the seat.

Threatened indictment of Raúl Castro ratchets up US pressure on Cuba

Trump administration move echoes indictment of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro as fuel crisis racks Cuba

Tensions between Cuba and US seem set to rise further amid reports that
Raúl Castro, the country’s 94-year-old former president, may soon face the type of indictment that led to the US abduction of the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, in January.

Although Raúl is officially retired, he remains the most potent figure in Cuban politics following the death of his brother Fidel in 2016, and by targeting him Washington appears to be heaping pressure on Cuba’s communist leadership at the end of an already extraordinarily intense week.

Maine might boot Sen. Susan Collins. It could hurt the state's wallet for years

Sen. Susan Collins is the lone New England Republican left in Congress and chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Ice vests or daily cold showers could help people lose weight, study finds

Researchers say daily exposure to cold activates brown fat and could help speed up body’s burning of calories

Wearing an ice vest or taking daily cold showers could help people lose weight, according to researchers.

Despite the growing popularity of cold-water swimming and freezing plunges, to date there is minimal data on the health benefits of cold exposure. But a study of 47 adults with obesity or overweight has found that regular exposure to cold temperatures led to fat loss.

The Guardian view on Trump in Beijing: the US and China are playing the waiting game | Editorial

The president’s meeting with Xi Jinping was superficially cordial, extending a truce borne of necessity

“American strength back on the world stage,” crowed the White House social media post: a curious remark, when the attached video showed the stars and stripes fluttering beneath a long row of Chinese flags, and People’s Liberation Army soldiers marching in unison.

This week’s visit to Beijing offered the kind of style that Donald Trump enjoys – parading troops, a banquet and a polite if not markedly enthusiastic welcome from a strongman he called “really a friend” – but little apparent substance. The public account of the encounter will be partial: Mr Trump’s former adviser John Bolton has claimed that in previous conversations the US president begged Xi Jinping for help to win re-election and urged him to “go ahead” with internment camps for Uyghurs in Xinjiang. But this meeting appears to have been about stabilising the relationship, not shifting it.

Cantona review - Beckham and Ferguson keen defenders as Eric gnomically quotes Baudelaire

Cannes film festival: This lively documentary about everyone’s favourite hot-headed footballer/unlikely Ken Loach star will give more than just fans a kick

Here is a fervent, but repetitive fan-service documentary, perpetually re-using iconic “bad behaviour” clips, all about the tempestuous king of Manchester United (formerly and briefly the tempestuous king of Leeds United).

Eric Cantona was the Frenchman who won the hearts of English football fans in the 90s for his stunning skills, filling the silverware cabinet to bursting having been picked up cheap by Man U having effectively flounced out of French football. He was mentored in those days by that kindly teddy-bear of a man, Sir Alex Ferguson, who is interviewed extensively here, along with David Beckham, Eric’s elderly parents Albert and Éléonore, and of course the gloweringly pugnacious man himself, appearing in what appears to be a deserted church and gnomically quoting Baudelaire.

Pirro threatens charges against parents if their teens violate local curfew

In a move aimed at curbing the growing problem of "teen takeovers," D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is threatening to bring charges against parents if their teens violate the local curfew.

German leader Merz says he ‘would not advise my children to go’ to US

Chancellor says he no longer views US as land of opportunity amid ‘deeply polarising’ social climate

Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, already embroiled in a row with Donald Trump over the Iran war, has said he would not advise his children to study or work in the US in the current climate.

Speaking to a conference of young Catholics in Würzburg, the conservative leader, viewed by many as a transatlanticist, said he no longer saw the US as the land of opportunity.

In the Grey review – Guy Ritchie’s bizarrely buried action caper is a blast

There’s a great deal of fun to be had in the director’s sly and surprisingly serious thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill and Eiza González

While the actual quality might never threaten to float him above a three-star rating, I’ve grown an odd, outsized fondness for Guy Ritchie’s recent run of solidly enjoyable lower-tier action films. Whether deadly serious (Wrath of Man), entirely unserious (Operation Fortune) or somewhere between the two (The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare), there’s been a real snap to them, one that’s usually missing from other recent films of that ilk. Ritchie is more deeply invested in the thought-through craft of making a B-movie than many of his peers and there’s a smooth sensuousness to how he moves, each of them looking, feeling and sounding like films he genuinely cares about.

If only audiences, and the companies releasing them, felt the same. While Wrath of Man, a more marketable Jason Statham revenge thriller yet containing more grit than one would expect, managed to make enough money overseas, he’s otherwise struggled to justify his unusually high budgets. Operation Fortune was renamed, resold and pushed around the schedule before misfiring at the box office (it went straight-to-streaming in many countries) while The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare couldn’t even make half of its budget back after another botched release. The trend may well continue with his latest In the Grey, another slick action thriller that was made back in 2023, bought and then sold by Lionsgate before being similarly redated three times, the film now heading for an underwhelming opening weekend (In the Red would be perhaps more appropriate). What’s strangest here is that even critics were kept away this time with no press screenings (I paid for a ticket), suggesting that even those reliable three stars might be out of reach for this one.

Where Cerebras' monster debut puts it among tech's biggest IPOs

Cerebras narrowly missed out on joining Facebook-parent Meta and Alibaba with market cap of over $100 billion on the market close of IPO day.

Martin Rowson on the battle for the Labour leadership – cartoon

Oman caught between US and Iran after Tehran’s claims of joint strait of Hormuz plan

Muscat silent about plans – opposed by US – to charge fee and demand details on nationality of all transiting ships

Oman has been caught in geopolitical crossfire after Iran said it was coordinating with the Gulf state over the future management of the strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s plans to impose fees on commercial shipping.

The Omani exclave of Musandam lies to the south of the contested waterway, which normally carries a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil traffic but has been blockaded for 10 weeks since the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February.

The Guide #243: Ear-splitting gigs that were worth the after-ring

In this week’s newsletter: Sometimes they were enough to send our music critics and readers straight back out the door again – but mostly just noisy enough to make their clothes shake

Bowel-shuddering basslines. Drum fills that bounce off the walls like gunfire. Guitars resembling a pneumatic drill drilling into another pneumatic drill. A truly loud gig stays with you, figuratively and literally, as anyone who has spent the days after one accompanied by a troubling ringing in their ears can confirm.

Last week, prompted, strangely enough, by an old Alistair Cooke column suggesting that Janis Joplin’s group Big Brother and the Holding Company was noisy enough to cause permanent hearing damage in guinea pigs, we asked Guide readers to share their own loudest gig experiences. We had a huge response, with tons of you sharing memories of eardrum-piercing encounters with all manner of bands and artists, across genres and decades. So we thought we’d devote this week’s newsletter to your stories of extreme noise terror, along with a few from the Guardian’s music critics, who are often on the frontlines when it comes to aural assault.

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen drops reelection bid after redistricting

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced Friday that he's retiring from Congress at the end of this term after his district in Memphis was redrawn.

All of a Sudden review – care home drama is tender, meditative and a little too precious for its own good

Cannes film festival: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ocean-hopping treatise on love and mortality is undeniably beautiful – but it works best in its quieter, compassionate moments rather than the flurries of self-conscious solemnity

Falling seriously ill, like falling in love, can happen all of a sudden – although this film is not exactly about either. Drive My Car director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s new movie, co-scripted by Hamaguchi with the Franco-Japanese screenwriter Léa Le Dimna and his first not set entirely in Japan, is a bold and high-minded if rather pedagogic work that spreads itself over three hours. It’s tender and sometimes beautifully made, but also contrived and occasionally features some too-good-to-be-true caring characters. Frankly, it’s rather precious.

Hamaguchi and Le Dimna have taken as their starting point the nonfiction book You and I: The Illness Suddenly Get Worse by Makiko Miyano and Maho Isono, a meditative correspondence between a philosopher and medical professional on the subjects of love and mortality. Hamaguchi has opened this out to create a drama set in Paris and Kyoto, and it’s incidentally hard not to suspect that Hamaguchi, like many a celebrated movie director spending so much time on the international festival circuit, has been led to create an uneasy international mixture.

Belle and Sebastian write Scotland anthem after dramatic World Cup qualifier

Self-deprecating It Only Takes One Lion is partly inspired by team’s current song, Yes Sir, I Can Boogie

The lyrics came to Stuart Murdoch in the hazy aftermath of Scotland’s dramatic qualification for the World Cup.

The Belle and Sebastian frontman had watched his side’s playoff victory over Denmark through his fingers before deciding to write his own anthem to a team he has followed for more than 50 years. “Most people recognised instantly the next day that they’d witnessed the most important Scottish game ever,” says Murdoch. “That was our magic moment.”

Can the NFL's Rooney Rule survive the DEI backlash?

Florida's attorney general says the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for top jobs, is discriminatory. Trump's EEOC has challenged such policies elsewhere.

Drake: Iceman / Maid of Honour / Habibti review – ​triple-album comeback is a boring, bloated disaster

(OVO/Republic)
It’s possible that the world’s biggest rapper is using this epic content drop to get out of his record deal, but aside from some bright spots on Iceman, should the public really be subjected to it?

It is easy to over-estimate Drake’s fall from grace. True, he was unanimously declared the loser in the most high-profile rap beef of recent times, and is currently engaged in a protracted legal battle with his own record company over said rap battle that everyone except Drake and his lawyers seems to think smacks of the worst kind of bad loserdom. He is also fighting lawsuits alleging that he illegally misled viewers during gambling livestreams – pretending to bet his own money while actually using funds from an online casino he promotes – and that he furthermore channelled funds from said online casino into artificially inflating streaming figures (Drake has not commented on the allegations; Stake, the casino, described one of the lawsuits as “nonsense”). Also in the lawsuits is Adin Ross, a denizen of the manosphere who Drake has been palling around with, unbothered that the other guests on Ross’s stream have included Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes.

Equally, Drake is still the most-streamed rapper in the world. Had all this really impacted on his mainstream popularity, his last album – Some Sexy Songs 4 U, 2025’s collaboration with PartyNextDoor – would have died at the box office, rather than entering the US charts at No 1 and going on to sell a million copies. If his public reputation is looking a little tarnished, well, we live in an era of short attention spans and shorter memories: it would probably only take one unequivocal banger – a One Dance or Hotline Bling 2.0 – for the slate to be wiped clean.

Czech police find stolen skull of medieval saint encased in concrete

Man arrested after admitting to taking relic from church and planning to throw it in river, say police

An 800-year-old relic believed to be the skull of Saint Zdislava, stolen this week from a Czech church, has been recovered encased in concrete as experts work to extract it, police have said.

A suspect has been arrested, who allegedly confessed to taking the skull of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a glass shrine in the basilica of St Lawrence and St Zdislava in the town of Jablonné v Podještědí on Tuesday.

Mali’s forces target rebel alliance in junta’s fight to keep power

Army supported by Russian mercenaries launches airstrikes after offensive by coalition of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatists

Mali’s armed forces, supported by Russian mercenaries, have launched airstrikes targeting a rebel alliance of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatists as the ruling junta struggles to maintain its hold on power in the unstable west African country.

Earlier this week warplanes targeted the key northern town of Kidal, which was lost when the rebels launched a surprise offensive across much of Mali in late April.

Starbucks to lay off 300 U.S. employees, shutter some regional support offices

Starbucks said the moves will help the coffee chain return to profitable growth.

Three’s a crowd: what to do when you hate your friend’s partner

Can’t stand your friend’s other half? You could be walking into a minefield, warn experts. Here they share advice, from owning jealous feelings to blowing off steam (with the right person)

Years ago, my best friend fell in love with a man I disliked. He had a habit of looking over my shoulder when I tried to talk to him, and I thought he was too possessive. He spoke to her using a special high-pitched baby voice, and the worst thing was that my friend absolutely loved it, and would baby-talk right back. Thinking that our friendship was bound to outlive her infatuation, I made it obvious that I disliked him. I very pointedly made plans without him, and when I was forced to spend time in his presence I made so many private jokes I was essentially talking to my friend in a horrible baby language all of my own.

To no one’s surprise but mine, this behaviour didn’t have the desired effect. My friend started avoiding me. Her boyfriend won and eight years later he’s still winning. They are getting married next year, and I am not invited.

Starmer, Burnham, Farage Polanski: they make a week in politics feel like an eternity in Hades | Marina Hyde

It’s your life in their hands, but what kind of life is that? No wonder a wearied, confused public has mobilised into tribes – or just tuned out

On the basis that you’re never too cooked to get a new catchphrase, Keir Starmer has repeatedly warned this week that we are in a “battle for the soul of our nation”. I wish he’d stop saying it. The thought of your very soul being fought over by Nigel Farage, Keir Starmer, Zack Polanski, Kemi Badenoch and the others is like something out of a sealed section in Dante’s Inferno. If it was on an underworld menu, I think I’d choose the Satanic Flaying instead. Anyway: enter Andy Burnham.

Plus, we now have coordinates. The battle for the soul of the nation will take place not in the tenth circle of hell, but in Makerfield. Local MP and appalling little footnote Josh Simons has stood down so that the King in the North has a route to King’s Landing, where – I think? – he has to kill his auntie after accidentally shagging her. Labour party procedures are very arcane.