Tour de France 2026 – Merlier goes back-to-back with stage eight win in Bergerac – live reaction

Périgueux to Bergerac: updates from the 180.4km stage
Stage-by-stage guide | Stage seven report | Mail Luke

On the telly, they’re discussing the dynamics of the sprint finishes: we’ve had two bunch kicks and two different winners, Olav Kooij and Tim Merlier. I fancy we’ll see a different winner today, and the pressure is on Philipsen to deliver, likewise Biniam Girmay.

“Hello!” writes Bill.

New York Times journalists issued subpoenas over Air Force One reporting

The subpoenas were issued after the New York Times reported on alleged security concerns with the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One.

South Africa v Scotland: Nations Championship rugby – live

• Live updates from 2.30pm (BST) kick-off

• Get in touch: mail Lee about the game

9 mins. A worrying moment for Scotland as a Papier kick is allowed to bounce in behind with a gathering green group of shirts very close on the chase. Russell turns, dives on it at full stretch and grips it to his chest long enough for his ruck clearers to arrive, set it and let White clear the lines.

7 mins. Bok discipline is once more wanting under pressure with Wiese again infringing, this time for entering a maul from the side. Russell puts it into touch for a 5m lineout platform that is ruined by Ashman not throwing straight. Papier boots clear from the scrum.

World Cup 2026: Norway v England buildup; Fifa to sell bits of MetLife pitch; Kane’s round of golf with Trump – live

⚽ All the latest updates as the quarter-finals continue
⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email us

The brilliant Cold War Steve is back with the latest of his special World Cup 2026-themed collages. Look closely!

More from Thomas Tuchel. Seize the day is his message.

England v India: women’s Test, day two updates – live

Updates from the one-off women’s Test at Lord’s
Sign up for The Spin | Email James

15th over: England 38-3 (Sciver-Brunt 1, Capsey 5 ) Alice Capsey joins Sciver-Brunt in the middle with a rebuild job needed. Her first ball jags bag at the pads and she is fortunate to get an inside edge on it to tickle away for four runs. India have been on the money this morning, much more accurate than England’s seamers in the first 10-15 overs yesterday and they are reaping the rewards.

Huge wicket! Knight is done by one that moves up the hill and the umpire raises the finger! Knight reviews but she looks like she already knows her fate. Sure enough it is Umpires Call on the DRS and Knight has to go. England in strife!

England v India: fifth men’s T20 international – live

Updates from the series finale (2.30pm BST start)
Sign up to The Spin | Email Geoff

1st over: England 4-0 (Salt 2, Buttler 1) Another quiet opening over for England with the bat. Arshdeep Singh is swinging the ball with his left-arm efforts, and neither Salt nor Buttler tries anything expansive.

Looks like we’re finally going to get a game.

Karolina Muchova v Linda Noskova: Wimbledon 2026 women’s singles final – live

Women’s singles final updates, start from 4pm BST
You can now follow us on TikTok | And email Katy

And the Press Association’s report on the doubles double for Patten and Heliovaara:

Britain’s Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) victory over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in Saturday’s final.

Top seeded Patten and Heliovaara have now won three Grand Slam doubles titles together, having previously triumphed at Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open last year.

It feels somehow fitting that at the end of one of the most open women’s singles events in history, two Czech players should find themselves fighting it out for the biggest title in the game. Saturday’s clash between Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova is the first all-Czech Wimbledon final, but it is also the latest example of a long line of Czech players who have found grass the surface on which to show their best.

Martina Navratilova, perhaps the greatest female player of all time, started the ball rolling when she won the first of her record nine Wimbledon titles in 1978 (she was officially a US citizen by the time she played Hana Mandlikova in the 1986 final).

Chef Greg Baxtrom serves delicious Midwestern meals to New Yorkers

Chef Greg Baxtrom is bringing approachable Heartland flavors to New York City with 5 Acres, a Midwestern restaurant in the iconic Rockefeller Center. Baxtrom talks about creativity with vegetables and shares his struggle with sobriety.

Superior Sinner provides true measure of Zverev’s step up in Wimbledon final

German’s long-awaited first slam title came in Paris after his rival wilted in the heat but was his triumph a turning point or a blip?

For a brief moment on the first day of Wimbledon, there was reason to believe that Jannik Sinner was still processing his collapse at Roland Garros. Any loss in Paris would have been significant, considering the certainty with which he had dominated the clay court season beforehand, but it was the manner of his defeat that stung.

Sinner, it cannot be repeated enough, had been leading the innocuous Juan Manuel Cerundolo by two sets to love and 5-1 in set three when he crumbled physically. No matter how Sinner tried to emphasise his satisfaction at his achievements in the entire clay court swing, this was an excruciating loss.

Train lovers seek out the lingering romance of steam locomotives

Trainspotters love to see a Union Pacific locomotive rounding a curve or crossing a bridge. First built in 1941, these moving museums showcase the best of American railroad history.

Pollock’s hat-trick powers England’s 11-try Nations Championship mauling of 14-man Fiji

• Fiji 8-73 England

• Scrum-half Simione Kuruvoli sent off before break

To say England needed to shine in sub-tropical Liverpool is the understatement of this protracted season. Had they slipped to a sixth straight Test defeat it would probably have been the end of Steve Borthwick’s tenure as head coach. Instead a one-sided romp, their first win since February, has given the management a little respite as they prepare to head to Argentina for the last leg of their continent-hopping summer itinerary.

In all honesty, though, Fiji were so disjointed and ill-disciplined for lengthy periods that the game resembled something close to a training run. A litany of botched offloads, silly penalties and back-pedalling mauls had long since allowed England to cruise away over the horizon even before Simione Kuruvoli was sent off just before half-time with his side already 35-3 behind.

The biggest steam locomotive is whistle-stopping across the U.S.

Huge crowds of train fans turn out as the 1940s era Big Boy steam locomotive is making a rare trip cross country.

Hunter Biden wins $1.7m in suit over Iran bribery claim by ex-CEO of Overstock.com

Biden sued Patrick Byrne for defamation over claim that he sought bribe to lobby his father to free $8bn in Iran assets

A federal judge on Friday awarded Hunter Biden $1.7m in punitive damages in a defamation lawsuit he filed against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne.

Biden sued Byrne – a Donald Trump ally who denied the results of the 2020 election and funded efforts to overturn them – in 2023, accusing Byrne of lying in an interview that Biden had previously sought a bribe from Iran’s government in the fall of 2021.

Hundreds rescued amid historic flash flooding in Missouri

A deluge of rain flooded roads and homes in Missouri, prompting a state of emergency. Hundreds of people were rescued.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 12)

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

Ann Widdecombe may have been killed 24 hours before her body was found

Police working on assumption ex-politician, found dead at her Devon home on Thursday, was attacked on Wednesday afternoon

• Ann Widdecombe: obituary

Ann Widdecombe may have been dead at her home for nearly 24 hours before her body was discovered, police believe.

In an update on Saturday afternoon, officers said they were working on the assumption that the 78-year-old former politician was attacked at about 12.30pm on Wednesday.

Trump administration subpoenas New York Times journalists over new Air Force One reporting

Outlet said journalists subpoenaed to testify before grand jury after story detailed security concerns with Qatar-gifted plane

The Trump administration has issued subpoenas to several New York Times journalists after the newspaper reported on security concerns with the president’s new plane, according to the outlet.

The Times said its journalists were subpoenaed on Friday by the US justice department to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan five days later, marking the latest effort by the Trump White House to compel testimony from journalists under the threat of penalty. Agents delivered some of the subpoenas to the Times reporters at their homes, the paper added.

Jürgen Klopp reaches agreement to take over as Germany head coach

• Former Liverpool manager to replace Julian Nagelsmann

• Germany lost to Paraguay in last 32 of the World Cup

Jürgen Klopp has “reached an agreement on the key points” to become the next Germany head coach, the German football association (DFB) has said. The 59-year-old is expected to sign a contract until 2030 to succeed Julian Nagelsmann.

A statement said: “The DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and DFB vice-president Hans-Joachim Watzke held their first in-depth talks with Jürgen Klopp yesterday in New York regarding his potential appointment as national team coach. During the constructive exchange, an agreement was reached on the key points of a potential contract. Talks will continue next week.

“Both sides are confident that the negotiations – subject to an agreement with Klopp’s current employer, Red Bull – can ultimately be successfully concluded. Any potential contract must be finalised in a joint meeting of the supervisory board and shareholders’ meeting of DFB GmbH & Co. KG.”

Is the US trying to make scientists’ work so difficult that they simply give up? | Daniel Malinsky

New Trump administration rules would undermine longstanding research practices. It’s death by a thousand cuts

A politician who aims to gradually privatize and ultimately destroy an institution funded by tax dollars – say, a public school system or public transportation network – may choose to do so by strategically disinvesting resources from that institution until it becomes barely functional, leading users to look elsewhere to meet their needs. Eventually, the user-base of the public system gets so low or frustrated that it seems reasonable to scrap the thing entirely, or re-direct public funds to private companies as contractors to provide the needed “service”. We’ve seen this strategy play out many times in states and city councils across America.

It appears that the endgame of the Trump administration’s attacks on science and the research funding ecosystem is similar: grant freezes and administrative disarray at federal funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), new layers of project review by political appointees hunting for forbidden keywords such as “disparity” and “marginalized”, and proposed new restrictions to make international collaboration difficult or impossible all point towards a world where it’s just too onerous to do federally-funded scientific research. Is the goal to make scientists simply give up on the endeavor?

Daniel Malinsky is an assistant professor of biostatistics in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University

‘A slap in the face’: small farmers say Trump is turning his back on them

The president wooed farmers in his campaign, but now the USDA is yanking funding, citing ‘DEI’ and wasteful spending

It’s just an eighth of an acre, but for Lawrencia Rogers, the plot where she grows broccolini, lettuce and beans on land once tilled by poorhouse residents in eastern Iowa is the closest she has come to living her dream.

Iowa is one of the most agriculturally productive states in the country, but getting into farming is not easy, particularly for people like Rogers who have no family connections to the business. It’s nonetheless been a lifelong passion for the 33-year-old Iowan: at age six, she planted a rosebush that’s still alive today, and managed to grow cantaloupe on a strip of dirt and chain-link fence next to the driveway of her grandmother’s house.

Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro reportedly involved in physical altercation at NBA Summer League

• Adebayo and Herro involved in altercation

• Young unfazed by scrutiny over Wizards deal

• NBPA vows fight against second apron

Former Miami Heat teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had a brief verbal and physical altercation at a practice facility for the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas on Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Adebayo struck Herro at least once during the encounter, said the person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither player nor their teams revealed any details publicly.

South Africa World Cup midfielder Jayden Adams dies aged 25

• Adams played in South Africa’s World Cup group games

• Midfielder played for Mamelodi Sundowns

Jayden Adams, who played in South Africa’s three group games at the World Cup, has died aged 25.

The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder started the tournament opener, a 2-0 defeat by Mexico, and the 1-1 draw with Czechia, being substituted in both matches. He then came off the bench in the 1-0 win against South Korea, but took no part in the 1-0 last-32 defeat by Canada.

Book excerpt: "They Stole a City" by Lauren Collins

The New Yorker writer's new book examines how, in 1898, white supremacists staged a coup against Wilmington, N.C.'s multi-racial government – a case study in the sabotage of American democracy.

These are America’s 10 worst states to live in for 2026

Some states may have low costs and light regulation, but high crime and lack of healthcare are among important factors when people choose where to live. 

The best states to live in for 2026: No. 1 has a six-year winning streak

Return to office mandates and a decline in remote work have companies looking more closely at the quality of life in the place where they establish offices. 

TV presenter Dermot Murnaghan dies of prostate cancer, aged 68

The former ITV, BBC and Sky News journalist died peacefully at home in London on Saturday, his family say

The former BBC and Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan has died aged 68 after a “period of illness with prostate cancer”, his family have said.

The journalist, who was long a fixture on British TV screens, was also known for hosting the quizshow Eggheads.

As Democrats pick up the pieces after Graham Platner, many wonder: how did this happen?

The former US Senate candidate’s spectacular fall has upended the Maine Senate race and left voters fuming at the party

Almost exactly one year ago, Graham Platner, who has no political experience, was cherry-picked by out-of-state political activists.

According to a person familiar with the campaign, Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan, who have made a name for themselves by recruiting populist candidates across the country, traveled to Maine and rented a house near Platner’s home in Sullivan to convince him to run for the US Senate. Throughout the process, Moraff became Platner’s “right-hand man”, the person described, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of backlash.

‘A brilliant reprieve, a unifying force’: America falls in love with World Cup

Packed stadiums, record TV viewers, and an outlet for joyous multiculturalism under attack by Trump – the tournament has taken the US by storm

There were plenty of reasons to believe the US hosting the World Cup would be a disaster.

In the year and a half leading up to the kick-off, Donald Trump had threatened to annex tournament co-host Canada, and to invade the other co-host, Mexico; he was at war with one of the tournament’s participants, Iran. Harsh travel restrictions were preventing fans from Senegal, Ivory Coast and Haiti from getting visas. Ticket prices were outrageous. Hotels weren’t filling up as promised. Fifa was introducing “hydration breaks” during games, allowing TV commercials in what appeared to be a shameless cash grab that threatened the flow of play.

Is Mitch McConnell secretly deceased? | Arwa Mahdawi

The senator’s health is shrouded in mystery after he was hospitalized. Why can’t we get a clear answer?

Is Mitch McConnell dead?

This shouldn’t be a difficult question to answer. The response is either “yes”, “no”, or something along the lines of “he’s on life-support but appears to be brain dead.”

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

Burnout, frustration and heartbreak: Amazon layoffs take their toll in saturated job market

In the eight-plus months since Amazon announced its most expansive job cuts ever, laid off workers have been thrust into an increasingly saturated labor market.

A tiny GLP-1 implant is the latest bet to help patients maintain their weight loss

Vivani Medical is developing an implant of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's obesity injection Wegovy and diabetes counterpart Ozempic.

Opinion: Is democracy a joke? Count Binface says no.

Populist British MP Nigel Farage resigned from Parliament over questions about his finances, and is running for re-election in his constituency. His biggest rival? Count Binface.

Nigeria says army has killed 300 bandits in north-western state of Zamfara

Vigilantes also took part in the fight that raged all night and the following morning, residents say

Nigerian soldiers killed more than 300 members of kidnapping and cattle bandit gangs in the north-western state of Zamfara this week, according to a government official.

Government troops targeted the gangs in Gummi district in a two-day operation that “led to the elimination of more than 300 terrorists”, Zamfara’s information commissioner, Mahmud Muhammad Dantawasa, said in a statement.

Most people who need glasses don't have them. Can the post office change that?

In some towns in India, a visitor to the post office who's squinting at fine print might be asked: Do you want an eye test?

Judge vacates convictions of 4 Proud Boys in Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection

A federal judge on Friday agreed to dismiss the convictions of four members of the far-right Proud Boys group for their actions in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Datacentres drive up big tech’s carbon emissions to a third of those of France

Microsoft, Amazon and Google say they still aim to achieve net zero output despite construction boom

Microsoft, Amazon and Google’s collective carbon emissions have increased by nearly a fifth in the past year, driven largely by datacentre construction.

In the financial year ending March 2026, the three tech companies emitted 119m mTCO₂e (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), or about a third of those of France.

‘Every time the rain falls, the fear comes back’: life in Lagos under the constant threat of floods

As Nigeria braces for another season of devastating rains, people affected describe the mental toll of repeatedly rebuilding their lives

Murky water first tore down a perimeter fence, then bubbled into the yard before spilling into every room. Within minutes, electronics, kitchen appliances, furniture, documents and academic certificates lay submerged.

With the water rising rapidly, Daniel Ebiesua evacuated his home in the Shogunle area of Lagos, with his wife, their two-week-old baby, four-year-old son and his mother-in-law to a neighbour’s upstairs apartment. There they stayed trapped for four hours, helplessly watching the flood swallow the streets below.

AI ‘actor’ Tilly Norwood has a movie coming out. Spare us this future | Dave Schilling

Acting is about human connection across cultural and social divides. But we can’t expect much of that in the ‘Tillyverse’

Rejoice, cinema lovers. Tilly Norwood is back! Not familiar? I don’t blame you, as she’s not exactly a household name yet – though a fleet of well-fed publicists is certainly trying to rectify that. Tilly Norwood is an “AI actor”, as in, an actor that’s not actually an actor at all. Just a series of digital blobs and lines of code designed to resemble a young woman in the lucrative 18-to-49-year-old target demographic. Thus far, Tilly has lived exclusively in easily digestible social media clips and hyperbolic press releases about the “future of entertainment”. But now, “she” (I feel like a complete buffoon for assigning a gender to a computer program) is finally ready for the world of feature films. The company Particle6, which spat out this risible creation, announced that it has commenced development on a motion picture starring this very elaborate and expensive cartoon avatar.

The film, titled Misaligned, will see Tilly seduced by a rogue program into experimenting with human emotions – “desires, impulses, and ambition”, as described by Variety. The company claims that the film will be a “coming-of-age story infused with existential AI chaos”. I can’t help but wonder what resonance a “coming-of-age story” can have if the protagonist is a computer program that doesn’t understand the concept of time, ageing or mortality. Does Tilly Norwood understand the concept of a 24-hour day? Does “she” know the glorious warmth of a mid-afternoon sun? Has “she” ever forgotten to move her car because it’s street cleaning day on her block? Tilly Norwood, being an animated sprite, is neither “coming” nor “of age”. But then again, isn’t acting all about accessing experiences you’ve never had?

Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist

Safe from AI: which jobs will help you thrive in the future?

Experts say there will still be opportunities ahead in everything from teaching to hotels and the law

Entering the world of work often brings some uncertainty, but now there is another question: how can I AI-proof my career?

We asked people from across various industries what they think the impact of AI will be on careers, and which jobs may be less affected. While it is still early days for the tech, many had ideas about how you can best prepare yourself for a successful career in this new world.

Madeline Horwath on the advantages of an older partner – cartoon

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‘‘It’s difficult for children to avoid the temptation of screens’: Soumayan Biswas’s best phone picture

The photographer was looking for inspiration near his home in West Bengal when he spotted a girl lying near a tangle of fishing nets

In the Hooghly district of West Bengal, just a short walk from his home, photographer Soumayan Biswas found himself circling the edges of a large village pond, searching – as he often does – for “stories”. He remembers that the weather was “cloudy that day, and the wind was light”. It was the kind of muted afternoon when your attention is sharpened.

The story appeared in the form of Sabana, a 12-year-old student lying beside a tangle of fishing nets. Biswas had never met her before and, while spending some time around her, was struck by how absorbed she was in her phone.

Minnesota is pulling troops early from D.C., as pressure grows on Michigan

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pulling his National Guard early from Washington, D.C. as the chorus against Democratic governors sending troops to the city amid President Trump's ongoing deployment grows louder.

Mitch McConnell mystery deepens as health questions remain unanswered

Senator’s office has released only sparse details about hospital stay, leaving fevered speculation to fill vacuum

Mystery surrounding Senator Mitch McConnell’s health is deepening as the US Congress prepares to return from recess next week.

McConnell, 84, has not been seen in public since he was admitted to hospital in the Washington area on 14 June. Nearly a month later, the Kentucky Republican’s office has released only sparse updates, saying he is “continuing to improve” and remains engaged with Senate business, while refusing to disclose the nature of his illness or explain why he remains hospitalised.

Alfred Dreyfus statue to finally receive permanent home in central Paris

Sculpture of Jewish army officer wrongly accused of treason has been moved around the city for decades

For 40 years, the statue of Capt Alfred Dreyfus has been moved around Paris, never finding a permanent home.

The French army twice refused to allow it to stand at l’École Militaire, where Dreyfus, a Jewish officer it had wrongly accused of treason in 1894, was stripped of his rank in one of the most notorious acts of antisemitism in France’s history.

Ben Okri: ‘What happens when we die? We don’t die. We change realms’

The Booker prize-winning novelist on the art of lying for a living, the cosmic force of love, and gargling loudly

Born in Minna, Nigeria, Ben Okri, 67, spent his childhood in Nigeria and London. He published his first novel Flowers and Shadows in 1980 and won the Booker prize in 1991 with The Famished Road. His subsequent work includes Astonishing the Gods, which in 2019 was selected as one of the BBC’s 100 novels “that shaped our world”. In 2023, he was knighted for services to literature. His latest novel, Waking the Warriors, is published on 16 July. He lives with his partner and their child in London.

When were you happiest?
On a train journey to Arcadia many years ago while making a TV documentary.

With the white nationalist group Patriot Front, what you see is not what you get

Hundreds of masked white nationalists marched in the nation's capital on July Fourth. Who were they and where does their funding come from?

Shy on the dance floor? Virtual reality 'partners' aim to help you find your groove

VR dance lesson apps like Dance Guru and Trip the Light offer a judgment-free way to learn partner dancing.

‘Like a sauna’: London tube travellers swelter in temperatures higher than legal limit for cattle

The tube cannot easily be adapted to cope with heatwaves, making conditions almost unbearable

As the escalator descends below ground at King’s Cross St Pancras station in London, the shift from what was already a hot station entrance to the furnace-like subterranean depths is perceptible.

On the tube it’s worse: a man leans back in his seat, eyes closed, sweltering; people hold electric fans an inch away from their faces. London commuters are known for their stoicism and the heat appears to be another tribulation to accept. They will need to: heatwaves in the capital are becoming routine.

A swarm of stink bugs and a river of rats: why India’s flowering bamboo causes a crisis for humans

Every few decades mass blooming in Mizoram’s forests causes a rodent boom – and devastation to crops. The cycle is well-known, so why aren’t farmers and authorities better prepared?

In the hills of Mizoram state in north-east India, the first thing that farmers notice are the swarms of stink bugs, known locally as thangnang. It can mean only one thing: the rats are coming. And with them, famine.

As dawn breaks in Mamit district, Maunsanga, a 62-year-old farmer, walks across his plot, stopping where his rice crop once stood. He bends down to examine a broken stalk.

Pressed for time? 20 brilliant books you can read in a day

From novels by James Baldwin and Han Kang to a guide to quantum physics – a former Booker prize judge recommends immersive one-sitting wonders

A one-sitting read is typically the domain of the short story – a form that largely depends on a reader’s pure, unbroken attention. But there is some­thing special about the intensity of beginning and ending an entire book in a single day. Of all my reading experiences, these have been among the most memorable.

As a judge for last year’s Booker prize, faced with 153 books and just over six months in which to read them, it was my task to try to turn every novel into one that could be read in a day. While I loved the experience, it wasn’t exactly a recipe for satisfying reading.

‘Politicians have always been schemers’: upheld conviction fails to dent Le Pen’s popularity

Presidential bid by leader of far-right National Rally has no shortage of supporters in scenic Montargis

In the small French town of Montargis, Jean-Antoine, a retired decorator, was pleased Marine Le Pen had again shaken up French politics by launching a bid for the presidency, despite her legal woes.

“Even the judges said she didn’t personally profit from the money, it was for her party,” he said of Le Pen’s newly upheld conviction for embezzlement. “All politicians in France have always been schemers, it’s just a fact of life.”

‘A new consumer’: how weight-loss drugs are shaking up clothes shopping

As they slim down, UK and US users of GLP-1 jabs and pills are changing their spending habits – and their wardrobes

• Tell us: what does the new weight-loss pill mean for you?

“I’m now at a point where I’m going to buy even more clothes,” says Hayley Grice, 50, from Shropshire, who has dropped seven sizes after starting on the GLP-1 weight loss jab Mounjaro two years ago. “I’m very happy with my physique right now.”

Grice, the financial director of a business she set up with her husband, tried gastric bypass surgery in 2009, but put most of the weight back on, and had been between UK dress sizes 26 and 28 (US sizes 22 and 24) all her adult life.

The World Cup has upended the old world order – and despite Trump and Infantino, it still inspires | Simon Tisdall

Even White House interference and Fifa’s greed cannot spoil the celebrations. At last, an arena in which multiculturalism triumphs and underdogs score

Of all the outrageous things Donald Trump has done, from bombing other countries to appeasing dictators, his sneaky interference in last week’s USA v Belgium World Cup match sparked by far the most united and furious reaction across the world. Condemnation was all but universal. Trump’s cheating heart cannot understand the unmatched, ubiquitous power that the “beautiful game” exercises over ordinary lives everywhere. It massively surpasses his own. The world truly loves football. It doesn’t love him. And then USA lost the match anyway. Karma. This modern morality play joyously illuminated the limits of authoritarianism.

In an age dominated by overbearing, illiberal economic and military powers, the men’s World Cup is upending the conventional geopolitical pecking order and power balances in refreshing and instructive ways. In this alternative universe, smaller nations – and ordinary people – can and often do get a bigger shout. Despite huge state investment in all aspects of the game, China again failed to qualify. Russia, never much good at football in the first place, was kicked out after invading Ukraine. And despite all Trump’s Maga hooliganism, the US remains soccer small fry. So much for superpowers.

Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator

Spain edges Belgium and will face France in World Cup semifinal

Spain and France will meet Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, in a matchup anticipated for years. Neither team has lost at this year's World Cup.

Trump threatens Iran after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral saw calls for his killing

Trump made the comments on his Truth Social after U.S. officials demanded that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open.

‘Spermageddon’: is the world facing a male reproductive crisis?

Reports of falling sperm counts and testosterone levels have fuelled fears over chemicals, pollution and modern lifestyles. But how much do scientists agree on what is affecting male fertility?

The world is unwittingly walking into a male reproductive crisis, scientists warned this week as they presented data that revealed an apparent halving of average male testosterone levels over the past 50 years.

“It is mind-blowing that testosterone has declined by 50%,” Prof Hagai Levine, who led the work, told the Guardian. “This is a lot. Wake up people. Wake up.”

Casual by Chappell Roan helped me ditch dead-end relationships

After years of one-sided commitment, revisiting her hit song Casual finally gave me a reality check

‘Sadie,” I say. “I would call our daughter Sadie. Or I like Leo for a boy.” I’ve been on the phone for two and a half hours, speaking about our hypothetical children to a man who has explicitly said that he does not want a relationship. At the same time, he’s said things like: “I told my mum about you. She wants to meet you.” When he makes those comments, I can’t help dreaming – in the words of a certain song – of us in a year: maybe we’ll have an apartment, and he’d show me off to his friends at the pier?

That’s the fantasy Chappell Roan imagines in her 2022 hit Casual. My own vision looks a little different: instead of a pier there is an apartment (where the now familiar sound of his key in the door still excites me), and his friends say things like: “I’ve never seen him act like this with anyone else before.” But crucially, in this fantasy, we’ve made a commitment to each other. The first time I heard Casual, I was in a committed relationship. I listened to it often, singing along loudly in the bedroom I shared with my boyfriend to “Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you’re eating me out”. (Roan was nervous about that line – “it’s crass,” she said – but fans loved it.) I also loved the song’s sense of unrequited yearning, but I couldn’t really relate to it. Not yet.

What links Kendrick Lamar, June Brown and E, H and I? The Saturday quiz

From the Battle of Santiago and The Miracle of Bern to Nasa and Woman in the Moon, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz

1 Which 90s duo only released three singles, all chart toppers?
2 Betsy Ross is traditionally credited with designing and making what?
3 Based in Cambridge, which geographical research organisation is the BAS?
4 Which wetland sedge is important in the history of writing?
5 What did Nasa borrow from the 1929 Fritz Lang film Woman in the Moon?
6 What 1,000-year-old Sherwood Forest resident died in 2026?
7 Which country’s national museum burned down in 2018?
8 Which magazine was named after the sound of a “guitar being struck with force”?
What links:
9 E, H, I and S; June Brown; Kendrick Lamar, formerly?
10 White (bow); red (sword); black (pair of scales); pale (nothing)?
11 Robert Mitchum, 1962; Robert De Niro, 1991; Javier Bardem, 2026?
12 Hetty Feather; Tom Jones; Oedipus; Oliver Twist; Superman?
13 Cadbury Castle; Danebury; Maiden Castle; Vespasian’s Camp?
14 Abhakshya; haram; tabu; treif?
15 Maracanaço; Miracle of Bern; Battle of Santiago; Disgrace of Gijón?

Summer on the Slovenian Riviera

The country’s coastline is one of the shortest in Europe, but it packs a punch with unspoilt nature reserves, vibrant Venetian towns and a thriving foodie scene

I’m riding a salt-coloured horse through the Dragonja valley, deep in the green hills of Slovenian Istria. Electric-blue dragonflies zip over the river as we gallop past olive trees and vineyards. The landscape rises steeply in a series of grassy terraces, and at the top of the hill we rein in the sweating horses to take in the view. Far below, the huge grids of solinas (salt pans), glittery and light-blue in the early morning light, look strange and somehow elegant against the wild, expansive sea beyond.

The Istrian peninsula is the largest in the Adriatic Sea, with 90% of it in Croatia and smaller portions in Slovenia and Italy. I’ve come to explore the Slovenian section. At just 29 miles (47km), the country’s coastline is one of the shortest in Europe, from the Italian city of Trieste down to the Croatian border, but it boasts colourful seaside towns, hilltop villages and an emerging gastronomy scene.

Trump administration rolls back a key protection for imperiled wildlife

The Trump administration finalized a rule Friday that changes how agencies enforce the Endangered Species Act. The administration narrowed the definition of "harm" under the landmark law.

Meta ditches Muse Image AI feature because it ‘misses the mark’ on users’ privacy

Meta was criticised for feature launched on Tuesday that automatically lets users generate images using content from public Instagram accounts

Meta has said ⁠it is discontinuing an AI feature launched this week that allowed users to generate images using public Instagram ⁠accounts, after drawing widespread ⁠criticism over ​privacy concerns, including from a Hollywood union.

“Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control ⁠over whether their public content could be referenced in this way,” Meta said in a statement.

Everything is heating up – except the barbecue: the Becky Barnicoat cartoon

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The hill I will die on: Radio 4’s Today programme has become really annoying since I left | John Humphrys

With its gushing interviewees and weird (y’know) ways of talking, the BBC news flagship show I used to present now has me harrumphing at the radio

It’s seven years since I stopped presenting the Today programme and started listening to Radio 3 instead. Or at least, that was the plan. On the first day it lasted for almost an hour. By the second day I’d given up on it. I suppose it was inevitable. You can’t spend 61 years as a news hack – more than half of it presenting the same programme – and then just erase it from your memory and start a new life.

What you can do in my own case – or, rather, can’t help doing – is mutate into a “new” listener. How to describe this “new” listener? I suppose if I were Today’s editor, the phrase “pain in the arse” might come to mind. Having been the one on the radio informing (and possibly sometimes annoying) the listeners for 33 years, I’m now the man shouting at his radio about how irritating the programme has become.

John Humphrys presents The Odd Couple podcast with Matthew Norman

The race to develop robotic hands, memories of legendary gigs and the sea as medicine for the brain

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

Meera Sodha’s recipe for rollercoaster apple muffins | Meera Sodha recipes

These easy bakes are packed full of the good stuff, and will keep kids fuelled all summer long

My children are mostly vegetarian, which means that at home I’m always searching for what we call “rollercoaster foods” due to their obsession with being allowed on Mandrill Mayhem at Chessington World of Adventures. In other words, food that will help both of them reach the next level on the rollercoaster height chart – that is, food packed full of the good stuff (protein, wholegrains, healthy fats and nutrients). This muffin was created with that in mind: tasty (crucially) without tasting worthy, high in protein (9g per muffin), and mindful of sugar. It’s a mix-in-a-bowl job or, you could say, child’s play.

Europe considering proposals to allow navigation fees in strait of Hormuz

Plans specify tolls must not be compulsory as US officials urge Iran to make public guarantee of safe passage for shipping

Europe is studying proposals that could allow navigation fees to be charged in the strait of Hormuz, provided the payments are not compulsory and have the support of the UN agency that regulates maritime transport.

Britain’s deputy prime minister, David Lammy, said imposing mandatory tolls would be disastrous. But some cabinet colleagues said they recognised that payments for specific navigational services were permissible in many natural waterways, including the strait of Malacca and the English Channel.

Apple sues OpenAI alleging trade secret theft, says scheme was 'at every level'

The two companies entered into a high-profile partnership in 2024 when ChatGPT was integrated into the iPhone's operating system.

Bipartisan housing bill becomes law after Trump refuses to sign it

A landmark housing bill automatically became law overnight after President Trump declined to sign it.

Gordie Howe Bridge connecting Detroit, Canada expected to open in late July

The 1.5-mile-long bridge, which spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario, is expected to open on July 27.

Peter Falconio murder 25 years on: new footage shows dying Australian outback killer’s refusal to reveal body’s location

NT police release body-worn camera vision of Bradley John Murdoch denying knowing where UK backpacker’s body is weeks before his death

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Infamous killer Bradley John Murdoch aggressively denied knowing where the body of still-missing backpacker Peter Falconio was during a police interview weeks before he died.

NT police released body-worn camera vision of the interview on Saturday, days before the 25th anniversary of the killing of the 28-year-old British man on the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, in July 2001.

Venezuela quake death toll passes 4,000 as scale of recovery effort looms large

Nearly 17,000 injured and thousands more are listed as missing amid calls by UN and president Delcy Rodríguez for financial help

The death toll in Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes has topped 4,000, the government said on Friday.

At least 4,118 people were killed and 16,740 injured in the back-to-back quakes on 24 June that flattened entire districts in the coastal state of La Guaira, Venezuelan parliament chief Jorge Rodriguez wrote on Telegram. Thousands more are listed as missing.

Hegseth frustrated with lack of adherence to grooming rules

Eight months ago, Hegseth told top military leaders there would be "no more beardos" and "fat troops."

A boy's simple habit of waving to his neighbors transformed his community

Roman Butzlaff brought together a group of neighbors who say they would have barely known each other if not for a little boy, who lived in a neighborhood but needed a village.

Graham Platner formally drops out of Maine Senate race

Graham Platner had until 5 p.m. on Monday to formally suspend his campaign or he would remain on the ballot in November.

4-year-old heals "inner loneliness" by bringing his neighborhood together

The old adage "it takes a village to raise a child" was turned on its head when it took a child to unite a village in North Carolina. Steve Hartman goes "On the Road" with the story.

Detainees say ICE officer shot Houston driver through passenger window, lawyer says

Three men who witnessed a fatal shooting involving federal immigration officers in Houston say no officer was threatened, a lawyer who has spoken with them said.

Iran admits to Trump advisers "they made a mistake" in shooting at ships in strait

The White House wants Iran to publicly acknowledge that shooting at the ships was a mistake.

Apache pilots' suspensions lifted after flyby over South Carolina beach

The decision to suspend the pilots quickly led to backlash online and drew the attention of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Apple sues OpenAI, accusing ChatGPT maker of stealing trade secrets

Apple alleges that OpenAI and two of its employees stole trade secrets and engaged in a "pattern of misconduct."

Pete Hegseth lifts Apache helicopter pilots' suspension for low flyover

Four Army helicopters did a low flyover for spectators in South Carolina on the Fourth of July, prompting their suspension by the state's National Guard. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stepped in and lifted the suspension. Charlie D'Agata has more.

7/10: The Takeout with Major Garrett

President Trump says U.S. continuing Iran talks, but ceasefire is "over"; Graham Platner officially withdraws from Maine Senate race.

How American farmers are under pressure from escalating Iran tensions

The ripples of the Iran conflict are starting to appear in unexpected ways. High energy costs are putting new pressure on America's farmers. Mark Strassmann has more.

White House official says it wants Iran to publicly acknowledge "that they screwed up"

The Trump administration said there is still a chance to get nuclear talks back on track with Iran, but only if Tehran publicly states that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that it will no longer shoot at ships. Nancy Cordes reports.

Witnesses dispute ICE's account of deadly shooting of Mexican man

In Houston, eyewitnesses disputed the account of federal officials in the fatal shooting of a Mexican national this week by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Officials admit that the man killed was not the person they were targeting in an immigration operation. Jason Allen reports.

Missouri under state of emergency due to dangerous flooding

Southeastern Missouri was hit by more than a foot of rain on Friday with more expected over the weekend. Dozens had to be rescued from rushing floodwaters. More than 20 million people in at least 14 states from Colorado to Pennsylvania are under flood watches through Saturday. Rob Marciano has the forecast.

Pentagon releases new set of UFO files: "Unlike anything I had seen"

The U.S. military released a new batch of files related to UFOs, including one report from a Navy pilot who said a mysterious object was "unlike anything I had seen" in 28 years of service.

‘It’s good to do nothing’: why hundreds gathered to sit still on one Bangkok weekend

Responding to a Facebook event which promised a chance to ‘escape’ the screen, young people turned out in Thailand’s capital to spend an hour being ‘useless’

Bangkok is a city thrumming with an energy you can feel from its skyscrapers to the street, but an invitation last week to change the pace and do nothing drew hundreds to the lush green oasis in its centre.

On beanbags, fold up chairs and picnic mats in Lumphini Park on 4 July, people laid back looking at the sky, while others sat upright facing the lake. One examined a twig, a few dozed off and only a handful checked their phones.

Trump admin. to back tariffs on Russian oil in effort to end Ukraine war, sources say

The war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year. A bipartisan bill would impose heavy financial penalties on purchasers of Russian oil,

7/10: CBS Evening News

Millions are under threat of dangerous flooding; a Mexican man was stopped by ICE officers before he was fatally shot.

Parents of teen found dead on island don't believe he chose to stay behind

Christine and Elmore Wonsley said they don't believe their son would've stayed on the island when his friends left by boat.

The AI race is shifting from bigger models to cheaper, smarter systems

Companies are starting to choose AI models by task, cost and control, not just leaderboard rank.

Graham Platner makes it official in Maine, submitting paperwork to leave Senate race

In his withdrawal notice, Platner said "people are desperate for change" and that's why they made him the Democratic nominee. Now, Maine Democrats have to pick someone to replace him by July 27.

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.

Rapper Pitbull and fans set ‘bald cap’ Guinness World Record at London show

Crowd of more than 22,000 people – and the musician himself – filled Hyde Park with the ‘largest gathering of people wearing bald caps’

A tight plastic cap is not an attractive option for protective headwear in 30C (86F) heat. Yet 22,141 people opted for just that – along with a white shirt, black tie and aviator sunglasses – in Hyde Park, London, on Friday afternoon. It was both a homage to the rapper Pitbull, the night’s headliner at the BST festival, and part of setting a Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people wearing bald caps”.

“I’m speechless. Who would have thought a first-generation Cuban would be record-breaking and record-making?” said the rapper, accepting the award in an all-black suit.

SK Hynix rises 13% in Nasdaq debut. Chairman tells CNBC 'demand is enormous'

SK Hynix has soared to a trillion-dollar market cap by serving some of the biggest names in technology, including Nvidia and Apple.

Charlie Kirk's family cites "overwhelming evidence" against alleged killer

Charlie Kirk's family said the end of Tyler Robinson's preliminary hearing "marks an important step forward in the pursuit of justice."

The ETF market is pushing the limits of the leverage it can handle. SK Hynix is the latest example

The original ETF boom was about low cost, tax-efficient core index funds. Now single-stock ETFs are upping risk, with leverage getting 'a little carried away.'

The week around the world in 20 pictures

The US’s 250th anniversary, the funeral of Ali Khamenei, another brutal heatwave in Europe and the World Cup – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Trump purges Election Assistance Commission members, months before midterms

The White House said the Supreme Court's ruling allowing President Trump to fire FTC Commissioner Louise Slaughter provided the precedent for the removals.

Senate Democrats want hearings on Trump’s crypto holdings and foreign investors

Democratic Senators cited $1.4 billion in Trump family crypto income, unidentified investors and a reported UAE-backed stake in World Liberty Financial.