Russia-Ukraine war live: Moscow claims to have repelled ‘major’ attack in Donetsk; Belgorod energy facility on fire

Moscow claims to have beaten back attack comprising mechanical and tank units in Donetsk; Belgorod governor blames drone for attack on energy facility

• At a glance: what we know on day 466 of the invasion

At least 90 supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny were reportedly arrested on Sunday after defying authorities to hold demonstrations to mark his 47th birthday, the Associated Press has said.

Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court, charges he says were trumped up to punish him for his work to expose official corruption and organise anti-Kremlin protests. He is facing a new trial on extremism charges that could keep him in prison for decades.

What’s at stake for Prince Harry as he gives evidence in phone-hacking trial?

Duke of Sussex is a part of a 100-strong lawsuit against Mirror Group over allegations of hacking – but his participation is unprecedented for a royal

• This article is extracted from our First Edition newsletter. Sign up here

Prince Harry will make another unprecedented move for a senior royal t his week as he gives evidence in a phone-hacking court case against Mirror Group Newspapers, the owner of the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror and the Sunday People. The lawsuit alleges that the company unlawfully gathered information on the prince between 1996 and 2011 that was published in its papers, and that senior executives and editors were aware of this activity. This lawsuit is one of three entirely separate but concurrent phone-hacking claims that Prince Harry is making: the other two are against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, and the Mail newspapers.

While he is one of the most high-profile players in the lawsuit, Harry is not the only claimant. More than 100 other people are suing the Mirror Group, including ex-footballer and TV presenter Ian Wright, Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, and the estate of the late singer George Michael. (The Mirror Group has steadfastly denied the allegations, adding that the claimants have waited too long to sue them.)

You can get Sad in summer – as I know only too well | Emma Beddington

Half the country might be waiting for the heat to turn up, but for the rest of us, it’s a time of foreboding and dread

I don’t really understand why I’m still on Twitter, a mouse hopefully pressing the button that used to dispense treats, but which now only dispenses electric shocks. One reason is that I like the helpful reminders people give – that the clocks are changing, say, or there are only three days left for Christmas postage. Given staring at the internet has eaten 94% of my brain, I am grateful to outsource this basic life admin to civic-minded souls. I especially appreciate it when someone issues a heads-up for hay fever sufferers at the end of winter – when the trees are hatching their plot to kill me but haven’t acted on it yet – to start taking antihistamines.

So consider this my contribution: summer haters, it might not be particularly warm yet, but the season is here and that’s why you’re feeling bad. Baffled by the sudden onset of foreboding and formless dread? Mired in blank inertia? Wondering what’s wrong with you, because someone said it was “beautiful weather” and you upset them by retorting something angry about the desperate lack of rain, starving blue tit chicks and various other seasonal downers? I’ve been there, too, and you’re not losing your mind: it’s seasonal affective disorder (Sad).

Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist

Apple won’t repair my three-year-old MacBook Pro for free

There was a known fault with screens, but the free repair only applies to models produced earlier

Recently my three-year-old £1,300 Apple MacBook Pro’s backlight stopped working, rendering the screen completely black and usable. The laptop still works if attached to another screen, so the computer itself is clearly fine.

When I took my device into an Apple store, the technician kindly informed me that the problem I am having is a repeated, known one with 13-in MacBook Pro laptops and that Apple has a service programme that offers to fix these affected screens for free.

Sarah Beeny on cancer, love and survival: ‘I always assumed I would die at 39. So I was very impatient’

When the TV star and property expert found out she had cancer, her seemingly idyllic life turned upside down. Now given the all-clear, she discusses the diagnosis, the early death of her mother and the power of escapism

If you’ve seen Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country, you will know exactly what her house is like: unimaginably vast, unsettlingly new, modelled on a stately home but manifestly not one, like a fairytale you’re slightly too old for. But even knowing it inside out, I was still surprised to find that it actually existed, that anyone lives like that. You enter through a porch into a massive boot room, where everyone in the family has a floor-to-ceiling locker, stencilled with their name, which is what, I guess, contributes to the incredible sense of order, the un-stately-home tidiness. The rolling view from the dining room windows is enough to make you drop to your knees in quasi-religious thanksgiving. “Sometimes I have the doors open and think: ‘This is actually not real,’” she says. “This is like a holiday camp.” Even her dogs, who caper into the high-ceilinged drawing room, oblivious to how charming sitting on that Chesterfield is going to make them look, are perfect.

Beeny has adapted seamlessly to the dress code of The Simple Life (the title of her book about this escapade, published this August); she’s a jeans and shirt and (probably, when she’s going outdoors) wellies person now, after more than two decades of her distinctive, rock-chick-goes-to-a-meeting-with-the-bank-manager style. The main difference is that her hair is still very short, after treatment for breast cancer, which she was diagnosed with last August.

At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn Bromwich review – an accomplished, unsettling debut

A woman retreats to a forest in northern Italy in an immersive first novel that explores what it means to inhabit a female body yet reject femininity

Kathryn Bromwich’s accomplished debut novel begins in a deceptively pastoral register. Her narrator, Laura, is an educated woman who has purposefully removed herself from society to rent a tumbledown cabin in a forest in the mountains of northern Italy. On her first encounter with the reader she presents herself with all the tropes of a fairytale crone: she walks up the mountain at dawn, wrapped in “layer upon layer of coarse, heavy clothing”. She is conscious of how she appears to the few people who pass her on the mountain paths: “all matted fabric and dirt and ill-concealed truculence”, and yet, alone in the natural world, she can sometimes achieve a state of transcendence that is denied her in the nearby village, where “I make myself smaller, softer, amenable to human interaction”.

Despite the pleasure Laura takes in allowing herself to become semi-feral in her solitude, she depends on not alienating the villagers, who give her piecemeal work, with her strangeness: “I endeavour to maintain a veneer of respectability: cleanliness, manners, a subdued demeanour toward men.” The exact period of the story is left unclear, adding to the folkloric sense of timelessness, but there are enough clues to place it in the early 20th century: Laura has a laudanum habit, her cabin was previously occupied by a soldier rumoured to be a conscientious objector. Whatever the exact year, it’s an age in which a woman choosing to live alone in a forest attracts first gossip and then suspicion from a conservative rural community, particularly if – matted fabric notwithstanding – she is not yet 40 and “remnants of my beauty flash through on occasion”.

Kathleen Folbigg pardon: what evidence emerged over her children’s deaths and what happens next?

Attorney general says Folbigg’s lawyers can ‘initiate civil proceedings against the state of NSW for compensation’

• The new evidence that could see Kathleen Folbigg walk free – Full Story podcast
• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Kathleen Folbigg has been pardoned over the deaths of her four children, after spending two decades in prison.

She was released from a Grafton jail on Monday after a decision of the New South Wales attorney general, Michael Daley.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

A 97-year-old Los Angeles church catches on fire for the 2nd time in 2 years

The St. John's United Methodist Church first caught fire in February 2022. It had still been holding services in the parking lot as the sanctuary was being renovated when the second fire broke out.

Ben Roberts-Smith and four key witnesses were not honest or reliable, judge says in full verdict

Justice Anthony Besanko’s 736-page judgment has been released after judge last week dismissed defamation case in favour of Nine newspapers and reporters

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Ben Roberts-Smith and four key witnesses he called were not honest or reliable when it came to their evidence, a federal court justice has found in the full judgment of the war veteran’s defamation case.

Justice Anthony Besanko’s complete judgment – 736 pages long – was published on Monday afternoon after he delivered an initial summary decision in court on Thursday.

Taiwan Strait: footage released of near miss between Chinese warship and US destroyer

US military says its ship had to reduce speed to avoid a collision and accuses China of violating maritime rules of safe passage in international water

The US military has released video of what it called an “unsafe” Chinese manoeuvre in the Taiwan Strait on the weekend, in which a Chinese navy ship cut sharply across the path of an American destroyer, forcing the US ship to slow to avoid a collision.

The incident occurred on Saturday as the American destroyer USS Chung-Hoon and Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal were conducting a so-called “freedom of navigation” transit of the strait between Taiwan and mainland China.

For better or for worse: is the decline in marriage actually good for relationships? | Devorah Baum

While some countries turn marriage into a patriotic act, it might just give us a radical new way to live our lives

One of the curious things about marriage is the role it’s played in embedding commonly held views about normality. Married people are generally considered normal people. As such, they have possessed inordinate power to dictate the terms of normality in a way that single people rarely can. And yet marriage, clearly, isn’t for everyone. Plenty of people have no desire to do it. Plenty of others have done it and haven’t liked it. The stats only corroborate this. Fewer people over the years have been getting married, while the stresses and strains of lockdown in 2020 (along with the temporary closure of venues) saw divorces in England and Wales overtake weddings for the first time.

Not everyone, however, is taking marriage’s declining popularity lying down. At the recent National Conservatism conference, delegates were promised a national revival founded on “faith, family and flag”. Likewise, China has just proposed a list of measures to actively encourage its young women to marry and have children (and not just one child any more: three, ideally). This is a national policy, but it’s one with global benefits: to stem the threat of economic stagnation, growing the population is supposed to ensure the continuity of a huge, and therefore cheap, labour force. In other words, unless more Chinese women have more children, we’ll all have to pay more for our merch – with matrimony here (never mind that not everyone who marries has children and not everyone who has children gets married) still framed by national governments as the gateway to maternity first of all. Other countries may well follow China’s lead. In Japan, where they’ve just recorded a seventh consecutive year of declining birthrates, and fewer couplings, the government is accused of failing to act quickly enough to mitigate the effects of a rapidly ageing population.

Devorah Baum is associate professor of English literature at the University of Southampton and the author of On Marriage

Peter Howson on his war art: ‘People were horrified. Then David Bowie bought it’

He was the official artist of the Bosnian conflict but paid a terrible price. The Scot, loved by celebrities from Bowie to Madonna, talks about the day he lost all hope, overcoming his addictions – and finding peace walking his dog Buster

‘It’s like seeing old friends again,” says Peter Howson, looking both pleased and perplexed as he rubs a thick hand across his face. He is not talking about people but canvases, the ones now being hung in an Edinburgh gallery for a retrospective to mark his 65th birthday that will bring together around 100 works spanning his career as one of Scotland’s leading figurative painters.

Howson is an artist renowned for capturing men at their most brutal extremes, from the hyper-muscled football hooligans of his early work to the flexing soldiers of Putin’s private army in recent paintings, prompted by the war in Ukraine. But in person he is the polar opposite: vulnerable, self-critical, an apologist for his own excesses. His friend, the painter John Bellany, once told him: “Me and you were like volcanoes, spewing out all this stuff. A lot of it’s rubbish and a lot of it’s quite good.”

‘Now I am happy’: a woman’s 10-year fight for justice against gang-rapists

After a decade of delays and threats, Amena was the last of seven rape survivors resolved to fight. The verdict has been welcomed by Muslims facing increasing discrimination in India

On a hot and quiet afternoon, a woman lies on a wooden charpoy under a squeaking slow-moving fan inside her mud-walled house.

“I have not been this happy in the past 10 years,” she says. It is days after a court in Muzaffarnagar found two Hindu men guilty of gang-raping her and holding a gun to her baby son’s head. A third man died before the case came to court.

An Australian mother jailed 20 years is pardoned and freed because of new evidence

The pardon was seen as the quickest way of getting Kathleen Folbigg out of prison, as new scientific evidence found that her four children died by natural causes as she had insisted.

Indonesians honour Buddha on Vesak Day – in pictures

Buddhists across Indonesia commemorate the birth, enlightenment and passing of the religion’s founder with light, prayer and lanterns

• Getxophoto festival – in pictures

6/4: CBS Weekend News

China defends close encounter with American warship; "Yellowstone" star helps children of fallen soldiers

War brings urgency to fight for LGBT rights in Ukraine

Campaigners hope a new law will show LGBT soldiers that the country they are risking their lives for cares about them

The Ukrainian MP Andrii Kozhemiakin is a wiry, conservative ex-spy who likes to emphasise his Christian faith and large family. He is also an unlikely new recruit in the fight for LGBT rights in Ukraine.

A draft civil union law that would give same-sex partnerships legal status for the first time was introduced this year to Ukraine’s parliament, which is still functioning despite the war.

School bus driver and two camels killed in central Queensland crash

The man was on his way to work when he crashed into the escaped animals in Livingstone, police say

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

A school bus driver has been killed after he crashed into two escaped camels in central Queensland.

Both camels were also killed in the crash on Emu Park Road in Livingstone, east of Rockhampton, shortly after 5am on Monday, police said.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Jets intercept plane that flew over Washington and crashed in Virginia

The pilot of Cessna 560 Citation V remained unresponsive throughout attempts to establish contact before it crashed.

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy on "The Takeout" - 06/04/23

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy joins Major Garrett for this week's episode of "The Takeout" to discuss the debt ceiling negotiations on Capitol Hill, social security and healthcare spending, plus a discussion on governments' use of artificial intelligence, and the upcoming 2024 presidential election

Miami Heat’s fourth-quarter rally upsets Denver Nuggets in NBA finals Game 2

• Underdogs Heat level series despite Nikola Jokic’s 41 points
• As it happened: Miami Heat 111-108 Denver Nuggets

Gabe Vincent scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 21 and the Miami Heat evened up the NBA finals by overcoming a monster effort from Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 on Sunday night.

Max Strus scored 14 and Duncan Robinson had 10 for the Heat, who had a big early lead, then were down by as many as 15 before reclaiming the lead in the fourth. Miami outscored Denver 36-25 in the final period, erasing an eight-point deficit going into the final frame.

6/4: Face The Nation

This week on "Face the Nation," West Virginia's Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Louisiana Republican Garret Graves discuss what's next for the country after averting a debt crisis, plus Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan on how brinkmanship impacts an ever-changing economy.

Russia claims to have fought off ‘major Ukrainian offensive’ in Donetsk

Russian defence ministry says 250 Ukrainian troops killed in attack, in claims that could not be independently verified

• Russia-Ukraine war live: latest updates

Russia has claimed to have repelled a “major offensive” in the Donetsk region and to have killed hundreds of Ukrainian troops, but the claims could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian officials made no comment, and have emphasised the need for secrecy about operations in recent days as anticipation grows for a major counteroffensive. Ukrainian military officers have predicted that any such counteroffensive would be preceded and accompanied by feints and diversionary attacks to “shape the battlefield” and cause as much confusion as possible in Russian ranks.

Directors Guild reaches deal while writers strike continues

The Directors Guild of America has reached a tentative deal with studios for a new three-year contract. The WGA strike, meanwhile, continues.

Barbie film required so much pink paint it contributed to worldwide shortage

The film’s production designer Sarah Greenwood says ‘the world ran out of pink’ during construction of Barbieland and lifesize versions of the doll’s Dreamhouse

Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie film required so much pink paint during construction that it wiped out an entire company’s global supply.

Speaking to Architectural Digest, Gerwig and the film’s production designer Sarah Greenwood, spoke about the construction of Barbieland, which is almost entirely fluorescent pink, from the lifesize versions of the doll’s famous “Dreamhouse” to the roads and lamp-posts.

Our critics’ guide to a summer of music, movies and culture - podcast

Guardian culture writers Alex Needham, Ellen E Jones and Michael Cragg make their picks of the best of this summer in arts and culture

With festival season about to begin, blockbusters scheduled for the big screen and newspapers filling up with lists of summer reading, the Guardian culture writers Alex Needham, Ellen E Jones and Michael Cragg take Nosheen Iqbal on a guided tour of the summer.

Tiger Woods hails Rose Zhang as 20-year-old wins on professional debut

• American is seen by many as the future of women’s golf
• Zhang wins Mizuho Americas Open on second playoff hole

Rose Zhang became the first player to win on their pro LPGA Tour debut in 72 years, capturing the Mizuho Americas Open on the second hole of a playoff against Jennifer Kupcho on Sunday.

The last female player to win as a pro in her debut was Beverly Hanson, who edged Babe Zaharias to take the Eastern Open in 1951.

Kathleen Folbigg pardoned and released after 20 years in jail over deaths of her four children

Release comes after inquiry heard that Folbigg and her two daughters had rare genetic variation and her son may have died from an underlying neurogenetic disorder

• The new evidence that could see Kathleen Folbigg walk free – Full Story podcast
• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Kathleen Folbigg has been pardoned and released after two decades in prison over the deaths of her four children, following a decision of the New South Wales attorney general, Michael Daley.

Folbigg, who has always maintained her innocence, had served 20 years of a 25-year sentence since being convicted in 2003 of murdering three of her children, and the manslaughter of one child.

Brazil police charge alleged mastermind behind murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira

Alleged leader of ‘transnational criminal organisation’ and a supposed subordinate have been charged over the 2022 murders of journalist and Indigenous expert

Brazilian police have charged the alleged leader of a “transnational criminal organization” with being the mastermind of the murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira in the Amazon one year ago.

The British journalist and the Brazilian Indigenous expert were shot dead while returning from a reporting trip to the remote Javari valley region on 5 June 2022.

Nearly 80 primary schoolgirls believed poisoned in Afghanistan

Two schools in northern province targeted, says education official, who suggested the attacker was motivated by a personal grudge

Nearly 80 girls were poisoned and hospitalised in two separate attacks at their primary schools in northern Afghanistan, a local education official said on Sunday.

He said the person who orchestrated the poisoning had a personal grudge but did not elaborate. The attacks took place in Sar-e-Pul province over Saturday and Sunday.

Sudan fighting escalates after breakdown in ceasefire talks

The latest shaky truce between country’s army and RSF paramilitary came to an end on Saturday evening and has not been extended

Fighting has intensified in several areas of Khartoum after a ceasefire deal expired, residents of Sudan’s capital reported, as activists said a new outburst of violence in North Darfur state had left at least 40 people dead.

The ceasefire between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began on 22 May and expired on Saturday evening.

Hong Kong police arrest pro-democracy figures on Tiananmen Square anniversary

At least 20 people detained, including activist Alexandra Wong and leader of opposition party, as hundreds of police conduct stop and search operations

Hong Kong police have detained more than 20 people, including prominent pro-democracy figures, on the 34th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in China, while Chinese authorities tightened access to Tiananmen Square in central Beijing.

Police in Hong Kong said late on Sunday they had detained 23 people between the ages of 20 to 74 who were suspected of “breaching the peace”. One woman, 53, was arrested for obstructing police officers.

Pressure builds on Johnny Kitagawa’s J-pop agency to address abuse claims

Survivors want talent firm Johnny & Associates to fully investigate sexual abuse allegations against late founder

Pressure is building on one of Japan’s most powerful talent agencies to address allegations of sexual abuse by its founder, Johnny Kitagawa, as survivors and celebrities call for a public reckoning.

Kitagawa, who died in 2019 aged 87, has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple boys, but it is claimed he evaded justice because his victims knew that speaking out would ruin their careers.

Lawmakers concerned about growing tensions with China

Several lawmakers have expressed concern over the growing strains between the U.S. and China. Top Biden administration officials were in Beijing over the weekend to try to cool things down. Skyler Henry reports.

Military F-16s intercepted a business jet, shocking D.C. residents with a sonic boom

At supersonic speeds, F-16 jets chased down an unresponsive pilot who flew a civilian plane over the nation's capital and crashed in southwest Virginia. The FAA and NTSB are investigating.

Mild recession possible as job numbers stay hot

The U.S. averted disaster by raising the debt ceiling, but a mild recession is still possible even as job numbers remain hot, according to the head of Bank of America. Mark Strassmann breaks down how the U.S. economy is doing.

Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 467 of the invasion

Russia’s defence ministry claims Ukraine has launched a ‘major’ attack; young girl found dead in rubble of house in Dnipro attack

• See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage

Russia’s defence ministry claimed on Monday that Ukraine had launched a “major” attack in the Donetsk region, the Russian state news agency Tass reported. The ministry said Ukraine had launched the attack using six mechanised and two tank battalions but that Russian forces had thwarted it. It is not yet possible to confirm Russia’s claim, and the Ukrainian side has not yet responded. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said in an interview published on Saturday that Ukraine was ready to launch its long-awaited counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory. “We strongly believe that we will succeed.”

A two-year-old girl has been found dead under the rubble of a house after a missile attack that hit several buildings near the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the regional governor said. Another 22 people were injured, including five children, said Serhiy Lysak. Three boys – aged 15, 11 and six – were in intensive care after the strike.

Russia launched a wave of air attacks on Ukraine early on Sunday morning but military officials jn Kyiv said air defence systems repelled all missiles and drones on their approach to the capital. All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts for nearly three hours.

The Russian defence ministry has said its forces have used artillery to repel a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian saboteurs, Interfax news agency reported. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said earlier on Sunday that fighting with a “Ukrainian saboteur group” was taking place in the town of Novaya Tavolzhanka, near the Ukrainian border.

A Ukrainian minister has expressed “disbelief” after learning that nearly half of Kyiv bomb shelters inspected during an initial audit were closed or unfit for use. Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine’s minister of strategic industries, said on Sunday that out of 1,078 shelters examined on the first day, 359 were unprepared and another 122 locked, while 597 were found to be usable.

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has said he is willing to meet a pro-Ukraine group of Russian fighters keeping two Russian soldiers captive. The group said earlier it was willing to hand over the soldiers in exchange for a meeting with the governor.

Ukrainian forces have shelled a market area in the town of Shebekino, near the Ukrainian border, according to Gladkov. He said no one was injured but the attack had caused fires to break out near the market, a private area and a grain depot.

The Kremlin has said any supply of long-range missiles to Kyiv by France and Germany would lead to a further round of “spiralling tension” in the Ukraine conflict. Britain last month became the first country to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles.

Zelenskiy has said that Russia’s war, now in its 16th month, has killed at least 500 Ukrainian children. It was impossible to establish the exact number of children who have become casualties, however, because of the continuing fighting and because some areas are under Russian occupation, he said.

Four people have been detained in a criminal investigation into the death of a Kyiv woman outside a locked air-raid shelter, the Kyiv regional prosecutor’s office has said. It said one person, a security guard who had failed to unlock the doors, remained under arrest, while three others, including a local official, had been put under house arrest.

Five drones were shot down and four were jammed and did not hit their targets in Dzhankoi in Crimea, according to a Russian official. There were no casualties but windows were broken in several houses, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of Crimea’s administration, said on Sunday.

Directors Guild of America reaches "truly historic" deal with studios

The tentative three-year agreement addresses wages, streaming residuals, working hours and more.

China’s war chest: how Beijing has rearranged the diplomatic pieces ahead of a potential conflict

China is shoring up international support, while attempting to isolate Taiwan on the world stage

In diplomatic terms, China could be said to have already won its battle against Taiwan. Most of the world’s governments – including the US – formally agree with the Chinese Communist party’s (CCP) position that there is just one China, of which the People’s Republic of China is the sole government.

The tension lies in the fact that the CCP regards Taiwan, a self-governing, democratic island of 23 million people, as part of that one China.

Climate crisis: rich nations undermining work to help poor countries, research suggests

Oxfam report says only $11.5bn (£9.2bn) of climate finance in 2020 devoted to helping vulnerable states

Rich nations are undermining work to protect poor and vulnerable countries from the impacts of the climate crisis, by providing loans instead of grants, siphoning off money from other aid projects or mislabelling cash, new research suggests.

Only $11.5bn (£9.2bn) of climate finance from rich countries in 2020 was devoted to helping poor countries adapt to extreme weather, despite increasing incidences of climate-related disaster, according to a report from the charity Oxfam.

Jacinda Ardern becomes a dame as New Zealand honours former PM

Ardern, who said she felt conflicted about the honour, was recognised for her service to the country during the pandemic and Christchurch terror attacks

New Zealand has awarded Jacinda Ardern one of the country’s highest honours, making the former prime minister a dame for her service to the country during the Covid-19 pandemic and Christchurch terror attacks.

Ardern accepted the honour but said she had felt conflicted about doing so. “I was in two minds about accepting this acknowledgment. So many of the things we went through as a nation over the last five years were about all of us rather than one individual,” she said.

China defends intercepting U.S. destroyer in Taiwan Strait

China's vessel overtook the U.S. ship and then veered across its bow at a distance of 150 yards in an "unsafe manner," according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

England could make call to Moeen Ali after Jack Leach ruled out of Ashes

• Leach has stress fracture of lower back
• Moeen retired from Tests two years ago

Jack Leach has been dramatically ruled out of the Ashes with a lower back stress fracture, and England are considering a raft of options including asking Moeen Ali to reverse his Test retirement.

With just 11 days to the opening Test at Edgbaston, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have been left desperately searching the 18 counties for a spinning replacement. Other candidates include Rehan Ahmed, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson or even recent white-ball specialist Adil Rashid.

Saudi Arabia cuts oil production again to shore up prices — this time on its own

OPEC+ countries also agreed to extend oil production cuts they announced in April through the end of 2024, reducing production by more than 1 million barrels per day.

‘I say goodbye to football’ – emotional Zlatan Ibrahimovic ends career at 41

• Sweden’s all-time top scorer hangs up boots at Milan
• Ibrahimovic says a final farewell to fans at San Siro

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has announced his retirement from football, at the age of 41.

The Swedish superstar’s contract expires at the end of June and it will not be renewed following a season plagued by injuries, prompting him to end a remarkable and successful career.

US jets pursue light aircraft over Washington DC before it crashes in Virginia

The fighter jets caused a sonic boom over the US capital that sent some residents into a brief panic

US authorities scrambled fighter jets to intercept an unresponsive light aircraft that violated the airspace over the Washington DC area and later crashed into mountainous terrain in south-west Virginia, officials have said.

Four people were onboard the Cessna Citation plane, according to CNN, which cited an unnamed source. Police said rescuers had found no survivors onboard the plane.

Gods of Tennis review – a hefty tale of the epic battles that rocked tennis

Billie Jean King battles for female equality and Arthur Ashe fights against systemic racism in this documentary series. It’s a hefty tale, joined by on-court sagas between sporting giants

My earliest memories of Wimbledon fortnight are of having to let myself silently into the house after school and then commando-crawl across the sitting room on my way to the kitchen for a snack, so that I didn’t obscure a potential match point for my mother and her viewing friends. They were tense times, made tenser by the fact that it was the Björn Borg-John McEnroe era. One half of the audience would be rooting for the silent Swede (including Mum, on the grounds that “he’d not get under your feet”) and the other for the hyperactive “You cannot be serious – the ball was in!” American. “Oh, be quiet,” Mum and I would snarl, in one of our rare moments of temperamental unity.

The BBC’s three-part documentary Gods of Tennis allows fans to relive those relatively halcyon days, with its first episode focusing on the slightly earlier era of Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe. To examine the impact the pair had on the game, contemporaneous footage is interspersed with interviews with King (Ashe died in 1993), sports journalists, other players and champions (including Sue Barker, Pam Shriver, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and, in later instalments, Borg and McEnroe themselves). And, for some reason, Miriam Margolyes.

Judge rules Tennessee law restricting drag shows is unconstitutional

The judge said Tennessee's law is "unconstitutionally vague and overbroad" and encouraged "discriminatory enforcement."

Boy seriously injured as wind sweeps zorb into air at festival in Southport

Nine-year-old inside transparent ball as ‘freak gust of wind’ carries it over trees before landing on wheelie bin

A nine-year-old boy has been seriously injured after the inflatable zorb ball he was playing in was carried so high into the air by “a freak gust of wind” that eyewitnesses described it gliding over some trees.

The child was inside the transparent plastic orb, floating on a pool of water at an outdoor festival in Southport, Merseyside, when the ball suddenly took off into the air.

Pro-Ukraine group of partisans captures Russian soldiers

Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion say they ‘will hand captured soldiers to Kyiv’

A pro-Ukraine group of Russian partisans has said it captured several soldiers during a cross-border raid into southern Russia and will hand them over to Ukrainian authorities.

The Russian Volunteer Corps made the claim in a video statement released on Telegram on Sunday after a raid into the Russian region of Belgorod.

Sydney’s newspaper rebellion: the night the censors called armed officers on the press

A pact between editors, a blank front page and a Labor minister hellbent on confronting the press – what happened when the Sydney papers stood up to the censors?

• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Eighty years ago in September 1943, Australia’s newspaper owners feared the worst when Labor’s Arthur Calwell was sworn in as minister for information in John Curtin’s wartime government.

Unlike most politicians, the federal member for Melbourne relished fighting with the press. Calwell’s political career had begun with a libel action against a newspaper – and it would end the same way three decades later.

Battling Svitolina outlasts Kasatkina to make French Open quarter-finals

• Ukrainian winner shares thumbs up with Russian after match
• Sabalenka sets up quarter-final after night win over Stephens

As Elina Svitolina stepped up to the baseline to contest her second match point 20 minutes after squandering her first, she sprinted on the spot, furiously swung forehands and backhands in the air and did everything to show she was ready. Nearly two hours into her fourth-round battle with Daria Kasatkina, seemingly every exchange had been long, intense and physical, but Svitolina knows few players can match her physicality.

Moments later she extended her brilliant comeback as she outlasted Kasatkina, the ninth seed, 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of her first grand slam tournament since becoming a mother.

CBS News political panel on what voters can expect as GOP race for president intensifies

Campaign 2024 got down to business in Iowa this weekend as most of the declared or potential Republican candidates visited the early nominating state. Notably absent was the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump, who was off the trail this weekend. CBS News political correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns, CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe and CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa joined "Face the Nation" to discuss.

Lewis Hamilton hints at staying with Mercedes after Spanish GP showing

• Seven-time champion second in Barcelona
• ‘I’m focused on having the car to challenge next year’

Lewis Hamilton praised his Mercedes team for finally delivering at the Spanish Grand Prix with what he described as the best car he has driven in the past year and a half and one capable of potentially catching the championship leaders Red Bull.

In paying tribute to his team Hamilton acknowledged he was already looking forward to competing next season, indicating discussions on renewing his contract with Mercedes could wrap up shortly.

Manchester United exposed at Wembley as a club stuck in neutral … and the past

Some progress has been made under Erik ten Hag but the FA Cup final showed how far they are behind neighbours Manchester City

One of the funniest things José Mourinho did in his early days at Chelsea, back when his toxic vibe still felt light and fun and only slightly vicious and mean, was to stand at the entrance to the Old Trafford pitch before a Carling Cup quarter-final and make a point of energetically shaking hands with every Manchester United player as they walked on to their own pitch.

United’s players looked bemused but went through with it all the same, submitting to the full routine of neck-cuffs and cheek-pinches, albeit with a weirdly emasculating sense of being ambushed, permitted to take part in a game at their own house by the grace of Mourinho’s hand.

Woman dead, 6 others hurt in shooting at Chicago memorial

A woman was killed and six others were injured in a shooting at a memorial event on Chicago's West Side early on Sunday.

"The Book of Charlie": A centenarian's life well-lived

When Washington Post editor David Von Drehle moved into a new home, he found his neighbor, Charlie White, was not your typical 102-year-old. Striking up a friendship, Von Drehle discovered the colorful White, who'd already lived a couple of lifetimes, had a lot to teach others about making the most of our time alive. Correspondent Luke Burbank talks with Von Drehle about a remarkable character, the subject of "The Book of Charlie."

China tightens access to Tiananmen Square while 32 are detained in Hong Kong

China tightened access to Tiananmen Square in central Beijing on Sunday, the anniversary of the military suppression of 1989 pro-democracy protests.

Good news about job market comes with possible economic headwinds on the horizon

Spending consumers keep creating more jobs, but there have also been layoffs in the tech sector and a sharp rise in Black unemployment that pushed up the overall jobless rate. Mark Strassmann reports.

Tottenham set to appoint Postecoglou while Real Madrid eye Harry Kane

• Deal for Celtic’s Australian manager should be completed soon
• Spanish giants may target England captain as Benzema leaves

Tottenham Hotspur are close to ending their managerial search by hiring Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach, but the north London club could soon have to deal with Real Madrid looking to replace Karim Benzema with Harry Kane.

Spurs have been in a state of flux since parting company with Antonio Conte in March and the impending appointment of Postecoglou, who is fresh from leading Celtic to a domestic treble, should reintroduce certainty. The Australian has impressed since joining Celtic two years ago and a deal to bring him to north London should be completed soon.

Manchin on his political future: "Everything's on the table"

Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, has not said whether he'll run for reelection in 2024.

Robert Rubin condemns threats to default on U.S. gov't debt

The United States avoided default this week when the House passed a bill to raise the debt ceiling. But Robert Rubin, who served as treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, says the political fight that jeopardized the government's ability to pay its bills threatened severe economic harm, and that any future fights over the debt ceiling are risky and irresponsible.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says "it's not good" for U.S. to fight over debt ceiling

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan joined “Face the Nation” to discuss the economy after the nation averted a debt crisis.

Nicola Jennings on what the WhatsApp row means for Sunak’s promises as PM – cartoon

After Boris Johnson, the Cabinet Office fears that the Covid inquiry could seek Rishi Sunak’s unredacted messages

Opponents, supporters of affirmative action face off

With the Supreme Court poised to decide two cases challenging the use of race as a consideration in college and university admissions, correspondent Rita Braver talks with the man responsible for launching multiple cases against affirmative action in higher education, as well as with advocates for and against maintaining the policy.

Sen. Joe Manchin says "everything's on the table and nothing off the table" with his plans

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin joined “Face the Nation” to discuss his plans for the future in addition to the bipartisan deal to cut federal spending and suspend the nation's debt ceiling, averting a crisis.

Missing resident from collapsed Iowa apartment building found dead

The body of Branden Colvin, a 42-year-old resident of the building that partially collapsed last weekend in Davenport, Iowa, has been found.

GOP Rep. Garret Graves won't rule out government shutdown after debt ceiling fight

President Biden signed a bipartisan deal to cut federal spending and suspend the nation's debt ceiling just hours before what could have been a catastrophic default. Republican Congressman Garret Graves, who led GOP negotiators during the debate over raising the debt ceiling, joined “Face the Nation” from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to discuss what’s next for the country.

GOP rep. says he's not ruling out a government shutdown

A shutdown would occur if Congress doesn't approve or extend government funding in the fall.

Architect Jeanne Gang on changing the shape of a city

Jeanne Gang, arguably the most important female architect working today, heads her own firm, Studio Gang, which is pushing the boundaries of the good that architecture can do, for connecting communities and for the environment. Gang talked with correspondent Martha Teichner about her most recent project, an expansion of New York's American Museum of Natural History, and about the skyscrapers, airport terminal, and other civic spaces she has designed in her hometown of Chicago meant to transform spaces, outside and within.

Libraries should be ‘ringfenced and protected’, Malorie Blackman says

Former children’s laureate tells Hay festival audience that her local library was essential to her career as a writer

Libraries should be “ringfenced and protected” to ensure that all children have access to books, the author Malorie Blackman has said.

“I lived in my local library as a child,” Blackman, who was children’s laureate from 2013 to 2015, told an audience at the Hay literary festival.

Poland: hundreds of thousands march against rightwing populist government

‘We’re half a million here,’ says Donald Tusk at what he says is biggest political gathering since Poland regained independence

Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through central Warsaw to protest against Poland’s rightwing populist government before a delicately poised election due in the autumn.

The Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015, since when it has eroded democratic norms, attacked the independent judiciary and launched campaigns against the LGBTQ+ community and reproductive rights.

Chuck Todd, host and moderator of NBC's 'Meet the Press', will step down

Todd has hosted the show since 2014. NBC's chief White House correspondent, Kristen Welker, will become the show's new host.

Open: This is "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan"

This week on "Face the Nation," West Virginia's Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Louisiana Republican Garret Graves discuss what's next for the country after averting a debt crisis, plus Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan on how brinkmanship impacts an ever-changing economy.

Dogs attacked more than 5,300 mail carriers last year, the Postal Service says

Officials say pets that don't previously show signs of aggression may still bite a postal worker, and the agency is asking residents to secure their dogs before mail carriers arrive.

Do yourself and other parents a favour – lower the bar | Emma Wilkins

Doing what works for you, your family and your budget – rather than what you think you’re expected to – can mean less stress and more satisfaction

• Sharing the Load is a column about parenting children of all ages

One of the most memorable birthday parties I’ve hosted was also one of the easiest and cheapest. Our eldest son was turning five and wanted to invite his whole class. I wasn’t willing to host a party with more than 20 five-year-olds, but I was willing to invite them for a play in our back garden after school.

I made a call: no games, no prizes, no party bags, no banquet. Just an invitation to swing by on their way home from school, hang out and have some cake. I added a firm “no presents please”, so it was easy for the guests as well.

American bully: dog breed under spotlight in UK after fatal attacks

Breed responsible for nine deaths since 2021, but dog organisations suggest ban may not address the issue

• Met police dealing with at least one dangerous dog a day, figures show

The American bully has quickly become one of the more visible dog breeds in the UK in recent years.

The breed is not recognised by any of the main dog associations in the UK, meaning there are no figures on ownership rates in the country. However, the dogs’ frequent appearance in the news, often under tragic circumstances, suggests they are more prevalent than ever.

Colombian president’s allies resign amid illegal wiretapping scandal

Inquiry reveals phone calls of Gustavo Petro’s aide’s nanny were intercepted in ‘grotesque’ abuse of power

Two of Gustavo Petro’s closest political allies have resigned as the Colombian president’s office was embroiled in a bizarre scandal involving a nanny, illegal wiretaps and a missing briefcase full of cash.

Petro’s closest adviser, Laura Sarabia, and his key political power broker, Armando Benedetti, stepped down on Friday after an investigation by the general attorney into allegations made by Marelbys Meza, the nanny to Sarabia’s son.

Nature: Florida's Sanibel Island

"Sunday Morning" visits J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel, Fla., where nature is on the mend following the devastation caused by last year's Hurricane Ian. Videographer: Charles Schultz.

"The Book of Charlie": Wisdom from a centenarian neighbor

When author David Von Drehle moved into a new home, he found his neighbor, Charlie White, was not your typical 102-year-old. The colorful White, who'd already lived a couple of lifetimes, had a lot to teach others about making the most of our time alive.

‘What sprocket left that bike there?’ My life as a pedestrian in badly behaved Britain

I’m all for cycle hire schemes, but nothing brings out the grumpy old man in me like e-bikes strewn across the pavement

The album is called Lime Slime. Sixty photos on my phone of e-bikes dumped in the middle of the pavement, blocking street crossings and obstructing entrances, in a tangle of wheels and fluoro frames.

My walk to the tube in south London takes five minutes. It’s clubland, so you would expect to dodge frazzled partiers and pavement pizzas. But, most mornings, I stop three or four times because some absolute sprocket has left their rental bike sideways across the path. I take a picture of this small, fleeting discourtesy because I can’t believe someone has done something so obviously daft – passersby look at me oddly; it’s not premium Instagram content, I know – then I drag it out of the way and stand it next to a wall.

Should I worry about pesticides?

Many of them don’t pose a risk to humans. But what about the less natural stuff that goes on our food?

Pesticides are far from being a new invention. In the Odyssey, Homer describes how Odysseus “cleanses all pollution” by applying sulphur, while Pliny the Elder recommended using arsenic as an insect-killer, as well as mixing it with boar’s liver to cure “carbuncles upon the generative organs”.

We have since learned a lot more about what has an adverse effect on our health, while modern science can mix chemicals in combinations the Romans and Greeks could never have dreamed of. So, just how bad are today’s pesticides – and what can you do to mitigate their effects on your health?

Universal basic income of £1,600 a month to be trialled in two places in England

Scheme to run for two years and participants will be monitored to see what effect it has on mental and physical health

A universal basic income of £1,600 a month is to be trialled in England for the first time in a pilot programme.

Thirty people will be paid a lump sum without conditions each month for two years and will be observed to understand the effects on their lives.

Sardinian town invokes Arnold Schwarzenegger link to give population a US boost

Ten Americans will pay €1 a month to live in Ollolai, birthplace of former Mr Universe Franco Columbu

Ten American professionals are moving to a small town in the middle of Sardinia known for being the birthplace of a former Mr Universe who was a close friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, paying a token rent of €1 (86p) a month.

The project, called Work from Ollolai and launched by the local council in collaboration with the Sa Mata association, is aimed at boosting the population in the town, located in the mountainous Barbagia region of the Italian island.

Affirmative action opponents, supporters debate "colorblind" college admissions

With the Supreme Court poised to decide two cases challenging the consideration of race in college and university admissions, advocates both for and against discuss maintaining or eliminating the policy.

Why we need to respect Earth’s last great wilderness – the ocean

There are plans to harness our seas to help tackle the effects of the climate emergency. But without understanding and respect a life support system for our planet could be trashed

The real payoff from the Apollo missions had nothing to do with the moon. The prize was travelling far enough out into space to look back properly at planet Earth. Those two unforgettable images – Earthrise and Blue Marble – showed us our fragile and precious planet, defined by its blue. Since then, we’ve talked proudly about our “blue planet” but without thinking any further about what that blue actually is. We talk about fish and whales, plastic and pollution – the things that are in the water – but not the water itself. The great ocean engine has just kept turning while we scurry about near its surface, only caring when its churning causes something dramatic that we can see – an algal bloom or a giant swarm of jellyfish.

More than 50 years after Apollo, the ocean is starting to get more attention, but a growing slice of the discussion is based on the assumption that it is there for us to use, a resource to be exploited, a great volume of “nothing” that human inventiveness is going to turn into “something”. And this is incredibly dangerous. Unless humanity starts to see the ocean for what it really is – a critical part of our planetary life support system – we risk sleepwalking into destruction.

Bon appétit: savouring the gastronomic highs of Hauts-de-France

It’s a short hop across the Channel to Hauts-de-France, which has just won European gastronomic region of the year

This stunning area of northern France where it borders Belgium is famous for its numerous cheeses. Hauts-de-France produces some of the country’s most delectable dairy items, and that includes more than 200 different types of cheese. Look out for maroilles, a soft cow’s milk cheese with a pungent mushroomy odour; mimolette, a semi-hard cheese with a fruity aroma; or brine-washed chaud biloute, which is delicious served warm and gooey from the oven.

Overwhelmed in London, I moved to Berlin to save my sanity – and savour a new life

Irish author Naoise Dolan on taking refuge in the German capital

I’ve lived in Berlin for nine months now and I have stopped thinking of myself as “learning German”. Instead I hunt daily for German I still don’t know. I enter new words into a flashcard app on my phone and slowly the proportion of German-yet-unknown-to-me diminishes. If I happen to emerge from this process a Germanophone, well and good. But I have never achieved anything by obsessing over a long-term goal; I need to be having fun in the here-and-now to see any sustained project to completion. All the same, I’m easily amused. My flashcard app delights me.

I moved here last summer from London, where I had essentially lost my mind. (This rationale doesn’t go well in small talk, so I tend to claim instead that I wanted a change of scene.)

The rise of perfectionism – and the harm it’s doing us all

Many of us believe striving for perfection leads to success. But perfectionism is counter-productive and can result in soaring levels of stress. The answer, believes Professor Thomas Curran, is to go a little easier on yourself

About a decade ago, Thomas Curran, a psychology student, travelled to Australia to embark on a postdoctoral fellowship and was crushed with anxiety, exhaustion and panic attacks. Beyond making the round-the-world flight, he’d really pushed himself hard to make it there. Curran is from Wellingborough, a town in the east Midlands, and grew up “without much money”. His mum used to work as a receptionist at the Hind Hotel, his dad was a construction worker who was famous locally (Curran tells me with a touch of pride) for riding the statue of a deer mounted above the hotel’s entrance. As a teen, Curran thought he’d go into construction, too, but spurred on by the New Labour education drive, he chose university. Now he was far beyond the expectations of his youth – and surely well on the road to success in academia – yet found himself in pieces: “a failure”.

With all going south Down Under, Curran returned to the UK. At a less prestigious institution, the pressure eased. He dropped his competitive streak and decided “to stop trying to please other people”. Able to let his mind wander, he began to look more forensically at perfectionism, a trait he recognised in himself and – until that point – had rather celebrated. After all, surely it was perfectionism that enabled him to meet the high standards he placed upon himself and rise from his working-class roots? And surely it was the same impulse that kicked him out of bed when he felt crushed by self-criticism, and pushed him through panic attacks to keep striving? “I was genuinely of the belief that perfectionism was the one thing that was holding me up when everything around me was collapsing,” he says. “But it was actually perfectionism that was creating those problems.”

‘I feel so helpless’: Indians search for missing family at train crash site

Relatives struggle to find loved ones who had been on train as doctors warn some bodies are disfigured beyond recognition

As the Coromandel Express train left Shalimar station at 3.20pm on Friday, its carriages were packed to the rafters with migrant labourers, daily wage workers, students and commuters, many seeking opportunity hundreds of miles away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, the train’s final destination.

Among them was Chandan Roy, 38, a mason, who was heading south for employment. Yet he would never make it. Instead, on Sunday morning, his father-in-law, Santosh Roy, 60, was among those desperately searching for his body among piles of the dead.

Strawberry moon and lightsaber lessons: weekend’s best photos

The Guardian’s picture editors select photo highlights from around the world

Immigrants have helped change how America eats. Now they dominate top culinary awards

Immigrants have long been the backbone of restaurant kitchens. Now they're dominating the industry's top awards for chefs, with a majority of nominations going to immigrants or children of immigrants.

Diana, Meghan and the tabloid press: Harry finally gets his day in court

The Duke of Sussex has made it his life’s work to change the British media landscape. He’ll get his chance this week in the phone hacking case against the Mirror Group

The Duke of Sussex is due to give evidence at the high court in London on Tuesday in a joint case he, and many other alleged victims of historic phone hacking, have brought against Mirror Group Newspapers.

It is believed to be the first appearance in the witness box of a senior royal since the 19th century, although in 2002 the Princess Royal pleaded guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act, after two children were bitten in Windsor Great Park – by her dog, it should be made clear.

Now Boarding: Can you fly with marijuana? It's complicated

On this episode of "Now Boarding," CNBC discusses the legalities and gray areas of flying with marijuana.

Vaccination and awareness could help keep mpox in check this summer

Health officials say more vaccination, testing and awareness among people at high risk for infection with mpox could curb a potential resurgence in the U.S.

A decade on, Edward Snowden remains in Russia, though U.S. laws have changed

A decade ago, we were still exploring the technological wonders of cellphones and other electronic devices. Few were thinking about how they could be used to monitor us. Then came Edward Snowden.

President Zelenskyy says 2-year-old is one of 500 Ukrainian children killed in war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Russia's war, now in its 16th month, has killed at least 500 Ukrainian children.

Cynthia Weil obituary

Lyricist who co-wrote pop classics including You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’, On Broadway and I Just Can’t Help Believing

Unusually, the lyricist Cynthia Weil’s husband, the composer Barry Mann, came up with the line – “You never close your eyes any more when I kiss your lips” – that began a song destined to become one of the most beloved of all 1960s pop classics. She completed the thought: “And there’s no tenderness like before in your fingertips.”

Intoned by the sonorous baritone voice of the Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley at a dead-slow tempo over the echoing canyons of a Phil Spector production, that dramatic opening drew attention so effectively that You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in February 1965, going on to become the most played song on US radio of the 20th century.

She writes for a hit Ethiopian soap opera. This year, the plot turns on child marriage

The show is Yegna. Its goal (besides entertainment) is to tackle issues affecting teen girls (and boys, too), from a lack of menstrual pads to why betting is unwise. We talk to one of the writers.

Larry Sultan’s painterly photographs of swimmers

Partly to confront his own primal fear of the water, the Californian photographer spent years capturing the sometimes ungainly, sometimes balletic dance of humans learning to swim

Growing up in the suburban Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles, Larry Sultan lived close to a public swimming pool. His regular visits there were undertaken with a degree of trepidation. “I was petrified of water, of deep water, especially,” he recalled in 1980. “When I was 12, I almost drowned in the ocean. Water is the only bit of nature I know that we can’t control, that seems overwhelming when you enter it and are totally immersed in it.”

In 1974, partly as a way of confronting his own primal fear, Sultan began photographing the participants in a local swimming class for blind people. He abandoned the series soon afterwards and began working on more conceptual projects alongside Mike Mandel, whom he had met at art school in San Francisco. In 1977, the pair published Evidence, an enigmatic book of monochrome found photographs from various American technological and research institutions that is now considered a landmark of conceptual photography. It was both the apex and end point of their creative partnership.