Commonwealth Games 2026: 100m finals in athletics and swimming golds up for grabs – live

• Follow updates from Tuesday’s action around Glasgow

• Full medal table | Day five – in pictures | And mail Daniel

Check out the medal table.

Swimming: Another impressive swim from 16-year-old Amalie Smith who wins her 200m medley heat comfortably. This comes after taking silver in the 400m event.

Trump praises Lindsey Graham as a ‘true American original’ in eulogy at Washington DC funeral service – latest updates

The Republican senator died earlier this month; his funeral is attended by members of Congress as well as Benjamin Netanyahu and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

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Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, set for 9:30am ET on Tuesday, will be closed to the media, the New York Times is reporting.

The meeting is expected to be much more cordial than the one last year where Trump openly berated Zelenskyy and said, “you don’t have the cards”. The administration and rightwing influencers have shown a shift on Ukraine as of late, and Trump and Zelenskyy had a friendly meeting at a Nato summit earlier this month.

Trump backs 'fantastic' Warsh while calling for lower rates and citing 'bad intentions' of other Fed officials

President Trump Monday voiced support for Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh while insisting that the U.S. should have the lowest interest rates in the world.

Watch Live: Trump calls Graham "beloved friend" and "American original" in eulogy

President Trump delivered the eulogy for friend and ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly just a short time after visiting Ukraine earlier this month.

Analysis: Kevin Warsh has three reasons to hold off on a Fed rate hike this week

At the Fed’s July meeting, the new chairman will reveal how he weighs energy shocks, AI-driven price pressure, the task forces and pressure from Trump.

Apple touches $5 trillion market cap for first time

The jockeying between Apple and Nvidia reflects a debate about the future of AI that has preoccupied investors this summer.

Americans face higher back-to-school costs. Here's what's pricier.

U.S. households will spend roughly $4,000 per student on school supplies and lunches this year, a new analysis found.

Kentucky Gov. Beshear calls on Mitch McConnell to prove he can serve or resign

McConnell’s prolonged absence could complicate the GOP’s narrow Senate majority and trigger an untested Kentucky vacancy process.

Retaining Rodri is key to Manchester City success under Enzo Maresca

New manager’s No 1 priority must be to persuade World Cup-winning captain to stay as Real Madrid circle

“Welcome home,” was Khaldoon al-Mubarak’s warm greeting to Enzo Maresca on his appointment last month as Manchester City manager. Now, after two previous spells at the club, the Italian’s task is to keep the chair content, and ensure a three-year contract does not end early. To achieve that, Maresca’s tenure must continue Pep Guardiola’s glittering legacy of 20 trophies across a decade of excellence.

The key to the 46-year-old, who was Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022-23 treble season and City’s elite development squad leader two years before that, being successful can be summed up in two words: “Keep Rodri”. Yet with Real Madrid almost certain to launch a bid for the peerless No 6, and him seemingly wanting to play for the Spanish giants, a move away from City may become inevitable.

Civil War-era artifact turns out to be live explosive, Texas officials say

The device was a live "parrot round," the Atascosa County Sheriff's Office said.

EBay and ex-executives to pay $55.7m to couple sent cockroaches in harassment campaign

Bloggers David and Ina Steiner were stalked by eBay executives over their critical coverage of the company

Ebay and three former top executives have agreed to pay $55.7m to resolve a lawsuit by a Massachusetts couple who fell victim ⁠to a bizarre stalking and ⁠harassment campaign carried out ​by several of its employees in retaliation for their coverage of the e-commerce company in a newsletter they publish.

David and Ina Steiner announced the settlement late on Monday, bringing an end to a ⁠case they filed in 2021 in Boston federal court after several former eBay employees were prosecuted for targeting them in a cyberstalking campaign that involved sending the couple cockroaches, fly larvae and a bloody Halloween pig mask.

Trump reportedly pushing RFK Jr to cut vaccines more aggressively

White House has halted changing vaccine schedule as it is unpopular, but anti-vaxx Trump set on ‘alleviating autism’

Donald Trump is pushing the longtime vaccine opponent and current health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to be more aggressive on cutting vaccines in the US, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.

Trump has a long record of anti-vaccine statements, but the White House recently put a hold on vaccine changes after polling indicated they were a losing issue in the midterm elections.

Trump meets with Zelenskyy and Netanyahu amid wars in Iran, Ukraine

President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday.

Zelenskyy and Netanyahu brave the whims of Trump’s darkly confounding White House

Ukrainian and Israeli leaders converge on Washington with criss-crossing fortunes, but knowing they can count on little from US counterpart

The converging visits of Benjamin Netanyahu and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington offer an unusually eloquent snapshot of a world in turmoil, unmoored from decades-old certainties.

Some things remain the same. The US is still an almighty military and economic power and for both foreign visitors, a White House encounter with Donald Trump is critical to their governments and the wars they are fighting.

U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve faces stress as emergency releases strain old infrastructure

The reserve has an authorized storage capacity of 714 million barrels, according to the Department of Energy.

Senate to set up key vote on Russia sanctions

The sanctions target Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons, Russian banks and financial institutions and the Russian shadow fleet.

Several US schools to install pepper-spraying drones to respond to school shootings

Company supplying drones said Ukraine-war inspired effort, where technique was effective in face of Russian attack

Several schools across the US are set to install pepper-spraying drones as part of a new effort to respond to school shooting attacks – a Ukraine war-inspired approach that is bound to put off those who would prefer leaders focus on preventing the violence in the first place.

Campus Guardian Angel of Austin, Texas, which describes itself as a response capability company, is providing the drones in question to multiple schools across the country, including at least four schools in Georgia, three in Florida and one in Colorado.

Joe Biden appears to discuss sensitive information on tape with ghostwriter

In recordings made in 2016 and 2017 former president also appears to describe possessing classified information

Former US president Joe Biden appeared to discuss sensitive information and describe possessing classified documents in audio recordings released on Monday by the Oversight Project, a conservative activist group.

The heavily redacted transcripts and recordings were made in 2016 and 2017, while Biden was working with a ghostwriter on his 2017 memoir, Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose. No classified material was ever alleged to have appeared in the book.

Ella Baron on Andy Burnham’s plans for youth employment – cartoon

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The Guardian view on India’s gen Z revolt: the cockroaches are coming together | Editorial

A youth movement born from exam leaks and online mockery has pierced Narendra Modi’s aura of invincibility and may yet reshape Indian politics

“What if all cockroaches come together?” was the question that humbled India’s strongman prime minister, Narendra Modi. It was posted on X by Abhijeet Dipke, an Indian student in the US with a master’s in public relations. Enraged that India’s top judge likened unemployed youths to insects and “parasites”, and that millions saw medical exams compromised by leaks, Mr Dipke lit a fuse. For India’s nearly 400 million gen Z, public exams are often the only ladder to a secure future. When papers leak or tests are cancelled, that ladder is kicked away. By June, young people were protesting peacefully in Delhi as the Cockroach Janta party (CJP), a parody of Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP). They demanded the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.

This weekend, Mr Pradhan became the first senior minister in Mr Modi’s 12 years in power to be forced from office by a mass-protest movement. It came after credible reports suggested police officers attacked protesters marching to parliament. Security sources say it was they who were attacked. This may be just the beginning. The concession has taught the Cockroach movement’s leadership that pressure works. They could have declared victory and gone home. Instead they have accused the government of breaching the terms of the settlement offered by Mr Modi’s government. The CJP claims at least 100 people have been arrested, many on non-bailable charges. Its leaders are now demanding the release of detainees and threatening to remobilise nationally.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

The Guardian view on noise pollution: keep it down | Editorial

New research linking the issue to Parkinson’s disease adds to the evidence of serious health repercussions from traffic volume and other sources

The roar of late-night traffic is not just annoying for those trying to sleep. It can also have profound effects on their health. A pioneering new study, published this month, has found a clear link between road noise and Parkinson’s disease. The research, which followed more than 3 million Danish participants, found a modest but consistent effect: for every 11.5dB rise in noise level, the risk of the degenerative disorder rose by 3% over the 18-year study.

The study adds to the growing body of evidence that auditory nuisance is associated with serious physical consequences. The European Environment Agency reported last year that more than 110 million people across the continent suffer high levels of health-damaging noise pollution, with physiological stress and sleep disturbance leading to 66,000 early deaths annually as well as heart disease, diabetes and depression. It found that the harm caused was greater than from secondhand tobacco smoke exposure.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

‘They’re part of folklore’: storks return to Derbyshire after 600-year absence

Conservationists are thrilled at the arrival of three juvenile birds at Willington Wetlands, hoping more will follow

A long orange beak poked curiously out from its wooden crate, followed by a sleek head and slender body. Then the first white stork of the morning flapped its wings and took to the air. Moments later a second emerged tentatively to stalk through the long grass, followed closely by a final sibling who stretched its wings and explored the length of the enclosure.

The trio of juvenile white storks have just arrived at their new home in Willington Wetlands in Derbyshire and conservationists are hopeful that their presence will kickstart the return of the birds to the Midlands after an absence of more than 600 years.

Labour MP suing Elon Musk’s xAI says chatbot added own fake abusive content

Jess Asato’s particulars of claim states Grok added explicit sexual material users had not asked for

A Labour MP who is taking legal action against Elon Musk’s xAI company over fake sexualised images created by Grok says the AI tool was instructed to operate with “no restrictions on adult sexual content or offensive content”.

Jess Asato’s lawyers published her particulars of claim in the case on Tuesday, which included details of publicly posted instructions that the claim says illustrate how Grok was trained to generate harmful sexualised content.

Leaders gather in Washington to pay their final tributes to Lindsey Graham

Lawmakers, foreign leaders and President Trump are gathering Tuesday for the first of two days of funeral services for the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Apple becomes second ever $5tn company as investors flee AI stocks

Share price rally driven by strong product demand as well as decision to sit out AI spending race, amid wider tech sell-off

Apple has become only the second company to pass the $5tn valuation mark, as it benefited from investors fleeing AI and semiconductor stocks amid a wider tech sell-off.

The iPhone maker’s shares hit a session high ⁠of $342.89 on Tuesday, giving it a market ⁠capitalisation of $5.04tn (£3.78tn), then eased back to 0.8% up at $339.68 – around the $4.99tn mark.

Trump: New tariffs 'doing the same thing' as the ones struck down by Supreme Court

President Trump dismissed fears his tariffs could hurt the economy — especially as affordability concerns have become a key issue of the 2026 midterm elections.

Canadians spent $3.3bn less on travel to US in 2025 after Trump’s return to office

Data shows Canadians have replaced US vacations with other international trips in apparent rebuke to Trump

Canadians spent $3.3bn less on travel to the US in 2025 than in the previous year, as Donald Trump’s hostile policies towards his northern neighbour continue to incur an economic cost, new government data shows.

The research also indicates that Canadians are not bucking travel overall and instead have replaced US vacations with other international destinations, in a rebuke to Trump’s tariff regime and the president’s continued musings on annexing Canada.

EBay, former execs to pay $56 million in blogger harassment and stalking case

Ina and David Steiner run a popular ecommerce blog that had angered eBay executives due to its critical coverage.

Almost 4,000 people evacuated from tourist sites near Bordeaux as wildfires rage in France and Spain

Return of winds and extreme heat threaten firefighters’ attempts to bring blazes under control

Nearly 4,000 people have been evacuated from tourist sites on France’s Atlantic coast as the return of winds and extreme heat jeopardises firefighters’ battles to contain wildfires raging in France and Spain.

The precautionary evacuation order in France, which covers campsites, holiday villages and other tourist accommodation around the resort of Lacanau to the west of Bordeaux, exacerbated a wildfire emergency described by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, as the “toughest” situation the country had dealt with since the second world war.

Pakistan accused of fatally shooting 30 unarmed protesters in Kashmir

Local civil rights group alleges authorities removed evidence of killings amid communications blackout

At least 30 people are alleged to have been killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the past two days as part of what has been claimed is a brutal state crackdown that has engulfed the disputed region for weeks.

According to a local civil society group, Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the Pakistani security services fired on tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, killing 25 people on Monday and five more on Tuesday.

Microsoft touts cost-saving AI model for cybersecurity

Microsoft says that when integrated with OpenAI's GPT-5.4, its new cybersecurity model can beat Anthropic's new Mythos 5.

Ian McDonald obituary

Trinidad-born author and poet whose novel The Humming-Bird Tree is a classic of Caribbean literature

Ian McDonald, who has died aged 93, wrote only one novel, but it is considered a classic of Caribbean literature. The Humming-Bird Tree (1969), set in Trinidad in the late 1940s, tells the story of Alan, a young white boy, as he falls into friendship with his family’s yard-boy, Kaiser, who is of Indian extraction, and in love with Kaiser’s younger sister, Jaillin, who is also employed by Alan’s wealthy parents.

While Alan and Jaillin skirt around each other, trying to come to terms with the confusing feelings of their mutual attraction and the disapproval of Alan’s mother and father, wider emotional turmoil is at play in Trinidad, where the masses are beginning to throw off the yoke of British rule.

Tory MP accuses French navy of firing ‘warning’ shots near him in Channel

Chris Philp says shots were ‘deliberate intimidation’ while he filmed interview on small boats crisis but France says it was training exercise

When Chris Philp heard a volley of shots on the high seas and spun round to see a French gunship, he believed he was the victim of naval aggression – and updated his social media feed accordingly.

The reality appears to be more mundane: it was, the French authorities said, a routine Channel training exercise by officers who had no idea that the shadow home affairs spokesperson was present, or who he was in the first place.

Fifa accused of ‘selling the soul of football’ over $20bn World Cup commercial rights sale plan

• World governing body set to raise millions from venture

• Uefa hits out at proposal and could take legal action

Fifa has announced plans to sell the commercial rights to its tournaments, including the World Cup, to private investors in a controversial move that triggered an immediate backlash from Uefa, leading European clubs and politicians.

Uefa released a strongly worded statement accusing Fifa of “attempting to sell the soul of football” and is believed to be considering its legal position, while sources at numerous elite clubs were highly critical of the proposal in private. Andy Burnham, the UK’s new prime minister, condemned the move.

How to get a good night’s sleep in hot weather – and why it’s so hard

Avoid espresso martinis and wear the right pajamas: experts give tips on how to sleep when it’s hot outside

• Tell us: what impact have GLP-1s had on your relationships?

Getting a good night’s sleep when it’s hot out can feel impossible. Unfortunately, worrying about not being well-rested doesn’t help.

Experts say worrying about sleep in warm weather will inevitably make you feel worse. “When people cannot sleep because they are too hot, it often becomes both a physical and a mental challenge,” says Dr Shelby Harris, founder and director of NY Sleep and Psychology, and author of The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. “They may start watching the clock, worrying about how tired they will be the next day, or trying harder to force themselves to fall asleep.”

Ford Motor is set to report earnings after the bell. Here's what Wall Street expects

Wall Street analysts expect Ford to report adjusted earnings per share of 35 cents and automotive revenue of $45.86 billion.

Blurred front lines: Trump meets Zelenskyy as Ukraine, Iran wars collide

Trump and Zelenskyy meet as the U.S war against Iran and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine have threatened to overlap in recent days.

Japan earthquake injures at least 100 and traps many inside shopping mall

Deaths expected as Kumamoto shaken by 6.8-magnitude quake, knocking out power and damaging buildings

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake has shaken south Japan, leaving at least 100 people injured. Some are trapped and presumed dead inside a shopping mall.

The earthquake hit Kumamoto prefecture on the southern Kyushu island late on Tuesday afternoon, knocking out power to thousands of homes and damaging roads, bridges and buildings.

Xabi Alonso plays down Welbeck and Henderson moves after Chelsea win

• ‘There will be a lot of transfer links, a lot of rumours’

• Chelsea hit back to beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4

Xabi Alonso refused to confirm Chelsea are interested in signing the veterans Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson after his first game in charge of the team, a 6-4 pre-season victory against Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday, but said he was looking to build a squad that had “proper balance”.

Chelsea are understood to be in talks over a surprise move to sign the 35-year-old Welbeck from Brighton, with the club also reportedly interested in signing the 36-year-old Henderson from Brentford. The links to two Premier League stalwarts reflects a revised transfer strategy under Alonso, with Chelsea seeking to recruit more experienced players into their squad as opposed to focused solely on signing young players, often tying them to lengthy contracts.

‘We’ve always been wary of working together’: Val McDermid and Jo Sharp on writing a novel as a couple

The bestselling crime writer and Scotland’s first female Geographer Royal had long kept their work separate, until a chance discovery about a doomed 17th-century expedition forced them to collaborate

The airy, modern house on the outskirts of Edinburgh shared by Val McDermid and Jo Sharp is surrounded by greenery and feels as though it was designed to provide enough space for two minds to think.

Both women are high achievers in their fields, a Scottish power couple made up of the Queen of Crime and the Scottish Geographer Royal. Happily for them, there is normally no overlap in their work.

Jon Stewart on Trump’s comedy routine: ‘Normally I’d say don’t quit your day job but in this case …’

Late-night hosts raked over the president’s much-ridiculed performance at the White House correspondents’ dinner

Late-night hosts ridiculed Donald Trump’s disastrous attempt at a comedy routine at the weekend’s White House correspondents’ dinner.

Photos: Spain and France battle record wildfires

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes as powerful wildfires sweep across Spain and France, revealing the growing scale of a climate crisis already reshaping the continent.

Thune says of Lindsey Graham "I feel his absence every day" in Capitol ceremony

President Trump is delivering a eulogy for Sen. Lindsey Graham, his one-time opponent for the presidency and later, his close ally.

What is postpartum psychosis, the disorder at the center of Lindsay Clancy's trial?

A key question in the Massachusetts murder trial of Lindsay Clancy​ is whether postpartum psychosis drove her to kill her three children.

'Ricochet' explores how the right to bear arms expands -- while gun laws contract

The New York Times reporter Mike McIntire says gun companies and the NRA are broadening the scope of the Second Amendment, socializing kids to appreciate guns and marketing a new brand of masculinity.

Friend describes last known movements of missing American in Grenada

American Elizabeth Waddell was last seen on July 22 while visiting the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada.

The professor facing prison in ‘antifa’ case: ‘They want to scare all who oppose ICE’

Erik Davis is accused by the government of a ‘conspiracy’ to obstruct ICE – experts say it’s part of a pattern to criminalize lawful organizing and ruin activists’ lives

Erik Davis was driving to a medical appointment in St Paul, Minnesota, on 16 June when federal agents surrounded his car.

“They hauled me out … and put me in a belly chain,” recalled the 53-year-old. He was arrested on the spot on charges of being part of a “conspiracy” to “impede or injure” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

‘He liked to get people’s blood boiling’: metal masters Mastodon on the loss of bandmate Brent Hinds – and his shocking words before his death

The Grammy-winning band had an acrimonious rift with Hinds – then he died in a motorbike crash. They explain how they’re paying tribute on their new album, and why their love for each other never ended

Mastodon are near the end of a tour where they’re playing 22 shows in 14 different European countries during a record-breaking heatwave, when they video-call me outside a Bordeaux venue. Bassist and co-lead singer Troy Sanders says the experience has been “31 days of musical bliss”. He’s not being sarcastic, either.

“Things are super energetic, even at day 31,” he insists. “We’re contemplating even staying in Europe for a few days when this tour is over, because we’re enjoying ourselves so much.” It’s pleasantly surprising to see Sanders and drummer/co-vocalist Brann Dailor, sat to his left, in such high spirits, given the anguish and unrest they’ve endured over the last 18 months.

Hosta hideout and a queen bee – readers’ best photographs

Click here to submit a picture for publication in these online galleries and/or on the Guardian letters page

Amazon, Meta and Microsoft face skeptical investors this week after Google report sparked sell-off

Alphabet's free cash flow has turned negative, and the company lifted its capital spending forecast. Slower-growing cloud rivals report this week.

New Republican ads slam Democrats opposed to Trump's tariffs

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the National Republican Congressional Committee is knocking Democrats who have opposed President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Coca-Cola hikes full-year forecast. CEO tells CNBC the World Cup boosted its brands

Coca-Cola said demand for its drinks rose in every market in the second quarter, helped in part by the World Cup.

Fauci diaries, released by Sen. Paul, touch on COVID origins, Trump

Republican Sen. Rand Paul released more than a thousand pages of journal entries from Dr. Anthony Fauci, teeing up what is likely to be a contentious hearing on Wednesday.

The biggest weather risk for homeowners? It's no longer hurricanes.

Severe "convective" storms account for roughly a third of global natural disaster economic losses, a new study finds.

Black motorcycle clubs come alive in the summer: ‘The best way to build community is on two wheels’

Building on decades-long traditions, Black bikers host rides, picnics and other gatherings nearly every summer weekend to celebrate community and freedom

The trip was only supposed to be a Memorial Day weekend girls’ getaway to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for Patrice “Foxy” Johnson. But once Johnson and her crew arrived, they inadvertently found themselves in the middle of an annual bike week where several thousand riders had convened. Johnson watched the “backpacks”, or the women who rode on the backs of male motorcyclists’ bikes, and realized she too wanted to be part of the community. She didn’t want to accompany the male riders, though. She wanted to ride herself.

In that moment about 30 years ago, Johnson decided that next time she would be attending bike week and coming with her own set of wheels. Once she returned to her home town of Raleigh, North Carolina, she enrolled in a foundational bike riding class at Johnston community college to learn more about motorcycles. Since then, she’s become such a staple in the Black motorcycle community nationwide that she holds multiple leadership positions across organizations.

‘Topless modelling never aligned with me’: inside Everyone’s Seen My Tits, the play by a former page 3 model

As she brings her memoir to the Edinburgh festival, Keeley Hazell talks about trauma, exploitation, the hollowness of the high life – and her new career as a writer on Ted Lasso

There was a time in the mid-2000s when it felt as though “everyone” had seen her topless, says Keeley Hazell. Page 3 was a staple of the tabloid press, lads’ mags were booming and she was one of the country’s most recognisable glamour models. “There was excitement, but also a lot of shame and embarrassment,” the softly spoken Hazell reflects. “Topless modelling never really aligned with me as a person.”

Hazell, who was born in Lewisham, London, left modelling in her early 20s and moved to LA to become an actor. But the emotional impact of her time in the industry has stayed with her, partly inspiring her 2025 book Everyone’s Seen My Tits: Stories and Reflections from an Unlikely Feminist. She describes the writing process as a “release” when we meet in London, where she has been preparing for an Edinburgh fringe theatre/comedy show based on the book. “I was able to give myself a voice,” she says, for “a period where I felt voiceless”.

Qantas plane flies for more than 24 hours in record-breaking flight

The A350 landed in Toulouse 24 hours and 24 minutes after leaving Melbourne as airline plans direct London service

Qantas completed what is believed to be the longest-ever commercial flight when its Airbus jet landed in Toulouse on Tuesday after a flight from Melbourne lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes.

The flight, which triggered a surge in online tracking, is part of the airline’s Project Sunrise in which it plans to use a new A350 jet to fly non-stop from Australia to London.

It’s time to prosecute climate crimes – with laws that already exist | Aaron Regunberg

Some have called for Nuremberg-style trials against big oil. But there are laws already on the books to describe companies’ conduct

The sky outside is hazy orange, and my five-year-old son is screaming bloody murder. “Sorry, buddy, we have to stay inside,” I say. “It’s not safe to breathe out there.” I had told him we’d be going to the beach today. Something inside me tears a little as I wonder how many promises he’ll see similarly broken in the coming years.

Far too many parents were forced to have some version of this conversation with their children this month, as smoke from record-breaking wildfires poured across the midwest and north-east. Some of them already had to tell their kids that their Fourth of July festivities were canceled because of the lethal heatwave that caused numerous mass casualty events earlier this month.

How close is the Trump administration to the toxic Tate brothers? Let’s ask the president’s son Barron … | Arwa Mahdawi

The 20-year-old crypto bro likes to keep a low profile. He could still be forced to testify before the House oversight committee

Unlike his garrulous father, Barron Trump seems to be a man of few words. The president’s youngest son has been busy flogging energy drinks and making millions from cryptocurrency schemes, but he’s not big on public speaking. Indeed, the best-known clip of him talking is probably from when he was four years old and said “I like my suitcase” in a Slovenian accent.

Still, while 20-year-old Barron Trump might prefer to stay behind the scenes, he may find himself hauled in front of Congress and forced to answer some difficult questions. Last week, Yassamin Ansari, a Democratic congresswoman and a member of the House oversight committee, called for Barron to testify about his alleged connections to the toxic influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate. The Tate brothers, who have become household names by monetising misogyny, were recently arrested in Miami, just before Andrew was due to co-host a bare-knuckle boxing event. They’re now fighting extradition to the UK, and face allegations of rape, assault, trafficking and offences relating to “indecent images of a child and extreme pornography”. They deny these charges.

Geraint Thomas and rebranded Ineos face hard truths after Tour de France misery | Jeremy Whittle

Oscar Onley’s pre-race injury presaged three bleak weeks and new director of racing knows he has his work cut out

Crashes, punctures and injuries ensured that the 2026 Tour de France campaign was one of the worst for the beleaguered Netcompany Ineos team. From the first stage, when Dave Brailsford’s team came close to winning the team time trial in Montjuic, the 2026 Tour was, in the words of their director of racing, Geraint Thomas, “tough going”.

Thomas, who has taken Brailsford’s place as the team’s frontman, said: “I’m happy to not be racing any more, because I suffered way too much. But it’s good to still be involved in the nitty‑gritty of it.”

Boeing posts wider loss than expected as Air Force One costs weigh on results

Boeing took a $280 million charge on its long-delayed Air Force One program.

Roberto Mancini returns as Italy head coach with Claudio Ranieri named technical director

• Mancini replaces Gattuso for second spell in charge

• Ranieri takes over from Paolo Maldini in overseeing role

Roberto Mancini has agreed to be Italy head coach for a second time, the president of the Italian Football ​Federation (FIGC), Giovanni Malagò said on Tuesday, also confirming Claudio Ranieri would take over as technical director.

Mancini replaces Gennaro Gattuso, who ⁠left the post in April after Italy failed to qualify for a third World Cup in succession, and returns to a job he held between 2018 and 2023. He led the national team to European Championship glory in 2021 with a penalty shootout victory over England at Wembley but then failed to reach the 2022 World Cup and a slow start to Euro 2024 qualifying. In total, Mancini managed Italy for 58 matches during his first spell and at club level has managed Inter, Fiorentina and Manchester City, where he spent three years and guided them to their first Premier League title in 2011-12.

The great PlayStation blackout – will kids actually have to leave their bedrooms this summer?

Gamers are angry that Sony will be deleting TV shows and films from their libraries as well as getting rid of physical games. Will a boycott make a difference?

Name: PlayStation blackout.

Age: Forthcoming.

Bryan Kohberger challenges conviction in Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger​, the man serving multiple life sentences for the murders of four University of Idaho students​, filed a petition for post-conviction relief Monday.

‘It’s not cricket’: cheating row as ‘Clicky Ponting’ appears to dupe umpire

Viral video apparently shows a Saltburn 2nd XI fielder clicking his fingers to mimic a batter’s nick

The ball is bowled, the batter plays a shot and it’s caught by the wicketkeeper to cheers all round. The batter is clearly bemused. Did he hit it? Or … did a fielder click his fingers to mimic a nick?

A row has erupted in the normally friendly, if ultra-competitive, world of English club cricket after footage went viral of alleged cheating. Australian cricket will always have Sandpapergate. The North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League now has clickgate – or, as it has been christened online, “Clicky Ponting” – a play on the name of the former Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

Bryan Kohberger files petition to take back guilty plea in Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger, the man sentenced for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, pleaded guilty last year as part of a deal. Now, he wants to take back his guilty plea and go to trial. Jericka Duncan reports.

Haitian immigrant says "we are facing the worst" amid ICE deportation plan

As the Trump administration moves to deport Haitian immigrants, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is criticizing the president's plan. Camilo Montoya-Galvez spoke to the people at risk.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day review – Zendaya saves Tom Holland’s semi-Cronenberg-style superhero

Now 30, Holland is back as the vexed webslinger in a sometimes shocking, occasionally sluggish new instalment opposite his Odyssey castmate

Just a few weeks ago, Tom Holland was telling us that his role as Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey was his “last chance to play a boy”. Well, Holland is back as the supposedly scrappy, gawky, arachnid young superhero Spider-Man. Not Spider-Boy admittedly, and these days Holland is actually a chunkier and more stacked Spidey than previously, flexing some pretty serious biceps. He is maturing in the role. But is the role maturing with him?

The point is that this film is a reset. At the end of the last movie Spider-Man: No Way Home, courtesy of Dr Strange’s colossal psychic powers – which might have come in handy in this episode incidentally, part of the narrative-universe inconsistency that you just have to overlook – Peter Parker was able to erase everyone’s knowledge that he is, in fact, Spider-Man, and that includes his goofy best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and more to the point, the love of his life MJ (Zendaya).

Here are the 13 books that made the Booker Prize longlist

The 2026 list includes new works from household names Douglas Stuart, Marlon James and Elizabeth Strout as well as a few debut authors.

This Booker longlist may have two previous winners, but it’s keen to experiment

Marlon James, Douglas Stuart and Elizabeth Strout are names we know, but there’s a welcome element of surprise elsewhere

• Previous winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James lead Booker prize longlist

This year’s Booker longlist is led by two previous winners. Twelve years on from A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James returns to Jamaica in The Disappearers, out in September: a polyphonic epic of a murderous mob attack on a gay theatre group in 1988 Kingston, and the two-decade aftermath of trauma and revenge that follows. A brutal expose of Jamaica’s homophobia, it’s also an energetic portrait of queer culture and the Caribbean diaspora. Douglas Stuart, whose debut Shuggie Bain won in 2020, is included for John of John, in which a young gay man returns to his childhood home on the Hebridean island of Harris, where his devout father is also hiding his sexuality. Both novels open up territory not often trod in literature, with Stuart illuminating faith, repression and the fading traditions of the Scottish Hebrides.

It’s no surprise either to see a third nomination for Elizabeth Strout. The Things We Never Say introduces new characters to her fictional universe, in the story of a fiftysomething teacher with a secret in his marriage and a sadness in his heart. Strout has always been interested in class and deprivation in American society; the spectre of Trump brings a growing darkness, but as ever her spiky warmth and wisdom carry the reader through. The other big-name American author on the list is Emma Cline; Switzy, out in September, takes us inside the mind of a high flyer whose grip on the world is failing as dementia encroaches. David is taking his last journey, to a euthanasia clinic in Zurich, and on the way will hopefully make his final reckonings with friends and family while he can still recognise them. It’s a technical tour de force of the unreliable narrator, and a hugely moving account of life’s meaning as everything is stripped away.

Previous winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James lead Booker prize longlist

Chair of judges Mary Beard said each of the 13 books in contention for the £50,000 award ‘takes the reader to new places’

• Comment: This Booker longlist may have two previous winners, but it’s keen to experiment

Douglas Stuart and Marlon James, two previous winners of the Booker, have been named on this year’s longlist, alongside three-time nominee Elizabeth Strout, in a collection that “rewards risk”.

The 13 novels selected for the 2026 prize, announced on Tuesday, feature authors of seven nationalities across three continents, with almost half from the UK. Ten of the writers are appearing on a Booker longlist for the first time, including three debut novelists: Kenan Orhan, Rebecca Perry and Djamel White.

Giving birth in the shadow of Haiti’s gang violence – photo essay

As fighting intensifies in Port-au-Prince, only a fraction of its maternity services remain, and they are under constant threat

Eight months pregnant, Françoise, 45, arrives early in the morning at a deserted school in Bel Air. The hillside neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince has been controlled by gangs since a violent takeover in 2019. Schools have closed, electricity has been cut off and food is scarce. Gunfights can erupt at any time.

Françoise having a Doppler ultrasound in a clinic set up for a few hours inside a deserted school in Bel Air

A 7.1 quake hits Japan's Kyushu, trapping people in a collapsed shopping mall

The quake shook Japan's southern main island of Kyushu late Tuesday afternoon local time, causing damage and injuries.

String of tornadoes causes devastating destruction across Midwest

Hundreds of thousands of people are without power after a string of tornadoes tore across the Midwest, causing massive damage. Jason Allen reports.

Apple plans to lease iPhones for $17.99 a month through partnership with Klarna

Apple is announcing an iPhone lease option weeks after raising iPad and Mac prices due to the global memory shortage.

There’s a science to rolling out fresh pasta | Kitchen aide

Tearing is a common problem with pasta dough say our experts. Culprits include the wrong type of flour, cold dough – or it could even boil down to the size of your egg

When making fresh pasta, why does the dough sometimes tear when rolling, and other times not?
Thomas, by email
“I’m sorry to hear your pasta is rippy,” sympathises Jacob Kenedy, chef-patron of Bocca di Lupo in London, who is teaming up with fellow chef Merlin Labron-Johnson to celebrate the Italian midsummer holiday ferragosto with two feasts in Somerset next month. Assuming Thomas is rolling an egg pasta dough in a pasta machine, there are a number of possible explanations. First, Kenedy says, he might be using the wrong type of flour (“use 00 flour”), the dough might be too cold (“use it at room temperature”) or too dry (“it should be supple, like Play-Doh”). Naz Hassan, head chef of Ornella and Lupa, both in London, adds that the latter might be down to the size of the egg(s) Thomas is using: “One egg to 100g of 00 flour is the basic pasta dough recipe, but that will vary depending on the size of your egg,” he says. Of course, some people prefer to use just the yolk, and if that applies to Thomas, Hassan suggests thinking about maybe adding the egg white, too: “It has the structure that allows pasta to have the stretchiness it deserves.”

But, in true Goldilocks style, a dough that is too wet might also spell trouble, Kenedy says: “I like my pasta dough wet enough to roll by hand – it gives a more elastic mouthfeel – which means, if I roll it in a machine, it sticks slightly to the roller and may rip.” The fix? Laminate the dough thoroughly and perhaps use “the finest dusting” of flour until the dough passes smoothly through the pasta machine. “Then make sure to roll that flour in, so the outside of the pasta isn’t dusty,” Kenedy adds.

Who dares ridicule Gianni Infantino as the World Cup boss creates global peace? Not me: is it you? | Marina Hyde

If you thought he was just a shady rule-dodging reprobate, the Fifa boss’s latest 15-page Instagram rant might make you think again

I hope you have found time to enjoy Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s 15-page Instagram meltdown about his World Cup. The last time I saw this many defiant words, they were inked on someone sitting cross-legged on the floor of a Salvadoran supermax prison.

Infantino has been clapping back at his haters – putting them on blast, in the parlance of our times – and on this evidence seems mesmerisingly close to picking out a Chicano script font and getting STILL I RISE needled across his corporate clavicles. Right next to the ones reading THROUGH THE FIRE, UNBREAKABLE and BUILT DIFFERENT.

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

Marina Hyde’s new book, What a Time to be Alive!, is out in September (Guardian Faber Publishing, £20). To support the Guardian, order your signed copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

Pokémon plane, Japan quake and a US tornado: photos of the day – Tuesday

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

Trump to meet with Zelenskyy, Netanyahu. And, TPS holders could soon face deportation

President Trump is set to hold separate meetings with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are today. And, Temporary Protected Status holders may face deportation soon.

Dawn raid targets ‘umbrella cheaters’ reserving beach spots in Naples

Umbrellas, deck chairs and loungers seized in Torre del Greco authorities’ crackdown on people reserving spots overnight

Authorities in a coastal suburb of Naples seized umbrellas, loungers and deck chairs during a dawn sweep of a beach aimed at cracking down on the growing trend of people attempting to reserve prime spots overnight.

Torre del Greco’s port authority said coastguard staff and local police had together collected 40 items as part of a national beach and lake safety operation that targets people labelled by the Italian press as furbetti dell’ombrellone, or umbrella cheaters.

Revealed: Trump administration forced treatment on hunger striker in ICE detention

ICE report reviewed by the Guardian discloses a patient was ‘subject to force feeding, hydration or urinary catheterization’, which experts have described as torture

The Trump administration subjected at least one person undertaking a hunger strike in immigrant detention to forcible medical treatment – engaging in medical practice that healthcare associations and international human rights groups have described as torture.

A document from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) health service agency, reviewed by the Guardian, confirms for the first time that the administration has used forced treatment on a hunger striker since Donald Trump began his second term. The document, published online in February by the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), discloses that an unnamed patient who began hunger strikes between October and December of last year and “was subject to force feeding, hydration, or forced urinary catheterization, or involuntary blood draws”.

Mary Beth Barone on provocative jokes, Palestine and manosphere misogyny: ‘It’s hard to stomach that those are my co-workers’

The comedian and actor’s new Netflix special is a gleefully absurd take on politics and potty-mouthed humor

Mary Beth Barone knows exactly who will be offended by her new Netflix special. “JK Rowling, Republicans, establishment Democrats, the British, the Irish and Zionists,” she tells me, reading a list from her Notes app. Then there’s “Katy Kats – which is what Katy Perry calls her fans – and male comedians and one specific girl named Tatiana”. When informed that this encompasses over half of the population of the US, she beams.

Barone’s comedy is a delicate balance between sweetness and cynicism. In her stand-up she’ll adopt a ditzy pose while she tears down morally bankrupt politicians, sends up cis male entitlement or implores her audience to have sex with moderates in the hope of bringing them over to the left. In the past five years, she has edged her way closer to the mainstream with a Comedy Central web-series, a couple of stand-up spots on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show, and a podcast co-hosted with her friend Benito Skinner that is so popular it has its own merch line. The past 12 months have seen her career go into overdrive: now she is the co-lead of a wildly popular TV show (Overcompensating, created by Skinner), chats to the A-list on the Golden Globes’ red carpet and sits front row at New York fashion week.

Climate anxiety was consuming me. Then I learned to laugh about it

The daily dread pushed me to enroll in a standup class. Could I channel my despair into something lighter?

If you had told me six months ago that I would soon be performing standup comedy to dozens of strangers, I would have assumed it was a bad dream.

Public speaking ranks about as high as driving in rush hour traffic through downtown Boston on my list of favorite activities. That I would choose to do standup, with its potential for public humiliation, is basically unimaginable.

Could ‘Godzilla’ El Niño bring the hottest year on record? – video explainer

The Earth keeps getting hotter and experts fear this year's El Niño, nicknamed 'Godzilla' because of its predicted intensity, could raise global temperatures by up to 3.6C. Environment correspondent Damien Gayle spoke to climate scientists to understand how the weather phenomenon and the climate crisis pose a huge threat to the planet

• ‘Super’ El Niño could cause global food price shock lasting into 2028, analysts say

• El Niño is back with a vengeance – and fears of ‘Godzilla’ strength may be the least of our worries

AI tokens could become the kilowatt-hour of the AI age

AI companies use tokens to track usage and bill customers. Now economists are using them to track the spread of AI through the economy.

Prisoners at Iran’s largest jail sew lips shut in hunger strike as executions soar

At least 1,500 protest after six men on drug-related charges put in solitary confinement before possible execution

Prisoners at Iran’s largest jail have sewn their lips shut as hundreds of them joined a mass hunger strike amid a surge in executions over drug offences and charges linked to anti-government protests.

The hunger strike, involving at least 1,500 death row prisoners at Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran, began two weeks ago after six men convicted on drug-related charges were transferred to solitary confinement before their possible execution, according to Iranian rights groups.

Wildfires burn nearly 300,000 acres in France and Spain as heat wave looms

Temperatures in France are expected to rise to 95 degrees Fahrenheit this week, as firefighters battle the ongoing wildfire, which has affected parts of Spain.

Tell us: have you tried GLP-1s but they haven’t worked?

We would like to hear from people for whom GLP-1 drugs, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, have not worked

We would like to hear from people for whom GLP-1 drugs, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, have not worked.

About 5-10% of people who try GLP-1 drugs are in this category. We’d like to know your story. Was it that the drugs were unbearable, or that despite using them for an extended period you found no benefit? Did you encounter stigma as a result? Are you using other approaches to gain the benefits you hoped to see from GLP-1s?

Lesvia review – the rise and fall of an amazing lesbian community on Sappho’s actual island home

Director Tzeli Hadjidimitriou grew up on Lesbos, and her elegant debut feature explores how the Greek poet’s birthplace became a hub for lesbians

A fine-boned, elegantly crafted documentary, this first feature from Greek director Tzeli Hadjidimitriou tells a story at once personal and public: about the lesbian scene that grew up around the town of Eressos on the island of Lesbos (also called Lesvos). Hadjidimitriou is from the island, but not Eressos itself, which was once the home of the seventh century BC poet Sappho, whose love poetry threads through the film. Given that pedigree, lesbians, including the director herself, have flocked to Eressos for years to pay homage. By the 1970s, the growing number of queer visitors started to form not just a scene but a community, at first one centred on the nudist beach where many women camped out.

Hadjidimitriou’s still photographs are also spliced in throughout, capturing the glorious sensuality of these often naked women, most looking chuffed to bits to have found a little corner of heaven where they can be themselves. But relations with the local people were not always easy, and unsurprisingly the tourists had to contend with homophobia of varying degrees of vocalness, as well as aggressive invasion of their women-only spaces. Luckily, as one woman recalls, there were usually a few butches around to help hustle the intruders off. Over time, tolerance grew, greased by the money the visitors brought to the island, and eventually female-run bars and hotels sprang up.

Why has Christopher Nolan got rid of all the sex in The Odyssey? | Zoe Williams

It’s a bit of a mystery why it takes Odysseus so long to get home if he’s not shacking up with Calypso and others ...

I did not walk into Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey intending to pick holes. If there was zero sexual chemistry between Odysseus and Circe, who was I to say that’s not how it went in the poem? I was most likely thinking of a feminist retelling (Madeline Miller’s novel Circe), rather than Homer, anyway.

Nevertheless, even allowing for metaphor and whatnot, even factoring in that Circe’s passion for Odysseus is (almost?) definitely a rumination on the double standards of godliness, in which the guy gods are allowed to sleep with whichever mortals they please, but the lady ones are not supposed to (I don’t think?), I am sure something happened.

‘He’s back’: Zinedine Zidane named France head coach in long-awaited homecoming

• Four-year deal agreed with successor to Deschamps

• ‘I have so many emotions, I am ready for the challenge’

For Tuesday’s front page, L’Équipe simply went with “Il revient” – “He’s back” – echoing the newspaper’s 2005 headline when Zinedine Zidane came out of international retirement. At the time, the midfielder’s upcoming return was seen as a major boost to Les Bleus’ ailing World Cup qualifying campaign. There was a similar sense of anticipation now as the roads around the French Football Federation headquarters in Paris were closed off for Zidane’s unveiling as head coach. A crowd of France fans had gathered outside by the overground Métro tracks with flags, flares and drums, as more than a hundred journalists and TV cameras were ushered into the building.

The fact that Zidane would be next in line to lead France after Didier Deschamps had been an open secret for several years and by the end of the World Cup his arrival was all but confirmed. The new head coach entered the press conference room on Tuesday morning only minutes after his appointment was confirmed by the FFF’s executive committee, but the feeling in France was that the occasion was a couple of decades in the making.

‘People named their kids after us!’ Lost’s Penny and Desmond on being one of TV’s best ever romances

Sonya Walger and Henry Ian Cusick created a love so magical that they’re responsible for what’s widely regarded as the greatest TV episode of all time – not to mention inspiring a fan to get a full leg tattoo of their faces

• More from our series Making Love: ‘We met and two minutes later we were kissing’ – how Gavin and Stacey became Britain’s most bang tidy TV couple

Lost is one of television’s most romantic dramas. Forget smoke monsters, time travel and that infamous ending – this was a show fuelled by swoony stories. Sun and Jin; Rose and Bernard; Sawyer/Jack/Kate/Juliet; Charlie and Claire; Sayid and Nadia (not Shannon). Love was the reason behind so many of the islanders’ need to survive, or to sacrifice themselves.

But it was Penny’s and Desmond’s relationship that defined the series.

Europe wildfire in pictures: Gigantic fire cloud engulfing France, Spain regions

A rare wildfire spreading across France's Bordeaux region and has spread to Western Madrid is fire cloud that can generate its own thunderstorms.

Why so many American Jews are turning away from Israel – video

For generations, support for Israel was central to Jewish-American identity. But today, amid accusations that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, a growing generational and political divide is reshaping views in the US Jewish community. Matthew Cassel travels to New York City – the heart of Jewish-American life – to explore how Israel’s wars across multiple fronts are challenging long-held traditions and dividing families.

Yes, it's possible to save money while paying off credit card debt. Here's how

In fact, experts recommend it because it can keep you off the hamster wheel of debt. Here's how to find the money in your budget to put toward savings and credit card payments.

Britain promised to protect Hongkongers from China. Why does it now seem ready to sacrifice them? | Nathan Law

Activists under threat from Beijing are facing strange difficulties with UK immigration. Their safety must not be traded for warmer relations with China

• Nathan Law is a pro-democracy activist and former legislator from Hong Kong. He is currently a political refugee in the UK

As authoritarian countries such as Russia, China and Iran are more active in engaging in long-arm strategies to silence their critics in the UK, transnational repression is garnering more attention. It is right that the Metropolitan police and other British law enforcement agencies have specific units and mechanisms to counter it. But it takes more than just confronting this long-distance repression to make political dissidents of these authoritarian countries feel safe in the UK, and the UK government is not living up to expectations.

The threat is real. Members of the Hongkonger community have received threats from the Chinese regime – some have had threatening letters, some people were deepfaked into sexual content, some even had families questioned and arrested back home. With the level of this targeting linked to the deterioration of Hong Kong politics, many have utilised the humanitarian pathway enabled by the previous government to relocate.

Just when you thought it was safe … the shark movie is back for more

Shark Week arrives in an overstuffed period for the film genre even if nothing will ever rival the greatest of them all

Tracy Jordan, Tracy Morgan’s character on 30 Rock, once advised a friend to live every week like it’s Shark Week. In 2026, Hollywood has finally taken these sage words to heart.

Though Discovery Channel is only observing its annual Shark Week of shark-themed programming for the customary seven days, shark movies have been enjoying a yearlong renaissance – in terms of volume, if not necessarily quality. Two shark thrillers – The Devil’s Mouth on Prime Video and Above & Below as a paid VOD rental – are releasing this week, presumably to complement nonfictional Shark Week programming, but they’re far from the only fish in the sea. Earlier this month, Clint Eastwood’s daughter starred in The Bay, another VOD title. In June, there was Chum, starring Alice Eve; in May, Deep Water, Renny Harlin’s return to the subgenre following his classic Deep Blue Sea. Before that, Thrash was a Netflix hit. That’s half a dozen shark movies so far this year. It’s a wonder no one has arranged a 10th-anniversary re-release of The Shallows.

I had my first alcoholic drink at 16. By 26, I was given six months to live

Holly Dyson’s addiction led to extreme pain, hospital trips and thousands of pounds’ worth of debt. Here is how she recovered

Holly Dyson’s last alcoholic drink was a can of cider to manage her withdrawal symptoms, which she had in her dad’s car on the way to rehab on 2 May 2023. She’d barely eaten in two weeks. Instead, she spent her last few days at home in the north-west of England vomiting blood into the toilet bowl and lying in bed twitching, feeling unbearably nauseous. Her hand hovered over the numbers 999 on her phone, ready to call an ambulance. At 26 years old, Dyson’s body was shutting down.

About a week earlier, a doctor had given her six months to live. For the past few years, her drinking had spiralled out of control. Her liver was “deranged”, the doctor said. To Dyson, it felt like “a bowling ball” – weighing her down so much that she would have to use “two hands to lift my body up out of bed because my liver felt so heavy and swollen.” Her face was also swollen and she was unrecognisable from the sporty young woman she had once been.

Houseplant hacks: do plant care kits actually work?

Skincare-inspired regimes feel unnecessary – but giving your plants more attention is always a good thing

The problem
Plant care has had a glow-up. There is now an entire regime that’s been lifted straight from the bathroom cabinet: cleanse, hydrate, serum, tone. These beautifully boxed kits promise lush plants, make lovely gifts and look wonderful on a shelf, but the question is: does your monstera actually need a four-step routine?

The hack
The promise is that plants, like skin, thrive on a structured routine, and that investing in a multi-product care kit will reward you with glowing foliage.

Trump shattered ethics norms. Will voters trust Democrats to fix them?

Democrats are making the case that now is the time to tackle anti-corruption reforms — to serve as a check on Donald Trump and to overhaul a system voters say is co-opted against their interests.