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The Guardian | international

TheGuardian.com/international is a section of the Guardian news site that focuses on international news and events. It provides coverage on a wide range of topics from different corners of the globe, including politics, business, culture, and more.
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Aug 19, 2024

Thread Of Notes

Farage’s furious clash with Times editor stuns figures close to him

‘Strong confrontation’ comes at fragile moment for Reform’s relations with rightwing media as coverage turns negative Nigel Farage is no stranger to expressing his ire at what he regards as the liberal establishment, but even figures close to him were surprised at the tirade of anger he unleashed upon the editor of the Times. The exchange, which is said to have included an expletive aimed at Tony Gallagher, was triggered by the Reform UK leader’s outrage that the paper was planning to run a story about his houses, which he said endangered his family.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/18/nigel-farage-clash-times-editor-reform theguardian.com
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What links cricket clothing, Delta music and Polanski? The Saturday quiz

This Saturday quiz challenges participants across various knowledge domains, starting with geography. It asks for the only Asian country entirely in the southern hemisphere. A question about historical transportation inquires about a cross-Channel service that concluded in 2000 after 32 years of operation. Literary buffs are tested on a 1957 novel uniquely typed on a 37-meter-long scroll. The quiz then shifts to business, asking which two major sportswear companies are headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria. Music and activism are covered with a question about the singer and activist known as Mama Africa. Environmental awareness is probed by asking what environmentalists commonly call Pfas. A specific historical event is recalled by asking about the central role played by a pair of Aris Isotoner Lights gloves. Military history is touched upon by a question about the operation Churchill famously remarked, "wars are not won by evacuations." The quiz concludes with a series of "what links" questions. These cover a group of individuals including Jonathan and Oscar Cainer, Debbie Frank, Sally Kirkman, and Shelley von Strunckel. Another link is sought between cricket clothing, Lucas and Polanski, Delta music, and NZ rugby. A historical line of queens, Syra (I), Philometor Soteira (II and III), Tryphaena (V), and Thea Philopator (VII), forms the basis of the next linking question. Latin phrases, Regnum defende and semper occultus, are presented for a common link. Finally, four prominent brass bands – Black Dyke, Brighouse and Rastrick, Cory, and Grimethorpe Colliery – require identification of their shared characteristic.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jul/18/what-links-cricket-clothing-delta-music-and-polanski-the-saturday-quiz theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

Israeli ministers announce plans for new illegal settlements in Gaza and West Bank

Defence minister seeks three ‘Naha’ outposts in Gaza as top commander says Israel now controls 65% of the strip, violating Trump ceasefire deal Israel’s defence and finance ministers announced plans for three illegal settlements in Gaza and more than $400m (£300m) in funding to expand construction in the occupied West Bank, as Israel’s military commander for the region celebrated violent outposts as his “security partners”. With national elections scheduled for 27 October, Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition is racing to expand control of land in occupied Palestine and drive out Palestinians before its mandate expires.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/18/israel-plan-new-illegal-settlements-gaza-west-bank-occupied-palestine theguardian.com
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The Guide #252: Christopher Nolan forces ​all rivals to flee as he dominates the battle of the blockbusters

In this week’s newsletter: Is Nolan our last superstar director? Every one of his films is an event, clearing the release schedules and selling out cinemas This July, competitors are running scared – like Ithacans fleeing the cyclops Polyphemus – from The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s humongous staging of Homer’s epic poem. The only significant alternatives you’ll find at the cinema in the week of its release are a handful of Aardman rereleases and an astoundingly poorly reviewed adaptation of Animal Farm. The tumbleweeds roll on into next week too, where the star attraction is a cheapo horror film capitalising on Pinocchio’s public-domain status. Only by the 31 July does a blockbuster tentatively poke its head above the parapet – we commend you for your bravery, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. No other film-maker is able to make studios retreat from the battlefield like Nolan, such is his clout. Sure, other directors might be able to attract sizeable numbers of moviegoers by dint of their name on the poster – Paul Thomas Anderson, Tarantino, Scorsese – but none of them are operating on the same “event cinema” scale, selling out cinemas for months on end. Modern-day Spielberg, with a fair wind behind him, might come close, but that depends completely on the project: flashy sci-fi movie that harks back to his golden era of ET and Close Encounters – perhaps; semi-autobiographical paean to the wonders of moviemaking – not so much. Nolan doesn’t tend to experience that variability: everything he stamps his name on will reliably hit.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jul/17/christopher-nolan-forces-all-rivals-to-flee-as-he-dominates-the-battle-of-the-blockbusters theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

Pompeii: Out of Time With Tom Hiddleston – the tale of ordinary Romans’ hopeless heroism is tearjerking television

The Avengers star teams up with real-life scholars for a look at the eruption of Vesuvius. At points it’s elegiac and moving, at others it’s majestic and brutal It’s always funny when documentaries strategically pair a possibly boring topic with a famous face, just to sex them up. A History of NCP Car Parks By Tinie Tempah, say, or World’s Deadliest Sleep Disorders With Anna Maxwell Martin. So when I saw that Tom Hiddleston was hosting a National Geographic investigation into the destruction of Pompeii in AD79 (Disney+, from Thursday), there was no way I wasn’t watching. The actor has famously sauntered through life’s most vaunted way stations: Eton, Cambridge, Rada, Kong: Skull Island. Privilege and perceived smugness have long been sticks to beat him with. It’s harder to argue he’s not qualified for this job, having earned a double first in classics. Here, he slips into the role of undergraduate detective. A real-life scholar is forced to cosplay as his don during their interview, addressing Hiddleston by surname, issuing prim little reprimands. Hiddleston even translates Latin headstones in the first episode. I don’t know what the ancient Roman for “screw it, I’m leaning in” is, but I think that’s what it means.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jul/18/pompeii-out-of-time-with-tom-hiddleston-tearjerking-television-disney theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

It’s time to admit it: my dog has a bigger social network than me

Accompanying my wife on a morning walk is a humbling experience – not least because our pet enjoys better name recognition than I do I don’t normally do the morning dog walk; it’s my wife’s thing. But we’re going away for the weekend straight afterwards, so on this particular Friday it makes sense for us to go together. The park is more or less on the way out of town. “Morning!” my wife sings, waving at someone in the car park.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jul/18/dog-has-bigger-social-network-than-me-tim-dowling theguardian.com
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Meera Sodha’s recipe for roasted Greek salad with orzo | Meera Sodha recipes

Bring the flavours – and heat – of Athens into your kitchen, with this traditional salad baked for an added sweetness and jamminess Greeks, look away now! Those who don’t turn on the oven in the summer months might want to turn the page, too. Personally, I don’t mind putting something in the oven in summer, not least because I enjoy that the oven does the work when I might not want to. I even quite like that cheeky blast of heat when I open the door, imagining briefly that I’m on the streets of Athens. I digress … Today’s recipe is for a Greek salad (minus the cucumber) that’s roasted to make the flavours sweeter and more jammy, then cut with briny feta and cooked with orzo to fill bellies after a long summer’s day.
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/jul/18/roasted-greek-salad-orzo-recipe-meera-sodha theguardian.com
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Trump, not Iran, is the world’s greatest danger. He’s a one-man weapon of mass destruction | Simon Tisdall

As the bombing starts again, it’s clear the president has dragged the US into a limitless fiasco – and the world into an economic quagmire Feckless and clueless, Donald Trump is lost in Iran, unable to find a way out of the disastrous war he started. Once again, the US military is pummelling the country and, increasingly, its civilian infrastructure. As before, this unlawful bludgeoning strengthens the resistance of a hardline regime that cares little for its people’s suffering. How often have Trump and Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon’s wildling lord of bones, hailed a bogus victory? The president claimed this week to be “winning big”. No one believes him. Even as it counts the vast human and economic cost of his Persian folly, a watching world scoffs at US impotence. Control of the strait of Hormuz, closed due to Trump’s belligerence, is now the White House’s limited, elusive objective. The grander US and Israeli war aims – eliminating Iran’s nuclear programme, degrading its regional militias, regime change – are less attainable than ever. It’s Trump’s craven leadership that renders US forces ineffective, not the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. If Iran really is the existential menace he claims, the logical course would be all-out conquest. When George W Bush decided Iraq posed unacceptable dangers, he invaded with 170,000 ground troops. It was a catastrophe. But at least Bush had balls. Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/18/donald-trump-iran-world-danger-bombing-us theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

‘It’s only going to get worse’: wildfires forcing firefighters to make impossible choices

As the climate crisis fuels more intense blazes, pushing them to new parts of the world, those tackling them are forced to ration resources and decide which to fight César Alcaraz had only just become a firefighter in the late 1990s when he found himself ambushed by a fast-moving blaze. Barely able to breathe and with no more water left in his truck, he and his colleagues fled an inferno ravaging Spain’s Montgó mountain region, wishing their bosses had sent more support. But nearly three decades on, as an officer with Alicante’s provincial firefighters, Alcaraz has more sympathy for the agonising choices that commanders have to make. When wildfires overwhelm an area, his job resembles that of a doctor in an emergency room with too few ventilators.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/18/the-impossible-choices-of-a-deadly-wildfire-season theguardian.com
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‘An overnight success after 25 years? Delicious’: Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham on sexism, stunts and stardom at 51

Hannah Waddingham, initially poised for a musical theatre career, achieved widespread fame through her role as a football club owner in the TV hit, Ted Lasso. Her recent hosting of Saturday Night Live UK showcased her impressive versatility, including a range of accents and characters. Waddingham’s performance as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso garnered her an Emmy award in 2021, elevating her to international celebrity. Now 47, her career has taken a significant turn, marking a new Hollywood era. She is a tall, striking presence, evident even in her casual day-off attire. Despite her newfound fame, she maintains her roots in London, where she lives with her daughter. Waddingham is outspoken against misogyny and emphasizes her multifaceted abilities beyond just being "camp." Her journey reflects a late-career surge, establishing her as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jul/18/an-overnight-success-after-25-years-delicious-ted-lassos-hannah-waddingham-on-sexism-stunts-and-stardom-at-51 theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

Revealed: the top 10 UK cities for first-time buyers

Vibrant areas for young workers who plan to rent while saving for a deposit and then get on the property ladderThe new 100% mortgages for first-time buyers The common property rite of passage for graduates and career-focused first jobbers has changed over the past decade. Many careers used to start in London, and an early house-share would be followed by a first flat purchase, then a move to somewhere bigger. However, the heavy burden of housing costs in the capital is making would-be first-time buyers stop and evaluate whether – even with London weighting on some wages – it is possible to get on the ladder there.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jul/18/top-uk-cities-first-time-buyers-rent-property theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

Indian activist linked to Cockroach party moved to hospital after 20-day hunger strike

Sonam Wangchuk has been fasting to demand the resignation of India’s education minister because of alleged irregularities in medical exams Delhi police forcibly moved activist Sonam Wangchuk to a hospital on Saturday because of health concerns after 20 days of his hunger strike to protest against India’s examination system. Wangchuk, 59, has been fasting since 28 June to demand the resignation of India’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, over alleged irregularities in examinations to study medicine.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/18/indian-activist-linked-to-cockroach-party-moved-to-hospital-after-20-day-hunger-strike theguardian.com
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Tuchel defiant in face of criticism over decisions in England exit: ‘I have no regrets’

Head coach refuses to engage in ‘blame game’ after defeat by Argentina Trump joins critics of Tuchel’s tactics in World Cup semi-final elimination Thomas Tuchel has insisted he is not interested in engaging in the “blame game” over England’s World Cup elimination and vowed to close the gap on the leading nations. Even Donald Trump has joined criticism of Tuchel’s tactics in the semi-final defeat by Argentina, with the US president questioning why he made Harry Kane “a defensive player” as England attempted to hold on to a 1-0 lead. But before the third-place playoff against France in Miami on Saturday night that was described by Tuchel as “the match no one wants to play in”, England’s head coach defiantly stood by his decisions and said that he and his players must learn from their experiences.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/18/thomas-tuchel-england-2026-world-cup-exit-no-regrets theguardian.com
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Hanson ‘undermining social cohesion’, Albanese says, as Labor responds to Islamophobia envoy’s report

Government’s response to 54 recommendations made by Aftab Malik includes new education taskforce and federal police social cohesion team Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese has accused Pauline Hanson of “undermining social cohesion” after his Islamophobia envoy warned the One Nation leader’s words could have violent consequences. The government formally responded on Saturday to the 54 recommendations made by the special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, in his report handed down 10 months ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/18/anthony-albanese-islamophobia-envoy-report-pauline-hanson-social-cohesion-ntwnfb theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

‘We are preserving a tradition’: how Ghana’s sensationalist film posters became collectible art

Hand-painted works are often wildly unfaithful to the movies they portray – reinterpretations that sometimes resulted in threats, insults and even physical attacks from viewers who felt duped Sitting on his porch in Teshie near Accra, Heavy J dipped a brush into red oil paint and dabbed it carefully on to his canvas – a flour sack – adding blood to a knife being wielded by a man. Higher on the canvas, he had started on an outline of a skull. Heavy J was creating a poster, but not as you might have expected for a horror film. Instead, it was for the animated fairytale The Little Mermaid. The man with the knife wasn’t a killer but the film’s kind-hearted prince, Eric. The skull was also unrelated to the story. “We add more to make people interested,” said Heavy J, whose real name is Jeaurs Affutu.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/18/ghana-sensationalist-film-posters-collectible-art theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

The hill I will die on: Parisian waiters are not rude – they’re just badly misunderstood | Helen Massy-Beresford

After living here for years, I can see through that old stereotype. My tip: if your server is not full of bonhomie, why not try saying ‘bonjour’? Parisian waiters are professionals, providing an excellent service – they are not rude or unfriendly, just sometimes slightly misunderstood. No, really, hear me out. We’re all familiar with the trope of the rude Parisian waiter, looking down their nose at your inferior wine choice. They have been called “brusque and unwelcoming”, “snooty and rude” by travellers who voted Paris the unfriendliest city in the world. But after living here for many years, I’m struggling to think of an experience that really lives up to the stereotype. Harried and busy, sometimes, yes. But rude? No. So why do Parisian waiters (and let’s face it, Parisians) have a such a bad reputation? Partly, it’s about misunderstandings. Good manners and greetings between strangers in France are quite formal and can (and did, to this Brit, arriving in 2007) seem a little frosty. There are golden rules that many visitors unwittingly break and the big one is “bonjour”. Or rather, a lack of “bonjour”. Going into a shop or a restaurant in Paris (or anywhere in France) and not greeting the staff is incredibly rude. That means many waiters or shop staff in touristy areas are actually, by French rules, being snubbed thousands of times a day. No wonder some of them feel a little grumpy. Helen Massy-Beresford is a British journalist and editor who lives in Paris
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/18/the-hill-i-will-die-on-paris-waiters-misunderstood-stereotype theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

Ukraine war briefing: Protests of Fedorov’s dismissal continue as Zelenskyy tries to repair rift with Poland

Thousands of Ukrainians are protesting for a second day against the sudden removal of popular defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who clashed with military chief of staff Oleksandr Syrskyi. President Zelenskyy defended his decision, citing a need for unity despite the minister's innovation with drone technology. This move has exposed presidential leadership flaws and concerned European officials. Separately, Zelenskyy is repairing ties with Poland over naming a Ukrainian army unit after a group that killed Poles, pledging investigations and opening intelligence files. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack on a logistics center in western Russia killed seven and wounded 24, while over 370 drones were launched towards Moscow, mostly neutralized. Russian authorities cracked down on dissent, detaining a blogger critical of Putin and the war, and fining an anti-war politician. Russia continued its Black Sea attacks, hitting two Ukrainian port cities, including Mykolaiv and Odesa, killing three people and damaging civilian vessels. These strikes have led to a partial halt in grain shipments and an almost complete suspension of grain purchases at port terminals.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/18/ukraine-war-briefing-protests-of-fedorovs-dismissal-continue-as-zelenskyy-tries-to-repair-rift-with-poland theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

Paul Pelosi faces hit-and-run charge after he allegedly crashed into parked vehicle

Husband of Nancy Pelosi has traffic infractions in California stretching back at least to 2011, according to public records Paul Pelosi, husband of US congresswoman and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, is facing a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge after he allegedly crashed into a parked vehicle and left the scene in early July, the Napa county district attorney announced on Friday. No passengers were in the struck car, authorities said, but the vehicle was left with “major” damage. A spokesperson for the Pelosi family told several outlets in a statement that Paul apologized to the owner of the vehicle and was assuming responsibility for the damage.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/17/paul-pelosi-hit-and-run-charge theguardian.com
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Trump praises Balogun decision, repeats 2020 election falsehoods in appearance with Infantino

Trump and Infantino appear at Fifa reception World Cup final kicks off on Sunday at 3pm ET Donald Trump credited Fifa president Gianni Infantino for the decision to suspend US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card ahead of his team’s crucial last-16 game against Belgium, which the US eventually lost 4-1. Trump and Infantino were sharing the stage at a reception in the atrium of Trump Tower ahead of a meeting of the Fifa Council on the Friday before Sunday’s World Cup final. The pair entered a stage as Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA played over the loudspeakers, standing at the dais for two minutes and 15 seconds to wait for the entire song to finish before Infantino made his remarks, before then throwing to Trump.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/17/trump-infantino-balogun-2020-election-fifa-council theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Today

One person dies amid legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City

Officials haven’t released additional information about the person’s identity, age or details on when and how they fell ill A legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened dozens of people in New York City has claimed its first life, health officials said Friday. Officials didn’t release additional information about the person’s identity, age or details on when and how they fell ill.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/17/one-person-dies-legionnaires-disease-outbreak-new-york-city theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

‘A revolutionary act to watch it’: the film India’s censors do not want you to see

Director Honey Trehan decries ‘dystopian’ opposition to his film depicting crackdown on Punjab’s separatist movement For as long as he has been a film-maker, there is one story Honey Trehan has wanted to tell above all. Growing up in the Indian state of Punjab, Trehan saw firsthand the devastation wrought by police who carried out tens of thousands of killings and illegal cremations in the 1990s, as they cracked down on a separatist insurgency. To those in Punjab, the period remains one of the darkest in India’s modern history. Jaswant Singh Khalra, the activist who exposed the crimes and was murdered in the process, is a national hero.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/18/satluj-honey-trehan-film-india-censors-do-not-want-you-to-see theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Republicans threaten Canada with sanctions over drifting wildfire smoke

Fires are also blazing across the US and the Trump administration has repealed several climate protections US Republicans are threatening to sanction Canada and Canadian government officials after smoke from devastating wildfires has drifted across huge swathes of the US, creating hazy conditions and dangerous air quality for tens of millions of Americans. Donald Trump on ⁠Friday blamed ⁠his country’s northern neighbor for ​the smoke spreading from ⁠wildfires and said he planned to call ​Mark Carney, the Canadian prime ‌minister, ‌ to ‌ask about Ottawa’s plans for dealing with the blazes.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/17/republicans-canada-sanctions-wildfire-smoke theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara cleared to travel to US

Whereabouts of artist imprisoned after 2021 protests had been unknown following end of his prison term in July Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, a prominent Cuban dissident artist whose whereabouts remained unknown after his prison sentence ended last week, has been given permission to travel to the US, according to his official Facebook page. Otero Alcántara, designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022 for insulting national symbols, contempt and disturbing the public order.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/cuban-dissident-artist-luis-manuel-otero-alcantara-cleared-to-travel-to-us theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Off-duty employee at Colorado ICE facility arrested for shooting protester

Woman has non-life threatening injuries after Brandon Booth shot her with pistol outside ICE facility and drove off An employee of a company that runs an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Colorado is under arrest after shooting and injuring a woman on Thursday evening. The incident happened after the woman participated in a protest in front of the facility earlier that day, according to the Aurora police department. When officers arrived on the scene, they said they found the woman with a gunshot wound in her lower body. She had a friend with her, who was unharmed.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/17/colorado-ice-employee-arrested-shooting-protester theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

DeChambeau’s participation in the Open in doubt after two-stroke penalty

American punished for improving line of his swing Sanction moves DeChambeau out of second place Bryson DeChambeau’s ongoing participation in the Open Championship is in doubt after extraordinary scenes at the conclusion of the 32-year-old’s second round at Royal Birkdale. DeChambeau was handed a two-stroke penalty for improving the line of his swing in thick rough, and the scenario prompted a furious response from the American. The sanction shifted him out of second place and an initial position of one stroke behind the leader, Lucas Herbert.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/17/bryson-dechambeau-the-open-participation-in-doubt-two-stroke-penalty-golf theguardian.com
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US launches seventh night of Iran strikes as Hormuz conflict escalates

Central Command says attacks were designed to ‘continue degrading Iranian military capabilities’ The US military said it had launched a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran on Friday night as fighting escalated over the strait of Hormuz. US Central Command, in a post on X, said the strikes, which began at 7pm GMT, were designed to “continue degrading Iranian military capabilities”.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/us-launches-seventh-night-of-iran-strikes-as-hormuz-conflict-escalates theguardian.com
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‘Leo has surpassed Diego’: after two decades Argentina embraces Messi

The little maestro has hitherto lived in the shadow of Maradona who has for so long coloured the soul and defined the passion of football in Argentina It is time to consign Diego Maradona’s Hand of God to a museum piece. For 40 years that moment and Maradona’s unforgettable “goal of the century” coloured the soul and passion of Argentinian football. Today things are very different, and the main reason is Lionel Messi. By asserting himself over the memory of Maradona, Messi is establishing a new Argentina. An impressive 2–1 semi-final victory over England showcased a revitalised Argentina who go into Sunday’s final against Spain relying on a simple, powerful weapon: excellent football.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/17/leo-has-surpassed-diego-after-two-decades-argentina-embraces-messi theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Smoke, travel and Trump threaten New York’s grand World Cup finale

Wildfires, transport issues and the appearance of the president could overshadow the final for a city that has embraced the tournament The thick smoke that has engulfed New York and much of the eastern seaboard over the past few days has drawn wry smiles in Dallas and Los Angeles, where locals will watch on with a sense of schadenfreude when the World Cup final takes place in the New York New Jersey Stadium (usually known as the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey) on Sunday. The Dallas and Los Angeles stadiums, which were passed over when Fifa awarded the final in February 2024, are more impressive venues without the same climatic risks as New York, which was chosen because of its global appeal and favourable timezone for European television audiences.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/17/smoke-travel-trump-new-york-world-cup-final theguardian.com
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God’s will? Destiny? Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, that photo and the World Cup final

The boy in the baby bath has unbelievably become the successor to Messi at Barcelona and now, maybe, on the world stage too “Maybe Lionel Messi has picked up lots of babies, maybe it’s chance, but for those of us who have faith, who believe in something beyond, ‘chance’ is God’s pseudonym when he doesn’t want to sign his name,” Luis de la Fuente says. “In life, everything happens for a reason. Sometimes it’s true that the circle isn’t closed, but in my view there’s something else, something … I don’t know, mystical, spiritual.” Contemplate the scene, gaze upon the image of this World Cup, and you may be inclined to agree with Spain’s coach, to reach out and touch faith. How else to comprehend this? You will have seen the picture and will certainly see it again, and still it won’t make sense.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/17/gods-will-destiny-lionel-messi-lamine-yamal-that-photo-and-the-world-cup-final theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Trump has declared war on elections in the name of protecting them | Austin Sarat

The president’s Orwellian speech on Thursday was just the latest instance of his denialism. It is up to us to resist On Thursday night, Donald Trump did it again, trashing another American tradition with his primetime address from the White House’s East Room about election integrity. Other presidents have used such speeches in times of national emergency, to announce major new policies designed to improve Americans’ lives or to honor American traditions. Not Trump.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/17/trump-speech-election-denialism theguardian.com
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‘He knows what he thinks’: how ready is Andy Burnham to become PM?

A hasty handover from Starmer meant his successor has not had much time to prepare for office yet his team is quietly confidentWhat Andy Burnham’s first speech as Labour leader tells us Just 20 minutes’ walk along the road to Wigan Pier, Andy Burnham’s own route back to Westminster was cemented. At the Edge community centre, about a mile from the famous canal wharf, the result of the Makerfield byelection was announced, surpassing even his highest expectations. “Andy knew running in Makerfield was high risk but it was the proof point he needed to show the Labour party and the country that if he could win there, he could win anywhere. He got 55% of the vote. It worked,” one of his team said.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/17/andy-burnham-ready-prime-minister theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Feline good: why kitten heel flip-flops are winning over flats-only gen Z

From Lily Collins at Wimbledon to the cast of Love Island, heels-averse cohort is stepping it up a notch Gen Z, the flats-only generation, has finally succumbed to the heel – albeit a tiny one. Long vocally anti-heel, the cohort who were born between 1997 and 2012 have famously shunned millennials’ obsession with Jimmy Choos in favour of pancake-flat shoes, from the Adidas Samba “It-trainer” to the split-toe Margiela Tabi and so-called “French girl ballet flats”. But they now appear to be embracing a potential gateway heel, typically measuring in the region of 1.5in (3.8cm) or the height of a triple-A battery.
https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026/jul/17/kitten-heel-flip-flops-winning-over-flats-only-gen-z theguardian.com
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Tom Pidcock surges up standings while Mauro Schmid wins Tour de France stage 13

British rider moves into fourth in general classification Schmid claims first Tour win after mass breakaway Tom Pidcock leapt up the overall standings in the Tour de France, briefly climbing as high as second place, after a fulminating stage to Belfort ended in a first Tour win for Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid. Pidcock was one of the key instigators of a mass breakaway that formed on the rolling roads of the Jura and Doubs, on the long approach to the 9km climb of the Ballon d’Alsace, overlooking Belfort.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/17/tom-pidcock-surges-up-standings-while-mauro-schmid-wins-tour-de-france-stage-13 theguardian.com
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The Odyssey: is Nolan adaptation worth the hype? - The Latest

Christopher Nolan’s star-studded take on Homer’s Odyssey has received rave reviews from critics and is one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year. The three-hour Imax blockbuster has an estimated budget of $250m and a star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Zendaya and Tom Holland. But will it live up to expectations? Annie Kelly speaks to film editor Catherine Shoard
https://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2026/jul/17/the-odyssey-is-nolan-adaptation-worth-the-hype-the-latest theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

The Guardian view on Andy Burnham: political poetry must become governing prose | Editorial

Larkin, Harrison and Shakespeare shaped Labour’s leader. Now comes the harder task: turning language into lasting change Andy Burnham is finally Labour leader. After trying – and failing – twice to be elected by party members, he took the top job on Friday without a contest. Sir Keir Starmer remains prime minister until Monday, when he will tender his resignation to King Charles, who will invite Mr Burnham to form a government. Then the future that Mr Burnham has long imagined will cease to be a promise and become a test. Much will be written about the man. But why does Mr Burnham believe what he believes? One clue lies in the Guardian’s letters page in 1991. Fresh from graduating in English at Cambridge, the 21-year-old Mr Burnham defended an “uncouth and uncultured” Philip Larkin from critics who dismissed him as “too parochial”. Larkin – a bigoted curmudgeon – is difficult to admire, but his poems are not.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/17/the-guardian-view-on-andy-burnham-political-poetry-must-become-governing-prose theguardian.com
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The Guardian view on The Lord of the Rings: not a weapon in the culture wars | Editorial

The lack of diversity in the latest film is a backwards step. Adaptations of Tolkien’s epic must reflect our times There is trouble in Middle-earth – again. So far, all of the actors announced for the latest The Lord of the Rings film instalment, The Hunt for Gollum, to be released next year, are white. Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan, Anya Taylor-Joy and Leo Woodall join a cast that has already been criticised for its lack of diversity. “Tolkien himself was influenced a lot by Norse mythology,” the film’s director, Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum, said. “The Shire feels very white.” Ironically, Serkis invokes fidelity to Tolkien to defend the casting, yet his “modern film version” of Animal Farm, which came out this week, plays fast and loose with Orwell by replacing the novel’s crushing conclusion with a hopeful one.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/17/the-guardian-view-on-the-lord-of-the-rings-not-a-weapon-in-the-culture-wars theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Meta trying to destroy whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams, US senator says

Republican Josh Hawley accuses Mark Zuckerberg’s firm of relentlessly pursuing and attempting to bankrupt her A US senator has accused Meta of using lawfare in “efforts to destroy” a whistleblower who made allegations about the social media company’s dealings with China and its treatment of teenagers. In a letter to its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, the Republican senator Josh Hawley demanded to know what measures Meta had taken to monitor Sarah Wynn-Williams, Facebook’s former global head of public policy, and her family.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/17/meta-whistleblower-sarah-wynn-williams-us-senator-josh-hawley theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

The ghosts of Downing Street past may have some advice for Andy Burnham | Jonathan Freedland

The incoming PM has made a strong start – but there are several traps he needs to avoid. Brown, Blair and even Thatcher can show the way The first piece of unsolicited advice I would offer to Britain’s incoming prime minister is: don’t take unsolicited advice. Don’t be one of those leaders who’s swayed by the last person in their ear. That’s what they used to say about Boris Johnson, that he was a cushion that bore the imprint of the last person who sat on him. Instead, Andy Burnham should study closely the experience of Johnson and the rest of his recent predecessors – and, let’s face it, there’s plenty of them. He might start by thinking about the period that will begin the moment he steps into Downing Street on Monday. How he handles this opening phase of his tenure is crucial: you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and all that. To many voters outside Greater Manchester, Burnham is still a relatively unknown quantity. The view they will form of him will be largely shaped by what he says and does in the next few weeks. For much of the electorate, it will be the overture that decides their verdict on the show. Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/17/andy-burnham-prime-minister-plan-inspiration theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Jill Scott review – joyous phones-free show is a taste of how all concerts should be

Kings Theatre, Brooklyn The queen of Philly soul is on phenomenal form in a saucy and effortlessly virtuosic show celebrating 26 years in music At one point during her triumphant phones-free show at Brooklyn’s Kings Theater, Jill Scott takes a moment to introduce Dwayne Wright, her bass player and co-musical director who is known to his friends, the queen of Philly soul informs the 3,000-strong audience, as the “pussy whisperer”. The crowd cracks up, but she’s not done. “I want you to close your ears and listen with your vagina,” she instructs, as Wright launches into a deep, toe-curling run on his instrument. “Kegel to the music!” she whoops. “You come to a Jill Scott concert and you become a virgin again.” Perhaps Scott is emboldened by the no phones policy tonight; ours were stashed in Yondr pouches upon entry à la recent Jack White and Phoebe Bridgers concerts. But the emotionally attuned, pointedly political and proudly horny soul singer probably doesn’t need any help in getting loose. Despite my initial grumbles, the technology ban turned out to be an inspired decision in an evening that felt deeply connected, as if we were at a summer block party hosted by the neighborhood’s most charismatic character.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/17/jill-scott-concert-review theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Israeli strike on Gaza funeral killed at least seven people, hospital says

Another 22 reportedly injured while mourning Palestinian killed in Israeli attack earlier in the day An Israeli strike on a funeral in the Gaza Strip has killed at least seven people and injured another 22, according to a local hospital. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/israeli-strike-gaza-funeral-multiple-deaths theguardian.com
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Europe’s most effective tool to cut greenhouse gas emissions ‘risks being weakened’

European Commission proposal to overhaul emissions trading system would give companies less demanding pathway to reductions Europe’s most effective method of cutting dangerous planet-heating gases risks being weakened after the European Commission proposed an overhaul of its flagship carbon market, critics have said. In a long-awaited review of the European Union emissions trading system (ETS), the European Commission proposed giving companies a less demanding and cheaper pathway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/17/europe-emissions-trading-system-greenhouse-gas-risks-weakened theguardian.com
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‘We slept with three of the same women’: 12 people on what it’s really like dating a friend’s ex

Guardian readers tackle a thorny topic and share their stories of dating a friend’s ex – or a friend dating their ex Life is full of big, messy questions. How should we spend our finite time on Earth? What is the nature of good and evil? And, thorniest of all: is it OK to date a friend’s ex? This year, reality TV fans debated this question with vim and verbosity when it was revealed that Bravo reality stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson had started kissing (!) and dating (!!) even though West had broken the heart of Amanda’s best friend, Ciara Miller.
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2026/jul/17/dating-a-friends-ex theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Josh Kerr ‘not scared of failure’ as he targets one-mile world record in London

‘I like goals that are lofty and sport needs moments’ Keely Hodgkinson races in 800m in Diamond League A bullish Josh Kerr has insisted he is in the shape of his life and “not scared of failure” as he attempts to break the one-mile world record at Saturday’s London Diamond League. The former 1500m world champion and double Olympic medallist has developed a reputation as an admirably straight‑talker throughout his career, unafraid to state his ambitions publicly. Few have ever been so lofty as the one that awaits this weekend, though, as he attempts to surpass the great Hicham El Guerrouj’s one-mile mark of 3min 43.13sec that has stood since 1999. An entire generation of athletics fans were not even alive to see it happen.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/17/josh-kerr-one-mile-world-record-bid-keely-hodgkinson-london-diamond-league-athletics theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

George Russell ready to keep chasing down championship leader Kimi Antonelli at Spa

Antonelli’s lead in the F1 drivers’ standings looked insurmountable after Monaco, but now Russell is potentially within one race win of wiping it out Squaring off at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Formula One’s leading title protagonists Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are embroiled in an increasingly tense head to head.The teenager and his experienced Mercedes teammate facing each other as well as each addressing their own approach to a championship still very much up for grabs. The 19-year-old Antonelli appeared to have an iron grip on the lead, having secured five straight victories, the last at Monaco, after which he enjoyed a 68-point lead over Russell. However, with Antonelli enduring some bad luck during the past three rounds and Russell taking a strong win in Austria, that gap has reduced to 25 points. A seemingly insurmountable chasm has suddenly become all too bridgeable and with it the title race is on again.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/17/george-russell-kimi-antonelli-formula-one-belgian-grand-prix theguardian.com
RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Garry Sobers was the greatest of all time, a cavalier in an era of roundheads

West Indies legend, who has died aged 89, was cricket’s finest all-rounder, delivering victories with style and grace Cricket nuts like an argument. Who is the best fast bowler ever? The best spinner? The best wicketkeeper? The best slip catcher? They – oh all right, we – can spend hours discussing the candidates. But the best all-rounder? That does not take any longer than the debate over the best batter; here we have to concede even in the presence of our Australian friends the supremacy of Don Bradman. The best all-rounder is universally agreed to be Garry Sobers. The other contender, WG Grace, lived so long ago that we are reduced to guesswork. So Sobers it is.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/17/garry-sobers-was-greatest-of-all-time-cricket-cavalier-era-of-roundheads theguardian.com
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