THE GUARDIAN

All the buildup to the Munich final Jonathan Liew: PSG v Inter is clash of styles on and off pitchYou can email Barry | Kick-off is at 8pm BSTComment: “The Champions League final is a jarring and stirring clash of styles in so many ways,” writes Jonathan Liew. “The relentless attack of Paris Saint-Germain and the relentless defence of Inter. One team built on the freehand wizardry of youth and one built on the weathered edifice of experience. Flying wingers against flying wing-backs, two […]

Sarah Roberts is a grandmother and global record holder but only took it up after a parkrun eight years agoAlong a sun-dappled canal towpath in picturesque Hertfordshire countryside, a grey-brown bob rises and falls with the effortless bounce of a lithe, spectacled figure gliding her way past dog-walkers and afternoon ramblers.There is a watch – one of those smart-technology devices capable of producing all sorts of unnecessary metrics – on Sarah Roberts’s wrist, but she has forgotten to […]

Team principal has turned Williams around in a short space of time and is looking to 2026 for a serious title chargeFinding themselves fighting off Ferrari and mauling the midfield, these are heady times for a resurgent Williams. The team principal James Vowles has engineered an extraordinary comeback but this year’s progress is likely to be just the start for a team determined to return to the heights of Formula One, which they once dominated.That Williams’ form has changed drastically […]

The first piece of mini-transfer window business is a significant moment for Fifa’s Gianni Infantino and his heinous creationHmm. Ten million pounds. What does that work out to in booing, and boo-deletion? What’s the exchange rate here? How much un-booing does £10m get you, in a highly emotive run‑your‑contract-down local‑lad‑departure scenario?This and many more equally strange questions will presumably have to be debated now Real Madrid have agreed a small but significant early […]

From Fred ‘the Shred’ Goodwin to Nigel Farage ousting the CEO, it’s been a bumpy ride for the now-privatised bankHours before the government fired the starting gun on what became a £45bn bailout of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in October 2008, Whitehall was in chaos. Dozens of City bankers, drafted in to support the chancellor, Alistair Darling, were camped along the Treasury building’s winding corridors, juggling laptops and mobile phones as they worked to keep the UK’s financial […]

Can you hold a 60-second plank? How about tying your shoelace in mid-air? Here’s how to test your fitness in every decade of lifeWhen Baz Luhrmann called the body “the greatest instrument you’ll ever own” in his 1997 song, Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen), he was on to something. Alongside a nutritious diet and good sleep, how fit we are is perhaps our greatest tool to live a long and healthy life. But what constitutes optimum physical fitness? According to David Vaux, osteopath […]

Almost half of young people would prefer a world without the internet. We are haunted by the feeling that it has robbed us of something vitalA video went viral on X a few months ago that I can’t stop watching. It’s 2003: the band that later becomes MGMT are performing their song Kids to their peers, years before they become a pop sensation, in a dusty quad at Wesleyan University, Connecticut. Social media doesn’t exist yet. There is something about the way people look and behave and […]

After decade with club as a player and managing them through financial turmoil, he will lead Shrimpers out at WembleyKevin Maher is no stranger to winning promotion with his beloved Southend. The club stalwart helped them earn back-to-back promotions as a player in 2005 and 2006 and was a near ever-present in their season in the Championship in 2006-07. Now he stands on the verge of a managerial achievement that could possibly eclipse anything from his playing days, given the Shrimpers’ […]

Study interviewing councillors and officials shows transport projects can be hampered by ‘toxic’ online debatesFew local policies generate more debate than cycle lanes. But a report has unveiled a surprising obstacle for local councils when planning bike infrastructure: some cyclists.The study, based on interviews with dozens of councillors and local officials who lead on transport projects across the UK, found that opponents of bikes lanes and similar projects were the most uniformly […]

Médecins Sans Frontières report sparks calls for Sudan’s warring parties to be held to account for rapes and attacks As Sudan’s Darfur region has been overrun by militias, women are facing the constant threat of sexual violence, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has reported.The medical charity said in the South Darfur region alone its workers treated 659 sexual violence survivors between January and March this year, more than two-thirds of whom had been raped. Continue reading...

Bengali singer who has more Spotify followers than Taylor Swift to bring ‘sheer power’ to same London stage as BeyoncéSitting ahead of US pop megastars Olivia Rodrigo, Doechii and Gracie Abrams in the list of most-listened-to artists on Spotify around the world each month – and just one place behind Harry Styles – is a man that most British listeners have probably never heard of: the Bengali artist Arijit Singh.He has never had a song in the UK Top 100 singles or albums charts, yet […]

Time and time again over the past four months, reality has failed to match Trump’s rhetoric“Tariffs are easy,” Donald Trump claimed in March. For his administration, and the world, they have proven anything but. Now an obscure New York court has blocked his signature trade policy, setting up a battle that looks sure to end up in the supreme court.The plan was simple. For decades, Trump has made the case for tariffs. Now, in his second term, he would dramatically hike them on the world; […]

Exclusive: Ex-minister to call for wealth tax, and Andy Burnham to demand focus on housing and educationNext month’s spending review must be an “economic reset” based on a bold wealth tax and higher public investment, the former cabinet minister Louise Haigh is to argue, as Keir Starmer faces renewed pressure from within Labour to change course.Haigh’s comments come as Andy Burnham called for Labour to “re-establish itself unequivocally once again as the party of working-class […]

It took a viewing of the 2018 film Beautiful Boy, about a father and his addict son, for me to see that my relationship had become damagingly codependentTwo summers ago, I met a man on a dating app who would become my boyfriend. The red flags were there from the start, but I ignored them all. When I stayed at his, he didn’t have a towel to offer me, and he never changed his sheets. It became obvious that he didn’t know how to look after himself. Even though, in reality, he could survive […]

Data reveals ‘notable increase’ in scammers tricking people into sending money abroadUK banks and payment firms have been urged to strengthen their anti-fraud systems for international payments after a rise in scammers tricking people into sending money abroad.After years of horror stories about people losing huge sums through bank transfer scams, rules came into force last October requiring UK banks and other payment firms to refund those who have been manipulated into sending money to […]

It’s easy to forget the Hollywood star is also an Oscar-nominated writer and highly subtle actor. He’s perfect in this gentle, humane tale of a washed-up sportsman trying to regain his mojo as a mentorGolf is – apologies to fans, the ground is gonna get a little rough – inert material for TV and film. It’s not explosively combative like say football, either American or actual. In golf, players interact with the environment, not each other. There is no time pressure. Physical […]

Ireland’s west coast is home to a flourishing live music scene, with the pubs and music festivals attracting world-class playersA hilly lane curves round Bunratty Castle. Through an open window, I hear a harpist plucking notes at a banquet drifting as the sun sets low over the battlements. On the other side of the lane, smoke drifts from Durty Nelly’s pub, where a singer is halfway through The Parting Glass. A short walk away, the limestone facade of the Creamery hints at its past lives – […]

California parole board says 77-year-old – the state’s longest-serving female inmate – poses little risk of reoffendingA California prisons panel has recommended that Patricia Krenwinkel, serving a life sentence for her role in the 1969 Los Angeles killing spree by followers of cult leader Charles Manson, be released on parole.The state Board of Parole Hearings found that Krenwinkel, 77 – the longest-serving female inmate in California prisons – posed little risk of reoffending based […]

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

Nathan Fielder returns with more excruciating recreations of real-world scenarios, while Tim Key and Tom Basden get folky with Carey Mulligan. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews Continue reading...

Almost 25 years after an experiment was ditched to caution rather than arrest those carrying small amounts of the drug, a rethink is on the cards – but the British government remains cautiousThe last time London dabbled in decriminalising cannabis, it brought one part of the capital to a brief but giddy high. In 2001, an enterprising Scotland Yard borough commander empowered his officers in Lambeth to caution rather than arrest those carrying small amounts of the drug for personal use – […]

My wife wants me to cut the grass right away. I hate having my working day interrupted, even when I’m not actually doing any workI am sitting in my office shed, marvelling that an email from a car hire company I last used six years ago feels entitled to employ the subject line DROP EVERYTHING.“It’s hard to imagine,” I say, “how a 20% reduction in rental rates for the month of June could be sufficient cause for anyone to suddenly abandon their present business, be it knee surgery, […]

Young, progressive and relatable, the former prime minister of New Zealand tried to do politics differently. But six years into power, she dramatically resigned. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian’s editor-in-chief, she explains why• Read an exclusive extract from Ardern’s memoirIn 2022, a few months before she quit as prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern was standing at the sink in the toilets in Auckland airport, washing her hands, when a woman came up to her and […]

Two women’s bodies are found hours apart in The Black Forest Murders. Plus: how Bruce Springsteen changed his fans’ lives. Here’s what to watch this evening9pm, BBC Four Continue reading...

The sweetness of roast vegetables and raisins contrasts with balsamic, pine nuts and capers in a vibrant dish that you’ll want to eat on repeatBeing in the business of recipe writing means I am always seeking the new, always moving on and rarely resting on a single dish. Until summer starts knocking, that is. The sun makes me want to slow down, and I find myself wanting a variation of vegetables agrodolce on repeat. Agrodolce is Italian for sour (agro) and sweet (dolce), which in my kitchen […]

The ban, enforced from Sunday, is designed to reduce youth vaping and tackle environmental damageVapers have been warned not to stockpile soon-to-be-banned disposables before Sunday’s outright ban as they “pose a significant fire risk”.The Local Government Association (LGA) said users were stocking up on single-use e-cigarettes while they could, as shops would face fines for selling them after the ban takes effect. Continue reading...

London transport body says allowing Bpas adverts on its network could bring police and City Hall into disrepute Transport for London has blocked adverts that urge people to lobby their MPs to vote to decriminalise abortion from running on its network because it claims they could bring the police and City Hall into disrepute.Parliament is expected to vote on whether to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in the coming weeks, with amendments tabled to the criminal justice bill seeking to […]

Politicians reviled environmental minister Marina Silva in the senate this week, but new legislation is fuelling the firePolitical bullying is rarely as brutal as it was in Brazil this week when the environment minister Marina Silva was ambushed in a senate meeting. Her thuggish tormentors – all white male politicians on the infrastructure committee – took turns to publicly belittle the 67-year-old black woman, who has done more than anyone to protect the natural wealth of the country – […]

Silva, 30, who works in theatre, meets Megan, 30, an artist managerWhat were you hoping for? To meet the mother of my future five daughters: Raven, Phoenix, Ocean, River and Amethyst. Failing that, a dating horror story to regale friends with at parties. Continue reading...

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Steve Carell stars in Succession creator Jesse Armstrong’s new satire targeting tech billionaires, while the long-awaited games console is finally hereThe Ballad of Wallis IslandOut now Comedy drama co-starring and co-written by comedians Tim Key and Tom Basden. Key plays a lottery winner with some big ideas about what to do with his winnings: namely, pay his favourite musical act to reunite. Hey, it’s more interesting than buying a fancy car. Basden and Carey Mulligan play the folk duo […]

When I was young, Britain felt like the apex of global civilisation. But as power migrates to autocracies, our belief in democracy seems complacentA few months ago, I travelled with my six-year-old daughter to Hong Kong. As we made our way out of the airport and boarded a train, we shared a brief moment that gave me pause to reflect on how different her conception of the world will be from the one I grew up with. We sat down on immaculate seats, surrounded by LED screens. She looked around and […]

Polls show close-run contest after first round in which one rural municipality was decided by a single voterPoles will cast their votes on Sunday in the closest presidential runoff since the fall of communism, in an election that pits two different visions of the nation against each other. In Poland’s previous election in 2020, the conservative populist incumbent Andrzej Duda narrowly won the second-round vote against the pro-Europe mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, by 51% to 49%.This […]

Examples from six countries include segregated housing for Roma and holding centres for asylum seekersHundreds of millions in European Union funds have been used in projects that violate the rights of marginalised communities, a report alleges, citing initiatives such as segregated housing for Roma, residential institutions for children with disabilities and holding centres for asylum seekers.The report, based on information compiled by eight NGOs from across Europe, looks at 63 projects in six […]

Scientists drill for ice cores containing information on preindustrial pollutants, but they are in a race against timeHowling wind relentlessly shakes the white tent, pitched among mounds of snow at a height of 4,100m (13,450ft) on the Corbassière, an Alpine glacier situated on the northern slopes of Switzerland’s Grand Combin massif.Inside are scientists from Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University and the institute of polar science at Italy’s national research council (CNR). Continue […]