Emil Bove’s line of questioning apparently aimed at undermining Pecker’s role in any purported conspiracy

Trump defense attorney Emil Bove has resumed his cross-examination of Pecker.

“We were talking about Hope Hicks, right?” Bove asked, referring to the former campaign and White House aide to Trump. Pecker answered in the affirmative.

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Tom, whose experience echoes that portrayed in Baby Reindeer, talks about the impact on him and the police response

Not long after he embarked on an on/off dalliance with a former colleague, Tom began feeling uneasy about her behaviour. He ended things – but that only made matters worse.

Lies and gaslighting turned into his ex turning up randomly at places where he hung out and “appearing seemingly everywhere I went”, he said. “That was incredibly hard to deal with. I felt hounded, and I had no idea what to do.”

In the UK, the national stalking helpline can be reached on 0808 802 0300.

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Secretary of state met Xi Jinping in Beijing and warned of sanctions over China’s support for Russian arms industry

Washington has seen evidence of attempts by Beijing to “influence and arguably interfere” in this year’s US elections, the secretary of state has said during a trip to China, also warning that Chinese companies face new sanctions if they do not stop supplying material and equipment to the Russian arms industry.

Antony Blinken told CNN that he had reiterated Joe Biden’s message to Xi Jinping not to interfere in November’s vote – a warning that reportedly received assurances from the Chinese president that he would not do so. Asked whether China was keeping to its promise, Blinken said: “We have seen, generally speaking, evidence of attempts to influence, and arguably interfere, and we want to make sure that that’s cut off as quickly as possible.”

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Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin thank emergency services and NHS staff and pay tribute to colleagues and ‘wonderful pupils’

Two teachers injured in a stabbing at a Welsh school have said they are struggling to comprehend what happened, and spoke of the “enormous impact” the incident has had on their “wonderful” pupils and colleagues.

Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin paid tribute to emergency services workers and NHS staff after the stabbings in the playground at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire. The pair and a student were taken to hospital but have been discharged.

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Speculation PM could call election to forestall possible leadership challenge has its own momentum despite No 10 dismissals

In a sign of how febrile the atmosphere in Westminster is just now, there were wild rumours flying around on Friday that Rishi Sunak was planning to finally call an election straight after the weekend.

The fact that this particular theory appears to have begun with Labour party speculation that the prime minister could announce a date to put an end to questions over his own leadership does not appear to have slowed down its spread.

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Readers respond to a letter which said that MDMA is not helpful in mental health care

Rachel McNulty ( Letters, 19 April) is right to emphasise the need for proper funding of integrated mental health care and social support, but wrong to dismiss MDMA based on a single anecdotal case. I can provide a number of counter-anecdotes showing the value of MDMA to mental health, including a friend of mine who has said that it saved him from taking his life in his youth.

However, science-based healthcare is not about anecdotes, but systematically gathered evidence and controlled trials. Such trials are already under way and are showing strong promise for both MDMA and psychedelics as effective psychiatric medicines when used appropriately. They are absolutely necessary to provide a clear evidence base that cuts through both “war on drugs” scare stories and psychedelic hype.

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When it comes to reconciling bitter enemies, the notion of ‘justice’ has its limitations, writes former judge Sir Konrad Schiemann

Eva Ladipo’s article is impressive ( My family’s past, and Germany’s, weighs heavily upon me. And it’s why I feel so strongly about Gaza, 19 April).

For millennia different people and different groupings have wanted the same thing, which is regarded as desirable by each. Obviously they cannot both have it – unless what they both want is peace. The challenge has been and continues to be, both in Europe and elsewhere in the world, to construct a political order which enables competing sides to live in continuing peace, notwithstanding that they cannot each have all that they wish. For each side to insist that the other is overcome does not lead to lasting peace – as France and Germany and many other places have shown over centuries.

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SNP leader says he will take party into general election, as Scottish Labour submits motion against his government

Humza Yousaf is fighting for his political life as he faces two no confidence motions submitted against him and his government in the space of 24 hours.

Yousaf insisted he would not resign as first minister and vowed to fight on, amid intense speculation about his leadership after he axed the SNP’s governing agreement with the Scottish Greens on Thursday morning, provoking a furious backlash that resulted in his former partners pledging to vote with the Tories against him.

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Oscar winner reveals she uses Emma professionally and would like fans to call her by her given name

Her films have racked up more than $1bn at the box office and she has won two Oscars under her stage name, but Emma Stone says she would now prefer to be called by her given name – Emily.

Nathan Fielder, her co-star in the surreal TV show The Curse, revealed that actors and crew members she worked with called her Emily.

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In the Wes Anderson-produced documentary Uncropped, the acclaimed culture photographer discusses his career and a changing landscape

Former Village Voice and New York Observer photographer James Hamilton lives in a small Manhattan apartment on University Place that also doubles as his studio. There’s a dark room in the corner, where Hamilton develops his images, using chemical ingredients plucked from a wine cooler. His walls are lined with books and stacks of photos, a treasure trove of portraits and reportage he’s shot over the decades, among them BB King in concert, Liza Minelli at home and Muhammed Ali out in the streets.

“This is James Stewart in Rear Window,” says director Wes Anderson, when recalling his first impression of Hamilton, and his apartment, in Uncropped, the documentary he executive produces. Hamilton wouldn’t argue against the comparison. Rear Window – Hitchcock’s classic about an adventurous newspaper photographer taken off the job by a broken leg, abandoned to spy on his neighbours – is a formative film for the cinephile cameraman.

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South Dakota governor includes bloody tale in campaign volume – and admits ‘a better politician … wouldn’t tell the story here’

• Who will be Trump’s VP? A shortlist

In 1952, as a Republican candidate for vice-president, Richard Nixon stirred criticism by admitting receiving a dog, Checkers, as a political gift.

In 2012, as the Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney was pilloried for tying a dog, Seamus, to the roof of the family car for a cross-country trip.

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Collections by ex-Spice Girl had been too dear for most but deal with affordable chain forecast to help tip VB business into profit

When Victoria Beckham debuted her first collection of just 10 dresses in a luxury hotel suite at the Waldorf Astoria in New York in 2008, she told the sceptical assembly of the world’s most powerful fashion editors that she had “spent a lifetime wanting to do this”.

“It’s what I always dreamed of since I customised my school uniform when I was 7 years old,” she said. “Then along came the Spice Girls which opened a lot of doors for me. And, let’s be honest, closed a lot. But those days are over. I was never going to be the world’s best singer, but I hope I can be a good designer.”

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Council tells resident of Redbridge that artwork had been subject of complaints from pro-Israel lawyers

Council authorities have moved to remove pro-Palestine murals in east London, while another is being reviewed after complaints were made by pro-Israel lawyers.

The latter, which depicts four journalists standing against a backdrop of ruins and under the words “Heroes of Palestine” went up last month in Redbridge, east London, as local authorities came under pressure over similar murals.

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Leaders Arsenal travel to bitter rivals Tottenham on Sunday before Manchester City go to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest

Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue London Stadium

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We’re interested to hear about people’s experiences of whooping cough and how their doctor’s surgery handled it

Cases of whooping cough have been rising across England, Wales and Scotland. We’re interested to hear from people who have recently been affected.

What were your (or your child’s) symptoms? How did your doctors’ surgery handle it and and how are you feeling now? Had you had it before? Are you aware of other cases within your community?

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The Unexpected, the latest book by the economics professor, examines the uncomfortable and embarrassing parts of pregnancy that no one talks about

Emily Oster really hopes you don’t need to buy her new book. The 44-year-old tenured Brown University economics professor and firebrand has published a handful of bestselling titles, all focused on childbearing and child-rearing. “I always say I’m not going to write another book after I write a book because it feels like so much work,” she said. “The first three books really track my own journey, from pregnancy to raising little kids to having older kids.”

But the fourth installment in her “ParentData” – also the name of her blog, podcast and newsletter – quartet, The Unexpected, swerves into thornier territory than its predecessors: pregnancies with complications, and the risks inherent in any subsequent pregnancies. For the first time, she is not writing about her own experiences. “I was inspired by the questions that I got from other people rather than the questions that I had myself,” she said.

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Former PM’s first-week sales compare with 21,000 for David Cameron’s memoir and 92,000 for Tony Blair book

Liz Truss’s book about her 49-day stint as prime minister sold 2,228 copies in the UK during its first week on sale, after a wall-to-wall promotional media blitz.

Ten Years to Save the West: Lessons from the Only Conservative in the Room, combines an account of Truss’s time in office with a call to arms for the political right.

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• Newey yet to tender resignation from Formula One team
• Chief technical officer reportedly ready to leave Red Bull

Adrian Newey is set to begin talks with Red Bull’s management to resolve his future with the team after reports he has expressed a desire to leave.

The Guardian understands that Red Bull’s chief technical officer is yet to formally tender his resignation or announce to staff that he will be leaving and insiders say the headlines caught both Newey and the team by surprise on Thursday.

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Following Columbia’s lead, students across the US are demanding ceasefire and divestment – and hundreds have been arrested

• Four students on why they’re protesting against war in Gaza: ‘Injustice should not be accepted’

At least 40 pro-Palestine protest camps have arisen across US campuses following Columbia University’s example earlier this month.

While many remain provocative though peaceful, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and divestment by their institutions from companies with ties to Israel, hundreds of students and outside protesters have been arrested, and there have been some fierce clashes with police.

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Tech company’s shares rise as it plans to reward investors after strong quarterly results

Google’s parent company has hit a stock market value of $2tn (GBP1.6tn) as investors reacted to a declaration of its first ever dividend alongside strong results on Thursday.

Shares in Alphabet rose 10% in early Wall Street trading on Friday to give the tech group a stock market capitalisation – a measure of a corporation’s value – of more than $2tn. Alphabet last hit that level in intraday trading in 2021, but has yet to close above that benchmark after a day’s trading.

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Labour mayor’s lead over Tory rival has narrowed in week before mayoral election in the capital

Sadiq Khan has urged young Londoners to vote in the mayoral election, saying a shock victory for the Conservatives’ Susan Hall would be like waking up to Donald Trump in power or Brexit in 2016.

With his lead in the polls appearing to narrow, the Labour mayor said there were concerns that low turnout among younger voters would allow a Tory mayor to “sneak in” to City Hall.

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Former talkshow host discussed her controversial exit from daytime TV after reports of a toxic workplace in new standup set

Ellen DeGeneres has addressed the controversial end of her eponymous daytime talkshow after allegations that it was a toxic workplace.

While performing the opening night of her new Ellen’s Last Stand … Up Tour at the Largo in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, the former daytime host joked about getting “kicked out of show business” for being “mean”.

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Inquiry hears firm ‘drip fed’ compensation to Martin Griffiths’ widow as incentive for her to ‘maintain confidentialty’

The Post Office sought to “hush up” the case of Martin Griffiths, a post office operator who took his own life, by “drip feeding” compensation payments to his widow and lining up a media lawyer to protect its reputation, a public inquiry has heard.

Angela van den Bogerd, a former business improvement director at the state-owned body, was being questioned at the Horizon IT public inquiry on Friday about the case of Griffiths, who died in 2013 after financial shortfalls were found at his Post Office branch in Cheshire.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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Quiet luxury to be overtaken by souvenir-style accessories that ‘evoke joy’, say fashion experts

The summer holidays may be some time away, but for those who can’t wait the souvenirs are already on sale. Coral bracelets, kitsch keyrings and shell necklaces are some of this season’s most covetable accessories.

Anya Hindmarch has brought the holiday mood to west London with a pop-up shop that she describes as “a love letter to the classic souvenir shops you find tucked away in favourite holiday destinations”.

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Six weeks after his Cheltenham milestone, trainer will become the first based in Ireland to win since Vincent O’Brien in 1954

“It’s done but not quite dusted yet,” was Willie Mullins’s assessment earlier this week of the race for the National Hunt trainers’ championship, but he knows as well as anyone that the title is as good as won. Six weeks on from one historic achievement, when he became the first trainer to saddle 100 Cheltenham Festival winners, another beckons. Jump racing feels like Willie’s World now, and the rest of us are just living in it.

Once the final seven events of the 2023-24 season have been run at Sandown Park on Saturday, the winners of about 99.3% of the 3,500 races will have been saddled by someone else. Mullins, though, will have taken enough of the races that really matter – including nine at the Cheltenham Festival and both the English and Scottish Grand Nationals – to be confirmed as the first trainer based in Ireland to win the title since Vincent O’Brien in 1954.

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The sexual wanderings of a partner don’t always spell the end. Readers share their experiences of how their relationship came out the other side

• Get Guardian Australia’s weekend culture and lifestyle email

What counts as infidelity varies from couple to couple and how they choose to handle it is also unique. A drunken kiss on the dancefloor might be innocuous to some; for others, a relationship-ending catastrophe.

How readers chose to approach their straying partners varied dramatically depending on the length and nature of their relationship and what shape the outside encounter took. If families and mutual assets were involved – and other relationship factors were stable – readers tended to double down on commitments, opting to frame such transgressions as an opportunity for growth and refreshment. And the further down the road couples had travelled together, the more likely they would stay together post-infidelity.

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With an eye on making the team final in Paris, the Commonwealth Games champion wants her sport back in the spotlight

Georgia Godwin may be the queen of Australian gymnastics, but sitting on a throne is not on her to-do list.

She is the 2022 Commonwealth Games all-around gold medallist, seven-time national all-around champion, a stalwart on representative teams for a decade, and now priming herself for the Paris Olympics.

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A vodka martini with a defining rhubarb kick and a dash of bitters to top it off

This came about when we were trying to come up with a Valentine’s Day cocktail (a spin on the hanky panky seemed appropriate somehow!) that would also help us use up a glut of rhubarb we had in the kitchen art the time. And it’s still on our drinks list today. We replaced the usual gin with vodka, so as not to overwhelm the predominant rhubarb flavour, and used dry vermouth and homemade rhubarb syrup instead of sweet red vermouth.

Will Weir, general manager, Lulu’s, London SE24

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Dylan Earl accused of organising arson attack in east London and four others charged in connection with investigation

A 20-year-old British man has been charged with planning an arson attack on a Ukraine-linked business and assisting Russian intelligence services.

Dylan Earl, from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire, has been charged under the National Security Act 2023, the first case to involve alleged offences under the new legislation.

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People in city bordering Gaza say Israel will never be safe while Hamas exists – but worry it cannot achieve its objective

The two men, faces blurred and voices disguised, are screened by a dense scrub of fig and trailing vine and thorns in northern Gaza as they film themselves loading a rocket launcher.

It is daylight and the fighters, wearing civilian clothes, work quickly and calmly, the sound of fighting audible around them as they prepare the weapon in less than a minute. Metal scrapes on metal as four missiles are slotted into tubes and wires connected to a red timer for launch against the nearby Israeli border city of Sderot and neighbouring communities.

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The Social Network screenwriter is returning to digital chaos for a new film about how ‘divisive material’ led to the 2021 insurrection

Aaron Sorkin is set to write a film about the January 6 insurrection and the involvement of Facebook disinformation.

The Social Network screenwriter is returning to familiar territory for an as-yet-untitled look at how social media helped radicalise Donald Trump supporters who went onto storm the US Capitol in 2021.

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The first minister’s latest misstep will worsen his party’s split along culture war lines. It’s a mess, but a boon for Scottish Labour

The Bute House agreement (BHA) was supposed to stabilise the SNP. Brokered by Nicola Sturgeon in August 2021, the coalition with the Greens at first appeared a masterstroke, allowing the party to burnish its environmental credentials and bolster its “progressive” image, while presenting a united front and pro-independence majority in Holyrood that it believed would strengthen the case for a second referendum. But, in a shock move, Humza Yousaf ripped up the agreement on Thursday morning and fired the Green co-leaders as shadow ministers from his government. The SNP leader now faces a no-confidence motion, which he could well lose. He has promised to fight on and contest the motion, but what was supposed to be a show of strength has ended up exposing his weakness.

Since the deal was first brokered, the culture war has moved on apace. Without Sturgeon at the helm, the party – always a fragile alliance of right and left, progressives and conservatives, fundamentalists and gradualists – has become bitterly divided over the ill-fated gender recognition reform bill and the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act. Many believe its leaders’ fixation with “identity politics” has distracted from more urgent issues such as education, the NHS and child poverty, which they say used to be at the heart of the SNP government’s mission.

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• Forward’s form has dropped for Manchester United
• Rashford responds to social media post supporting him

Marcus Rashford has criticised the abuse he has received this season and said on social media “enough is enough”.

The forward is enduring a disappointing campaign in which he has scored only eight times in 41 appearances for Manchester United, having managed a career-high 30 goals last season. At 12.36am on Friday Rashford retweeted a post on X, formerly Twitter, that said: “The way Marcus Rashford is being treated is absolutely disgusting. It’s cruel. It’s abuse.” Above this he wrote: “I appreciate your support! It is abuse and has been for months. Enough is enough.”

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Attorney general decides atrocity that killed 15 people merits further scrutiny amid new evidence

Northern Ireland’s attorney general has recommended a new inquest into a bombing by loyalist paramilitaries that killed 15 people, including two children, in Belfast in 1971.

Brenda King decided the massacre at the Catholic-owned McGurk’s bar, in north Belfast, merited fresh scrutiny amid new evidence about the location of army observation posts near the atrocity.

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All-share proposal had potential to be one of biggest deals in sector for decade but deemed ‘opportunistic’

• Business live – latest updates

The board of Anglo American, the London-listed mining company, has rejected a “highly unattractive” GBP31bn takeover approach from its Australian rival BHP.

BHP’s all-share proposed offer for Anglo American had the potential to be one of the biggest deals in the global mining sector for a decade but has attracted criticism from Anglo’s shareholders as being too low and “highly opportunistic”.

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As pro-Palestinian demonstrations roil campus, the station’s undergraduate reporters – working 18 hour days – have become an essential news source

“The turning point was certainly immediate, very sudden … We received a tip at 4am that there would be a demonstration on Columbia’s campus, and pretty soon after that, we went live on air.”

The presenter, Georgia Dillane, is describing the moment on 17 April that student radio station WKCR was thrust into the spotlight with its quick news updates from inside the university grounds.

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Rich, crisp, complex, decadent – and no pastry in sight!

There’s a pub in east London that serves one of my favourite ever desserts. The Marksman’s brown butter and honey tart is rich, crisp and full of depth – everything you could ever want from a sweet tart. Here, I’ve tried to recreate its flavour in the form of custard pots to serve at the end of dinner with an elegant grating of good-quality dark chocolate.

Discover this recipe and over 1,000 more from your favourite cooks on the new Guardian Feast app, with smart features to make everyday cooking easier and more fun

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Tarana Burke called Harvey Weinstein’s accusers ‘heroes’ and said movement would continue to bring progress to society

The founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, has called the women who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein “heroes” and said such campaigns for justice and equality will continue to bring about progress in society.

Burke, who nearly two decades ago coined the phrase “Me too” from her work with sexual assault survivors, found herself again declaring – after New York’s highest court in a shock decision on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction in the city – the #MeToo reckoning was greater than any court case.

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Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

This. Means. More. Anyone can beat anyone. Every game is a contest. The most passionate crowds. Local heroes. Cult heroes. Excitement to the last minute of the season. Commentators treating every kick with a growling portentousness. Clubs spending too much. Points deductions. Dodgy owners. Officious suits. Relegation thrillers. No VAR. And – what’s this? – playoffs and promotion.

Surely man-of-the-people Sean Dyche won’t be including Adidas Sambas among his Glasto-wear ( yesterday’s Football Daily) now that they’ve had their cool-factor so devastatingly removed by being revealed as the top Tory’s trainer of choice. If he’s looking for a modish alternative, Esquire suggests one from Fenty x Puma, whose ‘Phatty Creeper goes completely monochromatic for ‘24 as Riri colour matches the upper to the brown gum sole’. Just right for a wet Saturday evening in Pilton, I reckon” – Steve Allen.

Your missive ( yesterday’s Football Daily) reminded us of Arsenal confirming their league title at Tottenham in 2004. On behalf of older readers that have not abandoned you, can I remind you that in 1971 the Arsenal double winners confirmed the league title with a 1-0 win (obviously) at a full White Hart Lane, with allegedly 50,000 people locked out. That’s right, I am also old enough to remember when you didn’t have to buy a ticket but could turn up on the day. Happy days (unless you were locked out)” – Steve Beaton (and others).

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

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He is the one who should be saying sorry. There’s no miracle cure, but do consider therapy, and keep good people around you

• Every week Annalisa Barbieri addresses a family-related problem sent in by a reader

When I was a child I was bullied by my older brother. I am 41 now and I think this has really affected me throughout my whole life. He always picked on me, called me stupid, fat, ugly, worthless and told me that I was never good at anything. This went on every day until I moved abroad to live with my grandmother at the age of 17.

My parents never made me feel protected and never punished him or made him stop. I resent them for it and feel let down by them. I’ve spoken to my mum a few times in recent years, but it’s a bit too late now and I don’t want to make her feel guilty when she can’t turn back time.

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This is not a repeat of the Covid pandemic. Yet global governments should follow the US and prepare a response

Avian flu, or H5N1, is making headlines in the United States. The past few years have seen concerning signs of it spreading across the world – whether in chickens in Britain, sea lions in Peru, or Caspian seals in Russia. This time, it is has been confirmed in American cows, and the World Health Organization has warned that the risk of it spreading to humans is of “ enormous concern”.

While it is early days, the hypothesis is that in late 2023, a single cow was infected by coming into contact with infected birds’ faeces, or having infected dead birds in its feed. This began cow-to-cow transmission, and potentially even cow-to-bird transmission. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also confirmed one human case of H5N1 in a farm worker, which could either represent cow-to-human (not seen before) or bird-to-human transmission.

Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh

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Rapper trails summer release of The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace) with a fictional crime report suggesting that the antic character will meet a violent end

One of the great alter egos in pop could be meeting a grisly end, as Eminem announces his first album since 2020: The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace).

Set for release on an unspecified date this summer, the album was announced with a trailer that frames the demise of the antic character, with a crime reporter saying to camera: “Through his complex and oft-criticised tongue-twisting rhymes, the anti-hero known as Slim Shady has had no shortage of enemies … rude lyrics and controversial antics may have ultimately led to his demise.”

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Fiona Beal, 50, changes her plea mid-trial over the fatal stabbing of Nicholas Billingham, 42, in 2021

A woman has pleaded guilty mid-trial to the murder of her boyfriend, who she buried in their back garden.

Fiona Beal, 50, was on trial at the Old Bailey in London for the murder of Nicholas Billingham, 42, whose partly mummified remains were discovered in March 2022 four-and-a-half months after he was last seen.

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Contrary to popular belief, there are some wines – and even one or two reds – that you can pair with this superstar spring vegetable

Four weeks or so into the asparagus season, and are you getting bored yet? Not me: at this time of year, I could happily eat the stuff every day, and frequently do, but not always cooked the same way. And how you cook or serve your asparagus will affect which wine you drink with it.

What’s that, you say – you thought wine was supposed to be a no-no with asparagus? Like most of these so-called rules, the difficulties are massively overstated. Do you think the Germans or Austrians, mad asparagus fiends that they are, don’t drink wine with their spargel? Of course they do. In Alsace, too.

For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com

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

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Philip Pullman will help choose this year’s winners of award set up in memory of the keen young writer who died aged 13 in 2021

The Martha Mills young writers’ prize has opened for entries on the theme of “A Secret”.

The competition, run by the London Review Bookshop, invites 11- to 14-year-olds living in the UK to submit up to 500 words of any type of prose – such as a fictional story, a piece of schoolwork, or a diary entry – based on this year’s theme.

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The 27-year-old American actor has gone from the Disney channel to new classy arthouse threesome drama Challengers, via a massive blockbuster and a hot-button TV series. So can she convince as an Oscar contender?

Actor-model-producer Zendaya Coleman – universally known mononymously, without her last name – has never been short of attention, but it feels as if the 27-year-old has arrived at a breakthrough moment. With the tennis romance Challengers arriving in cinemas, in which she is the central focus, the sci-fi blockbuster Dune: Part Two still reeling in audiences, and acting as the simultaneous cover star of two separate editions of Vogue magazine – the British and the American – Zendaya appears to have achieved a new level.

Her career has so far specialised in an impressively high number of attention-grabbing moments, including appearing in a spectacularly bizarre metallic silver “robot suit” at the premiere of Dune: Part Two earlier this year, and the Challengers trailer release in June 2023, with its sexually suggestive premise of a threeway love affair.

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• Manchester City playmaker and partner expecting third child
• Guardiola: ‘It’s a question of time. He can improve a lot’

Pep Guardiola has said the the third child Phil Foden and his partner are expecting may help the Manchester City playmaker reach his full potential.

Foden was the champions’ standout performer in Thursday’s 4-0 victory at Brighton, scoring twice to reach 24 goals in all competitions, a career high. Yet Guardiola, asked about Foden’s form, said the 23-year-old still needed to be calmer during certain moments in games.

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Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry bailed for trial on charges of breaching the Official Secrets Act

Two men charged with spying for China have appeared in court in central London.

Christopher Cash, 29, and Christopher Berry, 32, spoke only to confirm their names and addresses when they appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Friday.

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Exhibition explores how a Spanish-Filipino artist in 1966 opened a trailblazing cultural outpost in Cuenca’s ‘hanging houses’

In July 1966, as the Beatles were preparing to release Revolver and Spain was approaching the 30th anniversary of the coup that birthed the Franco dictatorship, a Spanish-Filipino artist called Fernando Zobel threw open the doors of an improbable but visionary cultural outpost.

Based in a clutch of 15th-century houses overhanging a precipitous gorge in the small city of Cuenca, the Museo de Arte Abstracto Espanol, or Museum of Spanish Abstract Art, had a simple if daunting mission. As Manuel Fontan del Junco, the director of museums and exhibitions at the Juan March Foundation in Madrid and one of the curators of a new exhibition about the institution, puts it, “it was a museum for artists in a country of artists without museums”.

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Therapy has remarkable medical potential but experts say private clinics making far-reaching claims operate in regulatory grey zone

Stem cells have become a favoured miracle treatment among the rich and famous, with Kim Kardashian reportedly a fan of stem cell facials and Cristiano Ronaldo turning to stem cell injections after a hamstring injury.

The latest to extol their benefits is the Monty Python actor John Cleese, who suggests that stem cells could hold the secret to eternal youth – or, at least, buy him “a few extra years”.

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Students demonstrating and hunger-striking face arrests and hospitalization – but they think they can make a difference

• Student protesters are demanding universities divest from Israel. What does that mean?

The arrests of more than a hundred Columbia University students, who were protesting against Israel’s actions in Gaza, shed more light on arguably the most energetic pro-Palestinian movement in the US: the one taking places on college campuses around the country.

Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October, in response to terrorist attacks by Hamas, students have launched protests, sit-ins and, most recently, encampments, in a wave they hope will encourage universities to divest from companies which have ties to Israel’s military.

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He melted hearts as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid, but his latest role couldn’t be more different – playing an Auschwitz tattooist in an epic Holocaust drama. The actor opens up about how his own family’s plight inspired him

It’s not every day that I meet a real-life Disney prince. It’s even more discombobulating when he tells me he spent the weekend cheering on Clapton CFC women’s team in windy east London. “Before The Little Mermaid, a lot of people told me, ‘This is going to happen! That is going to happen!’” says Jonah Hauer-King, who starred as Prince Eric in last year’s remake. “It’s just really not the case. I wouldn’t say my life has changed much. Honestly.” It’s probably about to, though. Massively.

The 28-year-old lifelong Londoner is sharply suited and booted in the capital’s Corinthia hotel, ready to take on a full day of press with the poise and charm that clearly helped him bag that wide-eyed royal part (he even convincingly claims that these interviews are worth missing his beloved Arsenal’s Champions League game in the evening for). His next project, however, is a world away from Disney dreams.

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EV sales have plateaued across the world but the newfound glut of vehicles may just be temporary

Elon Musk became the world’s richest man by evangelising about electric cars – and delivering them by the million. Yet in recent months his company, Tesla, has struggled to maintain its momentum: sales have dropped this year, and so has its share price.

Those struggles have become emblematic of a broader reckoning facing the electric vehicle (EV) industry. After the soaring demand and valuations of the coronavirus pandemic years, the pace of sales growth has slowed. The industry has entered a new phase, with questions over whether the switch from petrol and diesel to cleaner electric is facing a troublesome stall or a temporary speed bump.

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Speaking to experts and people on the ground in Pas-de-Calais reveals a different narrative to that told by Rishi Sunak

The people from Vietnam trying to get to England on small boats across the Channel stand out from the rest of those drawn to the Pas-de-Calais coastline.

They are notably young, many just teenagers. They tend to stick together and eschew the attention of the aid workers offering food and water down at the beach or in the forests where they sleep at night.

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Both were pilloried, but that was then. Today, one has beaten a rape conviction, the other may return as president

According to his representatives, former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein is still digesting the overturning of his rape conviction by a New York court, but they did come out to say he was “cautiously excited”. Cautiously excited? I’m not sure these are the words I’d alight on to paint a word-picture of a rapist. You might as well say “tentatively aroused”. Then again, as we’re about to discuss, quite a lot of guys don’t particularly have to worry about what they say or do, or how they say or do it. It’s only natural that Harvey should very much want to be one of them again.

Speaking of word-pictures, though, how’s this for a vignette of our times? When they heard the news that Weinstein’s conviction had been overturned on Thursday, a whole host of reporters happened to be looking at the exact spot in the exact New York courtroom that he’d sat in when that original judgment had been handed down. This was because they were waiting for Donald Trump to sit in it for Thursday’s proceedings in his hush money trial. Mr Trump, you might recall, is in such a lot of trouble that he is the presumptive Republican nominee and current bookies’ favourite to win the US presidency again, though admittedly he lags behind Weinstein on the sexual assault and misconduct front, given that only 26 women have accused him of it. Ultimately, though, I guess the question is: if #MeToo “went too far”, what would “going just far enough” have looked like?

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French singer dedicates top prizes at Les Flammes ‘to all black women’ after backlash over rumoured Paris show

The French pop star Aya Nakamura, who found herself at the centre of a racist row after rumours she was going to sing at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, has thanked fans for their support after winning three big prizes at France’s Les Flammes awards for rap, R&B and pop.

“I’m very honoured because being a black artist and coming from the banlieue is very difficult,” Nakamura told the audience at the ceremony, which she opened with a medley of her songs. She dedicated her awards – female artist of the year, pop album of the year, and international star of the year – “to all black women”.

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Patriotic teaware was on show from the prime minister this week – the latest round of his mug-based messaging

• UK politics – latest updates

Rishi Sunak appeared on his Instagram feed on Tuesday morning holding a mug emblazoned with the St George’s flag. “Perfect way to start the day,” was the caption: “Happy St George’s Day!”

It is not the only time the prime minister has raised a symbolic piece of teaware. On the same day he appeared en route to Warsaw holding a white mug marked only with the number “10”, presumably a reference to his current home address. Last year one enveloped in a union jack print was his choice for a trip to a Nato summit in Lithuania. Personal branding clearly pays no mind to international airspace.

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Germany’s complicity with Turkey’s repressive regime worries me more than its doner diplomacy

“Nazis eat doner kebabs in secret,” must be one of the dumbest slogans I have seen at German protests against the far right. Yes, the popularity of the kebab in Germany has become something of a symbol of labour migration from Turkey after the second world war. And yes, Nazis get hungry, too. So what? If the consumption of ethnic-minority food was really an obstacle to the ideology of white supremacy, Germans would either be starved out by now or they wouldn’t vote for Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD). Neither of these is the case: the kebab is the second most popular fast food among Germans, and according to polls, the AfD their second most popular political party.

Still, for the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, it seems to be a sign of cosmopolitanism to promote kebab eating, so his team thought it a good idea to send him to Turkey with a whole skewer full of meat as part of an official visit this week, the first by a German president in 10 years.

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Scrum-half guides playoff-chasing Bears around at a whirring tempo and he also has his eye on an England Test recall

Trying to catch lightning in a cider bottle would be only slightly harder right now than containing Bristol’s dazzling attacking game. The Bears have been averaging 50 points per match in winning five successive league fixtures and, going into Saturday’s crucial visit to Leicester, are playing with a freedom and momentum few of their playoff-chasing rivals can match.

Setting the pace has been their pocket dynamo Harry Randall, who guides his team around the field at such a whirring tempo they are blowing opponents away. Last week they put 85 points on a hapless Newcastle and when Randall last played at Welford Road a couple of months ago he starred in England A’s 91-5 win over Portugal, underlining his credentials as a classy catalyst who could add a further spark to the senior England team.

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Infant dies five days after caesarean delivery following death of mother in Israeli airstrike in Rafah

A premature Palestinian baby rescued from her mother’s womb shortly after the woman was killed in an Israeli airstrike has died, the baby’s uncle has said.

Sabreen Jouda died in a Gaza hospital on Thursday after her health deteriorated and medical teams were unable to save her, Rami al-Sheikh said on Friday.

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Top chefs say the Games will rebrand French gastronomy as a showcase for plant-based food

It will boast the world’s biggest salad bar, offer fans vegetarian hotdogs and bring in up to half a million bananas by boat to meet athletes’ insatiable demand for the fruit while avoiding the carbon footprint of air travel.

As part of its efforts to cut carbon emissions, the Paris Olympics will make history by offering more vegetarian cuisine than in any Games.

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This is the sort of food invented for British people that you’d have got at a Cantonese restaurant back in 1994

Off to Canterbury for a shufti around the cathedral, a meander through its pretty streets and a spot of lunch at Sekkoya, a vast, gorgeous-looking new pan-Asian restaurant on the Riverside next to an Everyman Cinema, a crazy golf venue and a branch of Heavenly Desserts. The restaurant’s sleek website offers all sorts of bold statements about this hot dining experience (regular readers will be aware that I delight in this kind of Vogon poetry), claiming that it will take us on a “gastronomic journey throughout Asia that transcends ordinary flavours”, and offering cocktails that will “awaken your senses”.

The website emotes grandly in this way for many more yards, so much so, in fact, that I suspect AI. Only a non-sentient being could describe Canterbury’s Riverside as a “vibrant new lifestyle district”, when it’s just an elevated patch of concrete. Maybe Sekkoya is entitled to be cocky, though, because it’s clearly the classiest venue for miles: the place is bedecked in sea-green velour, with shiny floors, pale tan leather seats and an impressive “mural” skylight that gives the impression that you’re dining in a rainforest. Fans of the opulent Chinese restaurant chain Tattu, which is especially big in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, will recognise dashes of the modern, high-octane glamour that delights Instagram feeds. Add beautiful bathrooms, Kool & The Gang and George Benson on the stereo, and lovely, chipper serving staff, and they clearly mean business here.

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Exclusive: Environmental groups say bank is misleading public over ‘sustainable’ financing for Eni as company vastly expands fossil fuel production

Barclays is being accused by environmental groups of greenwashing after helping to arrange €4bn (GBP3.4bn) in financing for the Italian oil company Eni in a way that allows them to qualify towards its $1tn sustainable financing goal.

Environmental groups have said the London-based bank is deliberately misleading the public by labelling the financial instruments as “sustainable” at the same time that Eni is in the midst of a multibillion-pound fossil fuel expansion drive designed to increase production.

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From a modern development in the heart of Edinburgh to a Grade II-listed townhouse in Ramsgate

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The Labour leader needs to stop counting the cost of properly investing in railways – and instead see the costs of not doing so

• Dr Tom Haines-Doran is the author of Derailed: How to Fix Britain’s Broken Railways

Is there any hope for Britain’s beleaguered rail passengers? We have some of the highest fares in Europe, industrial relations are at an all-time low, and cancellations and delays bedevil the network. Britain’s railways are fractured, rudderless and without clear purpose or plan.

With an election looming in which Labour is the clear frontrunner, passengers have been eagerly awaiting the party’s proposals. Its Getting Britain Moving plan was finally released on Thursday, promising to fix Britain’s broken railways and “usher in a decade of growth, innovation and service improvement” through a series of reforms.

Tom Haines-Doran is a policy fellow based at the University of Leeds and the author of Derailed: How to Fix Britain’s Broken Railways

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Teenager remanded in youth custody for trial in May after playground stabbing in Carmarthenshire

A 13-year-old girl has appeared in court accused of attempting to murder two teachers and a fellow pupil in a school playground stabbing in Wales.

The deputy head of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Fiona Elias; a teacher, Liz Hopkin; and a pupil suffered knife wounds on Wednesday. All have since been discharged from hospital.

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Excitement among patients and researchers as custom-built jabs enter phase 3 trial

Doctors have begun trialling in hundreds of patients the world’s first personalised mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma, as experts hailed its “gamechanging” potential to permanently cure cancer.

Melanoma affects about 132,000 people a year globally and is the biggest skin cancer killer. Currently, surgery is the main treatment although radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used.

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Group banned plants ‘removed from habitat’ from its shows – causing uproar from enthusiasts

A furious row has blown up in the UK’s leading succulent society over the practice of taking desirable specimens from the wild, with the chair resigning in protest over the behaviour of his fellow enthusiasts.

Succulents have risen in popularity in recent years: they are attractive and hardy.

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Museums have closed and festivals lost funding – but Labour will restore Britain’s creative superpower status

A culture change is on the way when this moribund government of the living dead is gone. Clock-watching, we wait for that witching hour on election night when it is blown away by the power of the vote. If you remember that morning in 1997, a fresh air blew and with it came a new mood, language, attitudes, habits of mind. This time the contrast will be starker, this dead government darker by far than John Major’s.

Culture itself was one mark of the scale of change when Labour’s Chris Smith sent attendances soaring as he abolished charges for museums and galleries. Creative UK this week put out its manifesto for the election, representing the vast industry covering all the arts, from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the thriving video-games industry, fashion, architecture, design, advertising, the phonographic industry and more. The arts are a vital British export, and key to the country’s soft power. But that can’t last if its funding keeps falling: the organisation warns politicians that they must shake off “complacency around the UK’s superpower creative status”. Arts infrastructure is eroding for future artists, designers and audiences.

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As the boss of PC Music, the godfather of hyperpop confounded critics but won over Beyonce and Charli XCX. Now, with a supersized new solo album, he’s continuing his mission to make pop more unpredictable

Everything about AG Cook is exhausting. As a producer of elasticated outre pop his output is as varied as it is frenetic, taking in everything from bass-rattling electronic workouts for cultural behemoths such as Beyonce to celestial dreamscapes for underground newcomers, via collaborations with Caroline Polachek and longterm partner in crime, Charli XCX. Having initially steered clear of solo albums to focus on running his divisive yet hugely influential label PC Music, Cook’s debut, 2020’s 7G, featured 49 tracks and more than two hours of music ranging from face-melting dance experiments to a lo-fi Sia cover. Apple, a more streamlined, but no less polarising followup arrived a month later.

His hard drive somehow still not yet full, Cook is now back with his third album Britpop, a three-part, 24-song opus split into Past, Present and Future sections. As part of its promotion he’s been busy creating TikToks and launching his own parody website Witchfork, billed as “the least trusted voice in music”. “It’s obviously embracing some troll behaviour, which has always been a bit of a thread for me personally,” he laughs.

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General manager resigns after test event problems at 23,500-capacity venue, with shows rescheduled

The beleaguered Co-op Live arena has postponed gigs by the comedian Peter Kay for the second time, on the day its general manager resigned over delays to opening the venue.

A number of gigs have been rescheduled at the 23,500-capacity Manchester venue, which had been due to open three days ago but will now not open until May.

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Rain in Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi kills at least 90 people and damages farmland and infrastructure

Eastern Africa has experienced heavy rain in recent weeks, with flooding in Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi. About 100,000 people have been displaced or otherwise affected in each country, with 32 reported deaths in Kenya and 58 in Tanzania, alongside damage to farmland and infrastructure.

There are also fears that large areas of standing water could give rise to outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

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Mykola Solskyi accused of illegally seizing land worth more than $7m when he was head of major farming firm and an MP

Ukraine’s agriculture minister, Mykola Solskyi, has been detained after being named as a formal suspect in a multimillion-dollar corruption inquiry.

Blighted by corruption scandals since the fall of the Soviet Union, Kyiv has pledged to bolster its anti-graft efforts as part of its bid for EU membership.

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Chris Philp gets confused over neighbouring countries when discussing government’s Rwanda deportation policy

The policing minister, Chris Philp, appeared to confuse the countries of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on BBC Question Time on Thursday.

When discussing the government policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, the MP for Croydon South responded to an audience member’s question during the BBC One programme by asking: “Rwanda is a different country of Congo, isn’t it?”.

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Artists from Dua Lipa to Nia Archives are tapping the boisterous energy of mid-90s music – and even embracing the union jack. Can they avoid the genre’s laddish lows?

For some, Britpop was a high point for British guitar music: that time when Blur, Pulp, Suede and Oasis thrilled the world with wit and brio. Others argue it has aged worse than Loaded magazine: blokey, beery, conservative and still clogging up the charts. Indeed, there’s perhaps something a bit dismal about the fact that James and Shed Seven have both had No 1 albums in 2024.

Nevertheless, a crop of young artists are turning to the energy and iconography of mid-90s Britain for inspiration. The jungle artist Nia Archives, 24, wears a dazzling union jack on her teeth for the cover of her debut album, Silence Is Loud. “No one’s really making Britpop at the moment,” she told the Face in February, “but I have a feeling 2024 is gonna be the year.” Dua Lipa has said she was “looking through the music history of psychedelia, trip-hop and Britpop” while making her new album, Radical Optimism, adding that Britpop “has always felt so confidently optimistic to me, and that honesty and attitude is a feeling I took into my recording sessions” – although you’d be pushed to notice the influence on the new singles she has released so far.

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Frontrunner to take charge at Liverpool did not make a big impression as a player but has resemblances to Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool’s move for the Feyenoord coach, Arne Slot, has been described by Ajax fans as “the best news of the year”. Troubled Ajax have been blown away this season, losing 4-0 at home and 6-0 away against their arch-rivals.

So superior were Feyenoord in every area – tactics, intensity, power, unity, intelligence – that it could have been worse for Ajax. Only in their finishing might Feyenoord have done better.

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The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

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Warnings of dangerous temperatures across parts of Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh and India as hottest months of the year are made worse by El Nino

Millions of people across South and Southeast Asia are facing sweltering temperatures, with unusually hot weather forcing schools to close and threatening public health.

Thousands of schools across the Philippines, including in the capital region Metro Manila, have suspended in-person classes. Half of the country’s 82 provinces are experiencing drought, and nearly 31 others are facing dry spells or dry conditions, according to the UN, which has called for greater support to help the country prepare for similar weather events in the future. The country’s upcoming harvest will probably be below average, the UN said.

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Thousands in Lisbon celebrated the 50th anniversary on Thursday of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, which toppled the longest fascist dictatorship in Europe and ushered in democracy. The almost bloodless revolution was conducted by a group of junior army officers who wanted democracy and to put an end to long-running wars against independence movements in African colonies

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A selection of highlights from the ninth instalment of Photofairs Shanghai, the contemporary art fair for photography

• Shanghai Exhibition Centre | April 25-28, 2024

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Instead of buy-one-get-one-free offers, everyday life now involves carefully comparing prices and feeling increasingly powerless

Under capitalism, prices are supposed to be the centre of everything. They are the key agreement between buyer and seller. They are the one clear and reliable piece of information, on which the whole often opaque and unstable system depends.

So it struck me as strange when some of my local London shops stopped displaying the prices of some goods a couple of years ago. It started with upmarket fishmongers, and I wondered whether this was because wealthy customers didn’t need to count their pennies. But then the practice spread to corner shops and greengrocers, with a wider clientele, and to everyday purchases such as fruit and vegetables. There was a cost of living crisis going on, the worst in Britain for 40 years, but parts of Hackney seemed to be in denial.

Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist

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The sweeping foreign aid package passed by congress has drawn the ire of China, but billions of dollars will actually stay in the US

Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen has praised the US Congress for passing a sweeping foreign aid package this week which included arms support for the island, and has drawn the ire of China.

After months of delays and contentious debate, the bill was signed into law by Joe Biden on Wednesday. Described as $95bn in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, the legislation actually contains provisions that broadly affect many parts of the Asia-Pacific, while also spending billions of dollars at home in America.

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Organising is a kind of alchemy: it turns alienation into connection, despair into dedication, and oppression into strength. By Astra Taylor and Leah Hunt-Hendrix

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The actor’s feminist credentials, a wholehearted embrace of comedy and being one of the most memed actors on social media has seen Gosling’s auto-satirising alpha male become white-hot box office in 2024

In Hollywood, there are no accidents. Ryan Gosling’s role in stuntman pic The Fall Guy, hard on the heels of his show-stopping Oscars rendition of I’m Just Ken, is perfectly timed to confirm his ascension to the very top tier of stardom. Not only is it a four-quadrant entertainment turbo boost – covering all audience bases with action, romance, a legacy franchise for the oldies, John Wick-slick for the kids – it is shrink-wrapped to his public persona. His role as stunt veteran Colt Seavers, saving the skin of the idiot megastar he doubles for, caps off the stance Gosling has upheld on talkshows and memes over the last decade: stardom and celebrity as a delectable facade, an in-joke between star and audience to be played with the lightest of ironic touches.

But of course Gosling is a bona fide star, one of Hollywood’s most important. His confused, toxic himbo Ken stole the Barbie limelight from Margot Robbie. Tunnelling into classic archetypes of masculinity with modern self-awareness is the on-screen niche he has made his own – giving us a new, uniquely supple male star for the post-#MeToo era. His mainstream roles – getaway drivers, daredevil motorcyclists, venal bankers – have often been ultra-macho, but the actor himself comes with rounded metrosexual edges. Men want to be him, with his debonair cool and inexhaustible supply of swanky jackets (the leather Miami Vice stunt-team number in The Fall Guy being the latest). As far back as 2017, Morwenna Ferrier noted that Gosling clones, sporting a certain “turbo cleanliness”, were now on the loose in cities everywhere.

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The annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner returns this Saturday for a night of comedy ‘roasting’ – where the great and the good are ruthlessly mocked in celebration of the freedom of the press.

In recent years, however, the night has taken on a different tone, with the atmosphere of warm self-deprecation and bipartisan bonhomie replaced by something more scathing and serious.

This week Jonathan Freedland is joined by Jeff Nussbaum, a former senior speech writer to Joe Biden, to discuss the art of writing gags for presidents and whether there is still space for humour in US politics.

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Aspirations for statehood revived among younger generations in refugee camps where war has consumed daily life

The red inverted triangle is everywhere – stencilled on walls, sprayed on store shutters, a constant theme guiding visitors through the narrow alleyways that dissect the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut.

Appearing initially in combat videos released by Hamas in which its fighters target Israeli tanks in Gaza, the newfound ubiquity of the logo in the camp 170 miles (270km) away signals a shift in opinion in favour of armed struggle.

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Gideon Falter was in running to be adviser but government’s antisemitism tsar warned against appointment

• Who are CAA, the group headed by campaigner in Met police antisemitism row?

The Home Office considered appointing campaigner against antisemitism Gideon Falter as an adviser to its counter extremism unit but was warned against the appointment by the government’s antisemitism tsar.

The Guardian understands there were strong objections to Falter being offered the part-time civil service role advising the Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) in 2022 and that John Mann told the then home secretary Suella Braverman he would quit if Falter was offered the post.

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Now living in comparative freedom in Iran, 26-year-old Mahtab Eftekhar describes facing motherhood at 12 and explains why seeking justice for other women means she no longer fears death

At the age of 10, while still in the third grade, I received news from my mother and stepfather that we would travel to Helmand province for my brother’s wedding. Little did I know, it was to be my own wedding, as my family had arranged my marriage to my cousin and sold me for 40,000 Afghanis [GBP500], without my knowledge or consent.

That night, after the wedding, I went to sleep beside my mother and little brother, only to wake up next to my cousin. Trembling from confusion and fear, I fled the room in tears and screams. But my mother and her sister coerced me back into that room. It was then that I was told I had been married to my cousin.

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Police have arrested dozens of students across US universities this week after a crackdown on pro-Palestine protests on campuses. Erum Salam and Margaret Sullivan report from New York

As the Israel-Gaza war grinds on amid a worsening humanitarian crisis, the world’s attention this week was captured by a battle on the campuses of elite US universities. Pro-Palestine student protesters were arrested en masse by New York City police at the prestigious Columbia University, prompting outrage that spread across other college sites.

Guardian US reporter Erum Salam tells Michael Safi that the scene on Columbia’s campus was one of orderly drum circles and organised anti-war demonstrations, not the all-out violent chaos that might have been imagined.

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Enrico La Rocca helped expose profound failures but less than a year later was dismissed by the DWP – and then later rehired

• Sunak under pressure to grant carers amnesty

Almost exactly five years ago, Enrico La Rocca was hailed by MPs as a hero, a whistleblower whose tenacity had helped expose profound failures at the heart of the government’s vast benefits agency, resulting in tens of thousands of vulnerable unpaid carers being unfairly fined and prosecuted.

Without La Rocca – who was not named at the time – serious problems with carer’s allowance overpayments may never have come to light, the Commons work and pensions select committee concluded: without him the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) would never have been persuaded of the “urgent need to act”.

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Humza Yousaf’s position as first minister is in danger, but the problems predate his leadership

A year ago, Scotland’s newly elected first minister, Humza Yousaf, said that the Scottish National party’s 2021 pact with the Scottish Greens – giving him a majority in the Holyrood parliament – was “worth its weight in gold”. As recently as Tuesday, Mr Yousaf was publicly buffing his treasure, insisting that he hoped the deal would continue. Less than 48 hours later, however, he decided it was time to sell, scrapping the pact and pledging instead to lead a minority SNP government for the remaining two years of this Scottish parliament. Shortly afterwards, the furious Greens vowed to back next week’s Conservative motion of no confidence against the man who had “betrayed” them.

The split is no surprise. Last week, the Scottish government scrapped its pledge of a 75% cut in carbon emissions by 2030, and its legally binding annual reduction targets. It did so after the UK Climate Change Committee declared the target “no longer credible” because not enough groundwork had been done. The Scottish Greens reacted with anger; an emergency meeting was planned for May to decide whether to continue in government. Meanwhile, some SNP backbenchers made clear that they had had enough too. On Thursday, anxious to show decisive leadership, Mr Yousaf got in first, dumping the deal.

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.

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Train services are essential to the health of the economy, society and environment. These proposals are pragmatic and welcome

Failing train services in Britain have often been the butt of jokes, but the chaos is not funny to those who rely on them. For many in the north of England in particular, frustration has given way to despair. Railways are a public good that the public are turning away from.

The pandemic’s long-term impact on working patterns may be the chief culprit for slashed traveller numbers. But it is unsurprising that former passengers are declining to come back. Many are concluding that late and cancelled trains, dirty and overcrowded carriages, and broken toilets make journeys too unpredictable or unpleasant, and are driving, flying or staying put instead. In the last quarter of 2024, a record 4.87% of trains were cancelled. Fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages since 2010.

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After Poland and Lithuania said they are prepared to help Ukrainian authorities return men subject to military conscription, we want to hear how you feel about it

Poland and Lithuania have pledged to help Ukrainian authorities repatriate men subject to the military draft after Kyiv announced it is ending consular services for such men who are abroad.

We would like to speak with Ukrainian men living abroad about their views on this development. Whether you left Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion or years before that, we want to hear how you feel about the statements and Kyiv’s suspension of consular services for emigres.

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Coalition agreement has frustrated many in the SNP who fear the party is losing support by prioritising the wrong issues

In August 2021, Nicola Sturgeon, then the dominant figure of Scottish politics, announced a “groundbreaking” alliance with the Scottish Greens at Bute House, the elegant Edinburgh residence of Scotland’s first ministers.

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Study found Great Britain had worst rate of child alcohol consumption in world, but youth drinking is said still to have ‘declined sharply’

In 2000, about 19% of children under 16 in England smoked, according to Action on Smoking and Health. By 2018, this had declined to 5%.

But, according to a major report by the World Health Organization released on Thursday, a third of 11-year-olds and over half of 13-year-olds had drunk alcohol, the highest rate of any country worldwide. Girls were found to be more likely than boys to have drunk at the age of 15.

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World Weather Attribution group says intensified El Nino effects caused torrential rain, but rules out cloud seeding as cause

Fossil fuels and concrete combined to worsen the “death trap” conditions during recent record flooding in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, a study has found.

Scientists from the World Weather Attribution team said downpours in El Nino years such as this one had become 10-40% heavier in the region as a result of human-cased climate disruption, while a lack of natural drainage quickly turned roads into rivers.

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Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Liew and Robyn Cowen as Liverpool lose the Merseyside derby … and maybe more

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today: Everton sink Liverpool in a Merseyside derby that could be the end of the Reds’ title hopes, and which may well be enough to secure the Toffees’ Premier League status.

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Elon Musk is at war with Australia — in particular Australia's online safety regulator — due to videos that were circulating on his platform after an alleged stabbing at a church in Sydney last week. After the eSafety commissioner requested all social media platforms to remove video of the stabbing from their platforms, X made the videos unavailable to view within Australia, but they're still available to watch both outside of Australia. Now, X and the eSafety commissioner are fighting it out in court, while X's owner Elon Musk continues to fight it out online. Guardian Australia's Josh Taylor explains what's going on behind the tweets

• Elon Musk’s X v Australia’s online safety regulator: untangling the tweet takedown order

• Bishop will argue video of his Sydney church stabbing should not be removed from Elon Musk’s X, court hears

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Police made arrests after clashing with demonstrators participating in student-led protests against Israel's war in Gaza. The arrests came amid a wave of demonstrations at campuses across the US, which began last week after students at New York’s Columbia University set up encampments calling for the university to divest from weapons manufacturers with ties to Israel. The House speaker, Mike Johnson, jumped into the fray on Wednesday with a visit to Columbia’s campus, where he faced jeers from the pro-Palestinian protesters

• Police arrest protesters amid crackdown on student rallies across US campuses

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As bird flu is confirmed in 33 cattle herds across eight US states, Ian Sample talks to virologist Dr Ed Hutchinson of Glasgow University about why this development has taken scientists by surprise, and how prepared we are for the possibility it might start spreading among humans

Read more Guardian reporting on this topic

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The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said it is 'horrified' by reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies at two of Gaza’s largest hospitals.

Palestinian civil defence teams began exhuming bodies outside the Nasser hospital complex in Khan Younis last week after Israeli troops withdrew. A total of 310 bodies have been found in the past week, Palestinian officials have said.

Palestinian rescue teams and several UN observation missions also reported the discovery this month of multiple mass grave sites at al-Shifa hospital compound in Gaza City after an Israeli withdrawal.

Officials in Gaza said the bodies at Nasser were people who had died during the siege. Israel’s military on Tuesday rejected allegations of mass burials at the hospital, saying it had exhumed corpses in the hope of finding hostages taken by Hamas in October

• UN rights chief ‘horrified’ by reports of mass graves at two Gaza hospitals

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We would like to hear about your favourite, most useful everyday utensil

What’s your favourite, most useful everyday gadget? It could be a much-used kitchen gizmo, a tool for your daily beauty routine that you can’t live without, or a piece of kit that makes your day-to-day life easier: anything small, genuinely useful, and inexpensive to buy (nothing over GBP20).

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Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Ben Fisher, Sanny Rudravajhala and George Elek as Arsenal beat Chelsea 5-0 and to run through the EFL as those divisions reach a conclusion in the coming weeks

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

On the podcast today; Arsenal keep pace at the top of the Premier League – were they brilliant or are Chelsea inexcusably bad? It’s probably a touch of both.

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We would like to hear from those who have undergone an operation, or other medical treatment, privately in the UK

We want to learn more about the experiences of people in the UK who have accessed private health treatment for the first time recently.

Did you undergo an operation or medical treatment privately? How much did it cost? Why did you decide to do it privately? How was the experience?

You can see an article that included respondents to this callout here.

You can contribute to open Community callouts here or Share a story here.

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Keir Starmer’s deputy is facing questions over the sale of her former home. But do voters care? Gaby Hinsliff reports

Angela Rayner has been facing questions from the Conservatives over her former council house, which she sold before she became an MP. They are asking if she paid capital gains tax, what council tax she paid and even if she committed electoral fraud. Rayner has denied doing anything wrong, and the amounts of money involved are hardly eye-watering – but could it still damage her?

The police have launched an investigation but to many onlookers it is not clear what exactly they are looking into. The Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff looks at how the allegations against Rayner stack up, and how they compare with other recent political financial scandals.

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Homelessness is on the rise globally, and the Czech Republic has the highest rate in central and eastern Europe. The Guardian visited Prague, for a long time a popular destination for tourists, to see how even this sector caters for the city’s visitors - and to meet the range of people aiming to tackle the causes of homelessness in all its forms.

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With stunning sunsets, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean and must-see medieval cities, Croatia’s coast and islands are nothing short of spectacular

Once seen, never forgotten. Croatia’s fabulously beautiful coast and islands (1,246 to be precise) – with their rocky coves, iconic beaches, historic towns and gorgeous sunsets, all surrounded by some of the most breathtakingly blue waters imaginable – are places that stay in the mind, and they have a habit of luring you back.

Rovinj in Istria is one of the most instantly recognisable towns on the Croatian coast, its narrow streets and colourful facades climbing upwards to a soaring bell tower, modelled on that of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. Travel north just a little and you’ll reach Porec, home to Unesco-listed Byzantine mosaics to rival those in Ravenna or Istanbul – or south to Pula, with its magnificently preserved Roman amphitheatre. For a peaceful oasis set among some of the country’s finest vineyards, head just five miles inland from the sea walls of Novigrad to Brtonigla.

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Whether you’re a climbing fanatic or a novice sailor, there’s plenty of outdoor experiences to be found in this amazing Adriatic country

With spectacularly diverse landscapes and beautifully unspoilt nature, Croatia offers a wealth of experiences in the great outdoors – from hiking and kayaking, to cycling, climbing and more. So come and take a walk on Croatia’s wild side – or peddle, paddle, swim – and discover just how much outdoor adventure this beautiful Adriatic country has to offer.

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From baroque music events to medieval architecture and delicious Adriatic cuisine, Croatia has something for everyone

Croatia’s fabulous mishmash of cultures – from ancient Greeks to Romans, Venetians, Austrians, Hungarians and Italians – has left a rich legacy all around the country. You’ll see it in the Venetian architecture of Rovinj, Korcula, Dubrovnik and Hvar, the Habsburg townhouses of Zagreb and Opatija, and the ancient Roman ruins of Istria and Dalmatia. You’ll taste it in the delicious cuisine where the Adriatic and central Europe meet and mingle.

You’ll hear it when top-flight performers bring their magic to the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the Split Summer Festival and the baroque music festivals of Korcula and Varazdin. Sultry Dalmatian summer nights echo to the sound of polyphonic klapa singers whose a cappella music makes the skin tingle. The klapa festival in the beautiful Dalmatian coastal town of Omis every July is one of the summer’s unmissable events.

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Do you enjoy exploring the cobbled streets of historic towns, or is spending long days stretched out on the beach more your thing? Answer these questions to find out your Croatian holiday persona

Find out more by visiting croatia.hr

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The Guardian has been working with a group of community reporters in Rochdale and Oldham who wanted to highlight the realities for women in the asylum system across Greater Manchester. Supported by the Elephants Trail, the group met women stuck in the asylum backlog, women traumatised by detention and women struggling to find housing. They were all volunteering in their communities, while reckoning with a hostile climate towards refugees and asylum seekers. This film is part of a collaborative video series called Made in Britain

• Britain's broken welfare system is leaving our community on the brink

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Cruising is booming – 2023 ticket sales have surpassed historic levels and 2024 has seen the launch of the largest cruise ship ever built. But as cruise tourism's popularity has increased, so have the pollution problems it brings. To customers, it may not be evident that any problems exist, since some cruise line companies claim to be becoming more climate-friendly. But the truth can be quite different. Josh Toussaint-Strauss interrogates what impact the world's biggest ships are having on the planet

• ‘Biggest, baddest’ – but is it the cleanest? World’s largest cruise ship sets sail

• ‘A good cruise is one that doesn’t come’: Europe’s ports bear brunt of ship pollution

• Shipping’s dirty secret: how ‘scrubbers’ clean the air – while contaminating the sea

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From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors. You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays.

From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors.

You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays.

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Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, direct to your inbox every Thursday

Style, with substance: what’s really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved, delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday

Explore all our newsletters: whether you love film, football, fashion or food, we’ve got something for you

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A weekly email from Yotam Ottolenghi, Meera Sodha, Felicity Cloake and Rachel Roddy, featuring the latest recipes and seasonal eating ideas

Each week we’ll send you an exclusive newsletter from our star food writers. We’ll also send you the latest recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Meera Sodha and all our star cooks, stand-out food features and seasonal eating inspiration, plus restaurant reviews from Grace Dent and Jay Rayner.

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Be the first to see our latest thought-provoking films, bringing you bold and original storytelling from around the world

Discover the stories behind our latest short films, learn more about our international film-makers, and join us for exclusive documentary events. We’ll also share a selection of our favourite films, from our archives and from further afield, for you to enjoy. Sign up below.

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