• USC’s Caleb Williams selected first overall by Bears
• Daniels goes No 2 to Commanders; Maye goes No 3 to Patriots
• High demand and supply set to create a glut of first-round QBs
• Send Oliver a tweet at @OllieConnolly at or email him

Roger Goodell walks out to a rousing chorus of boos – thank you to Detroit for maintaining the league’s most delightful tradition. He brought out Eminem, Calvin Johnson, Aidan Hutchinson and Jared Goff with him, which helped a little.

Also: Calvin Johnson looks like he would still be the best receiver in the league.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Pentagon says it will help Ukrainians to adopt tactics that use M1A1 tanks more effectively. What we know on day 793

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Mogul’s lawyers say decision in New York will strengthen appeal in Los Angeles but victims confident guilty verdict will be upheld

Harvey Weinstein was already expected to spend the remainder of his life in prison for crimes in New York when a Los Angeles jury found him of guilty of rape and sexual assault in 2022 and he was sentenced to an additional 16 years.

But on Thursday New York’s top court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for two sex crimes and found he should receive a new trial, and the California case has taken on even greater significance.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Multiple arrests at crackdown on Emory University campus encampment focused on Palestine and Cop City

Police have carried out multiple violent arrests at Emory University in Decatur, Georgia, in what appears to be the first campus crackdown in recent days to involve rubber bullets and teargas after students set up an encampment in solidarity with Palestine and against Cop City.

On Thursday, Emory students set up multiple tents on the campus’s lawns in protest against the university’s ties to Israel, as well Atlanta’s Cop City, a police and fire department training center that is being constructed on a 171-acre plot in a forest south-east of Atlanta.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

• Teenager beats Rob Cross 6-2 at the M&S Bank Arena
• Manchester United fan enjoyed some lively banter

Luke Littler silenced the boo boys after claiming a sweet Premier League victory in Liverpool.

The 17-year-old was on the receiving end of jeers at the M&S Bank Arena, but turned them into cheers as he hammered Rob Cross 6-2 in the final, where the hostile crowd could not help but watch in admiration.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Ministers considering more funding to protect important research sites, with China seen as a particular concern

MI5 has warned universities that hostile foreign states are targeting sensitive research, as ministers consider measures to bolster protections.

Vice-chancellors from 24 leading institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London, were briefed on the threat by the domestic security service’s director general, Ken McCallum, and National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) chief, Felicity Oswald.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Stark new projections suggest annual admissions will rise to 151,000, costing the NHS and economy GBP75bn

The number of people in the UK experiencing a stroke will increase more than 50% to 151,000 a year by 2035, costing the NHS and the economy GBP75bn in healthcare and lost productivity, stark new projections suggest.

Worsening physical health, rising alcohol consumption and low exercise levels among an ageing population as well as a failure by ministers and the health service to do more to prevent ill health are blamed for the predicted spike in strokes.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Liverpool await a dead-ball salvo, Luton have to keep their chins up and things could get spicy at City Ground

David Moyes will surely have taken note of Liverpool’s struggle to defend set pieces against Everton. Jurgen Klopp, who must be delighted with a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday, should prepare his team for another bruising test when they visit West Ham. For Moyes, this is a chance to repair the sizeable damage to his reputation caused by last weekend’s collapse at Selhurst Park. West Ham were 4-0 down to Palace after 31 minutes and are preparing to part company with Moyes at the end of the season, but they should take heart from how Everton unsettled Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. Everton scored twice from set pieces and West Ham pose a similar threat from dead balls. James Ward-Prowse’s deliveries towards Tomas Soucek, Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio will have Klopp’s defenders sweating. Jacob Steinberg

West Ham v Liverpool, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)

Fulham v Crystal Palace, Saturday 3pm

Newcastle v Sheffield United, Saturday 3pm

Manchester United v Burnley, Saturday 3pm

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

World’s largest public company reports $61.86bn revenue after investing billions into artificial intelligence

Profits at Microsoft beat Wall Street’s expectations as its heavy bet on artificial intelligence continued to bear fruit in the latest quarter.

The technology giant has invested billions of dollars into AI in a bid to turbocharge its growth, particularly of its cloud computing services. Its cloud computing revenue surged by more than 20%.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Budget ice baths, graveyard sleepovers and a night of slam poetry in Norwich! Joe Wilkinson and Katherine Ryan are super fun as they hunt for adventures that don’t break the bank

Channel 4 has carved out a particular niche in daytime-shaped TV shows airing at night. This largely means that an afternoon-ish format, of the sort that would usually be broken up with ads for life insurance, animal charities and conservatories, now comes with the added frisson of knowing that a well-known comedian might say a bad word – see, for example, Eight Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Here we are, then, in familiar territory, with Joe and Katherine’s Bargain Holidays, a strangely late-afternoon-meets-late-night travelogue from comedians Joe Wilkinson and Katherine Ryan, about how to enjoy a holiday on the cheap.

It was filmed in the summer of 2022 – that must be why England looks so green and pleasant, rather than soaked to the skin with six months’ worth of relentless rain – and bears the hallmarks of peak inflation, as it searches for the best means of getting away without breaking the bank. Wilkinson is the bargain-hunter here, while Ryan leans into her luxury-loving persona. Throughout her career, Ryan has always been refreshingly open about money, and here she continues to be frank, as she shrugs off any notion of embarrassment about splashing out on nice stuff. She’ll spend GBP500 on a spa day, she says, and GBP300 on dinner, or more, if she gets the train from London to Paris and back, just for a romantic meal with her husband. “I just don’t want to compromise on my lifestyle,” she says. “Shall we compromise for a bit?” asks Wilkinson. “No,” she replies.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

• Manager says his club want to play ‘winning football first’
• Beating Brentford could secure Premier League survival

Sean Dyche has insisted he will not be judged on playing style at ­Everton but by winning as he strives to secure the Premier League status of the ­financially troubled club.

They took a significant step towards that goal on Wednesday by winning the Merseyside derby for the first time in 14 years at Goodison Park. After the 2-0 defeat of Liverpool Dyche, conscious of the criticism his approach attracted during a run of 13 games without a win, claimed he wanted “to play beautiful football if I can, but I want to play winning football first.”

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

David Pecker testified about his role in buying a story from the model Karen McDougal about an alleged affair with Trump

• Pecker says he bought story so it did not harm campaign

David Pecker spent all day on the witness stand on Thursday in the Manhattan criminal trial against Donald Trump.

Pecker, the longtime head of America Media, which owns the National Enquirer tabloid, is a key witness because he was intimately involved in the practice of buying the rights to potentially damaging stories about Trump and then never publishing them, a practice known as “catch and kill”. The central allegation in the case is that Trump used catch and kill to prevent Stormy Daniels from going public about an alleged affair with him in 2016, when he was running for president, and then falsified business records to conceal it.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Almost 10 years to the day, Steven Gerrard slipped, Liverpool lost control of their destiny in terms of the Premier League title race and Manchester City nipped in to win it.

The talk in recent weeks and certainly since Arsenal and Liverpool lost on the Sunday before last has been about whether City might have a slip of their own in them, something that – frankly – they have never done previously under Pep Guardiola when the trophy has been within their grasp, the focus narrowing over the run-in.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Court rules judge who oversaw landmark trial was mistaken in allowing women whose accusations were not part of case to testify

The disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on sex crimes was overturned by a New York appeals court on Thursday, as prosecutors say they will retry the firestorm case.

In a 4-3 decision, the state of New York court of appeals ruled that the judge who oversaw Weinstein’s 2020 conviction prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with “egregious” improper rulings and was mistaken in allowing other women whose accusations were not a part of the 2020 case to testify.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Suspects, aged 42 and 68, held on suspicion of murder after discovery of plastic-wrapped lower back, buttocks and thigh

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a torso was found wrapped in plastic at a nature reserve in Greater Manchester.

Part of a dismembered body, consisting of the bottom of the back, buttocks and thigh, were found in clear plastic by a passerby at Kersal Dale Wetlands in Salford on 4 April.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Oral arguments over former president’s claim of immunity seem to have left Trump happier than the justice department

“Well,” said one reporter to another as they left the supreme court chamber, sometime after noon on Thursday. “Looks like we’re getting a king.”

Notwithstanding a certain mordant hyperbole on a momentous day in American history, the sentiment seemed within bounds.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Justices heard immunity arguments – and the conservative majority seemed determined to talk about anything but the case at hand

It took two hours and 24 minutes for the elephant in the room to be mentioned at Thursday’s US supreme court hearing. “The special counsel has expressed some concern for speed, and wanting to move forward,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

That was shorthand for the gargantuan stakes at play in Trump v United States. The court was being asked to consider one of the most consequential prosecutions in US history – the four federal charges brought against former president Donald Trump accusing him of attempting to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election – and whether the case can conceivably go to trial.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Dazhon Darien impersonated high school principal in Maryland in clip that quickly spread on social media, police say

A high school athletic director in Maryland has been charged with using artificial intelligence to impersonate a principal on an audio recording that included racist and antisemitic comments, authorities said on Thursday.

Dazhon Darien faked the voice of Pikesville high school’s principal in January following conversations that Darien’s contract would not be renewed, according to charging documents filed by Baltimore county police.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Surprise reversal of producer’s New York conviction led to anger from stars and accusers, including Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino

Hollywood has reacted with shock to the news that the disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction has been overturned by a New York court.

The fallen movie mogul was sentenced to 23 years in 2020 for two sex crimes, a decision that a court of appeals has now called the result of an unfair trial.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

• ‘It’s no secret that I want to go to Liverpool’
• Feyenoord coach confident the clubs will agree a deal

Arne Slot has revealed he is keen on a move to Liverpool and has ­“confidence” that a switch to Anfield will materialise.

The Feyenoord manager, who has become Liverpool’s preferred candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp, was speaking to ESPN before the club’s Eredivisie game against Go Ahead Eagles. “The only thing I can say about it is that the clubs are in negotiations – and then you sit in the waiting room and wait for what will come out. It seems clear to me that I would like to go to Liverpool,” he said. “Now I am waiting to see whether the clubs reach an agreement. I have every ­confidence in that.”

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

The former president’s motion for a new trial was denied and his argument deemed ‘entirely without merit’

A federal judge on Thursday upheld the verdict and award of more than $83m to the writer E Jean Carroll in a defamation case against Donald Trump after he called her a liar for accusing him of sexually assaulting her.

Judge Lewis Kaplan, a senior district judge on the US district court for the southern district of New York, denied Trump’s motion for a new trial and affirmed that Carroll suffered harm caused by Trump’s 2019 public statements.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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”.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Concern grows over legality of government’s approach as new figures show more than 150,000 carers facing huge penalties

• A hero – then sacked. The carer’s allowance whistleblower

New figures show more than 150,000 unpaid carers are now facing huge fines for minor rule breaches, as MPs, charities and campaigners demanded an immediate amnesty.

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, joined calls to write off the vast debts incurred by tens of thousands of people who care for sick, disabled and elderly relatives after experts raised concerns about the legality of the government’s approach.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

A ‘non-hierarchical’ university space that can be continually altered or even moved has won the EU’s biennial prize for contemporary architecture

A lightweight university study centre designed to be easily disassembled has won the prize for the best building in Europe. Longevity, permanence and a sense of immutability might be the ambition of most architects, but Gustav Dusing and Max Hacke would be delighted to see their building adapted and reconfigured, or ultimately dismantled and moved somewhere else altogether.

“We imagined the project as a changeable system,” says Dusing, co-designer of the new study pavilion for the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, which has been named this year’s winner of the EU Mies award (formerly the Mies van der Rohe award), the biennial European Union prize for contemporary architecture. “We wanted it to be a counter model to the university’s high-rise building and its conventional one-sided lecture halls. It’s more like an extension of the landscape that can be forever modified, a non-hierarchical space that the students can make their own.”

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Former coalition partners’ decision brings Scottish first minister to brink of losing vote, which could make his position untenable

• Explainer: what was the SNP and Greens’ deal?

Humza Yousaf could be forced to quit as Scotland’s first minister after the Scottish Greens announced they would back a motion of no confidence against him at Holyrood.

The Scottish National party’s former coalition partners declared they would vote next week against the man who had “betrayed” them, hours after he unilaterally ended their power-sharing deal.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

• Spaniard eases to 6-1, 6-0 victory over 16-year-old wildcard
• Veteran to face Alex de Minaur in second round of Madrid Open

As Rafael Nadal prepared to enter the Estadio Manolo Santana for what could have been his final match on home soil, like every one of his matches this week could be, much of the 12,400 capacity crowd filled out the walkway around the stadium. He emerged to a prolonged standing ­ovation, necks craning to catch a fleeting glimpse of his entrance.

It was a moment. The start of a final homecoming for the greatest athlete from these lands, but it remains to be seen if he has more to give. Against an extremely young opponent out of his depth, Nadal moved into the second round of the Madrid Open with ­efficiency and ease, dismantling Darwin Blanch – 21 years his junior – 6-1, 6-0 in an hour. “At least two more days,” said Nadal afterwards. “In the end, I’m happy.”

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Captain reflects on her mum being a ‘rock’ and the Red Roses’ new coach as they chase another Six Nations grand slam

‘We’re in France and the crowd is going to be hostile,” Marlie Packer says as she looks ahead to Saturday’s Six Nations grand slam decider in Bordeaux with relish. “But we know that can flip on its head because of the French crowd. If they’re not happy with the way their team are playing, they turn on them and give them a bit of a hard time.”

Packer will win her 104th cap and, as captain, she also knows England have not lost a Six Nations match in six years. She played in that last defeat, away to France in Grenoble in March 2018, and so she has an acute awareness of the light and shade in rugby and life. Packer has lost two agonising World Cup finals, to New Zealand, but she helped England win the tournament in 2014.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Teenager charged with trying to kill two teachers and fellow pupil after incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman

A 13-year-old girl has been charged with attempting to murder two teachers and a fellow pupil in a school playground stabbing in Wales.

The two adults and child all received knife wounds in the incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire. Dyfed-Powys police said they were also investigating threats allegedly made by a 15-year-old boy that alluded to the incident.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Chronic workforce shortages have put nursing staff under unbearable pressure, says union chief

Nurses in England took an average of a week off sick last year because of stress, anxiety or depression, NHS figures reveal.

The disclosure has prompted concern that the intense strains nurses face in their jobs, including low pay and understaffing, are damaging their mental health and causing many to quit.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Justices appeared unlikely to grant request for absolute immunity from criminal prosecution to former president

• Key takeaways from Trump immunity case
• Sign up for our free Trump on Trial newsletter

The US supreme court on Thursday expressed interest in returning Donald Trump’s criminal case over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election back to a lower court to decide whether certain parts of the indictment were “official acts” that were protected by presidential immunity.

During oral arguments, the justices appeared unlikely to grant Trump’s request for absolute immunity from criminal prosecution, with both Trump’s lawyer and the justice department’s lawyer agreeing there were certain private acts that presidents would have no protection for.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

UK and US leaders among those calling for release, as families renew pressure on Netanyahu to restart negotiations

The leaders of 18 countries including the US and the UK have called on Hamas to free Israeli and dual-national hostages held in Gaza.

“The fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza, who are protected under international law, is of international concern,” they said. “We strongly support the ongoing mediation efforts in order to bring our people home.”

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Readers respond to the prime minister’s claim that the UK is suffering from a ‘sicknote culture’

As a retired GP who spent 35 years looking after people with anxiety and depression in primary care, I find Rishi Sunak’s recent comments about GPs “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life” offensive ( Sunak to cite Britain’s ‘sicknote culture’ in bid to overhaul fit note system, 19 April). These disabling problems constitute around 40% of all those attending a GP practice.

He clearly has no idea what is going on in his country. People are suffering from multiple stresses, including huge financial pressures largely brought about by his own party’s total incompetence over the past 14 years. People are pretty resilient when dealing with stressful adverse events such as bereavement or job loss or debt in their lives, but when they encounter one more bad thing, they “hit a wall” and become unable to continue. It seems like a hard-wired mechanism that renders them incapable of carrying on.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

The problem is that the public eye is ruinous, especially for women, says Dr Catherine Merrick

The headline on Gaby Hinsliff’s article ( 19 April) reads “Meghan’s gone from royal upsetter to tradwife in three short years. Given what’s out there, you’d do the same”.

Well, no, I wouldn’t. I’d just erase myself from the public eye: the one thing she cannot or will not do. For the problem reflected in this article is not jam – Meghan Markle’s or anyone else’s. Jam is not the problem. (Which may or may not be a line from Taylor Swift’s new album...)

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

In Human Resources, Time Out and The Class, the Palme d’Or-winning film-maker – who has died aged 63 – addressed French and European society at all levels

Laurent Cantet was a classic product of the French cinema industry: a deeply intelligent, high-minded progressive film-maker of the same generation as Robin Campillo and Dominik Moll whose supremely literate, emotionally committed, stylish and well-acted movies aspired to address French and European society at all levels.

Cantet made films that you could imagine being discussed around a gregarious dinner table of fashionable Parisians, with glasses being avidly drained and refilled all round – in fact, you could imagine Cantet himself talking about his work at just this kind of gathering.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Only this week the first minister said he was delighted with his coalition with the Greens. But then …

Be careful what you wish for. It’s hard not to feel a scintilla of sympathy for Humza Yousaf. On a human level, if not a political one. For well over a decade the SNP had ruled more or less unchallenged in Scotland. Free to do whatever it liked, though not, ironically, the one thing on which its existence was predicated: making Scotland independent.

The UK parliament was in no hurry to grant a second referendum, much to the SNP’s displeasure. The first had been labelled a once-in-a-generation event. The SNP saw it differently. Generations pass more quickly in Scotland apparently.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Broadcaster Richie Brave, whose ancestors were enslaved, says organisers should be ‘asking themselves some questions’

The Radio 1Xtra host Richie Brave has said the Booker prize should consider changing its name because of its links to enslavement.

Brave’s legal surname is Booker and his ancestors were enslaved by the founders of the company that originally sponsored the prize.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

A military horse that bolted through central London on Wednesday is in a ‘serious condition’ in an equine hospital

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Charity Commission opens ‘compliance case’ into soup kitchen founded by Mike Butcher after allegations about use during campaign

Reform UK’s candidate in the Blackpool South byelection has denied any wrongdoing after the Charity Commission launched a probe into allegations that the soup kitchen he founded was used to promote his campaign.

Mark Butcher, who is standing for the party in next week’s election, posted a Facebook message this month which said that the campaign would be starting at the kitchen, Amazing Graze. He was later pictured shaking hands with the Reform leader, Richard Tice, at the premises and appeared there in a Channel 4 News report, in which Reform UK election material could be seen.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Originally the preserve of Ivy League sportsmen, the jacket has seen incarnations from the likes of Salt-N-Pepa, Palace and Prada. And now Louis Vuitton’s NFT version is going for GBP7,000

There are few items of clothing as iconic – or as purely American – as the classic varsity jacket. Yet, lately, it has been making a comeback, thanks in part to Italian powerhouse Prada, who featured a chic all-leather take on it at Milan fashion week in February. It has also been a central piece in much-hyped recent collaborations between Gap and Palace, and Supreme and MM6 Maison Margiela. Not even the digital space is safe: Louis Vuitton has been selling a “phygital” – AKA an NFT (non-fungible token) – version of a varsity jacket from the Pharrell-designed FW24 collection – yours to have and not hold for nearly GBP7,000.

Instantly recognisable thanks to its two-tone leather sleeves and boiled wool body, the varsity jacket has served as a symbol of jock masculinity in classic films such as Teen Wolf and The Breakfast Club, and was worn onstage by Michael Jackson and more recently has been adopted by celebrities from Rihanna to Bella Hadid.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

• Saif Alrubie denies intimidation over transfer fee commission
• Alrubie alleges he was owed GBP300,000 from Kurt Zouma deal

A top football agent has accused a former Chelsea executive of repeatedly lying about a transfer fee in order for the Premier League club to avoid paying him a commission, Southwark crown court has heard.

During an at times irascible appearance as the defendant, the agent Saif Alrubie, said Chelsea’s former ­director of football Marina ­Granovskaia misrepresented how much West Ham had paid the west London club for France defender Kurt Zouma in 2021 – effectively cutting him out of the deal and depriving him of fees.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Former Household Cavalry officer ran epic 250-km, seven-day race across the Sahara

On the morning of his 76th birthday earlier this month, Harry Hunter emerged from a bivouac in southern Morocco to line up with more than 800 other runners in the Sahara.

Bar the chorus of Happy Birthday they greeted him with, there was little other celebration of this milestone, which saw Hunter subsequently become the oldest Briton to complete the epic Marathon des Sables, a 250-km (155-mile), seven-day race through rolling sand dunes and rocky mountains.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Shareholders in the mining firm are unimpressed by the offer as it stands but what happens next could be interesting

• BHP move to buy Anglo American threatens to hasten City exodus

In theory, Anglo American has been a sitting duck for a takeover bid for about a decade. Its share price has lagged behind that of other big miners and successive efforts to sharpen a sprawling portfolio have underwhelmed. The last news, at the end of 2023, was production delays that sent the shares down 20% in a day.

In practice, the same complexities, plus deep entanglement in South African politics, have served as a deterrent to a bid. Anglo was seen as too fiddly. But here comes BHP, the Australian giant of the sector, with a proposal to cut through the noise and get to the assets it would like to own, primarily Anglo’s copper mines in Peru and Chile and, to a lesser extent, its iron ore projects in Brazil and metallurgical coal in Queensland.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Councillors unanimously refuse permission for 42-storey block of flats on top of former residence and hospital

Councillors in Birmingham have unanimously refused to grant planning permission for a controversial 42-storey skyscraper on top of a Grade-II listed former hospital.

The proposal for the city centre site included a large glass tower block, including more than 300 flats and a cafe and roof terrace, erected on top of a Georgian building that has stood there since the early 19th century.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Shadow minister Steve Reed vows to uphold targets on biodiversity loss and protecting land and sea

Labour has pledged to halt the decline of British species and protect at least 30% of the land and sea by 2030 if it is elected.

Steve Reed, the shadow environment secretary, also vowed to set a new land use framework that would prioritise the protection of nature, and to deliver on targets to improve the UK’s environment.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Pressure group accusing Begona Gomez of corruption admits media reports allegations were based on may not be true

Prosecutors in Madrid have asked a judge to throw out a preliminary corruption investigation against the wife of Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, as the pressure group behind the complaint admitted its allegations may be based on incorrect media reports.

Sanchez, whose socialist party has governed Spain since 2018, shocked the country on Wednesday night by announcing that he was considering resigning over what he termed a baseless “harassment and bullying operation” being waged against him and his wife by his political and media opponents.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

The overcrowded city is leading the way with a tax on day trippers. Surely other great European destinations should follow suit

Venice has had enough. It is sinking beneath the twin assaults of tourism and the sea and believes the answer lies in fending off visitors by charging them to enter. It is not alone. Tourism is under attack. Seville is charging for entry to the central Plaza de Espana. In Paris, the Mona Lisa is so besieged by flashing phones she is about to be banished to a basement. Barcelona graffiti shout, “Tourists go home, refugees welcome.” Amsterdam wants no more coach parties, nor does Rome.

The Venice payment will be complicated. It will apply at specific entry points only to day trippers to the city centre, not hotel guests. It will be a mere five euros and confined to peak times of day over the summer. This will hardly cover the cost of running it. It is a political gesture that is unlikely to stem the tourist flow round the Rialto and St Mark’s Square, let alone leave more room for Venetians to enjoy their city undisturbed by mobs.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Strong rhetoric is boost for Ukraine reinforcement drive but it is not clear by which mechanism emigres could be sent back

Poland and Lithuania have said they are prepared to help Ukrainian authorities return men subject to military conscription to the country, after Kyiv announced this week that it was suspending consular services for such men who were now abroad.

“We have suggested for a long time that we can help the Ukrainian side ensure that people subject to [compulsory] military service go to Ukraine,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland’s defence minister, told the television channel Polsat, though he did not elaborate on what mechanisms could be used.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

‘Transitional council’ takes oath of office after prime minister formally resigns as gang violence continues to rock capital

Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, has formally resigned and a new provisional government has been sworn in during a secret ceremony at the presidential palace, nearly two months after a criminal insurrection plunged the capital into chaos.

The nine-person “transitional council” was officially established on Thursday during an event at the national palace in Port-au-Prince. As its members took their oaths, Henry, who is in the US having been locked out of Haiti by the gang uprising, announced in a letter that he was stepping down.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Ahmed Alid told police he was motivated to kill Terence Carney, 70, ‘because Israel was killing children’

A 45-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering a complete stranger, telling police he wanted to kill people because of the conflict in Gaza.

A court heard that Ahmed Alid told detectives that he wanted “Palestine to be free from the Zionists” and that he had killed “because Israel was killing children”. In interviews, he said that if he had had a machine gun or more weapons, he would have killed more people.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Muscular bodies dripping with sweat are all over cinema screens – and each other. But these films are very different from the sports romances of old

This spring is shaping up to be the season of the artful athletic romance in cinema. Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding and Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers both offer up their own twisted queer romances set within the world of sport. Both film-makers share a preoccupation with their athletes, lingering over their bodies in ultra-closeup. Muscles ripple and swell like the powerful pulse of the tide. Perfect, glistening orbs of sweat form then drift off the body in slow motion. In these films, ripped, toned bodies become tantalising, treacherous landscapes, and it’s on this physical terrain that we can see exactly how and why the characters’ internal desires play out.

Love Lies Bleeding opens with a pulsating montage in a grimy gym as Glass confronts us with running, cycling, lifting, pressing bodies in all of their sweating, straining vulgarity. Meanwhile, Lou (Kristen Stewart), the uninspired gym manager, is sticking her hand down the venue’s perpetually clogged toilet. However, when Jackie (Katy O’Brian), a wannabe bodybuilder, rolls through town, all this grotesquery becomes a thing of beauty. They begin a romance. Lou pumps her lover full of steroids and constantly ogles her dense muscles.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Sewage pollutes our waterways, species face extinction. We must act fast to halt the decline – and we will

• Steve Reed is shadow environment secretary

We must not be the last generation to have the opportunity to marvel at nature.

When I was growing up, I took for granted the excitement of climbing trees in the local woods at the end of our road, sleeping under the stars at Scout camp, and exploring the micro-worlds of seaside rockpools on holiday in Cornwall. Our children and grandchildren deserve to be astounded by the magnificence of our landscapes and coastlines, mesmerised by the beauty of a robin’s song, and to splash about in the local river.

Steve Reed is the MP for Croydon North, and shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Some residents say €5 fee aimed at curbing tourist numbers goes against principle of freedom of movement

For more than 160 years, visitors have been arriving at Venezia Santa Lucia train station and disembarking straight into the heart of one of the world’s most historic and beautiful cities. Until Thursday, however, they had never been met by a group of stewards in white and yellow bibs demanding to know if they had downloaded their QR code.

On the first day of what the mayor of Venice has hailed as a bold experiment in reducing over-tourism, day-trippers faced a €5 (GBP4.30) charge, which kicked in at 8.30am on Thursday and will apply on 29 peak days until 14 July as part of a trial.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Ali died of cancer last year. He was 21, and had to live in the choking smoke of the Rumaila oilfield

A year has passed since my beautiful boy Ali Julood died. Not a day goes by when I do not think of him smiling and playing football with his friends outside. Those days are gone. As a father, that gives me great pain.

Ali was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 15. The cancer caused him to drop out of school, leave his football team and spend years undergoing painful medical treatment. He died at the age of 21 on 21 April 2023.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Ex-nurse has asked appeal court for green light to challenge convictions for murder and attempted murder of babies

Three of England’s most senior judges are considering whether to allow Lucy Letby to appeal against her convictions for the murder and attempted murder of babies.

The former nurse has asked the court of appeal for permission to mount a full legal challenge over her convictions for murdering seven infants and attempting to murder another six.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Government allowed information to be released fully for only 34% of requests in 2023

Rishi Sunak has been accused of presiding over the least transparent government for 25 years, after it emerged the rate of freedom of information (FoI) requests granted in full dropped to a record low last year.

The prime minister’s government allowed information to be released fully for only 34% of requests in 2023.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

In this quick and easy midweek recipe, the cookbook author goes big on flavour – with minimal washing up

• Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email

One-pan pasta recipes can be a little hit and miss. While one pan implies you won’t need to boil the pasta separately – meaning one less item to clean up – some people find the pasta has a tendency to overcook or undercook. Others are put off by the starchiness, but I like to think of this dish as a risotto-paella-pasta situation, where the starch should be embraced and mitigated with cheesiness and acid.

You can totally add frozen corn, or even peas, to this pasta for bonus veg. Just pour some boiling water over half a cup of them while the garlic is sauteing, and wait until they thaw before adding once the pasta’s done. If you’ve got any zucchini or golden squash about, you could add these in, thinly sliced, with the burrata.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Rejection of plan to keep one blast furnace open while building electric replacement ends hopes of avoiding as many as 2,800 job losses

Tata Steel has rejected a plan by unions to keep open a blast furnace at the Port Talbot steelworks, ending any hopes of avoiding as many as 2,800 job losses.

Unions met the company in London on Thursday with another plea not to press ahead with its proposals, which will likely end the ability to make steel from iron ore in south Wales by September and cause thousands of job losses.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

High court judge orders actor turned politician to pay GBP90,000 damages to each individual for social media libel

The actor and rightwing activist Laurence Fox has been ordered to pay GBP90,000 each in damages to two people he libelled by referring to them as “paedophiles” on social media.

A high court judge made the order in London on Thursday. Fox lost his high court libel battle in January, after Mrs Justice Collins Rice ruled that he had defamed two men by calling them paedophiles after they labelled him a racist.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

From Miriam being ‘revealed’ as a transgender woman to the contestants trashing the set, it was the cruellest reality show ever. Ahead of a new series about its tragic fallout, Miriam’s brother and friend open up for the first time about her death

It was the very definition of “different times”. In summer 2003, a TV dating series saw men compete for the affections of a 21-year-old Mexican model named Miriam Rivera. What her suitors didn’t realise was that the glamorous star of the show had a secret. In the climactic episode, Rivera announced that she was a transgender woman. All hell broke loose. Contestants sued the show in an attempt to ensure it never aired.

There’s Something About Miriam would go down in the showbiz hall of shame as one of the most controversial reality shows ever. Now, a Channel 4 docuseries revisits the making of the show 20 years since it aired – and five years since Rivera died at the age of 38. It’s a story of belief-beggaring insensitivity and its tragic aftermath.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Large-language models such as ChatGPT are still liable to distort the meaning of what they are summarising

• Seth Lazar is a professor of philosophy at the Australian National University and a distinguished research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Ethics in AI

What is the role of AI in democracy? Is it just a volcano of deepfakes and disinformation? Or can it – as many activists and even AI labs are betting – help fix an ailing and ageing political system? The UK government, which loves to appear aligned with the bleeding edge of AI, seems to think the technology can enhance British democracy. It envisages a world where large-language models (LLMs) are condensing and analysing submissions to public consultations, preparing ministerial briefs, and perhaps even drafting legislation. Is this a valid initiative by a tech-forward administration? Or is it just a way of dressing up civil service cuts, to the detriment of democracy?

LLMs, the AI paradigm that that has taken the world by storm since ChatGPT’s 2022 launch, have been explicitly trained to summarise and distil information. And they can now process hundreds, even thousands, of pages of text at a time. The UK government, meanwhile, runs about 700 public consultations a year. So one obvious use for LLMs is to help analyse and summarise the thousands of pages of submissions they receive in response to each. Unfortunately, while they do a great job of summarising emails or individual newspaper articles, LLMs have a way to go before they are an appropriate replacement for civil servants analysing public consultations.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

As Drake, Kendrick Lamar and more continue their high-profile beef, we run down the most inspired – and vicious – attacks in rap’s history

• ‘A lot of rich guys arguing’: inside the rap beef of the decade

Whether you view the beef that has consumed hip-hop’s upper echelons as a spicy addition to the genre or a dispiriting Trumpian exercise by grandstanding millionaires, it’s hard not to love the fire and venom of Lamar’s verse here, bashing J Cole and Drake.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Such policies are ‘betrayal’ of values, says French president in speech covering defence and negative effects of Brexit

Emmanuel Macron has criticised migration policies that involve sending people to African countries as “a betrayal of our [European] values”, just days after the UK government passed its Rwanda deportation bill.

The French president made the remarks in a wide-ranging speech on Thursday aimed at warning Europe against overdependence on other countries for security and trade.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Fossil fuel and petrochemical campaigners at Ottawa summit outnumber scientists, EU and Indigenous delegates

The number of fossil fuel and petrochemical industry lobbyists has increased by more than a third at UN talks to agree the first global treaty to cut plastic pollution, analysis shows.

Most plastic is made from fossil fuels via a chemical process known as cracking, and 196 lobbyists from both industries are at the UN talks in Ottawa, Canada, where countries are attempting to come to an agreement to curb plastic production as part of a treaty to cut global plastic waste, according to analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law (Ciel).

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Blades of famous cabaret venue, home of the French can-can, fall from roof overnight

The home of the high-spirited French can-can has been laid temporarily low after the sails of the red-painted windmill on top of the Moulin Rouge, the most celebrated cabaret in Paris, tumbled inexplicably to the ground in the early hours.

“In 135 years of history the Moulin Rouge has experienced many adventures, but it is true that as far as the sails are concerned, this is the first time it’s happened,” the attraction’s general manager, Jean-Victor Clerico, told reporters.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

The actor on tricking her tear ducts, being entertained as a child by Tom Cruise and legging it from dinosaurs while wearing stilettos

Hi Bryce! If two generations makes an acting family, does three make an acting dynasty? [Her father is director Ron Howard, both of whose parents were actors.] JohnHunt
I think a dynasty is five generations or more, so we’re not even close. We’ve got a way to go. We’ve got three generations, so maybe I’ll be around for it when the Howards cross that threshold.

When you’re directing something that’s part of a larger collection, such as The Mandalorian, how do you find the balance between maintaining the tone and making something that reflects your own artistic vision? porcospino
Something like The Mandalorian is such an important story and piece of intellectual property. It’s dramaturgically essential to understand the essence of the creator and what inspired them to create that in the first place, so whatever I’m building on is an extension of their original vision. In the case of Star Wars, it’s George Lucas, but I would feel that way no matter what the material is. It’s very important to have a deep, nuanced, compassionate and objective view when you take the baton.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Strict rules have led to a wild west of rentals, with visitors choosing between huge hotel bills or word-of-mouth deals

Until recently, visitors to New York basically had two options: hotel rooms or short-term rental platforms like Airbnb. But in September 2023, the city started enforcing a 2022 law that banned people from renting their homes for fewer than 30 days (unless the host stayed in the home with guests).

Now the only legit option for people visiting the city is hotel rooms – and they’re unaffordable for many. Most of the Times Square hotels don’t have rooms for less than $300 a night. A search for Thursday 2 May found the Muse at $356, Hampton Inn at $323 and the Hard Rock at $459 (although, because of dynamic pricing, these are subject to regular change). They’re getting more expensive still. Hotel rates have increased between the first quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2023 at twice the rate of inflation, said Jan Freitag, an analyst at the real-estate data firm CoStar Group.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

These stunning, extremely relatable women, with nuanced facial expressions and sensible shoes, helped me outline success on my own terms

I love watching television – ideally in bed with a bowl of salt and vinegar potato chips and a bottle of Coke, zoning out for hours.

I’ve always been like this. In my teens and 20s I watched back-to-back-to-back Law & Order and Law & Order SVU episodes. I loved the comfort and reliability of the form: the drama of a murder, investigation, plot twist and resolution, all in under 60 minutes. But several years ago, I stopped watching Law & Order; I grew uncomfortable with its uncritical portrayal of the police.

Медиа:1. image / png 2. image / png

Pedro Sanchez accuses opponents of ‘bullying operation’ conducted against him and his wife, Begona Gomez

On Wednesday night, Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, abruptly announced he was cancelling his public duties for the rest of the week and considering resigning from office. He said he would announce his decision on Monday.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Could they agree on immigration and housing? And why did the conversation turn to pigeon racing?

Sian, 56, Herefordshire

Occupation CEO of a social enterprise

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Hundreds voice dismay at Sunak and Starmer, accusing them of misreading UK attitudes towards Europe

Elena, 35, was “flabbergasted” when she heard that both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer had dismissed a proposal by the European Commission to reintroduce freedom of movement for young people between the EU and the UK.

Last Friday, the prime minister rejected the post-Brexit youth mobility deal, which would have allowed Britons aged between 18 and 30 to live, study or work in the EU for up to four years, after Labour declined the offer the previous day.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

As the climate crisis has deepened, protesters have become more confrontational – and their ambitions have grown

The head of ExxonMobil told to “eat shit” as he was about to receive an award. A US senator and coal boss called a “sick fuck”, almost sparking a brawl. Theatre shows interrupted. As the climate crisis has deepened, protests aimed at those deemed responsible are becoming starkly personal, and often confrontational.

At the vanguard of this new style of in-your-face activism is Climate Defiance, a group of just a handful of core staffers now marking its first birthday following a year of disrupting, often crudely, the usually mundane procession of talks, speeches and panels that feature Joe Biden administration officials, oil company bosses and financiers.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Our former PM has a dire warning and a book to sell, but it isn’t really cutting through. A bit more Brit-style bumbling might help

‘I know the name,” texts a friend when I ask if she knows who Liz Truss is, but like most Americans can’t quite put her finger on why. “Like 8%,” guesses another when I ask her to put a number on how many of her countrymen she imagines know of Truss. The standard response, in my extremely unscientific poll of Americans as to whether or not they know of Truss, however, was: “No, should I?” – the answer to which, of course, depends entirely on whether you want to understand why the Tory party is polling around 20% or whether you happen to be Liz Truss.

Truss, the only one of us to suffer that particular misfortune, was in Washington DC this week trying, like so many minor British celebrities before her, to catch the eye of the Americans. At the Heritage Foundation, a rightwing thinktank that hosted the launch of Truss’s book Ten Years to Save the West, she came bearing a “warning”. Not an ideal ice-breaker, perhaps, but one clearly tailored to an audience receptive to the frisson of the term “forces of the global left”.

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Paola Cortellesi’s directing debut, in which she also stars, depicts gruelling domestic abuse before finding its way to startling redemption

Italian actor and singer Paola Cortellesi has been breaking hearts and box office records on her home turf with this directing debut. It’s a richly and even outrageously sentimental working-class drama of postwar Rome, a story of domestic abuse whose heroine finally escapes from misogyny and cruelty through a piece of narrative sleight-of-hand that borders on magic-neorealism, performed with shameless theatrical flair and marvellously composed in luminous monochrome. The film pays homage to early pictures by De Sica and Fellini, and Cortellesi’s own performance is consciously in the spirit of movie divas such as Anna Magnani, Sophia Loren and Giulietta Masina.

The scene is Rome just after the end of the second world war, when American GIs were a presence on the streets and Italian women had just been given the right to vote – though exercising it while under the baleful eye of the film’s misogynist menfolk is another matter. Cortellesi plays Delia, a woman who is being regularly beaten by her brutish husband Ivano (Valerio Mastandrea). He makes her slave around the house, skivvy to his cantankerous bedridden father (great stuff from veteran comic turn Giorgio Colangeli), and do odd jobs around the city, the cash payment for which she has to hand over at the end of every day. Their teenage daughter Marcella (Romana Maggiora Vergano), who sees how her mother is being brutalised and humiliated, is made to sleep in the same bedroom as her two brattish kid brothers, and when she receives a proposal of marriage from a well-off local boy, she, like her parents, is thrilled – at first.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Questions on general knowledge and topical trivia, plus a few jokes, every Thursday. How will you fare?

Near where the quiz master lives there is a car emblazoned with the slogan: “Get ready to meet Jesus”. It belongs to a local Bible shop. It always feels quite threatening as the vehicle approaches at speed while you are crossing the road. Anyway, here are 14 questions approaching you at speed, on topical news, general knowledge and really nerdy things that appeal to the quiz master’s sense of mischief. Have fun, and let us know how you get on in the comments.

The Thursday quiz, No 157

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

As Taylor Swift tops $1bn in tour revenue, musicians playing smaller venues are facing pitiful fees and frequent losses. Should the state step in to save our live music scene?

When you see a band playing to thousands of fans in a sun-drenched festival field, signing a record deal with a major label or playing endlessly from the airwaves, it’s easy to conjure an image of success that comes with some serious cash to boot – particularly when Taylor Swift has broken $1bn in revenue for her current Eras tour. But looks can be deceiving. “I don’t blame the public for seeing a band playing to 2,000 people and thinking they’re minted,” says artist manager Dan Potts. “But the reality is quite different.”

Post-Covid there has been significant focus on grassroots music venues as they struggle to stay open. There’s been less focus on the actual ability of artists to tour these venues. David Martin, chief executive officer of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), says we’re in a “cost-of-touring crisis”. Pretty much every cost attached to touring – van hire, crew, travel, accommodation, food and drink – has gone up, while fees and audiences often have not. “[Playing] live is becoming financially unsustainable for many artists,” he says. “Artists are seeing [playing] live as a loss leader now. That’s if they can even afford to make it work in the first place.”

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Magdalena Wosinska spent the 1990s hanging out with bands, skateboarders and whoever else crossed her path. These photos capture blissful free spirits

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Denounced as giving a ‘veneer of legality to slaveholding’ and despite claims of reform, kafala laws persist, allowing bosses to abuse women, who vanish from society. This is their testimony, gathered over two years in a Guardian investigation

Condemned as dangerous and abusive, the kafala labour system not only disregards migrant workers’ rights but depends on exploitation. But 10 years after Qatar was advised by the UN to abolish kafala (“sponsorship”) entirely and replace it with a regulated labour network, the system is thriving across Lebanon, Jordan and the Gulf states – with the region’s most vulnerable migrants hidden behind closed doors.

Over two years, the Guardian spoke to 50 women who are or were domestic workers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar or Jordan. Their testimony reveals a section of society operating under appalling conditions facilitated by the state’s employment apparatus.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Our capital has many problems, but it is time to push back against attacks from those who neither know nor understand it

I have been reading about the most abysmal place. It is a land where children, red-faced with their own radicalism, march alongside bearded Islamists to make the streets a no-go zone, while nodding-dog liberals curse the Brexiter masses for inflating the cost of their arugula. It boasts an infinite array of pronouns; multimillion-pound townhouses whose residents demand you check your privilege; a thousand rainbow flags, but not a single St George’s cross. It is rife with criminal behaviour, which extends far beyond the prices charged by pub landlords. Hieronymus Bosch, put down your paintbrush: this place truly is Hell.

It also happens to be my home.

Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Britain’s first black female MP faced hostility from the media and political establishment from the start. Nearly 40 years on, she is still not giving up

Six weeks ago, the Conservatives’ biggest donor, Frank Hester, was revealed by the Guardian to have spoken at a meeting of his healthcare company, the Phoenix Partnership, about one of Britain’s longest-serving and most pioneering MPs. “You see Diane Abbott on the TV and … you just want to hate all black women,” Hester said. “I think she should be shot.”

The meeting had taken place in 2019, when Abbott was Labour’s shadow home secretary. As a lifelong defender of civil liberties, a radical leftwinger and a close ally of the then party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, Abbott was notably different from previous holders of the role. But there was an anger and viciousness to Hester’s remarks, which are being investigated by the police, and also a limit to the Labour support for her that they prompted, which was very striking.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Do you love reading – but all too often find yourself just scrolling through your phone or watching TV? Here is how to get lost in literature again

In the age of digital distractions, it is easy to struggle to find the time and headspace to get lost in literature. How can you get back into the habit? Librarians share the best ways to rediscover reading, make it a regular habit – and their tips for the most unputdownable books.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Illnesses such as dengue and malaria to reach unaffected parts of northern Europe, America, Asia and Australia, conference to hear

Mosquito-borne diseases are spreading across the globe, and particularly in Europe, due to climate breakdown, an expert has said.

The insects spread illnesses such as malaria and dengue fever, the prevalences of which have hugely increased over the past 80 years as global heating has given them the warmer, more humid conditions they thrive in.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Government U-turn as PM Mia Mottley acknowledges anger from reparations movement over plan to buy Barbados land from Dorset MP Richard Drax

The prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has halted plans for a multi-million-pound payout to the British Conservative MP Richard Drax for the purchase of 53 acres of the Drax Hall plantation, which he owns.

As revealed in the Observer last Sunday, the payout plan had angered those involved in the Caribbean reparations movement, who said Drax, the MP for South Dorset, should hand over all or part of the 617-acre plantation to the people of Barbados.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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).

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

‘The sun trickled in just as we were coming down the mountain. When I looked back at Victoria and Keni, the wind was rustling their clothes and hair. I was screaming because it was so beautiful!’

Los Angeles is a city dominated by cars. Neighbourhoods are divided by highways that were constructed to cut certain communities off. The idea that LA is a superficial place arose from each of us being in our own automobile bubble, not having face-to-face interactions. As a photographer, I always felt stifled in the car. I had an itch to be outside. But I was thinking about how I could use the car as part of my work. Eventually I realised it could be a mobile studio, with sunroof, windows, tail and headlights. I drive a 1983 Mercedes that was my dad’s for 20 years. I bought it off him two years ago. It runs on vegetable oil that I “dumpster dive” for, from restaurants throughout LA. So not only am I driving for free through the city, I’m also producing fewer emissions. It’s my way of surviving in a car-centred society.

There are so many examples of really, really good car photos: Mike Mandel’s shots of people driving cars, Henry Wessel’s work on traffic, Nan Goldin’s Misty and Jimmy Paulette in a Taxi, NYC, Bruce Davidson’s couple intertwined in the back of a car. I intentionally wanted to address that American tradition, but making it about the inside more than the outside of the car – the vehicle is the destination.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Some of America’s most prestigious universities have been rocked by demonstrations as students take over quads and disrupt campus activities, protesting over the war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

The Basque Country’s Mondragon Corporation is the globe’s largest industrial co-operative, with workers paying for the right to share in its profits – and its losses. In return for giving more to their employer, they expect more back

When Marisa Fernandez lost her husband to cancer a few years ago, her employers at the Eroski hypermarket went, she says, “above and beyond to help me through the dark days afterwards, rejigging my timetable and giving me time off when I couldn’t face coming in.”

She had a chance to return the favour recently when the store, in Arrasate-Mondragon in Spain’s Basque Country, was undergoing renovations. Fernandez, 58, who started on the cashier desk 34 years ago, and now manages the store’s non-food section, volunteered to work extra shifts over the weekend along with her colleagues to ensure everything was ready for Monday morning. “It’s not just me. Everyone is ready to go the extra mile,” she says.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

We would like to hear from people on whose lives the welfare campaigner had an impact

As figures from across the political spectrum have paid tributes to the former Labour minister and welfare campaigner Frank Field, we would like to hear from people on whose lives he had an impact.

We would like to hear your memories of Field – whether you met him, worked with him, or if his work changed your life in some way.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

A cover shoot for New York magazine and the subversive work of Lee Miller join a selection from top galleries at Aipad’s photography bonanza

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.

This week, from 2020: For seven decades, India has been held together by its constitution, which promises equality to all. But Narendra Modi’s BJP is remaking the nation into one where some people count as more Indian than others. By Samanth Subramanian

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

His sister says the only person he ever presented a serious threat to was himself, yet he was given an indeterminate sentence for stealing a car. The psychological torture was impossible to endure

When Tommy Nicol told his sister Donna Mooney about his prison sentence, she didn’t believe him. It was May 2009 and he had stolen yet another car. Nicol was a petty criminal, always nicking motors, and was rarely out of jail. “He said: ‘They’ve given me a 99-year sentence.’ I said: ‘That’s ridiculous.’ I thought he was confused.” Over the next few years, Nicol occasionally mentioned the sentence in letters to Mooney and asked her to look into it. She admits she didn’t give it much thought at the time.

In 2015, Nicol killed himself in prison. He was 37. It was only then that Mooney discovered he had been right all along. Nicol had a four-year tariff (the minimum amount of time he could serve in jail) and an indeterminate sentence, known as imprisonment for public protection. IPP is also called a 99-year sentence because people serving one can, technically, be jailed for 99 years. When they are released, it is on a 99-year licence, which means they can be recalled to prison at any time in their life for even minor breaches, such as being late for a probation appointment (although the Parole Board will consider whether to terminate the licence 10 years after first release).

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack for an exclusive interview with Fifpro representatives Sarah Gregorius and Alex Culvin, plus Dutch International player, Merel van Dongen, to discuss how the number of games elite athletes are playing is impacting them on and off the pitch. Also, Sophie Downey joins to round up all the weekend’s action in the Champion’s League and WSL

From our sister pod today; the panel brings you an exclusive interview with representatives from the global players’ union – Fifpro – who, alongside Netherlands defender Merel van Dongen, share their views on how the number of games elite athletes are playing is impacting them on and off the pitch.

The panel also discusses Chelsea’s inspired Champions League win, Manchester City retaking the lead in the WSL, Arsenal securing European football, Palace on the brink of lifting the Championship and Lewes’s relegation …

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to Women’s Football Weekly to keep informed about the biggest stories in the global game.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack for an interview with Fifpro representatives, Sarah Gregorius and Alex Culvin, plus Dutch international, Merel van Dongen, to discuss how footballers are being affected by the packed schedule. Also, Sophie Downey rounds up the weekend action in the Champion’s League and WSL

Today’s pod features an exclusive interview with representatives from the global players’ union, Fifpro, who, alongside the Netherlands defender Merel van Dongen, share their views on how footballers are being affected by the packed schedule.

The panel also discuss Chelsea's inspired Champions League win against Barcelona, Manchester City retaking the WSL lead, Arsenal securing European football, Palace's Championship title charge and relegation for Lewes …

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Phone provider giffgaff has joined the UK’s fast-growing community of B Corps thanks to its responsible practices. Julianne Robertson takes a closer look at this badge of honour and asks: what difference does it make to me and my mobile?

Did you know that giffgaff is an ancient Scottish word that means “mutual giving”? You thought it was a made-up, catchy brand name, didn’t you? Well, it turns out that the business is giffgaff by name, giffgaff by nature. Now a certified B Corp, giffgaff is legally accountable for its impact on people and the planet, which is locked into the DNA of the company. In other words, it’s committed to being “up to good”.

Now you’re nodding sagely. Yes, B Corp. Very cool. But, in fact, maybe you don’t really know what a B Corp is. If that’s the case, you’re in the right place. Here’s everything you need to know …

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Thanks to its innovative payback scheme, the giffgaff community has raised more than GBP1m for good causes since 2010. Here, we spotlight three projects the mobile phone provider has supported so far

Community projects around the UK are bringing vital relief and support to people and animals in need. There are thousands of community organisations, charities and groups across the country offering their services around the clock, and many of them rely entirely on fundraising and donations.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways we can all get involved and help out – sometimes with very little effort on our part at all. Enter the mobile phone company giffgaff. One of more than 2,000 UK companies with B Corp status, it has been certified as a company that’s dedicated to being accountable and improving its social and environmental impact – and one of the ways it ensures it’s improving its social impact at grassroots level is through its payback scheme.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

When it comes to picking a mobile, there are many things that sway customers – from finding the best deal on the phone you want, to having full control of your bills every month. But now, consumers are increasingly looking to make a decision that considers their impact on the planet and society

Unboxing a new mobile phone always feels like a thrill. But how often does getting a new phone or mobile contract make you feel like you’re doing good?

As a certified B Corp, mobile network provider giffgaff comes with a host of perks that not only benefit you, but also wider society. Intrigued? Here are seven reasons why choosing giffgaff is the right call …

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

Buying refurbished tech might feel risky if you’ve never done it before – but we’re here to tell you, it’s the future. Here’s what you need to know ...

Whether it’s eating less meat, swapping your car for a bike or saying no to single-use plastic, many of us are making lifestyle switches to live more ethically. However, fewer of us are aware of the huge environmental impact of something we use every day – our smartphone – and what we can all do to reduce it. Keen to know more? Here are five reasons why your next smartphone should be refurbished …

Keep your carbon footprint in check
The metal extraction, shipping and production that take place before a smartphone ends up in your hands create carbon emissions – and carbon emissions are the number one cause of the climate crisis. Metal mining and the manufacturing of smartphones, which predominantly take place in the global south, are also very polluting and therefore damaging to delicate ecosystems. Extending the lifespan of a smartphone can help to reduce this impact – the longer a smartphone is in use, the less damage is done to the planet. Obviously it’s not always possible to avoid needing a new phone, so this is why buying a refurbished one – and selling or recycling your old phones – is a more sustainable choice.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Медиа:1. image / png 2. image / png

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

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Sign up below to start receiving the best of our culinary journalism in one mouth-watering weekly email.

Медиа:1. image / jpg 2. image / jpg

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.

Can’t wait for the next newsletter? Start exploring our archive now.

Медиа:1. image / png 2. image / png