General news

• Joanna Pettet obituary

  23-07-2026 19:22 via theguardian.com
  Actor best known for the 1960s box-office smash Casino RoyaleJoanna Pettet, who has died aged 83, was a British-born, Canadian-raised actor who found fame in the 1960s after just a handful of films, including the James Bond spoof Casino Royale.The 1967 film drew lukewarm reviews for its parody of the “official” 007 movies and suffered from a production history that included five directors, but it became a box-office smash with expectant audiences. In it Pettet played Mata Bond, the i
  
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• France evacuates Cap Ferret peninsula as Spanish wildfires merge near Madrid – Europe live

  24-07-2026 14:46 via theguardian.com
  French evacuees using hundreds of mobilised boats or the only road linking the area with the mainland as evacuation also ordered in areas near Spanish capitalOver in France, it’s not just the south-west that gets affected, but the country’s south-east regions are also being hard hit, AFP noted.Dozens of fires flared up and are being fanned by the mistral wind around the historic village of Cotignac – officials saying around 25 houses had been destroyed since Tuesday. Continue r
  
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• Tour de France 2026: stage 19 from Gap to Alpe d’Huez – live

  24-07-2026 14:38 via theguardian.com
  The 127.9km mountain stage starts at 2pm CEST / 1pm BST
  Stage 18 report | share your thoughts with Tom via email127km to go No rest for the wicked, we’re straight on to the category Col Bayard, a 4.8km drag at 7.2%.There’s Christian Prudhomme popping out of the sunroof and waving his little yellow flag, we’re off. Continue reading...
  
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• Andy Burnham spends first working day at new No 10 North in Manchester – UK politics live

  24-07-2026 14:37 via theguardian.com
  PM, on his first day at new base, says it will create ‘that sense of a more balanced country, that big things can be done from here’Andy Burnham has arrived by police convoy at No 10 North at Heron House in Manchester:Andy Burnham was probably feeling left out of the “Celtic alliance”, after apparently telling John Swinney that Scottish independence was “off limits”. Continue reading...
  
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• Nutrients in our food are declining. Can regenerative agriculture save it?

  24-07-2026 14:34 via theguardian.com
  Approach focuses on rebuilding soil health, increasing biodiversity and restoring natural ecosystemsFor the last few decades, the nutrient content of our crops has been declining. In the late 90s, the US Department of Agriculture found the vitamin C content of lemons had decreased by almost a third over the previous 22 years. Calcium in carrots, an important source especially for non-meat eaters, had reduced, on average, by more than a quarter. Vitamin A in bananas was down by 57%. The mineral c
  
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• When is an apology not an apology? When it comes from an AI boss with an out-of-control chatbot | Marina Hyde

  24-07-2026 14:32 via theguardian.com
  An incident in which an autonomous OpenAI agent hacked a startup either confirms that the end is nigh – or that the product is just amazingly sophisticatedThroughout history, many things have been seen by terrified populaces as a harbinger of doom. A comet. A crow on the battlefield. A solar eclipse. A mutant livestock birth. Yet times move on. In the modern era, the leading harbinger of doom is literally any picture of the OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, attached to a news story. You know it&rsqu
  
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• Woman and man arrested in Ireland after police intercept ‘highly sophisticated’ bomb

  24-07-2026 14:30 via theguardian.com
  Detectives targeting dissident republicans stopped a vehicle containing explosives near CarrickmacrossTwo people have been arrested after police in Ireland targeting dissident republicans intercepted an “extremely significant” bomb that was being transported in a vehicle near the border.Members of the Garda Síochána’s special detective unit stopped the vehicle travelling on the N2 south of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...
  
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• Ukraine’s pivot to warehouse strikes brings war closer to ordinary Russians

  24-07-2026 14:30 via theguardian.com
  Kyiv’s attacks on Wildberries, country’s answer to Amazon, destroy goods made, sold, and bought by everyday RussiansStanding in front of a vast warehouse engulfed in flames outside Moscow, Tatyana Mikhailova watched as her entire stock of 4,000 fur coats, bought months in advance for the winter season, burned.“It’s not just a warehouse that’s burning,” Mikhailova said in a video she shared on Instagram. “It’s the time you’ve invested, the imm
  
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• Maga influencer Laura Loomer reverses course on Ukraine after Kyiv visit

  24-07-2026 14:30 via theguardian.com
  Rightwing provocateur meets Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who says he expects talks with Donald Trump in Washington next weekVolodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Donald Trump in Washington next week, according to the rightwing US influencer Laura Loomer, amid signs the White House’s traditional hostility towards Ukraine is beginning to crumble.In an interview with Loomer, Ukraine’s president said he is likely to attend Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral and also hold talks with Trump, which will
  
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• Commonwealth Games 2026: swimming, gymnastics, basketball and more on day one – live

  24-07-2026 14:28 via theguardian.com
  All the action as the games get under way10 things to look out for at Glasgow 2026 | Mail TahaBoxing: England’s Lauren Mackie, in the women’s 54kg, punches through to the round of 16 with a unanimous victory against Kenya’s Amina Faki. DJ Khaled’s All I Do Is Win blasts around the ring.This story has caught the eye, courtesy of Reuters: Continue reading...
  
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• British-born man living in US since age of nine held by ICE under threat of deportation

  24-07-2026 14:16 via theguardian.com
  Connor Read, who is married and has two children, was apprehended in June during residency permit interviewA British-born man who has lived in the US since he was nine years old has been held in an ICE detention facility for more than a month and a half under threat of deportation, it has been reported.Connor Read, 29, was taken by ICE agents after he was invited to a green card (residency permit) interview in Tampa, Florida on 3 June, and separated from his wife, Jaelin, 25, and his twin sons R
  
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• Burnham urged to lobby EU leaders directly to waive EES border controls

  24-07-2026 14:14 via theguardian.com
  Lib Dems call on PM to push for suspension of ‘bungled, malfunctioning’ system as overseas holiday travel peaksAndy Burnham has been urged to lobby EU leaders directly to suspend the new entry-exit system, EES, as the peak weekend for overseas holidays begins.About 2.2 million British holidaymakers are expected to head abroad between Friday and Monday, the majority to Europe, with all schools in the UK now on their summer break. Continue reading...
  
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• Singer Chris Brown pleads guilty to affray over London club confrontation

  24-07-2026 14:13 via theguardian.com
  Other charges, including assault against Abraham Diaw, dropped as guilty plea averts trialThe R&B singer Chris Brown has pleaded guilty to affray after a confrontation at a central London club.The 37-year-old had been facing trial later this year over an allegation he attacked a former friend with a bottle at the Tape private members’ club in Mayfair in 2023. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Football can change a country’: Klopp sets sights high after unveiling as Germany head coach

  24-07-2026 14:08 via theguardian.com
  Klopp warns media to ‘leave my family in peace’Suggests role will be his final job in top-level footballJürgen Klopp said he wants his team to “change a country” after being confirmed as Germany’s new manager, but threatened to stand down if his family are hounded by the media during his time in charge.In a forthright first press conference upon his unveiling as Julian Nagelsmann’s replacement, Klopp also suggested the role will be his final job in top-le
  
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• ‘You can’t paper over the cracks of history. It will haunt you’: Gugu Mbatha-Raw on her race-horror thriller

  24-07-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  She paved the way for Bridgerton, lit up Black Mirror’s most joyful episode – and now she stars in a grisly supernatural horror about slavery. The Belle star talks about Possession, partying with Prince and why she loves to shake things upGugu Mbatha-Raw seems blissfully immune to the heat. London is pushing 40C on one of those heatwave mornings when everyone is wearing the weather: damp collars, flushed faces, hair slicked to foreheads. Arriving at the cafe of the central London hot
  
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• Should you use AI for a task? Here’s a simple way to decide | Bruce Schneier

  24-07-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Sometimes, what matters isn’t your output but what you put into the process. Think of it like work v the gymI teach public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Munk School at the University of Toronto. And it will come at no surprise to you that my students regularly use AI to complete their writing assignments. Doing so is a waste of their tuition money. But if their entire career is going to include AI writing assistants, why shouldn’t they embrace their future?The best way
  
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• Most people arrested during Henry Nowak protests had been reported for domestic abuse

  24-07-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Hampshire police data reveals 22 of 37 detained had been accused or convicted of intimate partner violenceMost people arrested during violent protests after the sentencing of Henry Nowak’s murderer had previously been reported to the police for domestic abuse, the Guardian can disclose.Data released by Hampshire police under freedom of information laws shows that 22 of 37 people (59%) detained in Southampton after Vickrum Digwa was jailed for life have been reported for crimes a
  
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• ‘I know what it’s like to be vulnerable’: musician This Is Lorelei AKA Nate Amos on addiction and finding peace

  24-07-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  The singer-songwriter and Water from Your Eyes guitarist was unstoppably prolific, despite a growing dependence on substances. Now sober, he reflects on his new album and the songs that helped him turn his life roundFor most of his life, Nate Amos made music just to get through the day. There was plenty of it: dozens of self-produced albums and EPs uploaded – since his This Is Lorelei project launched in 2012 – to what was then a plucky, independent platform called Bandcamp
  
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• Cocktail of the week: DakaDaka’s qvevri – recipe | The good mixer

  24-07-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Orange wine and mezcal mingle in this smoky, Georgian-inspired drinkA smoky, refreshing highball inspired by Georgia’s amber wines and qvevri winemaking tradition (large clay vessels buried underground for fermentation). The mezcal works beautifully with the wine, which traditionally has structure and tannin from extended skin contact in those qvevri, and with the hint of citrus. The result is a cocktail that feels ancient and modern at the same time.Jack Porter, DakaDaka, London W1 Contin
  
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• ‘An anthem for the co-dependent’: Bad Magpie’s corvid carnage with a side of existential angst

  24-07-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Going by the mantra, if you want to make someone laugh, make them cry first, the game’s developers have created a lonely magpie who fills the void by wreaking havocAmid the gleeful anarchy of Bad Magpie’s debut trailer, there’s a striking note of melancholy. The game’s protagonist – a wounded corvid that creates havoc wherever she goes – calls out forlornly as a flock of her kind passes above, with a conspicuous gap in their formation.Milktooth games designer
  
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• Digested week: History shrugs off Keir and makes room for brilliant Kerr

  24-07-2026 13:54 via theguardian.com
  A low-key PM leaves the stage briskly, while a breathtaking athlete misses out on the attention he deservesAnd so it was over. You normally get a bit more notice when a prime minister is about to deliver their resignation speech outside No 10. The buildup. The sense of occasion. Keir Starmer did things differently. Continue reading...
  
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• Trump’s latest tariffs put UK at disadvantage to EU, say experts

  24-07-2026 13:52 via theguardian.com
  While overall levy for UK is unchanged, sectors not covered by Turnberry deal face tougher competitionBusiness live – latest updatesDonald Trump’s latest round of tariffs has put UK businesses at a disadvantage against the EU even though the overall tariff for British goods has not changed, experts have said.In the levies, announced late on Thursday and said to be aimed against countries that engage in forced labour, the EU’s previous 15% near blanket tariff is reduced to 10%,
  
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• European stocks rise as oil falls back below $100; UK could lose ‘advantage’ over EU due to Trump’s new tariffs, industry warns - business live

  24-07-2026 13:51 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsOn the corporate front today, the consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser has warned it will take a £175m hit from selling its business in Russia to local manufacturer Arnest Management.The deal is part of Reckitt’s wider plans to transfer ownership of its operations in Russia, as many Western businesses have withdrawn from the country since its invasion of Ukraine.Hospitality companies saw demand boosted by good weather, the F
  
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• Gangs taking villages on Brazil-Peru border ‘hostage’, say Indigenous leaders

  24-07-2026 13:49 via theguardian.com
  Delegation sent to Brasília after gunmen from organised crime group enter homes in western Amazon ForestIndigenous leaders on the Brazil-Peru border say their communities are being “taken hostage” by organised crime groups who are running rampant across the region, destroying Amazon Forest, building roads and trafficking drugs.Earlier this month, masked men armed with semi-automatic weapons entered homes in Apiwtxa, a village in the Kampa do Rio Amônia Indigenous Territo
  
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• If Deadpool wants to be a true Marvel superhero, is it time he grew up and stopped joking around?

  24-07-2026 13:44 via theguardian.com
  Ryan Reynolds’ sarcastic superhero is rumoured to be in Avengers: Doomsday – but how is he going to fit in the MCU proper when he spent all of his previous film mocking it?How do you solve a problem like Deadpool in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Deadpool & Wolverine found a way: rather than integrate the bloodthirsty, fourth-wall-breaking merc with a mouth into the rather more sanitised world of Thor, Iron Man and Spider-Man, Shawn Levy’s 2024 film chose to lampoon it from
  
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• Race, school, gender: the makeup of Andy Burnham’s cabinet – in charts

  24-07-2026 13:21 via theguardian.com
  Women have half the seats at the top table for the first time, but Oxbridge maintains its gripAndy Burnham has appointed the first cabinet of his premiership. Much has been made of how key allies of his predecessor, Keir Starmer, have been demoted or sacked, but what is the demographic makeup of the new team of senior ministers, and how does it differ from other governments? Continue reading...
  
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• India ‘cockroach’ activist ends hunger strike after 26 days as protests spread

  24-07-2026 13:18 via theguardian.com
  Sonam Wangchuk halts strike after receiving assurances parliament will address protesters’ concerns about exam systemThe Indian “cockroach” activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended a 26-day hunger strike over an exam paper scandal that has spiralled into a wide-ranging, youth-led wave of demonstrations against Narendra Modi’s government.Supporters, meanwhile, have called a nationwide day of protest on Friday. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Forever chemicals’ linked to gut inflammation in children after early exposure

  24-07-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Researchers tracked mother-child pairs for up to 11 years, finding Pfas mixtures may affect developing gutsPrenatal and early life exposure to Pfas mixtures is probably linked to higher levels of intestinal inflammation in children, new first-of-its-kind research shows. Intestinal inflammation can cause irritable bowel diseases, like ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and colorectal cancer.While Pfas has been linked to irritable bowel disease and intestinal inflammation in adults, the new
  
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• Bedlam dreamscapes, digital-age aliens and a summer pastoral – the week in art

  24-07-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The terrifying visions of Richard Dadd, UFOs, aliens and Van Gogh’s troubled peasant woman – all in your weekly dispatchRichard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam
  Terrifying creatures of the night and surreal dreamscapes galore – and those are just the “sane” canvases this Victorian artist painted before he was confined to Bedlam, where his visions became truly unsettling.• Royal Academy, London, 25 July to 25 October Continue reading...
  
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• Add to playlist: the ramshackle, soulful twang of Twisted Teens and the week’s best new tracks

  24-07-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The New Orleanscountry-punk duo are on a hot streak, about to release their third album in a year, and the crunchy, literate hooks keep comingFrom New Orleans
  Recommended if you like Parquet Courts, Sheer Mag, Royal Headache
  Up next Holy Cross Tigers out later this yearNot one but two of the year’s best albums so far are authored by a ragtag, deeply charismatic band from Louisiana named Twisted Teens, who bear Pynchonian names – Caspian Hollywell and RJ “Razor Ramone” San
  
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