Ferocity of women’s sport juxtaposed with cosy homes and pretty snow scenes in TV series gaining wider recognition The concept of sisu – used to refer to guts or inner strength – is often talked about as the source of Finnish happiness. And Guts, a hit Finnish TV series about top female cross-country skiers, makes it clear from the beginning that any happiness in this psychodrama is going to be exceptionally hard-won. Continue reading...

In December 1982, South African Rodney Wilkinson walked four bombs into Koeberg power station – the crown jewel of the apartheid state – pulled the pins and then left on his bicycle. How did he do it? At 21, Rodney Wilkinson was the best fencer in South Africa: national champion in foil and sabre, second in epee. He had toured Europe and Argentina. He had not stood on the Olympic podium, because South Africa was banned. The apartheid state had taken that from him, along with everything else it took from everyone. One evening in August 1971, Wilkinson stood in the gym at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, foil in hand. He was facing his coach Vincent Bonfil, a 25-year-old Englishman who had represented Britain as a reserve at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and who was now in Johannesburg finishing a master’s thesis in metallurgy. They were working on a technique in which both fencers lunge simultaneously, and the one who reads the other’s move a split second earlier wins the point. They came at each other. Wilkinson’s foil caught the edge of Bonfil’s sleeve. There was a pop. Continue reading...

The Room Next Door star on overnight success, ‘sneaky follows’ from politicians and how internet commenting has dragged society down How did you get into comedy? I was submitting sketches to Spitting Image when I was 17 and making my own sketches pre-internet. But I guess in terms of my actual break, that didn’t happen until [online political sketch series] The Room Next Door. Was that an overnight success? I was watching a particularly bad interview with Boris Johnson and jotted down the concept of an adviser next door who was pulling his hair out over what was being said. I then filmed it after dinner, posted it before I went to bed and the next morning it was in the millions. So that is literally an overnight success, isn’t it? Continue reading...

Parties accused of ‘fiscal denial’ and failing to tell voters the scale of the challenge The next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said. Economists with the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, believe the manifestos published by Scotland’s political parties during the campaign failed to tell voters about the true scale of the challenge. Continue reading...

One in four late-night venues went out of business between 2020 and 2025. Those that remain are struggling to pull in customers. Maybe a night out in Birminghan will reveal why The £5 entry is a good start. So is the loud, lively music booming down the nightclub’s stairway. But when I finally reach the dancefloor, hidden behind a curtain, my hopes for a wild night out in Birmingham are dashed. Despite the roving disco lights and blaring pop bangers, it is entirely empty, aside from a few bartenders milling around, tending to no one. This isn’t 9pm on a random Tuesday. I am hitting the town on Saturday night, when the city’s bars and clubs should be in full swing, but Birmingham is looking like a bust. Continue reading...

Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, calls for thorough investigation after disaster in Changsha city A blast at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan province has killed 21 people and injured 61, prompting the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to call for a thorough investigation, state media reported on Tuesday. China’s official news agency Xinhua said the blast happened in Changsha city on Monday afternoon. Nearly 500 rescuers were deployed and people were evacuated from danger zones by authorities who citied the risk from two black powder warehouses, the report said. Continue reading...

Ashley MacIsaac, who is seeking $1.5m in civil lawsuit, says inaccurate information led to concert cancellation An acclaimed Canadian fiddle player has launched a $1.5m civil lawsuit against Google, alleging that the online giant defamed him by falsely identifying him as a sex offender in an AI-generated summary of his life and career. Ashley MacIsaac, a three-time Juno award-winning musician, filed the claim in the Ontario superior court of justice, asserting that Google was liable for the “foreseeable republication” of its AI-generated Overview feature, which previously published defamatory claims that he had been convicted of multiple criminal offences, including the sexual assault of a woman, internet luring involving a child with the intention of sexual assaulting the child, and assault causing bodily harm. Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin wants empty skies on Friday and Saturday to celebrate Victory Day; Ukrainian president says guns can fall silent by Wednesday if Russia reciprocates. What we know on day 1,532 Continue reading...

Government’s anti-slavery commissioner says traffickers are exploiting a growing pipeline of vulnerability Slavery in the UK is at record levels and is expected to worsen over the next decade, the government’s independent anti-slavery commissioner has warned. According to the number of referrals to the national referral mechanism, which assesses potential victims of slavery and provides support to victims, numbers have almost doubled in the last five years from 12,691 referrals in 2021 to 23,411 in 2025, the highest ever number. Continue reading...

The person’s condition and the circumstances surrounding the shooting were not immediately known An individual was shot by law enforcement officers on Monday near the Washington monument, the Secret Service said. The shooting occurred shortly after JD Vance’s motorcade passed through the area. The individual was first identified by plainclothes officers, who said he looked suspicious and was believed to be carrying a firearm, according to Matthew Quinn, the deputy director of the Secret Service. These officers called in support from uniformed agents. When the individual saw the uniformed agents, Quinn said he fled on foot, drew his gun and fired. Continue reading...

Musk won’t have to give up any money he allegedly saved from delaying disclosure of initial purchase of Twitter stock Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Elon Musk settled the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s civil lawsuit accusing the world’s richest person of waiting too long in 2022 to disclose his initial purchases of stock in Twitter, now known as X. A trust in Musk’s name will pay a $1.5m civil penalty, without admitting wrongdoing. Musk won’t have to give up any money he allegedly saved from the delay. Continue reading...

Exclusive: ‘Fish sludge’ in coastal waters now has nutrient levels equivalent to those in untreated effluent of country the size of Australia, report finds Norwegian fish farms are filling fjords and other coastal waters with nutrient pollution equivalent to the raw sewage of tens of millions of people each year, a report has found. Norway is the largest farmed salmon producer in the world, and nutrients in fish feed are excreted directly into coastal waters. Analysis from the Sunstone Institute found that Norwegian aquaculture released 75,000 tonnes of nitrogen, 13,000 tonnes of phosphorus and 360,000 tonnes of organic carbon in 2025. Continue reading...

Wu claims title 18-17 with decisive break of 85 The 22-year-old is the second-youngest champion ever As the decisive pot went in at around 10.30pm on Monday, and Wu Yize punched the Crucible air and etched his name into snookering immortality, it was hard not to imagine that the sport had just changed in front of our eyes for ever. If Zhao Xintong broke through the glass ceiling for Chinese snooker 12 months ago, then the exploits of the newest Crucible king may have just shattered it into a thousand pieces. The boy who came to England as a 16-year-old with his father to pursue his dreams, living in a windowless flat in Sheffield with barely any money to his name, is the champion of the world. Continue reading...

Settlement details were not revealed in the agreement that put an end to a highly anticipated trial before it began Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have settled their legal dispute from the acrimonious production of their 2024 film It Ends With Us, just weeks before a highly anticipated scheduled trial. In a joint statement on Monday, legal representatives of both parties said: “The end product – the movie It Ends With Us – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind.” Continue reading...

Ryan Cohen said he didn’t understand questions about how the video games retailer could afford its $55.5bn bid Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email GameStop’s shares fell more than 10% on Monday as questions emerged about how the company would finance its surprise $55.5bn bid for eBay. In an interview with CNBC, Ryan Cohen, GameStop’s CEO, skirted repeated inquiries about how the video games retailer could afford the deal, saying he didn’t understand the questions. Continue reading...

PM will say responsibility to stand with Jewish communities lies with ‘every one of us’ at event on Tuesday Keir Starmer will call for a whole-of-society response to rising antisemitism on Tuesday, saying that it is not enough simply to condemn the scourge, but people “must show it” through their actions too. Before a roundtable event at Downing Street, the prime minister will call for action on all forms of antisemitism, after a knife attack against the Jewish community in Golders Green last week, a spate of serious arson attacks and the terror incident in Heaton Park in October. Continue reading...

Police forcibly broke up protest outside hospital where federal immigration agents took detainee for evaluation Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and other local officials on Monday condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after federal officers dragged a man out of a hospital building where he had been taken following an arrest, prompting a crowd of protesters to gather outside, where they clashed with police. The incident over the weekend has also drawn scrutiny from critics questioning the New York police department’s response at the scene, in relation to New York City’s sanctuary laws, which bar local police from assisting federal immigration authorities in civil immigration enforcement. Continue reading...

Event chairs Nicole Kidman, Beyoncé, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour had guests dress to the theme ‘fashion is art’ at the event controversially funded by new honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos Continue reading...

Three people confirmed dead but four made it to shore after rescue went wrong in rough seas Three people are dead after a marine rescue turned deadly. NSW Police said four people made it to shore after two vessels became stricken in heavy conditions on Monday night. Continue reading...

Somewhere in London, a celebrated former Everton midfielder may have raised a toast to his old club. Manchester City avoided a damaging defeat with virtually the last kick of the game at Everton but two dropped points handed Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal the advantage in their pursuit of a first league title in 22 years. Jérémy Doku opened the scoring in magnificent style and ended the scoring in similar fashion in the 97th minute – six minutes of stoppage time had been signalled – to rescue a point for Pep Guardiola’s visitors. They had been stunned by a second half Everton fightback that saw David Moyes’ team take a 3-1 lead through substitute Thierno Barry’s second goal of the night. But Doku, curling a sublime shot around Jordan Pickford after collecting a Phil Foden corner outside the area, extended City’s unbeaten run to 12 matches and showed this team will not disappear without a fight. Continue reading...

Sally Lindsay and Jill Halfpenny are incapable of hitting a false note in this tale of a daytime TV presenter being stalked. It’s full of twists and turns – even if it isn’t wildly sophisticated The new Channel 5 (I know! Me too – but yes, it’s still around) thriller Number One Fan stars two Coronation Street graduates from back in the days when the soap was still good. My peak Corrie-watching years were early 90s to early 00s. Which means I was there when it looked like the crowns were about to pass from queens such as Rita, Vera and Bet Lynch to their honourable successors, like Shelley Unwin, Karen McDonald, Fiz – and maybe to a younger Battersby or two, if the family learned to stop yelling and give us a bit more northern wit. Alas, their reign was brief and now there is no question that Coronation Street is worse than it has ever been. We do not have time to get into this now. Suffice to say: the presence of Sally Lindsay (Shelley, as was) and Jill Halfpenny (Rebecca Hopkins, of the same era, as love interest for Martin Platt) is enough to assure you of a good time. Here, Halfpenny plays Lucy Logan, a beloved daytime TV presenter with her own, mildly emetic show, a sponsorship deal for her onscreen wardrobe, and a new line of pampering products coming out under her name, in partnership with a brand-friendly charity. Apart from the monthly box of expensive truffles that are actually made of manure (I want to know who bit into the first one and discovered this; a bad work experience week for someone, I reckon) sent by an unknown non-admirer, life is good. Continue reading...

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams co-chair annual New York event alongside Anna Wintour; Bezos sponsorship has sparked criticism Why the Bezos-backed Met Gala is so controversial How is this for some next-level nail art? Ashley Graham has gone for silver metallic nails with painted fingers. It works really well against the wet look effect of her dress. That is by the Greek-born, London-based designer Di Petsa, who is known for her sculptural creations, some of which are included in the exhibition. Model Ashley Graham is dressed in tasteful neutrals and looks lovely – but her dress is also a convenient foil to notice the “red carpet” this year – which, with its bricks and green-tinged colour scheme, has a very Emerald City vibe. Continue reading...

Cole Allen was isolated from other inmates, denied a Bible and placed on suicide watch despite showing no suicidal tendencies Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A US judge on Monday apologized to the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump for the “legally deficient” treatment he has faced in a Washington DC, jail, including being placed on suicide watch, separated from other inmates and denied a Bible. The US magistrate judge Zia Faruqui said he was disturbed by the conditions for Cole Allen, who allegedly fired a shotgun during a foiled attack on Trump and senior officials in his administration at a 25 April press gala. The judge said the conditions were inappropriate for a person with no criminal history. Continue reading...

This year’s winners also include Jill Lepore’s book on the constitution and Brian Goldstone’s on housing insecurity Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Pulitzer prize officials awarded the fiction award to an author with a long history in fantasy, horror and young adult novels: Daniel Kraus, cited for Angel Down, a first world war narrative that unfolds in one long sentence. Liberation, Bess Wohl’s look back at the feminist consciousness-raising groups of the 1970s, received the drama prize. Winners announced on Monday included two books rooted in the founding of the US. Jill Lepore’s We the People: A History of the US Constitution won for history, and Amanda Vaill’s Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution was the winner for biography. Continue reading...

US operation announced as ‘Project Freedom’ dramatically raises stakes in conflict Middle East crisis – live updates The US has launched Donald Trump’s operation to open a route through the strait of Hormuz for hundreds of ships trapped with their crews in the Gulf, in a move that brought the region back to the brink of full-scale war as Iran sought to reassert its blockade. The US operation, which got under way on Monday after being announced as “Project Freedom” by Trump on Sunday night on his social media site, dramatically raised the stakes in a conflict that had been in a month-long period of uneasy limbo. Continue reading...