Prosecutors opt not to pursue hate-crime charges over February incident despite anti-gay slurs captured on video New Orleans state prosecutors on Thursday filed formal misdemeanor battery charges against Shia LaBeouf, four months after police officers there arrested him on allegations that he struck three men at a bar. That move from the office of local district attorney Jason Williams means prosecutors opted to not pursue hate-crime charges against LaBeouf, the star of the Transformers film franchise, despite claims evidently supported by video that LaBeouf aimed anti-gay slurs at the alleged victims. Continue reading...

Retreating from reality is a brittle way to feel better, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Find people who feel as you do and then face these problems together Read more Leading questions I’m 21, and all my life I’ve been anxious about the future. It’s not getting better. There are a lot of things that worry me – no job prospects even with a degree under my belt; I won’t be able to find a partner who will respect me; I’ll never own a house. And outside these, of course, I’m worried about climate change and global politics. The advice I have been offered is to “not think about it” or “focus on what I personally can control”. But I have dreams and aspirations; I want to be a writer and an artist and I am working harder than ever to make those things happen, even if AI might make those fields even more competitive. So my question is: How do I balance my dreams and aspirations practically, and take care of myself, without living in a bubble? Continue reading...

Arcola theatre, London The 70s novel about the everyday grumbles of four office workers remains just as relevant, playfully staged by director Dominic Dromgoole It’s no wonder why Barbara Pym’s bittersweet and quietly profound novel about four prickly office workers approaching retirement has not been adapted for the stage before. Its charm is tightly wedded to the rich interiority of its characters – Edwin, Letty, Marcia and Norman – who have unwittingly become each other’s closest confidants, despite insisting they are not quite friends, and that’s tricky to stage. Pym’s book was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1977, and it’s fitting that this first stage version comes from Samantha Harvey, whose own novel Orbital won that accolade in 2024. Though a little of its depth is inevitably lost, she proves a safe pair of hands. Continue reading...

It has become less about the finished product and more about the process itself Years ago, my son and I took a pottery class one Saturday afternoon. I agreed to take him – he wanted to try the wheel but was too young to go alone. I had no real expectations of the class, but as soon as I gripped the lump of clay and tried to centre it on to the plate, I was hooked. There was something primal about having my hands and clothes covered in smears of white. It brought me back to making mud pies as a child. My son seemed to understand the properties of working with clay in a way that I didn’t but I still managed to cobble together some small pieces and left them to be fired, my name carved in the bottom. When I collected the glazed pieces , I laughed with the studio technician at how neat my son’s bowls were compared with my wonky ones. She suggested enrolling in a longer course but regular classes weren’t possible at that point in my life, so I shoved my indelicate pots to the back of my cupboard and forgot about pottery for a while. Continue reading...

Late-night hosts spoke about the end of the iconic long-running show and Trump’s latest grift Late-night hosts discussed the end of the Late Show and Stephen Colbert’s tenure as well as the latest product from Donald Trump. Continue reading...

King of the North searches for the hero inside himself to an Oasis backing track to change politics for the better It must be exhausting being the King of the North. Just watching Andy Burnham’s four-minute campaign video released earlier this week leaves you in need of a lie down. Andy can’t step outside his front door without people throwing themselves at his feet. Men throw palm leaves across the pavement and openly weep with joy. They can’t imagine a life without him and insist on buying him a pint. Women grab his hand ask him to be the father of their babies. Shopkeepers beg him to come inside and cut the ribbon to open their new freezer cabinet. Being the Messiah is a very demanding occupation. But I guess someone’s got to do it. It must be annoying though to have to live your life to a soundtrack of Oasis playing in the background. Still, at least the sun is always shining. Which is not how I remember the city. When my daughter was at university there 15 years ago, I never went out without a coat. But maybe Andy is even in control of the weather. Saves him the bother of walking on water. Continue reading...

With its screams, sex, bells and bloodshed Puccini’s opera was initially derided as a noisy disaster. Ahead of Glyndebourne’s first ever production, we look the ‘shabby little shocker’ that’s become one of opera’s most bankable masterpieces Gustav Mahler hated it. Its publisher was convinced it would be a commercial disaster. Critics complained it was mostly just “noise” and predicted that it would quickly be forgotten. But more than 125 years since Tosca’s premiere in January 1900, Giacomo Puccini’s fifth opera remains one of the most bankable in the business. We love a hard-won success story in classical music. Think of the tales of woe that still swirl around Beethoven’s life and works, with their implied happy ending in our own Beethoven centrism. Or there’s Wagner’s Tannhäuser being booed off the stage in 1861, before finding its way into the operatic pantheon. Or the riot supposedly provoked by Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring at its 1913 premiere, before everyone calmed down and the score was acclaimed a masterpiece. Continue reading...

Telecoms company CEO says tech firms are buying up memory chips to power datacentres relied on by AI Business live – latest updates BT has said that the cost of smartphones could rise as technology companies buy up semiconductor chips due to the boom in artificial intelligence (AI), putting pressure on supply chains. The telecoms company’s chief executive, Allison Kirkby, said she was anticipating shortages as tech firms bought large quantities of memory chips to power the datacentres relied on by AI. Continue reading...

Turner Contemporary, Margate The young Dominican painter’s dizzyingly beautiful jungle scenes will transport you to the tropics – and remind you of the wonders of the natural world Deep in the Dominican rainforest, high up on a mountain, miles from anywhere, Hulda Guzmán stares at an endless expanse of jungle. From her modernist wooden studio, built by her architect father Eddie, she looks out into the vast greenness of her world, the deep blues of the ocean in the distance, the warm oranges and yellows of the sky, and she feels peace. She feels a sense of oneness with nature. It’s a kind of spiritual positivity that’s a little hard to empathise with when you’re under the leaden skies of the UK, but if you lose yourself in Guzmán’s psychedelic Caribbean landscape painting you can almost be transported to the tropics. The young Dominican artist’s paintings here in her first institutional show in Europe are ultra-colourful jungle reveries, filled with allusions to art history and mythical beings. Continue reading...

This heartfelt story of attraction and friendship, shortlisted for the Women’s prize for fiction, is sensitively read by Dan Bottomley The debut novel from Rozie Kelly – shortlisted for this year’s Women’s prize for fiction – charts an unusual relationship between two writers. The story is told through the eyes of an unnamed man who works as a creative writing academic. He becomes infatuated with an Irish woman, whom he calls “the poet”, 17 years older than him and a celebrated author. The pair begin meeting for lunch on a bench by a river where they talk and watch the wildlife (she specialises in stories about birds). He observes how this woman “smells like jasmine. No, not exactly. She smelled like the earth beneath a jasmine pot on a hot day.” Our protagonist pursues her – his early thoughts about her are wilfully crude – despite being in a long-term relationship with Michael, a gym owner with whom he has little in common. He longs to achieve the success that the poet has attained, observing: “She was in high demand. I was a beggar. I knew she had a purse full of gold, if only I could get close enough to cut the strings.” Continue reading...

When pupils could no longer play outside, St John’s school in Barnet decided to act, enlisting Trees for Cities to help rethink its outside space The play area at St John’s Church of England primary in Barnet, north London, used to flood so severely it was often unusable. “It would get so bad that the children couldn’t be dismissed from the playground,” says Maccie Dobbie, the school’s head teacher. “We had to dismiss them from different parts of the school or, literally, parents were stepping into puddles to lift their children out of the classroom.” Because the school sits in a basin with clay foundations, rain would pool on the grey tarmac and just sit there, often denying the children a proper break for play outside. Continue reading...

Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Luisi/Lindstrom/Delavan /Johansson (Delos) Captured live in concert performances, Fabio Luisi’s clear-sighted command and strong orchestral playing make this Wagner set frequently impressive, with Mark Delavan an authorative Wotan Concert performances of opera can provide ideal conditions for live recordings. This ambitious release of Wagner’s Ring Cycle on 13 CDs, captured in 2024 with the Dallas Symphony under music director Fabio Luisi, is a fine example. The Italian maestro has a strong record, having stepped in at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011 when James Levine had to withdraw from Siegfried due to illness. With his clearheaded approach, a keen sense of Wagner’s operatic architecture, and a supple way with phrasing, he is perhaps the most compelling reason for acquiring this frequently impressive set. Continue reading...

Prospectus for tycoon’s sprawling empire reveals his plan to keep control – and ambition to colonise Mars SpaceX reveals plan for $1.75tn stock market debut Business live – latest updates Elon Musk’s SpaceX has revealed plans for a highly anticipated $1.75tn (£1.3tn) flotation next month as he seeks investor backing for his quest to make life “multiplanetary”. SpaceX is a sprawling business, encompassing the eponymous rocket launch company, the Starlink satellite broadband service, Musk’s xAI artificial intelligence startup and the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Continue reading...

Policing unit ‘not expecting problems’ from England fans Around 15,000 are expected at each group-stage tie The UK Football Policing Unit will send only three officers to this summer’s World Cup after a failure to secure extra funding from authorities in the United States. With as many as 15,000 England fans expected at each group fixture, police said their role would be to act as “cultural interpreters” for local law enforcement and they had no concerns over the safety of supporters in the US. Continue reading...

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

He made his name as a conman, but now Bob Odenkirk is on the right side of the law in Normal. He answers your questions about Henry Winkler, Bruce Dern and Shakespeare You recently agreed in an interview that “life is a meaningless farce”. How come? benpendrey Oh, I don’t know. You need to talk to God about that. I don’t know why he made it so ridiculous, but it is. I’m not done asking questions and trying to figure things out, but I do think we’re going to end up where Douglas Adams did. Is biting satire more powerful than political hogwash? Twist27 I sure wish it was, but no. I do think political satire is helpful, but it is not as important as we all wished it was. I’m afraid political satire pales in comparison to political hogwash, as we’re witnessing in my country. Continue reading...

Labour has launched an urgent review into the deaths, which one expert described as ‘unspeakably tragic’ More than 100 young people have died after leaving the care of social services in England in the past year, according to data released by the government. In the year to April 2026 there were 106 reported deaths of care leavers, with 91 deaths reported in the 12 months before. The majority of those who died were aged 16 to 21. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Troubled Baywatch reboot production echoes film-making woes in a city best known for its movie and TV industry The fight for the future of Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city, usually plays out in the grand art deco offices and committee rooms of city hall. But in an election year full of surprises, the most consequential battle may in fact have begun on a beach. And not just any beach: we’re talking about the fantasy sandbox inhabited by buff gym rats and sun-kissed bikini babes on Baywatch and its multiple spin-offs. In February, Los Angeles welcomed the latest incarnation of the hit TV show back to southern California after a long hiatus, including detours to Hawaii and Georgia. City officials heralded its return as a sign of better times for local film and television production following years of decline and tens of thousands of job losses in the heart of Hollywood. Continue reading...

A new model of central banking would weaken the power of bond vigilantes – and help progressive politicians pay for transformative change Daniela Gabor is professor of economics and macrofinance at Soas, University of London A spectre is haunting British politics: the bond markets. Defending Keir Starmer after the disastrous local election results earlier this month, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, warned that a leadership contest would trigger the wrath of those investors who lend the state money by buying and selling UK government bonds (also known as gilts). The prospect of Andy Burnham winning that contest prompted shriller warnings: the left-leaning contender, after all, had dared to suggest governments should stop “being in hock” to the bond markets. Daniela Gabor is professor of economics at Soas, University of London Continue reading...

Verdict is latest legal milestone over France’s worst ever air disaster A Paris appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio-Paris plane crash that killed 228 passengers and crew in France’s worst air disaster. The verdict is the latest milestone in a legal marathon involving two of France’s most emblematic companies and families of the mainly French, Brazilian and German victims. Continue reading...

The parliamentary rule that only English – and not Jamaican – is allowed has reignited debate about language, legitimacy, and postcolonial identity When MP Nekeisha Burchell stood up to give her maiden speech, she was keenly aware of how much Jamaica’s parliament mirrored the Westminster version, thousands of miles away in London. As in the UK, the session on 12 May had started with the arrival of the ceremonial mace – a five-and-a-half foot ornamented silver staff representing the British monarch’s authority over parliament – which now rested on a table between the government and the opposition. Despite the heat outside, debate was presided over by the speaker, dressed in a ceremonial robe. Continue reading...

Disability rights campaigner Robin Millar reveals he is taking owners of music business he founded to a tribunal The head of one of the UK’s biggest disability charities is planning a legal challenge against the owners of the music business he founded in a dispute over its alleged failure to provide him with proper workplace support after a major illness. Legendary pop producer Robin Millar, who is blind, said he had been denied a request for a support worker to assist him in his work after he faced mobility challenges following cancer surgery. Continue reading...

Julian Nagelsmann includes 40-year-old in 26-man squad ‘We want to become world champions’, says head coach Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer has come out of international retirement after being named on Thursday as the starting goalkeeper in Germany’s World Cup squad by head coach Julian Nagelsmann. Nagelsmann made the decision after having long labelled Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann as his first-choice keeper. “Yes I plan with [Neuer as No 1],” Nagelsmann said on Thursday. “The main task was to nominate the best three keepers. So we decided that these three are part of that. We contacted Manuel and asked him if he wanted to play for the national team again.” Continue reading...

Founder Alexis Ohanian is Serena Williams’ husband Meeting is on 18 September at StoneX Stadium London is to host a star-studded all-female Athlos athletics meeting on 18 September as founder Alexis Ohanian builds towards his dream of it becoming “F1 for track and field”. Ohanian, who is married to tennis legend Serena Williams, has added a London date prior to the meeting in New York, which is in its third year and takes place a fortnight later. Continue reading...

Israel widely criticised after security minister’s video shows humiliating treatment of people on flotilla headed for Gaza The UK has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires as international outrage escalates over a video posted by the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in which he is seen taunting activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted. The global outcry continued as Israel began releasing hundreds of the activists who attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and are in the process of deporting them, according to a legal organisation working with the flotilla. Continue reading...