BBC to add Giroud to regular panel, including Frank Postecoglou will join ITV, who show England opener Former Tottenham managers Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank will go head-to-head in the TV studio this summer as rival World Cup pundits. The Guardian has learned that Frank has signed a deal with BBC Sport as one of their main analysts, with Postecoglou having agreed to work for ITV. The BBC is also understood to have added former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud to their regular punditry panel that includes Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Alan Shearer, with ITV recruiting Andros Townsend to join Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Roy Keane. Continue reading...

Labour MP who served as a Northern Ireland minister in the run-up to the Good Friday agreement and was active on behalf of asbestos victims The Labour MP Tony Worthington, who has died aged 84, served as a minister in the Northern Ireland Office at a crucial time – in the run-up to the Good Friday agreement – and won widespread respect for his campaigning on behalf of victims suffering from asbestos-related diseases. Having been an opposition spokesperson under Mo Mowlam, he was appointed to her ministerial team when Labour came to power in 1997, with community relations as part of his portfolio. With a personality that exuded calm reasonableness, Worthington was well qualified to earn trust in that role. Continue reading...

Thunder beat Lakers 4-0 in Western Conference semis 41-year-old just finished his 23rd NBA season LeBron James isn’t ready to make a decision about his NBA future in the wake of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season-ending loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. The visiting Thunder prevailed 115-110 to sweep the teams’ Western Conference semi-final series despite James registering 24 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Continue reading...

Put plainly, the Greater Manchester mayor is electoral gold dust. The Labour party machine must not stand in his way to becoming an MP Neal Lawson is director of the cross-party campaign organisation Compass The madness has to end. The progressive side of politics in the UK faces two crises. The first is the possible decimation of the Labour party after the next election. The second is a prospective Reform-led government – and a Trumpian future for the country. The best-placed figure in Britain to lead Labour out of these twin disasters is the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. The Labour party must now do what it takes to ensure that Burnham is available to be the next leader of the party and the country. This must start with an urgent statement from the party’s ruling national executive committee saying that if Burnham wanted to fight any direct vacancy then he would be allowed through for local members to decide whether they wanted him as their candidate, alongside a timetable that allows him to enter the contest. Neal Lawson is director of the cross-party campaign organisation Compass Continue reading...

Meeting comes amid tentative trade truce but Iran, Taiwan and tensions over global supply chains will be complicating factors Sign up for the Breaking News US email On the Iran war, Donald Trump said the ongoing fragile ceasefire was “on life support” after dismissing Tehran’s peace proposal as “totally unacceptable”. “I would call it the weakest, right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us – I didn’t even finish reading it,” he told reporters in the Oval Office yesterday. Continue reading...

Rajiv Menon KC was accused of breaching judge’s directions with his closing speech at trial of six activists A leading human rights barrister has won an appeal against his referral for contempt of court over his closing speech during a trial of Palestine Action activists. Rajiv Menon KC was accused of breaching the judge’s directions in the trial of six people for a 2024 direct action protest at an arms factory of the Israeli subsidiary Elbit Systems UK in Filton, near Bristol. Continue reading...

Knesset approves plan for livestreamed trials in military court, which has drawn comparisons to Eichmann trial Israeli lawmakers have approved setting up a livestreamed special tribunal with the power to sentence to death Palestinians convicted of taking part in the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 that triggered the war in Gaza. The measure was passed by 93 votes to none in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament, reflecting widespread support among Israel’s Jewish majority for punishing those found responsible for the deadliest single attack in Israel’s history. The remaining 27 lawmakers were absent or abstained from voting. Continue reading...

Sgt James Hughes was one of the hostages released early. With US-Iran relations once again in the spotlight, he talks about being ‘handcuffed, under armed guard’ Since the United States launched a joint military campaign with Israel on Iran in February, many commentators and historians have revisted a chapter of modern history: the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. On 4 November, a student demonstration outside the US embassy in Tehran erupted into an all-out assault on the compound, and 66 Americans were taken hostage. It was the culmination of decades of tension, beginning with the US and Britain’s role in installing the Shah of Iran to safeguard energy interests, and ending with a popular uprising that toppled his oppressive regime and drove him into exile. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader has used the helicopter to attend rallies across the country, most recently on Friday Nigel Farage is facing questions about why he did not declare his use of a donor’s helicopter to travel around Britain for rallies. The helicopter, which was used by Farage as recently as Friday after local elections across Britain, is the property of a company owned by Lorenzo Zaccheo, a businessman who gave Reform £25,000 last year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Council of Europe to hold meeting in Moldova on Friday, with human rights body set to declare recognition of countries’ right to control borders Europe live – latest updates European ministers will this week discuss plans to send thousands of rejected asylum seekers to third-country hubs, the head of the continent’s human rights body has told the Guardian. Alain Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, said discussions about the removal of people who arrived in Europe by irregular routes would take place “at a multilateral level” at a meeting in Moldova on Friday. Continue reading...

Sports carmaker extends lifespan of petrol-engined Emira, made in Norfolk, to continue to cater for US market Business live – latest updates The boss of the luxury sports carmaker Lotus has called for government support for its UK factory as the Chinese-owned company insisted it will not abandon its British roots. Lotus said it had extended the lifespan of the £80,000 Emira petrol-engined sports car, made by 900 employees in its factory in Norfolk, in order for the brand to continue to serve the US market. Continue reading...

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praises Spain’s ‘compassion and solidarity’ in evacuating virus-hit cruise ship The head of the World Health Organization has warned countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases after the outbreak onboard the MV Hondius, and thanked Spain for the “compassion and solidarity” it had shown by taking in the stricken cruise ship and evacuating its passengers and crew. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to follow the WHO’s advice and recommendations, which include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts. Continue reading...

As human rights advocate is treated in Tehran hospital after transfer from Zanjan prison, prize winners demand her freedom More than 110 Nobel laureates have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and Nobel peace prize laureate, after she was transferred to hospital amid concerns over her rapidly deteriorating health. In a statement released on Tuesday, 112 Nobel laureates urged the Iranian authorities and the international community to act “without delay” to secure Mohammadi’s release and ensure her continued access to medical treatment. Continue reading...

Two decades after it opened in a multi-storey in Peckham in London, the space has redrawn the map for how to present art – with rooftop cocktails and the pink staircase that launched a thousand selfies It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when rooftop bars weren’t really a thing. A time before pop-ups and contemporary outdoor sculpture parks. A time even, if you can bear to think of it, before immersive art. Way back in 2007, there was none of that – the UK was an experiential art wasteland. And then Bold Tendencies showed up, chucked a whole load of sculptures in a multi-storey Peckham car park, painted a staircase bright pink, built a cocktail bar on the roof, and changed everything. Now going into its 20th summer season, Bold Tendencies is celebrating two decades of sometimes sun-drenched, often windswept and drizzly arts programming. In that time, it has welcomed more than 3 million visitors into its concrete edifice behind Peckhamplex cinema, commissioned dozens of new artworks, hosted countless recitals and performances, built an auditorium and a concert hall, and drawn the roadmap for countless art experiences that have come in its wake. Continue reading...

Horses seized and several people questioned after animal rights activist shares video of race along country roads A video showing an illegal horse race in Sicily, with spectators firing pistols into the air and brandishing Kalashnikov rifles, has prompted a police investigation that has led to the seizure of the animals. The clip, reportedly filmed last Friday, shows two jockeys driving horse-drawn carts at breakneck speed along country roads in the town of Palagonia, near Catania, in eastern Sicily. Behind them, dozens of people follow on scooters, firing shots into the air. The footage was posted on social media by an animal rights activist named Enrico Rizzi. Continue reading...

Deal was expected by end of month but talks hit buffers over cap on number of people entering UK and tuition fees UK politics live – latest updates Europe live – latest updates Significant gaps remain in negotiations on the reset in relations between the UK and the EU despite Keir Starmer’s latest pledge to put Britain “at the heart of Europe” after last week’s election drubbing. The UK wants to limit the number of young people from the EU who come into the country as part of a post-Brexit youth mobility scheme to below 50,000, it has emerged. Continue reading...

Seagulls are in their first Women’s FA Cup final but their coach, Dario Vidosic, is determined to keep aiming higher As Brighton’s old song goes, “Hark to the merry bugles”, because there is something in the air in Sussex by the sea. A purpose-built women’s team stadium is in the offing, a second consecutive top-half Women’s Super League finish is on the cards and the women’s side are heading to Wembley for the first time. The fans have never had it this good. It took something special for Brighton to overturn a two-goal deficit in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final victory at Liverpool and they left it late – very late – as Nadine Noordam settled a classic, five-goal thriller with her 95th-minute winner, but reaching this final is something the club have been building towards. In 2022, Brighton set out a bold vision to become a “top-four WSL club” and last summer the head coach, Dario Vidosic, was unafraid to discuss even higher targets, speaking in a determined, bullish and unwaveringly ambitious tone during an interview with the Guardian. Continue reading...

Our cartoonist on the Premier League title potentially being decided by a lengthy VAR check after grappling Buy this cartoon here | His favourites from 2025 And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

It is the most extracted solid material on Earth – but this extraction can threaten ecosystems and livelihoods Malé is one of the world’s most overcrowded cities, but it faces double pressure. As well as a growing population, the capital of the Maldives is also threatened by rising sea levels. Owing to climate breakdown, its living space is shrinking. So the justification for a land reclamation project seemed clear. Take sand from elsewhere in the archipelago and use it to build up the land available for Malé’s people. What could go wrong? After all, it’s only sand, right? Continue reading...

The two-time major champion has mused about life as a full-time streamer. But sport should be more than just a platform to grow an athlete’s brand Golf: a feeder sport for aspiring YouTubers? When Bryson DeChambeau, faced with the expiry of his LIV Golf contract at the end of this year and the implosion, possibly even sooner, of the now Saudi-less LIV Golf, mused last week that he might give up life on tour to focus on his YouTube channel, most professional golf watchers scoffed. This was just a bluff, a move to gain leverage as DeChambeau, like every other LIV player, contemplates an uncertain future and negotiates the fraught path back to the PGA Tour. “I think, from my perspective, I’d love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” DeChambeau said. “I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.” Continue reading...

This affectionate portrait of chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa finds surprising emotional depth beneath the glossy surface of the Nobu brand – with a cameo from Robert De Niro In Japan, the sushi bar where the chef chops fish for the clientele is a kind of stage. In which case all the world’s a sushi bar for Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, whose deluxe Nobu chain has taken root in dozens of cities across the globe. Matt Tyrnauer’s chirpy documentary charts the rise of this affable but restless pioneer, motivated since the start of his career to break out of insular Japan and shake up its cuisine. Signature dishes like his iconic black cod with miso – made with Alaskan sablefish – or Peruvian-influenced yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno veer well off the sushi-restaurant template. But don’t call it fusion, Tyrnauer’s film says early on; it’s still Japanese food, just open to foreign ingredients and techniques. After a rocky start in life, in which a young Matsuhisa was placed on probation after reckless driving, he got “lost in sushi”. After stints in Peru and Alaska, it was setting up Matsuhisa restaurant on Los Angeles’ La Cienega Boulevard that made his name, introducing a sense of the unexpected and the lavish to the burgeoning western yen for sushi. Robert De Niro was one convert, making an offer to set up a New York branch that Matsuhisa refused; it was something he felt he wasn’t ready for. Several years on, they finally partnered to set up the first of the eponymous eateries. One of De Niro’s acquaintances questioned how Matsuhisa could be a master if he just had to chop raw fish. “Nobu wouldn’t like to hear you say that,” was the actor’s testy reply. Continue reading...

With my usual espressos off the menu, I was looking at a future of sluggishness and headaches. Then I embraced an alternative caffeine delivery system For reasons purely related to vanity, I’ve had to give up coffee. It’s not for ever, unless it takes me for ever to get my teeth whitened, so I’m not minded to wean myself off caffeine entirely. But it’s not for a short enough time that I can simply stop whining and weather the low-level headache, the mental sluggishness and the frankly unbearable taste of water. No problem, I thought: I will survive on energy drinks. What’s embarrassing about that? What could possibly be shameful about going into a Tesco, picking up a black and neon green can of Monster Energy, its name in a satanic font, at 8.05am? What could conceivably make anyone give me the fish eye, that I’m setting off the age-verification flashing light, and a dude is having to come over and attest that I am indeed over 16? All of that social opprobrium was before I’d even opened an energy drink and had to taste it. Continue reading...

Saints ‘request time to complete process thoroughly’ Playoff semi-final second leg at St Mary’s on Tuesday Southampton have confirmed they have launched an internal review into allegations that one of their analysts spied on a Middlesbrough training session. Southampton, who host Boro in their playoff semi-final second leg on Tuesday, have asked for “the full context to be established before conclusions are drawn” after the English Football League charged the club with misconduct on the eve of their first-leg draw. An independent disciplinary commission will determine any punishment, with potential sanctions ranging from a fine to expulsion from the playoffs. Boro, who believe they caught a member of Southampton’s backroom staff on their premises last Thursday, 48 hours before the first leg that finished 0-0, are adamant Saints should not receive a financial penalty in the event they are found guilty. Continue reading...

At the German pavilion, the artist has re-created the housing estate where she grew up to tell the forgotten history of migrants, including her parents, hired under a socialist agreement between East Germany and Vietnam – then abandoned An air of civilisational wipeout hangs over the Gehrenseestrasse complex, an abandoned housing estate on the north-eastern outskirts of Berlin, where the city still looks shabby without the chic. The insides of the nine prefabricated blocks have long been gutted; six floors of empty window frames stare hollow-eyed over multi-lane carriageways. In the courtyard, paintballers have left behind wooden barricades from when they played at World War III. Yet in one of the second-floor rooms of Berlin’s largest ruin, artist Sung Tieu is waltzing across the concrete floor and reliving scenes from her childhood. “Here was the single bed I shared with my mother for three years,” she says, pointing into a corner of the small room. “Two metres by 90cm, can you believe it?” There in the corridor is where her neighbours used to make bánh bao dumplings on camping stoves, for lack of private kitchens. “I still remember the smell.” Here was the door through which she used to entertain her best friend when his mother locked him in during working hours. “We played cards through the gaps,” she recalls with glee. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Marie Rimmer backs Keir Starmer and deals blow to Greater Manchester mayor’s byelection hopes UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham’s hopes of returning to Westminster were dealt a blow on Tuesday as the Merseyside MP whose seat had been named by key allies for a potential byelection said she would not stand down and backed Keir Starmer to stay in office. Marie Rimmer, the MP for St Helens South and Whiston, said the mayor of Greater Manchester had not spoken to her “in years” – and that her priority was to avoid the chaos of a leadership contest. Continue reading...