Don’t come to this Canadian show looking for prestige drama. But it is a highly entertaining tale featuring numerous holdalls of cocaine – and Driver having loads of fun with English accents Television drama loves border country: places hovering between one identity and another, defined by comings and goings, with forbidden bounty forever out of reach on the other side of the line. Near borders, things happen that shouldn’t. Let’s go, then, to the Thousand Islands archipelago, in the St Lawrence River between Ontario and New York state, where there are countless Ozark-y creeks to hide in, not much to do except get in trouble, and cold, cold water to sweep away your corpse if it all goes wrong. The Murder Line has a high old time there. By choosing that title, ITV is perhaps trying to draw in sleuthing fans who would otherwise be watching Danish or Irish cops crack cases on BBC Four. But originally, in its native Canada, this show was called The Borderline – hilariously, the theme song was a slow, gruffly atmospheric cover version of Borderline by Madonna – and it’s more crime caper than detective drama, not so much a whodunnit as a willhegetawaywithit. Continue reading...

A makeshift Manchester United defence did not even have to resort to hair pulls to keep out a goalshy Chelsea. The unfamiliar pairing of Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui grew into a tepid game after a shaky start, making the full-time boos inevitable. Stamford Bridge was an unhappy place again, the unrest in the stands growing as a fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League approached, and the only time the home fans stopped pining for the old Chelsea was when Mason Mount came on to help United protect their 1-0 lead. Think back to Porto in May 2021. Back then, long before anyone in west London had heard of BlueCo, it was Mount who created the winner when Chelsea became kings of Europe for the second time. Five years on, though, this is a club that cannot even be sure that they will be in the Champions League next season. Continue reading...

This royalist-pleasing hagiography is highly basic – and skims rapidly over the darker side of the crown. If you’ve seen The Crown, you know it all already Whenever I see a headline about “the queen” cutting a ribbon for the Scouts or some hospital, I momentarily think Elizabeth II has risen from the dead. It takes me, on average, 45 seconds to realise they are talking about “Queen Camilla”. Have I fallen and bumped my head? Am I living in the past as a psychological response to our dystopian present? I’m clearly not the only one having trouble, as the BBC is rolling out an hour-long documentary on the late queen and the (apparently) glory days of the last century. Marking what would have been Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday, the film explores British history through the prism of our longest-reigning monarch. The press release promises the documentary will span “a century of change for Britain”, one that saw the country move from the empire to the rise of celebrity culture, from the Blitz to the 2012 London Olympics. The documentary consists of archive clips of the queen and Britain over the years, with black-and-white footage of the young royal interspersed with commentary from top-tier talking heads, including Barack Obama, Helen Mirren, David Attenborough, Tony Blair, and also Gyles Brandreth. Continue reading...

American dismisses Dubois as ‘not on my level’ Baumgardner targets bouts with Taylor or Serrano British stablemate touts fight as ‘best versus best’ A dismissive Alycia Baumgardner said Britain’s Caroline Dubois still has more to prove before the American will entertain a fight between the two unified champions. That was the curt assessment from Baumgardner early Saturday morning after she retained her WBA, WBO and IBF junior lightweight world titles with a controlled, at times punishing display across 10 three-minute rounds against Bo Mi Re Shin in a main event that started well past midnight at Madison Square Garden. Continue reading...

The gunman, who killed six people in Kyiv before police shot him dead, was a Ukrainian citizen born in Moscow Ukrainian investigators are examining whether a terrorist attack in Kyiv was directed by Moscow after a man shot dead six people on Saturday before he was killed by police. The gunman, 58, opened fire on passersby before barricading himself in a supermarket and taking hostages. Detectives sealed off the area in the Holosiivskyi district and tried to negotiate with him. He refused and was killed after a 40-minute standoff. Continue reading...

Chiefs’ new owner will be Black Knight Sports and Entertainment Michael B Jordan has stake in company that owns Bournemouth Bill Foley, owner of AFC Bournemouth, is poised to take control of Exeter Chiefs in a multimillion-pound deal that will bring Premier League and Hollywood glamour to English club rugby. The Guardian revealed this week that Exeter’s chair, Tony Rowe, had agreed to sell the club to a wealthy American investor, and can now disclose the club’s new owner will be Foley’s multisport investment company, Black Knight Sports and Entertainment. Continue reading...

Tomas Telegramma had a platonic chemistry with his colleague Steph Vigilante. But one night as the heaven’s opened, so did his emotional floodgates Find more stories from the moment I knew series In 2019, I started a job as a junior editor for an online city guide in Melbourne. I was struck by the social media coordinator Steph, who worked quietly and diligently in a corner of the office, but had a surname that was at odds with her vibe. She was Vigilante by name, but not by nature. Our shared Italian heritage was an instant bonding agent. We had chemistry, sure, but it was purely platonic. Even when lockdown put a pin in all things in real life, work’s instant messaging app helped our friendship survive working from home. I’d write stories about the city; Steph would cleverly bring them to life on social media. The synergy was real. Continue reading...

The Canadian author on good writing advice from Martin Amis, his love for digging and getting rid of billionaires Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Your novels Life of Pi, Beatrice and Virgil, and The High Mountains of Portugal all feature animals in starring roles. If you could be any animal, which would it be, and why? A sloth, because it has a peaceful, long life. Or maybe a koala. They both look like stoners. A sloth just hangs there in its tree, it sleeps 22 hours a day – or maybe it’s meditating. Most creatures take the strategies of overt camouflage or speed to stay alive, whereas the sloth’s like, “I’ll be so slow that no one will notice me.” It grows a kind of algae on its fur, which makes it hard to see in the South American jungles. So it’s kind of hiding and being at one with the universe. Continue reading...

I don’t believe in ghosts. But for the bereaved, receiving ‘messages’ from beyond the grave can help us feel connected to the departed We all have ridiculous conversations with our mates, but negotiating a ghost pact with my friend as she lay on her deathbed was, without question, my most surreal. The pact itself was simple. After my friend Ruth Francis departed this world, she was to give me a sign from beyond the grave. Continue reading...

Police responded after video claimed to have targeted nearby Israeli embassy with ‘dangerous substances’ Kensington Gardens in London has reopened after the discovery of several suspicious items including two jars containing a powdered substance which were deemed to be “non-hazardous”, police said. Police in protective clothing responded to an incident near the Israeli embassy on Friday after counter-terrorism officers investigated a video shared online in which a group claimed to have targeted the embassy with drones carrying “dangerous substances”. Continue reading...

Pierre Guillon de Prince believed to be first in France to formally apologise for ancestors’ allegiances to slavery An 86-year-old man has issued what is believed to be the first formal apology by someone in France for their family’s role in transatlantic slavery. Pierre Guillon de Prince’s ancestors, based in Nantes, which was the country’s largest port for transatlantic slavery, were shipowners who transported about 4,500 enslaved Africans and owned plantations in the Caribbean. Continue reading...

Pontiff says that despite ‘certain narrative that has not been accurate’, he will continue to preach message of peace Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Pope Leo XIV said on Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate the US president, Donald Trump, about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace. Leo spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola as part of his 11-day tour of Africa. Continue reading...

Now Guardiola has granted his players freedom to improvise, it’s the Gunners’ manager who is the stickler for blueprint over instinct At half-time in the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal’s hopes of a quadruple remained strong. They were unbeaten in 14, 11 of them won. They were drawing 0-0 against Manchester City and it wasn’t unreasonable to think that if the second half carried on as the first half had, they would eventually find a winner – quite possibly from a corner. They had drawn a Championship side in the sixth round of the FA Cup and a Portuguese side in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They held a nine-point lead in the Premier League. This was shaping up to be the greatest season in Arsenal’s history. Continue reading...

Roberto De Zerbi could only watch in stunned silence. The Italian had been a crucible of emotions as Tottenham tried to hold out against his former club after Xavi Simons scored the goal that looked like ending their long wait for a victory. But football is capable of providing the cruellest twists and Georginio Rutter’s late equaliser must have felt like a dagger to the heart for the Spurs fans. The draw leaves Tottenham still in the relegation zone having still failed to record a win in 2026 and the prospect of this magnificent stadium hosting Championship football next season is growing by the minute. Having arranged a special team-bonding meal at a swanky Mayfair restaurant this week, De Zerbi promised to take his team out for more expensive dinners if they delivered in his first home match. Continue reading...

Exclusive: deputy prime minister says it is ‘inexplicable’ top civil servant kept Downing Street in dark Keir Starmer would have blocked Peter Mandelson from serving as the UK’s ambassador to Washington had he known he failed security vetting, David Lammy has said, as he attempted to shore up the prime minister amid damaging fallout from the row. In his first public comments on the vetting affair, Lammy said it was “inexplicable” that Oliver Robbins, the former top civil servant who was forced out of the Foreign Office this week, had opted to leave Downing Street in the dark over the outcome. Continue reading...

Iceland 0-1 England Russo’s first-half goal keeps Lionesses on track for tournament Snow-capped mountains provided an idyllic backdrop to a less impressive performance, but England’s 1-0 win over Iceland ensured they maintained a three-point gap over Spain in their bid to earn an automatic place in the 2027 World Cup. Only the four League A teams who top their groups will avoid the playoffs and qualify automatically and with the European and world champions drawn in the same group, one will be left frustrated and with more games required to book their trip to Brazil. Continue reading...

⚽️ Premier League updates from the 8pm BST kick-off ⚽ Live scores | Tables | Top scorers | Follow on Bluesky Pop quiz, hotshot: name the last time fixture between Chelsea and Manchester United in which both managers were English? The answer is 28 September 1986, when Kerry Dixon scored the only goal for John Hollins’ Chelsea and Ron Atkinson’s United missed two penalties. United stayed 21st in the league; Chelsea’s win lifted them to the dizzy heights of 17th. Liam Rosenior and Michael Carrick have loftier ambitions, tonight and for the next month. Both are fighting to quality for next season’s Champions League – not least because, if they fail, there may not be a next season. We might argue that the pressure on Rosenior is premature and unfair, but it exists and it’ll increase if Chelsea fail to win tonight. Continue reading...

Agency director threatens to sue Atlantic for report citing allegations from two dozen current and former colleagues The FBI director, Kash Patel, is denying allegations detailed in a new report that he drinks to excess and has been unreachable at times during his tenure in office. Patel threatened to sue the Atlantic over the story published Friday, which detailed his alleged heavy drinking and how members of his security detail have on multiple occasions had difficulty waking him. Continue reading...

Two men died at the scene after a car was seen driving in the wrong direction on the M90 near Kinross, police said Two drivers have died in a motorway crash in Scotland involving a car apparently travelling in the wrong direction on the carriageway, police have said. The two men died at the scene of the collision on the M90 near Kinross, a town in Perth and Kinross, at 10.30pm on Friday. Continue reading...

Exeter’s Jack Bycroft levels against Stockport to lift Cardiff Bromley promoted from League Two after Notts County lose Cardiff are celebrating an instant return to the Championship after results in the League One promotion race favoured the Welsh club, while Bromley have been promoted from League Two without playing. After Bradford and Bolton were held to draws in Saturday’s early games, Cardiff needed more points from there game at Reading than Stockport could manage at Exeter. Cardiff did their part, winning 3-1, but Stockport were leading 3-2 in added time at St James Park. However, Jack Bycroft, the Exeter goalkeeper, went up for a corner and headed home in the sixth minute of added time. More to follow Continue reading...

Exeter 28-35 Northampton Teams share nine tries in high-scoring contest Spring is here, the pitches are firming up and the playoff race is intensifying. As dramatic finishes go this was right up there with both Northampton and Exeter believing they had the game won at different moments. In the end the decisive thrust came from the Saints via a last-minute try from the England fly-half Fin Smith which kept the Prem leaders on track for a home semi-final It had seemed that a 77th minute try from the Chiefs’ replacement Paul Brown-Bampoe, magnificently converted from wide out by Henry Slade, would ensure three points for both teams. Instead Smith came scampering left past a couple of tired would-be Chiefs tacklers and had the pace and nerve to skip past both for a hugely valuable score. Continue reading...

Is this the moment a rough patch turns into a full blown crisis for Eddie Howe? Newcastle’s manager has now presided over four straight defeats and with his team stuck in 14th place European qualification now looks ambitious in the extreme. Howe has never beaten his old Bournemouth side in the Premier League and was forced to watch, glumly, from the technical area as Andoni Iraola’s players extended their unbeaten Premier League to a club record 13 games, rising to eighth in the process. Continue reading...

Leeds took another significant step towards Premier League survival with a second crucial victory in the space of five days, as Daniel Farke’s side dispatched of the bottom side Wolves: whose own fate is now almost officially sealed. A run of six league games without a win had threatened to drag Leeds back towards the bottom three at precisely the wrong time of the season. However, the Whites’ historic first league win at Manchester United since 1981 on Monday night was backed up in West Yorkshire with another crucial victory when it mattered most. Continue reading...

Labour calls on Nigel Farage to sack candidates and says his party’s checks ‘clearly not fit for purpose’ Reform UK’s checks on candidates are “clearly not fit for purpose”, Labour has said after two more candidates in May’s local elections were accused of making offensive or potentially racist social media posts. Meanwhile, it emerged that Restore Britain, the party set up by the MP Rupert Lowe after he left Reform, appeared to have accepted a donation from someone who has called publicly on social media for “another Hitler” to come to power. Continue reading...

⚽️ Premier League updates from the 5.30pm BST kick-off ⚽ Live scores | Latest tables | Top scorers | Email Simon Look who’s back! As it happens, Roberto De Zerbi was asked yesterday about James Maddison and the possibility of him returning from injury. This is what he said: I don’t know yet. I don’t want to push too much. I’m used to waiting for the players when they are available, totally available to play and to restart the training, because it’s better to lose one game more than to take a risk for another new injury. Continue reading...