Cannes film festival: The Irish actor plays a disillusioned Circassian chef with a knack with animals in Kantemir Balagov’s clunky third film All talented directors are allowed an off moment in their careers – and this is the stage arrived at by Kantemir Balagov, whose earlier film Beanpole was such a triumph. This follow-up – his third feature in fact – is his first English language movie, set among the expat Circassian community in New Jersey; it features star names and one colossally self-conscious icon cameo unsubtly signalling cinephile importance. Butterfly Jam is contrived, tonally uncertain, implausible and frankly plain silly in its underpowered kind of magic-unrealism, with some clunky secondhand Mean Streets mob-fraternal dialogue and pedantic ethnic-foodie cred, and elliptically positioning key scenes off camera for no obviously satisfying reason. Barry Keoghan plays Azik, a widower who with his longsuffering pregnant sister Zalda (Riley Keough) runs a Circassian food diner in Newark; as chef he cooks a sublime delens a delicious cheese and potato dish to his own (secret) recipe, accessorised with delicious jams, one of which, he whimsically announces, is made of butterflies. (He is presumably kidding but he has an amazing touch with the natural world, as we will see.) His teen son Temir (Talga Akdogan) is a talented wrestler who dreams of Olympic glory and he has a sweet crush on fellow wrestler Alika (Jaliyah Richards). Continue reading...

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Scientists are focusing on improving apples’ resilience after stressors like wild temperature swings and drought Terence Robinson still remembers the Valentine’s Day Massacre – of 2015, not 1929. For the Cornell University horticulture professor, the term doesn’t conjure up Tommy guns and Al Capone’s Chicago. Instead of a gangster, the culprit in Robinson’s massacre was the weather. And its victims were the apple orchards of the northeastern United States. Continue reading...

Fiona O’Farrell, Sarah Mulholland and Jennifer Evans on the ongoing circus surrounding potential challengers to Keir Starmer’s leadership As an active and loyal Labour member, I am infuriated by what is happening within the party (Burnham allies warn against quick ‘coronation’ of Streeting if Starmer quits, 12 May). The ongoing circus about the leadership is a terrible distraction from the numerous global and national issues that the government and the prime minister should be focused on. But the most infuriating aspect of the entire shambles is the relentless speculation and briefings from so-called “allies” of Andy Burham. No Labour member has an innate right to be selected as a parliamentary candidate. The assertion that a sitting Labour MP should give up the seat voters elected them to, necessitating a byelection so that Burnham can run, then assuming that he would automatically retain the seat, is arrogance beyond belief. And it makes the party look ridiculous. Continue reading...

Ian Williamson and Susan Gregory respond to an article by Sam Wollaston on pub closures and share experiences in their own communities For campaigners like us, who are fighting to rescue their village pub, Sam Wollaston’s article about the The Hare and Hounds in Bowland Bridge, Cumbria, could hardly be more depressing (‘Now the village is dead. It’s awful’: why was one of Britain’s best pubs forced to close?, 7 May). Wollaston is, of course, quite right about the long list of challenges that are putting pubs out of business. Yet despite the odds being stacked against us, there are groups like ours all over the country that are refusing to give up – and a good many are succeeding. We are trying to buy the Somerset Arms, which closed three years ago, leaving the Wiltshire village of Semington without a pub. We have tremendous support from the community and we take great encouragement from pubs like the Hop Pole Inn in nearby Limpley Stoke. It also stood empty for many months but has recently been named Camra’s pub of the year. I have seen for myself what a huge impact it has had on the life of the village. The Somerset Arms will rise again. We hope that the Hare and Hounds will too. Ian Williamson Chair, Semington Community Benefit Society, Wiltshire Continue reading...

A ‘case study in hope’ is not how Fernando Quintana Marrero would describe life for Londoners who feel exploited and unheard In your interview with Sadiq Khan to mark his 10 years as mayor (11 May), he describes London as a “case study in hope”. This will feel deeply disconnected from reality for many Londoners. Yes, there have been improvements in areas such as air quality. But ordinary people do not experience London through political narratives or carefully selected statistics. They experience it through soaring rents, housing insecurity, overcrowded transport, rising living costs and the growing sense that this city is becoming unaffordable for anyone on a normal salary. Continue reading...

Restaurant owner Nicola Powell says the government’s tax burden has made her poorer even as she works harder Your report (Reform wins across northern England overturn decades of Labour control, 8 May) touched on Labour losing support among small business owners. I wanted to offer the perspective of a small independent business owner who has traditionally supported Labour. Labour’s poor local election results may reflect a growing frustration among small business owners who no longer feel recognised as “working people”. In hospitality, hair and beauty, retail and trades, there are thousands upon thousands of us keeping local economies alive while taking home increasingly modest incomes ourselves. Continue reading...

Michael Hecht responds to a study calling for New Orleans residents to be relocated due to rising sea levels Here in New Orleans, we are not climate deniers. For more than 300 years, New Orleans has defended its unique position, most recently with a $15bn storm wall system that kept the city bone-dry during a category five storm. That is why it was frustrating to read the Guardian’s unquestioning coverage of a recent Nature Sustainability perspectives paper by Torbjörn Törnqvist and colleagues (‘Point of no return’: New Orleans relocation must start now due to sea level, study finds, 4 May). Rather than science, the study is an ideologically driven policy argument dressed in the guise of geological inevitability. Continue reading...

Carrick has accrued 33 points from 15 league matches United hierarchy not concerned by relative inexperience Manchester United are to open formal discussions with Michael Carrick with a view to appointing him as permanent head coach. The 44-year-old’s success since taking the role on an interim basis in early January has impressed Jason Wilcox, the director of football, and the chief executive, Omar Berrada. After replacing Ruben Amorim, who was sacked on 5 January, Carrick has returned 33 points from 15 Premier League matches, the most accrued during that span. Continue reading...

V&A South Kensington, London Indigenous and First Nations artists are the beating heart of this fascinating exhibition of contemporary art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific. It deserves a better showing Every three years, Queensland Art Gallery scours the whole of Asia, Australia and the Pacific (which is probably why it takes three years) to find the best art being made across the region. The Asia Pacific Triennial is a giant, incomprehensibly enormous task. Now, the V&A is somehow trying to sum up those three decades of art from multiple continents, dozens of island nations, countless Indigenous populations in … three rooms. Help! Continue reading...

When Malcolm X arrived at Sheffield University in December 1964, it was a young Pakistani student activist, Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, who had arranged his passage. That detail tells you much about my father, who has died aged 86. Ghayasuddin went on to co-found the Muslim Institute, one of Britain’s earliest Muslim organisations, and the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, of which he became leader in 1996. Upon taking this role he threatened a campaign of civil disobedience unless the government passed legislation protecting British Muslims. The new Labour government of 1997 took on and implemented many of his demands – funding Muslim state schools and passing equalities legislation. Continue reading...

With the PM’s future numbered in days no wonder Charles might have felt reading out the government’s agenda was not the best use of his time The king looked fed up. His attempts to throw a sickie had come to nothing. Did the government really want to go ahead with the state opening? Apparently it did. Would it be OK if he phoned it in? He fancied a day WFP. Working from palace. It wouldn’t. It was a three-line whip. One of the few occasions a monarch was obliged to attend. “My lords. Pray be seated,” Charles said. He sounded exhausted already. Where was everyone, he wondered. The Labour benches had plenty of gaps on them. The chronicle of a death foretold. Over on the Tory side of the Lords, there were fewer tiaras on display than usual. Must be because Claire’s Accessories has closed down. But at least he could see Chris Grayling. Always good to see someone being rewarded for abject failure. It’s the kind of thing that makes Britain great. Continue reading...

Spaniard victorious despite crash and late wrong turn Eulálio takes overall lead after stage marred by heavy rain Portugal’s Afonso Eulálio seized the overall lead in the Giro d’Italia despite having victory snatched away by Spaniard Igor Arrieta in the final meters of a rain-drenched stage five on Wednesday. The Bahrain Victorious rider joined solo leader Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) at the front near the summit of the Montagna Grande di Viggiano climb and, when Arrieta took a wrong turn, he looked certain to take the win. Continue reading...

Kouri Richins was convicted for lacing her husband’s cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A Utah mother who published a children’s book about grief after the death of her husband and was later found guilty of killing him will now receive her prison sentence. Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for lacing her husband’s cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl at their home near Park City in 2022. Continue reading...

Ryder Cup captain, talking before the start of the US PGA Championship, may ask Tiger Woods for his input in 2027 Jim Furyk has admitted the United States need to make the Ryder Cup more of a priority as the 56-year-old plots a reversal of fortunes at Adare Manor in September 2027. Speaking expansively for the first time since being handed the US captaincy for a second time, Furyk pointed towards an overhaul of approach to the biennial event. Furyk also suggested he will be keen to involve Tiger Woods on his backroom team. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Doctors say ‘highly concerning’ poll highlights risk to patients of turning to AI for medical advice One in seven people are using AI chatbots for health advice instead of seeing their GP, a UK study has found. The poll of more than 2,000 people found that – of the 15% turning to chatbots – one in four had done so because of long NHS waiting lists. Continue reading...

Beloved animated series will return for 36th season in the fall after telecoms giant Bell Media reaches deal with Disney Fans of Les Simpson have a message for anyone who doubted the future of the beloved and long-running Québécois version of the animated satirical show: Mange de la crotte. Les Simpson will return for its 36th season in the fall after telecoms giant Bell Media said it had reached an agreement with Disney for the rights to air and dub the show. The deal caps nearly a year of uncertainty surrounding the adaptation, which is beloved in Canada’s lone francophone province. Continue reading...

All I want is someone to help me spend my money without treating me with contempt. Thank goodness for those small, independent shops – they nail it every time Let us all rise to acclaim the local shop, the little independent establishment that always seems to have exactly what you went in for. These places are not many in number, so we must be sure to celebrate those that remain with us. Their prices might – might – be a little higher than a bloated multiple owned by some faceless private equity operation, but surely, if this is the case, it is a price worth paying. I find most shopping rather like watching my football team – a reliable source of disappointment. It’s not that I’m a particularly exacting customer. All I ask is for someone to serve me; ideally someone who doesn’t appear unhappy about taking my money off me. If they’re actively cheerful, helpful or knowledgable, so much the better. It’s not much to ask, is it? When I tell you what I’m looking for, please don’t look at me like an idiot for asking. In a health food shop the other day, I enquired as to the whereabouts of the nut roasts and she looked at me as if I’d asked for moonrock. Continue reading...

New rules would enable single-ticket bookings across multiple rail operators throughout Europe Cross-border train journeys through several European countries are the stuff of many a holidaymaker’s dreams. But the reality of trying to buy the tickets, navigating multiple websites without knowing who can help if a connection is missed, can prove less than relaxing. As one MEP puts it, it can often require “five tabs, three apps and a prayer”. Continue reading...

After drawing delighted crowds since first sighted in Orkney the young male has swum 400 miles across the North Sea A peripatetic walrus who became a local celebrity as he toured the north-east coast of Scotland has now been spotted in Norway, bringing to an end his Celtic sojourn. The young male was christened Magnus after he after first hauled his estimated 2.5-metre frame out of the sea on to Stronsay pier in Orkney on 16 April. Continue reading...

Richard Werstine, wanted in connection with killing of Cold as Life vocalist Rodney Barger, was arrested in Panama A suspect accused of murdering his rock singer friend in 1993 has been apprehended in Central America after spending more than 30 years successfully evading authorities. According to the US marshals service, Richard Werstine, who was wanted in connection with the killing of Cold as Life vocalist Rodney Barger, was arrested in Panama. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader insists the sum did not have to be declared but there are also other aspects of his finances to be addressed Farage faces inquiry over £5m gift Nigel Farage has been dogged by questions about his finances since the Guardian revealed he received a £5m gift from a donor in 2024. Although he insists the gift did not have to be declared, several important questions remain unanswered. Continue reading...

French football captain warned against prospect of far-right National Rally party gaining power The French football captain, Kylian Mbappé, has angered Marine Le Pen’s far-right party after expressing concerns about it winning next year’s presidential election. Mbappé, 27, who grew up in Paris’s northern suburbs, in a family with Algerian and Cameroonian heritage, told Vanity Fair this week: “I know what it means and what consequences it can have for my country when people like them come to power.” Continue reading...

Justices said decision was due to ‘improper external influences on the jury’ by a court clerk during the trial Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The South Carolina supreme court on Wednesday overturned the murder convictions of Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced South Carolina attorney, due to “shocking jury interference” and ordered a new trial in the 2021 killing of his wife and son. In a unanimous opinion, the justices said that “although we are aware of the time, money, and effort expended for this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial” because of what they described as “improper external influences on the jury” by a court clerk during the trial, according to CNN. Continue reading...

Researchers say rise not inevitable and it is important to unpick what is behind differences in obesity trends A continuing rise in obesity around the world is not inevitable, research suggests, with rates in some countries levelling off or potentially in decline. Researchers say focusing on what has been described as a global epidemic of obesity hides large variations in trends across different countries, sexes and age groups. Continue reading...