Taiwan, tariffs and the strait of Hormuz are on the meeting’s agenda for Beijing – but will the US president be forced to ask for help in ending his war with Iran? On 20 February, a White House official confirmed that US president Donald Trump would be travelling to Beijing the following month to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Top of the agenda: the US-China trade war. One week later, Trump approved joint strikes with Israel against Iran, starting a new war in the Middle East. Its ramifications have spread far beyond the region and caused alarm in Beijing. The presidential summit was postponed. Continue reading...

Research from UCL suggests visiting art galleries or museums, singing and painting can help improve health outcomes Singing, painting or visiting a gallery or museum helps people age more slowly, according to the latest study to link taking an active interest in art and culture with improved health. The findings are the first to show that both participating in arts activities and attending events, such as viewing an exhibition, lead to people staying biologically younger. Continue reading...

Dip in credit card spending in April, particularly on travel, suggests Britons preparing for harder times amid Iran war fallout Households cut back on their spending in April at the fastest pace in 18 months, as the conflict in the Middle East provoked fears of another cost of living crisis, a report from one of the UK’s biggest banks has suggested. Barclays, which processes nearly 40% of the UK’s credit and debit card transactions, said its data showed there had been a 0.1% fall in card spending last month compared with a year earlier. This was the first year-on-year fall since November 2024. Continue reading...

More than 100 figures sign open letter criticising closure, just months after MA was launched More than 100 academics, writers and activists from around the world have signed an open letter condemning plans to close an MA in Black studies and global justice at Birmingham City University (BCU), just months after it was first launched. The move follows the controversial closure of BCU’s undergraduate course in Black studies in 2024, and has prompted warnings that Black studies are being erased from UK higher education. Continue reading...

The trial has exposed even more details about OpenAI’s fractious corporate past than previously documented OpenAI, despite its name, is usually extremely secretive about its operations. It promotes a carefully crafted image to the world. Over the course of Elon Musk’s case against the startup and its CEO Sam Altman, however, the artificial intelligence firm has been forced to publicly contend with some of the messiest parts of its rise to power in public. The Musk v OpenAI trial, which on Monday entered its third week, has featured a who’s who of Silicon Valley testifying about OpenAI’s past and its CEO’s contentious leadership. Musk’s attorneys have used former executives, private text messages, diary entries and internal email exchanges to portray Altman as untrustworthy. Altman, who denies Musk’s allegations, will take the stand in the coming days. OpenAI has likewise issued denials. Continue reading...

Eating diet rich in polyphenols can lower likelihood of shorter DNA endings linked to age-related diseases Eating fruit and drinking a cup of coffee a day could halve the risk of cells ageing unhealthily, research suggests. Foods rich in polyphenols such as berries, apples, coffee, cocoa and tea are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but a new study has found they are also associated with a lower risk of short telomeres, the “ends” or caps of DNA that, when shorter, increase the risk of cell death and unhealthy ageing. Continue reading...

In a rare public appearance, Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams warned of ‘networks of powerful elites’ using wealth and influence to silence dissenting voices Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams and the late Virginia Giuffre have jointly won the Freedom to Publish prize at this year’s British book awards, marking the first time the award has been shared. Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook executive, was recognised for Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism, her bestselling memoir about her years inside Meta, formerly Facebook. The book makes allegations about the company’s internal culture and practices, including its approach to political influence, China and the wellbeing of teenagers. Meta has disputed the claims. Continue reading...

The last survivors of the blitz share their stories to mark 85 years since it ended. It is a hugely moving film that is all too relevant today – but what a privilege it is to witness Over the decades since the second world war, the “blitz spirit” has been in danger of becoming a slightly trite article of national faith. Most recently invoked during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is used to imply a uniquely British pluck; the notion of stoicism as a resource that the UK can always call upon in times of adversity. Inevitably, the “blitz spirit” is a phrase most commonly used by people who don’t remember the blitz. This is partly because anyone who can remember the blitz is now at least in their late 80s. But it’s also because, as a lived experience, the blitz was clearly not something that lent itself to sentimental homilies. This wonderful, moving film is, for both of those reasons, a hugely important piece of social history. The voices of these witnesses to the Luftwaffe’s “lightning war” are variously lyrical, wistful, resolute and deeply regretful. We see them as they play with grandchildren, visit old haunts, attend yoga classes. Their wartime experiences are clearly a backdrop to their lives but very present all the same. They are offered up not quite as a corrective to national myths, but certainly with a harder edge than is customary; as a sobering reminder that to evoke the blitz is to evoke deep trauma. Continue reading...

Millwall’s Championship playoff curse continues. It is now four times they have come within touching distance of reaching the promised land of the Premier League only to fall at the semi-final stage. After defeats in 1991, 1994 and 2002, this one will be especially hard to take given that Alex Neil’s side finished 10 points clear of Hull, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion on the final day. But on a night when Millwall were heavy favourites to make it to Wembley, instead it was Mohamed Belloumi who stole the show for Sergej Jakirovic’s side with a stunning opening goal before fellow substitute Joe Gelhardt rubbed their noses in it. While the only silver lining for Millwall’s supporters is that it looks like they will get the chance to renew acquaintances with West Ham, whom they last played in 2012, Hull become the first team to finish sixth and reach the playoff final since Frank Lampard’s Derby in 2019 and will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds against whoever they face. Continue reading...

The story should have been about Mathys Tel deciding it was time to unfurl the brilliance that took the French forward to Bayern Munich when he was a teenager. Tottenham were closing in on survival when the 21-year-old broke the deadlock against Leeds United but Roberto De Zerbi has been in north London long enough to know nothing is straightforward when his team play at home. Disaster was on the way, Tel’s wild challenge on Ethan Ampadu allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to equalise from the spot. Tottenham, who have not won at home in the league since December, had missed the chance to move four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham with two games to play. It is likely that this shootout for survival with West Ham will come down to whether Tottenham can win when they host Everton on the final day. Continue reading...

World No 3 through to last eight after 6-2, 6-1 win Sinner trounces Popyrin to set up Pellegrino meeting Iga Swiatek produced a statement victory in a battle between two of the game’s best, mercilessly dismantling Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-1 to return to the quarter-finals of the Italian Open. This was the type of confidence-building performance Swiatek, the fourth seed, has been seeking for some time. After a tense opening four games, the four-time French Open champion put together a near flawless match, winning 10 of the last 11 games. Swiatek found a sweet balance between stifling Osaka with her heavy topspin and offensive weaponry while also drawing errors from her adversary with her tireless consistency. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer kicked off the day with a speech aimed at persuading MPs against launching any kind of leadership challenge. By lunchtime, Angela Rayner was speaking at the CWU conference calling for Andy Burnham to return. In the afternoon the list of MPs calling on him to resign was slowly creeping up but no challenge has materialised. Why is the Labour party in such a muddle over Starmer? Continue reading...

‘It’s going to be really hard … but how fun would that be?’ Bradley is in field for this week’s PGA Championship Keegan Bradley still reflects on the pain of captaining the United States to home Ryder Cup defeat last year but says he would love to make the 2027 team as a player. Bradley took full responsibility as his USA side endured a chastening first two days at Bethpage Black last September, slipping to a record 11.5-4.5 deficit, before a valiant fightback fell short. Continue reading...

Spanish health minister says MV Hondius passenger, now in a ‘critical state’, had been suffering flu-like symptoms A French woman who tested positive for hantavirus after she was evacuated from a cruise ship reported symptoms to doctors onboard but was told it was probably just anxiety, the Spanish health minister has said. Javier Padilla told the Guardian the woman, who had been travelling on the ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak, had been suffering flu-like symptoms but they appeared to be getting better and she did not have a fever. The World Health Organization later said the woman was in a “very critical” condition. Continue reading...

A growing number of Labour MPs are in no mood to heed calls from the PM’s allies to keep faith with their leader UK politics live – latest updates “Has Keir done enough to survive?” was the question anxious Labour MPs were asking each other throughout Monday, after the speech regarded by many as crucial to Starmer’s chances of political survival. But the anxiety for many of them – badly bruised by Thursday’s election crushing – did not stem from concern the prime minister might be ousted. But that he would not. Continue reading...

Violence in Guerrero state has driven as many as 1,000 households from their homes, rights group says Hundreds of Indigenous families have been forced to flee their homes in the mountains of central Mexico by intense attacks from a local criminal group, including drone bombings, an Indigenous rights organisation said on Monday. A gang known as Los Ardillos has been carrying out attacks in Guerrero state for years, but they started to intensify last week. Villages were subjected to eight hours of bombings on Saturday, the National Indigenous Congress said, forcing between 800 to 1,000 families to flee to other towns. Continue reading...

⚽️ Premier League updates from 8pm BST ⚽️ Kinsky exorcises demons after Atlético debacle | Mail Simon Roberto De Zerbi has a chat with Sky: We played very well in Birmingham [beating Aston Villa 2-1], and I think the whole idea was to keep the same first XI. But I’m lucky also on the bench I have good players. We have to forget the last two wins. We have to keep just the same spirit, the same style of play, because we need to play football if we want another win tonight. And to be positive, but we can’t forget what the situation was two weeks ago. Nothing changes, especially in the Premier League. You see Burnley against Villa yesterday – all games are very tough. To win we have to play our best, to fight, to run, to work, but to play according to our qualities. For sure, the first 10 minutes we have to start strong to [keep] the fans with us. But we have to play 90 minutes and extra time, because we are not in a condition to think we can close the game inside 90 minutes. Continue reading...

⚽️ Championship playoff updates from 8pm BST ⚽️ First leg match report | Mail Daniel Neil keeps the same Millwall XI; Jakirovic makes two changes in personnel, Semi Ajayi and Kyle Joseph replacing Mohamed Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt, and one in formation, Friday’s 4-2-3-1 swapped for a 3-4-2-1. Millwall (4-2-3-1): Patterson; Leonard, Crama, Cooper, Sturge; De Norre, Mazou-Sacko; Azeez, Neghli, Ballo; Coburn. Subs: Crocombe, McNamara, Mitchell, Ivanovic, Doughty, Langstaff, Watson, Cundle, Bannan. Continue reading...

VAR will rule on corners and second yellows at World Cup PGMO fears change will put more pressure on officials The Premier League is to reject widening the scope of VAR next season after talks with the refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO). Under a regulation change approved by the International Football Association Board (Ifab) in February, the video assistant referee will be permitted to rule on the award of corners and second yellow cards from next month, with referees to use the powers at the World Cup after a request from Fifa. Ifab has made the new law discretionary, however, allowing leagues and competitions to decide whether to adopt it. The Premier League’s final decision will be made by the clubs at their annual general meeting next month, but PGMO has advised against extending the use of VAR. Continue reading...

After disastrous elections, Labour MPs voice public doubts over whether the prime minister can politically survive at all The clock is ticking on Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour party. He had begun Monday morning with a speech designed to save his premiership after it was routed in local and devolved elections last week. In it he attempted a political synthesis by occupying Reform’s terrain of national pride without the xenophobia, adopting the left’s language of industrial revival without class antagonism and repositioning Labour as culturally pro-European without reopening the Brexit settlement. It did not succeed. By the afternoon, scores of MPs from across the party had publicly demanded that the prime minister leave office in an “orderly transition”. As the hours passed, the rhetoric crossed an important threshold: from criticism of strategy to questioning Sir Keir’s legitimacy as leader. Labour MPs increasingly say that voters do not trust, or believe, Sir Keir. Nor do they see the change the Labour government promised to deliver. Backbenchers are clearly saying the prime minister’s leadership is the issue. The instinctively loyal MP Catherine McKinnell put it in stark terms. The message from voters, she said, was clear: “The Labour government has to change, or we will change the Labour government.” Continue reading...

Fifa’s embrace of dynamic pricing and resale markets has led to sky-high costs and a speculative free-for-all, betraying the spirit of the beautiful game In What Money Can’t Buy, his 2012 critique of a world where everything is for sale, Michael Sandel laments what he calls “the skyboxification of American life”. Price gouging and profiteering, Mr Sandel notes, can exclude millions from communal experiences that should unite people, rather than divide them according to the size of their wallets. That is “not good for democracy, nor is it a satisfying way to live”. Ahead of the men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next month, millions of football fans would readily agree with the Harvard philosopher. Gianni Infantino, the president of the sport’s global governing body, Fifa, has predicted that this summer’s tournament will be the “greatest and most inclusive … ever”. But the lead-up has been overshadowed by a ticketing strategy that is almost surreally indifferent to the battered traditions of “the people’s game”. Continue reading...

Drone strikes, mounting casualties and a distracted US president means a slow-motion victory is in doubt Vladimir Putin suggested that the war in Ukraine may be “coming to an end” on Saturday – comments that raise the question of why the Russian president might want to turn the spotlight on to a possible end to the war now given how the fighting is evolving. Continue reading...

Stuart Prior, who was elected in Essex last week, allegedly celebrated the rape of Sikh woman and called Muslim people ‘rats’ A Reform UK councillor has resigned days after being elected, after he allegedly celebrated on social media the rape of a Sikh woman in the Midlands, declared white people the “master race” and called Muslim people “rats”. Stuart Prior was elected as a councillor for Essex county council last Thursday, winning 2,404 votes, the highest total of any candidate in the ward. Continue reading...

Chuck Schumer accuses GOP of ‘asking working families to pay the price while Trump pockets the perks’ in letter US politics live – latest updates Chuck Schumer, the US Senate’s top Democrat, has vowed to oppose a Republican plan to spend $1bn on security improvements for the ballroom Donald Trump is seeking to build on the White House’s former East Wing. The money is set to be included in a measure Republicans plan to pass that would allocate about $70bn to the federal agencies leading Trump’s mass deportation campaign, with the intention of keeping them operational through the remainder of the president’s term. Continue reading...

Move comes after PM insisted he would prove his doubters wrong and fight any leadership challenge UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer’s grip on power appeared to be slipping away on Monday as more than 70 Labour MPs publicly urged him to set out a timetable for his departure, despite his pledging to fight any challenge. The prime minister warned the country would “never forgive” Labour for plunging into the chaos of a leadership election – and that he intended to prove his doubters inside and outside the party wrong. Continue reading...