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These incidents are spreading - and along with them, bogus narratives casting the killer whales as marine avengersIn the opening sequence of the BBC's original Blue Planet series of 2001, TV's first real look at life within the world's oceans, a pod of orca are shown hunting a grey whale and her calf. Over and over, the killer whales jump on the calf, pushing it under the waves, determined to drown it. Once it is finally dead, after a six-hour battle, they eat only its lower jaw and tongue.I vividly remember watching this as a 10-year-old in 2001 and thinking: I wouldn't like to take on a killer whale. Lately, however, their attention seems to have turned uncomfortably close to home. In the past few years, a pod of orcas has been ramming boats in the waters off south-west Europe at seemingly increasing rates. From 52 such interactions" recorded in 2020, there were 197 in 2021, 207 last year and a steady number so far this summer. In three cases, the orcas have damaged boats so badly that they have sunk.Elle Hunt is a freelance journalistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Duvan Perez, 16, dies at Mar-Jac factory in Hattiesburg amid rollback of child labor laws across several US statesA 16-year-old from Guatemala died on Friday after sustaining a workplace injury at a poultry plant in Mississippi, authorities confirm.The child, identified as Duvan Tomas Perez, died at Mar-Jac Poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, about two hours outside of Jackson, NBC News reported. He migrated to the US six years ago from the town of Huispache and was a middle school student. Continue reading...

Judge says jury did not reach a seriously erroneous result' in finding Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writerA federal judge on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump's request for a new trial in a civil case brought by E Jean Carroll, in which a jury found the former US president liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer and awarded her $5m in damages.In a 59-page decision, US district judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said the jury did not reach a seriously erroneous result," and the 9 May verdict was not a miscarriage of justice". Continue reading...

Sister and nephew rebuke presidential hopeful over deplorable' comments about engineering' of virus to target certain groupsFamily members of Democratic presidential hopeful Robert Kennedy Jr joined the White House on Monday in condemning his deplorable" claim that Covid-19 was engineered to target some ethnic groups and spare others.The former attorney and nephew of John F Kennedy made the extraordinary assertion during a recent dinner in New York city, saying the virus was targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people". Continue reading...

Women say they were told they could not end pregnancies even though their lives and health were in dangerWomen who sued Texas after saying they were denied abortions despite serious risks to their health are headed to court Wednesday as legal challenges to abortion bans across the US continue a year after the fall of Roe v Wade.The Texas case is believed to be the first brought by women who were denied abortions since the right to an abortion in the US was overturned, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing them. Continue reading...

Scoring goals is what the USA does best. But an embarrassment of riches at the forward position means Vlatko Andonovski will face some crucial decisions when the World Cup kicks offAs the United States women's national team's final World Cup tune-up match dragged on without a goal against Wales on 10 July, a familiar question loomed: Where would the spark come from?The answer eventually came in the form of forward Trinity Rodman, who entered the game at the start of the second half and scored twice in the final 15 minutes to deliver a 2-0 victory for the United States. Continue reading...

One-time indie cinema darling Greta Gerwig is now using IP to make money for a megabucks toy company that sells vacuous, hypersexualised dolls - and no one bats an eyelidIn the early 90s, according to a story that may now have become slightly mythologised in the retelling, the actor Sarah Polley - then aged 12 - was asked by Disney executives to remove a peace sign badge she was wearing. When she refused, Disney blacklisted her. This story lost a little of its potency last month with the announcement that Polley was set to direct the new live-action" reboot of Bambi. For admirers of Polley's determinedly independent career, the record-scratch noise could not be louder: this is somebody who worked with Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and Hal Hartley for God's sake, before the age of 22.Thoughts of Polley returned this week with the now-deafening noise surrounding the release of Barbie, directed by another former queen of independent cinema, Greta Gerwig. Coming up a few years after Polley, Gerwig was so indie that her films didn't even go to Sundance, they went to South by Southwest. She was so indie that when she moved from micro-budget mumblecore movies to a scripted film with Noah Baumbach - Greenberg, in 2010 - the Guardian called it her first tentative steps into the mainstream". Greenberg was made for a budget of $25m, which it didn't make back; now Gerwig has directed Barbie, for the film arm of mega-corporation Mattel, with a budget of $145m. Gerwig's swerve into the actual mainstream prompts the question: does the phrase selling out" have any meaning any more? Continue reading...

Red alerts expected for more cities in Italy as Greece wildfires spread and brutal conditions continue in the US. Plus, grief in the age of AI

The thousands of strikers are at the frontlines of two key battles: against a future controlled by AI, and against suffocating inequalityWe're having quite an apocalyptic summer. Wildfire smoke chokes the air of major cities. Amid a brutal heatwave, striking workers muster picket lines on scorching streets. The screenwriters of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike for nearly three months. Last week they were joined by 160,000 members of Sag-Aftra, the actors' union. Hollywood is closed for business. Everyone is scared that artificial intelligence could steal away our jobs. It's hot. Tempers are short. The whole entertainment industry is out of work and angry and ready to lean into class war. It feels a little scary. It feels a little giddy. It feels like anything might happen this year.This is good. If there wasn't a huge fight happening right now, the implications would be much, much worse.Hamilton Nolan is a writer based in New York City and a member of the WGAE Continue reading...

The warming of the planet - including the most up-to-date data for 2023 - is entirely consistent with what climate modelers warned decades agoThirty years ago, the world's nations agreed to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. But what is dangerous climate change"? Just turn on the television, read the headlines of the morning paper or view your social media feeds. For we are watching it play out in real time this summer, more profoundly than ever before, in the form of unprecedented floods, heatwaves and wildfires. Now we know what dangerous climate change looks like. As has been said of obscenity, we know it when we see it. We're seeing it - and it is obscene.Scorching temperatures persist across Europe, North America and Asia, as wildfires rage from Canada to Greece. The heat is as relentless as it is intense. For example, Phoenix, Arizona, has broken its record of 18 consecutive days above 110F (43.3C). Even the nights, generally relied upon as a chance to recover from the blistering days, now offer little relief: for more than a week, nighttime temperatures in Phoenix have exceeded 90F (32.2C). Meanwhile, severe and deadly flooding has stricken South Korea, Japan, and the north-east United States, from Pennsylvania to Vermont.Michael E Mann is a professor of earth and environmental science and the director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at The University of Pennsylvania. He is author of the forthcoming book Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate CrisisSusan Joy Hassol is the director of Climate Communication. She publishes Quick Facts on the links between extreme weather and climate change Continue reading...

The world is stressful, so an adventure holiday is the last thing you need. Instead, hotels are offering fancy sleep suites and AI-powered bedsAs my wife - and all my exes - will attest, I'm really good (at staying) in bed. I'm not one of those weirdos who jumps out from under the sheets at the crack of dawn, ready to seize the day: my modus operandi has always been to remain horizontal for as long as possible, screeching five more minutes" to anyone who tries to rouse me. Some may call it laziness; I call it self-care. After all, sleep is restorative. Quality sleep adds years to your life and is great for your mental health. Why wouldn't you snooze for as long as you can?Because you have a job that requires you to get up early, that's why. Or because you have anxiety-induced insomnia. Or because you have a child who won't let you sleep a minute past 6.49am. As I have come to realise, sleep is a luxury item. I used to take slumbering for granted, but now that I'm the mother of a hyperactive toddler (is there any other kind of toddler?), sleep is something I would pay a pretty penny for. Continue reading...

Democratic candidate's recent false claim that Covid could have been ethnically targeted' is not an aberration but fits long patternRobert Kennedy Jr, a long shot Democratic candidate for US president, has a long history of racism, antisemitism and xenophobia, and should be denied a national platform, according to a damning report seen by the Guardian.Kennedy, who provoked anger last week when he was filmed falsely suggesting that the coronavirus could have been ethnically targeted" to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, is due to testify at the US Capitol in Washington on Thursday. Continue reading...

Kenneth Polite, assistant attorney general, leaving amid friction with the justice department's No 2 officialThe top official overseeing the criminal division at the US justice department is expected to step down this summer, according to three people briefed on the matter. His tenure included managing high-profile investigations into corporate crime and the January 6 Capitol attack.The departure of assistant attorney general Kenneth Polite is significant at the department given he occupies one of its most high-profile and influential roles and oversees 600 federal prosecutors. Continue reading...

The US Center for SafeSport was formed to protect athletes from abuse. But the mounting number of critics who say it's failed in its mission is reaching a critical massSince March 2017, the US Center for SafeSport has been charged by federal law to fight the scourge of sexual misconduct and other abuses in Olympic sports.The Center has established well-regarded training courses and a national database of nearly 2,000 suspended coaches, athletes and other personnel. But it has also faced barrages of criticism from all corners - accusers who find it ineffective, accused parties who say it's been weaponized, lawyers who prefer to let the US judicial system handle things, and lawmakers who occasionally fret but haven't done much to make sure the Center it founded. Continue reading...

A new documentary on the four-time NBA champion shows a man driven by a grudge against those who doubted him. But there is more to his successThe pre-draft scouting report on Stephen Curry was unsparing. Appears as though he'll always be skinny," the scouts huffed. Can overshoot and rush his shots. Doesn't like when defenses are too physical with him." But the part that figures to have Golden State Warriors fans breaking out into shoulders-shimmying guffaws is this: Do not rely on him to run your team." You can almost picture the line etched inside one of his four championship rings.There's just something magical about Steph," filmmaker Peter Nicks tells the Guardian. Continue reading...

Low-profile LIV Englishman fears the sport's reputation has been harmed but has high hopes for a blockbuster' OpenThe softly spoken can provide strident analysis. Laurie Canter looked on from afar - partly through his own volition, partly because he lacks the profile of fellow LIV rebels - as golf's occasionally vicious civil war rumbled on. Players traded verbal blows as the Saudi-backed LIV Golf became a reality. Old tours versus new tour. Supposed good versus supposed evil. It has all been particularly messy. The amiable 33-year-old's silence should not be mistaken for a lack of interest. He fears the reputation of his sport has been needlessly harmed.There have been points where it has been embarrassing to be a professional golfer," Canter says of the last 12 months. I have had teaching pros say to me that they have been embarrassed by some of the conduct that has gone on. That is not what being a golfer is about. Continue reading...

On the TV, radio and podcasts, we seem ever more fascinated with the wickedness of some and the misfortune of othersA day after a horrific stabbing in the Midlands, a resident took out her mobile phone and said to me: Listen to this, it's absolutely disgusting." She then played me an audio recording that seemed to capture some of the fatal attack on two students. We stood there, as the sun went down on a lovely summer's evening, appalled and dumbfounded.The woman said it was being circulated on WhatsApp, and she wanted me to expose the man she believed was sharing it. In order to describe it accurately, I've replayed the clip several times. If it's a true recording - and I think it probably is - it's the worst thing I've ever heard. Continue reading...

US climate envoy and former secretary of state is in Beijing for talks with senior Chinese officials amid strained US-China relationsJohn Kerry has said climate change is a universal threat" and has to be separated from politics during talks between the US and China.Kerry, the US climate envoy and former secretary of state, is in Beijing for talks with senior Chinese officials. The talks are hoped to repair relations between two sides - the world's two largest economies and carbon emitters - before the COP28 climate talks in Dubai at the end of the year. Continue reading...

Wednesday's scheduled drawing comes about nine months after California's Edwin Castro won $2.04bn in NovemberPowerball players across the US are bracing for the opportunity to win what would be the seventh-highest jackpot in American lottery history on Wednesday night.The jackpot is estimated to be about $1bn after the Powerball lottery has gone 38 consecutive drawings without a winning ticket being sold, according to the official website for the game of chance. Someone last won the Powerball on 19 April, when the top prize was nearly $253m, the jackpot - as is typical - has been growing steadily since. Continue reading...

Ex-president posts on Truth Social that he received a letter from special counsel, which could signal imminent indictment

Trooper employed by Greg Abbott's initiative expressed concern over inhumane' actions, in email reviewed by the GuardianTexas troopers employed by Greg Abbott's border patrol initiative were instructed to push children into the Rio Grande and deny migrants water in extreme heat, according to emails sent by a state employee.Nicholas Wingate, a trooper-medic from the state's department of public safety expressed concern over inhumane" actions towards migrants in a 3 July email to supervisors and reveals other unreported incidents involving migrants, the Houston Chronicle first reported. Continue reading...

Judge Aileen Cannon said she would issue a ruling later after appearing skeptical of arguments from both sidesThe federal judge presiding over Donald Trump's classified documents case signaled that she could delay the trial until 2024, appearing inclined to find that the matter was sufficiently complex after hearing arguments from prosecutors and the former president's lawyers on Tuesday.The US district court judge Aileen Cannon did not rule from the bench on a timetable during the roughly two-hour pre-trial conference at the courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, and concluded the hearing by saying she would enter a written order at a later date. Continue reading...

Florida governor and presidential hopeful tells CNN he hopes his rival is not charged after Trump says he is target of DoJ inquiryRon DeSantis said charges against Donald Trump over his election subversion that culminated in the deadly January 6 attack on Congress would not be good for the US.I hope he doesn't get charged," the Florida governor told CNN in a much-trailed interview on Tuesday. I don't think it'll be good for the country." Continue reading...

Charges announced by the state's attorney general against people who signed paperwork falsely claiming Trump won 2020 electionSixteen people who signed paperwork falsely claiming Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election in Michigan have been criminally charged, Michigan's attorney general, Dana Nessel, a Democrat, announced on Tuesday.Michigan was one of several swing states that Trump lost in 2020 in which he and his legal team convened alternate slates of electors as part of an effort to overturn the election. The Tuesday charges mark the first time any of the electors have been charged. Continue reading...

Arizona city with a population of 1.6 million had a previous record of 18 consecutive days of 110F or higher in 1974Tuesday marked the 19th day the city of Phoenix has been subjected to temperatures of at least 110F (43.3C) - the longest stretch of time spent in such brutal heat - as record-breaking summer weather continues to affect millions in the US and around the world.The US city, which is the fifth biggest in the country, with a population of about 1.6 million that is only expected to grow in the coming years, often ranks as the hottest or one of the hottest. But pushing into new territory comes with amplified risks to human health, especially for those forced to endure the extreme conditions for longer periods of time. The previous record of 18 days at that temperature threshold was set in the city in 1974. Continue reading...

Only one cooling center remains open all night, when the concrete radiates heat stored during hellish daytime hoursEven after the sun sinks below the horizon in Phoenix, Arizona, the concrete cityscape continues to cook. In the midst of a record-breaking heatwave that's kept daily highs above 110F (43.3C) for a record 19 consecutive days, the evening hours have offered little reprieve. For more than a week, low temperatures breached 90F (32.2C), breaking a grim record recently set in 2020.While the city is considered a leader in mitigating the dangers of extreme heat and has worked to secure widespread access to cooling centers and hydration stations during the scorching summer days, most facilities here close before nightfall. There's only a single center that operates around the clock in a city of more than 1.6 million people, even as dangerous conditions grow more deadly - especially for those who can't access overnight relief. Continue reading...

Florida governor and Trump's top rival for Republican presidential nomination holds first non-Fox News interview

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib say they intend to boycott address due to Israel's treatment of PalestiniansDemocratic divisions over Israel were on stark display on Tuesday, as lawmakers prepared to welcome Isaac Bougie" Herzog, the president of Israel, for an address to a joint session of Congress.Several progressive House members, including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, intend to boycott Herzog's speech on Wednesday to protest against the treatment of Palestinians under the government of Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Continue reading...

Not all buildings are created equal. From sightlines to acoustics to the alchemy of actor-audience rapport, the physical facts of a dramatic space are fundamentalWhat makes a good theatre? Critics are not the most reliable guides. We sit in the best seats, don't have to pay, and are there to assess the performance rather than the building. If ever I have wanted guidance on architectural issues, I have turned to Iain Mackintosh, who from 1973 worked for Theatre Projects Consultants, has designed many successful theatres and has now put his encyclopedic knowledge into a book called Theatre Spaces 1920-2020. But the revelation comes in the subtitle: Finding the Fun in Functionalism. At the heart of the book lies an assault on modernist concrete buildings and a celebration of any theatre where actor and audience enjoy an easy rapport.Mackintosh covers a lot of ground and tells a number of good stories, two of which relate to the old Shakespeare Memorial theatre in Stratford, which opened in 1932. Derided at the time as a jam factory", yet capable of infinite adaptation, it has long been attributed to a 29-year-old modernist architect, Elisabeth Scott. But Mackintosh implicitly endorses the view that it was the work of her father, Maurice Chesterton (cousin of the famous GK). He also quotes a story about Tyrone Guthrie, on being offered co-directorship of the theatre in 1950 by Anthony Quayle, saying he would only accept if they built a new theatre with the audience on three sides. Asked what should be done with the existing theatre, Guthrie replied, Bulldoze it and push it into the river."Theatre Spaces: 1920-2020 is published by The Society for Theatre Research and Bloomsbury-Methuen Continue reading...

Antiquities from Israel's national treasures collection have ended up at Trump's Florida estate, say reportsAncient artefacts sent from Israel to the US four years ago on a short-term basis and intended for display at a White House event have ended up at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to a report.The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Tuesday that antiquities including ancient ceramic oil lamps, part of Israel's national treasures collection, were shipped to Washington DC with the approval of the then director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel Hasson, for use in a Hanukah candle-lighting event at the White House in December 2019, when Trump was in office. Continue reading...

A 47-year-old woman from Arizona suffered significant injuries to her chest and abdomen' after incident in national parkYellowstone national park officials have reiterated warnings to stay at least 25 yards away from large wild animals - as well as 100 yards from bears and wolves - after a bison gored a 47-year-old woman from Arizona on Sunday.The goring left the woman with significant injuries to her chest and abdomen," officials said in a statement. Continue reading...

Study, which used cognitive data and population estimates, examines prevalence of the disease by countyAlzheimer's disease is most prevalent in the eastern and south-eastern US, but the highest total number of patients is in California, according to a first-of-its-kind study released on Monday.New county-by-county data released at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) showed that those regions' large populations of older people as well as Black and Hispanic residents may explain the new study's data. Continue reading...

Sky-high entitlement is causing havoc, with passengers baring their feet and complaining about their meals. Another reason to give up flyingHere is your mission, should you choose to accept it: you have to get from point A to point B in an aeroplane without causing an international incident or inspiring a viral TikTok about what an entitled nitwit you are. Sounds simple, right? Apparently, it isn't. About 76.9% of the general population, extensive analysis has led me to believe, seem to find this mission impossible.You may have also noticed this phenomenon. It's hard not to: there is a constant stream of headlines about airline passengers exhibiting sky-high entitlement. For example, earlier this month, a United Airlines flight from Houston to Amsterdam was diverted to Chicago after a business class passenger became unruly. The reason? Their first choice of meal was unavailable. Authorities should have diverted the plane to The Hague, if you ask me. Having to deal with the ignominy of being served chicken instead of beef? It may sound paltry to unrefined ears, but if you've paid almost $7,000 for your ticket, it's a veritable crime against humanity. Continue reading...

Trump's legal team argued that Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis and her office should be barred from seeking chargesGeorgia's highest court Monday rejected a request by Donald Trump to block a district attorney from prosecuting the former president for his actions in the wake his 2020 election defeat.The Georgia supreme court unanimously shot down a petition that Trump's attorneys filed last week asking the court to intervene. Trump's legal team argued that Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis and her office should be barred from seeking charges and that a special grand jury report that is part of the inquiry should be thrown out. Continue reading...

The new law will not act as the deterrent the UK government says it will - it just puts more vulnerable people in harm's wayThere have been a number of migration bills in recent years, but make no mistake: the illegal migration bill that has now passed through parliament is a watershed moment. It will go down in history as a milestone like no other. As the UN has said, it extinguishes access to asylum" in the UK for anyone arriving by a route the government deems irregular".Pause for a moment and consider what that means. These are all people, like you and me. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. They aren't all illegals", as the government claims. They are the family from Syria who saw their neighbours killed by bombs. Sudanese people fleeing the brutal war that is raging in their country. Iranians escaping persecution. And Afghans, who made up the largest nationality coming across the Channel in the first three months of this year. Continue reading...

Homicide suspect who had used bed sheets to escape from Pennsylvania jail captured after nine daysA couple checking out a barking dog on their north-western Pennsylvania property over the weekend led to the capture of a homicide suspect who had used bed sheets to escape from jail, authorities have said.Michael Burham, 34, was captured nine days after he fled the Warrencounty jail in the late evening hours of 6 July by climbing on exercise equipment, going through a window and scaling down a rope fashioned from jail bedding, authorities said. Continue reading...

The record crowds that flocked to Nevada were treated to lots more than the Victor Wembanyama Show. Our correspondent in the desert empties her notebookThe most common mistake people make post-Vegas is overreacting, whether positive or negative. Yes, the NBA's Summer League provides a high-profile showcase for undrafted and G League players to show their mettle, so if they impress, it shouldn't be discounted. And some rookies display their rough edges in their first NBA-branded outing in ways that might raise flags for concern. But, on the whole, sweeping generalizations from the past 11 days shouldn't be made in either direction off a handful of games that in the long run don't carry a whole lot of weight. Continue reading...

Estimated 60 to 100 rabbits are descendants of a group a backyard breeder illegally let loose when she moved awayDozens of feral rabbits are driving some residents of a Florida neighborhood hopping mad after the furry creatures that were let loose are taking over the streets and are multiplying like - rabbits.In the suburbs of Fort Lauderdale, there's a new invasive species" to contend with in a state all too familiar with the destructive habits of non-native animals. These include Burmese pythons and the iguanas that can voraciously consume their way to local wildlife dominance, as well as lionfish and giant African snails. Continue reading...

Highs of between 46 and 48C forecast in Sicily and Sardinia, as parts of Europe, Asia and North America face surging temperatures. Plus, why first loves can shape our lives for ever

For Democratic leaders like Joe Biden, Herzog embodies the good Israel. Unfortunately, they are wrongWhy are President Biden and Democratic leaders in Congress so eager to welcome Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, to Washington this week? Because he's an Israeli leader not named Benjamin Netanyahu.Many Democrats revile Netanyahu, who undermined Barack Obamaand leads a government determined to entrench Israel's brutal and undemocratic occupation of the West Bank. They also fear that legitimizing Netanyahu could strengthen his efforts to defenestrate Israel's judiciary.Peter Beinart (@PeterBeinart) is a professor of journalism and political science at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York. He is also an editor-at-large of Jewish Currents and writes The Beinart Notebook, a weekly newsletter Continue reading...

When I was the New York Times public editor, Kennedy vented on the phone - his ugly theories have sullied the family nameMy assistant in the New York Times public editor's office said Robert F Kennedy was on the phone. Did I want to take the call?This was roughly a decade ago, but I still remember being momentarily confused. Assassinated in 1968, RFK was long gone, and though we did get some unusual calls in the public editor's office, they tended to be from the living.Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...

Heider Garcia, Tarrant county's elections administrator, quit after an election crimes taskforce was set up, which critics say undermines confidenceOn 22 November 2020, Heider Garcia, the elections administrator for Tarrant county, Texas, was awake in his living room until around 3am, unable to sleep over fears that a stranger might show up at his house, he recalled.An account had posted his family's home address on Twitter during weeks of false conspiracy theories and death threats about his role in the 2020 election. Donald Trump's supporters refused to believe that Tarrant county, a major, diverse county that encompasses the cities of Fort Worth and Arlington, had broken its Republican voting patterns for Joe Biden. Continue reading...

Our cartoonist takes us on a journey of memorable moments from the tournament's colourful history

CCTV cameras captured a wildfire ripping through a valley in California as the state experienced record high temperatures during the heatwave that began scorching the region last week.Firefighters continued battling a large brush blaze nicknamed the Rabbit Fire near Beaumont in Riverside County. The fire started burning on Friday and has covered more than 3,200 hectares. It was 35% contained by Monday, according to the Riverside County fire department.Heat warnings remained in effect for the region, while the ongoing heatwave continues to bring oppressive conditions to central California

USA are favourites for an unprecedented third World Cup win in a row but uncertainty surrounds an injury-ravaged team grappling with changeThis is not the USA women's team you think it is. Yes, USA are in search of an unprecedented third successive World Cup title. Yes, USA are still ranked No 1 in the world by Fifa. And yes, there is a target on their collective back as one of the perennial favourites at any major tournament. The players who won in 2019 though? They are mostly absent.Just nine of the 23 named in USA's World Cup squad were part of the triumph four years ago, of whom only five also took part at the 2015 tournament. News of captain Becky Sauerbrunn's foot injury, which will keep her out of what would have been the 38-year-old's fourth World Cup, only underscores the dramatic turnover that has played out during the past 18 months. If USA are to threepeat", they will do so with a vastly younger and less experienced group. Continue reading...

Big data has helped the music industry sell us only what we already like - but the results are less alive and less surprisingI was 14 when Kurt Cobain of Nirvana appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a T-shirt that said CORPORATE MAGAZINES STILL SUCK". Even at that tender age, I found his message worrisome: if Rolling Stone sucked, why was he on the cover? Maybe the shirt was ironic. Maybe his participation in the profile was ironic. Or maybe, alarmingly, he saw no contradiction between his shirt and his appearance in this corporate magazine, because we were all supposed to understand that any assertion of meaningful values in popular music was inherently bunk, even though many of the songs on Nevermind were clearly about me.Cobain's interview did not do much to resolve these ambiguities. After limply defending Rolling Stone as having some good articles, he added: I don't blame the average 17-year-old punk-rock kid for calling me a sellout."Dan Brooks is a writer based in Montana Continue reading...