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I discovered a new side of myself last week. And I didn't much enjoy itI was given an award last week. It was a grand prix, if you don't mind, at the Croatian national tourist board's Golden Pen awards in Dubrovnik. The garland was hung around my neck for a thing I did about the island of Murter on Shaun Keaveny's BBC Radio 4 series Your Place or Mine. I'll spare you the humble stuff along the lines of: Aw, shucks. Me? Really?" This award was richly deserved - less for my contribution to Shaun's splendid show than for a lifetime spent using my privileged position in the British media to bang on about my mum's home country.At the ceremony I was asked to appear live on Croatian television. I'd not been so nervous about anything in years. As we waited to go live, the interviewer, alarmed that I was deadly quiet, sweating profusely and all wibbly-wobbly about the legs, asked me if I was all right. Was it that I was more used to radio than television? I explained that I was terrified of making a fool of myself speaking publicly in such poor Croatian. But then the light went on and I babbled and burbled my way through it, and everyone seemed happy. Continue reading...

The Guardian US investigated claims that the famed entertainer selected girls and women from his audiences and subjected them to sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior. Copperfield's lawyers say the allegations are false and entirely without foundation'

A majority of Israel's Jews today are not descended from Europe, but rather from Arab nations. To expect them to leave Israel is unprecedented, unrealistic and wrongThough not a prevalent catchphrase in the student demonstrations, the slogan Jews/Israelis go back to Europe" has garnered national, and even international, attention. This phrase, like the much more popular phrase from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," is troubling because it attempts to negate the existence of the Jewish state of Israel. The Go back to Europe" chant also ignores the fact that the majority of Israelis today don't come from European backgrounds.Another slogan heard at rallies calls for ending the 75-year occupation", pointing not to the occupation of the West Bank or Gaza, which dates back to 1967, but rather to the date when Israel was founded as a modern nation.Jo-Ann Mort is co-author of Our Hearts Invented a Place: Can Kibbutzim Survive in Today's Israel? She writes frequently about Israel for US, UK and Israeli publications. Continue reading...

We asked Jewish students at US universities what they think about pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Our panel respondsI was in California for Passover when the encampment first came up. I was excited because I want to see an end to what Human Rights Watch calls a system of apartheid, which refers to the fact that there are over 65 laws discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel, roads in the West Bank are segregated, Israelis have civil law while Palestinians have military law, water allotment is unequal and so much more.Theo Goldstine is an undergraduate at New York University studying international politics and computer scienceBenjamin Kersten is a PhD candidate in art history at UCLA, a fellow at the Leve Center for Jewish Studies and a member of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) at UCLA Continue reading...

The pop star has been draped in the star-spangled banner for her album. This pride in the flag is misplacedBeyonce is coupling her album, Cowboy Carter, with Americana-themed images. She straddles a white horse and holds the US flag in the album's cover art. In other photos, the flag is everything, everywhere, all at once - capes, boots, bomber jackets with leather frills, durags, sashes, scarves and hair beads. Unlike white artists who drape themselves in red, white and blue, Mrs Carter becomes a billionaire cultural astronaut, and drives the flag pole down into the ground as a stake for Black America. Capitalists will claim the territory. Levi's stock jumped 20% the week after Beyonce dropped its name on the album (the US denim brand is mostly made in China, India and Bangladesh). US flag apparel manufacturers might hope that the Cowboy Carter tour will do for them what Renaissance did for silvers and sequins.The timing is terrible. The timing is always terrible to be a voluntary brand ambassador for the United States, intended or not. Economic inequality is increasing. Black people overwhelmingly experience the most hate crimes, which have soared by nearly 50% since 2019. The nation is always at war. Currently, Congress is Israel's personal Instacart for bombs against Palestinians trapped in Gaza. Yet is it possible for Cowboy Carter fans to separate Beyonce's pride in being a Black American woman, a southerner and Texan, from what the US has historically done, and is doing right now? Continue reading...

US secretary of state took to stage with his guitar to perform Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World

After a tabulation error led to felony charges against his predecessor, Eric Olsen almost quit, but stayed to rebuild trustEric Olsen thought his job was going to kill him.He had been the head of elections in Prince William county, Virginia, for almost a year when he unexpectedly announced during an electoral board meeting in October 2022 that he'd be resigning soon. He was dealing with a serious heart condition and worried about the impact of the debilitating stress" of his new job. Continue reading...

By moving Sergei Shoigu and promoting key allies, Russia's leader is shoring up the military-industrial complex that justifies his survivalWhen the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, was removed from his post and appointed head of the security council this week, there were two big questions on everyone's mind. What would his successor, Andrei Belousov, bring to the table, and what would happen to the former head of the security council, Nikolai Patrushev - reputed to be the second most powerful man in Russia and seen by many as a potential successor to Vladimir Putin?The second question has a straightforward answer. Patrushev, it seems, is being sidelined. Yesterday, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Patrushev had been appointed to the grand position of presidential aide for shipbuilding - barring any further surprise moves, this is a considerable downgrade in role.Samantha de Bendern is an associate fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House and a political commentator on LCI television in France Continue reading...

You assumed the entertainer was talking about her sexuality when she said she was queer'? What an old-fashioned way of thinking!I have some inspiring news for heterosexuals who may be struggling with their lifestyle choices: Dannii Minogue has bravely come out as straight.Why did the 52-year-old, who has a long-term boyfriend, feel she needed to come out now? Well, it seems that Minogue may have misunderstood what the word queer means. Earlier this month, you see, the entertainer was doing a Q&A about a new gay dating reality TV series she's hosting called I Kissed a Girl, and was asked if she was attracted to women. Minogue replied: You girls are hot. You know it. I love it. I'm here for it. Is that an answer?" Not really, to be honest. Still, she also helpfully clarified that she identifies as queer in a weird way". Continue reading...

In the middle of the Mojave desert, the US army has built a huge set to prepare its soldiers for combat, filled with actors, tanks, explosions - and even fake newsIn the middle of California's Mojave desert, down a long, bumpy track that winds past barren hills and arid ravines, there is a town like no other. The first unusual sight is a golden onion dome poking up on the horizon, crowning a pale blue minaret. It rises above a cluster of boxy, tan-coloured buildings that form a network of narrow alleyways around a central street where a lively market is in full swing. Some of the buildings are topped with decorative crenellations, others have big plastic water butts on their roofs, some are adorned with plaster columns with a faintly Middle Eastern air. The buildings become simpler as they get farther from the centre of town, fading into blank grey boxes with window-shaped cutouts in the hazy distance.It looks as if it could be a film set for Hollywood's latest Arabian epic, or a new live-action Disney show, ready for Aladdin to swoop in on his carpet. But this is a theatre of a very different kind. It is not Aladdin but an Apache helicopter that suddenly appears overhead, its blades narrowly missing the minaret as a rapid volley of gunfire echoes through the streets. A tank rumbles around the corner, aiming towards a building on which armed figures patrol the roof. There's a big bang, and clouds of smoke engulf the street. A human body starts convulsing on the ground, spurting with fake blood. Continue reading...

Dealing with slurs is nothing new for basketball stars. But some believe harassment has become more severe in the age of smartphones and social mediaFormer NBA champion Jim Chones, who won a ring with the 1980 Showtime Lakers, believes the relationship between fans and players has changed since his era. In decades past, the NBA was purely a sports league, one that provided entertainment to those in the seats or watching on television. Now, though, he says, it's an entire social network."This fan is different," Chones tells the Guardian. If you're basing what a fan is on traditional values and issues and character, you're going to miss the whole boat." Continue reading...

The city has had enough of stag parties and red-light gawpers. But it will take more than an online quiz to curb over-tourismAn online quiz is the latest strategy with which Amsterdam hopes to deter nuisance tourists. The quiz is called Amsterdam Rules, and is meant to appear in search results about the city. It asks for the reasons why you desire to visit the Dutch capital. If you respond: for a stag party, a pub crawl or to smoke marijuana in public, you'll be told that you will be disappointed, because it's no longer allowed.The quiz is just one in a long series of experiments with which Amsterdam has tried to reduce the disruption caused by the hordes of tourists who come to the city to party wildly.Renate van der Zee is a Dutch writer and journalist Continue reading...

Israel poses a palpable, unprecedented risk to medical workers in Gaza with their systemic disregard for international humanitarian law

First-time candidate, who lost after pro-Israel group spent millions supporting another Democrat, defeated by senator Sarah ElfrethFormer US Capitol police officer Harry Dunn has lost his congressional primary election in Maryland, after a pro-Israel group spent millions of dollars supporting another Democrat in the crowded race.Dunn, a first-time candidate who gained national attention after publishing a book about his experiences protecting lawmakers during the January 6 insurrection, lost to state senator Sarah Elfreth in Maryland's third congressional district. Continue reading...

Alsobrooks beats Dave Trone and Hogan wins Republican primary, setting up November clash that could determine control of SenateDemocrat Angela Alsobrooks will face off against former Republican governor Larry Hogan in the Maryland Senate race this November, setting up an unexpectedly competitive election in the reliably Democratic state. Republicans have a rare opportunity to flip a Senate seat in Maryland, and the outcome of that race could determine control of the upper chamber in November.Alsobrooks and Hogan won their parties' Senate primaries on Tuesday, as Maryland voters cast ballots in the presidential race as well as congressional elections. Joe Biden and Donald Trump easily won the state's primaries after already securing enough delegates to capture their parties' nominations. Continue reading...

Funds from plan, designed to build treatment centers and clinics, made available early as state grapples with homelessness crisisCalifornia governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that $3.3bn would be made available from the state's new mental health bond ahead of schedule to build more behavioral health treatment centers and homeless housing as the state grapples with a growing homelessness crisis.It's the first pot of money from a ballot measure designed to help cities, counties, tribes and developers build or renovate treatment centers and clinics, among other things. Voters passed it by a razor-thin margin in March after Newsom threw all of his political weight behind it, touting it as linchpin of the state's efforts to reduce homelessness. Continue reading...

Government weighing prosecution after aircraft maker failed to meet terms of $2.5bn deal stemming from 2018 and 2019 crashesBoeing has violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft, the US justice department told a federal judge on Tuesday.It is now up to the justice department to decide whether to file charges against the aircraft maker amid increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than 7 July how they plan to proceed, the justice department said. Continue reading...

As former US president Donald Trump's hush-money trial plays out in New York, Matilda Boseley breaks down the details on her whiteboard. Here's how former adult film star Stormy Daniels, disbarred lawyer Michael Cohen and tabloid boss David Pecker fit into a sprawling legal story that could have implications for the 2024 US election.

About 53 people were onboard bus heading to local watermelon farm to work for private company when crash occurredEight people were killed and dozens injured after a bus carrying migrant workers to a local farm crashed in Florida early Tuesday.The crash happened around 6.30am in west Marion county, Florida, according to the Florida highway patrol, WCJB reported. Continue reading...

Todd Blanche seemed to be looking for a gotcha' - instead there was laughter in the viewing room and one irked judge

The former attorney and fixer returned to the stand on Tuesday and offered more incriminating testimony about his ex-boss

Star witness in hush-money trial walked through key elements of case as defense lawyers sought to undermine his credibility

This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest reporting from court here:

This live blog is now closed but you can read our full report here:

Cryptic posts by Roaring Kitty' prompt flurry of speculation and boost shares in a string of meme stocks, including BlackBerryShares in GameStop and AMC Entertainment doubled again on Tuesday, before losing ground, as a turbulent market frenzy surrounding top meme stocks took hold for a second day.Retail traders' interest in GameStop, the struggling video games chain, has been reignited by the re-emergence of an influencer known as Roaring Kitty. Continue reading...

House speaker makes appearance outside court where former president is on trial over hush-money payments to adult film starThe US House was in session on Tuesday with vital business to complete but its speaker, Mike Johnson, was 200 miles north, attending another day in the criminal trial of Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee charged over hush-money payments to an adult film star who claimed an affair.President Trump is innocent of these charges," Johnson said outside court in Manhattan, where Trump faces the first 34 of 88 criminal counts. Continue reading...

Significant advances by Vladimir Putin's forces in the Kharkiv region must concentrate minds in the west at a critical momentAntony Blinken's unannounced visit to Kyiv on Tuesday was a welcome and timely show of support. It was the US secretary of state's first trip to Ukraine since America belatedly signed off on a $61bn aid package last month, allowing a desperately needed supply of new arms to finally flow to troops in the east. As Mr Blinken met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the capital, events continued to underline how urgently such assistance - and much more of the same - is required.The ultimate scope of Russia's significant offensive in the Kharkiv region is yet to become clear. In part it may be intended to create a buffer zone, protecting Russian territory close to the north-east border. But as thousands of residents are once more displaced, and the prospect looms of a huge artillery assault on the city of Kharkiv, the incursions are also diverting threadbare Ukrainian resources from the eastern front. That may facilitate new Russian breakthroughs in the Donbas region. Continue reading...

State lawmakers add amendment to anti-abortion bill to reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV drugsLouisiana may soon become the first state in the country to pass a bill adding two common abortion pills to the state's list of controlled dangerous substances, leading individuals who are caught with the drugs and lack authorization to potentially face years in prison.Like the rest of the US deep south, Louisiana already bans almost all abortions. But recently, when a house committee in the Republican-controlled legislature debated a bill to ban people from performing abortions on people without their consent, lawmakers added an amendment to reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs typically used in medication abortions, as Schedule IV drugs. Continue reading...

Southern states experience power outages and flight delays as severe weather continues to batter regionTwo people died on Monday night in Louisiana in the wake of deadly tornadoes sweeping the US south.As severe weather continues to batter the US, states from Texas to Florida are seeing destruction and disruption of daily life, including power outages, road closures and flight delays. Continue reading...

His journey to Christianity was very moving, and infinitely more spiritual than his trip to the police station to deny criminal allegationsA hazmat dredger, please, to the stretch of the River Thames in which Russell Brand was recently baptised, in an event apparently conducted by TV adventurer and chief scout Bear Grylls. I know, it's incredible: Thames Water is no longer responsible for the biggest piece of shit in the river.In his mystical biography of the Thames, Peter Ackroyd observed: There are some parts of the river that create or harbour distinct properties that are not susceptible to rational analysis." And I think we might be dealing with one of those properties right here. Rational analysis deserts me as I survey a recently released photo of a topless Brand, a topless Bear, and the unidentified owner of what appears to be an S-reg Japanese hannya mask back tattoo embracing in the waist-deep current. Then again, it's possible the third figure is actually identified. The Brand-penned caption on this Insta-trocity runs: Me, Bear Grylls, The River Thames and of course, The Holy Spirit." Sorry, but does the Holy Spirit now have a back tattoo? Game's gone.Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Trump's ex-lawyer testifies in Manhattan court that repayments began shortly after February 2017 meeting in Oval Office

Court grants motion to stay enforcement of near-total ban for 90 days as Democratic attorney general weighs next stepsThe Arizona supreme court on Monday granted a motion to stay the enforcement of an 1864 law that bans almost all abortions, a win for reproductive rights activists in the swing state.The state's highest court agreed to the Arizona attorney general Kris Mayes's request for a 90-day delay of the near-total ban, further pushing back enforcement of the 1864 legislation after a repeal of the ban was passed earlier this month. Continue reading...

Inmates Fotios Freddy' Geas, Paul J DeCologero and Sean McKinnon were accused of beating Bulger, 89, to death in 2018Three men charged in the 2018 prison killing of the notorious Boston gangster James Whitey" Bulger have reached plea deals with prosecutors, according to court papers filed on Monday.The plea deals for Fotios Freddy" Geas, Paul J DeCologero and Sean McKinnon were disclosed nearly six years after the 89-year-old gangster was beaten to death in his cell at a troubled West Virginia prison. Continue reading...

From David Pecker to Stormy Daniels, here are the central figures likely to play a key role in the criminal case

Boy, 16, who entered Catholic first communion service in Abbeville with rifle charged with terrorizing and firearms possessionA 16-year-old has been charged with one count of terrorizing and two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile after entering a church service in Abbeville, Louisiana, where 60 children were receiving their first holy communion.Police have confirmed that the person was confronted by parishioners and escorted outside" before being taken into custody. Continue reading...

Living conditions here are abysmal, but for those escaping the Rafah invasion, it's still a place of salvation

Increased levy to protect US makers from cheap imports likely to worsen trade tensions with Beijing. Plus, chaos on the set of Francis Ford Coppola's MegalopolisGood morning.Joe Biden has announced a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) as part of a raft of stringent policies developed to shield US manufacturers from cheap imports.How significant is this? At the moment, it's largely symbolic - Chinese EVs have already been virtually excluded from the US market by tariffs previously introduced by Donald Trump.On the other hand ... Lobby groups have suggested Beijing could pose a future threat by using exports to make up for a frail domestic economy, which the Alliance for American Manufacturing claims would result in an extinction-level event" for US carmakers.How is this affecting aid? It's having a real impact. The HRW report found: These attacks are having a chilling effect on efforts to provide life-saving aid in Gaza." Continue reading...

This is likely the only Trump trial before the election - and the only hope for a shred of accountability for his endless misdeedsWhen you set out to explore Donald Trump's personal life and business practices, you don't expect to meet any paragons of virtue.Sleazy media figures who buy and kill" damaging stories? Yes. An adult film actor ready to tell all to make a buck? Certainly. A parade of spokespeople and staffers who compromised their own integrity during his presidential administration? No doubt. Continue reading...

I wouldn't force a seven-decade-career on anyone, but when you see someone who loves what they do after that amount of time, it's worth learning from themMaybe the most remarkable thing about my stepfather-in-law is that he managed to find love in a swimming pool, at the age of 85, which is how I became related to him in the first place. Just the awesome amount of charm it takes to woo over the smell of chlorine, at 6am, dressed in trunks, never mind the energy; it will be baffling to those who don't know him. That was five years ago. Now his 90th birthday is around the corner, and even though everyone has acclimatised to the energy, the charm and the swimming, it's still a bit chastening how hard he works. I want to call it dabbling, maybe a little bit of advice to a younger colleague; but it looks much more like actual work. He's an academic, fine, it's reasonable for them to have a long arc. And his subject is education which, as an area of policy it pleases the government to mess around in for dumb reasons, is in constant flux and needful of critique.Conservatively, though, I'd say he works more hours than I do. He can find his way round a Zoom meeting faster than anyone besides gen Zs. I'm reasonably confident he can remember the dark nuances of Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings's blob" years better than either of them can. He's all over Labour's plans, when nobody else is sure they have any. He still travels for work when most of us have forgotten that was even a thing. I've never been 100% sure what emeritus" means, but if he is the model, it's something like Highlander". Continue reading...

New polling data from Pew shows shift in Americans' opinion since loss of constitutional right to abortion in June 2022In the two years after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, leading to abortion bans across many parts of the south and midwest, abortion rights have only grown more popular, new polling from Pew research Center has found.A majority of Americans has long supported abortion rights. But more than 60% of Americans now believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases - a four percentage-point jump from 2021, the year before Roe fell. Continue reading...

In my novel, I approached the subject with caution. It allowed me to feel pity for the person who made my life hellFriends warned me against watching Baby Reindeer, the hit Netflix series about the comedian Richard Gadd and Martha", the character based on his alleged real-life stalker. It was too close to home, they said.The reason for their concern was simple, or so I thought. Eleven years ago, I gave evidence in court against a woman who'd been stalking me online, with hundreds of abusive, often homophobic tweets and emails. She was subsequently found guilty of harassment, given a suspended sentence and issued with a restraining order. I never heard from her again, but the impact of her actions took its toll on my mental health. I was later diagnosed with PTSD.Paul Burston is a journalist and novelist. His memoir, We Can Be Heroes, is out nowDo 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...

Caitlin Clark has grabbed much of the attention as she prepares for her first professional season. But the title is likely to be decided away from IndianaA phenomenon, who must be given the grace to adjust. The Indiana Fever will have to acclimate to utilising the space Clark creates, rather than relying solely on her to orchestrate plays. Players such as NaLyssa Smith, Temi Fagbenle and Aliyah Boston will play pivotal roles in transitioning the ball for Clark, and can boost their own individual statistics as opponents focus on containing Clark's offensive threat. YE-S Continue reading...