24 m. ago WCL and Championship playoff finals, Klopp disappointed with boos for Alexander

Buildup to today’s major finalsLive scores | Fixtures | Email EmilliaManchester City wrap up their Premier League campaign on Sunday with a game Pep Guardiola believes is “by far” their most important of the season. City head to Fulham knowing a draw will almost certainly secure a top-five spot and a place in the Champions League for next season.After winning the title in the past four seasons, it is a relatively modest target but Guardiola recognises it is the least of the club’s expectations. The City manager said: “If we want to play in the Champions League, we have to take a result there. This is what we are going to do. Of course, it’s really important.” Asked if it was the most important game of the season, Guardiola said at a press conference: “By far.” Continue reading...

Sport

30 m. ago Children with special needs in England may lose legal right to school support

Exclusive: Schools minister declines to rule out replacing EHCP documents as part of plans to change Send systemHundreds of thousands of children with special needs could lose their legal entitlement to extra support in schools in England under plans being considered by ministers, a move that campaigners warn could force thousands more pupils out of mainstream education.The reforms relate to education, health and care plans (EHCPs), statutory documents families have relied on for more than a decade to guarantee their children’s right to support for conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and mental health issues. Continue reading...

Politics

52 m. ago Blacklisted fashion photographer Terry Richardson returns to the newsstands

Arena Homme+ publishes cover shots and portfolio eight years after sexual misconduct allegations surfacedEight years after major fashion brands and publications said they would no longer work with Terry Richardson, following a string of allegations of sexual misconduct made against the renowned fashion photographer, he now appears to be making a comeback.This week, the magazine Arena Homme+ unveiled its latest issue, featuring two covers shot by Richardson and an accompanying portfolio. One cover consists of an image of a toilet cubicle graffitied with the text “Punk rock ruined my life.” Another is a shot of a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump’s face. Continue reading...

Culture

52 m. ago ‘It set me on a new path’: the book that empowered me, by Yulia Navalnaya, Elif Shafak and more

Chris Packham, Katherine Rundell, Kehinde Andrews and other authors speaking at this year’s Hay festival reveal the books that inspired themChosen by Katherine Rundell, author Continue reading...

Politics

86 m. ago EU 'stands ready to defend its interests' in tariff war with Trump: Bloc demands 'respect' after US President announced 50 per cent charge on European imports

Trump made the threat amid trade talks between Washington and Brussels, warning they were 'going nowhere' and that he could impose the tariffs next month.

Politics

1 hour ago The Last Anniversary on BBC: What its about, episodes, full cast and where you've seen them before

The drama is based on a novel by one of the world's biggest authors

Politics

1 hour ago Bestselling Chocolat author JOANNE HARRIS on the disgusting quip Harvey Weinstein made to her at the Oscars

Author of multimillion-selling novel Chocolat JOANNE HARRIS talks the day Juliette Binoche turned up at her door and why it's taken two decades to write its prequel

Culture

1 hour ago Farewell Kevin De Bruyne: Manchester City’s genius and a law unto himself | Simon Hattenstone

Footballing great, dedicated family man and surprisingly outspoken, the playmaker leaves the Premier League this weekend after a decade of entertainmentKevin De Bruyne is leaving Manchester City, and I’m going through all five stages of grief at once. Denial (the club will give him a new contract); anger (how could they not renew his contract?), bargaining (at 33, he’s past his peak and injury prone), depression (life without Kev is no life) and acceptance (it was never going to last, and I not only got to watch him for 10 years, I got to meet him.)They say you should never meet your heroes. I’ve always stood by that maxim when it came to Manchester City players, with the one exception. Oh Kevin De Bruyne. (For the uninitiated, chant endlessly to the chorus of Seven Nation Army.) As De Bruyne is a law unto himself as a player, so he is as an interviewee. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago Alcaraz fears ‘dangerous’ Sinner as rivals prepare for French Open duel

Duo could meet in grand slam final for first timeIga Swiatek out to continue dominance of women’s eventA little over an hour after reinforcing his supremacy on red clay with his first title at the Italian Open, Carlos Alcaraz ended his time in Rome with an ominous, pointed parting shot from the bowels of the Campo Centrale. “He’s going to be dangerous,” said Alcaraz. “He’s going to be a really dangerous player in Paris.”Alcaraz was speaking, of course, about his greatest rival, Jannik Sinner, whom he had just defeated in two fascinating sets in the final. Over the next fortnight in Paris, one of the pressing questions surrounding the tournament will be whether Alcaraz and Sinner, the top two seeds, can consolidate those performances by meeting in a grand slam final for the first time. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago ‘It’s surreal’: Arminia Bielefeld’s dream cup run reaches its finale

After a series of spectacular upsets, the third division champions hope to do the unthinkable against StuttgartAs the clock ticked down on one of Arminia Bielefeld’s most famous victories, there was a moment when time seemed to stand still. Bayer Leverkusen, the DFB-Pokal holders, were 10 minutes from going out of the competition and, as if finally realising the urgency of the situation, shook themselves awake for one last big chance.Jeremie Frimpong peeled away on the right and scooped a cross into the box, where Patrik Schick was waiting. He rose highest, headed back across goal and, as the stadium held its breath, watched the ball glance an upright and spin wide. Jonas Kersken, the Arminia goalkeeper, had been one of the heroes of the night, but he knew their fate had been out of his hands. He did the only thing he could do: planted a grateful kiss on the post. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago Those who object to music events shutting off parks are branded nimbys. But this time, I’m on their side | Moya Lothian

A high court dispute over a south London park shows the limits of private interests encroaching on public spaceA grassy south London oasis erupted into a turf war this week. From Monday, visitors to Brockwell Park would have seen calling cards left by both sides. The provocation? A sturdy 3-metre-high boundary fence, encircling large swathes of the 50-hectare (125-acre) stretch that has been designated for music festivals this summer. Daubed on the structure were signs of discord: graffitied messages in stark white lettering. “You fucked our park,” read one. “We fucked your wall.”Brockwell is now the hottest front in a conflict that has started to rear its head in the capital every summer. A week ago, it made the front pages in the form of a bombshell high court ruling against Lambeth council. The authority responsible for the park lost a case brought by Protect Brockwell Park (PBP), a group of local residents and park users who argued that the council had not obtained the proper pl...

Politics

1 hour ago ‘They first come for great acts of culture’: Cate Blanchett sets up grant for displaced film

Actor and UN refugee ambassador gives warning about authoritarian regimes at launch of film fundAuthoritarian regimes “first come for great acts of culture” when they start to curtail civil liberties, Cate Blanchett warned as she launched a new grant for displaced film-makers.The two-time Oscar winner and goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), has teamed up with the international film festival Rotterdam’s (IFFR) Hubert Bals Fund to set up the Displacement Film Fund, which will support displaced film-makers or those with experience in refugee storytelling. Continue reading...

Culture

2 h. ago My cultural awakening: a punk band told me quit drinking. So I did

As a teen, I was surrounded by binge culture. But then a band called Minor Threat taught me it was radical to be sober – and it changed my lifeI started drinking when I was 14. It was how we’d have fun as kids in Aberdeen – I didn’t come across any youth clubs or anything particularly productive. You drank beer or alcopops in some shady lane, and you drank so quickly that you’d get drunk but then be sober enough to get home at 11pm so your parents wouldn’t notice anything. It wasn’t drinking for pleasure: binge drinking was just what everyone – regardless of social groups – seemed to be doing.During my teenage years I worked at a newsagent and I would read Kerrang! every week, which was extremely formative for me in discovering music. It’s incredible how many new bands I was introduced to, and just how my music taste evolved – from nu-metal bands such as Korn to Rage Against the Machine and, most influentially, Fugazi. Continue reading...

Culture

2 h. ago ‘Something has gone very wrong’: how the carers scandal was exposed

A Guardian investigation revealed how hundreds of thousands of people were plunged into debt – and some criminalised – for looking after their loved onesOne February afternoon in 2016, Sir Robert Devereux, at the time the most powerful official in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), was stopped by a junior colleague as he walked through the car park of a civil service office in Preston, Lancashire. Was he aware, the worker asked, about the problems with carer’s allowance?Devereux, on a flying visit to the DWP outpost, asked for details and promised to look into it. A few days later, Devereux’s office received a long and detailed note, complete with 80 anonymised case studies, setting out how years of shortcomings in the administration of the carer’s allowance benefit had wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money and inflicted untold hardship and misery on thousands of unpaid carers. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Prince Louis' pressing question for Queen revealed by lip reader

When the Royal Family appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the RAF flypast at the late Queen's final Trooping the Colour, the former monarch was seen in conversation with one of her youngest great grandchildren Prince Louis

Politics

2 h. ago Readers Letters: Trans extremists shut down hopes of reasoned discussion

Calm discussion, not insults, is needed in the gender debate, says reader

Politics

2 h. ago NSW floods: estimated 10,000 properties damaged after deadly flooding as communities face ‘mammoth task’

SES warns the ‘worst impacts that people feel are often after the event’ as areas reel from ‘devastating’ floodsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn estimated 10,000 properties may have been damaged in record-breaking flooding in New South Wales and thousands remain isolated, as communities begin to clean up after “devastating” impacts.Flood waters have begun to subside in some areas and weather conditions have improved on the mid-north coast, where severe weather warnings were cancelled on Friday night.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago A classic Arnold Schwarzenegger action film that’s getting a remake is airing on TV tonight

The film is based off of a Stephen King novel he wrote under a pseudonym

Events

3 h. ago Six great reads: Sam Altman’s spectacular comeback, British preppers, and fear and loathing in Starbase, Texas

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago Tim Dowling: let my tortoise’s humiliating mishap be a lesson to him

A freak thunderstorm soaks the middle one on his way to our house (he’s come to raid the fridge), but the real drama is the toppled tortoise After an hour’s work on a hot morning I leave my office shed and return to the kitchen for a coffee. Halfway there I find the tortoise lying on his back on the path. He can’t have been there for more than an hour, as he wasn’t there when I came out.“What happened to you?” I say, setting him on his feet. But it’s pretty obvious what happened: he tried to exit the garden bed by climbing over the border of diagonally laid bricks and overbalanced. It’s an obstacle he surmounts without difficulty between five and 10 times a day in the warmer months, but occasionally – perhaps once every four years – he puts a foot wrong. So far, I have always been there to turn him back over. Continue reading...

Politics