22 h. ago Arsenal’s comeback queens face ultimate Barcelona test in Champions League final

New chapter in Arsenal’s storied history awaits as they aim to end continental drought in a sold-out Lisbon finalAfter 18 years, Arsenal are back in the biggest game in women’s European football with a dream to end their long wait for continental glory. They face the holders, the favourites and the much-revered Barcelona, who are aiming to win the Champions League for a third consecutive season on a picture-perfect weekend in Lisbon.Strolling along tree-lined paths through the Portuguese capital’s sun-kissed Parque Eduardo VII, as a group of Barcelona fans cross paths with two Arsenal supporters wearing full red-and-white kit and exchange a few friendly quips about Saturday’s final, it is hard not to feel a pang of sympathy for the 3,467 attendees who saw Arsenal lift the Uefa Women’s Cup – as it was known in 2007 – in the somewhat less glamorous surroundings of Boreham Wood FC’s Meadow Park. In those days, the competition concluded with a two-legged home-and-away final. Arsenal fol...

Sport

6 d. ago How the British Red Cross tried to blow the whistle about conditions inside crisis

In autumn 2022, overcrowding at migrant processing centres prompted national outrage. As the truth of the conditions inside began to emerge, British Red Cross staff were on site trying to support residents. Emails, performance reports and letters released to Holly Bancroft show how the charity was battling to get officials to act

Events

6 d. ago As he becomes the first monarch in 50 years to open Canada's parliament... If anyone knows how to walk this political tightrope, it's the King, writes ROBERT HARDMAN

ROBERT HARDMAN: When Charles III came to the throne in September 2022, some commentators warned he would seek to 'meddle' and 'cross constitutional red lines'.

Politics

7 d. ago Starmer signals youth mobility scheme with EU would not cross red line

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said ‘youth mobility is not freedom of movement’ ahead of a UK-EU summit in London on Monday.

Politics

8 d. ago Red Cross escorts over 1,000 disarmed Congolese soldiers from rebel

Over a thousand disarmed Congolese soldiers and police officers, along with their families have safely been transferred from the rebel-controlled city of Goma in eastern Congo to the capital Kinshasa over the last two weeks

Events

1 week ago Hamas frees last living US citizen held in Gaza in what Trump calls a ‘good faith step’

American soldier Edan Alexander meets family at Israel border after masked fighters hand him over to Red Cross Hamas has freed the last living US citizen it held in Gaza, soldier Edan Alexander, in a unilateral move Donald Trump described as a “good faith step” towards ending the war and bringing home all remaining hostages.The release of 20-year-old Alexander, a dual national serving in the Israel Defense Forces who spent 584 days in captivity after he was seized from his base on 7 October 2023, was agreed with little Israeli involvement beyond practical coordination on the ground. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Hamas releases final living American hostage to Red Cross as crowds celebrate in Tel Aviv

Hamas has released the last living American hostage held in Gaza after talks with the US on a ceasefire and allowing humanitarian aid to enter the besieged territory as Tony Blair joins aid effort

Events

3 w. ago I'm an escort...people think my job is fun...but there's one aspect that's mind numbingly boring

In an anonymous first person account, the escort, who charges between £400 and £1,000 per hour, said clients use her as a respite from hours of high-profile meetings.

Politics

3 w. ago Red Cross escorts hundreds of stranded Congolese soldiers from rebel

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is helping transfer hundreds of Congolese soldiers and police officers from the rebel-controlled city of Goma in eastern Congo to the capital Kinshasa

Events

3 w. ago ‘Numerous signs of torture’: Ukrainian journalist’s detention and death in Russian prison

The Guardian, working with media partners, has tracked down first-hand accounts to reconstruct Viktoriia Roshchyna’s final monthsThe exchange took place on a lonely forest road in February. Moving along a line of refrigerated lorries, the teams in hazmat suits went about their grim work: preparing the remains of 757 Ukrainian military casualties handed over by Russia for the journey back to Kyiv.Clipboards in hand, intermediaries from the Red Cross checked their lists. For each body shrouded in white plastic, the Russians had provided a number, a name, a location, sometimes a cause of death. And then, at the very bottom of the last page, a mystery entry: “NM SPAS 757.” The letters were abbreviations, taken to mean “unidentified man” and “extensive damage to the coronary arteries”. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago ‘Numerous signs of torture’: a Ukrainian journalist’s detention and death in Russian prison

The Guardian, working with media partners, has tracked down first-hand accounts to reconstruct Viktoriia Roshchyna’s final monthsThe exchange took place on a lonely forest road in February. Moving along a line of refrigerated lorries, the teams in hazmat suits went about their grim work: preparing the remains of 757 Ukrainian military casualties handed over by Russia for the journey back to Kyiv.Clipboards in hand, intermediaries from the Red Cross checked their lists. For each body shrouded in white plastic, the Russians had provided a number, a name, a location, sometimes a cause of death. And then, at the very bottom of the last page, a mystery entry: “NM SPAS 757.” The letters were abbreviations, taken to mean “unidentified man” and “extensive damage to the coronary arteries”. Continue reading...

Events