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Politics
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Pioneer of ‘extreme male brain’ theory of autism now says phrase unhelpful
Exclusive: Prof Simon Baron-Cohen says his language was misunderstood and it is a myth that autistic people lack empathy The scientist who pioneered the “extreme male brain” theory of autism has said he regrets characterising the condition in this way because the phrase lends itself to misunderstandings. Prof Simon Baron-Cohen’s theory that autistic people strongly tend towards systemising over empathising has been hugely influential in shaping the popular perception of autism over the past two decades. But while the underlying science had stood the test of time, Baron-Cohen said, he now views the “extreme male brain” label as unhelpful. Continue reading...
Australian aged care firm accused in class action of charging residents for high teas and classes they couldn’t use
Arcare says it’s unable to comment on the federal court case in which it’s alleged it illegally charged fees Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Residents at one of Australia’s largest aged care providers have launched a class action lawsuit alleging fees for services such as high teas and exercise classes were illegally charged to clients who cannot use them due to immobility and other issues. The suit, filed in the federal court, alleges residents of more than 50 Arcare aged care facilities across four states were charged a daily “additional services fee” by Arcare embedded within a “signature package” between July 2020 and July 2026. This includes fees paid by residents who are immobile, unable to swallow, or cognitively impaired. Continue reading...
An outdoor paradise in California has a high suicide rate. Locals are determined to turn it around
Though the Lake Tahoe region has rates higher than the state average, residents are addressing a shortage of services Every year, about 2 million people come to the outdoor paradise of Lake Tahoe, which offers snowy ski slopes in the winter and sunny lakeside activities in the summer. At more than 6,000ft in elevation, the alpine community centers on the stunningly blue lake, which spans the California-Nevada border and is often called “the jewel of the Sierra”. But beneath this idyllic scenery lies something known as the “paradise paradox”. As in many US resort areas, the suicide rates in the Tahoe region, including the city of Truckee, are far higher than the state average – and these communities don’t have enough resources to deal with the issue. Continue reading...
Cutting language courses puts social mobility at risk, say UK experts
Exclusive: University moves and falling exam entries fuel concerns about opportunities for working-class pupils Cutting language courses at universities and schools risks undermining social mobility and vocational skills, former education secretaries and experts in the UK have warned. More than 70 languages academics were among 500 staff at the University of Exeter to be told last week they were at risk of redundancy as it seeks to cut 150 full-time posts , predominantly in the humanities. The announcement followed the proposal by the University of Nottingham to become the first Russell Group university to offer no language degrees . Continue reading...
Canada co-hosted the World Cup – but whose party was it?
Les Rouges brought moments of joy to their nation. But there are plenty of questions around Canadian soccer as the tournament moves on It was standing room only in Toronto’s oldest bar, The Wheatsheaf, on Saturday lunchtime. For some, the wake had already begun. Nestled in the corner was a group of sullen Irish GAA fans, who had just witnessed Cork’s demoralizing defeat to Galway in the All-Ireland Hurling semi-final. Resplendent in their red and white as they gazed despairingly into the middle distance, at least they had another team to root for. It was an odd scenario. Canada is co-hosting this tournament but, due to the team’s second-place finish in the group stage, they were playing Morocco far to the south in Houston, Texas. But The Wheatsheaf was a sea of red and white as Canada fans gathered for the last-16 clash. Some guy even dusted off a vintage Manchester United 1999 jersey with ‘Beckham’ on the back. Anything for Canada. And that sense of collective patriotism soared when Wayne Gretzky – the once Great One now derided in his native land for cosying up to Donald Trump, amongst other curious missteps – popped up on TV screens and was booed mercilessly and enthusiastically by the crowd. Continue reading...
Nancy Pelosi’s husband could face charge after hitting parked car in California
Paul Pelosi could face misdemeanor charges over crash that left car with ‘major’ damage, authorities say The husband of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi was involved in a hit-and-run car crash in California that left a parked vehicle with “major” damage, authorities said on Saturday – and he could face misdemeanor charges. Paul Pelosi was driving his brown convertible on Friday in Yountville, a town in the heart of wine country, when he struck a legally parked car on the side of the road, briefly stopped and then drove away, the Napa county sheriff’s office said in a statement. No injuries were reported. Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading...
Gaza protests against two Democrats spark outcry and debate on tactics
Incidents involving California state senator Scott Wiener and New York congressman Dan Goldman underscore Israel-Palestine conflict’s role in US elections Two recent incidents involving US congressional candidates on opposite coasts have blown up into major controversies, underscoring how the Israel-Palestine conflict has transformed US elections – and illustrating how aggressive protest tactics can spark backlash that overshadows the issues activists meant to highlight. Scott Wiener, a gay Jewish state senator and trans rights advocate who is currently the frontrunner in the race to replace the longtime representative Nancy Pelosi in California ’s 11th district, said he felt forced to leave last week’s annual trans pride march in San Francisco after a group of people ran up to him at a local park where the event was taking place, surrounded him and screamed at him over his positions on Israel’s war on Gaza. Continue reading...
Empty reservoirs, ladybirds and sunstroke: remembering the UK heatwave of 1976
As Britain reached its hottest June temperature on record, readers recall the summer when temperatures hit 36C The recent heatwave in the UK broke the previous June record of 35.6C, recorded during the 1976 heatwave . In Lingwood, Norfolk, a provisional temperature of 37.7C was recorded on Friday 26 June, breaking the previous record reached on 28 June 1976 and on 29 June 1957. Continue reading...
On America’s 250th, Mamdani called for unity – while Trump rewrote the past
In duelling speeches this weekend, the New York mayor faced a ‘nation of contradictions’ while the president offered a stump speech If Donald Trump’s address on 3 July from Mount Rushmore will be remembered at all, it will be because that was the day of competing speeches, and competing visions, of the United States. Earlier on 3 July, the New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, delivered a speech that was about half as long as Trump’s 28-minute address, but one that offered a far different assessment of the challenges facing his city and our nation. “We see a city of contradictions within a nation of contradictions,” Mamdani said , while seated at George Washington’s desk and flanked by newly naturalized American citizens. “We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world – one where children go to sleep hungry while the world’s first trillionaire hungers for more.” Moustafa Bayoumi is the author of the award-winning books How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America and This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror. He is professor of English at Brooklyn College, City University of New York Continue reading...
Why are Republicans red and Democrats blue?
The party colors are a surprisingly recent tradition. But do they really represent the diversity of Americans’ beliefs? Color has long played a role in US politics. In 1867, US suffragists Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton adopted the yellow color of the sunflower – Kansas’s state flower – during their campaign for women’s voting rights in the state. By the 20th century, suffragists added white and purple to their political “uniforms”: white dresses, standing for purity and moral authority, became the most notable marker of the movement. Continue reading...
Bipartisan bill fails to protect US consumers from datacenters’ true costs, critics warn
Experts say Ratepayer Protection Act ‘posing as a consumer protection measure’ and will raise prices on working people The bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act , designed to shield individuals from soaring electricity prices amid the datacenter boom, would fail to meaningfully protect the public from the centers’ true costs, consumer advocates warn. The bill, backed by some in big tech such as Microsoft, moved through a House subcommittee in mid-June, and a vote in full committee scheduled for 1 July was delayed. Its measures are largely voluntary, meaning the state utility commissions that set electric rates can ignore the law altogether. Continue reading...
Wimbledon 2026: Djokovic, Sabalenka, Sinner and Gauff in action on day seven – live
All the latest news from Sunday’s live action at SW19 Swiatek and Rybakina go out | Order of play | Mail Sarah A fan is having an issue on court 2 , there is a pause in the men’s doubles match. Brit Henry Patten spotted the lady was having some trouble and stopped play to make sure she got the attention she needs. The commentators have confirmed she is okay and is helped out by security. Centre Court (from 1.30pm BST) Roman Safiullin v Novak Djokovic (7) (1) Aryna Sabalenka v Naomi Osaka (14) (1) Jannik Sinner v Shintaro Mochizuki Continue reading...
Man claiming world’s smallest penis says he’s booked enhancement surgery after public’s help
Michael Phillips says he suffers from micropenis – but he’s now fundraised enough to increase his member’s girth A US man who has staked the uncontested claim of having the smallest penis in the world says he has booked a procedure to enhance his member at least somewhat after soliciting the online public’s financial support for that purpose. In a brief interview on Saturday, 38-year-old Michael Phillips described himself as “really thankful and surprised” over the GoFundMe platform users who supported his campaign for help to pay for the procedure in question. Continue reading...
Polo shirts, Clarks Wallabees, shorts: Burnham has finessed his style. Can he carry it to high office? | Morwenna Ferrier
The likely next prime minister might have to leave his ‘Manchester clothes’ in the cupboard when he gets to No 10 There’s a joke doing the rounds about Andy Burnham. It usually goes something like this: a Blairite, a Brownite and a Corbynite walk into a bar. “Hello, Andy, what can I get you?” asks the barman. The man who would be our next prime minister has been through a few incarnations in his career as a Labour politician. This shape-shifting has been reflected in the jobs he’s done and the policies he’s championed. Continue reading...
British swallowtail split from European cousins much earlier than thought, study finds
Finding that Norfolk butterfly has been distinct subspecies for 200,000 years could transform conservation approach The endangered swallowtail butterfly Papilio machaon britannicus , which is only regularly found breeding in Britain on the Norfolk Broads, has been a distinct subspecies for at least 200,000 years, according to a study. Smaller, darker in colour and much rarer than the continental swallowtail, britannicus was previously considered to have developed its distinctive form during its confinement in the wetlands of eastern England over the last 8,000 years, after the flooding of Doggerland. Continue reading...
‘New direction, same old problems’: the economic challenges facing Andy Burnham | Richard Partington
Blair met good fortune when he assumed office, others such as Wilson faced tougher times. The PM-presumptive will start firmly on the back foot Make Miliband chancellor, ex-chief Treasury adviser tells Burnham John Harris: Without a good revival plan, Burnham cannot succeed In politics, timing and luck matter. Tony Blair had astounding good fortune, benefiting from goldilocks economic conditions and a weak opposition. Others have taken charge in tougher times: in. the 1970s Harold Wilson faced a global energy crisis, as have the last four occupants of No 10. As Andy Burnham prepares to replace Keir Starmer , there are clear economic headwinds for the prime minister-presumptive. Continue reading...
Americans declared independence from a tyrant once. And we must do that again | Claire Finkelstein
America’s founding 250 years ago was a warning cry against leaders like Trump. Our past is a guide for how to handle our present As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, marking the official birth of the new nation, it is worth remembering some of the reasons the document offers as just cause for making war on the British monarchy. “No taxation without representation” is the slogan that is best known as the core complaint of the colonists, a reference to the colonists’ objections to the 1765 Stamp Act and a series of taxes levied by the British crown thereafter over which Americans had no means of objecting in parliament. But such taxes were not the only provocation to war. Continue reading...
‘Did Westminster just ignore buses?’ Burnham aims to shake up UK transport
In the fourth of a series on nationalisation, we look at plans to emulate Manchester’s Bee Network in Britain’s buses and rail Will Burnham ‘go big’ in expanding the role of the state? Atlee: the postwar blueprint that inspires Burnham How council housebuilding is central to Burnham’s vision Whether or not the promised land is reached via renationalisation, the man set to be next prime minister is clear what he wants transport to leave behind. “You go from deregulation to regaining public control, it’s just unbelievable what becomes possible,” said Andy Burnham, reflecting on the bus system he transformed in Manchester . “It’s mind-blowing that deregulation was ever, ever brought in – public interest went out the window and people were cut off.” Continue reading...
At least eight shot, including four children, in New York’s Coney Island
Incident took place late in the evening on Independence Day with one victim said to be in a critical condition At least eight people, including four children, were shot and injured during the US Independence Day holiday in New York City’s Coney Island neighbourhood, ABC News said on Sunday, citing the New York City police department (NYPD). Police officers responded to reports of a shooting at about 10:37pm on the Brooklyn neighbourhood’s West 31st Street, the NYPD said in a statement to ABC News. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage did not declare gifts from crypto entrepreneur convicted of fraud
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick says Farage accepted staff, security and accommodation from George Cottrell before becoming an MP Nigel Farage did not declare gifts and benefits provided by a crypto entrepreneur who has previously been convicted of fraud, Reform’s economic spokesperson has admitted. Robert Jenrick said on Sunday that the Reform leader had accepted staff, security and accommodation from George Cottrell, but claimed they were personal gifts provided before he became an MP and so did not need to be declared. Continue reading...
Iran’s supreme leader absent from funeral of father Ali Khamenei
Three sons of killed ayatollah were seen beside coffin during ceremonies drawing huge crowds in Tehran Three sons of the former Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed beside his coffin and those of four other family members on Sunday, but Mojtaba, the son who has succeeded him as Iran’s supreme leader, did not make an appearance. State TV showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins laid out in the vast courtyard of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla, a sprawling religious complex. In a show of public devotion to the theocratic state and revolutionary zeal, the country is staging a week of mass funeral processions for Khamenei, including taking his remains to Shia religious sites in neighbouring Iraq. Continue reading...
The strangest show on earth: lightning, imperial hubris and a boring tour of Trump’s rhetorical back alleys | David Smith
Would we get a 21st-century Gettysburg address? Or YMCA, gripes about his legal woes and boasting about Iran? The astronomer Carl Sagan once described the earth as a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. “Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot,” he wrote. Donald Trump took the stage on Saturday night imagining himself the master of the universe, not the temporary custodian of a country born around the same time as the hot-air balloon. The last decade was proof that “divine providence” had made Trump president for America’s 250th anniversary of independence, his aide Stephen Miller posted on social media. Continue reading...
Baptism record at Manchester Cathedral offers insight into Black Mancunian life in Georgian-era England
A parish entry reveals an argument that proved pivotal to the abolitionist cause, at a time when an estimated 20,000 Black people were living in the country When the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson gave a sermon in 1787 at Manchester Cathedral – during the city’s first mass meeting against the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans – he saw a “great crowd of black people standing round the pulpit”. However, little is known about Black Mancunians in the Georgian era, which makes one recently rediscovered entry in parish records at Manchester Cathedral particularly significant. Continue reading...
World Cup 2026: Mexico v England buildup, France battle past Paraguay, Morocco march on – live
⚽ All the latest news and reaction from the World Cup ⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Knockout draw | Email us Let’s start with Paul MacInnes’ match report from a hot and sweaty Philadelphia Stadium. The 1-0 win for France was a repeat of the scoreline from their last-16 tie in 1998 and we all know how that World Cup ended. “The World Cup favourites were forced to drop a gear or two but still had too much for a Paraguay team that set out for a fight but were ultimately no more than a nuisance.” Continue reading...