Matt Stephens on TNT Sports spoke to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) before today’s stage. He asked if he and his team would be the aggressors today, to which Pogačar replied:
Like I said we will see. We can decide after a few climbs. We can see if we’re riding strong or not … I think we are ready today.
I think the whole Tour are talking about today. It’s the national day of France, I think everyone wants to be in the break today.
Politics of carmaker’s owner has soured sentiments in Grünheide, south-west of Berlin, where the factory promised jobs and revitalisation
When Elon Musk advised Germans to vote for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in elections last year, Manu Hoyer – who lives in the small town where the billionaire had built Tesla’s European production hub – wrote to the state premier to complain.
“How can you do business with someone who supports rightwing extremism?” she asked Dietmar Woidke, the Social Democrat leader of the eastern state of Brandenburg, who had backed the setting up of the Tesla Giga factory in Grünheide.
Japan’s limited-edition Baby Body Burger packs in 1,876 calories and tips the scales at nearly 680g. Will it defeat our reporter?
Japan can legitimately claim to be home to some of the best food on the planet. But it usually has little appetite for supersizing it.
That changed on Friday with Burger King’s gargantuan but curiously named Baby Body Burger, tipping the scales at nearly 680g (1.5lb). As part of a collaboration with the Japan Sumo Association, whose July wrestling tournament has just started, the burger checks in at 1,876 calories. Sumo wrestlers would only need about four of these to get their average daily caloric needs; a mere mortal would need just one to one-and-a-half. And, at ¥2,590 (£13.05), it’s nearly twice the price of a one-patty Whopper with cheese.
A great speedy bowl meal that is wholesome, tasty and a success with all the family
These were an absolute hit with my children, albeit minus the cashews, and as any parent with toddlers who refuse to let their food touch other food will know, that’s a breakthrough. It’s well worth making the whole quantity here, because any leftovers are perfect for fried rice the next day – just make sure you cool the rice after making it, then refrigerate immediately and reheat until piping hot the next day.
The Democratic mayoral candidate has faced controversy over his calls for a rent freeze. But the plan has plenty of precedent
During the New York City mayoral primary campaign, Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for a citywide rent freeze became a contentious topic. The Democratic nominee says to achieve a cap on annual rent increases for the city’s 1m rent-stabilized apartments, he would appoint members to the city’s rent guidelines board who support it. Critics decry a rent freeze as a pie-in-the-sky, unrealistic proposal.
I served as a rent guidelines board member for nearly four years, appointed by then mayor Bill de Blasio in 2018. And it’s clear this controversy isn’t just about rent freezes – there’s a larger agenda to deregulate rent-stabilized housing, under which rent ceilings prevent landlords from raising the rent too high and tenants must be offered renewal leases (unless the landlord shows legal reason not to).
A man gets catapulted into the future to help him understand the future of his crush, but the sloppy chronology and gratuitous stylistic touches leave this film a little too infatuated with itself
With studio projects abandoning Los Angeles as a shooting location, it’s the low-budget crowd that are still holdouts, presumably out of necessity. Futra Days is another in the line of esoteric films about overheated Angeleno creative minds that the pandemic seemed to encourage; the likes of the hermeneutic sci-fi Something in the Dirt or family found-footage He’s Watching. But running time-travel rings around a dysfunctional relationship, Ryan David’s sophomore effort is just a bit too infatuated with itself.
Jaded record producer Sean (Brandon Sklenar, looking like Chris Evans and Glen Powell spliced) is wondering whether a new crush on thrift-shop worker and aspiring singer Nichole (Tania Raymonde) will go the distance. So he signs up to a “happiness heist”: being catapulted into the future by an experimental time-travel clinic run by Dr Felicia Walter (Rosanna Arquette) whose medical qualifications seem, well, questionable. After replacing his future self, who is in the process of walking out on an exasperated future Nichole, he decides to try to reboot their relationship.
Officers did not notice inmate’s disappearance for 24 hours, amid overcrowding across France’s prison system
A prisoner who escaped from a French jail hidden in a laundry bag has been rearrested, authorities have said, amid a continuing debate over prison security and overcrowding.
Elyazid A, 20, known as “the Joker” or “the Equaliser”, was detained early on Monday morning as he emerged from a cellar in a village about 15 miles (25km) from Lyon-Corbas, the prison from which he escaped on Friday.
Jane McCarthy, who has terminal cancer, withheld payments for three years in protest at Buckinghamshire council’s fossil fuel investments
A woman who withheld council tax payments for three years in protest at her local authority’s continued investment in fossil fuels fears losing her home.
Jane McCarthy, 74, said she decided on the protest after becoming increasingly fearful about the impact of climate breakdown on future generations, particularly when she learned about climate tipping points at a local meeting.
However, inquiry into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone says there were no other breaches, including impartiality
A BBC documentary about children in Gaza breached the corporation’s editorial guidelines for accuracy by failing to disclose its child narrator was the son of a Hamas official, an internal review has found.
However, the inquiry into the making of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone found no other breaches of guidelines in its production, including impartiality. It found that no outside interests “inappropriately impacted on the programme”.
Early success left the Miami producer feeling risk-averse. He quit touring to discover his muggy, magical sound – and accidentally scored another hit with Erika de Casier
A few years ago, Nick León made a hit. Not a hit hit, like a Drake/Sabrina/Taylor hit, but a hit in certain circles. His single Xtasis, made with the Venezuelan producer DJ Babatr, was one of the defining club tracks of 2022. Named track of the year by Resident Advisor and a staple at parties throughout the summer and autumn, it launched León from his status as one of Miami’s most interesting underground DJs into the international club circuit.
“It was like, we’re hitting the ground running – we’re gonna be touring and DJing all the time, and there was this mission of spreading the music that so many people have been playing already, from Latin America and the US,” León recalls of this period, sweating through his tie-dye T-shirt in an east London cafe in June.
As the Irish author turns 70, we rate his best works of fiction – from his latest, Long Island, to his emotionally wrenching ‘masterpiece’
This dispatch from what we might call the extended Colm Tóibín universe is set near the same time and in the same place as his earlier novel Brooklyn (one character appears in both books). It’s the story of a widowed woman who struggles to cope with life after love. If it lacks the drama of some of Tóibín’s other novels, the style is impeccable as ever, with irresistibly clean prose that reports emotional turmoil masked by restraint. There is no ornate showing off. “People used to tease me for it, saying: ‘Could you write a longer sentence?’” Tóibín has said. “But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Airport in Essex remains closed after Beechcraft B200 aircraft was seen in flames at about 4pm on Sunday
An investigation has been launched into Sunday’s plane crash at London Southend airport, but there is still no official confirmation of casualties.
The Beechcraft B200 aircraft crashed at about 4pm, soon after taking off from the airport in Essex. The plane was seen in flames with dark smoke billowing from it, according to witnesses and photos circulating on social media.
Finsbury Park, London An all-star lineup of supporting turns – including, astonishingly, Lauryn Hill – show up to bolster the beleaguered megastar, but this is a very scrappy affair
The announcement of Drake’s three-day headline set for Wireless’s 20th anniversary met with a mixed response. Having been eviscerated in a rap beef with Kendrick Lamar, he had seemingly lost all street credibility. Plus, three consecutive sets from one artist could be overkill. On the other hand, what better way could there be to mark the occasion? No artist is more emblematic of the interface between British and American music that is so central to Wireless (despite Drake being Canadian). And the triptych curation around his various artistic personae seemed like genius: the swoon-worthy Casanova, the menacing rapper, the Black diaspora-surfing chameleon (or “culture vulture”, if you’re a Drake-sceptic).
Friday at the festival has an R&B focus, revealing rising star Kwn and the delightfully bluesy Leon Thomas. Summer Walker is somewhat garbled and listless. And then, after collaborator PartyNextDoor bores us to death for 20 minutes, Drake arrives, throwing it back with the 2011 heartbreak classic Marvin’s Room. The surprise army of R&B all-stars he brings on is incredible: Mario, Bobby Valentino, Giveon, Bryson Tiller; Lauryn Hill’s appearance is astonishing, despite the glaring audio issues that occur in the transition from Nice for What into Ex-Factor. It is a clear statement of Drake’s standing among the greats, an assembling of allies.
Undocumented farm workers feel they’re being “hunted like animals”, they told the Guardian, as Donald Trump’s administration ramps up its crackdown on immigration.
Raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) have caused workers to lose hours and income, and forced them into hiding at home, according to interviews.
Mayonnaise still makes me feel like I’m dying, but I’ve learned to love parmesan. And at least I’m making an effort
I’ve always been a fussy eater. As a child, I ruined many family dinners because my overly particular palate meant I would simply refuse to eat a range of dishes. Certain ingredients would make me heave and throw tantrums. My brothers loved lasagne, but it rarely made the dinner table as I couldn’t stand cheese, and bechamel triggered a phobia of white sauces (mayonnaise is my No 1 hate). And don’t even think about making tuna sandwiches around me: the smell alone would make me burst into tears.
I often joke that being a fussy eater has made me feel more like a second-class citizen in this country than my blackness or my sexuality as a gay man. And I’m only being half unserious. Fussy eaters are often derided, belittled for only enjoying chicken tenders and fries, with questions about why we can’t just “grow up” and get over our aversion to certain foods.
It’s tempting to want to stay young for ever. But each new life stage brings gains as well as losses
Sitting in a cafe recently, I saw a poster advertising a barista training course for young people interested in a career in hot beverages. Things in the NHS being what they are, I enjoyed losing myself in a fantasy future spent standing behind a sleek, shiny machine, having witty exchanges with customers and colleagues as I skilfully poured smooth, foaming milk into silky dark espresso, tipping and turning each cup to create my own unique artworks on the coffee surface.
That was until I read the small print, which included the rather brutal definition of “young people” as aged 18 to 24. I realised, with an internal gasp, that my limited ability to pour liquid without spilling it was not the only obstacle to this career choice. There was a core personal reality here from which I had become totally untethered: the passing of time.
Amal Clooney says the policy allows for ‘safe and frank’ conversation. But what if you want to show George a cool meme of an anteater posing?
Would you willingly surrender your phone if you were invited to the Clooneys’? Because that’s the deal, apparently. “I now have a phone basket that I use to take everyone’s phones away!” Amal Clooney recently told Glamour magazine in a rather stilted “conversation” with the cosmetics diva Charlotte Tilbury. “It’s important to get that balance where you have time alone with your family and with your friends where people feel like you can have a safe and frank exchange,” she explained.
Hmm. I’m fine with shoes-off households (although you reap what you sow when it comes to the state of my socks or my toes). But the phone basket is reminiscent of those aggressively jocular pub signs that say: “No wifi – talk to each other.” What if you’re dealing with a family or work situation, need to hide in the loo and stroke your shiny pocket rectangle to recharge your social batteries, or want to show George a cool meme of an anteater posing? Yes, the Clooneys are the A-est of A-list, with attendant privacy concerns and young children. But if you can’t trust people to behave properly, what are they doing in your home?
Cyrielle Raingou’s documentary absorbs the horror of the terrorist group’s impact on Cameroon by following the mischief of a pair of truant brothers
Shot matter-of-factly, there is however a fairytale or fabular quality to this Cameroonian documentary, in how it portrays the impact of the terrorist group Boko Haram through the lives of children, and how displacement and violence surface in their idle chatter and not-so-innocent drawings. When young truant brothers Mohamed and Ibrahim finally do a runner into the countryside to which they seem inextricably drawn, it almost has the air of some misadventure out of an early Terrence Malick film transplanted to the Sahel.
The locale is the village of Kolofata near the Nigerian border, under constant surveillance from military forces because of insurgents in the nearby mountains. It’s never 100% clear what has become of Mohamed and Ibrahim’s parents; either they’ve taken up with Boko Haram, or been kidnapped by them. Not that these two incorrigible, school-dodging tykes are much help clearing things up; questioned by concerned villagers, Mohamed, the eldest, obviously knows more than he lets on. Their teacher Mr Lamine has his work cut out to keep them in the classroom; others, such as diligent Falta, realise that studying can mean liberation.
Rosario in Sante Fe likely be to 10C above normal, as Japan braces for Tropical Storm Nari
An unseasonably mild start to the week is expected in northern and central parts of Argentina, where it is winter. A plume of warm air will sink southwards from neighbouring Paraguay on Monday, lingering through Tuesday, before giving way to a cold front on Wednesday.
The maximum daytime temperatures on Monday and Tuesday will be up to 5C (41F) higher than normal in these regions, while Buenos Aires is forecast to be about 7C above average on Tuesday.
This final heralded a changing of the guard – the first SW19 showpiece since 2002 without at least one of the ‘big four’
First Jannik Sinner hit a wicked serve, straight down the T. Then he sank to his knees, head bowed as in prayer, in thanks and absolution. It was an appropriate gesture for the first Italian to win a singles title at Wimbledon. But it carried a deeper significance, too.
Five weeks ago in the French Open, Sinner had watched three match points come and go against Carlos Alcaraz, before losing a five-set, 5hr 29min epic against the Spaniard. After that match Sinner looked broken. Now, against the same brilliant opponent on Centre Court, he had mended his mind and soul.
The follow-up to Trainspotting sees Renton, Begbie and co settling down. The bestselling author explains why now is the perfect time for romance
I was born in the great port of Leith. Stories are in my blood; listening to them, telling them. My family were typical of many in the area, moving from tenement to council scheme, increasingly further down the Forth estuary. I was brought up in a close community. I left school with practically no qualifications. I tended towards the interesting kids, the troublemakers. All my own fault. I was always encouraged to be more scholarly by my parents, who valued education. But I left school and became an apprentice technician, doing a City & Guilds course. I hated it. I was always a writer: I just didn’t know it. I cite being crap at everything else in evidence.
It’s why I’ve never stopped writing stories about my youth and my go-to gang of characters from Trainspotting. Their reaction to events and changes in the world helps inform my own. They’ve been given substance by people I’ve met down the decades, from Leith pubs to Ibiza clubs.
“If Ben Stokes will be hitherto known as the Thundergod,” says John Starbuck, “(a) is he going to play in drag and (b) which side will be the Midgard Serpent? Also, does his wife have golden hair?”
I can’t say I understand all of this, pardon my ignorance, but hopefully others do.
Connexion
