How rotten is your brain?

Find out how bad your mental mush is

How bad is your brain rot? Tally up your scores to see your results.

None 3pts

1-3 2pts

4-6 1pts

6+ 0pts

Never 3pts

Sometimes 2pts

Frequently 1pts

Almost always 0pts

Meditate 3pts

Read 3pts

Watch TV 1pts

Doomscroll 0pts

Almost never 0pts

Less than once a week 1pts

At least once a week 2pts

2-3 times a week 3pts

Never 3pts

Occasionally 2pts

Frequently 1pts

Basically always 0pts

7+ hours 3pts

6-7 hours 2pts

Less than 6 hours 1pts

Almost never 0pts

Less than once a week 1pts

At least once a week 2pts

2-3 times a week 3pts

6+ hours 3pts

3-6 hours 2pts

1-3 hours 1pts

Less than an hour 0pts

Next to me, obviously 0pts

Somewhere else 3pts

Never 3pts

Occasionally, if it’s important 2pts

Pretty much every time 0pts

Published: April 3, 2026, 11:00 am

Pam Bondi’s firing won’t have the effect Trump desires | Moira Donegan

If the idea was to try to shed some of the liabilities of the Epstein scandal by firing Bondi, the move seems likely to backfire

It was only a matter of time. The writing has been on the wall for months for Pam Bondi, Trump’s attorney general, who was unceremoniously fired on Thursday after 14 months leading the justice department. Trump was rumored to be unhappy with Bondi; frustrated and the slowness and failures of some of her prosecutions of his political enemies, angry that she could not make the Epstein scandal go away, and disappointed by her rather wooden performances on TV.

For a while, it looked like Bondi would be the first cabinet secretary that Trump fired in his second administration – something he has been much more reluctant to do since returning to office in early 2025. But in October, when she was called to testify before a Senate subcommittee, Bondi made sure to issue vicious insults to her Democratic interrogators in front of the news cameras; she made a similar performance in February at a House judiciary committee hearing, where she lobbed ad hominem attacks on Democrats, including calling Representative Jamie Raskin “a washed up loser lawyer.” These performances evidently endeared Bondi to Donald Trump enough that he decided to keep her around for a while; Kristi Noem, his onetime secretary of homeland security, became the first cabinet member to be fired in his second term. But the Epstein story persisted, and so did Trump’s dissatisfaction with his own mounting unpopularity ahead of the November midterms. He is not capable of blaming himself, and so he looked around for someone else to punish for his own failures. Pam Bondi was there.

Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:00 am

Pope Leo’s first Easter: one year in, what do Catholics think of the new pontiff?

Some would like Leo to be more vocal on world conflict, but others say he uses his influence discreetly

As Leo marks his inaugural Easter as pontiff, almost a year after his predecessor’s death, some Catholics are still trying to work out what kind of pontiff he is.

The feast – the most important in the church’s calendar – comes against the backdrop of war in the Middle East, sparked by the US-Israeli strikes in Iran.

Published: April 3, 2026, 5:00 am

‘I lost a $3m brand deal. I was like: OK, losers!’ Swedish pop provocateur Zara Larsson on fame, fun and fighting the power

After a decade in pop’s underground, Larsson’s radiant fifth album turned her into one of the world’s biggest stars. It’s about time, she says, relishing the attention without sacrificing her morals

On a warm spring day, Brooklyn’s century-old Paramount theatre has been transformed into a base camp for all things Zara Larsson. Stage techs scurry past entourage members, managers furiously tap smartphones and various figures patiently await their moment with the Swedish superstar.

Down a plushly carpeted flight of stairs, Zara Larsson is on all fours, saying “puss puss” (Swedish for “kiss kiss”) into a camera. Despite all the craziness around her, she is locked in, wearing electric-blue stockings, tangerine booty shorts and a tiny blazer that makes her look like Malibu Barbie at graduation. A man powers up a leaf-blower, sending Larsson’s blond hair flying. After hitting a few poses, she tippy-taps over in maribou-trimmed stilettos and offers me a can of water. “Cheers!” she says as we clink.

Published: April 3, 2026, 4:00 am

USMNT World Cup squad predictions: how we see the 26 for 2026

Mauricio Pochettino faces several tough decisions to name a squad for the 2026 World Cup hosts

A full 24 matches into the Mauricio Pochettino era, we have arrived at the moment of truth. The US men’s national team’s 2026 World Cup roster will be named on 26 May, and the team’s two recent friendlies (a 5-2 loss to Belgium and a 2-0 loss to Portgual) have given Pochettino plenty to think about as he makes his selection.

We here at the Guardian have made our picks as well – based a little on our own preference, but still within the realm of what Pochettino may do. Separately, the three of us made our 26-man rosters. Any player who we agreed on got the “on the squad” designation. Anyone we differed on is listed as “up for debate”, with other notable exclusions listed as “out of the picture”.

Published: April 3, 2026, 9:00 am

Your Friends & Neighbours season two review – Jon Hamm was made for this moreish crime caper

The star returns as wealthy neighbourhood thief Coop in this rich dessert of a show. But as he tackles middle-age malaise, there’s a lot of heart – plus a guest appearance by James Marsden

Does Your Friends & Neighbours love its unhappy, very wealthy characters, or despise them? Does it laugh at the 1%, envy them, pity them? It does all of the above at once and, as we return to the fictional enclave of Westport, New York – an obvious stand-in for real financiers’ playground Westchester – this mischievous US dramedy is still a rich dessert of a show, unhealthy but oh so moreish.

Jon Hamm is Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a role that, if it were given to any other actor, would require them to do their best Jon Hamm impersonation. Sturdy, smooth – this is a man made of oak and mahogany, when the rest of us are bags of twigs and jelly – and seemingly always with a tumbler of $500 whisky in his fist, he is blessed with the ability to charm any man/woman into a deal/his bed. Other men have been handed their place in the banking elite and are now drifting through a life of luxury; Coop is better at playing the game than they are because he is sharp enough to see what a sham it all is. He has that trademark deep Hamm gaze, a tension behind the eyes.

Published: April 3, 2026, 7:00 am

Middle East crisis live: Iran strikes oil refinery in Kuwait, says it shot down US fighter jet

Iranian attacks reported across the Gulf as Trump tells Tehran the US will launch further strikes

• At border crossing, some Iranians are fleeing war and some are heading home

Authorities in Abu Dhabi have reported two incidents of debris falling from intercepted aerial threats in the UAE capital, with one sparking a fire at a gas facility,

The official Abu Dhabi Media Office said authorities responded to an incident of falling debris at the Habshan gas facilities. “Operations have been suspended while authorities respond to a fire,” it said in a post on X, adding that no injuries were reported.

Published: April 3, 2026, 11:37 am

Trump accused of running ‘misogynistic administration’ after Bondi dismissal

Bondi and Kristi Noem the only two cabinet members to be removed despite string of scandals involving male officials

Donald Trump has been accused of running a “misogynistic administration” after making Pam Bondi the second woman to be fired from a cabinet already dominated by men.

The US president dismissed the attorney general on Thursday amid mounting frustration with her performance, especially over the release of files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Published: April 3, 2026, 11:00 am

US senators rebuke Ticketmaster for raising fees after hidden charge crackdown: ‘bait and switch’

Richard Blumenthal says company acts like it has ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ as records show it upping fees to cut losses

• Ticketmaster quietly raised other fees after US crackdown on hidden charges

• Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email

Senators slammed Ticketmaster for raising ticket fees following a regulatory crackdown on hidden charges as revealed in a report by the Guardian last week.

The Federal Trade Commission last May began requiring Ticketmaster to disclose concert ticket fees upfront – a practice known as all-in pricing. The company eliminated the order processing fee it charged at the the end of a transaction to comply with the rule.

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:00 am

Canadian woman held with daughter by ICE is released after nearly three weeks of detention

Tania Warner is fitted with ankle monitor and released along with seven-year-old daughter Ayla Luca after being deemed not a flight risk

A Canadian woman and her seven-year-old daughter, who were held for nearly three weeks in a notorious detention center by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), were released on Thursday evening after posting a bond of $9,500.

Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla Luca, originally from British Columbia, are both Canadian citizens. Warner moved to the US in 2021 when she married Edward Warner, a US citizen. “Very happy to have my family home … it’s been a whirlwind day,” said Edward Warner.

Published: April 3, 2026, 3:59 am

Artemis II astronauts rocket towards the moon after breaking free of Earth’s orbit

Spacecraft’s engine fired up for six minutes to propel astronauts on their three-day voyage towards Earth’s natural satellite

The four Artemis astronauts have fired up their spacecraft’s engine to break away from Earth’s orbit and zoomed towards the moon, a milestone that commits Nasa to the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century.

With enough thrust to accelerate a stationary car to highway-driving speed in less than three seconds, the Orion capsule engine blasted on Thursday the astronauts on their trajectory towards the moon, which they now will loop as part of the 10-day Artemis 2 mission.

Published: April 3, 2026, 5:42 am

Food prices spiked in March as Middle East conflict drove up energy costs, UN says

Biggest rises were in vegetable oil and sugar prices, which increased by 5% and 7% respectively

• Visual guide to the Gulf fertiliser blockade

Food prices rose sharply in March as war in the Middle East drove up energy prices and freight costs around the world, a UN report says.

An index of food commodity prices by the UN’s food and agriculture organisation increased by 2.4% in March, its second consecutive monthly rise.

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:57 am

Ex-Turnstile guitarist charged with attempted second-degree murder of frontman’s father

Brady Ebert, a former member of the Grammy-winning US hardcore band, allegedly hit the father of Brendan Yates with his car

Brady Ebert, the former guitarist of the Grammy-winning US hardcore band Turnstile, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder after allegedly hitting the father of the band’s frontman, Brendan Yates, with his car.

On 29 March, police found William Yates outside his home with “trauma to his lower extremities”, with a broken bone protruding from his leg, according to the Baltimore Banner.

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:15 am

People of Burkina Faso should forget about democracy, says military ruler

Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in 2022 coup, tells state broadcaster ‘we must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us’

People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy as it is “not for us”, the military president, Ibrahim Traoré, told the country’s state broadcaster.

Traoré took power in a coup in September 2022, toppling another junta that had taken power just nine months earlier. He has since stifled opposition and in January banned political parties outright.

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:18 am

Nuns who broke back into their Austrian convent ‘are step closer to being able to stay’

Plan for three nuns who escaped from care home last year to go to Rome thought to be positive sign of Vatican’s decision

Three nuns who escaped from a care home to return to their convent in a castle close to Salzburg where they had spent most of their lives are a step closer to being able to stay there, sources close to them say.

Sisters Bernadette, Regina and Rita, who are in their early to late eighties, broke into their convent home in Elsbethen last September with the help of former pupils of the Catholic school at which they had taught and other supporters. Their case became a cause célèbre, attracting attention from around the world.

Published: April 3, 2026, 4:00 am

How sheltered really is the US from the Gulf oil supply crisis?

As Trump suggests Middle East oil disruption is not his problem, experts say talk of US ‘energy independence’ is a smokescreen – with consumers paying the price

A month has passed since the US and Israel’s war on Iran all but closed the strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies typically flow. Prices have surged, amid fears of sustained disruption to global supplies.

Donald Trump argues this is not his country’s problem. “Go get your own oil!” the president urged countries, including the UK, earlier this week. The US has “plenty”, he added. The US is “totally independent” of the Middle East, the president claimed in a prime-time address on Wednesday. “We don’t need their oil.”

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:00 am

Firm backed by Trump sons tries to sell drone interceptors to Gulf states being attacked by Iran

Drone-maker backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr tries to win contracts with Gulf countries protected by US

A drone-maker backed by Donald Trump’s two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the US military led by their father.

The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus – which announced a deal last month to bring aboard Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr – positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began.

Published: April 3, 2026, 12:59 am

‘You have to be serious’: Macron criticises Trump’s mixed messages about Nato and Iran

Speaking in South Korea, the French president defended the transatlantic alliance and called for return to peace

• Middle East crisis – live updates

Emmanuel Macron has sharply criticised Donald Trump’s inconsistent and often contradictory pronouncements on the Iran war and Nato, saying if “you want to be serious” it was better not to come out with something different every day.

“There is too much talk … and it’s all over the place,” the French president said on Thursday during a state visit to South Korea. “We all need stability, calm, a return to peace – this isn’t a show!”

Published: April 2, 2026, 5:34 pm

A day in the life of Asia’s fuel crisis

From farms in New Zealand to factories in Delhi, the effects of the oil crisis triggered by the Iran war are rippling across Asia

Published: April 3, 2026, 4:00 am

‘Food security timebomb’: a visual guide to the Gulf fertiliser blockade

UN says record numbers of people could face acute hunger if conflict continues

The world has become well versed in the importance of the strait of Hormuz to the world’s energy flows, but attention is increasingly turning to its vital role in another market – the fertiliser on which harvests depend.

A third of the global trade in raw materials for fertiliser passes through the maritime choke point, which is also the route for 20% of shipments of natural gas, which is required to make it.

Published: April 3, 2026, 3:00 am

‘It’s not just Flávio’: is surname-dropping son downplaying Bolsonaro connection?

Many Brazilians believe there is a ploy to free the younger Bolsonaro from baggage of his father’s name to return the family to power

He possesses one of the most famous family names in Latin American politics. But when the Brazilian senator took to the stage at a conservative conference in Grapevine, Texas, last weekend it was only his forename that was on people’s lips.

“Flávio! Flávio! Flávio!” the audience shouted as the 44-year-old politician announced he would run for president in order to fight the “radical environmental and woke” agendas he claims have made Brazil awful again.

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:00 am

Hungary elections: what is at stake and who is likely to win?

Viktor Orbán, an icon for the global far right, could face defeat despite an electoral system weighted in his favour

Hungarians go to the polls on 12 April in Europe’s most consequential election of the year, with Viktor Orbán, the country’s illiberal prime minister and global far-right icon, facing possible defeat, after 16 years in power, by a former loyalist, Péter Magyar.

Published: April 3, 2026, 4:00 am

Culture of care: surreal celebrations of Iranian tenderness – in pictures

As the daughter of refugees, Iranian American artist Sheida Soleimani’s work reframes caring for bodies – both human and animal - as a political act. Her new exhibition, Forest of Stars, will be on view at Yancey Richardson Gallery from 16 April to 22 May

Published: April 3, 2026, 9:00 am

Earl Sweatshirt, Mike and Surf Gang: Pompeii // Utility review – rap radicals’ appealing study in contrasts

(10k/Tan Cressida/Surf Gang)
Earl’s post-Odd Future career swerved the mainstream to follow the path laid out by NYC underground rapper Mike, and their first double album lets both shine

Earl Sweatshirt swerved into public consciousness as part of the edgy but brilliant California rap collective Odd Future in the late 2000s. Practically from day one, he was considered the tastemaker’s choice member, virtuosic even as a teenager. Rather than play for the mainstream, Earl has spent the past decade or so immersing himself in New York’s underground rap scene, resulting in one of the most unique and unpredictable discographies of his generation.

One of his prime inspirations for that new path was Mike, the beloved underground New York rapper whose own body of work is thrilling and vital. Here, the pair link with Surf Gang, the producer-musician clique that credibly lays claim to the title of “the next Odd Future” on Pompeii // Utility, a hyperactive and engrossing double record that finds Mike taking one side and Earl the other.

Published: April 3, 2026, 7:30 am

‘It’s the year of gay Brazilian cruising!’ The makers of Night Stage on public sex and their ‘deranged erotic thriller’

Writer-directors Marcio Reolon and Filipe Matzembacher talk about the ‘assimilation myth’, why Wim Wenders is wrong and how they’re developing queer western and horror movies

You wait for ever for a visually electrifying Brazilian film featuring scenes in a gay cruising ground, then two come along at once. First, the Oscar-nominated The Secret Agent showed nocturnal trysts in Recife being violently interrupted by a rampaging disembodied leg. Now hedonists in the queer thriller Night Stage flock to a park in the southern city of Porto Alegre where they can openly make the beast with two or more backs. “It’s the year of gay Brazilian cruising!” says Marcio Reolon, mock-triumphantly.

Reolon co-wrote and co-directed Night Stage with his partner, Filipe Matzembacher, who is seated beside him this morning in their Berlin apartment. The couple’s look is best described as exchange-student punk: studded bracelets, silver earrings thick as curtain rings. Reolon, who is 41 with sharp cheekbones and a cockatoo quiff, wears a padlock on a chain around his neck. The 37-year-old Matzembacher, cherubic and curly-haired, sports a barbed-wire tattoo on his left hand.

Published: April 3, 2026, 7:00 am

‘I am trapped in a sweet-smelling cycle of video game-branded toiletries’: Lush’s Mario Galaxy range, reviewed

From a subtle Princess Peach lip jelly to a Yoshi egg that’s been traumatising children, the cosmetic chain’s latest tie-in is out of this world

When The Super Mario Bros Movie came out in 2023, it came with a rather unlikely tie-in: a range of skincare and bathing products from cosmetics chain Lush. The store, known for its devotion to natural ingredients and support for social justice causes, didn’t seem like the obvious partner for a major video game franchise. Because of this, I thought I should try them out, assuming that my dalliance with beauty journalism would be short-lived.

I was wrong. The collection was so successful, Lush later released a Minecraft range, which I also reviewed, and now there’s a Super Mario Galaxy range to tie in with the new movie. Somehow, I have become the Guardian’s Lush correspondent and it seems I am now trapped in a sweet-smelling cycle of video game-branded toiletries. There are definitely worse fates, so I’m just going with it.

Published: April 3, 2026, 9:00 am

Time for some hard truths from a tech bro: the Stephen Collins cartoon

Continue reading...

Published: April 3, 2026, 9:30 am

Week in wildlife: a meep-meep roadrunner, a new frog species and Orkney voles

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world

Published: April 3, 2026, 7:20 am

‘I’d introduce aliens to shito sauce.’ Items our panel would take into space

Artemis II’s astronauts packed their wedding rings, notebooks and a supply of maple syrup. Here’s what our writers would fly to the moon

Published: April 3, 2026, 5:00 am

Trump’s surreal speech on Iran shed no light on his goals | Kenneth Roth

The US president couldn’t give a single coherent reason for why this aggressive war of choice must still be prosecuted

Donald Trump’s self-congratulatory speech on Iran on Wednesday night was as puzzling as it was divorced from reality. I had hoped he would declare victory and end the war. Some feared he might provide cover for a ground invasion. Instead, he told us in essence to be patient, that he is almost done, but he was utterly unclear about what more there is to accomplish.

If there was ever a purpose to the war, it was to curtail Iran’s capacity to develop a nuclear weapon. Trump harped on that goal repeatedly in his speech, noting that he had long vowed that he “would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon”. But he didn’t mention that Iran has long agreed to eschew a nuclear weapon. If that is the only goal, this entire war has been pointless.

Published: April 2, 2026, 6:29 pm

Lizzo’s reinvention faces its greatest test yet

The singer’s body-positive anthems once defined her. Now lawsuits, weight loss and flop singles have shaken her image

Lizzo’s ascent to mainstream stardom was the type of fairytale that pop dreams are made of. She was a long-hustling musician, Houston-raised then Minneapolis-made. She had a co-sign from Prince two years before she was even signed to a major label; then, it took another three years after debuting on Atlantic for the world to know her name.

When they finally learned it, it became hard to escape her. In 2019, she had sleeper hit after sleeper hit rise to the top of the charts. First, 2017’s bouncy break-up kiss-off Truth Hurts stormed to No 1, then 2015’s empower-pop anthem Good as Hell joined the song in the Top 10. For a few years following, Lizzo was unstoppable in spite of all the odds being stacked against her: she was a brown-skinned, plus-size pop star who put on athletic performances and dressed just as sexy as her skinny peers. Her image was brash, bold and radical, which made her controversial to many just for existing.

Published: April 3, 2026, 8:00 am

Digested week: I don’t often feel sorry for Charles, but he must be dreading this US trip

Starmer should just admit we’re being held to ransom by Trump – but instead he’s making the king go on a state visit

Donald Trump has suggested that the war with Iran will be over in two to three weeks. The rest of the world just shrugs. We’ll believe it when we see it. The US president has said so many contradictory things over the past few weeks, it’s hard to take anything that seriously.

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:45 am

Of course we shouldn’t drill for more oil in the North Sea – we cancelled further exploitation for a reason | Bill McGuire

We are at a critical point in the climate emergency and already struggling to meet emissions reduction targets. The UK government must hold its nerve

While the UK is only marginally involved in the war in the Middle East in military terms, the ramifications for this country are still potentially huge. And nowhere more so than in the energy sector. It isn’t a surprise, then, that commentary has focused on the impact potential policy interventions might have on the cost of energy to UK homes and businesses, and on whether the decisions the government takes will make the nation more – or less – energy-secure.

The usual suspects in Reform and the Tory party have used the war as an excuse to renew demands that the North Sea be sucked dry of its remaining oil and gas, in order – they say – to end reliance on fossil fuel imports and to guarantee energy security. More sensible heads have argued that the North Sea basin is a field that is way past peak production, and that has only limited amounts of oil and gas left, and that energy security can only be reached if we move further and faster on renewables. Extraordinarily, the real reason no further significant exploitation of North Sea oil and gas is planned seems to have been entirely forgotten, or at least set aside.

Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL. His next book – The Fate of the World: a History and Future of the Climate Crisis – is published in May

Published: April 3, 2026, 9:00 am

To a world at a loss as to how to handle Trump, I say this: the only answer may be to wait him out| Simon Jenkins

A great effort will be needed to undo the damage once the US president has gone. But with the constitution unable to bring him to order now, that is what we must do

The US is extraordinary. One day it goes to the far side of the moon and revives the space age. On the same day, its president is looking to the far side of the Earth and says he will take Iran “back to the stone ages”. It may be a giant leap for mankind, but in what direction?

There can be no point other than prestige in sending humans to the moon, which is why more than 50 years have passed since they last went there. Robots can perform all we need in space. Returning the Iranians to the stone age is a different matter. The last time the US made the same boast was against Vietnam in a typical threat (much misquoted) by Gen Curtis LeMay. Vietnam crushed the US in the ensuing war.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

Do 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.

Published: April 2, 2026, 5:51 pm

JD Vance thinks space aliens are ‘demons’. Who can blame him? | Dave Schilling

Of course the vice-president is obsessed with extraterrestrials – look how bad things have gotten on Earth

I can’t fault anyone for looking around at the state of things on the planet Earth and pondering the existence of aliens. Who wouldn’t want to hop on the Starship Get-Me-The-Hell-Out-Of-Here right now? It costs me a vital organ to fill up my gas tank, everyone I know is unemployed and the cast of Bravo’s Summer House is crumbling before our eyes. Unfortunately for alien observer JD Vance, he’s partially responsible for two of the three. Pretty sure the vice-president isn’t hooking up with Amanda Batula, so he’s off the hook for that one.

On a recent appearance on The Benny Show, a conservative podcast you’ve never heard of, Vance outlined his “obsession” with UFOs. He might not be fully read into the current state of extraterrestrial discourse, but he does have a theory. Vance said: “I don’t think they’re aliens, I think they’re demons anyway, but that’s a longer discussion.”

Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist

Published: April 2, 2026, 2:00 pm

Unhittable: are the modern era’s weightlifting, analytics-fueled pitchers too good?

A new book explores how technology and a host of maverick innovators have given rise to an exceptional crop of baseball players

In a 1940 publicity stunt, the Cleveland Indians’ flamethrowing pitcher, Bob Feller, tested which was faster: One of his own blazing deliveries, or a motorcycle. Feller’s pitching won, hands down. But today, Feller’s once-remarkable speed has become commonplace, even bettered, as major leaguers routinely pass triple figures on the radar gun. The secret to this arms race? The advances in pitching analytics,often authored by people without any previous baseball pedigree.

That’s part of the narrative of Unhittable, a new book by one such individual – Rob Friedman, more commonly known to his online followers as PitchingNinja. The book’s subtitle says it all: How Technology, Mavericks and Innovators Engineered Baseball’s New Era of Pitching Dominance.

Published: April 3, 2026, 9:00 am

Bodycam footage shows Tiger Woods’s shock after crash: ‘I’m being arrested?’

• Golfer has pled not guilty to DUI charges in Florida

• Woods tells police he was on phone with ‘the president’

• Hydrocodone pills found in pocket following arrest

Bodycam footage of Tiger Woods’s arrest for DUI shows the golfer looking surprised when he was handcuffed by police officers at the scene of a vehicle crash last week.

“I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time you’re under arrest for DUI,” Martin County Sheriff’s deputy Tatiana Levenar told Woods after officers conducted a series of field sobriety exercises on the 50-year-old.

Published: April 2, 2026, 5:03 pm

Chelsea axe Enzo Fernández for two games after ‘crossing a line’ with Madrid comments

• Rosenior: ‘It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way’

• ‘You have to protect this club and culture’

Chelsea have dropped their vice-captain Enzo Fernández for the next two games after he appeared to flirt with Real Madrid during the international break.

The midfielder, who has been linked with a move to Real, offered his thoughts on the Spanish capital while on international duty with Argentina. He said: “I’d like to live in Madrid. It’s a beautiful city, reminds me of Buenos Aires.”

Published: April 3, 2026, 11:11 am

Washington Wizards apologize after $10k April Fools’ prank draws backlash

• Wizards apologize over half-time April Fools’ prank

• Promotion that appeared to trick fan draws backlash

• Team issues statement saying stunt was pre-planned

The Washington Wizards apologized on Thursday after an April Fools’ Day in-game promotion during their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers prompted criticism on social media.

During Wednesday night’s game at Capital One Arena, a fan was brought on to the court for a blindfolded half-court shot promoted as being worth $10,000. The shot missed, but arena staff and performers reacted as if it had gone in and briefly presented the fan with a ceremonial check as part of what later was revealed to be a scripted skit.

Published: April 2, 2026, 5:31 pm

FA Cup quarter-finals: things to look out for this weekend

Chelsea dare not lose, West Ham and Leeds play out a survival dress rehearsal, while Phil Foden urgently needs to make an impact

Phil Foden made two starts for England over the international break as Thomas Tuchel experimented with how the Manchester City attacking midfielder could be used at the World Cup. He played in a couple of positions but was ineffective in two collectively subpar performances from the Three Lions. It means he has one assist and no goals in his past 22 appearances for club and country in what has been an underwhelming campaign for the 25-year-old. He has dropped below Rayan Cherki in Pep Guardiola’s pecking order and has not completed a full 90 minutes since January. In the Carabao Cup final, Foden was permitted a late cameo, and it feels as if this is the time when he should be making a difference in the final stages of the season. There are still trophies to be played for, even if winning the Premier League title would involve a huge turnaround against Arsenal. This means the FA Cup is the most promising prospect and Foden should be desperate to start and remind everyone of the world-class player he could be, especially against a Liverpool side who often struggle against smart No 10s. The next six weeks could be make or break for Foden’s City and international career, so he must seize every opportunity. WU

Manchester City v Liverpool, Saturday 12.45pm (all times BST)

Chelsea v Port Vale, Saturday 5.15pm

Southampton v Arsenal, Saturday 8pm

West Ham v Leeds, Sunday 4.30pm

Published: April 2, 2026, 11:01 pm

Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi apologises for past comments on Mason Greenwood

• ‘I didn’t meant to take a stance,’ says Spurs head coach

• Fan groups had opposed De Zerbi’s appointment

The new Tottenham head coach, Roberto De Zerbi, has issued an apology for his past comments on Mason Greenwood and said he would never intentionally downplay violence against women.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) strongly criticised the Italian’s appointment on Tuesday, releasing a statement that expressed “serious and far-reaching concerns” soon after he was confirmed to have signed a five-year deal in replacing the interim manager Igor Tudor.

Published: April 2, 2026, 6:42 pm

This year, one word is echoing through women’s March Madness: joy

Whether in the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat, coaches and players at this NCAA tournament have found the fun in basketball again

Kara Lawson’s Duke team saw their Final Four dreams dashed with a 70-58 loss to UCLA on Sunday. The Blue Devils had pulled an impressive, buzzer-beating upset of No 2 seed LSU in the Sweet 16 days before, but against the No 1 Bruins in the Elite Eight, they didn’t give a repeat performance. They missed a few key moments in transition that could have changed the game and helped them to their first Final Four in 20 years.

In the end, though, it was OK.

Published: April 2, 2026, 10:00 am

Rams star Puka Nacua in rehab amid claims of antisemitic remark and biting incident

• Player was in rehab before lawsuit was filed, says attorney

• Wide receiver’s lawyer says client innocent of wrongdoing

Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua is in rehab and was there before he was sued by a woman who says he made an antisemitic statement and bit her on the shoulder, according to his attorney.

“He was in [rehab] a substantial period of time before any of these allegations broke ... and he’s scheduled to be there for a while longer,” Levi McCathern told The California Post.

McCathern told the newspaper Nacua’s decision to enter rehab was not a direct response to the lawsuit his accuser filed against him by Madison Atiabi last month, but an attempt “to improve his overall behavior in every aspect of his life.”

Published: April 2, 2026, 11:58 am

Top US army officer steps down after Hegseth reportedly demanded removal

Pentagon announces Randy George retiring from role as US army chief of staff, ‘effective immediately’

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Randy George, the US army’s top officer, is stepping down from his role after the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, reportedly requested that he retire immediately. The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that George, who had been serving as the army’s 41st chief of staff, was retiring.

“General Randy A George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement,” Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement shared on social media.

Published: April 3, 2026, 11:41 am

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing appointed president after ‘sham’ election

Min Aung Hlaing seized control five years ago and plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos

Min Aung Hlaing, the military general who plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos when he took power in the 2021 coup has been appointed president, months after widely condemned sham elections.

Min Aung Hlaing, who is wanted by the prosecutor of the international criminal court for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority, was voted president by lawmakers on Friday. Myanmar’s parliament is dominated by the pro-military party, which won a landslide in one-sided elections earlier this year.

Published: April 3, 2026, 10:22 am

Federal judge throws out most of Blake Lively’s claims against Justin Baldoni

Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni, including claim of sexual harassment

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A federal judge has thrown out the majority of Blake Lively’s claims against Justin Baldoni.

In a court ruling on Thursday, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s lawsuit against her co-star and director of the domestic violence film It Ends With Us.

Published: April 2, 2026, 9:34 pm

CDC temporarily halts testing for several infectious diseases amid staffing shortages

Federal agency, which normally supports state and local public health labs, has been hobbled by staff departures

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The US federal agency responsible for monitoring diseases has temporarily halted certain diagnostic testing, including those for rabies, human herpesvirus and several other infectious illnesses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a list on Monday showing that more than two dozen types of testing are now unavailable.

Published: April 2, 2026, 5:52 pm

Trump threatens 100% tariff on US drug makers that don’t strike deals to lower prices

New tax will hit branded drugs and active ingredients while exempting generics for at least one year

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Donald Trump is threatening 100% tariffs on pharmaceutical companies that have not struck deals to lower US drug prices.

The new tariff will only apply to branded drugs and their active ingredients. Generic drugs, which make up more than 90% of medicines sold in the US, will be exempted from tariffs for at least one year. Orphan, veterinary and other specialty drugs are exempt if they are from trade deal countries or meet urgent public health needs.

Published: April 2, 2026, 9:33 pm

Trump’s White House ballroom wins approval of planning authorities

Blessing from NCPC comes just days after judge ruled work on project cannot proceed without congressional approval

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Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project received the approval of Washington’s planning authorities on Thursday, two days after a judge ruled work cannot proceed without Congress’s approval.

The National Capital Planning Commission, which ​is chaired by one of Trump’s former lawyers, gave the green light to the “East Wing Modernization Project” on Thursday, describing the ballroom as just the latest stage over two centuries of continuous changes.

Published: April 2, 2026, 6:42 pm

‘I will not yield’: Taiwan convulsed by 17-year prison sentence for populist opposition figure

The opposition Taiwan People’s party stands by founder Ko Wen-je despite sentence, alleging prosecutors were pressured by ruling DPP party

Opposition figure Ko Wen-je put on a defiant display in front of tens of thousands of supporters outside Taiwan’s Presidential Office, two days after being handed a 17-year prison sentence on corruption charges.

“I will not yield! I will not surrender!” Ko shouted on Sunday in Taipei, as he turned towards the grand, red-brick Japanese colonial-era building in order to directly address President Lai Ching-te.

Published: April 2, 2026, 11:43 pm

Costa Rica strikes deal to accept third country deportees from US

Central American country to receive up to 25 migrants a day expelled as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown

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The Costa Rican government has agreed to receive up to 25 deported migrants a week from the United States, the latest deal in the Trump administration’s unprecedented efforts to deport scores of people to “third countries”.

With the new agreement, Costa Rica seeks a closer alliance with Donald Trump’s government, which has been securing cooperation from other Central American countries in accepting deportees from other nations who have been detained by US immigration agents.

Published: April 2, 2026, 4:00 pm

Two lost 1965 Doctor Who episodes released after being found in private collection

Episodes from William Hartnell era are from mostly lost 12-part adventure called The Daleks’ Master Plan

Two episodes of Doctor Who from the William Hartnell era, which have not been seen since 1965, have been released after being discovered in a private film collection.

The two episodes, released on Friday and starring Peter Purves as the Doctor’s companion, are parts one and three of a mostly lost 12-part adventure called The Daleks’ Master Plan, written by the Dalek creator Terry Nation and broadcast as part of the third series of Doctor Who in November 1965.

Published: April 3, 2026, 6:00 am

Sex at arm’s length? Male octopuses use specialised arm to mate, scientists find

Sensory organ in male cephalopod able to detect female hormone progesterone, even if male cannot see partner

Sex might seem an intimate act, but scientists have shed fresh light on how octopuses manage it at arm’s length.

Male octopuses use a specialised arm called the hectocotylus to place a package of sperm inside the female’s reproductive system.

Published: April 2, 2026, 6:17 pm

Google to tap into gas plant for AI datacenter in sharp turn from climate goals

Texas power plant would emit 4.5m tons of carbon dioxide per year, more than that of the entire city of San Francisco

Google’s plan for a partnership with a natural gas power plant that could provide energy for one of its datacenters in Texas was unearthed by new research and confirmed by the company. The move is part of an ongoing about-face for the tech giant, which once pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030 and has long been seen as a pioneer in clean energy.

The gas power plant is slated to be built in Armstrong county, a sparsely populated area in the Texas panhandle. According to a report by the research organization Cleanview, the project is being led by Crusoe Energy, which partnered with Google to develop the datacenter campus known as “Goodnight”, named after a nearby town.

Published: April 2, 2026, 6:55 pm

How a lush Miami park was designed to keep flooding at bay – in pictures

As the climate crisis intensifies the storms lashing south Florida, it is imperative to design spaces that soak up the water. The 19.4-acre Bayshore Park is an example of how to design spaces that protect from and connect residents to nature

Published: April 2, 2026, 3:00 pm

Why thousands of New Yorkers swap gas for induction stoves in clean energy push: ‘It makes sense’

US states from California to Georgia are promoting induction stoves for climate, health and cost benefits

Marcos Ramos hasn’t been able to cook a full meal at home in nearly four years, after a gas leak resulted in a lengthy supply cut off for his New York City apartment building.

Now, though, Ramos will be able to cook again thanks to a technology that is gradually advancing in the US after being embroiled in an unlikely culture war – the electric induction stove.

Published: April 2, 2026, 10:00 am

Maryland man receives 20-year sentence for pet crematorium scam

Rodney Ward returned debris instead of pets’ ashes and stored animals’ bodies in hearse or threw them out on road

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A Baltimore county man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding pet owners through his fake crematorium business, returning rocks and sand to grieving victims instead of ashes.

On Tuesday, 56-year-old Rodney Ward was also ordered to pay $12,510 in restitution to victims. He had pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and five counts of malicious destruction of property over $1,000, according to the Baltimore county state’s attorney’s office.

Published: April 2, 2026, 9:09 pm

Court dismisses former WhatsApp security chief’s lawsuit against Meta

Abdullah Baig alleged Meta ignored flaws putting billions at risk, but a US judge ruled he lacked sufficient evidence

A US court has dismissed a lawsuit from WhatsApp’s former security chief, who alleged that parent company Meta ignored internal flaws he flagged about the messaging app’s digital defenses.

Abdullah Baig, who claims he was fired in retaliation for raising these concerns, had alleged that billions of users had been put at risk because of these vulnerabilities. Thousands of employees could view sensitive user data, including profile photos and location, Baig claimed in the lawsuit filed in September. A judge ruled he had not presented enough evidence to move forward.

Published: April 2, 2026, 5:42 pm

Trump polled advisers about replacing Tulsi Gabbard as intelligence chief

Exclusive: Pressure intensifies for Gabbard after president’s displeasure with Iran war testimony

Donald Trump has privately asked cabinet members in recent weeks whether he should replace his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, venting frustration that she shielded a former deputy who undercut his rationale for war with Iran, according to two people briefed on the discussions.

It is not clear that Trump will actually fire Gabbard over the episode. Currently, there is no standout candidate to take the job, and advisers have cautioned that creating a high-profile vacancy before a successor is ready could cause unhelpful political distractions.

Published: April 2, 2026, 10:00 am

Civil rights groups sue Trump administration over order to limit mail-in voting

The coalition of organizations says Trump’s executive order restricting who can receive mail ballots is unconstitutional

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A coalition of civil rights groups sued the Trump administration on Thursday, saying that a new executive order to limit mail-in voting is unconstitutional.

The order, which Trump signed on Tuesday, instructs the federal government to come up with a list of eligible citizens who can vote in each state. It also instructs the US Postal Service to only transmit mail-in ballots to people on that list.

Published: April 2, 2026, 1:00 pm

Alleged maple syrup scam in Quebec uncovered by Canadian broadcaster

A Radio-Canada reporter noticed his maple syrup tasted odd; testing revealed it was adulterated with cane sugar

An investigation by Canada’s national broadcaster has found that a major Quebec producer has been diluting its maple syrup with cane sugar and selling the fraudulent product to grocery chains.

In a sting operation that involved false identities and covert recordings, journalists from Radio-Canada’s Enquête programme found that a low-cost syrup sold in major grocery store chains was heavily diluted.

Published: April 2, 2026, 7:07 pm

OpenAI buys tech talkshow TBPN in push to shape AI narrative

OpenAI’s chief of strategy says acquisition of show will help company engage with public about AI as it evolves

OpenAI is wading into the media business by acquiring TBPN, a technology-focused talkshow closely watched by Silicon Valley insiders, its hosts said on Wednesday.

Co-hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays broadcast TBPN live for three hours every weekday from Los Angeles, lining up guests that include founders, venture capitalists and major figures in the technology world.

Published: April 2, 2026, 8:17 pm

TikTok pulls Israeli ultranationalist’s account for breach of hate speech rules

Dozens of videos have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram showing harassment of Palestinians and activists

TikTok has removed an account belonging to an ultranationalist, pro-settlement Israeli influencer for breaching hate speech and bullying rules after the Guardian flagged videos showing him harassing activists in the occupied West Bank.

The Guardian has reviewed dozens of videos posted by various social media figures that have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram documenting the harassment of Palestinians as well as physical attacks on Israeli and international activists.

Published: April 2, 2026, 4:08 pm

‘A wow moment’: ancient Romanian gold helmet returned in plea deal with theft suspects

Prosecutors unveil artefact linked to lost Dacian civilisation after it was stolen from Dutch museum last year

A priceless ancient gold helmet from Romania that was stolen last year from a museum in the Netherlands, has been recovered as part of a plea deal reached with the suspects.

Under the guard of balaclava-wearing police, prosecutors unveiled the 2,500-year-old Coțofenești helmet, which is considered a cultural icon of Romania, during a news conference on Thursday in the eastern Dutch city of Assen.

Published: April 2, 2026, 4:46 pm

‘Slavery bounded his life’: Thomas Jefferson’s views on race – in his own words

A new book by historian Annette Gordon-Reed explores the former US president’s writings on race throughout his life

Thomas Jefferson’s interactions with enslaved people bookend his life. The third US president and a founder of the United States was born into a slave-owning family in a society upon which slavery was the bedrock. A Black woman was probably his earliest nursemaid – evidence shows that his mother did not breastfeed her children, so it is probable that a Black woman was also Jefferson’s wet nurse. His earliest memory, which he relayed to his grandchildren, was of being carried on a pillow via horseback by a man his family enslaved on a 50-mile journey to Tuckahoe, Virginia.

Given his status as an enslaver – Jefferson owned more than 610 people in his lifetime – those he held in bondage may have been the last people Jefferon saw before he died. An enslaved man, John Hemmings, built his casket. The omnipresence of slavery in his life and its clear contradictions with regards to his views on liberty, create a point of which much of the existing literature on Jefferson must attempt to make sense. Scholars have long tried to analyze and parse the juxtaposition of bondage and freedom for the former president. But in a new book by Annette Gordon-Reed, a Pulitzer prize-winning historian and a pre-eminent Jefferson scholar, Jefferson speaks for himself.

Published: April 2, 2026, 4:00 pm

The anti-Maga talkshow: after 70 years, PBS’s The Open Mind still has it

For decades, the TV programme has made a quiet case for depth, civility and political conversation that doesn’t insult your intelligence

In December 1973 the public television current affairs programme, The Open Mind, held a special edition devoted to what its main guest, the historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr, dubbed the “imperial presidency”.

The televised roundtable discussion was well timed. Escalating oil prices from the Opec crisis were wreaking havoc with the global economy, the Watergate scandal was blazing in Washington, and Richard Nixon was looking increasingly Richard II-like in the Oval Office as he attempted to pull off what Schlesinger called an “escape from accountability”.

Published: April 2, 2026, 11:00 am

Stephen Colbert on Trump attending birthright citizenship hearing: ‘That’s mob-boss-level intimidation’

Late-night hosts discussed Trump becoming first sitting president to attend supreme court oral arguments, for a bombshell case on birthright citizenship

Late-night hosts tore into Donald Trump’s intimidation tactics at the supreme court hearing on birthright citizenship and another judge’s order to halt construction of his White House ballroom.

Published: April 2, 2026, 3:46 pm

Killer rabbits, bunny boilers and the holy hand grenade of Antioch: Easter bunny movies – ranked!

From Watership Down and Fatal Attraction to Bambi and Python’s Holy Grail, rabbits are an unlikely constant in film – and often with sinister intentions. Here are the 20 best leporine movie moments

The mighty Alan Bleasdale wrote this razor-sharp farce set on New Year’s Eve in Liverpool, where rival Catholic and Protestant militants have accidentally booked the same venue. One of the acts going horribly wrong is Elvis Costello as a stage musician who says: “I’m a bit worried about me rabbit.” With reason, as it turns out.

Published: April 2, 2026, 1:26 pm

Add to playlist: the endlessly inventive, radiant indie rock of Friko and the week’s best new tracks

The Chicago band’s frantic, urgent guitar melodies celebrate hope, friendship and family in these uncertain times

From Chicago, Illinois
Recommended if you like Modest Mouse, Wilco, Car Seat Headrest
Up next Second album Something Worth Waiting For out 24 April, touring the US from April and Europe in summer

In Friko’s hands, a swirl of influences and experiments curve the many colours of indie rock into an endlessly inventive, radiant ramble. The Chicago band’s upcoming, cheekily titled second album, Something Worth Waiting For, explores the energy of yearning: for growth, for change, for stability. Across nine tracks, Friko take inspiration from their recent spate of touring to orbit the idea of finding things worth moving for and the value of the journey itself.

Published: April 3, 2026, 11:00 am

Sanaya Ardeshir: Hand of Thought review | Ammar Kalia's global album of the month

(Karigar)
The Indian producer steps away from electronics into intricate, slow-building compositions that favour texture and restraint

As Sandunes, Indian producer Sanaya Ardeshir has spent the last decade exploring the melodic side of electronic music with three ebullient albums that drew on the bright instrumentation and pop references of contemporaries such as Bonobo. Now releasing her first record under her own name, Ardeshir explores entirely new territory, namely expansive piano compositions that supplant dancefloor rhythms with slowly unfurling minimalist repetition.

Drawing on her training as a pianist, Ardeshir displays a confident command of the keys, building an insistent right-hand motif on the opening track that creates a foundation for saxophonist Rhys Sebastian’s drawn-out notes. This unwavering piano phrasing allows her collaborators to layer evocative instrumental swells, producing bursts of woodwind fanfare on the plaintive Between Dreams and swirls of trilling synth strings on the choppy Barefoot Steps. Percussionist Sarathy Korwar delivers a standout feature on Deccan Queen, giving structure to Ardeshir’s frenetic arpeggios with his steadily intensifying tabla rhythms.

Published: April 3, 2026, 8:00 am

‘The US is no longer the go-to place’: How Korean culture is taking Latin America by storm

Everything Korean – from K-pop and skincare to food and clothing – is booming in popularity in Chile, Mexico and Brazil

On the polished flagstones of a Santiago cultural centre’s forecourt, four Chilean girls dance in energetic union, counting their steps aloud in Korean.

In front of them, a YouTube video with 1.3bn views plays atop a speaker throbbing to the beat of How You Like That, by the K-pop megastars Blackpink.

Published: April 2, 2026, 9:00 am

Sunn O))): Sunn O))) review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

(Sub Pop)
The doomy duo strip back their sound to tectonic guitars and feedback, conjuring an immersive, strangely euphoric listening experience recorded in the wilds of Washington

Nearly seven years on from Sunn O)))’s last two albums, the Steve Albini-produced companion pieces Life Metal and Pyroclasts, the drone metal pioneers’ 10th album presents itself as a return to basics. Eponymously titled and released on Sub Pop – the label that put out drone metal’s ur-text, Earth’s 1993 debut Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version – it strips away Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson’s penchant for collaboration (Scott Walker, Merzbow) and much of the expanded musical palette that came with it. No church organ, no dulcimer, no vocals, no radical reassembly of their material courtesy of Nurse With Wound’s Steven Stapleton: closer Glory Black features a brief burst of piano, and there are apparently synthesisers somewhere in the mix, but for the most part, the album seems to deal almost exclusively in heavily distorted down-tuned guitars and feedback, the core of Sunn O)))’s sound since they formed in 1998.

But clearly the notion of a back-to-basics album should not be confused with that of an understated one. It’s not really an adjective that fits something that lasts the best part of 90 minutes, comes wrapped in a sleeve featuring two Mark Rothko paintings – by permission of the painter’s estate – and features somewhere between 130 and 180 tracks of guitar per song. (The latter comes thanks to a studio procedure that involved producer Brad Wood miking up not just the duo’s amplifiers but each amplifier’s individual speakers, and setting up what he called “the world’s largest stereo array of room mics” to capture ambient textures.) It also comes complete with sleeve notes from nature writer Robert Macfarlane, which variously quote the Greek stoic Epictetus, Walter Benjamin, 19th-century naturalist John Muir, author Patrick White and indigenous American environmentalist Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Published: April 2, 2026, 3:22 pm

The best recent poetry – review roundup

Goyle, Chert, Mire by Jean Sprackland; The House of Broken Things by Kim Moore; The Tree Is Missing by Shannon Kuta Kelly; Dog Star by Michael Symmons Roberts; Horses by Jake Skeets

Goyle, Chert, Mire by Jean Sprackland (Jonathan Cape, £13)
The 45 unrhymed sonnets in Sprackland’s sixth collection coalesce into three spellbinding interwoven sequences. Set in the Blackdown Hills, a remote stretch between Somerset and Devon, the poems explore the friction between art and articulation, habitat and inhabitation. Here, the landscape is not a backdrop but a linguistic event: “a drop swells on the lip of a leaf and falls / like a word being said”. By removing the first person throughout, Sprackland makes us encounter the landscape intimately: it’s not mediated through a speaker’s interiority but in “mossy silence”, “the rumble of the combine harvester”, “the noise / of meltwater hurtling over stones”, or “the shattered pieces of yourself”. Overshadowed by an unnamed illness, the poems bear wounds but don’t broadcast suffering; this restraint fosters minute attention to “pilgrim gnats attending the water” and the mire’s “long translation from gley to peat”. Sprackland’s ability alternately to narrow and widen our focus – from a closeup on insect life to geological time – reveals how consciousness itself moves between scales. Unlike many nature poems that overanimate or sentimentalise, the book is alive to the limits of human agency: it knows “language itself is prone to collapse”. Yet in that collapse, we can find meaning; recognise the “spiky logic” of natural process, following it as “the sparrow enters / and follows” the “sprawling holly”. The unwavering sonnet form represents an act of courage, a disciplined response to illness and dissolution, creating order where language threatens to collapse. This is a profound, enduring collection.

The House of Broken Things by Kim Moore (Corsair, £14.99)
Moore’s new collection constructs an ambitious architecture for exploring intergenerational trauma and motherhood. At its best, we find her confessional signature, as in The Black Notices, cataloguing unidentified murdered women, or Giving Birth With Anne Sexton, where literary inheritance meets bodily terror. Sometimes, however, this commitment to sincerity and transparency results in poems that feel like pedagogic exercises: Damaged Cento catalogues the “eight stages” of domestic homicide, while The Trimesters documents pregnancy’s upheavals. The motherhood poems, though deeply felt, risk predictability in their exploration of well-trodden territory – breastfeeding, bedtime routines, and the spectre of parental loss (“I imagine someone taking her away, / or a car ploughing into the pram”). It’s technically hard to make this new. Moore clearly presents the “I” as a site of shared, unpolished vulnerability, prioritising emotional legibility over lyric innovation.

Published: April 3, 2026, 11:00 am

I did not tell my sister that our other sister was dying. Silence was the right choice, yet murky and painful

In family estrangement, the mud and dirt gets everywhere, Kathryn Heyman writes. And it is very hard to undo what has been done

Years ago, when I lived in Scotland, my neighbour had fallen out with her mother. Although they lived mere streets from each other they hadn’t spoken for three years, and my friend had no idea why, nor any inclination to ask. Once, I asked her what she would do when her mother died, what it would be like if she found out afterwards. It seemed a terrible loss to me, the idea that she might not know about the death for weeks or months. It would have seemed impossible to me then that I would enact a similar estrangement decades later.

In 2020, every time I saw my sister’s name pop up on my phone, I’d brace myself, wondering if this was it. V had been living with cancer for 15 years, in and out of remission, each return marked with a new metastasis. This time, she said only that she needed a meeting of The Sisterhood, which was what I’d named our group chat. Four sisters in the family, but only three at the meeting; there was no question of inviting our fourth sister who, anyway, lived in another country.

Published: April 2, 2026, 2:00 pm

Sarah Hall: ‘Everyone wangs on about Anna Karenina – I’ve never been able to finish it’

The author on being inspired by Michael Ondaatje and how Hilary Mantel helped her overcome her aversion to historical figure novels

My earliest reading memory
The headteacher in my village primary school used to recount terrifying Cumbrian ghost tales to the class, which I’m sure was formative. I can also still hear my mum sing-songing rhymes; “Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St Clement’s”. My dad read the Ant and Bee books to me, repeatedly – he’d drive back over a high upland road from work and get home in time for bedtime stories. But my earliest independent reading memory is The Story of Ferdinand by Leaf and Lawson. I loved that bull!

My favourite book growing up
Big books gave me the whirlies so it took a while for them to start landing.

Published: April 3, 2026, 9:00 am

Made in Fire Island: how artists were at the heart of the LGBTQ+ mecca

A new book shows that the work of Robert Mapplethorpe and Peter Hujar – as well as a new generation of artists – would not be the same without the New York island

In the summer of 2015, Leilah Babirye, a sculptor, left her home town in Uganda and arrived for an artist residency in the bohemian, beach-y queer splendor of Fire Island’s Cherry Grove. She tells the story in a new book, Fire Island Art: 100 Years, released this month by Monacelli. After Googling “LGBTQ+ artist residences”, she earned a spot at the Fire Island Artist Residency, established four years earlier to make the famed enclave more accessible. But the lesbian daughter of a conservative minister wasn’t prepared for just how queer the place was. With its roving clusters of people buzzing around the dunes and pool parties to show off the various currencies – physical, financial, interpersonal – they had to spend, she says, “I thought Cherry Grove was America.” Was she wrong?

The story of the modern Fire Island is, in some ways, a particularly American one, in which outcasts light out for the territories to make their dreams come true. In the case of the picturesque barrier island off the coast of Long Island, those dreams were both sexual and creative from the start. Edited by John Dempsey, island resident and president of the Fire Island Pines Historical Society, Fire Island Art: 100 Years traces a legacy begun by the pre-war trio of Paul Cadmus, Jared French and Margaret French, who, as part of the artistic collaboration PaJaMa, made beguiling paintings and photographs of the unconventional intimacies they formed while summering among the island’s nooks and crannies.

Published: April 2, 2026, 9:00 am

Life Is Strange: Reunion review – a decade-long story comes to an impassioned close

PlayStation 5 (version tested), Xbox, Nintendo Switch 2, PC; Deck Nine/Square Enix
Max and Chloe, the two teen protagonists of the 2015 game, reunite as adults – giving players the chance to finally finish their journey

In 2015, Life Is Strange stood out for two reasons: its female protagonists, a depressingly rare feature at the time, and its unique brand of millennial cringe. The thirtysomething Frenchmen who created this series may not have had the best grasp of the 2010s teen lexicon, but they did have a good gauge on what’s important about any coming-of-age story, and that’s the relationships between the characters. Max Caulfield, the shy, time-travelling wannabe photographer, and Chloe Price, the traumatised, punk-rock tearaway, had a memorably intense friendship. It was the heart and soul of that game, and now, 11 years later, they are reunited as adults in this final chapter of their story.

For a lot of players, Max and Chloe felt like more than best friends. The game’s original developers were not brave enough to make this explicit in 2015, but newer custodians Deck Nine retconned a romantic relationship between Max and Chloe into 2024’s Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. You can still play Reunion as if the two really were just friends, resulting in some awkward ambiguity in some scenes. Whichever way you slice it, though, this is a game about first love, and how it always stays with you, even when its object does not. And damned if it didn’t make me feel something.

Published: April 2, 2026, 10:47 am

Louis CK to headline Hollywood Bowl for Netflix festival

Headlining set for Netflix Is a Joke festival marks first outing with major streamer since misconduct allegations in 2017

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Netflix is welcoming Louis CK back into its fold.

The comedian, long subject to questions regarding rehabilitation and so-called “cancel culture”, will headline a show at the Hollywood Bowl next month as part of the streamer’s Netflix Is a Joke festival – his first major outing with a streamer since allegations of sexual misconduct at the height of the #MeToo movement. Later this summer, Netflix will also premiere CK’s new special, Ridiculous, which he directed and executive-produced.

Published: April 2, 2026, 7:43 pm

HBO to air standalone special on the making of new Harry Potter series

Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic features interviews with cast members and will air on 5 April

HBO has more Harry Potter magic up its sleeve – today, the company announced a standalone, behind-the-scenes special to accompany its upcoming TV adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic will offer “an in-depth look at the making of the first season”, including plenty of production footage and details on the lengthy, UK-wide casting process for Harry, Ron and Hermione, played by Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton.

Published: April 2, 2026, 4:16 pm

‘People are exhausted by Blackpink and BTS’: the DIY Chinese bands redefining corporate ‘idol’ pop

Since the regime quashed China’s version of the K-pop industry in 2021, an underground ‘alt-idol’ culture has emerged, championing freedom and experimentation

Over the past decade, “idol” culture has turned east Asia into a pop music powerhouse as global audiences have flocked to Japanese and especially South Korean groups. Formed and exactingly trained by big entertainment conglomerates, bands such as BTS and EXO have blown up internationally thanks to bombastic songs, sensational dance routines and marketing campaigns designed to build a parasocial relationship between performers – idols – and their fans. Their neighbour China, however, the population of which is roughly eight times that of Japan and South Korea combined, has produced few groups with similar fame.

Until 2021, Chinese versions of Korean idol-training shows – think The X Factor with considerably more challenging choreography – were gaining huge audiences. But the shows, and the fan culture they inspired, drew the ire of the Chinese government. It cracked down on “toxic” fandom, an initiative that included banning idol-development shows. “It was an excuse to regulate the internet,” says Emily Liu, who runs the popular idol newsletter Active Faults. The government has also unofficially prohibited Korean pop idols from performing in mainland China for the last decade due to geopolitical tensions.

Published: April 2, 2026, 3:23 pm

Björk, Rihanna and a passionate embrace: visions of love – in pictures

A new book celebrating four decades of fashion photography duo Inez and Vinoodh features celebrity portraits, surrealist visions and a meditation on love itself

Published: April 2, 2026, 6:00 am

‘It’s like witnessing a Renoir or Matisse painting coming to life’: readers’ favourite trips in France

From Normandy to Provence, our readers enjoy great art, architecture and outdoor activities in France
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Vichy is not on everyone’s radar as a must visit French town, but it really is a delight to spend a few days in. I discovered it while on a bicycle trip around central France, and its famous waters did wonders for my tired legs and muscles. Vichy is a historic spa town famous for its spring waters and its art nouveau and belle époque architecture. A thriving cultural scene means that, whenever you visit, you’ll find concerts, theatre, opera and exhibitions, especially at the town’s opera house and the iconic Grand Casino. Vichy is also a shopper’s paradise, with more than 500 boutique shops in the heart of the town. When all that shopping and walking has worked up a thirst, taste the famous Vichy waters for free at Hall des Sources (listed on the Accidentally Wes Anderson website). The city is easy to explore on foot or by bike, with riverside paths along the Allier River, pretty neighbourhoods with pastel-coloured villas, and plenty of outdoor cafes. Being there felt like witnessing a Renoir or Matisse painting coming to life before my eyes.
Nicoletta

Published: April 3, 2026, 6:00 am

Experience: I climbed the tallest tropical tree in the world

It was a slow ascent: I needed to check for wasps, snakes and scorpions

I was born in Tawau, a Malaysian city on the island of Borneo, and grew up around logging camps – my dad worked in the industry. In the early 90s, a lot of the forest here started being cleared for commercial use. At the time, I just thought that was the way things were.

That changed when I began working in conservation as a teenager at the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership in the nearby Danum Valley. My job was to plant seedlings in places where the forest had been cut down. I began to learn about the importance of keeping the forest safe.

Published: April 3, 2026, 4:00 am

The 13 best women’s shoes for the office, vetted by stylish professionals

From comfy loafers to sleek pumps, these picks keep you comfortable through long workdays and commutes

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Perhaps no work outfit is complete without a well-made office shoe. A winning pair adds polish and enough cushion that your feet aren’t aching by 5pm.

But what is versatile enough for both the office and happy hour? What is a practical pump that doesn’t look like your grandmother’s? Is there such a thing as a good office sandal?

Nafeesah Attah, a lawyer in New York City. She often spends long days standing in court.

Alyson Ciotola Giuffreda, a personal stylist and former luxury retail worker who has worked for more than 20 years in fashion.

Lily Owens, a social media manager and content creator in Greenville, South Carolina. She is frequently on her feet while filming content.

Allie Anthony, an Emmy-nominated reporter who has covered football for NFL on Prime.

Moya Leung, a marketing professional in Atlanta.

Published: April 2, 2026, 7:15 pm

Protein chips, sex chocolate: what are ‘functional foods’, and do they actually boost health?

If a food is labeled ‘functional’, what does that mean? Not much, experts say

You’re at the grocery store, looking for a sweet snack. But these days, the chocolate aisle promises so much more than that: mental clarity, a stronger immune system, PMS relief and even sexual stamina – all in a few squares.

Chocolate is hardly the only treat to be reborn as a wellness product. Supermarket shelves now boast chips with added protein, gut-friendly sodas and collagen oatmeal – all part of the fast-growing “functional foods” market, which is expected to reach $586bn globally by 2030.

Published: April 2, 2026, 4:00 pm

My husband doesn’t want to give up his mistress. Should I settle for half his heart? | Leading questions

It sounds like you are so concerned about losing him, you are considering losing yourself, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. This bit is the mistake

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I just discovered by chance, and to my complete surprise, after more than 20 years of what I thought was a happy and faithful marriage, that my husband has had a year-long and passionate affair with an accomplished, charming, brilliant career woman whom I also regarded as a friend. I am accomplished too, but not nearly at her level, and I am also a bit older and I have less panache than her. I don’t think I can compete with her, and in any case I feel too proud to try.

Here is the thing: he says he doesn’t want to give her up, though he also says he does not want to marry her (she is in any case married though, it seems, in an open marriage). He also says he loves me and wants to remain married to me. I think if I demand he gives her up, he will end up unable to love me. I also think I will barely, or possibly not at all, be able to bear the pain of him continuing to see her. I am so unsure what to do or indeed what I can bear doing. I so don’t want to lose him. I have been deeply in love with him ever since we first met. Do I give him the world in return for half his heart?

Published: April 2, 2026, 2:00 pm

Her daughter was murdered seven years ago. Why are images of the crime still on social media?

Bianca Devins was 17 when she was killed by a man who then shared photos of her mutilated body on sites like Instagram and Snapchat – something her mother Kim describes as ‘psychological terrorism’. Here, she reveals her battle to get them offline

Early on a Sunday in July 2019, police arrived at Kim Devins’ house in upstate New York with a story that made no sense. They were there to do a “welfare check” on Devins’ 17-year-old daughter, Bianca. They said they had received reports from people who feared she may have been “hurt”. Bianca had gone with her friend Brandon Clark to a concert in New York City, a four-hour drive away. “Did they mean that they’d been in an accident?” says Devins. “The police bodycam footage from that time shows how confused I was.”

Amid it all, Devins called her dad, who lived close by, to ask him to come over. Somehow, while making that call, she realised that something dreadful had occurred. “I always pinpoint it to that exact moment, even though we didn’t understand what was happening,” she says. Her body knew before she did that she had lost her daughter. “All of me shook. I could almost see myself from the outside. It was as if my brain shut down to protect me and I left my body. I don’t think I’ve fully returned since.”

Published: April 2, 2026, 9:00 am

‘Walking is the best way to discover offbeat Corfu’: a spring hike across the Greek island

Explore wild scenery, empty beaches and beautiful villages on the 110-mile Corfu trail, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year

The riverside was heaving. Families spilled from cafes. A marching band trooped on to the bridge, their tasselled metal helmets dazzling in the sun. Priests with bushy beards delivered ageless chants from beneath their cylindrical kalimavkion hats. Men let off shotguns, terrifying the air. Easter Monday in Lefkimmi.

We hadn’t planned this. Simply right place, right time. The capital of southern Corfu, Lefkimmi is a working town, untroubled by tourism. There are Venetian-style houses – variously neat, tatty and decrepit – but no “attractions” to speak of. Just Corfiots doing Corfiot things: chewing the fat in their finest for this religious celebration – Greek Orthodox Easter, which falls on 12 April in 2026 – plus zipping about on scooters, drinking coffee, buying baklava and ice-creams.

Published: April 2, 2026, 6:00 am

I handed over my dating life to AI. I don’t think she’ll see me again

In week five of Rhik Samadder’s diary, our resident AI skeptic decided to let AI take the lead on a date. If uncanny valley was a conversational style, it’s this

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I’m single. Is it because I am emotionally avoidant, waiting on a unicorn, or under 6ft tall? Perhaps a spicy meatball of all three?

Or could it be that I haven’t used the magic of AI yet?

Published: April 2, 2026, 11:00 am

‘Kids would rather be down the park’: readers reflect on child-free pubs

With public houses increasingly restricting or banning children, we asked for your thoughts on adult-only pubs

A growing number of pubs in the UK are restricting or banning children, citing safety concerns, changing atmospheres and lost trade. We asked people their thoughts on adult-only pubs.

Many who contacted us supported child-free pubs, believing adult-only spaces were important, but a good proportion said they would change their mind if children were “properly supervised by parents”.

Published: April 2, 2026, 6:00 am

Workers carved the largest modern Hindu temple in the west. Now, some have incurable lung disease

Workers allege abuse, visa fraud and medical neglect during the New Jersey temple’s construction – and say two died from lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust

In the center of the suburban town of Robbinsville, New Jersey, sits the largest modern Hindu mandir outside India.

What visitors from around the world see is a breathtaking display of craftsmanship – hand-carved stone from Rajasthan assembled across a sprawling 185-acre complex. The temple has gone viral on social media for its intricate designs, which took millions of hours to complete. Baps Swaminarayan Akshardham, the religious organization behind the site, has built similar temples across the globe. But some workers say these monumental structures came at a high cost.

Published: April 2, 2026, 11:00 am

US supreme court’s ‘conversion therapy’ ruling opens ‘can of worms’. What’s next?

The court ruled 8-1 against a Colorado law banning ‘conversion therapy’ for youths. What does it mean for other states, and why did two liberals side with conservatives?

The US supreme court ruled 8-1 this week against a Colorado law banning “conversion therapy” for youth, in a case that could have major consequences for transgender and queer youth across the US, and for healthcare more broadly.

Colorado’s 2019 law prohibits licensed clinicians from seeking to change the gender identity or sexual orientation of youth patients under 18. It is one of 23 states with similar restrictions.

Published: April 2, 2026, 4:35 pm

Rationale for Iran war questioned after Trump says ‘I don’t care’ about regime’s uranium stockpiles

US president’s apparent decision to leave highly enriched uranium in hands of regime creates a more risky scenario than before the war began, experts say

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Donald Trump has said he does not care about Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium (HEU), arguing it was deep underground and could be monitored by satellite, raising questions about one of the key US justifications for the war.

Experts said that if the US-Israeli offensive against Iran concluded with the Tehran government still in control of its 440kg HEU stockpile, it would be significantly closer to the capability of making nuclear warheads than if the US had pursued a potential negotiated settlement that was on the table at the time the US and Israel launched the war on 28 February.

Published: April 2, 2026, 2:47 am

Tokyo cherry blossom and Holy Week processions: pictures of the day – Thursday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Published: April 2, 2026, 1:44 pm