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Middle East crisis live: Iran says no final peace agreement reached, after Trump claims deal could be signed soon

The Pakistani foreign minister, Ishaq Daar, has welcomed the “progress” made between the US and Iran, signalling that a deal between the warring parties is materialising. Daar discussed the recent developments “regarding United States-Iran understanding” with the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, in a phone call this morning, according to a statement on X. Both sides welcomed the progress achieved through sustained diplomatic engagement and expressed hope that these efforts will soon lead to a durable understanding and peaceful resolution. They reaffirmed that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable means to resolve conflicts and advance lasting peace and stability.” Pakistan has positioned itself as a mediator between the US and Iran, with reports suggesting that a possible initial agreement would be named the “Islamabad declaration” in recognition of its role.

Tears and tributes as crowds gather to mourn death of Thailand’s Princess Bha

At King Chulalongkorn Memorial hospital in Bangkok, mourners dressed in black sat side by side, their eyes pink from crying for the woman whose portraits they cradled in their laps. Some images were framed in gold, others in plastic sleeves, charting the life of Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha from a rosy-cheeked baby to a young royal in red military dress replete with shining badges and ceremonial sword. Later photos showed her posing with one of the dogs she was out training in 2022 when she became gravely ill with heart problems. Bajrakitiyabha, known by the nickname Princess Bha, had been in hospital ever since, and after nearly four years in a coma, died on Thursday night at the hospital, aged 47. Bajrakitiyabha had been considered by many analysts to be a well-suited heir to the throne, though this had never been addressed officially. “I don’t believe she died,” said Sittinee Damaonsondpoan, one of the mourners. “The people of Thailand love her very much.” The Thai language teacher had taken the day off work to come to the hospital to grieve. “I’m so sad,” Damaonsondpoan said, adding that the princess had carried the qualities of “everything good in Thailand: loyalty, kindness”. She said the grief for the princess was compounded, coming so soon after the queen mother’s death in October. While patients and medical staff passed by in the hospital’s busy central corridor, the mourners gathered in an outdoor covered foyer in humid 32C conditions. Volunteers handed out tissues and bottles of scent. Some people sat silently, their heads bowed, while others embraced. The signs of the nation in mourning were visible beyond the hospital. News websites switched to black and white, while bus-ticket collectors wore black ribbon pins. The number 47 – the princess’s age – was sold out at local lotteries around the city, such as that run by Dao Buekaew in the central riverside district of Bang Rak. The official mourning rites announced by the Royal Palace will begin on Saturday, when a funeral procession will bring the princess’s coffin from Chulalongkorn hospital to Piman Rattaya Throne Hall in the Grand Palace. According to local media reports based on a palace statement, the public will be allowed to take part in the royal bathing rites, pouring water over the princess. Boonruksa Louhavitayarat, another mourner at the hospital, said she had heard the news from her child on Thursday night and knew she had to come the next morning. Louhavitayarat said that, like the other women at the hospital, she had printed an image of Bajrakitiyabha to bring to the hospital in her honour. She carried multiple images of the princess, at various ages from infancy to adulthood. “My heart is very deep[ly] sad,” Louhavitayarat said. In a televised statement, the prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, said the news had brought “profound sorrow and grief to Thai people throughout the Kingdom” and that no words could fully convey “the feelings of the Thai people for this great loss”. “With her firm determination, Her Royal Highness dedicated her strength and ingenuity to creating a society founded upon justice, equality and human dignity,” Charnvirakul said. “Her well-rounded abilities – as a legal scholar, diplomat and social worker – served as an enduring example, inspiring Thai people to believe in their own potential, strive for self-improvement, and use their knowledge for the benefit of society and the country.”

‘I only want justice’: bereaved families seek closure one year on from Air India crash

When Sagar Patel’s mother boarded Air India flight AI171 on 12 June last year, she called her son as she always did before takeoff. The flight was due to leave Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport in Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, and was destined for Gatwick. “We always had a little traditional thing,” said Patel, a business manager from London. “Once she got on the flight, she would sit down and call me. She’d tell me: ‘Yep, I’m on the flight. See you later.’” He remembers asking her what she would like for dinner. “I told her: ‘I’ll be there to come and pick you up. I’ll see you later on.’ That was my last conversation with her.” One year after the crash, bereaved family members say they are still struggling to obtain answers about what happened. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner struck a medical college shortly after taking off. The crash killed 241 people onboard, including 169 Indian nationals and 52 Britons, as well as 19 people on the ground. A further 67 people were seriously injured. Patel’s mother, Hasumatiben Patel, was returning to the UK after visiting family in India. “We’ve lost literally the heart of the family,” he said. “After losing my dad, the next person I looked up to was my mum. She was my rock.” After news of the crash, Patel flew to India to get answers, but a year on he has yet to find any. The loss of his mother, who lived with him and his wife and daughter, has had a profound impact on the family. “When I came back from India and walked into the house, my daughter was going around in her bedroom trying to look for her. It’s heartbreaking to see that.” Investigators have yet to publish their final conclusions about the crash, though further developments are expected in the coming days. Mike Andrews, an aviation attorney representing about 135 affected families, said relatives had faced “roadblocks” from Air India while seeking information about the crash. “They are still being victimised, even one year after the crash,” he said. For Shweta Parihar, whose husband, Abhinav Parihar, died in the crash while travelling back to Britain, the most painful memories are of the days that followed. She flew out to India with her son after finding out about the crash. Because authorities were still trying to identify victims through DNA testing, she initially shielded the truth from her son. “I had to lie to him,” she said. “He kept saying: ‘I just want to talk to my dad.’” When he finally learned the truth, he was left devastated. Speaking about her 11-year-old son’s condition since losing his father, Parihar said: “He starts crying over small things now. Every little thing makes him cry.” The family had moved to Britain only a few years before the crash, hoping to build a better future. “Everything is now lost,” she said. Parihar, who is on a health work visa, decried a lack of support from the Indian and British governments, as well as Air India and the Tata Group, which owns the airline. She said she was seeking practical support to rebuild her life as a single parent, including help securing more stable employment in the UK, a work permit or sponsorship assistance, and support for her son’s education, childcare and activities. Parihar said: “I can’t get him involved in any activities here because they are so expensive. Before, when his father was here, he used to do gymnastics and swimming. Now it’s £30-£40 per session. It’s tough for me.” Another widower, Mohammed Shoeb Iproliya, said the anniversary brought back memories of the life he and his wife, Nusratjahan, had been building together. “When I come back home she would be waiting at the door.” He said it was hard to put into words what losing that had meant. The couple had planned to buy a home and build a future together in Britain. “We had a lot of dreams,” he said. “All those dreams are broken now.” Like Patel and Shweta, he said he was still waiting for clear answers about the crash. “I only want justice,” he said. Patel said relatives had repeatedly pushed for more information about the investigation. “Even just provide us a little bit of updates,” he said. “We’ve not even heard the black box or anything like that.” For Parihar, the lack of closure has made it impossible to move on. “Still we don’t believe this happened,” she said. “Still we are in shock. Still at night we can’t sleep.” Patel travelled to India this week to mark the first anniversary of the crash, hoping that being there would bring “some sort of closure”. His message to others was simple: “Cherish your parents,” he said. “Not having them around is one of the most difficult things to deal with.”

‘Spy turtles’ and ‘spy fish’ being used to monitor Chinese waters, Beijing claims

China’s ministry of state security has claimed that foreign espionage and intelligence agencies are using innovative new methods to monitor the country’s waters, including deploying “spy” animals fitted with sensors. In a post on the Chinese platform WeChat on Friday, the ministry warned that an “invisible secret war” was quietly playing out in the seas around China as foreign agencies were collecting sensitive data “through a variety of new spying devices” to produce underwater maps that pose a “serious threat to our national security”. Among the espionage techniques being used, it claimed, were large marine animals, including “spy turtles” and “spy fish”, that had been found “attached to sensors” as they swam in Chinese waters. The animals were “collecting sensitive marine environment data such as water temperature, salinity and ocean currents in real time, and transmitting them overseas via satellite”, it said, without providing specifics about where the animals had been found, or who had equipped them. Allegations of marine animals being used for spying purposes are not new. In 2023, British intelligence said Russia was stepping up security at its Sevastopol Black Sea fleet base – a port on Ukraine’s occupied peninsula of Crimea – by deploying trained dolphins. The report from the UK defence intelligence agency said Russia had trained bottlenose dolphins, which were being kept in floating pens in the harbour, to “counter enemy divers”. China’s state security ministry also said it had found buoys “deployed by an overseas marine research institute” that were “equipped with a meteorological sensor package” that allowed them to track the acoustic signatures of Chinese submarines in real time. The ministry also cited a new type of “wave glider” powered by wave motion and solar energy, which it said was deployed by foreign actors to transmit “military-related maritime environmental data and information on vessel activities”. China regularly makes claims of espionage efforts taking place in nearby waters including the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan strait, which are some of the most militarily sensitive and heavily contested in the world. In 2024, it said it had identified “lighthouses” hidden on the ocean floor that could guide the transit of foreign submarines, and “pre-set the field for battle”. The government offers fishers financial rewards ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 yuan (£5,500 to £55,000) for uncovering spying devices in its waters, according to Chinese media reports. Additional reporting from Yu-chen Li

Has the US really carried out a secret mission to get oil through Hormuz?

Donald Trump has claimed that the US has been conducting a “secret mission” in the strait of Hormuz to help Gulf petrostates bypass Iran’s chokehold on oil flows – which has roiled global energy markets for months. In televised comments from the Oval Office on Wednesday, the president claimed Iran was unaware that dozens of tankers had been escorted out of the blockaded channel at night with their transmitters off. He later wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform that 200 vessels had got out this way, transporting more than 100m barrels of oil to global buyers. So what is actually going on? Is the ‘secret mission’ real? Trump’s energy secretary, Chris Wright, told a congressional hearing after the comments that he was unaware of the US having helped get millions of barrels out, but earlier in the hearing he did say the US military had helped get some oil out of the strait. It seems hard to believe this development was a secret to Iran, given recent reporting in multiple news outlets about a rising number of tankers being shepherded out of the waterway at night with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmitters switched off to avoid detection. According to Lloyd’s List, a leading provider of maritime intelligence, the US has been helping some of these “shadow transits” by running “overwatch operations”, using autonomous vehicles, aircraft and drones to escort them through the southern part of the strait, close to the coast of Oman and out of the line of fire from Iranian territory. Once vessels are out they transfer their cargoes to other waiting tankers undetected before returning to the Gulf to reload more oil and gas. Richard Meade, the editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, said: “Tankers are exiting the Gulf, they’re then conducting ship-to-ship transfers to other tankers in the Gulf of Oman. “Those empty tankers which ran the strait with their AIS off, run back through the strait and pick up new loads of oil from the UAE, Saudi, Bahrain, Qatar and Iraq. And this operation is happening in the dark.” How many ships are making the journey? The number of oil and gas tankers transiting is nowhere near pre-crisis levels, but there is evidence that more are making their way back to the global market. Before the crisis 138 ships a day were transiting the waterway on average, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center. But once the war began about this same number of vessels were estimated to have made the journey in the whole month of March, according to Lloyd’s List intelligence. Today, about 25% of the tankers present in the Gulf at the start of the crisis have managed to leave the region since the conflict began, according to Lloyd’s List. These have included ships carrying oil and gas to buyers in the global market. However, the amount of oil and gas getting out could be much higher than this figure suggests. This is because turning AIS off makes the exact movement of tankers hard to track, and some are believed to be going back and forth through the strait to ferry fossil fuels to vessels waiting in the Gulf of Oman. Satellite images show these “dark tankers” loading at Gulf ports before undertaking shadow transits and ship-to-ship transfers. Analysts at Lloyd’s List were able to record 36 transits through the strait between 1 and 7 June, or which 17 were “dark” and 19 were traceable. However, they caution that they sometimes only see with a week’s delay that a ship has previously transited the strait, when it switches its transmitter back on in a different location, often far from the strait, making the exact number of dark transits difficult to gauge. So how much oil is reaching the market? Given the difficulty of counting dark transits, Trump’s 100m barrel figure cannot be fully factchecked, but according to market analysts at data firm Kpler it could be broadly consistent with the crude flows it has observed from Gulf producers, excluding Iran. Even if accurate, it only equates to the volume that would have passed through in five days in normal times. Nevertheless, market observers believe much more oil could be leaving the Gulf than previously thought as clandestine flows via dark transits and shuttle tankers may have picked up in recent weeks. Ship-to-ship transfers may have helped an average of about 1.9m barrels of oil a day to move through the strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman since the start of April, according to Kpler. The figure may have reached highs of 2.1m barrels a day in late May, according to estimates from JP Morgan, or even as high as 2.9m barrels per day, according to investment bank Piper Sandler. However, that represents just a fraction of the 15.6m barrels that flowed through the strait per day before the war. Will it bring the oil price down? In recent weeks the price of Brent crude has tumbled from over $110 a barrel at the start of last month to about $93 a barrel this week, even as global oil inventories continue to fall, and some of this may be down to tankers beating the blockade. JP Morgan noted this week that “surprising volumes of crude and petroleum products still appear to be transiting the strait” despite the ongoing naval blockade, thanks to the clandestine shipments. In addition, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are continuing to reroute a total of 4.5m barrels a day out of the Gulf via pipelines. At the same time, China has slowed its imports in favour of drawing on its record high stockpiles. However, without a return to normal oil flows, rising prices are expected to return. “Things are going to get worse,” according to Jan Stuart, global energy economist and strategist at Piper Sandler. He expects the price of Brent crude to average $130 a barrel in July and August as global oil inventories continue to sink and demand for fuels during the summer driving season rises.

Nigerian man unable to claim Italian lottery win gains residency permit

A Nigerian man who won €500,000 in an Italian lottery – but was barred from collecting his windfall because he was undocumented – said the hardship of his more than decade-long immigration journey had been eased after he was finally granted a residency permit. “I’ve been praying for this moment ever since I arrived in Italy,” said Imagbe Ehizomwengie, 36. “It’s a huge relief. You might think it’s incredible, but receiving the permit means more to me than winning the money. I want to work and contribute to society.” Ehizomwengie bought the €5 Gratta e Vinci – Italy’s official instant scratchcard lottery – last October with money scraped together from selling handkerchiefs and begging outside a supermarket in Turin. He cried tears of joy and relief when he discovered he had hit the jackpot, only for the win to be overshadowed by his bureaucratic quagmire. Speaking to the Guardian, Ehizomwengie said he had arrived in Italy in 2016 after a treacherous journey across the Mediterranean from Libya, where he had been held captive for two years and was only released after a ransom was paid. His request for a “special protection” permit – which until being restricted by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government in 2023 granted residency to asylum seekers who did not qualify as refugees but faced serious risks to their life if sent home – was rejected. Unable to work, Ehizomwengie got by as a street seller, occasionally chancing his luck with scratchcards in the hope of reversing his fortunes. “When I lived in Nigeria, I was always praying for opportunities, but they never came,” he said. “But you also need to take risks in life, and I kept believing that one day I might even become a millionaire.” He added: “I stopped buying the scratchcards for years but on the day I won … I truly believe God was watching over me.” But then began his quest to claim his winnings. Without a residency permit, Ehizomwengie could not open a bank account to receive the money. In turn, without the money he could not demonstrate the financial independence needed to support his renewed appeal for a residency permit. Scrambling for a solution, after being taken advantage of by a Nigerian friend to whom he had entrusted the money, the friend agreed to transfer about half of the post-tax winnings to Ehizomwengie’s cousin’s account. The funds were then used to buy Mama Africa, a shop selling food produce from Africa in the seaside town of Falconara in the Marche region of Italy. In the meantime, Ehizomwengie’s lawyer, Andrea Palazzeschi, pursued his case through a court in Ancona, which this week ordered that a residence permit be issued, taking into consideration Ehizomwengie’s competent Italian, his work at Mama Africa and, pertinently, his new financial independence. Palazzeschi said: “But it’s important to stress that Imagbe didn’t get the residence permit because he won the money, he got it because he proved to be a good candidate.” Gratta e Vinci scratchcards are hugely popular in Italy. In 2019, an unemployed fisher in Puglia found a winning €100,000 scratchcard in a rubbish bin and was able to cash it in, while in 2022 a young man in northern Italy won €500,000 and fainted on the spot due to the shock. Needless to say, Ehizomwengie has attracted much attention in Falconara, where he said he would organise a party to which everyone will be invited. “But only to celebrate receiving my permit,” he said. “I want to work and intend to keep my feet firmly on the ground. I just want to live a normal life.”

Friday briefing: Inside Taylor Swift’s 20-year rise to pop superstardom

Good morning. Who’s in your earbuds today? No judgment, this is just you and me. But if it’s those geezers off The Rest is History I’d suggest you swipe across to your Taylor Swift playlist, just for the next while. And if this is entirely new ground for yourself, don’t worry, that’s what I’m here for and my recommended entry point is the album Reputation: try counting up the mean references to arch-antagonist Kanye West. “But I’m immortal now,” Swift sings on the title track of her most recent album The Life of a Showgirl, and it’s hard not to take her at face value. Describing her as a cultural titan risks understatement – the 36-year-old superstar, who grew up on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania, is one of the highest selling female recording artists of all time, accumulating a net worth of over $2bn dollars. A consummate storyteller, she has rewritten narratives about artists’ rights, growing up in public and millennial love – as well as Shakespeare. In her song Love Story, she gave Romeo and Juliet a happy ending. As Guardian culture launches a mammoth breakdown on how Swift changed pop 20 years on from the release of her first single, Tim McGraw, I spoke to Guardian deputy music editor Laura Snapes about those mis-sold masters, Easter eggs and why a happy marriage isn’t the end of the road for this fearless romantic’s creative journey. First, though, this morning’s headlines. Five big stories UK politics | Keir Starmer’s premiership has been pushed to the brink of collapse after the shock resignation of John Healey as defence secretary undermined his security credentials and risked shredding his remaining political authority. Belfast | A monitoring group repeatedly warned the Police Service of Northern Ireland over the past eight months that anti-immigration activists were circulating the addresses of properties that were targeted in this week’s Belfast riots. Middle East | Donald Trump claimed that Washington and Tehran were on the verge of signing a peace agreement, but Iran’s foreign ministry said a final decision on an agreement had not been reached. UK news | A 14-year-old girl has been charged in connection with three stabbings at a school in North Manchester, police said. US news | Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to launch the biggest stock market float in history amid warnings that it may be overvalued. In depth: ‘A very intimate-seeming relationship with her fans even on the biggest scale pop music has ever seen’ Laura Snapes has followed Swift’s evolution from the clean corkscrew curls and cowboy boots of her country roots to the sleek and bejewelled pop showgirl of the Eras tour, and the indie-inflected detours in between. And she recognises Swift as both a creative powerhouse and an acute business person who maintains meticulous control over her public image. “Her career is talked about alongside Madonna, Michael Jackson, the Beatles,” says Laura. “That success is not just about sales or awards, of which she has very many, but the cultural impact, which is immeasurable.” Few A-list pop stars, she adds, have sustained their success for as long as she has. As befits a megastar of her stature, Swift rarely does traditional interviews these days. But what I want to know first is what it’s like to be in the same room as her. Laura, who has met Swift several times in formal interviews and more casual settings, describes her style as “very easy and normal to talk to”. “One time she was leaning against the kitchen counter, swigging white wine and we were talking about Sally Rooney.” I KNOW!!! I have to take a moment to gather myself after this vignette but Laura, who would hold a masters in Swiftology should one exist (please don’t write in) is more blase about all this stuff, and skips on to offer her assessment: “That’s like a microcosm of how she’s able to have a very intimate seeming relationship with her fans even on the biggest scale pop music has ever seen.” *** The industry “She’s made people think about musicians’ rights for the first time ever,” Laura tells me. As well as holding Spotify and Apple Music to account over royalties for streamed music, Swift famously took on industry executive Scooter Braun, who she claimed bullied her and other clients, after her former label sold him the master recording rights to her first six albums. In a renegade display of self-belief, she rerecorded those albums note for note, releasing them anew with the suffix “Taylor’s version”. They achieved blockbuster success, hollowing out Braun’s investment and ultimately inspiring Eras, the highest grossing concert tour in history. And then she bought the recording rights back. Swift’s business literacy is deliberate – she recalls that when her friends were watching the Disney Channel she was taking notes on VH1’s Behind the Music. “She was learning what happened when careers went off the rails,” Laura says. “She has changed the way that young women get to grow up in public. Previously that obsolescence was built in: you hit 27, you’re seen as old hat.” But Swift has also set the template for younger female pop artists like Olivia Rodrigo, says Laura, who have owned their master recordings since day one because Swift showed them that negotiation was possible. Nor is she a woman to make the change then leave others trailing in her sequined wake, actively boosting younger artists like Charli xcx and Sabrina Carpenter, both of whom took coveted support spots on her tours. *** The fans Swift’s fanbase hits different demographics, from folk like me – old enough to have made up dance moves to Papa Don’t Preach, young enough to have one Taylor Swift song I can’t listen to without thinking of an ex – to the enchanted primary school kids I interviewed when the Eras tour hit Edinburgh in 2024. In the early days, says Laura, Swift built her business on being available to fans, on email, social media, and in person after performances. She remembers one evening near London in 2019 when Swift stayed back meeting fans until 1am. The detail-oriented songwriter has always enjoyed leaving secret messages for devoted fans in sleeve notes and lyrics, and these Easter eggs have become a way to maintain intimacy with fans as her enormity of her fame and the security considerations it brings make casual meet-and-greets impossible. Dedicated fans still approach her work like the Rosetta Stone, Laura jokes, even though these hidden messages are now thoroughly mainstreamed. What’s really interesting, says Laura, “is how the fans create the culture around Swift.” Not just the weaving of friendship bracelets and ardently curated outfits, but, as the Eras tour progressed, a new lexicon of audience interaction built up around responses to particular sung lines and shared memes. Of course, not all of Swift’s message is hidden: fans love that she has the last word through their headphones. Famous diss tracks include Bad Blood (about Katy Perry, she stole her back up dancers!) and All Too Well (ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, he was emotionally distant AND WOULDN’T GIVE BACK HER FAVOURITE SCARF). She also takes on media double standards about her dating back catalogue in Blank Space. Vocal in her feminism, Swift condemned the supreme court’s overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022 and endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024, signing off that particular Instagram post “childless cat lady’, a pointed reference to JD Vance’s delicate depiction of leading Democrats. And perhaps as necessary as her political education, Laura suggest she has “given women younger than her a sense of how you should expect to be treated in a relationship”. “There’s a point where Swift’s breakup songs evolve from ‘you hurt me and that was bad’ to ‘you treated me poorly on a structural level, and that is even worse’.” *** The future Swift announced her engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce to 38m Instagram likes and prompted some rumination as to whether marital peace might dull the creative wits of pop’s ultimate sceptical romantic. But Laura points out that Swift has been in a long-term relationship before – she spent six years with British actor Joe Alwyn – “and she wrote great songs about the intricacy of long-term love during that time”. This won’t be her end game, Laura insists, even though the one record that has touched on her relationship with the man she is set to marry this summer, The Life of a Showgirl, has disappointed critics and fans. She has just released a song for the soundtrack of Toy Story 5, which Laura raves about as “one of her best songs in years”. “Maybe she wants an Oscar,” Laura muses. That would leave her just needing a Tony to join the extremely short list of EGOT winners. She’s got three years left to beat Jennifer Hudson and become the youngest to achieve that feat. This being Taylor Swift, if it’s in the plan it may well happen. Following the monumental Eras tour, Laura hopes Swift will return to live performance in a more intimate setting, like the all-day festivals she had planned after the release of the album Lover in 2019 but were paused by the pandemic. “The scale of her career is such that I honestly think it would take three or four terrible albums in a row to dent her stardom,” says Laura. “She is the default pop star.” • PS – don’t blame me but there are 13 Taylor Swift song titles hidden in the newsletter above. Happy hunting! Reply to this email or get in touch on first.edition@theguardian.com to let us know which ones you spotted. What else we’ve been reading You may have read David Batty’s beautifully written piece about meeting the woman who was forced to give him up for adoption as a baby. Now we’re asking UK adult adoptees to share their own experiences of how they navigated reunion with their birth parents. Libby I loved this photoessay by Raquel Cunha of amateur football pitches in Mexico. A spectacular view of the beautiful game. Patrick This is a searing read from Joan Smith on how David Sullivan’s Sunday Sport paved the way for the 21st-century porn industry. Libby World Cup 2026 On the pitch Mexico 2-0 South Africa | The co-hosts got the tournament under way with a 2-0 win over South Africa in the opening match. Pablo Iglesias Maurer was there to document the drama, while protesters clashed with police on the other side of the fence. South Korea 2-1 Czechia | Son Heung-min’s South Korea came back from a goal down to snatch a thrilling 2-1 win over Czechia in their World Cup Group A opener, substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu grabbing the winner in the 80th minute. Off the pitch Border trouble | Côte d’Ivoire fans became the latest group to be barred from the US for the tournament on Thursday. Morgan Ofori has recorded a video explainer about the visa problems around the competition. Australia | The Socceroos have addressed growing anti-immigration sentiment in a powerful video message ahead of the World Cup, speaking of their pride in their heritage and playing for the national team. Canada | Alongside Mexico, Canada have been overshadowed as co-hosts for the tournament. Today, they kick off their campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. Do not miss our preview of their chances, which have been hampered by the fitness of Alphonso Davies and Moïse Bombito. Today’s fixtures • Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina, 8pm (BST), Toronto Stadium, BBC • USA v Paraguay, 2am (BST) Saturday, Los Angeles Stadium, BBC Something for the weekend Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now Film Strictly Ballroom | ★★★★☆ Generations who don’t know why TV’s Strictly Come Dancing is called that need to catch up with Baz Luhrmann’s debut directing feature from 1992, which has been rereleased in cinemas from today. It is goofy, lovable and as sweetly romantic as you like. Strictly Ballroom laid down the narrative template for Strictly Come Dancing; the film’s pairing of the brilliant dancer and the gutsy ingenue became the professional/celeb partnership on TV. It was the feelgood crowd pleaser from Australia that made Luhrmann a star, and that “strictly” sounded a defiant note. Maybe every subsequent Luhrmann picture has its origin in ballroom dancing, it’s a dizzy swirl of fun. Peter Bradshaw Music Kelsey Lu: So Help Me God | ★★★★☆ Seven years separate the release of cello-playing singer-songwriter Kelsey Lu’s debut album from its follow-up. Lu has suggested the long gap was an act of artistic rebellion against a music industry obsessed with providing a constant stream of new product. So Help Me God suggests that their time away from album-making has sharpened their sense of purpose. The album’s guest list is as eclectic as Lu’s activities over the last seven years, but rather than jarring or showy, the appearances are beautifully sublimated. It’s an album that wears its weirdness lightly, that keeps moving in unexpected directions with an impressively graceful smoothness. It’s very clearly the work of someone who has their own vision and their own way of doing things. Alexis Petridis TV The Evil Lawyer | ★★★☆☆ If the title of this Thai crime-thriller-cum-courtroom-drama feels a little splashy, wait until you meet the scoundrel in question. Her name is Jittri and she is, at least at the show’s outset, a pantomime villain in a power suit, her hair even bigger than her ego. But don’t be fooled; one boo-hiss baddie does not a pantomime make. Directed by Nottapon Boonprakob, whose 2025 drama Mad Unicorn won a clutch of awards, this eight-episode series may be tonally erratic and at times faintly ridiculous, but it also has confronting questions about power, corruption and systemic injustice plus a gripping, twisty plot. Lucinda Everett The front pages “Healey’s shock resignation leaves Starmer on the brink”, is the Guardian’s front page today. The Telegraph writes “Healey torpedoes Starmer”, the FT says “Healey quits over defence budget hole in heavy blow to Starmer’s authority” while the Mail exclaims “God help us!”. On the same story, the Times has “Cash row costs PM his defence ministers”, the Express says “PM’s defence plans ‘could make us less safe’”, and the i Paper leads with “Prime Minister failing to defend nation, claims UK defence secretary”. The Sun says “Thanks but no tanks” and Metro headlines “Our defence is in crisis!” Today in Focus: The Latest Defence secretary walks out with ‘blistering’ swipe at Starmer John Healey has resigned as defence secretary over the government’s military spending plans, in another significant blow for Keir Starmer. In a scathing letter to the prime minister, Healey said the long-awaited defence investment plan “falls well short of what is required for defence” and that he would have had to take decisions that “could make Britain less safe”. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Guardian’s policy editor, Kiran Stacey – watch the episode on YouTube here. Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad Ghostbusters superfan Paul Gannon revisits the all-female reboot of the film a decade since it was release, asking whether the ferocious backlash was justified at the time. Coming before Barbie, Gannon argues that Ghostbusters: Answer the Call was ahead of its time, writing about how he has fallen in love with the film over time as the vitriol has lessened. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until Monday. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply

Luisana and Ana are new to Melbourne, but their journey there was ‘totally different’ to other refugees

After leaving their home in Venezuela, Luisana and Ana spent five years in Peru waiting for their new lives to begin. As refugees in a same-sex relationship and without the protection of citizenship, they feared for their safety. Then the messages from Australia started to arrive. Approved for resettlement here, the couple were matched with volunteers from a community group in Melbourne called Rosie’s Welcome. Among the nearly 1,000 people resettled in Australia as part of the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program (Crisp), Lusiana and Ana quickly found safety and a sense of community. “Sometimes when I compare my journey with other refugee friends, our journeys are totally different,” Ana said. “When you have community support, you feel you have family. You feel you have help if you need it in some moments. “It has changed some lives.” Before they arrived in Australia, volunteers had organised accommodation, food, essentials including sim cards and were ready to provide social support and friendship. Both women have studied for cybersecurity jobs at Tafe. After a four-year pilot, the Albanese government has made the program permanent, to be delivered by the non-profit Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia. After screening by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, arrivals are settled with support from almost 200 informal groups around the country. A review led by researchers at the University of Queensland, released on Friday, found in 10 months, 92% of overseas arrivals were in long-term housing, 43% are employed and 97% had started English language training. The evaluation found among those who resettled in regional areas, 64% of arrivals had joined the workforce in their first 12 months in Australia. Julian Hill, the assistant minister for citizenship, customs and multicultural affairs, told Guardian Australia the program was strengthening communities at a critical time. “Programs like Crisp strengthen social cohesion and belie the myths pushed by extremists who want Australians to fear each other,” he said. “In truth, we live well together when we actually meet, talk, share a meal and build trust. “Australians are generous people. When you strip away the noise, most of us want to help our neighbours and give people a fair go.” Since the end of the second world war, more than 950,000 refugees and others in humanitarian need have been resettled in Australia. Countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia are prioritised in the humanitarian program. Australia has 20,000 places for refugees in the annual humanitarian intake, designed to help people displaced because of conflict, persecution and human rights abuses. Immigration and refugee settlement face tough political scrutiny between now and the next federal election. Labor is bringing down the number of overseas arrivals, with the Coalition and One Nation both calling for tougher settings to address house prices and infrastructure pressures. Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia’s CEO, Lisa Button, said the new program evaluation showed both volunteers and resettled refugees were benefiting. “It benefits all involved and has ripple effects that strengthen social cohesion in Australia by building a kinder, more informed and more connected community,” Button said. “I can’t tell you how many times Australian community members have told our team how meaningful and enriching they have found this experience to be.”