The Voice Reveal

As completion of 144-year basilica nears, questions swirl over resemblance of church to architect’s original plans It has been a long wait but 144 years after work began, Pope Leo XIV has blessed the recently completed central tower of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família church in the presence of members of the Spanish royal family, the prime minister and hundreds of bishops. With the completion of the Jesus Christ tower, the tallest of 18 in the temple, the basilica has reached its full height of 172.5 metres. It is now not only the world’s tallest church but Barcelona’s tallest building. It was consecrated in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/sq3imIO via IFTTT

Emily C Marks finds method proposed to kill Jeffery Lee violates ban on cruel and unusual punishment A federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Alabama from executing a man with nitrogen gas after declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Alabama became the first state in the nation to use the controversial execution method in January 2024 but has faced repeated legal challenges to its use. US district judge Emily C Marks permanently enjoined the state from executing Jeffery Lee by nitrogen gas. Lee was scheduled to be executed Thursday at an Alabama prison. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/MydZ7Xf via IFTTT

Knicks host Spurs with 2-0 lead in best-of-seven series Trump to attend first NBA finals in New York since 1999 How New York Knicks finals fever reached Rikers Island Reach out to Bryan on Bluesky or by email A few years ago, plenty of people questioned whether Jalen Brunson could be the player to lead the Knicks back to relevance. Now, with New York two wins from their first title since 1973, those doubts look very different. Former NBA player and Guardian contributor Etan Thomas looks back at the criticism that followed Brunson to New York – and how the Knicks star has answered it with one of the great postseason runs in franchise history. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gvp0lcm via IFTTT

The China-North Korea relationship has been strained by a fall in trade during the pandemic and Pyongyang’s increasing ties with Russia Xi Jinping visits North Korea on Monday for a two-day trip, his first in nearly seven years, as China’s president looks to revitalise ties with his junior ally. Xi is expected to meet North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, in Pyongyang. North Korea is China’s only formal treaty ally but in recent years their relationship has been strained by a virtual freeze in trade during the Covid-19 pandemic and Pyongyang’s increasingly close relationship with Russia. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/gvJ8nEF via IFTTT

Unless a film is given ‘dragon seal’ approval from communist state officials, it will never be released in China Class started at 9am. Assignments were doled out, ideas were pitched and scripts written, followed by a long day of shooting and editing. Twelve hours later, 20 aspiring and exhausted film-makers were sat in a crowded, makeshift studio, listening to their work being trashed. “The content is still too poor,” the course director, Nan Xin, remarked, after watching a two-minute film about boys on the loose who harass a stray dog. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wi8CGI1 via IFTTT

Presidential candidate Riquelme wants German as coach Former Liverpool manager now works for Red Bull Jürgen Klopp’s agent has dismissed talk of the former Liverpool manager filling the vacant post at Real Madrid should Enrique Riquelme become the club’s next president. Marc Kosicke rejected Riquelme’s statement that the German, who left Anfield for a job as Red Bull’s head of global football , would become head coach after releasing a statement confirming him as first choice if elected on Sunday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5QeJjuz via IFTTT

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Opener scores 57; New Zealand in trouble in chase Gay: ‘I’m trying to lap it all in and enjoy it’ Emilio Gay described his Test debut as “a bit of a whirlwind” and “like a dream” after his half-century on the second day against New Zealand at Lord’s made him the game’s top scorer and helped to put England in the driving seat. By stumps the tourists were 36 for three , still 218 runs from victory. “It was a surreal day yesterday and then today was a bit of a whirlwind,” the Durham opener said. “I think the whole couple of days felt like a bit of a dream: 40,000 fans at Lord’s, tough conditions, getting my cap, family being here. I’m trying to lap it all in and enjoy it.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/DYrgLUo via IFTTT

The 2026 Houses awards shortlist celebrates the country’s most ‘intelligent, dynamic and visually compelling homes’. For the apartment category, jury chair Alexa Kempton says judges looked for ‘density done well’. ‘Building is high-cost and comes with environmental consequences, and the jury observed architects rising to the challenge,’ she says, adding that designing something that will ‘last well into the future and adapt to the changing needs of the occupants is essential’ Inside the homes of six prominent Australian architects – in pictures Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Tak29Gr via IFTTT

Despite being the lowest-ranked team at the tournament, All Whites are hoping Chris Wood can help fire them to a first appearance in the knockout rounds This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/VBcmWEZ via IFTTT

Not much of the fabled golden generation remains, but the Red Devils have a winnable group and possess genuine quality in De Bruyne and Doku This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/62zAutO via IFTTT

Two-time Grammy winner was best known for songs from Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin Peabo Bryson, the R&B singer best known as the voice behind the Oscar-winning Disney film duets Beauty and the Beast with Regina Belle, and A Whole New World with Celine Dion from Aladdin, has died. He was 75. His family said in a statement that Bryson, who won two Grammy awards, died Tuesday, days after having a stroke. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TgHoe5d via IFTTT

Bank of England says updated imagery will celebrate native wildlife while bolstering anti-counterfeit features Puffins, dolphins and bumblebees are among the wildlife that could feature on new banknotes in the UK as the Bank of England announces its shortlist. There has been controversy over the decision, with figures including Nigel Farage criticising the Bank for, he claimed, wanting to replace Winston Churchill with a beaver. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said it was “a silly thing to do”, and Reform UK’s Farage called it “absolutely crackers”. In the end, no beaver appeared on the shortlist. Mammal options include bottlenose dolphins and red foxes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/rSfj7NQ via IFTTT

Government cites crime and drunken antics of foreigners as it shortens their stays – with ordinary Thais welcoming the crackdown It’s late afternoon at Bangkok’s Khaosan road, the city’s backpacker strip. Bar staff are calling after passersby, enticing them inside with drinks promotions. The smell of cannabis, widely sold in the city, wafts into the street, where vendors sell anything from fake tattoos, flip-flops and icy fruit shakes. This street, and its famously noisy nightlife, has attracted visitors from around the world for decades. But increasingly, some in Thailand are growing tired of the country’s party-loving visitors. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Z4EFJzR via IFTTT

Sebastián Beccacece has established a miserly defence and Moisés Caicedo’s ability in midfield could help team take the next step This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/6zgWJhi via IFTTT

Star says her older sister, an actor and film-maker, died ‘in her home, in nature, at peace’ Jamie Lee Curtis has announced the death of her sister, the actor Kelly Curtis, at the age of 69, describing her as “talented” and “jaw droppingly beautiful”. Jamie Lee said her sister had died “in her home, in nature, at peace” on Saturday, having had roles in films including Trading Places (1983), in which the pair both appeared, Magic Sticks (1987) and The Devil’s Daughter (1991). No cause of death was given. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2MaCS3x via IFTTT

Tony Popovic has brought discipline and structure as the Socceroos target their first knockout win in a World Cup This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TgdyXir via IFTTT

Meteor was travelling at 75,000 miles per hour (more than 120,000 km/h) at an altitude of 40 miles when it broke apart A meteor crashing toward Earth exploded over the north-eastern United States on Saturday, Nasa said, setting off booms that echoed over the region with a blast equivalent to 300 tons of TNT. The fireball broke up over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire just after 2pm (1806 GMT), the US space agency’s deputy news chief Jennifer Dooren told AFP in a statement. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pWmV12Q via IFTTT

Australia is pioneering a revolution in home renewables and battery use, proving what is possible with the right policies The timing was rich with symbolism. As intense heatwaves pummelled Europe and Asia, and oil markets around the world leapt and sputtered, the two big chimneys of one of Australia’s largest power stations were being demolished. Meanwhile, the Australian energy minister was holding a media conference to hail a fall of up to 10% in the benchmark electricity price in parts of the country. Quietly, and with surprisingly little fanfare from the rest of the world, Australia is pioneering a revolution in home renewables and battery use, proving what is possible with the right policies. The country was already one of the global leaders in domestic solar power, with panels on one in three homes. It also remains, however, a major contributor to the climate crisis through its vast fossil fuel exports. . But it is batteries that are giving Australia a new burst of speed. Cont...

Minister at Singapore defence summit also reveals Australia to buy only second-hand Aukus submarines from US Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The defence minister, Richard Marles, has said the “seabed is a battlefield” in a combative speech urging Beijing to be more transparent about its maritime operations, and taking aim at weak international controls over so-called “shadow-fleet” vessels. The warning came as the US, UK and Australia announced a new Aukus project to develop new underwater drone technology to protect undersea cables. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/LTgcVUC via IFTTT

Three men killed in third attack this week amid Trump administration’s campaign against alleged drug boats The US military said it had carried out another strike Friday on a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men in the third attack this week and pushing the overall death toll above 200 people. US Southern Command announced the latest strike in the months-long campaign against alleged drug boats traversing the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific with its usual language that the vessel was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and operated by a designated terrorist organization. It provided no evidence. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/mPCqJ4Q via IFTTT

Ukrainian president calls on country to ‘protect your lives’; Nato fury as drone hits Romanian apartment block. What we know on day 1,557 Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is preparing a “massive new strike” on the country , calling on the population to take action to “protect your lives”. Kyiv was hit particularly hard last weekend by a huge Russian bombardment attack – one of the largest since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Moscow has warned foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv, threatening to escalate attacks as it seeks revenge for a Ukrainian strike on a dormitory and high school in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, which Moscow says left 21 people dead. “We have intelligence information about Russia preparing a new massive strike,” Zelenskyy said in a social media message. “Please pay attention to air alerts, protect your lives. Our services are working efficiently and are prepared; the Air Force and other defenders of our skies will be on duty 24/7, ...

David Rush’s trial for allegedly taking 303 gold bars and $2m in foreign currency from agency was pushed to next week US politics live – latest updates A senior intelligence operative accused of stealing hundreds of gold bars worth more than $40m and hiding them at home remained in custody in Virginia on Friday after a judge pushed his first court appearance to next week. David Rush, a former executive service-level employee for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) , is alleged to have taken 303 bullion bars, each weighing 2.2lb (1kg), and more than $2m in foreign currency, from his government office, according to an eight-page FBI affidavit . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XVZJkWm via IFTTT

After dramatic qualification, an experienced squad could progress beyond the group stage if they beat Haiti in their opening game This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network , a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zvBQAFw via IFTTT