Keyword – Life and style
Trefwoorden – Hygiene, Men’s facial hair, Health, Immunology, Life and style, Science, Men
Title – Is it true that … beards are unhygienic? | Hygiene | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/kate-lloyd
Link – Is it true that … beards are unhygienic? | Hygiene | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-22T07:00:02.000Z
Category – Lifestyle
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/22/is-it-true-that-beards-are-unhygienic

T he idea that beards are dirtier than clean-shaven faces has been floating around for decades, says John Tregoning, professor of vaccine immunology at Imperial College London. There is even research that shows people perceive bearded men as less hygienic: one study found restaurant customers rated waiters with facial hair as dirtier. Science doesn’t necessarily back that up, though.

One of the earliest studies on the subject, published in 1967 , looked at how much bacteria could be recovered from men’s faces after being artificially sprayed on to their skin. Researchers compared washed and unwashed faces, both with and without beards. The dirtiest combination wasn’t with a beard: most bacteria was recovered from unwashed clean-shaven faces, followed by unwashed bearded faces, washed bearded faces and finally washed clean-shaven faces.

“So if you’re not going to wash your face, it’s better to have a beard,” says Tregoning, “but if you are going to wash your face, it’s slightly better to be clean-shaven.”

More recent research has focused on surgeons and healthcare workers, where the question is less about general hygiene and more about whether facial hair affects infection risk in operating theatres. Results have been mixed. Some studies suggest beards can trap bacteria , while others find little difference . Much depends on how samples are taken, and most studies suggest that if masks are worn properly there is no meaningful concern.

Overall, Tregoning says the idea that beards are unhygienic is overblown. “Everything has bacteria on it,” he says. “Any part of your body, with hair or without, is going to have bacteria on it. It’s not really a problem unless there’s an open wound. Most of the time it’s fine.”

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – England, Thomas Tuchel, Football tactics, World Cup 2026, World Cup, Football, Sport
Title – England offer rare peek behind the curtain with no place to hide under Tuchel | England | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jacob-steinberg
Link – England offer rare peek behind the curtain with no place to hide under Tuchel | England | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-21T00:58:34.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/21/england-world-cup-training-intensity-peek-behind-curtain-thomas-tuchel

T he tall hooded figure kept barking instructions under a hot Missouri sun. Thomas Tuchel was looking for perfection as preparations for Ghana geared up. England’s head coach watched from a distance at first but it was not long before he was making sure the training drill was up his standards.

Tuchel, wearing a hoodie to protect himself from the UV rays, loomed over a group made up of Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, Djed Spence and Ollie Watkins. This was a rare peek behind the curtain. At international tournaments there are days when journalists are allowed to watch 15 minutes of open training. They are often anodyne experiences, limited to a bit of jogging around, maybe a glimpse of a rondo if you’re lucky, but there was more insight at England’s base in Kansas City on Saturday morning. Mannequins were carefully arranged in four zones and it soon became clear there is no hiding place when Tuchel is watching.

The German is a perfectionist who has been known to measure the height of the grass used at training. “If he sees something that he doesn’t like he calls it out,” Dan Burn said when he spoke to the media later in the day. The honesty is refreshing, the clarity welcome. On this occasion the focus seemed to be on England accelerating the play and moving through the lines. The players were passing through the mannequins. They could only take two touches. They needed to go through the middle at first, work on enticing the press and give and go before turning out to shifting the ball wide, but Tuchel was quick to move over when he spotted one group in need of some advice.

Tuchel is big on players controlling the ball with the correct foot in training. He wants everyone to know the favoured foot of every teammate on the pitch. It sounds logical. It speeds up the play and when Tuchel wandered over to Anderson, Bellingham, Spence, Gordon and Rashford it was possible to see the intensity go up.

Holding a whistle in his right hand, Tuchel was loudly telling players which foot to use to control passes. There was a moment when he zoned in on Spence, telling the full-back to wake up. “Open up,” he said. “It’s been five minutes already, Djed. Come on!”

The cajoling was relentless and the level went up. England were pushing it in the heat and the mind went back to the first half of their opening game against Croatia last Wednesday. The roof was shut at Dallas Stadium and England struggled to beat the press during the first half. They played themselves into trouble and twice lost the lead, only to blow Croatia away with an astonishing burst of attacking football after half-time.

The aim is to play like a Premier League side: with speed, intensity and physicality. Historically, though, England have struggled with teams pressing them high. It comes down to technique. Tuchel makes it sound easy. If a left-footer receives the ball on their correct foot it makes it easier to open up the body, pass beyond an opponent, get England on the attack and use the pace of their forward players.

No wonder England’s players talk about how much they learn from Tuchel. The buy-in is total, although there is room for levity. There is basketball on offer at the team hotel. Backgammon has been on the agenda and Burn has been trying to work out how to play Wolf, a long-running card game inside the camp. “I’ve been watching a few of them before getting in there, trying to work out who the best liars are,” the big Newcastle defender said.

The players had a day off on Friday. Harry Kane and Jason Steele, the training goalkeeper, joined Burn at an Ella Langley gig. “I like country music, so I had a cowboy hat on and cowboy boots,” Burn said. “If you’re going to do it, do it properly. Ella is an amazing country artist, so it was nice that we get to do those things. Then today it’s focused back on football.”

The demands are high. While Tuchel watched the passing drill his assistant threw himself into the action. Anthony Barry pressed and was also blasting out a stream of instructions. It was Barry who did the half-time interview with ITV and delivered a searing critique of England’s first 45 minutes against Croatia. The Liverpudlian did not hold back, saying there was a nervous energy from the team.

Burn, who first came across Barry when the 40-year-old was cutting his teeth as a young coach at Wigan, was not surprised. “There’s no grey areas with Baz and the manager,” he said. “The one thing that I really do like about them is that they just say it how there is. They’re not going to beat around the bush. That’s all you want as a player. You just want that honesty.”

England have it with Tuchel and Barry’s double act. The players will hear about it whenever they dare to slow down.

Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – Royal Ascot, Ascot, Horse racing, Sport, Horse racing tips
Title – Royal Ascot draw bias left too many with raw deal in otherwise stellar week | Royal Ascot | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/gregwood
Link – Royal Ascot draw bias left too many with raw deal in otherwise stellar week | Royal Ascot | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-21T04:00:20.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/21/royal-ascot-draw-bias-horse-racing

B ig numbers were something of a theme at Royal Ascot this year. Aidan O’Brien became the first trainer to saddle 100 winners at the meeting when Scandinavia took the Gold Cup on Thursday. Attendances were up throughout the week leading up to Saturday’s annual sell-out, by an average of 3.5% and the high-numbered stalls carried all before them on the straight course, with one winner after another powering up to the line against the near-side rail.

There are always talking points after a meeting like Royal Ascot, where the occasion and competition are so intense that everything feels exaggerated. This time around, there was a team tactics debate on Tuesday, as Christophe Soumillon picked up an eight-day ban for riding Puerto Rico “in a manner to assist” Gstaad in the St James’s Palace Stakes , though the decision is subject to an appeal to be heard this week. There was a furore, too, after Juan Hernandez was allowed to weigh in again after an easy win on Bacio in the last race on Friday, having being light first time round.

But the clear advantage enjoyed towards the stands’ side on the straight course was apparent from day one. It was one of the few significant disappointments in an otherwise memorable week, with high-class performances from well-backed favourites such as Bow Echo, Ombudsman , Scandinavia and Venetian Sun .

Simon Crisford called it out before watching his gelding Jazl, a leading fancy for Bacio’s race on Friday, finish 27th and last behind the easy winner, who was drawn in stall 31. “The bias has been shocking and it’s really disappointing because you want to be drawn high,” he said. “It’s not right when you pay what you pay as an owner to come to Royal Ascot and not have a fair racing track.”

A fortnight ago, the British Horseracing Authority’s stewards deemed the Derby favourite a non-runner because he had a leg off the ground when the stalls opened and lost maybe a length or so as a result. At Ascot, though, dozens of runners had their chances compromised through no fault of their own, but because when the stall positions were drawn the computer said low.

The wide – and much-loved – variety of tracks in British Flat racing means punters are accustomed to dealing with draw biases. Low numbers at Chester and Beverley and high at Ripon are among the betting mantras many backers will learn at an early stage of their punting careers. But these are often a result of a course’s size or layout. The bias at Royal Ascot – the premier meeting of the year at British Flat racing’s showpiece track – was on the straight mile, with no obvious reason why one side or the other should be favoured and with a potential effect on 18 of the 35 races.

The Britannia Handicap on Thursday, over the straight mile, was the most striking example. Thirty runners went to post and they split into two groups, 15 on each side of the track. The first 11 horses across the line were from the stands’ side group and nine of those were drawn 22 or above.

The draw played no part in Saturday’s feature, the six-furlong Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, as the field came down the middle and the capacity crowd enjoyed a thrilling three-way photo-finish as Almeraq, at 25-1, edged out the big overseas contenders, Satono Reve and Joliestar, by a nose and a short-head.

On Saturday morning, Chris Stickels, Ascot’s clerk of the course, had accepted there was a problem. “We work very hard at providing as fair a track as we can,” he told Sky Sports Racing. “We study the data, we aerate it evenly, we irrigate evenly. Yes, it does seem that the high numbers have been winning, but let’s be honest, not much has raced on that far rail.

“I don’t think it would be disadvantageous to be in the middle of the track at all either, there were horses winning in the middle of the track yesterday. It wasn’t like everything on the stands rails was way in front of everything else.

“It doesn’t walk massively differently [on the opposite sides of the track], but the evidence has been that the high-drawn horses have been winning.”

Smart punters can turn a draw bias to their advantage over the course of a meeting and also take note of beaten runners whose performances can be marked up with an eye to backing them next time. Laureate Crown and Exclusive Code, first and second on the far side in the Britannia, are just two among plenty of examples.

It is also fair to acknowledge it has been the accepted betting wisdom for many years that the high stalls are the place to start when looking for a winner on the straight course, especially when the ground is riding fast. This time, though, there was scarcely any point going even halfway across the track in the search for a winner. While punters can factor a bias into their calculations, owners and trainers, as Crisford pointed out, do not have the same luxury.

The yearling market has been remarkably robust in the face of various economic upheavals in recent years and one of the key drivers that persuades the biggest owners to keep investing in bloodstock is the possibility of competing at Royal Ascot. While few will shed many tears for a billionaire whose seven-figure thoroughbred is drawn on the wrong side of the track, they are still capable of sensing when they are getting a raw deal and choosing to get their kicks – or race their horses – elsewhere.

It is more difficult, too, for Royal Ascot to sell itself as the undisputed pinnacle of Flat racing if so many of its races appear skewed towards runners on one side of the track.

Interestingly, Stickels also told Sky Sports Racing that “we did try and deal with that by trying to put a little bit more water on [the near side] through May, but we got to a stage where we felt it was even. It’s not easy to do because you’ve got to shut off one side and not another.”

A more determined effort may be necessary next year.

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – World Cup 2026, World Cup, Football, Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, England, Sport, Scotland, South Korea, Mexico, Czechia, South Africa football team, Canada, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco football team, Haiti football team, USA, Turkey, Australia national football team – Socceroos, Paraguay, Germany, Ecuador, Côte d’Ivoire football team, Curaçao, Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia football team, Belgium, Iran, Egypt football team, New Zealand, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde, Senegal football team, Norway, Iraq, Austria, Algeria football team, Jordan, Portugal, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo football team, Uzbekistan, Croatia, Panama, Ghana football team, US sports, Australia sport, Switzerland
Title – Bracketology: predict a path to World Cup victory | World Cup 2026 | The Guardian
Author –
Link – Bracketology: predict a path to World Cup victory | World Cup 2026 | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-04T10:00:48.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2026/jun/04/bracketology-predict-a-path-to-world-cup-victory

Groups Touch and drag teams into predicted finish order

Third-place teams Pick eight sides to advance to the last 32

Knockouts Tap a winner from each match to plan your route to the final

The progress of the World Cup from match to match is determined from
the beginning: there are no further draws to decide who plays whom in
subsequent rounds.

To maximise the spectacle, the competition is structured, broadly, to
ensure that the “bigger” teams don’t face each other (and knock each
other out) too early in the competition, and to ensure that all 48
teams have an incentive to field their strongest side for every
fixture.

The top two teams from each group automatically qualify to the next
round. Because the winner of a group will face a second- or
third-placed team from another group, the hope is that France, for
instance, will not rest on their laurels once they have enough points
to qualify for the knockouts but will try to win their last game to
get what in principle are easier opponents in the next round, the last
32.

At the other end of the table, a team who know they will come at best
third in their group still have an incentive to give their all in that
last group game because the eight best-performing of the 12
third-placed teams also go into the last 32.

Let’s take the example of England, wholly arbitrarily. If England top
their group, they will face a third-placed team in the first knockout
round (technically any one of 20 other teams, but plausibly a team
such as Côte d’Ivoire or Algeria). If they come second, they will play
the runners-up from Group K, plausibly Colombia. And if they come
third but have a better points total or goal difference than four of
the other third-placed teams, they get a tougher fixture, against the
winners of Group K, possibly Portugal. The simulator includes the
predetermined routes for all 495 possible combinations of groups
yielding the eight best third-placed teams.

This simulator allows you to change the outcome of each group and see
the effect that those changes have on the last 32, and then to imagine
the winner of each knockout game to plot each team’s possible route to
the final.

Editorial: James Dart, Marcus Christenson and Philip Cornwall

Design and development: Barry Ainslie, Georges Lebreton,
Seán Clarke, Harry Fischer, Petter Nitter and Freddie Preece

Groups Touch and drag teams into predicted finish order

Third-place teams Pick eight sides to advance to the last 32

Knockouts Tap a winner from each match to plan your route to the final

Your winner

The progress of the World Cup from match to match is determined from
the beginning: there are no further draws to decide who plays whom in
subsequent rounds.

To maximise the spectacle, the competition is structured, broadly, to
ensure that the “bigger” teams don’t face each other (and knock each
other out) too early in the competition, and to ensure that all 48
teams have an incentive to field their strongest side for every
fixture.

The top two teams from each group automatically qualify to the next
round. Because the winner of a group will face a second- or
third-placed team from another group, the hope is that France, for
instance, will not rest on their laurels once they have enough points
to qualify for the knockouts but will try to win their last game to
get what in principle are easier opponents in the next round, the last
32.

At the other end of the table, a team who know they will come at best
third in their group still have an incentive to give their all in that
last group game because the eight best-performing of the 12
third-placed teams also go into the last 32.

Let’s take the example of England, wholly arbitrarily. If England top
their group, they will face a third-placed team in the first knockout
round (technically any one of 20 other teams, but plausibly a team
such as Côte d’Ivoire or Algeria). If they come second, they will play
the runners-up from Group K, plausibly Colombia. And if they come
third but have a better points total or goal difference than four of
the other third-placed teams, they get a tougher fixture, against the
winners of Group K, possibly Portugal. The simulator includes the
predetermined routes for all 495 possible combinations of groups
yielding the eight best third-placed teams.

This simulator allows you to change the outcome of each group and see
the effect that those changes have on the last 32, and then to imagine
the winner of each knockout game to plot each team’s possible route to
the final.

Editorial: James Dart, Marcus Christenson and Philip
Cornwall

Design and development: Barry Ainslie, Georges Lebreton,
Seán Clarke, Harry Fischer, Petter Nitter and Freddie Preece

Keyword – Money
Trefwoorden – Consumer affairs, Consumer rights, Money, Monzo bank, Banks and building societies, Banking, UK news, Scams, Paris, France, Europe
Title – Paris taxi scam cost £493 but Monzo won’t help me | Consumer affairs | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/annatims
Link – Paris taxi scam cost £493 but Monzo won’t help me | Consumer affairs | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-22T07:00:02.000Z
Category – Lifestyle
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/jun/22/paris-taxi-scam-monzo-bank-money-chargeback

I went to Paris to recover from the grief of losing my dog.

All was going well until I took a taxi from a rank outside Musée d’Orsay to my hotel near Notre Dame – a 12-minute journey.

The meter showed €9.70 (£8) and the driver asked me to get out of the cab and pay on the card reader through the car window as the internet connection was poor. While I was doing that he surreptitiously altered the amount on the screen, and when I returned to my hotel I realised he had charged me €570 .

I immediately filed a fraud report with my bank, Monzo. It rejected my claim because I have no evidence of the agreed price.

This a common scam as far as I can tell, and it relies on the fact that you don’t pre-agree a price with a cab driver, or get an invoice or receipt.

This will keep happening to people unless banks start clawing the money from the scammers.

RG, London

This is a similar scam to the case of the £600 slice of cheese in Brazil , which I reported last month. Whether it’s cheese or taxis and wherever you are in the world, con artists take advantage of tourists’ unfamiliarity with local currency and furtively adjust the price on the card reader in between the customer approving the sum and presenting their card.

Because it is a face-to-face card transaction, it does not qualify for the protections offered to victims who are tricked into paying fraudsters by bank transfer, a scam known as authorised push payment fraud.

The voluntary chargeback schemes offered by debit card issuers, which allow a disputed payment to a merchant to be reversed, tend not to work in these cases because there is no invoice, or receipt, to prove the price was inflated.

However, Mastercard, which is what you paid with, has recently changed its chargeback rules for disputed amounts, and a bank statement on its own will now suffice unless the vendor produces evidence that the correct sum was charged.

I pointed out Mastercard’s new rules to Monzo but it refused to budge. “We’re confident in our decision not to raise a chargeback because we believe it wouldn’t have been successful without the supporting evidence required,” it says. “We urge customers to always double-check the amount before making a payment.”

I disagree with its reasoning. The driver would have to support a challenge with evidence that the fare was correct. You could therefore escalate your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, citing Mastercard’s new rules.

We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions .

Keyword – Television & radio
Trefwoorden – Television, Culture, Television & radio
Title – Tell us your favourite TV shows of 2026 so far | Television | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/guardian-community-team
Link – Tell us your favourite TV shows of 2026 so far | Television | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-09T15:52:01.000Z
Category – Culture
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jun/09/tell-us-your-favourite-tv-shows-of-2026-so-far

The Guardian’s culture writers have compiled their favourite TV shows of the year so far – and we’d like to hear about yours, too.

Are there any new series that you would recommend watching? What have been best TV shows of the year so far, and why?

If you’re having trouble using the form click here . Read terms of service here and privacy policy here .

Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – Tennis, Sport, US sports
Title – Frances Tiafoe beats Taylor Fritz in all-American Halle final for biggest title of career | Tennis | The Guardian
Author – Reuters
Link – Frances Tiafoe beats Taylor Fritz in all-American Halle final for biggest title of career | Tennis | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-21T16:53:11.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/21/frances-tiafoe-taylor-fritz-halle-title

Frances Tiafoe beat fellow American Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4 to win the ⁠Halle Open on Sunday, sealing the biggest title of his career and becoming the first American since 1993 to lift the ATP ⁠500 grass-court trophy.

Tiafoe ⁠set the ​tone early, breaking serve in the opening set and remaining composed on his own delivery to keep Fritz from settling. He carried ⁠that momentum into the second set, again striking early and dictating from the baseline to wrap up the win and snap a seven-match losing streak ⁠against Fritz since his first victory in 2016.

“I don’t even know what clip I was ​serving in the first set, but I ‌felt like I couldn’t ‌miss one,” Tiafoe said. “I returned really well. I had no troubles on my serve the ‌whole match, and it just feels good to get this done. “He’s a hell of a player and a hell of a competitor too. I knew he was going to make it hard out there at the end and I played some great tennis. Luck was on my way a little bit.”

The 28-year-old dropped just seven points ‌on serve in the final to cap a memorable debut appearance at the German grass event, as well as claiming his fourth career title and ​first in three years.

He also registered three top-10 wins during the week, including victories over world No 10 Flavio Cobolli and No 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime. Before Sunday, Tiafoe had gone 0-4 in finals above ATP 250 level, including a defeat to Fritz in Tokyo in 2022, and ⁠had suffered a 5hr 26min fourth-round loss to Matteo Arnaldi at the ​French Open earlier this ​month.

“This is big. I just want ​to say one of my favorite scriptures: ‘The pain that you’re feeling does ​not compare to ‌the joy that is ​coming.’ Obviously, that ​has been proven very true,” Tiafoe said. “It’s something I’ve been living by.”

The Halle triumph will see Tiafoe climb nine places to No 19 in the ATP rankings on Monday, boosting his prospects ahead of Wimbledon, which begins 29 June.

Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – MotoGP, Motor sport, Motorcycling, Sport
Title – Marco Bezzecchi banned from Czech MotoGP race after slapping track marshal | MotoGP | The Guardian
Author – AFP
Link – Marco Bezzecchi banned from Czech MotoGP race after slapping track marshal | MotoGP | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-21T14:52:11.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/21/motogp-marco-bezzecchi-czech-grand-prix-slap-steward

The MotoGP championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi, was banned from Sunday’s Czech GP after slapping a track marshal in the face after a crash in Saturday’s sprint, MotoGP said.

The 27-year-old Italian Aprilia Racing rider crashed out of the sprint with two laps to go. Footage on TNT Sports showed Bezzecchi running towards a marshal, pushing him and then slapping him in the face as the steward was standing over his bike in the gravel.

“Bezzecchi will not take part in the Czech GP,” MotoGP said on its website .

A document published by the FIM MotoGP Stewards association told Bezzecchi that “following a crash you pushed and struck circuit marshals who were trying to recover your machine … That is an infringement of Article 3.3.2.2, an action ‘prejudicial to the interests of the sport.”

Aprilia appealed against the stewards’ decision on Saturday, but the appeal stewards upheld the original verdict, and Aprilia said it would not protest any further.

It is another blow to Bezzecchi’s hopes of a maiden MotoGP title after he failed to finish the Hungarian GP two weeks ago, when his teammate Jorge Martín took him out in turn one. Adding to Aprilia’s woes, Martín will have to serve two long-lap penalties for causing that crash.

Bezzecchi apologised “to everyone, Aprilia Racing and my fans” in a statement. He continued: “I would like to apologise to the entire MotoGP community for my behaviour toward the trackside marshal.

“I’m also sorry because I know how much effort and sacrifice marshals make to ensure our safety. This behaviour shouldn’t happen and there is no justification for it.” On Sunday, MotoGP posted a video of Bezzecchi apologising to the marshal and embracing him.

Marc Márquez won Sunday’s race on a scorching day in Brno, scoring a second straight win after dominating in Hungary two weeks ago.

The pole sitter, Japan’s Ai Ogura, finished second ahead of Márquez’s factory Ducati teammate, Francesco Bagnaia. Both riders quickly overtook Ogura, Bagnaia striking on the first lap and Márquez following seconds later.

Márquez, a seven-time MotoGP world champion, then circled patiently behind his teammate, narrowing his gap on his teammate to a tenth of a second by the 11th lap. Five laps later, the Spaniard swept past Bagnaia and raced away to earn his fifth MotoGP victory on the Brno circuit.

Bezzecchi still leads the overall standings with 180 points, ahead of Martín with 172, Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio on 157 and Marc Márquez with 140.

The headline and text of this article were amended on 21 June 2026. Marco Bezzecchi slapped a track marshal, not a steward, as an earlier version said.

Keyword – Food
Trefwoorden – Vegetables, Food, Tofu, Sauces and gravies, Noodles, Main course, Vegan food and drink, Vegetarian food and drink, Japanese food and drink
Title – Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for lime and sesame cold noodles with miso ‘meatballs’ | Vegetables | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/meera-sodha
Link – Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for lime and sesame cold noodles with miso ‘meatballs’ | Vegetables | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-20T05:00:53.000Z
Category – Lifestyle
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/jun/20/lime-sesame-cold-noodles-miso-meatballs-vegan-recipe-meera-sodha

W hat’s your favourite hot weather food? Mine’s gazpacho. I’m joking – gazpacho’s lovely, but cold noodles are my top pick because, in the summer, they meet me exactly where I am in both the cooking and the eating. They don’t need much by way of cooking, and they can be dressed and paired with many a store-cupboard ingredient – in today’s case, tahini, miso and sesame oil. Best of all, cooling the noodles shocks the starches, which makes them firmer and gorgeously “QQ”, a Taiwanese term used to describe food that’s delightfully bouncy and springy. Which personally, is how I’d like to feel all summer long.

Lime and sesame cold noodles with miso “meatballs”

You’ll need a food processor to make these.

Prep 10 min Cook 35 min Serves 4

280g very firm tofu , drained and roughly chopped ( Tofoo ’s is by far the firmest I’ve come across) 60g dried breadcrumbs 4 tbsp white miso paste 2 tbsp agave syrup Fine sea salt 2 tbsp rapeseed oil 250g ramen noodles 2½ tbsp tahini 3 tbsp lime juice (from 2-3 limes) 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil 150g radishes , thinly sliced 150g cucumber , quartered and sliced 30g mint , leaves picked to get 18g

First make the “meatballs”. Put the tofu in a food processor with the breadcrumbs, two tablespoons of the miso, half a tablespoon of agave syrup and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt (in other words, a big pinch). Pulse or blend until the mix comes together into a dough, then tip out, break into roughly 20g pieces and roll into balls.

Put the rapeseed oil in a nonstick frying pan on a medium heat and, when it’s hot, fry the miso meatballs for 10 minutes, shaking the pan every so often so they fry evenly (and don’t catch and burn).

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain, rinse under cold water, until they’re cold, and leave to drain.

Now make the dressing. Whisk the remaining two tablespoons of miso with the tahini, lime juice, the remaining tablespoon and a half of agave syrup, the toasted sesame oil and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt.

Put the drained noodles and dressing in the empty noodle pan, add the radishes, cucumber, mint and meatballs, and mix well. Transfer to a large platter or divide between four bowls, and serve.

Keyword – World news
Trefwoorden – World news, Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Title – Zelenskyy pledges to ‘bring war back to Russia’ after drones swarm toward Moscow – Europe live | World news | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jakub-krupa
Link – Zelenskyy pledges to ‘bring war back to Russia’ after drones swarm toward Moscow – Europe live | World news | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-22T09:08:32.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jun/22/zelenskyy-ukraine-russia-drones-europe-heatwave-trump-meloni-latest-news-updates

Trump doubles down on his criticism of Italy’s Meloni

Following Trump’s extraordinary criticism of Meloni in a brief interview with Italy’s La7 on Fridayand her absolute denial that she was “begging” him for a photo, as we reported before the weekend, the US president doubled down again on Sunday.

In a post on Truth Social, he said:

“After spending Trillions of Dollars on Nato, Italy, and its Prime Minister, wouldn’t even think of becoming involved with the Islamic Republic of Iran and their very serious Nuclear Threat. For decades, we defend them but, when tested, they are not there to defend us, and the rest of the World. Not good! ”

E5 leaders to meet in Berlin for talks on Ukraine this week, Italy says

Starmer has pledged to continue in the job until his successor is chosen, and it looks like this will take him to Germany this week.

The leaders of Europe’s top military powers will meet on Wednesday in Berlin, Italy said.

The Italian government said prime minister Giorgia Meloni – fresh from another clash with the US president, Donald Trump – would attend the meeting along with her British, French, German and Polish counterparts.

Starmer’s proposed timetable – with the nomination process starting on 9 July – could be intended to coincide with the Nato summit in Ankara, ending the day before.

UK prime minister Starmer announces plans to resign from post

Oof.

Over in the UK, Keir Starmer has announced his intention to resign from the post of the leader of the Labour Party and the British prime minister.

He wants the party to set out a timetable with nominations for his successor opening on 9 July, and to be completed by the summer recess. If there is a contest on who should succeed him, he hopes it will be completed before the parliament returns in September.

Starmer will stay on in post until the process is complete.

He is the sixth British PM out of the job in the 10 years since the Brexit referendum in 2016, the anniversary of which is tomorrow.

And a group of protesters outside 10 Downing Street are playing the EU’s anthem, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, on a loudspeaker as he speaks.

More details on our UK live blog:

Ukraine and Poland’s bitter dispute over past casts shadow on contemporary relations

Separately, Ukraine and Poland are embroiled in a bitter dispute over Kyiv’s decision to rename a contemporary Ukrainian army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

Poland holds it responsible for ethnic killings of up to 100,000 Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during the second world war – and in 2016 adopted a parliamentary resolution calling it a genocide – but it is celebrated in Ukraine for their fight for Ukrainian independence and resistance against the Soviet forces.

On Friday, Polish president Karol Nawrocki stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the country’s top honour in retaliation for the move , prompting three former Ukrainian presidents and other senior officials ⁠to also return their state awards to Poland.

Announcing his decision on Friday night, Nawrocki said :

“ Poland has repeatedly signalled the particular importance of this issue to the Ukrainian side. We conveyed our position and expectation that the consequences of this decision for relations between our states be reconsidered. Ultimately, the position of the Ukrainian side did not change. History should not be an obstacle to the future, but a good future can only be built on truth.”

In an interview posted on X last night, Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Poland cannot ​be “anything but ​partners and friends,” but warned that a ​political struggle could end in a “very dangerous escalation.”

But he blamed the Polish president for the conflict, claiming he is on political manoeuvres ahead of Poland’s 2027 parliamentary elections.

“Our service members ​choose a ‌heroic name for ​their unit themselves, ​and as president and supreme commander-in-chief, I must support them,” he said. “ Without Ukraine, no one will be able to defend Poland. It is simply impossible.”

Poland’s pro-European prime minister Donald Tusk – who previously distanced himself from Nawrocki’s decision – said that rekindling the old disagreements was “a strategic mistake that will harm both sides: business-wise, geopolitically, and reputationally.”

Zelenskyy was widely expected to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in the Polish city of Gdańsk later this week, but this is no longer certain, putting the hosts in a potentially embarrasing position of having to talk about Ukraine without its leader.

One to watch this week.

Morning opening: Ukrainian drones briefly disrupt Moscow’s airports as Zelenskyy pledges to ‘bring war back to Russia’

Nearly 60 Ukrainian drones were intercepted heading for Moscow last night, forcing the capital’s airports to briefly suspend its operations during the attack.

In total, Russia reportedly downed just over 300 drones across the country.

Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack killed ⁠three members ⁠of ​one family, including ⁠a 13-year-old boy, in ⁠Ukraine’s northern ​Sumy ‌region, regional ‌prosecutors said, as quoted by Reuters.

Last night, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview that “our defence industry, our defence forces … have begun the process of bringing the war back to Russia.”

“The Russians are attacking us every day – and we will strike back every day. Our response will grow stronger with each passing day.”

It is the latest sign of the momentum shifting in the Russian aggression of Ukraine, as discussed by the G7 and EU leaders last week.

Elsewhere, I will be obviously keeping an eye on the UK where prime minister Keir Starmer could announce plans for his exit from the post today, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum in 2016.

Our main UK coverage, led by Andrew Sparrow, is here:

But I will be also looking at yet another day of extreme temperatures across Europe , two high-profile diplomatic spats between Trump and Italy’s Meloni and Zelenskyy and Poland’s Nawrocki, and other news lines from across the continent.

It’s Monday, 22 June 2026 , it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live .

Good morning.