Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – England v New Zealand 2026, New Zealand cricket team, Cricket, England cricket team, Sport
Title – Matt Henry ends England’s resistance as New Zealand complete second Test rout | England v New Zealand 2026 | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/guardian-sport
Link – Matt Henry ends England’s resistance as New Zealand complete second Test rout | England v New Zealand 2026 | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-21T11:02:50.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jun/21/cricket-england-new-zealand-second-test-day-five-report

New Zealand made very short work of claiming the five England wickets required to secure victory in the second Test on Sunday.

Matt Henry removed four England batters, including Joe Root for 77, in a ferocious 25-minute spell at the Oval. The hosts began the day on 182-5 but added just 10 runs for the first four wickets lost, slipping to 192-9 as the Black Caps showed no mercy.

Root had kept England’s faint hopes of salvaging the match alive with his stand of 75 on Saturday, but the interim captain was quickly trapped lbw by Henry when the final day began, having added only two further runs.

Henry then bowled Jofra Archer for a two-ball duck to complete a double-wicket maiden over. The all-rounder’s hot streak continued as he dismissed Matthew Fisher and Josh Tongue, both for ducks, in consecutive balls, leaving Sonny Baker to join Jordan Cox at the crease.

Cox (25) gave the home crowd something to cheer with a pair of boundaries, but Henry completed the job soon after, removing him with a yorker to end the match within an hour of the resumption. Henry finished with second-innings figures of six for 29, taking his match total to 11 wickets.

The day began with news that Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson had both been withdrawn from their County Championship matches at the ECB’s request.

Both players were left out of the second Test after breaching a team curfew, but both now appear likely to be recalled to the England XI for the third Test, which starts at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

Ali Martin’s day five report will follow

Keyword – US news
Trefwoorden – Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, Israel, Hezbollah, US politics, US news, Middle East and north Africa, World news
Title – Trump assured Musk and Carlson he wouldn’t go to war with Iran, new book claims | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/martin-pengelly
Link – Trump assured Musk and Carlson he wouldn’t go to war with Iran, new book claims | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-19T20:09:10.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/19/trump-musk-carlson-iran-war

Donald Trump declared he would not go to war with Iran last year, according to a new book, which claims he told Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk: “We’re not doing that.”

The US president is said to have provided the assurance during an Oval Office meeting with rightwing commentator Carlson and SpaceX CEO Musk – the world’s richest person, who recently became its first trillionaire – early last year.

According to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, though Carlson had criticized Trump from his perch as an influential rightwing media voice, Trump “solicit[ed] Carlson’s advice, believing he still had sway over a significant portion of the base”.

“Carlson had criticized Trump for refusing to knock [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu over the Gaza carnage; now he would make clear to the president that a broader war would be his ruin,” Haberman and Swan write. “‘They want you to go to war with Iran,’ Carlson said. ‘We’re not doing that,’ Trump answered.”

Trump is also said to have told Carlson: “I don’t think there’s ever been an American president as powerful as I am.”

“Struck by this hubris,” Haberman and Swan write, “Carlson replied: ‘Certainly not since FDR. Really, the only thing that could wreck it is war with Iran.’”

This year, on 28 February, Trump attacked Iran. An agreement ending the war was signed earlier this week.

Haberman and Swan’s reporting appears in a book, Regime Change, that will be published in the US on Tuesday. Excerpts have included accounts of Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran , Situation Room discussions about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and attempts to suspend legal rights amid an immigration crackdown.

Trump is also said to have “regaled” Musk and Carlson with “lingering” descriptions of injuries including “mutilated genitals and missing hands” caused by Israel’s 2024 “ exploding pagers ” attack on Hezbollah.

The US president told “horror stories of the destruction that the explosions had wrought” in the Oval Office, Haberman and Swan write.

“He had seen pictures, he said. Mutilated genitals and missing hands. He was horrified by the injuries, but fascinated as well, lingering on the scenes and the details,” according to the book. “One survivor, he said, ‘looked like a great white shark came and just took a chunk out of him. It was like a shark bite. It was horrible.’

“He grew volatile, repeating, ‘It’s horrible, horrible!’”

The Oval Office scene with Musk and Carlson is an example of extensive reporting about the ageing president’s increasingly erratic behavior.

Israel carried out its pager attack on leaders of Hezbollah , an Iranian proxy group, in Lebanon in September 2024.

Haberman and Swan’s depiction of Trump’s fascination with injuries caused by the pagers appears to have been informed by Carlson, a critic of Israel and the Iran war. Musk, who was then leading the “department of government efficiency” attack on the federal government at the time of the exchange, is depicted as “transfixed” by a golden pager presented to Trump by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Carlson’s words and those of Trump are presented in quotes, which the authors say indicates personal knowledge of words and situations.

“There was something else that captivated” Trump, the authors write. “Many of the devices had detonated in public, and it was hard to know who was holding a pager when it exploded. The indiscriminate nature of the killing and maiming had shocked Trump, and while he was taken by the ingenuity, he showed a measure of disbelief at its recklessness.

“He seemed at once enthralled and horrified.”

Keyword – Travel
Trefwoorden – Hotels, Beach holidays, Travel, Top 10s, Europe holidays
Title – ‘I half expected James Bond to appear with a martini’: readers’ favourite seaside hotels in Europe | Hotels | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/guardian-readers
Link – ‘I half expected James Bond to appear with a martini’: readers’ favourite seaside hotels in Europe | Hotels | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-19T06:00:24.000Z
Category – Lifestyle
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2026/jun/19/readers-favourite-hotels-europe-beach-glamour-affordable

Vesuvius views on the Sorrentine coast

The Hotel Villa Garden , Sant’Agnello is a ravishing but small, friendly, family-run hotel about 25 minutes walk from the centre of Sorrento. The view from the cliff-edge dining terrace over to Vesuvius is breathtaking and the stylish pool is a delight. The decor is crisp and sunny. It’s the kind of place where they bring you a free glass of rosé while you wait for your taxi to the airport. Very Billy Wilder. Very Avanti . Jan Colley

An idyllic island stay on the French Atlantic

We loved our stay at L’Hôtel La Jetée on Île de Ré (doubles from €85 B&B), which is perched on the corner of the Vauban fortified port of Saint Martin de Ré. An attractive courtyard garden filled with designer furniture is surrounded by floral balconies leading to light, airy and tasteful coastal-themed rooms. Breakfast was a real pleasure, taken in the courtyard or in the salon. The hotel’s front aspect overlooks the charming harbour with seafood restaurants and renowned ice-cream vendor La Martinière . Bike hire is available a couple of doors down for exploring the island (try a tandem) and the catamaran trip that leaves from the harbour is an elegant way to dabble in yacht life without the price tag. Anna Kennett

Beachfront bolthole in Galicia, Spain

Forty miles south of Santiago de Compostela, Hotel Nanin (doubles from about €100 B&B) has a great location right on the beach. We had a stunning view from our room, overlooking the pool and the bay. We came across this spa hotel on a road trip around the Portuguese and Spanish coast, and we’ve returned to it since. It is about a 30-minute walk into the town of Sanxenxo, where there are more beaches, loads of restaurants and a lively promenade. Louise

Five-star Italian luxury on the Adriatic

The abundance of hotels in the Italian resort of Rimini keeps prices competitive – I even found a good deal at the five-star Grand Hotel . If you ask for a room in the annex (doubles from €120 B&B), you can still enjoy the hotel’s facilities and services, including the open-air pool and palm-filled gardens. The wood-panelled library has fascinating photos of old movie stars and huge chandeliers. Fresh fruit in the generous breakfasts is brought in from Rimini’s daily market, and sunloungers on the nearby beach are reserved for guests. The whole hotel has an atmosphere of faded 1960s charm – I could have imagined Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni strolling in, champagne glasses in hand. Penelope

A Biarritz time machine, France

The hotel Eduardo VII (doubles from about €104 B&B) in Biarritz is in a three-storey wooden building that feels more like a private guesthouse than a hotel. It’s like a time machine that takes guests back to when Biarritz was the height of fashion and elegance. The charming building has kept many of its original features, including wood panelling, creaky wooden floors and ornate mirrors. Bedrooms are small but cosy. Having breakfast on the sea-facing terrace was a great start to our days there – making my husband and I feel like movie stars, ready to go out and shoot a scene in a Jean Luc Goddard film by strolling along the long sandy beach. April

Art deco vibes in Corsica

Just outside the little town of Piana, an hour’s drive up the Corsican coast from Ajaccio, is the wonderful Hotel les Roches Rouges (doubles from about €170 B&B). Built in 1912, it has a glamorous art deco vibe (and plenty of old photos on the walls). But it’s all about the view over the sea from the terrace, where the sun sets over the pink granite coastline, and you could sit all day and evening watching the colours flame and change. And the restaurant is wonderful, so you needn’t leave at all. Laura

An oasis in southern Tenerife

Southern Tenerife is associated with boilerplate package holiday hotels. But the 1920s time capsule Hotel Reverón Plaza (doubles from £181 B&B in September) is an art deco oasis, only steps away from the beach. Step inside from the street to sip champagne amid vintage wrought-iron furniture and antique switchboards. Skip the lift and take the stairs to see them glowing under century-old stained-glass windows. On the rooftop, an unpretentious pool serves up stunning 360-degree views of the sea and surrounding hills. At around £130 a night – complete with a fantastic Spanish breakfast – it’s an absolute steal. Erin

Faded grandeur on a car-free Greek island

On Kastellorizo, a tiny car-free island in the Dodecanese, the Megisti hotel (doubles in September from about £250 B&B a night) feels like a step back in time to the 1960s. You are immersed in aged, elegant glamour and half expect James Bond to appear in a white tuxedo and order a martini. Megisti’s spectacular setting and crystal-clear waters offers great views of loggerhead sea turtles that are often seen here as you walk around the gorgeous natural harbour. Karen Stewart

Beachside glamour in Norway

On the island of Stokkøya in central Norway, Stokkøya Strandhotell sits beside a sweeping white-sand beach that looks more Caribbean than Nordic. The stylish timber cabins (from around £160 a night), some built partly into the dunes, offer a design-hotel feel without luxury-resort prices. Days are spent swimming, hiking coastal trails or warming up in the beach sauna after a dip in the sea. Evenings mean local seafood and a drink at the laid-back Strandbar (beach bar). It feels wonderfully remote and glamorous in a distinctly Scandinavian way, yet remains surprisingly affordable for Norway. Sabine

Winning tip: spa bargain on a volcanic Italian island

As a lifelong backpacker, it takes a real bargain for me to entertain a spa hotel. Lo and behold I found myself on the island of Ischia, off Naples, where thermal waters are abundant and spa hotels are wildly affordable. The art deco Hotel Hermitage was a short walk from the ferry port, with views of the Aragonese castle, and comes complete with four thermal pools. For £50 a night [at the time, website rate now from around £90] I had my own large single room, balcony, delicious buffet breakfast and full access to the spa. The closest my backpack and I will ever come to true Italian glamour. Clare

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – USA, US sports, World Cup 2026, World Cup, Sport, Football
Title – USA soak in Seattle’s familiar support en route to making World Cup history | USA | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/pablo-iglesias-maurer
Link – USA soak in Seattle’s familiar support en route to making World Cup history | USA | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-20T00:31:43.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/19/usmnt-australia-seattle-environment

One does not have to go far in Seattle, Washington, to be reminded that it’s a soccer town. Two days before Friday’s 2-0 win for the US over Australia , all I had to do was get on the train.

Riding the light rail to lunch on Wednesday and hopping off at Westlake Station, I was a few blocks from Pike Place Market, the city’s famous waterfront gathering spot. The train car I’d arrived on had been overflowing with US jerseys and Australia kits. Riding the escalator up into the resplendent afternoon sun, someone tugged at my bag.

I’d been recognized, and it led to a few minutes of lovely conversation. Eventually the reader casually mentioned that he’d been a goalkeeper in the 1990s for the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers, long before they joined MLS. It felt so random I couldn’t help but laugh.

In this part of the country, though, interactions like these can seem like the norm; uniquely associated with teams like the Seattle Sounders and Reign, Portland Timbers and Thorns, and to a slightly lesser extent the Vancouver Whitecaps. The men’s clubs have existed in fits and starts since the 1970s and their fans have navigated some of the leanest years in the history of American soccer, the dark ages between the time the North American Soccer League came crashing down in 1984 and the birth of MLS in 1996.

The Sounders eventually entered MLS in 2009 and were an immediate success. Along with teams like Toronto FC and a handful of others, they helped birth modern American supporters’ culture, and even in the early days their fans were never shy about taking credit, deserved or not. The phrase “Seattle invented soccer” became a running joke amongst MLS fans in other corners of the country. But like most good-natured ribs, there is a kernel of truth.

“Seattle was the boost that showed the world that MLS can [have] a popular, viable and meaningful soccer team in the United States,” MLS commissioner Don Garber told media ahead of Friday’s match. “I never expected the fanbase that they had here from the very beginning and still do. They kind of launched, along with Portland and a handful of others, like Sons of Ben in Philly, this concept of ‘supporters’ culture … Soccer has been here for 50 years. MLS is not what it is without the Sounders. That’s what I’m seeing outside. There is just joy in the streets.”

Seattle’s deep-seated appreciation for the American game gave Friday’s US vs Australia match a distinctly different feeling, obvious from the second one arrived at the stadium. The streets were flooded with US jerseys of every era, awash in denim, red, white and blue. The noise level inside the stadium was deafening even a half hour before kickoff, and the entire place was full well before the opening whistle. Amid discourse about empty seats at this World Cup , there was not a single one visible on Friday afternoon.

The sight of a full stadium is nothing bizarre in Seattle. The Sounders have sold out Lumen Field (the usual name for Seattle Stadium) for big matches since their inception and have averaged between 30,000 and 40,000 fans a match during the entirety of their existence. Perhaps the more unusual sight on Friday was the USMNT themselves, who have not visited the place in nearly a decade, owing to the stadium’s usual artificial turf surface, which has been replaced for the World Cup with the real stuff. US goalkeeping legend Kasey Keller, a veteran of four World Cups, knows the turf surface well, having played for Seattle at the tail end of his career.

“This is my dream,” said Keller. “People would ask me forever ‘Why isn’t the US team here more often?’ The answer to that question was always the artificial pitch. We can see now what’s possible. I’m hoping the [NFL’s Seattle Seahawks] look at that as well and says to themselves ‘we want to reduce a few injuries here’ and keep this grass pitch.’”

American soccer’s defining visual moment for the last 30 years or so has been the sight of the US beating Colombia in the group stage at the 1994 World Cup, a result that shocked the footballing world. After the whistle of that match, players wandered the pitch at Stanford Stadium. They clutched American flags and, eventually, did a lap of honor, of sorts. There were tears of joy in the stands and on the field alike.

Friday’s result lacked the shock value of the win over Colombia in ‘94 but shared much of the emotion. Players roamed the pitch waving at friends, family and everybody else in attendance. They gathered in a circle and bowed their heads, to the tune (quite aptly) of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer.

“Today, even if I am not American, after the game I was emotional,” Mauricio Pochettino told the Guardian when asked about the support. “The atmosphere was amazing, the warm reception and the way that they supported us and celebrated the victory, they made it very emotional. I think it was an amazing and perfect connection between the stands and the team. I think it made us feel very proud.”

Nearly every US fan in attendance stayed put to soak in the result, eventually belting out a rendition of John Denver’s Country Roads, an ode to mountain life and a Seattle sports staple. Like everything else in the city, the stadium sits in the shadow of Mount Rainier and the lyrics felt apt. The sound, the visuals, all of it, felt beautiful, and at that moment, the idea of the US finding a better crowd to play in front of this summer felt a little hard to fathom.

“[At that moment], it’s just being proud of your country, you know?” said defender Auston Trusty, who entered the match in the second half. “I think Country Roads is a very American song, and to hear it in that stadium, with everyone singing along, it’s a dream come true. It’s feelings that you can’t really describe.”

Keyword – Sport
Trefwoorden – Sport, Cricket, County Championship, Essex, Sussex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Durham, Nottinghamshire, Glamorgan, Surrey, Leicestershire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Kent, Middlesex, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire
Title – Ben Stokes builds up head of steam for Durham during England exile | Sport | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/tanyaaldred
Link – Ben Stokes builds up head of steam for Durham during England exile | Sport | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-19T19:59:26.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/jun/19/ben-stokes-plays-for-durham-sussex-v-hampshire-and-more-county-cricket-live

Stokes looking lean and mean for Durham

At 10am at Chester-le-Street , Ben Stokes was looking lean and mean, shorn and sharp. No one in the Durham team ran faster or stretched lower during the warmup. No one stalked the outfield with quite such an aura.

Exiled from the Oval – where England were busy conceding a 352 run lead to New Zealand – after the curfew-breaking celebrations at the Rex Rooms, England’s resting/sacked/soon-to-be reinstated captain was turning out for Durham for the third time this season, and the first time at the Riverside. The 600 local children who rolled up for arts and crafts sessions had lucked out with a blue riband ticket, though they seemed more than happy with an autograph from Durham’s Graham Clark who patiently signed ribbons of outstretched pieces of paper down on the boundary.

Durham won the toss and chose to field, but on a day when wickets fell like confetti around the country, they were stubbornly sticky at Chester-le-Street. After Ben Raine and Matthew Potts, bowlers made more conventionally of flesh, rather than iron, were unable to break through in their first spells, the ball was handed to Stokes at the Finchale End.

By sheer force of will, Northants were bound to lose a wicket. By sheer force of will Stokes created a wicket off his fourth ball, only for Ben McKinney to drop Ricardo Vasconcelos at leg slip. In and out, midnight sweats. Vasconcelos sent the next ball singing through the covers, and would be unbeaten on 181 at stumps.

Stokes built up a head of steam. A bouncer hit Luke Procter on the helmet and a succession of short balls followed. Then some more. He wasn’t dialling this one in while he waited for the blazers to give him a call. Another over followed, and another, after six you wondered if anyone would be able to take the ball off him, especially after he had an lbw appeal turned down against Procter, please, he pleaded, squatting down on his heels – but no cigar.

During the afternoon rain break, Durham members Christopher Hackworth, Phillip Wright and Simon and Kim Ramsey sheltered under the concourse.

“The media has been over the top, you’d think he’d murdered someone,” said Hackworth. “Build the lad up, then knock him down, there’s got to be a balance. I’ve seen the same with Paul Gascoigne over the years.

“Durham members could tell you all the good things that Ben Stokes has done during his time with us. Last week when he was practising up here, I saw him talk to a dad and his lad for 15 minutes when he’d just finished practising and was looking sweaty. And I’ve never once seen him turn an autograph down.”

And sure enough he didn’t, when, at the end of the day, after 18 overs, and a wicket in his penultimate one (McKinney the catcher), two children presented him with some paper, and a fan asked for a selfie.

After play, Ryan Campbell, Durham’s coach, seemed pretty sure that this game was the last they’d see of Stokes for a while, he’d soon be back with England. “All I have seen is the same old Ben Stokes who loves being the Durham dressing room, who loves being around a cricket ground and who hasn’t missed a beat.

“The first thing he did when he was coming back was text the player group and say don’t be douchebags.”

Gus Atkinson, the other England player to break the curfew and be left out of the Oval Test team, played for Surrey at Sophia Gardens, bowling a miserly opening spell and grabbing two Glamorgan wickets.

Blue skies now at Chester le Street , after an eventful day. That’s all for now – have a lovely evening!

Close of play scores

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex 184 v Nottinghamshire 111-2

Sophia Garden: Glamorgan 244-6 v Surrey

Grace Road : Leicestershire 177-3 v Yorkshire 185

Taunton : Somerset 208 v Warwickshire 92-2

Hove : Sussex 121-3 v Hampshire 191

DIVISION TWO

Chesterfield: Derbyshire 197-5 v Lancashire 161

Chester-le-Street: Durham v Northants 388-6

Canterbury: Kent 356-7 v Middlesex

New Road: Worcestershire v Gloucestershire 258-7

And at Sophia Gardens, where Gus Atkinson grabbed two wickets but Chris Cooke’s hundred kept Glamorgan ticking over – 244-6.

Time for me to rewrite now for second edition, but do keep chatting BTL.

Stumps at Chelmsford, where Liam Patteron-White has grabbed career-best bowling figures of 6-43 against Essex .

Stokes does a little shoulder roll , as if he’s thinking about a go with the second new ball. Vasconcelos now 168 not out, Northants 349 for five. We’ve still got 13 over theoretically left. I think I’m in favour of a sharp cut-off at six o’clock, with runs added/subtracted for slow over rate, taking account of the weather. Most spectators/players have had enough after six hours.

A minute’s applause for Paul Hiscock

I missed that this morning there was a minute’s applause for legendary Essex journalist Paul Hiscock, who has died aged 79. Paul, a friendly fount of knowledge about the club, reported on Essex for more than 50 years. Rest in peace, Paul.

Saif Zaib can barely drag himself off after shovelling the dollydrops of Ben McKinney to Ollie Robinson for 61. Durham 302-4. A first-first-class wicket to McKinney.

Batting second was definitely easier today for reasons we may never discover.

Essex 184- Notts 91-2

Yorkshire 185 – Leicestershire 114-2.

Hampshire 191 all out – Sussex 90-2

Lancashire 161 all out – Derbyshire 129-3

Honours even at Taunton – Somerset 208-Warwicks 68-2

And the runs are (relatively) flowing at Sophia Gardens – Glamorgan 244-6 v Surrey; CLS – Northants 294-3, Canterbury – 268-5 v Middlesex and New Road, Gloucs 236-5.

Good late afternoon from Chester le Street where Durham continue to strain for a wicket, not helping themselves by dropping catches all over the place. Stokes has bowled 15 overs full of effort but with no return. The floodlights are on. Let’s dart about the grounds. Northants 278-3, two for Raine, one for Rhodes. Pretty runs for Vasconcelos ( 140) and Saif Zaib (45).

100 for Vasconcelos!

With six off Ben Stokes and then three through backward point off Ben Raine –a very good century for Ricardo Vasconcelos. Northants 176-0. A 12th century for Northants brings Vasconcelos level with Usman Afzaal – a name to bring back memories, three Tests during an England broken-finger crisis in 2001.

They’re taking an early tea here at CLS , and I’m going to have to write up for Friday deadlines. I will be back but apologies for being not very present.

Rain at Chester le Street

On come the covers. It isn’t heavy. But it is dark. The players trail off. Northants 163-0, Vaconcelos 88, Procter 56.

Lots of wickets everywhere, but here.

Lancs have ‘recovered’ from 74 for six, to 152 for nine – thanks to George Balderson’s 37. Three wickets to Abbas and Dal.

Essex 134-8 against Notts – Tom Westley’s 44 the only real scores. Four for Patterson-White.

Glamorgan 99-6 – two wickets for ATkinson, two for Abbott.

Yorkshire 139 for six on the Grace Road pitch with a Ben Stokes haircut.

Four wickets for Warwickshire’s Beau Webster in Somerset’s 144-7, Goldsworthy 50 not out.

And Hampshire 113-6 at Hove, a half century for Gubbins

Here, the lights are on. Stokes has his hands on the back of his head after a caught behind appeal is turned down.

Sorry all, slightly distracted there for a bit. Stokes now bowling again, but Northants’ top two are still together. Time to go around the grounds.

Back on at Chester le Street, where the clouds are settling greyly and heavily after lunch. Northants 104-0.

Lunchtime scores

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex 87-3 v Nottinghamshire

Sophia Garden: Glamorgan 71-4 v Surrey

Grace Road : Leicestershie v Yorkshire 89-5

Taunton : Somerset 94-5 v Warwickshire

Hove : Sussex v Hampshire 83-3

DIVISION TWO

Chesterfield: Derbyshire v Lancashire 106-6

Chester-le-Street: Durham v Northants 91-0

Canterbury: Kent 69-0 v Middlesex

New Road: Worcestershire v Gloucestershire 78-2

Just seen the score at Chesterfield. Oh Lancs. 81-6. Two for Abbas, two for Aitchison. Marcus Harris the highest scorer with 17.

And that is Stokes done and dusted for now: 6-2-16-0.

Over number six – but who is going to take the ball off him? A nice crowd in, like the man who got on the train at Durham and told the conductor he was hoping to see Stokes. A huge lbw appeal against a walking Procter, Stokes pleads, squats down on his heels but no cigar. Looked pretty out. Another maiden.

Stokes finishes his fifth over, a maiden, takes his cap and sunglasses from the umpires and marches to mid-off. Probably that’s it for now.

In and out of the wings , Graham Clark is signing more autographs than he’s ever signed in his life to enthusiastic school children. Northants 64-0.

Stokes polishes off his fourth over with one that lifts with feeling from a length past Procter’s nose.

Stokes building up a head of steam. A bouncer hits Procter on the helmet, who has to get a concussion check. A succession of short balls followed, which Procter ducks stoutly under. Vasconcelos fullstops the over with a pull for six.

Stokes gets through over number two, which unfolded without incident, apart from tumbling over in his follow-through second ball. And relax.

Vasconcelos dropped from Stokes’s fourth ball.

And now from the Finchale end , Ben Stokes… the first ball is a dot, the second flies down to fine leg off the thigh pad of Vasconcelos for four. Ball three: nothing. Ball four – ooops, a drop by Ben McKinney at leg slip. In and out, midnight sweats. Ball five: four through the covers in front of the watching groundsmen sitting on plastic chairs. Ball six – off the ankles to long leg for a couple. Ten from the over.

The Grace Road groundstaff have gone for a weird striped pitch today – beige ends and a grassy middle. It has been largely successful – Luxton and Whiteman both out, Yorkshire 40-2.

Stokes watch: the man warms up.

A dismal start for Somerset , as Etham Bamber rocks out Thomas and Kohler-Cadmore in his second over; and now Jordan Hermann is caught off Nathan Gilchrist. Somerset 21-3.

Atkinson watch

England’s other naughty curfew-breaker has taken the new ball for Surrey at Sophia Gardens, where Joe’s brother Billy Root is opening the batting with Asa Tribe. Glamorgan 7-0.

And good morning to Mike Daniels, in his scoreboard perch at Grace Road. “Yorkshire win toss and bat here. Looking forward to seeing if Will Luxton can build on his 100 against Warks last game.

“He’s looked very good when I’ve seen him and surely he might get a look in for the Lions soon?”

Ben Raine, with an old fashioned fast-bowler’s build runs in from the end, Ben Stokes stalks at midwicket. And Matthew Potts takes the ball at the Lumley end.

Fixtures

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex v Nottinghamshire

Sophia Garden: Glamorgan v Surrey

Grace Road : Leicestershie v Yorkshire

Taunton : Somerset v Warwickshire

Hove : Sussex v Hampshire

DIVISION TWO

Chesterfield: Derbyshire v Lancashire

Chester-le-Street: Durham v Northants

Canterbury: Kent v Middlesex

New Road: Worcestershire v Gloucestershire

Durham won the toss and will field

And, when the time comes, Stokes to bat at No. 5.

Stokes is now stalking over to some rubber stumps and bowling with vigour. Today is also schools day at the ground, so 600 lucky north east kids are getting a blue riband ticket.

Preamble

Good morning from Chester le Street , where Ben Stokes, lean and freshly shorn, is warming up with his teammates on a muggy Chester le Street Friday 250 long miles from The Oval. We’ll be keeping an eye on him, and around the grounds, where play starts at 11am. Do join us!

Keyword – Environment
Trefwoorden – Extreme weather, Environment, Hong Kong, World news, Slovenia, Croatia, France, Extreme heat, Europe, Asia Pacific
Title – Weather tracker: Severe thunderstorms sweep Europe and east Asia | Extreme weather | The Guardian
Author – Ed Walton for MetDesk
Link – Weather tracker: Severe thunderstorms sweep Europe and east Asia | Extreme weather | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-19T08:34:27.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/19/weather-tracker-severe-thunderstorms-europe-east-asia-heatwave-france

Severe thunderstorms swept across the Balkans last week, bringing widespread destruction to parts of the region. The storms developed as unstable hot air lingered over the Adriatic Sea while a cold front plunged south-eastward.

The front began its journey on 10 June in Slovenia , where the Slovenian Environment Agency recorded 65mph gusts at Ljubljana airport. Heavy rain also fell widely across the region with 23mm reported in Kranj.

Alongside heavy rain, hail the size of golf balls plummeted from the sky as the front edged south-eastwards towards Croatia . One of the worst affected areas was the Komenda municipality, where the local fire department reported damage to more than 100 buildings. Some homes lost their roofs in the violent winds.

In the early hours of 11 June, the storm edged south-eastwards into Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina before reaching Greece on 12 June.

Similar conditions have been observed on the opposite side of Eurasia. The Hong Kong Observatory issued a black rainstorm warning on Thursday. When a black warning is issued, outdoor workers are expected to take shelter until it is safe and schools are closed.

Hourly rainfall totals exceeded 70mm, only 10 days after the first black warning was issued on 8 June, bringing widespread flooding to the area. Rain is not the only hazard that struck the region as wind speeds of 50mph were recorded in the district of Tai O.

France has experienced heatwave conditions recently, with temperatures in the mid-to high-30s degrees celsius, affecting a large swathe of the country. The heat is expected to intensify further in the coming days, with temperatures forecast to reach 41C.

The heatwave has been particularly unusual because the most intense heat has been concentrated in northern and western France. These regions are typically cooler than areas such as the Rhône valley, which more commonly experiences the highest temperatures during heatwaves.

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – World Cup 2026, World Cup, Football, Sport
Title – I don’t like the World Cup hydration breaks but trust me – they help the coaches | World Cup 2026 | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/emma-hayes
Link – I don’t like the World Cup hydration breaks but trust me – they help the coaches | World Cup 2026 | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-20T04:00:53.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/20/i-dont-like-the-world-cup-hydration-breaks-but-trust-me-they-help-the-coaches

I n the NFL or NBA, a head coach can sometimes affect momentum in the game during a timeout. Even as a head coach in American football you get three timeouts per half. In most cases in soccer, players have to problem-solve and think on their feet.

I’m not a fan of the hydration breaks that have been introduced at this World Cup , but they’re here for now and it is fascinating from a coaching perspective because the momentum has swung straight after several hydration breaks. That could suggest coach involvement has helped teams to tweak things.

Turning the game into four quarters – it felt inevitable it was going to head in that direction, and I hope it doesn’t carry on going in that direction. I don’t like it, but let me also be clear – when it’s hot, you really need it, for health and safety. So put yourself in Fifa’s shoes. If you only have drinks breaks in the hot cities you could be accused of giving certain teams an advantage with a chance for a tactical discussion over, say, a team playing in Seattle, where it’s cooler. Imagine turning around and saying: “We’ll only have VAR in some of the stadiums, not all.” You’re either going to have it or you’re not going to have it.

So I get why they have brought this in at every venue. It’s got to be fair across the board. And trust me, this helps coaches. The Netherlands coach, Ronald Koeman, said: “You can use it in different ways to your advantage and this is what we will be doing”. All the coaches will be utilising it.

I agree with Arsène Wenger; I want the ball in play more. I want goal-kicks taken quicker, I want throw-ins taken quicker. I want the ball in play for at least 60 minutes a game, so I like some of the new rule changes that have been introduced. The average ball-in-play time has been about 40 seconds down compared with 2022 at 57 minutes and 22 seconds, but when you factor in the hydration breaks and remove the time it takes for those breaks from the total match-time, the ball-in-play percentage has risen slightly.

There are already enough stoppages in games, so the last thing we want is more . But, for now, it’s there. On ITV, we used it by broadcasting tactical analysis, which was an idea of one of the producers and I felt I was doing what I do every day as coach; trying to simplify complex ideas in a concise way.

Viewers at home have a varying degree of knowledge around the game; some will be very knowledgable, while others may only watch football when the World Cup comes around, so I enjoy trying to be mindful of that.

The speed at which VAR has worked has also been noticeable; how quickly they’re making decisions and moving on. I don’t think it’s been disruptive in a way we’ve been accustomed to and has irritated us all in other tournaments or leagues. And being able to change key moments for reasons like mistaken identity and whether it is a corner or not are welcome changes.

The new rules making it harder for teams to get tactical information while a goalkeeper is receiving treatment is also a welcome change, even though somebody could still pass on information from further away. There’s still a lot of work to be done in these areas to make the game better, but in general they’ve made steps in the right direction.

The most significant change compared with 2022 has been the increase to 48 teams, up from 32. When you expand the number of teams in a tournament there’s always that conversation around a dilution of quality. The answer is clearly far from it. From Cape Verde to DR Congo, it has been great that so many nations started strongly. This is what opportunity provides: competition. You can’t develop until you are in situations where you can grow and get better. It’s great for the global nature of the game.

I loved Cape Verde’s performance in their draw against Spain . What struck me was how brave they were and not just out of possession. As Ange Postecoglou quite rightly said on ITV, Cape Verde weren’t passive. They didn’t just sit in and get picked off. They were stepping out in the right moments. They wanted to get on the ball. They wanted to go forward. They committed numbers going forward. They created chances. Even if they’re half-chances, I was impressed with how well coached they were. And their goalkeeper was heroic .

What has stood out has been the quality of the stadiums, the fans showing up and the real sense of “only the World Cup can do this”, namely bringing people together. The atmosphere in New York has been palpable. There are people wearing shirts for every team. Unlike 1994, you don’t have to walk into a bar or a restaurant and ask them to put the match on the TV. It’s already on.

The country is much more equipped to grow the game beyond this than in 1994 and you’re starting to really feel that. You expect to sense this fervour for the game in the more traditional football nations so, to witness that across the United States, has been wonderful to see.

Keyword – Life and style
Trefwoorden – Family, Life and style, Quiz and trivia games
Title – Why are pizzas round and pizza slices triangle-shaped? The kids’ quiz | Family | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/molly-oldfield
Link – Why are pizzas round and pizza slices triangle-shaped? The kids’ quiz | Family | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-20T06:00:02.000Z
Category – Lifestyle
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jun/20/why-are-pizzas-round-and-pizza-slices-triangle-shaped-the-kids-quiz

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun , a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book , as well as her new title, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World .

Keyword – Football
Trefwoorden – Scotland, World Cup 2026, Football, World Cup, Morocco football team, Sport, US sports
Title – World Cup defeat offers new US friends a quick lesson and tour of the Scottish psyche | Scotland | The Guardian
Author – https://www.theguardian.com/profile/paulmacinnes
Link – World Cup defeat offers new US friends a quick lesson and tour of the Scottish psyche | Scotland | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-20T01:58:13.000Z
Category – Sport
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/20/scotland-world-cup-defeat-morocco-us-friends

I n a disconcerting development, Americans have started wearing kilts. Some of them are even doing it on the TV as they try to wrap themselves around the Tartan Army . On the local Boston news on Thursday night, things were so giddy that people were predicting victory over Morocco and a passage out of the group for the first time. It was only when the camera returned to the news anchor that she reminded everyone; actually Morocco are African champions and World Cup semi-finalists .

The US has a bit to learn about football still and maybe more to understand about the Scots. Yes there’s the party side, the buoyant side, the one that makes friends everywhere it goes. But there’s the other side too, the sceptical one (some call it realist), the one that knows you should party now because things will find a way of going wrong in a minute. The one that spies a challenge like Morocco with foreboding.

So it was that watching this match in the evening sunshine in Foxborough sometimes felt like taking a tour through the Scottish psyche, or at least that psyche as skewed through the prism of the men’s national team. Of course things went wrong almost immediately, with the familiar sight of Grant Hanley’s arm raised in forlorn hope of an offside call as Ismael Saibari steamed past him to slam home 70 seconds into the contest. It got worse quickly after, when Bilal El-Khannouss whipped a low ball right across the Scotland box that eluded two of his teammates by millimetres. A minute later the Atlas Lions should have scored again, but failed to convert a blistering counterattack.

From a Scotland perspective, at this point, they could barely complete a pass. More frustrating than that bare fact were the types of passes being attempted. No safety first balls or, even, anything for Ché Adams to knock down or chase. These were little intricate one-twos in the defensive third, the sort of thing you do regularly in the Premier League, but also the sort of thing that leave you incredibly exposed if, all of a sudden, your touch turns to that of the Pictish Beast.

What, exactly, was going on? Morocco were asserting themselves upon Scotland for sure, but this was to be expected. Instead it seemed that the early concession had cut right through any confidence or even determination Scotland had pulled together coming into this match. They didn’t seem to believe any longer that they could get the better of their opponents, not even in the physical duels, which Morocco were winning, especially when contested by the midfield pair of Ayyoub Bouaddi and Neil El Aynaoui.

Thank goodness, then, for the hydration break. Scotland emerged from the enforced interruption still ragged, but no longer beleaguered. By the time the clock was ticking towards half-time they appeared to have found some kind of muscle memory, started crossing balls in to the box, and had a chance of their own in added time only for John McGinn to slash his back-post volley well over from 10 yards out.

The second half began with another step forward, Scotland actually keeping possession for over a minute. It was a passage that set the tone for an improved display. Steve Clarke’s men were a match for their opponents now, physically at the very least, with Lewis Ferguson the embodiment of this renewed determination. Sitting at the base of Scotland’s five-man midfield he was dropping between the centre-halves to pick up possession and was so often smothered by the Morocco press. But he never shied away from the confrontation and it was he who led Scotland’s first determined counter of the half, wrestling with Bouaddi all the way to the byline before ultimately being dispossessed.

With the introduction of Ben Gannon-Doak on the hour Scotland’s performance went up a level again, perhaps simply through the reassurance of knowing there was a direct option that could release the pressure if needed. The 22-year-old winger, meanwhile, played with the same unwavering confidence as he did against Haiti, and it proved infectious. He linked up with Nathan Patterson on the right, he encouraged the previously anonymous Scott McTominay into the game. The Napoli star quickly teed up Ryan Christie for an effort that was blazed over in the 64th minute, then had a strong penalty claim in the 82nd and saw a fierce drive deflected into the side netting a few minutes later.

Although they could easily have conceded again late on as they sought that point which would likely seal their passage to the knockout stages, Scotland were the better team in the second half. Sadly those endeavours counted for nothing, but if they can begin their fixture against Brazil as they finished this one, then they have a chance yet.

Clarke said before the Morocco game that “sometimes the Scottish psyche – we’re more comfortable when we’re the underdogs”. This was not the case here. In fact it seemed more like the team were struggling to find what their identity was – desirous of asserting themselves upon their opponent, but not entirely sure they were capable. In the end Scotland proved they could compete against the very best. Against Brazil they should remember that, as they might need to get a result too.

Keyword – World news
Trefwoorden – Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Union, Emmanuel Macron, Poland
Title – Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy to Belarus – remove Russian relay stations or ‘we’ll do it’ | Russia | The Guardian
Author – Guardian staff and agencies
Link – Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy to Belarus – remove Russian relay stations or ‘we’ll do it’ | Russia | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-20T02:47:23.000Z
Category – News
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/20/ukraine-war-briefing-zelenskyy-to-belarus-remove-russian-relay-stations-or-well-do-it

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a week should be enough for the Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, to remove equipment from Belarus used by ⁠Russia in its attacks on ⁠Ukraine . “If he doesn’t do it, we’ll do it,” said the Ukrainian president, without elaborating. Zelenskyy said signal relay stations were located in two Belarusian regions bordering Ukraine that were used by Russian forces to help with attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

Ukraine has been beefing up its defences along its northern border after signs that Vladimir Putin may be trying to make greater use of Belarus in the conflict . Recent exchanges of threatening language between Kyiv and Minsk culminated in Lukashenko apologising to Zelenskyy for past remarks and saying Belarus wanted no part in the war. Zelenskyy said on Friday: “What’s the point of saying he [Lukashenko] doesn’t want to be in the war? Let him remove this equipment, let him switch it off . I think a week will be enough for him to do that.”

Zelenskyy also alluded to Belarus’s oil refining industry , saying it had become a major supplier ​for Moscow and that Lukashenko could put a stop to it. “Today he ‌is the main supplier, or one of ‌the main suppliers, for the Russian army. Specifically, Lukashenko, specifically Belarus,” he said. “Can this be stopped? I’m sure it’s within his power. And he’s the one controlling ‌it.” Ukraine has been intensifying its attacks on the Russian oil sector as part of efforts to put pressure on Russia’s war capability after more than four years of conflict.

EU chief António Costa on Friday defended diplomatic outreach by his office to the Kremlin , saying the bloc needed to “listen” to Moscow, despite pushback from some member states. “It is precisely because we need also to support Ukraine through diplomatic means that we need to have a direct diplomatic channel with Russia,” Costa said after a summit of EU leaders. However, he said there were so far no “credible signs” that Russia wanted to engage.

Russia ⁠said on Friday it was open to dialogue with European countries but would not accept ultimatums. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said common sense dictated the need for such contacts because of the “enormous number” of complex issues on the agenda, but he said the Europeans needed to change their approach to Russia.

Meanwhile, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, told reporters on Friday that Europeans would be at the table when and if there were peace talks about Ukraine , stressing they were not mediators, because they were firmly on Ukraine’s side . But he also said the question was not who would negotiate on behalf of the EU with Russia, but to clarify and define the bloc’s position first.

Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, said he would strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the country’s top honour after the Ukrainian president caused outrage by renaming an army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) – nationalists who ⁠massacred Poles during the second world war. The decision ​could unleash a severe diplomatic crisis between the neighbours a few days ahead of a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction in the Polish city of Gdansk. The Ukrainian foreign ⁠minister Andrii Sybiha said Poland had committed a “strategic” ⁠error that ‌ “only ​benefits ​Moscow”.

Russian shelling killed ⁠three civilians in Ukraine’s frontline city ⁠of Kramatorsk ⁠in ​the eastern Donetsk region, a local ⁠official said on Friday. Six ‌others had been injured in two attacks on the city, with strikes occurring ‌near a high-rise apartment building and a ​car park, said the governor ⁠of Donetsk region, ​Vadym Filashkin.

French authorities detained and charged a Belarus-born man on suspicion of spying for Russia on a French drone manufacturer, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. The 48-year-old was reportedly arrested on 3 June “while filming a drone prototype belonging to a company that supplies the French and Ukrainian armed forces”. France’s domestic intelligence agency found he “allegedly sent a video to a contact in Russia”.