Feeling the joy Sport offers a framework of fun and meaning in our chaotic world

The summer months offer a pause in the rhythm of my life. The school year ends, home life shifts and at least in principle the weather changes.

Savers could benefit as banks race to repay billions in Covid loans

Britain's biggest banks are facing a deadline to repay more than £100bn of pandemic-era loans, which experts say could benefit savers as banks and building societies compete for customers with attractive rates in a \"messy\" dash for cash.

Norton scam victims paid £9.4m after years of delay

Victims of the Norton Motorcycles pension scandal have finally been paid £9.4m in compensation more than a decade after they had seemingly lost their life savings.

Over 150 Russians captured on some days of incursion, says Sumy official

Ukraine has captured more than 150 Russian prisoners of war on some days in the cross-border military operation that a key civilian official said was the first of \"several stages\" in taking the fight to Moscow.

'Resurrected': Democrats prepare for joy and unity at convention in Chicago

Tens of thousands of Democrats are expected to descend on Chicago this week for their party's convention, bubbling with a feeling few had anticipated: pure, unconfined joy.

Alarm over big rise in deaths of asylum seekers

The number of asylum seekers who have died in the care of the Home Office has more than doubled in the last year, according to data shared with the Guardian, a development that has been described as \"deeply troubling\".

Non-contact version of American football on the offensive in UK

Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, is rapidly catching on in the UK, with a surge in the number of schools involved and participation numbers likely to hit 100,000 by 2026.

Bank holiday roads likely to be busiest in a decade, warns RAC

Britain is set for the busiest August bank holiday getaway on the roads in nearly a decade, with severe delays expected on routes towards the Leeds and Reading music festivals, and despite overseas tourists continuing to stay away.

'Hidden treasure' Mystery remains after discovery of vaults under new museum

When a contractor working on the site of the new London Museum at Smithfield market knocked a tentative hole in a bricked-up basement wall, all he could see, peering in with a torch, was a muddy pile of rubble and some scurrying rats.

Cooper pledges to include misogyny in crackdown on 'pushing hateful beliefs'

The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, vowed yesterday to crack down on people \"pushing harmful and hateful beliefs\", including extreme misogyny, as she announced a new approach to fighting extremism.

'I love this country' Hero who tackled knife attack suspect longs to stay in UK

Two weeks ago Abdullah, a Pakistani man living in the UK, was watching the news in fear. Far-right rioting had spread across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with mosques attacked and hotels housing asylum seekers set alight.

Hezbollah Fighting with Israel grows amid threat of retaliation

Fighting between Hezbollah and Israel intensified over the weekend despite diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two and prevent an expected Hezbollah and Iranian attack against Israel.

No drinks, no ice creams: theatre intervals in peril as producers say the show must go on

For some it is an indispensable part of their night at the theatre, a chance to top up a glass of wine, quickly appraise the plot and, crucially, to pop to the loo. To others it is an interruption that impedes the drama and makes the eventual journey home even later.

Carer says fraud prosecution threat was 'like blackmail'

A vulnerable unpaid carer threatened by benefits officials with prosecution for fraud unless she agreed to pay an extra £1,300 penalty for an accidental breach of carer's allowance earnings rules has described her experience as \"like blackmail\".

Child strip-search race bias remains - watchdog

Black children are four times more likely to be strip-searched by police in England and Wales than their white counterparts, the latest figures disclosed by a watchdog show.

Blinken joins 11th-hour talks on Gaza ceasefire deal

The US secretary of state has arrived in Israel for 11th-hour talks aimed at shoring up a deal for a lasting ceasefire in the war in Gaza, amid signals from Israeli and Hamas officials that a breakthrough is not as close as international mediators had suggested.

'One European sky' Could a single airspace cut CO2 and solve air traffic woes?

For airlines struggling to reconcile their stated aims of cutting carbon emissions and making billions from flying ever more passengers, one target has emerged repeatedly for their projected frustration: the air traffic control services that manage Europe's skies.

'It was 40C when he died' How animals struggle to survive global heatwaves

Solly the sheep had not had an easy start to life. Maggot-ridden when found in a field, Solly defied the expectations of a vet and recovered quickly when an animal shelter took him in. He became a \"leaping, happy lamb\", his rescuers said.

Heat inequality: extreme climate has become the hidden killer of the poor

Heat inequality is causing thousands of unreported deaths in poor countries and communities, a leading analyst of climate impacts has warned, after global temperature reached record levels that may not have been seen in 120,000 years.

Path to the White House Sun belt offers Harris a new way to clinch victory

Kamala Harris's surge in popularity since replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee has opened up a surprise second path to victory in November, according to a fresh analysis of recent voter surveys.

Pennsylvania Trump targets state as key to election win

Donald Trump and his campaign remain laser-focused on Pennsylvania as the key swing state they have to win to beat Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, according to people familiar with the matter.

Chicago hope Democrats heading to convention on a high, but still wary

The Democratic national convention opens at the United Center, the home of the Chicago Bulls, on Monday, as a renascent party embraces its new leader, Kamala Harris, and attempts to supercharge her White House bid.

Bumble tumble Dating apps in crisis in US as singles tire of numbers game

In May, the dating app Bumble, marketed as the feminist Tinder on its launch in 2014, ran what it called an anti-celibacy advertising -campaign.

Single Chinese woman loses last appeal in fight to freeze her eggs

A Chinese woman who filed a groundbreaking lawsuit to win the right to freeze her eggs has lost her final appeal, exhausting the legal avenues in her fight to widen access to fertility treatment in China.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra becomes youngest Thai prime minister

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of the billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has become Thailand's youngest prime minister, taking office just days after her predecessor was ousted by a shock court ruling.

Indian medics widen strikes after doctor's rape and murder

All hospital services in India except for emergency care will shut down today as doctors escalate a protest over the rape and murder of a colleague by calling for a national strike.

Gaza talks stall but date for restart set as West Bank tensions rise

The latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks ended in Qatar yesterday without a breakthrough but with a date set next week for further negotiations to attempt to end the 10-month-old war.

Speed and secrecy How Kyiv turned the tables on Moscow in daring Kursk attack

It was a critical and deliberate deployment on a previously unimportant part of the front.

Incursion’'s aim 1s to force Russia to engage in fair’ talks, Ukraine says

Ukraine's lightning offensive into several Russian border regions is designed to persuade Moscow to engage in \"fair\" talks about its war in Ukraine, an aide to Volodymyr Zelenskiy said yesterday as Russian forces closed in on the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

Scottish theatre cancels Reginald D Hunter show over heckling of Israelis

A theatre has cancelled an upcoming show by the comedian Reginald D Hunter following reports that Israeli audience members were heckled during his Edinburgh festival fringe show after they objected to one of his jokes.