Lionel Messi will play in a sixth World Cup as he captains holders Argentina at the 2026 tournament. The 38-year-old forward, who led his country to a third World Cup triumph in Qatar with a penalty shootout victory over France four years ago, was named in Lionel Scaloni's 26-man squad on Thursday. With 26 appearances, Messi holds the current record for the most World Cup matches by any player - a...
Lionel Messi will play in a sixth World Cup as he captains holders Argentina at the 2026 tournament. The 38-year-old forward, who led his country to a third World Cup triumph in Qatar with a penalty shootout victory over France four years ago, was named in Lionel Scaloni's 26-man squad on Thursday. With 26 appearances, Messi holds the current record for the most World Cup matches by any player - and will join Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, as the only male players to appear in a sixth edition of football's biggest event this summer. Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, who was named the goalkeeper of the tournament in 2022, has been selected, as have defenders Lisandro Martinez and Cristian Romero from Manchester United and Tottenham respectively. Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez are also among the five British-based players in the squad for the finals, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Argentina are in Group J and begin their campaign in Kansas City against Algeria (Wednesday, 17 June, 02:00 BST), before they play two games in Dallas, against Austria (Monday, 22 June, 18:00 BST) and Jordan (Sunday, 28 June, 02:00 BST). Messi had been substituted during Inter Miami's latest Major League Soccer match on Monday, but his club said he had not sustained an injury and was suffering from "muscle fatigue" in his left hamstring. He has made 198 appearances for Argentina and will reach the 200-mark if he plays in both of his country's friendly matches - against Honduras in Texas (Sunday, 7 June, 01:00 BST) and then against Iceland in Alabama (Tuesday, 9 June).
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Parkev Tatevosian, CFA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Parkev Tatevosian is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool.
GAP (NYSE:GAP) reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 results that management said reflected continued progress in its turnaround, with companywide comparable sales rising for the ninth consecutive quarter, even as performance varied sharply across its portfolio of brands. Chief Executive Officer Richard Dickson opened the call with a remembrance of co-founder Doris Fisher, calling her “a true origina...
GAP (NYSE:GAP) reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 results that management said reflected continued progress in its turnaround, with companywide comparable sales rising for the ninth consecutive quarter, even as performance varied sharply across its portfolio of brands. Chief Executive Officer Richard Dickson opened the call with a remembrance of co-founder Doris Fisher, calling her “a true original” whose legacy shaped the company’s role in fashion, retail, philanthropy and the San Francisco art scene. For the quarter, net sales rose 1% year over year to $3.5 billion, while comparable sales increased 2%. Chief Financial Officer Katrina O’Connell said the gap between net sales and comparable sales largely reflected the company lapping revenue recognized last year related to the structure of its credit card agreement. Gross margin was 40.5%, down 130 basis points from a year earlier but ahead of the company’s guidance. O’Connell said merchandise margin declined 100 basis points, including an expected roughly 200-basis-point headwind from tariffs, implying underlying merchandise margin expansion of about 100 basis points. Reported operating margin was 12.7%, while adjusted operating margin was 5.2%. Reported earnings per share were $0.90, and adjusted earnings per share were $0.38, compared with $0.51 a year earlier. The company said adjusted results exclude a $313 million legal settlement net gain and a concurrent $50 million charitable donation recorded during the quarter. Gap Brand Leads Portfolio With Double-Digit Comparable Growth The Gap brand delivered the strongest performance in the quarter, with net sales up 10% to $796 million and comparable sales also rising 10%. Dickson said the brand posted its 10th consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales, supported by strength in women’s, consistency in men’s and a return to growth in kids and baby. Management highlighted denim and fleece as key category drivers. Dickson said the “Sweats Like This” campaign feat...
Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 results above the high end of its guidance ranges and raised portions of its full-year outlook, while announcing a definitive agreement to acquire MaintainX, a maintenance and asset operations software company. President and CEO Andrew Anagnost said the quarter’s outperformance would flow through to full-year guidance. Chief Financial Offic...
Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 results above the high end of its guidance ranges and raised portions of its full-year outlook, while announcing a definitive agreement to acquire MaintainX, a maintenance and asset operations software company. President and CEO Andrew Anagnost said the quarter’s outperformance would flow through to full-year guidance. Chief Financial Officer Janesh Moorjani said the business showed momentum consistent with recent quarters and “a bit better” than Autodesk had assumed in its guidance, with strength in architecture, engineering, construction and operations, particularly construction and emerging markets. Revenue and margins exceed expectations Autodesk’s total revenue grew 18% as reported and 16% in constant currency in the first quarter. Moorjani said the company’s new transaction model added about 3.5 percentage points to revenue growth during the period. Billings increased 18% as reported and 15% in constant currency, with the new transaction model contributing about 1.5 percentage points. Moorjani said Autodesk completed the transition to annual billing for most multiyear contracts during the quarter, reducing what he described as “noise” in billings from that change. GAAP operating margin was 28%, while non-GAAP operating margin was 39%. Moorjani said GAAP operating margin increased by about 14 percentage points, primarily due to the absence of one-time charges and underlying margin improvements. Non-GAAP operating margin rose by about two percentage points, reflecting operating leverage and benefits from sales optimization. Free cash flow was $876 million in the quarter, helped by seasonal strength and partly offset by cash restructuring costs. Autodesk repurchased approximately 1.9 million shares for $448 million and said it continues to expect fiscal 2027 share repurchases to be similar to fiscal 2026 in total dollars. Autodesk raises full-year guidance Autodesk raised the bottom end of its fiscal 2027 ...
MongoDB (NASDAQ:MDB) reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter fiscal 2027 results, with management pointing to continued momentum in its Atlas cloud database business, durable demand for Enterprise Advanced and early signs of growth tied to artificial intelligence workloads. President and Chief Executive Officer CJ Desai said the company generated $688 million in total revenue in the quarter,...
MongoDB (NASDAQ:MDB) reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter fiscal 2027 results, with management pointing to continued momentum in its Atlas cloud database business, durable demand for Enterprise Advanced and early signs of growth tied to artificial intelligence workloads. President and Chief Executive Officer CJ Desai said the company generated $688 million in total revenue in the quarter, up 25% year over year and above the high end of guidance. He said growth was led by Atlas, which increased 29.4% year over year and added a record $117 million in year-over-year revenue growth. Atlas is now running at a $2 billion run rate, according to Desai. “To be clear, our results today are driven primarily by core workloads,” Desai said. “We are seeing real and growing momentum from AI and agentic workloads.” Atlas Drives Revenue Growth Chief Financial Officer Mike Berry said Atlas accounted for approximately 75% of total first-quarter revenue, up from 72% in the year-ago period. He said Atlas consumption was stronger than expected, with demand led by established enterprise customers and momentum across financial services, technology and media. Berry said MongoDB’s total company net ARR expansion rate was 121%, compared with 119% a year earlier. The company ended the quarter with 67,700 customers, up from 57,100 in the prior-year period, including 66,400 Atlas customers. MongoDB added 2,500 customers sequentially during the quarter. Enterprise Advanced and other revenue, previously referred to as non-Atlas revenue, grew 13% year over year. Berry said the strength was driven by existing customers, particularly in finance and technology, where customers continued expanding on-premises deployments to support traditional and AI applications. Profitability and Cash Flow Expand MongoDB reported non-GAAP income from operations of $123 million, representing an 18% operating margin, compared with 16% in the year-ago quarter. Berry also noted that MongoDB posted its second con...
Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA) executives said the identity security company began fiscal 2027 with strong first-quarter momentum, citing large enterprise demand, partner engagement and contributions from newer products, while emphasizing artificial intelligence agents as a major emerging opportunity for the business. Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Todd McKinnon said Okta’s core business remained dura...
Okta (NASDAQ:OKTA) executives said the identity security company began fiscal 2027 with strong first-quarter momentum, citing large enterprise demand, partner engagement and contributions from newer products, while emphasizing artificial intelligence agents as a major emerging opportunity for the business. Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Todd McKinnon said Okta’s core business remained durable across both the Okta and Auth0 platforms. He told investors that the company’s AI strategy was the top area of interest among customers and investors, describing AI agents as “the fastest-growing identity in the enterprise, but also the least governed.” McKinnon said Okta is positioning itself to manage AI agents as “first-class identities” within existing identity management systems. He said enterprises will need to answer three questions: where their agents are, what they can connect to and what they can do. AI Agent Products Draw Early Pipeline Interest Okta for AI Agents became generally available last month, according to McKinnon. The product is designed to give enterprises a control plane to discover, govern and manage agents. Auth0 for AI Agents is aimed at developers building secure agents into B2B, B2C and internal applications. McKinnon said pipeline generation in the first quarter was strong, helped in part by the two AI agent products. However, he cautioned that the products did not materially contribute to first-quarter results and are not a significant part of the company’s guidance. “It’s still early,” McKinnon said. “They’re not materially contributing to the business in Q1.” He added that Okta is investing heavily in research and development around the opportunity. Chief Financial Officer Brett Tighe said early AI-specific deals are “significantly larger” than the company’s average deal size, while noting that the market remains in its early stages. McKinnon said the AI pipeline is “bigger than anything we’ve ever seen,” but added that the challenge is ...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — George Kurian Chief Financial Officer — Wissam G. Jabre VP, Investor Relations — Kris Newton Takeaways Revenue -- $1.95 billion, up 12% year over year and 14% sequentially, compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. -- $1.95 billion, up 12% year over year and 14% sequentially, comp...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — George Kurian Chief Financial Officer — Wissam G. Jabre VP, Investor Relations — Kris Newton Takeaways Revenue -- $1.95 billion, up 12% year over year and 14% sequentially, compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. -- $1.95 billion, up 12% year over year and 14% sequentially, compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. Non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) -- $2.43, representing 26% year-over-year growth and surpassing the high end of guidance. -- $2.43, representing 26% year-over-year growth and surpassing the high end of guidance. Public cloud revenue -- $182 million for the quarter, up 11% year over year; excluding Spot, grew 18% year over year. -- $182 million for the quarter, up 11% year over year; excluding Spot, grew 18% year over year. Product revenue -- $966 million, up 14% year over year, boosted by a major agreement with Google Cloud. -- $966 million, up 14% year over year, boosted by a major agreement with Google Cloud. Hybrid cloud revenue -- $1.77 billion in the quarter, increasing 13% year over year. -- $1.77 billion in the quarter, increasing 13% year over year. All flash revenue -- $1.2 billion in the quarter, up 18% year over year; $4.2 billion for the fiscal year, up 11% year over year. -- $1.2 billion in the quarter, up 18% year over year; $4.2 billion for the fiscal year, up 11% year over year. Keystone storage as a service revenue -- Grew approximately 65% year over year, reflecting increased customer adoption. -- Grew approximately 65% year over year, reflecting increased customer adoption. Support revenue -- $688 million in the quarter, up 10% year over year, with a boost from a onetime item. -- $688 million in the quarter, up 10% year over year, with a boost from a onetime item. Professional services revenue -- $112 million, up 11% year over year, mainly due to Keystone growth. -- $112 million, up 11% year over year, mainly d...
Shares of Snowflake (SNOW +36.55%) soared on Thursday, as investors cheered the data warehousing leader's artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled growth projections. The bears were wrong Snowflake, like many software stocks, had seen its share price pressured by fears that new AI-native rivals would disrupt traditional software-as-a-service (SaaS) business models. Prior to today, its stock price was d...
Shares of Snowflake (SNOW +36.55%) soared on Thursday, as investors cheered the data warehousing leader's artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled growth projections. The bears were wrong Snowflake, like many software stocks, had seen its share price pressured by fears that new AI-native rivals would disrupt traditional software-as-a-service (SaaS) business models. Prior to today, its stock price was down roughly 20% in 2026. Snowflake laid many of those fears to rest on Thursday. The cloud-based data platform's first-quarter financial report showed that Snowflake is poised to benefit from AI more than it stands to lose. Expand NYSE : SNOW Snowflake Today's Change ( 36.55 %) $ 64.06 Current Price $ 239.32 Key Data Points Market Cap $61B Day's Range $ 229.51 - $ 244.91 52wk Range $ 118.30 - $ 280.67 Volume 2M Avg Vol 7M Gross Margin 66.12 % Snowflake's revenue surged 33% year over year to $1.39 billion in the quarter ended April 30. The data management specialist is both winning new business and increasing sales to existing clients. Customers with trailing 12-month product revenue of over $1 million jumped 29% to 779. "AI continues to accelerate our core data platform business as customers move to Snowflake with increasing urgency," chief financial officer Brian Robins said. CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy highlighted the success of the company's new AI-powered coding tools and enterprise AI agent platform. "AI continues to be a powerful tailwind for Snowflake, and Q1 marks a clear inflection point in that journey," Ramaswamy said. "With Cortex Code and Snowflake Intelligence, we are extending from the trusted foundation for enterprise data and context to become the control plane for the Agentic Enterprise." Raised guidance These AI-driven gains prompted Snowflake to boost its full-year sales and profit targets. Management now sees product revenue soaring 31% to $5.84 billion, with an adjusted operating margin of 13.5%. That's up from prior forecasts of 27% revenue growth and an ad...
The report said in the absence of a "foolproof" test, it was "inevitable that some age assessments will be wrong, which is clearly a cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled".
The report said in the absence of a "foolproof" test, it was "inevitable that some age assessments will be wrong, which is clearly a cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled".
Key Points AI start-up Anthropic just raised $65 billion at a post-money valuation of $965 billion. The company also launched its latest model, Claude Opus 4.8. Amazon and Alphabet own stakes in Anthropic that are likely now worth more than $100 billion. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › It isn't quite David defeating Goliath, but Anthropic just did something few would have thought possible a...
Key Points AI start-up Anthropic just raised $65 billion at a post-money valuation of $965 billion. The company also launched its latest model, Claude Opus 4.8. Amazon and Alphabet own stakes in Anthropic that are likely now worth more than $100 billion. 10 stocks we like better than Amazon › It isn't quite David defeating Goliath, but Anthropic just did something few would have thought possible a few years ago. The company is now the most valuable AI start-up in the world, surpassing OpenAI with its latest funding round. The owner of the Claude chatbot just closed its Series H round, valuing the company at $965 billion. Anthropic raised $65 billion from investors, including Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix, the top memory chip companies, and venture capital firms like Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer, and Sequoia. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » The news marks the latest step in a blistering hot run for Anthropic, whose valuation has now more than doubled from the $380 billion it stood at in February. Anthropic has also upended the software sector as its new Claude products and plug-ins compete directly with existing enterprise software products, showing how AI disruption in software could quickly become a reality. Anthropic also unveiled its latest model in the funding announcement, Claude Opus 4.8, which outperforms all other publicly available AI platforms in a benchmark vibecoding test. Anthropic said its revenue reached a run rate of $47 billion this month, making its valuation based on a sales multiple seem reasonable compared to publicly traded software companies. Anthropic is still privately held, so it's not easy for individual investors to invest in the company, though there are some indirect ways to get exposure. However, the windfall from the funding round is great news for t...
Mitsui & Co. CEO says the company is eyeing global expansion in its LNG business amid growing energy demand driven by AI data center buildouts. He spoke exclusively with Bloomberg TV’s Shery Ahn in Tokyo. (Source: Bloomberg)
Mitsui & Co. CEO says the company is eyeing global expansion in its LNG business amid growing energy demand driven by AI data center buildouts. He spoke exclusively with Bloomberg TV’s Shery Ahn in Tokyo. (Source: Bloomberg)
Hello from a soggy Sydney. This morning, my colleague Angus Whitley has taken a close look at why Australia’s biggest brands — think Lendlease, Bunnings and now Guzman y Gomez — have struggled overseas. Meanwhile, we can expect a positive start for Australian equities today after stocks on Wall Street hit a record high on news the US and Iran have reached a tentative 60-day ceasefire. And the AI b...
Hello from a soggy Sydney. This morning, my colleague Angus Whitley has taken a close look at why Australia’s biggest brands — think Lendlease, Bunnings and now Guzman y Gomez — have struggled overseas. Meanwhile, we can expect a positive start for Australian equities today after stocks on Wall Street hit a record high on news the US and Iran have reached a tentative 60-day ceasefire. And the AI boom’s spurred Anthropic’s valuation to new heights. — Sharon Klyne , private credit reporter What’s happening now Guzman y Gomez is the latest big Australian brand to struggle with offshore expansion. Again and again, corporations weaned on the small, self-contained outpost of Australia are falling short in larger, more competitive markets. Products and services that have proved popular in Australia, where cozy duopolies or government-protected oligopolies are rife, are failing to cut through to foreign customers. Read more here . Australia has sued 3M Co and its local arm for more than A$2 billion in damages relating to contamination from perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at 28 defense bases. New Zealand’s budget revealed that government will head into this year’s election facing a deeper deficit and weaker growth, but with the promise of an earlier return to surplus predicated on an economic recovery starting in 2027. Here are the winners and losers of the 2026 budget. The Bloomberg Australia Podcast was named Best Money & Business Podcast (Major) at the Australian Audio Awards on Thursday night. The show brings listeners inside the biggest stories shaping Australia and global markets, with interviews, analysis and reporting from Bloomberg journalists and influential decision-makers. Listen and follow The Bloomberg Australia Podcast on Apple , Spotify , on YouTube , or wherever you get your podcasts. On this week’s pod , Wellington bureau chief Ainsley Thomson discusses the economic fallout from New Zealand’s property slump and what lessons it could ...
The company reported a net loss of RMB2.3 billion in the first quarter, compared to a net income in the same period last year. Li Auto Inc ( NASDAQ:LI ) achieved a top position in sales among Chinese brands in the new energy vehicle market priced at RMB200,000 and above. Story Continues Q & A Highlights Q: How is the order inflow for the Li Auto L9, and what is the company's production capacity ar...
The company reported a net loss of RMB2.3 billion in the first quarter, compared to a net income in the same period last year. Li Auto Inc ( NASDAQ:LI ) achieved a top position in sales among Chinese brands in the new energy vehicle market priced at RMB200,000 and above. Story Continues Q & A Highlights Q: How is the order inflow for the Li Auto L9, and what is the company's production capacity arrangement for this model? A: Xiang Li, Chairman and CEO, stated that the L9's top-selling Livis version accounts for over 90% of orders, reflecting strong customer recognition. The L9 and L8 will be manufactured at the same base, allowing flexible production adjustments. The production capacity for May and June is expected to be between 4,000 and 5,000 units per month, with some supply constraints on specific parts. The company aims to deliver around 8,000 L9 units by the end of June. Q: What is the profitability outlook for the second quarter, and when is a return to profitability expected? A: Tie Li, CFO, mentioned that the first-quarter gross margin was impacted by the model refresh cycle and a higher mix of i6 and L6 deliveries. With the launch of the new L9, the gross margin is expected to recover to about 10% in the second quarter. The company anticipates continued improvement in gross margin throughout the year as they complete the model refresh cycle and optimize production. Q: What are the performance highlights and cost reductions achieved by the new autonomous driving system? A: The new ADAS 9.0 version, powered by the in-house M100 chip, shows significant improvements in decision-making and driving experience. The system offers smoother and more comfortable driving, with enhanced data collection and processing capabilities. The M100 chip provides triple the computing power at half the cost, supporting faster advancements in autonomous driving capabilities. Q: What are the updates on the store partner program and its impact on sales? A: The store partner program ...
Every year I read through thousands of Startup Battlefield applications. And every year, I see the same pattern: The founders who belong on this stage are often the ones who almost didn’t apply. They think they’re too early. They think they need more traction. They think the program is for companies further along than they are. So here’s what we’re actually looking for and how to make sure your ap...
Every year I read through thousands of Startup Battlefield applications. And every year, I see the same pattern: The founders who belong on this stage are often the ones who almost didn’t apply. They think they’re too early. They think they need more traction. They think the program is for companies further along than they are. So here’s what we’re actually looking for and how to make sure your application reflects it. The deadline to be considered was May 27, but with the competition heating up and the applications continuing to come in, we’ve extended it to June 8. You still can apply here, but time is still running out! And if you’re not up to speed on this year’s Startup Battlefield details, it’s once again a premiere part of TechCrunch Disrupt, which will be in San Francisco from October 13-15 and concludes with the crowning of this year’s future champion. And that list of champions includes some incredible companies, from giants like Cloudflare and Discord, to the most recent crop of winners, who you can learn about in detail right here. What gets a company selected for Startup Battlefield Startup Battlefield is not a competition for the most polished companies. It never has been. It’s a competition for the most promising ones. We’re looking for companies with ideas that feel meaningfully different and category-defining, with the potential to make a major impact in their industry or geography. For every application, the question we ask is simple: Does this change something? Not incrementally. Genuinely. Product and disruption. What are you building, and does it represent a real shift in how something works? We’re not looking for a better version of what already exists. We’re looking for the thing that makes the existing version feel obsolete. The founding team. Why you, why now, why this problem? Your origin story is part of the application. The founders who can articulate their conviction clearly, not just their market size, are the ones who stand out. Indust...
Prince Edward theatre, London There are drop-dead gorgeous designs and the performances are full of life but this off-kilter escapade has scattershot gags and unmemorable songs Halloween has arrived early as yet another movie turned musical hits the West End. This art deco theatre is now a haunted house festooned with purple and green lights. A sandworm slithers around the auditorium and it all ki...
Prince Edward theatre, London There are drop-dead gorgeous designs and the performances are full of life but this off-kilter escapade has scattershot gags and unmemorable songs Halloween has arrived early as yet another movie turned musical hits the West End. This art deco theatre is now a haunted house festooned with purple and green lights. A sandworm slithers around the auditorium and it all kicks off with an evil cackle. Tim Burton’s 1988 fright-night favourite is reanimated with song and dance as, to give it the full name, Beetlejuice: The Musical. The Musical. The Musical. Bring on the skeletal chorus line! You may find Christmas has come early, too, due to the panto level of random gags, topical references, direct audience address and chaotic spirit. There are jokes about hipster vapes, six-seven (groan), James Corden and plenty of heresy against musical-theatre royalty, from a quip about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s decapitated head to two foul-mouthed tirades against the West End’s adored new arrival, Paddington Bear . All distract from the carefully designed worlds of the story. Continue reading...
Global heating has “fundamentally altered” the climate of Mecca and is exposing millions of hajj pilgrims to extreme and dangerous heat even in months outside summer, new analysis has found. Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels means scorching temperatures of 40C (104F) are now regularly experienced in May, the study showed. In past decades, such peaks would only have occurred in summer. The...
Global heating has “fundamentally altered” the climate of Mecca and is exposing millions of hajj pilgrims to extreme and dangerous heat even in months outside summer, new analysis has found. Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels means scorching temperatures of 40C (104F) are now regularly experienced in May, the study showed. In past decades, such peaks would only have occurred in summer. The researchers said that hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, would take place amid dangerous heat almost all year round by the end of the century without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels. Saudi Arabia, which hosts hajj, is the world’s second biggest oil producer and a long-term obstructer of climate action. Muslims around the world are now celebrating the start of Eid al-Adha as devotees in Mecca finish their rituals during this year’s pilgrimage. Hajj follows the Islamic lunar calendar, which means it falls earlier each successive year. All Muslims able to do so are expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lives, which involves walking long distances outside over five days. More than 1,300 pilgrims died due to extreme heat and humidity in 2024, when hajj was in June. May has historically been cooler, with 40C temperatures rare. However, the analysis found that 40C is now expected in May once every two to three years as a result of the climate crisis. The average temperature for May is now 3.5C hotter than before human-caused global heating. The result is that hajj in May “is now as dangerous as the height of summer used to be”, said the scientists from the World Weather Attribution group. The Saudi authorities have introduced heat action plans, including shaded walkways, cooling stations, misting systems and expanded medical services, which have helped reduce cases of heat-related illnesses among pilgrims. “However, this requires more than just reactive mitigation,” said Prof Friederike Otto at Imperial College London, who is an author of the...
This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. The plan This is the sixth time in a row Switzerland have qualified for the World Cup and they will fly out to...
This article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June. The plan This is the sixth time in a row Switzerland have qualified for the World Cup and they will fly out to the US west coast on Tuesday with high expectations, setting up base in San Diego. “We want to play the best World Cup seen from a Swiss team,” the coach, Murat Yakin, told Blick. “The feeling that we could have reached the final of the last Euros [they lost on penalties to England in the quarter-finals] gives us something to dream about.” Switzerland have never got past the quarter-finals at the World Cup, last reaching that stage on home soil in 1954. Since then, their adventures have typically ended in the last 16, as was the case in 2022 in Doha when they lost 6-1 to Portugal. Quick Guide Switzerland: Group B fixtures Show 13 June v Qatar, San Francisco (noon local, 8pm BST) 18 June v Bosnia and Herzegovina, Los Angeles (noon local, 8pm BST) 24 June v Canada, Vancouver (noon local, 8pm BST) Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. However, there are many reasons why Swiss fans can approach the tournament with hope and anticipation. The team were very comfortable in qualifying, finishing top of their group ahead of Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, winning four games and drawing two. There is a good mix in the squad between the elder statesmen – such as Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez – and a younger generation represented by Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Johan Manzambi among others. Moreover, the Nati have so far avoided injuries with the Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni seemingly winning his battle to get back after an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Noah Okafor is back too, having been sidelined after a poor Euro 2024, where he responded badly to not...
Concerns about the number of Afghan civilians being killed by British special forces in the early part of the last decade prompted the country’s then president to make a “muscular” complaint to Nato commanders fighting the Taliban. Newly released evidence from a public inquiry into the deaths of up to 80 people during an SAS deployment also showed that Afghan partner military forces were no longer...
Concerns about the number of Afghan civilians being killed by British special forces in the early part of the last decade prompted the country’s then president to make a “muscular” complaint to Nato commanders fighting the Taliban. Newly released evidence from a public inquiry into the deaths of up to 80 people during an SAS deployment also showed that Afghan partner military forces were no longer willing to work alongside the British by the spring of 2011. The statements are contained in redacted and summarised evidence of a special forces staff officer, known only as N1788, who had been responsible for reviewing tactics used in operations that led to civilians repeatedly being killed. “President Hamid Karzai was very ‘muscular’ in addressing the issue” of British detention operations “with Nato’s chain of command”, according to the summary of N1788’s two days of evidence, first given in the autumn of 2024. Around the same time, the evidence summary said, “everyone was aware that some of the Afghan partner units were being reluctant to go on operations” with the British special forces sub-unit, known only as SU1. This became “a major issue for campaigns” across the Nato-led forces operating in Afghanistan and emerged at the same time as the US president Barack Obama had increased the number of US troops in Afghanistan to try to deal with a growing Taliban insurgency. “It was a known issue and a big deal,” the summary of the evidence said. In April 2011, the staff officer had been asked to review a recurring procedure in which Afghan males were asked by the SAS to come back inside a family compound that had been the subject of a special forces raid, typically at night-time. On several occasions, the Afghan men were said to have produced weapons and were promptly killed. N1788 told the inquiry that there were concerns that the procedure had become an “inefficient practice”. Sometimes there were fewer weapons discovered than there were Afghans killed. Asked by the cha...
For so long, it has felt inconceivable to not have Heather Knight as the first name on the England team sheet. Yet on the day she became the most-capped England women's cricketer, former captain Knight's T20 form continued to concern just three weeks before a World Cup on home soil. England were outclassed with both bat and ball in the first game of their three-match T20 series against India, but ...
For so long, it has felt inconceivable to not have Heather Knight as the first name on the England team sheet. Yet on the day she became the most-capped England women's cricketer, former captain Knight's T20 form continued to concern just three weeks before a World Cup on home soil. England were outclassed with both bat and ball in the first game of their three-match T20 series against India, but Knight's 21 from 24 balls stalled England's progress in pursuit of 189 to win. Amy Jones hit a 32-ball 50 but when 35-year-old Knight was dismissed in the 14th over after a tortuous knock which contained 11 dot balls, England had fallen so far behind the rate they needed more than 13 an over. "Knight going at less than a run a ball added pressure on Amy Jones, so she's slowed down trying to wallop absolutely every ball to the boundary, and the lack of boundaries means England have fallen behind," said former England spinner Alex Hartley on Test Match Special. "It is a little bit of a concern. If you think about where Heather was a year ago, she was striking the ball so cleanly." Though openers Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey fell cheaply, they did not waste many balls - Dunkley made 16 from 10 and Capsey six from five. Experienced opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge is available for the next T20 at Bristol on Saturday, having been on maternity leave, and she will likely replace Capsey at the top of the order. Injured captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is expected to be fit for the start of the World Cup and England are longing for her presence in the middle order, so the question for Edwards is whether Capsey should move down a place - and if so, who makes way?