Author: The Guardian

With four more cases to be decided, the supreme court is planned to issue its decision on Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim on Monday.In Donald Trump v the United States, the former president is seeking absolute immunity from criminal prosecution over his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his role in the January 6 Capitol Hill insurrection.According to Trump, who has been indicted by the justice department’s special counsel Jack Smith on four counts related to his 2020 election overturn efforts, presidents should be immune from federal prosecution.The case, which was presented before the conservative-majority supreme court on…

Simone Biles is about to return to the Olympics, and with it, the spotlight.The gymnastics superstar took to gymnastics’ biggest stage for the third time with a victory at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Sunday night, as her two-day all-around total of 117.225 secured the only automatic spot in the five-person women’s team event.Three years removed from the Tokyo Olympics — where she withdrew from some events to prioritize her safety and mental health — Biles could look as good as ever when she returns to the Games.”Believe in the process and [my coaches]I knew I would be back,” Biles…

“We occasionally greet each other, but that’s all. If one of my neighbours died, I’m not sure I would notice,” says Noriko Shikama, 76. She lives alone in a flat Tokiwadaira, in Tokyo’s commuter belt and has come to the Iki Iki drop-in centre to catch up with residents over cups of coffee served by volunteers.Here, amid the everyday discussions about the merits or otherwise of dyeing grey hair, people also share news about the latest lonely death, or kodokushi – officially defined as one in which “a person dies without being cared for by anyone, and whose body is…

Senior sources in Brussels say the EU will not rush to restart Brexit talks with the UK even if Labor takes power next Thursday.They say they welcome the change of government, but the deep scars left by the Conservative Party in Brexit negotiations, new priorities stemming from the war in Ukraine and the rise of the far right weigh heavily on the minds of influential figures in Brussels.”It’s not that people have a good view of the UK, it’s not that they have a bad view of the UK. They’re not thinking about the UK at all,” said a senior…

Friday morning at Glastonbury underlines that the old cliche about the festival having something for everybody is only a cliche because it’s true. Your options range from the beatific (Sofia Kourtesis’s lambent brand of techno) to the profoundly challenging (artist Bishi Bhattacharya performing Yoko Ono’s Voice Piece for Soprano, which sounds every bit as nerve-shredding as you might expect). From the dependable – a sharp-suited Squeeze on the Pyramid stage, offering up one of the late 70s most beloved run of hits – to a largely unknown quantity. Now 80, Asha Puthli last performed in Britain in 1974: her oeuvre…

You should never be indecisive about your sleep schedule If someone has a headache, you would never reply: “That’s funny, my head feels great.” For some reason, the mention of insomnia triggers a chorus of: “I slept like a baby!”; “When My head hits the pillow!” It’s annoying any time, but around the holidays, sleep-deprived people reach a breaking point and they turn around. If you can sleep peacefully, stay quiet. Let your bright eyes and dewy complexion do the talking.Natural deodorants are not suitable for outdoor livingIn any idyllic pastoral setting, you might be tempted to eschew chemical aid…

Sensitive skin is almost the norm these days, and, as dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting explains, a common culprit could be our skincare regimes: “Some people have underlying concerns, like rosacea or eczema, but the most common explanation is using too many products that weaken the skin’s barrier.”The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.There are active ingredients in everything from face wash to SPFs, and “advice” often comes from voices on social media who don’t know how they should be used safely. “TikTok is great for spreading ideas but…

British Airways (BA) passengers and crew who were taken hostage and used as human shields during Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait are suing the airline and the British government.Claimants who were subjected to torture, including mock executions, say they have evidence that BA and the government knew the invasion was taking place hours before the plane landed in Kuwait. They also claimed that the aircraft was used to covertly transport a special forces unit for immediate and covert deployment to the battlefield “regardless of the risk to civilians on board”.On August 2, 1990, when the Iraqi armed forces invaded, flight…

When travel resumed after the first pandemic lockdown in 2020, Fiona Burke, who was 60, boarded a plane to Austin, Texas. She was one of the first post-Covid volunteers to arrive at a migrant centre for people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the US-Mexico border. “Stuck at home during lockdown and seeing images of children in cages, I felt compelled to help,” says Burke.This idea of helping others, she believes, was drilled into her from a young age, growing up in Ireland and attending a Catholic school. “I am not a practising Catholic and have rebelled against…

Joe Biden’s family has urged him to stay in the race after a disastrous debate performance last week, with senior Democrats and donors expressing anger at the way his staff prepared his campaign, according to US media reports.The president gathered with his family at Camp David on Sunday, where discussions reportedly included questions about his political future. Pressure has mounted on Biden in the past few days, when his indecisive performance in a debate highlighted his weaknesses and invited experts, media and voters to call for him to step down.According to the New York Times, at the meeting at Camp…