-
“We would just have done it balls out, legs akimbo like Status Quo. and probably messed it up”: The classic song that gave an iconic post-punk band their biggest hit – and became an epitaph for their tragic singer
An article for Louder examines the story behind Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, tracing how the Manchester post-punk band wrote the song in the months following their acclaimed 1979 debut album, Unknown Pleasures. It explains how the track, built on the same intense creative partnership between the band and producer Martin Hannett that…
-
Infantino’s Faustian bargain with Trump has stained football’s biggest stage
In a Guardian comment piece, writer Nathán Goldberg Crenier argues that Fifa president Gianni Infantino has damaged football’s reputation by courting Donald Trump in the run-up to and during the 2026 World Cup, which the US is co-hosting. The author contends that Infantino sought preferential treatment from the American government but instead entangled Fifa in…
-
America’s World Cup report card: some As for atmosphere, but F for affordability
The United States, host to 78 of the 2026 World Cup’s matches across 11 cities, is nearing the end of its tournament with just the third-place play-off in Miami and the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, still to play. As the country prepares for the 2030 centennial edition to be shared across six nations…
-
ANDREW NEIL: Never has a PM come to power with such a lack of democratic legitimacy. When it all goes wrong, voters will cut him no slack
Columnist Andrew Neil argues that Andy Burnham, who becomes Britain’s 59th prime minister on Monday, holds an unusually weak claim to democratic legitimacy. Burnham took over as Labour leader after ousting Keir Starmer without facing a leadership contest, hustings or public scrutiny, and never stood in the general election that brought the government to power,…
-
Iran ‘targets US combat aircraft at Bahrain air base’ as Trump’s forces launch seventh night of strikes against Tehran regime
Iran reportedly targeted US combat aircraft at an air base in Bahrain as American forces carried out a seventh consecutive night of strikes against the regime in Tehran. The exchange marks an escalation in the ongoing confrontation between Washington and Iran, raising concerns about the safety of US military assets and personnel stationed across the…
-
World Cup 2026 latest: buildup to France v England third-place playoff and Spain v Argentina final
⚽ World Cup latest on final weekend of tournament ⚽ England’s exit was not just about Tuchel ⚽ Email us | Archive: Argentina v Spain in 1966 The fallout from England’s exit continues. Jonathan Liew’s column is cutting and a must-read … “If we lose, we lose in our way,” Tuchel told his players at…
-
Wessex Water chief pockets above-inflation pay rise despite bonus ban over sewage spills
Wessex Water has given its chief executive, Ruth Jefferson, an above-inflation pay rise even though the company has been banned from paying bonuses following sewage spills. The disclosure comes amid intense public and political scrutiny of water company executive pay, as sewage pollution in rivers and seas continues to provoke outrage, and it raises fresh…
-
The Guide #252: Christopher Nolan forces all rivals to flee as he dominates the battle of the blockbusters
Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming film The Odyssey has effectively cleared the summer release schedule, with rival studios avoiding the period around its launch rather than compete for cinema screens. The Guardian’s culture newsletter argues this illustrates Nolan’s unique status as the last “event cinema” director whose name alone guarantees box-office dominance, regardless of genre or subject…
-
Pompeii: Out of Time With Tom Hiddleston – the tale of ordinary Romans’ hopeless heroism is tearjerking television
The Guardian’s television critic reviews *Pompeii: Out of Time With Tom Hiddleston*, a National Geographic documentary launching on Disney+ this Thursday, which explores the AD79 eruption of Vesuvius and its destruction of Pompeii. Hiddleston, who holds a double first in classics, hosts the series alongside academic experts, blending investigative presenting with dramatised reconstructions to challenge…