The Guardian

Geochronologists say Antrim coastline’s basalt columns developed over 5.5m years – 8m less than thought For centuries, the tale has been passed from generation to generation: how the Irish giant Finn McCool built the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland to fight Benandonner, his Scottish rival, by hurling chunks of the Antrim coastline into the sea. Now, scientists have revealed it was intense vo…

Awareness of disorders such as hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is low among British healthcare professionals People in the UK with hypermobility conditions are waiting up to 21 years to be diagnosed while suffering from symptoms ranging from chronic pain to partially dislocated joints, research suggests. The study of more than 2,000 people, which was led by the University of Edinburgh and desc…

Labour grandee was MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook from 1964 until his retirement from the Commons in 1997 Roy Hattersley, the former Labour deputy leader and author, has died aged 93, his family has said. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Hattersley as a “giant of the Labour movement”. Continue reading...

A revelatory look at the sprawling tale of the decades-long struggle against apartheid. It’s a nuanced tale that brutally emphasises the personal cost of Mandela’s resistance Nelson Mandela died in December 2013 but he had long before been canonised as a secular saint. Many people – particularly on the political right – found it convenient to forget that for decades they had regarded him as a ter…

Trailfinders shock defending champions 29-26 Saracens beat Exeter 40-38 to spark title hopes Saracens will avoid their bogey team, Gloucester-Hartpury, in the Premiership Women’s Rugby final after Ealing Trailfinders sensationally knocked out the three-time defending champions. The 29-26 result is one of the biggest upsets in PWR history as Gloucester have won the last three titles but an injury-…

Jordan Cox was called up to the England squad as wicketkeeper cover for Jamie Smith Time to go round the grounds on this sleepy Sunday, Lancashire making a better fist of things this morning at Stanley Park, 31-1. The sun is even straining to come out from net curtain clouds. Matt Milnes has swapped to the north end. Harry Singh, slip catcher extraordinaire, is caught by his Kent counterpart, Ben…

About 1,000 people demonstrated for and against show in synagogue promoting sale of property in Israel About 1,000 people protested for and against a show promoting the sale of property in Israel on Sunday, with police making 14 arrests. Those opposed to the event, which was held in a north-west London synagogue, claimed it was also selling property in land illegally occupied by Israel and was pa…

Group 1: India, 170-6, beat Pakistan, 106, by 64 runs Deepti Sharma takes 5-10 after Mandhana half-century This was a familiar World Cup story: India met Pakistan and for all the talk of history, handshakes and millions of eyeballs, the contest was settled with little drama by the team in blue. Smriti Mandhana started with 68 off 44 balls before Deepti Sharma cleaned up in the second half, taking…

Spain left-back will complete transfer after World Cup Cucurella had spoken out against Chelsea hierarchy Real Madrid have reached a verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea in a package worth up to €60m (£52m). The Spain left-back, who is preparing to face Cape Verde in the World Cup, threw his future into doubt when he criticised the Chelsea hierarchy during the March international …

Met seizes far-right activist’s phones after he disembarks flight at Heathrow under counter-terrorism provisions British police say they stopped the far-right activist Tommy Robinson and seized his phones as he returned from a trip to Russia. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, met Elon Musk’s father in Moscow during his trip. Continue reading...

Charities are right to be concerned about the supreme court’s decision to lessen oversight of care settings The UK supreme court has ended a system of safeguards around the human rights of disabled people that has been in place for over a decade, in its recent ruling on a legal question brought to it by the attorney general of Northern Ireland. In doing so, the judges have alarmed charities and d…

Readers respond to an article about how people living with the condition are fighting against damaging stereotypes Anne Karpf’s article is a powerful and timely reminder that people living with dementia are too often overlooked and underestimated ( ‘You’re treated like this is the end’: Meet the dementia rebels – diagnosed and determined to change people’s minds, 9 June ). I particularly welcomed…

Rosie Wolfenden says that under the current tax system, and with rising costs, traditional business models are no longer viable Thank you, Anita Chaudhuri, for writing about a crisis that is unfolding before our eyes and urgently needs the government’s attention ( The British food scene was booming. Why has it suddenly gone bust?, 9 June ). Your article about restaurants struggling to stay afloat…

Dr Tim Causer invites readers to help complete a transcription project and to explore the writings and correspondence of the philosopher and reformer Jeremy Bentham Your article on the digitisation and transcription of German love letters is a wonderful reminder of both the goodwill of the crowd and the pleasures of archival research ( Sixty thousand love letters and counting: volunteers help sif…

Without investment in more radiographers, NHS waiting lists will continue to rise inexorably, says CEO of the Society and College of Radiographers, Richard Evans In your article ( Record number of people waiting for NHS diagnostic tests in England, 7 June ), you quote Marlen Suller of Magentus saying that the solution to ever-increasing diagnostic waiting lists is for the NHS to “make better use …

Exclusive: devolving tax is part of plans to give local areas more power in areas including justice, health and education Ministers are considering handing over billions of pounds raised by business rates to regional mayors as part of one of the biggest shake-ups of the English tax system in recent years. Steve Reed, the local government secretary, said the government was working on plans to devo…

Updates from Edgbaston; 2.30pm (BST) start Get in touch: email James with your thoughts 2nd over: India 10-1 (Mandhana 2, Rodrigues 1) Pakistan’s skipper Fatima Sana has the ball for the second over. Mandhana pulls a short ball to the boundary rider on the leg side and is off the mark with a single. Rodrigues scampers a single to mid on, a direct hit would have been interesting… Mandhana tickles …

Shirley Firth is hoping those responsible for Lindsay de Feliz’s death in 2019 will finally be convicted A Cambridgeshire mother in her 90s is hoping to finally see justice for her murdered daughter when a retrial into her death is due to open in the Dominican Republic this week. The body of Lindsay de Feliz, 64, a successful author, was found in a shallow grave, close to her home in the north-we…

Keir Starmer ready to overrule Ed Miliband after warnings that manufacturers would be penalised and jobs put at risk The UK government is poised to water down its 2030 targets for electric vehicle sales after intense lobbying by the car industry and unions. The government is preparing to consult on less ambitious targets for the transition to fully battery-powered electric cars over the rest of t…

Snape Maltings, Suffolk This year’s Aldeburgh festival opened with a stripped-back concert staging by Rory Kinnear with Ryan Wigglesworth conducting the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Trying to unlock the secrets of Debussy’s opera Pelléas et Mélisande, based on Maeterlinck’s symbolist play, is a slippery task at the best of times. Doing so in a barely there staging, with the orchestra on the pl…