The UK finished last as the contest, held in Vienna, saw five countries boycott it over the participation of IsraelBulgaria has won the 2026 Eurovision song contest after singer Dara swept to victory with the song Bangaranga.The 27-year-old singer’s triumph is a first victory in the 70-year history of the song contest for Bulgaria, which only joined Eurovision in 2005 and sat out the last three editions. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/17/bulgaria-wins-70th-eurovision-contest-dara-bangaranga">Continue reading...</a>

The UK finished last as the contest, held in Vienna, saw five countries boycott it over the participation of Israel

Bulgaria wins 70th Eurovision contest with Dara and Bangaranga

With layoffs widely expected and editorial tensions deepening, correspondents await a post-season shakeupAt a time when viewers are fleeing traditional television shows, the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/cbs">CBS</a> Sunday newsmagazine 60 Minutes remains in a class of its own. The 12 April episode, which featured Pope Leo and a story on great white sharks, drew an astounding 10.1 million total viewers. The show is trending as the most-watched news program for the current broadcast season. So, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?That’s what some CBS News employees and veterans are wondering, amid persistent rumors that the show’s 59th season will look very different than the 58th, which ends on 17 May. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/may/16/cbs-bari-weiss-60-minutes">Continue reading...</a>

With layoffs widely expected and editorial tensions deepening, correspondents await a post-season shakeup

CBS News insiders fear Bari Weiss will soon enact ‘massive changes’ to 60 Minutes

What does defending press freedom mean in practice? We asked people across the Guardian to tell us something they have done to protect it this past year. The range of responses will likely surprise you<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://support.theguardian.com/uk/contribute">Support independent journalism today</a></li></ul>It sounds like a fundamental principle. A tenet. But, in reality, press freedom is more of a practical and relentless daily struggle.I’ve been asking colleagues from across the Guardian to tell me about one of the things they have done to protect press freedom this past year – from our international correspondents and investigative reporters to our visual journalists and commercial and technology departments. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2026/may/16/how-to-defend-press-freedom-guardian">Continue reading...</a>

What does defending press freedom mean in practice? We asked people across the Guardian to tell us something they have done to protect it this past year....

One thing Guardian staff have done to defend press freedom … and one thing you can do

Family and supporters had hoped the US president could help free the 78-year-old British citizen during summit talks in BeijingDonald Trump raised the case of jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/jimmy-lai">Jimmy Lai</a> in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but was told it “is a tough one”.Family and supporters of the 78-year-old British citizen had hoped the US president could help secure his release. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/16/trump-not-optimistic-jimmy-lai-release-xi-jinping">Continue reading...</a>

Family and supporters had hoped the US president could help free the 78-year-old British citizen during summit talks in Beijing

Donald Trump does ‘not feel optimistic’ for Jimmy Lai after speaking with Xi Jinping

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and co-writer Jack Epps discuss how the smash hit action drama came to be, from Tom Cruise vomiting on himself to ruling the box officeIt would be one of the most important flights in film history. When a young 5ft 7in actor with long hair and ponytail rocked up on a motorcycle, a group of US navy pilots were all too happy to test his need for speed.“They look at him and they don’t know who <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/tomcruise">Tom Cruise</a> is,” recalls screenwriter Jack Epps Jr. “They do what they like to do: they took him up, they shook him around, he barfed on himself, and he came out and said, ‘I love this.’ From that moment, he was on.” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/may/16/making-of-top-gun-40th-anniversary">Continue reading...</a>

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and co-writer Jack Epps discuss how the smash hit action drama came to be, from Tom Cruise vomiting on himself to ruling the b...

‘It looked like Star Wars on Earth’: the making of Top Gun at 40

<ul><li>Official under watch after personal details leaked online</li><li>Hearts manager called Celtic decision ‘disgusting’</li></ul>The Scottish Football Association has vehemently criticised a “hysterical media narrative” and taken a swipe at the Hearts manager, Derek McInnes, while revealing one of its match officials and his family spent Thursday night under police protection after controversial incidents which have dominated the conclusion to the ­Premiership season.McInnes called the stoppage-time <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/13/scottish-premiership-motherwell-celtic-match-report">award of a penalty to Celtic</a> in Wednesday’s win at Motherwell <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/13/scottish-premiership-hearts-falkirk-match-report">“disgusting”</a>, with that, plus the denial of a spot-kick for Hearts during their fixture at the same stadium days earlier, dominating discussion. Hearts visit Celtic on Saturday needing a draw to become the first non-Old Firm title winners in 41 years. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/15/scottish-fa-referee-derek-mcinnes-hearts-celtic-title-race">Continue reading...</a>

Official under watch after personal details leaked online

Scottish FA criticises McInnes and media after referee requires police protection

Media regulator announces commitments by Elon Musk’s platform to crack down on terrorist and hate contentElon Musk’s X platform has promised to block UK access to accounts linked to banned terrorist groups under an agreement with the communications regulator to crack down on terrorist and hate content.X will also review suspected illegal terrorist and hate content within 48 hours and seek expert advice on how to handle user reports of such content. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/15/x-ofcom-agreement-block-uk-access-accounts-linked-banned-terrorist-groups">Continue reading...</a>

Media regulator announces commitments by Elon Musk’s platform to crack down on terrorist and hate content

X to block UK access to accounts linked to terrorist groups in Ofcom agreement

Doctors and nurses say hit drama paints a mostly realistic picture of the frontline of emergency medicineIt’s the hospital drama that is adored by critics and fans alike, with its hard-hitting, action-packed episodes binged the moment they’re released by HBO Max. The Pitt depicts events in the Pittsburgh trauma medical centre, where the waiting room is always overloaded, cases are more complicated than they first seem and the medical consequences of America’s many ills – fentanyl, shootings, vaccine denial – need urgent attention.While medical dramas are much loved by the lay viewer, clinicians who are used to seeing fictionalised versions of their daily grind are notoriously hard to please. This, notably, is where The Pitt stands apart. In fact, doctors and nurses in UK A&amp;E units are among some of the show’s most committed devotees. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/15/the-pitt-uk-accident-emergency-doctors-nurses-hbo">Continue reading...</a>

Doctors and nurses say hit drama paints a mostly realistic picture of the frontline of emergency medicine

‘So much of it resonates’: The Pitt strikes a chord with UK A&E medics

Innovative and award-winning science-fiction writer whose novels extended to horror, fantasy and the Warhammer franchiseThe author Ian Watson, who has died aged 82 after suffering from oesophageal cancer, established his reputation as an exhilarating, intellectually adventurous writer of science fiction with his first novel, The Embedding (1973), winner of the Prix Apollo in France. It was followed by The Jonah Kit (1975), winner of the British Science Fiction Association award. Reviewing his third novel, The Martian Inca (1977), <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/apr/19/jg-ballard-obituary">JG Ballard</a> described the author as “the most interesting British SF writer of ideas – or, more accurately, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2232690590/posts/10174000813400591/">the only British SF writer of ideas</a>”.Many of Ian’s novels dealt with dauntingly complex, even unanswerable, questions about communication, language, perception and consciousness (human, animal, even alien minds), but others were lighter. Though he was always identified with science fiction, his range as a writer expanded to include horror, fantasy and “the great, lurid, Gothic fun” of the Warhammer franchise books. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/15/ian-watson-obituary">Continue reading...</a>

Innovative and award-winning science-fiction writer whose novels extended to horror, fantasy and the Warhammer franchise

Ian Watson obituary

The decline of the glossy magazine industry as depicted in the sequel made me cry – but I shed no tears for how it was back thenI didn’t think <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/may/04/the-devil-wears-prada-2-box-office-opening-weekend">The Devil Wears Prada 2</a> would make me cry, but it did. All the fashiony high camp, all the sharp one-liners of the first movie (“By all means, move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me”) deliquesce into melancholy for a struggling media industry in the second film. We meet the older Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) – the put-upon assistant of Runway editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) in the original movie – when she and her newspaper colleagues are receiving an award for investigative reporting. Except that at precisely that moment they are laid off, by text message. Perfectly realistic: swathes of the Washington Post, including Pulitzer finalists and correspondents in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/13/nx-s1-5707268/these-foreign-correspondents-covered-hard-to-reach-places-then-they-were-laid-off#:~:text=Local%20journalists%20working%20as%20contractors,Ebel%2C%20was%20also%20laid%20off.">war zones</a>, suffered a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/04/washington-post-layoffs">similar fate</a> (in this case, sacking by email subject field) in February.I didn’t think it would make me feel so nostalgic, either. The original Devil Wears Prada came out in 2006. Watching this thinly disguised portrait of American Vogue then was fun. I had served my apprenticeship at Condé Nast, at British Vogue and The World of Interiors, and I felt some vague kinship with Andy and her terrible blue jumper, who arrives a sceptic, goes native, then leaves for her true calling at a progressive newspaper. But now, 20 years on, other feelings crowd in. As my former Vogue colleague <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/life/2026/05/the-death-of-the-womens-magazine">Louise Chunn wrote</a> in the New Statesman recently, in the 1990s we had no idea we were working “at the high watermark of the circulation and power of the glossy magazine industry”. When those enormous, thick-papered tomes thunked down on our desks at Vogue House (which they literally did, hand delivered) they were so solid, so reassuring, so full of the promise of glamour and gorgeousness, that we thought it would go on for ever. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/16/the-devil-wears-prada-vogue-glossy-magazine-industry">Continue reading...</a>

The decline of the glossy magazine industry as depicted in the sequel made me cry – but I shed no tears for how it was back then

It wasn’t exactly The Devil Wears Prada, but my time working at Vogue in the 90s was preposterous fun | Charlotte Higgins

Apple’s superbly twisty thriller about a beautiful camboy blackmailing a divorced mum is like the new No Country for Old Men – with added Nick from New GirlI was drawn to this week’s show for the worst reason. That name is pure critic bait, and I like my fruit low-hanging. Other famously pre-roasted works include the films The Happening and Fantastic Four, and the Oasis album Be Here Now. (No, thanks.) In my schadenfreude-soaked soul, I wondered if Apple’s show might join them. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (Apple TV, from Wed)? Do I need the warranty?It stars Tatiana Maslany, who also led the brilliantly titled, if widely slated, show She Hulk: Attorney at Law. No one doubts Maslany’s chops. She won an Emmy playing 17 distinct clones in the sci-fi series Orphan Black. Here she plays Paula, a divorced mother going through a custody battle. Paula’s only access to intimacy is with a young online sex worker named Trevor. Despite his name, Trevor is beautiful, like Jeff Buckley. I suppose Jeff isn’t the most exotic name either. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/may/16/maximum-pleasure-guaranteed-tatiana-maslany-and-murray-bartlett-make-this-pleasurable-tv-indeed">Continue reading...</a>

Apple’s superbly twisty thriller about a beautiful camboy blackmailing a divorced mum is like the new No Country for Old Men – with added Nick from New Girl

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed: Tatiana Maslany and Murray Bartlett make this pleasurable TV indeed

Readers respond to a long read article by editor-in-chief Katharine Viner on surviving the information crisisKatharine Viner’s long read is excellent in its analysis of the challenges posed by unscrupulous leaders and rampant technology, and in its account of the good work being done by the Guardian (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/may/06/how-to-survive-the-information-crisis-we-once-talked-about-fake-news-now-reality-itself-feels-fake">How to survive the information crisis: ‘We once talked about fake news – now reality itself feels fake’, 6 May</a>). But I can’t help thinking that it is preaching to the converted: it is not Guardian readers, but those who might hold very different views, who need to be convinced of the arguments put forward.Reading the article, I was hoping to hear more about efforts being made to reach out to those unlikely to share the values espoused by the Guardian. How can these values be communicated, for example, to Maga followers or, dare I say, readers of the Daily Mail? Here, a leaf can be taken out of the Guardian’s own “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/dining-across-the-divide">Dining across the divide</a>” feature. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/may/15/how-to-reach-the-lost-in-an-age-of-disinformation">Continue reading...</a>

Readers respond to a long read article by editor-in-chief Katharine Viner on surviving the information crisis

How to reach the lost in an age of disinformation | Letters

Mismanagement and political campaigning have sucked the joy out of an event meant to bring people togetherFor the past two years, amid intensifying controversy over Israel’s participation in Eurovision, I and most other Eurovision superfans have stuck by the contest, despite clear misgivings.This week, however, as the usual collection of power ballads and jokey songs compete in Vienna, we are not bonding over a common joy, but rather over our shared sense of sadness about the politicisation of the contest. This sadness pales in comparison to the trauma and grief experienced by the people affected by the wars fuelling this politicisation, but it is there nonetheless.Dave Keating is a Brussels-based journalist and author of The Owned Continent: How to Free Europe from American Military, Economic and Cultural DependenceDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tone/letters"> letters</a> section, please <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com?body=Please%20include%20your%20name,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city/town/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.">click here</a>. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/16/im-a-eurovision-superfan-but-this-years-contest-brings-only-sadness-i-wont-be-tuning-in">Continue reading...</a>

Mismanagement and political campaigning have sucked the joy out of an event meant to bring people together

I’m a Eurovision superfan, but this year’s contest brings only sadness. I won’t be tuning in

End of News Feed

The vibes around the current AI boom aren't great, even in the tech industry.

The haves and have nots of the AI gold rush

AI-powered marketing platform Nectar Social announced Thursday that it raised a $30 million Series A round led by Menlo Ventures and its Anthology Fund, which was created alongside Anthropic. 

AI-powered marketing platform Nectar Social announced Thursday that it raised a $30 million Series A round led by Menlo Ventures and its Anthology Fund, ...

Marketing operating system Nectar Social raises $30M Series A led by Menlo

ArXiv is doing more to crack down on the careless use of large language models in scientific papers.

Research repository ArXiv will ban authors for a year if they let AI do all the work

Deep Care's $350 device is pricy, but it runs offline and helps you improve your posture and movement habits 

The offline desk gadget that actually got me to sit up straight

OpenAI's latest shakeup comes as the company reportedly plans to combine ChatGPT and its programming product Codex.

OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman takes charge of product strategy

Cerebras Systems was 2026's biggest tech IPO so far. But years ago, it burned through hundreds of millions working on a chip many believed impossible.

$60B AI chip darling Cerebras almost died early on, burning $8M a month

It may be possible to jailbreak an older, end-of-support Kindle and continue adding books to it. But doing so carries risks.

Users turn to jailbreaking their older Kindles as Amazon ends support

Investors can't seem to get enough of RJ Scaringe or his ideas. Storytelling and communication are one of his superpowers, according to Jiten Behl, who joined Rivian when the company had just a handful of employees.

Investors can't seem to get enough of RJ Scaringe or his ideas. Storytelling and communication are one of his superpowers, according to Jiten Behl, who j...

RJ Scaringe has raised more than $12B across three startups and investors still want more

Compulsive X user Marc Andreessen himself couldn't resist responding, many, many times.

General Catalyst posted VC rage bait and it worked, especially on a16z

The tech company that maintains the hotel check-in system set its cloud storage to public, allowing anyone to access customers' data without a password.

A hotel check-in system left a million passports and driver’s licenses open for anyone to see

Lake Tahoe, Silicon Valley's favorite vacation spot, is about to get hit with higher energy prices as AI drives demand for electricity.

Silicon Valley’s vacationland needs a new energy provider just as AI is driving prices up

Newly unredacted crash reports reveal some of the troubles Tesla has had as it tries to scale its robotaxis.

Tesla reveals two Robotaxi crashes involving teleoperators

Once users connect their accounts, they will see a dashboard of their portfolio performance, spending, subscriptions, and upcoming payments.

OpenAI launches ChatGPT for personal finance, will let you connect bank accounts

The price spike is a reminder of a deeper problem: The U.S. power grid was not designed for the electricity demands of an AI-driven economy, and the gap between what the grid can deliver and what the industry needs is widening.

The price spike is a reminder of a deeper problem: The U.S. power grid was not designed for the electricity demands of an AI-driven economy, and the gap ...

Power prices are up 76% on America’s biggest grid, and a watchdog is pointing fingers

While the summit appeared cordial, China remains a key adversary of the United States, given its advanced intelligence and espionage capabilities. 

US orders travelers on Air Force One to throw away gifts, pins, and burner phones after China trip

AI video-generation startup Runway is betting that video generation is the path to world models. And that being an AI outsider is an advantage, not a liability.

AI video-generation startup Runway is betting that video generation is the path to world models. And that being an AI outsider is an advantage, not a lia...

Runway started by helping filmmakers — now it wants to beat Google at AI

The action camera maker, like so many other companies these days, is looking to defense applications as it evaluates a possible sale.

Even GoPro is pivoting to defense

This new fund will back founders building enterprise technology in the United States. Meridian is agnostic, co-founder Devon Gethers said, noting that the firm has already invested in companies in fintech, logistics, healthcare, and of course, AI. 

This new fund will back founders building enterprise technology in the United States. Meridian is agnostic, co-founder Devon Gethers said, noting that th...

Meridian Ventures launched a $35M fund with a focus on MBA-deferred founders

Osaurus￼ combines local and cloud AI models in a Mac app that keeps users’ memory, files, and tools on their own hardware.

Osaurus brings both local and cloud AI models to your Mac

Rapido has driven its growth by enabling ride-hailing for lower-cost and more flexible modes of transport such as motorbikes and auto-rickshaws.

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