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Don’t tell me it’s wrong to hold a grudge. I’m making the world a better place, one petty boycott at a time | Polly Hudson

Forgive and forget? I haven’t set foot in my local bakery since I was belittled by the woman behind the counter

‘If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in” is a phrase with which celebrity party planner Fran Cutler will be more than familiar. However, her latest list has a distinctly different quality, and you definitely do not want to be on it.

This week, Cutler told the Second Act with Ateh Jewel podcast that she keeps a physical record of people with whom she has issues.

Do 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 letters section, please click here.

2026-07-05 04:00:17

Walk in the footsteps of gods, heroes and monsters: five trips to mythical Greece

Discover where supplicants consulted Apollo in Delphi, the infant Hermes hid stolen cattle and where Poseidon created a love nest for a sea nymph

Some stories never get old. The poems and songs from Greek mythology – tales of tragedy, love and loss, war and revenge, jealous gods, magic and monsters – have been retold through the ages for good reason. Like all stories that really resonate, they deal in the flawed nature of humankind.

To the ancients, though, they were far more than legends; they explained the universe. From the Earth’s origins and the stories of constellations to ideas of justice and morality, they shaped the arts and sciences, and carved a shared cultural identity. Visiting Greece today, it’s clear how deeply rooted the myths still are in modern culture. From the capital (named after wise Athena) and beyond, this is a country steeped in legends.

2026-07-05 04:00:16

‘Here to write our own chapters’: England not daunted by unique occasion of Mexico game, says Tuchel

‘Impossible’ to adapt to altitude but players coping, says coach
Aguirre trying to keep El Tri ‘grounded’ before Azteca match

Thomas Tuchel has admitted England are enduring a challenging adaptation in Mexico City but is convinced his team will be ready to “write our own chapters” when they face the World Cup co-hosts at Estadio Azteca.

The last-16 match against Mexico in their fabled home ground is the most eagerly anticipated of this summer and its logistics have presented unusual problems. England must adapt to playing 2,240 metres above sea level at a venue where Mexico have not lost since 2013. They landed on Friday evening and found it difficult to hit their stride on Saturday afternoon in their final training session before the tie.

2026-07-05 02:51:46

Ukraine war briefing: Trump repositions himself as peacemaker in long call with Putin

Ahead of Nato summit in Turkey, Zelenskyy also tells Trump ‘there is a real prospect to end this war’. What we know on day 1,593

US president Donald Trump had a 90-minute phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, ⁠during which the US leader offered to help find ⁠a solution to the Ukraine war, a Kremlin aide has said. The aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Trump made the offer during a call with Putin on Saturday ⁠in the context of Trump’s participation next week at a Nato summit in Turkey. “The American president once again confirmed his readiness to ⁠work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis,” Ushakov said. Ushakov described the ‌conversation as “business-like and quite constructive” and said ‌Russia sought “a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia’s fundamental approach”.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also spoke to president Trump. Writing on his Telegram account, he described the conversation as “very good”, including a discussion on the war’s 1,200km frontline. “There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning,” he said. Zelenskyy said he and Trump agreed to continue discussions at the upcoming Nato meeting. But Ushakov accused Kyiv and its European ‌allies of “counting on extending and even escalating the conflict”, referring to Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian targets, mainly linked to the oil industry, which have triggered fuel shortages in several Russian regions.

Ukraine has denied Moscow’s claim that Russian forces had captured the strategic Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, a stronghold for Kyiv’s troops in the eastern Donetsk region and a key target for the Kremlin. A Ukrainian army spokesperson told AFP the city remained under its control, while Zelenskyy dismissed Moscow’s announcement as “a lie”. He said on social media: “If Kostyantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war.” “The situation remains difficult,” Ukrainian army spokesperson Andriy Kovalyov said, but Kostyantynivka “is under the control of the Ukrainian Defence Forces”.

Putin, wearing a military uniform, had thanked troops on Friday for seizing Kostyantynivka, a town with a prewar population of 78,000 that Moscow has been trying to take control over for months. Kovalyov admitted that small groups of Russian troops have been infiltrating the town but insisted that fighting was ongoing. Moscow’s defence ministry, however, said: “Russian troops are in all parts of the town.”

Russia said on Saturday that Ukrainian drones hit an oil terminal in St Petersburg, Putin’s home town, as well as striking a port near Finland and falling on the historical Peterhof complex – a giant estate of gardens and a palace – without causing damage. Moscow vowed to respond, saying it downed almost 500 Ukrainian drones and 10 of Kyiv’s Flamingo missiles overnight. St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov said: “Air defence forces shot down 72 drones, one of which crashed in Peterhof. There were no casualties or damage.” The Ukrainian attack came after a Russian strike on Kyiv this week killed 30 people, amid other strikes.

Zelenskyy also claimed Kyiv struck the Kronstadt naval base in St Petersburg. Ukraine has been increasing strikes on Russian territory – hitting as far as the Urals far away from the frontline – in recent months, in retaliation for Moscow’s dragging offensive.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defence had shot down 62 drones headed for the Russian capital. Moscow said one person was killed in the border Bryansk region and another in Russian-annexed Crimea. Authorities in the border Belgorod region said “infrastructure facilities” had been damaged by the attacks, leading to “disruptions to electricity and water supply”.

2026-07-05 02:06:25

Slashdot

News for nerds, stuff that matters

Are Wars Blurring Lines Between Corporate and National Security?

Subsea cables. Ukrainian power stations. Russian oil refineries. Even airports, water-desalination plants and Amazon data centers.

They've all become targets in wartime, notes the Wall Street Journal, and around the world now arguments "are already brewing between companies and governments over new regulations and potential costs."

In Germany, powerful associations representing private companies and municipal utilities have pushed back against new standards for physical protection, warning they could spell financial ruin. New Zealand's government has faced resistance from industry groups over a proposal to fine critical-infrastructure companies and their directors for cybersecurity breaches... A sign of how lines are blurring: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 32 countries last year agreed that as part of a pact to spend 5% of economic output on defense and security, 1.5% would go to military-adjacent needs including protecting critical infrastructure and networks. Spending targets range from cybersecurity and industrial capacity to railroads, bridges and ports needed for military logistics... "We need a wide concept of defense — defense is no longer just military," said Italian Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, NATO's top military adviser.

Adding to the complexity, companies now need to protect the data networks that serve as gateways to critical infrastructure. Hackers increasingly target not just computer files to steal information but also systems managing vital functions like building access and factory control, remotely causing physical damage or enabling espionage. U.S. authorities in April warned that Iranian hackers were trying to disrupt American drinking-water systems by targeting computer equipment that connects hardware with software. A year earlier, suspected Russian hackers remotely manipulated valves on a Norwegian hydroelectric dam...

Another challenge will be parsing jurisdictions and liability for assets that cross international waters or are damaged in combat — such as subsea data cables or energy pipelines. Turf battles between law enforcement and militaries are already complicating efforts... "The private owner can invest in redundancy, monitoring, and repair capacity, but only governments and militaries can really deter, patrol, attribute, or respond to hostile state activity," said Marc Glasser, who worked on cybersecurity and infrastructure security for three decades at the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Department of Homeland Security.... Companies say they need greater clarity from governments on what protections they will provide and subsidies to help them defend privately owned assets that provide a public good. Most governments don't provide incentives for companies to invest more than the minimum legal resilience requirements.

The article notes that in May the chief executive of California's Port of Long Beach "launched a cyber-defense operations center to thwart tens of thousands of cyberattacks daily, which jeopardize computer systems and all equipment connected to them."

The article also points out that the EU adopted new regulations requiring countries to reduce vulnerabilities, and new laws proposed in the U.K. now "seek to increase penalties for subsea sabotage, updating codes that date to when telegraph cables were first laid in the 19th century."

Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

Dode en gewonden bij Oekraïense aanval op de Krim

SIMFEROPOL (ANP) - Bij een Oekraïense aanval op de bezette Krim is een persoon om het leven gekomen. Twee anderen raakten gewond. Dat meldt het hoofd van de Russische lokale autoriteiten Sergej Aksionov.

Bij de aanval werd het noorden van de Krim getroffen. Eind juni werd de noodtoestand van kracht op het door Rusland geannexeerde schiereiland. De aanhoudende Oekraïense aanvallen, die als doel hebben de Krim te isoleren, hebben onder meer tot tekorten aan brandstof en elektriciteit geleid. Oekraïne valt infrastructuur en tankwagens aan die het schiereiland bevoorraden.

2026-07-05 03:38:37

Steekpartij in horecapand in Assen, twee gewonden

ASSEN (ANP) - Bij een steekpartij in een horecapand aan de Kerkstraat in Assen zijn twee mensen gewond geraakt. Dat meldt de politie Drenthe op X. De slachtoffers werden ter plaatse aangetroffen. Een van hen is ernstig gewond.

Het incident vond plaats rond 03.30 uur. De politie onderzoekt wat er precies gebeurd is.

2026-07-05 02:36:17

Gewonde bij steekincident in woning in Leende

LEENDE (ANP) - Bij een steekpartij in Leende is in de nacht van zaterdag op zondag een persoon gewond geraakt. Het incident gebeurde rond 03.00 uur in een woning aan de Oostrikkerstraat. Dat meldt de politie Oost-Brabant op X.

De politie heeft ter plaatse een verdachte aangehouden. Het slachtoffer verkeert buiten levensgevaar.

2026-07-05 02:26:31

VK: Voorpagina

Volkskrant.nl biedt het laatste nieuws, opinie en achtergronden

Uren na evacuatie festivalterrein geeft Trump alsnog toespraak ter ere van 250ste verjaardag van VS

2026-07-05 03:30:00

Tweede etappe biedt avonturiers mooie kans om zich in het geel te rijden

2026-07-05 03:01:00

home - NRC

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Voed jongens óók op tot zorgzame wezens | Luisterverhaal op zondag

Zorgen is meer iets voor meisjes, krijgen veel jongens al vroeg mee. Niet verbazend dat zij daarin vervolgens achterblijven, schrijft Eva Marie de Waal.