The monarch’s declaration does not tell us much, except that his bill is lower than for people with much smaller fortunes

The veil of secrecy that surrounds the royal finances was nudged aside a little on Thursday to allow the release of a new piece of information. We learned for the first time how much the king’s annual tax bill comes to.

This was not a full tax return. It was a two-sentence declaration, stating his tax payable amounted to £12.9m in 2024-25, and a slightly smaller sum the year before. His total tax payable since accession comes to £30m.

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The monarch says how much he pays the Treasury but did not reveal the wealth behind it. Britain still lacks proper scrutiny of royal cash

King Charles has become Britain’s first monarch in modern times to reveal how much tax he pays on his private income: £24.6m over the past two years. This is not a victory for transparency but a win for those who wish to keep the curtain drawn firmly over the royal finances.

What is presented as a radical move is in fact more obfuscation. The monarch says he has paid millions in tax, but has not disclosed the income, gains or deductions behind the bill. The royals are funded by taking a cut of crown estate profits – public money that would otherwise go to the Treasury. That amount is decided by three royal trustees: the prime minister, the chancellor and the keeper of the privy purse.

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.

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The Mexican artist’s legacy is far greater than the kitsch. She is a much-loved symbol of rebellion and resilience

Even before it opened this week, Tate Modern’s Frida: The Making of an Icon was a smash hit. With more than 50,000 advance tickets, it is the highest pre‑selling show in Tate history, beating David Hockney in 2017. This is “the Fridamania” that the exhibition sets out to explore, charting Frida Kahlo’s rise from little-known Mexican artist to global phenomenon. During her lifetime, Kahlo was overshadowed by her painter husband, Diego Rivera. Last year, the sale of one of her self-portraits broke the record for the most expensive work by a female artist.

It is not just her art that makes millions. There are more than 100,000 objects bearing her face to buy online. From candles to sanitary towels to a Barbie doll (whiter and with a toned-down monobrow), the cult of Kahlo is big business. Coincidentally, the controversial doll also appears at the Design Museum’s Barbie: The Exhibition – tracing the evolution of Mattel’s iconic toy – which reopened this month in Glasgow.

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.

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Scientists say hot spell is worst ever, with nearly half of region’s 850 largest cities facing unprecedented heat stress

The number of deaths in France linked to the heatwave has climbed to four toddlers and more than 55 drownings, as the brutally hot conditions sweeping Europe were forecast to shift east, choking 150 million people under 35C (95F) temperatures.

Scientists said the heatwave was the most severe and widespread ever, leaving nearly half of the region’s 850 largest cities grappling with unprecedented heat stress. They said the extreme temperatures had been made possible by the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning.

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Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, convicted over 2024 incident of which footage was widely shared on social media

A man has been sentenced to three and a half years in jail after being convicted of assaulting two female police officers and a member of the public at a Starbucks in Manchester airport.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, from Rochdale, was convicted of common assault and two counts of actual bodily harm, after a four-week trial at Liverpool crown court last year.

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King Charles has become the first monarch in modern times to reveal how much tax he pays on his private income: £24.6m over the last two years.

The move comes after years of calls for the monarch to be more open with the public about the royal finances. Some are heralding this as a new era of transparency – but just how open has the revelation been?

Lucy Hough speaks to our European financial affairs editor, Juliette Garside

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⚽️ World Cup kick-off time: 3pm EDT/8pm BST/5am AEST
⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Golden Boot | Mail us
⚽️ Norway v France – live updates elsewhere in the group

It’s been a pretty good week for African football.

South Africa reached the knockouts of a World Cup for the first time. Morocco underlined their potential to go deep with a convincing win. And Côte d’Ivoire finished level on points with Germany to qualify in second spot from a difficult group.

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⚽️ World Cup kick-off time: 3pm EDT/8pm BST/5am AEST
⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Golden Boot | Mail Scott
⚽️ Senegal v Iraq – live updates from the group’s other game

One of the tournament favourites meet perhaps the most transparently obvious of the dark horses. In purely reductive terms, it’s Kylian Mbappé versus Erling Haaland … and you know what, purely reductive terms are good enough to whet the appetite for this one. Mbappé and Haaland have already contributed four goals apiece in the first two matches; these teams have found the net 13 times between them already. So this could be a doozy, especially as top spot in Group I will at least theoretically prove beneficial come the knockout phase. Though it doesn’t always work out that way, of course. Let the good times roll at 8pm BST, 3pm EDT, 5am AEST. It’s on!

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Weer voor Rotterdam ☀️ - 26-06-2026 19:15 CEST

In één oogopslag:
• 32.8°C · Zonnig ☀️ | Min 23.5°C / Max 37.7°C | Kans op neerslag 4%

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 23.5°C, Max 37.7°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 4%, 🧭 1015.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 15.8 km/u (4.4 m/s), richting: ↑ 170°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

• 20:00: 32.0°C (Zonnig) ☀️, Kans op neerslag 6%, 🧭 1015.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 14.0 km/u (3.9 m/s), richting: → 267°
• 21:00: 30.1°C (Zonnig) ☀️, Kans op neerslag 5%, 🧭 1015.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.0 km/u (2.5 m/s), richting: → 268°
• 22:00: 28.2°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ⛅, Kans op neerslag 6%, 🧭 1016.0 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.0 km/u (3.6 m/s), richting: → 261°
• 23:00: 26.8°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 6%, 🧭 1016.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.0 km/u (2.5 m/s), richting: → 252°
• 00:00: 26.5°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 5%, 🧭 1016.7 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.4 km/u (2.9 m/s), richting: ↗ 247°
• 01:00: 25.5°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 3%, 🧭 1016.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 10.8 km/u (3.0 m/s), richting: ↑ 197°
• 02:00: 26.6°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 2%, 🧭 1016.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 8.6 km/u (2.4 m/s), richting: ↑ 200°
• 03:00: 26.6°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1016.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 6.5 km/u (1.8 m/s), richting: ↖ 156°
• 04:00: 27.2°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1016.8 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 5.8 km/u (1.6 m/s), richting: ↑ 183°
• 05:00: 26.7°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1016.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 6.8 km/u (1.9 m/s), richting: ↗ 224°
• 06:00: 26.2°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1017.0 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 3.2 km/u (0.9 m/s), richting: → 251°
• 07:00: 26.1°C (Zonnig) ☀️, 🧭 1016.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 2.9 km/u (0.8 m/s), richting: ↓ 15°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

• zaterdag 27 juni: Min 22.8°C, Max 33.7°C (Lichte regen) 🌧️, Neerslag 5.7 mm, Kans op neerslag 10%, 🧭 1015.9 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 18.4 km/u (5.1 m/s), richting: ↗ 206°
• zondag 28 juni: Min 21.0°C, Max 29.5°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 9%, 🧭 1017.6 hPa ↗️ +1.7 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 19.1 km/u (5.3 m/s), richting: ↗ 241°
• maandag 29 juni: Min 18.1°C, Max 24.6°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1023.3 hPa ↗️ +5.7 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 14.4 km/u (4.0 m/s), richting: ↘ 321°
• dinsdag 30 juni: Min 16.7°C, Max 24.8°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 9%, 🧭 1022.4 hPa ↘️ -0.9 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 11.3 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ↓ 20°
• woensdag 01 juli: Min 16.0°C, Max 23.7°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 0.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 11%, 🧭 1022.5 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 13.4 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: ↓ 1°
• donderdag 02 juli: Min 15.5°C, Max 18.9°C (Matige motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 4.8 mm, Kans op neerslag 16%, 🧭 1022.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 14.8 km/u (4.1 m/s), richting: → 268°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 19:15): 32.8°C (Zonnig)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 31.9°C (-0.9°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: → 271°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 27.7 km/h (7.7 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 38%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 1015.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 38.7 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 1.6
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 05:24 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 22:05

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 136 🟠 (Ongezond voor gevoelige groepen)
• PM2.5: 17.6 μg/m³
• PM10: 23.4 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo

#Rotterdam #Meteo #MeteoBot #MeteoNetherlands #OpenMeteo #FediMeteo

A story about what being neighborly is all about. “I reported back to the neighborhood text thread, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. What came back, from one neighbor after another, was the same question: what can we do to help?”

DEN HAAG (ANP) - Ook op melk- en sapflessen moet volgens het kabinet statiegeld komen. Minister Stientje van Veldhoven (Klimaat en Groene Groei, D66) werkt aan een voorstel om de statiegeldplicht uit te breiden naar alle plastic flessen tot en met 3 liter, schrijft ze aan de Tweede Kamer. Een voorwaarde is dat er maatregelen komen om problemen met hygiëne te voorkomen, vooral bij de zuivelflessen.

BAD HOMBURG (ANP) - De Tsjechische tennisster Karolína Muchová heeft zich vrijdag - na een hittepauze van anderhalf uur - geplaatst voor de finale van het grastoernooi van Bad Homburg. Ze was in twee sets te sterk voor de Roemeense Elena-Gabriela Ruse: 6-4 6-4. Tussen die sets zat de pauze in het stadje nabij Frankfurt.

In de finale treft de Tsjechische nummer 11 van de wereld de Japanse Naomi Osaka, nummer 15 op de WTA-ranglijst. De finale van zaterdag is vervroegd vanwege het hete weer. De organisatie sprak van "extreme weersomstandigheden die buiten de redelijke controle van het toernooi liggen". De finale van het WTA-toernooi begint om 11.00 uur in plaats van 13.30 uur.

UTRECHT (ANP) - Vakbond FNV heeft een nieuwe raad van toezicht. De Bondsraad van FNV heeft vrijdag ingestemd met die nieuwe raad, die daardoor direct van start kan gaan. Met die stap neemt ook de huidige raad van toezicht, onder wie de tijdelijke toezichthouders Lodewijk Asscher en Ton Heerts, rond 1 juli afscheid.

De nieuwe raad bestaat uit voorzitter Wilna Wind, Ben Hoogenboom, Edith Maat, Gabriël van Rosmalen en Mohamed el Bouchtaoui. Deze benoeming volgt op het traject dat, in opdracht van de Ondernemingskamer in Amsterdam, is ingezet om te komen tot bestuurlijke vernieuwing na de bestuurscrisis bij de grootste vakbond van Nederland. "Met deze benoeming wordt een belangrijke stap gezet in het herstel en de versterking van de governance van de vakbond", aldus FNV.

Per 1 mei trad het nieuwe bestuur van FNV aan onder leiding van Hans Spekman en Nine Kooiman.

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss talking aloud to computers, Cannes, and “Engineering Creativity: Guac Is Extra."

JASON: This week I was in Cannes, France for the Cannes Lions advertising conference, which is a sentence you probably did not expect to be reading and is definitely not a sentence I expected to be writing. It’s rare that I BTB something before I actually write about it, but in this case I think it’s OK, as this is going to be significantly different from the actual articles I do. There is no sense in being coy about it—Cannes, which at least in the media business stands for both the beach town in the south of France and the advertising conference (but not the film festival), is a ridiculous place and experience filled with excess and extravagant displays of money wasting. Back when we worked at VICE, every year around this time there would be a bunch of whispers around the office about which executives and higher level sales people were going to Cannes and who was not (us journalists definitely were not). Then, during Cannes, there was a barely spoken sentiment that we, the journalists, should try extra hard to not fuck up lest we create some sort of situation that a VICE executive in Cannes would have to deal with from another time zone while drinking rosé on a yacht. 

De maat is vol voor Rijnmond-weerman Ed Aldus: al jaren verzorgt hij op sociale media duiding over het weer, maar daar wil hij nu mee stoppen. Klimaatontkenners maken het volgens hem onmogelijk om nog op een normale manier berichtgeving over de warmte te doen. En hij is niet de enige die dat vindt.

Live coverage of Friday's second Formula 1 practice session for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix.

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Schitterende mediarel in België, waar presentator Filip Joos tijdens een potje tussen de Rode Duivels en Iran het toejuichte dat het volkslied van de Islamitische republiek werd uitgejoeld ("Zo hoort het ook, dit is een volkslied van een aantal gekken die er de leiding hebben"), en even later iets zei over "het regime dat zijn eigen burgers vermoordt." Moet je net de VRT hebben, die staan ergens voor tikken hem subiet op de vingers en verzoeken hem voortaan 'terughoudend' te zijn over dergelijke kwesties. “Dit WK toont hoe sterk sport en politiek soms met elkaar verweven zijn – met de Iraans-Amerikaanse kwestie als typische exponent –, waardoor er af en toe onvermijdelijk een politieke verwijzing in het commentaar sluipt," zwatelt een woordvoerder tegen Humo. "Maar ook dan is het de bedoeling dat we bij de feiten blijven.” Nobel streven. Dan hier even de feiten: het Iraanse regime is zo gek als een spin, moordt zijn eigen burgers uit op standje genocide, en de VRT is een verzameling laffe rode uien.