The Guardian Culture

La Cabina/El Televisor review – horror and anxiety on the air and down the line in Franco’s Spain

José Luis López Vázquez’s phone box nightmare is short and sharp but Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s TV fever dream overplays its handTwo macabre Spanish TV plays from the 1970s are being released as a double bill: Antonio Mercero’s La Cabina (★★★★★) is a cult 1972 surreal short film lasting just 35 minutes but encompassing an entire dreamworld of anxiety. It was conceived for television in the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock Presents or Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, but I can imagine it shown in c

entertainment  Jun 18, 2026

The Guardian Culture

A Little Bit Bad by Cassandra Neyenesch review – a sparkling, subversive debut

With its echoes of Miranda July’s All Fours, this tragicomic tale of an American woman’s illicit romance is also a gripping murder mysteryThe plot of A Little Bit Bad sounds like the setup for a joke: “Like, this white lady lusting after her hot Chicano roofer?” Perdita Jungfrau, the narrator, is describing her own situation. “Yuck.”It’s 2009 and Perdita is 39 when she meets 25-year-old Nando, who is working on next door’s roof. “Burned out” after a decade as a hospital social worker, she’s a st

entertainment  Jun 18, 2026

Wired

The UK Will Scan Asylum-Seekers’ Faces for Age Checks—Despite Knowing the Tech Is Flawed

Internal Home Office tests of age-verification technology show the risks of life-altering errors. It’s moving forward anyway.

technology  Jun 18, 2026

BBC Sport

Who am I? Guess World Cup star No 11

Will you get today's player in as few attempts as possible?

sports  Jun 18, 2026

Yahoo Finance

Oil Prices Slide After U.S. and Iran Sign Ceasefire Agreement

business  Jun 18, 2026

The Guardian

Inquest into Melbourne influencer’s death following freebirth halted after new phone evidence discovered

Coroner tells freebirth inquest new material ‘of such significance’ any findings must be postponed so information can be analysedThe closing submissions in an inquest into the death of a woman who gave birth at home with no support from medically trained health workers has been delayed, after new evidence came to light following a forensic analysis of her mobile phone.Stacey Warnecke, a 30 year-old nutritionist, died on 29 September in Frankston hospital in Melbourne. Continue reading...

general  Jun 18, 2026

The Guardian

Moscow oil refinery on fire after ‘large-scale’ Ukrainian drone strike

Mayor of Russian capital claims ‌about 180 drones heading to the city were shot down as flames and smoke billow over outskirtsUkrainian drones hit Moscow’s ⁠oil refinery for the second time ⁠this week, sending out flames and plumes ⁠of smoke over the south-eastern district of Kapotnya on Thursday morning.“Air defence forces are continuing to repel a large-scale attack. Several drones managed to reach the [Moscow oil refinery],” said Sergei Sobyanin, the city’s mayor, adding that a shopping centr

general  Jun 18, 2026

Bloomberg Markets

Sprake: SARB Likely to Hike Before Year-End

Traders are paring back their bets on further interest-rate hikes by the South African Reserve Bank after inflation came in lower than expected. But Casey Sprake, Market Strategist at AG Capital told Bloomberg’s Chief Africa Correspondent Jennifer Zabasajja, they are expecting another rate hike before the end of the year. (Source: Bloomberg)

business  Jun 18, 2026

Bloomberg Markets

Bohl: Iran Successfully Leveraged Hormuz In Negotiations (Video)

business  Jun 18, 2026

Bloomberg Markets

Pound at $1.33 Ahead of Jobs Data and BOE Decision

business  Jun 18, 2026

Financial Times

Kevin Warsh’s debut

Hawkish overtones, dovish undertones

business  Jun 18, 2026

Science Daily

Researchers found 8 common food additives linked to high blood pressure and heart disease

A major study of more than 112,000 people found that eating foods containing common preservatives may be linked to a higher risk of high blood pressure and heart-related diseases. Researchers tracked participants for up to eight years and discovered that people consuming the highest amounts of certain preservatives had significantly greater risks of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.

science  Jun 18, 2026

BBC Politics

Voters in Scotland head to the polls for Westminster by-elections

Residents in Aberdeen South and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry are choosing new members of parliament.

politics  Jun 18, 2026

The Guardian Science

The audacious plan to refreeze the Arctic – podcast

Sea ice is melting fast and worsening the climate crisis. But what if there were a way to thicken it again? Madeleine Finlay is joined by environment editor Damian Carrington to discuss a bold attempt to refreeze the Arctic which is showing early signs of success. He visited the project to find out how it will work, how much it will cost and whether it really has potential to improve the fate of the Arctic’s ice‘At first, the idea does sound crazy’: meet the scientists trying to refreeze the Arc

science  Jun 18, 2026

ESPN

'Now the goal is to get to 4-0': UNC, Oklahoma and...

In the end, the numbers were in favor of North Carolina and Oklahoma as they advanced to the MCWS championship.

sports  Jun 18, 2026

BBC Sport

Diaz scores as Colombia beat debutants Uzbekistan

Colombia make a winning return to the World Cup, defeating debutants Uzbekistan.

sports  Jun 18, 2026

BBC Sport

Messi, Mbappe & Vini jr - best World Cup goals from round one

Watch the best goals from the first round of games at the World Cup, including memorable strikes from Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappe and Brazil's Vinicius Jr.

sports  Jun 18, 2026

The Guardian Culture

Cry/Laugh review – did you hear the one about the town crier and the jester?

Òran Mór, Glasgow Nay Dhanak’s clownish tale follows an odd couple struggling to live up to their roles passing news from royal power to the publicWe are in a medieval world of portentous comets, fiery dragons and punitive taxes. For the average peasant, it is tough going, but even in this hierarchical society, two of them have uncommon access to power. One is the town crier, the mediator of news between monarch and serf. The other is the jester, employed by the court to tell it like it is. If a

entertainment  Jun 18, 2026

The Guardian

Dubai property sales have fallen ‘off a cliff’ since start of Middle East war

Sellers of luxury villas have wiped tens of millions of pounds off asking prices, with sales down 19% in May from the previous monthProperty sales in Dubai have fallen “off a cliff”, a leading market watcher has said, after war in the Middle East forced a dramatic slowdown in one of the world’s most expensive real estate markets.Sales in the city dropped 19% in May compared with the previous month, accelerating from a 4% drop in April, the researcher ValuStrat found. Continue reading...

general  Jun 18, 2026

The Guardian

Ukraine bolsters its northern defences amid fears Belarus is being dragged into war

Kyiv is not taking any risks amid Moscow’s efforts to integrate Minsk ever more closely into its warRussian spy drones flying into Ukraine from Belarusian airspace have sharply increased since the beginning of the year, as senior officials in Kyiv express mounting concern over Belarus’s involvement in the war.Ukraine has stepped up by reinforcing fortifications on its northern border, including anti-tank ditches, concrete “dragons’ teeth” obstacles to block armoured vehicles and new areas of bar

general  Jun 18, 2026