The BMA says resident doctors have seen their pay fall by a much greater amount in real terms since 2008-09 than the rest of the population

The Conservatives have accused Labour of having “opened the door” to fresh resident doctors’ strikes with a “spineless surrender to union demands last year”.

Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said: “They handed out inflation-busting pay rises without reform, and now the BMA are back for more.

It is hard to believe that, yet again, we are going into industrial action by our resident (formerly junior) doctors. It has only been a year since the last round of strikes and the length of this one – five days at two weeks’ notice over the summer when people are away – is designed to send a message.

Consultants were, by and large, supportive of the previous rounds of strikes. There is a recognition our residents have it harder than we did. There is more financial hardship than there used to be, their salaries don’t go as far as ours did when we were training, and they have amassed more student debt.

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© Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

© Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

© Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

In this month’s limited-time print drop, we’re showcasing work by David Squires, whose cartoons offer a unique take on the world of football – including a brand new coloured cartoon created exclusively for this release. This limited numbered edition is available until 5 August

• Buy your prints here

David Squires is an Australia-based cartoonist and illustrator best known for his weekly football cartoons in The Guardian in the UK and Australia. David has also had four books published and provides regular cartoons for L’Équipe magazine in France and 11Freunde in Germany. David is uncomfortable about referring to himself in the third person, but will make an exception for the purposes of this format.

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© Illustration: David Squires/The Guardian

© Illustration: David Squires/The Guardian

© Illustration: David Squires/The Guardian

Inflows through Stock Connect show how city’s fortunes have become increasingly dependent on capital from mainland

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the plan to relocate workers was intended to bring the agency's staff closer to its "core constituents."

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says country is trying to find sponsors for air systems and that negotiators discussed him meeting Putin

in Athens

Over in Greece, the culture ministry has announced that it will be extending a ban on opening hours of all archaeological sites, including the Acropolis, in Athens after the weather service predicted that scorching temperatures were unlikely to recede until Monday.

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© Photograph: Francesco Fotia/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Francesco Fotia/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Francesco Fotia/Shutterstock

Database of 8m handwritten census entries paints portrait of city that was hub for intellectuals, artists and young, single people

In 1926, James Joyce was working on his novel Finnegans Wake while living in a spacious apartment in the 7th arrondissement of Paris with his partner, Nora Barnacle, and their two adult children, Giorgio and Lucia.

Joyce’s neighbours in the elegant stone building at 2 Square de Robiac included a Syrian family whose three children had an English nanny called Jessie, Russian émigrés, an Egyptian industrialist, and the US writers William and Elizabeth Placida Mahl.

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© Photograph: Archive Farms/Getty Images

© Photograph: Archive Farms/Getty Images

© Photograph: Archive Farms/Getty Images

Today’s rumours are Swedish dominoes

If anyone spots Eddie Howe appearing to be rehearsing lines on the steps of St James’ Park over the next few days, there’s an obvious explanation. It was from said vantage point 30 years ago that another Newcastle manager, Kevin Keegan, had to explain to angry and bewildered fans why they had sold Andy Cole to Manchester United. The modern-day version, of course, is Howe having to talk his way out of why the club could be letting Alexander Isak go to Liverpool.

To be honest, it doesn’t seem a very Howe thing to do, although rumours suggest the current Magpies manager wouldn’t be averse. And, if Howe knows his history, he might benefit, just as Liverpool once did, from the Coutinho effect – flogging a player at peak value and rebuilding key parts of the squad with the hefty proceeds.

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© Photograph: John Walton/PA

© Photograph: John Walton/PA

© Photograph: John Walton/PA

During an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live!," Welch took aim at the 14-time Grammy winner when asked about the pop star's short-lived romance with her son.

During an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live!," Welch took aim at the 14-time Grammy winner when asked about the pop star's short-lived romance with her son.

"We have picked up 2 bags worth of syringes," one person shared on a local Bali Facebook page.

A desperate situation has become catastrophic. If we do not act now, there will be no one left to tell anyone’s story

In May, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote about the desperate situation facing journalists in Gaza, who were having to report while dangerously hungry. My colleagues documented the gnawing hunger, dizziness, brain fog and sickness all experienced by an exhausted Palestinian press corps already living and working in terrifying conditions. Eight weeks later, that desperate situation is now catastrophic.

Several news organizations are now warning that their journalists – those documenting what is happening inside Gaza – will die unless urgent action is taken to stop Israel’s deliberate refusal to allow sufficient food into the territory. “​​Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us can recall seeing a colleague die of hunger,” an association of journalists from the Agence France-Presse wrote in a statement on Monday. “We refuse to watch them die.” Two days later, the Qatari broadcast network Al Jazeera said its journalists – like all Palestinians in Gaza– were “fighting for their own survival” and warned: “If we fail to act now, we risk a future where there may be no one left to tell our stories.”

Jodie Ginsberg is CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists

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© Photograph: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images

Most people believe Muslim values are incompatible with British ones, a new poll has found. It makes for bleak reading

According to YouGov, more than half of people do not believe Islam to be compatible with British values. I’m often dispirited by these polls, as much by the timbre of the questions as by the responses (how many times do we need to ask one another whether we can afford to avert a climate catastrophe, for instance?) But I can’t remember the last time I was stunned.

This latest poll found that 41% of the British public believe that Muslim immigrants have had a negative impact on the UK. Nearly half (49%) think that Muslim women are pressured into wearing the hijab. And almost a third (31%) think that Islam promotes violence. Farhad Ahmad, a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which commissioned the poll, was surprised that I was so surprised. Things had been really bad for ages, he said, directing me to not dissimilar numbers in 2016 and 2019.

Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist

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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© Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

© Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

© Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

UK-based AI Film has accused the actor of deliberately sabotaging The Deb’s release by making alleged threats and defamatory claims

The legal drama surrounding The Deb, Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, has made landfall in Australia, with one of the production companies behind the venture filing a lawsuit against Wilson in the New South Wales supreme court this week.

UK-based AI Film, represented by Australian legal firm Giles George and high-profile barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, accused the Pitch Perfect Australian actor of deliberately sabotaging the film’s release, alleging threats and defamatory claims had caused the production company financial and reputational damage.

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© Photograph: Jm Haedrich/SIPA/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Jm Haedrich/SIPA/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Jm Haedrich/SIPA/Shutterstock

(Burning Ambulance)
The free-collective energy of one of Braxton’s most intuitive groups jostles and enchants as a mirror of life’s rhythms

Sometime in the 1980s, Anthony Braxton left this 3am announcement on his record producer’s answerphone: “Leo Feigin, I’m telling you, our children will be dancing to my music! Bye bye.” At that moment, the awesomely virtuosic and intellectually formidable multi-reeds improviser and composer had probably heard one too many carps from traditionalists that his ideas were too cerebral and unswinging for jazz.

Now 80, Braxton’s cross-genre visions have since fascinated jazz bands, symphony orchestras, opera and experimental modern-dance companies, and the influential imaginations of younger admirers including John Zorn and Mary Halvorson. Feigin’s Leo Records label, and Switzerland’s Intakt, have kept the immense resource of his influence simmering for years. Now the enterprising Burning Ambulance Music (which has also brought much of the now-retired Feigin’s invaluable Leo Records catalogue to Bandcamp) releases Quartet (England) 1985, catching the sound of one of Braxton’s most skilfully intuitive groups on that year’s UK tour.

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© Photograph: Nick White

© Photograph: Nick White

© Photograph: Nick White

Warm weather helped drive recovery but sales still below pre-pandemic levels

History and science show playing their semi before their final rivals should be advantage for Sarina Wiegman’s team

What do the past three Women’s World Cups, the past three men’s World Cups and the past four men’s European Championships have in common with this summer’s men’s Club World Cup? The answer may give England fans an extra glimmer of hope for Sunday’s Women’s Euro 2025 final because all of those competitions were won by the team who contested the first semi-final, 24 hours earlier than their opponents in the final.

Most women’s football tournaments used to schedule the semi-finals for the same day but, since that began to change about 20 years ago, it has been a trend in international tournaments for the winners to have come from the first semi-final. As the Lionesses prepare to meet Spain, who came through their semi-final against Germany a day later than England’s comeback win over Italy, it begs the question: how much of an advantage could it offer to Sarina Wiegman’s team?

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© Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

© Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

© Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

World No 1 Carlsen was third as Aronian took the $200,000 prize in the Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Grand Slam

Levon Aronian, at 42 the oldest in the tournament, scored what he described as “one of the crown jewels” of his career to win the $200,000 (£148,000) first prize at the Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Grand Slam last weekend. Aronian did it in style, winning matches against the world No 1 Magnus Carlsen, the No 2 Hikaru Nakamura and the No 5 Arjun Erigaisi en route to victory.

Carlsen had to settle for the third prize of $100,000, plus the further indignity of finishing behind his arch enemy Hans Niemann, whose game with the Norwegian at the 2022 Sinquefield Cup led to allegations of cheating and a $100m lawsuit, which was eventually settled out of court.

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© Photograph: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess

© Photograph: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess

© Photograph: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess

An underwhelming series when it began has been transformed but the sustainable sport is still searching to break out of its bubble on the eve of 11th season’s finale

A racing series with purpose, Formula E heads into its season finale in London this weekend having to an extent already made its point. Mass adoption of electric vehicles, considered a somewhat fanciful future when it began in 2014, has been embraced as an integral part of dealing with the climate emergency. Still, Formula E is intent on continuing to build a championship that remains a sustainable and entertaining series. The task it faces is persuading the public to pay attention.

Those opening years did nothing to help the cause. A decade ago the cars that trundled round Battersea Park in London did little to sell the future of electric racing. They were slow and unwieldy, and sounded rather like disgruntled hairdryers. Worst of all, with batteries unable to last an entire race, drivers had to change car at the midway point.

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© Photograph: Marc de Mattia/DPPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Marc de Mattia/DPPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Marc de Mattia/DPPI/Shutterstock

We meet the director and writer of the classic gay romance for tea, cake and bubbles to talk about the movie that changed cinema – and the lives of everyone involved

It is a sweltering summer afternoon and I’m blowing bubbles over the heads of Stephen Frears and Hanif Kureishi while they have their pictures taken in a sun-dappled corner of the latter’s garden. Perched in front of them as they sit side by side – Kureishi, who has been tetraplegic since breaking his neck in a fall in 2022, is in a wheelchair – is a silver cake made to look like a washing machine, commissioned to mark the 40th anniversary of their witty, raunchy comedy-drama My Beautiful Laundrette.

Some of the bubbles land on the cake’s surface, causing everyone present to make a mental note to skip the icing, while others burst on the brim of Frears’s hat or drift into Kureishi’s eyes. It is not perhaps the most dignified look for an esteemed duo celebrating an enduring Oscar-nominated gem. Don’t think they haven’t noticed, either. As the bubbles pop around them, Kureishi upbraids the photographer for trampling on his garden – “Mind my flowers!” – while Frears grumbles: “I could be watching the cricket.”

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© Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

© Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

© Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

Mental health charity says it plans to move volunteers into larger regional hubs and pilot remote call handling

Samaritans has announced plans to close at least half of its 200 branches across the UK and Ireland, move volunteers into larger regional hubs and pilot remote call handling, in a shake-up that has left some volunteers dismayed.

The mental health charity told volunteers in a video last week it hoped “within the next seven to 10 years, our branch network will have reduced by at least half” and that it would move to “fewer but bigger regions”.

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© Photograph: Brian Anthony/Alamy

© Photograph: Brian Anthony/Alamy

© Photograph: Brian Anthony/Alamy

More than a dozen killed in worst fighting in more than a decade

Demographic decline hits vast education system as drop-off in births leads to school closures

FCC approval of deal comes after Paramount paid $16m to settle Trump lawsuit over 60 Minutes interview

The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media on Thursday, clearing the way for an $8.4bn sale of some of the most prominent names in entertainment, including the CBS broadcast television network, Paramount Pictures and the Nickelodeon cable channel.

The FCC agreed to transfer broadcast licenses for 28 owned-and-operated CBS television stations to the new owners after Paramount paid $16m to settle a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with former vice-president Kamala Harris that aired in October.

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© Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

© Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

© Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters

Six months ago these special scenes were a distant fantasy but display against India offered glimpse into future

Earlier this year Harry Kane spoke about how he somehow managed to be constantly criticised even as he approached the extraordinary landmark of 400 career goals. “It’s like when Ronaldo and Messi were throwing these crazy numbers out there and the next season they’d score 40 goals instead of 50 and it was like they were having a bad season,” he said. “People take it for granted and maybe a little bit with England as well … people just expect it so it’s not spoken about so much. Maybe people just get a little bit bored of what you do.”

For each of the past 11 seasons Kane has played at least 30 games and scored at least 20 goals, and perhaps this is how players are punished for consistency of performance and fitness. Because the opposite is also true: when players appear only rarely, when they play at a level that is seldom seen, well, that simply demands to be relished. Nothing is more cherished than the ephemeral. Nobody wishes on a static star.

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© Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

© Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

© Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA