Culture secretary Lisa Nandy is among first to view epic embroidery at British Museum marking big step in Anglo-French diplomacy

In the decade after Brexit, the relationship between Britain and France has been defined by rows over fishing rights, Channel crossings and trade. Boris Johnson even mocked Emmanuel Macron, telling his French counterpart to “donnez-moi un break”.

This week, that fractious chapter gave way to one of the most significant acts of cultural diplomacy between the two countries in decades. Almost 1,000 years after it was created, the Bayeux tapestry arrived at the British Museum after years of painstaking negotiations between London and Paris, transported from France under cover of darkness.

A tournament with more teams and more games has been filled with euphoria, heartbreak, and these weird and wonderful viral moments

As a Japanese supporter exclaimed to a television camera, “Texas is good, everything is big”, we knew the World Cup had started. In those early euphoric moments, seeing the palpable joy when everything is still possible, it seemed Japan fans were the MVPs of memes.

They came in their thousands, dressed in sombreros and Mario outfits, tossed into the air like confetti and line dancing with the Dutch. Then the heartbreak arrived.

Struggling industry seeks to capitalise on Gen Z’s willingness to spend on experiences and comfort

It had always been the great British festival way: greasy burgers and warm beer, retch-inducing toilets and the descent into dishevelment as roughing it takes its toll.

But a generation of festivalgoers has emerged who are willing to splash the cash to inject luxury into the experience. This summer, there are signs the under-pressure industry is ramping up its offer, from gleaming private toilets and “pamper parlours” to fine dining, hot tubs, saunas and even a “cold waterfall drench” to keep refreshed.

Pete Hegseth wants to win the war on Iran with a secret weapon: testosterone. Meanwhile, JD Vance is worried about how to eat an ice-cream

Are the men of the Trump administration OK? Feels like it’s been a tricky week for some of them. On the one hand, you’ll note the US is already rebooting its Iran war. Clearly, many will feel this latest version of the conflict is coming too soon after the last one, with fans simply not given enough time to miss the IP. A lot like the live-action Moana currently falling off the screen in cinemas. On the other hand, defence secretary Pete Hegseth seems to have moved the defence department beyond even its latter-day renaming as the department of war, posting a video entitled “The High-T Department of War” in which he announced mandatory testosterone screening for US troops aged 30 and over. We’ll get to JD Vance being unintentionally aroused by footage of Joe Biden eating ice-cream in a minute. Or as soon as I can face it.

Even the lower-ranking White House operatives seem to be spinning out. You may remember the UK’s political betting scandal, where various police officers, campaign officials and aides to former prime minister Rishi Sunak were arrested or investigated for putting bets on the last general election date. Everything’s bigger in the US, of course, so in some ways it’s not a surprise to learn that the guy who operates Trump’s teleprompter has allegedly made $100,000 on Kalshi by placing bets on words or topics appearing in Trump’s speeches. He is currently on unpaid administrative leave, according to press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who yesterday added solemnly, “there are very strict ethical guidelines here at the White House”. A statement so hilarious that I refuse to believe Leavitt herself didn’t say it for a bet. Probably with Hegseth. “Dude, I know I can get it in. I back myself. And if I do say it, you owe me $1,000 and an off-the-books testosterone shot.”

Marina Hyde’s new book, What a Time to be Alive!, is out in September (Guardian Faber Publishing, £20). To support the Guardian, order your signed copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

She is shaking up showbiz and redefining the way disability is portrayed on screen. Ahead of her end-times thriller The Rapture, the star talks about being a Doctor Who badass and why her husband finds her job hysterical

The day I met Ruth Madeley in a hotel in central London was the peak of the last heatwave, the buttons on traffic lights almost too hot to touch. Eerily, this is a major theme of The Rapture, the BBC’s new adaptation of Liz Jensen’s 2009 bestseller. It’s set in a children’s secure psychiatric unit, and the 38-year-old actor plays Gabs, a clinical psychologist recently paralysed in a car accident that killed her husband. She becomes transfixed by the inmate Bethany – a surly, biting performance from India Amarteifio – who has been convicted of killing her own mother. Gabs is hard-boiled, as far from gullible as you could imagine, and Bethany’s “visions”, which pour out of her in frenetic drawings of faces, disasters, landscapes, don’t fall on fertile ground. Yet Gabs cannot help but notice when they start to come true.

In the background, the heat is stultifying and climate crisis activists are begging the world to take notice. “Yes, it’s feeling very timely,” she says wryly. This is on-brand; her first major role was in Russell T Davies’s Years and Years, the apocalyptic smash hit that ends with a monkey flu pandemic (sorry, spoiler), “and then a year later we were in lockdown. I told Russell: ‘You’re not allowed to write anything else, my nerves can’t take it.’”

Our writer trekked more than 50 miles to find stylish pairs that can go the distance, whether you’re hiking, sightseeing or commuting

• The best hiking boots for women – tested

Whether you’re planning countryside rambles, hilly walks, or just want practical, cool footwear for your next holiday, walking sandals will be your new hot-weather-adventure best friends.

The best walking sandals should offer the grip and support of a hiking shoe but without the bulk or heat, and cope just as well with rural trails as they do with pavements. With so many options available, from sporty trail designs to more polished, wear-anywhere styles, it’s worth knowing what to look for before you buy.

Best walking sandals overall:
Vivobarefoot Tracker Ora

Best budget walking sandals:
Jack Wolfskin Ridge

Former Greater Manchester mayor, who will take over as PM on Monday, says country ‘crying out for a new politics’

• UK politics live – latest updates

Andy Burnham has declared himself ready to “beat Britain’s new right” with a fresh, united approach as he becomes the leader of the Labour party before taking over as British prime minister on Monday.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester won the overwhelming support of MPs, trade unions and party branches, making him the only choice to take over from Keir Starmer.

Exclusive: Grants are part of controversial package criticised as misuse of public money to influence European politics

Donald Trump’s state department intends to allocate $12m to organisations in the UK founded by the prominent Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young, the Guardian can reveal.

The intended grants, revealed in US government documents, are part of a package of support for European groups viewed favourably by the Trump administration. Some former US officials have criticised the funding as a misuse of public money to seek influence over foreign politics.

Kiran Kaur, 53, sentenced to three years for assisting Vickrum Digwa after he stabbed student in Southampton

The mother of Vickrum Digwa, whose false claims of racism against Henry Nowak triggered riots in Southampton, has been jailed for removing a knife from the murder scene.

Appearing at Southampton crown court, Kiran Kaur, 53, was jailed for three years for assisting an offender by taking the knife from where her son had murdered the 18-year-old student on 3 December 2025 back to her family home.

• West Indian widely regarded as greatest all-rounder

• First to hit six sixes in one over in first-class game

• Vic Marks: why Sobers was the greatest of all time

• Sir Garry Sobers – a life in pictures

Sir Garry Sobers, an undisputed cricketing great and widely regarded as the sport’s greatest all-rounder, has died aged 89.

Sobers will forever be associated with the feat he completed in 1968 at Glamorgan’s St Helen’s ground in Swansea when he became the first batsman to hit six sixes in a single over of six consecutive balls in first-class cricket but his achievements in a long and illustrious career were numerous.