Korean president Lee lashes out and apologises to nationSon Heung-min omission against South Africa backfiresHong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday as South Korea’s head coach, a day after his side’s group-stage exit from the World Cup and after condemnation from the country’s president.The 57-year-old former captain, in his second stint as coach, oversaw an early World Cup departure for the second time to go with the failure in 2014. South Korea were expected to get out of a Group A that included the co-hosts Mexico as well as South Africa and Czechia. But they lost 1-0 against South Africa and Mexico, and finished on three points, their only success a 2-1 win against Czechia. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 20:55 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

There was good food, nervous energy and pandemonium at a Surry Hills cafe as Algeria went through to the knockout roundOn a rainy day in Sydney’s Surry Hills, a small crowd rushes into a small cafe draped in the green and white flag of Algeria, gathering around a TV with dreams of seeing their country make the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 12 years.Greetings are exchanged in French as small plastic cups of tea are handed out. The smell of spices wafts through the cafe as flames burst from a pan in the kitchen. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 15:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

ChatGPT relieves me of my discomfort, but in doing so it robs me of contemplation, of the holy ground between question and answerMaking sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday lifeAs a person of faith raised in a religious household, I have a fairly clear picture of what prayer means to me. Prayer is the practice by which I draw closer to God, petition for my needs and desires, request guidance and ask forgiveness.The deal has always been that in times of trouble I cast my anxieties and questions and emerge with either some answers or some sustaining sense of peace. Take it to the Lord in prayer, the song goes. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 15:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

The latest work buzzword describes feeling under-stimulated at your job – but you can break free from workplace monotonyThere is a woman I know who works in the accounts payable department at one of my clients. She’s in her late 40s and she’s been doing the same job for at least 10 years. Entering payables, reconciling expense accounts, matching documents, calling suppliers.Sound boring? Not to her. She’s happy, enjoys the routine and appreciates her employer. She’s not “rusting-out” – the latest workplace buzzword. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 14:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Yes, they’re filthy and annoying. But they’re also far smarter and more interesting than you’d think if you just watched one throwing itself against a window paneI consider myself a broadly live-and-let-live sort. I don’t eat animals and treat my garden as a habitat for wildlife, including greenfly, blackfly and the slugs eating all my strawberries. I love bees and tolerate wasps. We’re all just trying to survive; I get it. But here are some things I have said recently (minus the expletives that made up the majority of each sentence) to houseflies: “You’ll be dead soon, because I’m going to murder you”; “Get out – I hate you”; “If you don’t leave, I’ll kill you”; “Shut UP”; “That’s it – you’re dead.”I can’t stand flies. Bloodlust boils in me at the sight and sound of a bluebottle casually vibing in the fruit bowl, buzzing frantically around my office or banging against the window again and again like a dopey drunk. Opening windows in search of a heatwave cross-breeze has brought them buzzing in; they seemingly have no inclination or ability to leave and it’s driving me wild. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 13:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

They have one job, the clue’s right there in their name – but I’ve noticed that ‘optimised’ shoelaces on pricey trainers are anything butIf political coverage has you never wanting to hear the word “pothole” again, let me spice things up with an entirely new symbol of decline – one even more everyday, more easily fixed (and therefore even more damning). Potholes 2.0: ladies and gentlemen, I give you the shoelace, and how they do not stay tied any more.If you’re wondering what my evidence is, I say: evidence schmevidence. Like most political grievances (PC gone mad! Migrants stealing our jobs!) it doesn’t need to be true, only to feel true. And a quick search online suggests I am not the only one who feels like shoelaces – which, let’s be clear, have one job! – are rubbish now. Reddit, Quora, Facebook: the shoelace‑curious are everywhere, with some even turning to the science of the knot itself. (Apparently common ways to tie shoelaces are versions of “the granny knot”, which physicists say is “destined to fail” – much like we are if we keep putting our physicists on jobs like this.)Coco Khan is a freelance writer and co-host of the politics podcast Pod Save the UK Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 07:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

I knew my 11-year-old son would love an evening at Wembley with his favourite star. But nothing prepared me for what it would mean to meThe answers to some little questions are hugely revealing. We pass it off as small talk, but asking about somebody’s first anything often reveals all you need to know about who they are today and why. If only I’d understood the implications of buying Wig Wam Bam by Black Lace as my debut music purchase – had known it would shape so many future interactions and realised how ridiculous you feel simply saying those words, even to those too young or cool to be familiar with the full sonic horror.So, to halt generational trauma, when the opportunity came to supply my son with the dream reply to “What was your first concert?” I took him to Harry Styles at Wembley during a thermometer-shattering heatwave.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. Continue reading...

28 Jun 2026 04:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN