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The Post-Settlement Legal BattleAttorneys for Blake Lively returned to a New York court on Monday to formally demand legal fees and damages from co-star Justin Baldoni, just a month after the parties reached a settlement in their years-long dispute.The Retaliation Argument and Legal HistoryLively’s legal team argued that Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit was a retaliatory move prohibited by California law. This claim contrasts with Baldoni’s previous insistence that neither he nor his studio, Wayfarer Studios, retaliated against the actor.Timeline of the Dispute: Lively filed her initial complaint in December 2024, alleging inappropriate discussions about sex life and attempts to alter the script.Counterclaims: Baldoni countersued for extortion and defamation, but a judge dismissed those claims last year.Current Status: While the judge dismissed some of Lively's claims, he upheld her allegations of retaliation.Box Office Success Amidst ControversyThe legal war surrounded the film *It Ends with Us*, which was based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. Despite the high-profile conflict, the movie proved to be a massive commercial success.Revenue: The film grossed more than $350m at the box office in 2024.Production: Baldoni directed the film, which also stars Ryan Reynolds.The High Cost of Hollywood FeudsThe case highlights the intense scrutiny surrounding Hollywood productions and the potential for reputational damage through orchestrated PR and social media campaigns. The dismissal of Baldoni’s extortion claims suggests a significant legal victory for Lively, though the demand for fees indicates the financial burden of the litigation remains a point of contention.Future OutlookWith the full terms of the settlement undisclosed, the demand for legal fees signals that the resolution may not have been a total victory for either party. This case serves as a stark reminder of the financial and reputational risks involved in high-profile entertainment disputes.

A Critical Portrait of George MichaelIn 1998, George Michael was arrested for public lewdness in an LA lavatory, an incident that finally led the singer to publicly come out. The following day, Sathnam Sanghera found himself unable to leave his room at university: the doorway had been mockingly plastered with tabloid newspaper headlines – "ZIP ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO!" – by fellow students aware of his longstanding fandom. As a writer, Sanghera is best known for a series of award-winning books on the British empire, which he calls his "specialist subject". Judging by Tonight the Music Seems So Loud – not a biography so much as a miscellany, a set of themed essays that tend to digress in all kinds of intriguing directions – the life and work of one Georgios Panayiotou runs imperialism and its legacy a very close second.The Complex Legacy of a Pop IconIt is an unashamedly partisan book, although not an uncritical one. Sanghera is as alive to Michael's personal and professional failings (whether the naffness of some of his early work as one half of Wham! or his high-handed treatment of the duo's other half, Andrew Ridgeley) as he is in love with his artistic triumphs. These, of course, range from Careless Whisper and Wham!'s annually inescapable Last Christmas to the 1996 solo masterpiece Older, a peculiar and peculiarly effective cocktail of raw grief at the Aids-related death of his lover Anselmo Feleppa and unrepentant horniness.The Evolution of Critical ReceptionSanghera's love for his subject is evidently sharpened by the opprobrium of others. Indeed if the book has a flaw, it's that the author is old enough to remember an era when George Michael was deemed insufferably uncool by some arbiters of taste (incredibly, when Wham! performed at a 1984 benefit show for striking miners, the only mainstream pop act to show support for the cause, they were received stone-faced by the audience and savaged by the music press for their trouble), and thus has a tendency to underestimate how much both he and his music have been critically re-evaluated in the 21st century.The Artistic Journey of George MichaelHe says one of the spurs to write the book was his belief that "most truly popular music is not generally deemed worthy of serious analysis and George Michael's music most certainly is not". That might have been true once, but certainly not of late: when he died, this newspaper alone ran six features by critics analysing different aspects of his music. "He sang so exquisitely about the marrow of life, about the vital, corporeal things", wrote one, which definitely doesn't amount to taking George Michael insufficiently seriously.double quotation markEven as he skinned up in front of journalists and discussed his drug use and sex life, he was concealing the extent of the addictions that eventually killed himFamily Background and Cultural IdentitySanghera is very good on the climate of homophobia in the 80s, which might have given any gay public figure serious qualms about coming out, and fascinating on Michael's family background: how growing up embedded in north London's Greek Cypriot community impacted on everything from Wham!'s image – not camp, Sanghera suggests, but "the vision of two children of immigrants imagining a kind of glamour they had not actually experienced before" – to his work ethic and control freakery. His dad made good in England by working exceptionally hard, running such a tight ship at his restaurant that he summarily fired his only son for messing up the drinks orders. The fact that the same son went on to hire 12 different saxophonists before finding one that could play the solo on Careless Whisper to his satisfaction doesn't come as a huge surprise.The Perfectionist and Contradictory ArtistThis my-way-or-the-highway perfectionism could yield hugely impressive results – Careless Whisper's sax hook may well be the most famous in pop history – but it could equally lead to intransigence and self-sabotage. Michael worked incredibly hard to transform himself from a member of a teen pop band into a more adult-facing solo artist, but having sold a staggering 25m copies of his 1987 solo debut Faith, he refused to promote its follow-up Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, or even make videos for its singles: a better album than its predecessor, it achieved only a fraction of its sales as a result. It was evidence of a deeply contradictory nature that occasionally has Sanghera throwing up his hands in bewilderment.The Public and Private Faces of George MichaelMichael was a polymath, keen to be duly credited as the sole singer, writer, producer and musician on a succession of tracks, but also had a weird habit of talking down his abilities, claiming he couldn't play instruments he was perfectly capable of playing. He was a Stakhanovite who increasingly worked at an agonisingly glacial pace, endlessly fussing over details, a state of affairs not much helped by his gargantuan appetite for marijuana: coupled with bouts of writers' block, it meant he released only six albums of original material in a career that lasted 34 years. He was a Labour voter, booster of the NHS and famously generous philanthropist who also engaged in tax avoidance. After being publicly outed, he became a notoriously frank interviewee ("as if nothing can embarrass him anymore" the Guardian's Simon Hattenstone suggested when he met him in 2009). But even as he skinned up in front of journalists and freely discussed his drug use and sex life, he was concealing the extent of the addictions that eventually killed him.The Decline and Final YearsMichael emerges as a messy, unpredictable but ultimately hugely likable figure, which makes the essay about his demise particularly tough reading. Listed starkly on the page, the facts of his final 10 years make it obvious that he was a deeply unwell man whose life had spun wildly out of control: drug busts, medical emergencies, visits to rehab, rumours of breakdowns and suicide bids and seven incidents in which he either crashed his car or was found comatose at the wheel.The Professional Mask of Personal StruggleThat it somehow didn't appear obvious at the time – that his death at 53 felt like a shock rather than a grim inevitability – seems remarkable, but as Sanghera points out, Michael's professionalism did a lot to paper over the cracks. He was always available to the media and always smart, funny and self-effacing: to use a modern turn of phrase, he controlled the narrative. He was punctilious about his appearance – the star certainly never looked like an ailing drug addict – and unfailingly superb onstage.The Hidden Realities Behind the FameBehind the scenes, it was a different story. He struggled to make new music: at one juncture he booked six months of recording sessions but never turned up to the studio once. His once-acute commercial instincts seemed to desert him: even Sanghera can't muster much enthusiasm for the handful of still-unreleased songs he completed in his final years. He cut off close friends and family who tried to intervene. No one who knew him seems to have been particularly surprised by his death: the list of adjectives used to describe him on his official website now includes not just "icon" "legend" "soul singer" and "philanthropist" but "addict" "repeat offender" and "depressive".An Imagined Alternative LegacyAs the book draws to a close, Sanghera offers a heartbreaking alternative history. He imagines Michael conquering his addictions, coming to a complete accommodation with his musical past (to the end of his life, he was dismissive of Wham!, describing their oeuvre as an exercise in "ignoring my own intelligence" and declining to play most of their hits live) and headlining Glastonbury, "getting pleasure from the audience reaction to Club Tropicana".The Enduring Power of George Michael's MusicIt's affecting because you can imagine it so vividly: the endless succession of hits that anyone with even a passing interest in pop music knows, the pandemonium in the crowd when he breaks out Careless Whisper, the encore of Freedom '90. You don't have to be a fan on Sanghera's level to understand what a triumph it would have been. Tonight the Music Seems So Loud: The Meaning of George Michael by Sathnam Sanghera is published by Picador (£22). To support the Guardian, buy a copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

BP has confirmed that Dame Amanda Blanc, its senior independent director and chief executive of Aviva, will again head the search for a new chair after the abrupt removal of Albert Manifold.BP Re‑instates Amanda Blanc to Steer Chair SearchThe BP interim chair, Ian Tyler, issued a statement saying the board has formally requested Blanc to lead the next chair‑search process. Blanc previously oversaw the 2025 search that resulted in Manifold’s appointment in July. The board emphasizes that the upcoming process will be “rigorous” and involve the entire board, with the final decision reflecting a collective view.Investor Pushback and Shareholder Vote FiguresLarge institutional investors have publicly questioned whether Blanc, who also runs insurer Aviva, is the right person to guide the search.During Manifold’s first annual meeting, 18% of votes were cast against his re‑election after he blocked a climate‑focused resolution from the shareholder group Follow This.Manifold’s removal came after just eight months in the role, intensifying concerns about board stability.Governance Turmoil Signals Deeper Boardroom InstabilityThe ousting of Manifold follows a recent cascade of leadership changes at BP: former chair Albert Manifold removed chief executive Murray Auchincloss after less than two years, and Meg O’Neill was hired from ExxonMobil to become CEO in December, officially starting in April. Earlier, former chair Bernard Looney was forced out in September 2023 over undisclosed relationships. This pattern underscores mounting governance challenges and heightened scrutiny from shareholders.What the Next Chair Search Could Mean for BP’s Strategic DirectionAnalysts note that the new chair will inherit a company pivoting back toward fossil‑fuel extraction while scaling back renewable‑energy investments. The choice of chair could therefore influence whether BP accelerates its “culture shock” strategy or seeks a more balanced energy transition. With investor confidence at stake, the board’s ability to appoint a figure who can restore stability and align with long‑term strategic goals will be critical in the months ahead.

Night‑time Onslaught: Scale of the Russian StrikeUkrainian authorities reported that 656 drones and 73 missiles were launched by Russia in a coordinated overnight assault. The barrage targeted the capital Kyiv and the regions of Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as key energy and transport infrastructure.Human Toll Across Major CitiesKyiv: Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed at least four deaths and 58 wounded, including two children.Dnipro: Governor Oleksandr Ganzha said five people were killed and 25 injured, three in serious condition.Kharkiv: Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported ten injuries, one of them a child.Overall, the attacks left **at least nine civilians dead** and **dozens injured** across the country.Strategic Rationale Behind the BombardmentRussia’s Ministry of Defence framed the operation as a strike on Ukraine’s “military‑industrial complex,” using “high‑precision weapons” to degrade command, control and logistics nodes. Simultaneously, a Ukrainian drone strike hit Russia’s Kursk region, killing one person, while a separate drone attack ignited a fire at an oil refinery in Krasnodar.Implications for Ukrainian Civilian Defense and International DiplomacyThe sudden surge in aerial attacks forces Ukrainian civilians back into shelters, testing the resilience of air‑defence systems that have been under constant strain since 2022. President Vladimir Zelenskyy had warned of a “new massive strike” just days earlier, underscoring intelligence‑driven preparedness. The timing coincides with a lull in U.S.–led peace initiatives, as the Trump administration remains preoccupied with Middle‑East conflicts, potentially limiting diplomatic pressure on Moscow.Outlook: Anticipating Further Escalation and ResponseGiven the scale of the recent barrage and the explicit Russian claim of targeting strategic assets, analysts expect a continuation of high‑intensity aerial operations in the coming weeks. Ukraine is likely to maintain 24/7 air‑alert status, while NATO allies may consider bolstering air‑defence support. The dual‑front drone activity—Ukrainian strikes inside Russia and Russian attacks inside Ukraine—suggests an expanding kinetic dimension to the conflict, raising the risk of broader regional spill‑over.

The Unexpected Bloom in the LawnWhen moving to a new residence, the author discovered that leaving the lawn uncut was not just a matter of self-control but a necessity. This ecological restraint, similar to the 'No Mow May' campaign, allowed the garden to express itself naturally. The highlight of this botanical exploration was the discovery of the Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), the most widespread of the UK's 54 orchid species.Population Growth and ObservationInitial Discovery: The first year yielded a single slender pink spike among the green swathe.Current Count: Through systematic searching and marking locations with sticks, the count has risen to 27 plants this year.Visual Impact: The discovery of the lance-like, black-blotched leaves felt like finding something animate, reinforcing the orchid's reputation for mystery.The Subterranean Life CycleThe orchid's reputation for mystery is well-founded, as its life is largely defined by a prolonged, hidden existence. Unlike most plants, orchid seeds are microscopic and lack the food reserves required for germination. Instead, they rely on a mutualistic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi, which infect the seed and provide necessary nutrients.The plant derives its name from the Greek word órchis, meaning 'testicle,' referring to the globular root structure that develops underground. This underground store may take several years to accumulate sufficient energy before a shoot finally erupts above ground, explaining the unpredictability of their sudden appearance.The Future of Ecological GardeningThe observation of such rapid growth in a previously uncut lawn suggests that ecological restraint is a powerful tool for biodiversity. By allowing nature to dictate the pace and pattern of the garden, homeowners can inadvertently create habitats that support complex underground ecosystems, revealing a hidden world of flora that would otherwise remain unseen.

The Lead Hungary is on the verge of launching a wealth tax aimed at oligarchs who accumulated wealth during Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule. The move is part of a broader effort to dismantle the System of National Cooperation (NER), which rewarded political loyalty with economic opportunities. The Event Details The proposed wealth tax, announced by Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, would apply to individuals with assets exceeding 1 billion forints (£2.4m). The tax would be levied on the portion of their estate above that threshold, including property, shares in companies, and assets held abroad. This move is seen as a way to address social injustice and bring public money back into the public coffers. The Data Analysis According to Zoltán Pogátsa, a political economist, 38 of the 50 richest Hungarians acquired their wealth under Orbán's rule through public tenders or benefited extensively from public procurements. One of the best-known oligarchs is Lőrinc Mészáros, with an estimated net worth of $5bn. The wealth tax could impact prominent figures like Mészáros and István Tiborcz, Orbán's son-in-law. The Impact Analysis The wealth tax debate is a global one, with countries like Brazil and California pushing for similar legislation. In Hungary, the tax could have significant implications for the country's economic landscape and the fortunes of its oligarchs. The Tisza party's proposal has secured a two-thirds majority in parliament, paving the way for its implementation. The Prediction If implemented, the wealth tax could mark a significant shift in Hungary's economic policy, potentially setting a precedent for other European countries. As Magyar has promised to reform the public tender process and established a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office to pursue corruption, the wealth tax could be a crucial tool in dismantling the NER system and promoting social justice.

The explosive growth of Palantir’s AI‑driven platformSince its 2003 launch, the company founded by Peter Thiel has leveraged AI‑powered software to turn massive, complex data sets into actionable insights for governments and corporations. Its client roster now spans the NHS, the US military, ICE, and the Israeli defence forces, underpinning a valuation that has climbed to roughly $375 bn after a 1,500% stock surge since the 2020 IPO.Valuation, contracts and the £600 m UK footprint£600 m in contracts with the UK Ministry of Defence, several police forces and the NHS.£50 m Metropolitan Police deal blocked by Mayor Sadiq Khan in May 2026.Projected UK revenue growth of 30% YoY, according to internal estimates.Political and civil‑society pushback in BritainOpposition has coalesced around concerns that a US‑controlled firm is embedding itself in sovereign infrastructure. A petition signed by nearly a quarter‑million people called for the termination of all Palantir contracts, while MPs such as Martin Wrigley warned the Financial Conduct Authority’s partnership could expose sensitive data to US authorities.Data‑privacy concerns and the NHS contract controversyInvestigations revealed that Palantir gained access to un‑anonymised patient records under a £330 m NHS contract, prompting health‑justice charity Medact to warn of “data‑driven abuses of state power” and potential ICE‑style raids. Palantir maintains that any use outside client instructions would breach contract and be illegal.Future outlook: regulatory risk and competitive pressureShort‑seller Michael Burry has flagged the stock as overvalued, citing vulnerability to emerging rivals offering comparable analytics without the geopolitical baggage. If UK regulators tighten data‑sharing rules or if public procurement policies shift toward domestic providers, Palantir’s UK pipeline could face material setbacks.

Court Blocks Trump's Transgender Military BanA United States court of appeals has ruled that a policy under President Donald Trump to expel transgender troops from the military was a violation of the Constitution. Monday's decision was a split one among the three-judge panel of the US appeals court for the District of Columbia.One judge, Robert Wilkins, an appointee of former Democratic President Barack Obama, upheld a lower court ruling rejecting the Trump administration's policy as it pertains to already enlisted service members. A second judge – Judith Rogers, who was picked by former Democratic President Bill Clinton – agreed with his opinion, but only in part. She felt it should extend to those who seek to enlist, too.And the third judge, Trump pick Justin Walker, issued a dissent questioning the court's ability to second-guess US military policy.Origins of Trump's Controversial PolicyThe case focused on one of the earliest actions Trump took during his second term in office. On January 27, 2025, a week after his second inauguration, Trump issued an executive order called "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness".In it, he denounced the US armed forces as having been infiltrated with "radical gender ideology". He proceeded to describe transgender people as unfit for service for embracing a "false 'gender identity'"."A man's assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member," Trump wrote.The executive order became the basis for a 13-page Pentagon memorandum, issued in February 2025 under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It declared that any service member who has "symptoms" of gender dysphoria, or who has used hormone therapy or surgery to affirm their gender, would be "disqualified from military service".Military Service Record of Transgender PlaintiffsIn Monday's ruling, Wilkins described the policy as blatantly discriminatory. The policy, he wrote, "appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group: persons who identify as transgender"."To add insult, the President labeled transgender persons as dishonorable, undisciplined, arrogant, selfish liars," Wilkins added, pointing to the executive order.He pointed out that the transgender plaintiffs in the case had a combined 130 years of military service and had earned more than 80 commendations for their work.In the face of such evidence, Wilkins said the Trump administration had "forfeited any argument" that "retaining these service members will harm national security".Divided Rulings and Legal ImplicationsBut Wilkins stopped short of fully upholding a lower court ruling against the policy. Previously, Judge Ana Reyes had issued a temporary injunction against Trump's executive order, finding that the discrimination against transgender troops was unconstitutional.Wilkins agreed with Reyes that the Trump administration could not dismiss those already in the military's employ. But, he added, the harm was less for those seeking to enlist.Monday's ruling, therefore, strikes down the part of Reyes's injunction that would have barred the Trump administration from banning transgender people from the enlistment process.Rogers, the Clinton appointee, disagreed with that distinction. She pointed to testimony indicating that excluding transgender recruits from joining the military would deprive "our force of qualified personnel who have proven their ability to serve".Meanwhile, the dissent from the Trump appointee, Walker, hinged on his argument that the court had violated the separation of powers in the US government.Courts, he argued, should not be able to rule on the composition of the military."We have neither the expertise nor the authority to decide whether the military can exclude the plaintiffs from its ranks," Walker wrote. "The Constitution assigns that authority to Congress and the Commander in Chief."What Happens Next in the Legal BattleThe split decision is unlikely to have an immediate effect on US military policy. The appeals court has stayed the preliminary injunction from Reyes, as the legal fight continues, and last year, the US Supreme Court also halted an injunction against Trump's anti-transgender policy, in the case United States v Shilling.In a short, four-word social media post, Hegseth signalled that the Pentagon would appeal Monday's decision."See you at SCOTUS," he wrote, using the acronym for Supreme Court of the United States.But Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates hailed the ruling as a victory against prejudice and discrimination in the Trump administration."No one who is qualified and answers the call to serve should be denied that opportunity because of who they are," US Representative John Larson of Connecticut wrote in a statement."Trump's trans military ban is discrimination — plain and simple. We'll keep fighting these attacks on our troops and all transgender Americans."

The Israel Day Parade: A Celebration of Heritage The Israel Day Parade in New York is an annual event that celebrates Israel's culture, heritage, and the Jewish community. This year's parade took place on a sunny day in June, attracting a large crowd of enthusiastic participants. Who Attended the Parade? The parade saw a diverse range of attendees, including members of the Jewish community, Israeli expats, and supporters of Israel from around the world. The event featured various floats, marching bands, and cultural performances that highlighted Israel's rich history and traditions. A Show of Unity and Pride The Israel Day Parade in New York is more than just a celebration; it's a show of unity and pride for those who attend. The event provides a platform for people to come together, share their heritage, and showcase their cultural identity. The Significance of Israel Day Israel Day is a significant holiday that commemorates the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The day is marked with celebrations and events around the world, including the Israel Day Parade in New York.