Today in Focus

In his first budget as chancellor, John Healey has pledged to offer ‘breathing space’ to help Britons navigate ‘global economic storms’. There were a record number of measures, including a one-off £100 energy payment to millions and a rise in the levy on bank profits. But the Conservatives have criticised the government for postponing big decisions, including on defence and welfare. Lucy Hough spe...

Food security expert Prof Tim Lang and prepper and YouTube influencer Ana talk about the government’s new campaign encouraging the public to store three days’ worth of basic supplies. Send your comments and questions to tif.questions@theguardian.com . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Harry Kane is the men’s Ballon d’Or winner for 2026, the first Englishman to win the trophy in 25 years. At a lavish ceremony at the Palladium Theatre in London, Kane unexpectedly won ahead of co-favourites Lamine Yamal of Barcelona and Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid. In a contest that has been critiqued for promoting individualism and celebrity in sport, Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s chief sp...

It’s being called the most consequential election in Israel’s history. Emma Graham-Harrison explains what’s at stake. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has won a historic fourth term as president, defeating the far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in a dramatic comeback. Lula is the first candidate to win a runoff election after losing in the first round, taking victory with 51.79% of the vote to his rival’s 48.21%. His win bucks a regional trend, after the son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro had spearhea...

After the prime minister recently intervened to defend Manchester City’s beleaguered ownership, many began to ask: just how deep are the ties between Andy Burnham and the UAE? With North of England editor Josh Halliday . Send your comments and questions to tif.questions@theguardian.com . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Are we doomscrolling our way into a democratic crisis? That’s what the playwright James Graham fears may be happening, as he suggests that our algorithms have led us into ‘a massive crisis of the new’ and are preventing us from imagining a different future. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The search for the next James Bond may be in the final stages, with screen tests reportedly taking place this weekend. Callum Turner, Jack Lowden and Josh O’Connor are among the actors thought to be in the running for the role. So who is likely to emerge as the next 007? And what does the future look like for the Bond franchise now it’s in the hands of Amazon MGM Studios? Michael Safi speaks to fi...

Our Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, heads to Roraima to hear what’s at stake for the rainforest and the communities that live there in the Brazilian presidential runoff on Sunday. Send your comments and questions to tif.questions@theguardian.com . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Websites around the world have been taken offline as governments and businesses scramble to fix a flaw in the computer language PHP. There are fears that hackers could exploit the vulnerability to steal data, take control of web servers and disrupt services. Millions of attempts have already been made to attack websites since the issue with the programming language was revealed, cybersecurity comp...

Political correspondent Aletha Adu explores whether the Conservative party under Kemi Badenoch is about to become, once again, the UK’s leading party on the right. Send your comments and questions to tif.questions@theguardian.com . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Climate campaigners have condemned the UK government’s decision to allow the drilling of the Jackdaw gasfield. Critics argue the move will put climate targets at risk, while failing to reduce energy bills and the cost of living crisis. But there could be a significant victory for green activists when it comes to the much larger Rosebank oilfield, with the energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, leani...

Serbia’s authoritarian president personally intervened to remove the protection of a historic landmark – then came protests and prosecutions. Tom Burgis on the murky tale of Trump Tower Belgrade. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

A man has been charged after the Australian MP Helen Haines was allegedly attacked with a car outside her electorate office in the state of Victoria. Haines, who is an independent MP, has lost one leg as a result of the incident and surgeons were fighting on Tuesday to save the other leg. Police say 43-year-old Brendan Nugent has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentio...

The bestselling author says her books will no longer be supplied to UK bookshops over fears of prosecution. Zoe Williams and Haroon Siddique report. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Last weekend there were mass protests across France, with more than half a million people estimated to have been involved. The unrest included rioting, looting and violent clashes with outnumbered police in cities including Paris, Marseille and Limoges. The interior minister conceded that police ‘lost control’ in some cities, while President Emmanuel Macron demanded a full security review. Lucy Ho...

American journalist Evan Gershkovich talks about his arrest by the Russian intelligence services in 2023, his 16-month detention, and the swap deal that eventually took him home. Get in touch at tif.questions@theguardian.com . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

For more than three decades, Michael Gove has been a leading figure in British Conservatism. As a journalist, government minister and now editor of the Tory bible the Spectator, he has helped shape the right even as it has moved further rightwards. In the latest episode of Radical Thinking, Gove joins Aditya Chakrabortty to discuss the future of the right, his record on Brexit and austerity, and t...

Lena Dunham has announced a surprise reboot of the cult TV show Girls, which had its finale 10 years ago. The news was broken via a fake Zoom call with all four female leads, which went viral and raised questions about what a show depicting millennial struggles would look like as the women enter their 40s. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian writer Rebecca Nicholson – watch on YouTube . Help support...

Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor on their new film interviewing Israeli military insiders on the vast, AI-assisted systems their sources say are being used to kill civilians in Gaza. They also talk about the political backlash against their documentary. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Former comedian Russell Brand is on trial facing multiple charges of rape and sexual assault against six women, spanning a decade from 1999 to 2009. On Thursday the court heard evidence from a woman who alleged Russell Brand told her “it’s just fun” as he raped her at the 1999 Labour party conference. He denies all the allegations against him. Lucy Hough speaks to senior national news editor Aaron...

After a dramatic week in Pakistan, Kasim and Sulaiman Khan talk to Today in Focus about the continued imprisonment of their father, the former prime minister and cricket legend Imran Khan. With reporting from Osman Samiuddin . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

A fresh wave of protests by India’s youth-led Cockroach movement has been met with a brutal crackdown by Narendra Modi’s government and the closure of a historic protest site in Delhi. Two of the movement’s leaders have been imprisoned for five days for violating suppression measures. The protests, which began over frustration about education and unemployment, are now focused on voting rights. Mod...

A former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service has been accused of selling classified documents. Kate Connolly reports on the fallout. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Democrats have described a raid on the home of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as “deeply disturbing” and a “rogue abuse of power” by the Trump administration. The Democratic representative for Minnesota has long been a target of highly personal attacks by Donald Trump, who claims he was not involved in ordering the Justice Department raid. Omar criticised the raid as an attempt to “weaponize law enforce...