Charli xcx portrait added to National Portrait Gallery collection
Pop star is celebrated as ‘one of the defining cultural figures of her generation’ by gallery, which acquires Brat-era portrait by Harley Weir
Alarm at NHS patient records being put under control of US private equity firm
Doctors and MPs urge more scrutiny of £300m deal for company behind system used by most GPs in England
Joyce Carol Oates thinks the 90s TV adaptation of The Odyssey is the best. I beg to differ
The Hallmark Channel’s ropey version of The Odyssey is going viral for its star-studded cast. Christopher Nolan’s film only looks better by comparison
The Phantom Pain of Rojava review – Kurdish veterans of the war against IS tell story of courage and survival
Maryam Ebrahimi’s documentary about a home for survivors of the war in northern Syria is tender, gentle and incredibly moving
‘The greatest album never made’: the untold story of George Michael’s secret, star-packed duets project
Suing his record label and sick of being a sex symbol, the singer spent 1992 working on the Trojan Souls for stars including Aretha Franklin and Bryan Ferry. Now, newly released studio footage shows him in his creative prime
There was one thing I swore I’d never do on WhatsApp. And now I’ve gone and done it
Leaving your blue ticks on used to be a sign that you were trustworthy. These days it conveys a certain ‘pick me’ energy
Unauthorised version of Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey shared on X
A high-quality pirated version of the summer’s hit movie was leaked on Elon Musk’s X platform and viewed more than 3m times before being removed
‘The plane movie I’ll watch anytime’: why Up in the Air is my feelgood movie
The latest in our series of writers’ most pleasurable comfort films is a journey through US airports with George Clooney
Glitched into empty space: why video games are obsessed with the Backrooms
The horror movie sensation of 2026 has its roots in gaming’s discovery of ‘noclip’ – and the hidden virtual realms that could be opened up inside games. Developers explain how everyone got lost in these liminal spaces
A Dairy Story review – giving cows and calves a happier life through progressive farming
Filled with shots of emerald pastures and gambolling animals, this documentary shows that challenging accepted practices can benefit animals and the environment
What If We Got AI Right? by Eleanor Drage review – avoiding apocalypse
The academic’s ambitious guide to the ethics of tech falls short of its promise to provide meaningful answers
AusAlert blared around parks, libraries and cinemas for a few seconds, but some didn’t get the alert at all
Federal government touts emergency warning alert test as a success and says no approach works 100% of the time
Misleading AI-generated doctors pose ‘huge danger to public safety’
Research shows AI-generated physicians are gaining millions of views on TikTok by spreading dubious health advice
Valentina and the MUOSters review – US military surveillance in Sicily triggers family discord on the ground
A young woman strives for self-reliance as local people protest the US military communications system that has landed in their rural town
Liberty embraces sewing boom with craft classes as it expands fabrics section
London store also plans bigger haberdashery area, where it will hold autumn workshops for crafters