Race against time to contain wildfires in France and Spain – The Latest

Race against time to contain wildfires in France and Spain – The Latest

Firefighters in France and Spain are facing another day battling wildfires that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated, with another heatwave expected to hit this week. French authorities have said this year’s wildfires, particularly the Gironde fire near the south-western city of Bordeaux, are ‘completely exceptional’. Lucy Hough speaks to Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan – watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@todayinfocuspodcast]. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus [https://www.theguardian.com/infocus]

How Palantir got into the NHS

The investigative journalist Lucas Amin reports on how the tech company Palantir won a £330m contract with the NHS … and what happened once its software was introduced. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus [https://www.theguardian.com/infocus]

Charli xcx: does new album hit as hard as Brat? – The Latest

After a decade in the pop fringes, Charli xcx was propelled to global stardom by her 2024 album Brat. Then came an acid-green ‘brat summer’, a Glastonbury headline slot and ‘brat’ as Collins’s word of the year. But how do you follow up the album that made you a star? Charli’s latest album – Music, Fashion, Film – has now been released. And, as Guardian deputy music editor Laura Snapes tells Lucy Hough, it’s a pivot to guitar and a ‘meta masterpiece about the instability of identity’. Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@todayinfocuspodcast]. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus [https://www.theguardian.com/infocus]

The ‘cockroaches’ marching on India’s government

South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen on the Cockroach movement – and the students driving India’s biggest protests in years. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus [https://www.theguardian.com/infocus]

Gary Lineker joins calls for wealth tax - The Latest

Millionaires including former footballer Gary Lineker are asking Andy Burnham to tax their wealth more. More than 100 wealthy Brits have signed an open letter to the prime minister, saying: ‘We want you to tax us. We can afford it.’ So should the government introduce a wealth tax? And why is the idea getting more popular? Nosheen Iqbal speaks to columnist and senior economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty – watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@todayinfocuspodcast]. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus [https://www.theguardian.com/infocus]