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Plot Overview The story centers on Mack O’Brien, a young man expelled from a seminary and forced to confront a stagnant life in Port Talbot, Wales. He takes a job as a security guard at the local steelworks and is drawn into Owen Sheers's immersive community production, the Passion of Port Talbot, famously starring Michael Sheen. On the night of his debut, Mack encounters Siwan, a former schoolmate whose mother was an imprisoned environmental activist. Siwan plans to bomb the idle steel plant during a strike, using Mack’s access to place the device. Seminary exit and return to family home Participation in the Passion play as a disciple Reconnection with Siwan and her radical plan Bomb plot coinciding with a labour strike Final confrontation that frames the novel as a modern Via Dolorosa Thematic Analysis Doyle uses the narrative to explore several interlocking themes: Religious doubt: Mack’s failed priesthood highlights the tension between institutional faith and personal belief. Loneliness and alienation: The protagonist’s limited emotional connections underscore a broader sense of existential isolation. Nihilism: The decision to aid a bomb‑making plot reflects a belief that destruction offers the only escape from a dead‑end future. Community and performance: The Passion play serves as a metaphor for collective suffering and redemption, juxtaposed with individual despair. Environmental activism: Siwan’s lineage ties personal rebellion to broader ecological protest movements. Critical Reception The Guardian’s review notes that the novel is "rich and involving and emotionally charged," though it observes that some narrative strands—such as the strike and the play—fade into the background, becoming almost a McGuffin. The reviewer praises the final focus on Mack’s internal void, describing the ending as a "devastating via dolorosa." Published by Atlantic at £17.99, Communion offers a stark, regionally grounded meditation on sin, solace, and the limits of personal agency.

Analysts warn that the world is confronting the most severe energy shock since the 1970s, a looming global recession and a renewed surge in living‑cost pressures that are hitting the most vulnerable households hardest.Against a backdrop of sweltering Washington heat, the atmosphere at the International Monetary Fund’s spring meetings shifted dramatically as delegates confronted the fallout from the Iran war. The usual optimism about rising living standards was replaced by a palpable sense of unease.IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva addressed finance ministers and central‑bank governors, noting that “some countries are in panic” and urging that “the sooner it ends, the better for everybody.”Such gatherings are rarely venues for open geopolitical confrontation. Yet, as a record‑breaking April heatwave baked the capital, the mounting economic damage from the conflict could no longer be ignored.During a G20 breakfast that included U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and outgoing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, participants described the mood as somber, with frank discussions about the war’s ramifications.Former IMF deputy managing director Mohamed El‑Erian likened the session to a “twilight‑zone meeting,” identifying three looming shadows: the overall health of the global economy, the disproportionate impact on lesser‑discussed nations, and the paradox that the United States, as the war’s initiator, would suffer comparatively less.British Chancellor Rachel Reeves started her day with a jog alongside counterparts from Spain, Australia and New Zealand on the National Mall, posting an Instagram selfie captioned, “Friends that run together – work together.” The image underscored her resolve to confront the war’s economic fallout.Reeves had earlier condemned the conflict as a “mistake” and “folly,” arguing that the war had not enhanced global security and was driving up energy prices for UK families and businesses.In a one‑on‑one with Bessent near the White House, Reeves emphasized the urgency of the situation, noting that the UK, like many other nations, was feeling the pain of higher energy costs triggered by the conflict.Despite the tension, the UK and the United States continue to share deep interests in artificial intelligence, financial services and trade, though the British government signalled little tolerance for the Iranian regime.The IMF’s own warning that the war could precipitate a global recession singled out the United Kingdom as the “biggest G7 casualty,” highlighting the stakes for British growth forecasts.Observers noted Reeves’s vocal stance, recalling earlier disagreements between Bessent and European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde that had remained behind closed doors.A cocktail reception at the British ambassador’s residence brought together senior diplomats and financiers—including Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and Barclays CEO CS Venkatakrishnan—where transatlantic friction was a hot topic, just weeks before King Charles’s state visit to the United States.Meanwhile, revelations about former ambassador Peter Mandelson’s vetting process added another layer of political strain for the UK government.Before the war, the IMF agenda focused on global cooperation, AI adoption, job creation and poverty eradication. The conflict has now complicated each of these priorities, especially the goal of coordinated international action.Former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband observed that many nations are now “hedging against American decisions,” acknowledging the United States’ outsized role—about 25% of the global economy—while noting its recent retreat from several forums.The irony was not lost on participants: the meetings were held in institutions born out of U.S. leadership after World War II to prevent the economic chaos of the 1930s, yet they now convene amid a war that threatens similar turmoil.Economists also recognized that real policy leverage sits “two blocks away,” behind the security cordons surrounding the White House, casting doubt on the ability of the IMF and World Bank to influence the conflict directly.Amid the uncertainty, the rapid growth of AI—exemplified by Anthropic’s Mythos model—offers a glimmer of economic resilience, but most countries cannot afford to sever ties with the United States entirely.El‑Erian summed up the dilemma: “People want to go long the private sector and short the mess, but it’s almost impossible to do.”

Stuart Heritage revisits Hacks as its final season rolls out on Sky Atlantic, Now, HBO Max and Stan, asking whether the series can recapture the brilliance that earned it an Emmy for Best Comedy in 2024.When the show first burst onto the scene, it was hailed as the pinnacle of comedy, outshining drama‑heavy series like The Bear. Its early acclaim rested on the razor‑sharp chemistry between Jean Smart (Deborah Vance) and Hannah Einbinder (Ava), a dynamic that felt both vicious and hilarious.That reputation has been challenged by newer satire such as The Studio, which swept the 2025 Emmys with bigger stars and slicker production. In contrast, Hacks managed only supporting trophies for Smart and Einbinder, prompting the question: can the show rally in its swan song?The latest run marks a noticeable upgrade from the muddled third and fourth seasons, where Vance’s late‑night talk‑show stint exposed the series’ structural cracks. This season, Vance is slapped with a Conan O’Brien‑style gag order that bans her from public jokes, giving her a fresh, if absurd, source of conflict.Early episodes burst with energy as Vance concocts wild schemes—pursuing an EGOT, penning a memoir, even eyeing a Madison Square Garden gig. The momentum feels promising, yet the show’s signature venomous satire is muted.Where Hacks once thrived on Vance’s bitter, anti‑heroic edge and her hostile banter with Einbinder’s Ava, the current tone has softened into a more amicable camaraderie. This shift defangs the series, making it feel less like the cutting industry critique it once was.The finale lands as a bewildering, almost ChatGPT‑generated one‑act play, delivering an unearned climax that feels more like a stunt to secure another Emmy for Smart than a satisfying narrative closure.Despite uneven seasons, the core performances remain the show’s strongest asset. Smart and Einbinder continue to deliver compelling, powerhouse portrayals that will likely be the lasting memory of Hacks for its fans.In the end, the final season offers moments of fun but ultimately signals the end of the series’ once‑sharp satire, leaving viewers to mourn the loss of its original bite.

Wrexham AFC, the football club co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, has been awarded a £3.8m government grant without a contract or a completed state aid assessment in place. This has raised questions over whether the award was lawful.The club has received a total of £18m in taxpayer-funded grants to help redevelop its stadium, the Racecourse Ground. This is significantly more than any other club in the UK.Responses to freedom of information requests suggest that Wrexham county borough council awarded the money before completing the usual steps. Alexander Rose, a partner specialising in subsidy control at law firm Ward Hadaway, stated that the lack of a final state aid assessment at the time the grant was awarded would have left it vulnerable to legal challenge by a rival.However, there is little prospect of Wrexham AFC being forced to repay the cash, as the one-month window for challenges to be filed has since closed. The leader of Wrexham council, Mark Pritchard, said: “All due diligence and checks were in place ahead of the transfer of any funding and we refute any accusations to the contrary.”Reynolds and Mac took over the club in 2021, bringing with them a wave of sponsorship and global interest via their Disney TV series Welcome to Wrexham. The club has been able to far outspend their lower-league rivals, transforming the club’s fortunes.Wrexham, which was granted city status in 2022, awarded the £18m to the star-studded club as part of its “Wrexham Gateway” urban improvement scheme. Most of the money went towards developing the stadium, despite the club having deep-pocketed owners.The first £3.8m tranche of cash was awarded on 8 February 2022, less than a year after Reynolds and Mac’s takeover. Another £14m was awarded in September 2025.Public authorities that give out grants are required by law to judge if they comply with the principles of subsidy control, to ensure taxpayer money is not misspent. However, in response to a freedom of information request, Wrexham council said it only had “draft assessments” in place before the money was awarded.The council said the final assessment it provided was submitted nearly five months later, on 6 July 2022. In response to questions, the council shared a draft assessment it said dated from 7 September 2021.Rose said: “At the time the £3.8m grant was awarded there was a duty to carry out a principles assessment. Evidence that this assessment wasn’t finalised when the grant was given would certainly have helped a challenger, for example a rival football club.”“Subsidy control rules exist to ensure there’s a level playing field in which businesses can compete,” he added. “That includes in professional football. They’re also an important protection for the taxpayer, preventing wasteful and unnecessary subsidies from being awarded.”Recipients of large grants almost always sign contracts to ensure taxpayer money is spent as promised. Yet the council said the grant was authorised by its executive board and “provided in advance of the finalisation of the grant funding agreement”.The council said the grant funding agreement – apparently covering the whole £18m – was only created in July 2023.The contract was then completed on 17 September 2025, when the £14m tranche was awarded.The two-year delay between the creation of the contract and its signing also offered another potential benefit to Wrexham council: new subsidy control laws that came into force days earlier in August raised the threshold for mandatory scrutiny of the grant by the Competition and Markets Authority.Delaying the subsidy meant the award to Wrexham AFC was not subject to this scrutiny.While it was tapping taxpayer money, the club was also able to raise huge amounts from private backers. In the year to June 2025 it raised £36m through share issues. Three months after the second grant, Reynolds and Mac announced the sale of a stake in the club to Apollo, one of the world’s largest private equity firms.Bloomberg reported that Wrexham was valued as high as £350m. The club then raised another £47.8m in January, according to corporate filings.In the year before it received the £14m grant, Wrexham was able to repay loans worth £10.6m to Ryan Reynolds’s company, according to accounts published last month. It also lost £3.8m from the collapse of Argentex, a currency brokerage that entered special administration in July 2025 because of failed foreign exchange trades.Pritchard, the council leader, said: “The grant represents a small investment compared to what the club will be investing at the Racecourse … In fact, as the club has grown in both stature, ambition and from external investment, the percentage of public investment compared to that of the club has shrunk from roughly 68% of the project costs to around 25% currently.“This demonstrates further value for money in regard to the initial investment from the public purse.”Wrexham AFC said the club is itself making a “significant financial investment with the support of our ownership group and investors”. Accounts published last month show the club has signed a £69.2m contract to build a new stand.The spokesperson said the “funding ensures the facility can be brought up to the required standard to host international sporting events, including international football and rugby matches (as opposed to just meeting domestic football criteria)”

Oil and gas prices experienced a significant decline of almost 10% on Friday following Iran's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial shipping. This development could pave the way for tankers carrying millions of barrels of oil and gas to access the global market.Iran's foreign minister stated that vessels are free to transit the Strait of Hormuz during the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell by 9% to $90 a barrel, while the benchmark European gas contract dropped by about 8.5% to €38.80 (£33.80) per megawatt hour.The US naval blockade on Iran's use of the strait remains in full force, according to Donald Trump, until a deal is reached with Tehran. Trump expressed optimism that the process will move quickly, as most points have already been negotiated.The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted supplies of Middle Eastern crude and gas, as well as refined fuels from Gulf refineries, in what the International Energy Agency has described as the biggest energy supply crisis in history. Before the crisis, over 130 ships a day travelled through the strait, but this has reduced to a trickle under threats from Iran's Revolutionary Guards.There are currently around 800 tankers stuck in the Gulf, with about 300 being oil and gas tankers. It remains uncertain whether tankers will be required to pay a fee of about $2m (£1.5m) for safe passage through the strait.Analysts, such as Giovanni Staunovo from UBS, view Iran's comments as a sign of de-escalation, but emphasize the need to see a substantial increase in the number of tankers crossing the strait.

LIV Golf chief executive Scott O'Neil has acknowledged that the rebel golf tour's finances are being managed very tightly and that structural changes are on the horizon, which may necessitate raising additional funds. However, he emphatically stated that the league will not fold.O'Neil's comments come on the heels of reports that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, a key backer of LIV Golf, is cutting its funding for the league. Despite this, O'Neil described the situation as 'business as usual' and expressed confidence in the tour's future prospects.In an interview with LIV employees during the broadcast of the tour's Mexico City event, O'Neil hinted at upcoming structural changes but did not provide specifics. He suggested that these changes could involve new formats or business structures, possibly including team-based elements.O'Neil also downplayed speculation about the tour's financial health, stating that LIV Golf had secured almost $500 million in sponsorships last year from major brands like Rolex, HSBC, and Aramco. He emphasized the tour's global appeal, particularly in markets such as Australia and Asia, where it has attracted significant interest.While acknowledging that fundraising may be necessary, O'Neil expressed optimism about the tour's trajectory, suggesting that continued revenue growth could mitigate the need for external funding. He concluded by stating that LIV Golf is poised for long-term success and will continue to evolve in the coming months.

US tech firms, including Microsoft, have successfully influenced the EU to conceal the environmental impact of their datacentres, an investigation has revealed. The EU's proposal to create a database of green metrics for datacentres was amended to include a secrecy provision, almost verbatim from industry lobbying efforts in 2024. This confidentiality clause, included in EU rules, restricts public access to individual datacentre emissions data, leaving only national-level summaries of energy footprints. Researchers and legal scholars warn that this blanket confidentiality may violate EU transparency rules and the Aarhus convention on public access to environmental information. The rise of AI chatbots has led to a surge in datacentre construction, increasing demand for power, partly met by burning fossil gas. The EU aims to triple its datacentre capacity in the next five to seven years to become a global leader in artificial intelligence. Industry groups, including DigitalEurope and Video Games Europe, lobbied for the change, citing commercial interests. Microsoft stated it supports greater transparency while protecting confidential business information. Legal experts argue that the confidentiality clause contravenes EU transparency rules and the Aarhus convention. The EU is obliged to ensure systematic availability of environmental information to the public under the convention.

The latest weekly wildlife roundup from The Guardian showcases three standout stories that capture the season’s most intriguing animal moments. First, birdwatchers were delighted by a puffin bromance – a same‑sex pair forming a close bond on a coastal cliff, a behavior that challenges traditional notions of seabird mating rituals and highlights the fluidity of avian social structures. Meanwhile, in freshwater habitats, a group of terracotta‑hued terrapins turned heads as their shells displayed an unusually vivid, almost blushing, coloration. Scientists suggest the hue may be linked to diet or environmental stressors, offering a visual cue for further ecological study. Finally, wetlands across several regions reported a boom in gosling numbers, with nests hatching earlier and in greater quantities than usual. This surge could signal favorable breeding conditions, but also raises questions about future food availability and predator‑prey dynamics. Collectively, these observations remind readers that wildlife continues to surprise and adapt, providing fresh material for both enthusiasts and researchers alike.

David Miliband, former British foreign secretary and head of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), has warned that cuts to overseas aid by countries such as the US and UK will worsen global economic instability and humanitarian crises. Speaking at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington, Miliband emphasized that the current global landscape is more interconnected than ever, and untended humanitarian crises can incubate political instability.Miliband expressed regret over the UK's decision to slash its aid budget under Keir Starmer's government, citing that supporting the world's poorest is morally justifiable and a 'good investment for Britain'. He also criticized the US under Donald Trump for 'abandoning' its aid program, which he believes will have far-reaching consequences for global stability.The Middle East conflict, particularly the Iran war, is expected to increase global poverty and displace millions of people. Miliband highlighted that 32.5 million people globally could be plunged into poverty due to the economic fallout from the conflict, with developing countries being hit the hardest. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to soaring global energy and fertilizer prices, posing a 'food security timebomb' that could cause widespread hunger.Western governments, including the US, Germany, France, and the UK, are cutting their aid spending amid elevated borrowing and debt levels. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, rich countries cut aid spending by $174.3 billion in 2025, a decline of almost a quarter from 2024. Miliband argued that now is a critical time for international support, as the evidence shows that aid has a positive impact on reducing poverty.