"The government is engaging in absolute evil. They are enabling genocide in Palestine by sending money and arms to Israel. They are contributing to the murder of billions to keep the fossil fuel profits flowing."

That is the founding claim of Youth Demand, the UK's latest activist movement "taking up the mantle of public disruption" from Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and, more recently, Just Stop Oil, said The Times.

Who are they and what do they want?
Youth Demand emerged last year out of the youth wing of Just Stop Oil and now claims to have 25,000 people on its mailing list. Comprised mainly of students and young people, the group has two main aims: to end all trade with Israel and to raise £1 trillion by 2030 from the "fossil fuel elite" to compensate "countries harmed by fossil fuel burning".

What tactics do they use?
Like Just Stop Oil, Youth Demand has positioned itself as a "non-violent civil-resistance group" that aims to cause maximum disruption and provoke a reaction from the authorities.

Dozens of members were arrested in April after they attempted to "shut London down" with one of the group's signature "swarm" protests, said The Times. This involves briefly "blocking busy roads with a line of people holding banners, flares and flags", who then disperse before police arrive before "repeating the process in another location".

The activists also target high-profile sporting and cultural events: two members attempted to get on stage during Israel’s performance at this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Basel.

Where do they go from here?
"We are going to build a movement that is going to take control of the British state," said co-founder Sam Holland. Youth Demand is just one of four sub-groups in the "Umbrella" coalition, along with Just Stop Oil, government reform movement Assemble, and Robin Hood, which encourages "civil resistance" on socioeconomic issues such as food poverty and housing.

In the more immediate future, Youth Demand is planning to "ramp up their activities over the summer" to create a "sustained wave of resistance" in support of the Palestinian people, said The i Paper.

Self-driving vehicles have become a familiar sight in some parts of the US and China, and now "robotaxis" are coming to the streets of London. Uber will partner with UK tech firm Wayve to launch a small number of driverless taxis and shuttle services in the capital next year, following trials beginning in the spring.

"Our vision is to make autonomy a safe and reliable option" for everyone, Andrew Macdonald, Uber's president and chief operating officer, told the Financial Times. "This trial in London brings that future closer to reality."

'Fully autonomous tech'
Tests on autonomous vehicles have been taking place in the UK for "more than a decade", said The Guardian, but a successful pilot of this new "fully autonomous tech" next year could herald a "fuller rollout" across the country in 2027.

For Uber, the commercial advantages of deploying taxis that don't require a driver are obvious. For the government, the attractions include a potential boost to the economy, an improved transport offering for people unable to easily access public transport, and the reduced emissions and congestion-easing potential of a fleet of electric self-driving taxis.

But to reach that point will be a "slow process", said the BBC. Getting a driverless car system up and running is "quite a labour-intensive process", Sven Beiker, CEO of automotive consultancy Mobility, told the broadcaster.

'Living in fantasy land'
The whole project could yet be "held up by safety concerns", said the BBC. Google-owned robotaxi firm Waymo operates in the US, sometimes in partnership with Wayve, and says its safety record there "is superior to that of human drivers". However, there "there have been hiccups", said The Times, such as a man being "trapped in a disturbed vehicle as it performed loops of an airport car park".

For now, London black-cab drivers who spoke to The Guardian generally "appeared unruffled" by the prospect. Autonomous car companies are "living in fantasy land", Steve McNamara of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association told the newspaper. "I'm genuinely not worried. Come back to me in 2040."

Just the sight of Giffords' big-top tent is "enchanting", said Dominic Cavendish in The Telegraph. The traditional circus – at London's Chiswick House until 22 June and then touring until the end of September – offers an "antidote to everything that's miserable about the UK at the moment".

"It's all very English, with a put-on American accent", transporting guests to a "dream-like resort inspired by Atlantic City" in the 1950s. Retro music "emits a sunshine blast of nostalgia", while palm trees and projected images of "rippling water" help conjure the sun-soaked seaside setting.

The "star attraction" is Tweedy the Clown, said Paul Vale in The Stage. Decked out in a "bright pink bellboy costume", with a "pillbox hat utterly failing to disguise his signature scarlet quiff", he is a "constant presence" throughout, providing a "vital link" between the performers and the audience. "When it comes to big-top star quality, Tweedy is the real deal."

Beyond the "joyful" comedy, there are some other "spectacular" acts. Emma Tytherleigh makes an appearance with her impeccably trained horses, and the Ethio-Salem Troupe demonstrate "breathtaking synchronicity" with their juggling act. Amid all the "clowning" and "carefully controlled chaos", the entire company seems to be having "as much fun as the audience".

Director Cal McCrystal and choreographer Kate Smyth have crafted the show with "precision and ease", said Miriam Gillinson in The Guardian. But it's the performers' "passion and commitment" that light up this "unassuming vaudeville show" with a "special kind of warmth and magic".

Raking over old coals
Janice Turner in The Times
"Does Nigel Farage really want to reopen coal mines," writes Janice Turner, "or is he just surfing nostalgia for honourable working-class toil?" My father worked in the industry and "two of my great-grandfathers died in mining accidents", so I have "no romantic illusions" about what was a "dangerous, claustrophobic, life-shortening" job. And "who among the next generation would want to be a miner"? Wages would "have to be set at a vast premium to offset the risk and hard work".

Inside Trump's Oval Office
Peter Mandelson in The New Statesman
For foreign visitors, walking into Donald Trump's Oval Office is like "entering the Colosseum", writes Peter Mandelson, the UK's ambassador to the US. Ambassadors try to get an "early barometer" of what's on the president's mind, but "none succeed". Trump's "eager for the fray", so they should "leave him to it" and "speak when spoken to". Keir Starmer's "Oval appearance" is seen as "the model", but not all diplomats can offer a state visit with a "popular king".

Why OnlyFans has young British women in its grip
Louise Perry in The Spectator
Latest figures suggest that "just shy of 4%" of young British women are "selling their wares" on OnlyFans, writes Louise Perry. The work isn't "pleasant", because "you don't make it big by selling the softcore stuff". But it gives these women "access to the sexual attention and money" of "hundreds or even thousands of men", allowing people with "the same kind of psychological weakness" to "find their counterparts and mutually exploit one another" in a "cascade of depravity".