Human rights lawyer Francesca Albanese on life under US sanctions

Labour has overtaken Reform UK this week for the first time since March last year, according to polls. The ‘Burnham bounce’ comes two weeks into Andy Burnham’s tenure in No 10, during which he has made major announcements on the cost of living and localised education to reduce youth unemployment, and an announcement on social care is expected soon. Is this a turning point for the beleaguered Labour government – or simply a honeymoon for the new PM? Lucy Hough speaks to senior political correspondent Peter Walker. Watch on YouTube. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

In the wake of the new PM’s bold pledge, Helen Pidd heads to a village for homeless people in Greater Manchester, where the former mayor first promised to take action. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

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. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

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

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. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus