Xi gifts giant pandas to U.S., continuing years of "panda diplomacy"

President Trump honored Chinese President Xi Jinping with a state dinner on Thursday. Xi announced a new gift of giant pandas, on their way to a zoo in Atlanta, part of what Xi called an "envoy of friendship" between the two nations.

Wild high-speed chase causes chaos in Florida

Police said a man broke himself out of a hospital, carjacked a woman and led authorities on a wild chase in Miami-Dade County on Thursday. Cristian Benavides reports.

Mississippi authorities work to expedite toxicology reports for Ole Miss student deaths

Mississippi authorities worked to expedite toxicology reports for two University of Mississippi students who were found dead on Monday in separate incidents. Investigators said similarly packaged kratom was found at both scenes. Lilia Luciano reports.

Stanford University apologizes for switching students' faces and races in photo

Stanford University apologized for what it called a "serious error in judgment," editing a photo of students to alter looks, race and gender. Jonathan Vigliotti reports.

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis on Trump-Xi visit: "It's a WTF moment"

The retiring North Carolina senator was critical of President Trump's reception of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Powerful nor'easter hits North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey: "It's very scary"

A powerful nor'easter hit several states on Thursday, starting with North Carolina's Outer Banks, with surging water washing out on the main highway connecting the barrier islands. Tom Hanson reports and Rob Marciano has the forecast.

Sen. Thom Tillis calls Trump-Xi visit "a WTF moment"

Tony Dokoupil spoke with Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, one of the Republicans trying to make sense of President Trump's shift toward China between his first and second terms.

Trump hosts Xi Jinping at White House, praising a "truly great friendship"

President Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for his first visit to Washington, D.C., in more than a decade. Weijia Jiang reports.

Mark Zuckerberg debuts $1,299 Meta VR Glasses and Muse Charm pendant as part of AI agent push

At Meta Connect, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed new VR Glasses and the Muse Charm gadget for AI agents.

30-year fixed mortgage rate jumps sharply Thursday to 7.45%

The 30-year fixed rate surged to 7.45%, the highest level since April 2024 as bonds sold off and yields rose.

Meta gets to consumer AI device market before OpenAI, but Zuckerberg's strategy remains unproven

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's new Muse Charm device is intended to put his company ahead of rivals like OpenAI and Google in AI agents and consumer hardware.

Trump complains about lack of TV coverage stemming from his own effort to ban CNN – live

President welcomed Xi Jinping at the White House, but media outlets did not provide video feed because Trump’s aides had not yet restored access for outlets he banned last week

• Journalists for CNN, MS Now and Politico allowed back into the White House after judge’s ruling

• Sign up for US Breaking News emails

Lawyers for the news outlets President Trump banned from the White House have requested an emergency hearing after several journalists were turned away from the building Thursday morning, in apparent defiance of a federal judge’s order to restore their access.

“This morning journalists from each of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO attempted to enter the White House and were turned away, and Secret Service agents confiscated the hard pass of journalists whose hard passes had not previously been confiscated,” a new court filing read.

New Trump-focused "Love Me" ad campaign paid for by taxpayers hits airwaves

Ads promoting President Trump and paid for by American taxpayers are now airing on network and national cable.

Powerful nor'easter threatens millions on East Coast with power outages, flooding, more

Millions of people on the East Coast could see power outages and severe weather conditions over the weekend. Meanwhile, a tropical storm is threatening Hawaii. CBS New York chief weathercaster Lonnie Quinn has the forecast.

Tesla poised to scale production of heavy-duty Semi trucks with opening of Nevada factory

Elon Musk's automaker is set to open its first heavy-duty truck factory in Sparks, Nevada, as Tesla seeks to expand its reach.

Gakpo denies Klopp perfect start as Xavi’s Netherlands rescue draw against Germany

At least Germany can be sure it will not be dull. Jürgen Klopp had predicted his debut as head coach could be wild, a trait he would accept as long as his team were lively enough. Both transpired in a frayed, pinball-like game whose lack of quality could be forgiven on account of its entertainment levels. The Netherlands more than merited a brilliant late equaliser from Cody Gakpo and by the time those present had drawn breath it felt appropriate that, for all the talk of new dawns, everyone finished back where they had started.

World domination is a far-off prospect for both of these flailing giants on such scrappy, frenetic evidence. But at least those with a stake in this famous old fixture, largely shorn of the spite and spit that defined it of old, could come away feeling something. Restoring those essential sensations of joy, pain and meaning sits at the very top of Klopp’s priorities. Germany looked raw and scattergun for long periods, reined in only by their lack of technical aptitude, but there were signs of an energy that had long been missing.

Hawaii under another hurricane watch as new storm closes in

Nolo could become a major hurricane by the weekend as it approaches Hawaii's Big Island, forecasters said.

Long agenda, short meeting: Trump and Xi meet

All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly talks with White House correspondent Emily Feng about the Trump/Xi summit.

Trump, Xi to attend state dinner after White House meeting

Trump greeted China's Xi at Joint Base Andrews, marking the U.S. president's first time traveling to the facility to welcome a foreign leader.

Extended interview: Sen. Thom Tillis

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina spoke with Tony Dokoupil on Thursday about President Trump's state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese coordination with Iran, the Taiwan arms race and more.

Iran awaiting response from Trump on proposal to open strait of Hormuz in six days

Country says US must lift sanctions on its oil exports and end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon

Iran said it has told Donald Trump it is willing to open the strait of Hormuz in six days, and to start talks on its nuclear program the day after, so long as the US lifts sanctions on Iran’s oil exports in return, ends the war on all fronts – including in Lebanon – and releases some of Iran’s frozen assets.

The proposal is designed to accelerate the steps first laid down in the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran in June, particularly by helping the talks on Iran’s nuclear program start much more quickly than previously agreed.

‘Cracking auction, Gromit!’ Original Aardman puppets go under the hammer

Wallace and Gromit stop-motion models and other beloved creations raise money to train new generations of animators

Wallace’s reaction as the auction got into full swing might have been a trademark “good grief!” – and the enthusiasm of some of the bidding could have caused even the phlegmatic Gromit to show surprise.

Fans of Wallace and Gromit and other beloved creations of Aardman Animations seized the chance to grab souvenirs when more than 200 pieces – including Wallace, Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run puppets from Aardman productions – went under the hammer on Thursday.

Surging Treasury yields pose a brand new problem for Kevin Warsh and the Fed

Markets expect the central bank will take a firmer hand on inflation. It's not that easy.

Bentley takes on Ferrari with its first EV priced at $230,000

Bentley CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser says there is “growing” acceptance of EVs among wealthy buyers.

I was arrested protesting Netanyahu’s New York visit. Here’s why we took a stand | Darializa Avila Chevalier

I refuse to play host to a man who has overseen the slaughter or injury of more than 64,000 children in Gaza with American taxpayer dollars. I refuse to be complicit in genocide

Benjamin Netanyahu belongs at The Hague; not in the streets of New York City, and certainly not before the United Nations general assembly. The international criminal court has a warrant out for his arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN’s own commission of inquiry has found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and named Netanyahu as its chief architect.

As the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th congressional district, I refuse to allow a war criminal to roam the streets of our city unchallenged. I refuse to play host to a man who has overseen the slaughter or injury of more than 64,000 children in Gaza with American taxpayer dollars. I refuse to be complicit in genocide.

Darializa Avila Chevalier is the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th congressional district

Far-right activist Daniel Thomas charged over alleged dinghy slashing in Channel

Thirty-seven-year-old charged with one count of criminal damage and failing to disclose his phone pin to police

The far-right agitator and anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas has been charged with criminal damage and failing to disclose his phone pin to police following an incident in the Channel on Tuesday, where he allegedly slashed a dinghy while a French rescuer was on board.

Thomas, 37, of no fixed abode, has been charged with one count of criminal damage along with an offence under section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (Ripa), for allegedly failing to comply with a notice to disclose a phone pin to police.

New bill would lower Social Security retirement age for some workers

Workers in physically demanding jobs should be able to collect full Social Security retirement benefits at age 60, a Michigan lawmaker says.

It pays to be generous: there’s nothing more embarrassing than being bank-transferred the price of a coffee | Johanna Cosgrove

If something is under $15 and you buy it for me, I will do the same for you next time. This is called trust and this is called reciprocity

Like many women in their 30s, one of my true joys is meeting a friend for a beverage. However, after catching up for a green juice (healthy) with a dear colleague recently, I was on the train home when I got a message saying “Hey! Can you please transfer me $12.50? Thank you!” My response can only be described as … horrified.

The reason that it stuck in my craw is because I firmly believe that you should not request repayment for anything under $15. If we are out together and I shout you a coffee I would rather commit seppuku than be bank-transferred $4.50 ($6 if you are in the CBD, $9 if you are a matcha observant). For context, A$15 is roughly US$10, £8, €9, NZ$19 and 1,680 yen. In this (scary) global economy, that doesn’t stretch much further than a small beverage/snack/Boots meal deal.

9/24: The Takeout with Major Garrett

President Trump holds elaborate ceremony for Chinese leader Xi Jinping; journalists regain White House access after president's ban.

Senate narrowly votes down resolution calling for end to Iran war

The vote came weeks before the midterm election, where President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans are trying to retain their majorities in Congress.

Jos Buttler injury and Kusal Mendis century derail England as Sri Lanka level ODI series

• Wicketkeeper sustains hamstring injury while taking run

• Series goes to a decider at the Oval on Sunday

A beautiful batting surface and a greased lightning outfield made this second one-day international wildly different from the first 48 hours earlier. Unfortunately for England, on the wrong end of a thriller, the result was wildly different too.

Set 322 to win, and boosted by a rapid-fire 143-run opening stand between Ben Duckett and Tom Banton, England had appeared on course to wrap up the series with a match to spare. But Sri Lanka refused to give up, delivering a famous shutout and profiting from an injury to Jos Buttler to win by 16 runs.

Met chief criticises court system after paedophile granted bail

Officers left feeling ‘hamstrung’, says Mark Rowley after offender allowed to return to flat overlooking playground

Pressure to cut the number of prisoners on remand has led to “dangerous and prolific offenders” being granted bail, the country’s most senior police officer said after a paedophile was allowed to return to his flat that overlooked a children’s playground.

Zafer Dogan was jailed on Thursday for two years and four months after he was convicted of taking thousands of pictures of women and girls before using AI technology to turn them into nude images for his sexual gratification.

Netanyahu says "shame on you" to Mamdani, claims "Jews no longer feel safe"

Netanyahu's address to the U.N. marks the first time he has visited New York since Mamdani became mayor.

Mortgage rates are back above 7%. How much higher could they climb?

Rates are "far more likely to go up than down by the end of the year," a senior economist at Realtor.com told CBS News.

In one of their last votes before November, Senate GOP blocks effort to end Iran war

The vote on a war powers resolution introduced by Democrats came at a moment when some Republicans have begun to distance themselves from President Trump over the ongoing conflict.

White House allows blocked reporters in after judge lifts Trump ban

District Judge Tim Kelly said the three outlets should have their access immediately restored from the ban the president had announced on Sept. 18.

Netanyahu calls Israel’s war in Gaza ‘opposite of genocide’ in UN speech

Israeli PM attacks critics and calls New York mayor Zohran Mamdani ‘antisemitic’ in inflammatory address

Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an inflammatory address to the United Nations on Thursday, decrying what he said was a global anti-Jewish conspiracy and swatting aside criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, as he faces down international isolation and a fight for political survival in upcoming elections in Israel.

As planned protests erupted on the streets of New York City, Netanyahu took aim at critics of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the international media, regional leaders such as Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the leftwing commentator Hasan Piker and the New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani in an address that doubled as a stump speech to ignite his rightwing base for the elections.

Why the bond market is freaking out, and what it means for your money

Investors are increasingly nervous about rising inflation, which could require the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates.

Hyundai expected to outsell Ford in third quarter as Detroit automakers lack hybrids

Cox analysts said Ford and General Motors are seeing sales lag because they don't have many hybrid vehicles.

Iran war powers measure falls short in Senate, despite new GOP support

The Senate rejected a resolution aimed at limiting President Trump's war powers in Iran, though the Democrat-led effort picked up one new GOP supporter.

Democrats demand answers after man dies in car crash during ICE traffic stop in Michigan

Mario David Coronado Juarez was killed when his car struck a tree and burst into flames as he attempted to avoid ICE

Leading Democrats and immigration advocates in Michigan are demanding transparency from federal authorities after a man died in a fiery car crash as he attempted to avoid agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Mario David Coronado Juarez, a Guatemalan national, was killed on Sunday in Grand Rapids when his vehicle struck a tree at high speed and burst into flames shortly after the ICE officers tried to conduct a traffic stop.

Analysis: Higher Treasury yields deliver a reality check on a hot, inflation-prone economy

Elevated Treasury yields will complicate both Federal Reserve policy and Treasury financing.

Democratic lawmakers accuse Trump administration of interference in Brazilian elections

Legislators sent letter to Marco Rubio saying US interference is weakening Brazil’s democratic institutions

• US politics live – latest updates

A group of 31 Democratic members of the US Congress has sent a letter to the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, criticising the Trump administration over “an apparent effort to interfere with, and potentially undermine” Brazil’s elections.

Latin America’s largest country will hold the first round of its presidential election on 4 October, with polls showing a technical tie between the incumbent leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

RFK Jr.'s ethics filing reveals book deals worth millions of dollars

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s annual financial disclosure reveals he has received two lucrative book advances and free flights from a friend while in office.

The Guardian view on a supersized El Niño: a natural phenomenon and human folly are a lethal combination | Editorial

Hundreds of thousands are expected to die, millions to go hungry. This is not just about weather patterns, but about injustice

Some warnings are so grave that it is almost impossible to fully comprehend them. The descriptions of a super-sized, “Godzilla-level” El Niño already heating our planet would sound hyperbolic were they not issuing from eminent scientists. They say that the weather pattern, which occurs roughly every two to seven years, may be the strongest in at least a millennium. With its peak yet to come, the temperature rise in the Pacific Ocean has already surpassed the previous high.

The consequence will be huge amounts of heat in an atmosphere already experiencing frighteningly higher temperatures due to the human-caused climate crisis. Next year is almost certain to be the hottest on record globally, breaking this year’s record. The World Food Programme has warned that 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger. Others estimate that the extra heat from El Niño alone will cause the deaths of 450,000 people by February, from Nigeria and Indonesia to the US. That extraordinary toll is in addition to those killed by the wildfires, droughts and floods it is likely to bring – and also to deaths caused by global heating.

Former England player Andy Carroll reveals he was sexually assaulted in 2021

• Carroll was assaulted by a man at his home while he slept

• Attacker found guilty of sexual offences after player testified

The former England forward Andy Carroll has revealed in his autobiography he was sexually assaulted by a man in 2021. The 37-year-old included the details in his book, Owning It. As a victim of sexual assault, Carroll was automatically granted anonymity.

Carroll revealed the incident took place at his home during a second spell at Newcastle. The offender – a friend of his former partner, who was staying away at the time – was later jailed for three years, with Carroll having testified in court.

Alcaraz tops the bill as the Laver Cup returns to London still aiming to prove its worth

The Ryder Cup-style event has struggled financially since its legendary founder, Roger Federer, retired but still offers a spectacle unlike any other in tennis

The sight of a tennis player marching to the bathroom between sets has become increasingly common in modern tennis but Alexander Zverev’s journey back to the locker room in Prague nine years ago remains particularly remarkable. On this occasion, Zverev happened to be sandwiched between two of the greatest male players of all time. Neither legend was happy.

To his right, an incensed Roger Federer spent their walk back to the locker room brutally laying down the law: “I want a fist pump or a ‘Let’s go!’ every fucking point you win,” he said. “And every point you lose, you fucking take it like a man. Because the problem is, when you don’t have the [result] you want, it’s like: ‘Ah, I knew it. Fuck, shit.’ I don’t want … honestly!”

Rogue AI hacks government system for first time - The Latest

A government database has been hacked for the first time by a rogue OpenAI agent, which infiltrated part of the Australian healthcare scheme in June. OpenAI became aware of the hack in August, but only informed the government in September. Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has expressed his ‘extreme concern’ about the hack, which raises serious AI security concerns for governments around the world. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s UK technology editor Robert Booth – watch on YouTube

Philadelphia Fed's Anna Paulson says 'modest' rate moves likely ahead to tame inflation

The policymaker said she and her colleagues may need to raise interest rates further to bring inflation back to target.

NHL’s Andrei Kuzmenko steps away from team after father killed in Siberia bear attack

• Alexander Kuzmenko was fatally injured on fishing trip

• Region had been flagged as site of recent bear activity

• Forward joined Pittsburgh Penguins this year

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko has stepped away from the team after his father, Alexander Kuzmenko, was killed in a bear attack in Siberia this week.

REN TV was the first to report the death of the 62-year-old, who was a well-known hockey coach in Russia.

Russell vows to ‘keep fighting’ in F1 title race despite Antonelli’s advantage

• ‘I want to try and win every single race. That’s my goal’

• Briton quickest in practice for Azerbaijan Grand Prix

George Russell has insisted he will keep fighting for the Formula One world championship until it is mathematically gone but while he made an encouraging start to his efforts by going quickest in practice for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix the makeup of said numbers remains somewhat in limbo.

Russell is 81 points behind his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli going into the race in Baku which is taking place on Saturday to avoid clashing with Azerbaijan’s national remembrance day. The Italian has eight victories this season including the past two in a row, coming through to win from 19th on the grid in Monza and then taking the flag in Madrid.

Raphinha: ‘In my head I was leaving Barça, but a few small words can change you’

Two years ago the Brazilian thought his time at Barcelona was ending but, two La Liga titles later, he is now captain and the most potent No 9 in Europe

For once, Raphael Dias Belloli puts the brakes on. The man who seems to be in perpetual motion, a footballer forever on fast forward, pauses, goes quiet for a moment and then, softly, utters something that says so much: “I think maybe people saw in me something I didn’t realise was there.” He did not know he was a leader, but he likes it. He did not know he was a captain, but according to his manager he is the “perfect captain”. And he did not know he was a No 9 either, but right now he is the best No 9 there is. In Barcelona or anywhere.

There was a time when Raphinha did not know whether he would be in Barcelona, when, feeling unwanted, he had accepted it was over, but this week he extended his contract to 2030. He will be 33 then: he would like to retire here and they would like him to retire here, too, a legend built on empathy and affection. “This is the best decision the club has made,” said Hansi Flick, the head coach Raphinha says changed his life. Sometimes you cannot get what you want so you have to settle for the best.

BBC ‘risks entering inescapable doom spiral’ as further cuts hit TV and radio

Warning from union comes as corporation cuts local specialist correspondent roles as part of plan to save £500m

The BBC has been warned it risks entering a “doom spiral” of endless cuts and weaker public support for its services, as insiders anticipate the imminent closure of some TV and radio services.

Morale at the corporation is said to be extremely low as a series of cuts are slowly revealed to staff. In the latest announcement, the BBC said it would be reducing the number of local specialist correspondent roles.

Bob Mackie obituary

American fashion designer and costumier who clothed glamorous showbiz celebrities, especially Cher

Most costume designers are novelists, supplying character, back stories, social placement and history, done in cloth. Bob Mackie was also a genius cartoonist, assembling details into an image, memorable on sight, that could hold anything from a small 1960s television screen to a concert arena.

Mackie, who has died aged 87, was master of the showbiz sartorial aesthetic that evolved on stage and in films to entertain in itself as well as project performers.

Ben Jennings on smart glasses and AI hacks – cartoon

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Darden Restaurants stock falls as Olive Garden reports slower growth

Olive Garden's same-store sales growth has slowed in recent quarters.

Russia could attack a Nato country within months, Danish intelligence says

Warning comes hours after Poland says fire at Starlink satellite station was ‘act of sabotage’

Russia could launch a limited military attack against a Nato country in the coming months, Danish intelligence said, in one of the starkest warnings yet by western security services.

In a report published on Thursday, the Danish defence intelligence service warned of a “low but growing risk” that Russia could launch long-range strikes on Nato infrastructure supporting Ukraine, or carry out a limited incursion into a neighbouring country with a small number of troops, potentially operating without insignia.

Macklemore announces Free Palestine tour to benefit humanitarian aid organisations

The US rapper, removed from Ed Sheeran’s US stadium tour after voicing support of Palestine, has convened a charity show that will visit Dublin, Paris and London, with a North American run to be announced

Macklemore has announced a “Free Palestine” tour, a series of live shows that will feature the US rapper performing alongside musicians and friends to raise funds for humanitarian causes in Palestine.

The news comes after Macklemore (AKA Benjamin Haggerty) was removed from Ed Sheeran’s US stadium tour after he called for a “free Palestine” onstage and said he wanted the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” to know “we have not forgotten about them”.

Mortgage rates have just surpassed 7% for the first time in well over a year

Rates have climbed more than a full percentage point since the U.S. war against Iran started.

U2 announce new album Carnaval de Luz, featuring final recording by Dolly Parton

Irish rock legends’ 16th studio album, described by the Edge as ‘a messy, provocative, sacred collection of songs’, to arrive in November

U2 have officially announced their first album of new material in nearly a decade, entitled Carnaval de Luz, to be released on 13 November.

Closing out the album’s 12 tracks is Torn, the final recorded performance by Dolly Parton, who duets with Bono on a song described in press materials as “a tender country song detailing broken family ties, that holds wider resonances”. Parton died aged 80 on 25 August.

Reported assaults on Great Britain’s railways rise by fifth in a year

Unions say record high of nearly 25,000, including assaults on rail workers and public, shows need for more staff and policing

• Tell us: have you been assaulted on Great Britain’s railways?

The number of reported assaults on Great Britain’s railways has risen by a fifth to a record high of almost 25,000 incidents in a year.

Unions said the “horrendous” figures showed the need for more staff and policing, as the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) revealed a sharp increase in assaults on the travelling public and on railway staff last year.

Will an FDA crackdown curb access to cheaper GLP-1 weight-loss drugs?

The FDA has warned a major compounding pharmacy that it violated federal law by making copies of blockbuster weight-loss drugs in "inordinate amounts."

At Trump meeting, Xi Jinping lays out terms to avoid US-China military conflict

Chinese president’s proposals for lessening tensions come amid period of intense competition between the two countries over AI and trade

• Trump-Xi summit – latest updates

Xi Jinping has called for extensive cooperation with Washington to avoid the “Thucydides trap” that could put the US and China on a military collision course amid rising tensions over artificial intelligence, trade and Taiwan.

At the start of his summit meeting with Donald Trump in the White House, the Chinese president laid out terms for a mutual understanding that he said could steer the two competing superpowers away from future military conflict and on to a road of mutual gain.

Rick Wakeman performs piano concert to 150 rescued moon bears in Vietnam

Former Yes musician plays at sanctuary to raise awareness of animals that remain stuck in cages at ‘bile farms’

Rick Wakeman has played to all kinds of people around the globe, but he has now performed to an audience he had never encountered before – an enclosure of 150 bears.

The former Yes musician, who has gone on to have a prolific solo career, played the piano at a Vietnamese bear sanctuary.

Rebel offensive against Ethiopian army stokes fears of return to civil war

Fighting escalates after Tigrayan rebels form new coalition aimed at overthrowing Abiy Ahmed government

There are growing fears of a return to civil war in Ethiopia after an offensive by fighters from Tigray into the neighbouring states of Afar and Amhara and the formation of a new rebel alliance aimed at overthrowing the government of the prime minister, Abiy Ahmed.

About 600,000 people died between 2020 and 2022 during a devastating war between the Ethiopian army and the political party and paramilitary group the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Both sides are now accusing the other of triggering a return to open conflict.

DSA candidate Angie Nixon says "this is not about three letters"

Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon, a state representative, said that "this is not about three letters" amid GOP criticism about her membership in the Democratic Socialists of America.

Julia Jacklin: The Gem review – tender, emotional storytelling of hope and hopelessness

(4AD/Remote Control Records)
The Australian musician’s fourth album blends mystery and intimacy with luscious pop-rock, bright, upbeat jangle and stripped-back acoustics

Julia Jacklin is an artist of dualities. Over her decade-plus career, the Melbourne singer-songwriter has examined the question of how to be both vulnerable but protected, spiritual but grounded.

Her second studio album and commercial breakthrough, 2019’s Crushing, introduced her to an international audience as an introspective storyteller. Rich in detail, Crushing delivered tales of heartbreak and betrayal with a kind of quiet impassivity, setting the scene for her own duality as an artist – at once open and reserved.

I love my life and my cup is full but I’m drowning in shame for things left undone. How can I balance it all? | Leading questions

You are not the only one, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. It will help to ask whether you have a time problem or a bandwidth problem

• Read more Leading questions

I love my life in so many ways. I have a rewarding job, I’m making stellar progress towards a graduate degree, I have incredible friends and community, plus I’m even reconnecting with estranged family. My cup is very full but I still feel grief and shame for how much falls to the wayside.

I have missed countless doctors’ appointments. My vehicle’s license plates have been expired for almost a year. I often apologise to angry friends and acquaintances after they confront me for not seeing them in months. My significant other says she doesn’t see me enough. So do my parents. I clock out of work and shudder at the thought of facing my growing avalanche of text messages. I panic whenever I receive an email that demands I arrange yet another appointment or submit to a lengthy phone call. The stack of forms I’m overdue to submit makes me feel so irresponsible, as if I’m the only adult alive who can’t seem to take care of business.

Full moons, mooncakes and lanterns in every colour: the mid-autumn festival – in pictures

The mid-autumn festival, also known as the moon festival, is a celebration of harvest and family in Chinese culture – a time to gather with relatives and friends under a full moon. During the festival, people eat mooncakes – a rich round pastry that symbolises wholeness – and display lanterns: beacons that light the path towards prosperity and good luck.

It is held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, when the moon is believed to be at its fullest and brightest, coinciding with the harvest in the middle of autumn. In 2026, it will be held on Friday 25 September

• Avant-garments: the wild world of wearable art – in pictures

Vinícius Júnior et al land in unlikely outpost of Townsville as Brazil reboot begins | Joey Lynch

The Seleção’s rebuild after their latest World Cup exit begins against the Socceroos in a place better known for rugby league than joga bonito

It’s a safe bet that Vinícius Júnior, who plays week in and week out for Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, doesn’t know about North Queensland Fury. Why would he? Indeed, it is likely that none of the Brazil side that landed in Townsville on Thursday are aware of Australian football’s history in the region. Nor, perhaps, the city itself, until recently.

Maybe in the spirit of cultural exchange, then, Raphinha will be posting #BringBackTheFury on his Instagram page by the time the Seleção depart the Sunshine State next week. Such a post would only feel slightly more surreal than the Barcelona attacker rubbing shoulders at Townsville airport with almost 80 junior rugby league sides from around Queensland, jetting in for the Gordon Tallis Cup.

The economic squeeze is pushing up poverty rates for older adults

Despite lower poverty overall, the rate for seniors has been steadily rising in recent years. A new AARP survey sheds light on how those over 50 are struggling in the crucial time before retirement.

Germany investigates 105-year-old suspected former Nazi prison camp guard

Man accused of being accessory to murders at Stalag 326 VI K amid race to prosecute suspects before they die

A 105-year-old man is under investigation on suspicion of being an accessory to multiple murders at a Nazi prisoner of war camp, German prosecutors have said.

The case, which is being handled by the public prosecutor’s office in Dortmund, centres on the Stalag 326 VI K camp in western Germany, in what is now the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

EU says Trump plan to ban US diesel exports would ‘negatively impact both sides’

US president’s suggested 90-day export ban before midterm elections could bring even higher fuel prices across Europe

The EU has warned Donald Trump against plans to ban US diesel exports to the global market, saying the move would negatively affect Europe and the US.

The European Commission has reacted with “concern” to reports this week that the US president could prevent diesel from reaching the global market.

Small businesses roll the dice on Kalshi to manage their risks

Hundreds of small businesses are using the prediction market to hedge against a range of business risks, according to Kalshi. Here's how.

Here's what happens to the economy when Treasury yields soar like they are now

Government debt costs leaped higher Wednesday, the product of multiple factors.

Japan teenager Shin Ohashi overcomes Covid and fever to smash breaststroke world record

• Swimmer wins 200m gold at Asian Games

• Says Covid helped him rest and ‘was a good thing’

The Japanese teenager Shin Ohashi said a bout of Covid helped him smash the men’s 200m breaststroke world record in a time of 2min 4.83sec at the Asian Games on Thursday.

The 17-year-old won his second gold of the Games in Tokyo despite running a temperature of about 39C just days before the competition began.

After so long in Trump’s sights, hopeful Greenlanders breathe a collective sigh of relief

Locals hope agreement signed this week is step towards independence and end to US threats to annex island

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and Múte B Egede, the foreign minister, received a hero’s welcome when they landed back in Nuuk from New York on Wednesday night – and a nation took a collective sigh of relief.

Colleagues, friends and members of the public turned out to greet them at an airport where, just 20 months ago, the landing of a Trump-branded plane containing Donald Trump Jr had kickstarted a geopolitical crisis that the people of Greenland now hope is over.

Nicole Eisenman review – ICE-like goons clash with sublime stargazing as America’s magical magpie returns

Sadie Coles HQ, London
Abstract, humorous yet deeply unsettling, the painter’s dazzling exhibition sees her caught between distant skies and the ugly reality on the ground

Nicole Eisenman’s 2023 exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery took its title from Hillary Clinton’s account of the 2016 US presidential election: “What happened.” With its absurdist riffs on contemporary American life, the show confirmed that Eisenman is among the most important artists of her time and that “what happened” was a disaster. So her return to London might be thought of as a sequel, with the working title: “So what do we do now?”

Eisenman is justly celebrated for her rambunctious, magpie and irreverent subversions of the conventional histories of art and society. A painter who has lately (and successfully) turned to sculpture, her work often places people in situations – ranging from crowded bars to town squares flooded with mud – that match broad humour to sharp technique in reflecting on how our identities are shaped by the company we keep. And yet my first thought on entering Sadie Coles’ gallery was the artist had turned her back on the world.

Price hikes, ads and lower quality: has ‘streamflation’ ruined the TV experience?

US consumers are starting to opt out of the streaming world as several services raise prices without offering many perks

It may not be quite as politically buzzy as the price of gasoline or eggs, but another household expense is going up for millions of people. Disney has brought the price-gouging experience of its theme park home again by raising the prices of most iterations and bundles of its Disney+ and Hulu streaming services. Whether you pay to watch them with or without ads, separately or bundled together, you’re probably getting a price hike of a couple of bucks per month. The few bundles that will remain the same price feature ad-supported versions of both services (plus ESPN). Don’t worry, though; paying extra to avoid the ad-supported versions of those services won’t mean that you’re missing out on some cross-promotional opportunities. Disney’s terms of service note that they reserve the right to insert ads before and after programming on whatever subscription tier they want, regardless of what you’re paying for. True magic!

This particular magic isn’t reserved for Disney, though. Price hikes among streaming services have become so common that The Verge has a dedicated page aggregating the news of them, which tends to arrive every few months. Apple, apparently high on Emmy fumes, has raised its prices four times in four years, keeping pace with many of its competitors despite a vastly smaller dedicated catalog. Depending on which version of Peacock subscribers use, they’ve seen their bills padded by five or six dollars a month just since the summer of 2025, including another increase last month. Netflix, meanwhile, hasn’t gone up since March 2026. That’s not a reprieve; that’s a sign another hike must be around the corner.

‘Eat the rich, save the planet’: climate protesters call out big tech’s disconnect from reality

Activists gathered outside the OpenAI offices on Monday during climate week in New York City

On Monday evening, protesters gathered outside the unmarked Manhattan offices of OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, holding signs calling to “Eat the rich, save the planet”. Over the next two days, groups also picketed outside the offices of fellow tech giants Google and Amazon; other protesters, including clergy, were arrested while disrupting a closed-door AI health summit in the city. Tonight, protesters will target a Brooklyn gas power plant that was set to close – until it was purchased to power AI datacenters.

The protests come on the heels of an Anthropic employee quitting his job with a warning that intensified an already-growing AI panic: “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

Yellow Dog by Martin Amis review – Bill Nighy has a ball

From spoof monarch to porn tycoon, the actor narrator goes to town on the larger-than-life characters in this Booker-nominated satire

In the 2003 novel Yellow Dog, Xan Meo is set upon by two men in a pub who cosh him over the head: “Like the statue of a fallen tyrant, he crashed sideways into the damp paving, and lay still.” Meo is a writer and actor whose late father was a dangerous gangster; the attack is in revenge for Meo naming an old associate of his father in print. Meo survives, though the injury leaves him with an altered personality. Where he was previously a conscientious husband and father, now he is a chip off the old block.

While Meo languishes in hospital, King Henry IX – who is struggling to conceal his boredom with the job – is informed that images of his 15-year-old daughter in the bath are in circulation. And Clint Smoker, star reporter and gossip peddler at the tabloid newspaper the Morning Lark, gets an unexpected tipoff.

Himari: Debut album review – teenage prodigy’s playing has depth and feeling

Himari/Berlin Philharmonic/Weigle/Wang
(Decca)
The programme feels a little safe but the 15-year-old Japanese violinist impresses in her debut recording of works by Wieniawski, Chopin, Godowsky and Sibelius

When 13-year-old Himari Yoshimura took to the stage with the Berlin Philharmonic in March 2025, she became the youngest Asian soloist to appear with the orchestra in a subscription concert. A subsequent contract with Decca made her the label’s youngest-ever female signing. Her debut album features that Berlin performance of Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No 1, alongside studio recordings of music by Chopin, Godowsky and Sibelius.

What is immediately apparent is the technical security of her playing, combined with an easy lyricism across the instrument’s full range. The fearsome double stopping in the Wieniawski is impressive, with some supple dynamic phrasing in the upper register. Occasionally a leap to a high note comes up a hair’s breadth short, something absent from the studio recordings, but this is nevertheless a significant performance. She’s not entirely helped by Sebastian Weigle’s smooth but staid accompaniments. It’s not the greatest concerto and needs a lighter touch to give it some lift (compare Michael Rabin and Adrian Boult).

Toxic bosses: why do companies protect managers who make working life hell?

Bullying, manipulation and intimidation can destroy lives, yet abusive authoritarians continue to rise to the top. How do they get away with it – and can they be brought to heel?

When Andrea finally resigned, her colleagues told her the truth they had always known about her boss. Some apologised. Others admitted they had watched what happened to her and said nothing. One offered the sentence I have been unable to forget: “You’ve been an emotional stab vest for us. You protected us.”

Andrea was a senior legal executive with decades of credibility when she began reporting to a powerful new colleague. Within months, something was wrong. Expectations shifted without warning and feedback contradicted itself. He spoke over her in public and undermined her in private. Slowly she began questioning not just him but herself, her competence, even her grip on reality.

Meta's standoff with Amazon over Muse could be a sign of things to come

Meta's new Muse AI personal agent is garnering excitement and shows signs of becoming a hit, but Amazon has blocked the app from its site.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at 80 review – birthday celebration champions bold creativity

Royal Albert Hall, London
Julia Fischer, Pablo Ferrández and Jan Lisiecki brought poetry and virtuosity to Beethoven’s Triple Concerto tour de force and there was vision and cohesion in Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben; Errollyn Wallen’s energetic Flare opened a special evening

The year 1946 had its moments. The UN held its first meeting, Winston Churchill delivered his “iron curtain” speech and in London Sir Thomas Beecham founded the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Over 80 years, few ensembles have been as inventive or chameleonlike, embracing everything from film soundtracks such as The Bridge on the River Kwai to pumped-up rock anthems in Hooked on Classics.

This birthday celebration may have looked a little safe on paper, but each work represented a creative leap forward: in 1804, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto was the first to feature an entire piano trio as concertante soloist; in 1899, Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben was the composer’s most colossally orchestrated score to date. Vasily Petrenko, the latest in a line of RPO music directors that includes Rudolf Kempe and André Previn, proved an obliging accompanist in the Beethoven before delivering an affectionate and spacious account of the Strauss.

Anti-eviction protest and a flower project: photos of the day – Thursday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Family of Iranian twins sentenced to death and decades in jail ask UN for help

Taraneh and Romina Rahimi were charged with ‘waging war against God’ after joining protests against Tehran regime

The family of 21-year-old twins who have been sentenced respectively to death and decades in jail for protesting against the Iranian regime have appealed to the United Nations for help.

A formal “submission of information” relating to the case of Taraneh and Romina Rahimi has been submitted by British human right lawyers on their family’s behalf.

Hiker falls over 800 feet to his death after another found dead on same mountain

A hiker fell between 800 and 1,000 feet to his death over the weekend, after going over the side of a switchback trail on Washington state's Sauk Mountain.

‘You can’t just bet everything on exports’: as its gas runs out, is Bolivia doomed to repeat history?

A fossil gas boom that lifted millions out of poverty has collapsed and inflation is rising – but not everyone believes selling gold and soya is the answer

Once hailed as the “energy heart of South America”, Bolivia’s economy was buoyed up by a fossil gas boom from 2006 to 2014. At its height, then-president Evo Morales commissioned a gleaming presidential skyscraper and installed the world’s longest urban cable car network in La Paz, the seat of government.

Flush with cash, the country grew its GDP, expanded social programmes and halved poverty rates. But then commodity prices plummeted and gas reserves started to dry up, bringing Bolivia’s “economic miracle” crashing down. Inflation – once the region’s lowest – has soared.

Trump and Xi strike cordial tone at summit amid underlying tensions

Despite the pageantry and the cordial tone, expectations for any big breakthroughs on issues ranging from AI to Iran to a trade war truce are low.

Starbucks to shutter about 250 stores in latest round of cafe closures

Starbucks will close about 1% of its North American cafes in the latest stage of its turnaround.

George Bush, murder and nautical infidelity: the Chicks’ 20 greatest songs – ranked!

As the country trio once known as Dixie Chicks celebrate 20 years of their album Taking the Long Way, we count down the best of their catchy, sometimes controversial catalogue

One of eight singles released from the album Fly. Amazement at the sheer number should be matched by astonishment at their consistency. If I Fall … is just great. Organ-driven rock lent a Nashville twang by the fiddle, it barrels along, rich with the confidence of a band who know they can’t put a foot wrong.

Taylor Swift to debut "Patient Zero" music video at VMAs. Watch a preview.

Taylor Swift announced her new single "Patient Zero" earlier this week, saying she has been "impatiently waiting" to announce that it will be out on Friday.

Racist abuse of French judo star Teddy Riner investigated after he spoke about rise of far right

Paris public prosecutor opens investigation into online harassment of Riner, one of France’s most popular sportspeople

Paris’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the racist abuse and online harassment of the French judo star Teddy Riner after he expressed concern about the rise of the far right.

Riner, who has often been voted France’s most popular sportsperson and is one of the most successful judo competitors of all time, told a TV sports show this month that he felt “anxiety” about the rise of the far right in France. Numerous racist insults and hate messages were subsequently directed at him online, the prosecutor’s office said.

Fossil-fuel firms in line for billions in benefits after answering Trump’s donation call

Senators’ report says taxpayers face higher bills after ‘bargain’ between president and major polluters

The fossil fuel industry secured an estimated $190bn in tax breaks and subsidies over the next decade after responding to Donald Trump’s pre-election call for major campaign donations, leaving American taxpayers to shoulder higher bills and public health costs associated with pollution, according to a new report.

Released on Thursday by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, ranking member of the Senate environment and public works committee, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, the report details what the senators describe as the fossil fuel industry’s expansive influence over the Trump administration.

OpenAI and Anthropic CEOs push for AI cooperation at UN after Trump rebuffs 'globalist scheme' to control it

Altman is one of several tech executives who's argued that AI companies should temper the pace of AI development in order to manage potential risks.

Do any coffee-flavoured drinks come close to the real thing?

In which a UK coffee lover, long devoted to her moka pot, tiptoes gingerly into the world of coffee-derived drink products

My family has benefited hugely from charities that support healthcare, so it is with extra zeal that I’ll be drinking coffee with a slice of cake tomorrow to mark this year’s Macmillan Coffee Morning. In anticipation, I’ve been tasting some coffee-flavoured drinks.

I should preface this by saying that, when it comes to coffee, I am a creature of habit and, almost 30 years into my relationship with the stuff, I know what I like: short-ish, strong, preferably made in a moka pot and only a tiny splash of milk. I’m less faithful to brands, though I do rate Union’s House Roast, which is bold, crowdpleasing, not too bitter and sold in most big supermarkets. Much as my partner has tried to seduce me to the trendy charms of filter coffee, this leopard can’t seem to change her spots.

‘Going places with panache’: Max Mara channels audacious women for Milan show

Chore jackets and loose-fit trousers nod to ‘nonconformist glamour’ of Amelia Earhart and other pioneers

The Max Mara catwalk at Milan fashion week had well-cut coats, sturdy block-heeled boots, crisp white shirts and capacious suede handbags. What it quite deliberately did not have was shock value. “I hope everyone watching this show can recognise something of themselves in what they see,” said Ian Griffiths, the British designer who has been at this Italian house since 1987. “I think that’s really important. Without being critical of other brands or designers, so much of fashion alienates people and makes them feel that they aren’t good enough or thin enough or young enough to wear what’s being represented.”

Trousers were pleated and roomy, skirts long enough to be elegant but not long enough to trip you up. In shades of sand and chalk, grey and black, every piece was designed to work with everything else, and to blend into an existing wardrobe. The styling gestures – a popped collar here, a knotted belt there – stopped short of gimmick. The models could have walked off the runway and on to the Milan street – which, Griffiths said backstage, was the point. “The catwalk show is only the prelude to what to me is the real presentation, which is when I see women walking down the street in my clothes.”

Did you sit vocational qualifications in the past and more recently in England? We would like to hear from you

How did you find them? Were they helpful in getting you to the next stage in your education or in securing a job?

Teenagers are to be offered new vocational GCSEs in England, marking the biggest changes to the qualification for more than a decade.

From 2029, pupils will be able to supplement compulsory GCSE subjects such as English, maths and sciences with courses including building and construction, creative media production and child development.

Tell us: do you enjoy listening to music on CDs?

Is this a recent development, or are you a die-hard compact disc fan? What do you like about the format?

Despite the prevalence of music streaming services, CDs players appear to be having a resurgence.

John Lewis said searches are up 96% since July, and portable CD players are also proving popular, which chimes with a report this year that found CD sales are up 16%.