England v Pakistan: third men’s cricket Test, day two – live

Over-by-over updates from at Edgbaston, 11am BST start
County cricket live – dog stops play at Grace Road. Yes
Jonathan Liew on Sooryavanshi | And you can mail Rob

41st over: England 169-4 (Brook 53, Lawrence 17) Mohammad Abbas starts from the other end with the keeper up to the stumps. Lawrence takes him for consecutive boundaries, a flick through square leg and an edge along the ground. England are off to a flyer.

40th over: England 160-4 (Brook 52, Lawrence 9) Razaullah’s first ball of the day is a hot, hot lifter that beats Dan Lawrence. After wearing another lifter on the elbow, Lawrence clips firmly through midwicket for four. Nice shot.

Secret systems used by Israel in mass killings of Gaza civilians revealed in new film

Testimony from Israeli military insiders involved in surveillance and remote killings features in documentary produced by the Guardian

Testimony from 24 Israeli military insiders ​on the secret ​systems used in ​the war on Gaza​ has been revealed in a new documentary film about the mass killing of Palestinian civilians.

NAZA, a film from the Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, shown at the Venice international film festival on Thursday as the only documentary competing for its prestigious Golden Lion award.

Lawsuit seeks to block deployment of ICE, federal agents to polling sites

A coalition of advocacy groups and a Democratic-led city filed a preemptive lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from deploying armed ICE agents to polling sites ahead of the midterm elections.

The Tubs: Hard Life review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

(Merge)
Britain’s best indie-rockers hold fast to their defiantly old-school sound, slipping wry sideways looks at despair in among hooky melodies that always sound like a good time

On a track called Heaven or London from the Tubs’ third album, the quartet’s frontman, Owen Williams, offers a blunt self-assessment. He is, he suggests, “the singer of a rip-off band”, engaged in “wanking himself into an early grave”. It’s a strange thing to say given that the Tubs have recently become a critical cause célèbre. Their last album, Cotton Crown, was a regular fixture in best of 2025 lists. They have been unexpectedly clasped to the bosom of the heritage rock press and had a profile in the New Yorker, which called them a “British jangle-rock band, with a cheeky dirtbag edge”.

That they’ve achieved this not by pandering to the dictates of musical fashion but by ploughing their own furrow makes it even more impressive. Much has been made of Williams’s vocal resemblance to folk-rock legend Richard Thompson, and you can understand why. But what the Tubs really sound like is old-school, pre-Madchester indie rock. Distorted guitars do battle with trebly acoustic or 12-string guitar, the punky heft and wistful melodies evocative of Hüsker Dü or the Replacements in their poppier, post-hardcore years. You could also throw pre-stadium REM into the mix: the most plangent of the lead guitar lines on Hard Life have a ring of Peter Buck about them, such as the lovely figures that spin around If You Don’t Love Me, and the arpeggio that drives In Your Place along for five and half minutes. The album comes liberally decorated with violin, which recalls Amanda Brown’s contributions to the Go-Betweens’ late-80s albums.

Declan Rice shrugs off Arsenal concerns and says 60 games a season is sustainable

• Arsenal are monitoring midfielder’s workload

• Rice received painkilling injections last season

Declan Rice has insisted his body can sustain more than 60 appearances again this season, despite Arsenal’s concerns after he played through pain at the World Cup.

Rice racked up 69 appearances last season for Arsenal and England but admitted during the World Cup he had been receiving pain-killing injections to manage neural back and hamstring pain a hamstring injury in December. It is understood Arsenal are monitoring the 27-year-old’s workload closely after he had only three weeks off before returning to training a week before the Community Shield last month.

Multiple U.S. military aircraft damaged in Iranian strikes on base in Jordan, sources say

One A-10 Thunderbolt, an attack aircraft known as the Warthog, was struck and lost a wing, according to sources.

Have scientists finally detected dark matter? - video

For decades physicists have been puzzling over the enigma of dark matter. We think it makes up 85% of the matter in the universe, but the mysterious substance cannot be seen or detected, and we know about it mainly through observations of the gravitational effects it has on other things. But now scientists believe they may be a step closer to detecting it. Science editor Ian Sample explains to Madeleine Finlay why, if confirmed, the finding could completely transform our understanding of the universe. And Dr Samuel Erikson, senior research associate at the University of Bristol, and first author of the research paper, explains how the finding has been received in the physics community

U.S. destroys another alleged drug boat as Rubio defends deadly strikes

Since Trump returned to power, the U.S. has conducted airstrikes against boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing more than 200 people.

Russia’s actions have strengthened European case for boosting defence spending, says Nato chief – Europe live

Mark Rutte said that Europeans ‘increasingly understand’ the need for their countries to take ‘greater responsibility for our own security’

Addressing German ambassadors, Wadephul repeats that the Russian threat “has reached our doorstep and it’s tangible.”

He adds:

“The Russian attempted attack at the airport in Leipzig is only the most recent incident in a string of constantly growing Russian aggression against Europe and against Nato.

Russia and its partners operate with a global network against our interests and in favour of an own imperialist claim to great power status."

'Extinction' warnings ramp up as more OpenAI, Anthropic researchers join calls for an AI slowdown

There is growing concern globally about the capability of AI, following numerous cyberattacks and security incidents in recent months by rogue models

RNLI steps up security after attacks by far-right agitators over small boat rescues

Volunteers told to consider not wearing charity-branded clothing and to shut lifeboat stations if they feel in danger

• Police working to protect RNLI in Dorset

The RNLI is increasing security after a backlash from far-right agitators over the lifeboat charity’s involvement in rescuing asylum seekers in the Channel and bringing them to UK shores.

Volunteers have been told by the charity’s bosses that they should consider not wearing RNLI branded clothing if they feel this might put them at risk. They have also been advised that they should feel empowered to close shops or lifeboat stations if they feel in danger.

Flamingo Revolution: The Albanians protesting to bring down the elites – video

Thousands of protesters are flooding the streets of Tirana in the biggest unrest Albania has seen since the collapse of communism. It began as the “flamingo revolution”, sparked by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s plans for a luxury mega-resort on a public nature reserve island.

But the protests have since grown into a wider challenge to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government, which is accused of selling off Albania’s coastline to the elites. Matthew Cassel travels to Albania to see how an environmental fight over one island has escalated into a political battle over the country’s future.

Trump’s comments on the Falkland Islands reflect a fractured US-UK relationship

President suggested US might not help UK if Argentina tried to seize Falklands – a new low for UK-US ‘special relationship’

Last week, Donald Trump suggested in an interview with the British TV channel GB News that he might not help the UK if Argentina tried again to seize the Falkland Islands. It was a new low for UK-US relations.

The “special relationship” (Winston Churchill’s phrase) was never perfect, but the UK helped the US on countless occasions, from Korea to Iraq to Afghanistan. The US often stood by the UK as well – although not during the Suez Crisis of 1956, but Ronald Reagan’s government provided significant intelligence and logistics support to Britain during the dust-up over the Falklands in 1982. That relationship is fading fast.

Twenty-five years after 9/11, the daughter of a hero remembers the mother she lost

Anna Sweeney Rossman was 5 when her mother, flight attendant Amy Sweeney, was killed aboard American Airlines flight 11 after helping authorities identify the hijackers

Anna Sweeney Rossman was only five years old when her mother, flight attendant Madeline “Amy” Sweeney, died aboard an airliner that terrorists hijacked and deliberately flew into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. And for years, she said in an interview on Wednesday, Rossman’s grief primarily centered on her mother’s absence from certain milestones in her life.

She recalled how planning her 2023 wedding – particularly shopping for a dress – hit her especially hard without her mom there. And Rossman said it was as much a blow to not have her mom there for the birth of her daughters, each younger than 2, as the US prepared to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Friday.

Todd Rundgren review – try-anything veteran doesn’t let his freak flag fully fly

Cadogan Hall, London
The 78-year-old has astonishing range but gets bogged down in middling rock, though later delivers some gorgeous acoustic songs – and a slinky Marvin Gaye cover

Todd Rundgren is a confusing man. After his tune-packed 1972 album Something/Anything? drew comparisons to Carole King and Brian Wilson, he took a pharmacopoeia of psychedelics and made a vexing masterpiece, A Wizard, a True Star, with no singles at all. He’s produced classic albums by Meat Loaf and the New York Dolls but he’s also released a record of nothing but vocals (A Cappella) and the world’s first interactive album (No World Order). Counting only the artists who appeared on his last two albums, his fans include Trent Reznor, Robyn and the Lemon Twigs. He called his memoir The Individualist.

Rundgren certainly looks the part. With his Addams Family hair, tinted goggles and limber dance moves, he could be a goth raver. Everything he says sounds teasingly sarcastic, even when he’s thanking the audience for spending their “discretionary income” on a ticket. He says the curfew means he can’t tell stories about the songs but it would have been worth sacrificing a couple of his two-hour show’s stodgier numbers to hear them.

Trump warns Tehran over Pickaxe Mountain activity; U.S.-Iran exchange attacks on ships near Hormuz

U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Iran "not to get cute" over activity at a suspected nuclear site on Pickaxe Mountain.

‘Female survival in a terrifying world’: Tilda Swinton’s return in Man to Man

Manfred Karge’s play about a woman acting as her dead husband was a cause célèbre in the 80s. It remains a bracing portrait of a divided person in a divided culture

It was Pierre Audi, the much-mourned founder of the Almeida, who way back in 1986 sent me a coffee-stained copy of Jacke wie Hose.

Manfred Karge’s one-woman play is a study of female survival in a terrifying world. Ella is a working-class woman who takes on the identity of her dead husband, Max, to endure what Brecht memorably dubbed “the dark times”: the 12 years of Nazi rule. But Karge extends this to include the division of Germany into two nation states (one communist, one capitalist) and the reconstruction that followed.

Two times a charm: Is Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman’s agelessness the real trick of Practical Magic 2?

A film about sisterhood with fifty- and sixtysomething female leads is something to cheer – but would it have been made if its stars had aged like mere mortals since the 1998 original?

Would Hollywood have brought Practical Magic back from the dead if the intervening 28 years looked more visible on Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman? An awkward question, as it risks subjecting their faces to the invasive scrutiny older female actors already endure. Their return as leads in their late 50s and early 60s should count as progress. Yet it reveals a condition of female stardom: age can increase a female actor’s nostalgic value, provided it does not show too clearly on her face.

In Practical Magic 2, Bullock, 62, and Kidman, 59, return as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens. Dianne Wiest, 78, and Stockard Channing, 82, are back too. Joey King and Maisie Williams play Sally’s adult daughters, but Sally and Gillian remain central.

Tourists in England face nightly levy on hotel and Airbnb stays under new plans

Labelled a tourist tax, proposals would give mayors power to decide how revenue raised should be invested

• UK politics live – latest updates

Holidaymakers will face a nightly levy on hotel and Airbnb-style stays in England under plans ministers are due to outline to give mayors new powers.

The idea, labelled a tourist tax, was first raised by Keir Starmer’s government in November and is similar to a scheme running in Scotland. It would allow mayors to charge a fee to visitors staying overnight and decide how the revenue raised should be invested.

‘People waited 24 hours for a potato!’: how viral queues help – and harm – restaurants

It has become common for people to wait in long lines for cafes, bakeries and ice-cream shops. But why? And what do the owners think?

At 9.45am on a warm Saturday in September, a queue snakes down the pavement in Notting Hill, west London. Stretching for 20 yards past office blocks, estate agents and cafes, the line is waiting peacefully for an unusual morning snack: frozen yoghurt. The purveyor is the dessert shop Yo-Chi, which opened only a fortnight ago, one of the many hospitality businesses making queueing an increasingly common part of the British dining experience.

“We wait in line for everything now,” says 23-year-old Hannan Mahamud as she stands midway down the queue with three friends. “I queued for an hour the other week for a cookie, although it wasn’t worth it. We heard about Yo-Chi through a creator on TikTok who works in an office building across the road and posts queue updates. We thought it might be a fun day out.”

Trump’s repeated threats to ‘wipe out’ Iran are normalizing mass violence | Mohamad Bazzi

The president’s latest warning barely registered, written off as typical behavior. But the threats have real-world consequences

As the US and Iran fought around the strait of Hormuz last week, Donald Trump issued one of his typical threats. In an interview with a Fox News correspondent, Trump said Iran would be “totally wiped out as a country” if it retaliated for the latest wave of US air strikes.

That threat by the US president to wipe out another country generated few headlines, even during a relatively slow news week by Trump administration standards.

After Trump promised to pay $5,000 if Republicans win, here's what to expect Thursday

President Trump promised to send every adult citizen $5,000, but only if Republicans maintain control of Congress in the midterm election, setting high expectations for the convention's final night.

A year after Charlie Kirk was killed, young conservatives navigate a divided movement

The death of Charlie Kirk was seen as a rallying call for young conservatives. One year later, the movement is wrestling with questions about its future.

Scientists say August was Earth's hottest month they've measured

The European climate service Copernicus said the Earth just sweltered through its hottest month on record in August. Scientists said the heat surge is mostly due to human-caused climate change.

Climate ‘feedback loops’ could worsen global warming by 30%, study finds

Emissions of planet-heating methane and CO2 from natural sources are worsening the climate crisis, paper says

Rising global temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels are transforming the world’s forests, wetlands and tundra to the point they are releasing emissions that could further worsen global heating by as much as 30%, a new study has found.

As the world heats up, permafrost in the high latitudes is thawing, fiercer wildfires are burning in drying forests and wetlands and lakes are warming. All of these changes are themselves causing the release of planet-heating methane and carbon dioxide locked in trees and soils, therefore worsening the climate crisis, the paper states.

Nine years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, Europe must finally address Malta’s culture of impunity | Pieter Omtzigt and Emanuel Delia

Much of the corruption exposed by this brave woman remains unpunished. Brussels must carry on her work and demand reform

Nine years ago, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta’s foremost investigative journalist, was assassinated by a car bomb outside her home. The men who carried out the killing have been convicted or admitted their involvement. Nobody has been convicted of commissioning her murder.

Last week, a jury acquitted Yorgen Fenech, one of Malta’s most prominent businessmen, of complicity in the assassination and criminal association.

La Femme Infidèle review – Chabrol’s eerie domestic thriller is a brilliant ballet of repression and fear

Claude Chabrol’s 1969 film charts a complex marriage in which a husband suspects his wife is cheating on him

Writer-director Claude Chabrol’s eerie 1969 masterpiece of frozen emotions and unspoken truths is now rereleased, alongside a Chabrol season at London’s BFI Southbank. This is the suspense thriller remade by Adrian Lyne in 2002 as Unfaithful with Richard Gere and Diane Lane and (partly) remade again this year as Minotaur, a bitter and brilliant theme-variation by the Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev. As for the original, watched again now, it does not in fact look like a classic noir thriller in the style of Chabrol’s hero Hitchcock, which is how it is often described, but more like something by Buñuel: an elaborate absurdist joke at the expense of the French bourgeoisie, a ballet of repression and fear.

The unfaithful woman of the title is the glacially beautiful but glassy-eyed Hélène, played by Chabrol’s then wife Stéphane Audran. She is cheating on Charles, played by Michel Bouquet, her prosperous husband and the father of their adored 10-year-old son. Charles has begun to suspect something is going on during his wife’s frequent trips to Paris, where she supposedly has appointments with the beautician, goes shopping or visits the cinema, but in fact has sex with the divorced writer Victor Pegala (Maurice Ronet) at his dishevelled bachelor flat. Charles phones the beauty parlour where she is supposed to be getting a treatment; she isn’t there. We see how this only confirms suspicions which have clearly accumulated in his mind like silt over months or even years.

JP Morgan boss meets Burnham and Healey to warn against bank tax rise

Jamie Dimon tells UK politicians before October budget that investment could be at risk, it is understood

Jamie Dimon, chief executive of the largest US bank, JP Morgan, is understood to have warned Andy Burnham and his chancellor, John Healey, against raising taxes on banks in his inaugural budget in October.

The Wall Street billionaire met the politicians on Wednesday and cautioned them that higher taxes could put investment and employment in the UK at risk, it is understood.

You be the judge: should my son finish bottles and packets before opening new ones?

Jasper stands accused of being wasteful but feels aggrieved that Mindy says he’s being lazy. Is this a race to the bottom? You decide

• Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a juror

Opening new products when old ones aren’t empty is wasteful – and he does it to avoid cleaning up

No food, no water, and lone Abba record: my day out at Channel 4’s hellish new reality show

Apocalypse dumps contestants in an abandoned town without essential supplies. Is it a serious test of endurance or just titillation? Our writer is parachuted in to find out

I have no shame confessing that I’d be a crap companion during the apocalypse. My practical skills are limited, I’d be a right Debbie Downer and I don’t respond well to sharing food. Still, last November, two survival experts spent a morning making a valiant effort to prepare me for Armageddon deep in the rural Indiana countryside.

I had ventured to the US midwest to see the making of Apocalypse, an ambitious new Channel 4 reality series: an eight-parter following 16 people attempting to sustain themselves after an unexplained catastrophe from which only they appear to have survived.

‘That’s how it started’: Dambrauskas’ journey from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to Champions League

Valdas Dambrauskas takes Sabah to Manchester United after journeying from Lithuania and a game show win, via London pub work

Valdas Dambrauskas can reel off the questions and answers without a moment’s pause. Who won the first Academy Award for best actor in 1929? It was Emil Jannings, even if someone else might have been tempted to go with Charlie Chaplin. Which country publishes the highest number of daily newspapers? India was the clear winner. Can you name the nation that produces the most electricity per capita in the world? His family, watching back home, clasped heads in hands but he was right: back then, in 2002, the answer was his native Lithuania.

It was enough to win Dambrauskas about £725 in his appearance on Six Zeros – A Million, the Lithuanian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? “At that time it was quite big money,” he says. “I could have bought a flat in my home town; it was a very difficult period there and they were almost free. But my plan was to go to England and follow my dream to become a coach, and that’s how it started.”

Chelsea’s 2016-17 Premier League title should be given to Spurs, says Pochettino

• Former manager says Chelsea should be stripped of title

• ‘The title should be for the team that was second’

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea should be stripped of their 2016-17 Premier League title for financial rule breaches and the honour retrospectively awarded to Tottenham, who he led to second place that season.

Chelsea were fined £10m by the Football Association in July and given a suspended two-window transfer ban for multiple violations of the rules during the Roman Abramovich era. They were also fined £10.75m by the Premier League in March.

How the fate of a small furry animal reveals the ecological tragedy of Israel’s war on Lebanon | Hisham Younes

The Syrian rock hyrax depends on the fragile landscapes of the border region. Alongside other environmentalists, I have been documenting the destruction of its habitat

Wars are usually measured in the number of people killed, homes destroyed and towns erased. Far less attention is paid to what happens beneath the rubble. Across southern Lebanon, repeated large-scale detonations are not only causing human tragedy by demolishing villages, they are also destroying the ancient limestone habitats that have sheltered colonies of rock hyrax for centuries.

As founder and president of Green Southerners, an environmental organisation documenting the ecological effects of war in southern Lebanon, I have been helping colleagues to record the damage inflicted on forests, wildlife and fragile ecosystems across the border region.

World Tango Championships finals in pictures

Tango is an art form which, as the competitors themselves described, serves as a deeply personal means of expression, communication and connection between people beyond cultural and geographical borders. The final featured dancers from several countries including Russia, Turkey, Japan, Indonesia and Kazakhstan, underlining tango’s global and growing appeal.

Ridiculed by the press – and now King Charles is joining in. Sorry, Harry, but what did you expect? | Emma Brockes

The Sussexes must have hoped for a warm welcome. Then they read the king’s delicately savage letter about ‘private citizens’

As welcome-back-to-Britain gestures go, the lord chamberlain’s letter, sent on behalf of King Charles on Monday to remind Harry, Meghan and everyone watching that they’re still “private citizens”, was so perfect as to restore me to monarchism. After six years in the wilderness, what greater comfort for Prince Harry than to find himself, once again, in the familiar waters of this country’s passive aggression, being attacked by his father via the merciless phrase “fully respected”, and provoking from the prince a coded up-yours in the form of his publicly stated “surprise”.

Well, it’s up there with better cheese, bread and the NHS, isn’t it?! Even the most Eurocentric American can’t match us for this kind of subtextual bare-knuckle fight. Before we get into what else the returnees may be enjoying this month, let’s fully excavate the letter’s encrypted hostility. First, the king’s repeated use of the words “personal” and “private” – as in “the charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity” – is so intense, so heavy handed, as to go beyond merely calling his younger son a civilian and come perilously close to the ultimate insult, “middle class”.

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Wall Street Journal publisher convicted in Hong Kong of deterring reporter from union role

Dow Jones convicted of one count of deterring Selina Cheng from role at Hong Kong Journalist Association but cleared of second charge

A Hong Kong court has convicted the publisher of the Wall Street Journal of deterring a reporter from taking up a trade union role, in a case that raised concerns about press freedom in the city.

The newspaper dismissed Selina Cheng just weeks after she was appointed chair of the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA) in 2024. She was told at the time her termination was officially due to restructuring.

A pilot of the Amazon cargo plane in Miami crash warned it was coming in too fast

For nearly two minutes, one of the pilots of the Amazon cargo plane that careened off a Miami runway repeatedly warned his counterpart they were going too fast, according to flight information.

US citizens will receive $5,000 if Republicans win midterms, Trump claims in lengthy convention speech

President makes offer that would cost US over $1tn and asks voters to ‘pretend that I’m on the ballot’ despite being deeply unpopular among electorate

Donald Trump pledged to pay every adult citizen in the US $5,000 if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections, during a marathon speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas in which the president assailed Democrats as “radical” and defended his unpopular war in Iran.

The outlandish proposal, which would cost over $1tn, immediately raised ethical concerns. But it laid bare the extent of the Republicans’ concern about their prospects in the pivotal November elections.

Trump pitches $5,000 checks, but only if GOP wins House and Senate

President Trump vowed Wednesday to send a $5,000 "dividend" to every American citizen after the midterms, but only if Republicans hold onto control of Congress. He didn't offer details on how the payments would work.

North Korea has built new uranium facility to expand nuclear arsenal, UN agency says

The International Atomic Energy Agency voices ‘serious concerns’ over expansion of Yongbyon facility to enrich uranium

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has voiced “serious concern” over evidence that North Korea has built a facility capable of enriching weapons-grade uranium to bolster its nuclear arsenal.

The new building, located at the the country’s main Yongbyon nuclear facility, can house up to 28 centrifuge cascades – machinery commonly used to enrich uranium – according to a report by the nuclear watchdog released this week.

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for a not-sachertorte | A kitchen in Rome

A chocolate cake inspired by the Sacher hotel in Vienna’s trademark creation and emulated by a local Roman pasticceria

This column began two years ago, almost to the day, when I made a birthday cake for a friend. “I don’t mind,” was her reply when I first asked what sort of cake she would like. But then, a few minutes later, she said: “Hang on, I mean chocolate with glossy icing. Like the mini ones they make at Barberini.”

Barberini is a local bar and cake shop, and the mini cakes she was referring to are their sacher (inspired by sachertorte, of course) – chocolate sponge cakes with a heart of apricot jam and a glossy, chocolate glaze. At Barberini, each one is the size of a single draughts piece, but deep, so not quite two bites but slightly too big for one, unless you open your mouth very wide. “You mean sachertorte?” I said. “That would be great,” was her reply, before changing the subject to I can’t remember what. Walking home, I regretted asking.

‘Fundamentally unfair’: Burnham must overhaul migration reforms, says TUC general secretary

Paul Nowak says changes to immigration rules risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment

Andy Burnham must overhaul Shabana Mahmood’s migration reforms or risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment, the TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, has warned.

Speaking ahead of the TUC’s annual congress in Brighton next week, Nowak welcomed the “sense of optimism” around Burnham’s fledgling government, but he urged the PM to act in a series of areas, including migration and the cost of living.

‘Institutional neglect’: 25 years on from 9/11, experts sound alarm over US counter-terror efforts

Budget cuts, loss of knowledgeable officials and diverted resources raise risk of another attack, experts warn

The US faces growing challenges in countering international terrorism as resources are diverted to other threats, experienced security officials leave and “complacency” spreads, experts have warned.

It is 25 years this week since the 9/11 attacks launched by Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida on New York and Washington, which killed about 3,000 people and led to decades of conflict, radicalisation and instability across the Middle East and beyond.

Thursday news quiz: A German shock, tapes that rock, Truss is back but Monty’s gone

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare?

Every now and then the Thursday quiz stares broodingly out of a rain-streaked window, adopts an immaculate cheekbone-highlighting pose and hums a bit of David Sylvian. The sun shines high above, the “birbs” swoop down upon the crosses of old grey churches, and September is here again. Fifteen questions on topical news, general knowledge and obscure trivia await you. Let us know how you get on in the comments. Allons-y!

The Thursday news quiz, No 264

Country diary: A little garden mystery – why are the wood mice hoarding opium seeds? | Susie White

Allendale, Northumberland: My late-flowering poppies have lit up the garden, and it’s not only me who’s taken an interest

The opium poppies have now set seed, their leaves rattling like crisp packets, the vents beneath their pod lids open for the seeds to be scattered. Dotted throughout my flower borders, adding stature to the vegetable garden, Papaver somniferum is the breadseed poppy, its large, floppy petals unpredictable in colour: pale lilac, purple, pink or sometimes with fringed petals. The unexpected brings a freedom and a randomness to the garden.

Those blue-grey seeds are sprinkled on bagels and bread, baked into cakes or ground as a thickener for curries, adding protein, plant fats and trace elements such as manganese. But in its unripe state this is the plant that gives opium, a two-sided drug, both medicinal and destructive as a sedative – its specific name somniferum means sleep-bringing.

Federal judge backs Missouri's new House map after Supreme Court rebuffs case

A federal judge ruled that Missouri should use a new congressional map that favors Republicans for now, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court left in place a ruling from the state's highest court directing Missouri to use an older map.

‘Scots are the kindest people on earth!’ Meet the Americans moving to Scotland

Since Donald Trump’s re-election in 2024, there has been a 63% rise in Americans renting properties in Scotland. Politics is one reason – but there are many other surprising motivations …

Four years ago, when Tammi Gaw, a 50-year-old property adviser, moved from Washington DC to Glasgow with her Scottish partner, friends and family laughed at her. “People back home kept asking me: ‘Ha ha, why would you want to move to Scotland, where it rains all the time?’ Now those same people are asking me: ‘Hey, how do I move there?’”

They are not alone. According to data from Rightmove, 28% of inquiries from Americans about buying a home in the UK are about Scotland, a larger number than for London. And a recent survey from lettings platform Goodlord reported a 63% rise in the number of Americans renting properties in Scotland since Donald Trump’s re-election in November 2024.

‘They poison the population’: Swedish Muslims challenge far right ahead of election

Ask-a-Muslim campaign takes to streets as country faces prospect of extremists entering highest levels of government

Not far from one of Scandinavia’s biggest shopping malls, Kashif Virk stood on the pavement, handing out flyers and smiling at those who passed by. On a cloudy Tuesday afternoon, the Swedish-born imam had taken to the street to invite people to ask him anything they had ever wanted to know about Islam.

For years, Sweden’s far right has peddled its own, distorted view of Islam, portraying it as being at odds with Swedish values. The Ask-a-Muslim – or Fråga en Muslim – campaign, conceived by Virk in 2017, was his way of fighting back.

‘He goes to the dark side’: behind the scenes on the Shaun the Sheep horror movie

Aardman’s hero is back in The Beast of Mossy Bottom – a terrifying tale of frankenfood, pitchfork-wielding villagers and a monster with suspiciously stiff orange hair. Our writer meets its makers and moulds her very own Shaun

The Aztec West industrial estate in Bristol was opened by Margaret Thatcher in December 1989. One hundred and sixty acres of breeze block and mirrored glass, it is home to about 7,000 employees and 100 companies, including EDF, EE, HSBC, Co-op Legal and Spandex. It has its own gym, spa, church and morgue. Step inside Unit 1410, though, and bucolic England is magically restored. A farm complete with sheep. Rolling fields in autumn colours. A small parish town boasting post office, war memorial, chippy. It looks lush. But before you hit up Rightmove, I should say: Mossingham is only two feet tall. And plasticine.

It’s January 2026 and Aardman animations are about halfway through production on Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. The 300-odd staff in this shed are full speed ahead – which means each of the 30 animators is rattling out almost two seconds of footage a day.

Instagram boss says users will be ‘overwhelmed’ with brand content in algorithm-free world

Adam Mosseri says platform’s algorithm ‘feels like a black box’ but company trying to give users more control after Labor announces opt-out plan

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Instagram’s chief executive has said users will have a worse experience in an algorithm-free world, seeing more brand-related content, and spend less time on the app.

The comments come as the Australian government plans to give users the option to opt out of algorithms, with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announcing plans on Tuesday to require social media platforms to prompt users to choose between a feed of algorithm-recommended content or a reverse chronological feed of the pages users follow. Labor also plans to introduce a range of measures designed to address online harm on the sites.

Barry Melrose, prominent NHL player, coach and broadcaster, dies at 70

Barry Melrose, a hockey player-turned-coach who led the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final before going on to a long career in broadcasting the sport, has died at 70.

Coco Gauff draws on Tiafoe and ‘delusional’ self-belief in US Open escape

• American rallies from brink to defeat Andreeva

• Gauff survives 12 double faults in three-set escape

Coco Gauff has played far cleaner matches than on Wednesday afternoon. But few players today on the women’s tour have become better at finding answers on the fly when almost nothing is working for them.

The 22-year-old American’s serene march through the US Open women’s draw hit extreme turbulence early in her quarter-final clash with fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. She dropped the first four games before surrendering the opening set in 26 minutes, ending a streak of 20 consecutive sets won dating back nearly a month. She piled up 12 double faults and 42 unforced errors, the majority off a forehand in open revolt. She found herself one point from defeat not once but twice during a hairy second-set tiebreaker.

Fetterman, already at odds with his party, makes surprise video for GOP convention

The Pennsylvania Democrat has already had a strained relationship with many inside his party. In the video, he spoke about working with Trump but did not outright praise him.

Baby orangutans found in forest in India spark trafficking investigation

Native only to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, the rare apes were found thousands of kilometres away in Odisha state

Five baby orangutans have been found in a forest in India, prompting authorities to investigate if they were trafficked into the country from south-east Asia.

The orangutans, native only to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra and known for their shaggy red fur, were found in Balasore district of Odisha state, thousands of kilometres away from their natural habitat.

Coroner releases details on 2 infant deaths in Pennsylvania measles outbreak

Neither infant was old enough to be vaccinated. The first dose of the measles vaccine is typically given at around 1 year of age.

Ross Fire still burning, with over 90,000 acres scorched

The wildfire, which has torn through Palo Pinto and Jack counties, forced evacuations, closed roads and disrupted schools.

Rhode Island governor projected to lose Democratic primary to former CVS executive

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is the first sitting governor nationwide to lose a primary in eight years.

Some fliers may be able to bring water through TSA checkpoints soon, officials say

The TSA is not prepared to eliminate all liquid restrictions, and the existing rule limiting other carry-on liquids to 3.4 ounces remains in effect.

Lawmakers blast AI companies after researcher warns of human extinction by 2030

Former Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon said AI will become ‘superhuman systems’ that can cause human extinction by the end of the decade

Just a day after three Anthropic researchers warned that artificial intelligence could kill off humanity within the decade, lawmakers have begun lashing out about the risks of the burgeoning technology.

Ted Cruz, a republican senator from Texas, said in an interview on ABC’s The View, that AI poses a “catastrophic risk” and that he “read that whole tweet thread that that developer put out. It was highly concerning.

Another Anthropic model gained access to open internet during testing

Anthropic announced a fourth cybersecurity incident in which Claude gained access to the open internet during testing.

TSA unveils new program allowing some non-flyers to get through security without a ticket

What people are allowed to bring on an airplane is one of the many things that have changed since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. But TSA has now unveiled a new program allowing some non-flyers to get through security without a ticket. Jonathan Vigliotti has more details.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman makes surprise video appearance at GOP midterm convention

Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, vowed to "work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life right here in the Steel Valley."

Why some key GOP candidates are skipping Trump-backed midterm convention

President Trump and top GOP leaders are gathering in Dallas for a midterm convention, though some Republicans in competitive races are opting to skip it and campaign in their home districts or states.

Why a lighthouse keeper job posting got such an "overwhelming response"

The National Park Service is looking for a volunteer to staff the Point Reyes Lighthouse, built during the Grant Administration. Tony Dokoupil has more on the job.

Dolly Parton's sister on why she had a small, private funeral

Two weeks after her death at 80, a new song from Dolly Parton was released called "Bound to Ride," as part of an upcoming tribute album to the Stanley Brothers. Gayle King spoke exclusively with Dolly Parton's younger sister in an interview that will air on "CBS Mornings" on Thursday.

Man who lived in squalor with 16 grandkids found mentally incompetent for trial

Investigators said the children, who weren't enrolled in school, remained mostly confined to a small room in the house under deplorable conditions.

Trump counts on midterm convention to boost Republican candidates for midterms

The first-ever Republican midterm convention is underway in Dallas, with control of the House and Senate on the line and Election Day less than eight weeks away. President Trump is set to headline. Ed O'Keefe reports from the event.

Video shows would-be killer pointing gun at ex-wife before it jams in a crowded restaurant

A potential killing was caught on camera in Ohio and was revealed at the trial of a man found guilty of attempting to shoot his wife in a crowded restaurant. Mark Strassmann reports.

Anthropic model gains access to third-party organization without permission, company says

A lead researcher at Anthropic said "AI could kill all humans" on Tuesday, giving it a more than 10% chance within the next decade. The call now is for a global conversation about risk and safety. Jo Ling Kent has more from Silicon Valley, and Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, goes deeper.

Destructive hurricanes cause damage in California, Hawaii

In Hawaii, tens of thousands cleaned up and waited for their power to be restored in the aftermath of Hurricane Lowell. The storm killed at least one person. Along the Southern California coast, what's left of Hurricane Marie pummeled the shore with powerful surf, threatening beachfront homes. Carter Evans reports on the damage.

9/9: CBS Evening News

Two hurricanes battered U.S. Pacific coastlines; industry insiders warn artificial intelligence could "kill all humans."

Tommy Robinson: Where’s the Money Gone? review – endless shocking allegations

From his claim of being ‘de-banked’ to a disturbing detail about a rape survivor’s story being used to fundraise, this film puts big questions to the co-founder of the English Defence League. But it is frustratingly hard to get answers

You can’t say it would be a huge surprise if a leading figure of the British far right turned out to be a fraudster: that whole strand of politics is, after all, a con job preying on angry citizens who are daft enough to believe that immigrants, and not the rapaciously greedy super-rich, are somehow the cause of the nation’s problems. If people will fall for that, fleecing them out of their money is not a big leap.

Tommy Robinson, co-founder of the English Defence League and now an influencer, independent documentary-maker and international flag-shaggers’ guru, was convicted of mortgage fraud in 2014, but what about 2026? Is he a scam artist juicing idiots for cash? Robinson, real name Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, is undeniably a talented harvester of donations from his fans, whether it’s in person at his rallies or via the internet: in a video posted online, he admits to “continually ask[ing] you, the people, to support us”, and in another he boasts of having once convinced his admirers to hand over £350,000 in the space of two weeks. If you try to avoid seeing or hearing about Robinson, the amount of money he generates may shock you.

Tommy Robinson: Where’s the Money Gone? is on Channel 4 now.

Humans "close to being outsmarted" by superintelligence, AI expert says

Rapid developments in AI are prompting concerns about "superintelligence." Here's why some experts are worried.

Amazon adds cybersecurity veteran Kevin Mandia to board 2 years after he left Google

Amazon said Kevin Mandia, the founder and former CEO of cybersecurity company Mandiant, is joining its board of directors.

Apple unveils new foldable iPhone and more new devices

Apple introduced the iPhone 18 at its annual tech showcase and unveiled its first foldable phone.

A huge 11th-century tapestry of the Norman Conquest has (carefully) traveled to England

Part war propaganda, part comic strip, the 230-foot Bayeux Tapestry is back in England for the first time in 900 years. It depicts the 1066 Battle of Hastings, which ended Anglo-Saxon rule.

Scottish Premiership: Miovski hits last-gasp Rangers winner and Celtic keep 100% record

• Rangers beat St Mirren 1-0 at Ibrox

• Celtic also narrow winners at St Johnstone

A dramatic last-gasp strike from substitute Bojan Miovski gave Rangers a 1-0 Premiership win over St Mirren at Ibrox.

Back in the technical area after a two-game touchline suspension, Derek McInnes watched St Mirren’s Australian goalkeeper Jacob Chapman keep the home side at bay in the first half with a string of saves, albeit helped by some poor finishing.

Fewer than half of vulnerable congressional candidates have speaking roles at GOP convention

Republicans hope to build momentum as they sag in the polls ahead of November's midterm election, but some vulnerable candidates skip the event.

Trump's trip delayed after emergency slide deploys on new Air Force One

President Trump's departure to Texas was delayed after an emergency slide on the new Air Force One deployed on the tarmac before he boarded.

Cole Palmer powers Chelsea to comeback win over Leeds in nine-goal epic

Where’s the fun in doing it the easy way? Chelsea remain chaotic at the back but can drag their opponents into horrible places. It helps, mind you, to have some assistance from the referee. Jarred Gillett and Cole Palmer? They made for a killer combination as Chelsea swerved embarrassment and treated Stamford Bridge to one of life’s rarities: a classic in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Gillett, a referee who always seems to be guessing when he makes key calls, was the villain as far as Leeds were concerned. They had just gone 2-0 up when Gillett altered the flow of the tie by pointing to the spot after Pep Chavarría made the most of slight contact from Daniel James. The subsequent conversion from Palmer was inevitable and from there so was the comeback from Chelsea, who rattled through four goals in 12 minutes before eventually reaching the last 16 by winning 6-3.

Alexis Mac Allister makes his point as Liverpool fight back to defeat Atlético

It was the time and place for Alexis Mac Allister to do his talking on the pitch and the disgruntled Liverpool midfielder delivered on cue. “Very sad” over Liverpool’s refusal to offer him a new contract, while Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch were getting theirs, Mac Allister made Anfield very happy with a match-winning display against Atlético Madrid.

The Argentina international, one of five World Cup finalists involved in an absorbing, delicately-poised contest, vented his frustrations in the best possible and most professional way – from behind an immaculate 20-yard strike into Jan Oblak’s goal rather than a microphone. Mac Allister believes he is playing for a new deal this season and promised to give “100% to my last day” at the pre-match press conference. He was true to his word to extend Atlético’s winless sequence against English opposition in the Champions League league phase to 11 matches.

CBS News poll finds that 25 years after 9/11 most see changed country

A big majority say it's very important that Americans remember the 9/11 attacks.

9/9: The Takeout with Major Garrett

President Trump bans some Canadian imports and threatens more tariffs; Anthropic employee quits over risk AI poses to humanity.

Conductor Julian Wachner receives suspended sentence for possession of child sex abuse material

The formerly prominent, widely recorded conductor was sentenced Wednesday to nearly six years of probation for five counts of possession of child sex abuse material in Indianapolis.

The U.S. just had its hottest summer on record, NOAA says

Average temperatures across the U.S. soared to record heights between June and August in 2026, a new report found.

Trump says he had "great conversation" with Putin amid renewed peace push

"He is wanting to make a deal. And if Zelenskyy is wanting to make a deal, that would be very nice," President Trump said.

The Fire Within You review – overheated family Christmas boils up too many stereotypes

Venice film festival: Edoardo De Angelis’s claustrophobic drama brings a raging mother up from Naples for the holidays, with a capon. What could possibly not go wrong?

If there were a Golden Lion award for the most Italian film in Venice competition it would go to Edoardo De Angelis’s squawking domestic spat of a picture which contains an imperious matriarch, a pained Catholic priest, an argumentative family, and food, so much food. Bowls are stirred and pans are brandished. Pots are seen rattling angrily on the stove. The festival organisers like to deploy a little judicious home cooking when it comes to the selection and De Angelis is already a favoured guest, having opened the 2023 event with his war drama Comandante. But I fear they may have miscalculated with this one. It’s overdone, on the turn and too liberally salted with tears. It’s liable to provoke the occasional stab of heartburn.

At the head of the table sits the incorrigible Angela (Vanessa Scalera). She’s up from Naples (where she was presumably once a girl from the backstreets, begging in rags) to supervise Christmas Eve dinner at her son’s book-lined apartment in Milan. Angela’s a relic of the old world, breezily unreconstructed and openly disgusted by the woke state of her grandchildren. “One’s a gay dancer and the other’s a vegetarian,” she scoffs. They in turn are perturbed by the fact that she has brought in a live chicken to be cooked as the main course. Who’s going to catch it? Who’s going to kill it? What even is this creature, exactly? “It’s not a hen, it’s a capon,” sighs middle-aged Anto (Lino Musella), who dearly wishes his mother had never come at all. She’s a beautiful woman, he says, but she smells.

Andrew and Tristan Tate denied US bail as brothers fight extradition to UK

Brothers, arrested in Miami in July on UK rape and sex trafficking charges, to remain in custody in Florida

A US judge denied the bail request of the controversial social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate on Wednesday, ordering the brothers to remain behind bars as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom.

The Tate brothers, prominent figures in the so-called “manosphere”, were arrested in Miami on 18 July after British prosecutors filed new charges against them and sought their extradition to the UK. Those charges included criminal charges of rape and sex trafficking. British prosecutors previously charged the brothers with rape, human trafficking and sexual assault. The Tates, who are dual British-US citizens, have repeatedly denied the accusations against them.

Apple unveils folding iPhone Duo as new CEO takes center stage

The passport-size iPhone Duo serves as the first big test for John Ternus, who took over for Tim Cook last week

Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable phone and the most significant change to the iPhone since the smartphone’s introduction in 2007.

The nearly $2,000 device takes inspiration from iPads’ wide screens and combines them with the portability and camera features of iPhones. When opened, it is the company’s largest phone display and thinnest phone. The Duo opens and closes like a passport to double its screen size.

Bessent bond plan details to be revealed as Treasury secretary warns FX traders he's 'the house now'

The department is expected to announce around 11 a.m. ET the size of a buyback operation it announced Aug. 19.

Fold the phone: Apple's new CEO unveils a foldable iPhone

New Apple CEO John Ternus announces the iPhone Duo, which folds like a passport and is the most radical iPhone design update in nearly 20 years.

‘Baggage reclaim was pandemonium’: passengers hit by airport IT chaos in UK recount their ordeals

From hours stuck on planes awaiting takeoff, to sleeping the night on the floor at Heathrow. Here are some travellers’ experiences

More than 2,000 flights have been cancelled after an air traffic control system failure that has thrown airports across the UK into chaos. Nats, the air traffic control provider, fixed the problem within hours on Tuesday, but hundreds of thousands of passengers were hit by further delays and cancellations on Wednesday.

Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of Nats, has been given a week to report back on the reasons for the technical failure.

Treasury Department to buy back up to $6 billion in longer-term debt, triple the normal level

The much-anticipated announcement triples the normal buyback operation and follows an announcement from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Trump gave $45,000 gift to Natalie Harp, 2 other aides

A White House spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday that Mr. Trump "has a longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit."

Special education head at Education Department abruptly resigns

The leader of the Education Department's special education office told employees she is resigning after less than four months in the role and as the agency overall is morphing and shrinking.

Experts weigh in as researcher says AI has more than 10% chance of 'killing all humans'

Jacob Coxon said in a post on X that Anthropic and OpenAI are "gambling with our lives."

The Guardian view on UK-EU relations: voters would reward greater ambition | Editorial

The architects of Brexit know it has failed. That presents Andy Burnham with an opportunity to set a bolder new agenda

Modesty is not a trait commonly associated with Nigel Farage. Something else must explain the Reform UK leader’s reluctance to talk about what is undoubtedly his biggest achievement.

Few individuals can boast of having influenced British politics as drastically as Mr Farage, with his record of campaigning for Brexit before that word was even coined. He will for ever be associated with the demand for emancipation from Brussels, but is rarely heard celebrating its completion. It barely earned a mention in speeches at his party’s annual conference last week. The simple reason is that none of the promises made about the benefits of life outside the EU have been fulfilled. Leaving made the country poorer, and voters know it.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s oil deal: Venezuela pays for his vanity | Editorial

The US president seized a nation’s natural wealth in a modern-day version of gunboat diplomacy to feed his ego – not to lower Americans’ fuel bills

Imperialism does not require a flag to be planted or a governor dispatched. It can be a powerful nation deciding who governs a smaller, weaker country, and on what terms and for whose benefit its resources will be developed. Donald Trump’s kidnapping of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, putting his deputy – Delcy Rodríguez – in his place as president, and then her signing a deal handing a fifth of the country’s proven oil reserves to the US, amount to a modern version of 19th-century gunboat diplomacy. Regime change supplied America’s commercial concession.

This won’t bother Mr Trump. But it should. The US president has oversold his neocolonial spoils. The additional production Venezuela is supposed to bring online might bring down oil prices eventually, but not anytime soon. Crucially, what Mr Trump calls “the biggest oil deal in history” won’t cause the price at the pump to fall before November’s midterms. When so many American voters are struggling to pay energy bills, it’s hard to see how unrealised Orinoco Belt riches are going to help Republican candidates.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

How much does it cost to move a midterm prediction market? Not much

Interested parties could seek to move prediction markets to give a perceived boost to a candidate who is struggling to gain momentum or attention.

Andrew Tate is denied bail and will remain in jail during his extradition fight

Prosecutors told the court that Andrew and Tristan Tate boasted about having multiple passports and flying on private jets. But the Tates' lawyers argued they were only playing a role for their fans.