World
‘Mafia boys’ and ‘corrupt politicians’: fugitive developer Jean Nassif rants to Icac from Beirut bedroom
Nassif declares ‘I’m not corrupt’, threatens to pull out of evidence and waves handwritten notes at counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer
Kat Wong
Business
Jaguar Land Rover in talks to sell Defender to Nato countries
Carmaker builds on relationship with British armed forces by seeking to cash in on Europe’s rearmament drive
Julia Kollewe
Top stories
Sport
Pietersen was the original Bazball – and his return may be just what England need
While there’s a statistically significant chance it will all go south, Kevin Pietersen’s mentorship could be a throwback to better days
Barney Ronay
US
Who is Umar Kremlev, the Russian oligarch who reportedly helped pay for Donald Trump Jr’s wedding?
The businessman has spent the past decade moving through some of Russia’s most politically connected circles
Pjotr Sauer
Environment
Conservation ‘gateway drug’: farmers embrace ancient craft of hedge laying
Grant applications in England surge as interest grows in habitat that captures carbon and helps reduce flood risk
Sandra Laville
Football
Are Manchester United as poor as the early Premier League table suggests?
Michael Carrick’s side are 13th in the table after four games but, City mitigation aside, several areas need attention
Jamie Jackson
UK
Lucy Letby: will final report express view on her conviction and could it affect her case?
Final report from Lady Justice Thirlwall’s wide-ranging inquiry to be published on Tuesday
Jamie Grierson
Business
Bank of England urged to slow or halt bond-selling to slash UK borrowing costs
Economists urge John Healey to press Bank to change policy that is costing the exchequer billions of pounds
Phillip Inman
Technology
Trump facing AI backlash in Congress as push for guardrails intensifies
President has dismissed anxieties over AI’s dangerous potential even as Democrats and some Republicans acknowledge risks
David Smith and Chris Stein in Washington and Nick Robins-Early in New York
Media
‘I was being polite’: prominent athlete continued texting Alan Jones after alleged assaults due to his reputation, trial hears
Witness tells court he sent Jones friendly messages after two alleged assaults because he had been generous to him
Amanda Meade Media correspondent
Denmark summons Russia’s ambassador after warship fires flares at Danish army helicopter – Europe live
Danish PM says action was ‘reckless’ as Moscow-attributed security incidents continue to intensify across Europe
Jakub Krupa
Tuesday briefing: How to understand Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’s joint call for change
In today’s newsletter: Plaid Cymru, the SNP and Sinn Féin have signed an agreement for greater powers, as pressure grows on Westminster over the UK’s future
Libby Brooks
Houthis seize strategic Red Sea islands as analysts warn of impending oil crunch
The Yemen militant group captured the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish, new the chokepoint of Bab al-Mandab strait
Jonathan Yerushalmy
‘I believed the hype’: the white South Africans denied refugee status in the US
Rachel Savage in Johannesburg
Nato jets shoot down drone violating Lithuania’s airspace
Guardian staff and agencies
New special envoy for Britons detained overseas warns of limits of role
Alistair Burt speaks candidly about difficulties of tackling complex cases as families express concern over mandate
Geneva Abdul
Ministers seek law change to make £72m donations to Reform illegal
Plans to strengthen legislation already going through parliament might mean donors having to meet stricter UK residence requirements
Pippa Crerar, Jessica Elgot and Kiran Stacey
Will the £72m of donations to Reform UK be allowed?
Key questions surrounding the huge sums donated by crypto billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo
Kiran Stacey and Henry Dyer
Scrap windfall tax on oil and gas firms early, North Sea industry urges
Labour should replace levy in 2027 rather than 2030 as energy bills are poised to surge over the winter, says lobby group
Alex Daniel
UK pay growth slows to 3.9% before crunch interest rates decision
Figure likely to dictate rise in state pension triple lock, as workers face inflation squeeze fuelled by oil price rises
Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent
Leading UK retailers ‘breaking law’ by not refunding customers for returned goods, Which? finds
Consumer group says online shops routinely failed to reimburse delivery costs of unwanted purchases or cost of items
Sarah Marsh, Consumer affairs correspondent
Bank of England urged to slow or halt bond-selling to slash UK borrowing costs
Economists urge John Healey to press Bank to change policy that is costing the exchequer billions of pounds
Phillip Inman
Why a decade of doomsday warnings failed to slow the AI race
From Stephen Hawking to Jacob Coxon’s viral Anthropic resignation, fears that AI could threaten humanity have shaken the industry without stopping its pursuit
Johana Bhuiyan
UK must heed warnings from AI experts, minister says
Louise Haigh will set out benefits of AI to TUC conference while vowing government will take safety seriously
Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor
Trump facing AI backlash in Congress as push for guardrails intensifies
President has dismissed anxieties over AI’s dangerous potential even as Democrats and some Republicans acknowledge risks
David Smith and Chris Stein in Washington and Nick Robins-Early in New York
Pietersen was the original Bazball – and his return may be just what England need
While there’s a statistically significant chance it will all go south, Kevin Pietersen’s mentorship could be a throwback to better days
Barney Ronay
NHL star Alex Ovechkin appears in campaign ad for pro-Putin United Russia party
Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, has starred in a campaign ad for Vladimir Putin’s party, United Russia, in the run-up to the new hockey season
Robert Mackey and Tom Lutz
Cost of watching sport in Australia creeps up as streaming services search for long-term viability
Nine and Stan lock up Premier League rights for $120m a year with six major streamers increasing base prices since February 2025
Jack Snape
Burning Man at 40: the once anarchic desert festival faces a midlife crisis
The subversive bacchanal for San Francisco’s eccentric underground is ageing out amid an influx of the super-rich
Lois Beckett
Somerset ‘festival of ideas’ to measure whether its talks change people’s outlook
Attenders will be asked to take part in tests to see if they have become more open to views they do not agree with
Steven Morris
Eurovision made me realise that I was autistic at 34
I had always dreamed of attending the song contest. But all that glitter brought on sensory overload – and I finally understood who I actually was
Scott Bryan
Can you solve it? Do you have the brain of an engineer?
Hacks from the hidden world of test engineering
Alex Bellos
Starwatch: A Venus-spotting challenge with a beautiful reward
The bright planet and the young crescent moon will make an attractive pairing on Monday evening
Stuart Clark
AI safety requires more than just slowing our pace
Safety requirements are non-negotiable. They depend on meeting concrete goals, not just adjusting a timeline
Stuart Russell
Thank goodness Labour’s ‘shambolic’ plan to reorganise local councils has been paused. What was it thinking?
This misconceived Treasury pet project may have been foisted on the government, but it would have added to voters’ mistrust in politics, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee
Polly Toynbee
Sweden’s far right is down, but not yet out. Left and centre leaders must seize this opportunity
The danger is that other parties just channel the far right – and that will make them vulnerable. Better to fully commit to a progressive agenda, says Cas Mudde, author of The Far Right Today
Cas Mudde
