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Romanian prosecutors indict Andrew Tate for trafficking minors, money laundering – Europe live

In the UK, Jordan Bardella, the president of the French far-right, anti-immigration National Rally and member of the European Parliament, is at the Reform UK conference, where he has delivered a speech. He said that if his party wins the next French general election, France will no longer be a route for migrants seeking to reach the UK, a remark that was met with rapturous applause. “Dear friends here in Birmingham, I make you this promise. If the French people bring us to power in 2027 in a few months, with the Rassemblement National [National Rally] and Marine le Pen, our government will do everything in its power to ensure that France is no longer the gateway for illegal migration into the United Kingdom,” he said. My colleague Andrew Sparrow has more on Bardella’s speech: There is laughter in the room as Jordan Bardella describes the historical relationship between France and its neighbour as “turbulent”, which is somewhat the understatement. He describes, however, “a true friendship” between the two peoples at the most decisive moment of history, which draws warm applause. For more updates, follow our UK politics blog here:

Iranian town mourns after deadly strike on wedding

People in Kuhestak, a predominantly Baloch city in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, are mourning after a strike on a wedding killed at least four people, including a child, and injured more than 60, according to local authorities. The blast hit at around 9.30pm on 1 September, turning a night of celebration into one of devastation for the small coastal community, which is on the strait of Hormuz. In the aftermath, videos shared on social media by friends and relatives of the wedding couple showed rubble, flower garlands and decorations scattered among debris and bloodied shoes. Asked about the strike on Thursday, the US vice-president, JD Vance, said the US would never target civilians in combat but that “sometimes things happen”, adding that he was sceptical of Iran’s reports. He did not acknowledge that the killings had been confirmed by an internationally recognised humanitarian body. According to Iranian state media and people interviewed by the Guardian, the house belonged to Ali Mallahi, a local fisher who was celebrating his daughter’s wedding. In a video published by state media, Mallahi stood amid the rubble of what had been his home and said he was saddened by the attack but thanked God that the casualties weren’t higher. Residents said the celebrations had only just begun. Friends and family were waiting for the bride and groom, and many guests had yet to arrive for the henna ceremony. Witnesses who spoke to the Guardian said the attack had left residents angry and in deep mourning. Ahmad*, a local barber who witnessed the aftermath, said the entire neighbourhood had been devastated by what happened. “I don’t really have words. Ours is a small town and we all know each other and are brothers. We are all mourning. I visited the house and the media won’t report it, but it wasn’t just one house. Many houses around the site have been damaged and neighbours were directly hit by sharp objects when the explosions happened”. “We are not carrying coffins on our shoulders, we are carrying the dark future that awaits us all in the south,” Ahmad added. Moein Arjomand, director of the Balochistan Human Rights Documentation Network, said local responders were facing growing obstacles investigating the explosion. “Our team has been facing a lot of difficulties due to the internet [shutdown] and witnesses and relatives telling us they were banned from speaking to any foreign rights groups and foreign media,” he said. “I tried arranging interviews for international media with the relatives, but they are worried about the consequences and I couldn’t arrange them.” Despite the internet restrictions and apparent warnings against speaking out, locals and relatives of the couple have continued sharing videos documenting the aftermath on social media. In one video, Yaqoob Mallahi, a relative of the bride, shared footage of his seven-year-old son, Sepehr, lying in a hospital bed with his head bandaged. Arjomand said at least six victims remained in serious condition in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Minab, about 18 miles (30km) away. “Bandar-e-Kuhestak is a small town and the local clinic is not equipped to handle casualties like this, so the injured were taken to the hospital in Minab,” Arjomand said. A video posted by local activists showed the family of Amir Mohammad Karimi, the four-year-old victim, mourning over his body as he was buried on Thursday. A 16-year-old boy, Mohammad Mallahi, was also killed by shrapnel while riding his motorbike nearby. Videos of his funeral, attended by dozens of local people, were shared online. “We have another funeral on Friday, this time a young woman, and we will all be there,” Ahmad said. “I can only pray to Allah that no more of our blood is shed and our injured come back home from the hospital.” Ahmad was referring to Asiyeh Molainejad, 22, another relative of the bride who was declared dead on Thursday. Beyond the immediate grief, the attack deepened a sense among some Baloch residents and activists that civilian deaths in their communities receive comparatively little attention. Farzin Kadkhodaei, a human rights activist from Balochistan, said the circumstances of the deaths had made the loss particularly painful. “The human cost is devastating. These were Baloch civilians gathered for a wedding, and losing their lives in the middle of what should have been a joyful occasion is heartbreaking,” he said. “Their families are now left with unimaginable grief, while the injured have to live with the physical and emotional consequences.” Chakar Baloch, 35, a fisher, said the attack reinforced a feeling among local people that civilians living along the Makran coast were being placed in the path of conflicts over which they had little control. “My overall view is that we are the victims. We are the people who live along the Makran coast and for years we’ve gone out to sea, struggled to earn our bread, and just wanted to stay alive,” he said. When asked if local people were demanding answers about the strike, a Baloch resident of Sirik said western media did not understand their plight. “Who do you want me to demand answers from?” she said. “From the US that has attacked us in this war? Or the regime which has brought this war to our doorsteps? Tell me from whom I can demand and I will answer your questions.”

‘It’s inhumane’: six ICE deportees held in one of world’s most repressive regimes

In late August, around 20 people were put on a flight in the US, shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles, and sent to Liberia as part of one of the largest third-country deportation arrangements of Donald Trump’s second term. Although more than 23,000 people have been sent to 26 countries other than their own since last year, that day saw something that had not happened before: six people refused to get off the plane – and were instead taken to another country. Four Cubans, one Brazilian and one Cameroonian refused to disembark in the Liberian capital Monrovia on 20 August; some of them were allegedly assaulted by ICE agents, who returned them to the plane and promised they would be taken back to the US. A few hours later, however, they were dropped off in another African country: Equatorial Guinea, one of the world’s most repressive and corrupt regimes, where armed men took them to a former luxury hotel turned detention centre in the capital, Malabo, where they have been held ever since. Meredyth Yoon, the litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, said: “It’s the first time I’ve heard of people being deported to a third country, refusing to disembark, and then being hastily deported on the same flight to a fourth country.” The lawyer, who is in close contact with the group, said they were put on the flight without agreeing to, or even knowing they were being sent to Liberia, let alone Equatorial Guinea. She said they are now being held in “horrific conditions of confinement”, unable to leave the hotel or even contact their families, watched by armed guards, with restricted access to food and no access to basic hygiene items or medical care. Yoon said: “Their families are terrified, deeply concerned about their safety. They haven’t done anything wrong, and they’re being held against their will without knowing what will happen to them.” Although deportation by the US to a fourth country appears to be unprecedented, nearly 60 other people, mostly Africans from other countries, have been deported directly to Equatorial Guinea since November. The country remains far behind Mexico, the main destination for third-country deportees, which has received more than 19,000 people, but Equatorial Guinea has received more than any other country in Africa so far. The agreement with Liberia provides for the transfer of up to 1,200 people. The flights to Equatorial Guinea are part of a deal secured by vice-president Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorín, the son of the dictator Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the world’s longest-ruling head of state, who has been in power for nearly half a century. Teodorín, who has faced criminal proceedings in other countries over money laundering and corruption, had been barred from entering the US. In France, he was tried in absentia and convicted of money laundering, embezzlement of public funds and corruption in 2017, with the conviction upheld by an appeals court in 2020. Investigations by the US Senate and the Department of Justice (DoJ) concluded he used bribery and extortion to fund a wild spending spree in Equatorial Guinea, and he eventually reached a settlement to avoid trial. However, the US state department granted him a one-month waiver so he could attend the UN general assembly in New York last year. He then travelled to Washington and secured the third-country deportation deal, under which the US would pay his government $7.5m (£5.5m). Tutu Alicante, founder and executive director of the Washington-based NGO EG Justice, said: “For Teodorín, as someone who is about to replace his father as president, having the US on his side is much more important than the money.” Alicante has also been closely following the situation of about 30 deportees currently being held at the Bamy hotel, owned by Mbasogo’s family and which sits inside an isolated, walled compound heavily patrolled by armed soldiers. “The conditions they’re being held in are inhumane,” said Alicante. “We’re talking about individuals who have not committed a crime in the US, and they’re locked up 24/7 in small rooms, and many have been deprived of food and water for considerably long periods.” The Guardian exchanged text messages with one of the Cubans who arrived in late August, who said they were “very saddened” and “desperately hoping to draw attention to what is happening to us, in the hope that someone with the power to help will take pity on us”. He soon stopped responding, however, because guards had confiscated all the phones to prevent the deportees from speaking to media outlets. Among them is a man with a large ventral hernia who, after resisting landing in Liberia, was allegedly thrown down the aircraft steps by ICE agents. Last week, he told the Spanish newspaper El País he urgently needed reconstructive abdominal surgery but, when he was taken to a hospital in Malabo, was allegedly denied treatment because he had no documents. “They cannot legally obtain a status there because Equatorial Guinea doesn’t have a legal framework for asylum, so they’re in this limbo,” said Alicante. The deportees face two options: indefinite detention at the hotel or being sent back to their countries of origin, as has already happened to almost half of those who have arrived since November. However, according to the monitoring project, Third Country Deportation Watch, many of these individuals had previously been granted withholding of removal by US immigration judges who found that they faced a real risk of persecution, torture or death in their home countries. Immigration lawyers have said the Trump administration is using third-country deportations as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum seekers back to their home countries. A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security said: “All of these illegal aliens were deported to a safe third country. We are applying the law as written. “If a judge finds an illegal alien has no right to be in this country, we are going to remove them, period. The Trump administration is utilising all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history, just as President Trump promised.” The governments of Equatorial Guinea and Liberia did not respond to requests for comment. Last May, UN human rights experts urged Equatorial Guinea to stop sending US deportees back to their home countries, but, as the Guardian has learned, the practice has continued, with at least four Ethiopians sent back to Ethiopia last Wednesday. “This is happening in Equatorial Guinea, in Eswatini, Sudan, Ghana, Liberia; in so many places where they are sending mostly innocent people who have not committed a crime in the US. This is unconscionable,” said Alicante.

Javier Milei: ‘winds of change’ support Argentina’s claim to Falkland Islands

President Javier Milei has said “winds of change” favourable to Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands are blowing around the world in a televised address, citing signs that Donald Trump may reconsider the US position on the islands’ sovereignty. “Recently, President Trump declared that the US is re-evaluating its historic position in relation to the Malvinas,” he said, using the Argentinian name for the islands. The Argentinian president said the UK was facing “multiple crises of a migratory, demographic and economic nature that are unlikely to be resolved. It is clear that they are on a path of decline. Argentina’s future, however, is flourishing and will prevail.” Earlier on Thursday, the British outlet GB News asked Trump if he would “come to the UK’s aid” during a potential territorial dispute with Argentina over the Falkland Islands, and hinted that he would not, adding that the UK “weren’t there to help me [with Iran]”. Supporters had expected Milei to use his address to the nation on Thursday night to announce an unprecedented US endorsement of Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Falklands. Instead, the far-right self-styled libertarian merely referred to Trump’s words last Monday. Asked at the White House whether he was reviewing the US position on the islands, the US president had said: “I always review every position. That’s just one of many.” Milei portrayed Trump’s response as a “threat” that was “not innocuous”. “The US is considering this change of position because it knows that Argentina is a reliable partner, aligned with western values, in a strategically important position that can be a valuable ally in the decades to come,” he said. The US has formally recognised the UK’s de facto administration of the islands but has not taken a formal position on sovereignty. The first reports of a possible revision emerged in April, when an internal Pentagon email reported by Reuters raised the prospect of Washington reconsidering its stance as one possible way of punishing Nato allies that declined to join the Iran war. In Thursday’s interview, Trump said of the UK: “Your country was not there to help me. We didn’t need help, but I did ask Nato, and I asked your former leader [Keir Starmer], ‘Why don’t you send a couple of ships?’ He said, ‘We don’t have any.’ It was pretty sad, the whole thing.” Despite the expectations created by Milei and his supporters – the president summoned all his ministers to stand alongside him – the main new elements of the speech were a few decrees he announced. One of them was to speed up sanctions “against those participating in oil extraction initiatives”, specifically citing an offshore oil project in the North Falkland Basin led by the Israeli company Navitas alongside its British partner, Rockhopper. Milei claimed the project violated a UN call for neither Argentina nor the UK to take unilateral action in the territory. Despite his “radical” austerity policies, Milei also said he would sign an emergency decree to increase resources for the defence ministry, prioritising the construction of an integrated naval base in Tierra del Fuego. The project to build a base there predates Milei, and construction began in 2022. The UK said earlier this week that its position on the Falklands was “longstanding and unwavering”. It said in a statement: “Sovereignty rests with the UK, and the islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount. The UK’s position is clear. The islanders have repeatedly expressed their wish to remain a British overseas territory.” Some analysts had already viewed Milei’s embrace of the Malvinas cause as another attempt to create a “smokescreen”, at the lowest point of his popularity since taking office. He is expected to seek re-election next year. Amid corruption allegations involving members of his government, and poor economic results – his “chainsaw” austerity policies have brought inflation under control, but unemployment and poverty have risen – the far-right president has increasingly turned up the volume on controversial measures. These include claims of an anti-Argentina campaign dating back to the World Cup, attacks on Brazil’s leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and an immigration crackdown modelled on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Many have noted that his interest in the Falklands issue is recent. Milei had long described himself as a great admirer of Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister during the 1982 Falklands war, and only began adopting a public pro-sovereignty stance a few months ago, after reports emerged that the US might be reconsidering its position. He also dismissed the principle of self-determination invoked by the UK. In a 2013 referendum, 99.8% of the islanders voted to remain a British overseas territory. Echoing the same phrase used by Argentina’s national football team on a banner celebrating their victory over England in the World Cup semi-final, Milei said: “The Malvinas are Argentinian.”

South Korea pushes back on reports it is readying Hormuz deployment amid US pressure

South Korea is reviewing a possible deployment of military assets to the strait of Hormuz amid pressure from Donald Trump over Seoul’s reluctance to provide support in the region, according to domestic media reports. Citing unnamed government and military sources, the reports published on Thursday and Friday said preparations were under way and that the government intended to seek parliamentary approval for a new deployment. The reports, which appeared in major South Korean outlets, said the exact scale and timing had not been agreed. But the presidential office pushed back, telling the Guardian that such reports were “different from the facts” and that “nothing related to the matter has been decided”, though it said the review was “continuing”. An official said: “Our government has been closely discussing with the international community ways to make practical contributions for the speedy restoration of free navigation in the strait of Hormuz and peace and stability in the Middle East.” According to reports, the assets under consideration include a P-8 Poseidon aircraft, which would mark South Korea’s first overseas deployment of a maritime patrol aircraft, and a naval logistics support ship to provide rear support. One outlet, Seoul Broadcasting System, additionally reported that an explosive ordnance disposal team from the navy’s underwater demolition unit was part of the package. Any new deployment in principle would require review by the national security council, a cabinet resolution and approval from the national assembly. South Korea is highly dependent on the strait of Hormuz, importing more than 90% of its primary energy, including roughly 70% of crude oil through the waterway. In 2020, the government of the then president, Moon Jae-in, expanded the mandate of an existing anti-piracy unit off the coast of Somalia to cover the strait of Hormuz, rather than seeking parliamentary approval for a new deployment. South Korea’s defence minister, Ahn Gyu-back, in March told parliament that any deployment to the strait would require the national assembly’s consent given how different the mission would be from the unit’s existing anti-piracy mandate. The reports come amid growing strains in the US-South Korea alliance. Trump has repeatedly complained in public that Seoul turned down his request for help over Iran, claiming in August that South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung, had told him “No, thanks” despite the US stationing tens of thousands of troops on the peninsula. Days later, he ordered the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises to be scaled back, shortening the drills by six days. Relations between the two allies have also been strained by delays implementing a $350bn investment package Seoul agreed with Washington last year, reports that the US had restricted intelligence sharing with South Korea, and by a dispute over a data breach at the South Korean e-commerce company Coupang. Separately, Seoul has expressed interest in taking part in any renewed US-North Korea diplomacy, as Trump signals openness to another meeting with Kim Jong-un.

Friday briefing: What does the acquittal in the Caruana Galizia case mean for the safety of journalists?

Good morning. Malta is reeling today from the shock acquittal of one of the country’s wealthiest and best-connected men for involvement in the murder of the anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. As the EU’s smallest member state once again faces intense international scrutiny over its response to the 2017 killing, opposition MPs are demanding the parliament be recalled for an immediate debate on a verdict that Caruana Galizia’s eldest son Matthew has denounced as “justice denied”. Caruana Galizia’s death brought angry crowds on to the streets; triggered a political crisis that resulted in the then prime minister, Joseph Muscat, being driven from office, and galvanised a cross-European reporting team to continue her investigations. One of those reporters is Juliette Garside, the Guardian’s European financial affairs editor. I spoke to her from Malta’s capital Valletta, where she’s digesting the aftermath of the country’s most consequential murder trial in recent times. But first, the headlines. Five big stories UK politics | Nigel Farage is facing fresh criticism on the eve of the Reform UK party conference after some of his team were filmed appearing to plot to avoid electoral laws on foreign donations in an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News. Nepal-Tibet | Two people have been pulled out alive from a hydropower tunnel in Nepal nine days after deadly flash floods left them trapped. UK news | Homeowners in the UK are braced for a jump in mortgage rates, driven by higher inflation and interest rate increase expectations amid turmoil in the global bond markets. US-Israel war on Iran | The US vice-president, JD Vance, said “sometimes things happen” when asked on Thursday whether an American strike was responsible for killing four people, including a child, at a wedding celebration in southern Iran this week. Climate crisis | British people have been urged to have enough food and water on hand to survive a few days without power or water, as the UN said the El Niño climate phenomenon was “supersizing before our eyes”, exacerbating extreme weather events worldwide. In depth: ‘This signals you can kill journalists with impunity’ Nearly nine years after Caruana Galizia’s death in a car bombing in October 2017, Yorgen Fenech, the head of one of Malta’s most successful business families, was found not guilty of both counts with which he had been charged: complicity in voluntary homicide, and association with the intention of committing a crime. Always a possibility, the complete acquittal – delivered by the jury at 7.30pm on Wednesday evening – was unexpected, after the longest-running murder trial in Maltese history which had gripped the small country over 55 days. As family members broke down in tears, Fenech exited the court house to chants of “mafia”. Following him into the balmy evening came Caruana Galizia’s sister, Corinne Vella, who told reporters: “This signals you can kill journalists with impunity.” Demonstrators later assembled outside the parliament building to demand action. Although five other men were convicted of carrying out the assassination and procuring the bomb used to kill the one of Malta’s most prominent journalists, Fenech’s acquittal leaves many unanswered questions. Fenech had been accused by prosecutors of paying €150,000 (£129,000) via a middleman to have her killed – so if he wasn’t the mastermind, who was? Caruana Galizia’s immediate family are bitterly disappointed, says Juliette. “She hadn’t investigated [the other men who were convicted]; they had no power or political influence. The only prosecution that really mattered to the family was this one.” The verdict was also a huge shock for the political establishment: “You got the sense they wanted a guilty verdict as a strong demonstration within the EU that Malta was able to hold people accountable”. For campaigners who regard the case as a landmark action in the fight to protect press freedom in Europe there is considerable dismay – Reporters Without Borders said it was “beyond outraged”. *** The Daphne Project Juliette talks to me as she’s packing up her hotel room and I can hear the sound of the suitcase zips. Whatever you might assume from Lois Lane, in my experience journalism is often about the mundane logistics. “This is a story of many twists and turns, but at base it is a story about press freedom, and one woman who pursued corruption at its highest levels,” she tells me. Juliette first became aware of Caruana Galizia’s work a year before she died, when she made contact with her eldest son Matthew, who was working with his mother on a tranche of leaked documents from the Panama Papers that suggested Labour figures set up offshore companies soon after entering government. She remembers the day Caruana Galizia was killed: a contact sent her a photograph of the mangled car wreckage, and Juliette ran over to the foreign desk to press the editor to give the assassination the coverage it deserved. “She was killed because she was an incredibly effective investigate journalist. She set her sights on the most powerful people in the country. She was interested in where crime and politics collided.” The Guardian later contacted Caruana Galizia’s family to follow up on what could be done – and the Daphne Project was born, a loose collective of journalists, from Reuters, the Times of Malta, Le Monde and Süddeutsche Zeitung, who agreed to work together to complete her investigations. Juliette met the family again in a safe house near London in November 2017, where they were having a break from the spotlight in Malta and also taking security advice. Before her murder, Caruana Galizia endured a campaign of intimidation including the killing of her pet dogs and fires set in her home – her remaining family were now targets. These attacks had intensified as she began to dig into a leak about a flagship power station project. “Matthew told us about the leak she’d been investigating, detailing the bizarre way the power station deal was structured. That’s what we focused on.” But the Daphne Project also asked questions about the police investigation into her death. “The administration that she attacked hadn’t bargained on much interest in her death outside Malta,” Juliette says. “But when the family took their campaign to the European parliament and the Daphne Project gave it an international news platform, that really forced the Maltese police to go higher than the hit men.” *** What next for Malta? While acknowledging that it is important to respect the verdict of the jury, Juliette says there’s a sense among the Maltese media that this is a chilling verdict: what happens the next time a journalist writes about corruption? The editorial headline in the Times of Malta yesterday was bleak: “We’ve turned the clock back to 2017”. It is likely that the prosecution will appeal, and details of the close relationship between big business, police chiefs and regulators exposed in the trial may feed into a number of other pending corruption cases both of which are unlikely to have got this far without the diligent reporting that followed her assassination. “What would really be unusual is if people got convicted,” Juliette adds. But, just like that Times of Malta headline, Juliette worries that the country has returned to business as usual. Malta has a small economy that runs on patronage; the political class is tribal and split between two parties, Labour and Nationalist. “There’s not much means to get neutral, independent information.” “After her death, it initially felt like the beginning of a stronger civil society, but the momentum behind change has slowed”. *** What next for Europe? A public inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s killing concluded in 2021 with a recommendation to introduce Europe-wide laws to protect journalists from strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as Slapps, which are increasingly used to silence whistleblowers, victims of sexual assault and those who report on them. Caruana Galizia was facing 47 lawsuits when she died. Although this was voted through by the European parliament, no member state has yet implemented it. Yesterday, European parliament president Roberta Metsola vowed to continue fighting for justice for Caruana Galizia in a Facebook post addressed directly to the assassinated journalist. “When they assassinated you, in broad daylight, outside your family home, we promised that we would not let them sweep it under the carpet … That promise holds today,” she wrote. “Hopefully this will be an impetus for EU member states to put this law on to their statute books”, says Juliette. There’s more to be done. An unsuccessful car bomb attack on an Italian investigative reporter, Sigfrido Rannucci, which appeared to be timed to coincide with the eighth anniversary of Caruana Galizia assassination, has intensified European Commission concerns about the silencing of government critics. Meanwhile, at a UK level, two private members’ bills designed to crack down on these potentially financially devastating lawsuits were introduced just before summer recess and are expected to attract cross-party support. The Guardian is now part of the UK Anti-Slapp Coalition, a group backed by charities including Amnesty International and Index on Censorship, and Juliette has written at length about how the courts have been weaponised in particular against victims of sexual violence. “The fact that the public know what a Slapp is at all – and that there’s now a coordinated push to protect whistleblowers, journalists and victims of sexual assault from being sued by those who wish to silence them – is all because of what happened to Daphne. That is her legacy.” What else we’ve been enjoying The life of Gloria Steinem, the groundbreaking feminist campaigner who died on Wednesday, is poignantly remembered by Moira Donegan, who asks what the movement will be without her. Jacqui Housden, newsletters team Michael Sheen spoke about his forthcoming play on Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndŵr and how this important part of his country’s history was never taught to him at school. Katy Vans, newsletters team Laura Snapes’s takedown of the cosy treatment of Josh Homme, another male rock star who has attacked women, was much needed. Poppy For those like me who have watched the satirical film Mountainhead, this article that delves into why Peter Thiel has moved to Argentina is fascinatingly worrying. Katy I liked our tribute to Chicken Shop date, which is coming to an end after 12 years. Poppy Sport Tennis | Naomi Osaka recovered from a mid-match slump to beat Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 and reach the third round of the US Open. Women’s Cricket | England sealed victory in their one-day international series against Ireland with a straightforward six-wicket win at Derby on Thursday, after seamer Issy Wong took a career-best five for 33. Boxing | Irish fight legend Katie Taylor can cap a special career by retiring as the undisputed super-lightweight champion with victory against Flora Pili on Saturday. Something for the weekend Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now TV La Mesías (Mubi) | ★★★★★ A Spanish show centred on an estranged brother and sister, who discover their siblings have become a viral pop band, La Mesías is nothing if not singular in its vision. As well as being incredibly long (some episodes clock in at close to an hour and 20 minutes), it is – and I mean this lovingly – truly bizarre. There are about 10 plotlines too many, and some of the episodes drag, but as a work of art, this series is a triumph – a nightmare-inducing thriller with ambition. Hannah J Davies Film Late Fame | ★★★★☆ There’s a marvellous tenderness and generosity to this elegant tale of autumnal regret; an intimate movie acted with effortless grace by Willem Dafoe. In fact, this is yet another of his almost numberless performances of intelligence and self-possession. Screenwriter Samy Burch has adapted a novella by Arthur Schnitzler, which has been directed by critic turned film-maker Kent Jones. Their movie finds a new variation on the theme of life’s lost opportunities for love, lust and success, and how, as mortality’s shadow closes in, one might be tempted to risk everything for a last chance at worldly triumph. Peter Bradshaw Music Adéla: Prima | ★★★☆☆ There’s something striking about a pop star, voice larded with Auto-Tune, opening a song with the line “I can’t really sing”. That said, it’s very much on brand for Adéla Jergová, who has chosen to differentiate herself by spiking her songs about hedonism and messy sexual encounters with a kind of meta commentary on what it is to be a female pop star. Prima definitely feels like a debut album and there are moments where it sinks into boilerplate pop, but failing to be a perfectly turned finished product on arrival is hardly a crime: rather, it suggests an artist who has room to grow and develop. On the basis of what’s here – which is frequently sharp, funny and daring – watching Adéla do just that should be fascinating. Alexis Petridis Books The Bridge by Colm Tóibín Twenty years ago, Tóibín published A Long Winter, a steadily desolating novella set in the high villages of the Catalan Pyrenees in which a woman walks out of her house and her life, starts along the mountain road and disappears in the snow. Now, in The Bridge, a single year has passed and we follow Miquel, the woman’s son, as he ekes out an existence with his hurtful, unyielding father. It’s a memorable short work in which the author’s unsentimental prose is flawlessly matched to the austere worlds of people enduring, in their different ways, lives stripped back to the bone. Alexandra Harris The front pages “Britons warned to get ready for biggest El Niño in a millennium”, is the Guardian’s front page today, while Metro says “Hot as El”. The Times writes “Army halts training exercises to save money”, the Telegraph has “Argentina threat to Falklands oil fields”, and the Express says “Kemi: We must act now before it’s too late”. The i Paper leads with “Putin growing more reckless as his inner circle shrinks, warn UK security insiders”. The FT’s top headline is “Europe faces winter with lowest ever gas reserves as Gulf-led shortages bite”, the Mail has “Met chief stunned by release of serial criminals”, and the Mirror says “Reform: Back Britain … with our Chinese tat”. Today in Focus: The Latest ‘Godzilla-level’ El Niño could cause hottest year on record The UN has warned that the El Niño climate phenomenon is ‘supersizing before our eyes’. The event is forecast to be the largest in at least 1,000 years and will almost certainly shatter temperature records. After a summer of record-breaking heatwaves and extreme weather due to global heating, El Niño means 2027 is almost certain to be the hottest year ever recorded. Lucy Hough speaks to environment correspondent Damien Gayle – watch on YouTube. Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad Photographer Temi Adegbayibi started out shooting his church’s worship band and small gigs as a hobby. Now, at 26, his portfolio includes Jorja Smith, Basement Jaxx and Ezra Collective – and his work has been exhibited at the Royal Albert Hall, where he has also become an in-house photographer. His intimate, energetic images celebrate movement and Black joy, while documenting a generation of British musicians. “Maybe someday someone can look at an image and think: ‘That’s what jazz gigs were like back then,’” he says. “That’s the hope.” Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply

Europe calls out Russia’s ‘hybrid war’ in public. But how can it make Putin pay?

Russia’s suspected sabotage campaign across Europe appears to be gathering pace again, confronting governments with a problem they have struggled to solve since the start of the war in Ukraine: how to impose a meaningful cost on Moscow for attacks that remain deliberately below the threshold of conventional war. Over the past month alone, an explosives-laden drone was discovered next to a Ukrainian cargo plane at Germany’s Leipzig airport, Poland has faced suspected acts of sabotage, and a string of unexplained explosions and fires have hit defence facilities supplying Ukraine across Europe. The attacks, aimed at sowing chaos and undermining support for Ukraine, vary widely in their ambition and sophistication, but share a common feature: they are often difficult to trace conclusively back to Moscow. That ambiguity is built into the way the operations are organised. Russian intelligence services have shifted away from relying primarily on professional operatives dispatched across Europe. Instead, suspected saboteurs are increasingly recruited remotely, including through Telegram channels, and paid in cryptocurrency to carry out individual tasks – allowing the Russian intelligence officers directing them to remain safely at home. The pattern was evident in Denmark this week, where authorities warned that Moscow was recruiting Danish citizens to carry out sabotage against defence companies with ties to Ukraine. But the growing scale of the attacks, and the speed with which European governments are now prepared to point the finger at Moscow, suggest the mood may be changing. When an incendiary parcel burst into flames at DHL’s Leipzig hub in July 2024, it took about nine months before German investigators reported a concrete link to the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. This time, Berlin moved far faster. Within days of the second incident at Leipzig airport, German officials publicly blamed Moscow – a sign both of growing confidence in identifying Russian operations and diminishing patience with what officials see as an increasingly brazen campaign of sabotage. Yet while Berlin has become quicker to point the finger at Moscow, its punishment for now has followed a more cautious path. Germany’s response to the failed Leipzig drone attack appeared calibrated to keep tensions in check, underscoring the harder question of what Europe can actually do beyond sanctions and diplomatic expulsions without risking a direct military confrontation. Berlin announced the closure of a Russian cultural centre and a Russian consulate, prompting Moscow to shut down the already gutted Goethe-Institut – a measured retaliation rather than a real escalation. Europe’s room for retaliation is also constrained by the powers given to its intelligence agencies. Unlike the CIA, many European services are primarily tasked with collecting intelligence and have far less latitude to conduct covert operations abroad. That leaves governments with relatively few tools between diplomatic and economic punishment on one end of the spectrum and overt military action on the other. To counter the shortcoming, several EU states, including the Netherlands, have recently put forward bills that would greatly expand the surveillance powers of the country’s intelligence agencies One area where Europe can point to more tangible action is its growing willingness to detain vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. On Wednesday, Norwegian authorities seized a Russian vessel in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard at Ukraine’s request. But critics argue that such measures are still not enough to deter Moscow. “Every time we do nothing, we invite Putin to continue,” said one EU lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity. That argument has been made most forcefully by Poland and the Baltic states, which have consistently pushed their western European allies to take a harder line against Moscow. “Hybrid war is not just a nuisance on the internet,” the Polish foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, said on Thursday. “Hybrid war means assassination squads, it means arsonists, it means blowing up moving trains, like in Poland, it means breaches of airspace with drones and cruise missiles.” “We need to convince Putin that such actions are not for free,” he added. At the same time, Sikorski also appeared to acknowledge, somewhat jokingly, the limits of Europe’s existing toolkit. Recalling Poland’s response to previous suspected Russian operations, he said: “Every time Russia committed arson or tried to blow up a moving train … I closed one Russian consulate, but I ran out of consulates to close.” Jakub Krupa contributed reporting