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Friday briefing: Nigel Farage’s Clacton circus is finally over, but his financial reckoning is just beginning

Good morning. Less than an hour ago, the results of the Clacton byelection were declared, confirming that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been re-elected MP for the Essex coastal constituency on 22,239 votes, in a surreal contest boycotted by every other major political party. Farage increased his general election vote by just over 1,000 votes, despite a lower turnout. His closest challenger, Count Binface, the intergalactic space warrior created by comedian Jon Harvey, who Farage claimed earlier this morning to be “the candidate of the establishment” won 9,455, a career best. After forcing a byelection (at an estimated cost of £200,000 to the taxpayer), Farage has now proved conclusively that he can see off a human dustbin and a bevy of other fringe and novelty candidates. The declaration came later than your standard byelection precisely because of specialist counting arrangements required for a 34-strong, 90cm long ballot paper – the longest in British political history – which includes 20 independents and three Monster Raving Loony candidates, but none of the main political parties, who refused to participate in what they described as a “media circus” and “vanity project”. But don’t let this carnival of democracy distract you from what’s really going on – a desperate, wasteful, irresponsible and ultimately fruitless attempt to divert focus away from the ongoing scrutiny of Farage and Reform UK’s financial dealings. But what next for Nigel? That’s the subject of today’s First Edition, after the headlines. Five big stories Extreme heat | The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far with a provisional temperature of 38.1C in southern England as Europe sweltered under a major heat dome. UK news | Sixth-formers have record-breaking exam results in academic and vocational subjects, allowing more than a quarter of a million 18-year-olds to go on to higher education. US news | Newly disclosed records reveal the US government extensively spied on prominent leftwing organisations and on protesters as part of a vast operation into groups opposing the immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year. World news | The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to a sixth province. The World Health Organization said the outbreak was on track to surpass the deadliest in history. UK news | Lawyers representing four men convicted of terror offences are increasingly hopeful that revelations from the undercover policing inquiry could boost the chances of their case being reopened. In depth: ‘I don’t think the byelection has helped Reform at all’ Farage refused to attend the count in person, citing police advice about a “campaign to disrupt… the result”. A number of outlets reported that Essex Police had not advised any candidate to stay away from the count, while acting returning officer Ian Davidson said it was Farage’s decision “whether or not to attend”. Instead, he spent the early hours of the night at “Farage Fest”, held at an airfield on the outskirts of the constituency, with a ferris wheel and festival tents. There Farage declared “a resounding victory” to supporters. The count itself was rather more “low energy”, our reporter Sammy Gescolyer told me around 5am. “It’s a foregone conclusion and there’s not a lot of excitement,” he said, describing a range of colourful and eccentric candidates milling around Clacton Leisure Centre. Farage may claim that this result proves voters don’t care about his finances. But his re-election means the standards commissioner’s investigation into his finances can resume, which might be as soon as today, or when the Commons returns in September. A brief reminder: Daniel Greenberg’s twofold investigation – which Reform MP Sarah Pochin has denounced as a “kangaroo court” – was opened in May after the Guardian revealed Farage had accepted a £5m gift from the Thailand-based crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne in April 2024, before he stood in the last general election. Farage insists he failed to declare the gift because he had no intention of returning to politics at the time, a claim undermined when it emerged that he struck a secret comeback deal in March and April 2024 with Richard Tice, then Reform leader. Greenberg’s inquiry was later widened to look at whether Farage should have declared financial support from his friend and convicted fraudster George Cottrell, after reports he provided Farage with accommodation, security and social media staffing. Reform UK claimed this was a “baseless and contrived story” and that no rules had been broken. It’s uncertain how long this investigation will take, but there’s an expectation that – certainly on the Harborne gift – Farage is likely to face significant censure. If that means suspension from the Commons for 10 or more sitting days, he could face a recall petition, where another byelection would be triggered if 10% of his weary constituents demanded it. *** A counterproductive ploy? Well ahead of the results declaration, Count Binface posted an instructive meme suggesting that – whether he triumphed at the count, Farage was returned on reduced turnout, with a shrunken majority or simply to face a renewed standards investigation – his campaign had been a success. “I don’t think the byelection has helped Reform at all,” Rowena Mason, the Guardian’s Whitehall editor who has been closely following the contest, tells me. “Farage wanted it to be a great vindication and show of public support for him, but because none of the main parties are running against him , it proves nothing”. Politico analysis published yesterday revealed Reform has spent £10,000 on social media adverts, like this final campaign clip of Farage strolling down a sun-drenched street wearing the salmon slacks every golfer covets and urging voters to “tell the establishment where to go”. Is this splash of cash in what should’ve been a shoo-in win indicative of internal jitters? As Rowena reports: “From colleagues and pollsters who’ve been in Clacton this week, their sense is that voters are generally annoyed with Farage for wasting time and money. They’re irritated that their town has turned into a joke”. Still, the Reform leader enjoys a solid core of support in Clacton – which has the highest levels of economic inactivity (those not working or seeking employment) of any constituency in England and Wales. In 2024 Farage won 46% of votes with 58% turnout, securing a majority of 8,405. Yesterday’s turnout of 44.4% was lower than the general election, but Farage still increased his vote. “It’s far less certain that he would win a second byelection,” Rowena cautions, “in which case we would see a resurgent Labour party, Reform having slid in the polls and the Conservatives doing a little bit better.” Farage is also very anxious about ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe’s new hard right outfit Restore Britain: “That’s why you’ve seen them swing to the right instead of doing a politically more sensible thing of concentrating on winning over swing voters and people on the broader right”. It’s exactly the same mistake that the Conservatives have been making with Reform, she points out. With financial scandals piling up, immigration numbers falling, and a new Labour PM with the comms capability and (apparent) authenticity to beat Farage at his own game, this summer could not feel like a starker contrast to 2025, when Reform dominated the news agenda and the polls week after week. So isn’t it a shame that this byelection has only served to concentrate people’s minds on Farage’s personal fortunes and potential misdemeanours. “Reform seem to be trapped in this conversation around their finances, and this has only made it worse”. *** Threats to our reporting That’s certainly where our attention is. After her revelation of the £5m donation, the Guardian’s City editor, Anna Isaac, has steadily revealed a much wider story about donations and loans worth millions that Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice and his company received from George Cottrell and Cottrell’s mother, Fiona. These caused bankers to issue “suspicious activity reports” because of potential money-laundering concerns to the National Crime Agency, as they had done with the Harborne donation. Earlier this week it emerged that Tice had issued a legal threat to the Guardian, singling out Anna for her reporting on these financial transactions. Tice is now suing the NCA, claiming that the information could only have come from an officer within the agency. In a separate letter to the Guardian, Tice’s lawyers made clear they would be seeking disclosure of documents that could reveal the details of Anna’s sources. Politicians cross-party and anti-corruption campaigners have since condemned the threats to Anna, with Labour chair Bridget Phillipson accusing Tice of mounting a “deeply chilling attempt to silence the free press”. *** Back in Clacton … Whenever Guardian reporters visited Clacton during the campaign, they encountered deep-seated frustration that the constituency had yet again been turned into a clown show, as well as a healthy disregard for the snobbery that too regularly sneers at Reform supporters. They heard from independently minded voters happy to stick two fingers up at the Westminster establishment – this is the only place in Britain ever to have elected a Ukip MP at a general election, remember – and others who feel they have nothing left to lose. Or that other parties have treated Clacton with contempt, rather than try to understand why so many people voted for Farage. A key theme of Reform’s digital campaign presented Farage – a privately educated former commodities broker who previously had no connection with the constituency – as a champion for local residents. But according to Hansard, he has made only six mentions of Clacton since elected two years ago. Local resident Sarah Elizabeth Cox wrote in the Guardian earlier this week that Clacton residents deserved an MP who noticed the homeless people lining the coastal paths in tents, how locals have been priced off commuter trains, worsening health, low employment rates and lack of affordable homes. Instead: “Farage used us as a pawn, and the media treats us as clickbait.” What else we’ve been enjoying I loved hearing from end of life experts about how to have a truly meaningful life. Poppy Leaf sheep or horseshoe crab? If, like me, you can’t get enough Invertebrate of the Year chat, our Science Weekly podcast hosts nominate their favourites. Libby I thought readers questions for Imelda Staunton were INCREDIBLE in our interview with her. I was so surprised by some of them! Poppy Moira Donegan’s column about AOC’s decision to go public about freezing her eggs explains why what shouldn’t be a radical act sure feels like one in the current climate. Libby I found our interview with Andrew Rannells (who played Elijah in Girls) fascinating, and also quite touching. Poppy Sport Athletics | Britain’s Amy Hunt struck gold in the 200m to complete the sprint double, while Mark English became Ireland’s first European Championship men’s gold medallist by winning the 800m Football | Manchester City have rejected Barcelona’s second bid of around €60m (£51m) for Rodri, while Chelsea have set a 5pm (BST) Friday deadline for the club to bid £120m for Enzo Fernández. Football | The Championship is the perfect stage for players to show off their talent before progressing to top-flight football. We’ve picked seven players we’re excited to see in the Championship this season. Something for the weekend Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now TV My Brilliant Career | ★★★★★ Sybylla, the charmingly irrepressible and irrepressibly charming heroine of My Brilliant Career, is played utterly convincingly and with vim, vigour and joy by Philippa Northeast in the new adaptation of Miles Franklin’s 1901 Australian classic of the same name. Creator Liz Doran must have wept with happiness when they found an actor capable of bringing so much to an already glorious script – and who embodies the joie de vivre upon which so much of the plot, as everyone she meets becomes part of her orbit, depends. Doran’s TV adaptation retains all the book’s sense of defiance but adds a welcome soupcon of more optimism too. It crackles with intelligence and wit, gives all of its characters room to breathe and, without ever becoming superficial, never loses its lightness of touch. A joy. A brilliant, brilliant joy. Lucy Mangan Music Chelsea Wolfe: The Dark | ★★★★☆ The Dark’s sublime opener Cold is inspired by a lack of sleep, as the gothic singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe taps into the insomnia that can result from a fracturing relationship. “Baby, when I’m next to you / Feels so cold / And it’s hard to sleep / And it’s hard to feel so alone,” she sings, dramatically ending up feeling as if she is “crying underwater / Screaming at the surface”. Meanwhile, Dancer in the Sky is the closest Wolfe has come to an epic, anthemic love song, with an exquisite arrangement. In fact, a lot of these songs wouldn’t sound incongruous being performed before huge crowds holding phones or lighters in the air. Wolfe recently became the unlikely face of a perfume range (Ghosts, obviously) and is clearly edging towards to the mainstream, but after two decades at the culty coal face this powerful, mature collection should take her to a wider audience. Dave Simpson Film Steal This Story, Please | ★★★★☆ Before there was Michael Moore, there was campaigning journalist Amy Goodman – and she is still doggedly asking questions, an earnest gadfly buzzing around the flinching faces of Trump placemen, challenging and provoking and annoying. With her listener-funded syndicated radio show Democracy Now!, on the air since 1996, Goodman is flying the flag for journalism of the unfashionably homespun progressive left, while America’s corporate news media are sheepishly capitulating to their tech oligarch owners. This documentary from Carl Deal and Tia Lessin is a portrait of Goodman and her life and times. The title is her somewhat ironic mantra: please, everybody, by all means steal our stories about corruption and demagoguery. Sadly, the big news media are often uninterested. Peter Bradshaw Game Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls (PS 5, PC) | ★★★★☆ Developer Arc System Works, a fan-favourite studio famous for its hyper-fluid and extremely technical anime-style fighting games, has been on a long journey to usurp Capcom’s throne. With Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, it may have finally achieved this difficult task. It can feel like a traditional 1v1 fighter at times, but judicious and careful deployment of your team is what separates good players from great. It feels amazing to flip the momentum of a match: to recover from a seemingly endless combo chain and subject your opponent to one of your own, using your team as a single organic unit. It offers very little to those who aren’t interested in fighting for fighting’s sake. Yet while the package is spare, the product is dazzling: it’s a sensory assault that challenges players to find calm in the storm of superpowered brawls, to really dig in and learn the clockwork of meter management, character mastery and team building. Joshua Rivera The front pages “Universities fear financial turmoil amid slump in overseas students”, is the front page of the Guardian today. On the heatwave, the Times splashes “Houses burn and train derails on hottest day”, the Mirror says “Britain on fire”, the Mail writes “Inferno”. Elsewhere, the i Paper writes “24 million people face paying even higher water bills … to firms losing 1.2 billion litres a day from leaks”, the Telegraph has “China ‘funding Palestine marches’”, and the FT says “Anthropic investors bet on record $2tn IPO valuation”. Metro leads on “Record 2.5m trips to A&E”, the Express writes “Don’t hand out ‘rewards for their failure’”, and the Sun’s front page is “Horror on the 2.24”. Today in Focus Prisons are full – who should be released early? Former prison governor Judith Feline on the reality of our overcrowded prisons and Peter Walker on why it’s causing a headache for Andy Burnham. Cartoon of the day | Nicola Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad On Wednesday evening, millions of people in Europe watched a rare solar eclipse. When the Guardian asked them to share their photographs and experiences of an evening spent trying to catch a glimpse without burning their eyes, all sorts of beautiful responses came back. From those who basked in what they described as “a few minutes of glory”; to those who couldn’t be more impressed by the humble colander’s eye protecting properties – their responses are well worth a read. “It was a great chance to take a moment to be in nature, surrounded by our community and folks of all ages, all pausing to observe the eclipse,” as one of them put it. 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

Indonesia wildfires threaten orangutans rescued from animal traffickers

Orangutans rescued from wildlife traffickers face a new threat from the record number of fires that have broken out in Indonesia in recent weeks. Flames have come within metres of an animal rehabilitation centre in West Kalimantan as hot, dry and windy conditions have been amplified by a powerful El Niño and the human-driven climate crisis. In the first 13 days of August, Indonesia registered more than three times more forest fire hotspots than in the whole of the same month last year. This followed a record number of blazes between January and July. West Kalimantan has been at the epicentre. After 40 days without rain, there have been dozens of severe outbreaks of fire in the region. Flames threatened the Yiari orangutan rehabilitation centre this week. The fire moved rapidly from 1km away to within 100 metres of the perimeter within days, prompting staff to relocate the 60 resident orangutans to enclosures in the middle of the centre. Indonesia authorities have water-bombed the forest to try to control the blaze, and teams from the centre joined the firefighting efforts as the air quality worsened, posing a threat to animals and the wider ecosystem. The centre’s director, Dr Karmele Llano Sánchez, said in her latest update that battling the fire had been relentless. “We were fighting it until 3am, but this morning it has reignited. The teams are working round the clock but they are exhausted.” The situation had reportedly stabilised as of Thursday evening, with all the animals safe, but the meteorological agency has said the hot, dry conditions are likely to continue and could lead to more outbreaks. Indonesian authorities have urged people to avoid setting fires and to remain vigilant because the peak of the fire season is usually in September and October. Yiari is seeking funds for more firefighting equipment. It warned of the growing threat earlier this year after a fire started for land clearing spread into one of its ecosystem restoration sites.

‘Tiktok wouldn’t open at all’: Taiwan simulates an internet blackout, with an eye on China threat

In Taipei, the streets swiftly empty as air raid sirens ring out and alerts ping on mobile phones. Police officers usher any stragglers into shelters, leaving the capital suddenly deserted. In cities across Taiwan, these kinds of drills are a fact of life every year, amid the growing threat posed by China across the strait, but this time there is something different. Internet speeds were drastically cut on Thursday, simulating a coordinated attack for the first time. Data-heavy services such as video calls, streaming and mobile payments became difficult or impossible to use, while videos on social media barely loaded. However, Wang Chen-wen knows how to reach others. When the sirens sound and her mobile internet begins to grind to a halt, Wang goes to the roof of her 25-storey apartment building, searching for a better radio signal. She connects her phone via Bluetooth to a small, flat device hanging from her bag. Within seconds, she is sending messages without relying on the internet. Minutes later, some of them succeeded in reaching a friend in a neighbouring district. “Testing from Beitou district, Taipei.” “Xinyi district, Taipei.” Messages begin coming in as users share their locations in a group chat being tested on an open-source platform that allows people to use text messages via long-range, low-power radio signals. “You can’t wait until something actually happens to realise you should have prepared,” says Wang, who leads a local group that provides civil defence training and started learning how to use the platform about six months ago. Authorities said the drill was designed to encourage people to prepare alternative means of communication in an emergency – part of Taiwan’s efforts to strengthen its civil resilience in the face of growing military threats from Beijing, which claims the self-ruling democracy as its own territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it. The internet disruption exercise took place on two separate days this week across 14 cities and counties in northern and central Taiwan, home to roughly 70% of the island’s 23 million people. “If the idea is to recreate what it might be like during a war, it’s definitely inconvenient, but I can understand why they’re doing it,” says Jimmy Chu, a 22-year-old worker who says messages from his boss failed to come through during the drill. Tzeng Yi-suo, an associate researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, says the inconvenience itself was intentional. “It’s a starting point for raising public awareness,” Tzeng says. “Through repeated exercises, people will gradually understand that this is about experiencing that inconvenience and testing the backup systems we may need.” For Chen Hui-xuan, an 18-year-old who tried to use her phone on the metro during the drill, the inconvenience was real. “TikTok wouldn’t open at all. Facebook worked, but it was really slow, and messages on Instagram took around 30 seconds to send,” she says. There is growing concern about the vulnerability of Taiwan’s submarine cable network – 16 international cables and 10 domestic ones – which the government has called an “irreplaceable digital lifeline”. Several cables have been damaged in recent years in incidents involving Chinese or China-linked vessels, which Taiwan’s coast guard has described as a “grey zone” strategy aimed at depleting the island’s resources without crossing the threshold into an act of war. In 2025, a Chinese captain was convicted of deliberately damaging a cable linking Taiwan’s main island with the offshore Penghu archipelago, while another Chinese fishing boat captain was later convicted of negligently damaging a cable serving Matsu, another outlying archipelago administered by Taiwan. Taiwan is seeking to build multiple layers of backup communications so that no single disruption can cut off the island. The options include low-Earth-orbit satellite services that could help people stay connected should terrestrial networks be disrupted. The approach has drawn on lessons learned in Ukraine, where Elon Musk’s Starlink has played a role after conventional infrastructure was damaged during Russia’s invasion. Last month, Taiwan’s legislature approved amendments that could clear the way for Starlink to enter the local market, although relying on Musk’s network has raised concerns because of his extensive business interests in China. In a crisis where internet access was limited, Tzeng says people would face “a high degree of uncertainty and fear”, which hostile forces could exploit. “The question is how you use the backup communications channels available to get reliable information to people and reassure them.” For Wang, knowing she has another way to communicate has already made a difference. “At least I know that if something happens, I already have a basic plan and know what to do, so I won’t face whatever disaster may come with fear or panic,” she says.

Ukraine war briefing: Crimea bomb kills ‘Ukrainian sub commander who defected’

A Russian military officer labelled as a Ukrainian defector ⁠was killed in a ⁠bomb attack on Thursday in Russian-annexed Crimea. Robert Shageyev was described on Russian Telegram channels as ‌a former Ukrainian naval officer who switched allegiance to ‌Russia during Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 when he was commanding Ukraine’s only submarine, the Zaporizhzhia. Myrotvorets – a Ukrainian website keeping a database of people described as war criminals or ‌traitors – said Shageyev had been “liquidated”. The attack took place in Sevastopol, the biggest city in Russian-annexed Crimea. The regional governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said a woman was arrested on suspicion of ⁠assassinating Shageyev on behalf of Ukrainian special services. State news agency TASS quoted the FSB security service as saying the arrested woman was ⁠a Russian national. There was no immediate comment ⁠from Ukraine. Separately, Razvozhayev said four Russian explosives experts and a security guard were killed in Sevastopol while trying to dispose of an explosive device. A Russian drone attack on a passenger train killed two people, Ukrainian officials said. “Today in the Odesa region, the Russians once again destroyed an ordinary passenger train locomotive with a jet-powered drone. There were 340 people on the train,” said the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Thursday. “Whoever was operating that drone certainly could not have been unaware that the target was entirely civilian,” he added. The dead were the train’s engineer and assistant engineer, officials said. An oil refinery in the Russian city ⁠of Orsk that was hit by Ukrainian drones has been forced ⁠to shut down ⁠completely, the regional governor said on Thursday. “Shrapnel damaged key infrastructure that cannot currently be repaired. The equipment is imported, and due to sanctions, repairs could ⁠take up to six months,” said Yevgeny Solntsev, governor of the ‌surrounding Orenburg region. The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it had attacked the Orsk refinery near the border with Kazakhstan about 1,470km (915 miles) south-east of Moscow. A Russian plan to kill a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted, the Polish prime minister said. Donald Tusk said it was the first time that “someone on the order of Russia” had sought to attack a US citizen on the territory of another Nato country. The suspect, allegedly recruited by Russia’s secret services, was detained by Polish authorities on 7 August. The American Ukrainian citizen “was uncomfortable for the Putin regime”, Tusk said. The Russian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US state department said it was aware of the reports but had no additional information. Ukraine has proposed a deal with Russia for both sides to halt their attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea in an apparent attempt to reopen a crucial grain corridor, Reuters reports. Kyiv is said to have made the offer through a third party. Moscow had yet to respond, the news agency added on Thursday. Since July, Ukrainian attacks have effectively closed the route for commercial Russian shipping, hitting nearly 220 vessels in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, including oil tankers, grain cargo ships and passenger ferries, write Luke Harding and Andrew Roth. Russia on Thursday struck Ukraine’s port of Izmail, in the Odesa region near ⁠the Romanian border. Ukrainian drones struck the major Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refinery in Bashkortostan deep inside Russia. It is one of Russia’s biggest refineries and lies south-east of Moscow about 1,300km (800 miles) from Ukraine’s border. Wildberries – the Russian online retailer targeted by Ukrainian drones for its sale of war supplies and its economic importance – said the Salavat attack also started a fire at one of its facilities. Russia and Ukraine swapped bodies of killed soldiers on Thursday. Kyiv has previously accused Russia of handing over the remains of civilians and Russian soldiers – fuelling suspicions Moscow manipulates the exchanges to make it look like more Ukrainians are dying than Russians, which is the opposite of independent assessments. “The bodies of 261 deceased persons have been returned to Ukraine, which, according to the Russian side, belong to Ukrainian servicemen,” said Ukraine’s prisoners of war agency. Citing a Russian lawmaker, the RBC media outlet said Moscow had handed over 261 bodies while Ukraine had transferred 24. Ukraine has condemned the illegality of Russian parliament ⁠elections next month in occupied areas. The foreign ministry statement coincided with the start ‌of a mission of ‌observers from ex-Soviet states to watch the election process. The foreign ministry in Kyiv said the presence of the observers made no difference: “Any vote organised by Russia on the sovereign territory of Ukraine is illegal and the results of such a vote are null and void and ‌have no legal consequences.”

Romania shuts its last nuclear reactor as drought-hit Danube river drops to record low

Romania has been forced to shut down the last working ⁠reactor at its only nuclear plant after drought caused the Danube river to fall to record lows – a rare move that will immediately affect power supplies in neighbouring Moldova. Drought and record-low water levels have deepened fears of an energy crisis across Europe, which is facing a new summer heatwave. The drought-hit Danube, whose waters cool the Romanian plant in Cernavoda, already forced Nucelarelectrica to shut down ⁠one reactor in late July. On Thursday the company said it needed to shut the second reactor “due to the significant and ongoing drop” in the river’s water level, and it did not foresee a restart in within the next 10 days. Nuclearelectrica’s two 706-megawatt reactors account for 20% of the country’s power ⁠output. Romania has declared a state of energy emergency throughout August and asked companies and households to reduce consumption during peak hours. Shutting down the reactor posed immediate problems for Moldova, Romania’s eastern neighbour, ⁠which has also endured low river levels and relies on Romanian power to cover up to 60% of its own electricity shortages. With Romanian imports now unavailable, Moldova faces the prospect of increased purchases from Ukraine, if Kyiv can supply the ‌power, buying more expensive power from western countries or imposing rolling power cuts. “I think we should be ready for a worsening situation, including power outages, although it’s hard to say for sure right now,” Moldovan energy expert Sergiu Tofilat told Radio Chisinau. Romania’s energy ministry said it had ⁠turned on a 330-megawatt lignite-fired power plant, adding it was also relying on increased wind generation and hydro power – based ‌on available water in reservoirs – to ‌make up for shortages. It has warned that as a last resort, large industrial users would have to face restrictions in the evening hours to save electricity. In early August, the government said carmakers Dacia and Ford would pause production in the country until 19 August to help with the power deficit. Nearly two-thirds of the Danube has seen flow rates drop to the lowest on record for a July in 34 years, according to analysis from the European climate change observatory Copernicus. The drought has hit nuclear power providers across Europe. France, which uses nuclear power to generate about 70% of its electricity, recorded a more than 20% shortfall in atomic production capacity this week, a record deficit caused by outages linked to drought, extreme heat and a jellyfish invasion, according to Agence France-Presse calculations based on Électricité de France (EDF) data. In total, 13 of the 57 reactors in EDF’s nuclear fleet were affected. Hungary, neighbouring Romania, has avoided a complete shutdown of its only nuclear plant, Paks, whose four reactors are also cooled by the Danube. But with the river expected to drop further, Hungary’s prime minister, Péter Magyar, said on Wednesday that the government had ordered the construction of a submerged wall, or weir, to try to control flows nears the plant. Two 80-metre (260 feet) barges are also being stationed at Paks that could be sunk to raise the water level. Paks, which usually provides about a third of Hungary’s electricity, has been partially shut down since late last month. The drought in Europe has been exacerbated by human-induced climate change, according to the World Weather Attribution group of scientists, who warn that the problem will worsen. The low levels of the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river, have also severely affected shipping along its 2,850km (1,770 mile) route stretching from western Germany to the Black Sea. Reuters and Agence France-Press contributed to this report

‘So much more respect for myself’: NZ ultrarunner Sophie Woods on smashing a 2,000km alpine run record

A couple of weeks into her record-breaking 2,000km run through Europe’s alps, Sophie Woods feared she might die. Woods and her photographer had just scaled a peak in Switzerland, when a severe thunderstorm engulfed them. “The lightning was going off around us ... there was nowhere to shelter in place [and] all the rocks around us were conductive,” Woods tells the Guardian, from her home in Andorra, nearly two weeks after she became the fastest person ever to run the Via Alpina, a rollercoaster network of alpine trails through eight countries. “I was slightly concerned that one of us was going to die,” she says. “I ran so fast to get out of that.” Woods set off from Muggia, near Trieste, in Italy on 4 July to run the mountainous Via Alpina trail winding through Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, and Monaco with an ambitious goal: complete it in record time. It was an Odyssean feat. As well as battling thunderstorms and several heatwaves, Woods faced another unexpected challenge. At one stage, she had been running since 3am through Austria’s mountains, amid unbearable heat. By mid-afternoon she was exhausted, hot and stressed about whether she and her crew had accommodation for the night. Then, a swarm of blood-sucking horse flies descended. “They were biting me, and I was already at my wit’s end,” she says. “I’m screaming at them every time they bite me. All I wanted to do is curl up in the foetal position and cry.” Unable to outrun them, Woods put away her hiking poles and grabbed two handfuls of ferns. “I spent the next hour just whacking myself with these ferns everywhere and I looked completely nuts. It was horrendous.” In the face of extreme conditions, the 42-year-old New Zealander remained a cautious runner and kept focus – sometimes for 20 hours a day. One ankle sprain, or fall, could have scuppered her goal. Each day she consumed about 7,000 calories, and was supported by her husband, George Woods, and photographer Zoe Salt, who fed her, cooled her down and arranged rests and accommodation along the route. By week three, she felt stronger than ever. “My body was just like, ‘OK, this is our life now … we go out and eat mountains for breakfast.’” Woods ran through the night to reach the finish line in Monaco on 1 August, shuffling into the glitzy city-state exhausted, and grateful she and her team were still in one piece. “You’ve used up everything … so it just was a sense of relief I don’t have to run any more,” she says. The journey had taken her a remarkable 28 days, 17 hours and 59 minutes – smashing the previous record of 35 days and 21 hours set by British runner Jake Catterall, and beating Dutch runner Tessa Caspers’ previous best women’s time of 38 days. The record, Woods says, also belongs to her team: “It’s a pretty massive thing to ask of anyone, and I’m just so grateful to them.” Realisations and inspiration Born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, Woods showed little interest in running as child. After moving to the UK, aged 20, she started running to improve her health, initially managing just 15-minute jogs. As her habit grew, she began running 10km races, which soon escalated to marathons. During the week, Woods worked at a hair salon, while her weekends were spent seeking out mountainous trails. After 16 years in London, she bought a camper van with her husband and spent the next seven years travelling Europe’s mountains, before eventually settling in Andorra. Woods has competed in dozens of premiere races, including running the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (a 170km mountain race) six times, the Tor des Géants (an extreme 330km endurance event) and more, over the past decade. But by 2025, her joy in running started to wane. After several years attempting IVF treatment, Woods and her husband had to come to terms with infertility. As a result, each race felt like she was “just going through the motions”. “I was really struggling with the fact … that my life wasn’t going to look different, that I wasn’t going to be changing nappies and doing school runs,” Woods says. On seeing his wife struggling, George Woods suggested they focus on a new challenge – Woods running the Via Alpina, with him as crew. The endeavour would have a profound effect on her love for the sport and her sense of self. “I had come from a place with the IVF where I was not particularly in love with my body,” Woods says. “But my love and respect for my body, and what she can do for me now, is just so much more. What she allowed me to achieve, in a way that was joyful … I just have so much more respect for myself.” Since completing the trail, Woods has been flooded with messages from girls and women around the world who want to try a 5km run or push themselves further. Her Instagram account has gained more than 55,000 followers in recent weeks. Woods “never thought” she would be in a position to inspire others and the widespread interest in her feat has come as a surprise. “When you’re in the trail-running world, these things seem a lot more normal,” she says. “But it has blown up, and you start to understand that what you’ve just done is not normal at all.”

Two seriously injured after passenger train derails near Lewes in East Sussex

Two people have been seriously injured after a passenger train derailed between Haywards Heath and Lewes in East Sussex on Thursday. The South East Coast ambulance service said two people were taken to major trauma centres with severe injuries. Images of the aftermath appeared to show passengers standing on top of the toppled carriages while others could be seen in an area of heathland alongside emergency workers. British Transport Police said: “At this time we believe that two people have sustained serious injuries and a further nine patients have sustained less serious injuries. Patients have been assessed and treated at the scene, with some transported to local hospitals.” Assistant chief constable Ian Drummond-Smith said: “We’ve declared a major incident and a significant emergency service response is ongoing at the scene, but all passengers on the train have now been safely evacuated from the service. “Our thoughts are of course with everyone affected, and I’d like to reassure the public that we’re supporting the Rail Accident Investigation Branch [RAIB] to establish exactly what’s happened. We’ll provide further information as soon as we are able.” The RAIB has launched an inquiry into what went wrong. An aerial photograph of the scene showed three of the train’s eight carriages on their side. Rob Bradley and his six-year-old daughter Mabel were in the last of the carriages to stay upright. Speaking to the BBC he said: “We are doing OK. We were very lucky we were on the fourth carriage. The fifth went on its side. “We felt the train speeding up and started to rock. Then our carriage jumped vertically upwards and we could tell it was a derailment. The emergency brakes went on the train and everything got thrown forward. “The train skidded for quite a while before it stopped. We turned around and we saw the whole back of the train was open and smoke and dust were pouring into the carriage and we saw the fifth carriage had gone on its side.” Several rail routes were closed after the Southern service came off the tracks just before 4pm. Emergency services advised people to avoid the area, and said anyone travelling by rail in the area should allow up to 60 minutes extra for their journey. A spokesperson for Network Rail and Southern Rail said on Thursday evening: “We can confirm that the 14.24 Southern passenger service from Victoria to Eastbourne has derailed in the Lewes area of East Sussex. “Emergency services are on site and we will update with more information when we can. Trains through the area are suspended and passengers are advised to check online at southernrailway.com for the latest service information.” The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, tweeted: “Deeply concerned of reports of a derailment involving a Southern train in Lewes, Sussex. “Grateful to emergency services who are on the scene supporting those impacted. We are working quickly with the rail industry and local partners to assist passengers.” Southern said in an update on X at 5.47pm: “If you are travelling to Gatwick airport, please allow at least an extra 150 minutes for your journey to ensure you make your flight connections and use an alternative route. “We have requested rail replacement buses to the following stations: Haywards Heath, Lewes. We will update you here on X once confirmed, but for now, please continue to travel using your own alternative route.” In an earlier update it said the derailment had occurred between Haywards Heath and Lewes, meaning there were no trains running between Brighton and Lewes, Haywards Heath and Lewes and Seaford/Eastbourne and Lewes. The company told passengers: “You should delay your journey in this area until later on today, or use an alternative route to travel.” James MacCleary, the MP for Lewes, said: “I am aware of very concerning reports of a train crash in the Lewes area this afternoon. I am in touch with the relevant authorities now and will provide further updates as soon as I have more information. “This is clearly a very serious and developing incident, and my thoughts are with everyone affected. In the meantime, if you are concerned about someone or need urgent assistance, please contact the emergency services.”