The latest updates from Flushing Meadows on day five
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It feels rather odd saying this, given that Osaka is a two-time former US Open champion, but she’s something of a wildcard contender this fortnight, having not won a title since 2021. But over the past year she’s been building momentum, after returning from her maternity leave in 2024, and there were plenty of green shoots on the grass at Wimbledon, where she beat Aryna Sabalenka en route to the quarter-finals. And Osaka has started strongly today, leading Siniakova 3-1 and serving at 40-15. Make that game, as the 13th seed’s pace is too much for the Czech to handle.

Swiatek is serving for the first set at 5-3. And on her second set point, at her advantage, she takes it, when Podoroska prods a return wide. After starting with three holds to love, the set got closer, but the eighth seed found a way through and she’s skipping to the back of the court to start the second set. She looks up for this – and most importantly, more confident than she has done for so much of this year.

Vice president holds first press briefing since Karoline Leavitt’s departure and rebuffs Iran’s claims of deadly US strikes while defending Pete Hegseth

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Republican oversight chair James Comer has also weighed in on Leon Black not sitting for a deposition about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The billionaire financier, who has denied wrongdoing, filed suit against the oversight committee Thursday alleging the subpoenas were improper.

“It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people. Our investigation is examining how the federal government for decades failed survivors of Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes and how Mr. Epstein sought to curry favor with influential individuals to avoid scrutiny,” Comer said in a statement. “Mr. Black’s testimony is crucial to our investigation as he was one of Mr. Epstein’s fee paying clients and has several nondisclosure agreements.”

EU’s policy chief says drone incident at German airport ‘had the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism’

German police have opened a investigation into yesterday’s attempt to disrupt the operation of a power substation near Brandenburg.

In a statement, Brandenburg police said they were leading a probe on suspicion of attempting to disrupt public services, causing an explosion and damaging critical infrastructure as well as forming a terrorist organisation

Sabalenka made quick work of Iatcenko in the second round, while Tiafoe, Tsitsipas, Pegula and Muchova were among the other notable winners

And Nakashima breaks too – he’s hitting it hard off both wings and I wonder if he’s in the process of finding a new level. The first few times I watched him, I thought he had a bit of something and, real talk, I thought he’d be better by now than he is. But I really like what I’m seeing from him and, as we know, progress isn’t always linear.

It’s a good start for Medvedev, Gorzy – who saved five match points in round one – tamely ceding serve to 15.

Fars news agency reports four-year-old among those killed at wedding as Iranian Red Crescent calls for ICC to investigate

• Iran accuses US of ‘war crime’ after missile blast kills five people at wedding

Iranian state media has shared video from the site of the reported attack in Sirik, southern Iran, where officials say US strikes hit a wedding ceremony in a residential area, killing four people including two children aged four and 16.

Footage reportedly filmed inside the building where the wedding took place shows a debris-strewn floor, with women’s and girls’ embellished sandals and garlands scattered among the wreckage. A separate video shows the heavily damaged building from the outside, with a large hole visible in the roof. Here is an image from the footage released by the Iranian Red Crescent:

The US and Iran have exchanged fire for the first time in a month, with missiles and drones fired at Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the strait of Hormuz

American missiles struck an airport in southern Iran on Tuesday, Iranian state television is reporting.

Jiroft airport, in the province of Kerman, is the latest target in a fresh wave of US airstrikes.

‘Technology cannot move fast enough to prevent loss’, official says, as rescue efforts for the 4,500 still missing continue

Nepal last week turned down foreign ​involvement in general search and rescue but said it needed specialised services and advanced technological support in areas such as life-detecting machines, large refrigerators and pre-fabricated bridges.

Aid worth more than $42m has poured into the country and Nepal is now working with experts from other countries to help with rescue operations.

Ailing Djokovic goes out | Williams loses after 2am start
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Sabalenka eases through on her serve, advancing to the net to secure her first game of the tournament with a forehand volley. It’s 1-1 in the opening set against Osorio.

Sabalenka and Osorio are underway on Arthur Ashe, with the Colombian serving. She records two double-faults before Sabalenka seizes upon the second serve, whipping a blistering forehand to make it deuce. But the defending champion finds the net and the stratosphere, too, as Osorio holds to go 1-0 up.

Iran responded to an assault on its Larak Island by targeting US bases in Jordan

• Trump threatens further action as US and Iran exchange fire in new flare-up

Coinciding with this week’s G20 meeting, the EU has issued a statement saying it will work with the US and other allied countries to maintain economic pressure against Iran.

“The ‌EU welcomes efforts at ensuring that Iran ceases its destabilising activities and engages in peace negotiations with good ‌faith, also through additional economic pressure, including through ​the US-led Operation Economic Outcast,” it said in reference to the pressure strategy the White House describes as “an unprecedented campaign to sever every remaining economic lifeline sustaining” the Islamic republic.

Liverpool announced a major signing from PSG while Everton and Newcastle are busy reshaping their attacks

Some slightly lower-key deals for you:

Rotherham United have confirmed the signing of Manchester United youngster Jayce Fitzgerald on loan for the rest of the season.

Barcelona have signed 16-year-old prodigy Mikael Baza from Hamburg – he will join their youth ranks.

Jaden Heskey is to return to Sheffield Wednesday from Manchester City on loan after impressing last season.

Nepali minister says cost of rebuilding likely to be billions of dollars as death toll rises above 650, with seven confirmed dead in Tibet

• ‘The flood took everything I have’: survivors grieve for relatives and homes swept away in Nepal

• Chinese rescuers find ‘nothing but ruins’ at border crossing as Nepal seeks help to ID and store the dead

Outside the army camp in the Nuwakot district of Nepal, people run their fingers down the sheets of paper pinned to the wall, scanning the growing list of those reported missing for news of loved ones. Nepali authorities said nearly 3,000 people are missing, while China reported more than 550 people unaccounted for.

Nepal’s foreign minister, Shisir Khanal, has appealed for international support to help rebuild the country after the floods, saying reconstruction efforts could run into “billions of dollars” AFP reports.

• Transfer news and buildup to this weekend’s fixtures

• Premier League things to look out for | Email Sarah

Brighton women’s manager Dario Vidosic said of his time at the club:

I have loved my time at the Albion and am proud of what we have achieved together. Leaving has been a difficult decision, but I believe it is the right time for me and my family to begin a new chapter.

I would like to thank the players, staff and supporters for their support throughout my time at the club and wish everyone associated with Albion every success in the future.

Updates from day two at Lord’s; play starts 11am
Day one report | Sign up for the Spin | Mail Rob

62nd over: England 266-9 (Atkinson 38, Tongue 14) Scrap that: Atkinson takes a leg-bye off the second ball of this over. As Tongue prepares to face Abbas, the keeper, Mohammad Rizwan, calls for a helmet and goes up to the stumps – so Josh Tongue is now being treated like Joe Root. The ploy could backfire by making Tongue’s nicks harder for the slips to pick up. And it doesn’t seem to bother Tongue, who plays an uppish flick for a single to steal the strike.

61st over: England 264-9 (Atkinson 38, Tongue 13) Ali bowls to Atkinson, who promptly steps away to leg, dreaming of a six over backward point, but connects only with thin air. The over ends in a flurry of singles – one to each batter and then a tight one to Atkinson, who may have decided that he needs to protect Tongue from Abbas.

Nepali disaster authority confirms jump of more than 400 in total of those unaccounted for, with 584 deaths confirmed in Nepal and five in Tibet

• Flood rescue efforts resume

• Visual guide: how the deadly flooding unfolded

• Tell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?

More now on the Nepali army’s rescue operation to save about 100 people trapped in a tunnel at a hydropower project swamped by Wednesday’s flooding.

“Two helicopters have been dispatched but it is challenging because it is tough to even locate the entry points of the tunnel,” army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told AFP.

Relief efforts are also under way to provide the rescued people what they need.

The army is still working to safely evacuate more than 100 people trapped in the same tunnel.

Ontario is an indigenous name that predates both the US and Canada, Mark Carney says; move by Trump comes amid trade tensions

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On Wednesday, Trump officially signed a proclamation on Wednesday that suspends higher tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef imports for 90 days. This comes after backlash to the proposal – designed to lower grocery costs for Americans in the run-up to the November midterms.

Several Republicans – in states with sizable cattle farming industries – have criticized the policy, saying it is a short term solution that will stymie ranchers’ ability to rebuild their herds.

Four leading livestock and agricultural organizations also wrote a letter to the president on Wednesday urging him to reverse course.

“Flooding the market with discounted foreign beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd, strengthen food security, or lower grocery bills in a lasting way,” the groups wrote.

Donald Trump will begin his day in Washington, before traveling to Houston, Texas where he’ll headline a Republican National Commitee (RNC) fundraiser, and help boost Ken Paxton — the state’s attorney general and Republican nominee for Senate.

A reminder that Paxton beat long serving Senator John Cornyn in the GOP primary earlier this year after receiving Trump’s endorsement. Paxton is set to face Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico in November.

This blog is now closed. You can find the rest of our UK politics coverage here

Speaking on the media round this morning, the work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, said he expected Meta’s new protections for young people in the US to apply to the UK, but that the government was already taking action on this issue.

Meta has agreed to significant changes to its Instagram and Facebook apps in an $18bn (£13.2bn) settlement that ended a landmark lawsuit yesterday. It said it would establish safeguards for teenage users, including daily usage limits and blocks on night-time use nationwide in the US. My colleagues Blake Montgomery and Dara Kerr has more in this report:

Authorities say water rising at lake at site of disaster and it could burst

• Nearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, and hundreds killed

• Visual guide: how the deadly flooding unfolded

• Tell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?

Eyewitness accounts have been emerging from the Tibetan side of the border, with a woman saying she was travelling from Gyirong town towards Nepal on Wednesday morning when her group encountered the flood about 4km from Gyirong port.

“Trees and electricity poles had already been knocked down, and the flood water was bearing down on us. We didn’t dare turn around, so we could only reverse,” the woman, surnamed Fang, told Xiaoxiang Morning News.

I was really scared. My whole body was trembling.

Latest Nepal police update says 157 bodies found after powerful floods in Himalayan border area sweep away houses, roads and bridges

• Flash floods on Nepal-Tibet border leave scores dead and hundreds missing

• Tell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?

The British embassy in Kathmandu said it is “deeply saddened” by flash floods in parts of Nepal and urged people in affected areas to follow local advice.

A joint statement with the embassies of Australia, the EU, Finland, France, Norway and Switzerland said:

We are deeply saddened by the devastating flooding in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and surrounding areas.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster. We express our solidarity with the people of Nepal during this difficult time.

Two dozen states file lawsuit days after supreme court lifts one injunction blocking part of president’s order

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A US military strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean on Tuesday killed four people, officials said.

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X that the strike targeted a vessel “operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean.”

Legendary country singer died surrounded by loved ones after being diagnosed with cancer, her team says; Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dionne Warwick lead tributes

• Dolly Parton dies aged 80

• Celebrity tributes

• A life in pictures

• Parton’s peerless career turned country music cliches inside out

• Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton

Our picture editors have collated Dolly Parton’s life in pictures:

In the UK, top radio presenter Jo Whiley introduced her BBC Radio 2 evening show by playing I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 in tribute to Dolly Parton after her death was announced in the 7pm news headlines.