The European Commission’s president warned that recent actions in Denmark and Lithuania are ‘not isolated incidents’

• Russian warship fires flares at Danish helicopter as Nato jets shoot down drone over Lithuania

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha responded to the incident in Denmark, declaring Kyiv’s “full support” after “unacceptable actions targeting a Danish helicopter.”

“Moscow continues its attempts to destabilise Europe, not just Denmark. Joint and decisive action is required and Ukraine is ready to contribute to all efforts aimed at strengthening the protection of Europe from Russian threats,” he said.

Yvette Cooper says officials have been asked to develop plans to install cameras in neonatal units in wake of Thirlwall report

• Three babies may have survived if hospital had acted over Lucy Letby concerns, inquiry finds

Lady Justice Thirlwall said that senior nurses at the hospital refused to accept the consultant’s concerns could be justified, and criticised the “prolonged delay by senior managers in calling the police”.

The police were eventually contacted in May 2017, around a year after the death of baby P in June 2016, and despite the fact Letby had been removed from neonatal unit.

There was also complete failure at all levels to invoke safeguarding procedures at any point.

Looking for clinical or other explanations for deaths and collapses was not wrong, but once there was suspicion that Letby may be causing harm deliberately safeguarding steps should have been taken.

The president called mail-in voting – which he has used on several occasions to cast a ballot – ‘a laughing stock’ across the world

• Supreme court rejects Trump’s mail ballot restrictions for midterm elections

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Kash Patel, the FBI director, is now testifying before lawmakers on the Senate judiciary committee. A reminder that the last time he appeared before Congress was in May, when he sparred with senators on the appropriations committee and denied – under oath – allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences on the job, dismissing them as “baseless” during a fiery congressional hearing.

Today’s hearing is also expected to be full of heated exchanges. “Mr Patel is the least qualified and most partisan FBI director in our nation’s history,” said Senator Dick Durbin, the judiciary committee’s top Democrat. “The bureau has been reshaped as a political weapon against President Trump’s political enemies and a shield to protect the president and his MAGA loyalists, not the American people.”

Decision allows states to continue sending out mail ballots without meeting new requirements the USPS tried to impose through executive order from Donald Trump

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Donald Trump has claimed there is a “SICK conspiracy” against artificial intelligence and data centers in response to the growing calls for greater checks on AI development.

“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, insisting that the administration has stopped leaders of AI companies from “doing bad, or potentially bad” things. However, he didn’t point to any concrete examples for how he has curbed possible abuse or malfeasance in the industry.

There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China … We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE!

US president blames conflict, and ‘not Iran’, for spike in US diesel prices

Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Charlotte Higgins and Amy Hawkins in Kyiv

Catching up with other news from across Europe, the head of Nato has said a Russian drone attack on a train close to Ukraine’s border with Poland would not deter Kyiv’s western backers.

Ukraine’s foreign minister says Russia is deliberately targeting civilians

in Brussels

The European Commission has said it is assessing whether Ukraine has a funding shortfall, amid renewed pressure to use Russia’s frozen assets to aid Kyiv.

“That [frozen assets] is not a primary focus. We have worked extensively on this and now the focus is somewhere else.”

“So we’ve got to carry out that work first. We need to establish the needs before we can potentially discuss ways of addressing it.”

⚽️ News and updates before the weekend’s football action
⚽️ Premier League: 10 things to watch out for | Mail John

Matthias Jaissle revealed that summer signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo is edging closer to starting for Newcastle.

The 21-year-old forward arrived on Tyneside from Lille on deadline day and has featured as a substitute in Newcastle’s last two matches.

Bill would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to end their lives, after the approval of a panel of experts

While the debate continues, we have a comment from Sam Royston, executive director of research and policy at Marie Curie. He said the government must address the crisis in palliative care regardless of what happens with assisted dying, calling for a new framework and funding to ensure everyone has access to compassionate end-of-life care.

He said:

Whatever happens with assisted dying, the UK government must fix the crisis in palliative care.

It is devastating that nearly one in three people die without the help they need. Too many spend their final days in pain or on busy, chaotic hospital wards, while families are left fighting for help instead of spending time with the people they love.

I think it’s absolutely right that, for instance, the prime minister and the government have said that improving palliative care must be a priority for him and his government. I think that’s something that we can all support.

I think everybody should have access to good quality palliative and hospice end-of-life care at their final moment.”

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

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

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

Quarter-final updates from Flushing Meadows
Shelton wins after night of sweat and tears
Get in touch: email Niall | Follow us on TikTok

Rybakina has won four of her five meetings with Zheng, including two three-set victories this year. But Zheng was earlier in her comeback from elbow surgery then, the 2024 Olympic champion is a totally different proposition now, carrying the momentum of seven successive match wins in New York having come through qualifying - and the belief she can turn around any deficit after coming from 5-0 down in sets against both Madison Keys in the third round and Iga Swiatek in the last 16.

Here come Zheng and Rybakina, Zheng stepping on to court wearing headphones, not that there’s much noise to drown out yet at 11.35am New York time. Both already look extremely focused with their game faces on.

Trump walked on stage at the American Airlines Center in Dallas with a live performance from Lee Greenwood singing God Bless the USA

• Republicans look to ‘midterm convention’ to overcome Trump unpopularity

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Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of a longtime New Hampshire senator and former governor, has won the Democratic nomination in the race for Chris Pappas’s former House seat.

Stefany Shaheen’s mother Jeanne Shaheen is a former governor who has represented New Hampshire in the Senate since 2009. The younger Shaheen’s family ties to the Democratic establishment – and accusations of nepotism – became a point of attack by her opponent in the primary race.

Over-by-over updates from Edgbaston, 11am BST start
County cricket live – follow all of today’s latest news
Read today’s edition of The Spin | And email Tim

1st over: Pakistan 4-0 (Ayub 0, Azan 0) A welcome start for Pakistan, with leg byes travelling down the leg-side for four. Robinson, on 99 Test wickets, beats the bat with one that jags away from the left-hander … before nipping one back in for the leg-before! And up goes the finger! Ayub looked to leave and is hit well outside the line … and it’s travelling well over the stumps. Robinson must wait a little longer for No 100.

The anthems have wrapped up. Time for Ollie Robinson to wobble the ball down. Saim Ayub is on strike.

Transport secretary does not think Nats incident was ‘unavoidable’; technical issue at Nats resolved but flights to and from UK airports still disrupted

• Tell us: how have you been affected by UK air traffic disruption?

• Oil prices rise above $100 a barrel for first time since July as Iran war escalates

In total, more 1,900 flights had been cancelled by 5am today, according to the aviation analytics company Cirium, since yesterday’s system issue at National Air Traffic Services.

Nats provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports. While the technical problem has been resolved, the flight chaos has continued into a second day. Other flights have been delayed, causing chaos for tens of thousands of passengers travelling to and from the UK.

Sexual culture and wellbeing expert Alix Fox answered your questions about how to have a healthier, happier, hornier love life

Greygoose77 asks: Can electronic sex toys cause desensitisation?

Alix: Short answer: nope. But they can temporarily alter the threshold of stimulatory intensity that you require in order to get off. That has been covered more fully here.

Alix: Mate, I hear you. And I suspect you’re going to sigh with all the power of a wind tunnel when I tell you that unless you prioritise intimacy, it isn’t going to happen. You have to block in time for it – which will likely mean booting something else out of your diary. That can seem hard at first, when EVERYTHING feels important if not essential. But what’s harder is mourning a dwindling love life. Plus, having a sexy, silly, scrumptious time with a lover can be like a triple espresso when it comes to putting a pep in your step and soothing everyday stress. It may sound trite, but when intimacy functions as a therapeutic release, ‘doing it’ can actually help you get other things done.

To be clear, I’m talking about scheduling intimacy, not necessarily intercourse. Nobody should feel duty bound to engage in any particular physical act when the allotted date rolls round. You may find it helpful (and a welcome turn on) to write a ‘menu’ of different erotic ‘dishes’ you might like to choose from during a date night, ranging from more delicate flavours like having your hair washed for you or a bubble bath for two, to spicier exploits like taking turns to read from an explicit book. Dr Sara Nasserzadeh, author of Love by Design: 6 Ingredients to Build a Lifetime of Love, says “scheduled sexy time should feel like a restaurant reservation: sometimes you’ll fancy a lighter meal; other times, a richer dish. You may both pick different courses, or feel drawn to the same plate. The only criteria is that everyone comes away satisfied – which doesn’t always require orgasm, by the way.”

Moscow’s foreign minister issues warning to ‘Russophobic lobby in Budapest’ after diplomats expelled for ‘unacceptable’ activities

But the tone coming from Moscow is very different, as Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia was very confident that victory in its war against Ukraine is “very near.”

“Yes, we are ​confident, and we ⁠are ​sure that ​victory ​is very near,” ​Peskov ‌said in comments reported by Reuters.

Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, earlier claimed that the UK was ‘systemically working against the state of Israel’

• UK accuses Israeli ‘terrorists’ of ethnic cleansing in West Bank with government backing

The Liberal Democrats say they have been granted a Commons urgent question today about the latest Argentinian threats to the Falkland Islands. A Foreign Office minister will be responding at about 12.30pm.

Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, has said that Britain will be “on the wrong side of history” if it goes ahead with plans to ban trade with the illegal settlements on the West Bank.

Later today, we expect to see headlines announcing certain British trade sanctions on Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria.

If this happens – and other nations may join – I believe it will prove to be a grave miscalculation, a decision that will fall on the wrong side of history.

German chancellor says vote for far-right party ‘will have repercussions’ across the country

• Far-right AfD wins key German state election but falls just short of majority

AfD’s Chrupalla continues in this vein, saying the German public wants to see a change in direction, and specifically saying the electorate is “fed up” as the government keeps “transferring billions of our tax money to Ukraine … instead of using it for our own population.”

He says the party has “a clear mandate” to rule in Saxony-Anhalt and will hold discussions with others about what can be done.

• Potopova sends Anisimova out at Flushing Meadows

• You can mail Niall and follow us on TikTok and Bluesky

Last night Serena and Venus Williams – with their combined age of 456 - blew a five-point lead in the deciding tie-break as their return to the grand slam doubles stage ended in defeat, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7) against Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint. Serena must be sick of the sight of Joint – given her singles comeback was also halted by the Australian in the Wimbledon first round this summer – but having come so close to victory in both matches, she may well be encouraged enough to continue. Serena and Venus chose not to do a post-match media conference last night – so it’s not clear what their next plans are.

A big cheer on Grandstand – despite the fact Zheng is facing an American – as she holds at the start of the second set. Anisimova is still a break down, 3-2, against Potapova, while Taylor Fritz – the pick of the American men in the first week - is warming up on Arthur Ashe against Francisco Cerundolo, the 24th seed from Argentina.

‘Sometimes we will get things wrong and get a bit of a kicking for it,’ party leader tells gathering in Birmingham

No real mention by Anderson of the problems that overshadowed events yesterday. He ended his opening speech saying: "Yesterday was great. Today is going to be absolutely brilliant.”

Laila Cunningham is speaking next.

Judge declares mistrial after delay due to defense seeking intervention from higher court

• Full report: Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy case

• Explained: Lindsay Clancy mistrial – what happens next?

• Five key moments from ‘America’s saddest murder trial’

If you’re just joining us, the judge in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, plans to declare a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict and remained deadlocked after a week of deliberations.

Jurors in Plymouth state court spent more than 38 hours in deliberations over the charges against the 36-year-old mom, which came on the heels of a weeks-long trial that directed national attention to maternal mental health issues that can occur postpartum.

Closing arguments ended last Thursday in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother who admitted killing her three young children – Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months – in January 2023. Her attempt to kill herself after killing the children left her with spinal injuries that paralyzed her from the waist down. Clancy pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder due to lack of criminal responsibility, also known as an insanity defense. She faced life in prison if convicted. The tragic case has sparked a national conversation about the state of postpartum mental healthcare in the United States.

The charges up for consideration were first-degree murder, which involves “deliberate premeditation” or “extreme atrocity or cruelty” and is punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole, or second-degree murder, without either of those conditions, punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole. They also considered lesser manslaughter charges, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. If they had found Clancy not guilty, she could have spent the rest of her life in hospital, with the eventual possibility of release at a later time if the court determined she was not a danger to others.

Jurors began deliberating last Thursday on whether to accept her insanity defense, but, almost 40 hours on, they have now declared three times that they could not reach a unanimous decision. A jury note indicated that jurors were split 11-1 toward an acquittal but a holdout juror “has acknowledged doubt but refuses to apply it to the verdict”. The prosecution argued this indicated a disagreement among jurors over how to weigh the evidence, while the defense argued the juror had “lied” when they swore to the judge to properly follow the law. But the judge ultimately declined to question the juror further or have them removed.

After the jury declared today that, “with a heavy heart”, it still cannot “and will not be able to” reach a verdict, the judge said he intends to declare a mistrial. That has now been thrown into limbo after the defense asked for an emergency stay from Massachusetts’s highest court. The judge gave him one hour. We’ll bring you the latest as that unfolds.

At the heart of what has been called America’s saddest murder trial is Clancy’s mental health following the birth of her third child. Her defense, led by attorney Kevin Reddington, argued that Clancy should not be held criminally responsible for killing her children because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis – a devastating condition estimated to affect around two women per 1,000 births. He called Clancy “a darn good mother” and argued that she received “lousy” medical care when she sought help for her deteriorating mental state. She was in “the depths of despair” when she killer her children, he argued, and was compelled to kill them and herself by a persistent male voice during a spell of psychosis.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, argued that Clancy “deliberately and meticulously” killed her children, and acted “intentionally, rationally, and swiftly”. Prosecutors acknowledged Clancy’s mental health struggles but in its closing statement argued that Clancy was a “functioning mom” who knew “right and wrong”. The prosecution pointed to the medical resources and treatment available to her, and also downplayed the severity of Clancy’s suicide attempt. She put a level of planning into the killings that indicates she was not psychotic, they argued.