European Commission declined to comment on reported disruption to Starlink’s services in Ukraine

• Ukrainian soldiers have access to Starlink satellite internet restricted

Rutte gets asked “is Russia foolish enough to consider attacking any of Nato countries?”

He says “we don’t think so” and that there is “no imminent threat against Nato territory,” but stresses that “if we see a build up, we will react to it.”

“We will never, ever mount a attack towards anyone else because that is not in our interest. We are a defensive alliance.”

“But here’s the main thing: we are stronger. Russia is not in a good place. These hybrid attacks, whatever it is, are a sign of weakness. What they allow us to do is to talk about it the whole day and to be rattled and to have press conferences on it. We’re not going to do that. We will react where we need to react.”

Brand is in Southwark crown court today where his rape and sexual assault trial begins

Taking jurors through the third allegation, Karmy-Jones said Brand pulled another woman into a toilet during an incident at a bar in Soho in 2004.

The third complainant was “not so lucky as to be able to pull away”, the prosecutor said.

She continued to resist saying, ‘I’m not coming in there, don’t be silly. Are you mad? Get off,’ and she managed to pull herself away, and to release his grasp.

At that point he gave up and went into the toilet, and she left the area.”

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Ahead of her White House podium debut, Katie Zacharia reportedly monitored Donald Trump’s public schedule every day, and monitored his Truth Social, and made sure she was on-air when she assumed he might be watching, according to Politico, citing a person familiar with the matter.

That source noted that and a number of high-profile conservative anchors – including from Fox News, Newsmax and OANN – also backed Zacharia for press secretary. She is now set to the sixth person to hold the role throughout both of Trump’s terms in office.

Ukraine’s president says his country has halted strikes on Russian oil refineries for two days after Trump’s energy ceasefire announcement

On frozen Russian assets, Poland’s Sikorski says the use of frozen Russian assets is “a complicated issue,” but takes a very clear stance in response to any suggestion of releasing them back to Russia.

“We are working on it, but there is also some rumours that some people are expecting these assets to be released back to Russia.

I don’t think I’m speaking just for myself in saying: over our dead bodies.”

“Russia right now is not ready for ceasefire, but still, this only can encourage us to stay with Ukraine and to, strengthen, the pressure on Russia and always be ready for conversations, but and also especially for, for ceasefire negotiations.

But, until this doesn’t happen, we are with Ukraine. We are with the president the German government is is backing the Ukrainian government and the president, completely. He is the person to lead Ukraine, and we are with him.”

Zelenskyy had proposed a 60-day total ceasefire to allow Ukraine to hold presidential elections

• Trump announces partial ceasefire in Ukraine war as Zelenskyy says deal is ‘news to me’

Addressing the conference virtually, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on Trump’s “sudden but very important” energy ceasefire declaration over the weekend.

He said it is clear that Putin “does not read Truth social”, the site that the US president posted his ceasefire declaration on.

Russia wants to ruin the existing security architecture in Europe to make sure that Russian domination comes back to where it was before 1989. We have no doubt about it.

Ukraine’s president reportedly says Kyiv would accept a deal if Moscow does after US president posts announcement with no detail on social media

• Trump announces partial ceasefire in Ukraine war as Zelenskyy says deal is ‘news to me’

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The President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has expressed her “full support for President Zelenskyy” amid calls for a ceasefire.

In a telephone call with the Ukrainian leader, von der Leyen posted on X that she “fully supported the call of President Zelenskyy for a ceasefire that would protect global food supplies and energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia.

“Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it’s important for Russia to support it as well. We are awaiting details from the American side. From our Ukrainian side, there is always FULL support for de-escalation steps, protection of lives, and the necessary decisions to end the war and ensure lasting peace.”

First Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season makes landfall in the US as officials warn of ‘spinoff tornadoes’

• Full story: Two dead as Isaias weakens to post-tropical cyclone after striking Florida panhandle

• Key things to know about Hurricane Isaias as millions under evacuation orders

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Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, said no requests for search and rescue assistance had been received following Isaias, which he described as “cautiously, a good sign”.

Speaking to Fox News, he said:

I think that may be a sign that people heeded the warnings, took proper precautions. We sure would love to say we have not gotten a report of a fatality yet, and we’ll see what happens.

There’s also a lot of hazards post-storm that people should be careful of, but so far we’ve had a lot of assets in place that have not been called on, which is a good sign. I’d rather be over-prepared, and not have to use them, than not have what you need.”

Hurricane Isaias has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, after it made landfall in Florida and lashed the US Gulf coast with heavy rain and fierce winds.

The category 2 hurricane hit the coast near Destin, Florida, late on Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 105mph.

The storm is expected to move across Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley, the NHC added, with maximum sustained winds decreased to near 35mph.

The ⁠ICC’s deputy prosecutor condemned the sanctions and said they would not halt the tribunal’s work

You can watch along below, but I will bring you all the key lines here.

Spoiler alert (not really).

⚽ All the latest football news heading into the weekend
⚽ Ten things | Maresca coy on future | Mail Rob

Football Weekly: You can watch/listen to the pod squad discuss Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Manchester City, plus much more, in the latest episode.

A reminder that Enzo Maresca will face the media in 20 minutes’ time at the Etihad Campus in Manchester. You can follow the press conference live here.

Sagal Abdi-Wali defeats Green party leader Zack Polanski to retain the Holborn and St Pancras seat for Labour

• Report: Labour wins Holborn and St Pancras byelection

• Analysis: defeat will disappoint Greens – but there may also be relief

Activists in Camden have suggested the Greens’ decision to back the anti-Zionism motion has cost them votes in the byelection.

Councillors for both Labour the Liberal Democrats told the Press Association that voters had informed them they would not be backing the Green party after it passed the motion last weekend calling Zionism racism.

It is clear now we will come a close second in this by-election. Taking the fight to Labour in one of its safest seats shows just how far the Greens have come.

Voters want us to keep Labour’s feet to the fire on affordable housing, public ownership of water and the climate crisis. Greens will be there every single day, holding Labour to account and demanding the change people voted for.

Captain Dan Keeler says there were ‘no lost lives on board’ and adds that deployment was ‘first experience with combat’ for most sailors

• Thousands turn out to welcome weary USS Lincoln sailors

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Donald Trump has urged James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in the US Senate race in Texas, to debate Ken Paxton – Republican attorney general that the president has endorsed in the election.

On Truth Social, Trump described Paxton as “ready, willing, and able” to take on Talarico – the 37-year-old state representative who has been leading in several polls.

In Georgia, Jon Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent will face off against Mike Collins – a congressman and the Trump-backed Republican nominee at 7pm ET.

At the same time in Michigan, progressive insurgent Abdul El-Sayed, will debate Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee also endorsed by the president.

Finally, it’s the second debate in Maine in as many days. Susan Collins, the five-term Republican incumbent will spar (again) with the Democratic nominee, Troy Jackson, at 8pm ET.

Two men arrested last night as security patrols near RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire found an abandoned vehicle and a breach in the fence

in Athens

Over in Athens, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has been forced, yet again, to address allegations of misconduct by Kimberly Guilfoyle, America’s ambassador to Greece.

Nearly 460 schools are affected by continuing protests today, just over a half of those that joined the ‘day of mobilisation’ yesterday

We are getting reports of a knife attack at a vocational school in Ostrołęka, Poland, which left at least seven people injured, including two seriously, as reported by Poland’s RMF FM radio.

The city mayor, Paweł Niewiadomski, confirmed in a statement that the situation has been contained.

“Henri Kagan discovered a new way of manipulating chemical reactions, allowing a greater excess of one of the mirror images to be created than was previously assumed possible. His discovery has been revolutionary for chemists who develop reactions for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, flavours, scents and new materials.

Kenso Soai designed the first chemical reaction in which only one of the potential mirror images was formed. Other than life itself, no one had ever achieved this feat. The Soai reaction is one of the most spectacular chemical experiments ever conducted.”

1,200 died in attack that led to launch of devastating war in Gaza

• ‘All I want to do is cry’: trauma of 7 October survivors three years after the attacks

The Israeli military said it launched several security operations across the West Bank overnight, arresting dozens of people suspected of being involved in terrorism, including expressing support for the 7 October attack, the Israeli military said.

A young man was shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers during one of the campaigns in Jenin, according to Wafa, the Palestinian news agency.

Reports of clashes with police at cities including Lyon and Rennes

• Read our full report from Paris here

AP noted comments from France’s interior minister Laurent Nuñez, who defended the government’s muscular response to protests, despite a growing list of gruesome injuries to young protesters blamed on police riot-control weapons.

The latest was Monday, with a 15-year-old who lost a hand, seemingly ripped off by a police stun grenade.

Nonpartisan Cook Political Report revises analyses in Kansas, New Hampshire and North Carolina, forecasting Democrats have stronger odds than previously estimated

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Two media giants, Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, have completed their $110bn merger, creating a new entertainment powerhouse, Skydance.

The deal, fiercely contested by several state attorneys general over potential antitrust concerns, formally closed on Tuesday.

President to visit Grand Island as his plan to allow more foreign beef imports proves unpopular in agriculture-rich state; court to hear argument over climate crisis

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• Send us your questions about how the Iran war will affect US voters in the midterms

As the supreme court hears oral arguments this morning, it’s worth noting that if the justices side with Boulder or decide that the case is not in their jurisdiction, then it would continue in state court.

But if the fossil fuel industry convinces the justices, the decision could apply not only to the Boulder case, but also to the many other climate cases brought by state and local governments around the US that we mentioned earlier.

Nations League reaction to England romp and buildup before the fraught rematch between Republic of Ireland and Israel

Harry Kane, now on 89 international goals from 124 games, says the Croatia performance has to be the blueprint for how England play.

“Even when we were 1-0 up, we went for two, went for three, went for four, and that’s got to be our mentality. When you have a certain style of playing, you can’t just pick and choose when you want to do it. It’s just relentless. It’s non-stop.

Celtic said the club would not be “intimidated or coerced by organised acts of disruption”, adding “there is a line between protest and deliberate disruption. Today that line was crossed … The club will protect its employees, directors, shareholders and supporters. The reputation of Celtic Football Club is non negotiable.”

• All the latest before Saturday’s Nations League action

• Today’s fixtures | Latest tables | And you can mail us

A morning quiz question: which Spurs player has the most goals this season?

The answer is Oliver Irow, on loan at Plymouth: four goals across seven appearances v Tottenham’s two goals in the Premier League after five matches.

• Updates on Manchester City and Nations League news

• Fixtures | Get Football Daily | And you can email John

That’s it from me for now. Luke McLaughlin is here to take over.

Manchester City: Andy Burnham’s intervention in the Manchester City debate has revived tensions between the Premier League and the UK prime minister.