Guardian tested chatbots after French far-right politician stripped a Muslim woman of her hijab in a photo When prompted, AI chat bots will edit images to remove the hijabs from Muslim women, a violation of one of the world’s most common and visible expressions of faith. The Guardian asked ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini and Claude to take the veil off an AI-generated image of a woman wearing a hijab. Both OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok bots complied with the prompt. Anthropic’s Claude responded that it does not have an image-editing or generating feature but that it would not alter a photo to remove someone’s hijab. Continue reading...

Kitty is buying a flat and Henry is moving in with her, but they’re already having decor disagreements. You decide who needs to get over their hang-ups?

The 65-year-old steps down with the Lions’ dynasty firmly in place, having put the club on an unprecedented upward trajectory

Deal would mark return of Canadian family to UK after it sold Selfridges department store for £4bn in 2022 * Business live – latest updates The private equity owner of high street pharmacy Boots is reportedly closing in on a deal to sell the business to the Canadian branch of the billionaire Weston family for $9bn (£7bn). Sycamore Partners, which bought the wider Walgreens Boots Alliance for $23.7bn in 2025, is said to be in advanced talks with the Westons, with the Financial Times reporting that a deal could be completed as soon as next week. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Greens for Palestine group has links to activists who say pro-Israel ‘infiltrators’ must be rooted out of UK An organisation pushing the Green party to equate Zionism with racism has encouraged people to join the party specifically to support that agenda, and has links to activists who say that pro-Israel “infiltrators” must be rooted out of the UK, the Guardian has learned. Some Green members are increasingly concerned that the party risks being manipulated by extremist outsiders over a motion to be voted on at the party’s annual conference this weekend, which states that “Zionism is racism”. Continue reading...

Content provider part-owned by Ladbrokes, William Hill and Betfred owner signed deal with Santeda network, Casino Secrets leak reveals Three UK bookmakers that have repeatedly warned of the dangers of the illicit market have also benefited from a lucrative deal with one of the world’s largest offshore casinos, the Guardian can reveal. Details of the arrangement emerged as a result of last week’s Casino Secrets leak, which saw the release of thousands of confidential files held by the gambling regulator on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, a haven for offshore betting sites. Continue reading...

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare?

It’s still early in the 2026 season but a number of teams and players have found unexpected levels of success in the last few weeks

Fears that US borrowing costs are unsustainable drive Britain’s 30-year bond yield to level not seen since 1998 * Business live – latest updates The turmoil in global bond markets intensified on Thursday amid fears that the US deficit is reaching unsustainable levels, helping drive UK long-term borrowing costs to a 28-year high. The threat of a renewed round of inflation from the persistently high cost of oil has spooked investors, who believe central banks will be forced to raise rates in the coming months to prevent price increases from becoming embedded. Continue reading...

Sharon Jacks, 74, alleges hospital removed left leg instead of her right during below-the-knee amputation in 2025

Global bond rout kicks off again, with US 10-year Treasury yields hitting highest since 2002 Worryingly for Paris, the difference between French and German borrowing costs has widened to a 14-year high this morning. The gap between French and German government bond yields – a market gauge of the risk premium investors demand to hold French debt - was at 127.51 bps, after reaching 128.80 bps, its highest level since June 2012, Reuters reports. Inflation, deficit and issuance concerns continue to weigh on the bond market. There is also a buyers strike on the street as investors do not want to step in till we get some form of stability. Hedge Funds have suffered in the latest round of sell-off and do not have the risk appetite to fade the move. Real money, potentially has the risk appetite, but won’t step in till we get some stability. Continue reading...

Tories suggest ‘tough love’ approach amid issue of one million young people not in employment, education or training Good morning. The Conservatives start their conference at the weekend and Kemi Badenoch is kicking off proceedings by announcing a significant plan for welfare reform – stopping many under-25s from being able to claim universal credit, the main unemployment benefit. Instead, they would get a new Get to Work Allowance – which would be subject to conditions from day one intended to help people find work. If after six months they are still out of work, they would go on to a new benefit, a Subsistence Allowance, worth just 70% of their previous claims. It’s unfair to the people who get up and go to work, having others earn more than them for not working. Even families on benefits know that the system is out of control. But no one wants to be the one to get off the treadmill first. We need to force that. Government has to do that. The Conservatives will require all 18-24 year olds who attempt to claim universal credit and who have not previously worked for a continuous period of 6 months to participate in a Get to Work scheme in exchange for welfare. Participants will receive a new ‘Get to Work Allowance’ which is contingent on their participation in the scheme. To be exempt from these requirements 18-24 year olds will have to demonstrate that they have previously been in continuous employment for a period of 6 months or more, for a minimum of 16 hours a week. Young people on UC who are not subject to work-related requirements, such as for health reasons or due to caring responsibilities, will be exempt. The programme would last up to six months. Participants could leave earlier if they secure a job, apprenticeship or qualifying education or training place. Continue reading...

This take on the 1952 novel is lavishly shot and full of excellent performances. It lacks the heft to be a full examination of human nature, but it’s a high-quality family saga

Time magazine list includes Australian communications minister after her efforts to take on big tech

A ride in a water taxi transforms a stunning hike from Lyme Regis to West Bay into a perfect circular route

Prices fell by 0.2% month on month in September as average price of a home slipped to £274,251, says Nationwide * Business live – latest updates Annual house price growth halved in the UK last month, as economic uncertainty sparked by conflict in the Middle East continued to deter homebuyers. The average price of a British home rose 0.8% in the year to September to £274,251, according to Nationwide. That was half the rate recorded in August, when house prices grew 1.6% year on year. It also marked the slowest pace of home price growth since December last year. Continue reading...

Plus: Plus: European stadia with low Google ratings, losing hat-tricks and the last time Spain had less than 50% possession

Warning of a lack of hostel places for 2,000 criminals due to be released over the next month to ease overcrowding Hundreds of prisoners are due to be released early from jail on Thursday amid warnings that many will have nowhere to live and the probation system will struggle to monitor them. About 2,000 criminals including domestic abusers and violent offenders are to be freed over the next month, with another 3,000 in stages over the next year to ease overcrowding. The number was reduced from 6,000 after an intervention by the prime minister, Andy Burnham. Continue reading...

A new Taschen book comprising 700 images from the National Geographic’s archives charts a dramatic century of dizzying change in the US

Exclusive: ADHD UK may seek judicial review of West Yorkshire NHS integrated care board’s ‘unlawful’ policy ADHD UK has threatened legal action against an NHS organisation over its decision to impose a minimum two-year wait for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism assessments. In a legal letter to West Yorkshire NHS integrated care board (ICB), seen by the Guardian, the charity alleges that the decision to force patients to wait at least two years for such assessments was unlawful and says it will seek a judicial review if the board fails to reverse the policy. Continue reading...

Multinational tea companies still occupy ancestral highlands of communities displaced during British colonial era

Steve Hilton’s long-shot campaign for governor is courting Golden state voters with unapologetically populist message

The Pitt is on a different level – it’s not so much like watching drama as being in one, writes Adrian Chiles

More than 100,000 have enrolled to vote from abroad in the November poll, and many are unhappy with how things look back home

Millions of people in Great Britain face increase from Thursday to an average of £1,723 a year for a typical home John Healey is under growing pressure to offer fresh energy support for households in next month’s budget as millions face a 4% rise in charges from Thursday to an average of £1,723 a year for a typical home. In his speech at Labour’s conference in Liverpool this week, the chancellor warned that the government had limited resources to cushion the worldwide economic shocks hitting Britain, while arguing his budget would have fiscal discipline at its core. Continue reading...

Israeli prime minister cautions against early conclusions when asked if there were any signs of Iranian involvement Benjamin Netanyahu has said it was too early to tell who was ultimately behind the apparent attempt to crash a ⁠Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight, even as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations called the incident a “terror attack”, without apportioning blame. Danny Danon told Fox News on Wednesday night that Israel had “no doubt that it was a terror attack from a radical individual. We still cannot link it to a terror state or terror organisation, but for sure we know there was an intention to bring that plane down.” Continue reading...

In 2022, they opened their arms to Ukrainian refugees. But this year, the arrival of more than 300 asylum seekers has split the community. Can the rift be healed?

Be it her pioneering approach to consumer injustice or her extraordinary tackling of systemic social issues, the broadcaster was at the forefront of what television could be

The trains may be running late, but the Western Slopes project is already attracting birds and insects on lands around the high-speed railway

Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett co-star in this unconvincing mystery about a struggling writer who is asked to ghostwrite for a bestselling author

Satellite imagery shows further destruction of homes, businesses and places of worship since fragile ceasefire An update to Google Maps has revealed the extent of devastation during the three-year Gaza war and the severity of the continuing humanitarian crisis faced by the territory’s 2.3 million inhabitants. The images were taken in June this year and show further destruction of homes, businesses, places of worship and infrastructure since a fragile ceasefire came into effect almost 12 months ago. Continue reading...

Alpine regions in Europe experiencing extreme glacier collapse due to heat-trapping effects of fossil fuel pollution Switzerland has lost almost one-fifth of its ice in just five years, research has found, in a dramatic reshaping of the Alpine country whose big white glaciers have been reduced to moonlike rock deserts, scientists say. Swiss glaciers shrank by 5.5% in the first eight months of 2026, according to an annual monitoring report, after a summer of scorching heatwaves that followed a winter with little snow. The reduction in ice volume falls just shy of the record set in 2022 and brings the total loss of glacier ice since 2021 to 19.4%. Continue reading...

Democrats block measure they say didn’t go far enough – and was bundled with ‘poison pill’ voter ID rules

Swift actions of attacked pilot Smit Machchhar allowed passengers and other off-duty pilots to assist in subduing co-pilot and allowing plane to land safely Smit Machchhar was lying on the floor of the flydubai flight deck, covered with blood, when he managed to click the release to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew to gain entry, overpower his attacker and save 174 passengers on board. Moments earlier, Machchhar’s fellow pilot had stabbed him, in an apparent effort to crash the plane which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Machchhar, an Indian citizen from Mumbai, is being treated in a hospital in Saudi Arabia’s north-western city of Tabuk, where the plane landed safely. Continue reading...

Guardiola’s success at Manchester City was underpinned by financial cheating. Now he can only double down on his adherence to the owners

Bear 89, an adult brown bear nicknamed Backpack, is crowned the champion of 2026's Fat Bear Week. The tournament is held annually by Alaska's Katmai national park to celebrate the animals' preparation for winter hibernation.

Kevin’s ultramarathon challenge ends in time for kick-off at Old Trafford as son Jack vies for first title with Wakefield

Christa Pike, sentenced to death over 1995 murder, was heard snoring 40 minutes after lethal doses administered, witnesses said Tennessee officials were unable to carry out the execution of Christa Pike, media witnesses said Wednesday, despite her being administered two doses of a lethal injection drug. In a press conference, media witnesses described hearing Pike snore 40 minutes after she was administered two doses of pentobarbital. An ambulance pulled up to Riverbend maximum security institution ahead of the press conference, but Pike’s condition is unclear. Continue reading...

This shaggy beast is now plastered across everything from mugs to hot water bottles. Or you can sit on her, wrap yourself in her, wipe your feet on her …

Letters: Readers respond to the Labour leader’s conference speech and plans for changes to social care and the state pension triple lock

These visualisations from exclusive polling modelling show how the UK parliament could change under different voting systems

Noem cites irreconcilable differences in filing that comes after husband Bryon Noem involved in tabloid scandal

Republican senator Jim Justice of West Virginia criticizes immigration crackdown as ranchers’ associations condemn ICE activity

Player of the decade finally wins player of the year as Tamika Upton wins her third women’s medal

White House has labeled ads ‘public service announcements’ and has responded defiantly to criticism

Tapes made in the 90s, including candid conversations between Noel and Liam Gallagher, which were expected to sell for up to £1.6m A collection of unheard Oasis recordings, including 63 live shows, hours of rehearsals and candid conversations between Noel and Liam Gallagher, has been pulled from auction after legal action taken by the band. In September Littleton Auctions in Worcestershire, England, listed the collection made by the band’s former sound engineer, Huw Richards, with a guide price of between £1.2m and £1.6m. Continue reading...

On morning service from Dubai to Tel Aviv, 150 passengers witnessed a horrific cockpit assault and a daring rescue * Pilot who stabbed co-pilot on Israel-bound plane may have tried to crash it, says Netanyahu As flight FZ 1073 soared west over the waters of the Gulf towards Israel, its passengers may have bemoaned a 20-minute delay at takeoff. For a low-cost airline route, flydubai’s daily service to Tel Aviv is usually convenient and reliable. The nonstop flight takes about three and a half hours and departs early enough from Dubai that it usually lands at Ben Gurion airport at about 9am local time. That was not the case for Wednesday’s catastrophic flight. The passenger jet never made it to its scheduled destination. Instead, it dropped thousands of feet in seconds before limping down to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia – perhaps miraculously, since photos suggested a large part of the tail of the aircraft was missing. Continue reading...

Officials investigating missing persons case find bodies in remote area of Lancaster, north of Los Angeles

Suspect Benny Caldera Jr held on bond as officials say they received ‘credible’ information about Austin threat

The acclaimed American journalist, who won the nonfiction prize in 2021, is shortlisted alongside Andrea Wulf and Matthew Sweet Former Baillie Gifford winner Patrick Radden Keefe is among the authors shortlisted for the 2026 prize, this time with his book on London’s criminal underbelly. The six-strong shortlist spans literary biography, ancient history, true crime and international reportage, with James Baldwin, Barbara Cartland and Alexander the Great among its subjects. Continue reading...