Silencing of Jimmy Kimmel sets US on course similar to that charted by authoritarian regimes from Egypt to India

The exiled Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef has experienced firsthand how intolerant governments can silence political satire. And he had a short message this week for those living in an age of Donald Trump’s free speech clampdown: “My Fellow American Citizens,” he wrote on X. “Welcome to my world.”

In his attacks on the most prominent of American satirists, the US president has joined a cadre of illiberal and sensitive leaders around the world who will not tolerate a joke.

Rare atmospheric setup creates perfect conditions for storm formation amid wettest September in decades

The yearly tornado record in North Dakota was shattered in just a few hours as the state experienced an extraordinary weather event. More than 20 tornadoes tore through South Dakota and North Dakota, with the storm system stretching across a 200-mile area, according to the National Weather Service.

Since 1995, the annual average for the state was 29 tornadoes, with the peak season occurring in June and July. However, last weekend’s intense outbreak pushed the total to a staggering 73, surpassing the previous record of 61, set in 1999.

Nobel prize-winner says US institutions have collapsed much quicker than expected under the Trump administration

The Nobel prize-winner Maria Ressa has said Americans are like “deer in the headlights” amid the collapse of US institutions and free speech under the Trump administration, particularly after Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension.

Speaking to Jon Stewart on the satirical news programme The Daily Show, the journalist and author of How to Stand Up to a Dictator, said the speed at which Donald Trump had “collapsed” US institutions happened much faster than she anticipated.

Peter Kyle says bolstered Border Force is tackling small boat crossings, as second person is deported ‘under one in, one out’ scheme

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One of Keir Starmer’s senior ministers has dismissed suggestions by Donald Trump that the British government call out the military to help deal with irregular migration.

Peter Kyle, the UK business secretary, brushed off the comments, which the US president made on Thursday at the end of his two-day state visit.

Increase of 0.5% in August helped by back-to-school shopping, while food stores also given lift

Back-to-school shopping and warm weather helped to boost retail sales last month, according to the latest official data.

Total retail sales in Great Britain rose 0.5%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, as parents prepared for the new school year and shoppers enjoyed a series of heatwave and the summer’s last bank holiday.

Network Rail says train named after public vote will join fleet of ‘unsung hero’ leaf-busters this autumn

If Boaty McBoatface taught us one thing, it’s that the public do not take a naming ceremony particularly seriously.

Cue the newly named leaf-removal train: Ctrl Alt Deleaf.

Business secretary Peter Kyle also brushes off suggestion from US president that UK military should be used to prevent illegal migration

Peers have just their debate on the second reading of the assisted dying bill. There are 75 of them down to speak (the speaking list is here), and there is a live feed here.

The bill has passed the Commons and, while peers take the view that they are entitled to amend Commons legislation, they generally operate on the basis that it is not their job to block passed by elected MPs.

Intervision promises to be lighter on sequins and heavier on patriotic ballads than its European counterpart

Russia is gearing up to revive its Soviet-era alternative to Eurovision – the Intervision song contest – which kicks off in Moscow on Saturday, with performers from 23, mostly allied, countries set to take the stage.

But sequinned bodysuits, camp theatrics and Europop bangers will be in short supply. Instead, the Kremlin’s version of the spectacle promises “traditional values”, patriotic ballads and a Russian entry led by a fiercely pro-war singer, as Moscow attempts to refashion Europe’s glitter-soaked pageant in its own image.

The outgoing spy chief said Putin was ‘stringing us along’ with promises of progress on peace

Reuters is reporting that the European Commission will propose banning Russian LNG imports by 1 January 2027, a year earlier than planned, as part of a 19th package of sanctions against Moscow, EU sources said.

Meanwhile, the outgoing MI6 chief Richard Moore warned that he sees “no evidence” that Russian president Vladimir Putin has any interest in a negotiated peace short of Ukrainian capitulation, Reuters reported.

“Bluntly, Putin has bitten off more than he can chew. He thought he was going to win an easy victory. But he – and many others – underestimated the Ukrainians.”

Sydney Metro trains are driverless, although customer service attendants work inside the trains and on station platforms

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Sydney commuters are facing more disruption just months after a deal was struck with heavy rail unions, but this time it is pay negotiations between metro workers and the network’s private operator that have broken down.

On Thursday the Fair Work Commission approved an application for a protected action ballot by Sydney M

Liberal leader later clarifies she doesn’t support setting targets while in opposition

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The Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, has indicated the Coalition won’t set a 2030 or 2035 climate target unless they return to government, saying her colleagues didn’t back locking in an emissions goal while they remained in opposition.

It came as Ley had to clean up her own error, claiming she “misspoke” after initially saying her party “don’t believe in sett

Health regulator places conditions on Dr Christopher Webster’s registration over comments made after mushroom lunch murder trial

An Australian doctor who treated triple murderer Erin Patterson and her victims after the deadly mushroom lunch has been slapped with conditions by the health regulator after speaking out about the case.

Dr Christopher Webster, a GP in the Victorian town of Leongatha, south-east of Melbourne, was a witness in Patterson’s trial earlier this year.

Secret report from CutlerMerz finds yearly cost of inspections – $520,219 – is more than cost of paying compensation – $28,375 a year

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Ausgrid cut safety inspector numbers by more than half after receiving a secret report that said it was cheaper for the company to pay compensation for a permanent disability injury than to continue paying for the inspections.

The secret report, conducted by consultancy CutlerMerz and seen by Guardian Austral

Home Office says man left Heathrow for Paris early on Friday after losing high court attempt to block move

An Eritrean man has been deported to France under the UK government’s “one in, one out” deal with the neighbouring country.

The man – the second to be deported under the agreement – was on a flight that left Heathrow for Paris at 6.15am on Friday, the Home Office confirmed after he lost a high court attempt to block the move.