⚽ Updates as action continues in European groups

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A question: can Germany or the Netherlands win the World Cup? My sense is no, not a chance; the winner will come from Spain, France, England, Brazil, Argentina, with it being hard to look past the first of those. Of course tonight’s big dogs could beat any of them in a one-off, but I can’t see them winning four knockout matches. They don’t have the gamebreakers or options of the best, nor anyone transcendental who can render everything but them irrelevant.

Northern Ireland are, as we said, into the playoffs via the Nations League, but will want to build momentum going into that tonight. They fought hard against Slovakia, only to concede a winner in injury time, but they did beat the same opposition at home and, in Ethan Galbraith, have a very modern midfielder doing brillaintly at Swansea.

Jim O’Callaghan says he will closely monitor changes proposed by British government

Attempts to toughen up asylum rules in the UK could have significant implications for relations with Ireland, Dublin’s justice minister has said, amid concerns that this could increase migration flows to Ireland.

More than 80% of people who use irregular routes to Ireland originate from Great Britain, travelling to Belfast by plane or boat and then by road to Dublin to make asylum claims, the justice department has said.

US president said ‘we’ll work something out’ in reference to meeting with the New York City mayor-elect

Donald Trump has signaled that he may soon meet with New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, telling reporters that Mamdani “would like to meet with us”, adding, “we’ll work something out” despite being political polar opposites who have shared sharp words for each other previously.

“He would like to come to Washington and meet, and we’ll work something out,” the US president said late on Sunday, referring to Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist and former state assemblymember who won the New York City mayoral election earlier this month. “We want to see everything work out well for New York.”

Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the oversight panel, had asked Mountbatten-Windsor to sit for deposition

A congressperson investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case accused the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of “hiding” from his committee’s request to sit for a deposition, as Congress moves closer to a key vote on forcing release of US government files related to the alleged sex trafficker.

Suhas Subramanyam is among the Democratic members of the oversight committee in the House of Representatives who earlier this month asked Mountbatten-Windsor to sit for a deposition as part of its investigation into how the government handled the case against Epstein, who died while awaiting trial in 2019.

Scientists find tiny amounts can be a ‘fatal dose’ for marine life in the most comprehensive study of its kind

Ingesting less than three sugar cubes worth of plastic is enough to kill a puffin, a new study has found.

Scientists measured how much different kinds of plastic seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals have to ingest to have a 90% risk of it killing them, in the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Trump administration official confirms David Richardson will depart agency after six months in role

The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) is leaving the agency, a senior Trump administration official said on Monday.

David Richardson resigned after only a brief stint leading the agency amid a furor over his responsiveness, especially during the catastrophic flooding in Texas during the summer that swept away a children’s camp and killed more than 130 people.

Countries including Mauritius and Cuba reiterate life-or-death nature of cutting emissions, calling it ‘a moral duty’

• Cop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of climate talks in Brazil

Jamaica has led calls from vulnerable nations at the Cop30 climate summit to urge immediate action on climate breakdown as the conference entered its second week.

As high-level ministers from governments around the world took over negotiations in Belém, Brazil, vulnerable nations lined up to say how important it was that wealthier countries cut emissions in order to limit the worst effects of global heating. In addition, they renewed a longstanding call for rich nations to do more financially to help poor countries deal with warming.

Rapper to give address on Tuesday after supporting Trump’s post condemning Nigerian government

The US-based Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj will work alongside the White House to highlight claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria.

Minaj is expected to deliver a speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, according to a Time journalist who first posted about the collaboration on Sunday, adding that it was arranged by Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to Donald Trump.

The so-called Judgment Day will generate millions of dollars and attract huge ratings, but leave boxing a little more broken

The unsurprising confirmation of “a colossal global showdown” between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua arrived on Monday morning with a dull thud. That grand description of an eight-round scrap between a former YouTuber and a former world heavyweight champion was supplied by Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, which also announced that the contest will be screened live on Netflix on 19 December and called Judgment Day.

Boxing operates in a netherworld that appears to have sunk far beyond any fear of judgment, while Paul has always had delusions of grandeur as a novice pro. But even boxing may have to consider its own culpability should Paul be badly hurt and end up in hospital after this fully sanctioned bout with regulation 10oz gloves is held in Miami.

North Carolina governor says immigration crackdown ‘stoking fear’ as officials say at least 130 people detained

Aggressive arrests by federal immigration agents continued in Charlotte on Monday after a weekend sweep in which authorities said they detained a total of at least 130 people in North Carolina’s largest city, as protests picked up.

North Carolina’s governor, Josh Stein, on Monday warned that the crackdown was simply “stoking fear” and resulting in severe disruption.

Tourists have a clearly defined identity and optimism, but still need to compete in a manner that earns Australia’s respect

When Rob Key named Brendon McCullum as England’s head coach in 2022, his quote in the official press release told supporters to “buckle up and get ready for the ride”. Now, with this hot-ticket Ashes series a few days from setting off in sun‑drenched Perth, the mix of fear and excitement among them has arguably never been greater.

The difference being that rollercoasters tend to stay on the rails, whereas England tours of Australia often career off them. No one is quite certain which way this one will play out, other than a broad agreement that Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing the first Test (at least) presents Ben Stokes and his tourists a golden opportunity.

The team’s qualifying record is impressive but not as important as their burgeoning confidence and momentum

“Right now, I could say that everything played out perfectly,” Thomas Tuchel says, as he reflects on having led England through qualifying to the World Cup finals tournament: phase one of the mission complete. It does not feel incongruous for the head coach to talk about perfection – partly because he is constantly chasing it and also because, well, the results have been perfect.

When Tuchel’s team defeated Albania 2-0 in Tirana on Sunday, it meant they topped their group with eight wins out of eight and with eight clean sheets. Never before has a European nation gone through World Cup qualification, playing at least six ties, without conceding. Spain will emulate them if they beat Turkey at home and keep a clean sheet in their sixth and final qualifier on Tuesday night. The only thing is that Tuchel knows perfection is unattainable – particularly in international football.

Shabana Mahmood’s asylum overhaul burdens an overstretched system and hands political advantage to her opponents

In government, politicians often mistake gestures for progress. It is disappointing to see Shabana Mahmood succumb to that temptation. The home secretary’s flurry of proposals are designed to signal purpose, but constitute a wishlist of demands that her department can’t deliver. Currently, those fleeing persecution are given a five-year right to stay in the country and can apply for settled status after that. Ms Mahmood wants refugees to stay in the country initially only for a 30-month period, and then review their status to see whether they will be allowed to remain in the country for another 30 months. After two decades in Britain, they could apply to stay here permanently.

Denmark is held up as the model. A decade ago a centre-left government there was under pressure, with a surging populist right and immigration dominating voters’ concerns. Danish Social Democrats claimed that getting tough on refugees helped them win the election. However, the reality was messier. Copenhagen stripped Syrians of protection, yet could not remove them, leaving people stuck in “deportation centres”, unable to work or live normally. The result was a permanently marginalised population in enforced limbo.

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Donald Trump’s trade wars and Chinese competition constitute formidable headwinds. But old economic orthodoxies are not the answer

Last March, following angst-ridden months as Europe came to terms with Donald Trump’s return to the White House, financial markets in Paris, Milan and Berlin were gripped by a surge of optimism. The cause was a historic deal brokered by Friedrich Merz, then Germany’s chancellor-elect, which loosened constitutional spending constraints in the EU’s powerhouse nation. Here at last, it was hoped, was the fiscal kickstart required to end a prolonged period of economic stagnation, and mitigate geopolitical headwinds blowing from the US and China.

Six months into Mr Merz’s premiership, the angst is back and there are the first murmurings of rebellion. The chancellor’s plan included “whatever it takes” levels of defence spending, designed to prepare Germany for a changed era in which the US was no longer a dependable ally, and a huge €500bn investment in infrastructure and the green transition. But last week, the chancellor’s team of economic advisers downgraded growth forecasts for 2026 to below 1%. And ahead of what would constitute a fourth year of near-flatlining, business confidence has slumped.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Helen Fielding and Renée Zellweger gather in Leicester Square as a new bronze marks 30 years of the diary-writing everywoman who redefined the romcom heroine

Bridget Jones, Britain’s best-loved and most hapless romcom heroine, stands in a creased miniskirt and gaping cardie in the centre of London, clutching her diary and a pen. Alcohol units: 0, cigarettes: 0, calories: 0, weight: 31 stone – and, according to the actor Sally Phillips, “no intention of losing any of it”.

Phillips was in Leicester Square on Monday morning to unveil a life-size bronze of the comedy character, alongside Helen Fielding – who first cooked her up in a newspaper column 30 years ago, and whose novels have now been translated into more than 40 languages – and Renée Zellweger, star of the four Bridget Jones films (with a combined box office of $900m (£683m)).

Experts believe decision is designed to pressure Venezuela’s leader into stepping down with threat of military force

• Is US preparing to attack Venezuela and how has Maduro regime responded?

The US has said it will designate a putative Venezuelan drug cartel allegedly led by Nicolás Maduro as a foreign terrorist organization, as the Trump administration sent more mixed messages over its crusade against Venezuela’s authoritarian leader.

The move to target the already proscribed group, the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), was announced by Marco Rubio on Sunday. “Headed by the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro, the group has corrupted the institutions of government in Venezuela and is responsible for terrorist violence conducted by and with other designated FTOs as well as for trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe,” the US secretary of state tweeted, generating excitement among hardline adversaries of Maduro who interpreted the announcement as proof Washington was preparing to intensify its push to force the South American dictator from power.

As summer went on, the temperature climbed and climbed. Every day became harder. This is Neha’s story

Location Manesar, India

Disaster Indian heatwave, 2024

Neha is 25 years old and works for a large multinational company at a warehouse in Manesar, Haryana state, so she can send money back home to her family. In 2024, her working conditions worsened after a deadly heatwave spread across northern India. Climate breakdown is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves in India by warming the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

A new study suggests heatwaves will not revert back towards preindustrial conditions for at least 1,000 years after emissions target reached

• Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here

Heatwaves will become hotter, longer and more frequent the later net zero emissions is reached globally, new research suggests.

Scientists at the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather and Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, simulated how heatwaves would respond over the next 1,000 years, examining the differences for each five-year delay in reaching net zero between 2030 and 2060.

Long after his conviction for sexual offences, businessmen, academics, journalists, politicians and royals sought his ear

He got by with a little help from his friends. From British royalty to White House alumni, from a Silicon Valley investor to a leftwing academic, connections and influence were the ultimate currency for Jeffrey Epstein.

Yet none appeared to challenge Epstein over his horrific crimes. If silence is complicity, the casual disdain of the elite circles he moved in spoke volumes.

Archive director in Germany says ‘missing piece of puzzle’ now in place to verify authorship after decades of research

Two long-lost organ pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach have been performed in Germany, roughly 320 years after the composer wrote them as a teenage music teacher.

Entitled Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178 and Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179, the pieces were added to the official catalogue of Bach’s works on Monday and played in public for the first time in three centuries inside Leipzig’s St Thomas Church, where Bach is buried.

• Centre limped off during statement win over All Blacks

• Freddie Steward could also miss out with head injury

England are sweating on the fitness of Ollie Lawrence before their final autumn clash with Argentina this weekend.

Lawrence starred on Saturday in the statement victory against the All Blacks but limped off in the closing stages and could be forced to sit out the match against the Pumas on Sunday. The 26-year-old centre will be assessed when England reconvene on Tuesday after an extra day off but if Lawrence is ruled out it would be a blow for Steve Borthwick.

Campana Gallery is temporarily shut due to weaknesses in beams supporting floor above

The Louvre has temporarily closed one of its galleries as a precaution after an audit revealed structural weaknesses in some of the beams in the building.

The Campana Gallery, which houses nine rooms dedicated to ancient Greek ceramics, will be shut while investigations are conducted into “certain beams supporting the floors of the second floor” above it, a statement issued on Monday said.

Touts, and ordinary consumers, will no longer be able to charge anything more than price at which they bought ticket

Reselling tickets for profit is to be outlawed under plans due to be announced this week, the Guardian has learned, as the government goes ahead with a long-awaited crackdown on touts and resale platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub.

Ministers had been considering allowing touts – and ordinary consumers – to sell on a ticket for up to 30% above the original face value, as part of a consultation process that ended earlier this year.

Trump administration struck largely secretive deals with at least five African countries to accept migrants

Eswatini has confirmed for the first time that it had received more than $5m from the United States to accept dozens of people expelled under Washington’s aggressive mass deportation drive.

The tiny southern African kingdom has taken in 15 men since Donald Trump’s administration struck largely secretive deals with at least five African countries to accept migrants under a third-country deportation programme fiercely criticised by rights groups.