Organisers say Sunday could be the largest pro-Palestine demonstration in Australia’s history, with rallies in 40 cities and towns

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Brisbane has amassed the largest pro-Palestinian crowd in the city’s history, rally organisers say, as thousands march across Australia in a show of support for the Palestinian cause, days after famine was declared in Gaza for the first time.

In Brisbane, organisers’ initial estimate was that at least 25,000 are gathered for a rally they described as “historic”.

Cameron Mofid was 20 when his mental health worsened during Covid. In need of a distraction, he began scrolling travel sites, and realised there was an extraordinary record he could potentially break. His journey would change everything

In May 2020, a month into the first Covid lockdown in Miami, Florida, 20-year-old student Cameron Mofid found his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) beginning to spiral out of control. “I was first diagnosed with the condition when I was 12. It produces obsessive thoughts that drive compulsions like washing hands, tapping or endlessly replaying conversations. When I was alone in the apartment with nowhere to go during Covid, those intrusive thoughts got much worse,” he says. “It can become paralysing being stuck in a mental loop. It was worrying and I felt like I really needed to get out of my head and that space.”

With nothing else to do, Mofid began searching through travel destinations on his laptop, hoping for a near future where borders would reopen and he could leave. As he scrolled, he came across a fact that would change his life. “I saw that more people had been to space than had visited all 195 countries in the world,” he says. “I was shocked that so few people – about 300 – had seen the world, and I also learned that, according to the travel platform and community, Nomad Mania, the age of the youngest person to visit every country at that time was 27. I wanted to do something impossible: I decided to beat that record.”

Self-service tills, apps for shopping and takeaways, silent hair salons, driverless taxis – why are we going to extreme lengths to avoid engaging with each other?

So we’re just playing dumb then, are we? Righto. An extremely confusing study of San Francisco’s transport services has found that not only are people completely on board with driverless taxis, they are also willing to pay 50% more and wait significantly longer for them. Whyever could this be, eh? Most of the mooted explanations have been largely practical – driverless taxis are proven to be safer (until the machines rise up as one and wipe out humanity). They can’t be over the limit, on their phone at the wheel or give in to road rage. And yes, these are technically valid reasons, but come on. The real answer, which no one is admitting, is that driverless taxis mean we don’t have to talk to anybody.

It’s not surprising that many of us would happily put our lives in robot hands to dodge the horror of panic-asking a living, breathing cabbie if he has been busy tonight. We exist in a time when the majority of Britons would rather receive a text than a phone call. So many salons, all over the globe, now offer silent haircuts – where it’s pre-agreed there will be no chat – that they barely register as unusual any more. Self-service checkouts – the driverless taxi of the supermarket – are more labour intensive, more annoying, yet still exceptionally popular. Keeping stumm now seems to be our society’s raison d’etre.

Miriam Payne and Jess Rowe are rowing across the Pacific Ocean, from Peru to Australia, to raise money for charity

The physical and mental challenges have been immense, the setbacks numerous. The pair have endured searingly hot days and chilly nights and dealt with debilitating blisters and salt sores.

They have been faced with a series of equipment failures (using a pair of underpants to fix one crucial bit of kit) and there was a pretty tense moment when they feared a pair of curious marlins swimming under their boat might pierce their hull.

Bridgestone World Solar Challenge starts in Darwin on Sunday, with 34 cars from 17 countries racing across desert to Adelaide

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Zipping through the Australian outback this weekend is a red car looking more race boat than sedan and which travels at highway speeds using about the same amount of power it takes to boil a kettle.

When and if this futuristic looking craft – the Unlimited 6.0 – crosses the finish line for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Adelaide, its team from Western Sydney University will probably celebrate with something a bit stiffer than a cup of tea.

• Pumas end 40-year wait for home victory over All Blacks

• Santiago Carreras lands three second-half penalties in 29-23 win

An inspired Argentina played with greater discipline to upset New Zealand 29-23 in a bruising Rugby Championship Test on Saturday to record their first ever home win over the All Blacks.

The Pumas were out-scored three tries to two in Buenos Aires but replacement fly-half Santiago Carreras landed three second-half penalties to push them clear and respond in style to last week’s 41-24 defeat in Córdoba.

It would be simplistic to say South Africa won this slugfest solely because of Pollard. But he did kick all six of his shots at goal

Handré Pollard doesn’t simply point to the poles. The South African metronome, his face stuck in a perpetual scowl, thrusts a meaty finger towards the uprights as if he owns them. “You’re mine,” he growls, with the promise that in just a few short seconds an oval ball will be spiralling through them courtesy of his swinging right boot.

If there’s such a thing as a Test match animal then it is Pollard, the only fly-half present at the final whistle of two victorious World Cup campaigns. And Test match animals win Test matches. Whatever transpires across 80 minutes is almost immaterial. All that matters is the result.

Amid environmental tragedy, a hidden world of curiosity and wonder still exists. And in this, says Natalie Kyriacou, we can find glimmers of hope

The last great auk, it is said, was strangled unceremoniously in its sleep in 1844. Plump and penguin-like, the great auk had survived for hundreds of thousands of years until humans discovered the utility of its soft down feathers, eggs and meat. Great auks mate for life, and it was on Eldey island in Iceland where the final pair on Earth met their fate at the hands of three fishermen who fell upon them.

“I took him by the neck and he flapped his wings. He made no cry. I strangled him,” said the man who killed the last of a species.

Wall Street Journal says move is part of Trump administration’s effort to get Putin into peace talks

US defense officials have blocked Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia since late spring as part of a Trump administration effort to get Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks , according to a report on Saturday.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon has blocked Ukraine from using US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, or Atacms.

• Home hope Cantlay birdies four of last five holes

• Fleetwood tied for East Lake lead after 67

Keegan Bradley, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay? Just when Tommy Fleetwood looked to have a firm grip on this Tour Championship, Cantlay emerged from the shadows in a bid to become the third member of the US Ryder Cup contingent in the course of this season to deny Fleetwood the win he is long overdue on American soil. It feels poetic that Cantlay was front and centre as Fleetwood and Europe triumphed over the US in Rome two years ago. If it is to be Tommy’s time, he will have to scrap for it. Cantlay might be in his home country but so many of the Atlanta gallery will root for the hugely popular Fleetwood on day four.

Cantlay birdied four of his last five holes at East Lake to produce a back nine of 31 in an overall 64. Cantlay’s 16 under par topped Fleetwood until the Southport golfer rolled in a birdie putt from 10ft at the 17th. Fleetwood’s 67 meant he is tied at the leaderboard summit with Cantlay, 18 holes from home.

• Eze called Arteta last week to ask about potential move

• Saka and Ødegaard taken off, raising doubt for Anfield

Mikel Arteta said Eberechi Eze had called him on Wednesday as he considered whether to sign for Tottenham to check if there might still be a route to Arsenal for him.

“Yes, that shows you how much he wanted to come,” Arteta said, as he reflected on the final twist to a saga in which Arsenal acted on their longstanding interest in Eze to gazump Spurs. “It’s very difficult sometimes because you want to be very transparent and open with the players. They have to make decisions that are very important.”

Salvadorian refused offer of deportation to Costa Rica before he was released to await trial on human smuggling charges

US immigration officials said they intend to deport Kilmar Ábrego García to Uganda, after he declined an offer to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail and pleading guilty to human smuggling charges, according to a Saturday court filing.

The Costa Rica offer came late on Thursday, after it was clear that the Salvadorian national would probably be released from a Tennessee jail the following day.

John Cena puts in an Emmy-worthy performance in a DC superhero drama whose lengthy group sex scene isn’t exactly new to television. But a follow-up episode about the logistics of clean-up? You don’t see that very often

With his medicine-ball biceps and chin worthy of an Easter Island moai, the wrestler turned actor John Cena can actually pull off wearing a daft comic book outfit, shiny silver helmet and all. That’s what makes Cena’s spandex-clad Chris Smith AKA Peacemaker so inherently funny: he looks the part but is a demonstrably terrible superhero. Being a hard-charging, self-sabotaging meathead with a propensity for violence and a hair-trigger temper will never make you as beloved as Superman. But it can be highly entertaining to watch.

To give Peacemaker his due, he is a survivor. He was first introduced in James Gunn’s 2021 movie The Suicide Squad, a film that bumped off cast members with glee, before getting his own small-screen spin-off overseen by Gunn in 2022. That brash and blackly comic first season shaded in some childhood trauma – Smith accidentally killed his older brother in a brawl instigated by their racist father – but also gave Peacemaker his first big win: saving the world from an alien invasion by sparkly butterfly creatures.

• British No 1 has not played singles since Wimbledon

• Draper still feels some discomfort in left arm

Jack Draper believes he will not be held back by any physical pain as he faces the challenge of finding his form at the US Open after a seven-week injury hiatus.

Draper, the fifth seed in New York, has not competed in singles since a difficult loss to Marin Cilic in the second round of Wimbledon after learning that he had been suffering from bone bruising in his left arm.

The Democratic nominee far outpaces former governor Andrew Cuomo and embattled incumbent Eric Adams

Zohran Mamdani pulled in almost double the funds of his nearest rivals for New York City mayor between early July and mid-August, as the candidates prepare for the crucial post Labor Day push to the November poll.

New York’s City’s campaign finance board said on Saturday that the democratic socialist, who won the Democratic party nomination in June against former state governor Andrew Cuomo, raised $1,051,200, with an average donation of $121 recorded equally from donors in and outside the state.

Retailer insists it has no connection to forced labour and is ‘committed to respecting human rights’

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The letter was effusively polite, the allegations anything but.

“We have the honour to address you,” the seven United Nations special rapporteurs began their correspondence to the head of Jiangsu Guotai Guosheng garment factory in China’s Xinjiang province.

• ‘He made a good first game,’ says manager

• Thomas Frank pleased with Spurs scorer Palhinha

Pep Guardiola defended selecting James Trafford ahead of Ederson and said Manchester City lost 2-0 to Tottenham because “we missed the simple things”.

Ederson was a substitute at the Etihad Stadium and a sloppy ball from Trafford led to João Palhinha scoring Spurs’ second goal at the end of the first half. The 22-year-old goalkeeper, who rejoined City from Burnley for £31m this summer, tried to find Nico González, but passed instead to Pape Matar Sarr, the ball eventually reaching Palhinha.

When Tom McAlister first met Sam, he felt drawn to her. When he found out she’d been hurt, they learned the lengths they would go to to help each other

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At 21, I was floating through life with few plans or aspirations. I had a part-time job at a sneaker shop in Sydney and spent most of my shifts gazing idly out the window.

In December 2011, a woman I’d never seen before wandered past. I was instantly drawn to this coolness she exuded, but as she walked on by I figured that was it, I’d never see her again. A few minutes later, she came back from the other direction and walked right in. Later, I’d learn she had noticed me too and had come back for a closer look, but at the time I was oblivious, far more worried about how I’d shoot my shot now she was right in front of me.

The hospital gave me a stack of helpful information when I was first diagnosed last Christmas. But they didn’t tell me to bring spare underwear to work

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I’m 45 years old and currently battling cancer. A few weeks ago, I threw up at work with such force that I peed myself. My first thought was: the treatment pamphlets tell you to sip peppermint tea and keep a fan at your desk for nausea, but nowhere did they mention you might find yourself in the staff bathroom vomiting so hard you become incontinent. If they had, I’d have popped a spare pair of undies in my work bag.

I was diagnosed just before Christmas last year. It was a complete shock: I was 44 and the healthiest I’d been in years. At first, I was given an excellent prognosis, and after the initial shock, I rallied like never before. I decided I was going to face this head-on, full of positive energy.

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Bus overturned about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh while carrying players from Aliquippa junior high school

A bus carrying a junior high football team to a game crashed on Saturday north of Pittsburgh, sending 21 of the 28 people onboard to the hospital, officials said.

Twenty-five Aliquippa junior high students and three adults were headed to a game in nearby Gibsonia. The crash occurred in Economy Borough, about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh.

• Pool B: Canada 65-7 Fiji

• Impressive Canada score 11 tries in ominous display

Canada are quietly going about their business as the dark horses of this Rugby World Cup with eyes firmly on the hosts, England, and the defending champions, New Zealand. The team may benefit from flying under the radar with less pressure on their shoulders but it does not make them any less a contender for the trophy. The clinical nature of their opener against Fiji announced their arrival in England in style, particularly through the full-back Julia Schell who was spectacular in the second half as she scored six tries in 21 minutes.

Schell’s performance may have inspired girls to pick up a rugby ball but she is used to trying to make change. She grew up playing ice hockey and petitioned at elementary school for women to be able to do open-ice hitting as it was banned. “My petition said ‘girls should be able to hit’ but it was fitting how I ended up in rugby where it is the same for men and women,” Schell said post-match. “To score six tries feels good. I was joking with the fans, one said just before the first one ‘200 bucks for a try’ so I have to find him!”

Club who used to inspire fear now inspire pity and the head coach, with no credit in the bank, needs a victory at Fulham

Encouraging signs. Gimmers of promises. Green shoots. It is indicative of just how far Manchester United have sunk that the reaction to their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last Sunday was not shock or scorn or even schadenfreude; it was encouragement. United used to inspire fear in opponents; now they inspire pity.

It is not that there were no reasons for optimism for United. The new forwards who started, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, looked intermittently dangerous. Mason Mount offered a reminder of his quality and if he can stay fit he could have a major role to play. Patrick Dorgu dominated his flank. Amad Diallo sparkled after coming off the bench. David Raya was forced to make seven saves. Dorgu hit a post. There were plausible claims for a penalty when William Saliba appeared to go through the back of Cunha. Opta’s xG model had United winning 1.5 to 1.3.

It was an occasion that was transcended by someone who did not play but had so much more to chew over from an Arsenal point of view. The club showed off their new signing, Eberechi Eze, parading him beforehand and screening a welcome video for him at half-time.

As the goals flew in to defeat Leeds, the cutaways to him in the stands were inevitable. Eze’s signing has the feel of a coup and not only because Arsenal, in the vernacular of the trade, properly did over Tottenham to land him.

Breaking from most of her peers in Congress, far-right Georgia Republican has also described crisis as a genocide

Amid mostly silence in Congress, some US lawmakers on opposite sides of the political spectrum spoke out Saturday over a UN-backed report warning of famine in parts of Gaza.

“Let’s be clear: President Trump has the power to end the starvation of the Palestinian people,” Vermont’s politically independent senator Bernie Sanders posted on X. “Instead he is doing nothing while watching this famine unfold. Enough is enough. No more American taxpayer dollars to Nethanyahu’s [sic] war machine.”