CAF have given under-fire Gianni Infantino their backing, and now say the FIFA president must stand in March’s election.
Africa football confederation chief Patrice Motsepe says Gianni Infantino’s future should only be decided by elections, after Ireland became the latest federation to withdraw its support for the embattled FIFA president.
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Infantino is fighting to save his job after a barrage of criticism for his aborted plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
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The governing bodies of European football (UEFA), North and Central America (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC) stepped up the pressure on Infantino in a joint letter this week, declaring “trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority.”
It is believed they want Infantino to resign before he has the chance to seek re-election in March next year.
But Motsepe, a FIFA vice president and Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) president, is adamant that Infantino’s fate should be decided through the ballot box.
“If anybody has got any problem against anybody, whether it’s Gianni, whether it is anybody else, follow the process, follow the FIFA process, simple as that,” Motsepe told Sky News on Thursday.
“If you want to take him out, go for elections; let the 211 member associations decide. Do that and the vote will express whether they’ve got confidence in him or not.
“You’ve got to be very careful. There are elections taking place next year. Shouldn’t we allow that process to continue?”
Motsepe was in Salzburg at the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday to hold talks with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, whose organisation are threatening to boycott the World Cup and Club World Cup in protest at Infantino’s scheme.
“I’ve heard so many stories about various issues and am careful to pass judgement on anything,” Motsepe said.
“Everybody has a right to be heard. Let’s have a hearing, and a proper forum.”
CAF had already backed Infantino, and Motsepe claimed there was no breach of rules over the World Cup sell-off talks because the proposals would be submitted to FIFA members for final approval.
“There’s a lot that’s problematic and negative that they have to fix,” Motsepe said.
“But he has apologised and said maybe there’s a different way these things should have been done, but we also take advice.”
However, there has been no end to the tidal wave of criticism engulfing Infantino.
On Thursday, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) became the latest FIFA member to withdraw its support for Infantino.
“Following an FAI Board Meeting, the decision was taken to rescind the letter of support that the Association supplied earlier this year,” the organisation said.
“It has since written to FIFA to explain its reasoning. The Association is grateful for the support that FIFA provides to Irish football, but recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.”
The English FA and Welsh FA had already withdrawn their backing for the 56-year-old Swiss.
Six Arab federations, including Qatar, Morocco and Egypt, offered their backing to Infantino on Thursday morning. %!s()
Some of Latin America’s greatest arthouse directors — Celina Murga, Mariana Rondón, Santiago Loza, Matias Mariani and Christopher Murray — feature among 15 projects set to be unveiled at San Sebastián’s 2026 Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, the Spanish festival’s biggest industry centerpiece.
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The selection also frames hot emerging director such as Ernesto Martínez (“The Devil Smokes”) and first features which are sure to create interest. One case in point: Selma Cervantes’ “Mourning Sound,” set up at Teorema, founded by Michel Franco and partner Eréndira Núñez Larios and behind award-winning films such as “Memory,” “New Order,” “Heroic,” “Flies,” “Chronic” and “From Afar.”
Galvanized by new and emerging talent, the 2026 lineup also serves as a tribute to what outgoing San Sebastián Festival director José Luis Rebordinos has achieved with the Forum: Consolidating it as Europe’s most significant Latin American meet and mart when a presence at co-production platforms has become ever more essential for the survival of so many Latin American filmmakers.
Selected for the Forum, “The Rehearsals” marks Murga’s follow-up to “The Freshly Cut Grass,” presented by Martin Scorsese and a Tribeca best screenplay winner, and Murga’s fourth fiction film — after “Ana and the Others” (2003), “A Week Alone” (2007) and Berlin competition contender “The Third Side of the River” — films often displaying a large sense of place and unspoken but keenly observed emotions.
Mariani impressed highly with his Berlin Panorama title “Shine Your Eyes,” a Netflix pick-up for the world. “‘Nature Boy’ began when I asked myself: what would it be like to be the father of an alien?” Mariani told Variety of his new Forum project.
Rondón, behind another 2026 Forum project, “Looking for Sam,” won San Sebastián’s top Golden Shell in 2013 with “Bad Hair,” and, more recently, “It Would Be Night in Caracas,” a gripping thriller, Variety said, with Edgar Ramírez (“American Crime Story”) and Natalia Reyes (“Terminator: Dark Fate”).
San Sebastián-bound with “Giant Stones,” Murray competed in Venice 2016 main competition with “The Blind Christ” and at Sundance with “Sorcery” in 2024.
“The Amateurs” (“Los Inexpertos,” Felipe Solari Yrigoyen, Chile, Argentina)
Produced by Chile’s Quijote Films (“The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo”) and Argentina’s Gentil Cine and set at an eccentric convention populated by people dressed as iconic movie characters where the original Maltese Falcon statuette vanishes along with a mysterious Russian guest. “The Amateurs” shows “how ordinary people, in a remote corner of South America and far from Hollywood, are forced to step up when circumstances spiral beyond their control,” says Solari about his potential feature debut.
Blending archival research with hand-drawn rotoscoping, Gilbert’s follow-up to “Malqueridas,” Grand Prize winner at Venice Critics’ Week 2023, revisits a mother who killed her daughters during Chile’s nitrate crisis. Producer Paola Castillo says the technique creates “an ethical distance, without revictimizing.” Produced by Chile’s Errante with Germany’s Dirk Manthey Film, the project connects that historical case with mothers facing similar judgments a century later.
Thirty years after a young man entered psychiatric hospitalization carrying a notebook and camera, Loza reconstructs those days through documents and recreations, rooted in a deeply personal experience from his own youth. Varsovia Films produces with Uruguay’s Monarca Films, while Compañía de Cine has boarded international sales. Now finalizing its script and financing, the project is, in Loza’s words, “a poetic tale of survival” that also explores mental health, friendship and filmmaking.
Ayhe Productions and Kabiria Films back Acconcia’s fiction feature debut, following Bruno, a Black teenager with vitiligo sentenced to work at a residential home for minors with functional diversity, where he unexpectedly finds acceptance. Producer David Aymerich calls it “a special coming-of-age story portraying a reality rarely seen on screen.” Selected at Locarno’s Match Me!, the project is set to shoot in March 2027.
“Giant Stones” (“Piedras gigantes,” Christopher Murray, Chile)
The story of U.K. archaeologist Katherine Routledge’s arrival in 1914 on Rapa Nui to study its monumental moia statues and her conflictive role in an indigenous uprising. Winner of Hubert Bals Fund Development Support and set up at Fernando Bascuñan’s Planta, which had three films at Cannes from Dominga Sotomayor (“La Perra”), Lisandro Alonso (“Double Freedom”) and Federico Luis (“For the Opponents”).
‘The Illusions’
“The Illusions” (“Las ilusiones,” Ingrid Pokropek, Argentina, Spain)
Three Buenos Aires strangers make wishes on a shooting star, only for a cosmic mix-up to grant each someone else’s desire, setting fame, grief and love on a collision course. Pokropek says “the world of ‘The Illusions’ is luminous in the middle of darkness.” 36 Caballos produces with Spain’s Jaibo Films. In advanced development for a fall 2027 shoot, the project has secured ICAA minority co-production support and passed through Berlinale Talents Project Market, EAVE Puentes and ECAM Forum.
Seven years of research in Guatemala underpin Giampà’s first feature. “Working largely with non-professional actors whose own lives resonate with the story,” he says, the film follows a young agronomist searching for the truth about the father who abandoned her. Zoe Films and LaDoc produce with Mexico’s Fiasco. Set to shoot in autumn 2027, the project has passed through TorinoFilmLab FeatureLab and EAVE Producers Workshop.
“The Last Cruise” (“El último crucero,” Rachel Daisy Ellis, Brazil, Spain, Argentina)
British-Brazilian filmmaker and longtime Gabriel Mascaro producer and creative collaborator, Ellis turns to her own documentary work with “The Last Cruise,” a feature in development at Recife-based Desvia Filmes. Her directing debut, “Eros,” premiered at CPH:DOX, while she most recently produced Mascaro’s “The Blue Trail,” winner of Berlin’s Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. Camile Reis produces alongside Ellis on the project.
“Looking for Sam” (“Buscando a Sam,” Mariana Rondón, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico)
13 years after “Bad Hair,” Sam, its lead, has been forced to emigrate from Venezuela. Searching for him, director Rondón and producer Marité Ugas end up at the fashion catwalks of Paris, discovering a tale of personal reinvention. “‘Looking For Sam’ wanders between fiction and documentary, where memory and identity blur and transform one another. It forces us to ask ourselves who we are when we leave behind who we once were,” Rondón told Variety.
‘Modern Mermaids Revolution
“Modern Mermaids Revolution” (“La revolución de las sirenas modernas,” Azul Vanni, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil)
Vanni calls her feature debut “my own manifesto on how travesti and trans experiences can be represented in cinema.” Its protagonist, Sienna, loses her voice and begins growing scales after nearly drowning, entering an underground world of desire and danger. Uruguay’s Monarca Films produces alongside Argentina’s Groncho Estudio and Brazil’s Estudio Giz. Now financing for a first-half 2028 shoot, the project has passed through Tres Puertos, MECAS and Berlinale Talents Buenos Aires. Vanni is the first trans woman director in Uruguay to win a production grant from the country’s film agency.
“Mourning Sound” (“El último sonidero,” Selma Cervantes, Mexico)
After years abroad, Karina returns to Mexico following her mother’s death. Estranged from a country that no longer feels like home, she and her brother Nacho find a way to bridge their differences through their family’s tradition of being sonideros: DJs at popular neighborhood dances. Cervantes’ first feature, following the success of her short film “Sweatshop Girl,” starring Yalitza Aparicio, which premiered at Sundance 2023.
A departure for Mariani? “Celestino, a São Paulo public-school principal whose life fits on a form, takes in a boy who speaks no known language — a boy who absorbs organic matter, transforms with everything he consumes, and is quietly studying the man learning, against his will, to be his father, the logline runs. A sci-fi family drama penned with “Shine Your Eyes” co-scribe Maíra Bühler from Primo Filmes and Tatiana Leite’s Bubbles Project. A title to track.
“The Rehearsals” (“Los Ensayos,” Celina Murga, Uruguay, Argentina)
Eva (48) accompanies her mother Emilia (80), a prestigious retired doctor facing the progression of Alzheimer’s. The family home is also shared by two caregivers, Eva’s teenage son and her younger sister. Amid improvised celebrations, hospital visits and conflicts over care, a mysterious presence of bulls surrounds the house. “Blending realism and the fantastic, the film explores fragility and the possibility of finding love and vitality in being there for another person,” while “reflecting on the way our society looks at aging, deterioration and death,” Murga told Variety.
“They’re Taking Your Congos Away” (“Te vienen a quitar tus congos,” Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias, Dominican Republic, Spain)
One of the doyens of Dominican cinema, De Los Santos Arias returns after winning Berlin’s 2024 Silver Bear for Best Director with “Pepe.” His new project is an odyssey tracing the legacy of Spanish colonialism across the Caribbean. It is set up at Monte y Culebra, one of the Dominican Republic’s leading independent production companies.
“This Is the Memory I Would Like to Have of Mom” (“Este es el recuerdo que me gustaría tener de mamá,” Ernesto Martínez Bucio, Mexico, Spain)
Next up from Martínez Bucio and screenwriter Karen Plata after scoring the Berlinale Perspectives first feature award with childhood survival tale “The Devil Smokes,” “a distinctive debut feature which steers what could be a familiar home-alone tale into darker psychological recesses,” Variety said in its review. %!s()
Agents reportedly used electronic databases to spy on family members and even provide intelligence to drug traffickers.
Tada Images/Shutterstock
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have reportedly misused electronic databases to spy on family members, try to get dates and even provide intelligence to suspected drug traffickers, according to freedom of information (FOIA) files seen by Wired. Officers allegedly abused databases that can draw from sources like license plate readers, facial recognition and smartphone searches to violate the privacy of numerous individuals.
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The FOIA files, ranging from 2009 to 20222, show a number of troubling incidents. A CBP officer is alleged to have used a government database to contact a flight attendant, and another was accused of using data from trusted-traveler applications to ask people out. One employee provided border-crossing data to someone involved in a divorce, and another abused internal policies by tracking coworkers cellphones with ad-tech-derived location data.
Of 300 incidents tracked by Wired, 138 were referred to CBP management and 78 assigned to criminal investigators, while 43 others weren't investigated. Many of the claims were handled internally or put under the category of minor misconduct, but 21 were withheld due to potential law-enforcement proceedings that suggest criminal misconduct were involved.
The report is noteworthy because the DHS has more access to private citizens' data than ever before and has built one of the largest surveillance systems in the world, Wired noted. Its sources include records on immigration arrests, border screening records, naturalization applications and the SENTRI trusted-traveler program. The agency also has access to Palantir's ICM and FALCON systems, along with the DHS Mobile Fortify facial-recognition app deployed on agents phones.
CBP told Wired that it takes misconduct allegations seriously and works to "uphold the rule of law and hold ourselves accountable... [and takes] appropriate investigatory, corrective, and disciplinary action." %!s()
38.1C reported in Kew Gardens, provisionally the hottest day of the year
There it is: the Met Office has just confirmed that it recorded a provisional reading of 38.1C at Kew Gardens, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
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It’s the second time we reached 38C this year, it said, with the only other year where this has happened twice in 2022.
It is also the fifth hottest day on record ever, Met Office says.
The previous 2026 record of 38C was recorded on 28 June.
Key events
1h ago
Several homes ablaze in West Midlands wildfire
2h ago
Firefighter injured, tourists flee as Greek wildfire descends on resort village
3h ago
38.1C reported in Kew Gardens, provisionally the hottest day of the year
3h ago
Massive fire reported in Chalkidiki as gale-force winds fuel blaze
3h ago
Afternoon summary
4h ago
London swelters during fifth heatwave of the summer - in pictures
4h ago
UK weather stations reporting temperatures of 37C and above for third time this year
5h ago
Greece battles gale force winds reigniting fears about wildfires
5h ago
Nurses fainting in ‘inhumane’ conditions due to extreme heat, union warns
6h ago
Ninth day of temperatures above 35C reported in England
7h ago
Fifth heatwave of summer hits England - in pictures
8h ago
Amber heat warning expanded into north west England
9h ago
Temperatures already reaching 30C in parts of England
9h ago
'Shattering' heat this summer is only a sign of things to come, former government scientific adviser warns
9h ago
135 million people in Europe are set to experience temperatures above 35C today
9h ago
Drought across Europe as extreme temperatures continue - in pictures
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Black Sea resort of Burgas picked to host 2027 Eurovision
10h ago
Temperatures in England could reach highs up to 38C, forecasters say
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Romania begins complete shutdown of its nuclear plant as Danube water levels drop further
11h ago
PM Burnham to consider ban on disposable barbecues as wildfires rage in UK
Several homes ablaze in West Midlands wildfire
Footage from Sky News shows several homes on fire in England’s West Midlands as firefighters tackle a large grassfire near a golfcourse in Stourbridge.
Stourbridge town hall has been set up as a rest centre for those fleeing their homes.
The large fire near homes in Stourbridge, West Midlands. Photograph: West Midlands Fire Service/PA
“Transport is also being arranged for those who can’t make their own way,” West Midlands fire service said in a social media post.
“If you must drive, take extra care if you are driving, avoid areas of dense smoke, and please don’t head to areas where fires are taking place to watch.”
About 60 firefighters were on scene, the service said.
There was no immediate information on injuries or damage to property.
The Met Office has released a few more details about what is now (provisionally) the UK’s fifth hottest day on record.
Earlier (16.24) we reported a provisional reading of 38.1C at Kew Gardens, which would make this the hottest day of the year so far.
The mercury also reached 38C in Pershore, Worcestershire. A total of 40 locations across central and southern England recorded temperatures of 36C or higher, the Met Office said.
A woman uses an umbrella to shield herself from the sun as temperatures reach 36C in central London. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
“This current spell of extreme heat is the latest in a remarkable summer,” said chief forecaster Neil Armstrong.
Temperatures will stay above 20C in London overnight, which the Met Office officially classifies as a “tropical night”.
Friday will be slightly cooler, although still forecast to reach highs of 34C in the south-east. Weekend temperatures will remain in the 30s before a gradual return to average next week, Armstrong said.
People cool down at Carne Beach, Cornwall, as the UK records its hottest day of the year so far. Photograph: David Davies/PA
Firefighter injured, tourists flee as Greek wildfire descends on resort village
Famous for its pine forests and turquoise water, the Chalkidiki peninsula is teeming with tourists this time of year.
Now, many have been forced to flee the peninsula by land and sea.
Tourists flee as Greek wildfire descends on resort village in Chalkidiki, Greece. Photograph: Alexandros Litsardakis/Reuters
Videos seen by Reuters showed people boarding dinghies and fire brigade boats in Siviri as the blaze ate through nearby forest and smoke enveloped the sky.
More than 140 firefighters, nine aircraft and seven helicopters were deployed to battle flames raging on both sides of the main road, the local fire brigade said in a statement.
One firefighter was injured, Reuters reported.
Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire in Siviri, on the Chalkidiki peninsula. Photograph: Giannis Papanikos/AP
“Our effort is focused on extinguishing the fire and the safe transport of people,” fire brigade spokesperson Giannis Artopios told Protothema news portal.
Two fire boats, private boats and the coastguard were involved in the evacuation, he said.
We now have some pictures coming through of that wildfire in northern Greece, which Greek media have reported as being out of control (16.20).
These pictures are from Siviri, a coastal holiday town south of Thessaloniki.
The wildfire has forced evacuations by land and sea on the peninsula, while some locals have joined the effort to contain the blaze. Photograph: Giannis Papanikos/APA woman covers her face to protect herself from smoke. Photograph: Giannis Papanikos/APFlames bear down on a house in Siviri. Photograph: Giannis Papanikos/AP
Good afternoon. I’m Angus Thomson, taking over from Jakub Krupa.
Over in France, temperatures are nearing 40C in large parts of the country.
Farmers in France's Centre-Val de Loire region are facing declining crop yields as the current heatwave reaches into a third week. Photograph: Siccoli Patrick/SIPA/Shutterstock
It is currently 39C in Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse and Le Mans.
Paris is only a shade cooler at 37C.
French broadcaster BFM is reporting temperatures have exceeded 42C in two towns in western France.
France recorded its hottest day on record in June, with temperatures reaching 44C in Pissos, in the country’s south-west.
A tourist stands in the shade of an umbrella in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris on Wednesday. Photograph: Pierre Crom/Getty Images
As we reported earlier (12.35), the current heatwave is now the third longest periodof extreme temperatures ever recorded in France.
Temperatures are, however, expected to ease over the weekend, Météo-France said.
38.1C reported in Kew Gardens, provisionally the hottest day of the year
There it is: the Met Office has just confirmed that it recorded a provisional reading of 38.1C at Kew Gardens, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
It’s the second time we reached 38C this year, it said, with the only other year where this has happened twice in 2022.
It is also the fifth hottest day on record ever, Met Office says.
The previous 2026 record of 38C was recorded on 28 June.
Massive fire reported in Chalkidiki as gale-force winds fuel blaze
Helena Smith
in Athens
As feared (16:05), gale force winds are fuelling a massive fire in Chalkidiki in northern Greece where flames have ripped through homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of holiday makers from beaches.
Officials said 15 boats had removed tourists and locals from the sandy shores of Siviri on the Kassandra peninsular in Chalkidiki as a precautionary measure.
Greek media reported the fire as being out of control with fire fighters, forest commandos and an array of water- dumping aircraft trying to tame the flames.
Blazes, whipped by winds, were also raging in the Peloponnese and other parts of Greece with the civil protection minister Evangelos Tournas describing the weather conditions as “extreme.”
Vast swathes of Greece have been branded high fire risk and ‘red code’ on Friday when the gusts, already exceeding 100 km an hour, are expected to peak.
Afternoon summary
Jakub Krupa
Here is a summary of where we are at 4pm UK time (5pm CEST):
Charlwood and Pershore have provisionally reached 37.8C as large parts of England face another day of extreme temperatures during the fifth heatwave of the summer (16:34).
37.0C was also reported in Kew Gardens, west London.
Earlier today, a rare amber warning for extreme heat has been expanded to cover more of England, including parts in the north west of the country (13:01).
A former chief scientific adviser to the UK government has warned that the “shattering” heat was only a sign of things to come, with calls to accelerate climate adaptation policies (11:54).
High temperatures were also reported in France and Spain, amid concerns about the heat’s potential impact on wildfires recently reported in both countries (13:35, 15:52).
Greece was also on high alert for wildfires amid gale-force winds (16:11).
Overall, more than 135 million Europeans were expected to experience temperatures of 35C and above today (11:27).
London swelters during fifth heatwave of the summer - in pictures
A woman holding a fan walks across Waterloo Bridge, with the City of London financial district in the background, during a heatwave in London. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/ReutersA man walks, with the Elizabeth Tower, more commonly known as Big Ben, visible in the background, during a heatwave in London, Britain. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/ReutersA man has had enough of this heat in in Trafalgar Square in London during the fifth heatwave of the season. Photograph: Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images
UK weather stations reporting temperatures of 37C and above for third time this year
Back in the UK, the Met Office has just confirmed that several weather stations reported temperatures of 37C or above today, including in Kew Gardens in west London.
“Before 2026, the UK had recorded 37C or higher on only six occasions. This year alone, we’ve already reached that mark three times,” it added.
Visitors rest on lakeside benches, situated on an area of parched grass, at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in west London earlier this month. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
Greece battles gale force winds reigniting fears about wildfires
Helena Smith
in Athens
Over in Greece, gale force winds are sweeping the country, putting fire fighting forces on high alert. Gusts of more than 100km an hour have been registered in Athens, across the Aegean, on the southern island of Crete and parts of mainland Greece, according to the national observatory.
Much of the Attica region surrounding the capital was put on high alert as fears of wildfires mounted on the back of the ‘hot, dry, windy’ weather.
As a precaution some of the famous hills of Athens, much loved by tourists, were closed to the public.
A local on motor bike with plumes of smoke in the hills behind them as firefighting teams try to stamp out pockets of fire in Psatha, Greece last week. Photograph: Byron Smith/Getty Images
The Etesian winds – otherwise known as the meltemia – are a summer trait widely regarded as both a blessing and a curse. While the northerly gusts bring respite, with a noticeable drop in the searing heat, they also play a key role in fuelling forest fires.
Convening in emergency session today, Greece’s civil protection body warned that on Friday when the gale force winds are expected to peak, the threat of wild fires across at least five regions of the country would be at their highest.
As the UK and other parts of western Europe bear the brunt of a fifth heatwave this summer – with the mercury hitting 27C in Edinburgh, the Athens if the north – the contrast with the east continues. Showers are forecast in some parts of Greece in the coming days.
Over in France, professional firefighters’ unions held talks with interior minister Laurent Nuñez today to discuss their needs following recent wildfires across the country.
The unions are growing concerned about insufficient staffing levels and a lack of resources available to them.
Demands are displayed on banners hung on the facade of the Atlanta fire station in Toulouse, southern France. Photograph: Fred Scheiber/SIPA/Shutterstock
Union representatives said they were “very disappointed” with the discussions, and called for “an intensive mobilisation” and a protest in Paris at the end of September, Le Figaro and BFM TV reported.
A union spokesperson said the service “cannot indefinitely compensate for the shortcomings of the system that has long reached its saturation point,” as he called for more resources to be directed to “protect French citizens.”
But interior minister Laurent Nuñez said on social media “the time has now come for action,” as he pledged to “continue the dialogue in a constructive and respectful spirit.”
Nurses fainting in ‘inhumane’ conditions due to extreme heat, union warns
Peter Walker, Tobi ThomasandAletha Adu
Nurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned, as Andy Burnham promised to grapple with “the bigger questions” of climate adaptation.
The Royal College of Nursing said that members were left dizzy, nauseous or at risk of fainting while dripping with sweat ‘from head to toe’. Photograph: sturti/Getty Images
Amid growing pressure from Labour backbenches to fully acknowledge the urgency of adaptation measures as the climate crisis bites, Burnham said he was for now focusing on the immediate crises caused by an ongoing summer of extreme heat.
Speaking after a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee, Burnham refused to say if the summer had made the case against renewed drilling in the North Sea, which his government is considering.
“It is really important that we deal today with the situation that we are in right now and we focus on making sure that we have the serious incidents under control across the country, and those incidents are under control,” he said.
“The bigger questions obviously will come at the right moment in time,” he added.
An amber warning for heat across large parts of England will come into force again on Thursday morning, with temperatures forecast to reach 36C or potentially higher.
Train passengers on some networks are being warned by rail operators to only travel if the journey is vital, saying services are likely to be disrupted because of the weather.
Ninth day of temperatures above 35C reported in England
The Met Office said that by midday temperatures had reached 36.4C at Charlwood in Surrey, while at Wisley temperatures had hit 35.1C, and a number of other spots were above 34C, including Westonbirt in Gloucestershire and Heathrow, west London, PA reported.
It makes it provisionally the ninth day in 2026 where temperatures are above 35C, the Met Office said, extending this year’s record number of days at or above 35C.
Fifth heatwave of summer hits England - in pictures
A general view of London's skyline in Primrose Hill during the heatwave in London. Photograph: James Veysey/ShutterstockA woman covers from the sun with an umbrella during a heatwave in London, Britain. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/ReutersCattle on Dorney Common, Buckinghamshire in the blazing heat try to graze on non existent grass. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Shutterstock
Meanwhile, Le Figaro is reporting that with the current heatwave extending into its 17th day, it is now the third longest period of extreme temperatures ever recorded in France.
It’s 38C in Bordeaux and Nantes, 36C in Paris, and 34C in Montpellier at the moment.
The temperatures are only expected to start falling over the weekend, it said.
Amber heat warning expanded into north west England
And a rare amber warning for “extreme heat” has been expanded to cover more of England, as the UK could see the hottest day of the year so far, PA said.
The warning, already covering large part of the country, has been expanded into North West England to cover parts of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, into Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the south-west and Shropshire and Herefordshire in the west.
Even the athletes taking part in the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham are feeling the heat today…
An athlete protects herself from the sun at the European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026, in Birmingham, Britain. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA
This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.
How kids feel about AI, in their own words
—Jen Swetzoff and Keeley McNamara, the founding editors of Anyway, an independent print magazine for tweens and teens
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When we set out to talk to kids about AI, we thought we knew what we’d hear. We expected stories about cheating, inspiring uses, and concerns like deepfakes or job destruction. But what we actually heard from kids aged 10 to 18 had tons of nuance.
Many were so deeply against AI or uninterested in making it part of their lives that they didn’t want to talk about it at all. Others worried about cheating, the environmental impact, or AI’s effect on creativity and critical thinking.
AI doesn’t yet seem to be something a lot of them are focused on—and they aren’t begging for it, the way they do for iPhones and Snapchat. But what surprised us most was how much young people could teach adults about AI.
Meet the kids navigating an AI-filled future—and hear what they think of it.
Scientists just created female clones of male mice
Scientists have deliberately turned male mouse embryos into females for the first time. A team based in Japan used a CRISPR-based approach to remove the Y chromosome from male cells and create female clones of male mice.
The feat could change the way scientists think about reproduction, says Takashi Ishiuchi, a reproductive biologist at the University of Yamanashi, who co-led the work. “There’s a fixed concept in our scientific field that we need both females and males for reproduction,” says Ishiuchi. “I think we could change this concept.”
He also hopes the technique could help rescue endangered species, particularly in cases where only a few individuals remain. Find out how it works—and what it could mean for the future of reproduction and conservation.
—Jessica Hamzelou
What’s behind this summer’s heat, and why 2027 could be worse
This summer has been a scorcher for much of the Northern Hemisphere. June and July marked the hottest two-month stretch in Europe since record-keeping began, the contiguous US endured its hottest month on record in July, and South Korea saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.
Climate change makes heat waves more likely and more intense. But there’s another factor at play: El Niño, which is already ramping up and is expected to have a bigger effect on global temperatures next year.
Here’s what’s behind this summer’s extreme heat—and why 2027 could be even hotter.
—Casey Crownhart
This story is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.
Inside the "censorship-industrial complex" idea shaping US policy
For years, the idea of a “censorship-industrial complex” that suppressed conservative and populist speech spread in right-wing circles online. But now, the theory has made its way into the Trump administration.
Over the past nine months, MIT Technology Review investigated its origins and traced its rise.
In a virtual Roundtables session today, senior reporter Eileen Guo and executive editor Amy Nordrum will explore what they discovered, where the theory is going, and what it could mean for the future of democracy and the internet.
Register here to join the session at 19:00 GMT / 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Trump has authorized businesses to conduct cyberattacks on criminals Vetted firms could use cyber tools against foreign criminal groups. (Reuters $) + They would operate under the control of the US government. (Bloomberg $) + Risks include escalation and inadvertent consequences. (Independent)
2 Chinese censorship is leaking into answers from American AI ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can all echo authoritarian propaganda. (WSJ $) + Turkey’s new cyber law has stoked fears of a digital police state. (FT $) + Censorship conspiracy theories have entered the US policy mainstream. (MIT Technology Review)
3 Twitch is mining people’s streams to train Amazon’s AI All streamers are opted in to train AI with their content by default. (404 Media) + Users can now opt out, but the announcement has sparked uproar. (BBC) + AI’s memories are privacy's next frontier. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Trump has been sued over a service selling faster access to his social posts The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation filed the suit. (NPR) + They call the service “corrupt” and “unconstitutional.” (Ars Technica) + And say it violates the right of equal access to official information. (Reuters $)
5 Police officers are using Flock cameras to stalk people Three Georgia deputies are the latest officers accused of abuse. (NYT $) + But the surveillance devices still have some supporters. (Atlantic $)
6 AI reporters are now breaking big news One just beat human journalists to a story about hacking at OpenAI. (Wired $) + The milestone has sparked debate about the future of journalism. (Gizmodo)
7 The web’s newest weapon against AI scrapers is a font ShieldFont foils scrapers but keeps pages readable to people. (Ars Technica)
8 Live streaming has turned us all into Perez Hilton It’s made us both the celebrity and the paparazzi. (New Yorker $)
9 A fossil discovery suggests live birth emerged far earlier than thought It pushes the origin of mammalian live birth back 95 million years. (New Scientist $)
10 Scientific progress may not be slowing after all New research disputes claims that science is getting less disruptive. (Economist $)
Quote of the day
“Trump is trying to enrich himself by privatizing government information that he has no right to sell. We won’t let it stand.”
—Ben Muessig, editor-in-chief of The Intercept, explains why his media organization is suing President Trump over his fast-access service to Truth Social posts.
One More Thing
Puerto Rico’s power struggles
Carmen Suárez Vázquez lives just minutes from Puerto Rico’s only coal-fired power plant. Black dust coats her windowpanes and the leaves of the blooming vines around her home. She doesn’t know exactly how the coal pollution got inside, but she is certain it ended up in her youngest son, Edgardo, who died of a rare form of cancer.
The plant was supposed to close in 2027. Instead, it will stay open for at least another seven years, while Puerto Rico rolls back clean-energy targets and moves ahead with new gas plants.
Meanwhile, residents are still dealing with frequent blackouts and high electricity prices. And an unelected fiscal control board has veto power over all spending by the island’s elected government, leaving Puerto Ricans with little say over their energy future.
Here’s why Puerto Rico can’t seem to escape its energy crisis.
—Alexander C. Kaufman
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line.)
