“You have all the hallmarks of a world-class politician,” campaign manager Gwen (Lisa Gilroy) tells her client Matthew McConaughey (Matthew McConaughey). “However, your Achilles’ heel is that you’ve been a celebrity for so long that your brain has turned into a big old sloppy pile of goo.”
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The literal premise of the Apple TV comedy “Brothers” is that McConaughey and his friend/fellow Texan/erstwhile co-star Woody Harrelson, also playing himself, may be biological relatives, a possibility they explore while shacked up at McConaughey’s Austin-area ranch. (The actors are also credited as co-creators alongside David West Read and showrunner Lee Eisenberg.) But the comic premise is something closer to Gwen’s observation: that beyond their state of origin and a certain folksy charisma, these two besties share the brain disease that is fame, and when together exacerbate each other’s symptoms.
“Brothers” has plenty of scenes that deliver on this “Dumb and Dumber”-adjacent concept. The pair don ridiculous costumes to prove people don’t tolerate their music just because they’re recognizable, and bicker about hunting (country boy McConaughey is pro, vegan Harrelson is con) on a drive in a keyed-up version of the “True Detective” car rides. This platonic — or perhaps filial — chemistry still isn’t enough to make “Brothers” feel like a real show instead of an overlong comedy sketch.
Take Gwen, who’s consulting McConaughey on a run for governor. The storyline is a nod to the star’s flirtation with political office, which got serious enough in 2022 to necessitate an announcement that he wouldn’t throw his hat in the ring. But it’s mostly a means to give McConaughey’s fictional avatar a more active plot driver than wondering whether he and Harrelson might be related. The gubernatorial bid certainly isn’t there because McConaughey feels the need to articulate any specific political beliefs, a vagueness “Brothers” gently mocks but also indulges. Real-life Texas is in the middle of a highly contentious senate race; TV Texas is a world with no Greg Abbott, nor a president who’s already a cautionary tale in what happens when pop culture and politics collide. Acknowledging either might mean “Brothers” would have to be something weightier and more fleshed-out than a dopey (in a fun way!) hangout.
A reluctance to get messy or in any way unflattering is a common quality of star-driven shows, and it’s seemingly magnified when two of them are portraying themselves. “Brothers” prefers a soft poke to a sharp jab: Harrelson is a pot-smoking hippie who declines AC because he’s “off freon,” but when he makes a passing mention of COVID, it’s not to share his take on masking and vaccines; McConaughey quotes his own Lincoln commercials when giving his son a pep talk, but the greatest insecurity he’ll cop to is caring too much about being a good husband and father.
Instead of real insight or self-scrutiny, we get surface-level references to the friends’ filmographies. (These callbacks are oddly skewed toward McConaughey’s CV over Harrelson’s, perhaps because the show takes place on his turf.) The “True Detective” theme plays as a character collects samples for a DNA test, while McConaughey lets his son River (Noah Carganilla) borrow his actual car from “Dazed and Confused” to play dress-up. These allusions rarely inspire a reaction stronger than an amused smile, nor do they try especially hard to do so. “Brothers” is content to trade in its dynamic duo’s public images rather than subvert or complicate them, which is fine — though the resulting vacuum is one of several blank spaces where a real sense of purpose could be.
“Brothers” is, of course, a show about family, and the show populates its ensemble with lightly distorted bizarro versions of the friends’ loved ones. Holland Taylor cakes on makeup and thick layers of twang as McConaughey’s mother, known to all as “Ma Mac,” whose drunken ramblings prompt Harrelson to do some genetic detective work. No one else makes as strong an impression. In particular, the wives — their show names are Valentina (Natalie Martinez) and Joy (Brittany Ishibashi), but their role and function is accurately summed up as “the wives” — are given almost nothing to do besides roll their eyes at their husbands’ antics. Woody and Matthew forgot about Valentine’s Day? Boys will be boys!
The kids get more stories of their own, though not ones that ever threaten to pull the spotlight away from their dads. The Harrelsons first set out for Austin (in a solar-powered converted schoolbus, of course) after Woody’s daughter Olive (Highdee Kuan) breaks off her engagement. While I’m always happy to see Skyler Gisondo of “The Righteous Gemstones,” who shows up halfway through the season as the ex-fiancé, he’s underused in a role whose definition stops at “clingy drip.” A romance between River and Olive’s sister Kai (Oona Yaffe) — carefully excused with repeated reminders that Kai is adopted, so there’s no way they’re doing incest — is equally thin. “Brothers” has eyes for only one central relationship, and every second spent on satellite pairings sags with infectious boredom.
For long stretches of the midseason, “Brothers” seems to forget about family intrigue and political ambitions entirely to focus on a harebrained scheme of the week. This straight-sitcom setup, with little serialization to speak of, seems to be where the show’s natural instincts lie. But to justify making room in two packed schedules — we’re repeatedly told McConaughey also has a lucrative tequila brand and multiple courses he designed at UT Austin — “Brothers” has to limply gesture at something more. The season’s final moments tease a potential follow-up, complete with a meta crack about “bandwidth for a franchise.” But to produce a sequel, a project ought to know what it is in the first place. “Brothers” never feels like it does.
The first two episodes of “Brothers” will premiere on Apple TV on Sep. 23, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays.%!s()
Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar will return to action at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after missing three races with a wrist injury.
Hadjar, who has fared reasonably well in his first season as Max Verstappen's team-mate, was unable to drive at races in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain after sustaining the injury while doing fitness training during Formula 1's summer break in August.
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The 21-year-old Frenchman's return to the cockpit will come during Thursday's two practice sessions in Baku, with this weekend's schedule moved a day earlier to avoid a clash with Azerbaijan Remembrance Day.
Azerbaijan GP schedule: Why is the race on Saturday?
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A team statement released on Tuesday morning said: "Oracle Red Bull Racing is delighted to welcome Isack back this weekend.
"Having made a successful recovery from his wrist injury, Isack will return to action at the Baku City Circuit on Thursday."
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Liam Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls to deputise for Hadjar, with reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda filling the New Zealander's seat at Red Bull's junior squad.
Red Bull added: "The team would like to sincerely thank Liam for his professionalism, dedication and hard work over the past three races.
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"Stepping in under challenging circumstances, he delivered some impressive performances and made a valuable contribution to the team. We wish him all the very best as he returns to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls."
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Sky Sports' Craig Slater revealed further details on the extent of Isack Hadjar's wrist injury when it was first confirmed.
Racing Bulls also thanked Tsunoda for his contribution, with the Japanese driver now returning to his role as reserve for both teams.
"Liam returns to VCARB this weekend in Baku, with Isack having made a full recovery from his wrist injury," Racing Bulls said.
"A huge thank you to Yuki for stepping in over the past three races, giving everything for the team and scoring some very valuable points."
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Hadjar had delivered a solid first campaign with Red Bull up until suffering the injury, claiming a podium for the team in Monaco.
He remains eighth in the Drivers' Championship but a 23-point deficit to McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the time of his injury has increased to 49 points.
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Isack Hadjar tells Karun Chandhok he's pleased with how he's performed alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
Hadjar was trailing Verstappen by 38 points after the final race before the summer break in Hungary but is now 74 points back from the Dutchman.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the first round of a triple header with races in Malaysia and Singapore following on the subsequent two weekends.
Azerbaijan GP dates, UK start time and Sky Sports F1's live schedule
Wednesday September 23 11am: Drivers' Press Conference 2pm: Paddock Uncut
Thursday September 24 6.55am: F2 Practice 9am: Azerbaijan GP Practice One (session starts at 9.30am)* 10.55am: F2 Qualifying* 12pm: Team Bosses' Press Conference 12.30pm: Azerbaijan GP Practice Two (session starts at 1pm) 2.15pm: The F1 Show
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Record SIX red flags causes chaos during 2025 Azerbaijan qualifying!
Friday September 25 5.10am: F2 Sprint* 9.15am: Azerbaijan GP Practice Three (session starts at 9.30am)* 11.10am: F2 Feature Race 1* 12.30pm: Azerbaijan GP Qualifying build-up* 1PM: AZERBAIJAN GP QUALIFYING* 3pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Saturday September 26 7.55am: F2 Feature Race 2 10.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Azerbaijan GP build-up* 12PM: THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX* 2pm: Chequered Flag: Azerbaijan GP reaction* 3pm: Ted's Notebook*
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Racing on a Saturday! The 2026 Formula 1 season continues live on Sky Sports F1 this week as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicks off a triple-header of races, with the Baku race taking place on Saturday at midday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime%!s()
Iran ready to reopen strait of Hormuz if US eases military pressure and lifts blockade, official says
Iran is ready to reopen the strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official has told the Reuters news agency.
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There is no more immediate detail on how exactly this reopening would work in practice and the US hasn’t commented on the report, which we have not been able to independently verify.
The official also told Reuters that the Iranian delegation to the UN General Assembly has full authority to revive diplomacy with US officials.
Visible traffic through the strait of Hormuz has dwindled to a trickle, but some tankers are continuing exporting oil by travelling with their transponders off to avoid detection.
Vessels at the strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on 6 September 2026. Photograph: Reuters
A total of 17 commodity vessels transited the strait over the weekend, down from 37 a week earlier, shipping data showed on Monday. Before the war, an estimated 120 vessels crossed the strait each day.
Despite the reduction in journeys through the strategic waterway, oil prices fell for a fourth consecutive session yesterday amid fresh prospects for renewed diplomacy.
As we mentioned earlier in the blog, Tehran and Washington exchanged threats on Sunday, although the US president, Donald Trump, said he probably would be open to meeting his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, who is travelling to New York for the UN meeting.
Among Iran’s previous conditions to reopen the strait included an and to the war on “all fronts” – referring to Israel’s assault on Lebanon – and the release of frozen funds.
Key events
28m ago
Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza reaches 73,919, says health ministry
1h ago
US open to meeting Iran at UN general assembly, Rubio says
2h ago
Iran ready to reopen strait of Hormuz if US eases military pressure and lifts blockade, official says
3h ago
UK to give support to Saudi jets in attempt to counter Houthi fighters
3h ago
Iranian foreign minister says trust in UN has been lost ahead of general assembly
4h ago
Trump reportedly calls off airstrikes against Houthis
5h ago
IRGC warns it will 'change the geography of the war' if US escalates the conflict
Iran’s national airline said it had not received any ban on serving neighbouring countries, a day before US sanctions are due to be tightened against the Iranian aviation sector.
“Iran Air has not received any notification or official instruction from the civil aviation authorities of Turkey, the Republic of Azerbaijan, or Iraq regarding a halt or suspension of the airline’s flights to Istanbul, Baku and Najaf,” the company said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.
Earlier this month the US blacklisted the Iranian aviation sector and threatened sanctions against any organisation working with Iran’s airlines, AFP reported.
Death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza reaches 73,919, says health ministry
Gaza’s health ministry said in its latest update that at least 1,399 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since a supposed ‘ceasefire’ was signed between Israel and Hamas last October.
Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to implement a broader plan by the US to end the war on Gaza, which includes the Israeli withdrawal from the strip and the disarmament of Hamas. Israel says Hamas has been violating the deal.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Tuesday that 73,919 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since October 2023, when Isreal launched its assault on the territory following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, were killed.
A number of legal and rights experts have concluded that Israel has committed genocide – considered the most serious international crime – against the Palestinian population of Gaza. Israel denies the charge, despite the widespread evidence that supports the conclusion.
US open to meeting Iran at UN general assembly, Rubio says
The US secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has confirmed that the US is open to speaking with Iranians at the UN General Assembly, but said no meeting is currently scheduled (see this post for more details).
“We’re open to that. I don’t think anything is scheduled at this point, but we’re certainly open to something like that, especially if it has the prospects of leading to something positive and ultimately achieving the goal of what this is all about,” Rubio told NBC News.
“And that is the fact that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. They just simply can’t,” he added.
The renewed US-Iran efforts to resolve the dispute about control of the strait of Hormuz comes amid reports of Saudi Arabia attacking areas under Houthi control in Yemen.
Among the latest reports is of an attack by Saudi Arabia on a prison in northwestern Yemen that killed nine detainees, according to a Houthi official, who spoke to the Saba news agency, which is affiliated with the Iran-backed militia.
“Nine prisoners captured during recent events were killed last night when the Saudi enemy targeted a prison” in Al-Hazm, in Al-Jawf governorate, Houthi official Abdelkader al-Murtada said.
The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen’s capital since 2014, seized the country’s Red Sea coast this month in an advance that routed forces of the Saudi-backed government.
Saudi Arabia, an important US ally, has launched hundreds of strikes in recent days on the fighters’ positions in the highlands, according to the Houthis.
Patrick Wintour
Here is some more analysis from our diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour:
A fortnight ago Iran said it had reached agreement with Oman for a new agreed temporary route for commercial shipping through the strait of Hormuz that would then be lodged with the International Maritime Organisation. The bulk of the route goes through Iranian waterways in the north of the strait.
But the meeting planned for the Gulf States to endorse the route was cancelled by Saudi Arabia after what it regarded as Iranian-induced attacks on Saudi Arabia by Houthi forces in Yemen. Saudi Arabia also wanted to be a signatory and authoriser of the route, but Iran insisted the route had to be endorsed only by the two countries in which the strait’s waterways passed: Iran and Oman.
Iran had also said the waterway would not be opened even after the route was agreed until seven other conditions were met largely related to lifting the sanctions, asset freezes and broader US aggression towards Iran. Only after that could the issue of Iran’s nuclear program be considered.
The US has been countering this week by trying to impose an aerial blockade on Iran, threatening third countries not to allow Iranian civilian planes to fly in and out of Iran from their airports. The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said all Iranian planes will stop flying worldwide from Wednesday.
Patrick Wintour
Tehran appears to have relaxed its preconditions for reopening the strait of Hormuz, saying it is prepared to do so within seven days so long as the US takes reciprocal steps to ease the pressure on Iran.
Previously Iran had set seven onerous pre-conditions for lifting the blockade including “an end to war on all fronts” and a commitment by the US to cease all aggressive actions against Iran including sanctions.
The new position emerged ahead of backstage negotiations at the UN General Assembly in New York this week and was briefed by an Iranian official in Tehran to the Japanese news agency Kyodo.
The official claimed the position had been approved by the Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and the Supreme National Security Council.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in a statement not directly referring to the report said there was no contradiction in staging negotiations and waging war at the same time, a position echoed by Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammed Ghalibaf in remarks delivered online to the Iranian parliament this week.
Iran, the Japanese news agency reported from Tehran, was seeking signs from Washington that it is prepared to return to negotiations and take steps toward an end to the US military blockade of Iranian ports and a halt to military operations related to the strait of Hormuz.
Iranians walk past a picture of Iranian supreme Mojtaba Khamenei in a street in Tehran. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA
If such steps are taken, Iran is prepared to reopen the strategic waterway within seven days and return to the negotiating table, according to the official. These preconditions are less stringent than those issued by other authoritative figures in the previous 48 hours. It is sometimes the case that initially appealing offers from Iran emerge to be more complex once the small print is examined.
But Tehran is under growing pressure due to US engineered restrictions on the exports of its oil playing having havoc with its currency reserves and domestic inflation.
The official insisted there was no chance that Iran’s president, Massoud Pezeshkian, will meet the US president while in New York. Pezeshkian has not been directly involved in the negotiations with the US and does not have the independent authority to make concessions to the US.
As broadly a reformist, he is also not fully trusted by the IRGC and hardline politicians in Tehran. Some hardliners oppose negotiations with the West as a matter of principle. Others argue that Iran holds the upper hand as energy markets come under further pressure worldwide.
We are seeing reports that the Houthis have said that strikes carried out by Saudi Arabia in the northwest of the country killed at least two civilians.
“A mother and child were killed, while her husband and two of her other children were wounded in strikes carried out by the Saudi enemy in the Al-Batin area of Al-Hazm, in Al-Jawf province,” the Iranian-backed militia’s news agency said, citing the Houthi health ministry.
Iran ready to reopen strait of Hormuz if US eases military pressure and lifts blockade, official says
Iran is ready to reopen the strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official has told the Reuters news agency.
There is no more immediate detail on how exactly this reopening would work in practice and the US hasn’t commented on the report, which we have not been able to independently verify.
The official also told Reuters that the Iranian delegation to the UN General Assembly has full authority to revive diplomacy with US officials.
Visible traffic through the strait of Hormuz has dwindled to a trickle, but some tankers are continuing exporting oil by travelling with their transponders off to avoid detection.
Vessels at the strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on 6 September 2026. Photograph: Reuters
A total of 17 commodity vessels transited the strait over the weekend, down from 37 a week earlier, shipping data showed on Monday. Before the war, an estimated 120 vessels crossed the strait each day.
Despite the reduction in journeys through the strategic waterway, oil prices fell for a fourth consecutive session yesterday amid fresh prospects for renewed diplomacy.
As we mentioned earlier in the blog, Tehran and Washington exchanged threats on Sunday, although the US president, Donald Trump, said he probably would be open to meeting his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, who is travelling to New York for the UN meeting.
Among Iran’s previous conditions to reopen the strait included an and to the war on “all fronts” – referring to Israel’s assault on Lebanon – and the release of frozen funds.
UK to give support to Saudi jets in attempt to counter Houthi fighters
Pippa Crerar
The UK has agreed to provide defensive air support to Saudi Arabia to help counter Houthi fighters and restore stability in the Middle East while driving down the cost of living at home, Andy Burnham has said, ahead of his first meeting with Donald Trump.
The prime minister said he had agreed to a request for air-to-air refuelling of Saudi jets to defend energy infrastructure against the Iran-backed rebels and help keep oil flowing from the Gulf to ease global economic turmoil.
Burnham also revealed he will use his first meeting with Trump on Tuesday to urge the US president to de-escalate the conflict in Iran, warning that “dark clouds of global instability” are directly affecting people’s lives all over the world.
The turmoil in the Middle East has pushed up global energy prices, putting the UK economy under intense inflationary pressure and increasing government borrowing costs to multi-year highs just weeks before a crucial first budget for the new government. You can read the full story here:
Iranian foreign minister says trust in UN has been lost ahead of general assembly
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has already arrived in New York. He said Iran’s main objective is to “defend the legitimacy, rights and interests” of the Iranian people at the UN general assembly, which he describes as “a major international platform”.
He said the gathering comes at a time when Iran is still defending itself against a “cowardly” war waged on it by the US and Israel that has resulted in many deaths.
Araghchi referred to the 156 civilians, including 120 children, who were killed by a US strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab on the opening day of the war as among the victims of the war.
In his comments to journalists, which were published on Araghchi’s official Telegram channel, the Iranian foreign minister picks up on the title of this year’s theme of the UN general assembly: “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, spoke by phone with UN secretary general, AntónioGuterres, after his arrival on Monday. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock
He said the title “shows that all countries acknowledge that there is no longer any trust and confidence in this organization has been lost, and this is unfortunately due to its ineffectiveness in establishing international peace and security.”
He went on to say that a number of countries act as if they are above international law, condemning the west as hypocritical for pretending to care about human rights while remaining “silent” when Israel, for example, is allowed to “do whatever it wants”. Araghchi said Israel has been committing crimes across Lebanon, Gaza, Palestine and Iran without any “serious condemnation”.
“Therefore, it is natural that no trust remains in an organization that is influenced by these countries, so the discussion of restoring trust is an important discussion and provides an opportunity to talk to the world about how trust in the UN has been lost and how it can be restored,” Araghchi said.
The statement comes ahead of the first debate of the annual UN General Assembly in New York, where representatives from 193 countries are gathering for an intense period of high-stakes diplomacy.
The debate opens on Tuesday, runs through to Saturday, and concludes on Monday, because no sessions are held on Sunday.
Today’s morning session (from 1300 GMT time) is due to be kicked off by an address from the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, and will be followed by a speech from the US president, Donald Trump.
The United Nations Headquarters is seen ahead of the 81st General Assembly in New York. Photograph: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian is due to speak at the UN meeting tomorrow. On his way to New York this morning, he vowed to “firmly defend” his country’s positions.
“We emerged with our heads held high, and this is a source of dignity and pride for all of us. Therefore, we will firmly defend our positions in international forums,” he said.
“We will make the best possible use of this opportunity to convey Iran’s plight to the international community. We will firmly tell our adversaries that, despite all the unfairness and injustices, the Iranian people have stood their ground,” he said.
Pezeshkian will be the highest-ranking Iranian official to set foot on American soil since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, which began on 28 February 2026.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian waves before departing for New York at Mehrabad airport in Tehran. Photograph: Iran’s Presidential website/Reuters
In a joint statement, the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers called on Iran to end military support to Houthi forces in Yemen.
The ministers representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US said “we call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions”.
“All threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith,” it added.
They also called on Iran “to end its arming of and support for the Houthis,” alleging Tehran is in violation of past UN security council resolutions.
Iran denies arming the Houthis, which would violate a UN embargo, and has said it only supports the group politically.
However, smuggled Iranian weapons have been seized from shipments bound for Yemen, and a report by UN experts in 2024 documented extensive military ties between the Houthis, Iran and its other allies.
Trump reportedly calls off airstrikes against Houthis
According to a report in the New York Times, the US president, Donald Trump, has wavered for weeks over whether to act on appeals from Saudi Arabia for military help in fighting the Houthis.
On Wednesday, the president had reportedly met with advisers and said he did not favour strikes.
But the following day, his close ally, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, called Trump again to ask for his help to halt the Houthi’s rapid advance, the outlet reported, citing administration officials.
After this phone call, Trump reserved his position and told the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes against the Houthis, according to the report. But by Sunday, Trump had changed his mind again and said there would be no US airstrikes against the Iranian-backed rebel group, at least for now.
The US bombed the Houthis for two months in early 2025, but Trump called off those strikes after reaching a ceasefire with the group, as it agreed to stop targeting shipping in the Red Sea. The US has directly kept out of the conflict ever since.
Fighting in Yemen between the Houthis and government forces supported by Saudi Arabia has killed 154 people in the past two days, military sources told theAFP news agency, and has sparked a refugee crisis.
“The death toll from Saudi airstrikes, clashes and artillery fire in the governorates of Taiz, Al-Jawf, Marib and Saada stands at 118,” Houthi military sources said, while government sources reported 36 killed in their “ranks”, according to AFP.
Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that started in 2014, when the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government from Sanaa, the country’s capital, driving it south towards Aden.
A drone view of a camp for internally displaced people near Aden in Yemen on 19 September, 2026. Photograph: Reuters
A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states subsequently intervened on behalf of the ousted government, with a mostly aerial campaign that was condemned for its deadly impact on the civilians of Yemen.
Neither side was able to gain much ground in Yemen’s mountainous terrain, and the Houthis remained in control over the northwest, where most of the population lives.
The two sides agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022, which, despite some skirmishes, largely held until July, when a Saudi airstrike hit the runway of the airport in Sanaa, preventing the landing of an Iranian flight carrying a high-ranking Houthi delegation.
The already shaky UN-brokered ceasefire has since completely collapsed, with the two sides exchanging missiles, drones and air strikes.
IRGC warns it will 'change the geography of the war' if US escalates the conflict
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps warned it would “change the geography of the war” if the US escalates the conflict, after Donald Trump issued fresh threats against the Islamic Republic.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Trump said “very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future”, adding that the options he was considering were “wiping Iran out, letting them rot economically or making a deal”.
A spokesperson for the IRGC, Hossein Mohebbi, responded with a warning that if the US were to launch fresh attacks against Iran, Tehran would use “new weapons with capabilities into the battle”. “If a new aggression takes place, we will definitely change the weapons and geography of the war,” Mohebbi was quoted as having said.
“Our targets will no longer necessarily be the same as before,” he said, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, adding that Iran has targets that have not yet been struck.
Donald Trump is wrestling with an unpopular war and low approval ratings ahead of November’s US midterm elections. Photograph: Evan Vucci/Reuters
The comments come as the US and Iran remain locked in an impasse over the strait of Hormuz and after attacks on the Saudi capital, Riyadh, by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The Houthis, who operate independently of Iran’s instructions, have seized territory along the country’s Red Sea coastline, including near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital shipping route that links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez canal. Saudi Arabia has used it as an alternative route for oil exports bypassing disruption in the strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis have also attacked oil facilities and other types of infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, in response for Saudi airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The attacks have further disrupted energy markets, pushing up global fuel prices, including in the US, where consumers have been hit hard.
Iran hugely benefits from the Houthis fighting Saudi Arabia, as the Saudis are more likely in turn to put pressure on the US to relent over Iran, which has insisted it will not allow the reopening of the strait of Hormuz until all its conditions have been met.
With diplomatic negotiations stalled, traffic in the strait continues to be severely disrupted, with Iran firing on commercial ships and demanding it first approve passage along its authorised route.
In response, the US, which started the war on Iran alongside Israel in February, is maintaining a counter-blockade of Iranian ports while intensifying economic pressure. The US has also fired on commercial shipping in the region and has killed Iranian civilians in its strikes. %!s()
A trust at the centre of the largest maternity scandal in NHS history has revealed it lost historical data during routine IT work, with police now assessing its impact.
Maternity records of women and babies who received care between September 2011 and November 2022 were overwritten during work at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust.
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Information has been restored since the "human error" on 18 August, but the trust has not been able to restore the history showing who viewed maternity records during this period.
A police probe last year into a missing data file containing the details of hundreds of maternity cases found it was most likely deleted "intentionally or maliciously".
Nottinghamshire Police has been notified of the data incident and is assessing whether there has been any impact on Operation Perth - the investigation into deaths and injuries related to maternity care at Nottingham City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre, the main two hospitals run by the trust.
The force said it was told of the data loss on 4 September, and officers attended NUH on 7 September to establish what happened and how, to consider any potential criminal offences and to find out if the lost data could be recovered.
Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin, gold commander for Operation Perth, said: "At present, no crime has been identified. We have received a report from the individual concerned and have spoken with them.
"Further assessment is ongoing, and we are awaiting analysis of the digital process that was used.
"In relation to recovery, we are awaiting a copy of the database, before any further attempts can be made. We anticipate receiving this during the course of the week.
"The overall impact on Operation Perth remains under assessment and we will be in a better position to provide a fuller update once the outstanding analysis and recovery work has been completed.
"I appreciate that this update may cause concern for families, and I would encourage anyone with questions or concerns to contact Operation Perth, where the team will be happy to provide support and, where possible, further information."
Information about current maternity patients has not been affected and no patient information was "accessed or used inappropriately" after the incident, NUH added.
The trust said the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) was notified and that it had taken steps to improve its technical processes to prevent a similar incident.
Andy Callow, chief digital and information officer at NUH, said: "I am sorry for the concern and distress this incident may cause to women and families affected.
"On 18 August 2026, a human error during a routine technical process resulted in a maternity records database being unintentionally overwritten. We took immediate action to investigate the incident and recover the affected information."
A statement from the Nottingham Maternity Family Group - which represents many of those affected by the wider scandal - said the incident was "extremely unnerving".
"Families who have already endured preventable harm, injury and bereavement should not also have to worry about the security of the records of their experiences," it said.
"The ability to trust NHS professionals to look after both patients and their data is paramount, but far too many Nottingham families feel that the NUH has fallen short of this.
"With each new incident, the trauma of what we have faced is compounded and the confidence and trust we have in the trust is further eroded."
The group added it was pleased the ICO and police were investigating the latest data loss to see whether any criminal offences may have occurred, why the data was deleted and whether patients' rights and privacy were unlawfully compromised. %!s()
It is a group of news organisations that combine resources to follow presidents wherever they are - in the Oval Office, at state dinners, on Air Force One or on holiday.
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There are separate pools for TV, photographers and print and radio outlets, as well as a "new media" category.
The idea, conceived decades ago, is that having a pool saves on costs and space and it's not practical for hundreds of media outlets to follow the president around.
Members of the pool share their material - pictures and descriptions of the president's movements - with the wider media.
The pool is always on standby in case an event requires the president to speak to the nation.
This latest row centres on the TV pool which has five members - CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC.
It began on Friday when Trump said he was banning three outlets - CNN, Politico and MS NOW - from the White House, accusing them of spreading "fake news" and "fictions and lies" about his team.
A day later, reporters from those organisations found that their entry badges to the White House had been disabled.
On Monday, all the major US TV networks decided to pull out of White House pool duties - in effect boycotting presidential events.
That afternoon came the first test of this post-pool era - the new helipad at the White House.
With no pool cameras present, much of the media did not carry any pictures and for those that did, there was no microphone to clearly pick up the president's remarks.
But there were no such problems at Trump's meeting later that day with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, because it was not dependent on pool cameras and lots of media were there.
Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton, who currently holds the rotating role covering the White House, wrote in an email seen by the BBC that "effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage" of President Trump.
In a joint statement, the five networks said: "The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government.
"No administration should restrict a news organisation because it objects to its reporting."
The First Amendment of the US Constitution protects speech and press freedoms.
It forbids the government from "abridging" the freedom of the press - language that courts have traditionally interpreted as preventing the government from discriminating against the media based on the content of their coverage.
CNN, Politico and MS NOW have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to "defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports". A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
In a joint statement on Monday, they said: "Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting.
"Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."
Trump's speech to the United Nations on Tuesday will be unaffected by the boycott because it will be carried by outlets which are not part of the pool.
But the president's movements to and from his various New York events, which are usually filmed, could be subject to the blackout.
Responding to news of the lawsuit, Trump called the outlets "Third Rate Clowns" and "Crooked and Corrupt Press" that "trivialise and demean" his achievements.
"Fake News people and publications that only write negatively, and who violate our National Security by writing false and defamatory stories with unknown 'sources,' shouldn't be allowed access to the most important Office anywhere in the World," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He added that his team would file an appeal. Meanwhile the White House has launched Trump TV, a 24/7 stream on YouTube.
Its description reads: "Watch the Trump Administration's biggest moments all in one place."
So far, the channel has primarily consisted of replays of previous Trump speeches and rallies.
For now, the White House media slot has remained vacant and instead the conservative TV outlet, Real America's Voice, was listed as "secondary" crew on Trump's trip to New York.
Unlike the traditional pool, however, that outlet is under no obligation to share material with others and has operated unilaterally for its audience. %!s()
