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He meant Italy, above all.

Fratelli d'Italia, the hard-right party of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, had been quick to post images of migrants racing through the streets of Ceuta.

"This is the Sanchez model the Italian left wing likes so much," the caption crowed.

Meloni then announced she was suspending Italy's Schengen agreement with Spain that allows for the free movement of people, citing a security threat.

Madrid is fuming.

The way Spain sees it, the crisis has been contained and Ceuta is not in the Schengen zone so Moroccan migrants were never going to head for mainland Europe, unchecked.

Meloni knows that.

But she faces elections next year with her coalition losing ground to a new and virulently anti-immigrant party. This was a chance to sound tough herself and claw back votes and she leaped on it.

Italy is not the only country to see Spain as soft on migration, though.

Meloni's call for an urgent meeting of interior ministers to be held on Tuesday was signed by almost two dozen EU heads of state, calling for the elimination of all policies that could be "pull factors" to Europe.

Above all, they mean Spain's controversial move to allow hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants apply for residence and work permits and "regularise" their status.

The government's pragmatic: Spain is ageing and needs workers.

But those who flocked to the beaches of Ceuta this week were not heading to sign up for a campaign that's already closed.

Sanchez himself points instead to a recent ruling by Spain's Supreme Court: it said those who enter by sea cannot be pushed back immediately.

The prime minister argues that was misrepresented by smugglers to promise an easy path to Europe.

The crowd heading for Ceuta didn't need to pay smugglers, though, because most were Moroccan and the route is well known.

The message was actually spread online.

Migrants have shown social media posts to reporters with people shouting that "Spain is Open" and jumping into the sea.

Multiple accounts we've checked ourselves show young people in wetsuits and flippers, or filming themselves already swimming, mixed with pictures from inside Ceuta itself.

Some have only been active for weeks. Several have tens of thousands of likes.

All their promises were false.

The crowds who made it to kiss the shore in Ceuta with joy were met with nothing. Without food or shelter, and with no way on to continental Europe, most quickly turned back.

So have migrants been "weaponised" as happened a few years back in Belarus, for example?

If so, who did it?

For now we only see those enjoying the results.

The global right wing are "hyperventilating with happiness", as journalist Andrea Rizzi wrote in Spain's El Pais newspaper.

US President Donald Trump, angry at Spain for opposing his war on Iran, has talked of a "catastrophe" and an "invasion". Like Meloni, he has an election looming.

Russia has been gloating, too: it loves chaos and division in Europe. Anything to weaken Ukraine's allies.

As for Morocco, it's blaming "criminal organisations". But its border guards must have seen the crowds building.

The last time something similar happened, albeit smaller, Spain and Morocco were at loggerheads over Western Sahara, a former colony.

There are new tensions, right now.

Sanchez is emphatically not blaming Morocco for what happened, calling Rabat a "good ally".

But his critics call that appeasement and say he should be "showing teeth". %!s()

It’s Sunday. I’m feeling lazy. I’ve probably been working out a little too hard and I’ve taken on way too many projects. I have game night to go to and I’m the GM and I’m totally unprepared, so let’s knock this Pips out shall we?

Looking for Saturday’s Pips? Read our guide right here.

How To Play Pips

In Pips, you have a grid of multi=-colored boxes. Each colored area represents a different “condition” that you have to achieve. You have a select number of dominoes that you have to spend filling in the grid. You must use every domino and achieve every condition properly to win. There are Easy, Medium and Difficult tiers.

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Here’s an example of a difficult tier Pips:

As you can see, the grid has a bunch of symbols and numbers with each color. On the far left, the three purple squares must not equal one another (hence the equal sign crossed out). The two pink squares next to that must equal a total of 0. The zig-zagging blue squares all must equal one another. You click on dominoes to rotate them, and will need to since they have to be rotated to fit where they belong.

Not shown on this grid are other conditions, such as “less than” or “greater than.” If there are multiple tiles with > or < signs, the total of those tiles must be greater or less than the listed number. It varies by grid. Blank spaces can have anything. The various possible conditions are:

• = All pips must equal one another in this group.
• ≠ All pips must not equal one another in this group.
• > The pip in this tile (or tiles) must be greater than the listed number.
• < The pip in this tile must be less than the listed number.
• An exact number (like 6) The pip must equal this exact number.
• Tiles with no conditions can be anything.

In order to win, you have to use up all your dominoes by filling in all the squares, making sure to fit each condition. Sometimes there’s only one way to solve the puzzle. Other times, there can be two or more different solutions. Play today’s Pips puzzle here.

Today’s Pips Solutions And Walkthrough

Below are the solutions for the Easy and Medium tier Pips. After that, I’ll walk you through the Hard puzzle. Spoilers ahead.

Today’s Easy Pips

Today’s Medium Pips

Hard Pips Walkthrough And Solution

Here’s today’s Hard Pips:

Today’s Hard Pips is the number 350, because today is the 350th Pips puzzle since this game kicked off at the NYT Games App. It’s a tough one to commemorate this big day, so I just sort of winged it and, naturally, had to make a bunch of changes as I went along. I’ll give you the right way to go about it from step 1.

Step 1

Place the 4/1 domino from Blue < 5 into Orange = and the 1/2 domino from Orange = up into Dark Blue =. The 1/1 domino goes in the remaining Orange = tiles and the 6/2 domino goes from Blue > 5 into Dark Blue =.

Step 2

Toss the 2/5 domino from Dark Blue = up into Blue 5 and then hop over to the right side of the “350”. Place the 3/5 domino from Dark Blue 3 into Green 5 and the 6/4 domino from Orange = into Purple > 3. The 6/3 domino goes from Orange = up into Green 3.

Step 3

We’re saving all the free tiles for the fourth step so bear with me. Place the 0/1 domino from Purple 0 into Pink = and the 1/3 domino from Pink = into Green 3. Then place the 0/5 domino from Dark Blue < 3 up into Purple 5. Hop over to the top of the “5” and place the 0/0 domino from Orange 0 into Purple < 3.

Solution

Moving left to right: Place the 3/3 domino from the first free tile into Pink 3 and the 1/6 domino from Purple < 3 into the second free tile. The 2/3 domino goes from Dark Blue = into the third free tile and the 0/2 domino finishes up this monster of a Hard Pips from Pink 0 into the fourth free tile.

Have a great lazy Sunday, Pipsqueaks!

How’d you do on today’s Pips?

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Be sure to follow me for all your daily puzzle-solving guides, TV show and movie reviews and more here on this blog! %!s()

Suddenly, WWE has a heel problem.

Cody Rhodes and CM Punk told a very good story in what is becoming a stale formula of babyfaces battling for world titles in big matches. Rhodes faced WWE legend Randy Orton at WrestleMania 42 Night 1, who was cheered so much as a babyface leading up to the event WWE paired him with Pat McAfee in a polarizing decision.

CM Punk returned to a rousing ovation in his hometown of Chicago to regain the WWE Championship with a win over Sami Zayn, who held the title for just nine days. Punk faced fellow babyface Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania Night 1, and Reigns will take on fellow babyface in the main event of SummerSlam Night 2.

As good as all these matches are and are likely to be, WWE is in need of major heels, especially with former heel Solo Sikoa now rising up the ranks as a surprise breakout babyface. Even Sami Zayn’s catchphrase as a heel is “the last real good guy.”

The “can they coexist” formula was spammed during an otherwise highly anticipated dream match between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes, who received a custom Street Fighter-themed entrance. Rhodes donned a mask inspired by Guile, whom he’ll be portraying in the Street Fighter movie on October 16.

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CM Punk Def. Cody Rhodes As Randy Orton Returns

• Cody Rhodes walked out with a helmet and entrance inspired by Guile of Street Fighter. CM Punk walked out with no music, but a loud ovation instead. Wearing a Minnesota North Stars bomber jacket, Punk led Minneapolis in an “it’s clobberin’ time!” battlecry before Cult of Personality blasted through US Bank Stadium.
• Fans were split for the two top babyfaces who exchanged a pair of tense lockups. Rhodes and Punk then exchanged chops before Punk scored with an awkward flying headscissors. Punk attacked Rhodes’ left arm, setting him up for a possible Anaconda Vice.
• US Bank Stadium competed in dueling chants for Punk and Rhodes as Rhodes claimed the advantage with a headlock takeover. Punk went to the outside with a suicide dive on Punk. Punk answered with a flying clothesline off the barricade and went right back to work on Cody’s arm.
• Punk barely connected with a flying kick, tweaking his knee. Now it was Rhodes’ turn to exploit a babyface injury. Punk struggled to get Rhodes up for the GTS with his bad knee, and Rhodes returned to grounding Punk by targeting his knee.
• Punk temporarily got Cody up for the GTS, but Rhodes fought out of it and ran into a big boot from Punk. There were dueling chants for Punk and Rhodes as Punk limped to the top rope. Punk fought Rhodes off the top rope and hits flying elbow for a two-count.
• Cody Rhodes fought out of a GTS with well-placed elbows to the jaw and a Cody Cutter. A frustrated Rhodes kept attacking Punk’s knee, even pulling down Punk’s kneepad. Rhodes hit a super Cody Cutter for another nearfall.
• Rhodes went for the Figure Four, but Punk fought out and tried a GTS. Cody countered with a Figure Four. Fans chanted for CM Punk Rhodes held the hold in the center of the ring. Punk ultimately forced the rope break.
• CM Punk crossed over into the Anaconda Vice, but Cody forced a rope break. Rhodes tried a spinning Alabama Slam, but Punk countered with an Anaconda Vice. Cody bridged out of a pinfall attempt and hit a Cross Rhodes for a nearfall.
• Punk tried an ugly moonsault and missed, leading to a Cody kickout at two. Punk followed up with a GTS using his bad knee. Punk’s injured knee gave Cody enough time to recover and kickout of the pin attempt. CM Punk ripped apart the Spanish announce table. There was a stalemate trying to put one another through a table, and upon reentering the ring, Punk hit a second GTS. Cody grabbed the bottom rope at two.
• Punk set Cody up on the table and willed his way to the top rope. Punk came crashing through the table feet-first, re-injuring his already hurt knee. Fans chanted “this is awesome” as Rhodes slowly dragged Punk back into the ring. Cody went for a Cody Cutter, but Punk ducked and Rhodes accidentally hit Charles Robinson. Punk hit a third GTS, then a fourth. Cody answered with a Cross Rhodes that sent the referee out of the ring.
• Randy Orton hit the ring and scored with an RKO on Cody Rhodes. Punk hit a fifths GTS for the win.

Match Grade: B

It also said that the other nine members of the expedition had died.

Purja, a Nepali-born climber, was known for scaling the world's 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019.

Pakistani officials previously said the bodies of three climbers - American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal - who were among the 10-person expedition had been recovered.

Purja's death was also confirmed by Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who said on social media that "the tragic death of six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers, including world record holder Nirmal Purja, in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan, has shocked us".

"The history of their courage, dedication, and contributions will always remain inspiring," the prime minister added.

Rescue teams in Pakistan had been searching for the climbers on the world's 12th-highest summit.

Purjam 43, became widely known following a Netflix documentary chronicling his journey, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, released in 2021.

The avalanche happened on Thursday on the 8,047m (26,400ft) peak in the Karakoram range.

The multinational climbing group was being led by Purja, who joined the British Army in 2003 and the Special Boat Service - the Royal Navy's special forces unit - in 2009.

Broad Peak is regarded as one of the more challenging mountains for climbers. The first successful ascent was in 1957, when an Austrian expedition reached the summit.

Since then, many more have climbed the mountain, but dozens have lost their lives.

One of Broad Peak's deadliest years was 2013, when at least six fatalities were recorded.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X, external to get the latest alerts. %!s()

BBC Sport senior journalist

Uefa says it has lost confidence in Gianni Infantino's Fifa leadership as the fallout from the scrapped controversial investment plan intensifies.

On Saturday, Infantino said Fifa would no longer proceed with the proposal to sell stakes in the governing body's competitions to private investors.

Uefa - which governs European football - had earlier voted to boycott World Cups if the plans went ahead, and other governing bodies also voiced their opposition.

On Saturday, Uefa said it welcomed the decision to withdraw the plan, describing it as "a victory for the whole game".

It also accused Infantino of failing to deliver on promises, quoting a speech he gave when campaigning to become Fifa president in 2016.

The fallout from the plans means Infantino is now under immense pressure as he seeks re-election for a fourth term as president at the Fifa Congress in March.

"The current Fifa leadership has not only lost Uefa's confidence but also that of many other members of the football family," Uefa's statement read.

"When Gianni Infantino asked for the trust and the votes of Fifa's member associations to elect him as their president in 2016, he said: 'Of course we have to be transparent.'

"He told the assembled stakeholders: 'The money of Fifa is your money. It's not the money of the Fifa president. You are the national associations and the money of Fifa has to serve for the development of football and not for anything else.'

"On both these promises, he has failed to deliver. The shabby, back room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through were anything but transparent."

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham - who was the first leader of a major country to call on Infantino to resign - said Fifa made "the right decision" to back down.

What did Uefa's statement say?

Uefa had been highly critical of the proposals since they were first reported in the media on Tuesday.

In a powerful, lengthy statement released several hours after Fifa announced it had scrapped the plans, Uefa said:

• It "cannot keep going on" with "secret schemes of fast-track timescales cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game"

• Those responsible for the plan should be identified and held to account

• It would devise a plan "with its associations and in close co-operation with other confederations" to make sure this "cannot occur again"

• And it would work with partners to "propose a new way of distributing resources through the existing Fifa Forward programme"

It also accused Infantino of "failing to use associations' money for the benefit of the game".

"We must start to use some of that money that is sat idle in Fifa's bank account to deliver the kickstart that the grassroots and the wider game need," the statement added.

"But we don't need to sell off the family silver to pay for it.

"This is a victory for the whole game. But it must not be the end of the story.

"The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in Fifa has only just begun."

Fifa has yet to respond to Uefa's statement.

The Football Association said it supports Uefa's position, adding: "It is time for a full and robust review of Fifa's leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently."

Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, said it was "reassuring to be part of a strong and united Uefa throughout this process".

"We must acknowledge the entire framework of international football cooperation was unnecessarily put at risk in pursuit of individual interests rather than the best interests of the game," a statement read.

"Going forward, all our efforts must be directed towards improving governance.

"This cannot end as merely another power struggle conducted behind closed doors or through bilateral discussions."

'A thunderous barrage of criticism from Uefa'

By

Chief football news reporter

Any hope Infantino might have had of tiptoeing away from the scene of his World Cup private-investment wreckage having sustained only minor damage to his reputation has been obliterated.

Uefa has gone straight for the Fifa president.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) couched its condemnation of Infantino - and, make no mistake, it is livid - in creative terms.

But Uefa's statement is one of the most ferocious - possibly the most ferocious - ever aimed at the head of world football.

Words such as "shabby" and "secret schemes" speak for themselves.

It is fair to ask why football's powerbrokers didn't step in before now. There have been plenty of instances in the past few months alone when people have felt Fifa's president seemed to be acting against the benefit of the wider game.

But that is a different question.

Uefa has now taken aim at Infantino with a thunderous barrage of criticism, condemnation and vicious questioning.

The damage to Infantino is severe and it doesn't appear anyone is coming to help.

How did the proposal fall apart?

The proposal - first reported in the media on Tuesday - was met with widespread criticism, with Uefa voting on Thursday to boycott World Cups if the plans went ahead.

European football's governing body said the World Cup "cannot be treated as an investment product".

Two other major confederations then spoke out against the plans.

Concacaf, which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean - and hosted this summer's World Cup - said its members "rejected" the proposal, with sources saying the vast majority of associations from the region are losing, or have lost, faith in Infantino.

The AFC said it stood in "solidarity" with Uefa and Concacaf, while Burnham said Infantino was "the wrong man" to lead Fifa.

On Friday, Fifa's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said the governing body's own administration had been "deceived" about the project.

Carlos Cordeiro - Infantino's senior adviser on global strategy and governance - resigned over the matter, saying the proposal was "a bad deal for football" and would "mortgage football's future".

What were Infantino's plans?

Fifa and Infantino wanted to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including its World Cups, and external investors would have been able to buy stakes in it.

It said it would "invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments" in a new subsidiary - Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE).

In a 25-page document created by investment bank JP Morgan, it was made clear Fifa's tournaments would expand to hit an estimated increased pay-out of 24m euros (£20.5m)per member association in the 2035-2039 cycle.

In the document, the World Cup was described as the "most widely viewed" sporting event but Fifa, by contrast, was said to be "under-monetised".

There was no mention of the women's game.

Fifa said Thrive Eternal was expected to lead the proposed investor group for FFE, had it been approved.

Thrive is an American venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner - the brother of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared.

A report in the New York Post, which broke the story of the Fifa plan withdrawal, quoted an unnamed source saying the situation had become a "brand nightmare" for Kushner. %!s()