Plus: Inside the year's weirdest rom-com ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| | | Hello. We have live updates as "life-threatening" Hurricane Isaias approaches the US Gulf Coast. Drone strikes are slowing down Russia's equivalent of Google - we explain why. Plus, you can test your knowledge with our quiz of the week's news. | | | | | | | TOP OF THE AGENDA | | First Atlantic hurricane of the season gains strength before landfall | | |  | | Residents in Pensacola, Florida board up their windows before Isaias arrives. Credit: Getty Images | | This Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet - until now. The El Niño weather phenomenon means such storms have struggled to develop at sea, but over the past day, Isaias has strengthened from a tropical storm into a category three hurricane. It's expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday evening local time - Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi are expected to bear the brunt, with warnings of a "life-threatening storm surge and devastating winds" over the coming hours. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warns the hurricane could be "very, very dangerous" for his state. | | | | | | | US reveals sanctions against ICC | | | | The Trump administration has launched a raft of measures targeting the International Criminal Court. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctions were to "defend US sovereignty"; the ICC said the move represented "an assault on the rule of law". The announcement came just hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. | | | | | | |
| | | Vance casts doubt on livestreamed execution | | "I don't know that that's actually going to happen", he said about plans to broadcast the execution of the Fort Hood attacker. | | Read more > | | | | 'Russian Google' struggles after data centre strikes | | Two of the five centres operated by tech giant Yandex were struck by Ukrainian drones over the past two days. | | Latest updates > | | | | Large tornado strikes Sicilian city and town | | The winds flipped cars, damaged buildings and injured at least two people in Marsala and Petrosino. | | Watch now > | | | | Prize-winning photo was AI-generated, Nikon rules | | Competitors in the Small World In Motion contest had expressed their fears that the image might be fake. | | More reaction > | | | | Olivia Colman on the year's weirdest rom-com | | In her new film, she plays an ostracised fisherwoman who hires a basketmaker to make her a boyfriend out of wicker. | | Wait, what? > | | | | | | |
| | | | | India's traditional street magicians are disappearing |  | | Once a magician, Imam Khan now makes a living collecting bottles and recyclables. Credit: Antariksh Jain | | Across India, there is a rich tradition of public performance, often linked to the Madari community. But the art is increasingly under threat, due largely to the changing nature of public spaces. | | | | | | Sumedha Pal & Antariksh Jain | | | | | | Sitting in his cramped Delhi home, Ishamuddin Khan can still make a rope appear to rise into the air. The 55-year-old magician spent decades performing a trick once dismissed as legend. These days, he spends more time looking back at those memories than performing the trick.
"The times have changed," he says. "Street magic is dying a slow death." Khan's story reflects a wider change in India, where traditional street performers are finding it difficult to make a living from their craft. Changing entertainment habits and tighter restrictions have made audiences harder to find, pushing many out of the profession. | | | | | | |
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