FRIDAY THE 13

council has rejected plans to move a family-run animal charity to a new site. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), more than 900 people supported the application to relocate Holbrook Animal Rescue in Holbrook Lane, Horsham, to Jackrells Lane, in Southwater. Supporters said the move would "prevent the closure of a long-standing charity that benefits both animals and people". At a Horsham District Council meeting on Tuesday, councillors rejected the plan after officers said it would be "detrimental to the rural landscape character of the area" and cause noise and disturbance to neighbours. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0zrr8g3x9o

Newcastle United have rejected an opening offer from Liverpool for striker Alexander Isak. The Magpies value the Sweden international at about £150m, with the Reds' offer falling below that figure. There has been no confirmation as to the level of Liverpool's bid but there are reports it is worth £110m plus add-ons. Isak was left out of the Newcastle squad for their pre-season tour of Asia as he wants to explore a move away - despite the club qualifying for this season's Champions League. The bid from Liverpool has been lodged while Isak trains alone at former club Real Sociedad, amid continued uncertainty around his future. The 25-year-old joined Newcastle in a £60m move from La Liga club Real Sociedad in 2022. BBC Sport reported in July that Liverpool were considering a move for Isak worth up to £130m. Newcastle have maintained he is not for sale this summer, but that has not prevented Liverpool from taking a major interest. The Premier League champions made an approach to Newcastle last month and have now lodged an official bid. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will make an improved bid for Isak, but manager Arne Slot is very keen to add the striker to his squad before the new season. There have already been a number of additions to the Dutchman's squad during a heavy summer of spending by the Anfield club. They have signed Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Armin Pecsi for a combined total of about £265m without add-ons. Meanwhile, regular first-teamers Luis Diaz, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold have departed for an initial £115m. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c5yl7epeyv0o

A Surrey children's farm that has been operating for more than 40 years has announced its closure. The owners of Elm Nursery in Guildford, which covers two acres (0.8 hectares), said they made the decision to retire with "heavy hearts". It is a family-run farm with alpacas, goats, Shetland ponies, pigs, ducks, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs, and other attractions including its farm shop, café and nursery. "After 42 years of 7 days a week, we are finally hanging up our wellies," they said. "Running a business like ours is a lifestyle, not just a job." https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd781zjl874o

The film consolidates Lohan's return to Hollywood - she was absent for much of the 2010s and made her return to the big screen in 2022 with Falling for Christmas. This is her first film with Disney in more than a decade but is probably not the last as she says if fans love Freakier Friday they could expect the freakiest of sequels. The star, who rose to fame in the Parent Trap, tells me that she was not nervous about returning to acting as she loves what she does "and I know that always shows through in my work". She adds that her return to acting was all about finding the right time, and the 39-year-old has had a busy few years having married financier Bader Shammas in 2022 and borne a son a year later. She says being a parent has given her a new perspective on the mother-child relationship in the film and helped her to relate more to it. "When you become a mum, your whole life changes and it's important to be able to balance work and being a mum which is definitely a learning process." Lohan has been in the public eye for almost three decades and had a turbulent time in her 20s - she was arrested a number of times for various offenses and spent time in rehab on various occasions. She tells the BBC that looking back she would tell her younger self to not rush and "just slow down and breathe because it's all coming". https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c707ewljqv5o

Xbox announced that Embark Studios' team-based multiplayer shooter THE FINALS is now available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Just eight days ago, season 6 of THE FINALS began, where there are now even more ways to compete with each other, as well as an updated arsenal to provide more variety in gameplay. Team Deathmatch has now become a permanent Quickplay mode for Season 6. There are now six arenas that you can play in. By jumping into Quick Play, you can fight off against other players to try and get yourself on the leaderboard and earn progression rewards. Similar to the World Tour, you will now earn points regardless of how the match turns out, allowing you to progress through the season a little bit faster to get rewards. Of course, winning a match does reward you with more points. https://wccftech.com/the-finals-joins-game-pass-season-6-out-now/

Though it takes place in the same setting as Control, it could not be any clearer in Remedy's new co-op shooter that you are no Jesse Faden. Forget telekinetic superpowers and shape-shifting weaponry—this time you're just an expendable grunt, sent out to do jobs so dangerous that your objectives are more likely to kill you than the hordes of Hiss-possessed ghouls. uring my two-and-a-half-hour hands-on with FBC: Firebreak, I truly never knew what to expect as I jumped into each new mission—though "something unpleasant" was a good rule of thumb. One minute I was transporting deadly radioactive material in a nightmarish quarry full of giant leeches, the next I was desperately dodging through an office trying to avoid being engulfed by parasitic post-it notes. https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/co-op-shooter-fbc-firebreak-is-so-deadly-that-even-the-objectives-are-trying-to-kill-you/

Just hours before he was suspended, Leishman asked Sir Keir about Fife bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis at Prime Minister's Questions. After the Labour leader said he was working with English mayors to put in orders for zero-emissions buses in a bid to save the firm, Leishman posted on X to confirm that he was working with the UK government "to help save Scottish bus manufacturing". The suspension of Leishman and others is the prime minister's latest attempt to tighten party discipline after his authority was undermined in the welfare vote. Last year, he suspended seven MPs who voted against the government on a proposal to scrap the two-child benefit cap. SNP deputy Westminster leader Pete Wishart said: "It says it all that the only Labour MP who has dared stand up for Scotland has been suspended by Keir Starmer - simply because he refused to betray his constituents like every other Scottish Labour MP has done repeatedly." https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0w67geezxo

The South East of England has seen a rise of more than 15% in animal cruelty reports in the summer months, according to RSPCA data shared with the BBC. The charity received 2,039 reports from Surrey, Kent, and East and West Sussex between June and August 2024, up from 1,766 reports in the same period the year before. The data also shows that reports have risen nationally by 33%. The government says it is committed to upholding the highest animal welfare standards and that "all cases of animal cruelty are unacceptable". https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vddkypgqro

The driver of a battered BMW was pulled over by police after its condition was brought to their attention by a concerned member of the public. The white car was being driven along the M25 near Potters Bar in Hertfordshire on Sunday. It had a number of obvious issues including a bonnet that would not fully close because of damage to the front of the vehicle and radiator grille. Police said the driver was reported and the vehicle prohibited from being driven. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d6qvy76vdo

England's victorious Euro 2025-winning team will play China in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday, 29 November. Sarina Wiegman's side will use the match as preparation for their 2027 World Cup qualifying campaign, which starts in February 2026. The Lionesses enjoyed an open-top bus parade attended by 65,000 fans in London on Tuesday after they beat Spain to win Euro 2025 and claim back-to-back European Championship titles. "After an incredible month and the celebrations this week, we are already planning ahead," said Wiegman, whose side beat China 6-1 at the 2023 World Cup. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cx2x8gp3yepo

Her larger-than-life sensibility and scale of ambition have led to both admiration and criticism – and she seems to thrive in her own divisiveness. The author of new book Gwyneth: The Biography, tells the BBC what fascinates her about the star. Gwyneth Paltrow is hardly an enigma. From crystal "healing" eggs to vagina-themed candles, we might feel that we know the actress and businesswoman intimately. And yet, we really only know her through headlines – most recently, she starred in US tech firm Astronomer's "clever PR move". For more than 30 years, through stories about her boyfriends, her "conscious uncoupling" from Chris Martin, crying at the Oscars, narrowly escaping Harvey Weinstein's advances, and in the very public 2023 ski-crash trial, the public has come to both love and loathe her. Now a new book, Gwyneth: The Biography, explores Paltrow's life and divisive public persona. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250729-how-gwyneth-paltrow-became-a-divisive-icon

An internal US government analysis has found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian supplies, according to reports from Reuters and CNN. The study was reportedly carried out by a bureau within the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and completed in late June. The agency looked at 156 incidents of theft or loss of US-funded supplies, and found “no reports alleging Hamas” benefited from the aid, according to a presentation seen by both news outlets. A State Department spokesperson disputed the reports, saying there is "endless video evidence of Hamas looting" aid, but did not provide footage supporting the statement. CNN reports the findings were presented to officials - including those in the State Department’s Middle East bureau - but it's unclear if they have reached the department's leadership. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cx2l2wk3zx0t

An HM Coastguard spokesman explained: "HM Coastguard was called to reports of a vessel taking on waters after coming aground in King's Lynn Harbour with multiple persons and animals aboard. "Coastguard rescue teams from Hunstanton and Sutton Bridge were sent, alongside Hunstanton RNLI lifeboat and an RNLI Hovercraft and an emergency evacuation was conducted. Three fire crews and a surface rescue boat were sent to the scene via Ferry Lane at 03:32 and were stood down at 06:26 after helping pass four people into ambulance care. A Hunstanton RNLI spokesman said: "Two men and two women were taken off the vessel by the hovercraft before the crew returned to attempt to rescue animals which were on board. "They saved 15 dogs, three cats, a snake, two parrots and a tortoise. "By 04:15, the boat had sunk." A spokeswoman confirmed Norfolk Police was made aware of the incident but did not attend. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14erkmr500o

Mavi Garcia's aggressive approach paid off as the Spaniard became the oldest stage winner of the Tour de France Femmes. The Liv-AlUla-Jayco cyclist boldly opted for a solo break with 10km remaining and opened up a gap of around 20 seconds to the chasing peloton. Garcia held her nerve through the final climb of the 110.4km between Brest and Quimper to seal the first stage victory of her career. At 41 years, six months and 25 days, Garcia is the oldest competitor on this year's Tour and her feat surpassed Annemiek van Vleuten's record - set in 2022 when she was 39 - as the event's oldest stage winner. https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/articles/c3ezjgy9w83o

The future of a historical and abandoned outdoor swimming pool has been plunged into doubt after millions of pounds worth of funding was withdrawn. Broomhill Lido, in Ipswich, was shut down in 2002, having provided families and swimmers with a place to cool off and take a dip since the 1930s. Since then, attempts have been made to restore the Grade II listed open-air pool to its former glory, but the plans have repeatedly stalled due to funding issues. The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which pledged £3.8m to the project in 2018 and a further £3m in 2023, said it had now made the "difficult decision to withdraw" after work had not started. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj3r21v27x4o

Aid agencies have said today that Israel's decision to allow air drops of food into Gaza is inadequate and a "grotesque distraction" that won't end starvation in the Strip. Israel announced earlier it will allow aid air drops by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the coming days - but it's not clear yet when those drops will begin. Israel has repeatedly insisted that there is no restriction on aid deliveries to Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry has reported an additional five deaths due to malnutrition today, bringing the total to 127 since the war began. That number includes 85 children. Fears are rife within Gaza about the risks involved in air dropping aid. One man tells the BBC: "When aid is dropped from the air, it risks landing directly on tents, potentially causing serious harm, including injury or even death." Meanwhile, Palestinians struggle to source food for their families, with one mother saying they are "living with no food or drink, no food, no bread, not even water. We’re craving even water." We will shortly be pausing our coverage on the worsening malnutrition crisis in Gaza. If you would like to read more about today's developments, head to our main news article For even more analysis, BBC Verify has looked at what is inside the food aid box being distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cx2l2wk3zx0t

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Trailers that do show off some Marathon gameplay, but none of them are as effective in showing what the game actually looks like in motion than a 20 minute video that shows highlights from Bungie inviting content creators and press to play the game. In that video you're watching a select few creator's direct gameplay feed, and we get a much better sense of what Marathon looks like when you're on stick. We also got a bit more information on some of the core details of Marathon, like the four Runners that players can choose from: Void, Glitch, Blackbird, and Locus. Each runner comes with their own set of abilities that inform the playstyle you can go for with them, but you're not limited to what kinds of weapons and load-outs you can craft, so you're free to play how you like. Overall, Marathon doesn't look like it's doing much to distinguish itself from the already overcrowded genre of modern-day first-person shooters. Bungie's signature brand of first-person shooting and the game's art style certainly have a chance at making yet another extraction shooter feel fresh, but we'll have to wait until we actually get to play it to see if it has a chance at surviving. And that's without even mentioning the other elephant in the room, which is the fact that we still don't know what the final price of the game will be. https://wccftech.com/bungie-showcases-marathon-gameplay-release-date-announced-for-september-2025/