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A wood warbler, first identified as a distinct species by the parson‑naturalist Gilbert White in the 18th century. Photograph: Rick Beven The departure of our warblers in autumn is an exfiltration quite unlike the noisy invasion of their arrival in spring. The migration of the Phylloscopus, or leaf warblers, has begun and our observatory on the Kent coast has been catching and ringing large numbers of willow warblers and chiffchaffs on their way to their wintering grounds in west Africa and southern Europe. Today, however, there was a rather more uncommon warbler in the mist net when we went to check. From a distance it had the fresh yellow jizz of a willow warbler, but my ringing companion, a retired vicar, drew my attention to its white belly. It was a wood warbler, first identified as a distinct species by the parson‑naturalist Gilbert White in the 18th century. He was the first person to discern, through careful observation of their song and behaviour, that the “willow wren” was in fact three distinct species: the willow warbler, the chiffchaff and the wood warbler. White’s clerical successor carefully extracted our warbler from the mist net and placed it in a small cotton bag. A trainee ringer, an ecology student, was given the task of ringing the wood warbler. She used an AA ring – the smallest standard ring in use – and fitted it carefully it around the warbler’s right leg with a special pair of pliers. Then she measured the length of its wing, meticulously inspected its feathers and body to gauge its age and condition, then weighed it on a set of digital scales. Our wood warbler weighed 9.9 grams – not a lot for a bird that will fly across the Sahara in a single flight, en route to its wintering grounds in the tropical forests of Liberia and Sierra Leone. A ringer also has the privilege of releasing the bird they have ringed. All the trainees trooped outside to say goodbye. We knew it was this year’s brood and would be making its 6,000km journey on its own, with everything it needed to know about its route already genetically hardwired within it. She opened her hand and the wood warbler took off – all our slender knowledge about it contained on the tiny metal alloy ring around its leg. Country diary is on Twitter/X at @gdncountrydiary Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024 (Guardian Faber) is published on 26 September; pre-order now at the guardianbookshop.com and get a 20% discount https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/31/country-diary-this-bird-is-about-to-fly-non-stop-to-the-sahara-desert

Israel’s military is conducting raids in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, blocking access to aid for Palestinians in the besieged refugee camp on the fourth day of its assault. Dozens of Israeli soldiers were stationed on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp, with Israeli military jeeps and armoured personnel carriers moving into the area. Israeli forces blew up homes in the Jabriyat neighbourhood of the camp as they extended their largest military assault on Palestinian territory in more than 20 years. Reporting from Jenin, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said, “Jenin is a ghost town. All of the shops are closed. Nobody is leaving their homes.” Paramedics were struggling to contact people in the camp with telecommunications blocked. “Palestinian residents continue to plea to have access to food, water and paramedics,” said Odeh. “This is day four, and the residents of the refugee camp have pretty much no access to any outside help.” Several gun battles between Palestinian fighters and Israeli soldiers have been reported in Jenin, Odeh reported, adding that videos on social media show extensive damage in the area. The armed wing of Hamas said its members have “engaged in armed clashes” with Israeli forces in the village of Kafr Dan, which is located to the west of the city. Israeli troops, along with armoured vehicles, drones and bulldozers, on Wednesday launched simultaneous raids in Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas. The Palestinian Health Ministry said an “elderly man” was killed in Jenin, without specifying his age, bringing the total death toll from the military raids to 20. The Israeli army maintains its goal is to target armed groups in the West Bank and to prevent future attacks. It claims to have killed 20 Palestinian fighters and arrested 17. Hamas said at least 10 of those killed were its fighters. Palestinian residents say that the trail of destruction left behind by the military incursion – which has destroyed infrastructure, roads, water and electricity facilities – suggests that the army’s goal is to make the territory inhabitable and push Palestinians out of their homes. “Israel’s plans involve annexing Palestinian land, ultimately over time getting rid of the Palestinian po[CENSORED]tion and ethnically cleansing the West Bank and Gaza,” Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera. Israel has been emboldened by the lack of response from the United States for its ongoing war in Gaza, he said. “So if it can get away with it there, why [would Israel] not in the West Bank?” Two attacks in illegal settlements In the south of the West Bank, tensions ratcheted up after Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinians suspected of attempting to attack Israelis in two separate incidents late on Friday. The army said in a statement that troops responding to a vehicle catching fire and exploding at a gas station in the southern Gush Etzion junction killed a suspected assailant “who exited the vehicle and attempted to attack” the soldiers. In a second incident, assailants rammed a car into the gates leading into the illegal settlement of Karmei Tzur and infiltrated the area. One assailant was killed. Security forces have been dispatched to the area in search of other assailants, the army said. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said it was treating three people for moderate and light injuries. Two of them were injured by gunfire at Gush Etzion Junction and a third was injured when his vehicle collided with that of the assailants, the rescue service said. Al Jazeera’s Odeh said the situation in Hebron – the largest district of the territory where about one million people live – was particularly tense, as Israeli forces set up several checkpoint. The continuing raids are the largest and most violent since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza. The parallel conflict unfolding in the West Bank has killed about 600 Palestinians, according to figures from the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs office. The number of detentions since the beginning of the West Bank assault has risen to about 70, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/31/israeli-soldiers-besiege-jenin-as-assault-on-west-bank-enters-fourth-day

A Palestinian woman reacts as she walks on a street damaged by the Israeli army in Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem on August 28, 2024 [Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP] Israel’s assault on refugee camps in the occupied West Bank has dominated headlines. Israel has killed at least 20 people since it launched its attacks on the towns and refugee camps at Jenin, Nablus, Tubas and Tulkarem overnight on Wednesday. What’s the occupied West Bank? Who are the refugees there? The occupied West Bank is part of historical Palestine on the west bank of the Jordan River, it measures 5,650sq km (2,180sq miles) of landlocked territory surrounded by Israel, Jordan, and the Dead Sea. Approximately three million Palestinians live there, alongside an increasing number of Israelis who built illegal settlements and outposts on land taken by force from Palestinian families. The West Bank has some 871,000 registered refugees, a quarter of whom live in 19 refugee camps, descendants of the Palestinians ethnically cleansed from their homes and lands to make way for the creation of Israel in the Nakba of 1948. What does it have to do with Gaza? The occupied West Bank and Gaza are both parts of Palestine but are separated from each other by the state of Israel. Both Gaza and the West Bank were occupied by Israel in 1967 and remained so for decades, until Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005. Israel is still attacking Gaza, and has killed more than 40,000 people and injured nearly 100,000. The tactics Israel is using in Gaza have been referenced by some Israeli ministers who have demanded that the same be done in the occupied West Bank assaults, including forcing people out of their homes to clear certain areas. What does it mean that the West Bank is ‘occupied’? In the 1967 war, Israel took the land earmarked by the UN as part of a future Palestinian state from caretaker Jordan. Even with the establishment of the Palestinian Authority after the Olso Accords, the Israeli army operates unchecked and effectively controls the territory and still controls several essential administrative and governmental functions. At the end of the day, Palestinians do not even control their own land. The Israeli settlement of Efrata, built on the ruins of the Palestinian town of al-Khader, on March 6, 2024 [Hazem Bader/AFP] In theory, the limits of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank should be regulated by international law. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention, the transfer of all or part of an occupying po[CENSORED]tion onto territory it has seized – like Israelis building settlements on Palestinian land – is illegal. In 2004 and 2016 respectively, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the UN Security Council said the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is illegal. In July of this year, the ICJ again ruled that the Israeli presence in the West Bank was unlawful and should come to an end “as rapidly as possible”. So, is construction of new settlements over? Not in the least. While settlement construction was fairly slow until the 1980s, it has surged since, with hundreds of new settlements and outposts established. Before October 7, more than 700,000 Israelis lived in the West Bank across more than 150 illegal settlements and numerous outposts Numbers have increased dramatically after October 7. According to Israel, the settlements are necessary for security, serving as a buffer against hostile Arab states, in addition to Iran. Israel also says the Oslo Accords do not explicitly ban settlement in all areas and that some are allowed under the terms of the agreement. Israeli settlers also claim the biblical Jewish territories of Samaria and Judea, both in the modern-day West Bank, using religious justifications to take Palestinian land. How have West Bank Palestinians responded to the occupation? Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. Displacement, dispossession, lack of rights, economic hardships and military control over daily life have fanned Palestinian anger. However, the continued systematic confiscation of land for the construction of Israeli settlements has caused the most outrage. Have the Palestinians revolted? There have been two Intifadas (uprisings) against the Israeli occupation. The first Intifada, 1987-1993, began with protests and demonstrations, including stone-throwing and civil disobedience, before escalating into widespread revolt. Israel’s military response – curfews, mass arrests, and the use of live ammunition and tear gas -, exacerbated the situation and drew international criticism. Israel killed some 1,000 Palestinians, approximately 250 of whom were children. There were 160 Israelis killed in the fighting. The second Intifada, 2000 to 2005, was triggered by then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. A mural of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on the Israeli separation barrier at the Qalandiya checkpoint on August 24, 2011, in Ramallah [Christopher Furlong/Getty Images] Demonstrations and stone-throwing swiftly descended into violence as Israel responded with overwhelming force. About 3,000 Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israelis, as well as 64 foreign nationals, were killed. Israel’s response – extensive military operations, targeted assassinations, and large-scale incursions – was heavily criticised by international bodies and rights groups. What’s life like in the West Bank today? Checkpoints and other restrictions on movement are among the daily challenges that affect every Palestinian in the West Bank. In refugee camps, overcrowding and poor infrastructure exacerbate the difficulties faced by families whose homes exist often outside of living memory. Israel’s separation barrier, which has fenced in much of the West Bank since construction began in 2002, limits Palestinians’ access to resources and work. The barrier wall was deemed illegal by the ICJ in 2019 and has been cited as evidence of Israeli apartheid policies by rights groups across the globe. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/31/why-are-we-always-talking-about-the-west-bank

Nick movie: Chhaava Teaser Time: Maddock Films Netflix / Amazon / HBO: Duration of the movie: 1min Trailer:

Music title: Top 40 Songs Of The Week - September 1, 2024 (UK Singles Chart) Signer: MUSIC CHARTS Release date: 2024/08/24 Official YouTube link:

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The Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid has been downgraded—sort of, but not really. It's now known as the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid, ditching the S from the name. While that hints at a potential newcomer to occupy that slot, it's not like the Turbo E-Hybrid has become worse in any way. In fact, with a lower starting price and gobs of additional power, the deal is actually sweeter. When it was known as the Turbo S E-Hybrid, this hopped-up Cayenne paired an electric motor with a twin-turbo V-8 to produce 670 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque. As part of a larger refresh for 2024, the Turbo E-Hybrid found some extra scraps of power, boosting net output to 729 horses and 700 pound-feet. For those of you keeping track at home, that's 79 horsepower and 74 pound-feet more than the Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe, although that model lacks e-motivation. What happens when you throw that much power into a 5672-pound SUV? In this case, the answer is magic—angry, white-hot magic. When we tested a 2020 Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid, we recorded a 3.2-second rip to 60 mph. With this newfound power under its belt, the 2024 Turbo E-Hybrid managed the same feat in 3.1 seconds, before continuing on to complete the quarter-mile in 11.3 seconds at 124 mph, a 0.2-second and 3-mph improvement. Just for kicks, we recorded a 60-mph run under electric power alone; while it took some careful footwork to keep the V-8 from kicking in, we managed to accomplish this silly sprint in an equally goofy 13.1 seconds. HIGHS: Great V-8 sound, impressive performance, cheaper than its predecessor. The soundtrack from the (standard) valved Sport exhaust is simply delightful; as you lean on the throttle, the 4.0-liter V-8 sounds like a thunderstorm coming over the hills, and every lift of the right foot is met with just the right amount of burbly overrun. Even though the Cayenne Coupe's cabin is well insulated, that eight-pot clamor penetrates all panels, as evidenced by our 83-decibel recording at wide-open throttle. Of course, being a plug-in hybrid, the only way to get that gas engine running all the time is to switch into either Sport or Sport Plus mode, where electric power plays the role of power adder instead of efficiency promoter. In these modes, the gas engine will generate charge for the 21.8-kWh battery, ensuring there's enough e-twist at the ready. And the Turbo E-Hybrid is a bona fide hustler, positively rocketing its way from corner to corner. It's a performer on paper, too, achieving a grippy 0.98 g of stick around the skidpad thanks to aggressive optional Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4 tires. Braking is even more sports-car-like, with the Cayenne's 144-foot stopping distance from 70 mph just a foot longer than the last 911 Carrera T we tested. LOWS: Occasionally janky transmission behavior, Porsche's options-heavy cost spiral. Thankfully, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe's sportier drive modes don't turn the ride into an overly stiff mess. Two-chamber air springs and adaptive dampers offer three different modes—Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus—but all three are suitable for on-road use, although obviously there's a greater deal of chassis communication in the stiffer settings. A few simple touchscreen taps are all it takes to shuffle the variables around, and we found our usual arrangement best for Michigan's questionable pavement (suspension in Normal, powertrain in Sport). While the electric motor sandwiched between the Cayenne's V-8 and eight-speed automatic transmission does a commendable job on the torque-fill front, it also works admirably on its own. On its own, the e-motor produces 174 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque, which is enough to allow engine-off operation in typical errand-running. And the battery proved good for 39 miles of range in our 75-mph highway range test. Understandably, the combined powertrain is not overly efficient, ringing in at 22 mpg on our highway fuel economy test after the battery was depleted. The Cayenne's eight-speed automatic might be its weakest point. The electric motor is stuck sending its power through the slushbox, so your serene e-cruising is often punctuated with random head bobs as the ECU rows through the gears. No matter the mode, though, the transmission offered up some annoying herky-jerky movement downshifting to second and first gears under standard deceleration. Fast shifting and hard engagement are fine for spirited driving, but not so much for a trip to the 7-Eleven. Porsche's 2024-model-year Cayenne updates are comprehensive, even without including the trim shuffle and power bump. This mid-cycle refresh brings tweaks to the front and rear fascias, but the cabin received the bulk of the changes. A 12.6-inch digital gauge cluster puts all the relevant data in front of you, while the 12.3-inch touchscreen tackles infotainment duties and is laid out in a way that's easy to master. The center console's armrest cubby isn't very large, but there are plenty of other hidey-holes within reach. And, despite its more [CENSORED]ceous silhouette, the Cayenne Coupe's truncated roofline doesn't really affect adults sitting in the back seat. In a decidedly un-Porsche move, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is actually less expensive than the less powerful model it replaces. The 2023 Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe asked an eye-watering $175,250, but the 2024 Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe dropped that down to $153,050 (and the regular, non-coupe body style is cheaper still at $148,550, though both are set to rise by roughly $10K for 2025). Naturally, our test model was loaded to the gills with options, including $1280 for rear-axle steering, $9980 for carbon-ceramic brakes, and $13,510 for the Premium Package Plus and Lightweight Sport package that includes a carbon-fiber roof. All told, our test car rang in at a meaty $190,210. And just like that, the "lower price" has disappeared into thin air. VERDICT: Now we're even more excited for the Turbo S. At its core, the 2024 Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe is a jack of all trades, but hardly a master of none. Its potent electrified powertrain makes quick work of switchbacks and short eco-friendly commutes alike, while the interior continues Porsche's tradition of offering a comfortable, richly appointed space that doesn't suffer from overwrought design. And if this is what the Turbo is like, we're even more excited at what awaits us from a future Cayenne once again wearing the Turbo S badge. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a61972388/2024-porsche-cayenne-turbo-e-hybrid-coupe-test/

More than 30% of graduates aged 21-30 were in non-graduate work or unemployed last year. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA The job market is so insane right now. I’ve got work experience and internships from the UK, Paris and Hong Kong. I’ve taken courses, networked and am working in an admin job to try to get more skills, after no luck with applications.” Having graduated from the University of Oxford with a first class BA in English and French last year, Emma*, a 23-year-old from London, said she has been on the hunt for a graduate job in publishing and adjacent industries since. She is now sending out five applications a week, alongside a full-time job, and has so far secured just four interviews and an offer of a minimum wage internship – which was retracted. “My parents’ idea of ‘if you work hard, you’ll get what you want’ doesn’t really work any more. The older generations’ expectation that if you’ve got a ‘good degree and good skills you’ll be fine’ is just no longer tenable. I feel like I’m throwing myself at a brick wall.” Emma was one of dozens of recent university leavers from across the UK who shared their struggles to secure their first graduate job, in response to an online call-out by the Guardian. Graduates described “soul-destroying” job hunts in many apparently saturated fields spanning months or even years, companies that had “ghosted” applicants who had completed online assessments or taken months to respond, and being unable to land jobs they felt they were overqualified for. Even respondents who had graduated with a first class degree, often from prestigious universities, and even in subjects such as engineering, computing, cybersecurity or other STEM sectors thought to be crying out for skilled workers, said they had been sending dozens or even hundreds of applications without getting an interview. Although most UK students find jobs not long after leaving university – with 61% of those who graduated in 2022 having gained full-time work 15 months later – many of them will find non-graduate work only: according to the Office for National Statistics, last year just 60.4% of graduates living in England aged 21-30 were in “high-skilled” work, while 26.4% of this group were in medium or low-skilled employment and 5.5% unemployed. About half of the recent graduates who got in touch said they had taken non-graduate jobs in hospitality, retail, administration, call centres, supply teaching or in temporary positions on the minimum wage to keep afloat. Many said that jobs labelled as “entry level” positions usually require at least one, and often several, years of professional experience. Various people reported that they had been unaware how important practical experience was to recruiters, or that they had simply been unable to find a placement in a relevant industry or lacked the funds to support themselves through an unpaid internship, citing the high cost of living as a significant factor. “It’s been really tough,” said a 21-year-old from Suffolk, who has been unable to find graduate work. “I wish I’d known how important placements were – I had to drop my placement year as I couldn’t find any placements to apply to. There were a couple but I couldn’t afford commuting to London to then work for free.” One 25-year-old modern languages and literature graduate from Edinburgh, who is now working in hospitality, after failing to secure a single interview from more than 50 job applications sent in recent months, said: “The competition is extreme. I may have found employment more quickly and easily if I had taken a vocational degree and put my interests to one side.” Of the respondents who had been successful, many said their best advice for students was to contact their university’s careers service, to gain as much practical experience as possible before, during and after their degree, and to pick up additional skills. Noah, 23, a data analyst from Norwich, said he found his £36,000-a-year job because he had taught himself the coding language Python during his international relations and modern history BA, and subsequently applied for graduate schemes at two large software engineering companies. “Although I didn’t necessarily have the skills they expected for a software engineer, Python gave me a bit of an edge, and my now manager picked up that I was easy to get along and work with in a team,” he said. Several respondents from overseas said they had all but given up on the search and were likely to return, or had already returned, home to countries such as Poland and Italy, where they felt they may have better chances. Scores of graduates cited frustrations with time-consuming applications recruiters rarely responded to, and many felt that it mattered more “to know the right people” or to possess insider knowledge than to meet the formal job criteria. Notably, graduates looking for work in the arts, design and humanities said they had found it impossible to find graduate work without connections. Gabriel, 25, a history and English graduate from London, sent 500 applications and, after being rejected from more than 20 internships for being “overqualified”, he finally landed a £25,000-a-year admin job thanks to “secondhand nepotism”, he said. “It’s all based on referrals,” Gabriel said. “There’s just too many people looking for entry-level jobs.” Despite recruiters’ claims that there is strong demand for highly skilled workers, employers on average received 86 applications for each graduate vacancy in 2023, up 23% on the previous year, according to a report by the Institute of Student Employers. Yet, 54% of employers told the survey that they found it difficult to recruit at least one of their graduate roles – an 11% increase – suggesting that there is an oversupply of graduate workers lacking relevant skills. Employers also appear reluctant to take on or train young staff amid a fragile economic climate. Total UK employer investment in skills has been in steep decline, having fallen 19% for each employee, in real terms, between 2011 and 2022. There have been even sharper declines in larger businesses (-35%) and primary (-44%), and public (-38%) service sectors, leading to an underequipped workforce and employers struggling to fill vacancies, despite steady growth in graduate numbers. With graduate jobs increasingly concentrated in London, 42% of university-educated workers outside the city now work in a job that does not require a degree, up from 31% in 1993. The share is highest in Lincolnshire and Cumbria, where more than half of graduates work in non-graduate jobs (58% and 52%), according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Some of those respondents whose parents lived in London said they were able to stay with them while job hunting, while others reported having to return to their home towns as they lacked the funds to search for graduate work in bigger cities. A number of people said they had, in desperation, enrolled in master’s degrees or even PhDs because they had been unable to find gainful employment after graduation. Several respondents said they had big concerns about potentially discriminatory AI tools aiding recruiters in their selection of candidates, and many complained about having to film awkward video interviews that did not allow them to present themselves naturally. Joshua Morgan, 30, from Tarbolton, South Ayrshire, who managed to find a job as a power systems consultant, said he is very happy after graduating with an MSc in renewable energy systems technology last year, but he is concerned that the recruitment systems he encountered were “geared so much against people coming in”. Joshua Morgan said finding a graduate job was ‘so much harder now’. Photograph: Joshua Morgan/Guardian Community “Getting through that initial sift is so much harder now than it was. Amazing people from my course are still looking [for jobs] because automatic filters don’t allow people to show you their worth,” he said. “I applied to 150 jobs over several months with a 10% success rate for interviewing. Just sending that many tailored CVs and cover letters into a void is soul-destroying and I’m one of the lucky ones who landed a job in the industry I wanted in a relatively small amount of time.” Application processes for graduate schemes in particular had been, in his experience, “hostile, impersonal and condescending”. He added: “Employers know they have a lot of choice and many treat you poorly in the application process because of it. It’s very depressing.” *Name has been changed https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/aug/29/uk-graduates-struggle-job-market

Spain’s No 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz has been bundled out of the US Open in a surprise defeat to world No 74 Botic van De Zandschulp of the Netherlands. Photograph: Luke Hales/Getty Images As Carlos Alcaraz sat down in his chair after 90 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, he looked completely perplexed. Alcaraz was not merely having a bad day at the office, he had been utterly horrendous. For nearly two sets, unforced errors had flowed freely from his racket and he did not know how to stop them. A few minutes later, Botic van de Zandschulp held serve to establish a two sets to love lead. Even as the match rapidly fell away from the No 3 seed, Alcaraz was still the favourite to win, still expected to somehow find a way through as the greatest players always do. But for once in the 21-year-old’s prodigious career, the well had run dry. His inconsistency sharply contrasted with an extremely solid Van de Zandschulp and at the end of an electric night the Dutchman pulled off one of the biggest grand slam upsets in recent years by toppling Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the US Open. Having established himself as such a reliable performer in the biggest tournaments in no time at all, this defeat marks the first time that Alcaraz has lost to a player ranked outside of the top 15 at a grand slam since the French Open in 2021, when he was 18 years old and ranked 97th. It is also his earliest loss at a grand slam since that same year. It was immediately clear that Alcaraz was completely off as Van de Zandschulp rolled through the opening set without issue. Even though he is usually brilliant, Alcaraz can also sometimes be painfully erratic. He was at his very worst here, so often choosing the most unnecessary, complicated shot when simplicity would do and he struggled to land three consecutive groundstrokes all night. Instead of problem solving and finding a solution, Alcaraz admitted afterwards that he did not know what to do: “He didn’t make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do,” said Alcaraz. “So I was confused a little bit. I didn’t know how to manage that, how to deal with it. I couldn’t increase my level. I think my level stayed at the same point all the match, and it wasn’t enough to win the match or to give myself the chance to getting into the match or trying to give myself chances.” Alcaraz had arrived at the US Open, the site of his first grand slam title in 2022, as the player of the summer. His first Roland Garros crown had been quickly followed by a second Wimbledon title and an Olympic silver medal, where only a supreme Novak Djokovic could stop him. Alcaraz admitted that he was tired and feeling the effects of such a busy summer but he also needs to make significant improvements mentally. “Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself in my mind,” said Alcaraz. “A lot of emotions that I couldn’t control. It was kind of… I was up in some points, then I lose some points; I get down. It was a roller coaster, let’s say, in my mind. So I can’t be like that if I want to think about [winning] big things, so I have to improve.” Botic van de Zandschlup stuns Carlos Alcaraz with a shock victory on day four of the US Open. Photograph: Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports He was also outplayed by a brilliant opponent who finally demonstrated his talents on one of the biggest stages. The Dutchman was everywhere; his athleticism and defence playing a significant role in Alcaraz’s discomfort, he commanded the baseline with his forehand and he was brilliant in the forecourt, frequently beating Alcaraz to the net. In the final set, as Alcaraz tried to pull himself back into contention, Van de Zandschulp held his nerve and closed out the win. Three months ago, there was a chance that Van de Zandschulp might not even be at the US Open in any form. A formidable player who reached No 22 in 2022, his head has so often been his biggest obstacle and he is usually a picture of misery on the court. After a listless first round loss at the French Open, the Dutchman admitted he was considering retirement. “At the time I said it, I was thinking about it, of course,” he said. “It was just more the way things were going. I got injured last year. Still had some troubles with the injury from last year. That was for me like if I have to keep playing with the pain I had, yeah, then there was a chance maybe I would stop playing.” It took a signficant amount of effort for Van de Zandsculp to find his way back onto the right path, including dropping back down to ATP Challenger events after his ranking tumbled and rebuilding from scratch. Now he has toppled the great Carlos Alcaraz, the player of the summer, in one of the biggest tournaments in the world. “Actually right now not so many,” said Van de Zandschulp, laughing, on his emotions after such an enormous achievement. “Yeah, maybe I’m still processing it. Maybe in a couple of hours or tomorrow I [will] feel a little bit more emotional with what happened tonight.” https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/30/us-open-carlos-alcaraz-vs-botic-van-de-zandschulp-results-match-report

Previous reports show the red dwarf honeybee has slowly expanded its territory from Asia to the Middle East and north-east Africa. Photograph: Anant Kasetsinsombut/Alamy The red dwarf honeybee has established a colony in Europe for the first time, scientists have found. The bee, Apis florea, is native to Asia and its discovery has raised alarm among local beekeepers and conservationists, who fear the potentially devastating impact on native bee po[CENSORED]tions. “It is concerning that Apis florea has been found in Malta,” said Dave Goulson, a professor of biology at the University of Sussex, who was not involved in the research. “Apis florea is likely to compete for pollen and nectar with our native pollinators, a group of insects that are already in decline. It is also very likely that these bees will be carrying multiple diseases which European bees may have little resistance to.” Previous reports show the red dwarf species has slowly expanded its territory from Asia to the Middle East and north-east Africa, but until now it had never been reported in Europe. “If it is in Malta, this is the first occurrence of a honeybee in Europe that is not the western hive bee, Apis mellifera,” Francis Ratnieks, a British entomologist and emeritus professor of apiculture at the University of Sussex, who was not involved in the research, said. When the colony, consisting of more than 2,000 adult bees, was discovered encircling a tree branch, DNA testing was done to identify the species. As soon as the species was identified as Apis florea it was removed and destroyed. But the researchers, who wrote in the Journal of Apicultural Research, suspect a group of bees had already left the hive to start a new colony. The proximity of the colony to Birżebbuġa freeport, Malta’s major cargo hub, suggests the bees may have arrived via a commercial vessel. “This is one of the main (and faster) routes through which different subspecies of Apis mellifera, as well as other bee, wasp and other flying insect species can move from their native ranges to more remote locations,” said Juliana Rangel, a professor of apiculture at Texas A&M University, who was not involved in the research. Rangel said this new finding was yet another example of increasing temperatures due to the climate crisis driving the spread of species to previously unoccupied territories. The researchers believe the mild winters in Malta and other southern European countries favour the survival of this invasive species. The red dwarf honeybee is also found in Israel. “If it can live in Israel, I dare say it can do fine in Malta,” said Ratnieks. It could be “a matter of just a few years” for this species to spread to another location, Rangel said. “Given the large number of islands in the Mediterranean that are relatively near each other, and the fact that the continental land is also so nearby, it is very plausible that more of these incursions will occur in the future, threatening our biodiversity in ways that we may not even yet understand. “The only thing that we can do is to be vigilant, report any sightings of specimens or swarms that appear different or new, remove the specimens as soon as they are positively identified, search the vicinity for other specimens, and continue with monitoring efforts, especially in ports of entry where swarms can be travelling on ships.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/30/colony-invasive-red-dwarf-honeybee-first-time-europe

Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz stands with his children Gus and Hope during a performance of the US national anthem at the Democratic National Convention on August 22 [Mike Blake/Reuters] Los Angeles, California – The criticism came almost as soon as Tim Walz joined the Democratic presidential ticket: Did the Minnesota governor exaggerate his military record for political gain? That was the line of attack Republicans zeroed in on. Just one day after Walz became the running mate of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, Republicans were on the offensive, questioning his 24 years of National Guard service. “I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war?” JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential pick, asked at a campaign stop on August 7. He proceeded to falsely accuse Walz of abandoning his unit on the eve of combat. “What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valour garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you’re not.” But while Republicans continue to denounce Walz, experts say the importance of military service may be waning — at least, as far as rallying voters goes. Wayne Lesperance, a political science professor and president of New England College, said the debate over Walz’s military record reminded him of how rare military experience has become in presidential races. Not since 2008 and the George W Bush presidency has a military veteran served as an executive in the White House, either as a president or vice president. “There was a time in American history where that sort of service — military service of any kind, really — was seen as something that was an absolute must,” Lesperance told Al Jazeera. “And that’s clearly not the case anymore.” Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance poses in front of a campaign plane with members of Georgia’s Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office on August 22 [Gary McCullough/AP Photo] A fading tradition In the current presidential race, neither of the two leading candidates has any military background whatsoever. Harris, the Democrat, has spent nearly her entire career either as a prosecutor or in politics. Her Republican adversary, former President Donald Trump, likewise avoided military service. He received several draft deferments during the Vietnam War and later established himself as a real estate tycoon and reality TV personality. That marks a shift in United States tradition. Starting in the 1940s, the country was led by a string of veteran presidents. First there was Harry Truman, a colonel. Then Dwight Eisenhower, a general. Even Richard Nixon was a Navy Reserve commander. But that streak ended in 1993, with the election of Democratic President Bill Clinton. In the three decades since, only one veteran, Bush, has reached the White House. In the US, the president doubles as the head of the military, and Lesperance explained that previous generations of voters wanted their commander-in-chief to understand firsthand the stakes of sending young Americans to war. “That was the big piece of it,” Lesperance said. “I think that sort of service was also a test of patriotism.” In 2014, as a Congress member, Tim Walz, left, joined a round table with Melissa Houghtaling and her father Curt Houghtaling to discuss mental health services for veterans like their late brother and son [File: Jim Mone/AP Photo] A numbers game? But a generational shift has taken place in the United States. Mandatory military service used to be a common facet of American life: During World War II, more than 10 million men were drafted into the military. But the proportion of men drafted declined in subsequent conflicts. Over the course of the Vietnam War, for instance, only 1.86 million men were called to duty. The draft ended in 1972, and military service has been voluntary ever since. As a result, the number of veterans in US society began to shrink further. Today, the US military struggles to meet its recruiting goals. In the 2023 fiscal year, the Department of Defense reported that the military missed its target by 41,000 recruits. Jeremy Teigen, an Air Force veteran and political science professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey, argues that the public has not lost interest in electing veterans. The problem is, fewer of them are available as candidates. “The decline in military veterans [as candidates] is, in large part, explained by the fact that we stopped generating such huge pools of veterans,” Teigen said. Lesperance echoed that observation. “What happened, it seems to me, is that there were fewer and fewer candidates that were emerging in the ’90s and beyond that had that military service,” he said. Army veteran Jerry Wood, 82, shows his support for Vice President Kamala Harris during an event called the ‘Kamalanomenon Celebration in The Villages’ at The Villages, Florida, on August 18 [Octavio Jones/Reuters] Shifting perceptions But some critics speculate that the changing nature of the wars themselves has shaped perception of the veterans involved — and whether they might be suited for public office. Writing in the publication The Hill, veterans lawyer Rory Riley-Topping pointed out that every time a Vietnam War veteran has run for the presidency, they have fallen short. Vietnam veteran and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, for instance, was defeated in 2008, and Democrat John Kerry lost in 2004, amid a smear campaign about his war record. “It tells us that the Vietnam War changed our perceptions of who veterans are and what they are capable of,” Riley-Topping wrote, citing the divisive nature of the conflict and the public backlash that accompanied it. Previous veteran-presidents, she added, were seen as “strong, mission-oriented leaders”. But during the Vietnam era, “the public perception changed to one of veterans as victims, often struggling with mental health issues such as PTSD”. The tactics used against veterans like Kerry continue to have ripple effects. The term “swiftboating” — derived from the name of the group that attacked Kerry, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth — has since become shorthand for distorting a candidate’s record. Several US media outlets, including NPR and CNN, have deployed the term to describe the present-day attacks on Walz. Even the Republican strategist who advised the Swift Boat campaign, Chris LaCivita, has drawn parallels between Walz and Kerry, calling them “birds of a feather”. For Teigen, the decreasing number of veterans in the voting public is also exerting an influence on who is elected to public office. With fewer veterans overall, Americans are not directly feeling the impacts of war the same way they used to. “We rely on a very small segment of our society to be in uniform, and they’re not as connected to society, and they’re much smaller in number,” Teigen said. Then-Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry rallies with veterans from the swift boat he served on during the Vietnam War in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on July 28, 2004 [File: Jim Young/Reuters] New pathways to the presidency The impact of those demographic trends is felt beyond the White House. Veteran representation in Congress has also declined since the 1970s, around the time of the Vietnam War. Back then, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, approximately 70 percent of legislators in each chamber were veterans. Now, that number hovers at less than 20 percent. Christian Grose, professor of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California, said the military used to be seen as a springboard for leadership. “The path used to be military service, and then go back to your state and run for something at the state level or lower, and then eventually go to the presidency,” Grose said. “But what we’re seeing instead is people who are running for office having other careers outside of the military first.” He pointed out that it remains common for lawyers to seek the presidency, a tradition that began with the “founding fathers” of the US and continues with Harris, a former attorney general from California. Grose added that the shift away from military veterans in office has coincided with greater representation in other areas. For example, women are statistically less likely to have a military background. Yet, an increasing number of female candidates are seeking the presidency, from Harris to Hillary Clinton to Nikki Haley. Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 20 [Jeffrey Phelps/AP Photo] An enduring value For Teigen, however, the fact that both major-party running mates in this year’s race are veterans is evidence that military experience is still valuable in politics. Not only is Walz a National Guard veteran, but his Republican counterpart Vance is also a former US Marine. “Both vice presidential candidates have service. We certainly wouldn’t expect that, just looking at the raw numbers of veterans who might become eligible political players,” Teigen said. He explained that many Americans still perceive the military as a trusted institution. Parties and campaigns leverage that perception, he added, as an efficient way to connect with voters. For instance, a 2016 poll by the Pew Research Center found that military service ranked as the most positive trait a presidential candidate could have, above religion and experiences like being a business executive. “There are some things that, generally speaking, voters infer from military service, like public service, sacrifice, patriotism, duty to country. That’s all baked in,” Teigen said. The Pew Center’s research also indicated that a candidate’s military service is more likely to appeal to men and Republicans. But Lesperance speculated that may have changed, since Trump did not serve in the military — and he nevertheless has become a defining force in the Republican Party. Even among Democrats, Grose believes Walz’s military background may give the party a slight edge in areas where the military is held in high regard, including communities with military bases. “For Tim Walz, I think that’s one of the advantages that he has electorally,” he said. Grose acknowledged that such a boost may not be substantial. But given how tight the presidential race is this year, he warned that no candidate can afford to give up an advantage, particularly in battleground states. “It still can move some voters in an election in Wisconsin or Arizona, where the margin might be 5,000 people.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/27/does-a-presidential-candidates-military-service-still-matter-to-us-voters

Flames and smoke rise from the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea, August 25 [Handout/EUNAVFOR ASPIDES via Reuters] Yemen’s Houthis have released a video that appears to show their fighters boarding the oil tanker Sounion and detonating explosives on the ship that the group previously attacked in the Red Sea earlier this month. The footage released on Thursday comes amid international fear of a major oil spill from the Greek-flagged vessel that could cause an environmental catastrophe and pose a risk to navigation in the region. The ship is carrying nearly one million barrels of crude oil. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Thursday that Sounion belonged to a company that had “violated” the blockade announced by the Yemeni group against Israel-bound ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis, who present themselves as Yemen’s armed forces, have been targeting what they claim are Israel-linked vessels – an effort that they say aims to pressure the Israeli government to end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,600 Palestinians. The Yemeni group also started attacking ships linked to the United States and United Kingdom after the two countries launched a military campaign in January to end the Houthis’ assaults on shipping lanes in the region. The video appears to show drone footage of the exterior of the ship and a walkthrough of its cockpit before featuring a fighter holding an automatic weapon on board. It concludes with a series of explosions on the surface of the tanker. The footage did not show damage to the core of the ship where the oil is stored. It is not clear when the video was shot or whether it will affect efforts to tow the ship to avert an oil spill. Sunion was first attacked on August 22 and its crew was evacuated the same day. Earlier on Thursday, the European Union’s military mission in the Red Sea said that “multiple fires have been detected in several locations on the main deck of the vessel.” But it added that the ship remains anchored, confirming that there has been no oil spill from the tanker. “The Red Sea is not only one of the major sea routes for global transport but also a unique marine ecosystem, now under threat from potential pollution,” the mission, dubbed Operation Aspides, said in a social media post. “The European Union, through diplomatic efforts and engagements, is playing a crucial role in facilitating the salvage of MV [merchant vessel] Sounion.” Earlier this week, the US said that its forces in the region are also monitoring the situation, stressing that the tanker appeared to be leaking oil. “We are aware of a third party that attempted to send two tugs to the vessel to help salvage, but they were warned away by the Houthis,” Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday. But Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said on Wednesday the group had communicated with “international parties” to allow for the vessel to be pulled away. Abdulsalam added that the targeting of Sunion demonstrates the Houthis’ “seriousness” in enforcing their Red Sea ban on ships linked to Israel “to pressure the enemy Zionist entity to end its aggression against Gaza”. Last month, Israel struck Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, killing at least six people in response to a Houthi drone attack that killed one person in Tel Aviv. The Houthis have promised to retaliate for the bombing, but they have not launched a major attack against Israel in the past weeks. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/29/houthis-release-footage-of-fighters-boarding-greek-oil-tanker-in-red-sea

Music title: Top 50 Songs: August 2024 (08/17/2024) I Best Billboard Music Chart Hits Signer: A group of artists Release date: 2024/08/15 Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: THE WAIT Time: Movie Trailers Source Netflix / Amazon / HBO: N/A Duration of the movie: 2 mins Trailer:

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We can't really blame Chevrolet for not focusing more of its attention on its gas-powered Equinox compact SUV, which was last redesigned for 2018. Despite the bow-tie brand updating every other SUV in its lineup in the interim, plus recently introducing a separate Equinox EV model, the ol' fire-and-brimstone Equinox has remained Chevy's bestselling vehicle that isn't a pickup truck. But even money printers require fresh ink eventually, and the 2025 Equinox finally receives a meaningful makeover befitting its high-volume status. Dressing Up Looking like a Chevy Traverse that's been shrunk in the wash, the redesigned two-row Equinox is a stocky, handsome thing with a Silverado-inspired snout that lends it some visual heft at the curb. The new Equinox's wheel openings are more squared off, adding to its rugged flair, and you can now opt for a contrasting roof color. Different grille treatments distinguish the three trim levels—base LT in chrome, the RS in gloss black, and the Activ in dark chrome—with the Activ leaning into the off-road schtick with 17-inch wheels wrapped with all-terrain tires (19s and 20s are available, depending on the trim). Exterior dimensions are similar to before, save for a 2.5-inch increase in width, which adds some welcome elbow room inside. The back seat's flat floor is adult friendly, and cargo room is essentially unchanged at 30 cubic feet in the way back and 64 cubes with the rear seats folded—more than you get in the Equinox EV but not class-leading. Interior material quality, however, has improved, with even the base model cutting back on the hard, grainy plastics in direct view. Or at least accenting them with nicer bits of finish, whether it be dollops of chrome, piano black, or the textured pieces dressing up the dash, vents, and door panels. The faux leather upholstery on higher trims is pleasing enough, with the RS adding red contrasting stitching and the Activ sporting microfiber seat inserts. The overall theme of the Equinox's dashboard also mimics that of the larger Traverse as well as the EVs, which isn’t a bad thing. The centerpiece is the 11.0-inch configurable instrument display and adjacent 11.3-inch touchscreen running General Motors's Google-based infotainment system with standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It's a crisp, easy-to-use interface that elicits few complaints in practice, though we're still not fans of locking headlight controls behind a screen. We could also do with less gloss-black trim that will quickly attract dust and fingerprints, but at least there are physical buttons and knobs for the climate controls. The center console benefits from the relocation of the Equinox's gear selector to the steering column, which cleans up its design and frees up space for additional storage cubbies, including an available wireless charging dock. Modest Motivation Driving the new Equinox is less of a sea change, with the sole powerplant being a 175-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder. Gone is the previous generation's six-speed automatic transmission, replaced by a decently responsive continuously variable automatic with seven stepped "gears." Front-wheel drive is standard on all trims; all-wheel drive is a $2000 option that both swaps in an eight-speed torque-converter automatic and ups the four-banger's torque output from 184 to 203 pound-feet. Both setups work well, with the front-driver exhibiting minimal droning from the engine and feeling easier to wield around town. The AWD version, on the other hand, is a smidge more planted on the move, but its transmission races for top gear, which means it must hunt around for a lower ratio when you summon the wee four-cylinder's grunt. Acceleration is best described as adequate, with either configuration likely moseying to 60 mph in around 8.0 seconds. With only a modest ruckus coming from the engine room, interior noise and road isolation are respectable, but we'll verify that once we get a vehicle to test. A small downer is that EPA combined fuel economy drops compared to its predecessor, but only by 1 or 2 mpg. Cross-shoppers take note that even the slowest Equinox EV will likely beat the gas model in a drag race, though the latter's 400-plus miles of EPA range dwarfs the EV, which tops out at 319 miles. Turn the Equinox's chunky steering wheel and it changes direction smoothly and predictably, albeit with more effort at low speeds than we remember. Estimated curb weights and overall chassis tuning have largely held course, and so has the over-the-road driving experience: Competent, stable, and comfortable is the way. We imagine most buyers will be more pleased with the new Equinox's general refinement and solid-feeling structure than they will be saddened by its lack of sportiness. Shoppers also shouldn't get too excited about the Activ's implied off-road capability, as it's not outfitted to tackle much more than a muddy dirt road. There's no lifted suspension or underbody protection, though AWD models do feature an Off-Road drive mode that relaxes traction- and stability-control intervention. Priced to Play As before, value is one of the Equinox's greatest strengths. Prices open at $31,080 for the LT and $35,480 for the RS and Activ, and all trims come standard with a heated steering wheel and front seats, plus most of the active safety tech in GM's arsenal. Primary options include ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, a digital rearview camera mirror, traffic-sign recognition, and a 360-degree camera system. Notably absent is Super Cruise (adaptive cruise control is standard), but that could be good fodder for a mid-cycle update. Fully loaded, expect to pay just north of $40K, putting the Equinox in the heart of the compact-SUV segment and well below the initial ask of a comparable EV version. While we'd like to see a more powerful engine option or a hybrid model added to the mix down the road, these latest updates should help keep the Equinox a solid fixture in Chevy's lineup for the foreseeable future. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a61967656/2025-chevy-equinox-drive/

The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Place de la Concorde. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian The 17th Paralympic Games began under blue skies then lit up the night as Paris made a powerful start in extending to disability sport the same energy and joy that has so far characterised its historic summer. In the coming 11 days there will be new heroes made, new stories told and, just perhaps, the possibility of a legacy of positive change for people with disability. But in front of a crowd of 35,000 spectators at the Place de la Concorde, a ceremony threaded together by bold, expressive dance and featuring a parade of 128 often jubilant competing nations created a party atmosphere, and an image of a country still “en fete”. As the head of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons called for a “revolution of inclusion” in his speech and the president of Paris 2024, Tony Estanguet, praised the fans, “la public complètement fou”, there was space left for the French president, Emmanuel Macron, only to perform the briefest of ceremonial functions, declaring the Games open, as the energy of night swarmed elsewhere. Unlike the Olympic opening ceremony there were no shots of sodden performers to spoil the party. Temperatures of 30C and cloudless skies meant that everything passed without disruption and the tribunes were full. By the time the French delegation arrived in the arena past 10pm to the sounds of Champs-Élysées and various other pieces of chanson that remain in the collective memory, the spirit of the summer of 2024 was once again in full effect. Involving 500 performers, including dancers, pop stars, furry revolutionary hats and the ubiquitous DJ, the title of the ceremony was Paradox, the theme a journey from Discord to Concord. As with every aspect of Paris 2024 this was an idea pinned to the geography and history of the French capital. Great Britain flagbearers Lucy Shuker and Terry Bywater with the athletes as ParalympicsGB arrive for the opening ceremony. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian The ceremony began in the “wide open” fashion, in public, with Paralympic delegations passing down a section of the sun-drenched Champs-Élysées and a collection of Unesco executives, rappers and Jackie Chan joining them as part of the torch relay. What Parisians describe as “the greatest avenue in the world” is traditionally the place where France salutes its heroes (with a parade for the stars of the Olympics to come in September). But the Élysées did not feature in the Games earlier this summer and has been reserved for the Paralympics, where it will also feature as part of the marathon on the final day of competition. From the open streets the ceremony moved to a ticketed event at the Place de la Concorde. Once the Place de la Revolution, site of the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, it was renamed in 1795, an act according to Paris 2024 creative director Thomas Jolly, “to appease and reconcile the French”, making the square itself a “place of paradox”. Jolly argues that the ceremony explores a further need for reconciliation: between the 15% of the global po[CENSORED]tion who have a disability and the societies that ignore their needs. “Living together better starts with mutual consideration”, he says, “then we can repair, reconcile, adapt and move forward together better.” Ironically, in the week when one of Britain’s greatest Paralympians – Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson – was forced to drag herself out of her wheelchair and off a train in London as she sought to make her way to the Games, Jolly said the ceremony would make the argument that “disability is not a flaw in the person, it is the architecture, practices, attitudes, lifestyles and models of society that create the ‘situation’ of disability for these people.” Broken into five acts, the ceremonies performances were directed by the Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman, brought on board by Jolly to bring energy and humour to proceedings. This was a decision immediately vindicated. The introductory segment saw French swimmer and model Théo Curin, who has neither hands nor feet, assembling a taxi of Phrages, a furry red private hire vehicle he takes to the arena to deliver his one line: “Welcome to Paris!” (He does so with aplomb). From there the spectacle exploded into life in a whirl of dancers and stirring music. The performances included Christine and the Queens delivering an updated and almost unrecognisable Je Ne Regrette Rien and a performance of Ravel’s Bolero so robust and powerful it consigned all memories of Torvill and Dean to the bin. The performers were a mixture of disabled and non-disabled, sometimes dancing in opposition (discord) but ultimately coming together (concord) in a piece called Sportography which incorporated sporting movement and artistic expression alongside wild visuals projected on to the obelisk at the heart of the square. All of this performance was carried by the incredible talent of South African amputee dancer Musa Motha. After three and a half hours of spectacle and speeches, the last act was to once again light the Olympic cauldron and send the bronzed balloon into the Paris night sky. According to Ekman: “I often find that words are worthless and that images, or the situations they illustrate, are much more valuable.” On a night like this, it was difficult to argue he was wrong. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/28/paris-paralympics-make-powerful-start-in-journey-from-discord-to-concord

The open-topped Peak Sightseer buses take in many of the area’s attractions. Photograph: PR Image Aperegrine falcon is flying high over the gothic tower of the cathedral while elegant grey wagtails hop across the curving weir among flocks of gulls and geese. Is this really the worst city in the UK? Derby recently came bottom in a Which? poll of big UK cities for a short break. I’m only passing through on my way to the Peak District, but I plan to stop over on my way back. It’s certainly a useful hub for reaching the Peaks by bus or train. Derbyshire has good public transport, a new unlimited bus ticket (£33 a week), and a growing number of local visitor attractions with incentives for car-free visitors. I’m hoping to put all these to the test during a week’s exploring. Derby bus station is a 20-minute riverside stroll from the railway station under shady lime trees. I catch the Transpeak bus through Matlock and Bakewell to Ashford in the Water. On the 90-minute journey we pass yellow fields of buttercups, grazing sheep and steep green dales, all stitched together by miles of dry-stone wall. I’m travelling by bus as much for the top-deck views as the destinations themselves. On the 90-minute journey we pass yellow fields of buttercups, grazing sheep and steep green dales, all stitched together by miles of dry-stone wall Approaching Ashford, we roll past the medieval Sheepwash Bridge, with the sunlit River Wye rippling through three low stone arches. When I return to the bridge on foot that evening, I see tufted ducks diving, and stippled brown trout swimming through the shadows. Nearby, villagers are taking down the decorative petals, seeds and leaves from this year’s well dressings. I’m staying in the revamped Ashford Arms, which reopened a few months ago after a four-year closure and £1.6m refurbishment. It has a big beer garden and striking new decor: dark beams, ochre walls, watercolour landscapes and, in my room, a claw-footed freestanding bathtub (doubles from £90, B&B). Best of all, it’s opposite the bus stop, where services include one of the Peak District’s open-air sightseeing buses (day tickets £9.50/£5.50 concessions). Trailing honeysuckle, wet elderflowers, mock orange blossom, fresh-cut hay: the passing countryside is full of summer smells next morning – one of many great things about open-topped buses. Swallows slice delicately through the air nearby. At Chatsworth, where I’m heading, car-free visitors get a free guidebook to the painted hall and richly panelled oak room, the gilded great stairs and tapestried bedchamber. The driver tells me to take the Blue route tomorrow – ‘worth it for the view from Winnats Pass alone’. Photograph: George W Johnson/Getty Images My favourite parts of the 105-acre (42-hectare) gardens are the wilder sections, where the trout stream runs through banks of orchids and pale starry camassia and a long coal tunnel leads under the hill to emerge in the rockery. As I get back on the Red route bus, the driver tells me to take the Blue route tomorrow (“worth it for the view from Winnats Pass alone”) and not to miss the chunky chips in the Ye Olde Nags Head in Castleton. So next morning the other open-topper carries me through a roll call of iconic UK hiking places: Mam Tor, Stanage Edge, Hope Valley. When I step off at the Longshaw Estate, I spy a deer standing in the woods, staring. I walk past twisted mossy trees and purple rhododendrons. Green-walled lanes lead down through foxgloves and forget-me-nots, and rocky steps climb back up by the waterfalls of Padley Gorge to reach wide views across the moors (free). I’m reading Ethel (Vertebrate, 2024), Helen Mort’s new biography of Sheffield-based countryside campaigner Ethel Haythornthwaite, who raised money to buy the Longshaw Estate in 1928 and save it from development. A 1930s pamphlet, reproduced in the book, shows Longshaw with the caption “Saved for the Nation”. The second half of the book is Haythornthwaite’s long-form poem The Pride of the Peak, her celebration of place and season, which becomes my guidebook for the afternoon. Padley Gorge can be reached by bus, stopping at the Longshaw Estate. Photograph: SuxxesPhoto/Alamy Castleton, in the poem, is a “little limestone town aside the hills / … Where white spurs jut and strange enchantment fills / The heart delighting…” The area is peppered with visitable caves and “rare blue veins in arches cavernous”. You can buy jewellery made from Blue John, a mineral unique to this area, in the town’s shops. The bus route ends near Blue John cavern (£19/£13) winding slowly up through “huge hills of green”, chalky turrets and towering silences. Next morning, I stop off at Haddon Hall (£26/£24, under-15s free) to walk through its airy Tudor gallery and gardens full of irises, peonies and cascading scented roses. Arriving by bus, which is easy, gets you 20% off entry. With flowery gardens clustering around its old grey walls, Haddon Hall is a great contrast with the epic scale of Chatsworth. There’s a smell of meadowsweet as I cross the bridge into the grounds from meadows rich in yellow rattle, ragged robin, clover and cranesbill to a restaurant in an old stable block. My Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket is valid right across the county on almost any bus except the open-toppers and I decide to spend my last day or two exploring the less-crowded towns and villages of south Derbyshire. Besides the buses, there’s a train from Matlock, which takes half an hour to Derby along the little Derwent Valley Line, crossing and recrossing the winding river (£8.10 day return, eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk). It passes Cromford Mills, where Richard Arkwright created the first water-powered cotton mills in 1771. Derwent valley is packed with attractions – cable cars, children’s farms, theme parks – several with rewards for car-free visitors But I catch bus 6.1 from Haddon Hall back through the well-connected Derwent valley. This area is packed with classic attractions – cable cars, children’s farms, theme parks, several with rewards for car-free visitors. White Peak distillery in Ambergate offers a free hot drink; there’s discounted entry to the Heights of Abraham in Matlock or Crich Tramway Village; and 10% off in the café at Cromford Mills. Stopping at hilly Wirksworth for lunch, I visit St Mary’s church and find T’owd Man, a medieval carving of a lead worker with his pick and kibble (basket). In the nearby Heritage Centre (£5, £1 for accompanying children) there are tools and stories from the local lead-mining industry, and some reading glasses that belonged to George Eliot’s aunt. From Wirksworth it’s 50 minutes further to Derby for my last night. The Museum of Making, in Derby This city, with quiet shopping streets and crumbling infrastructure, does not have a great reputation as a tourist spot. But I always find it a friendly, affordable base for visiting the Derbyshire countryside, with sundry charms of its own. Last summer, I visited the new Museum of Making (free), walked along the river to Darley Park, with its candyfloss-huge summer hydrangeas, and caught a bus to Spondon for a stroll through fields and an ice-cream at the Bluebell Dairy. This year I take a solar-powered electric boat trip up the Derwent looking for kingfishers (£8/£6) and stroll over the bridge to the Exeter Arms for a perfect garlicky slice of Homity Pie and a pint or two of the Dancing Duck brewery’s moreish pale ale. From the top floor bar of Derby’s riverside Holiday Inn (doubles from £80 room-only ), next to the bus station, there’s a sunset view. I can see distant wooded hills beyond the tall cathedral, where peregrine falcons nested again this summer. Bus 114 to Kedleston Hall (£18/£9) next morning leaves from nearby, takes 25 minutes and arriving by bus earns me a free cup of tea. The path from the bus stop brings views of the Palladian bridge and long lake. Kedleston has miles of birdsong-filled woods, and the house, designed by Robert Adam, includes a columned marble hall and Blue John vases. Back in Derby, there’s just an hour or so before my train leaves. I have a drink at Electric Daisy, a flowery new beer garden and event space. Its creator Jamie Quince-Starkey is watering wooden tubs of fruit and flowers as I arrive. He talks about creating urban spaces that strengthen our relationship with nature. “The Derwent connects Derby with the Peaks,” says Jamie, discussing bold plans to make Derby “the ecotourism focal point of the whole country. The idea doesn’t feel so far-fetched from my perch under a sunny arch of clematis among raised beds of strawberries and rhubarb, fragrant fennel and lemon balm. As I walk back towards the station, there are wagtails hopping by the river again, and a warbler is singing in the trees. Accommodation was provided by the Ashford Arms and Holiday Inn Derby Riverlights. Travel was provided by East Midlands Railways, Stagecoach and Derbyshire County Council. More information from Visit Peak District & Derbyshire and Visit Derby. This article was amended on 28 August 2024. An earlier caption on the first picture said that the Peak District and Chatsworth House were easily reached from Derby on the Peak Sightseer bus. In fact Transpeak runs hourly from Derby, which would connect to the Peak Sightseer in Bakewell. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/article/2024/aug/28/derby-uk-short-break-destination-buses

Beavers have appeared in rivers across Devon and spread through Somerset to Wiltshire and Gloucestershire despite no official releases of the animal. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA “Beaver bombing”, covertly releasing beavers into the countryside, is increasing in England because successive governments have not fulfilled promises to permit some planned wild releases, conservationists are warning. Beavers now live freely on river systems across swaths of southern England, and conservationists are calling on Labour to allow official releases of free-living beavers and produce a national strategy to maximise the biodiversity and flood alleviation benefits delivered by the industrious mammals. Eva Bishop, of the Beaver Trust, said: “Beavers are a native species with lots to offer in terms of landscape resilience, boosting biodiversity and climate change adaptation and mitigation. It would be crazy not to look at wild release as a key tool for the government.” According to Bishop, the failure of recent Conservative governments to approve or even reject wild releases, or clearly signal what is required in terms of funding, has led to unauthorised releases that could jeopardise the 69% public support for their wild release. Numerous scientific studies in Britain have shown beavers help restore water quality, wetland biodiversity and can ameliorate drought and flooding. Beaver numbers are increasing in Scotland and are legally protected in England since being formally recognised again as native mammals in 2022. Animals unofficially released on the River Otter in Devon in the early 2000s successfully bred and spread but recent administrations backtracked on Boris Johnson government’s promise to allow free-living beavers to be released in certain locations. Despite no official releases, beavers have turned up on river systems across Devon and spread through Somerset to Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. An established po[CENSORED]tion has been living freely and largely unnoticed in lowland Kent for years and now numbers 51 territories – more than 200 animals. There are also more than 30 large fenced enclosures where beavers have been reintroduced into England under official schemes. Conservationists say these po[CENSORED]tions will soon outgrow the enclosures, leading to animal welfare concerns because territorial beavers will fight to the death. Bishop said: “It’s in everyone’s interests – landowners and farmers as well as conservationists – to get a clear policy now. A potential consequence of inaction is a growing number of unlicensed releases into the wild which could alienate stakeholders and jeopardise the success of future wild releases. “It’s really important releases are done responsibly, under licence and to a strategy – then we can maximise the benefits that beavers bring through their damming and habitat modification.” Three proposals to introduce free-living beavers – in Cornwall, Dorset and on the Isle of Wight – are well advanced but the application process is so onerous that a pre-application assessment of the impacts of returning beavers to the Isle of Wight is 100,000-words long. Debbie Tann, the chief executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: “We’ve got beavers living wild quite happily and quietly [across southern England] and yet to get a licence to release a native animal back into its natural habitat we’ve got to do this 100,000-word application to assess its impact on every single aspect of everything.” The trust has been working since 2019 on an application to release free-living beavers on to the island. Tann said: “The science of how important they are, what they do to revitalise rivers, boost biodiversity and minimise flooding are very well evidenced. We’re hoping the new government will honour previous commitments and open the application process so we can just get on with it.” She added: “This isn’t about beavers per se. It’s about the restoration of ecosystem function and resilience in terms of drought and flood management, biodiversity recovery and soil health. This will tick loads of different boxes, and there are tourism benefits too and getting the public excited about this idea of nature restoration.” Conservationists said that they had been told privately that Steve Reed, the environment secretary, will consider applications for free-living beavers in certain locations. They hope that approval could be a flagship nature restoration policy for the government’s first months. Key to the scale of future wild releases is how long the government says each release project must be self-funded. Crucially, it is still unclear if there will be any central government cash to pay for future beaver management. Occasionally if beaver dams cause flooding on valuable farmland, then secret pipes known as “beaver deceivers” may have to be installed to allow water through the dams or beavers may need to be relocated. There has been widespread concern from farmers and landowners that beavers could cause unwelcome floods if they are released on lowland rivers surrounding low-lying land but the wild beaver po[CENSORED]tion in lowland Kent are not building dams because the waterways are deep enough for them to feel secure. Derek Gow, of Keep It Wild Trust and an expert in captive breeding animals for wild release, said: “The beaver is nature’s healer of the earth but its wild release has been held back by [former environment secretary] Thérèse Coffey and the National Farmers’ Union. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be doing this right now. I don’t know whether Labour are on this, they’ve not made any statements about what they’re going to do about nature restoration other than windy ones.” A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “This government supports species reintroductions where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/28/conservationists-warn-unauthorised-releases-beavers-english-rivers