Gráinne, 31, a software engineer and musician, meets Alexander, 34, a civil servant

What were you hoping for?
A giggle with someone I fancy!

US president earlier drew criticism after saying Kyiv ‘should have never started’ war; Trump predicts Ukraine will soon sign minerals deal with US. What we know on day 1,095

• Europe live: latest news on the Ukraine war

US secretary of defense had questioned whether history-making air force general CQ Brown Jr got job because of race

Donald Trump abruptly fired the air force general CQ Brown Jr as chair of the joint chiefs of staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making Black fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to purge the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.

The ouster of the second Black general to serve as chair of the joint chiefs comes three months after Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, outlined a plan for ridding the US military of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts during a podcast interview.

Adam Abeldon rules that president’s efforts to ban DEI programs likely violate first amendment of constitution

A federal judge in Maryland on Friday temporarily blocked Donald Trump from implementing bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies and by businesses that contract with the federal government.

US district judge Adam Abelson said the directives by Trump and an order urging the Department of Justice to investigate companies with DEI policies likely violate the first amendment of the US constitution.

Capitol police said officers saw Tarrio strike protester at gathering he attended with Oath Keepers’ Stewart Rhodes

Enrique Tarrio, a former national leader of the far-right group the Proud Boys, was arrested on Friday near the US Capitol on a charge that he assaulted a woman protesting against a gathering attended by him and others who received presidential pardons for crimes stemming from Donald Trump supporters’ 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Capitol police said officers saw Tarrio strike the protester’s cellphone and arm after the woman placed the phone close to his face as they walked near the Capitol. Tarrio had just left a news conference that had ended “without incident”, police said.

German police have arrested a suspect after attack on Spanish tourist and say they have not yet found a motive

German police have arrested a man suspected in a stabbing attack at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial that left a Spanish tourist seriously injured.

There was no immediate indication of a motive for the attack late on Friday, two days before Germans vote in a national election.

One person was dead at the scene and two others died at the hospital; no reported arrests nor information on the shooter

Three people were shot and killed at a motor vehicle office in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, police said.

Maj Donald Boeckman of Louisville metro police department told reporters that officers found one person dead at the scene and another two wounded. The two wounded were taken to hospitals and died there. He said there was no ongoing threat to public.

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

The annual competition draws thousands of entries from across the world and brings together images from below the water’s surface that show the diversity and challenges of subaquatic life

• All photographs courtesy of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025

From the Trump administration’s latest moves abroad and in the US – here are the key US politics stories from Thursday at a glance

Thursday saw a judge rule that the Trump administration can continue the mass firing of US federal workers, rejecting a bid by labor unions to stop the US president dramatically cutting the jobs of many of the 2.3 million people employed by the government. The IRS began laying off roughly 7,000 workers on Thursday.

In his 16-page order, US district judge Christopher Cooper started by saying that Trump’s executive actions had “caused, some say by design, disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society”.

No injuries reported after three explosions in Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam and two more bombs being defused

A string of explosions has rocked buses in the Israeli city of Bat Yam, in what police described as a “suspected terror attack”.

No injuries were reported in the blasts late on Thursday. Police said bomb disposal units were searching for any additional bombs in the city, which is a suburb of Tel Aviv.

World’s largest retailer expects inflation-weary consumers to pull back after shares hit record high of $105 last week

Walmart on Thursday forecast sales and profit for its latest fiscal year below Wall Street estimates, suggesting that the world’s largest retailer expects inflation-weary consumers to pull back after several quarters of solid growth.

Walmart shares, which had risen about 72% in 2024 and hit a record high of $105 last week, were down 6% in early trading. Shares of its rival retailer Target were down 1.6%, with Amazon 0.9% lower.

• 21-year-old diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis
• Frenchman was favourite for defensive player of year

Victor Wembanyama’s season looks to have ended after the San Antonio Spurs announced he is dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

The Spurs said Wembanyama had been diagnosed when he returned from last week’s All-Star Game in San Francisco. DVT occurs when blood clots form in veins; the condition can be fatal if untreated. The Spurs said they expect the 21-year-old to miss the rest of the season.

Claudia Sheinbaum’s warning follows Washington designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations

Mexico will never tolerate an “invasion” of its national sovereignty by the United States, Claudia Sheinbaum has warned after Washington designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.

“This cannot be an opportunity for the US to invade our sovereignty,” the Mexican president said. “With Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and even less invasion.”

From balaclavas to open-necked shirts and floor-length frocks, here’s what caught the eye at the awards ceremony this year

• Baftas 2025: the red carpet, the ceremony, the winners – live!