Rich and poor countries concluded a trillion-dollar deal on the climate crisis in the early hours of Sunday morning, after marathon talks and days of bitter recriminations ended in what campaigners said was a “betrayal”.

The developing world will receive at least $1.3tn (£1tn) a year in funds to help them shift to a low-carbon economy and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, by 2035.

But only $300bn of that will come in the form they are most in need of – grants and low-interest loans from the developed world. The rest will have to come from private investors and a range of potential new sources of money, such as possible levies on fossil fuels and frequent flyers, which have yet to be agreed.

Mohamed Adow, director of the Power Shift Africa thinktank, said: “This [summit] has been a disaster for the developing world. It’s a betrayal of both people and planet, by wealthy countries who claim to take climate change seriously. Rich countries have promised to ‘mobilise’ some funds in the future, rather than provide them now. The cheque is in the mail. But lives and livelihoods in vulnerable countries are being lost now.”

Some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries fought hard during two weeks of fraught negotiations at the Cop29 UN summit in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku for a bigger slice of the money to come directly from developed countries. They also wanted more of the available finance to go to the countries most in need, instead of being shared with bigger emerging economies, such as India.

Two groups of particularly vulnerable nations, the Alliance of Small Island States and the Least Developed Countries, walked out of one meeting in protest late on Saturday afternoon, but later returned.

The talks were high-stakes from the start, as they opened just days after Donald Trump won re-election as US president. Trump intends to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement when he takes office in January and is likely to be hostile to providing any climate finance to the developing world.

Faced with the prospect of reconvening next year with a Trump White House in place, many countries decided that failure to agree on a new financial settlement in Baku was too much of a risk.

Developed countries insisted they could not offer any more, owing to their own budgetary constraints. “We will shoulder all the risk” if the US fails to contribute to climate finance in future, pointed out one negotiator.

Many developing world countries, including India, Bolivia, Cuba and Nigeria, reacted furiously to the deal.

Green campaigners also slammed the deal. Claudio Angelo, of the Observatorio do Clima in Brazil, said: “Rich countries spent 150 years appropriating the world’s atmospheric space, 33 years loitering on climate action, and three years negotiating [a financial settlement] without putting numbers on the table. Now, with the help of an incompetent Cop presidency and using the forthcoming Trump administration as a threat, they force developing countries to accept a deal that not only doesn’t represent any actual new money but also may increase their debt.”

India raised last-minute objections but failed to prevent it from being gavelled through by the Cop president, Azerbaijan’s environment minister Mukhtar Babayev. The country said it “could not accept” the settlement.

The host country was strongly criticised for its running of the Cop. Oil and gas make up 90% of Azerbaijan’s exports and fossil fuel interests were highly visible at the talks.

Saudi Arabia also played a highly obstructive role, according to many insiders. In one extraordinary development, a Saudi official attempted to alter one key text without full consultation. The petro-state also tried repeatedly to remove references to the “transition away from fossil fuels” which was agreed at last year’s Cop28 summit.

“It was clear from day one that Saudi Arabia and other fossil fuel-producing countries were going to do everything in their power to weaken the landmark Cop28 agreement on fossil fuels. At Cop29 they have deployed obstructionist tactics to dilute action on the energy transition,” said Romain Ioualalen, of the pressure group Oil Change International.

The US and China – the world’s two biggest economies, and biggest emitters of greenhouse gases – are normally key nations at the annual “conference of the parties” (Cop) under the UN framework convention on climate change. But neither played much of a public role in Baku, allowing other countries to drive the talks. The US delegation is still made up of officials from Joe Biden’s administration, but the looming presidency of Donald Trump cast a pall over their participation.

The deal will mean China will contribute to climate finance for the poor world voluntarily, unlike rich countries which are obliged to provide cash.

Ani Dasgupta, chief executive of the US-based World Resources Institute thinktank, said: “Despite major headwinds, negotiators in Baku eked out a deal that at least triples climate finance flowing to developing countries [from a previous longstanding goal of $100bn a year]. The $300bn goal is not enough, but is an important down payment toward a safer, more equitable future. The agreement recognises how critical it is for vulnerable countries to have better access to finance that does not burden them with unsustainable debt.”

A Saudi Arabian delegate has been accused of directly making changes to an official Cop29 negotiating text, it can be revealed.

Cop presidencies usually circulate negotiating texts as non-editable PDF documents to all countries simultaneously, and they are then discussed. Giving one party editing access “risks placing this entire Cop in jeopardy”, one expert said.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is regarded by many as a persistent obstructor of action at UN climate summits to cut the burning of fossil fuels and has been described as a “wrecking ball” at Cop29.

Earlier on Saturday, a document was circulated by the Azerbaijani presidency with updates to the negotiating text on the just transition work program (JTWP). This aims to help countries move to a cleaner and more resilient future, while reducing inequalities.

The document was sent with “tracked changes” from the previously circulated version. In two cases, the document showed edits were made directly by Basel Alsubaity, who is from the Saudi ministry of energy and the lead on the JTWP. It was not sent to other countries to edit, the Guardian was told.

One of the changes deletes a section of text reading “encourages parties to consider just transition pathways in developing and implementing NDCs, NAPs and LT-LEDSs that are aligned with the outcome of the first global stock take and relevant provisions of the Paris agreement”. (NDCs are nationally determined contributions, NAPs are national adaptation plans and LT-LEDs are long-term low emission development strategies.)

Catherine Abreu, the director of the International Climate Politics Hub and a Cop veteran, said: “All parties need to see presidency texts during this process as the negotiations proceed and this is generally done by circulating non-editable PDF documents to all parties simultaneously.

“Giving one party editing access to these documents, and a party known for its objective of rolling back the historic global agreement made last year to transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency, suggests a worrying lack of independence and objectivity, and clearly contravenes both the spirit and the rules of this process,” she said. “This kind of behaviour from a presidency risks placing this entire Cop in jeopardy.”

Two groups – the Alliance of Small Island States and the Least Developed Countries – walked out of a key meeting on Saturday, saying they were not being consulted by the presidency.

The German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, speaking on Saturday before the editing revelation, said: “We are in the midst of a geopolitical power play by a few fossil fuel states. We will not allow the most vulnerable, especially the small island states, to be ripped off by the few rich fossil fuel emitters who have the backing, unfortunately, at this moment of the president [of Cop29].”

A 2023 report by the Climate Social Science Network concluded: “One nation has had an outsized role in undermining progress at global climate negotiations, year after year: Saudi Arabia. The fossil fuel giant has a 30-year record of obstruction and delay, protecting its national oil and gas sector and seeking to ensure UN climate talks achieve as little as possible, as slowly as possible.

“Riyadh’s envoys are among the most active across all tracks of UN climate talks, frequently pushing back on efforts to curb fossil fuels,” it said. “Despite increased temperatures across Saudi Arabia and falling groundwater supplies, Riyadh has shown little sign of shifting strategy.”

The Cop29 presidency, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Saudi delegation have been contacted for comment.

The Cop29 UN climate talks in Azerbaijan, scheduled to finish Friday local time, are dragging into the weekend as delegates from nearly 200 countries struggle to reach a consensus on the key issues being debated: a new global climate finance goal and what needs to be done about fossil fuels.

What is happening in Baku is significant, no matter how frustrating a process and inadequate an outcome it may seem. Here are five things worth knowing about it.

Russia is “exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber realm” and “no one should underestimate” the threat to Nato, a senior UK minister will warn in a speech on Monday.

Pat McFadden, whose portfolio includes national security, will tell a Nato cybersecurity conference in London that Moscow “won’t think twice about targeting British businesses”, according to excerpts of his address released on Sunday by his ministry.

He will also note that “unofficial hacktivists” given “impunity” by the Kremlin are committing “increasingly frequent, and in some cases, increasingly sophisticated” attacks around the world.

That includes the recent targeting of South Korea “in response to its monitoring of the deployment of North Korean troops” to Russia.

The accusations come as tensions between Russia and the west have escalated dramatically, with Vladimir Putin warning that the war in Ukraine had the characteristics of a “global” conflict.

The growing frictions have sparked fresh unease in London and other western capitals that Putin may step up cyber-attacks and other non-military measures.

“Given the scale of that hostility, my message to members today is clear: no one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to Nato,” McFadden will say in a speech to the Nato Cyber Defence Conference at Lancaster House, noting “the threat is real”.

“In the last year, both the Russian military and its unofficial army of cybercriminals and hacktivists have not just stepped up their attacks, but widened their targets to a number of Nato members and partners.”

McFadden will warn that Russia has previously targeted the UK’s “media, our telecoms, our political and democratic institutions and our energy infrastructure”.

He is set to say that “Russian state-aligned groups” have taken responsibility for “at least nine separate cyber-attacks of varying severity against Nato states”.

They include “unprovoked attacks against our critical national infrastructure”.

“These groups are unpredictable, they act with disregard for the potential geopolitical consequences, and with just one miscalculation could wreak havoc on our networks.”

The UK minister will “call out” a Russian military unit – dubbed Unit 29155 – that allegedly carried out cyber-attacks in the UK and Europe, according to the Cabinet Office.

Highlighting Russia’s use of cyber-attacks over the course of its nearly three-year war on Ukraine, he will note that the tactics “can turn the lights off for millions of people”.

“It can shut down the power grids. This is the hidden war Russia is waging with Ukraine.”

But he will insist that Britain and western allies are “countering their attacks both publicly and behind the scenes”.

“Be in no doubt: the United Kingdom and others in this room are watching Russia. We know exactly what they are doing.”

A number of unidentified drones have been spotted over three airbases in Britain, the US air force has confirmed.

“Small unmanned aerial systems” were seen between 20 and 22 November over RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk.

The USAF, which uses the bases, said it was unclear at this stage whether the drones should be considered hostile.

It also declined to comment on whether any defence mechanisms were used, but said it retains “the right to protect” installations.

A spokesperson for US air forces in Europe said: “We can confirm that small unmanned aerial systems [UASs] were spotted in the vicinity of and over RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell between 20 and 22 November. The number of UASs fluctuated and they ranged in size [and] configuration.

“The UASs were actively monitored and installation leaders determined that none of the incursions impacted base residents or critical infrastructure.

“To protect operational security, we do not discuss our specific force protection measures but retain the right to protect the installation. We continue to monitor our airspace and are working with host-nation authorities and mission partners to ensure the safety of base personnel, facilities and assets.”

A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defence said: “We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites. This includes counter-drone security capabilities.

“We won’t comment further on security procedures.”

• The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has told the BBC in an interview that western allies should not put any limits on support for Ukraine against Russia, and “not set and express red lines”. Barrot’s comments are significant, coming a few days after US and UK long-range missiles were used in that way for the first time. Barrot said that Ukraine could fire French long-range missiles into Russia “in the logics of self-defence”, but would not confirm if French weapons had already been used. “The principle has been set … our messages to President Zelenskyy have been well received,” he said. France has supplied Ukraine with the Scalp missile, which is identical to the British-supplied Storm Shadow that Ukraine has reportedly already used inside Russia.

• Russia is “exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber realm” and “no one should underestimate” the threat to Nato, a senior UK minister will warn in a speech on Monday. Pat McFadden, whose portfolio includes national security, will tell a Nato cybersecurity conference in London that Moscow “won’t think twice about targeting British businesses”, according to excerpts of his address released on Sunday by his ministry.

• Ukraine has lost over 40% of the territory in Russia’s Kursk region that it rapidly seized in a surprise incursion in August as Russian forces have mounted waves of counter-assaults, a senior Ukrainian military source told Reuters. The source, who is on Ukraine’s general staff, said Russia had deployed about 59,000 troops to the Kursk region since Kyiv’s forces swept in and advanced swiftly, catching Moscow unprepared two and a half years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “At most, we controlled about 1,376 square kilometres (531 square miles), now of course this territory is smaller. The enemy is increasing its counterattacks,” the source said.

• Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a law that allows those who sign up to fight in Ukraine to write off unpaid debts worth almost $100,000. The legislation will allow those who sign a one-year contract to fight in Ukraine after 1 December to free themselves of existing bad debts. It also covers their spouses.

• Putin has threatened to launch more strikes using an experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile as Ukraine decried the testing of the nuclear-capable weapon on its territory as an “international crime”. Speaking at a defence conference on Friday, Putin contested US claims that Russia possessed only a “handful” of the high-speed ballistic missiles, saying that the military had enough to continue to test them in “combat conditions” and would put them into serial production. “The tests [of the missile system] have passed successfully, and I congratulate you all on that,” Putin said, according to the Interfax news agency.

• The US president-elect, Donald Trump, is considering making Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, a special envoy for the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to four sources familiar with the transition plans. Grenell, who served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and was acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, would play a key role in Trump’s efforts to halt the war if he is ultimately selected for the post. While there is now no special envoy dedicated solely to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump is considering creating the role, according to the four sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

• The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is making a diplomatic trip to Europe that includes a meeting of foreign ministers from the leading industrialised nations that will focus on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The state department said Blinken would participate in group of seven and bilateral meetings outside Rome on Monday and Tuesday. It comes as the Biden administration winds down amid concerns that Donald Trump’s team may substantially alter US foreign policy.

• Russia has included the territories it occupies in Ukraine in its recent greenhouse gas inventory report to the United Nations, drawing protests from Ukrainian officials and activists at the Cop29 climate summit this week. The move by Moscow comes as Vladimir Putin eyes potential peace deal negotiations with Trump that could decide the fate of Russian-occupied territory, Reuters reported. “We see that Russia is using international platforms to legalise their actions, to legalise their occupation of our territory,” Ukraine’s deputy environment minister Olga Yukhymchuk told Reuters.

• Russian drone and missile attacks have damaged 321 Ukrainian port infrastructure facilities since July 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday. Twenty merchant ships belonging to other countries were damaged by Russian strikes, he added.

• Putin signed into law a bill banning adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitioning is legal. Since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin leader has repeatedly characterised the west as “satanic” and accused it of trying to undermine Russia by exporting liberal ideologies.

A biography by a British graphic novelist of Elon Musk is struggling to find an English-language publisher due to feared “legal consequences”.

Elon Musk: Investigation into a New Master of the World is the latest graphic novel by Darryl Cunningham, from West Yorkshire. Cunningham, 64, has written and illustrated seven nonfiction books on topics ranging from the 2008 global economic meltdown (Supercrash), to Russian leader Vladimir Putin (subtitled The Rise of a Dictator).

His first book, Psychiatric Tales, which drew on his time working on an acute psychiatric ward, was called an “unsettling but rewarding experience” in an Observer review in 2010.

Although his previous books have all found publishers in the UK and America, there has been silence on the Elon Musk project, despite the fact that it has already been translated into French and published in France to positive reviews.

His French publishers, Delcourt, shopped it around at the Frankfurt book fair last month, and French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche called it “rich and thought-provoking”.

Cunningham said in a post on his Patreon website last week: “Its publication in other countries looks unlikely. I’m told that there was interest from various international publishers at the recent Frankfurt book fair, but there was concern over possible legal consequences.”

He told the Observer: “I’m surprised publishers are so seemingly cautious of publishing the Musk book when there are already many books published on Musk and various aspects of his businesses.

“Delcourt had lawyers go over every single word and picture to make sure there were no problems. I didn’t use any information that hadn’t been published elsewhere, much of it from the book by Musk’s own mother, Maye.

“But it looks like we live in a climate of fear where the worst people have immense power, and because of this there’s a tendency for the individuals, institutions, businesses and the state to run for cover.”

Cunningham praised Delcourt, who also put out the French edition of his book on Putin, for “having the courage” to publish the book.

It was published in France in May, and Cunningham added that so much has happened since then – including Musk being appointed by incoming US president Donald Trump to jointly head up his new Department of Government Efficiency – that Cunningham is already working on updates for subsequent editions.

The book is certainly no glowing hagiography. Drawing on various sources, Cunningham tells the life story of Musk, going back to his parents, Errol and Maye, and Musk’s grandfather, who Cunningham says was “a bit of a white supremacist”.

He charts the rise of Musk to the “billionaire class” through his various business dealings including acquiring Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter, which he renamed X.

Cunningham said: “Knowing what I know about the man, my conclusion is that it’s incredible that such a mediocre figure can amass such wealth, but it was ever thus.”

Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

A gang of masked men broke into the home of a woman who had taken a civil case against the mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor that accused him of raping her, it can now be revealed.

The incident was referred to at the start of the court case in Dublin but could not be reported until now as it emerged during legal discussion while the jury were not present.

On Friday, a jury in the high court of Ireland found that McGregor had in December 2018 assaulted Nikita Hand, who had accused him of raping her, and awarded damages of nearly €250,000 (£208,000) in her favour.

The court heard that unknown masked men had broken into her home, smashed the windows and stabbed her boyfriend on 14 June.

Hand’s counsel, John Gordon, told Judge Owens that he was not suggesting the fighter was behind the attack but that it went some way to explain her anxiety and why she relocated from her home.

“The plaintiff’s home was invaded by a group of men wearing balaclavas,” he said.

“The broke into the plaintiff’s bedroom, and were driven out by the plaintiff’s partner, who suffered a stab wound in the process. Her daughter was in the next room, sleeping.”

Gordon also told the court that the men broke windows in the front room before leaving.

“We are not laying that at the feet of the defendants or saying they have anything to do with that,” he added.

“We do make the claim that it was not an untargeted attack, [it] rose from supporters of the first named defendant [McGregor].

“It is related to the claim that she had to move out of the Drimnagh area.”

The judge asked whether the claim was being made that McGregor had anything to do with it, to which Gordon replied: “No, judge, it is an item of special damage.

“It related to her state of anxiety and her claim that she had to move from the Drimnagh area, as she has now done.”

McGregor’s barrister, Remy Farrell, said it seemed Hand was introducing a claim “which is nothing to do with us”, and complained it would be “an invitation to the jury to speculate”.

The judge ruled that he considered it to be “completely irrelevant and shouldn’t be referred to”.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed it had received a report of an incident of aggravated burglary and that investigations were ongoing. They added that a man had received hospital treatment for “non life-threatening injuries”.

On Friday, McGregor, who denied Hand’s claims as lies and fabrication designed to cover up cheating on her boyfriend, said he was appealing against the high court decision, noting that the damages award was “modest”.

He said: “The judge’s instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages. I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP [Ireland’s director of public prosecutions] reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future. Thank you to all my support worldwide,” he said on X.

The DPP decided not to pursue the case in 2020 on the grounds that there was not a reasonable prospect of securing a conviction.

McGregor had faced an accusation that he “brutally raped and battered” Hand at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.

The Irish sports star previously told the court he had consensual sex with Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon hotel.

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said the case was an important moment in establishing what “consent” meant after the judge made it clear in his closing comments to the jury that “submission” was not consent, nor was risky behaviour. Drinking or taking drugs “does not mean they are up for sex”, Owens said.

Ireland’s justice minister, Helen McEntee, commended Hand for her “bravery and determination”.

She added: “Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.”

A gang of masked men broke into the home of a woman who had taken a civil case against the mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor that accused him of raping her, it can now be revealed.

The incident was referred to at the start of the court case in Dublin but could not be reported until now as it emerged during legal discussion while the jury were not present.

On Friday, a jury in the high court of Ireland found that McGregor had in December 2018 assaulted Nikita Hand, who had accused him of raping her, and awarded damages of nearly €250,000 (£208,000) in her favour.

The court heard that unknown masked men had broken into her home, smashed the windows and stabbed her boyfriend on 14 June.

Hand’s counsel, John Gordon, told Judge Owens that he was not suggesting the fighter was behind the attack but that it went some way to explain her anxiety and why she relocated from her home.

“The plaintiff’s home was invaded by a group of men wearing balaclavas,” he said.

“The broke into the plaintiff’s bedroom, and were driven out by the plaintiff’s partner, who suffered a stab wound in the process. Her daughter was in the next room, sleeping.”

Gordon also told the court that the men broke windows in the front room before leaving.

“We are not laying that at the feet of the defendants or saying they have anything to do with that,” he added.

“We do make the claim that it was not an untargeted attack, [it] rose from supporters of the first named defendant [McGregor].

“It is related to the claim that she had to move out of the Drimnagh area.”

The judge asked whether the claim was being made that McGregor had anything to do with it, to which Gordon replied: “No, judge, it is an item of special damage.

“It related to her state of anxiety and her claim that she had to move from the Drimnagh area, as she has now done.”

McGregor’s barrister, Remy Farrell, said it seemed Hand was introducing a claim “which is nothing to do with us”, and complained it would be “an invitation to the jury to speculate”.

The judge ruled that he considered it to be “completely irrelevant and shouldn’t be referred to”.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed it had received a report of an incident of aggravated burglary and that investigations were ongoing. They added that a man had received hospital treatment for “non life-threatening injuries”.

On Friday, McGregor, who denied Hand’s claims as lies and fabrication designed to cover up cheating on her boyfriend, said he was appealing against the high court decision, noting that the damages award was “modest”.

He said: “The judge’s instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages. I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP [Ireland’s director of public prosecutions] reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future. Thank you to all my support worldwide,” he said on X.

The DPP decided not to pursue the case in 2020 on the grounds that there was not a reasonable prospect of securing a conviction.

McGregor had faced an accusation that he “brutally raped and battered” Hand at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.

The Irish sports star previously told the court he had consensual sex with Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon hotel.

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said the case was an important moment in establishing what “consent” meant after the judge made it clear in his closing comments to the jury that “submission” was not consent, nor was risky behaviour. Drinking or taking drugs “does not mean they are up for sex”, Owens said.

Ireland’s justice minister, Helen McEntee, commended Hand for her “bravery and determination”.

She added: “Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.”

Donald Trump has chosen Brooke Rollins, president of the America First Policy Institute, to be agriculture secretary.

“As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will spearhead the effort to protect American Farmers, who are truly the backbone of our Country,” the US president-elect said in a statement.

Trump’s nomination of Rollins marks the completion of his top cabinet picks for his incoming administration.

If confirmed by the Senate, Rollins would lead a 100,000-person agency with offices in every county in the country, whose remit includes farm and nutrition programs, forestry, home and farm lending, food safety, rural development, agricultural research, trade and more. It had a budget of $437.2bn in 2024.

The nominee’s agenda would carry implications for American diets and wallets, both urban and rural. Department of Agriculture officials and staff negotiate trade deals, guide dietary recommendations, inspect meat, fight wildfires and support rural broadband, among other activities.

“Brooke’s commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none,” Trump said in the statement.

In response to her nomination, Rollins wrote on X: “Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. It will be the honor of my life to fight for America’s farmers and our Nation’s agricultural communities. This is big stuff for a small-town ag girl from Glen Rose, TX — truly the American Dream at its greatest.”

She added: “Who’s ready to make agriculture great again!”

The America First Policy Institute is a right-leaning thinktank whose personnel have worked closely with Trump’s campaign to help shape policy for his incoming administration. Rollins chaired the Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s first term.

As agriculture secretary, Rollins would advise the administration on how and whether to implement clean fuel-tax credits for biofuels at a time when the sector is hoping to grow through the production of sustainable aviation fuel.

The nominee would also guide next year’s renegotiation of the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal, in the shadow of disputes over Mexico’s attempt to bar imports of genetically modified corn and Canada’s dairy import quotas.

Trump has said he again plans to institute sweeping tariffs that are likely to affect the farm sector.

He was considering offering the role to the former US senator Kelly Loeffler, a staunch ally whom he chose to co-chair his inaugural committee, CNN reported on Friday.

In a separate announcement on Saturday, Trump urged Randy Fine, a former gambling industry executive and current Florida state senator, to run in a special election to represent the state’s sixth congressional district in the House of Representatives.

Trump’s endorsement of Fine comes after he named Mike Waltz, Florida’s current sixth congressional district representative, to serve as his national security adviser.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump called Fine “an incredible voice for MAGA”.

“Should he decide to enter this Race, Randy Fine has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, RANDY, RUN!” Trump added.

Hamas’s armed wing said on Saturday that an Israeli woman taken hostage during the October 2023 attack had been killed in a combat zone in northern Gaza, as the Israeli military said it was investigating.

The spokesperson for Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, said contact had been restored with the woman’s captors after a break of several weeks and it was established that the hostage had been killed in an area of north Gaza where the Israeli army has been operating.

Abu Obeida’s statement did not further identify the hostage or say how or when she was killed.

The Israeli army told AFP it was looking into the claim.

Abu Obeida said that the woman had been held with a second female hostage whose life was in danger.

During last year’s Hamas attack which triggered the Gaza war, militants took 251 hostages, of whom 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.

Ten female hostages, including five soldiers, were believed to remain alive in custody before Abu Obeida’s statement, according to an AFP tally.

During a one-week truce in November last year, 105 hostages were freed, including 80 Israelis who were exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

The Israeli government has come under immense public pressure to agree to a new deal to bring the remaining hostages home while they are still alive.

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum campaign group did not wish to comment on Saturday’s claim.

“Nothing is known other than what Hamas is saying. Our only reliable source is the Israeli army,” the group told AFP.

Hamas’s attack on 7 October last year resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 44,176 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

A sorority at Dartmouth College and two members of a fraternity are facing charges related to the death of a student who drowned after attending an off-campus party this summer.

Won Jang, 20, of Middletown, Delaware, had been reported missing in July after the party. State and local emergency responders searched the Connecticut River and found his body.

On Friday, police in Hanover, New Hampshire, where Dartmouth is located, announced that Alpha Phi has been charged with one count of facilitating an underage alcohol house. Two members of Beta Alpha Omega were charged with providing alcohol to a person under 21.

The party was hosted by the Alpha Phi sorority and alcohol was provided by Beta Alpha Omega. Most of those at the party were under 21. At the end of the party, police said, several attendees decided to swim in the river. While at the river, a heavy rainstorm hit and most people left. Jang, whose family told authorities he could not swim, was left behind.

At the time of the incident, Dartmouth suspended the sorority and fraternity and those suspensions remain in effect. Jang was a member of Beta Alpha Omega.

“Dartmouth has long valued the contributions that Greek organizations bring to the student experience, when they are operating within their stated values and standards,” the college said in a statement. “These organizations, as well as all Dartmouth students and community members, have a responsibility to ensure Dartmouth remains a safe, respectful, equitable and inclusive community for students, faculty and staff.”

No one from Alpha Phi could be reached for comment.

Higher usage of personal care products among pregnant or nursing women leads to higher levels of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” in their blood and breast milk, new research shows, presenting a serious health threat to developing children.

The new study helps connect the dots among previous papers that have found concerning levels of PFAS in personal care products, umbilical cord blood, breast milk and shown health risks for developing children.

The analysis of data from 2,000 women is the largest to compare personal care product usage with PFAS levels, and the findings are “alarming” said Amber Hall, a Brown University researcher and study co-author.

“It’s not only getting in blood and breast milk, but it’s getting in there at high enough levels that we’re able to connect it with greater frequency of use,” Hall said.

PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds typically used to make products that resist water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down and accumulate, and are linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health problems.

The chemicals are widely used across the economy, and have been added to personal care products from dental floss to cosmetics, often to help spread active ingredients, or aid the skin in absorbing them. They also leach into the products from packaging or other points in the supply chain.

The authors found those with the highest blood or milk levels were linked to nail care products, fragrances, makeup, hair dyes and hair sprays.

Women who wore makeup daily in the first and third trimesters had 14% and 17% higher plasma and breast milk PFAS concentrations, respectively.

Women who dyed their hair at least twice during pregnancy showed levels of PFOS, one of the most common and dangerous PFAS compounds, that were 36% higher than those who did not.

Meanwhile, women who used nail products after giving birth were found to have PFOS levels about 27% higher.

Previous research found PFAS in each of 30,000 umbilical cord blood samples taken across a five-year period in locations around the globe. Breast milk in 50 US samples were found to contain alarming levels of the chemicals.

Exposure is especially dangerous for developing children because they are more vulnerable and it can trigger lifelong health problems. Among other issues related to pregnancy and development, PFAS are linked to decreased birth weight, preterm birth, shorter lactation periods, a reduction in milk’s nutritional value, neuro-developmental disorders and diminished vaccine response in children.

Women can take some steps to protect themselves, like reducing non-essential personal care products while pregnant or nursing. They can also find products free from toxic chemicals, though it is difficult to identify PFAS on product labels, and sometimes their inclusion is not disclosed.

Some states have begun to ban or limit the use of PFAS in personal care products as an active ingredient. That may pressure companies to remove PFAS from their products across the nation so they do not have to produce different formulas for different states.

During Andy Murray’s emotional retirement ceremony this summer at Wimbledon, his interviewer, Sue Barker, wondered whether Murray would be keen to return purely as a spectator. She noted he had many options; a spot among the club members, an invitation into the royal box or even the commentary booth.

Murray, however, had other thoughts: “I’d probably be more comfortable sitting up there in a coaching box than somewhere else,” he said, pointing to the seats his own coaching team occupied.

There was never any doubt Murray would go on to be a coach once his career ended, but on Saturday Murray still shocked tennis and beyond with the announcement he will be Novak Djokovic’s new coach and they will work together during the off-season until at least the end of the Australian Open. It is one of the most astonishing coaching partnerships in recent memory.

As two of the leading players of the past 20 years, this pairing is unprecedented. Their own particular history makes it even more fascinating. Murray and Djokovic were born a week apart in the middle of May 1987 and they first met each other as 11-year-olds, with Murray easily winning their first match in 1998.

That marked the start of a rivalry that has linked them for a monumental 26 years. They have faced each other 36 times, including seven grand slam finals, with Djokovic winning 25 of their meetings.

While Djokovic smothered Murray to win four of his 10 Australian Open titles and then his fourth consecutive grand slam title at the 2016 French Open, Murray won his first grand slam title at the US Open in 2012 and his historic first Wimbledon title in 2013.

At the height of his career, Murray woke up every day trying to extract every last drop out of his talent in order to catch up with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.Now, suddenly, they will have to learn how to work together after battling for so long.

“We played each other since we were boys, 25 years of being rivals, of pushing each other beyond our limits,” Djokovic said. “We had some of the most epic battles in our sport. They called us gamechangers, risk-takers, history-makers.

“I thought our story may be over, turns out it has one final chapter. It’s time for one of my toughest opponents to step into my corner. Welcome on board, coach Andy Murray.”

Looking beyond the surprise of this coaching alliance, it is not difficult to see Djokovic’s vision. Along with his talent and monumental work ethic, Murray’s success was driven by his tactical genius and his peerless ability to understand the game, to anticipate his opponents’ decision making and outsmart them.

He left no stone unturned in his career, constantly watching matches and surveying data to improve his game. With his on-court intelligence and passion, his qualities have always seemed a recipe for success as a coach.

This is a fascinating moment for Djokovic as he navigates his final years as a professional. Now 37, he has won everything there is to offer. He showed he can still perform at the highest level this year by willing himself to victory at the Olympic Games, but he also struggled and occasionally looked his age. He finished the year ranked seventh having failed to win multiple titles for the first time since 2005.

The big question surrounding Djokovic is whether he is truly willing to put in the work and endure the sacrifices required to be successful at this point in his career. There are two exceptional young players, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who will only continue to improve.

With the exception of his other great rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, there is no one else who understands those sacrifices and what it takes to be successful in this era as Murray does. Murray is completely unproven as a coach, but he is surely the only person who has the authority to keep a 24-time grand slam champion honest.

Murray’s possible motivations are perhaps even more interesting. It seemed he would take some time to enjoy himself after retirement, but he is a curious person, particularly when it comes to tennis, his lifelong obsession.

After spending so much of his life trying to outdo Djokovic, here comes a rare opportunity to understand his greatest rival, to put their experiences and thought processes together, and to see where they land. The world will be watching.