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I’m Going to Make a Friend by Darren Chetty, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat, Little Tiger, £12.99
When a child moves home, it can be hard to meet potential new pals. Perhaps it’s best to make a friend from what’s to hand? This warm, witty picture book is perfect for prompting chats about friendship.

So Devin Wore a Skirt by Shireen Lalji and Lucy Fleming, Frances Lincoln, £7.99
Devin has nothing special to wear for his Nanabapa’s big birthday until he spots his sister’s shimmery blue skirt. At first he hides it under layers of disguise, but when he finally reveals the skirt, it’s Nanabapa who takes Devin for a twirl on the dancefloor in this gentle, adorable picture book about acceptance.

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Armed groups post videos of weapons, cars and parties to social media to depict ‘perks’ of lifestyle, say experts

Gangs in Colombia are increasingly recruiting children into their ranks, with a notable number coerced over TikTok and Facebook, the United Nations has warned.

The UN Human Rights Office in Colombia said it had verified 474 cases of recruitment or use of under-18s between 2022 and 2024, and that the situation was “worsening in 2025”. In 36 cases children were recruited at school, while recruitment through social networking platforms was of “grave concern”, it said.

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Unrestricted AI use could add 1bn tons of planet-heating emissions in the US over the next decade, researchers say

US Republicans are pushing to pass a major spending bill that includes provisions to prevent states from enacting regulations on artificial intelligence. Such untamed growth in AI will take a heavy toll upon the world’s dangerously overheating climate, experts have warned.

About 1bn tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide are set to be emitted in the US just from AI over the next decade if no restraints are placed on the industry’s enormous electricity consumption, according to estimates by researchers at Harvard University and provided to the Guardian.

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Despite working on polar science for the British Antarctic Survey for 20 years, Louise Sime finds the magnitude of potential sea-level rise hard to comprehend

For more than 20 years, Louise Sime has worked at the British Antarctic Survey specialising in polar climate dynamics. She uses ice cores to reconstruct past conditions and predict future changes. She now leads several international Earth modelling projects.

Why are the Arctic and Antarctic regions important for the rest of the world?
They are one of the pillars of global climate stability, a giant store of frozen water, an essential “biotic pump” that helps to store carbon, and an albedo shield that reflects much of the sun’s light and heat back out to space.

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Even some of his supporters say Andrew M. Cuomo ran an aloof campaign for mayor that underestimated his chief rival, Zohran Mamdani.

We compiled the list by polling more than 500 people in and around the film industry.

Two women and two men held after damage caused to two Voyager aircraft, say counter-terrorism police

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in an action claimed by the campaign group Palestine Action.

In a statement, counter-terrorism policing south-east said: “A 29-year-old woman of no fixed abode, and two men aged 36 and 24, both from London, were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. A 41-year-old woman, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

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Is cosmic obliteration really what the future holds, as the latest trailer for the forthcoming First Steps appears to show?

What if Thanos really had finger-snapped away half of all life in the universe and then kicked back on his scorched Titan homestead like a giant, purple Cincinnatus? What if Ultron had succeeded in uploading himself into the cloud, turning every smart fridge and Fitbit into a genocidal death bot? What if Loki had kept the Tesseract, conquered Earth, and turned Avengers Tower into a golden skyscraper shaped like his own smirking face?

These are the Marvel sliding‑doors moments we are secretly relieved that we will never see – too bleak, too bonkers, or too off‑brand to survive outside the whiteboard of producer and Marvel boss Kevin Feige.

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Ruud van Nistelrooy's long-expected departure as Leicester City manager is confirmed more than nine weeks after the Foxes were relegated.

Emma Raducanu is drawn against teenage wildcard Mimi Xu in an eye-catching all-British first-round match at Wimbledon.