An early cull of the favourites at the Chess World Cup in Goa has resulted in 15 of the top 20 seeds heading for home early. The effect on the eight-man Candidates tournament, to be played in Cyprus in March-April 2026, is that at least one of its three qualifiers from the World Cup will be an unfamiliar name. View image in fullscreen 3998 Aryan Tari (Norway) v Pranav Venkatesh (India), World Cup, Goa 2025. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (India) was knocked out of the World Cup by Dubov on Thursday, but leads the 2025 Fide circuit rankings and is almost sure of that place. The final three Candidates spots will be decided by the World Cup final and third-place match.

According to Switzerland’s football association, their Women’s Super League has enjoyed a 62% increase in attendances this season, with an average attendance of 787. While that does not compare with the huge spike England’s Women’s Super League had after Euro 2022 – an average attendance increase of 172% the following season – it is still encouraging. Grasshopper, currently second in the Swiss WSL, had an average attendance of 300 last season; that is up to 450 for this campaign. Thun, bottom of the Swiss WSL, have more than doubled their average attendance, from 156 to 326. View image in fullscreen Switzerland fans declare their commitment to the national team at Euro 2025.

The foreign oil refineries and other assets of Russian company Lukoil are attracting potential buyers as time runs out to strike cheap deals before US sanctions come into force on 21 November. Kazakhstan’s state firm KazMunayGas is studying a bid for Lukoil’s assets in the country, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Shell is interested in Lukoil deepwater assets in Ghana and Nigeria, two other sources said. Lukoil may try to emulate Russian oil firm Rosneft whose three German refineries were put under a trusteeship in 2022 – controlled by Berlin but still owned by Rosneft. Lukoil’s attempt to sell foreign assets to the Swiss-based oil trader Gunvor was scrapped after opposition from the US treasury which called Gunvor the Kremlin’s “puppet”.

VATICAN CITY — The Swiss Guard, the special military unit tasked with protecting the pope, is investigating one of its members after reports of an alleged antisemitic incident last month, the Vatican said on Monday (Nov 10). In a statement, the Vatican said the Swiss Guard was conducting an internal review after receiving a report concerning an "incident that occurred at one of the entrances to the Vatican City State, during which elements were allegedly identified that were interpreted as having antisemitic connotations". Leo condemned antisemitism in his speech for the occasion, promising that the Church "does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it". The Pontifical Swiss Guard, the world's smallest army, has protected popes since 1506. Known for their colourful uniforms, its members are seen frequently with the pontiff and are charged with guarding the gates into the Vatican.

Pochettino could have selected McKennie, trusting that Spalletti is the first Juventus manager in years to be instantly convinced of the multifunctional Texan’s value. The absences mean that, at most, Pochettino will have a single international window to work with his full, first-choice team before he assembles it for next summer’s World Cup. In his year-and-change in charge, Pochettino has never had a full complement of his best players – whether they combine to form his best team or not. Richards’ club manager, Oliver Glasner, was upset at the October call-up, when Richards played all 180 minutes in the heat of Texas and at the altitude of Colorado in spite of an apparent calf issue. But all the caution and planning and diplomacy in the world can’t protect Pochettino and his US squad from it.

A member of the Vatican’s Swiss Guards, the world’s smallest army whose primary role is to protect the pope, is under investigation for allegedly making a spitting gesture towards two Jewish women. The alleged incident occurred at one of the side entrances to St Peter’s Square as people gathered for a general audience on 29 October, during which Pope Leo condemned antisemitism. When the guard was challenged, she added, he allegedly “made an act of spitting in our direction with clear contempt”. It is understood that the alleged incident arose when “a person … asked for a photo[of the Swiss Guard]”, and “it all started from there”, Cinotti added. “But to be clear – the Swiss Guard completely distances itself from any form of antisemitism,” Cinotti said.

A political ally of Vladimir Putin who declared poverty to a London divorce court had £217m-worth of property and land in London and Moscow as well as £21m in investments and a £4m art collection, a judge has found. David Allison, the solicitor representing Alona Sloutsker, said: “Unfortunately, Mr Sloutsker’s obstructive behaviour continued after trial until his death in late September. The couple had “spent millions of pounds on redecorating and renovating that large property”, the judge said. The family home in London was valued at £45m although Sloutsker had failed to pay about £27m or £28m in mortgage payments over the last 12 months. He had £4m in REYL bank in Switzerland and a family home in Moscow valued at £22m.

The problem is the politics’View image in fullscreen A man sits in a polluted river in Belem, Brazil. “The climate crisis is a slow-motion disaster,” Natalie said, “but the news agenda thrives on quick, new, fast, ever-changing stories. Photograph: HandoutThe Guardian will be providing comprehensive coverage of the conference, with a significant team out in Brazil. “This isn’t just some sort of theoretical discussion in a conference room at a UN Climate Summit. “Trump row BBC boss: I quit” – that’s the Daily Mirror, while the Mail engages maximum castigation protocols: “BBC bosses quit in disgrace”.

Veterans of the second world war were applauded as they arrived at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, before being joined by royals and senior politicians to honour those who have died in conflict. King Charles laid the first wreath in recognition of those killed in wars and conflicts dating back to the first world war. View image in fullscreen Veterans lay wreaths at the Stone of Remembrance outside the City Chambers in Edinburgh. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PAAs well as royals and political leaders, 10,000 members of the armed forces participated in the Royal British Legion’s annual march past, including about three D-day veterans among the 20 second world war veterans marking 80 years since the conflict ended in 1945. Sid Machin, one of six 101-year-olds registered to march, is one of the last surviving Chindit special forces soldiers the second world war’s Burma (now Myanmar) campaign.

A car explosion outside the historic Red Fort monument in Delhi has killed at least eight people and started a fire in the surrounding area, according to police. Police said a slow-moving car had stopped at a red light just outside the Red Fort metro station before the blast. “An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” said the Delhi police commissioner, Satish Golcha. “Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening. About a dozen people were killed in a briefcase explosion outside the Delhi high court in 2011 – the last such major incident in the city.

Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has held talks with Donald Trump at the White House, the first such official visit by a Syrian leader since national independence in 1946. Trump met the Syrian leader for the first time last May in Riyadh on the sidelines of a Gulf Cooperation Council summit. In September the ex-jihadist, who had been previously affiliated with al-Qaida, became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN general assembly in New York. The interior ministry said Syrian security forces carried out 61 raids, with 71 people arrested and explosives and weapons seized. While Israel and Syria remain formally in a state of war, with Israel still occupying Syria’s Golan Heights, Trump has expressed hope that the two countries can normalise relations.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy arriving at his residence in Paris, France. View image in fullscreen Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy arriving at his residence in Paris, France. Photograph: Jumeau Alexis/ABACA/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Jean Sarkozy and Pierre Sarkozy, sons of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, are seen in Paris. View image in fullscreen Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy seen arriving at his flat in west Paris after leaving La Sante Prison earlier today. View image in fullscreen Vehicles believed to be carrying former French President Nicolas Sarkozy leave the Sante prison in Paris, France.

Queensland will roll out shark-spotting drones to more beaches, after a major study found drones detected more than double the number of sharks caught in adjacent nets. Shark nets had a substantially higher environmental impact, with 123 non-target animals (not including non-target sharks) caught in nets across 10 beaches during the trial period. In May, the Crisafulli government announced it would expand the use of shark nets, a position it has maintained despite more than a dozen whales becoming entangled in recent months. The state now deploys 27 nets and 383 drum lines designed to catch and kill seven target species of shark. “While drones are a good augmentation of the program, they cannot replace core program gear such as drum lines and nets at this time,” the spokesperson said.

The $2m (£1.5m), 206-player World Cup taking place in Goa, India, has a brutal format designed to maximise the chance of shock results. The major incentive besides the prize money is three places in the 2026 Candidates, the pathway to the world title. After losing to the little-known Indian Diptayan Ghosh, Nepomniachtchi posted a laconic message: “There’s nothing to say about the chess part. Niemann was outplayed by Italy’s Lorenzo ­Lodici, so will have to postpone his ­ambition to become the first US world ­champion since Bobby Fischer until at least 2028. View image in fullscreen 3997: GM Levon Aronian (US) v IM Aronyak Ghosh (India), World Cup, Goa 2025.

A Ukrainian court has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison after finding him guilty of killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war – the first time Ukraine has jailed a suspect on such charges. The court in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhzhia found Dmitry Kurashov, 27, guilty of shooting dead Vitalii Hodniuk, a Ukrainian soldier who had surrendered in January 2024 when his dugout was captured by Russian forces. Kurashov, who was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces along with other Russian troops soon after and pleaded guilty in court, although he later told reporters he was innocent and wanted to be exchanged in a prisoner swap. Sweden and Ukraine said they had signed a letter of intent to establish a hub in Ukraine to develop new weapons technologies. The plans would see Swedish personnel working on site in Ukraine, said the Swedish defence minister, Pal Jonson.