Despair, delight, utter exhaustion at the show’s increasing use of nostalgia: Guardian readers’ responses to the latest twist in the Timelord saga vary wildly

When I saw Billie Piper’s face, it felt as if I had been subconsciously waiting 20 years for this moment. It was joyous and completely overwhelming. It was that same iconic Rose Tyler smile that got me – the one we last saw when she was reunited with the Doctor in 2008. Like many others, I was a child when I was introduced to Doctor Who in 2005 and it was unquestionably Rose Tyler who hooked me in, and that transcendental love story. I have been a fan of Piper ever since and hope, for old times’ sake, we get to see her again with David Tennant’s 14th Doctor. Steph Braithwaite, 31, community relations manager, Toxteth, Liverpool

Increasingly irrelevant Tory leader once again shows she hasn’t been paying attention

Even a stopped clock shows the right time twice a day. A level of success to which Kemi Badenoch can only aspire right now. We’ve reached the point where her having a decent stab at approximating some intelligent questions goes down as an unmitigated triumph. Not that it really matters any more.

To care about the Tory leader’s performances at prime minister’s questions is to commit a category error. She has become an irrelevance both to Labour and her own MPs. Possibly even to herself. Though that might require a level of personal insight that is beyond her.

An Austrian newspaper ran an interview with the cinema legend which he denied ever giving. What actually happens in the world of movie reporting can be yet more murky

It is no surprise that Austrian newspaper Kurier’s Clint Eastwood interview went viral over the weekend. An audience with a 95-year-old film legend containing stern words about the current state of cinema was always going to go like a rocket. Particularly during the industry’s dregs season: the thin period post Cannes and pre the summer proper, with Mission: Impossible fever fading fast and Lilo & Stitch ruling the box office – a success from which only so many stories can be spun.

Further evidence of this thinness comes from a quick scan of the news stories run over the past week in some of the trade magazines – Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Screen International – who must keep producing them, regardless of actual material. These include a write-off of an interview in which Michael Cera says he didn’t think Jackie Chan knew who he was when they first met, Renée Zellweger revealing that she shed a tear shooting the Bridget Jones film that was released last February and – an exclusive, this – a report that Bill Murray will appear at a film festival in Croatia. Against this backdrop, Eastwood telling younger directors to buck up is, basically, Watergate.

Slovenia’s children are less likely to know deprivation than any other European nation’s. Is that because of what the country is doing now – or its socialist past?

Much of the world doesn’t have a clue what to do about child poverty, or even when to do it. In the UK the Labour government recently delayed its flagship policy on tackling the issue until the autumn. But if you’re looking for inspiration, it might be worth asking what Slovenia has been getting right. The country has the lowest rates of child poverty in Europe.

Why? The glaringly obvious reason is that Slovenia is a very economically equal country. “The heritage of the social state, from communist times, is still here,” says Marta Gregorčič, a professor at the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development, which addresses household distress and poverty.

From hydration vests to anti-chafe cream, here’s the trail running kit that’s actually worth buying, according to our expert

• The best running shoes, tried and tested by runners

Pounding the asphalt has plenty of benefits: improving fitness, creating headspace and providing a huge sense of achievement as you stumble back through the door and spill on to the sofa. Trail running is a different beast, offering all the same positives with different challenges and potentially even more rewards.

I’ve been running trails for almost two decades, from the runnable tracks of the New Forest to the steep, technical trails around Mont Blanc, running everything from trail 10kms to 100-mile ultras. It allows me to unplug completely, tap into the mental health benefits of spending time in nature and get a double dose of strength and cardio.

The legislation is a product of joined-up environmental thinking – aiming to create housing while preventing nature loss

• Nick Williams was an economic policy adviser to Keir Starmer between 2023 and 2025, having previously worked in HM Treasury

In recent weeks, various nature groups and newspaper columnists have promoted claims that the government’s flagship planning and infrastructure bill is a “nature sellout”. The argument goes that the government is conspiring with malign developers to destroy irreplaceable habitats as a first resort. This sounds alarming, if only it were true.

The truth is that our current framework for protecting habitats has been in place for decades but has failed to prevent nature loss. This is because we approach conservation in the least effective way possible, with tens of thousands of individual site-by-site protections. Ecological science is clear that this is outdated. Modern conservation strategies recognise the necessity of interconnectivity and scale for supporting complex ecosystems.

Nick Williams was an economic policy adviser to Keir Starmer between 2023 and 2025, having previously worked in HM Treasury

PM tells MPs he is considering imposing sanctions on Israeli government members but is resisting ban on arms sales

Keir Starmer has called Israel’s recent actions in Gaza “appalling, counterproductive and intolerable”, as the UK government comes under mounting pressure to take stronger action after the killings of dozens of civilians at food points in recent days.

The prime minister told MPs on Wednesday the UK was considering imposing sanctions on members of the Israeli government, but is so far resisting growing calls for a complete ban on arms sales and immediate recognition of Palestine.

Ministers understood to be drawing up amendments to bill to try to head off threatened rebellion by two dozen MPs

Labour MPs are planning to rebel over the planning and infrastructure bill after constituents raised concern that it threatens protected habitats and wildlife.

The Guardian understands that about two dozen Labour MPs are calling for ministers to force developers to build more than a million homes for which they already have planning permission before pushing through legislation that rolls back environmental protections for the most protected habitats in England.

Officials have agreed to begin offshore interceptions, it is claimed, in change of policy that NGOs say will risk lives

The French government plans to begin intercepting small boats carrying asylum seekers even if they are already at sea, a Home Office source has said.

In a move that NGOs claim will endanger lives, it was claimed that French officials agreed this week to draw up plans to begin intervening in waters close to beaches and inland canals.

US president says phone call with Russian leader won’t lead to ‘immediate peace’ as Moscow rules out ceasefire

Donald Trump has spoken for more than an hour with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, but he conceded the talks would not lead “to immediate peace” in Ukraine, and warned that Russia would respond to Ukraine’s successful attacks this week on its airfields.

The US president, who repeatedly claimed he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours during his election campaign, did not attempt to discourage the Russian leader from retaliation, according to his description of the discussion on his Truth Social platform. He noted instead that Putin had offered to participate in US talks with Iran about its nuclear programme, which Trump claimed Tehran had been “slowwalking”.