The carefree scene in the ancient Chinese city of Kashgar prompted the photographer to reflect of his own sources of happiness

Kuanglong Zhang lives in Shenzhen, in the south of China, and was visiting the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar when he took this photo. Close to the borders of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, it is ancient and landlocked; distinctly different from the modern port city he calls home. Zhang remembers being captivated by the unfamiliar streets and alleys. As he explored, he came across two brothers playing football after school.

“I used the telephoto lens on my phone to make the contrast between the children and the painted yellow buildings stronger, and the composition cleaner,” says Zhang, who is the 2025 Mobile Photography awards’ photographer of the year. “I set up the shot so they’d be on the left and right side of the frame to create a sense of visual balance, and, as both of them are facing left, it gave more space on that side so the image doesn’t feel cramped.”

The justice department decision to launch a criminal investigation into Carroll is a troubling, dark turn

Donald Trump is accused of raping E Jean Carroll, the magazine writer, in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store sometime in the mid-1990s. Trump denies this, as he denies all the sexual abuse allegations that have been made against him by more than two dozen women, but he was found to have sexually abused Carroll by a federal jury; later, another jury found that he defamed her when he said that she had lied about it. She didn’t lie.

Trump has vowed to appeal the rulings, but he’s so far been frustrated: a federal court panel declined to hear his appeal of one verdict, and the US supreme court has so far delayed a decision on whether to hear another of his appeals in the matter no fewer than 12 times. She won two judgments from Trump: $5m for sexual abuse and defamation, and more than $83m for defamation. The president has used his office to enrich himself so blatantly that he almost certainly has the money to pay her. But Carroll hasn’t seen a dime; it’s not clear that she ever will.

British vehicles will emit extra 17m tonnes of CO2 by 2030 due to loophole allowing sale of more PHEVs, data suggests

Campaigners have urged the government to resist calls to further water down electric car sale rules, as an analysis reveals that vehicles on UK roads will emit an extra 17m tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030 mostly because of changes last year.

Parts of the car industry have urged ministers to review for a second time the rules that force manufacturers to sell increasing numbers of electric cars each year.

Mark, 17, struggled to make it through senior year after his dad was deported to El Salvador. Getting his diploma was bittersweet for the Maryland teen – as his dad watched on a livestream

As Mark was getting ready for his high school graduation, he thought about how his dad would have probably insisted on adjusting his slacks – they were a bit tight – and fixed up his tie. “He would want me to look my best,” he said.

But his dad and namesake, Marco, was 2,000 miles away. He had been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Maryland just before Christmas and deported to El Salvador in March.

The party may reclaim the US House and even Senate, but primary candidates are far from united on how to move forward

Across the country, in front yards and on main streets, at dairy breakfasts and inside breweries, voters are delivering a similar message to Democratic primary candidates: they’re tired of both parties, and sick of being ignored.

The Democratic party brand is bruised after its disastrous 2024 presidential loss. A botched review of the defeat by the Democratic National Committee, and a drawn-out process over releasing the so-called autopsy, created another round of handwringing over the party’s direction.

• Backroom staff denied entry visas for US, claims post on X

• Team have moved training base from Arizona to Mexico

Iran has slammed World Cup co-hosts the United States over what it called “discriminatory treatment” by not granting visas for some members of the Iranian national team’s delegation to attend the tournament.

“Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisers, and others who are an integral part of any national football team?” the Iranian embassy in Turkey said in a post on X, referring to an earlier announcement by the US envoy Tom Barrack that visas had been granted to players.

HARDERWIJK (ANP) - De ChristenUnie mist bij het kabinet-Jetten de beloofde terughoudendheid in medisch-ethische kwesties, met name rond een onlangs aangenomen wet over het gebruik van embryo's voor wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Dat heeft partijleider Mirjam Bikker gezegd op het congres van de christelijke partij in Harderwijk. "Stop met de liberale dramagenda", zei zij in een toespraak.

"In de afgelopen maanden hebben we geen enkele terughoudendheid gezien rond de embryowet", zei Bikker. "Dat steekt." Zij bracht in herinnering dat het minderheidskabinet bij zijn aantreden beloofde "ingetogen" te blijven over dergelijke kwesties, om de christelijke partijen niet voor het hoofd te stoten. "Kom je belofte na", riep Bikker op.

De ChristenUnie-voorvrouw noemde nog twee voorstellen die zij van tafel wil hebben. De partij ziet nog altijd geen heil in plannen voor strenger toezicht op weekendscholen. Ook riep Bikker het kabinet op af te zien van nieuwe regels voor draagmoederschap. De mogelijke gevolgen van een wetsvoorstel op dat terrein noemde zij "fundamenteel niet in de haak".