PM says his country will not be complicit in growing conflict in Middle East ‘simply out of fear of reprisals from someone’

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The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has responded to Donald Trump’s extraordinary threat to cut off all trade with Spain over his government’s refusal to facilitate the US’s ongoing attacks against Iran, comparing the growing conflict in the Middle East to playing “Russian roulette with the destiny of millions”.

Sánchez, who has been one of the most vociferous European critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, said his government’s position on the widening instability could be summed up in three words: “No to war.”

The Guardian’s Saturday magazine is interested in hearing from couples, partners and former lovers to talk about their sex lives

How often do you have sex? The Guardian is looking for couples to talk honestly – and completely anonymously – about what they get up to in the bedroom for the Saturday magazine’s much-loved This is How We Do It column.

The idea behind the column is to provide a counterpoint to the airbrushed, exaggerated stories about sex we see on TV and in the media. We want to publish un-sensationalised interviews with real couples, so we are particularly keen to hear from you if you have hit a roadblock in your sexual life. How do you navigate intimacy when your partner wants sex more than you do? Or after an affair? Or when you are not feeling spectacular about your body?

We’re looking for couples of all ages and sexualities. We would not publish your names or where you live.

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Gen Sir Richard Shirreff says US president has launched war of choice in Iran with no clear grasp of how it will end

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Britain cannot become embroiled in a war “without a clear end point”, a former senior Nato commander has said, as he defended Keir Starmer after Donald Trump’s jibes that he was “not Winston Churchill”.

Trump was “another American president who had launched a war of choice,” said Gen Sir Richard Shirreff, as a minister insisted that the UK prime minister had acted “with a cool head” by not allowing British bases to be used for initial strikes.

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This view was generated from the digital terrain model and the nadir and colour channels of the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express. It shows a bird’s-eye view of a region inside Trouvelot Crater, and features the worn-away crater wall in the background; the dark, volcanic deposits covering the crater floor; and a light-toned mound seen sitting within these deposits.

The dark material has been shaped by wind into rippling dunes known as ‘barchan’ dunes, visible as the smaller, darker marks sweeping from bottom-left to middle-right. These dunes are characteristically crescent-shaped, and created when winds blow in one direction.

The light-toned mound can be seen to the upper-left of the frame; this feature is around 20 km long and covered in ridges and grooves. It’s thought that this mound formed in the presence of water, but the exact processes involved remain a matter of debate.

[Image description: A tilted aerial view of a Martian landscape, coloured in soft browns, reds, and purplish shadows. The surface is smooth in places and rugged in others, dotted with many small circular craters. Toward the top, low ridges and raised terrain cast long shadows, while darker patches spread across the centre like stains or dust deposits. The overall scene looks dry, windswept, and gently rolling, with subtle variations in texture across the barren surface.]

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Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This view was generated from the digital terrain model and the nadir and colour channels of the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express. It shows a bird’s-eye view of a region inside Trouvelot Crater, and features the worn-away crater wall in the background; the dark, volcanic deposits covering the crater floor; and a light-toned mound seen sitting within these deposits.

The dark material has been shaped by wind into rippling dunes known as ‘barchan’ dunes, visible as the smaller, darker marks sweeping from bottom-left to middle-right. These dunes are characteristically crescent-shaped, and created when winds blow in one direction.

The light-toned mound can be seen to the front-middle of the frame; this feature is around 20 km long and covered in ridges and grooves. It’s thought that this mound formed in the presence of water, but the exact processes involved remain a matter of debate.

[Image description: A tilted, close-up view of a rugged Martian landscape. The surface shows steep, shadowed ridges running diagonally across the scene, with soft reddish light illuminating their tops. Below the ridges, the terrain becomes darker and smoother, marked by small round craters and patches of rough, textured ground. A pale, sandy, fan‑shaped deposit sits near the lower right, contrasting with the darker surroundings. The overall impression is of a dry, eroded, and richly textured surface shaped by ancient geological forces.]

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Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This view was generated from the digital terrain model and the nadir and colour channels of the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express.

It shows a bird’s-eye view of a crater lying in Mars’s ancient southern highlands, located just next to a far larger basin named Trouvelot Crater. It shows dark, volcanic deposits covering the crater floor and wall. The crater measures around 30 km across.

[Image description: A close-up, angled view of a Martian crater. The large circular crater dominates the scene, with steep, shadowed inner walls and a smooth, sandy-looking floor. The surrounding terrain is pale reddish-brown and gently sloping, dotted with a few smaller craters. The lighting highlights the rugged edges of the main crater against the otherwise smooth landscape.]

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Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

In this new image ESA’s Mars Express visits the highlands of Mars, exploring the innumerable craters peppering this ancient part of the Red Planet. Part of the particularly prominent Trouvelot Crater can be seen to the bottom-right.

We've added labels to highlight features and regions of note. Be sure to click on these labels to explore the landscape in detail!

This image comprises data gathered by Mars Express’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on 12 October 2024 (orbit 26233). It was created using data from the nadir channel, the field of view aligned perpendicular to the surface of Mars, and the colour channels of the HRSC. North is to the right. The ground resolution of the original image is approximately 18 m/pixel and the image is centred at about 15°N/255°E.

[Image description: A high‑resolution overhead view of a rocky, desert‑like landscape on Mars. The surface is mostly reddish‑brown with patches of darker blue‑grey tones. Many circular impact craters of different sizes are scattered across the scene, some with raised rims and shadowed interiors. Subtle ridges, eroded valleys, and textured terrain patterns run diagonally through the image, giving a sense of ancient geological activity. The overall impression is of a dry, rugged, and heavily cratered Martian surface.]

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Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

This stereoscopic image shows Trouvelot Crater and its surroundings on Mars. It was generated from data captured by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express orbiter on 12 October 2024 (orbit 26233). The anaglyph offers a three-dimensional view when viewed using red-green or red-blue glasses.

[Image description: A top‑down, grey‑toned view of a cratered Martian landscape. Several round impact craters of different sizes are scattered across the surface. In the centre, darker shaded areas hint at ridges or depressions, creating a textured pattern against the smoother surroundings. The terrain looks rough, dusty, and uneven, with subtle shadows giving the scene a three‑dimensional feel.]

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Credits: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

peaceful-jp-scenery posted a photo:

Mt.Nishiazuma (2,035m)
西吾妻山

There were also some large monsters that looked like monsters.

モンスターらしい大きめのモンスターもいました。

Kita-shiobaramura, Fukushima pref, Japan

peaceful-jp-scenery has added a photo to the pool:

Mt.Nishiazuma (2,035m)
西吾妻山

There were also some large monsters that looked like monsters.

モンスターらしい大きめのモンスターもいました。

Kita-shiobaramura, Fukushima pref, Japan