Interior ministry will tell 640 people awaiting sanctuary ‘there is no longer any political interest in their being admitted’

• Europe live – latest updates

Hundreds of Afghans previously promised sanctuary in Germany have been told they are no longer welcome, in a stark U-turn by the conservative chancellor, Friedrich Merz‪.

The 640 people in Pakistan awaiting resettlement – many of whom worked for the German military during the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan – will no longer be taken in, as Merz’s government axes two programmes introduced by its centre-left-led predecessor.

• Prices five times more than 2022 Qatar World Cup

• FA to confirm cost for England matches on Thursday

Fifa has been urged to halt World Cup ticket sales after it emerged countries’ most loyal fans faced paying “extortionate” prices for tickets, with the cheapest for the final coming in at more than £3,000.

The Croatian federation published details of prices in its participant member association (PMA) allocation, designed to be made available to fans who attend the most matches, with tickets at fixed rather than dynamic prices. It listed the cheapest tickets for the final on 19 July as costing $4,185 (£3,120, €3,563).

Jack Grealish is creating chances and Jordan Pickford is reliable as ever but Everton’s strikers need to join the party

By WhoScored

When Everton moved into their new ground after four years of relegation scraps, their more pessimistic fans must have feared the worst. Investing £750m in a 52,769-seat stadium when you are on a run of finishing 16th, 17th, 15th and 13th in the league is a bold move. The ground has proven a success and the team’s recent results have matched it. Any talk of qualifying for Europe in the past few years would have sounded delusional but, after a run of four wins in five, Everton are up to seventh in the table, just two points behind fourth-place Crystal Palace. Relegation worries have flipped to European dreams.

Their 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest on Saturday showed how far they have come. Sean Dyche, back at the club for the first time since he was sacked as their manager in January, watched an Everton side he never got to coach. Dyche spent two years on Merseyside dragging the team away from the relegation zone through sheer grit. The team that beat his Nottingham Forest side at the weekend were composed, efficient and comfortable in victory.

Museum stretching over 3,500 sq metres will offer art lovers more access to rich collection of Vermeers and Rembrandts

Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, which holds the world’s largest trove of paintings from the Dutch Golden Age, has announced plans to open an outpost in Eindhoven.

The museum, which showcases only a fraction of its more than 1m objects, said on Thursday it would construct the 3,500 sq metre centre over the next six to eight years.

We’d like to hear from UK students who are – or are planning to – live at home while studying at university

We’d like to find out about students who are living at home while studying at university, rather than living in student accommodation or a flat share.

Why have you taken the decision to live at home? What are the positives and negatives? How has the cost of living affected your university experience and student social life? Are you happy living at home or would you prefer to move out?

• Jordan says ‘today’s a good day’ as deal reached

• Trial exposed hardline France stance on charters

Nascar reached a settlement Thursday of the bruising antitrust lawsuit filed against the stock car series by two of its race teams, including one co-owned by NBA great Michael Jordan.

“Today’s a good day,” Jordan said as he waited in the gallery for attorneys to announce the deal. Details were not immediately released.

Unease grows in Washington, including among some Republicans, over Trump administration’s escalating military posture in the Caribbean

• US politics live – latest updates

Senior Democratic lawmakers and at least one Republican have condemned Wednesday’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker off the nation’s coast, with one saying Donald Trump is “sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela”.

There is growing, at least somewhat bipartisan unease in Washington over the administration’s escalating military posture in the region. Trump has accused Venezuela of facilitating drug trafficking, and increased the US military presence in the Caribbean to a level not seen in decades. The administration has also conducted a campaign of bombings of alleged drug boats, killing more than 80 people so far.

Northern resident killer whales appear to use dolphins as ‘scouts’, in a surprising cooperative hunting strategy

Orcas and dolphins have been spotted working as a team to hunt salmon off the coast of British Columbia, according to a new study which suggests a cooperative relationship between the two predators.

The research, published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports , shows interactions between northern resident orcas (also known as killer whales) and Pacific white-sided dolphins are not just chance encounters while foraging.

Some warn proposal will decimate US tourism industry as free speech advocates say it will lead to people self-censoring

Free speech advocates have accused Donald Trump of “shredding civil liberties” and “censorship pure and simple” after the White House said it planned to require visa applicants from dozens of countries to provide social media, phone and email histories for vetting before being allowed into the US.

In a move that some commentators compared to China and others warned would decimate tourism to the US, including the 2026 Fifa World Cup, the Department for Homeland Security said it was planning to apply the rules to visitors from 42 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia, France, Germany and Japan, if they want to enter the US on the commonly used Esta visa waiver.