Motorists over 70 could be banned from the roads if they fail compulsory eye tests, as part of a radical shake-up of driving laws in England and Wales.
The two countries' drink-driving limit is also set to be tightened to be in line with Scotland's, with penalty points to be introduced for passengers not wearing a seatbelt.
The changes are expected to be included in a new road safety strategy set to be published by the government in the autumn, with ministers believing that the current safety messaging is not working.
The move comes after an inquest into four deaths caused by drivers with failing eyesight saw a coroner call the UK's licensing system the "laxest in Europe".
Plans currently being prepared by the transport secretary include a new requirement for the over-70s to take eye tests every three years when they renew their driving licence.
Tests for conditions like dementia are also under consideration.
"In no other circumstance would we accept 1,600 people dying, with thousands more seriously injured, costing the NHS more than £2bn per year," a government source told the BBC.
"This Labour government will deliver the first Road Safety Strategy in a decade, imposing tougher penalties on those breaking the law, protecting road users and restoring order to our roads," the source added.
In April, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley sent a report to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to say action should be taken to prevent future deaths, after he found enforcement of visual legal standards for drivers was unsafe.
According to his report, the UK is one of only three European countries to rely on self-reporting of visual conditions affecting the ability to drive.
Following the inquest, a source close to the transport secretary told the BBC the government accepted that the rules "need to be reassessed".
Apart from eyesight concerns, the government is also looking into stricter rules for drink driving.
Under the new plans, the drink-drive limit is expected to be tightened from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath to 22 micrograms, which would match limits already set for Scotland.
Other proposals under consideration could also see police allowed to rely on roadside saliva tests for evidence of drug-driving rather than blood tests, making it easier to prosecute suspects.
There had been "a catastrophic rise" in deaths caused solely by alcohol in England over the past four years, according to government figures from late last year.
Anas al-Sharif had reported extensively from northern Gaza, Al Jazeera said
Four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the broadcaster has said.
Correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal were in a tent for journalists at the hospital's main gate when it was targeted, Al Jazeera reported.
A fortnight ago, it condemned the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for what it called a "campaign of incitement" against its reporters in Gaza, including al-Sharif.
Shortly after the strike, the IDF confirmed that it had struck Anas al-Sharif, posting on Telegram that he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".
The IDF did not mention any of the other journalists who were killed. The BBC has contacted Al Jazeera for comment.
Al-Sharif, 28, appeared to be posting on X in the moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment within Gaza City.
A post which was published after he was reported to have died appears to have been pre-written and published by a friend.
In two graphic videos of the aftermath of the strike, which have been confirmed by BBC Verify, men can be seen carrying the bodies of those who were killed. Some shout out Mohammed Qreiqeh's name, and a man wearing a press vest says that one of the bodies is that of Anas Al-Sharif.
In July, the Al Jazeera Media Network issued a statement denouncing "relentless efforts" by the IDF for an "ongoing campaign of incitement targeting Al Jazeera's correspondents and journalists in the Gaza Strip".
"The Network considers this incitement a dangerous attempt to justify the targeting of its journalists in the field," it added.
The IDF statement accused al-Sharif of posing as a journalist, and being "responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops"
It said it had previously "disclosed intelligence" confirming his military affiliation, which included "lists of terrorist training courses".
"Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence," the statement added.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel's military offensive in Gaza in October 2023.
Additional reporting by Shayan Sardarizadeh, BBC Verify
Australia has announced a plan to recognise a Palestinian state, following similar moves by the UK, France and Canada.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move will happen at the UN general assembly in September and after it received commitments from the Palestinian Authority.
"A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," he said on Monday.
Israel, which is under increasing pressure to end the war in Gaza, has said recognising a Palestinian state "rewards terrorism".
The Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has earlier said recognition of statehood shows growing support for self-determination of its people.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says the changes are to prevent criminals from "exploiting our immigration system".
More foreign criminals will be deported before their appeals are heard as the Home Office adds 15 new countries to its "deport now, appeal later" scheme.
The policy allows the UK to send foreign offenders back to their home countries before they can appeal against the decision.
The scheme's new countries, including Canada, India and Australia, bring the total to 23 - nearly three times more than the original eight, with the Home Office saying more could follow in the future.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says expansion of the scheme is to prevent foreign criminals from "exploiting our immigration system" and "fast-track" their removals.
Foreign nationals who have had their human rights claim refused will be expelled from the UK and can take part in their appeal hearings from their home countries via video link.
The other countries added to the scheme are:
Angola
Botswana
Brunei
Bulgaria
Guyana
Indonesia
Kenya
Latvia
Lebanon
Malaysia
Uganda
Zambia
Cooper said previously that offenders were able to remain in the UK "for months or even years" while their cases worked through the appeals system.
"That has to end. Those who commit crimes in our country cannot be allowed to manipulate the system, which is why we are restoring control and sending a clear message that our laws must be respected and will be enforced," she added.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy welcomed the decision and said the UK was working to increase the number of other countries where foreign criminals can be returned.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, welcomed the move, adding: "But even with this U-turn, only the Conservative Party is committed to deporting all foreign criminals.
"Until Keir Starmer either commits to deporting all foreign criminals or stops rolling out the red carpet for migrants the world over, this problem is not going away."
The move comes after the justice secretary announced on Sunday new plans to deport foreign criminals immediately after they have received a custodial sentence.
Under the proposals for England and Wales, those who are given fixed-term sentences could be deported straight away and would be barred from re-entering the UK.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that foreign criminals would be sent "packing" if they "abuse our hospitality and break our laws".
The new powers - which require Parliament's approval - would save taxpayers money and increase publish safety, the government said.
However, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick warned that some countries may refuse to take in those who are deported.
He suggested Sir Keir Starmer should "suspend visas and foreign aid" in the event that countries don't take back their nationals.
According to the government, foreign offenders make up around 12% percent of the prison population, with prison places costing £54,000 a year on average.
Elon Musk's electric car and energy company Tesla has applied for a licence to supply electricity to British homes.
If approved by the energy watchdog Ofgem, it would allow Tesla to take on the big firms that dominate the UK energy market to provide electricity to households and businesses in England, Scotland and Wales as soon as next year.
Tesla, which is best known as one of the world's biggest makers of electric vehicles (EV), also has a solar energy and battery storage business.
Tesla did not immediately reply to a BBC request for comment.
Ofgem can take up to nine months to process applications for energy supply licences.
Tesla Electric already operates a power supplier in Texas that allows owners of its EVs to charge their cars cheaply and pays them for feeding surplus electricity back to the grid.
The application, which was signed by Andrew Payne who runs Tesla's European energy operations, was filed late last month.
Tesla has sold more than a quarter of a million EVs and tens of thousands of home storage batteries in the UK, which could help it gain access to a sizeable customer base for an electricity supply business.
The Ofgem licence application comes as Tesla's EV sales have fallen across Europe in recent months.
In July, UK car registrations of Teslas fell by almost 60% and by more 55% in Germany, industry data showed.
That took the firm's sales decline in the month to 45% in 10 key European markets.
Tesla has faced tough competition from rival EV makers, especially China's BYD.
Musk has also been criticised for his relationship with US President Donald Trump, although the two have now very publicly fallen out.
His involvement in right-wing politics in the UK, Germany and Italy, meanwhile, has drawn ire from some of Tesla's customers.
Anas al-Sharif had reported extensively from northern Gaza, Al Jazeera said
Four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the broadcaster has said.
Correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal were in a tent for journalists at the hospital's main gate when it was targeted, Al Jazeera reported.
A fortnight ago, it condemned the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for what it called a "campaign of incitement" against its reporters in Gaza, including al-Sharif.
Shortly after the strike, the IDF confirmed that it had struck Anas al-Sharif, posting on Telegram that he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".
The IDF did not mention any of the other journalists who were killed. The BBC has contacted Al Jazeera for comment.
Al-Sharif, 28, appeared to be posting on X in the moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment within Gaza City.
A post which was published after he was reported to have died appears to have been pre-written and published by a friend.
In two graphic videos of the aftermath of the strike, which have been confirmed by BBC Verify, men can be seen carrying the bodies of those who were killed. Some shout out Mohammed Qreiqeh's name, and a man wearing a press vest says that one of the bodies is that of Anas Al-Sharif.
In July, the Al Jazeera Media Network issued a statement denouncing "relentless efforts" by the IDF for an "ongoing campaign of incitement targeting Al Jazeera's correspondents and journalists in the Gaza Strip".
"The Network considers this incitement a dangerous attempt to justify the targeting of its journalists in the field," it added.
The IDF statement accused al-Sharif of posing as a journalist, and being "responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops"
It said it had previously "disclosed intelligence" confirming his military affiliation, which included "lists of terrorist training courses".
"Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence," the statement added.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel's military offensive in Gaza in October 2023.
Additional reporting by Shayan Sardarizadeh, BBC Verify
Australia has announced a plan to recognise a Palestinian state, following similar moves by the UK, France and Canada.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move will happen at the UN general assembly in September and after it received commitments from the Palestinian Authority.
"A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," he said on Monday.
Israel, which is under increasing pressure to end the war in Gaza, has said recognising a Palestinian state "rewards terrorism".
The Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has earlier said recognition of statehood shows growing support for self-determination of its people.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
No-one would want to work without getting a salary, or even worse – having to pay to be there.
Yet paying companies so you can pretend to work for them has become popular among young, unemployed adults in China. It has led to a growing number of such providers.
The development comes amid China's sluggish economy and jobs market. Chinese youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, at more than 14%.
With real jobs increasingly hard to come by, some young adults would rather pay to go into an office than be just stuck at home.
Shui Zhou, 30, had a food business venture that failed in 2024. In April of this year, he started to pay 30 yuan ($4.20; £3.10) per day to go into a mock-up office run by a business called Pretend To Work Company, in the city of Dongguan, 114 km (71 miles) north of Hong Kong.
There he joins five "colleagues" who are doing the same thing.
"I feel very happy," says Mr Zhou. "It's like we're working together as a group."
Such operations are now appearing in major cities across China, including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Kunming. More often they look like fully-functional offices, and are equipped with computers, internet access, meeting rooms, and tea rooms.
And rather than attendees just sitting around, they can use the computers to search for jobs, or to try to launch their own start-up businesses. Sometimes the daily fee, usually between 30 and 50 yuan, includes lunch, snacks and drinks.
Attendees can either just sit around, or use the provided computers to apply for jobs
Dr Christian Yao, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington's School of Management in New Zealand, is an expert on the Chinese economy.
"The phenomenon of pretending to work is now very common," he says. "Due to economic transformation and the mismatch between education and the job market, young people need these places to think about their next steps, or to do odd jobs as a transition.
"Pretend office companies are one of the transitional solutions."
Mr Zhou came across the Pretend To Work Company while browsing social media site Xiaohongshu. He says he felt that the office environment would improve his self-discipline. He has now been there for more than three months.
Mr Zhou sent photos of the office to his parents, and he says they feel much more at ease about his lack of employment.
While attendees can arrive and leave whenever they want, Mr Zhou usually gets to the office between 8am and 9am. Sometimes he doesn't leave until 11pm, only departing after the manager of the business has left.
He adds that the other people there are now like friends. He says that when someone is busy, such as job hunting, they work hard, but when they have free time they chat, joke about, and play games. And they often have dinner together after work.
Mr Zhou says that he likes this team building, and that he is much happier than before he joined.
In Shanghai, Xiaowen Tang rented a workstation at a pretend work company in Shanghai for a month earlier this year. The 23-year-old graduated from university last year and hasn't found a full-time job yet.
Her university has an unwritten rule that students must sign an employment contract or provide proof of internship within one year of graduation; otherwise, they won't receive a diploma.
She sent the office scene to the school as proof of her internship. In reality, she paid the daily fee, and sat in the office writing online novels to earn some pocket money.
"If you're going to fake it, just fake it to the end," says Ms Tang.
Dr Biao Xiang, director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany, says that China's pretending to work trend comes from a "sense of frustration and powerlessness" regarding a lack of job opportunities.
"Pretending to work is a shell that young people find for themselves, creating a slight distance from mainstream society and giving themselves a little space."
The owner of the Pretend To Work Company in the city of Dongguan is 30-year-old Feiyu (a pseudonym). "What I'm selling isn't a workstation, but the dignity of not being a useless person," he says.
He himself has been unemployed in the past, after a previous retail business that he owned had to close during the Covid pandemic. "I was very depressed and a bit self-destructive," he recalls. "You wanted to turn the tide, but you were powerless."
In April of this year he started to advertise Pretend To Work, and within a month all the workstations were full. Would-be new joiners have to apply.
Feiyu say that 40% of customers are recent university graduates who come to take photos to prove their internship experience to their former tutors. While a small number of them come to help deal with pressure from their parents.
The other 60% are freelancers, many of whom are digital nomads, including those working for big ecommerce firms, and cyberspace writers. The average age is around 30, with the youngest being 25.
Feiyu, the owner of Pretend to Work Company says he is selling people "dignity"
Officially, these workers are referred to as "flexible employment professionals", a grouping that also includes ride-hailing and trucker drivers.
Over the longer term Feiyu says it is questionable whether the business will remain profitable. Instead he likes to view it more as a social experiment.
"It uses lies to maintain respectability, but it allows some people to find the truth," he says. "If we only help users prolong their acting skills we are complicit in a gentle deception.
"Only by helping them transform their fake workplace into a real starting point can this social experiment truly live up to its promise."
Mr Zhou is now spending most of his time improving his AI skills. He says he's noticed that some companies are specifying proficiency in AI tools when recruiting. So he thinks gaining such AI skills "will make it easier" for him to find a full-time job.
Ships carrying Chinese cars are using the Red Sea and Suez Canal even as other vessels still sail around Africa in fear of attacks by the Houthi militia.
Ships carrying Chinese cars are using the Red Sea and Suez Canal even as other vessels still sail around Africa in fear of attacks by the Houthi militia.
Numbers of salps, seen here in 2024, have boomed in recent years
The UK's seas have had their warmest start to the year since records began, helping to drive some dramatic changes in marine life and for its fishing communities.
The average surface temperature of UK waters in the seven months to the end of July was more than 0.2C higher than any year since 1980, BBC analysis of provisional Met Office data suggests.
That might not sound much, but the UK's seas are now considerably warmer than even a few decades ago, a trend driven by humanity's burning of fossil fuels.
That is contributing to major changes in the UK's marine ecosystems, with some new species entering our seas and others struggling to cope with the heat.
Scientists and amateur naturalists have observed a remarkable range of species not usually widespread in UK waters, including octopus, bluefin tuna and mauve stinger jellyfish.
The abundance of these creatures can be affected by natural cycles and fishing practices, but many researchers point to the warming seas as a crucial part of their rise.
"Things like jellyfish, like octopus... they are the sorts of things that you expect to respond quickly to climate change," said Dr Bryce Stewart, a senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth.
"It's a bit like the canary in the coal mine - the sorts of quite extraordinary changes we've seen over the last few years really do indicate an ecosystem under flux," he added.
Harry Polkinghorne, a keen 19-year-old angler, described how he regularly sees bluefin tuna now, including large schools of the fish in frantic feeding frenzies.
"It's just like watching a washing machine in the water," he said. "You can just see loads of white water, and then tuna fins and tuna jumping out."
@TheFalAnglers
Bluefin tuna have been seen along the South West coast in large numbers this year
Bluefin tuna numbers have been building over the past decade in south-west England for a number of reasons, including warmer waters and better management of their populations, Dr Stewart explained.
Heather Hamilton, who snorkels off the coast of Cornwall virtually every week with her father David, has swum through large blooms of salps, a species that looks a bit like a jellyfish.
They are rare in the UK, but the Hamiltons have seen more and more of these creatures in the last couple of years.
"You're seeing these big chains almost glowing slightly like fairy lights", she said.
"It just felt very kind of out of this world, something I've never seen before."
Heather Hamilton / @cornwallunderwater
Chains of salps appeared in late August last year
But extreme heat, combined with historical overfishing, is pushing some of the UK's cold-adapted species like cod and wolf-fish to their limits.
"We're definitely seeing this shift of cooler water species moving north in general," said Dr Stewart.
Marine heatwave conditions - prolonged periods of unusually high sea surface temperatures - have been present around parts of the UK virtually all year.
Some exceptional sea temperatures have also been detected by measurement buoys off the UK coast, known as WaveNet and run by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).
And the record 2025 warmth comes after very high sea temperatures in 2023 and 2024 too.
The Met Office says its data from the end of June 2024 to now is provisional and will be finalised in the coming months, but this usually results in only very minor changes.
"All the way through the year, on average it's been warmer than we've really ever seen [for the UK's seas]," said Prof John Pinnegar, the lead adviser on climate change at Cefas.
"[The seas] have been warming for over a century and we're also seeing heatwaves coming through now," he added.
"What used to be quite a rare phenomenon is now becoming very, very common."
Like heatwaves on land, sea temperatures are affected by natural variability and short-term weather. Clear, sunny skies with low winds – like much of the UK had in early July - can heat up the sea surface more quickly.
But the world's oceans have taken up about 90% of the Earth's excess heat from humanity's emissions of planet-warming gases like carbon dioxide.
That is making marine heatwaves more likely and more intense.
"The main contributor to the marine heatwaves around the UK is the buildup of heat in the ocean," said Dr Caroline Rowland, head of oceans, cryosphere and climate change at the Met Office.
"We predict that these events are going to become more frequent and more intense in the future" due to climate change, she added.
With less of a cooling sea breeze, these warmer waters can amplify land heatwaves, and they also have the potential to bring heavier rainfall.
Hotter seas are also less able to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which could mean that our planet heats up more quickly.
The sea warmth is already posing challenges to fishing communities.
Ben Cooper has been a fisherman in Whitstable on the north Kent coast since 1997, and relies heavily on the common whelk, a type of sea snail.
But the whelk is a cold-water species, and a marine heatwave in 2022 triggered a mass die-off of these snails in the Thames Estuary.
"Pretty much 75% of our earnings is through whelks, so you take that away and all of a sudden you're struggling," explained Mr Cooper.
Philip Haupt / Kent & Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority
The warmth of the seas in 2022 was too much for many whelks to survive
Before the latest heatwave, the whelks had started to recover but he said the losses had forced him to scale back his business.
Mr Cooper recalled fishing trips with his father in the 1980s. Back then, they would rely on cod.
"We lost the cod because basically the sea just got too warm. They headed further north," he said.
The precise distribution of marine species varies from year to year, but researchers expect the UK's marine life to keep changing as humans continue to heat up the Earth.
"The fishers might in the long term have to change the species that they target and that they catch," suggested Dr Pinnegar.
"And we as consumers might have to change the species that we eat."
Additional reporting by Becky Dale and Miho Tanaka
Anas al-Sharif had reported extensively from northern Gaza, Al Jazeera said
Four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the broadcaster has said.
Correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal were in a tent for journalists at the hospital's main gate when it was targeted, Al Jazeera reported.
A fortnight ago, it condemned the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for what it called a "campaign of incitement" against its reporters in Gaza, including al-Sharif.
Shortly after the strike, the IDF confirmed that it had struck Anas al-Sharif, posting on Telegram that he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".
The IDF did not mention any of the other journalists who were killed. The BBC has contacted Al Jazeera for comment.
Al-Sharif, 28, appeared to be posting on X in the moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment within Gaza City.
A post which was published after he was reported to have died appears to have been pre-written and published by a friend.
In two graphic videos of the aftermath of the strike, which have been confirmed by BBC Verify, men can be seen carrying the bodies of those who were killed. Some shout out Mohammed Qreiqeh's name, and a man wearing a press vest says that one of the bodies is that of Anas Al-Sharif.
In July, the Al Jazeera Media Network issued a statement denouncing "relentless efforts" by the IDF for an "ongoing campaign of incitement targeting Al Jazeera's correspondents and journalists in the Gaza Strip".
"The Network considers this incitement a dangerous attempt to justify the targeting of its journalists in the field," it added.
The IDF statement accused al-Sharif of posing as a journalist, and being "responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops"
It said it had previously "disclosed intelligence" confirming his military affiliation, which included "lists of terrorist training courses".
"Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence," the statement added.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 186 journalists have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel's military offensive in Gaza in October 2023.
Additional reporting by Shayan Sardarizadeh, BBC Verify
Arne Slot's Liverpool 2.0 got their grand unveiling at Wembley on Sunday and the reviews are in. Occasionally brilliant, occasionally shambolic, with improvements needed.
Record £116m acquisition Florian Wirtz started in attacking midfield, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez formed a new-look full-back pairing, while Hugo Ekitike led the line as the central striker.
The only new face not in the starting XI was goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was on the bench as Alisson kept his place.
And there were some clear signs the revamp may lead to spectacular results. The game finished 2-2, with the goals coming through Ekitike and Frimpong. It is the first time Liverpool have had two players score on their competitive debuts since August 2006, when Craig Bellamy and Mark Gonzalez netted against Maccabi Haifa.
But Liverpool 2.0 have bugs. They twice had leads pegged back, were often sloppy in defence, and were on the ropes towards the end.
"We have four new players - we need time to adapt," Slot said at his post-match media conference at Wembley.
In this regard, the Community Shield was not an isolated incident. In Monday's 3-2 friendly win against Athletic Bilbao, Liverpool conceded twice from set-pieces.
Palace arguably had only two big chances in this game - Jean-Philippe Mateta's 13th-minute penalty and Ismaila Sarr bursting through with 12 minutes to go. They scored both.
As Slot pithily said: "We don't concede chances, but we concede goals."
New full-backs, new style of play?
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Jeremie Frimpong scored Liverpool's second goal after 21 minutes at Wembley
Let's start at the back. For years, especially under Jurgen Klopp, one of Liverpool's defining traits was the attacking impetus brought by full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.
Frimpong and Kerkez are, in many ways, in a similar mould - much more attacking than traditional full-backs.
But, while Kerkez is near identical to Robertson in how he plays, Frimpong stays far wider than his predecessor. Don't expect many Alexander-Arnold-like adventures into central midfield - but do expect some good, old-fashioned overlapping runs.
This attacking sense led directly to Liverpool's second goal when Frimpong jinked into the area and chipped Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. Whether he meant to score or not, the dash into the box was a spectacular and impudent piece of skill.
This graphic shows the average positions of Liverpool's starting XI against Crystal Palace at Wembley, with Frimpong in particular clearly hugging the right touchline to provide added width - almost like a winger at times
Image caption,
This graphic shows Liverpool's average positions against Tottenham in April - the last match Alexander-Arnold and Robertson started together. Alexander-Arnold, unlike Frimpong, played much more narrow. More on the rest of the team shortly...
1 of 2
Slide 1 of 2, The average positions of Liverpool's starting XI against Crystal Palace at Wembley, This graphic shows the average positions of Liverpool's starting XI against Crystal Palace at Wembley, with Frimpong in particular clearly hugging the right touchline to provide added width - almost like a winger at times
End of image gallery
However, in defence, issues remain. Liverpool will have hoped that Frimpong would bring the defensive solidity they sometimes lacked with Alexander-Arnold, but the Dutchman played Sarr onside for the second equaliser.
And it was not only at full-back where Liverpool looked defensively suspect. They were opened too easily before the first-half penalty - Mateta was set free by a through ball, leading to the attack which ended in Virgil van Dijk fouling Sarr.
There was not a recognised centre-back on Liverpool's bench. Jarell Quansah has departed for Bayer Leverkusen and Joe Gomez "has a minor injury".
Slot expects him to be back soon, but Liverpool need to sign at least one more central defender before the transfer deadline on 1 September.
The one they would like to sign captained the opposition at Wembley. Marc Guehi - subject of transfer speculation as he enters the last year of his contract - once again laid everything on the line for Palace before being subbed in the dying seconds because of cramp.
Moving into midfield, Wirtz was the outstanding Liverpool player at Wembley. Slot has clearly tweaked the system to suit their record signing - and the early signs are positive.
Wirtz has been given a role freer and further forward than Liverpool had previously from an attacking midfielder - they had nobody to do that role last season.
He almost formed a strike partnership with Ekitike at times, so close together were they. Indeed by the time he was substituted, Wirtz was playing as a false nine with Ekitike already taken off.
This freedom allowed the German to float wide left after four minutes, to pick up the ball and play in Ekitike for the opener.
There were 22 passes in the build-up to Liverpool's first goal, a move that lasted 66 seconds and involved nine players.
Until being taken off in the 84th minute, Wirtz looked perfectly balanced, always in control, never flustered. His influence all over the pitch for Liverpool is already clear.
At the point of his substitution, Wirtz led Liverpool for passes and entries in the final third, crosses and touches in the Palace box. He had the third most touches in total. Everything went through him.
"It has been a really impressive performance for Wirtz," former Palace striker Glenn Murray told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Very dominant.
"He was tiring by the end of it and that is something he will need to get used to. But he is looking like a very good signing."
This does put a question on Mohamed Salah's role in the team. The Egyptian has now not scored in eight Wembley appearances, had only one shot on target and in the shootout blazed his penalty over. But that is a question for another article.
This graphic showing Wirtz's range of passing illustrates just how influential he was - from just about everywhere across Palace's half of the pitch
Image caption,
But this heat map graphic also shows he naturally gravitated towards the left, linking up with Ekitike and Kerkez
1 of 2
Slide 1 of 2, Florian Wirtz's passing map, This graphic showing Wirtz's range of passing illustrates just how influential he was - from just about everywhere across Palace's half of the pitch
End of image gallery
How much of a difference did Ekitike make?
In front of Wirtz, Ekitike has the makings of a genuine, out-and-out centre forward Liverpool simply did not have before because of Darwin Nunez's shortcomings.
His goal was well taken, and his cross with the outside of his boot in the first half that found Cody Gakpo in an offside position was sumptuous.
But one should remember that Nunez's debut also came in the Community Shield - the 2023 win over Manchester City. The Uruguayan scored, looked streets ahead of Erling Haaland - and never hit those heights again.
And there was a touch of Nunez about Ekitike spurning a header inside the six-yard box less than a minute into the second half, and another chance he blazed over from 12 yards. Take one of those, and Liverpool win.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Ekitike scored the quickest goal in a Community Shield since Gary McAllister for Liverpool versus Manchester United in 2001
"Always nice to score a goal, but it would have been even nicer to win a game," Slot said of his new frontman.
"Ekitike had a good impact, but he came two weeks ago during the Asia tour. But he had a good game for sure."
So who will Liverpool add in the final three weeks of the transfer window? One name is on everyone's lips - Alexander Isak.
At times on Sunday, it looked as if the last thing Liverpool needed was another first-choice striker. But as Palace celebrated in the sun, the appeal of the wantaway Newcastle forward became clearer.
"Liverpool want another striker," former Reds goalkeeper Chris Kirkland told BBC Sport after the game. "We're all greedy. Every team wants as many strikers as they can.
"Liverpool want Isak, they have bid for him, and he wants to go. Normally, when that is the case, a deal gets done. I'd want a centre-back and a forward because we are all greedy in this world!"
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Media caption,
Do Liverpool need Alexander Isak?
A long way to go, Liverpool fans...
There were also weaknesses deeper in midfield for Liverpool, but they are a cheaper fix.
Ryan Gravenberch was absent because his partner was giving birth, while Alexis Mac Allister was only fit enough for a cameo off the bench.
Curtis Jones lined up alongside Dominik Szoboszlai in holding midfield, and completed all 53 of his passes.
"Gravenberch was a massive miss today - he was my player of the season last year," said Kirkland.
There can be no question Liverpool will be disappointed to miss out on a trophy, especially against the side who finished 12th last season and have several injury issues, with Eddie Nketiah and Cheick Doucoure among those set to miss the start of the season.
But Reds fans should not take it too harshly. For starters, only one of the past 14 winners of the season opener have gone on to lift the Premier League trophy - Manchester City in 2018-19. In the Premier League era, only eight of the 33 winners of the Charity or Community Shield have gone on to win the title.
And in more relevant terms, Slot 2.0 is still at the troubleshooting stage - there are 38 product launches to come.
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