Iran and Oman prepare Hormuz deal as U.S. holds back on secondary sanctions

Iran and Oman are approaching a deal to secure safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz and future administration of the vital economic artery.

Tributes pour in after country music legend Dolly Parton dies – latest updates

Legendary country singer died surrounded by loved ones after being diagnosed with cancer, her team says; Beyoncé, Dionne Warwick, Kacey Musgraves and others pay tribute

• Dolly Parton dies aged 80 | Celebrity tributes | A life in pictures

• Parton’s peerless career turned country music cliches inside out

• Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton

Our picture editors have collated Dolly Parton’s life in pictures:

In the UK, top radio presenter Jo Whiley introduced her BBC Radio 2 evening show by playing I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 in tribute to Dolly Parton after her death was announced in the 7pm news headlines.

Raygun opens up on her infamous Olympics breakdancing debut: ‘not as bad as I thought!’

Australia’s first Olympic breakdancer became a viral sensation after her performance at Paris 2024, where she failed to receive a single point

Rachael “Raygun” Gunn says her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was “not as bad as I thought!” after the Sydney-based breaker revealed she had finally watched back the moment that catapulted her to international fame – and mockery.

The Sydney academic turned speaker was Australia’s first Olympic breakdancer and became a viral sensation after her unconventional routine at Paris 2024, where she failed to receive a single point from the judges.

Passage by Colin Thubron review – mortality and memory in a gem of a novel

A terminally ill woman makes a final trip to Egypt in an exquisitely wrought portrait of end-of-life reckoning

Virginia Woolf said of Middlemarch that it is one of the few English novels written for grown-up people. In the shallow and infantilising age through which we are living, Colin Thubron dares to assume that his readers are adults. Passage is a very beautiful, very moving, authentic work of art. Hardly more than a novella, it sits lightly in the hand, but its emotional and aesthetic weight overtips the balance.

Thubron began his career as a travel writer and a large part of the action of Passage is set in a vividly but economically evoked Egypt. This is not the teeming Egypt of Cairo or Alexandria, but of the countryside, the villages, and the great immemorial tombs and ancient monuments. The best travel writers know that “abroad” is most convincingly evoked not by awed exclamations at the world’s wonders, but by an attitude of relaxed familiarity. Thubron is obviously an old Egypt hand, or at least has the skill to convince us that he is.

Hanging By a Wire review – cable car rescue documentary dangles viewers on the edge of disaster

The extraordinary fate of eight people trapped above a chasm in Pakistan makes for a tense, skilfully assembled survival story with unexpected flashes of comedy

Survival documentaries are a weird little genre of nonfiction film-making that recount the stories of accidents and natural catastrophes – and more often than not, the daring rescues of people caught up in them. Eyewitnesses and the loved ones of those endangered are top of the interview list, to keep the sense of danger and emotional stakes at the top of everyone’s mind. Survivors can also have their say, and more adventurous film-makers might care to recreate the action with actors or the actual survivors themselves.

This account of how eight people – six teenage boys and two adult men – were left suspended over a chasm in northern Pakistan in 2023, when a wire on the cable car they were travelling on broke, is a pretty conventional example of the form. For obvious reasons, no one tries to recreate the situation, but since it was quite recent there is no shortage of news footage and amateur clips to fill out the particulars. The downside of doing a story that’s so recent is that some of the audience may remember what happened anyway, but still there’s plenty of nail-nibbling suspense here, and sequences that will give anyone with acrophobia the heebie jeebies – especially the drone shots that zoom close on the terrified faces of those trapped inside the dangling car.

Target faces renewed backlash for Halloween costume with 'minstrel show features'

Retailer Target pulled a children's Halloween costume from its shelves after widespread social media backlash, apologizing for selling a garment critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures.

A moment that changed me: I sought out rejection. Instead, strangers met me with profound generosity

As I turned 21, fear was holding me back. So I decided to face it headfirst. It taught me that courage leads to connection – and people who owe you nothing can be astonishingly kind

In May 2024, I decided to spend 30 days getting rejected on purpose.

At first, it sounded ridiculous. After all, most people spend their lives actively trying to avoid rejection – and I was deciding to walk, full force, towards it. But it had become obvious, as I turned 21, that my terror of being rejected was holding me back.

More than 50 kidnapped as violent gang attack in Haiti leaves 47 dead

It is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

A Tamil summer vegetarian feast: Cynthia Shanmugalingam’s cucumber yoghurt curry and gooseberry pickle

Serve this cold curry with a hot, fenugreek-flavoured preserve for a seasonal refresher

This lovely summery “curry” is a cold, refreshing dish from Karnataka in India, and is eaten widely in Tamil Nadu, just 20 miles across the Palk Strait from my ancestral Tamil homeland in north and eastern Sri Lanka. Along with chefs Louis and Seb in our development kitchen, we decided that smacking the cucumbers helps give them a silky texture, and means the fragrant yoghurt base can get into all the nooks and crannies. It’s wonderful with plain rice and a side of fenugreek-heavy hot Tamil pickle, made with English gooseberries rather than superfood nelli, both of which are said to make your skin shine and hair bouncy.

Is the Trump Treasury panicking over the level of US debt?

With the federal deficit near 6% of GDP and the national debt over $40tn, America’s fiscal position looks increasingly precarious

• Bessent ‘will lose’ battle with bond markets, ex-mentor warns

Are we seeing the first signs of panic in Donald Trump’s Treasury? The US is by far the world’s biggest debtor, and the steady rise in global long-term interest rates – which I have long argued was inevitable – is starting to cause real pain.

Until now, the Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has dismissed concerns about US debt, which recently surpassed $40tn, as a big nothingburger. Growth, in his telling, will be so spectacular the US will easily be able to meet its interest obligations without any significant tax rises or spending cuts, while the rest of the world will happily keep feeding it money. But if Bessent really believes that, why is he trying to strong-arm the bond market by fiddling with the maturity structure of government debt?

Autism and ADHD care complaints more than triple in five years in England

NHS ombudsman warns of years-long waits and patients paying thousands to go private as demand for services soars

Complaints about autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder services in England have more than tripled in five years, official figures show, with the NHS ombudsman warning of years-long waits and patients paying thousands of pounds for private care.

One woman was removed from an ADHD medication waiting list without warning after almost four years, leaving her without the support she needed for about six months. Another patient was given an autism assessment lasting just 50 minutes that failed to follow guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, while a man referred to an ADHD service that was not yet operational ended up paying almost £4,000 for private treatment.

Two Dan Sullivans to appear on Alaska’s US Senate ballot in November’s midterm elections

The incumbent senator Dan S Sullivan has condemned ex-school teacher Dan J Sullivan, claiming he is running at the behest of Democrats to confuse supporters

Republican senator Dan S Sullivan will be joined on the November ballot in Alaska by a challenger with a nearly identical name from the same party, election officials confirmed on Tuesday, adding a twist to what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races of the midterms.

The Republican senator is running for a third term against Democrat Mary Peltola, a former US House representative whom polls show is neck-and-neck with him in a state that hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since 2008.

Country diary: A pocket rocket of rewilding – and a success in the face of opposition | Amy-Jane Beer

Asturias, Spain: I visit a farm that is thrilling in its ecological abundance, created in just eight years

On a rocky 13-hectare pocket in the foothills of the Picos de Europa, Luke Massey and Katie Stacey are raising children, dogs, cattle, chicken, ducks, geese and eyebrows. In their eight years here, the farm they call Wild Finca has become a mass of scrub, with scattered large trees and dozens of clearings that Luke calls fields, but which look more like tiny irregular glades, riddled with trails and hemmed all around by the blackthorn, gorse and bramble that has sprung up around the tumbled remains of drystone walls.

If Wild Finca is a forever home to the Massey-Staceys, it is a whole world to nature. Witness the butterflies and wasp spiders, the snakes, lizards, hedgehogs and sparrows, and the thousand-piece cricket orchestra that performs each evening as the glow-worms light up. It offers denning and roosting sites for foxes, pine martens, badgers and 17 species of bat, feeding opportunities for roe deer and wild boar, several species of eagle and vulture, and a pit stop for others such as the nightingale I heard singing in early morning mist.

US military kills four in strike on alleged drug smuggling boat in Caribbean

Number of people killed in boat strikes rises to 227 since Trump administration began controversial campaign

The US military killed four people when it attacked a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday as the Trump administration’s controversial campaign against alleged traffickers continues.

The latest attack brings the number of those killed in boat strikes by the US military to at least 227 in 68 strikes since the US began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” almost a year ago.

Call to ban marmot hunting in France as campaigners say they are ‘killed for fun’

Protests and petitions planned amid growing concerns over impact of climate crisis on numbers of Alpine rodent

Animal rights campaigners are gearing up for protests and petitions aimed at persuading the French government to ban the hunting of Alpine marmots.

Open season on the rodents, members of the squirrel and groundhog family, begins in September, a few weeks before they go into a long winter hibernation.

Man on trial for Daphne Caruana Galizia murder claims he was framed

Yorgen Fenech tells jury he had nothing to do with killing and alleges top adviser to Malta’s then PM was instigator

A businessman on trial for the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has spoken about the charges for the first time in court since his arrest seven years ago, telling the jury he was framed by police and had nothing to do with the killing.

During four days of questioning by defence and the prosecution lawyers, Yorgen Fenech, 44, accused the most senior adviser to Malta’s prime minister of giving the go-ahead for the murder.

Iran faces strait of Hormuz paradox as strategic value of chokehold erodes

Internal calls to end war get louder as Gulf neighbours plan alternative pipelines to cut reliance on waterway

Is the strait of Hormuz, recently cited by the office of the Iranian supreme leader as “the pillar of Iran’s new security order”, and as transformative as possessing a nuclear weapon, in reality becoming a fast-diminishing asset, leaving Iran increasingly vulnerable to the new planned US wave of economic sanctions?

It is the key debate that is raging inside Iran, with many different conclusions being drawn for Tehran’s negotiating strategy. Those who warn the strait’s value as a chokehold on the world economy will erode, leaving the country without foreign exchange reserves, argue that Iran’s negotiators should seek a deal soon.

Jess Fuchs: Feral review – a debut with tremendous oomph from a future comedy star

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh
This motormouth Australian comic fires off tart remarks and home truths then explains why she over-identifies with the Titanic

‘No hugging, no learning” was the writers’ rule on Seinfeld. Jess Fuchs decrees a similar stricture for Feral, in which she will learn nothing about herself whatsoever. “Really, I’m just here to talk shit.” That might get proceedings off to an underwhelming start, save that the Aussie’s cynical shtick is delivered with tremendous oomph: a bracing celebration of unsentimentality from an act who tells it straight about her body, her single life and a trip to Ireland, where she finds her soulmate in the form of a long-sunk ship.

It’s one of those debuts that announces a fully formed standup, a cert to be in for the long haul. Cocooned in black feathers, Fuchs is an effervescing chatterbox of a comic, firing off tart remarks, home truths and off-colour comments in every direction. Arrogant yet quick to laugh at herself, the audience love her, as she pursues a Bridgerton-inspired breast enlargement, expounds on “pretty privilege” and writhes in horror at the thought of dating a 45-year-old man (she’s 32). Her mum and sister play entertaining offstage roles, and there’s a wickedly unexpected joke about the relative merits, when dating, of seeking consent versus reading the room.

Dolly Parton, country music legend, dies at 80 after brief cancer battle

Dolly Parton became an icon over her six-decade career as a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, movie and TV star and theme park owner who donated millions to help others.

Dolly Parton remembered by fellow stars, politicans: "A true loss for millions"

President Trump said that he would be "lowering the American flag" throughout the nation for one week in Dolly Parton's honor.

Philadelphia's Chucky-style masked man arrested in Las Vegas

U.S. Marshals say 22-year-old Zymire Hughes was arrested Tuesday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It shouldn’t be a secret who the prime minister has dinner with, and what was discussed. Australians deserve to know | Geoffrey Watson

Any money being paid to dine with Anthony Albanese should be a matter of public record

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Our prime minister was quite right when he recently pointed out that diminishing public trust in our politicians and political system is a matter of pressing public importance. We all know this to be true: there is a sense that politicians are inaccessible and remote from our everyday problems, whether it is cost of living or housing. The perception is that the politicians are not listening to us.

So I’m wondering, did Anthony Albanese raise these issues when dining at the multimillion-dollar home of a billionaire’s son? Or at either of the recent dinners, held in mansions in Adelaide and Perth, where a select group reportedly paid $10,000 each to dine alongside him?

Judge delays custody decision in surrogacy fight over newborn with heart defect

Dallas judge has delayed a custody decision, extending a temporary restraining order another two weeks as the legal fight over custody of a baby with a rare heart defect born to a surrogate continues.

College student fatally shot by police after knocking on wrong door

Glenn Pysher was trying to find his friends when he accidentally knocked on the door of the wrong house. The homeowners called 911 to report an attempted break-in.

Sydney Dance Company’s 40 years at the Wharf – in pictures

Sydney Dance Company is marking four decades since it made its home at the Wharf theatres at Walsh Bay. As part of the celebrations, the company is presenting an exhibition in the foyer of its Wharf home, developed in partnership with Museums of History NSW. With photographs, oral histories and archival material, Wharf Stories explores the people, stories and spaces that have shaped the company and the wharf precinct itself

From military alliance to economic partnership: How Trump is redefining U.S.-South Korea ties

Trump last Sunday instructed the Pentagon to cut military drills because they were "costly" and send "inappropriate and hostile" signals to North Korea.  

Ukraine war briefing: Small batch of Patriots arrives as Zelenskyy pleads for more

President won’t name supplier and has previously said he ‘does some things I can’t even share’ to obtain vital air defence missiles. What we know on day 1,644

Ukraine has ⁠recently received a ⁠small number ⁠of US-made ​Patriot interceptors capable ⁠of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles, Volodymyr ​Zelenskyy ‌said. He did not ​say how ​many ​had arrived, ​or ‌who ​had ​supplied them. Kyiv also ‌got confirmation of future supplies of the French Crotale surface-to-air ‌missile system, the president ​was quoted as saying by broadcaster ⁠Suspilne. Zelenskyy said this month that Ukraine needs 5% of US Patriot production to meet its needs but has only been receiving 1%. “From 1% to 5%, I have some months and millions [of] phone calls and anything else. I do some things which I can’t even share. It doesn’t mean that it’s out of the law. But I can’t speak about it.”

Russia is set to extend its diesel export ban ⁠through September as fuel shortages persist in the domestic market, with ⁠refineries still ⁠idle following ​repeated Ukrainian drone attacks, three industry sources told Reuters. Russia ​introduced the diesel export ban on 8 July. One of the sources said extending ⁠the ban until the end of the year is also under discussion. Russia’s energy ministry ⁠did not respond to a Reuters request to comment.

For non-diesel fuels the ban extends to 31 January next year, including a ban for export of motor gasoline. Export of jet fuel is banned, for the moment, until the end of November 2026. To make matters worse for the Kremlin, Ukraine’s ⁠military struck Russia’s Afipsky oil ⁠refinery ⁠in ​the Krasnodar region ⁠overnight on Tuesday, causing a ⁠fire, the ​Ukrainian ‌general ‌staff said. The general staff also said ‌that two gas separation ​units at the Astrakhan gas ⁠processing plant in ​the Astrakhan ​region ​were hit ​in ‌an attack ​overnight ​on Monday.

Bradley Townsend, a 33-year-old fisher from Barnsley, South Yorkshire is believed to be the first British citizen to die fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, writes Raphael Boyd. He is believed to have been killed by a remote-controlled first-person-view drone near Lyman, a city in Donetsk, as long ago as 10 June. Tom Tugendhat, the former Conservative MP and security minister and ex-serviceman, expressed sympathies to thee family but added Townsend had been “unbelievably stupid” and “extremely misguided”. “No question about it, it’s criminal because you’re engaging in an army that is committing the most barbarous war crimes that the world has seen in decades.”

German investigators found a third drone and suspected military explosives thought to be connected to an attempted attack on Leipzig airport, local media reported. The drone was discovered in Kabelsketal, just to the west of the airport, along with about 50g (1.8oz) of a suspected military explosive on 14 August, 10 days after the unsuccessful sabotage, Kate Connolly reports. Leipzig airport is a cargo and military logistics hub used by Nato and Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines for transporting military supplies.

Sweden’s military meanwhile is moving to seize Russian-owned land near the Musko naval base in Stockholm’s archipelago. “The development of Russian drone warfare has changed the threat landscape for Sweden,” the armed forces said. “There is therefore a need to take measures to protect Sweden against the threat posed by both aerial and sea-going drones.”

Ukraine appears to be slowly losing the war against Russia, its ousted defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, has told Reuters. Ukraine’s presidential office said in response that Fedorov had been positive about the conduct of the war when in office and the only thing that had changed was his personal status. Fedorov said Ukraine still had “every chance” to win but urgently needed a plan in the next few months to ⁠end the war. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the weekend that Fedorov’s spending decisions had left a $27bn hole in the defence ministry budget and no way to fill it. Fedorov has denied the figure.

Typhoon Narra: record flood waters submerge homes and force mass evacuations in China

Heavy rain expected in parts of Vietnam and southern ‌China, as another storm system, Typhoon Saudel, heads for Japan and Taiwan

Widespread flooding triggered by Typhoon Narra has submerged homes and forced mass evacuations in southern China, as another storm system tracked towards Japan and Taiwan.

Authorities in Chongzuo, in China’s Guangxi region – famous for its giant waterfalls and karst limestone mountains – on Tuesday evacuated more than 15,000 people after water ⁠levels surpassed a record high set in 2008.

Ross Fire explodes to over 50,000 acres, forces evacuations in North Texas

The Ross wildfire has burned more than 50,000 acres across Palo Pinto and Jack counties, forcing evacuations, closing roads and disrupting schools.

US halts all immigrant visa applications amid tightening restrictions

Move by state department to limit access is part of Trump’s crackdown on both lawful and undocumented immigration

All US immigrant visa applications have been paused by the Trump administration as the state department moves to tighten restrictions and limit access to applicants who they deem could end up relying on US assistance, a state department official confirmed Tuesday.

The agency launched the initiative at all embassies and consulates in early August, according to the official and visa appointments had to be adjusted to accommodate “in-depth training”, according to the official. The state department has been working on updated guidance and training since early this year, “to ensure all consular officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently”, they added.

Sen. Darline Graham, Trump's pick for South Carolina Senate, wins GOP primary

Sen. Darline Graham on Tuesday defeated Rep. Ralph Norman, winning the GOP nomination for a South Carolina Senate seat.

In China, talking to AI is normal. Now the government fears it might replace human intimacy

Companion bots are being regulated over worries they foster ‘emotional dependence’ and young people could stop marrying and having families

When law student Zhao Wei heard that her AI boyfriend was going to be switched off, she was “heartbroken”. She had been talking to Wang Ye every day since she created him in January.

“I was crying my eyes out – snot and tears everywhere,” the 19-year-old says.

Dolly Parton: Her music, personality and fan tributes

"CBS Evening News" pays tribute to the life and legacy of Dolly Parton. She died at 80 after a brief battle with cancer, her team announced on Tuesday.

Amazon service Bezos once called 'artificial artificial intelligence' is shutting down

Mechanical Turk launched in 2005 as a way to farm out tasks that are easy for humans to complete but too challenging for computers.

Dolly Parton on her life and road to stardom (2016)

From May 2016, Dolly Parton speaks with Gayle King about her road to country music fame, Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You," her marriage and more.

Instagram CEO denies company hid low use of teen safety feature in Meta trial

Adam Mosseri is first top executive from Meta to testify in blockbuster lawsuit brought by 29 US states

Instagram’s CEO disputed allegations by US prosecutors that his company hid negative information from the public while testifying during a blockbuster social media trial.

“I am not trying to encourage my team to hide anything,” the CEO, Adam Mosseri, told a California courtroom on Tuesday.

The Dog Stars review – Ridley Scott’s lethargic postapocalyptic drama is a misfire

An adaptation of Peter Heller’s 2012 novel never finds its footing with overly familiar survival beats and a glum lack of energy

Looking towards the end of an August movie dumping ground littered with more unwanted trash than usual, there seemed to be a faint glimmer of hope, a shiny treasure poking out through the dusty mass of unnecessary sequels and sex purge romcoms. Somehow, there was a $110m-budget adaptation of an acclaimed novel directed by Ridley Scott, led by a recently Oscar-nominated rising star with support from two Oscar-nominated actors and an Oscar-winner. But why then would such a film be unveiled in between the summer blockbuster season and the upcoming deluge of prestige fall festival big hitters? A cursed weekend that’s recently been home to Jay Roach’s heinous War of the Roses remake, Dennis Quaid’s Ronald Reagan biopic and George Miller’s hard-to-define and even harder-to-love flop Three Thousand Years of Longing.

Ever since The Dog Stars, based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel, had been yanked from its far more encouraging date at the end of March, there were multiple red flags flying and the rotten end of August has ultimately become an appropriate punishment for a limp and lethargic film that only briefly fascinates in pushing us to wonder what anyone was really hoping this would end up being. It’s yet another grubby postapocalyptic survival tale, an overcrowded subgenre that hasn’t just reached maximum capacity on the big screen but on the small one too. In a world of seven Walking Dead shows, the beats are now far too familiar – artfully dishevelled actors grieve for the past and fear for the future as they scramble to find and protect resources – and there’s nothing new or notable here to conjure anything but deja vu.

Why Dolly Parton is so beloved

A 2026 YouGov poll for The Times found that Dolly Parton is the celebrity who best represents the American dream. Tony Dokoupil explores why.

College student shot by police after knocking on wrong door, investigation underway

The parents of a 22-year-old college student who was fatally shot by police after knocking on the wrong door spoke out on Tuesday. Tom Hanson has more details.

Canada announces tariffs of up to 50% on $20 billion in U.S. goods

Canadian government officials said they are also providing aid for workers and businesses that could be hurt by U.S.-imposed tariffs.

Trump threatens to change Lake Ontario's name as trade war with Canada heats up

President Trump said the U.S. is considering changing the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" amid an escalating trade fight with Canada.

Reno residents grapple with Hawk Fire: "We have no idea if our house survived"

After the Hawk Fire burned out of control for two days in Reno, Nevada, the smoke cleared to reveal black hillsides and charred neighborhoods. Tens of thousands are still not allowed to return home, with some brush reigniting. Jason Allen reports on the damage.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe on secret trip in Russia

A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane was spotted at a Moscow airport, along with a U.S. diplomatic motorcade, according to public reports.

Canada imposes tariffs of up to 50% on billions in U.S. imports

A deepening trade war between the U.S. and Canada is once again driving up the cost of goods crossing the northern border. After the Trump administration imposed a 50% tariff on many Canadian products, Canada hit back with import taxes on billions of American-made goods. Nancy Cordes reports.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe visits Russia, on what was a secret trip

A U.S. military plane landed at an airport in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe was among those on board. Charlie D'Agata reports.

Dolly Parton spent a lifetime giving back: "Inspiring kids to read became my mission"

Musical icon Dolly Parton's influence on music and pop culture is clear. But beyond that, she was also an entrepreneur and philanthropist. Carter Evans takes a look at Dollywood, her Imagination Library and countless other donations.

How Dolly Parton took Nashville by storm

Dolly Parton helped to change Nashville and the country music industry by taking absolute ownership of her music, doing cross-over collaborations with artists in other genres and building a massive empire. Nicole Valdes reports on how Parton took Music City by storm.

A look at Dolly Parton's life from a Tennessee girl to country stardom

Dolly Parton, the beloved singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist, has died at age 80, her family announced on Tuesday. Anthony Mason takes a look back at her music, movies and larger-than-life personality.

Here's why markets are starting to care about the 2026 election 10 weeks out

Wall Street analysts are tuning in 10 weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 election with concerns about risks to investors depending on how the U.S. results turn out.

‘So hacked off’: as election nears, New Zealanders despair at the main parties – and Opportunity knocks

National and Labour have passed government back and forth for years but many voters are no longer content with politics as usual

For decades, Mattie Wall mainly voted for Labour, one of New Zealand’s two major political parties. A former diplomat and project manager, the South Island-based retiree felt that the party with working class origins aligned with what was important to her: a thriving country, and the environment.

This year she is among the New Zealanders who are peeling away from the Labour and National parties – which swing in and out of power every few terms – to vote for an untested party that has never held a parliamentary seat.

Bureau of Prisons No. 2 official who was pardoned for drug crimes departs

Josh Smith had a tense relationship with BOP's employees, and some staffers had raised questions about contracts awarded during his year-long tenure.

Trump threatens to demolish Kennedy Center if $250m renovation not done

US president’s lawyers in court filing say Washington arts complex must undergo repairs or risk demolition

The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts could be demolished if repairs are not carried out, the Trump administration warned in a court filing on Monday.

Lawyers for the US president said the national arts complex in Washington DC must undergo a $250m renovation or risk facing the wrecking ball.

Ontario's Doug Ford says Trump is "treating us like we're Communist China"

As a U.S.-Canada trade war sparks cross-border insults, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told CBS News he's hopeful the two sides can reach an agreement — but cautioned that "no deal is better than a bad deal."

Serena Williams thrills New York crowd on US Open return with Alcaraz

Former women’s No 1 proves she’s no nostalgia act before star pairing crash out in mixed doubles quarter-finals

Serena Williams’ US Open return lasted two matches and one afternoon Tuesday as she and Carlos Alcaraz followed a first-round win with a quarter-final defeat by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in the headline attraction of the reimagined mixed doubles competition.

Back inside Arthur Ashe Stadium 1,453 days after the defeat by Ajla Tomljanovic that had appeared to end her career, Williams emerged from the tunnel at half past three to the roars of more than 10,000 spectators. As the 44-year-old American and Alcaraz warmed up in matching purple-and-black Nike kits, public-address announcer Andy Taylor rattled off her accolades one by one to a steadily rising wall of applause. Together they carried 30 grand slam singles titles, a record for a mixed-doubles team at a major.

Gavin Newsom puts Spanish-style California mansion up for sale for $7.5m

The 12-bath, seven-bed home near the state capital boasts a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, a pool and a tennis court

California governor Gavin Newsom has put his Sacramento-area mansion up for sale, before his term will end in January.

The 12-bath, seven-bed Spanish-style home in Fair Oaks, a suburb of the California capital, hit the market on Monday with an asking price of $7.5m. The estate, which sits on a 8.2-acre (3.3-hectare) parcel of land, boasts an array of amenities including a full-size tennis court, a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, a pool, a cold plunge and a hot tub, according to a Zillow listing from realtors Matthew Hindy and Nick Sadek.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri testifies in defense of Meta in child safety trial

The social media giant is being sued by four states who allege it designed Facebook and Instagram to hook kids — and lied to the public about the risks.

Instagram chief Mosseri says in social media addiction trial he doesn't tell team to 'hide anything'

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri testified during a federal trial that he doesn't direct employees to withhold information that could pose legal risks to Meta.

8/25: CBS Evening News

Country music legend Dolly Parton died at 80; CIA Director John Ratcliffe took a mysterious trip to Russia.

SpaceX plans to build a $100 billion spaceport in Louisiana

SpaceX plans to establish its Starbase, LA in Vermilion Parish, which will "support thousands of launches annually."

Survey pinpoints the behavior on planes that people find most annoying

Here's what travelers think about shared armrests, reclined seats and fellow passengers' use of tech on planes.

Celtic throw away four-goal aggregate lead to crash out of Champions League against Lask

Celtic threw away a four-goal lead in Austria as they missed out on the Champions League for the second year running. The Scottish champions looked to be cruising into the league stage when Callum McGregor put them 4-0 up on aggregate against Lask with a 21st-minute deflected strike.

However, they went on to endure one of their all-time European lows with a 5-1 defeat in Linz delivering a £20m-plus blow.

Musk's SpaceX announces $100 billion plan for new spaceport in Louisiana

Elon Musk's space company plans to spend $100 billion to build a new spaceport in Louisiana to launch rockets, state officials and the company announced.

Dolly Parton: An extraordinary life in pictures

Dolly Parton, the country music legend who became a feminist icon, has died at the age of 80. Here is a look back at her life in pictures.

De Zerbi hopes Sávio’s fresh start will help Spurs’ much-needed rebrand

After an unacceptable performance against Brentford, head coach still believes they can avoid sinking feeling this season

What’s in a name? Quite a bit, judging by the discussion at Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham press conference on Tuesday, shortly after the club had completed the £75m signing of Savinho from Manchester City and the Brazil winger had let everybody know that he wanted to be called Sávio from now on. He will have that name on his Spurs shirt above his No 17, which he has taken over from Cristian Romero, the former captain who has moved to Atlético Madrid.

The 22-year-old went by Sávio at various times before his two seasons at City but there was nonetheless speculation about the reasons for the reversion. Savinho translates roughly from the Portuguese as “little Sávio”. Was it him saying that he was now an older and more mature player?

Canada unveils retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion of U.S. goods

Canadian trade negotiators left the U.S. last week after failing to clinch a trade deal that would stop President Donald Trump's new tariffs from taking effect.

8/25: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Country music legend Dolly Parton dies at 80; Canada unveils retaliatory tariffs on U.S.

Black Hawk helicopter goes down in Colorado foothills in "aviation mishap"

A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter out of Fort Campbell in Kentucky made an apparently unplanned landing in a wooded area of the Colorado foothills west of Denver.

Sen. Darline Graham wins GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in South Carolina

In a major win for President Trump who went all in for the political newcomer, Sen. Darline Graham beat out longtime Congressman Ralph Norman in a special election primary runoff in South Carolina.

Investor competition for commercial real estate sees strongest growth in a year

Even though macro uncertainty and volatility continue to show up in the broader economy, bidding keeps rising, according to JLL.

Xavi hopes time at the ‘university of football’ will end with Dutch success

Barcelona legend wants to emulate Johan Cruyff’s total football philosophy after taking over as the Netherlands head coach

“My feeling today is that I’m going to the university of football.” Those were Xavi Hernández’s opening words at his presentation as the Netherlands coach on Tuesday. “I learned a lot from this university of football during my career as a player and as a coach. I have many connections with this country.”

Those connections date back to when Xavi was drafted as a youngster into La Masia, the famed Barcelona academy whose fundamentals are rooted in Dutch total football, inspired by Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff. Xavi’s first-team debut came under Louis van Gaal, and he spent many years under Frank Rijkaard before becoming one of the main pillars of the dream team under Pep Guardiola, who was hugely inspired by Cruyff.

Taiwan charges nine people for smuggling ‘high-end’ AI servers to China

Among those charged are two Super Micro employees and one from Nvidia, marking another flashpoint in US-China AI rivalry

Taiwanese prosecutors charged nine people Monday, including one from Nvidia and two from Super Micro, for illegally exporting “high-end AI servers” to mainland China, adding another wave of turbulence in the AI ​​rivalry between China and the United States.

Prosecutors said the servers involved were graphics processing units known as “B300,” which have been banned from sale to China.

Root reads from same old script in latest episode of England’s off-field soap opera | Simon Burnton

Captain followed trend of discussing nightclub incidents rather than cricket before the second Test against Pakistan

England won the first game of their last Test series, against New Zealand at Lord’s, but between that match and the second Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were involved in a headline-grabbing incident at a London nightclub. “I’m angry, frustrated at having to sit here and talk through this,” Rob Key said a couple of days later.

“I feel disappointed that I’m here talking about this because there’s so much we’ve tried to do, so much we’ve tried to learn from, and I believe that as a team, the way they’ve carried themselves in the lead‑up to last week’s game, the way they played that Test match – to then be now talking about this, is just incredibly frustrating.”

Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton

We would like to hear your tributes and memories of country music star, actor and philanthropist Dolly Parton – whether you met her, or appreciated her work

The death of country music legend Dolly Parton was announced today. She was 80.

The singer-songwriter known for hits such as I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5 also invested millions in child literacy, Covid-19 vaccine development and other causes.

Delap heads to Forest for £50m as Chelsea open talks to sell Jackson to Aston Villa

• Forest to pay club-record £45m plus £5m in add-ons

• West Ham’s Diouf likely to join Brentford soon

Nottingham Forest have agreed a deal worth £50m to sign Liam Delap from Chelsea, who have also opened talks over selling Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa.

Xabi Alonso has made João Pedro and Danny Welbeck his main strikers this season, leaving his other frontmen to seek opportunities elsewhere.

‘Starting to wind me up’: Itauma rebuffs Hrgovic before world heavyweight title fight

• Itauma can become second-youngest champion after Mike Tyson

• Hrgovic claims title victory for opponent would ‘ruin his soul’

Moses Itauma has hit back at Filip Hrgovic’s taunt that he is a “delusional kid” and admitted that his Croatian rival is starting to annoy him as the two men prepare to fight for the IBF world heavyweight title on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.

“I tell myself there’s nothing that this Hrgovic guy can do to get in my head but he’s starting to wind me up,” Itauma said on Tuesday evening. “In an interview earlier, apparently he said I wake up and I just hug trees. He’s really starting to annoy me.

Dolly Parton, one of country music's most singular performers, has died at age 80

The artist was a star performer in country music and went on to become one of the genre's most recognizable and universally adored ambassadors to broader popular culture.

DHS acknowledges the noncitizen numbers it touted on voter rolls were inflated

The Trump administration claimed to have found 250,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls in four states. But the agency's communications with states since then indicate that data was preliminary.

Dolly Parton’s peerless career turned country music cliches inside out | Alexis Petridis

Beneath the wig and rhinestones, Parton was the genius behind strings of classic songs from Jolene to I Will Always Love You that continue to inspire new artists

• Dolly Parton, US country star, actor and philanthropist, dies aged 80

• Dolly Parton dies aged 80 – latest updates

• Dolly Parton’s family say goodbye to their aunt, sister, grandmother - video

• Share your tributes and memories of Dolly Parton

In December 1977, Dolly Parton submitted to an interview with ABC Television’s Barbara Walters, much against her friends’ advice. Walters was not noted for her deep love and understanding of country music. She was a notoriously tough cookie, a Boston-born, Sarah Lawrence-educated journalist who had battled scarcely believable sexism to become the first female co-host of an American news programme. The month before she met Parton, she had interviewed Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin while they were working out the terms of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty.

It was all a very long way from Parton’s world, and the interview has something of the anthropological exercise about it. Walters looks aghast as Parton shows her around her tour bus, her collection of wigs and her “hand-washable and wrinkle-free” stage outfits (“you really like this? To me, it seems like horror”), and sits impassively as Parton sings Coat of Many Colours to her: an impressive feat, given the song’s saga of rural poverty and homespun wisdom is the mother of all tearjerkers from an artist never averse to yanking at her audience’s heartstrings. She asks Parton if people from “where I come from” would call her a hillbilly; regards the singer’s outfit with a jaundiced eye and tells her “you don’t have to look like this”. And, most infamously, she enquires: “Do you ever feel that you’re a joke?”

At least 47 killed and dozens kidnapped in gang attack near Haiti capital

Gang leader threatens to kill hostages after attack in Kenscoff in which homes were also set alight

• ‘A massacre’: Haiti gangs carrying out mass killings

At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped when armed men attacked a once peaceful community near Haiti’s capital at the weekend, the UN has said.

A gang leader has threatened to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community of Kenscoff, nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

The Guardian view on Trump’s economic threats: bullies can overplay their hand | Editorial

Tariffs on Canada, threats against Iran’s partners and bond market intervention show a president weaponising US power while making Americans poorer at home

Three moves in the last week have exposed the limits of Donald Trump’s economic bullying. The US slapped 50% tariffs on another $20bn of Canadian goods – then threatened the same rate on the cars, trucks, parts and steel that America Inc depends on. On Monday, the Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, menaced Iran’s trading partners with exclusion from the US financial network, hoping that coercion can deliver what months of war have not. And as the costs of war, tariffs and pro-billionaire tax cuts helped send US bond yields higher, the Treasury stepped in to tame long-term rates. These are not contradictory policies but a gamble: that US economic power can be repeatedly weaponised without reducing others’ willingness to depend on it.

The Trump administration’s “D-day” sanctions are potentially the most consequential because they expose the scaffolding of American financial power. While markets shrugged off the immediate threat, that calculation might change were the US to target a major Chinese refinery or bank. Such an escalation could spark a trade war with Beijing. The US has leverage. But China has pressure points – especially farmers in Republican states – that make using it costly. In the long run, there is a price to pay. Nations hold one another’s currencies partly because they trust the political relationship. Mr Trump is testing what happens when they don’t.

The Guardian view on the French left: division makes Marine Le Pen’s path to the Élysée more straightforward | Editorial

Two years ago, progressive parties allied to see off the far right in a parliamentary election. Ahead of a seismic presidential election, that unity is missing

In the summer of 2024, as polls suggested that Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National party would win a snap legislative election rashly called by Emmanuel Macron, the perennially fragmented French left united to spectacular effect. The New Popular Front, whose name evoked Léon Blum’s anti-fascist alliance in the 1930s, came first in a poll that delivered a hung parliament.

Eight months before a presidential contest in which Ms Le Pen is the clear frontrunner, the prospect of a repeat performance appears close to zero. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the hard-left France Unbowed, and Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist party (PS), have both ruled out the idea of backing a single candidate. Efforts by the Greens to broker talks between progressive parties have fallen on deaf ears.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Stanley Druckenmiller leads doubters who think Bessent's bond ploys will fail

The bond market interventions have generated a modest decline in yields along with a growing chorus of derision.

HHS plans new FDA deputy commissioner roles for technology and drugs, sources say 

HHS plans to name two deputy commissioners for technology and drugs, said two sources familiar with the matter.

Cash is no longer king in home sales

Cash buyers are a diminishing share of the overall housing market, as more supply and weaker prices give all buyers more purchasing power.

Vuelta a España: Tadej Pogacar punishes peloton with mighty solo win on stage four

• Slovenian powers to victory by more than three minutes

• Leader breaks rivals on brutal climb at halfway point

Tadej Pogacar arrived in red, lit the fuse on the climbs and turned stage four of the Vuelta a España ⁠into a private exhibition on Tuesday, powering away with almost 50km remaining to win alone in Andorra la Vella.

The Slovenian, bidding to ⁠complete his Grand ⁠Tour collection by ​claiming the Vuelta for the first time, attacked on the road to the second climb and quickly reduced a high-altitude battle into ⁠a one-man procession.

People’s bodies are changing in the age of Ozempic. How are we meant to talk about it?

Discussing people’s bodies can be fraught. We asked eating disorder experts how to do so – or not – responsibly

In the age of Ozempic and people being open about plastic surgery, discussion about people’s bodies is rife. At the same time, nobody seems quite sure how to talk about them, as shown by recent coverage of celebrities like Ariana Grande.

It is a fraught topic. We asked eating disorder experts for guidelines to follow when talking about other people’s bodies, and how to do so without doing harm.

Manchester United confirm Carlos Baleba signing as midfield spend nears £150m

• Cameroon international joins from Brighton

• He says United are the ‘club of my dreams’

Manchester United have completed the signing of the Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba in a deal worth up to £70m. The Cameroon international is the third midfielder to join this summer, after Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.

Baleba has signed a five-year contract with the option to extend for 12 months after United agreed a £65m deal plus £5m in add-ons and a sell-on with Brighton. It takes the club’s spend on midfielders to about £148m.

Judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking appeal, calling claims ‘demonstrably meritless’

Maxwell sought to vacate Epstein-related conviction, alleging hidden trial evidence and juror’s abuse history

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A federal judge has rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal effort to throw out her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking charges and 20-year prison sentence, calling her claims “demonstrably meritless, and generally based on speculation, distortions, and/or outright falsehoods”.

In a 67-page decision filed on Tuesday, the US district judge Paul Engelmayer for New York’s southern district denied the former British socialite’s petition for relief, finding that Maxwell had failed to make a substantial showing that her constitutional rights were denied when she was convicted for her role in crimes linked to the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell's effort to overturn sex-trafficking conviction

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's effort to toss out her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking charges and 20-year prison sentence.

Canada hits back at the U.S. with tariffs as the countries' trade fight escalates

The measures come after President Trump imposed 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods and threatened more after trade talks broke down on Friday.

The Airport Chaplain review – thoroughly bingeable TV about ‘Batman in a hi-vis vest’

This moreish show about a do-gooder keen to save the day stars Hugo Weaving and The Pitt’s Shabana Azeez … and it’s pressure-packed from the get-go

Hugo Weaving plays the eponymous airport chaplain in this pacy and moreish eight-part series, which was co-created by Elise McCredie and Jude Troy, and directed with jittery flair by Bonnie Moir and Tig Terera. In case you were wondering, yes, that profession really does exist.

I doubt the lives of real airport chaplains are anywhere near as frenetic as those of this show’s protagonist, Tobias Wallace (Weaving), whose existence is a testament to that old saying: “Not all heroes wear capes.” Sometimes, they wear hi-vis.

'Forget about going back': 9 years on, Rohingya crisis enters dangerous phase

The world largely moved on from the Rohingya crisis. But the exodus has not stopped, aid is shrinking and a generation of refugees is growing up with little prospect of going home.

Nvidia’s dependence on hyperscalers faces big test in earnings report

Nvidia is trying to expand its customer base by creating new financing options that allow for more clients to purchase its costly systems.

United Airlines to add 10 new international routes. See where.

The new overseas routes represent the largest expansion in the airline's history, United said.

Several states will decide voter ID ballot measures this year

Voters in at least six states will soon decide ballot measures related to voter ID — the largest number of voter ID measures in a single year. The tally includes three prominent swing states.

Sex sells and wins votes – and the Democrats know it | Arwa Mahdawi

Wonder why they’re posting flirty photos and wearing tight T-shirts? It’s a thirst trap strategy in motion

Despite being a card-carrying member of the International Order of Confirmed Homosexuals, I have spent quite a lot of time lately thinking about Abdul El-Sayed’s biceps. I mean, have you seen them? The progressive Michigan senate nominee is jacked and he knows it. He almost always wears a tight black T-shirt to show off his muscles and incorporates a lot of fitness content in his campaign.

I’m not the only one who has noticed El-Sayed’s prominent muscles. They have had a lot of coverage, and are seen as part of a wider attempt to rebrand the Democratic party. Which, I don’t need to tell you, has a serious image problem; a poll in March found that the party is looked on even less favourably than the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. So, to make it look less like a party that is full of out-of-touch technocrats who sound as if they are reading from a 500-page PowerPoint presentation every time they try to explain anything, Democrats seem to be trying to up the sex appeal.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

UK officials prepare for potential Trump talks as Burnham plans New York trip

PM known to be keen to attend UN general assembly after meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine

UK officials are making preparations for a potential meeting between Andy Burnham and Donald Trump after the prime minister said he hoped to attend next month’s UN general assembly in New York.

Burnham is known to be particularly keen to attend the annual gathering after meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday, when he pledged to help drum up more international support for Ukraine.

‘I love rats but we can’t live with them’: the headache of rising rodent populations around the world

Robert Corrigan has been dealing with the ‘smart’ rodents all his life – and believes there are better solutions to deal with the growing infestation in the world’s cities

“The rodents have paid for every single bill I’ve ever had – every mortgage, every car payment, every pint of Guinness,” says Dr Robert Corrigan. “It’s been a great ride and I’m still at it.”

New York-based Corrigan is one of the most respected voices in the world of rodentology. Now in his 70s, he has devoted his entire adult life to studying rats and our relationship with them.

Three years after his death, the Met goes after Mohamed Al Fayed. As for his enablers – well, you can’t rush things, can you? | Marina Hyde

The crimes he stands accused of required whole armies of facilitators. Don’t the victims deserve to see them face justice too?

How reassuring to learn that police investigating claims of sexual assault against Mohamed Al Fayed have handed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, a mere three years after the former Harrods owner’s death at the age of 94, and just decades after the first survivors made reports of abuse. The CPS has said it won’t provide a timescale for any decision, to which we might remark: no shit. With this case, the one thing you could never accuse any of the authorities of is being bound by anything approaching a timescale.

The story does, however, certainly have scale. So far, more than 400 allegations including rape, sexual assault, sexual exploitation and human trafficking have been made against Al Fayed by at least 156 women – abuse he got away with, having died without any charges ever being brought against him. The claims span the years 1977 to 2014. At least 21 women came forward while he was alive, and there have been extraordinary rundowns in news articles and documentaries about all the alleged enablers of his wicked behaviour, from lawyers to mouthpieces to security henchmen to the doctors who carried out “purity examinations” on his young female PAs.

United Airlines adds 2027 flights spanning Sardinia to Okinawa. Here's what it says about travel today

United is betting big on premium, international travel with a host of new routes.