More Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool charges dropped by Pirro's office

Since Friday, D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office has dropped charges against three more people accused of vandalism.

Ariana Grande pulls out of musical over "endless, ongoing public scrutiny"

Ariana Grande had been due to star alongside her "Wicked" co-star Jonathan Bailey in a production of "Sunday in the Park with George" in 2027.

"My Favorite Person" trend making social media users tear up

A social media trend encouraging users to share what they love about their favorite person is bringing light to TikTok and other platforms.

Twin Falls In-N-Out shooting suspect identified after 3 killed, 7 wounded

The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Cornyn, Tillis back Blanche for attorney general after deal on DOJ fund

GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina formally announced their support on Monday for Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general.

Senate candidate El-Sayed questions assumption Michigan voters are moderates

Populist Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens top the Democratic field going into Tuesday's Senate primary. Former Rep. Mike Rogers is running unopposed for the GOP nomination.

Acting attorney general issues order rescinding "anti-weaponization" fund

The order came after Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn threatened to block Blanche's confirmation for Attorney General if the fund was not rescinded in writing.

Washington wildfires leave some residents with nothing: "Nightmare situation"

More than 700 buildings in the Spokane area have been destroyed, and another 400 have yet to be assessed, officials said Monday as three fires burned in the area.

Far-right Republican accused of stiffing student debate champion of $8,000

Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback calls failure to pay Briana Whatley money owed ‘an oversight’

A far-right Republican candidate in Florida’s governor’s race has been accused of stiffing a high school debate champion over the better part of $11,000 in scholarship money she won from a company he founded.

Student Briana Whatley landed the awards as regional and national champion of Incubate Debate, a league-style competition set up by the candidate, James Fishback, to encourage youth to engage in political discourse.

Beast of Reincarnation review – a taxing reflection of human-made damage

PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5; Game Freak/Fictions
Game Freak channels a post-apocalyptic reality that reflects our own repetitive erosion cycles, with a fair bit of hand-holding

Most of your time in Beast of Reincarnation is spent collecting last words. You cross paths with robots lying on the ground, who muster whatever energy they have left to provide guidance. These interactions are fleeting. Attempt to talk to them a second time, and protagonist Emma makes their fates painfully clear: “They’ve already passed on.”

The latest detour by Game Freak, the studio best known as the primary developer of Pokémon games, is an action RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Japan. Taking cues from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and NieR: Automata, you wield the sword of an outcast accompanied by an ever-loyal canine. The pair embark on a taxing and often monotonous journey to defeat the titular beast, which nonetheless serves a thematic purpose to bolster a decaying reality, while reflecting a possible future for ours.

Justice Dept. moves to dismiss Jan. 6 class action lawsuit

The Justice Department argued that the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters had until Jan. 6, 2023, to sue the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, missing the deadline to file a lawsuit by over two years.

Senate pushes ahead with plan to fund government through midterms

The Senate is moving ahead with a plan to keep the government funded and avoid another shutdown before the midterm elections.

Analysis: Federal Reserve may be pulled into Bessent’s effort to support Japan’s yen

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants to defend the yen without selling Treasurys into a sensitive U.S. bond market. The Federal Reserve could help.

‘Completely hollow’: critics denounce Blanche deal to halt Trump slush fund

Democrats say agreement – which clears way for Blanche’s confirmation – makes promises president can easily reverse

A compromise between Todd Blanche and two Republican senators that potentially cleared the way for Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general is weak, Democrats and several experts said, as it makes promises Donald Trump can easily reverse.

Blanche, the acting attorney general, posted two documents on Sunday evening showing he was withdrawing an 18 May order allowing for the creation of a $1.8bn weaponization fund and clarifying that broad tax immunity the justice department granted to Trump only applied retroactively to the president, his sons, and businesses.

House Ethics recommends censure for GOP lawmaker in sexual harassment probe

The House Ethics Committee released a report detailing the findings of an investigation into GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards, concluding that there is "substantial reason to believe" he violated House rules.

‘This quarter was otherworldly’: Palantir earnings surge past expectations

Shares soar as yearly revenue up 93%, even as opposition grows to company’s role in Trump immigration agenda

In a sea of companies reporting mixed financial results this quarter, Palantir stands out. Although Palantir was not immune to the AI jitters that caused industry-wide drops in share prices earlier this year, the AI and analytics company reported that its overall revenue grew 93% year over year to $1.94bn. That’s well over the $1.8bn Wall Street expected Palantir to bring in for the second quarter.

The glowing financials sparked a 10% surge in share prices in the immediate aftermath. Despite growing opposition to Palantir’s work with various governments including the crucial role the company plays in the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, Palantir’s revenue from US government contracts grew 90% year over year to $809m.

Trump says Jeanine Pirro "choked" in dropping Reflecting Pool cases

"She folded like an umbrella," President Trump said of Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

These are some of the last pristine ocean ecosystems. Now, they're losing protections

The largest conservation areas in the U.S. are in the Pacific Ocean, where tiny islands are epicenters of biodiversity. The Trump administration is now opening their waters to commercial fishing, sparking a battle over some of the country's most pristine ecosystems.

US House ethics panel recommends censure for Republican Chuck Edwards

North Carolina congressman’s campaign rejects committee finding that Edwards ‘engaged in sexual harassment’

The US House of Representatives ethics committee on Monday recommended that Chuck Edwards, a Republican congressman, face censure after determining he “fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment” by giving gifts and lavishing attention on two young female staffers.

The bipartisan panel began investigating the second-term North Carolina congressman earlier this year, after receiving complaints about his conduct. In a report approved by Democratic and Republican committee members, they determined there “was substantial reason to believe” Edwards broke House rules by singling out the two unidentified aides for special treatment that made them uncomfortable and harmed relations with other employees.

US states sue Trump administration over new tariffs on 60 trading partners

Coalition of 25 states asks US Court of International Trade to halt tariffs and declare them them unlawful

• Trump imposes fresh tariffs on dozens of trading partners

A coalition of 25 US states sued the Trump administration on Monday over new tariffs pegged at 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes struck down by the supreme court in February.

The states are asking the US Court of International Trade to halt the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order refunds of duties that have already been paid.

Lindsay Clancy's diary excerpts read at trial: "I feel like I'm drowning"

The Lindsay Clancy trial​ resumed with excerpts from her diary and testimony from doctors who treated Clancy and her children on the night of the murders.

Snap's stock jumps 8% on earnings beat and strong sales forecast

Snap beat analysts' estimates across the board in its second-quarter earnings report.

25 states sue Trump administration over latest round of tariffs

New U.S. tariffs are hurting consumers and businesses, California's attorney general said in filing suit to block levies on 60 countries.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz, first Latino winner of PEN/Faulkner award, dies aged 71

Celebrated writer, poet and novelist for young adults drew upon his sexuality and life on US southern border

Benjamin Alire Sáenz, an award-winning fiction writer and poet who drew upon his sexuality and his life on the southern border, has died at age 71. He was the first Latino to win the PEN/Faulkner prize.

Sáenz, who produced a story collection that won the PEN/Faulkner prize and a young adult novel that received acclaim from readers and reviewers and condemnation from censors, died on 28 July in El Paso, Texas, after a lengthy illness, according to a spokesperson for Simon & Schuster.

Rapists, child abusers and groomers will not leave prison early, says PM

Andy Burnham will also delay release of thousands of prisoners across England and Wales a month, until October

Rapists, child sexual abusers and groomers will be excluded from early release plans to ease critical prison overcrowding in a major intervention by Andy Burnham.

The prime minister said on Tuesday that he would delay the planned early release of thousands of prisoners across England and Wales by a month until October.

Trump administration finalizes AI framework, official says

The order asks AI companies to share previews of powerful new models with the government before they are released to the public.

House Ethics panel recommends censure for Chuck Edwards after harassment allegations

After a months-long investigation, the ethics committee recommended censure for Edwards because of "persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers."

Trump says oil companies should cut gas prices after making "too much money"

President Trump said U.S. oil companies made "too much money" from high oil prices. "I'm not happy about it," he added.

MLS investigates reports of antisemitic chants toward New England’s Dor Turgeman in Montreal

• Israeli striker scored, then gestured at CF Montréal fans

• Revolution ‘strongly condemn’ the chants

The New England Revolution have denounced chants they deemed “antisemitic” and “discriminatory” from CF Montréal fans during Saturday’s MLS matchup between the sides in Quebec. The specific chants were directed towards New England’s Israeli striker Dor Turgeman, with broadcast microphones capturing fans chanting “free Palestine” shortly before he scored a goal.

MLS on Monday confirmed it was “aware of reported antisemitic and discriminatory language directed at a New England Revolution player” and that the matter is under investigation.

Michigan health officials report 2 deaths among cyclosporiasis cases

Two Michigan residents who had "significant underlying health conditions" have died after contracting cyclosporiasis, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.

Trump sours on Pirro over Reflecting Pool case, won't say her job is safe

President Donald Trump said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, "choked" and "folded like an umbrella" in the Reflecting Pool case.

FAA clears smallest Boeing 737 Max to fly after years of delays

Airlines can finally start flying passengers soon after planes are certified, but it can take them months to work them into schedules.

Fresh US-Iran talks are ‘last chance’ for Tehran to avoid war escalating, Trump says

US president expects negotiations to begin in next day or two but Iran says it is not reviving talks with Washington

New talks between Washington and Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of US strikes on the country, Donald Trump said on Monday.

Trump said he expected negotiations to begin in the next day or two to reopen the strait of Hormuz and create a pathway for Iran to address the US’s concerns about its nuclear programme.

Athens suitcase death: suspect admits hiding body but denies murder

Police are focusing on Elisabeth-Jane Ross’s final hours in hope of discovering motive for her killing

Greek authorities are investigating what may have motivated a 26-year-old Afghan man to kill a Scottish charity worker found dead in a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens last month.

Inquiries have focused increasingly on Elisabeth-Jane Ross’s last few hours alive and police believe they hold the key to revealing why the 38-year-old was targeted.

ICE detainee reveals video of drinking water apparently contaminated with worm-like creatures

‘Disturbing’ footage shared by California detainee surfaces amid wider complaints about conditions in ICE detention

Attorneys for a man detained in a California immigration detention center have released footage showing him holding up a bottle of water from inside the facility that appeared to be contaminated with worm-like creatures.

The footage came from a video call with Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a Los Angeles man who has been detained for months at the Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, north-east of LA.

Ripple effects: After Hearn, three others have their Reflecting Pool charges dropped

Prosecutors dropped their case against David Hearn on Friday, blaming Reflecting Pool damage on a "botched installation" rather than vandalism. That has implications for other people who were charged.

More European countries’ FAs withdraw support for Infantino as pressure intensifies

• FA no longer endorses Fifa president for re-election

• Wales and Serbia join Finland in withdrawing backing

European countries began turning their backs on Gianni Infantino as moves intensified across the globe to end his crisis-hit tenure as Fifa president.

The Football Association was the highest-profile of several Uefa member associations to drop its support for Infantino’s proposed re-election next year. It will write to Fifa confirming it no longer endorses Infantino for a fourth term in charge after the intense controversy surrounding his failed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.

What to know about Taylor Farms amid the cyclospora outbreak

The nation's largest recent cyclospora outbreak has put one of America's biggest produce suppliers under renewed scrutiny.

With U.S. doors shutting, Cubans turn to Brazil for asylum

For years, many Cubans hoping to leave the island looked to the United States. Now, with legal pathways largely closed, a growing number are heading to Brazil instead.

Man who returned fire at In-N-Out gunman had done firearm training after 2021 mass shooting

Police credited Jordan Salinas with limiting number of victims in attack on restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho

A healthcare worker returning fire on a 24-year-old gunman who killed three people and wounded several others an In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, has said his impulse to confront the attacker was “automatic” and “mechanical”.

That description from 35-year-old Jordan Salinas came in an interview with the Idaho Statesman that was published on Sunday, providing a detailed account of actions that police credited with limiting the number of victims in the attack a day earlier.

US cyclosporiasis outbreak kills two people in Michigan, officials say

US sees first fatalities due to intestinal illness, though both had significant ​underlying health conditions

Two people have died from cyclosporiasis in Michigan, the state’s health department said on Monday, marking the first fatalities in the largest US outbreak ⁠of the intestinal illness.

“According to medical records, both individuals had significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration,” a spokesperson for the Michigan health and human service department told the Guardian in a statement.

Photos: Wildfires in Spokane lead to thousands of evacuations

Wildfires in Spokane have destroyed hundreds of homes and led to evacuation orders for 60,000 people.

Senate appears ready to advance Todd Blanche for attorney general after Cornyn strikes deal

President Donald Trump's attorneys continue to fight in court against a judicial order that said the settlement deal is legally baseless.

What to watch for in SpaceX's first public earnings report this week

SpaceX will release its first earnings report as a public company on Tuesday in a key test for the company's stuttering stock price.

Michigan confirms first two deaths in cyclospora outbreak

The Michigan Health Department said that both individuals had underlying health conditions.

Wildfires rage across Washington as drought and heat fuel painful summer: ‘It’s not normal’

Hundreds of structures damaged as firefighters battle to contain 15 major wildfires amid extreme heat and drought

Firefighters in Washington state are battling wildfires that have forced 60,000 people to flee and destroyed hundreds of buildings as drought and extreme heat fuel an “extraordinary” fire season in the Pacific north-west.

Fifteen major blazes are raging across the state, David Upthegrove, the head of Washington’s department of natural resources, told reporters over the weekend.

Sigrid Haugset stuns Tour de France Femmes favourites by storming to stage win

• Norwegian breaks clear in stage three to take overall lead

• Haugset: ‘I never thought it was possible, it’s unreal’

Sigrid Haugset, the Norwegian national champion, shocked the established order in the Tour de France Femmes, breaking away alone for 90km, to take the overall lead after winning stage three to Poligny.

“I never thought it was possible,” she said, after realising she had taken the biggest success of her career and the overall lead in the sport’s biggest race. “It’s unreal. I was so dizzy at the end. I know my boyfriend would be so angry at me for not celebrating, but I couldn’t. I could not lift my arms off the bike. It was impossible.”

Was Sylvie Cachay's death at Soho House an accident or murder?

An Oscar winner’s son is accused of killing his swimsuit designer girlfriend at a trendy NYC hotel.

Two people in Michigan have died after becoming ill with cyclosporiasis

They are the first reported deaths linked to a massive outbreak of the intestinal illness that began in May.

Apple launches legal challenge against UK government demand to access data

The Home Office has made a fresh request for ‘back door’ access to encrypted iCloud data belonging to British users

Apple has launched a new legal challenge against a UK government demand to access its customers’ highly encrypted data, a year after the Home Office agreed to abandon its previous request.

The US tech company launched the legal complaint last month at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), an independent court that has the power to investigate claims that the UK intelligence services have acted unlawfully.

The Guardian view on events in Ceuta: chaos and tragedy are weaponised by the far right | Editorial

Instead of finger-pointing at Spain, mainstream EU leaders should be showing solidarity with its prime minister, Pedro Sánchez

At least 72 people are believed to have died late last week, most of them drowned or crushed as they joined tens of thousands of others in attempting to swim from Moroccan waters to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. Yet the scale of that human tragedy has barely registered, as Donald Trump has decried an “invasion” while European politicians exploit the crisis to serve their own agendas. If further evidence were needed of the way that the radical right increasingly distorts the terms of the migration debate in the EU, the last few days have furnished it.

More needs to be understood about the drivers behind a shocking episode. Misinformation on social media – orchestrated or otherwise – appears to have played a big part, following a Spanish supreme court ruling that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily turned back. Moroccan authorities seemingly did little to prevent the chaotic exodus, which echoed previous smaller incidents and focused international attention on a territory whose sovereignty Rabat contests. If there were online indications that such an incursion was a possibility, no alarm was sounded.

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.

Sheriff in Nancy Guthrie case contradicted himself on ransom note

Investigators in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie released two ransom notes, including one contradicting what the Arizona sheriff overseeing the case told CBS News.

The body snatchers: how a young Nigerian man was lured to London in an organ-trafficking plot

Daniel was working at a market in Lagos when he was given the chance to start anew in the UK. He had no idea what was expected of him in return

• The summer issue of the Long Read magazine is out now. Click here to order

Daniel arrived in Lagos for the first time in 2016. He had come from a village in Ebonyi, a state in south-eastern Nigeria. He was 15 years old, the eldest of nine siblings, and his parents were farmers. When he was a boy, his father became sick and Daniel started working to assist his family, helping to cut trees and clear land. A few years later, he decided to seek his fortune in Lagos.

In Nigeria’s commercial capital, Daniel spent his days in the open-air Ikotun Market, where thousands of people shop every day for everything from tomatoes and fabric to suitcases and electronics. He sold cellphone accessories out of a wheelbarrow under a wide umbrella, making less than £10 a day. After living with a relative, he moved into a room with friends, including a young man named Chukwudi, who also worked in the market. Daniel had grown up in the same village as Chukwudi. A photo from their early childhood shows the boys together, Daniel in a red sportswear shirt.

Designer John Galliano to get unvarnished Met retrospective in May

Decision to stage solo exhibition comes 15 years after conviction over racist and antisemitic remarks

The controversial designer John Galliano is to get an unvarnished retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York next May.

Galliano, who is widely considered to be one of the most influential designers of the past four decades, was exiled from the industry in 2011 after he was filmed making a series of racist and antisemitic comments. He was fired from his position as creative director of Dior, a post he had held for 15 years, condemned by the media and later convicted and fined by a French court.

Are Americans ready to embrace tiny 'cars'? These companies think so

Electric low-speed vehicles, or LSVs, are a step above a traditional golf cart but below a typical light-duty car or truck sold in the U.S.

Maguire survives missed cuts and controversy to headline Solheim Cup wildcard picks

• Irish golfer one of four wildcard picks for Europe

• Rookies Ramirez, Nadaud and Rhodes also selected

Leona Maguire has retained her place in Europe’s Solheim Cup team despite a disappointing 2026, with the Irish golfer one of four wildcard picks named on Monday by Anna Nordqvist.

Maguire joins three rookies – Julia López Ramirez, Nastasia Nadaud and Mimi Rhodes – in completing the Europe side who will attempt to reclaim the trophy in the Netherlands next month.

Manufacturing survey shows inflation worries 'worse than pandemic era,' adding to Fed pressure

The commentary pointed to a highly volatile environment in which purchasing managers were struggling to stay ahead

Mauricio Pochettino’s US return is risky, expensive and probably unnecessary | Leander Schaerlaeckens

In giving the head coach another World Cup cycle, US Soccer is tempting fate for negligible benefit

Mauricio Pochettino and US Soccer enjoyed their time together.

Or, rather, they enshoyed it, as Pochettino would pronounce it in his thick Argentinian accent, which charmingly carries over when he speaks English.

JPMorgan Chase to invest $750 billion in boosting housing and homebuying

JPMorgan Chase said the investment will include financing for 1 million affordable housing units and assistance to 500,000 people in buying homes.

Did you solve it? Are you a match for the world’s smartest teen?

The solution to today’s puzzle

Earlier today I set you the following puzzle, suggested by Briton Alex Chui, the most successful ever candidate at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Last month Alex, who is a pupil at Tonbridge School in Kent, became the first person to win a medal at the olympiad for seven years in a row. Bravo!

‘A rug helps anchor all the pieces’: how to start decorating your home

Designers share tips on creating a space you love, from mixing eras and colors to not getting in your head

Home is where you sleep. It’s also where you eat, work, cry, laugh, socialize and celebrate. It is a spatial extension of the self – which can make home decorating daunting to some.

“People get in their heads about decorating their space,” says Drew Michael Scott, interior designer and founder of the lifestyle and decor brand Lone Fox. It can be hard to know where to start, what you can afford or accomplish, or if you’re getting it wrong.

Vincent Pastore obituary

American actor best known for his role as Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero in the US TV crime drama series The Sopranos

The character actor Vincent Pastore, who has died aged 80, made Italian mobster roles his speciality, most notably playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, one of the capos in The Sopranos. Although the character’s nickname came from his early career as a cat burglar, in a recent interview Pastore said the Soprano’s creator, David Chase, had written the part “for an actor who could play a tough guy but also could be sensitive. I saw Big Pussy as a man with a big heart.”

In the show, Pastore’s Pussy balanced the violent intensity of Tony Sirico’s Paulie Walnuts. “It was like sharing the camera with an elephant,” Pastore joked about the much smaller but intense actor.

ICE detentions set Trump-era high in July, as immigration crackdown widens

Detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement set a monthly record high for the second Trump administration in July, internal agency data obtained by CBS News shows, as ICE widened its crackdown.

Anti-war politician flees Russia amid pre-election crackdown on dissent

Boris Nadezhdin, who gained prominence after standing against Putin in 2024, says he is now in France

The prominent Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin has fled to Paris as Moscow tightens its grip on dissent before parliamentary elections later this year.

Nadezhdin, a veteran liberal politician, gained international prominence during Russia’s 2024 presidential election when his long-shot campaign against Vladimir Putin unexpectedly gathered momentum before electoral authorities barred him from running.

July was driest month in southern England since records began

England and Wales provisionally record driest July in nearly 200 years, Met Office says

July 2026 was the driest month in southern England since records began nearly 200 years ago, the Met Office has said.

England and Wales also provisionally recorded their driest July since records began in 1836. Wales had its joint warmest July on record for mean temperature, and England recorded its second warmest July.

How Ceuta migrant crisis exposes divisions within Europe - The Latest

At least 72 people have died attempting to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after an estimated 50,000 migrants crossed from Morocco last week. The incident has triggered a political crisis in Spain and criticism from EU countries. Lucy Hough speaks to European community affairs correspondent Ashifa Kassam

Vampire-obsessed man detained after dumping animal corpses outside churches in New Forest

Benjamin Lewis, who believed drinking blood would prolong life, will be kept in hospital for treatment

A man fascinated with vampires and graveyards who apparently believed he would live for ever if he drank blood has been detained in hospital after being caught dumping animal corpses outside churches in a British forest.

Benjamin Lewis, 48, left the bodies of sheep and deer on the doorsteps of churches in the New Forest in Hampshire, frightening parishioners and upsetting farmers whose livestock he stole and slaughtered.

John Oliver on police surveillance: ‘Big Brother on steroids’

The host tore into ‘wildly invasive’ cameras, microphones and license plate readers that police use to track Americans

John Oliver discussed the tools that police are using to keep track of Americans on the latest episode of Last Week Tonight.

In recent years, the use of surveillance technology has exploded among local police forces due to decreasing prices and federal funding, with one local mayor comparing modern systems to “Big Brother on steroids”.

Yoga, kabaddi and the cut-price plan for Commonwealth Games survival | Sean Ingle

Glasgow proved that a streamlined programme could hold the key to reviving the prospects of a seemingly doomed event

How good are you at judging a sun salutation or scorpion pose? I ask because yoga is under consideration as a sport at the next Commonwealth Games in India. Less surprisingly, so is kabaddi. But if Amdavad 2030 really wants to find experts in landing seemingly impossible manoeuvres, or holding their breath in tricky situations, they should take the next flight to Scotland.

Let us be frank. Glasgow 2026 has saved the Commonwealth Games, at least for now. After Victoria pulled out in 2023, the event was in limbo. Some feared it would never find a way out. Then Glasgow stepped in, less a knight in shining armour, more one that was a little dented and rusty, to put on an event from scratch in barely 20 months.

Children using social media at younger age appear to do worse in school tests

Pupils who open accounts aged 11 to 12 score lower in some subjects than those who wait a few years, study finds

Children who open social media accounts at the start of secondary school appear to perform worse in tests than those who delay, with researchers suspecting that the constant checking for updates is a major distraction for many students.

Pupils who opened their first social media account aged 11 to 12 scored lower in mathematics and reading tests than those who waited a few years, with scores at age 16 differing between the groups by the equivalent of about six months of learning, the study found.

Federal workers sour on government work, decrying eroding job security

Nearly two-thirds of current and retired U.S. government workers said they wouldn't re-enter public service, according to a recent survey.

A job that changed me: At the Titanic theatre restaurant we always hit an iceberg, but were often hit by bread rolls too

The top level of a historic Melbourne hotel was transformed into the first-class dining room, with chandeliers and a string trio, and the ground floor was steerage

It was 1998, the year after James Cameron’s Titanic had made a splash with cinematic audiences worldwide, and I – an amateur musical theatre performer and creative arts uni student – took an acting job in one of humankind’s most venerated performance venues: the theatre restaurant.

If you loved restaurants, theatre and the idea of combining those two things, there was nowhere in the world that had more to offer in the late 1990s than Melbourne. Dracula’s, Witches in Britches, The Looney Bin and others proudly continued the legacy created by Dirty Dicks and The Last Laugh in the 1970s, dishing out average meals and watered-down cocktails to a soundtrack of bawdy jokes and themed song parodies.

Vinícius Júnior to Arsenal doesn’t make sense. That’s why it may work | Jonathan Wilson

Mikel Arteta’s team and the Brazilian star could be a perfect match. It also could be a risk that ends in disaster

Sometimes what is needed is something different.

There is a long history in football of counterintuitive thinking being successful, of the benefits of creative tension, of adding grit to the oyster to generate the pearl, but even so, the news that talks between Vinícius Júnior and Arsenal on personal terms are progressing comes as something of a shock. Mikel Arteta’s great followers of a blueprint adding a free spirit like the Brazilian? Really?

This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian. Subscribe for free here.

Romania blasts rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor

Hungary and Romania face energy crisis as record-low river levels force atomic power plants to reduce output

Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion to help redirect vital cooling water from the drought-hit Danube to the country’s last working nuclear ⁠reactor, while neighbouring Hungary ​said it may be able to eke out two more days of power from its only atomic plant.

Hungary and Romania have been forced to shut down nuclear reactors cooled by the Danube for the first time, as record-low water levels deepen fears of an energy crisis across the region.

Washington wildfires destroy homes, force thousands to evacuate

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown says nearly half of the city's neighborhoods have either been evacuated or are at risk as the fires remain uncontained.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day: new characters, new flaws, new tech and brain-exploding future consequences – discuss with spoilers

Now you’ve seen the new Spidey, let’s talk about new baddies (or are they goodies?), X-Men alumni, painful relationships and a potential Spidey-pig

• This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day

There was a danger that Spider-Man: Brand New Day might amount to little more than a palate cleanser between the multiversal excesses of No Way Home and the all-star chaos of Avengers: Doomsday. Why not just keep it small: a more grounded tale of New York crime-fighting, to keep the Marvel machine rolling before the inevitable return of world-ending stakes? Instead, the studio, once again in partnership with Spider-Man rights holder Sony, has produced a gamechanging comic book epic whose effects will continue being felt for years to come.

The film’s biggest twist is significant enough on its own, but Brand New Day keeps widening the implications long after the initial shock has started to wear off. Characters who seemed to exist for one purpose gradually reveal another. Throwaway conversations acquire unexpected significance. New gadgets, strange abilities and apparently routine subplots all hint at much broader shifts taking place beneath the familiar web-slinging adventure. By the time the credits have rolled, the film has answered some longstanding questions, raised several more, and left audiences with a surprisingly clear idea of where the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) could be heading next.

Fast-moving wildfires in Spokane area destroy hundreds of homes

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called the wildfires burning through the area the "worst natural disaster our region has faced."

‘The obsession with endless growth can only end in tears’: your questions on extreme weather this summer answered

From Europe’s deadly heat to floods in Asia, it’s been a terrifying summer. Environment writers Jonathan Watts and Ajit Niranjan answered Reddit users’ questions about their work – and their sources of hope

Extreme weather supercharged by the climate crisis is fuelling an explosive wildfire season in Europe and extreme rainfall across Asia this summer.

Global heating made hot, dry and windy weather stoking wildfires at least 20 times more likely in Spain and twice as likely in France. EU officials have said wildfires could still be burning until early November in what threatens to be a record-breaking year for the area of land burned.

Ceuta leader accuses Morocco over ‘atrocity’ of mass border crossing

Juan Jesús Vivas says influx seen as ‘at least encouraged or permitted’ by Rabat, as Spain demands EU solidarity

• Explainer: why is Ceuta a migration flashpoint?

A growing chorus of voices has accused Morocco of helping to fuel the crisis in Ceuta, with the leader of the Spanish enclave describing last week’s border crossings as an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity that was seen as being “if not orchestrated, at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco”.

Spanish officials ⁠said on Monday that an estimated 69,500 people who had arrived late last week in Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory in north Africa, had returned to Morocco in recent days. About 2,500 people who had made the crossing were believed to still be in Ceuta.

U.S. men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino will stay through 2030 World Cup

Pochettino came on in 2024 to right the ship ahead of this year's World Cup, in which he led the team to a record three wins and helped ignite enthusiasm in millions of fans before a round of 16 exit.

Why the U.S. stepped in after decades to prop up Japan's yen — and what's at stake

Washington's decision to join Japan in supporting the battered yen has prompted questions over what motivated the rare coordinated intervention.

Sen. Moreno says ex-son-in-law Max Miller shouldn't serve in Congress

GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio said his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, shouldn't serve in Congress amid swirling abuse claims, as Miller vowed to stay in the race for another term and strongly denied all allegations of misconduct.

2 ransom notes released in Nancy Guthrie case, including one saying she died

Six months after Nancy Guthrie went missing, the Pima County, Arizona, sheriff has released two ransom notes, including one that claims Guthrie died "shortly after she was taken." Jonathan Vigliotti reports.

SpaceX's post-IPO plunge sets tense backdrop for first earnings report

Two weeks after Tesla's earnings report was panned by Wall Street, Elon Musk faces investors again, but this time to discuss SpaceX's results.

The right’s exploitation of the Ceuta migrant ‘crisis’ almost guarantees that it will happen again | Ruben Andersson

The EU’s panic and the lack of solidarity emboldens smugglers and the far right – and makes Spain even more vulnerable

For the European hard right and the White House, it seemed almost too good to be true: left-liberal Spain punished with a migration crisis of its own making.

The histrionics came right on cue. As thousands of mainly Moroccan citizens streamed into the tiny Spanish enclave of Ceuta at the tip of north Africa, Spain’s far-right party Vox decried a migrant “invasion”, blaming Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s regularisation and leftist politics. The Trump administration did the same. A senior Israeli diplomat goaded Madrid over its “colonial” territories while Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen area. Denmark and Finland backed Italy’s move and, by the weekend, 22 EU leaders had penned a letter pointing an implicit finger at Madrid over its presumed failure to “relentlessly combat illegal migration”.

‘I didn’t understand what Gaz was singing. It’s about needing a hug’: how Reef made Place Your Hands

‘We were swept up in the moment and full of testosterone. The 90s wasn’t a time when men were encouraged to be sensitive’

We were hanging out with the lovely producer George Drakoulias at Abbey Road. He said, “We’re going to bring in some instruments for you guys” – and replaced the fairly low-budget ones we’d been playing. I was given this beautiful 1960s Fender Jazz bass.

ICE agents descended on a cannabis farm. The lives of an army vet, a farm worker and professor changed for ever

Raids on Glass House Farms in California became a ‘litmus test’ for how much violence agents could inflict during Trump’s deportation campaign

On a sunny morning last July, hundreds of heavily armed immigration agents in camouflage stormed a greenhouse complex in Camarillo, an hour north of Los Angeles. They came with face masks, guns, chemical munitions and armored tactical vehicles, blocking access along a road lined by produce fields.

What unfolded next would irreversibly transform the lives of many there that day.

Nolan’s film could make The Odyssey the most sought-after book in the US

The nearly 2,700-year-old epic poem is flying off shelves at bookstores and libraries after the blockbuster film came out

Christopher Nolan’s new movie The Odyssey has already broken several records, but its most significant accomplishment might be turning a nearly 2,700-year-old epic poem into the most sought-after book in America. Libraries and bookstores alike are experiencing a rush.

At the popular independent bookstore Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, New York, last week, evidence sat just inside the front entrance. A display stacked with more than a dozen editions of The Odyssey – from Emily Wilson’s acclaimed translation to graphic novels and children’s story versions – was drawing a steady stream of browsers, many of them Gen Z readers who became interested after seeing Nolan’s latest blockbuster.

Foggy Bosphorus and foamy Menorca: photos of the day – Monday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Greece wildfire in pictures: Firefighters battle blaze worsened by 100km per hour winds

Greece is entering its second week of wildfires spread by extreme winds as more countries in Southern Europe battle with intensifying climate change.

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for Thai-style cold lemongrass and coconut prawn noodles | Quick and easy

Enjoy this big bowl of refreshing noodle soup with turmeric and coconut milk spiked with a kick of chilli

This is exactly what I want to eat when I’m under the weather: a big bowl of Thai-inspired, soupy noodles with turmeric and coconut milk, all spiked with chilli. It’s a soup base that adapts perfectly for vegetarians (add cubed tofu) or leftovers (shredded roast chicken). This makes a lot of broth (hydration is important!), so serve it in your best ramen or soup bowls. The choice of noodles is yours: rice noodles (flat or vermicelli) work well for a gluten-free option, but I inevitably use my favourite straight-to-wok thick udon.

Nolan’s Odyssey shows what happens when a leader’s violations are rewarded | Jamil Smith

The Greeks learn at Troy that breaking the rules works, then carry the lesson home. Nolan’s film shows how an exception becomes a habit of power

• This article contains spoilers for The Odyssey

I had not read The Odyssey since I was a student. Stories change when we return to them later in life, or perhaps we are the ones who change. Christopher Nolan’s film made me want to find out what I had missed.

More specifically, it made me want to read Emily Wilson’s translation. Her scathing essay about the film nearly stopped me from buying her translation. I bought the book anyway.

‘I want to be ripped to shreds’: writers flock to MFAs - but does it breed elitist literature?

Thousands of budding US novelists enlist in courses each year, hoping to gain credentials that often influence who gets published

Thomas Pynchon was known to avoid the press and refuse interviews. There are only two official photographs of the Gravity’s Rainbow author available publicly – one taken at high school, the other during his time in the navy. He is the embodiment of the American image of a great writer: a mysterious recluse who works in a turret alone.

These days, the writerly lone wolf is more a myth than it is a reality. Most of today’s celebrated authors are trained in the profession and their qualification is the MFA (master of fine arts). Percival Everett received his from Brown, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie studied at Johns Hopkins University, and Jhumpa Lahiri went to Boston. Great writers, now, are less rare animals discovered in the wild and more elite thoroughbreds, meticulously trained and set up for the race ahead.

Todd Blanche rescinds 'anti-weaponization fund'. And, Trump calls off striking Iran

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche rescinds President Trump's anti-weaponization fund ahead of his confirmation hearing. And, the president calls off strikes on Iran over a potential deal.

Barbie sequel at risk as salary talks with Robbie, Gosling and Gerwig hit impasse

Warner Bros faces losing rights to the blockbuster sequel if deals with the film’s stars and director are not agreed by December

The comedy mega-hit Barbie made an estimated $1.5bn (£1.1bn) at the box office, was nominated for eight Academy Awards and – alongside the biopic Oppenheimer – dominated the culture during the summer of 2023. A sequel had seemed a foregone conclusion. However, the development of Barbie 2 has stalled over salary negotiations, putting the entire project in jeopardy, according to a report in the New York Times.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the first film’s stars, and its director and co-writer Greta Gerwig, are yet to agree on terms. Gosling, who was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, is reportedly asking for $20m (£14.8m) to return to the role. All three are represented by the same talent agency, CAA.

Stacked! How the north of England fell in love with American deli sandwiches – video

Jimi Famurewa, restaurant critic and food journalist, discovers how American regional deli sandwich culture is being reinvented in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. From hoagies and subs to hero rolls, Jimi samples the upgraded sandwiches people are queuing hours for and learns how to make the everything sandwich and a meatball sub that’s so messy, you need to eat it alone at home.

‘They are such neat, busy little folk’: the unexpected superpowers of the common woodlouse

This detritivore – known by a range of colourful names – tidies up our world and can withstand toxic pollution

• Revealed: the top 10 invertebrates of the year

Chucky pig. Slater. Monkey pea. Roly-poly. Boat-builder. Butchy boy. Cheeselog. Hobbling Andrew. Wood pig. If there were a prize for the range and joyfulness of a creature’s English-language names, the humble woodlouse would undoubtedly triumph over its million-plus invertebrate rivals.

Over centuries of easy cohabitation with humans, it has acquired more than 300 regional names in Britain alone, and many more in other languages (such as Gwrach y Coed, “witch of the wood”, in Welsh).

Revealed: the top 10 invertebrates of the year

At last! It’s time for our invertebrate of the year competition as voted for by you. Today, the common woodlouse – come back on Tuesday to find out who else made the top 10

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What would it take to get peptides on the shelf?

An FDA advisory panel recently voted to green-light some popular peptides. The decision brought enormous attention to the market for these products — and concerns about the unregulated supply.

UK manufacturing growth picks up as Trump tariff chaos eases

Factories in upbeat mood despite fears over economic impact of US war on Iran, poll finds

• Business live – latest updates

UK manufacturers ramped up production last month for the fourth consecutive month and at the fastest pace in almost two years, according to a leading survey of the industry.

The S&P Global poll of manufacturers found them in upbeat mood in July, though anxious about the prospect of a long war in the Middle East that would block supplies of oil and gas, and raise the cost of production.