Small plane, state police helicopter collide in midair over Pennsylvania

A small plane and a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter were involved in a midair collision in central Pennsylvania on Wednesday night, authorities said.

How Moderna's melanoma mRNA vaccine could fight deadliest skin cancer

CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder, who has had melanoma herself, said Moderna's experimental trial is "a big win for mRNA vaccines against cancer."

‘Like a miracle’: 84-year-old woman pulled alive from rubble three days after Indonesian quake

A landslide triggered by the quake had blocked access to the village where Paulina Pobi had lived, leaving her buried under the collapsed remains

An 84-year-old woman has been discovered alive in the flattened remains of her home three days after a powerful earthquake hit eastern Indonesia, authorities have confirmed.

The 7.7-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia’s Flores island on Saturday morning, killing at least 73 people, injuring more than 900 people and displacing nearly 60,000 others.

Reporters and military duo held at gunpoint by security at US space force base

Officers reportedly believed invitees were trying to make unauthorized entry on to Vandenberg base in California

Five news reporters and two members of the military who were invited to an event at Vandenberg space force base in California were briefly detained at gunpoint by security officers who thought they were gatecrashers, according to local news reports.

The incident happened Monday ahead of an invitation-only groundbreaking for a new training facility for missile operators at the federal airfield near Santa Barbara, California. Reporters from Noozhawk and KEYT were among those detained, and both outlets published articles detailing the detainment.

UC Berkeley professor admits to using AI to edit op-ed on students’ math skills

Zvezdelina Stankova says she used AI to ‘help edit’ an article about some of her students being ‘five to eight years’ behind

A math professor at the University of California, Berkeley, criticizing a “severe” math deficiency among students in an op-ed for the San Francisco Standard, admitted to using artificial intelligence to help edit the piece.

The Standard published a 2,000-word piece by Zvezdelina Stankova last week, in which the professor said some of her math students were “five to eight years” behind and lacked a “middle school” education on fractions and basic algebra. Stankova said the UC system’s test-blind admissions were to blame, suggesting that students who weren’t sufficiently prepared for the rigor of Berkeley’s mathematics program were admitted because a longstanding benchmark like the SAT had disappeared.

Woman told House panel that Gomez sexually assaulted her, attorneys say

The California Democrat said Monday that he "made personal mistakes outside my marriage" and that his "actions were consensual in nature."

‘Like a seagull in a stiff breeze’: what it’s like flying into Wellington, the world’s windiest city

Anyone who has frequently landed in New Zealand’s capital has a hair-raising story to tell, and this year’s ‘super’ El Niño could only intensify the winds

It had been a smooth late-July flight from Auckland, until the plane started its descent into Wellington. Then the bumps and swaying began.

“The more we went down, the rockier it got,” says Laura, a Wellington resident who wished to give her first name only. “There was one point where we must have got a horrible cross-wind and it felt like the plane was about to flip over. At that point, the entire flight screamed.”

5 Americans among 7 people killed in Kenya helicopter crash

NBCUniversal said its Florida-based journalist, José Alberto Suárez, who worked for CBS Miami in the 1990s, was among those killed in the crash.

More than 100 dead after goldmine collapses in Central African Republic

The collapse was caused by a landslide, while local officials say the death toll is likely to rise as recovery efforts continue

More than 100 people have died after an artisanal goldmine at a small village in western Central African Republic (CAR) caved in due to a landslide, local officials and aid workers said on Wednesday.

The landslide happened on Tuesday afternoon in the village of Zamboye, about 50km (31 miles) from the town of Baboua and close to the border of Cameroon. Footage on social media appeared to show an avalanche of sand descend on a group of people, likely the miners, and cover them.

47-year-old father walks onto San Jose City College football team: "Joy of the game"

A 47-year-old father of three walked onto the San Jose City College football team this year. He is taking a beating, but is loving it, and spoke with Tony Dokoupil about the experience.

Manhunt on for Massachusetts wife of police officer found dead

A search is underway in Massachusetts for a 58-year-old woman considered armed and dangerous whose police officer husband was found dead Tuesday. Lilia Luciano has the latest developments.

Moderna stock surges as melanoma vaccine trial shows "landmark moment"

Moderna and Merck announced study results that reflect a "landmark moment" in treatment for one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.

Experimental melanoma vaccine shows promising results

An experimental melanoma vaccine could reduce the risk of the cancer returning or spreading for some high-risk patients. It's personalized for each patient and optimized using artificial intelligence. Dr. Jon LaPook has more details.

Psychologist who treated Lindsay Clancy testifies at trial

Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts woman on trial for killing her three children in 2023, has pleaded not guilty, citing her own struggle with postpartum psychosis. On Wednesday, a psychologist who treated Clancy after the killings testified about her state of mind the night of the tragedy. Shanelle Kaul reports.

Trump flaunts White House improvement projects

White House reporters were called to the South Lawn Wednesday for a surprise tour of some of President Trump's favorite home improvement projects around the White House. Nancy Cordes reports.

California passes toughest wildfire rules in the U.S. for home landscaping

California has adopted the toughest new rules in the country that require homeowners to manage the plants around their houses. Fire experts say it helps protect houses from burning, but public pushback has been strong.

Americans fighting brutal heat coast to coast

Coast-to-coast heat is scorching the southern U.S., with the temperature in Charleston, South Carolina, with a heat index of 113 degrees, while California's Death Valley was seeing a high of 118 degrees. Jason Allen reports from Phoenix, Arizona, which is also experiencing triple-digit heat.

5 Americans among 7 killed in luxury safari helicopter crash in Kenya

A luxury safari helicopter crashed in Kenya with no survivors, according to investigators there. Five of the seven people killed were Americans. Imtiaz Tyab reports.

He spied for the U.S. in the war on terror. Now ICE wants to deport him.

The Trump administration is trying to deport a self-described CIA spy who won permission to live in the U.S. by helping convict terrorists.

Young vapers ‘at risk of breathing problems and becoming smokers’

Review by paediatricians links child vaping with poor respiratory health such as coughing, wheezing and asthma

Young people who start vaping risk developing breathing problems and going on to smoke cigarettes, children’s doctors have warned.

Child vaping is consistently linked with poor respiratory health, such as coughing, wheezing, bronchitis symptoms and asthma exacerbations, while vapes have been shown to act as a gateway to smoking cigarettes, according to one of the most comprehensive reviews of the available evidence so far undertaken by the Royal College of Child and Paediatrics Health.

Premier League 2026-27 preview No 17: Newcastle

After the departure of the manager and some of their best players, fans on Tyneside are braced for a transitional season at best

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 17th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 12th

Publix frozen blueberry recall upgraded to highest health risk level

Recalled frozen blueberries and mixed berries that could be contaminated with E. coli pose the most severe category of health risk, according to the FDA.

U.S. government debt passes $40 trillion, more than doubling in a decade

‘Really exceptional’: O’Neill hails Durán as Celtic surge towards Champions League

A stunning double from the summer signing Camilo Durán helped Celtic open up a commanding lead against Lask in their Champions League playoff. Benjamin Nygren also produced a superb finish to send Martin O’Neill’s side on their way to a 3-0 first-leg win over their Austrian opponents in Glasgow.

The visitors had two goals disallowed for offside and created chances throughout in an open encounter but Celtic were clinical as they continued their strong start to the season. Nygren has been at the heart of it with four goals and four assists in as many games and he opened the scoring in the 26th minute. The Swede readjusted his body to volley into the top corner from 20 yards after a weak clearance from Kieran Tierney’s cross.

2 members of Tennessee college cycling team killed in highway collision

Two members of the Milligan University cycling team were killed, and several more injured, in a collision with a vehicle on a rural highway in eastern Tennessee Wednesday morning.

Prince Harry and Meghan ‘moving back to Britain this month’

Reports say Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to relocate from US, with children to start British school in September

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to return to live in Britain, six years after leaving for the US, it has been reported.

The couple and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are expected to relocate later this month to a non-royal residence.

NASA's Swift telescope will plunge toward Earth after rescue mission called off

The mission to save NASA's sinking space telescope has been called off, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry later this year.

Teenage ace Rafael Jódar endures defeat by Cobolli but his star is rising

Spaniard loses narrowly in fourth round of the Cincinnati Open yet the buzz around him will only get louder

As Rafael Jódar slowly trudged from the court, he could only bring himself to wave at his adoring crowd for no more than a millisecond. The 19-year-old was appropriately devastated after he had come within two points of victory on numerous occasions before losing 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the fourth round of the Cincinnati Open to an excellent Flavio Cobolli.

No matter, Jódar departs Ohio having further solidified himself as the subject of so much conversation on the ATP Tour. This has been a turbulent and unpredictable year in men’s tennis, largely thanks to Carlos Alcaraz’s extended injury layoff. The one certainty through it all has been the imperious rise of Jódar. After a short period competing at the University of Virginia, Jódar started to play regularly on the tour only in May last year. In August 2025, he was ranked No 540. He began the 2026 season at No 165.

Zuckerberg lied about concern for child safety, Meta whistleblower testifies at landmark trial

Arturo Béjar, former Meta safety engineer, tells jury tech company was aware of products’ potential harm to children

Meta has taken a “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy when it comes to the safety of children on its social media platforms, according to a whistleblower who testified during a landmark trial against the company on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety engineer, told the jury that the company was aware of the harm its products caused children, which included its recommendations pushing content from sexual predators and violent and graphic images. He said he repeatedly raised the issue to various Facebook and Instagram executives but that they did little to resolve it.

Trump bemoans Fed interest rate policy, says U.S. should be paying much less

As he has done in the past, Trump accused Fed officials of having political motives.

Experts raise alarms over Census Bureau report Trump is touting on noncitizen voting

A Trump-aligned think tank has ties to a highly unusual Census Bureau report that the president is using to renew false claims of widespread voting by non-U.S. citizens in 2020, NPR has learned.

Trump nominates policy aide Dr. Heidi Overton as next FDA commissioner

President Trump announced he's nominating Dr. Heidi Overton, a deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy, to be the next head of the FDA.

Whistleblower Arturo Béjar leads testimony in landmark trial against Meta

The former Meta employee testified that the company culture prioritized user numbers over child safety measures.

‘Believe your eyes’: Masters says Premier League’s integrity cannot be doubted

• CEO says English football is ‘everything that it should be’

• Concern over perception following World Cup scandal

Richard Masters has sought to reassure fans that the Premier League remains “everything that it should be” after the Folarin Balogun red-card scandal called the integrity of disciplinary decisions into question.

Both Masters, the chief executive of the Premier League, and Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer for English football, were critical of the process that led to Fifa’s ­disciplinary committee suspending the USA striker’s one-game ban for a year after an intervention by the US president, Donald Trump. Masters went further, calling for a candidate with “a different offer” to run against Gianni Infantino for Fifa president next year.

8/19: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Angie Nixon pulls off upset win in Florida primary; Trump says peace talks with Iran will resume "maybe at some point."

Manchester City target Roma’s Manu Koné as Spurs talk over Savinho and Marmoush deal

• France World Cup midfielder could cost £50m

• Tottenham discussing £150m double deal for forward pair

Manchester City have identified Roma’s Manu Koné as a potential target to strengthen further Enzo Maresca’s options in midfield.

While City have already bought Elliot Anderson for £116m and are closing in on the £85m signing of Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Maresca admires Koné for his dynamic mode of play. He would be expected to cost about £50m.

Cancer vaccine from Moderna, Merck shows promise in late-stage trial; both stocks soar

The combination regimen significantly extended the time patients lived without their melanoma returning, compared with Keytruda alone.

National debt tops $40 trillion after doubling in under 10 years

Federal debt has mounted amid tax cuts and trillions in pandemic spending, adding to the nation's interest payments.

Five Americans among seven killed in safari helicopter crash in Kenya

Officials say all seven people onboard killed, including Telemundo executive and Ecuador intelligence chief

Seven people, including five Americans, were killed when a safari helicopter crashed on Wednesday morning in a remote part of northern Kenya, according to local police and the state department.

Among the dead were an executive with Telemundo, the US-based Spanish-language network owned by NBC Universal, and the director of Ecuador’s national intelligence service.

Trump touted a deal to avert new tariffs on Canada. Here's what we know so far

Trump's new tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods were set to take effect Wednesday, but were postponed by three days.

Stripe to buy OpenRouter as fintech expands deeper into AI

Stripe said it's acquiring OpenRouter, as the payments company expands into the artificial intelligence model market.

The U.S. debt tops a record-shattering $40 trillion. Yes, with a T

The federal debt reached $40 trillion as the government adds red ink at a rapid rate. That's leading nervous investors to demand higher interest rates — pushing up borrowing costs for everyone else.

Bessent moves to curb Treasury yields, putting new pressure on Warsh's Fed

Treasury's move to buy back more long-term debt cooled a bond selloff, but economists warn it could raise new inflation and independence questions for the Fed

Michael Cohen, Trump's fixer-turned-nemesis, says he'll interview former boss

"This is the first public conversation between the president and myself in eight years," said Cohen.

Truck computer contains clues to motive in murder, prosecutors say

The state argues an "infotainment system" is a window into the brain of a South Carolina man who mowed down his estranged wife's boyfriend.

Former Fauci adviser Dr. David Morens pleads guilty to concealing COVID-related records

Dr. David Morens, a former aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci, has pleaded guilty to violating federal law by trying to conceal emails about the origins of the COVID-1 pandemic.

Women lag in high-paying AI jobs boom, LinkedIn study finds

AI jobs can command a premium, but women are disproportionately underrepresented in such roles, according to hiring data.

Fifth Fifa vice-president turns against Infantino, saying he has ‘lost confidence’ in him

• Hungary’s Sandor Csanyi highly critical of Fifa president

• He cites dismissal of COO Kevin Lamour as ‘final straw’

Gianni Infantino has lost the support of another one of Fifa’s vice-presidents, with the Hungarian football federation chief, Sandor Csanyi, criticising the president’s “professional judgment, ethical standards and leadership”.

In an explosive letter sent to Infantino on Tuesday, which was first obtained by the news agency Agence France-Presse, Csanyi states that he has “lost the confidence I previously placed in you” and describes the “unexpected dismissal” of Fifa’s chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, as the “final straw”.

Tongue and Robinson’s high fives put England in control against Pakistan

• First Test day one: Pakistan 171; England 112-2

• Root (37*) and Cox (23*) add 64 to leave deficit of 59

For all that Joe Root was playing his 167th Test match for England, and had led the side on 65 previous occasions, there will surely have been a few butterflies as he pulled on the blazer and walked out for the toss on his home ground.

Root was resuming what he once described as an “unhealthy relationship” with the captaincy, while a supposedly one-off return to the job earlier this summer ended in a crushing defeat to New Zealand. Aged 35, England’s premier batter could easily have said a polite “no thank you” when the vacancy came around again.

Fed officials saw need for rate hike if inflation doesn't cool, minutes show

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released minutes from its July 28-29 policy meeting.

DOJ cites Comey's novel in urging judge not to toss ‘86 47' seashells threat to Trump case

"There is no serious dispute that an objective viewer of Comey's post could read it to mean 'Kill President Trump,'" prosecutors said.

Edmonton Marathon admits 2026 route was more than half a kilometre too long

Canadian contest sparked outrage from scores of frustrated runners online and in Canadian media

The organisers of the Edmonton Marathon have admitted the course was more than half a kilometre too long, after outrage from scores of runners who complained about the distance.

The error resulted in the upending of runners’ personal bests and potentially prevented some from breaking records.

Army unit offers 4-day pass to play Grand Theft Auto as reenlistment incentive

Eligible soldiers must reenlist for a minimum of two years and up to six years.

In new filings, Kennedy Center says it won't try to put Trump's name on facade until Sept. 8

Lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty asked a judge to rule speedily on the complex's renovation and entrance tarp. The National Symphony Orchestra also announced its new season, away from the Kennedy Center.

The Guardian view on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC: a case study in why international aid matters | Editorial

The Trump administration’s ‘America first’ approach has contributed to the scale of the crisis now unfolding in one of the world’s poorest countries

For months health experts have warned that the scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could surpass the one that swept west Africa in 2014-16. This week, the authorities in the DRC announced that a grim milestone has already been passed: at least 2,325 people have died from the virus, making it the deadliest of the country’s 17 outbreaks and the fastest-growing in history.

There is no effective vaccine against Bundibugyo – a rare strain of the virus that spread fatally undetected during the spring, often being misdiagnosed as malaria or typhoid. In contrast to neighbouring Uganda, which succeeded in eliminating an outbreak, multiple factors are combining to let the disease rip through the DRC. The worst-affected region is contested by armed groups, and a context of population displacement and chronic insecurity has made monitoring and surveillance more difficult. Ebola treatment centres have been attacked as a result of misinformation and community distrust.

Couple who died with their daughter off Sussex coast named by police

Officers still investigating deaths of Zeina Alayn, Hassan El-Khawas and daughter Sara El-Khawas at Shoreham-by-Sea

A father, mother and their teenage daughter who died off the Sussex coast on Tuesday have been identified.

Sussex police named the victims as Hassan El-Khawas, 55, his partner, Zeina Alayn, 37, and their 14-year-old daughter, Sara El-Khawas. A younger girl who was also part of the family is in hospital in a critical condition. She has not been named.

How progressive wins in Democratic primaries are shaping the midterms

Progressive momentum has been a prominent storyline as Democrats look to flip control of the House and Senate next year. But how far will it go?

Kim Jong-un’s sister casts doubt on Trump’s claims of secret US-North Korea talks

President says he plans to meet dictator this year but Kim Yo-jong says Washington remains Pyongyang’s enemy

Donald Trump has said he is planning to meet North Korea’s Kim Jong-un later this year, though the reclusive leader’s younger sister cast doubt on their communications and dampened hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough between them.

Trump, who also claimed North Korea had 57 nuclear weapons, had suggested he and Kim were holding secret negotiations on Tuesday after announcing the US would downgrade its participation in military exercises held by South Korea, a US ally. Asked whether Kim had responded to his request for a conversation, Trump said: “Yeah, he has.”

Human remains again found at Lake Mead as water levels drop amid drought

Discovery marks latest grim finding in lake as water levels in crucial reservoir outside Las Vegas continue to decline

Human remains have once again been discovered at Lake Mead outside Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the latest in a line of gruesome discoveries as water levels in the crucial reservoir continue to drop, authorities said.

These remains were discovered on 16 August, USA Today reported. The National Park Service (NPS) told the outlet there did not appear to be anything suspicious about the body.

Otter spotted for first time in 100 years in New York City’s Bronx River

Image captured in early June shows animal foraging in the waterway in first since early 1900s, signaling its recovery

An otter has been spotted in the Bronx River for the first time in more than 100 years, in a further sign that New York’s previously befouled waterways are recovering some of their ecological health.

The North American river otter was photographed by a motion-activated camera foraging near some vegetation in the Bronx River, a waterway that flows through New York’s Bronx and empties into the East River.

Israel admits its soldiers fired at car in which Hind Rajab was killed

Military orders criminal investigation into deaths of five-year-old and six family members in Gaza in 2024

The Israeli military admitted on Wednesday its troops had opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six family members in Gaza in 2024, saying it had ordered a criminal investigation into the killing.

The killing of Hind and her family was one of the most high profile of a series of incidents involving civilian casualties during the first months of the Gaza conflict which prompted international outrage.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacks senior aide amid Ukraine corruption crisis

Presidential deputy chief of staff Iryna Mudra dismissed day after former defence minister called for wartime election

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired a senior aide amid a fresh corruption investigation – one day after a former defence minister warned the country was facing “a crisis of governance” and needed to hold a wartime presidential election.

Iryna Mudra, a presidential deputy chief of staff, was dismissed by decree after multiple reports in Ukrainian media that her house was being searched by officials investigating an alleged money-laundering scheme.

Moving pillowcase leads to discovery of reptiles in car seized at border

Federal officers found a moving pillowcase in a car that was seized at the U.S.-Mexico border. A collection of stolen exotic reptiles was inside.

Why Aitana's 'Superestrella' is the surprise Latin hit song of the summer

There's a reason why the escapist hit from singer Aitana has swept most of the Spanish-language world.

Judi Dench has inspired a new decorating trend – and I oppose it with every fibre of my being

Reverse decluttering is here, prompting a shudder from me and my fellow neat freaks. Why would you want to be surrounded by mementos when you could be perfectly tidy?

Older doesn’t always mean wiser. Jo Whiley has spoken about a home hack she picked up from – clang! – Dame Judi Dench, and I’m afraid I’m opposed to it with every fibre of my being. Whiley is in a new phase – her four children are grownup – so she recently began the most satisfying project of all: a decluttering spree. Hard even to type those words without a shiver of anticipation. Trigger warning for fellow neat freaks, though: this anecdote does not end well.

Whiley went to interview Dench for her RHS Roots podcast and found the actor’s house “packed with family photographs, children’s drawings and memories everywhere”. Mind-blowingly, she means this as a positive. “Seeing Judi’s reminded me that lived-in spaces are often the most beautiful because they reflect a lifetime of love, family and shared experiences,” she says. “I suddenly thought: ‘Why am I putting all these things away?’” As soon as I got home, I immediately put all the family photographs back out.” TLDR: I cleaned up and then I made it all messy again. Shudder.

‘I love provocative stories’: producer Christine Vachon on fighting for her ‘offensive’ movies

The maker of indie classics Kids, Swoon and Poison on daring to have a temper in the 90s, what some producer credits mean – and what happened between her and Joaquin Phoenix

Trailblazing producer Christine Vachon bestrides the world of US independent film-making like a colossus. She has championed idiosyncratic American cinema for more than 35 years, scoring hits such as the romcom Materialists, which starred three superhero actors (Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans) and grossed $108m, alongside curiosities such as Zola, a strippers’ road-trip comedy based on a string of viral tweets.

Vachon got her start in the early 1990s. Her often scandalous movies – from Poison (gay prison sex) and Swoon (gay child killers) to Happiness (paedophile dad) and Kids (delinquent teens) – dominated the cultural conversation decades before boutique studio A24 had sold its first tote bag. Her production outfit Killer Films, which she founded in 1995 with Pamela Koffler, has as its logo a cartoon bunny with a target for a body, mischievously evoking the company’s blend of irreverence and danger. “I don’t think we’ve ever made a movie that somebody hasn’t been offended by,” Vachon said in 2000.

Is the US actually too chicken to take on China for trade?

A weak yuan guarantees Beijing massive trade surplus even as the White House tries tamp down on Chinese imports

Since China offered a truce in the trade war last October following its threat to deprive the United States of rare-earth magnets, the Trump administration has been happy to stop escalating. After all, imports from China have been falling, down by 40% in the year to June, compared with the same period in 2024. Best to declare victory and call it a day.

But the US hasn’t won this battle – and there’s strong evidence to show it’s too chicken to really try.

‘Success story’ hailed as bluefin tunas caught off Yorkshire for first time since 1960s

Researchers laud return of giant tuna to North Sea after being fished almost to point of extinction

Researchers have lauded two giant bluefin tunas being caught off the coast of Yorkshire for the first time in more than six decades as a “success story” for marine conservation.

The tunas, which were caught a day apart off the coast of Whitby earlier this week, have mostly been absent along the north-east coast of Britain since the 1960s.

Açaí, chipotle and gnocchi – and other words you are probably mispronouncing

The English language can seem designed to trip us up, whether we’re greeting a colonel or travelling to Worcestershire. Here are some of the biggest stumbling blocks

Name: Açaí.

Age: First imported to western countries from South America as freeze-dried pulp in the 1990s.

Woman describes confronting man in Chucky-style mask who chased her

Police in Philadelphia are searching for a man they say chased at least a half dozen people last week within a half hour while wearing a Chucky-style mask.

Bond market sell-off threatens to drive up loan costs

The yield on the 30-year Treasury this week hit its highest level since 2007, a rise that could put upward pressure on borrowing costs.

Tice should apologise to firefighters for ‘enjoy it’ remark on extreme heat, says Labour

Exclusive: Bridget Phillipson’s comments show her party feels voters have been alienated by Reform net zero attacks

Richard Tice should apologise to firefighters for his comments this week urging British people to “enjoy” this summer’s extreme heat, according to the Labour party chair.

Bridget Phillipson has called on Reform’s deputy leader to say sorry to those who, over the last few weeks, have battled wildfires across the country that have forced evacuations and destroyed homes.

Mutiny review – Jason Statham’s fight-by-numbers action thriller just about stays above water

The hard-working action hero gives us exactly what we expect, and often want, in this sturdy cargo ship-set caper

The dog days of August have already seen the trotting out of some usual suspects from a junky Eli Roth horror to a belated nostalgia comedy sequel to a Mike Pence-approved Ronald Reagan drama. This weekend, yet more howls will be heard in cinemas with a lower-tier horror instalment and an even lower-tier girlies on tour comedy being shuffled out. It’s all amounting to a rather rubbishy end to what’s been a pretty remarkable summer (easily the biggest since the pandemic), allowing for Spider-Man supremacy until September slowly returns the industry from the D-list closer to the A.

There can still be low-level popcorn pleasures to be had in August. Last weekend’s throwback dino caper The End of Oak Street was a B-movie made with just the right balance of serious to silly while last year Zach Cregger gifted us Weapons, the rare genre film to end up winning an Oscar. Trophies are unlikely for this weekend’s other medium-sized release Mutiny (if only the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards hadn’t died off at the turn of the 2000s) but if the words “Jason Statham vehicle” possess a safe, soothing quality then there are far worse ways to spend a Saturday night.

Why does the U.S. military seem stymied in the war with Iran?

Defense analyst Stacie Pettyjohn says while the U.S. military is facing long-range missile shortages, prolonged deployments and vacated regional bases, Iran is building cheaper weapons quickly.

Astronomers detect fastest known star in Milky Way

Star’s extreme proximity to Sagittarius A* means it could open new window onto black hole’s fundamental properties

Astronomers have detected the fastest known star in the Milky Way, hurtling around the supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy.

The star, called S301, travels at about 25,000km (15,500 miles) per second, 100,000 times faster than a commercial plane. It is also the closest known star to the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*, approaching it around the distance of Saturn to the Sun.

Insidious: Out of the Further review – evil returns but so does boredom

Uninteresting mythology and junky effects push a once-promising horror franchise further from what it once was

When the Insidious franchise started in 2010, it felt like a liberating moment for director James Wan and writer (and later director) Leigh Whannell, the Australian duo who captured the zeitgeist with the original Saw movie, which imported the gonzo energy of low-budget Ozploitation flicks. As the partners quietly ceded control to other film-makers, the Saw sequels sunk into gross, dreary exercises in mechanized murder, and they moved on to other projects. When they emerged with Insidious, another shoestring horror movie, it was a confident and wildly entertaining return to form, like a down-and-dirty fusion of 80s staples such as Poltergeist and Ghostbusters.

Now the pattern has repeated itself. Though Whannell stuck around longer than Wan – Wan directed the sequel, but Whannell directed the third film and has writing or story credits through the most recent sequel, Insidious: The Red Door – the creative returns have diminished over time, even if the cheap productions are still like a license to print money. Insidious: Out of the Further arrives as the sixth entry in the series, and the fun has almost completely evaporated, replaced by a dull mythology that would be hard to piece together even if the sequels hadn’t come out in scrambled chronology.

Sacking turns former Zelenskyy loyalist into potent political opponent

Mykhailo Fedorov’s blistering critique comes at a time of growing pressure for democratic renewal in Ukraine

For more than a month, demonstrators have gathered in Ivan Franko Square outside Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office. The protesters have been chanting a name – not that of Ukraine’s embattled president but that of the man he recently sacked as defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. On Sunday evening, 2,000 people marched along Khreshchatyk, Kyiv’s main boulevard, waving cardboard banners in support of their ousted hero.

Zelenskyy has refused to reinstate Fedorov, who during his six months in the job was widely seen as an effective and reforming figure. On Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliament, the Rada, voted to approve a successor as defence minister, Yevhen Khmara. The move shows that Fedorov has been shut out from government permanently, and confirms his transition from trusted insider and Zelenskyy loyalist to a potent political opponent.

‘You’ll be sorry you told me this!’: the 98-year-old composer who gets musicians – even bassoonists - on their feet

Scotland’s Thea Musgrave is still writing radical music with perambulatory soloists and a message of hopefulness. Her latest work, for bassoonist Amy Harman, comes to the Proms this weekend

Thea Musgrave is a phenomenon. Born in Scotland in 1928, the composer has lived in the US since the early 70s, but has lost none of her accent, her infectious optimism, and her drive to keep writing. As she told me from her home in California, with a joyfully rolling laugh, “I’ve got to this age, and from now on I’m going to do what the fuck I want to do”. That includes her latest opera, on Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando – Orlando: An Escapade – which will premiere at the Buxton festival next year, and a new bassoon concerto for Amy Harman, Out of the Darkness, which you can hear at the Proms this weekend, on 23 August.

The bassoon concerto develops one of the central innovations of Musgrave’s life and career, which she’s still intensifying and exploring in her 99th year: what she calls her “dramatic-abstract” approach to her orchestral compositions, in which the players aren’t a single collective told what to do by a conductor’s gestures, but instead are released as individual characters and identities.

This high-speed star is whipping around the black hole in the middle of our galaxy

Researchers have identified a speed demon at the heart of the Milky Way. This fast-moving star may yield insights into the black hole parked at the center of our galaxy.

Christian metal band sues Netflix over KPop Demon Hunters name

25-year-old band Demon Hunter says name of streamer’s hit movie creates ‘substantial confusion’ among consumers

Christian metal band Demon Hunter is suing Netflix, accusing the entertainment giant of trademark infringement and unfair competition tied to the blockbuster “KPop Demon Hunters” name.

The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday by Hyde Lane, the company behind Demon Hunter, and alleges that Netflix Studios and concert promoter AEG Presents have created “substantial confusion” among consumers.

A real-world study of Oregon's nonmedical psilocybin program shows promise

Oregon was the first state to establish a legalized and regulated psilocybin industry. Since then, thousands have tried magic mushrooms. Here is the latest data from the state's real-life experiment.

Nicola Jennings on Putin under pressure – cartoon

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Reform says we need to choose between climate and economy. It's wrong | Larry Elliott

The party’s deputy leader Richard Tice says we should stop worrying about extreme heat and enjoy it. This dangerous nonsense will wreck our finances and the planet

So now we know: the smart response to the UK’s summer of record temperatures is to do precisely nothing. According to Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, the climate crisis is just one of those things. Nothing can be done about it, so we should simply bask in the sunshine.

It is reasonable to assume Tice would not have said anything quite as crass had he been addressing people in Stourbridge who have seen their homes burn to the ground. Or the farmers whose crops shrivel in parched fields. Or the firefighters exhausted from battling wildfires across Britain.

Larry Elliott is a Guardian columnist

‘We never apologised for our rage or revenge-seeking’: riot grrrl legends Heavens to Betsy reunite

Alongside Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, Corin Tucker and Tracy Sawyer created a feminist punk vernacular that’s still inspiring the likes of Olivia Rodrigo. They recall the clarity and conviction of their historic teenage exploits

Back in June, a cut-and-paste photocopied flyer began appearing on telegraph poles around Portland, Oregon, promoting a DIY show by an apparently defunct band at an intimate community space. The band hadn’t mentioned it online, but hopeful fans bought every ticket anyway. Their bet paid off: the gig really was the first in 32 years for Heavens to Betsy, the pioneering feminist punk duo of drummer Tracy Sawyer and singer-guitarist Corin Tucker – the latter’s band before Sleater-Kinney unleashed her visceral vibrato unto the world. Tucker proudly made the flyer herself.

Heavens to Betsy were barely out of high school when they played their very first show, 35 years ago this week, in Olympia, Washington, a two-song set as part of a now-mythical indie fest dubbed the International Pop Underground Convention. The festival also featured the likes of Fugazi, Bikini Kill and Melvins; meanwhile Heavens to Betsy had practised only a couple times. Before an audience of about 100, Sawyer was so terrified that all she could think was, “This has to be over soon.”

In Big Walk, players just walk and talk – and find joy along the way: ‘Some stories we’ve heard are punch-in-the-gut beautiful’

After their hit Untitled Goose Game, Australian studio House House is back with a new game where your only goal is to go exploring with friends – so we took them on a big walk inside Big Walk

When I arrive to meet with the tiny team at Melbourne game developer House House, they’re sitting in a circle under a eucalyptus tree. After introductions, the five of us set off into the scrub. Over the course of our hike we take a train to the beach, huddle on deck chairs in the sand dunes and climb a mountain as the sun rises. All without ever leaving our desks.

Welcome to the world of Big Walk: House House’s new game after the runaway global success Untitled Goose Game, which saw millions fall in love with being a naughty goose rampaging through a bucolic village. After Untitled Goose Game’s overwhelming success, House House wanted their next game to be very different and “unusual”. Despite this, Big Walk has been an immediate success, with more than 1m downloads in the first week of release.

Lewes derailment: images show track defect before incident on hottest day

Network Rail and Southern owner GTR apologise after investigators reveal picture of possible heat-buckled track

Rail operators have apologised after a report into last Thursday’s derailment in East Sussex found a track defect on the approach to where the train derailed on the hottest day of the year so far.

An interim report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said CCTV images showed the “track geometry irregularity” existed before the incident near Lewes injured 30 people.

Not just big in Japan: Zion Suzuki has what it takes to follow Emiliano Martínez

He is replacing a World Cup winner and is his country’s first Premier League keeper, but Villa’s new signing has already dealt with harder challenges

In November 2001, the first Japanese goalkeeper to play English league football conceded a goal within the first minute of his debut. Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi may have struggled for second-tier Portsmouth, conceding 21 times in his 12 league games after being spotted by the then director of football, Harry Redknapp, but he also produced some world-class saves and had glowing things to say about the Royal Mail.

Replaced by a 42-year-old Dave Beasant, Kawaguchi nevertheless remains a cult hero on the south coast, as a standing ovation in his final game demonstrated. Despite going on to play 116 times for Japan, he never made the jump to the Premier League. Now though, finally, Japan has a No 1 in the top flight.

Weekly mortgage demand stalls along with interest rates, but rates are now moving higher again.

Mortgage rates were unchanged last week, as was mortgage demand, and total volume remains lower than year-ago levels.

Did someone wearing Meta Glasses film you today? Are you sure?

People say they’ve been secretly filmed in their own homes, at concerts and at work. Are the wildly popular smartglasses the final nail in the coffin of personal privacy?

“I’ve had one person who told me that their intentions were creepy,” a man tells me over a video call, on condition of anonymity. He’s based in Los Angeles, and while we speak, he eats what appears to be tuna directly out of the can. “He said: ‘I go to strip clubs, and I want to record the strippers … Normally I put my phone in my chest pocket, but the glasses are more convenient.’”

The man I’m talking to runs a business called Ghost Metas. He’s one of hundreds of vendors, easily discoverable online, who specialise in disabling the flashing LED light embedded in Meta’s smartglasses that blinks when wearers capture photos, videos and audio. After Ghost Metas disables the LED, it’s impossible for someone to know they’re being filmed.

Hogging weights, loud grunting and sweaty benches: 11 gym dos and don’ts from fitness experts

Here’s what professionals have to say about good workout etiquette, from using equipment to being on your phone

I like to think of myself as a fairly laid-back person. Other people’s behavior is not my business. There is one notable exception: my gym nemesis.

He brings his computer to the gym and takes work conference calls at full volume. He has four to six pairs of dumbbells around him at all times – then doesn’t put them away. Intellectually I understand he is a fragile, flawed human like the rest of us, but in my gut I sometimes wonder if he arrived here from another galaxy.

Firefighters sound alarm as US faces critical staffing shortage: ‘We don’t have enough people’

Firefighters describe being pushed to limit by a brutal wildfire season, with key leadership roles going unfilled

The US has faced a critical shortage of firefighters at the US Forest Service (USFS) this summer as thousands of fires erupted across the country.

Despite officials’ claims that the firefighting workforce was stronger than ever, the agency has failed to keep pace with escalating conditions and the catastrophic fires fueled by them, according to nine firefighters who spoke to the Guardian anonymously, because they are barred from disclosing the information to the public.

Post your questions for kd lang

As her supergroup with Neko Case and Laura Veirs celebrates the 10th anniversary of its sublime album, the Ingénue herself will answer your questions

A decade ago, three of the finest voices in Americana got together to make a sublime supergroup record. Case/Lang/Veirs, in case the title didn’t make it plain, brought together Neko Case of the New Pornographers, stalwart Portland songwriter Laura Veirs and kd lang, the Grammy-winning Canadian country icon. Sadly, that glorious album has remained a one-off – though a new anniversary release includes a gorgeous never-before-heard song, Accidental Tattoo – but happily, lang is joining the Guardian for a very rare interview to answer your questions.

Maybe you’d like to know secrets from behind the scenes of making this record in lang’s loft and Veirs’ dining room, or about lang’s relationship with the late, great Tony Bennett, her animal rights advocacy, what the Edmonton country-swing scene was like in the mid-80s before lang became a country star and later mainstream icon, or what she and Cindy Crawford talked about when they posed for quite possibly the greatest magazine photoshoot of all time. What was Roy Orbison like to work with, is new music on the horizon, or what her contemporary constant cravings are? Or anything else indeed.

‘A critical crossroads’: who is the woman vying to become the first Caribbean head of the UN?

If elected, Guyanese politician Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett wants to prioritise climate issues and ensure the United Nations remains a force for good

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As the Guardian’s Caribbean correspondent, I sometimes encounter stories that everyone is talking about in the region, but are not on the radar of the international media. Today, I’m taking over the Long Wave to bring you one of those stories. This summer, Guyanese ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has made history as the first Caribbean candidate for the prestigious post of United Nations secretary general. If successful, she will be the first woman to hold the position too. I spoke to her about the value of the UN, and what a Caribbean leader could bring to the role.

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett started life in the remote Indigenous village of Santa Rosa, in the interior of the Caribbean and South American nation of Guyana.

Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing review – like a horror movie … only this is real life

In 2022, Rory Kennedy exposed the aviation safety scandal in which 346 people died – but since then, a plane door has blown out mid-flight and more whistleblowers have come to the fore. Will anyone pay for this?

It is unfortunate that a sequel was required to Rory Kennedy’s 2022 documentary feature, which alleged that the profit-driven culture at a US aeronautics firm led to two plane crashes and the deaths of 346 people. But given the lack of corporate accountability evident at the end of Downfall: The Case Against Boeing – and the apparent complicity of regulatory body the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – it was inevitable.

Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing opens with a rundown of a significant development in the story: the mysterious death in March 2024 of John Barnett, a former Boeing employee turned whistleblower. Barnett, a contributor in the first film, was in the middle of a deposition when he was found dead at his hotel, which investigators ruled a suicide. Is this another casualty to add to Boeing’s mounting death toll? And is the alarming aviation safety scandal – supposedly resolved in November 2020, when the FAA lifted its grounding order on the Boeing 737 Max – in fact still ongoing?

Jah Wobble on covering the Beatles, London buses and why punk went wrong: ‘Being kind is seen as square’

The maverick former Public Image Ltd bassist takes us on a typically picaresque journey through his ‘Kafka-esque’ days at Transport for London, being named by Sid Vicious and his spiritual learnings

Sometimes, on the top deck of a London bus, pension-age punks will politely disturb the concentration of a man on his iPad. “They’ll say: ‘Are you Jah Wobble?’” recounts the musician born John Wardle, his upbeat cockney accent ringing with delight. They will ask if he’s working on anything. “And I like to say: ‘Yes, I’m recording an album. I’m doing it right now.’”

In the 2020s, the 68-year-old bassist and bandleader has been revisiting the city of his birth and youth, composing and producing albums including the cosmic dub of The Bus Routes of South London, or the celestial electronica of Thames Symphony, while traversing London on public transport.

Trump is full speed ahead in making money off being the US president | Margaret Sullivan

Some restraint on Trump’s excesses might be accomplished if November’s midterm elections give Democrats more power

Donald Trump is essentially unrestrained when it comes to enriching himself during his second term, with no sign of stopping. If anything, he’s ramping things up.

The numbers so far are astonishing. He amassed $2.2bn in 2025 revenues, the Guardian and other news outlets have reported.

Stephen Libby on fashion: a summer wedding is no time for your funeral suit – have fun with colour

The Traitors star gives his tips on how to shine at a wedding – from mismatching jacket and trousers to rocking a man bag

For a long time, I didn’t enjoy going to weddings. It wasn’t the celebration or the party that put me off – it was the clothes. I felt I had to conform and wear a suit, and yet the shape and style of what was on offer were the antithesis of what I would normally wear.

Wedding guest attire for women is a whole micro-industry these days. But men are still stuck in the dark ages. It’s all grey, navy and black suits. I often see men wearing the same sort of suit they might wear to a funeral. What kind of message is that sending? It’s high time we got to experiment because a wedding is a celebration of love. You don’t want to look like you’re in mourning.

Tom Holland set to earn $100m from Spider-Man: Brand New Day

In a year that’s seen the British actor star in the season’s two biggest blockbusters – and marry his co-star from both – he is reportedly earning a huge pay packet thanks to box-office bonuses

The British actor Tom Holland is expected to “make at least $100m” for starring in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, according to the Wrap.

Unnamed sources “with knowledge of Holland’s deal” say he was paid $20m (£15m) upfront, about double what he reportedly received for his previous Spider-Man film No Way Home in 2021. But the extraordinary success of Brand New Day at the global box office means the 30-year-old is expected to earn another $80m or more in backend bonuses.

Robot dalmatians and a far-right rally: photos of the day – Wednesday

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

• Warning: this gallery contains sensitive images

U.S. government debt yields are surging at a bad time. Here's what's behind the move

Fixed income market watchers ascribe a run that began in June to a number of variables.