Tropical Storm Lala nearing Hawaii, hurricane warning issued for Big Island

Tropical Storm Lala could bring heavy rain, high winds and dangerous surf and rip currents to the Hawaiian Islands as a hurricane this weekend, forecasters say.

US long-term borrowing costs rise to 25-year high, as inflation fears hit bond sale – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest and economic news, as US sells 30-year bonds at highest borrowing costs since 2001

Insurer Aviva said it is helping customers affected by the wildfires near Stourbridge in the West Midlands, but said the fires were “not material” for the company, my colleague Joanna Partridge reports.

Aviva’s chief executive, Amanda Blanc, told reporters the company had been in contact with its customers “to make sure they’re in alternative accommodation”, adding: “It must be absolutely horrendous for those customers that have had their homes destroyed by fire.”

“In the longer term, we’re always obviously looking at the pricing models around exposure management, about what more we could do, about how we can actually help customers to prevent some of these events. Are there things that you can build into properties that will actually mitigate some of these events, I’m thinking particularly of flooding. That is an area where we are working on resilience, so we can help our customers be better prepared for when these events happen.”

Transfer latest, Championship kicks off, Fifa news and Community Shield buildup: football – live

⚽ All the latest football news, comment and previews
⚽ This weekend’s fixtures | Read Football Daily | Mail Tom

Lorent Tolaj (Bristol City)

‘Extensive’ devastation caused by major fire in England as 150 million in Europe to experience temperatures above 35C – Europe live

Fires also blaze in Croatia, Germany and France as extreme heat continues to grip Europe today

• Four taken to hospital and homes damaged in West Midlands fires

We are getting a bit more detail about the terrifying fire in the Croatian seaside town of Omiš.

Some 300 Czech tourists are among the 1,000 evacuees, Czech media reported, with a Czech police officer sent to coordinate the emergency response.

Fill in the blank on this week's quiz: Rep. AOC is documenting ____ on Instagram

Plus, which beloved animal crossed the rainbow bridge, and what bit of papal paraphernalia did Chicago baseball fans get this week?

Rebecca Perry: ‘Lorca hit me like a bolt of lightning’

The poet and novelist on the power of fairytales, being inspired by Frank O’Hara and the joys of Doris Lessing

My earliest reading memory
Reading On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan, aged five or so, sitting on the floor of the bedroom I shared with my brother – who, in my memory, was sitting on the carpet next to me.

My favourite book growing up
I had a collection of fairytales in a big yellow hardback, which I was totally entranced by from around the age of seven to 10. I’ll never forget the feeling of despair on turning the page and discovering that the Little Mermaid had become foam on the surface of the water; it was a very early lesson in the helplessness of the reader in the face of a story’s destiny. In particular, though, I loved a Scottish fairytale called The Black Bull of Norroway, which I think, in many ways, has been under the surface of everything I’ve ever written.

How the mob took Hollywood: the story of organized crime and the movies

Hollywood Crime Story: The Mob Takes Over the Movies looks back at how criminals insinuated themselves in the film business

“From the foundation of Hollywood, organized crime is there.” So claims Tom Patterson, producer and director of new three-part documentary series, Hollywood Crime Story: The Mob Takes Over the Movies.

Organized crime’s connection to the film industry actually predates Tinseltown, being present for the foundation of the medium itself, when inventor Thomas Edison sicced his hired goons on competitors in an attempt to maintain total control over early motion picture technology. As covered in Hollywood Crime Story, this resulted in said competitors – mostly Jewish businessmen from the east coast – fleeing westward and establishing the town and studio system that would become synonymous with movies as we know them.

‘What’s happened to us? Where did we get lost?’ Zimbabwe reckons with the reality of violence against women

The deaths of a Bulawayo mother and her daughters spark calls for an urgent action on gender-based violence

The three white coffins were draped in white lace and topped with small sprays of flowers. The mourners who filled a Bulawayo church last week to pay their respects to Zandile Tshuma and her daughters, Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, had not engaged in the usual tradition of first viewing the dead at their home: the bodies of this family had travelled all the way from England to reach their final resting place at Luveve cemetery on the edge of Zimbabwe’s second city, in Matabeleland.

While the deaths attracted few news reports in the UK, in Zimbabwe and South Africa, the tragic case has reignited concern over the region’s high rates of femicide. Many commentators on TV and social media expressed shock that a well-educated woman with a successful career abroad seemed as vulnerable to familial violence as a poorer woman in a southern African township.

ICE uses controversial program to boost deportations. Here's how it works in 1 county

Details on how ICE cooperation agreements work in practice have been hard to come by. NPR took a close look at how sheriff's deputies in Walton County, Fla., approach immigration-related arrests.

Patriot missiles have been a godsend for Ukraine against Putin, but they’re running out. Kyiv needs help and fast | Jack Watling

Europe and Nato have known for years that interceptor production can’t keep up with demand and now disaster looms, putting us all in danger

“Invincible.” That was how Vladimir Putin described Russia’s latest generation of ballistic missiles in 2018. In 2022 he would unleash this arsenal to strike across Ukraine, hitting command centres, critical infrastructure and airfields. Then, in 2023, Ukraine received Patriot air defence systems from its international partners. The US-supplied missile interceptor would prove to be an effective shield against Russian strikes.

But this year, supplies of Patriot missiles have run out and Kyiv has suffered the consequences. Intercepts have gone from more than 70% to none, so that night after night Russia strikes Ukraine’s infrastructure with impunity. This tragedy was long foretold, and there are no quick fixes.

Jack Watling is senior research fellow for applied military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute

Morning news brief

Lawmakers and families raise concerns about conditions aboard USS Lincoln, as the U.S.-Iran war drags on, Iranians seek a break from the conflict, Russian-held Crimea faces Ukrainian drone campaign.

Australia bowlers toil as Tanzid Hasan ton puts Bangladesh in command of first Test

• First Test, day two: Australia 198; Bangladesh 351 for 6 in Darwin

• Opener hits maiden Test century as tourists build 153-run lead

A maiden Test century by Tanzid Hasan has given Bangladesh a 153-run lead against an Australian side that were forced to use eight bowlers in Darwin.

In just his second Test match, the 25-year-old left-hander’s brilliant 101 put the Tigers in position to push for what would be their greatest win in long-form cricket.

Tell us: have you struggled to find work later in your career?

We’re interested in hearing from people who have found themselves unexpectedly out of work in midlife and have struggled to get another job despite years of professional experience

For many people in their 50s and 60s, losing a job can be the start of a long and unexpected struggle to get back into work. Despite years – or even decades – of professional experience, some say they are applying for hundreds of roles without success, while others have had to take lower-paid work or claim benefits to make ends meet.

The number of people aged 50 to 64 receiving out-of-work benefits has reached 2.15 million, according to recent analysis by the Centre for Social Justice. We’d like to hear from people across the UK who have found it difficult to find work later in their careers.

‘Absolutely unacceptable’: Japan PM Takaichi condemns Putin’s visit to disputed Kuril Islands

Japan protested Vladimir Putin’s first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, escalating tensions over territory claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow.

Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer, Dafnis Prieto: Fifteen review – Pulitzer winner stirs gorgeous improv patterns

(Nonesuch)
By turns gleeful, sensitive, urgent and ruminative, this is a brilliant set that plays to the trio’s formidable strengths

Though the century-old Pulitzer prize – launched as a celebration of the craft and social necessity of good news reportage – was eventually expanded to include fiction and music by 1943, the US-born art of jazz has only been represented by Ornette Coleman and Wynton Marsalis in their lifetimes, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk posthumously – and most recently Henry Threadgill, for his four-part suite In for a Penny, In for a Pound, in 2016.

Publisher Joseph Pulitzer once declared his dreams for his readership were “to arrest their attention, enlist their sympathy … stimulate their imagination, convince their reason, and awaken their conscience”. Contemporary-classical composer and flautist Threadgill has been doing all that with his music, his personal story, his internationalism and his charisma since the 1960s. Now 82, he releases Fifteen, joining him in a brilliant trio featuring pianist/composer Vijay Iyer and creative Cuban percussionist Dafnis Prieto.

Football transfer rumours: Arsenal offered Osimhen in exchange deal? Newcastle to make Baleba bid?

Today’s fluff has sought shade

As these glorious pages reported on Thursday, Galatasaray wanted Gabriel Martinelli. In the following 24 hours things changed a bit, creating greater complexity, something we do not approve of. Arsenal have supposedly been offered the chance to involve the Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen in exchange for the Brazilian, which could be temptong for a side looking for a new No 9. To further sweeten any potential, Ethan Nwaneri could be chucked into it too to make it a mega swap.

Tijjani Reijnders may struggle to find a perfect role within Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City. The Dutchman has already been linked with Nottingham Forest, which has stirred some interest in Saudi Arabia from Al Qadsiah, who are managed by Brendan Rodgers and are willing to cough up £51m for the midfielder.

Open Mike Eagle and Kenny Segal: Doomed! review – caustic, crushing breakup album flirts with catharsis

(Backwoodz)
The rapper-producer duo muster a breakup record with glistening beats and lovelorn lyrics that mull over grievances without resolve

Tough as they may be, breakups make for good material. Doomed! is Open Mike Eagle’s entry into that wide canon – sitting alongside Tyler, the Creator’s Igor and Ye’s 808s & Heartbreak in the alt-rap subcategory – and finds the LA-via-Chicago rapper every bit as wide-eyed, caustic and, at-times, crushing as those who’ve Kübler-Rossed their way out of a relationship before him. Out of lemons, lemonade, and all that.

In fact, without the disintegration of his five-year relationship, he and Kenny Segal – the feted Low End Theory-reared producer who helms the entire project – might have been resigned to merely cropping up as occasional features on each other’s records forever. The breakup gave sessions a focal point, and half a decade’s grievances to mull. Or, as Eagle puts it languidly over lounge glockenspiel on Streets of Rage: Public Arguments Edition: “These is true stories told loosely.”

Oceania declares support for Infantino in boost for Fifa president but New Zealand breaks ranks

• OFC’s 11 votes could prove crucial in Fifa election

• Stance shows continued backing from smaller nations

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has declared its support for Gianni Infantino following demands from Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation for the Fifa president to resign, in a development that further highlights world football’s civil war.

After a meeting of its executive committee in Fiji on Wednesday, the OFC issued a statement on Friday praising “the progress achieved over the last decade” by Fifa in its first public comments since the abandoned World Cup sell-off plan emerged this month.

Engine parts shattered Ryanair window that passenger was partly sucked out of, report says

Preliminary findings show fan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on 10 July flight from Greece to Germany

Broken engine parts were responsible for shattering a window on a Ryanair plane, causing a passenger to be partly sucked out mid-flight in July, US investigators have said.

A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found an engine fan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on the 10 July flight from Greece to Germany shattering the window and damaging the fuselage.

‘This is hell’: British widow ‘sick’ with worry over threat of being removed from Sweden

Joyce Thomas faces being forced to leave country after losing appeal against deportation

• British widow, 78, told to leave Sweden under Brexit rules

The 78-year-old British widow threatened with removal from Sweden after 21 years has said she has been left feeling sick with worry after being told she had lost an appeal against deportation in a ongoing row over the country’s handling of Brexit.

“I am in shock. I feel sick. An individual’s life is at stake at my age. It is hell. I have done nothing wrong. I don’t take anything from this country. I am self sufficient, I put money in this country, have no criminal record,” said Joyce Thomas from her home in Sweden on Thursday.

High-flying Sirius chase shock Allsvenskan title despite losing ‘best player in league’

They may have sold Robbie Ure, their top scorer, to Sevilla, but the team from Uppsala have good reason to believe they can finish the job

For most teams, losing a forward with 15 goals in 15 games midway through the season, amid a historic title chase, might be cause for panic. Sirius, the runaway Allsvenskan leaders, are not most teams.

“I’m actually really confident,” says Henrik Castegren, the club captain, when asked about the team’s ability to adapt after Robbie Ure’s move to Sevilla for a club-record fee, reported to be £5.6m plus add-ons. “I’m really happy for Robbie, but also quite sad because I enjoyed playing with him a lot. I think he was by far the best player in this league for the first six months [of the season] … but, with that being said, I’m feeling quite comfortable with us moving forward.”

How can we talk about this extreme weather now that it’s a battleground in the culture wars? | Andy Beckett

Weather forecasts once gave Britons something safe to chat about. Not any more, and that’s a problem for the experts – indeed, for all of us

In this fragmented but supposedly mild country, watching and talking about the weather forecast is meant to be a reassuring, unifying activity. Collectively, we have created and maintained a national climate narrative of small disappointments and pleasures. The first weather forecaster to appear on British TV, George Cowling, made his debut on the BBC in January 1954, predicting that “tomorrow would be rather windy”, but “a good day to hang out the washing”. For most of the 72 years since, such brief, carefully calibrated broadcasts have provided people from Aberdeen to Penzance with practical information, small talk and minor grumbles about essentially the same situation: living in a country where the weather is constantly changing, in a paradoxically unchanging way.

Yet like the traditional British climate, that common weather culture may now be evaporating. “Met Office considers issuing red ‘extreme heat warning’ across Britain while nation enjoys ‘incredible summer’,” said the headline above the forecast on the GB News website on Monday, caught between terror and delight at the latest heatwave. As the climate crisis has affected this country in more and more unmistakable but uneven ways, TV weather forecasters have increasingly struggled to find the right language to describe this transformation’s daily consequences. Their struggle influences and exemplifies that of many Britons to understand, and work out what we think about, the apparent end of the weather patterns we expected to shape our whole lives.

Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist

New aircraft carrier heads toward Mideast after reports of issues on long-deployed USS Lincoln

The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln.

Judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit alleging antisemitism at Harvard University

The decision from U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns said that President Donald Trump's administration failed to prove an ongoing violation of federal civil rights laws.

Bird flu is a huge disaster and it’s normal to find it distressing and sad. How can we deal with this grief? | First Dog on the Moon

Firstly you can just grieve – it’s not your fault because you used a plastic straw that one time

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• Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints

‘It’s one huge adventure playground’: readers’ best summer trips in the lakes and mountains of Europe

From the Alpine meadows of Bavaria to a pristine lake in Italy and the pilgrim routes of the Pyrenees, here are some of your favourite discoveries.
• Tell us about a lesser known European island – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher

Haldensee is a clear, sparkling cold lake located at the bottom of the Tannheimer Tal valley in the Austrian Alps (about 90 miles south-west of Munich). We visited last year, just when summer was on its way out, and it was too cold to skinny-dip in the lake (unless you were very brave). Nonetheless, if you’re a hiker, a ski lift takes you up into the Allgäu Alps where you can walk through dense forest to Bad Kissinger Hütte serving refreshing apfelschorle, warming soups and seasonal bakes to refuel for the journey downhill. When going down, we were accompanied by tinkling cattle, ambling along the mountain-side springs, which made the experience so much more memorable.
Kovida

Post your questions for Robert Carlyle

Bond villain, Begbie, male stripper … the Trainspotting and Full Monty star has played everyone from Sherlock Holmes to Rumpelstiltskin. As his latest directorial project premieres in Edinburgh, he is here to answer your questions

You’ll know Robert Carlyle for many things – getting his kit off in The Full Monty, being skewered through the heart with a plutonium rod as Bond villain Renard in The World Is Not Enough, playing Sherlock Holmes in Watson, joining Line of Duty as a gruff specialist firearms officer, and appearing opposite David Tennant and Toby Jones in ITV’s The Hack.

He also appeared as Adolf Hitler in Hitler: The Rise of Evil and (uncredited) as John Lennon in Yesterday; as a cannibalistic soldier in Ravenous; Rumplestiltskin in Once Upon a Time; and the British prime minister in Cobra. But it’s hard to ever fully dissociate him from the fantastic moustache he sports as violent, pint-swilling psychopath Francis Begbie in Trainspotting – a moustache that is now, unbelievably, 30 years old and heading back to cinemas in a new 4K restoration from 21 August.

The Beverly Hills Housewife by James Cahill review – a trip inside Hockney’s world

Muse Betty Freeman sits at the centre of this sun-drenched book about art, eccentricity, and the spirit of Los Angeles

David Hockney was 29 years old when he came to Betty Freeman’s house to photograph her swimming pool. Scouting locations for the pool paintings that would make him a household name, he took preparatory snaps of his partner, Peter Schlesinger, emerging naked from the water. And yet something about his aloof and quietly eccentric host, who dusted the hunting trophies while a handsome young man padded around her patio in the altogether, intrigued the artist. So he asked whether he might photograph her too, and she agreed.

Completed a year later, Beverly Hills Housewife (1966/7) shows a beautiful woman standing outside a beautiful house. The scene is lit by an unbroken sun, her blond bob is undisturbed by any breeze, a lush fern sets off her popping pink dress. She is surrounded by the symbols of mid-century American prosperity: a chair by Le Corbusier, a tasteful modernist sculpture. We don’t need the title to know the place and time, because Hockney’s paintings have come to define them in our imagination: shimmering water and scattered light, bright colours and reflective surfaces, a clean and impassive contentment.

Judge drops Nevada case against electors accused of forging certificate in 2020 election

The dismissal marks the latest setback in swing states' efforts to prosecute fake electors who tried to keep Trump in the White House after he lost to Joe Biden in 2020.

Nigel Farage wins Clacton byelection in contest boycotted by other main parties

Reform UK leader fails to appear for result, despite beating nearest challenger, Count Binface, and 32 other candidates

Clacton byelection – UK politics live

Nigel Farage has seen off Count Binface to win the Clacton byelection in a contest boycotted by every other major political party.

The Reform UK leader in July triggered the byelection in an attempt to shake off a deepening scandal over a £5m gift he received from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.

Hot topic: why is Burnham so reluctant to talk about the climate crisis?

Extreme heat is harming the wellbeing of the ordinary people the PM champions, yet he has ignored the subject

From the first day Andy Burnham came into office, climate scientists, campaigners and some of the ordinary people surviving through this summer of extreme heat began to wonder when he would start to talk about the climate crisis.

Up until this week, many held back from criticism. After all, he had only been in power for a couple weeks; it felt far too early to start to judge and call him out on it.

Searches for UK homes with air conditioning more than double

Most owners would consider installing aircon as heatwaves lead buyers to focus on ability to stay cool, Rightmove says

Searches for homes for sale in the UK with air conditioning have more than doubled this summer as heatwaves push staying cool up the list of priorities for homebuyers, alongside nearness to good schools and transport links.

In the week of the UK’s fifth heatwave, in which temperatures in parts of England hit 38C, the property website Rightmove said the heat was influencing how Britons thought about their homes, with more people paying attention to how comfortable a property would be during hotter weather.

Week in wildlife: snake on a car, a careful spider mum and a lazy squirrel

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world

Helen Goh’s recipe for frozen Eton mess with plum, coconut and raspberry | The sweet spot

The classic British dessert, but with a frozen twist, captures all of the charm of the original with a welcome chill for summer

I love the glorious unruliness of Eton mess, all billowy cream, crushed meringue and tumbling fruit. This frozen version captures all of that charm but in a sliceable, make-ahead dessert that’s perfect for August entertaining. The fruit can even be cooked a day in advance, leaving little more to do than whip everything together before freezing. Thanks to the condensed milk, the cream freezes surprisingly softly, while the meringue keeps its gentle chew and the toasted coconut adds a welcome crunch and nuttiness. Late summer plums bring a lovely tartness that balances the sweetness beautifully, though apricots, peaches and nectarines would also work well.

Nicole Kidman opens up about divorce from Keith Urban – and ‘throwing my career away’ for Tom Cruise

The 59-year-old actor reflected on her high-profile marriages in an interview with Vogue, saying she felt ‘deeply vulnerable’ after her split from Urban

Nicole Kidman has opened up about her divorce from Keith Urban and reflected on her marriage to Tom Cruise, saying she was warned being his wife would overshadow her career.

In a new interview with Vogue, the 59-year-old actor spoke about going through two divorces under intense media scrutiny: with Cruise, who she married in 1990 and divorced in 2001, and musician Urban, who she married in 2006.

‘Unprecedented’ rain kills four in Japan as thousands stranded at airport

Evacuation orders issued for 400,000 as torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture as flooding risks remain high despite rainfall easing

At least four people died in eastern Japan after “unprecedented” heavy rain that left nearly 7,000 stranded at Tokyo’s Narita airport, and forced thousands to take refuge in government buildings.

The torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thursday night, triggering landslide warnings and power outages. Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400,000 people in Chiba and other areas, and about 45,000 homes lost power, as 115mm of rain fell hourly, approximately the same amount usually recorded for the whole month of August.

‘It was lonely being a young queer artist’: Sam Smith on finding health, happiness – and their hazel-eyed fiance

On their new album, Smith is subverting their singer-songwriter roots to tell a queer love story. They talk about their shifting fanbase, the nasty undercurrents of fame – and finding sanctuary in New York City

Sam Smith logs on to our video call with the username “Lily of the Valley”, the May-born singer’s birth flower. It sets a serene tone. They’re in Guadalajara, Mexico, for the latest stop of a residency tour, titled To Be Free, in support of their fifth studio album. Instead of Smith’s usual jet-lagged arena itinerary, this lower-key excursion stops at smaller venues in only six cities and sheds the ostentatious theatricality of their last outing.

On stage on their last tour, “I was flailing around on a massive gold bum and had, like, seven costume changes,” Smith says with a chuckle. It’s intimacy they’re after now, the ability to satisfy their “craving to look at people again”, which matches the romantic feeling of their fifth album, Hazel Eyes. But for Smith, whose genre-shifting stardom has been accompanied by harsh controversies, it’s also a chance to observe who’s still in their corner: “There’s some wonderful people that have stayed, but it’s a completely different room than it was with In the Lonely Hour,” their 2014 debut.

Experience: I found my long-lost twin aged 49

The joy, disbelief and shock of discovering I had a brother the same age as me came with a million questions. How were we separated and why?

In 1975, my parents saw an advert in their local Australian newspaper. With the Vietnam war coming to an end, thousands of orphaned children were being evacuated. As part of the American-led Operation Babylift, the Australian government was looking for families who would adopt them. My parents decided to do it.

I arrived in Adelaide in April in a shoebox. I was so tiny that my umbilical cord was still attached. My parents knew that the document they were given, with a January birthday and the name Le Thi Ha, couldn’t be mine. But with the chaos of the evacuation there was no way to find out more.

Indonesia wildfires threaten orangutans rescued from animal traffickers

Blaze fuelled by hot, dry and windy conditions comes within metres of West Kalimantan rehabilitation centre

Orangutans rescued from wildlife traffickers face a new threat from the record number of fires that have broken out in Indonesia in recent weeks.

Flames have come within metres of an animal rehabilitation centre in West Kalimantan as hot, dry and windy conditions have been amplified by a powerful El Niño and the human-driven climate crisis.

‘Tiktok wouldn’t open at all’: Taiwan simulates an internet blackout, with an eye on China threat

Taiwan practised cutting off internet for the first time amid concerns about the safety of the undersea cables that form its ‘digital lifeline’

In Taipei, the streets swiftly empty as air raid sirens ring out and alerts ping on mobile phones. Police officers usher any stragglers into shelters, leaving the capital suddenly deserted.

In cities across Taiwan, these kinds of drills are a fact of life every year, amid the growing threat posed by China across the strait, but this time there is something different.

Luigi Mangione in talks about possible guilty plea with court date Friday, sources say

Luigi Mangione, accused in the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is in discussions about a possible plea deal on federal charges, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

Feds probe 'mention markets' amid White House Kalshi controversy

Betting on what people say is becoming an increasingly popular category of prediction market sites. Now, federal officials have opened a probe examining whether those markets are a magnet for manipulators.

My friend’s negative self-talk is straining our relationship. What can I do? | Leading questions

Self-doubt doesn’t respond to evidence, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Rather than disputing it, perhaps you could engage in a different way

• Read more Leading questions

A close friend of mine is suffering with crippling self-doubt and it’s starting to take a strain on our relationship. We’ve been friends for eight years. She is such a bright, bubbly and charismatic person who has an infectious ability to make people laugh and feel welcome; but she also has a really low opinion of herself and, as her friend, I am the one who always gets the brunt of her negative self-talk. After every social event she will message me to ask if I think she has annoyed someone, or that she spoke too much, or that she embarrassed herself. In private conversations she is constantly putting herself down, calling herself fat, apologising for nothing and generally claiming she’s not good enough.

I love her and constantly reassure her that her thoughts have no grounding but, after years of this, I am tired. I’m starting to enjoy our time together less and less, as I never know what mood she will be in or what she will say about herself. I would hate to hear anyone else speak about her in the way she does. I especially hate it when she says these things about herself.

Floodwaters submerge Midwest neighborhoods bracing for more severe storms

Muddy floodwaters seeped into the homes of Indiana and Ohio residents this week, as severe storms struck the Midwest. Now, some areas are bracing for even more rain.

Romania shuts its last nuclear reactor as drought-hit Danube river drops to record low

Cernavoda shutdown poses immediate problems for Moldova, which relies on Romanian power ​to cover its own electricity shortages

Romania has been forced to shut down the last working ⁠reactor at its only nuclear plant after drought caused the Danube river to fall to record lows – a rare move that will immediately affect power supplies in neighbouring Moldova.

Drought and record-low water levels have deepened fears of an energy crisis across Europe, which is facing a new summer heatwave.

3 executions carried out in a single day, first time since 2010

Tennessee and Oklahoma executed inmates within 30 minutes of each other on Thursday, followed by Alabama later in the day.

Evidence of bird strike after man nearly sucked out of plane window, NTSB says

A bird strike may have been the cause of an incident in which a passenger was nearly sucked out of a broken window aboard a Ryanair flight in Europe last month, the NTSB found.

Flock CEO responds to abuses of its surveillance technology

The CEO of Flock Safety apologized for alleged abuses of its service by law enforcement officers as the company rolled out new changes to how it operates.

‘So much more respect for myself’: NZ ultrarunner Sophie Woods on smashing a 2,000km alpine run record

Sophie Woods speaks about the challenges she overcame while completing the notorious Via Alpina across eight European countries

A couple of weeks into her record-breaking 2,000km run through Europe’s alps, Sophie Woods feared she might die. Woods and her photographer had just scaled a peak in Switzerland, when a severe thunderstorm engulfed them.

“The lightning was going off around us ... there was nowhere to shelter in place [and] all the rocks around us were conductive,” Woods tells the Guardian, from her home in Andorra, nearly two weeks after she became the fastest person ever to run the Via Alpina, a rollercoaster network of alpine trails through eight countries.

Years ago, she received a liver from an organ donor, now she's engaged to the donor's brother

23 years ago, Noah Waters' older brother Michael died in an accident, but that tragedy is also what saved the life of Brooklyn Dotson. When she was 18 months old, she received a liver transplant, and the two families stayed connected. Now, Noah and Brooklyn are engaged. Tony Dokoupil has the story.

Some schools go back to the basics, limiting screens in the classroom

Amid a wider backlash against screen time, a growing number of states have moved to limit or at least reevaluate their reliance on in-school technology. Nicole Valdes has more on a Tennessee school trying to cut back on screen reliance.

Sailor went overboard USS Abraham Lincoln earlier this month raising mental health concerns

A sailor went overboard off the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier earlier this month, but was quickly rescued. Sources say the incident is under investigation as family members fear that its long deployment is worsening mental health issues. Charlie D'Agata reports.

Kennedy Center board votes to restore Trump's name on building

The Kennedy Center's board of trustees voted to add President Trump's name to the facade of the performing arts center, more than two months after a judge ordered its removal, according to a Democrat who sits on the center's board.

Mostly-Trump-appointed board votes to restore his name on the Kennedy Center

President Trump's name may once again appear on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It came down this summer after a federal judge said only Congress could order a name change, but the president's allies apparently have a new plan. Ed O'Keefe reports.

Lindsay Clancy's private texts, internet searches, notes read aloud in court

Lindsay Clancy appeared more composed in court on Thursday as the jury heard about her internet searches and private text messages. Shanelle Kaul has more details.

NTSB reveals why a Ryanair window may have smashed open mid-flight

Last month, a Ryanair window smashed open mid-flight, causing a passenger's head to be pulled through the opening before other passengers yanked him back in. Kris Van Cleave has new details about why this happened.

Luigi Mangione may be preparing to take plea deal, sources say

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, may be preparing to accept a plea agreement, avoiding a federal trial and possibly life in prison, sources say. Tom Hanson reports.

Dozens need rescuing in Indiana as streets turn to rivers amid flooding emergency

Another round of dangerous storms brought heavy rain over part of the U.S., already beyond its limits. The Midwest was hit again with the worst of it, with the brunt falling on Indiana on Thursday. Ian Lee reports and Lonnie Quinn has the forecast.

CPS director apologises for failings in case of rapist-murderer Simon Levy

Stephen Parkinson says court should have been told that sex offender was being investigated for even more serious offences

The director of the Crown Prosecution Service has apologised and vowed to increase staff numbers after conceding that the court deciding whether to release Simon Levy on bail should have known the serial sex offender was being investigated for rape and murder.

Levy, 40, was this week given a rare whole-life sentence for the murders of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins, and the rape of another woman.

Reddit stock jumps on inclusion in S&P 500

Reddit shares jumped on the company's inclusion in the S&P 500.

Premier League 2026-27 preview No 9: Everton

Modest but sensible-looking recruitment befits the club’s new air of stability but a continuation of their spring slump could test David Moyes’s appetite for the fight

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 13th

Tupac Shakur: jury selected in trial of ex-gang boss accused of ordering killing

Duane Davis was charged with murder, and described as the ‘shot caller’ who orchestrated rapper’s killing in 1996

A jury of six men and 10 women was selected Thursday to hear the case against an ex-gang leader accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s killing nearly 30 years ago in one of hip-hop’s most pivotal moments.

Opening statements at the murder trial in Las Vegas are expected to begin on Monday.

8/13: CBS Evening News

Over 36 million under threat of severe storms; Possible plea deal in Luigi Mangione trial.

AI is driving up consumer prices. That won't stop anytime soon.

Surging AI investment is pushing up the cost of smartphones and other gadgets, according to analysts. Here's why.

Jury selected for Tupac Shakur murder trial, opening statements expected Monday

A jury of six men and 10 women was selected to hear the case against an ex-gang leader accused of orchestrating Tupac Shakur's killing​ nearly 30 years ago.

Hit hard by the earthquake in western Colombia, the mayor of Cali gets to work

Search efforts continue though hopes are fading as teams dig for survivors from the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 250 people.

Massachusetts teen accused of killing mother and brother used ChatGPT

District attorney says Arjun Aravind, 17, used internet and AI to search for fantasy stories regarding killing of his family

A Massachusetts teenager accused of killing his mother and younger brother is being held without bail as authorities investigate a double-murder case that prosecutors say is connected to his use of ChatGPT.

Arjun Aravind, 17, appeared Thursday morning for his arraignment in Concord district court, where a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf to murder and several additional charges.

Mamdani's NYC pied-à-terre tax can continue rollout during court appeal

The tax championed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump, who said it must be stopped and vowed to explore federal options.

Apple's Tim Cook joined by Howard Lutnick in opening Houston manufacturing plant

As Tim Cook gets set to step down as Apple CEO, he's offering a glimpse into what he may be doing as chairman.

Quicksilver Amy Hunt flies to glorious golden double with 200m triumph

• Hunt had won 100m already; Asher-Smith wins bronze

• Mark English wins 800m for Ireland’s first men’s gold

Amid the adrenalised delirium of her second European title in three days, Amy Hunt walked to the nearest TV camera, held up her hands and, in homage to Russell Crowe’s character in Gladiator screamed: “Are you not entertained?”

It quickly transpired that the 24-year-old Cambridge graduate had been quite the warrior off the track too. Because, as she revealed after collecting a 200m gold medal to go alongside Monday’s 100m title, she has been nearly fainting this year when running over the longer distance.

UConn women's coach Geno Auriemma says WNBA should shift focus away from transgender debate

Geno Auriemma said the WNBA should steer attention away from the transgender athlete debate and focus more on basketball.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (Aug. 16)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

Kennedy Center board votes to put Trump name on facade despite court order

President Donald Trump's name was removed from the Washington, D.C., performing arts center in June as the result of a lawsuit by an Ohio congresswoman.

8/13: The Takeout with Major Garrett

Concerns rise about conditions on USS Lincoln; U.S. and Iran both claim control of Strait of Hormuz.

Cisco shares slide 8% despite earnings beat and stronger-than-expected guidance

Cisco is showing booming demand for AI infrastructure, but its results weren't good enough to satisfy investors.

Pete Hegseth dismisses reports of deteriorating conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln

Defense secretary said conditions on aircraft carrier deployed in support of Iran war have been ‘completely misrepresented’

The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, insisted a wave of reports describing deteriorating conditions and mental health struggles onboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln “completely misrepresented” the situation, pushing back against growing congressional pressure over the ship’s record-breaking, nearly nine-month deployment.

“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth told reporters during a visit to Panama, adding that “some deployments are longer than others” and praising sailors enduring “high seas” and “austere conditions with less port calls”.

Trade court upholds Trump's closure of 'de minimis' loophole

President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post celebrated the continued closure of the deminimis exemption as a "BIG WIN."

Russian plot to kill Ukrainian American thwarted in Warsaw, says Polish PM

Donald Tusk says it is first time ‘someone on the order of Russia’ has sought to attack US citizen in Nato country

A Russian plan to kill a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland before it could be carried out, the Polish prime minister has said.

Donald Tusk said it was the first time that “someone on the order of Russia” had sought to attack a US citizen on the territory of another Nato country.

Record-breaking heat takes mounting toll on the U.S. economy

Heat waves are dealing a financial blow to businesses and creating hazardous conditions for workers, according to climate experts.

Donald Trump empowers US private companies to conduct cyber-attacks

President signed memorandum giving private sector a role in fighting ‘transnational criminal organizations’

Donald Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that aims to give private companies the power to carry out offensive cyber-attacks against foreign criminal entities.

The president ⁠signed a ​national security presidential memorandum directing his administration to “leverage the capability and innovation of the private sector to help conduct these ⁠cyber operations under the direction, control and authority of the US government”, the White House said.

Baby in surrogate dispute now in custody of parents, lawyer says

The baby at the center of a surrogacy dispute was born in Texas Wednesday and has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare heart defect.

Kennedy Center Board votes again to shut main building down — and add Trump's name back

The board voted to close the Washington, D.C., arts complex's main campus for a $250 million renovation — three months after a federal judge temporarily blocked a similar closure.

Israeli troops force families from homes amid settler terror campaign in West Bank

Former PM of Israel calls events ‘concerted and meticulous attempt at ethnic cleansing’ against Palestinians

Israeli troops have forced two Palestinian families to leave their besieged West Bank homes, the day after a top Israeli commander personally promised he would end a violent settler campaign to drive them out.

Israeli soldiers also took over eight other homes in Qusra early on Thursday, telling the village’s mayor, Abdul Azim Wadi, that the buildings were needed for a days-long operation to remove the settlers. They later relinquished six. Settlers still roam the village.

What is the MMR vaccine and how does Trump’s executive order affect parents and children?

President’s order calls for several changes to childhood vaccinations – and experts say it’ll lead to confusion

On Monday, Donald Trump signed an executive order pushing for revisions to how children in the US are vaccinated.

The executive order calls for several changes. These include fewer vaccinations overall and a recommendation that the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine be replaced with separate shots for each disease administered during separate medical visits. The latter direction is currently impossible to implement because no stand-alone shots for these diseases are licensed in the US.

Can taking weight-loss drugs help you get hired? Yes, if you're a woman.

Going on GLP-1 drugs significantly boosted unemployed women's chances of finding a job, according to a Harvard economist.

Surrogate gives birth to baby at center of multistate legal battle

Surrogate McKenna West declined to get an abortion requested by the intended parents after the baby she was carrying was diagnosed with a severe but treatable heart defect.

The Guardian view on solar eclipses: moments of wonder that bring us together | Editorial

Wednesday’s eerie spectacle united crowds beneath the sky, continuing a human fascination that stretches from ancient myth to modern physics

“I’d describe it as a magical eeriness.” Lisa Redfern’s description to the Guardian conveys the combination of beauty and wrongness that accompanied Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse in Britain. Crowds across the country assembled as the sun’s power seemed to wane, twilight changed tone abruptly, the temperature fell and the familiar landscape took on an unnatural appearance. In a divided world, there is comfort in coming together in awe. Ms Redfern, speaking from Cornwall, was right that Britons “may not see another one. We have to make the most of these moments.” The country has to wait 55 years for another comparably deep partial eclipse.

To experience the true marvel of the eclipse, one had to be in the path of totality – which this week crossed over Greenland, Iceland and Spain. There the sun was completely obscured. Britain saw a partial version, with the moon covering part of the sun, with only a thin yellow crescent showing. Totality is another world of wonder: for a few minutes a black disc appears where the sun should be, surrounded by a fiery corona in a purplish firmament. It is 64 years before a total eclipse of the sun will be seen over Britain.

Mangione could plead guilty in federal case ahead of N.Y. murder trial

A surprise hearing this Friday in federal court has added to speculation that Luigi Mangione could enter a plea, which could derail a state murder trial.

Cerebras stock plunges 14% after second earnings report following IPO

Cerebras Systems reported better-than-expected second-quarter revenue and raised its full-year guidance.

Democrats demand Trump reveal stock managers, explain suspicious trades

Warren and Garcia said they sought answers from Trump to inform their work on potential legislation to ban presidents from owning individual stocks.

Fake sex worker and accomplice jailed for fatally spiking men’s drinks

Adina Mihai and Madalin Dumitru from Essex jailed for 17 years for drugging four men to steal from them, two of whom died

A woman who posed as a sex worker and administered a deadly amount of sedative to two men has been jailed for 17 years, along with her accomplice.

Adina Mihai, 31, and her partner Madalin Dumitru, 30, who arranged for her to meet men at their homes, drugged their victims to steal from them.

Nicola Jennings on Nigel Farage, Count Binface and the Clacton byelection – cartoon

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Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in federal stalking case related to health insurance CEO killing: Report

Luigi Mangione is separately charged in New York state court with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.

The Jason Arday affair must not spell the end for diversity. Here’s how – and why – we should defend it | Joseph Harker

The scandal has given succour to the same old rightwing attacks on D&I, but companies that do it properly raise standards rather than lowering them

This has not been a good fortnight for the concept of diversity and inclusion. The fallout from the Jason Arday affair has been an all-out attack, by the rightwing media and political classes, on institutional efforts to reduce inequality.

Arday was the Black academic who, in a fanfare of publicity, had been appointed a professor at Cambridge University in 2023. At the time, British institutions were still struggling to address the widespread issues of systemic racism thrown up by the murder of George Floyd three years earlier.

Joseph Harker is the Guardian’s senior editor, diversity and development

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.

Tesla paid Elon Musk 2.5m times more as CEO than its average worker in 2025

Tech billionaire’s $158.3bn deal an outlier in report showing widening gap of CEO to worker pay at top companies

Elon Musk received over 2.5m times as much compensation at Tesla as the company’s average worker, according to a new report on the growing gap between top corporate executives and their workers.

Musk’s $158.3bn pay deal was an outlier but came as the gap between CEO and worker pay continued to grow. Excluding Musk, last year the average ratio of CEO to worker pay for the top S&P 500 companies was 312 to 1, up from a 285:1 ratio in 2024. With Musk, the average pay ratio was 5,387:1, according to the executive pay watch report released this week by the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of labor unions in the US.

DOJ leaves in place ruling that deregulates silencers, shotguns

A Texas judge earlier this month issued a ruling that deregulated silencers, shotguns and certain rifles.

Trump-linked oil venture delays Greenland drilling plans after government warning

Greenland Energy Co. and joint venture partner 80 Mile have delayed planned oil drilling in Greenland until winter 2027.

Ukrainian cathedrals, Gaza’s archives, Iranian squares – modern war is systematically erasing human history | Simon Jenkins

It is not enough now for war to kill, it must eradicate a people’s cherished and precious heritage too

Wars may not take summer holidays, but they do sometimes see exhaustion. As drones race back and forth across Ukraine and the strait of Hormuz, a grim stalemate seems to have invaded the earth beneath. Aerial bombardment knows limited resistance and even less victory or defeat. Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Iran and their allies seem able to defy diplomacy and drop bombs on each other for ever.

At which point the outside world can merely count some of the costs. Vladimir Putin’s known desire to eliminate Ukraine’s historical identity has led to its cultural devastation. Two weeks ago Unesco reported the destruction or dereliction of 545 of its historic buildings, including 156 religious sites and 43 museums. The attempted eradication of what Putin himself claims to be an intrinsic part of Russia’s own history is sickening.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

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.

DRC’s fast-growing Ebola outbreak spreads to sixth province

Man dies in Bas-Uele after travelling from Haut-Uele, as head of WHO says outbreak on track to be deadliest ever

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to a sixth province, officials have said, a day after the head of the World Health Organization said the outbreak was on track to surpass the deadliest in history, which killed at least 11,000 people more than a decade ago.

The current outbreak has killed more than 2,100 people out of more than 4,500 cases, according to the latest government figures released on Tuesday. At the same point in the 2014-16 outbreak in west Africa, the previous most deadly outbreak, 755 cases had been recorded, according to WHO data.

Reese's Halloween pumpkins hit shelves unchanged after lawsuit victory

Hershey said the Halloween-shaped candy, which had sparked a lawsuit over the product's lack of detail, will return in its familiar oval shape.