Ever thought your football team might be under a curse like Ted Lasso’s? Here’s how to lift it | Helen Pilcher

From Mayo to Birmingham City, sports lore is rife with powerful hexes. There’s nothing mystical about the dread and self-doubt they can induce

As the new season of Ted Lasso started, I was reminded of one of the show’s stranger storylines. When Dani “Football is life!” Rojas gets injured, his teammates blame the incident on a curse said to haunt the treatment room.

Absurd? Perhaps. But sports curses aren’t just fictional plot devices. Football is fertile ground for stories of mysterious forces, blamed for everything from missed penalties to decades of failure.

Helen Pilcher is a science writer and author of Life Changing: How Humans Are Altering Life on Earth and This Book May Cause Side Effects

Russian family denied asylum in Finland fear reprisals for pro-Ukraine activism

Nikita and Olga Belov say they will be persecuted on return to Moscow but are yet to convince Finnish authorities

A Russian family faces deportation from Finland after repeatedly being denied asylum – despite the threat of arrest, imprisonment and potential torture for their pro-Ukrainian activism.

Nikita and Olga Belov fled their homeland in 2022 after attracting the attention of Russian authorities – including military summons, threatening messages and attempts to locate them – after expressing opposition to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Costa Rican diplomat emerges as strong contender to be first female head of UN

Rebeca Grynspan seen as continuity candidate with tacit support from current secretary general, António Guterres

A Costa Rican diplomat and former vice-president whose parents were refugees from the Holocaust has become the surprise frontrunner to lead the United Nations as its first female secretary general.

Rebeca Grynspan, whose parents emigrated to Central America from Poland – and whose maternal grandparents were killed by the Nazis – is the current head of the UN conference on trade and development (UNCTAD), a body that has exhaustively tallied the economic damage inflicted by Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Woman learns man who attacked her killed a young mother years later

When C.C. Opanowski of Hudson Falls, New York, was a teenager, she survived a terrifying attack at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, Shawn Doyle. Years later, he would kill Lori Leonard, a mother of two young sons in Chittenango, New York.

‘These are human fires, not wildfires’: Dunwich reflects on the devastation

As residents, nature wardens and experts consider the damage to the heathland and how to restore it, the climate crisis is foremost in their minds

A local community pulling together, emergency services saving homes and caravan parks from catastrophe, and farmers and nature reserve wardens working to rapidly create fire breaks to halt a marauding fireball 40 metres high – there was plenty to praise the week after a swathe of east Suffolk burned.

But local people were also in tears at the blackened, ruined state of more than 112 hectares (277 acres) of Dunwich Heath, mourning the devastation of a much-loved nature reserve alongside neighbouring Minsmere. The rare birds that inhabit the reserve have lost crucial habitat, while the rare invertebrate species there will have been “decimated”, according to the reserve staff.

Survivor's testimony key in helping convict ex-boyfriend of murder

C.C. Opanowski says it's still difficult to process the fact that a person she once loved was convicted of murder. She hopes that others can learn from her story.

Plastics contamination an ‘overlooked’ concern in food waste schemes, experts say

Researchers find microplastics can persist in compost, leaching into agricultural soils

Plastic contamination should be a central concern in efforts to deal with food waste, which campaigners call one of the most overlooked problems of the climate crisis, researchers have said.

This is despite the fact that, as the chef, author and activist Max La Manna puts it, food waste management is “one of the few climate problems where everyone wins”.

‘Voters are fed up’: Michigan primary forces Democratic party to accept leftwing shift

With Abdul El-Sayed’s win, the party’s leftwing insurgency had breached the walls of a midwestern swing state, forcing a reckoning about Democrats’ direction and leadership

Standing before The Spirit of Detroit, a landmark bronze statue in the city’s downtown, in the early hours of a Wednesday morning, Abdul El-Sayed channelled boxing great Muhammad Ali. “We shook up the world,” he declared.

The 41-year-old former public health official had just delivered a knockout blow to the Democratic establishment, defeating the US congresswoman Haley Stevens to claim the party’s nomination for the Senate in swing state Michigan.

The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls review – in a world of toxic masculinity, this feels radical at points

As the survivalist takes the cast of the Christian drama out in the wild to discuss faith, it’s surprisingly moving to find two very confident men so comfortable in their gentleness

Judas Iscariot is so nice! That’s a surprise. Just goes to show – you betray ONE messiah, the scroll-media gets to work and people forget everything else.

I’m joshing, of course. I’m having a little religious joke because The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls has put me in such a good mood. The Judas Iscariot in question is actually Luke Dimyan, the actor who plays him in The Chosen: the multi-season series about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The Chosen is a venture by evangelical Christian film-maker Dallas Jenkins that began as a crowdfunded project in 2017 and is now watched by an estimated 280 million people worldwide. Bear Grylls is a fan and a Christian – what could be more natural than him taking members of the cast for survivalist adventures in the Utah desert, to talk to them about faith in between ziplining across chasms, filtering water through socks and rappelling down cliffs?

Blame game as Brussels builds ‘Europe’s largest frying pan’ instead of shady square

Architect’s vision for redevelopment of heart of EU quarter unrealised amid political wrangling and rising costs

The redevelopment plan for Schuman Square at the heart of the EU quarter in Brussels was very ambitious. From a traffic-clogged, nondescript roundabout, it would become “an urban agora”, a greener, calmer meeting place, nothing less, said a former head of the Brussels government, than “a symbol that beats as the heart … of the European project”.

It did not turn out that way. The result, say critics, is Europe’s largest frying pan, a concrete expanse with little greenery or shade. While the number cars has reduced and the space is remodelled with smart grey paving, the centrepiece – a steel canopy with a green roof – was never built.

Cockroach protests: parents of Indian students who took their own lives reveal pressure of leaked exam papers and resits

The number of student suicides in the country has risen steeply in the past 10 years and many families blame education system mismanagement as a contributing factor

When the Indian government announced the resignation of its education minister in late July after weeks of protest, there were widespread celebrations. Students from across the country had joined the mass demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janta party amid growing resentment over repeated examination cancellations and question paper leaks.

The pressure of exams in the country has only increased in recent years. The number of student suicides rose from 8,068 in 2014, to 14,488 in 2024 – an increase of roughly 80% – according to the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India report released by the country’s National Crime Records Bureau. After family problems, failure in examinations has been listed as the leading cause of suicides among students.

Some meat products with jalapeños may be linked to salmonella outbreak, USDA says

Federal officials issued a public health alert for meat products containing jalapeños that may be linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people across at least 27 states.

Winning Powerball numbers drawn for $863 million jackpot, the largest of the year

The total is also the eighth-largest Powerball jackpot in the game's history.

Family of murdered photographer wonders if his killer acted alone

Joe Shymanski, a, well-known Washington D.C. photographer, was murdered and dismembered in 2023. His ex-wife's former boyfriend, Brandon Holbrook, was convicted in the case. Shymanski's family still wonders if anyone else was involved.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (Aug. 9)

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

Pilots of helicopter that crashed while fighting Utah wildfire confirmed dead, officials say

Officials did not identify the pilots but said they were employed by Helicopter Transport Services, which was contracted by US Forest Service

Two helicopter pilots who crashed while they were fighting a wildfire in Utah have died, officials confirmed Saturday. The pilots were killed when their Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter went down Friday morning, according to the Sevier County Sheriff.

The helicopter was among those fighting a fire in the Fishlake National Forest. The crash ignited a new fire that spread to connect with the existing blaze, which has now scorched nearly 174 square miles (nearly 451skm).

Thailand school shooting toll rises to nine after 12-year-old dies, police say

Teenage girl treated in hospital after Friday’s school shooting has died, police say

The death toll from a school shooting in Thailand rose to nine on Saturday, after police said a 12-year-old girl caught up in Friday’s incident had died.

Police at the Plai Bang Police Station in Nonthaburi Province said the girl, who had been treated at hospital with critical wounds, had died, a day after a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot his grandparents and then killed more people at his school before turning the gun on ⁠himself.

Les Kiss and his Wallabies have a mountain to climb but gritty win over Japan is a big first step | Angus Fontaine

Australia got ambushed early and were a hot mess at times. But Kiss showed patience and nous as he found a way to win

When scaling a mountain, “don’t look at the peak”, advised the Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa. “Keep your eyes on the ground, put one foot in front of the other and climb patiently.” The Wallabies have to get from a current base camp of No 8 in the rankings to win next year’s World Cup. But they put one foot toward that peak on Saturday night by beating Japan.

In his first Test as new Wallabies coach and World Cup saviour, Les Kiss stepped up. Despite only two weeks with the team, he showed enough coaching nous to outlast his rivals on their home range. The Wallabies started slow, lost a man to a red card and played like a hot mess at times. But they kept climbing and found a way to win.

Haitian pregnant woman in Florida fears deportation as TPS ends

A 29-year-old expectant mother is in hiding, concerned that she will be deported at any moment after the Trump administration ended the Temporary Protected Status program for hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants.

Hunter Biden says his father's cancer has spread

In a wide-ranging interview with the CBS News partner BBC News, Hunter Biden grew emotional as he discussed his father's condition, describing it as very sad to watch.

California community comes together to give 3-year-old boy a birthday surprise

When the mother of a 3-year-old boy with a rare disorder put out a request on Facebook to give her son an unforgettable birthday surprise, hundreds of people responded. Itay Hod has the heartwarming story.

Pregnant woman in hiding as White House ends deportation protections for Haitian migrants

In Florida, a 29-year-old expectant mother is in hiding, concerned that she will be deported at any moment after the White House this week ended the Temporary Protected Status program for more than 300,000 Haitian nationals. Cristian Benavides has details.

Solar eclipse to occur next week. Here is what to know

It will be visible in parts of the U.S. on Wednesday.

Beloved California bald eagle Jackie battles for survival

Jackie, the beloved bald eagle from Big Bear Lake in Southern California who became an internet sensation, is fighting for her life at a specialized rehabilitation center after she was injured in a fight with two younger eagles. Ali Bauman has the latest on her condition.

Trump to appeal White House ballroom ruling to Supreme Court

After a federal appeals court halted construction of the White House ballroom on Friday, President Trump said he would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Taurean Small has more.

Spokane reeling after wildfires destroy hundreds of homes

More than 1,500 firefighters were still in the Spokane area, as hot and dry conditions have returned to an area still reeling from the horrifying effects of wildfires that began a week ago and destroyed hundreds of homes. A suspect was arrested on arson charges in one of the blazes. Carter Evans has the latest.

Verizon mobile service restored after outage for thousands of customers in the U.S.

Customers still having trouble with their service should restart their devices, the wireless carrier said. Verizon did not provide ⁠a reason for ⁠the outage.

Breakfast of champions: Australia’s best porridge makers cause a stir at inaugural national competition

On Saturday, a sold-out crowd cheered on as 15 contestants battled it out to claim the championship spurtle – with a pinch of Celtic salt the deciding factor

Oatmeal sloshes out of pots and into stovetop flames as contestants frantically fumble with their finishing touches. The timer is ticking down but spectators clap and cheer, their whoops ringing through the rafters of Pearl Beach memorial community hall before a voice cuts through the chaos: “please make way for the porridge carriers”.

The five cooks step back, glance at each other’s mess, and hope they’ve done enough.

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‘Explosive’ wildfire forces 20,000 people to flee as British Columbia declares state of emergency

Fast-moving fire displaces people in western Canada, burning homes as it races through towns on Okanagan Lake

British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a fast-moving wildfire destroyed homes, trapped residents and forced more than 20,000 people to flee communities along Okanagan Lake in western Canada.

The premier, David Eby, announced the emergency as more than 100 wildfires burned across the province, nearly half of them out of control in hot, windy weather and prolonged drought.

8/8: CBS Weekend News

Negotiations continue between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz; President Trump says he will appeal the latest White House ballroom ruling.

Fifa launches new attack on media over alleged ‘concerted effort’ to undermine Gianni Infantino

• Fifa issues statement defending under-fire president

• ‘Insinuation should not be presented as fact’

Fifa has issued a new statement alleging there is a “concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine Fifa and its president” as pressure increases on Gianni Infantino.

The governing body issued the statement in response to Uefa confirming on Saturday that a “departure payment” was made to a female employee who is alleged to have been in a relationship with Infantino while he was the organisation’s general secretary – allegations Fifa dismissed as “categorically untrue”.

Sky’s DiJonai Carrington posts ‘white privilege’ after ejection for hard foul on Sophie Cunningham

• Carrington tossed for Flagrant 2 on Cunningham

• Chicago player tags Fever in social media post

• Clark’s eighth technical triggers one-game ban

DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky was ejected Saturday after being called for a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever. Minutes later, Carrington posted on social media the words “WHITE PRIVILEGE” and tagged the Fever.

Cunningham, who is white, was shooting a fast-break layup in the first quarter when Carrington, who is Black, came from behind and hit her in the head and neck, knocking her to the court as the shot went in.

Tanker sailors still face danger in the Strait of Hormuz

An agreement over the Strait of Hormuz is still far away. Tim Wilkins, who works for a tanker industry group, says the ships stuck around the waterway are in limbo, and transiting is still dangerous.

Iran issues tough demands to reopen strait of Hormuz as deal still out of reach

Tehran urges US to ‘correct its behaviour’ as UAE says one of its ships targeted by Iranian missile

Iran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday.

Iran’s politburo-like body known as the supreme national security council said the strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States “corrects its behaviour”, and its state broadcaster published a statement from the council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Navy says it is spending 25% more time monitoring Russian vessels around UK waters

Warning of increased activity as patrols spent 21 days in July shadowing Moscow’s ships in Dover Strait and North Sea

The Royal Navy has warned of increasing Russian activity around the UK’s waters after it spent 21 days in July monitoring Moscow’s ships.

Naval operations to monitor Russian vessels increased by 25% last month compared with the previous year, with warships making repeated voyages through the strait of Dover and the North Sea.

The moment I knew: As I packed, our future looked uncertain – then he gave me his fluffy pyjamas

Stephanie Casey was an exchange student in Ireland when she met Jack. They quickly became close but as the year drew to a close, her departure loomed

• Find more stories from the moment I knew series

In 2016 I was an Australian student on exchange in Dublin, plotting to fall in love at Trinity College before Normal People made it cool. My housemates had swiped on Jack’s Tinder profile on my behalf, and we met in October for the first time under the Spire on O’Connell Street.

Jack couldn’t quite believe I had actually shown up; I was just glad he wasn’t the other lad standing there with the Peaky Blinders haircut and matching tracksuit. We went to a bookshop cafe, where Jack spilled his tea due to nerves and I waxed lyrical about the importance of compulsory voting due to mine. It was sweet, genuine, interesting conversation. When we parted ways, we both did the classic over-the-shoulder, cow-eyed glance back. Jack kept his cool; I panicked and walked straight into a line of kindergarteners on an excursion in the city.

Video shows Alabama deputies wrangling a 1,500-pound runaway bull

The Pickens County Sheriff's Office said that​ after "a few slips and falls," the bull was back in custody without any injury.

‘Super El Niño’ could bring wet winter and flooding to western US, climate scientists warn

Weather system tied to warming sea surface expected to intensify in fall and winter, persisting until early spring 2027

El Niño, a recurring climate phenomenon marked by above-average sea surface temperatures, when changes in wind patterns allow warmer water to spread across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific, could spell a wet winter for portions of the western and south-eastern US, climate models show. Coastal areas may be at elevated risk of flooding, experts warn.

Climate scientists predict this year’s “super” El Niño, a label assigned when sea surface temperatures climb by at least 2C, will be the strongest of the century. The weather system is expected to intensify in the fall and winter, persisting until early spring 2027, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).

Versatile Bruno Guimarães gives Mikel Arteta options to shuffle midfield pack | Ed Aarons

While able to play deeper, the onus will also be on Arsenal’s £75m signing to provide creativity in an attack that has struggled to break down the low block

• Data shows deal could be another set-piece masterstroke

If there was one of his many assets Newcastle supporters grew to love above all about Bruno Guimarães then it was best summed up by the man himself after being unveiled as Arsenal’s new £75m signing. “That’s a tough one,” said the Brazil midfielder when asked what fans in north London can expect from him. “I would say I can pass the ball, run a lot and play like a warrior. I’ll never give up.”

After more than four years on Tyneside and having seen Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali precede Eddie Howe’s departure, Guimarães – who was devastated after missing a penalty for the Seleção in their defeat against Norway in the last 16 of the World Cup – was determined to seize his opportunity.

NFL legend Roger Craig reveals he has vascular dementia during Hall of Fame speech

The former San Francisco 49ers star running back spoke in a prerecorded video message while he sat on stage wearing his gold jacket at Tom Benson Stadium on Saturday.

Inside the destructive wildfires tearing through Washington

The wildfires in Washington state have charred entire neighborhoods around Spokane. Videos showed flames and smoke filling the sky as firefighters work to contain the blazes amid concerns about worsening weather.

Ukraine mourns 'collector of souls' Oleksiy Yukov, killed recovering war dead

Oleksiy Yukov spent two decades recovering the bodies of soldiers — including many Russians. He was killed during a recovery mission after stepping on a landmine.

Iran sets conditions for opening Strait of Hormuz after UAE says one of its ships was targeted by airstrike

Iran's military stressed that the crucial waterway would only be reopened when the U.S. accepts Iran's conditions.

Hunter Biden says Joe Biden’s cancer has spread further and is ‘very painful’

"The cancer has spread, is metastasized into his bones and further. It's very painful. It's very debilitating in many respects," Hunter Biden said.

Tour de France Femmes: Vollering’s late escape for yellow leaves Niewiadoma fuming

• Victory on penultimate stage secures eight-second lead

• Previous leader claims she was blocked by rival’s team

Demi Vollering took the overall lead from Kasia Niewiadoma in the Tour de France Femmes with a vicious attack in the hills behind Nice to lead the race by eight seconds from the 2024 winner, with just one stage remaining.

“It’s very special to be back in yellow,” Vollering, leader of French team FDJ United-Suez said. “Tomorrow I start in yellow and I will do everything in my power to keep it. So much can happen – it’s still a big fight.”

OpenAI to pause some work on AI model Astra due to security concerns

Agent found to be able to find and exploit vulnerabilities without human intervention, and to carry out cyber-attacks

OpenAI will pause some work on an artificial intelligence model because of security concerns, the company stated on Friday, following a series of incidents in which AI agents have escaped containment.

The company had evaluated the agent, Astra, and found “significant advancements in agentic coding and cybersecurity”, which had moved to a “critical” threshold where it can find and exploit vulnerabilities without human intervention, or devise and execute cyber-attacks when given only a “high level desired goal”.

Senate confirms Todd Blanche, Trump's ex-defense lawyer, as attorney general

In a narrow 50-49 vote, President Trump's former defense lawyer was confirmed as attorney general in a vote early Saturday.

One of UK’s best fossil collections sold overseas in ‘loss to the nation’

Exclusive: Lack of funds left British museums unable pay eight-figure sum for collection, which went to Abu Dhabi institution

One of the most important collections of UK Jurassic fossils ever compiled has been sold to a museum in Abu Dhabi, the Guardian can reveal, in what British experts have described as a loss for the nation.

The collection, which was amassed by a private fossil collector, consisted of 318 specimens, including ichthyosaurs, fish and crustaceans among other creatures, some of which could be new species.

Puerto Rico's mismanaged, broken infrastructure worsens drought impact

Puerto Rico has entered a period of water rationing as existing infrastructure issues worsen the impact of an ongoing drought. While government officials focus on the lack of rain, residents point to government mismanagement and underfunded, aging infrastructure as the source of many ongoing issues, from water shortages to years of rolling blackouts. Lilia Luciano has more context.

Inside the startup drone maker powering Ukraine's deep-strike campaign

Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh says Ukraine has "learned the hard way" that military leverage is integral to to bringing diplomacy within reach.

Harrowing police footage shows gunman's deadly rampage at Idaho In-N-Out Burger

Three people were killed during a shooting that began at an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho. The gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. Investigators have now released security footage as they probe the motive for the shooting.

Jorge Messi, father and agent of Argentina great, dies aged 68

• Messi family report death at medical clinic in Rosario

• Inter Miami are due to play Monterrey on Saturday night

Lionel Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, has died aged 68 at a medical clinic in the ⁠Argentinian city of ⁠Rosario after ​a long illness, the family have announced. Jorge Messi spent his final months ⁠alternating between a medical centre in Rosario and his home, accompanied by his wife, Celia, and his ⁠children Rodrigo, Matías and María Sol.

Lionel Messi ​spent time with his ‌father after the World ‌Cup before rejoining his club, Inter Miami, for whom he ‌returned to action a week ago. Inter Miami are due to play Monterrey on Saturday at home in the 2026 Leagues Cup, but the MLS club have yet to announce whether he will feature.

K-pop's global wave inspires Chile's next pop stars

K-pop conquered the world — now Chile's young creatives are remixing the movement and making it their own.

Lion saved as cub from Ukraine war and brought to US battles rare fungal disease

Four-year-old Taras, who now resides at a Minnesota sanctuary, was diagnosed with an often fatal infection

A lion that escaped the war in Ukraine after being found as a four-month-old cub inside a duffel bag at Odesa railway station is facing an even greater battle for survival in his new home in Minnesota from a rare and often fatal fungal disease.

Taras; his two sisters, Lesya and Stefania; and an unrelated, slightly older cub from Kyiv named Prada were brought to the US in November 2022 by the Wildcat Sanctuary, a secluded private reserve near Sandstone, Minnesota, that arranged their rescue with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Senate approves bill to fund government into December

The measure was approved in a 90 to 6 vote and now goes to the House.

Rest assured, the new CDC director thinks ‘abortion surveillance’ is essential | Arwa Mahdawi

An exchange between Dr Erica Schwartz and Senator Josh Hawley during her confirmation hearing is alarming

Robert F Kennedy Jr’s new cooking show isn’t the only big news out of the public health world this week. On Wednesday, Dr Erica Schwartz was confirmed by the US Senate as director ‌of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making her the first Black woman to hold the position. This is the first time in almost a year that the agency has had a permanent leader; the previous director, Susan Monarez, only lasted 29 days before she was ousted for butting heads with RFK about US vaccine policies. Translation: she was a little too keen on following accepted science for the Trump administration.

So is Schwartz an RFK-approved vaccine skeptic who thinks you can cure cancer by praying to trees? Surprisingly: no. Schwartz, who served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first term, actually has government experience and a public health background. During her confirmation hearing in July, she walked a careful tightrope when asked about her stance towards vaccines. Schwartz said she “will never betray the science” but also dodged questions about how she would handle pressure from Kennedy.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

Super-rich complain but experts welcome Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax

New York mayor’s policy set to generate revenue and address housing crisis despite outcry in some quarters

New York City’s introduction of a pied-à-terre tax has provided fodder for Zohran Mamdani’s critics, who accuse the democratic socialist mayor of attacking the rich – even as others welcome it as a much-needed effort to tax the wealthy in a city known for its yawning inequality and cost-of-living crisis.

The tax, aimed at closing the city’s budget gap, covers people who own but do not live full-time in a house worth more than $5m or a condominium or cooperative unit worth at least $1m.

Google DeepMind enters a new era as co-founder Demis Hassabis shifts AI role

Observers express concern that the division has lost its independence and commercial reality has taken over

When Sir Demis Hassabis said AI had brought the world to a “pivotal moment in human history” last month, he knew another big change was imminent.

This shift was closer to home. The Nobel prize-winning head of Google DeepMind, Google’s AI unit, announced this week he was relinquishing his day-to-day duties as chief executive and becoming chair. He is also taking on the role of chief scientist at DeepMind’s parent, Alphabet.

Cyclospora fears lead consumers to lose their appetite for salads

Traffic to salad chains has fallen as consumers avoid greens due to the ongoing cyclospora outbreaks across the U.S.

Opinion: Europe's summer of heat

Europe is in another brutal heat wave. The summer's earlier record-breaking weather already damaged crops, sparked wildfires and led to increased deaths.

Arron Banks ‘hired private detective’ to look into journalist who investigated Reform UK

Asked whether he targeted reporter who investigated party finances, Brexit campaigner says: ‘When you live by the sword, you die by the sword’

The prominent Reform UK member and Brexit campaigner Arron Banks is said to have set private investigators on a Sunday Times journalist after he broke a series of stories about Nigel Farage.

Banks is alleged to have paid for the services of investigators to examine Gabriel Pogrund, editor of the paper’s Insight investigations team.

Switzerland is a neutral nation but has more nuclear bunkers than any country in the world

Instead of scrapping its network of bomb shelters after the Cold War, Switzerland kept building them. The country has more than 370,000 nuclear bomb shelters. Some are now used to house migrants.

Parenting is hard. Should we let AI do it for us? | Dave Schilling

Tech companies offer eye-movement trackers, personalized podcasts and ‘optimized nap predictions’. Who actually needs this?

What job in our world is less lucrative than being a parent? A Hollywood internship? Volunteering at a soup kitchen? Professional writer? Parenting is the only job you have to pay money to do. Lots of money. Lodging, clothes, food, school, Pokémon cards – it really adds up. And it’s getting worse. According to the tech industry, I have to strap my drooling offspring to a computer in order to ensure the baby’s survival.

Parents are being offered life-altering advancements in artificial intelligence that purport to make this taxing endeavor a tiny bit easier. OpenAI is suggesting its latest products can make child-rearing more efficient: its boss, Sam Altman, suggests generating a podcast about your kid’s life that you can listen to in the morning on the way to school. How entertaining would a podcast “that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc” actually be? “Jimmy needs to work on his dribbling.” Great. I think he knows already. He’s not going to be the next Messi, so how about we switch back to music?

‘Fearless and quietly astonishing’: the dragonfly that migrates further than any other insect

Wandering gliders are descended from some of the earliest known insects – and breed as one global population

Revealed: the top 10 invertebrates of the year

All hail the wandering glider, a citizen of the globe, an insect for all of us.

Whenever we see a dragonfly zipping through the airspace and devouring tiny insects with aplomb, we can appreciate they are so timelessly effective that they have barely needed to tweak their way of life in 200m years. Odonates are directly descended from some of the earliest winged insects, known as griffin flies, which evolved around 317m years ago.

It’s invertebrate of the year again! From August 3-12, every day we’ll be profiling one of the thousands of amazing invertebrates that our readers have nominated, and then, when you’ve got to hear about all of them, we’ll open the voting so you can choose your favourites. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with thoughts and ideas: email us at [email protected] with Invertebrate in the subject line.

A kids’ film taught me the power of delusion – and helped me chase my standup dreams

The protagonist of A Little Princess wills reality to bend to her desires. Comedians need that same idiot confidence when we’re starting out, or else we’d all give up

• Explore the rest of our coverage of the Edinburgh festival 2026

I was 28 the first time I did standup. It was an open-mic competition where the audience decided the winner. As I held the tiny gold trophy, I decided to quit my job the next day. Some people might call that crazy, and it probably was. But I’d been honing that delusional self-belief since I was eight when I first watched the film adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story A Little Princess.

I already almost had the same name as its protagonist, Sara, a young girl who is sent off to boarding school while her father fights in the war. I wanted to be exactly like her. She was so sure of herself, and believed so completely in the worlds she created, that all the other girls at school wanted to be her friend. My favourite scene is the one where the girls sit on Sara’s bed, forming a circle round her as she tells fantastical stories. I would watch it and think: I want to tell stories that make people gather round me.

The Bond effect? How MI6 fascinates spy watchers around the world

Britain’s spooks take quiet satisfaction from survey ranking Secret Intelligence Service Europe’s top espionage agency

MI6 has the swagger of James Bond; its French equivalent, DGSE, the complexities of the television drama Le Bureau. The film and TV shows may be fictional, but a survey run by a French magazine that placed the British spy agency above the French as No 1 across all of Europe this week is not.

L’Express, a news weekly, conducted a Eurovision-style poll of 60 current and former spies from across the continent, plus the CIA and Israel’s Mossad. Each was asked to rank their top five foreign intelligence agencies, in secret, naturally enough. MI6 was first with 251 points ahead of DGSE on 169, with other agencies trailing behind.

President Xi never wastes a good crisis. As Iran, Ukraine and Palestine distract the world, he tightens his grip | Simon Tisdall

Ever the strategist, the Chinese leader is taking the offensive, both abroad and at home. That’s bad news for global order, and minorities in his country

Imagine what would happen if a British prime minister in London told the Scots they could not have their own parliament, national football team or fly the saltire. Or if the Welsh were told their language and poetry were banned and must no longer be taught in schools. The ensuing uproar would probably destroy the United Kingdom. Yet that’s exactly what Xi Jinping, China’s communist emperor, is telling the roughly 125 million members of the 55 ethnic and religious minorities who together comprise about 9% of the country’s (majority Han Chinese) population.

Xi claims his sinicisation policy, embodied in a new “ethnic unity” law, will boost national identity and integration and, by expanding compulsory use of the Mandarin language, improve life and work prospects. Minorities should “hug tightly like pomegranate seeds” to build a strong, united China, he says. But Tibetans, Mongolians, Uyghurs and others who value their separate language and customs fiercely object to what they see as forced assimilation into a conformist, intolerant monoculture dominated by the Communist party’s tunnel vision. For them, it’s ethnic cleansing by another name.

Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator

8/8: CBS Saturday Morning

Todd Blanche is confirmed as attorney general, fires blaze in Europe and the U.S., plus Houndmouth plays Saturday Sessions.

‘Can’t stop smiling!’ The wait is over for epic Game of Thrones prequel The Mad King

New play, which has been a decade in the works, opens at the Royal Shakespeare theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon after five previews were cancelled

A winter of discontent is anticipated by the embattled characters in Game of Thrones, but the Royal Shakespeare Company is banking on a glorious summer with its world premiere of a prequel to the hit TV series based on George RR Martin’s fantasy novels.

The new play, The Mad King, arrives 30 years to the month after the original publication of A Game of Thrones, the first novel in Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire. It has a gala performance in Stratford-upon-Avon on Saturday evening in a reconfigured Royal Shakespeare theatre with a capacity of 870. Tickets for the entire run, priced from £10 to £95, have already sold out.

Nazi shipwrecks emerge from the depths as Europe’s Danube dries up

Unexploded ordnance and a military motorcycle also recovered following record heat and drought conditions

Record-low water levels in the Danube have exposed remnants of Europe’s Nazi past, with dozens of second world war ships emerging from the riverbed during an intense drought.

In the middle of the river on the Serbian and Romanian border, a broken-up hull was visible on a sandbank that is normally underwater. Other vessels were partly submerged, some still believed to be laden with weapons.

The Women's Professional Baseball League makes its historic debut

The Los Angeles Queens, the New York Heights, the Boston Hunters and the San Francisco Firebells take the field in Springfield, Ill., as the Women's Pro Baseball League kicks off its inaugural season.

The Uplift: Hot ones

Vladimir Duthiers meets Sean Evans, host of "Hot Ones," the online show that has celebrities answer questions while attempting to eat chicken wings that get progressively spicier. Can Vlad stand the heat?

‘You can feel the warmth of the sun’: Bertram Greenhough’s best phone picture

The Brighton-based photographer was walking along a crowded beach looking for ice-cream when he spotted this calm, minimalist scene

Bertram Greenhough had promised his six-year-old daughter Audrey an ice-cream. It was a warm June day in Brighton and the pair were playing tourists in their own city, having just visited an upside-down house near the i360 observation tower. The beach was packed, and they were heading in the direction of the Palace Pier so that Greenhough could stay true to his word. Along the way, they passed this lifeguard shelter.

“I often walk around Brighton with my SLR film camera – very hipster of me. However, that day I only had my phone,” Greenhough recalls. “But, as the adage goes, the best camera is the one you have with you. I saw this calm, minimalist scene suspended above thousands of people and I remember saying to my daughter, ‘Oh, look at that, I need to take a picture!’ She had no idea what I was talking about!”

Christopher Harry on a summer of devastating wildfires – cartoon

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Federal funds can't be used to give test strips to drug users, raising overdose fears

Drug addiction groups are reeling after Trump officials said federal grants cannot be used to hand out test strips to drug users. The strips help users check street drugs for dangerous adulterants.

Private prisons announce $1.4 billion in revenue as immigration detentions climb

That revenue does not include net proceeds of $1.6 billion made by CoreCivic after the recent sale of four of their facilities to the Department of Homeland Security.

Is it OK to talk about Ariana Grande’s body? There is no right answer

I wish I could say that expressing concern for the pop star’s health is helpful – but I know from experience it’s not that simple

The last time I opened X, a photo of Ariana Grande leaning over in a low-cut black dress, clavicle showing, was at the top of the feed. The post read: “hey @grok make Ariana Grande healthy and fat”.

Images of celebrities at their most skeletal regularly rise to the top of social feeds because they generate enormous, dissenting engagement. Social media platforms have made half-hearted efforts to suppress explicit pro-eating disorder content; Instagram and TikTok redirect searches for “thinspo” toward support resources. Yet over the past couple weeks, Grande has sent users into a frenzy that outstrips the platforms’ attempts.

Sex, drugs and washing dishes: inside Anthony Bourdain’s unruly younger years

In the acclaimed new drama Tony, the early career of the late food writer and chef is brought to life, and those who knew him best are now also looking back

The novelist Michael Cunningham has described Provincetown, on the tip of Cape Cod, as “the only small town I know of where those who live unconventionally seem to outnumber those who live within the prescribed bounds of home and licensed marriage, respectable job, and biological children. It is one of the places in the world you can disappear into.”

This idiosyncratic bohemia has attracted the likes of Edward Hopper, Eugene O’Neill, Mark Rothko and Tennessee Williams along with poets, dropouts, drag queens and drifters. In the summer of 1975 came a lanky, restless 19-year-old from New Jersey with no job and no money, sleeping on the floor of a shared cottage while his roommates worked to pay the rent. His name was Anthony Bourdain, who would later become a celebrity chef, author and television globetrotter.

Stockard Channing: ‘I cried at the election of Joe Biden, thinking we were out of the woods. Wrong!’

The actor on being told she was no Ingrid Bergman, forgetting her lines on stage, and not caring about getting older

Born in New York City, Stockard Channing, 82, played Rizzo in the 1978 film Grease. In 1985, she received a Tony for her performance in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, and in 1994 was Oscar-nominated for her role in the film Six Degrees of Separation. She has three Emmys for her TV work, which includes The West Wing. She makes her directorial debut at the Edinburgh festival with Krapp’s Last Tape, in aid of the Wembley to Soweto Foundation, Upstairs at the Roxy until 31 August. Her latest film is Practical Magic 2. She lives in London.

What is your greatest fear?
Climate change.

Data centers are a political issue crossing party lines, driving voters to candidates

Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor Francesca Hong called for a moratorium on data centers. So did Ohio Republican governor hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, as data centers begin to dominate campaigns.

This burning summer is the proof: the voices of climate denial aren’t just delusional, they’re deadly | Sadiq Khan

Look at our blazing forests and parched cities. Green policies aren’t a ‘luxury’, and we can’t burn more oil and gas. People need the truth

• Report: Sadiq Khan calls on Andy Burnham to commit to climate action as pressure grows over North Sea oil

Europe is burning. This summer, an unprecedented series of heatwaves has swept through the continent and across many parts of the globe. The consequences have been nothing short of catastrophic. In recent weeks deadly blazes have torn through France, Greece and Spain, killing firefighters, forcing people from their homes and robbing them of their livelihoods.

With Tuesday marking Britain’s 34th day of temperatures exceeding 30C (86F) this year, the UK has also found itself reckoning with ferocious heat. Wildfires have forced evacuations in Suffolk and the Cairngorms. In London – where parks have become burnt, brittle and brown – hundreds of grass fires have put our firefighters under pressure like never before. In July, the weather station at Kew Gardens recorded its first ever month without rain since it started operating in 1871. As rivers run dry and reservoirs run low, farmers are warning of food shortages amid the deepening drought. With thousands of deaths already estimated to be linked to the extreme heat we saw in May and June alone, it’s likely this figure will climb higher still.

Sadiq Khan is mayor of London

Planting the seeds? Teenagers from across global divide talk peace in Devon

UK hosts decades-old event for first time where many participants are from opposite sides of global disputes from Israel and Palestine, to India and Pakistan

On the surface it looks like a normal summer school in the Devon countryside, with teenagers playing volleyball in the sun, doing arts and crafts in the hall, and preparing for the night’s talent show.

But behind the scenes, intensive discussions are taking place. Many of these teenagers come from opposite sides of historical national conflicts – from Israel and Palestine, India and Pakistan.

The night Belfast burned: how the Northern Ireland race riots unfolded

A horrific knife attack on a street in June sparked another summer’s night of racial violence, stoked by loyalist groups. How did the unrest erupt – and why do many fear it will happen again?

Shortly after 10.30pm on Monday 8 June, as a summer twilight lingered over Belfast, a horrific scene unfolded on Kinnaird Avenue: a man straddled and repeatedly stabbed a figure lying on the ground in a bloody assault that ended only after onlookers intervened.

Others captured the drama on cameraphones and uploaded the footage to social media. Once seen, the grainy images were hard to forget, and by dawn on Tuesday 9 June they were ricocheting around X, WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and other platforms.

Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman appointed to which body? The Saturday quiz

From the world’s longest pleasure pier to Cloud Dancer, Mocha Mousse and Viva Magenta, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz

1 What was written between 1 January 1660 and 31 May 1669?
2 Which UK resort has the world’s longest pleasure pier?
3 Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman appointed to which body?
4 Which painkiller’s name is derived from the Greek for “poppy head”?
5 Which driver won the F1 title in a car bearing his own name?
6 The Trefoil Guild is an adult branch of which organisation?
7 Savak was the secret police of which state?
8 Inishmore is the largest island in which archipelago?
What links:
9 Cloud Dancer; Mocha Mousse; Peach Fuzz; Viva Magenta?
10 M (192); V (360); E (500); M (760); J (2,580); S (4,800); U (9,600); N (14,400)?
11 Bono; Billy Gibbons; Karl Lagerfeld; Roy Orbison; Anna Wintour?
12 Potatoes, tomatoes, maize and tobacco v cattle, wheat, bananas and sugar cane?
13 Ashoka chakra; crescent moon and star; lion holding sword; red disc?
14 Sly Stone and Kathy Silva; 4,150 people in 1982; Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce?
15 Cleopatra and Julius Caesar; Joan of Arc; Barbara Undershaft; Kitty Warren?

Travelling through Iran reveals mixed narratives about the US-Israel war

Some believe conflict strengthened national unity, others say it deepened repression, but all mourn the dead

The excavator stops suddenly. One of the workers reaches into the rubble and pulls something free. It isn’t twisted metal or broken concrete. It’s a child’s exercise book. The pages are still intact, covered in neat handwriting. On the front is a name: Mahya Salari. She was eight years old.

Five months after a missile tore through Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, southern Iran, excavators are still clearing the site. Workers search for the remains of one young boy still believed to be buried beneath the debris.

Blind date: ‘I asked him to compliment my outfit and he said he didn’t really like it’

Imogen, 31, a doctor, meets Andy, 36, founder of a consultancy firm

What were you hoping for?
Something to tell the group chat that would elicit more :o reactions than usual.

Meera Sodha’s recipe for Limmat’s apple cake | Meera Sodha recipes

With its sweet, caramelised edge and soft, creamy apple centre, you’ll be thinking about this cake for months after the first bite

For better or for worse (definitely for worse), this column is one-way. If we could talk, I’d ask you about the most mindblowing things you’ve eaten in your wild and precious life (feel free to use the comments). This year, for me, it was chef Lili’s apple cake at her restaurant, Limmat in Marseille. I’ve never had anything like it: a cake of pure apple – one and a half kilos – sliced and bound together with a breath of flour, a trickle of cream, a spoonful of sugar, a couple of eggs and a lot of time (in the oven). The result is a caramelised edge and a heavenly, scoopable, custard-like apple centre. Heavenly.

‘I couldn’t breathe’: the deadly health burden of wildfire smoke

Scientists race to untangle complex links between exposure and mortality as fire weather grows more prevalent

A thousand kilometres from the infernos gorging on northern Ontario’s boreal forests, Erin O’Connor watched the sky above Canada’s biggest city turn an “almost post-apocalyptic” orange as it filled with light-scattering particles of soot and ash. Stepping outside the halls of Toronto General hospital, where air filters were keeping patients safe from the worst of the fumes, she was struck by a smell so strong it felt like standing by a campfire.

“It really hit you in the face as soon as you walked outside,” said O’Connor, who runs University Health Network’s emergency department and saw a rise in patients presenting with allergies and shortness of breath. “As the days progressed, it was like that everywhere. It seemed even inside you could smell that burning.”

US promises $1bn in security aid to Colombia as new rightwing president pledges drugs crackdown

Trump ally Abelardo De La ‌Espriella vows to start ‘profound transformation’ of country’s destiny as he is sworn in

The ​Trump administration plans to provide $1bn in security assistance to the ⁠government of Colombia’s new ​rightwing ‌president, the US state department announced, soon after Abelardo De La ‌Espriella was sworn in and used his inaugural speech to pledge a vigorous fight against drug trafficking, as well as austerity measures to restore confidence in the economy.

De La Espriella, 48, won June’s runoff election with ⁠promises to crack down on armed groups, shrink ⁠the state by as much as 40% and ​revive the oil and gas sector.

Ukraine war briefing: Wildberries warehouse struck by Kyiv’s drones more than 2,000km from Russian border

Depot hit in city of Ekaterinburg and hundreds evacuated in latest attack on Russian online retail giant. What we know on day 1,625

Trump announces $180 million to boost mining education

President Trump announced over $180 million in grants to boost educational programs for the mining industry, part of a bid to increase critical mineral production.

NBA player Brandon Clarke died from effects of heroin and cocaine, officials say

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke died in May from the effects of heroin and cocaine, authorities said Friday.

July jobs report reveals unexpected loss of 23,000 jobs

Friday's jobs report showed employers shed jobs last month, rather than adding 95,000 new hires that had been forecast by economists.

Helicopter fighting massive Utah wildfire crashes, no word on 2 people aboard

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the helicopter crashed in Richfield, which is about 160 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Appeals court blocks Trump's White House ballroom, teeing up Supreme Court fight

A federal appeals court said the White House lacks the authority to unilaterally construct the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. President Trump said the administration will appeal to the Supreme Court.

Video shows gunman start deadly rampage at Idaho In-N-Out drive-thru

Three people were killed in the shooting that started at an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Pentagon releases new batch of UFO files: "Did you see that?"

The Pentagon on Friday released a new batch of documents and images related to UFOs, the fifth disclosure in recent months about the strange encounters.

Russia sanctions bill honoring Lindsey Graham breezes through Senate, heads to House

A measure to impose new sanctions on Russian oil purchasers easily cleared the Senate and heads to the House.

U.S. economy unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs in July

Nonfarm payrolls were projected to increase by 83,000 in July while the unemployment rate would hold steady at 4.2%, according to the Dow Jones consensus.

Burger King overtakes Wendy's as the nation's second-largest burger chain

Burger King is once again the second-largest burger chain in the U.S. by system-wide sales.