Commonwealth Games 2026: Finucane collects third cycling gold; boxing and athletics finals – live

• Updates from Saturday’s live action around Glasgow

• Medal table | How ‘mop man’ Miller stole the show

Boxing The first hands will be thrown just after 11am in women’s 54kg final between Scarlett Savannah Delgado and Preeti Preeti. That’s the first of 14 finals day on the last day of boxing at this year’s Games.

Men’s 1500m T54 final Nathan Maguire powered to victory in the last lap, with Daniel Sidbury (England) taking silver and Sam Rizzo (Australia) the bronze.

I was so boxed. And then I felt like Moses – it just parted and I got through. I don’t know how it happened!

There was a little bit of panic. When I heard the bell (for the last lap) I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’m so stuck.’ I dropped them a lot more than I expected!

Upheaval in Maine and another 100-day campaign - can Democrats pull it off?

Troy Jackson gained the party nomination for Senate, but now he needs to consolidate support to take on Susan Collins

Troy Jackson is ready to move on.

In fewer than 100 days, the new Democratic nominee has to convince Maine voters to send him to the US Senate – and he’s trying to do it without dwelling on Graham Platner, who dropped out of the race after accusations of rape, which he denies.

Savannah Guthrie asks for answers about mom Nancy after notes released

Savannah Guthrie said she and her family have been "in agony and despair ever since" her mother Nancy's disappearance in February.

Trump offering early access to online posts in move seen as corruption

Truth Social, where Trump’s account is by far the largest, to offer users early access for up to $100,000 per month

Donald Trump is now offering early access to his Truth Social posts in a move that has been seen as corruption benefitting a sitting president.

Trump Media and Technology Group officially rolled out its new subscription-based data service on Saturday, giving paying customers faster, real-time access to Truth Social posts from Trump and other high-profile accounts.

DOJ to dismiss Reflecting Pool vandalism charges, citing "botched installation"

Federal prosecutors moved to dismiss an indictment charging U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn with ripping the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the damage was caused by "botched installation and not vandalism."

Wiebes outsprints Le Court and Vollering to win Tour de France Femmes opening stage

• Wiebes’ turn of speed too much for 2023 winner Vollering

• ‘It was a long sprint, but I’m super happy’

Lorena Wiebes took the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes after climbing the Côte Saint-François and outsprinting race favourites Kim Le Court and 2023 champion, Demi Vollering.

“The team worked super hard today,” Wiebes said. “When Demi attacked, I knew I had to follow. It was a long sprint, but I’m super happy.”

EU to hold urgent meeting after Spanish PM calls Ceuta crisis response ‘selfish’

Pedro Sánchez hits out at ‘polarising and unlawful reaction’ over mass crossing into Spanish enclave in north Africa

The EU will hold an extraordinary meeting of interior ministers after a breakdown of political unity over the arrival of more than 50,000 irregular migrants in Ceuta, a Spanish territory in north Africa.

Officials representing EU member states and Frontex border agency experts met at an emergency meeting on Saturday after Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister, accused some EU countries, particularly Italy, of weaponising Friday’s events instead of showing “solidarity and empathy”.

Transfer news: Welbeck joins Chelsea, Brentford complete record Sangaré deal

• 35-year-old Brighton striker Welbeck seals £5m move

• Mali international Sangaré joins Bees for reported £39m

Chelsea have signed Brighton’s veteran striker Danny Welbeck in a deal worth a reported £5m. Welbeck has agreed a two-year contract and will link up with Xabi Alonso’s squad on their pre-season tour.

The 35-year-old’s move to Stamford Bridge is a break from Chelsea’s policy of signing younger players with the potential to be developed. It is the first time they have paid a transfer fee for a player over the age of 26 since they signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona in 2022 when the striker was 33.

Ultra-processed food companies hindering health drives by suing countries, says WHO

Exclusive: Director general accuses corporations of obstructing efforts to tackle obesity crisis after investigation by Guardian and others

The world’s biggest ultra-processed food corporations are hindering global efforts to tackle the obesity crisis by suing governments that try to promote healthier diets, the head of the World Health Organization has said.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general, accused global food companies of obstructing the adoption of vital public health measures and costing countries billions of dollars in healthcare and legal costs in the process.

Faster, faster: Iraola in a rush to plug Liverpool gaps before Premier League starts

New head coach needs to use the transfer market with defensive cover vital as injuries hamper US pre-season tour

“Faster, faster,” bellowed Andoni Iraola throughout the open training session Liverpool held in Chicago on Friday. His first pre-season tour as Liverpool head coach ends at the city’s famous Soldier Field Stadium on Sunday, with a friendly against Leeds, and “faster, faster” could apply to all aspects of the club’s preparations for a new Premier League campaign that begins in three weeks’ time.

Iraola was in his element as he immersed himself at the centre of every training drill that Liverpool performed at Chicago Fire’s Endeavor Health Performance Center, their base for the past two weeks in the US. “Faster, faster” was the new head coach’s instruction to his players as three teams of seven worked on their pressing games. He also shouted it when they walked over to a different pitch, recently vacated by Robert Lewandowski and his new Chicago Fire teammates, to work on offensive and defensive set-piece routines. Sprints were demanded following every rondo.

De Zerbi wants ‘lovely guy’ Richarlison to stay at Tottenham after winner sinks Chelsea

• 10-man Spurs win pre-season match 2-1 in Sydney

• ‘He’s important, it’s not easy to find another striker’

Roberto De Zerbi wants Richarlison to stay at Tottenham, but says the striker, who has been linked with a move away, is still unsure about his future.

The Brazilian scored a last-gasp winner as 10-man Tottenham defeated Chelsea 2-1 in a pre-season friendly in Sydney, with Kevin Danso sent off just minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute.

How Americans are handling back-to-school budgeting with rising prices

With inflation contributing to price bumps, many families are looking to save on their back-to-school budgets. We took a look at a spending survey.

Kanpai! Sake sommelier explains the delight of this Japanese rice wine

Japanese alcoholic beverage sake is rising in popularity across the United States. Acclaimed sommelier Daniel Bennett at Chicago's Omakase Room explains more about this beloved rice wine.

There can be no letup. Humiliated Infantino must stand down at Fifa or be removed | Nick Ames

Uefa’s call for a boycott and declaration of no-confidence must be the opening salvos in push to dethrone game’s global leader

There is no time to dance around the subject. Gianni Infantino must stand down as Fifa president or otherwise be legally removed. No fresh chances can be made available for an official who has demolished trust in football’s integrity and governance, trashing all remaining credibility of the body that oversees the world’s most-cherished sport.

Infantino was forced into a humiliating climbdown on Saturday morning when he accepted the failure of his plan to sell off portions of the World Cup to private investment. He resolved to resume dialogue about football’s growth “in the spirit of shared interest in our game”. But such a naked attempt to save his own skin cannot hold. Every day Infantino remains in power is a fresh stain on an institution whose reputation is on the floor.

‘Agony and despair’: Nancy Guthrie’s family issues new plea for information on her whereabouts

Police also released notes received from presumed abductors of mother of Today anchor Savannah Guthrie

The family of Nancy Guthrie issued a new appeal on Saturday for information on the whereabouts of their missing grandmother, six months after she disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona, and a day after local investigators released two purported ransom notes.

“Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of night. We have lived every moment, every breath, and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since,” a post on Instagram said.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

On this edition of CBS Deals, we show you items that will help improve your everyday lifestyle. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns commissions on purchases made through cbsdeals.com.

Sophie Cunningham says protests over transgender sports stance are not distracting Fever

• Cunningham says rallies aren’t a distraction

• Supporters gather outside second straight game

• White: team wants focus to stay on basketball

Sophie Cunningham says she’s unconcerned that the rallies against transgender participation in women’s sports that have accompanied the Indiana’s Fever’s recent games are a distraction for the WNBA team.

Cunningham made the comments before the Fever’s game Friday night against the Portland Fire. Outside, a group rallied for the second straight game in support of Cunningham and her recent comments about transgender athletes.

Trump Media's new paid data service goes live, giving clients faster access to Trump’s posts

Trump Media and Technology Group's new paid data service launched Aug. 1, selling faster access to top Truth Social posts from President Donald Trump and more.

Dozens injured as earthquake hits near Naples in seismic swarm

At least five taken to hospital and about 300 evacuated in strongest quake to hit southern Italian region in 40 years

At least 26 people have been injured after a 4.7-magnitude earthquake rocked a region near Naples, in southern Italy.

The quake, which occurred at 7.46pm on Friday night, caused power outages, disrupted public transport and damaged a pier in Campi Flegrei, the site of Europe’s largest volcanic crater.

Top mountaineer Nirmal Purja confirmed dead after 11 hit by avalanche in Pakistan

Other members of expedition led by world-renowned climber on Broad Peak have also died, climbing company says

A world-renowned Nepali mountaineer and former UK Special Forces member has died after being among 11 climbers caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak.

Nirmal Purja was killed leading an expedition of 10 other people on the world’s 12th-highest mountain when an avalanche struck at around noon on Thursday.

New York City’s Flatiron building enters new era with $58.5m apartments

Manhattan’s triangular building will open this fall to wealthy residents, with 36 apartments exposing Flatiron’s ‘steel skeleton’

New York City’s Flatiron building has had many lives: as a structure seen as a deathtrap; as a nuisance which created a deadly, petticoat-lifting, wind current and, mainly, as a commercial space.

Now, the triangular building, a favorite of tourists and locals alike, is entering a new era: as a residential building, where apartments cost up to $58.5m.

D4vd hearing details high hopes and brutal end of girl at heart of murder case

Texts reveal that singer and Celeste Rivas Hernandez had been in touch stretching back to when she was 11 years old

The rising pop singer D4vd and 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez were in the throes of a clandestine relationship months before her mangled and decomposing body turned up last September stuffed in an impounded car registered to the musician.

D4vd, born David Anthony Burke, is set to stand trial for murder, child sexual abuse and mutilation of human remains in connection to the teenager’s death.

From TikTok to signing with Kesha, Boy Throb say they’re for real – and serious about a US visa

‘The people’s boy band’ are petitioning the US government for an ‘extraordinary abilities’ visa for singer Darshan Magdum, who lives in India

The screams of hundreds of fans waving glowing pink orbs grew louder as one member of Boy Throb appeared on stage at Irving Plaza in New York City earlier this month.

Singer Darshan Magdum wasn’t there in person – he was calling from India while his visa application to enter the United States remained in limbo. With his face projected across a large screen on stage as he spoke through Zoom, he told the crowd: “I’m so sad that I can’t be there with you all tonight.”

China’s tech advances are causing chaos from Silicon Valley to the White House

New AI models, advanced robots and specialty computer chips are unsettling markets and the US tech industry

Over the past month, a series of advancements in China’s artificial intelligence, chip manufacturing and robotics technologies have rattled financial markets, caused divisions among US tech moguls and left the Trump administration scrambling to respond.

Silicon Valley has long pointed to China’s tech industry as a competitive threat and used its growth as rationale for why US firms should not face regulatory oversight that could slow them down. In recent weeks, however, China’s progress has pushed US tech CEOs past vague warnings and into open disagreement over how to address Chinese-made products upending their industry.

Trump’s favorite cable news channel is pushing back against his war on Iran

Prominent Fox News hosts have expressed concern, bewilderment and frustration over US objectives in Iran

Throughout his two presidencies, Donald Trump has leaned on reliable support from the conservative opinion wing of his favorite cable news channel, Fox News.

But, like a broad swathe of the American public, several traditionally supportive commentators on the channel have recently expressed concerns about whether the war on Iran is succeeding, suggesting that Trump is on increasingly dicey footing in the conservative media world he relies on for backing.

Biohacker Bryan Johnson is keeping his girlfriend’s menstrual blood in his freezer | Arwa Mahdawi

The longevity influencer and his girlfriend, Kate Tolo, say they’re studying women’s health – a worthy goal, but perhaps some skepticism is in order

The tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has devoted his life to dodging death. The 48-year-old is obsessed with becoming the healthiest person in the world and is on a quixotic quest to reverse his biological age and live forever. As such, Johnson is disciplined about what he eats, takes dozens of supplements a day, and measures every single biomarker possible, boasting that he is “certainly the most biologically measured person ever”.

In short: good luck finding any ice cream in his freezer. But you know what you will find? His girlfriend’s menstrual blood. On Thursday, Johnson, a chronic oversharer, posted a photo of his 30-year-old girlfriend, Kate Tolo, on X with the caption: “Kate’s period blood is in my -80 °C freezer. Around 10 mL.”

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

Opinion: Remembering Margo Howard

Margo Howard had a lot of life experience and used it to offer advice for years as "Dear Prudence" for Slate. She died this week at the age of 86.

Playbooks, plagiarism and a pig’s head: new claims surrounding a star Cambridge professor

Jason Arday was regarded as an academic superstar, but then questions about his work prompted scrutiny of his backstory and counterclaims of racism

When the superstar academic Jason Arday took to the stage at the British Sociological Association’s 75th anniversary conference earlier this year, he delivered a talk called Wanted Dead or Alive: the Playbook.

The youngest black professor in Cambridge University’s history told an audience of his peers that the playbook in question had helped bring down some of the biggest names in US academia. Conservative “activists” were trawling through the work of black academics, looking for anything to use against them: inconsistencies, citation errors, passages in their work that were similar to existing papers.

Nancy Guthrie ransom notes are released, including message saying she died

One of the notes threatened to kill Nancy Guthrie if a multimillion-dollar ransom wasn't paid in a week. The second, a few days later, says, "She is buried in nature now."

How these slum dwellers went from one-room shacks to beautiful new apartments

It's a bold new experiment and it's already won a prize. Residents in a jam-packed slum, many of them living in one-room tin shacks, help design their apartments in a brand new building.

Brazil’s HIV advocates say they predicted USAID funding cuts: ‘We would see the trends’

At the Aids 2026 conference, Brazilian advocates said health systems need to be more independent from foreign funding

HIV advocates from Brazil, whose health system operates independently from foreign aid, say they predicted a dramatic reduction in donor funding for HIV and wish other countries had prioritized independence sooner.

While the dissolution of USAID might “feel like a rupture”, it’s something advocates at the Brazilian HIV NGO Gestos have seen coming for a long time, Juliana Cesar, Gestos’s political liaison coordinator, said during a session at the Aids 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro.

The great British switch-off: how floating retreats, mobile-free pubs and sauna book groups are freeing people from their smartphones

Sick of doomscrolling? From venues with smartphone swear jars to cabins with absolutely no signal, here are the fun and freeing ways to ditch your device

There’s a ritual at the start of every event hosted by the Offline Project. Run by Pelé Zachariah, the activities vary – it could be a group walk, a collage‑making class or a supper club – but each one begins in the same way, *with an invitation to hand over your phone. Devices go in a lockbox. Once they’re all in, Zachariah closes the door and turns the key. “I don’t place them in for people, because it’s nice for them to physically put it in the box themselves, walk away, and think: for the next two or three hours, I’m fully present.”

He has been running these screen-free events in London since August 2025. First-timers can be apprehensive about being separated from their phone. “You can sense the vibe when they’re putting it away,” says Zachariah. “People have said to me, ‘I felt really weird’ or ‘I felt super uncomfortable for the first few minutes not having my phone on me.’ Then they’ll say, ‘I didn’t know how much I needed that.’”

On the ground in the English seaside town rightwing influencers say is being ‘invaded’

Some in Dover say their town is being exploited by content creators and politicians, but others claim there is a genuine problem

If you believe rightwing influencers and politicians, Dover and the wider Kent coast has been the site of an “invasion” for years now. And, for an online audience of millions, they and their camera crews have been the vanguard in the nation’s defence.

Indeed, if you believe all you see on the algorithms of amateur Channel watchers, the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, braved a hail of French gunfire as he took to the water in a fishing boat this week; an attempt by the French authorities, he suggested, to deter him in his mission of highlighting the small boats crisis.

In the battle of Elon Musk v the press, we can’t let truth be the loser | Jane Martinson

The trillionaire Tesla owner has called the editor of the Economist a ‘traitor to the west’ after a clash-filled interview. How should the media respond?

Elon Musk’s long interview with the editor of the Economist is as good a representation as any of the current clash between two worlds. In one corner, the editor of an 182-year-old news organisation which promotes economic liberalism and freedom. In the other, the world’s first trillionaire, who spreads misinformation to his hundreds of millions of followers on his own social media platform. The bout is a masterclass in the challenges journalists face in a new world of AI, fact avoidance and online aggression.

The flash points in Zanny Minton Beddoes’ conversation with Musk start with definitions. Musk says that the people Minton Beddoes calls “far-right” and “fringe” (she mentions Germany’s AfD party) are in fact just “normal people”. They clash over whether the speed of his cuts to USAID led to unnecessary deaths in developing countries – she believes his claim that it didn’t defies not only statistics but the evidence from her reporters on the ground. Asked if he is racist, he cites the fact he has four children with a woman who is “half Indian”. In an awkward exchange, when asked by Minton Beddoes whether he is anti-Muslim, Musk says he is against “people coming to a country with antithetical views … I’m against rape and murder.”

Jane Martinson is a Guardian columnist. She is a board member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group. As the Marjorie Deane professor of financial journalism at City St George’s, University of London, she has a connection through a charitable foundation to Zanny Minton Beddoes, who is chair of trustees. She writes in a personal capacity

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.

FDA weighs a new kind of flu shot based on technology RFK Jr. has questioned

The FDA is poised to render a decision on Moderna's mRNA-based flu shot, which could be the first of its kind to market. The decision is expected to reverberate throughout the biotech industry.

8/1: CBS Saturday Morning

French wine region under fire threat, latest on migrants entering Spanish territory, plus all about sake.

Gianni Infantino ‘has lost Uefa’s confidence’ after Fifa chief scraps World Cup sell-off plan

• Infantino ditched proposals after widespread backlash

• Uefa adds: ‘We cannot keep going on with secret schemes’

Uefa has warned Gianni Infantino that his style of leadership cannot continue in demanding a thorough and fundamental review of Fifa’s governance.

In a strongly worded statement that referred to “secret schemes”, “shabby backroom deals” and “faceless individuals”, the Uefa leadership made clear it wants change at the top of Fifa, despite the world governing body’s overnight U-turn in abandoning Infantino’s plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other competitions.

‘The machine turned into a lonely character gazing at an empty beach’: Alon Goldsmith’s best phone picture

On his daily bike ride, the LA-based photographer stumbled upon the perfect subject for this black-and-white portrait

On New Year’s Day 2026, Alon Goldsmith began what he calls a “365-day project, which involves taking and posting a photo every day for a year. On some days, it’s a struggle to find something worthy of being included and on others it’s a challenge to make a choice,” he says.

This image was taken on day 111. Johannesburg-born, LA-based Goldsmith was on his daily bike ride, which usually takes him through Venice and around Santa Monica Pier, areas he describes as containing a “cornucopia of curiosities”.

Christopher Harry on buying an SUV – cartoon

Continue reading...

Lebanese who fled the Israeli invasion visit to see what's left

Residents of the ancient town of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon have endured wars in the past, but the latest conflict with Israel is testing the limits of their endurance.

A brief timeline of Iranian cyberattacks on the U.S.

Investigators are probing whether Iranian hackers are behind this week's malicious cyber activity against water systems in Minnesota. If they are found to be the culprits, it would not be the first time.

Death toll in Spain border crisis reaches 67 as tens of thousands cross back in to Morocco

The death toll in Spain's Ceuta border crisis with Morocco has climbed to 67. They included some who drowned and some who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier.

From Ozempic to eye creams: demand for bathroom mini fridges is heating up

Sales soar as consumers seek maximum convenience, though experts say most products don’t need to be kept cool

When it comes to essential fixtures and fittings for bathrooms, the most common are tubs and taps. But now there is a new must-have emerging: a mini fridge.

Used to store everything from beauty products to GLP-1 medication, the growing demand reflects a wider trend in how the wellness industry and weight-loss drugs are reshaping homes.

The Democrats have one last chance to halt the erosion of US democracy – and it’s less than 100 days away | Timothy Garton Ash

American democrats need a Hungarian-style landslide to overwhelm Trump’s attempts to rig November’s midterm elections

In these days of extreme weather events, it seems odd to say that the US needs a big landslide. But a landslide defeat for President Donald Trump in November’s midterm elections is exactly what is required if the country is to start reversing his deliberate and rapid erosion of its democracy.

The respected Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at Gothenburg University argues that in 2025 the US saw one of the most rapid declines in liberal democracy on record. “Democracy in the USA,” says its Democracy Report 2026, “is now at its worst in 60 years.” As the imperial republic marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, the danger seen at the very beginning of its constitutional order by anti-federalists such as Patrick Henry – that of an overmighty president abusing his executive power in an attempt to become a new king – has come closer than ever before.

Fiona Allen: ‘The closest I’ve come to death? A trip in a black cab with John Worboys. I had a lucky escape’

The actor and comedian on her hatred of selfishness, her unhappy resting face, and why she dropped her agent

Born in Lancashire, Fiona Allen, 61, went to drama school in Salford. From 1999, she co-wrote and starred in the Emmy-winning and Bafta-nominated TV sketch show Smack the Pony. She had roles in Shameless, Skins, Waterloo Road and EastEnders, and her films include 24 Hour Party People, Fat Slags, Gladiatress and Finding Emily. In 2023, she took her show On the Run to the Edinburgh festival fringe and later toured the UK. This year, she performs White Lies at Edinburgh’s Gilded Balloon Teviot from 5 to 29 August. She is married with three children and lives in Berkshire.

What is your greatest fear?
My kids navigating the world as it is today – and daddy longlegs.

Why did OpenAI's and Anthropic's AI models hack other companies?

OpenAI and Anthropic say their models broke into other companies' systems during testing, raising security concerns amid a heated debate over how to regulate AI.

Staff Sgt. Rampersad, 28, who always knew she wanted to serve, is laid to rest

Staff Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad is one of a handful of service members who've recently died in the conflict with Iran. Her family says she knew from a young age she wanted to serve in the military.

Knickers in a twist: why M&S selling crotchless underwear isn’t as outrageous as it seems

Some have called it ‘S&M’, but partnership with Ann Summers is less a scandal than another step in a century of evolving underwear trends, experts say

The news that Marks & Spencer is selling Ann Summers crotchless knickers on their website has been greeted – as might be expected – with outrage online, being described as everything from “tawdry” to “S & M”.

But it could be this is just the latest evolution in what the UK’s biggest underwear retailer has available for the smalls drawer. In recent years, the store has sold vastly different options through its own products, ranging from full-brief knickers to thongs, period knickers and those that can be used by women who wear stomas. The introduction of other brands in clothing came five years ago, with underwear included. Ann Summers – which is selling bras and chemises as well as knickers on the M&S website – lines up alongside lingerie brands including Pour Moi and Calvin Klein.

‘A towering piece of monoculture’: how The Odyssey discourse has dominated this summer

Christopher Nolan’s smash hit epic has continued to excite and enrage everyone from rightwingers to academics, an old-fashioned throwback to a uniting big-screen event

• Peter Bradshaw reviews The Odyssey

• The Odyssey: jaw-dropping action, dark magic and dolphin cameos – discuss with spoilers

• Go woke, get rich: why rightwing hate campaigns don’t affect the box office

If a high-profile academic is reviewing a movie for the London Review of Books, that movie in question must be making some kind of mark on some kind of culture. And if people are actually reading a movie review in the London Review of Books, and writing thinkpieces in disagreement or favor of said movie or its review, that movie may actually be a cultural phenomenon.

Normally, volume of discourse about a movie should not be mistaken for a sign that people are actually seeing it. Sometimes online factions just have a bored fixation not shared by the rest of the world. But Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has some major receipts at the box office, too: the movie has already outgrossed Oppenheimer, Nolan’s last movie, itself a shockingly popular movie for adults. Though The Odyssey’s audience skewed male in its first weekend, by its second its gender split was closer to 50/50, suggesting reach beyond the stereotypically male-driven action-adventures. It’s also reaching out to older moviegoers, an endangered demographic in a summer where under-25s have driven the success of Obsession and Backrooms. Three-quarters of The Odyssey’s audience has been over 25, while memes inspired by the movie (most popular: Matt Damon’s anguished face portraying Odysseus listening to the sirens’ song and Robert Pattinson’s slimy suitor demanding that “someone get these BEGGARS out of here!”) have indicated that younger people are paying attention too.

​What makes a good comic novel? Andrew Sean Greer on the joy of funny writing

The Pulitzer-winning author of Less and Villa Coco explores the art of writing humour – plus 10 of the best novels to make you laugh

In March 2020, when the mayor of San Francisco instructed all citizens to remain in their houses due to a pandemic, the first thing I did was order all the books of Agatha Christie. I was not alone; I think many of us immersed ourselves in reliable narratives to drown out the chaos. It did not matter if it ended in marriage or murder; the reliability was what mattered. Later when I realised I would need to hole up for some time, my reading shifted to a different kind of novel. And because, like Christie, our world has an endless supply of new terrors, it is the comic novel that still fills my reading hours.

Nobody knows what a comic novel is. And once you start discussing it, all the fun runs out. EB White compared it to dissecting a frog (you’re left with innards and a dead frog) but I would compare it to turning all the lights on at a party: everyone looks terrible and you’ve ruined the party. Most would agree, of course, that Wodehouse wrote comic novels, but I turn to books hardly anybody would classify that way – Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, for instance – that yet seem to me to be a hoot. I think they are books that decide something is funny, as Jerry Seinfeld once defined comedy. In Moby-Dick, it’s a coin nailed to a masthead. In Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire, it’s the worst best poem you’ve ever read. And yet we feel we’re getting at something the most solemn narratives aim for: an understanding of the human condition, of grief, of love, of death. All the big stuff. The comic novels I love are books that could just as easily have been tragedies. It is simply that the author has decided it’s funny.

‘MPs have had their stomachs pumped’: concerns over ‘alcohol-soaked’ culture in Westminster

Alcohol is embedded in profession where long hours, loneliness and lobbying are the norm, report finds

Parliament is “Britain’s last alcohol-soaked workplace” where MPs are offered free drinks as early as midday despite alcohol-related scandals, a report has revealed.

Drinking is commonplace and some MPs have had their stomachs pumped after consuming so much alcohol that they ended up in hospital, one disclosed.

No apologies, no freebies: the man who makes Andy Burnham’s jackets on how to weather a storm

Private White VC’s James Eden says PM should not be criticised for wearing a high-quality British-made brand

It has not yet been two weeks since James Eden, the founder of the Manchester men’s clothier Private White VC, saw one of his best-known customers move in to No 10 Downing Street.

In any sane world the man who makes the prime minister’s jackets would be popping open the champagne. His garments have been seen by millions of people and described by journalists all over the world writing about Burnham’s buttoned-down style.

Building for 131°F: Europe races to protect its infrastructure from a ‘quiet catastrophe’

A summer of weather extremes and severe infrastructure stress has prompted companies and policymakers across Europe to respond.

Turn failing water firms into not-for-profit cooperatives, MPs and mayors tell PM

Labour politicians say mutualised model puts public in control without adding debt to government’s balance sheet

MPs and mayors close to Andy Burnham have told the prime minister there is a “third way” to gain more control of failing companies, as the row over whether or not to nationalise Thames Water rumbles on.

Burnham is said to be concerned about the increase in government debt that Treasury projections show could be a result of nationalising water companies.

‘A symbol of resistance’: the fight to save treehouse built on no man’s land next to Berlin Wall

Supporters fear structure could be torn down as safety hazard and want it to become memorial to postwar foreign labourers in honour of its Turkish creator

Sometimes the currents of history converge in a single spot. In Berlin, one of the most intriguing of those places is a small traffic island with a lovingly tended garden and a ramshackle two-storey structure called the Treehouse at the Wall.

In 1983, Osman Kalin, a Turkish “guest worker”, was looking in his corner of the city cleaved by the Berlin Wall for a patch of earth in which to plant his onions, garlic and cucumbers. Virtually on his doorstep in the Kreuzberg district was a slice of no man’s land next to the concrete barrier and barbed wire. Although it sat in West Berlin, cold war logic meant the lot officially belonged to the communist East.

​The Guide #254: Artist anonymity ​i​s a radical act in ​our cultural obsess​ion with visibility

In this week’s newsletter: ​H​idden creators ​reveal how invisibility can be a shield and spotlight in an era of relentless self‑exposure

• Don’t get The Guide delivered to your inbox? Sign up here

In 1985, an anonymous group of women disguised in gorilla masks burst on to the art scene in New York. At night, the Guerrilla Girls, as they named themselves, fly-posted around the city: funny, eye-catching posters highlighting gender and racial biases in museums and galleries. (“Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” read one now-famous poster.) “Of course, we were afraid that if we blew the whistle on some of [the art world’s] most powerful people, we could kiss off our art careers,” a founding member explained in an interview for their 1995 book. “But mainly, we wanted the focus to be on the issues, not on our personalities or our own work.”

The collective is still active; 55 members have come and gone over the years. When giving interviews, they use pseudonyms borrowed from dead women artists: Frida Kahlo, Lee Krasner, Käthe Kollwitz. Only a handful of their true identities have been revealed over the years, mostly after their deaths or due to lawsuits. But this week, a Guerrilla Girl made headlines when she chose to unmask herself on her own terms. “I’d had a pact with another Girl that whoever died first, the survivor would bring her out,” said the 83-year-old artist Joyce Kozloff (codename: Liubov Popova). “But I suddenly realised that if I were dead, I couldn’t tell the story my way.”

‘Proteinmaxxing’ could lead to higher prices for infant formula, say experts

Whey protein, a key infant formula ingredient, is in growing demand, partly linked to rising use of weight-loss drugs

The rise of “proteinmaxxing” – a trend in which consumers try to eat as much protein as possible – could lead to higher prices for infant formula, experts warn.

Whey protein, a key ingredient in infant formula, has surged in popularity over the past year as health professionals emphasise the benefits of protein.

The final hit: Is Glasgow’s 25-year gruesome gangland feud finally over?

The double murder of two Scots in the Costa del Sol may have ended the war between the Lyons and the Daniels – but the crimes haven’t gone away

It was a warm evening in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol last year when two Scottish men met a violent end.

The punters of Monaghans seafront bar had barely finished watching the Champions League final on 31 May when a car pulled up outside. A masked gunman emerged and headed to the table of 46-year-old Eddie Lyons Jr, shooting him at point-blank range. The assassin turned the gun on Lyons’ friend, the bar’s owner Ross Monaghan, 43, but it jammed.

Meera Sodha’s vegetarian recipe for oyster mushroom burgers with five-spice cabbage | Meera Sodha recipes

These roasted oyster mushrooms are meaty, savoury and chewy, made even more satisfying in a south-east Asian-style dressing

Not every plant makes a great burger filling. You might think pulses or potatoes for heft, but the lack of texture and propensity to mush can be unsatisfying. This is where mushrooms excel; they trade in satisfaction. Roasting them brings out their natural umami and removes water content, leaving them chewy, caramelised and occasionally crisp. They can also make friends with the most unlikely of ingredients, like they have here with peanut butter, soy, agave and sesame.

Noma restaurant prepares to reopen under new leadership after abuse allegations

World-class venue puts renewed focus on staff wellbeing under new head chef after René Redzepi stepped down and apologised for his behaviour

The Copenhagen restaurant Noma – often ranked among the world’s best – is preparing to reopen next week under new leadership for the first time since its star chef and co-founder, René Redzepi, stepped down amid accusations of physical and psychological abuse.

The new executive head chef, Pablo Soto, who has worked at the restaurant for nearly a decade, said while it remained “the same Noma” there had been some significant changes. Along with a new, evolving monthly menu to replace its previous seasonal one, he said there was now a heightened focus on enabling employees to live full lives.

‘Who could have done this?’ Mystery over Briton found dead in a suitcase in Athens

Greek police throw entire homicide division at trying to explain fate of 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane Ross

Two worlds separated by sheets of corrugated iron: one, a tree-lined road, bordered by a park and the home of Greece’s oldest sports club; the other a wasteland of derelict buildings and graffiti-covered walls in what was once a car park.

It is here, on the wrong side of the divide, in Kypseli, a neighbourhood in central Athens, that the body of Elisabeth-Jane Ross was found, inside a suitcase last month.

‘We stared into an abyss’: the men and women battling France’s megafire

Exhausted firefighters, foresters and volunteers wage ‘war of attrition’ against blaze that forced 200,000 people from their homes

By noon it is time for a break. The temperature is about 35C, the smell of ash, cinders and burnt wood hang acrid in the air. At tables laid out in the shrinking shade on the desiccated grass and sand outside the sports centre in Le Porge, 200 men and a handful of women have gathered. Firefighters, soldiers, police, gendarmes, officials, first aid teams, foresters and volunteers sit elbow to elbow, plates of sausages, steak and potatoes in front of them.

The village was evacuated just over 14 hours after the “megafire” – as it has become known in France – broke out 6km away last week. The blaze has consumed 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres) of mainly forestland west of Bordeaux. Though finally contained, there are outbreaks every day, pushing to the limit emergency services and the hundreds of amateurs who have come to their aid.

ECB official warns climate crisis poses growing threat to ‘core financial stability’

Exclusive: As wildfires rage, Frank Elderson says more work needed to assess risk from collapse of ecosystem services

A senior policymaker at the European Central Bank has said the climate emergency and the breakdown of nature poses a dramatically growing risk to the global economy.

Frank Elderson, a member of the ECB’s executive board, said the eurozone lender of last resort was stepping up its monitoring of the financial risks linked to the destruction of “ecosystem services”, which are nature-related processes or assets that support human activity.

Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv missile attack kills at least 10 as Zelenskyy seeks attack role for Starlink

Donald Trump retreats further from commitment to let Ukraine manufacture its own Patriot missiles. What we know on day 1,620

Kyiv was once again under attack by ballistic missiles early on Saturday with at least 10 people killed, according to Reuters. “Fires and destruction occurred in five districts of the capital,” the state emergency service posted. Twenty-two people were reportedly also injured in the attack. It came as Donald Trump retreated further from a promise to let Ukraine manufacture its own Patriot air defence interceptors, which it desperately needs to shoot down Russian missiles. More than a ‌dozen explosions reverberated through Kyiv, and residents were warned to stay in shelters.

In Kyiv’s Darnytsky district, the attacks damaged multiple buildings and vehicles, with authorities reporting seven people killed and 14 wounded in the area. Two people were killed and eight others were wounded in Solomiansky district, where strikes damaged a five-storey residential building. “Everything was smashed, the windows, everything,” 75-year-old resident Kateryna Kravchenko told AFP of her apartment. “I can barely stand. I don’t know how I’m going to get through all this.” The emergency service said on Saturday morning that 105 people in Kyiv had been rescued from impacted areas.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged Trump and other US officials to help Ukraine gain permission from Elon Musk to use satellite internet service Starlink for guiding strikes inside Russia. Zelenskyy made the request directly to Trump during an Oval Office meeting this week, according to one person familiar with the matter. He also reportedly told lawmakers later on Capitol Hill that he wanted Starlink’s help. Trump did not commit to Zelenskyy’s request. Musk allows Starlink use within Ukraine, including Russian-occupied areas, but restricts it inside Russia.

During a cabinet meeting at Camp David, Trump told reporters that handing over the underlying Patriot technology was “a hard thing” to do. Ukraine’s Zelensky had met Trump earlier this week and said Trump had agreed to license the production of Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Asked whether he was ready to grant Kyiv a licence to build Patriots domestically – something he had suggested at a Nato summit in Turkey just this month – Trump said: “We have not agreed to that. We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology.” Giving away the weapons carried its own risks, he added: “People that you give that technology [to], they can some day turn on you. You know that is possible.”

Several thousand Ukrainians rallied in central Kyiv on Friday, angry about Zelenskyy’s decision to ⁠oust the defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov is ​widely credited with driving military innovation during Ukraine’s war with Russia. But having taken charge of the wartime ministry in January, he was dismissed in a surprise government reshuffle ⁠in mid-July. Since then, Ukrainians have been gathering next to the presidential office, pushing for Fedorov to be reinstated as he refused to accept another government post.

Russia’s main grain lobby group warned on Friday that Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian ships and ports could shut down grain exports via the Black Sea, pushing up ⁠prices and causing hunger in ⁠Africa and the Middle East. Russia, the ​world’s largest wheat exporter, and Ukraine, also a large agricultural exporter, have been attacking each other’s facilities and vessels in the Black Sea area in recent weeks, driving wheat prices higher. The disruption to shipping in the Black Sea ⁠caused by Ukrainian attacks “poses a direct threat to global food security”, Russia’s Union of Grain Exporters and Producers told Reuters.

Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian online retailer Wildberries amount to “acts ⁠of terrorism” against civilians, affecting millions of people in Russia and other countries, the company’s founder ⁠and CEO, Tatyana ⁠Kim, ​complained on Friday. Ukraine has attacked more than a dozen Wildberries sites since 18 July in ⁠a bid to disrupt the operations of the company, a vendor to the Russian war effort and linchpin of Russia’s consumer economy.

Singapore bans Massive Attack for showing Palestinian flag, breaching ban on foreign emblems

Two members given ‘stern warnings’ after concert and barred from returning, with band also excluded from performing in Singapore again, say authorities

British trip-hop band Massive Attack has been barred from performing in Singapore after an investigation found two members unfurled a Palestinian flag during a concert, police said.

Singapore, known for its tough laws on public speech and assembly, bans the open display of all foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit.

‘Just the tip of the iceberg’: how a Bali run club reignited tourist tensions on holiday island

Accusations Indonesians were being excluded deepened a sense of frustration held by some residents on the island

When Annisa Rahmadani posted online about being rejected from a social running club in Bali, she expected a few sympathetic comments. Instead, her story went viral, prompted national politicians to weigh in, immigration authorities to intervene and ultimately, the club’s Dutch organisers barred from Indonesia.

“I had no idea it would get that big,” said the 34-year-old university lecturer from the Indonesian city of Bandung. “But it seems it was just the tip of the iceberg.”

FIFA scraps its World Cup investment plan after backlash

FIFA is shelving a controversial plan that would have allowed for billions of dollars in private commercial investment in the World Cup after the proposal was met with fierce opposition from its member nations.

Bessent ‘to-do’ list shows proposal for US to buy $5bn-$10bn of Japanese yen

Treasury secretary’s notepad, photographed by Reuters on Friday morning, prompts questions over US plans

During a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent carelessly revealed plans for the US to buy $5bn-$10bn ⁠in Japanese yen in a scribbled “to do” list left visible to a Reuters photographer.

The image, taken over Bessent’s shoulder during a portion of the meeting open to journalists, showed a Camp David notepad with the underscored words “To Do” followed by “Buy Japanese Yen (JPY) $5-10 bil”.

A timeline of Nancy Guthrie's disappearance as search stretches on

Savannah Guthrie's mom, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing Feb. 1.

After a stranger gifts a boy with autism a piano, he dazzles the world: "He's Mozart level"

Back in 2023, a stranger gifted a boy with autism a piano after seeing his story on the local news. Now, the stranger is more like family, and the boy is dazzling the world with his music. Steve Hartman goes "On the Road" revisiting Jude's story.

U.S. probing if Iran was behind cyberattack on water systems in 7 states

Malicious cyber activity affected technology at water systems in at least seven states this week, including Minnesota, leading authorities to dig into whether Iranian actors are behind the attack, CBS News has learned.

DOJ drops case against former Olympian accused of damaging Reflecting Pool

The U.S. government dismissed the felony indictment against David Hearn, the former Olympian accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool of the National Mall.

Trump blames Minnesota cyber attacks on its governor, not Iran

President Trump took his Cabinet meeting on the road to Camp David on Friday, where he downplayed cyberattacks on Minnesota water systems that U.S. officials suspect were linked to Iran. Nancy Cordes reports.

Extended heat wave risks lives, increases fire danger and drought

The heat that baked the South earlier this week moved west under a so-called heat dome. More than 70 million people are under alert for life-threatening heat conditions. Jason Allen reports from Oklahoma City.

Both ransom notes in Nancy Guthrie case released by police

For the first time, the Pima County Sheriff's Office released a pair of emails allegedly sent by Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper, who said she had died shortly after she had been abducted. Tom Hanson reports.

U.S, Israel planning harshest attacks yet on energy-related sites in Iran, sources say

The U.S. and Israel are planning the most significant strikes yet on Iran's energy infrastructure, multiple sources say. President Trump has threatened this multiple times in recent months. Margaret Brennan has more details.

7/31: CBS Evening News

Sources say the U.S. and Israel are planning major attacks on Iran; the Pima County Sheriff's Office reveals Nancy Guthrie ransom notes.

Nearly 1 in 4 Americans want CEOs to "stop being greedy," survey finds

New poll explores what people wish corporate leaders understood about economic life in the U.S. today.

Trump appeals order that slammed his IRS lawsuit and referred his lawyer to bar

Trump had sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak of his tax information by an agency contractor.

Lawyer for Rep. Miller's ex-wife files for restraining order amid abuse claims

The ex-wife of GOP Rep. Max Miller asked a court to issue a restraining order blocking Miller from contacting her lawyer, as the Ohio congressman faces allegations of abuse — which he denies.

Brother of slain cartel leader "El Mencho" pleads guilty to U.S. drug charges

Antonio Oseguera Cervantes worked for cartels with his brother Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the drug lord known as "El Mencho​," according to federal prosecutors.

7/31: The Takeout with Major Garrett

President Trump holds Cabinet meeting at Camp David; 7 states report cyberattack on water systems.

FIFA tests the limits of private equity in sports with World Cup subsidiary sale

UEFA and Concacaf's rejection of FIFA's plan to sell a 20% stake in the World Cup's commercial operations highlights uneasiness with private equity in sports.

New York sues Kalshi, alleging it enables illegal gambling

A growing number of U.S. states are seeking to crack down on prediction markets, but face pushback from federal regulators.

Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft added nearly $1.5 trillion in combined value this week

Amazon, Microsoft and Google added hundreds of billions of dollars to their market caps, while Apple and Meta saw their market valuations fall.

Dwindling cash and soaring memory costs: Tech's AI buildout has ballooning price tag

Amazon, Alphabet and Tesla all reported negative cash flow in the latest quarter, while Meta's cash generation plummeted by 91%.

F-35 fighter jet crashes near San Diego Marine Corps base, sparking fire

An aerial photo shows a smoking F-35 fighter jet next to scorched vegetation in a field at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Analysis: Markets heard a dovish Kevin Warsh. The Fed chairman's own words suggest a rate hike

Investors saw Warsh’s press conference as dovish, but a closer reading of the Fed chair's prepared remarks suggests he may be close to raising interest rates.

GM to launch proprietary in-vehicle AI system later this year

General Motors plans to launch a proprietary in-vehicle artificial intelligence system that's better tailored for its customers later this year.

Families sue Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube over deaths of 4 teens

The families of four children who died by suicide allege that using social media led to depression, anxiety and other mental health problems.

India’s monsoon rains in danger as UN chief warns planet is ‘on fire’

António Guterres says strengthening El Niño will help push the world’s climate crisis into ‘uncharted territory’

India’s monsoon is in danger and hotter, drier conditions are forecast across much of the world as a stronger El Niño weather system is taking hold, weather experts have warned.

António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said the strengthening El Niño was “adding fuel to a planet already on fire” and pushing the world into “uncharted territory”.

3 states would face Colorado River water cuts under federal plan

Arizona, California, and Nevada would take less water from the Colorado River under a federal proposal to stave off a crisis in the river.

Netflix sued for allegedly losing unreleased Nicolas Cage movie

A lawsuit alleges that a drive storing a $45 million spy film starring Nicolas Cage was "stolen right off a Netflix desk."

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Wildfires in Europe, Russian missile strikes in Lviv, a tornado in Wisconsin and Spencer Tunick in Spain – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

As Warsh’s Fed faces pressure to act on inflation, these indicators show it’s at its lowest in years

Trimmed mean measures are painting a different picture than the headline numbers.

The Guardian view on England’s centralised state: Andy Burnham must unbundle it | Editorial

Devolution should finance transport, skills and industry, not become a rightwing contest to promise the largest tax giveaway

That England is among the rich world’s most centralised countries underpins Andy Burnham’s critique of the economic history of the past 40 years. Only post-communist Europe deindustrialised as rapidly as Yorkshire and the Midlands did in the 1980s. Centralisation did not close every factory or pit, but left regions without the powers, finance or institutions to cushion the shock or build a resilient, replacement economy. Hence Mr Burnham’s radical and welcome plan to unbundle English government.

There are three facets to his devolution programme. The first are the detailed and concrete proposals contained in a cabinet paper Mr Burnham released on Friday. This appears to be a blueprint to create a decentralised state organised around mayors as the key regional economic actors, while jointly governed pan-regional agencies could emerge, say for transport, energy, investment and industrial systems, that cross mayoral boundaries. Regions without mayors will get a chance to have one – or limit themselves to weaker powers.

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.

Glen Hansard obituary

Oscar-winning singer, songwriter, actor and founder of the Dublin rock band the Frames

Glen Hansard, who has died aged 56 in a motorcycle accident, was one of Dublin’s musical heroes – a one-time busker who became an Oscar-winning international star, successful both as a singer-songwriter and as an actor.

He had already built up a local reputation busking regularly on Grafton Street, Dublin, when he decided to form a band, the Frames, along with other musicians he had befriended on the streets.

Ariana Grande: Petal review – calm, controlled anger at exes, fans and the media

(Republic)
Casting herself as a flower trampled underfoot, the superstar’s eighth album swaps the ​glitz of her Wicked years ​f​or dark blooms of haunted electronics

‘Tell me who’s to blame?” Ariana Grande asks, exasperated, on the title track of her eighth album, Petal. “Is it the people or myself?” As bleary, fuzzed-up drums threaten to drown her out, this shadowy carousel-ride of a song cycles through more questions than answers. Does her success only make her need more of it? Can her new record of No 1 singles stave off heartbreak? Does Grande’s life shape her music, or does her music shape her life?

Moody and muted, Petal is a riposte to the glitz and sparkle of the pop star’s Oscar-nominated turn in Wicked and the theatre kid energy of her last album, 2024’s Eternal Sunshine. She describes this record as one of “unfiltered rage”, and there’s plenty Grande could be angry about: just this week she filed a lawsuit against hackers who allegedly stole and sold numerous unreleased songs.

Amazon hikes 2026 capex to $220 billion due to higher memory costs

AWS sales expanded 37% year over year, which trounced analysts' expectations for 31% growth.

Amazon says it got $600 million in Trump tariff refunds and will pass return along to some customers

The company previously hadn't disclosed whether it would recoup tariff costs after the Supreme Court ruled many of President Donald Trump's levies were illegal.