The Guardian
Tour de France Femmes 2026: stage two from Aigle to Geneva – live

115km to go: We’re into the hills now, the first of the five climbs well under way as the riders head up to the summit of the Côte de Chexbres (3.2km at a 5.6% gradient). We’re in the hills for the next 70km or so.

117km to go: Several more attacks, Alison Jackson pushing again and Idoia Eraso (wearing the green jersey) also involved in a few moves. But once again; nothing decisive. It’s all still very tight in Vevey.

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2nd August 2026 15:08
The Guardian
Commonwealth Games day 10: New Zealand win netball gold; track cycling and more – live

Australia delivered an unprecedented podium sweep in the women’s mile on the final day of athletics competition at the Commonwealth Games, after Abbey Caldwell upset Jessica Hull to secure one of seven track and field gold medals including a breakthrough victory for Lachie Kennedy’s 4x100m relay team.

The haul exceeds the six gold medals from one day in Auckland in 1950, when Marjorie Jackson and Shirley Strickland were among the winners, to make it Australia’s most successful track and field day at the Commonwealth Games.

I can’t thank [enough] the people who have been in my corner during the highs and the lows of the past 22 years. It didn’t finish the way I wanted today, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. I was a flag-bearer for Team Scotland.

[Apart from] stepping away with a medal today, and hearing Flower of Scotland, what more could you ask for, really? To get a standing ovation from a home crowd shows that people appreciate what I’ve done for the sport.

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2nd August 2026 15:07
The Guardian
Kindness of strangers: Lost in the Thai rainforest, a fellow backpacker picked me up and carried me home

For hours we hobbled back, until we were close enough for him to place me down and run for help

We had heard there was an incredible waterfall somewhere deep in the Thai rainforest. Seeking it out almost killed me.

In 2003 I was travelling solo through south-east Asia when I met Paul, an American with an easygoing, natural warmth. We were the only two people bunking at a youth hostel somewhere in southern Thailand and got chatting one morning. When the staff told us about a beautiful waterfall not far from where we were staying, we made plans to hike there together.

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2nd August 2026 15:00
The Guardian
Man arrested after Scottish woman found dead inside suitcase in Athens

Greek police say 26-year-old foreigner is believed to have left Elisabeth-Jane Ross’s body in derelict building

A man has been arrested after the death of a Scottish woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in Athens.

The 26-year-old man, who Greek police said was a foreigner, was arrested after the death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross. The 38-year-old’s body was discovered inside a suitcase by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of Athens on 18 July.

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2nd August 2026 14:56
Us - CBSNews.com
Nature: Big Sur, California

We leave you this Sunday morning among nature's riches along the coast of Big Sur, Calif. Videographer: Lance Milbrand.

2nd August 2026 14:30
Us - CBSNews.com
This week on "Sunday Morning": The Money Issue (Aug. 2)

This week Jane Pauley hosts "The Money Issue," our annual special broadcast dedicated to the many ways in which money underscores the way we live.

2nd August 2026 14:27
Us - CBSNews.com
Hunting for sand dollars

In Florida, correspondent Martha Teichner goes searching for sand dollars – cousins of sea urchins and sea stars – with naturalist Kristen Williams (a.k.a. The Seashell Mermaid). She also goes to the California Academy of Sciences' Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco to learn what makes these sea creatures so special. (Originally broadcast April 12, 2026.)

2nd August 2026 14:25
Us - CBSNews.com
American Girl celebrates girl power

Founded in 1986, American Girl has created dolls, books and accessories that tell the stories of young girls in every American era. On the toy's 40th anniversary, correspondent Faith Salie explores how making history come alive is also creating timeless bonds between generations that celebrate girlhood. (Originally broadcast April 12, 2026.)

2nd August 2026 14:19
Us - CBSNews.com
Resistance grows nationwide against AI data center boom

To fuel their artificial intelligence initiatives, tech companies are building massive numbers of AI data centers, with more than 4,000 in operation across the country. But some communities, wary of the environmental and financial implications of such facilities in their backyards, are fighting back. "Sunday Morning" national correspondent Robert Costa examines the drive to construct AI data centers, and the debate between opponents and AI advocates. (Originally broadcast April 12, 2026.)

2nd August 2026 14:12
The Guardian
The rich get richer as Dodgers land ace Tarik Skubal in blockbuster trade

  • Defending champions send prospects to Tigers

  • Cy Young-winning Skubal joins stacked rotation in LA

The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the biggest prize on the trade deadline market, getting two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.

Skubal got the news during the Tigers’ 8-6 win over the Athletics and was emotional after the game as he prepared to leave the team that drafted him in 2018 and developed him into a star to join the two-time defending World Series champions.

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2nd August 2026 14:07
The Guardian
Evacuations near Athens as Greece becomes focus of Europe’s wildfire crisis

High winds spread flames through Attica while blazes stabilise in France and Spain but risk of flare-ups remains high

Europe’s wildfire crisis fractured along starkly different fronts on Sunday: gale-force winds drove flames deeper into the Athens region and forced fresh evacuations, France guarded a still-burning scar four times the size of Paris against renewed spread, and Spain’s major fires finally stopped advancing.

The centre of immediate danger was Greece. Gale-force winds drove flames deeper into western Attica, the administrative region that includes the capital, threatening villages and an industrial district outside the city of Megara as violent gusts prevented firefighting aircraft from collecting water from the sea.

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2nd August 2026 13:52
The Guardian
Moscow bomb kills at least three as device carried by woman explodes

More than 20 people injured in blast near Italian restaurant Balzi Rossi in centre of Russian capital on Saturday night

A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 in ⁠an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, prompting speculation on social media that the attack may have been linked to the war in Ukraine.

The explosion occurred just before 8pm local time (6pm UK time) close to an Italian restaurant in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya ​Square, police said.

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2nd August 2026 13:51
Us - CBSNews.com
Fighting health care insurers

With health insurance companies frequently denying coverage for medically-requested procedures, 73 percent of Americans surveyed say healthcare delays and denials are a major problem. Now, a company called Sheer Health says they will fight insurance battles on behalf of their clients. Correspondent Susan Spencer looks at how a form of insurance against health care denials may benefit consumers. (Originally broadcast April 12, 2026.)

2nd August 2026 13:40
... NPR Topics: News
Thousands of people under evacuation order from wildfires in Spokane, Wash.

There are at least three fires in and around the city. Large parts of Spokane are under Level 3 evacuation orders, which read: "Leave NOW! This may be your only notice."

2nd August 2026 13:35
Us - CBSNews.com
Bingo! New spins on an old favorite

From American Legion halls to church basements, the simplicity of Bingo and its ability to let large groups play at once is why the game raises billions of dollars for charities and non-profits. Correspondent Luke Burbank looks at the history of this popular numbers game. (Originally broadcast April 12, 2026.)

2nd August 2026 13:33
The Guardian
Australia’s Louise Hoskins, 76, wins historic Commonwealth Games gold medal

  • Para bowler is oldest gold medallist in Games history

  • Hoskins: ‘I never thought I’d win at my age. Never give up’

Louise Hoskins has become the oldest gold medallist in Commonwealth Games history, claiming women’s para bowls pairs glory alongside Serena Bonnell.

“It is incredible. I’m still pinching myself,” said 76-year-old Hoskins, who was born during the 1950 Auckland Games and is the oldest competitor at the 2026 Games in Glasgow. “I never thought I’d ever get [a gold medal] at my age. Get out there and have a go, and never give up.”

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2nd August 2026 13:19
Us - CBSNews.com
Homebuyers chase the American Dream

A growing number of young people see themselves as "forever renters" because they can't afford to buy a home, due to short supply, higher mortgage rates, and incomes that haven't kept up with rising home prices. Correspondent Jo Ling Kent examines the difficulties of today's housing market, and checks out one Midwestern city's program aimed at attracting homebuyers from out-of-state. (Originally broadcast April 12, 2026.)

2nd August 2026 13:13
The Guardian
Chaos of border crossing gives way to limbo for Moroccans on Ceuta’s streets

People among the more than 50,000 who entered Spanish enclave this week describe the journey and their prospects

Four days ago, Youssef El Abbas saw an opportunity to reclaim the life he had lost seven years earlier. News was circulating that about 400 people had swum from Morocco to the neighbouring Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the north African coast, approximately 12 miles (19km) across the strait of Gibraltar from mainland Spain.

Here was a chance for the 44-year-old Moroccan father of four to return to Spain, from which he had been deported when his residency expired after the loss of his job in Bilbao in 2019.

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2nd August 2026 13:11
Us - CBSNews.com
Fast-moving wildfire in Washington state prompts evacuations

The Old Trails Fire started around noon on Saturday, burning brush and grass and quickly spreading toward residential areas.

2nd August 2026 13:04
The Guardian
Struggling to get through summer? Treat yourself like a beloved dog – and six other survival tips | Emma Beddington

August usually sends me into an anxious funk, but I think I’ve worked out how to handle 2026’s terrifying heat and apocalyptic images

Unfortunately for hairdressers, “How’s your summer going?” is a loaded question this year. Even basking lizards and barbecue obsessives are wavering in their sun worship as cataclysmic wildfires engulf our nearest neighbours (and threaten the UK), Wales and parts of England experience drought, and farmers issue dire warnings about our food supply in the near future. Rescue centres are filling up with dehydrated hedgehogs and the Environment Agency is having to rescue fish. Lazy, joyful, sunscreen-scented days are giving way to stifling, existentially terrifying ones spent skulking in the dark (assuming you don’t need to be out in the extreme heat, as many workers do), sweatily scrolling through apocalyptic images.

Vanity Fair has decreed it’s a “sad-girl summer”, highlighting the female singer-songwriters soundtracking the myriad anxieties of an “undeniably cruel” 2026 season, but it’s not just the girlies who are sad – many of us are struggling and we still have August to survive. How?

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2nd August 2026 13:00
The Guardian
The pro-Israel lobby has swayed US presidents since Truman. It must end with Trump | Ian Lustick and Eli Clifton

Our new book tracks the growth over nearly eight decades, of the most powerful foreign policy lobby in US history

In 1948, with war raging in Palestine, Harry Truman found himself trapped.

On one side were Zionist lobbyists and the president’s domestic political advisers, who were urging him to support the establishment of a Jewish state in as much of Palestine as possible. On the other were his top foreign policy and national security officials, led by the secretary of state, George C Marshall. Their unanimous recommendation was to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state, which they believed would trigger war in the Middle East and endanger the future of US relations with the Arab and Muslim world.

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2nd August 2026 13:00
The Guardian
Trump is determined to pursue his trade war – and he may be difficult to stop

The president’s minions have trawled the statutes to restore roadblocks to trade. The invocation of Smoot-Hawley looks especially dangerous

Donald Trump may have found the killer weapon to punish countries at will: by imposing tariffs on their exports to the United States.

The president has been looking for a new tool since February, when the supreme court struck down tariffs he slapped on virtually all of America’s trading partners based on the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, or IEEPA, on the spurious grounds that the US faced a variety of national emergencies. It’s become a parlor game among policy wonks to predict what new legal justification he would deploy to replace them.

Eduardo Porter is a journalist focused on economics and politics. He writes the newsletter Being There on Substack

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2nd August 2026 12:00
The Guardian
How to make gambas al ajillo – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

Conjuring memories of sun-drenched holidays and cool tapas bars, this dish is deliciously messy

As a devotee of the small, sweet and winningly cheap cold-water prawn, I don’t often find myself at the court of the king variety, but as a way to conjure happy memories of holidays past, sunny terraces and cool tapas bars, this particular dish is hard to beat. Served sizzling hot and drenched in red, garlicky oil, it’s deliciously messy stuff, and best paired with bread and an icy drink.

Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4 as a tapa, 2 as a starter

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2nd August 2026 12:00
The Guardian
‘I loved the Police from the get-go’: Elaine Paige’s honest playlist

The singer and actor is partial to Mozart and once did Édith Piaf at karaoke, but to which musical showstopper does she owe everything?

The first song I fell in love with
I used to sing All I Have to Do Is Dream by the Everly Brothers with my schoolfriend who lived over the road, when I was 11 or 12. I sang the harmony and she sang the melody.

The song I do at karaoke
The only time was on holiday in Nice with a friend. We’d been out for a lovely supper and had far too much rosé, and I was about to play Édith Piaf in the West End. I ended up singing Hymne à l’amour, and he did Fools Rush In.

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2nd August 2026 12:00
U.S. News
Why flights are so expensive and will likely stay that way

Airlines are paying billions of dollars more in fuel costs this year

2nd August 2026 12:00
... NPR Topics: News
New video evidence upends the unsolved killing of a Black teen at a Seattle protest

Hours of video analyzed in an 18-month investigation reveal what really happened the night Antonio Mays Jr. was shot at the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, and how protesters mistook him for a threat.

2nd August 2026 12:00
Us - CBSNews.com
Several people killed in shooting at Idaho In-N-Out restaurant, officials say

Several people were killed in a shooting Saturday afternoon at an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho, local authorities said.

2nd August 2026 11:32
The Guardian
Decades on from the US’s disastrous campaign in Afghanistan, Trump is making all the same mistakes | Simon Tisdall

The president has blundered into a ‘forever war’ with Iran he can’t win, but refuses to end. Such hubris has a long history

It’s five years this month since the chaotic retreat of US forces from Kabul. The Nato-backed invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, launched after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC, is now widely regarded as a failure. It cost the lives of more than 2,400 US and 450 British troops, and tens of thousands of civilians (the exact number is unknown). Although al-Qaida terrorists were routed, their Taliban hosts reimposed repressive, misogynistic Islamist rule after regaining power in 2021. Afghanistan became a byword for ill-considered western interventionism and nation-building. It was the archetypal “forever war”, a phrase first coined during Vietnam.

If this cautionary tale had any lasting value, it was as a deterrent to politicians and generals tempted to rashly embark on open-ended conflicts without just cause, defined, achievable aims, and an exit strategy. Dismayingly, the forever war lesson had to be learned all over again in Iraq, which the US and UK invaded in 2003 and departed, having caused huge harm for scant benefit, in 2011. “Never again!” was the passionate cry at the time and since. And yet, it seems, the same disastrous pattern is now repeating after Donald Trump’s incomprehensibly foolish decision to attack Iran. A war he termed a “little excursion” is entering its sixth month and has been escalating rapidly. It, too, has a forever feel.

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2nd August 2026 11:31
The Guardian
Trump climbs down on Iran strikes in expectation of ‘rapidly’ reaching a deal

US president claims delay is also in response to requests from Iran and other countries in the region


Donald Trump has said he cancelled planned military strikes against Iran on the basis of “rapidly” reaching a deal on its nuclear programme and the full reopening of the strait of Hormuz.

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2nd August 2026 11:22
... NPR Topics: News
Why is the rate of premature births so high in this community?

About 1 in 4 babies in the Pakistani fishing settlement of Rehri Goth are born prematurely. Researchers are trying to figure out how to bring the numbers down.

2nd August 2026 11:03
The Guardian
Robert Lewandowski strikes twice for Chicago Fire in MLS win over Charlotte

  • Poland striker scores double on his home MLS debut

  • Messi returns as Inter Miami draw 2-2 with Columbus

Robert Lewandowski scored two goals on his home debut as the Chicago Fire eked out a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on ⁠Saturday. The win is Chicago’s first in Major League Soccer since the end of the international break.

Lewandowski, signed in late June as a free agent, produced a vintage performance to help the Fire (9-6-2, 29 points) close an ever-narrowing gap with the Eastern Conference’s top three clubs. Charlotte (7-7-4, 25pts) has now lost four of its last five road matches.

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2nd August 2026 11:02
The Guardian
Why we’re all obsessed with Jimothy the raccoon, the internet’s animal of the moment | Elle Hunt

From Grumpy Cat to Moo Deng, viral animals have long united people online. Are they becoming our only source of collective enjoyment?

Anyone who enjoys memes (who doesn’t?) has surely by now accumulated a mental menagerie of internet-famous animals. Mine include: Grumpy Cat, the Ikea monkey, Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, Paul the oracle octopus and – my personal favourite – Roger the hot kangaroo (go on, look him up).

Now we have Jimothy, a raccoon with short spine syndrome. A familiar sight in his neighbourhood in Seattle for his unusually rounded appearance and scuttling movement, Jimothy went viral on Instagram two weeks ago and has since taken over the world. Within weeks of his debut, there has been fan art, merchandise, multiple tattoos, a stadium “theme night” and even a civic ceremony.

Elle Hunt is a freelance journalist

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2nd August 2026 11:00
The Guardian
Could a couch-to-5k for books get you back into reading?

With smartphones stealing our attention, we’re picking up fewer books than ever. A novelist shares her eight-week scheme to get you back into the habit

Do you feel that it’s harder to read than it used to be? Not harder to read emails, texts and social media posts, of course. We’re reading those all day long. Harder to sit down and lose yourself in a book? How long is it since you even sat down with a weekend newspaper and read it cover to cover? Do you feel that you used to have a life-sustaining reading habit, everything from fun popcorn novels to serious nonfiction, classic and contemporary, many genres and writers, but somehow it’s gone away? It doesn’t feel like a decision that you made. It just happened.

I feel like that. At least more like that than I’m comfortable with. I’m a novelist and I present programs about thinking on the BBC, and yet even I am finding that I’m reading less than I used to. It seems more of an effort and less of a consistent, persistent habit than it was. I hate this feeling. I still have the habit of acquiring books, buying them, getting them from libraries, being sent them. And I do still read. Compared with many people, I probably read an enormous amount, but I know it’s not as much as I used to read. And I know where the time has gone.

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2nd August 2026 11:00
The Guardian
Dining across the divide: ‘He didn’t change my mind on anything – but he did give me a lift to my car’

A prospective Restore Britain voter and a Green-supporting Chinese immigrant found some common ground over small-boat crossings, but where did they land on foxhunting?

• Want to meet someone from across the divide? Click here to find out how

Phill, 58, Hertfordshire

Occupation Stairlift surveyor

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2nd August 2026 11:00
Us - CBSNews.com
What's behind the $4B funding cut for California's high-speed rail?

Records reveal California twice missed deadlines to buy the trains at the center of a federal funding fight — then quietly dropped its lawsuit weeks after missing its new deadline.

2nd August 2026 11:00
The Guardian
Relentless UK heatwaves turn ‘green and pleasant land’ brown

Visible impact of warming climate is impossible to ignore across landscapes that have been starved of rainfall

Half of England and the whole of Wales are officially in drought and July is set to be the driest month on record as extreme heat intensified by the climate crisis continues to grip the UK and Europe this summer.

The announcements this week by England’s Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales mark the third such event over the past five years, and come in the wake of four record-breaking heatwaves since May which have fuelled huge wildfires and left farmers, wildlife and protected habitats running out of water.

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2nd August 2026 10:12
The Guardian
‘She showed love for everyone’: how did Daphy Michel end up frozen to death in a Pittsburgh bus shelter?

Haitian immigrant with mental illness found dead after ICE released her in 20F weather wearing summer clothes

On the night of 26 February this year, the Michel family in Pennsylvania expected to see their loved one, Daphy, again very soon.

After she had spent six months in jail, a judge had dismissed criminal charges against her and one of her brothers was told she would be released soon, probably the next day.

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2nd August 2026 10:00
The Guardian
This is how we do it: ‘If I’m honest, the fact that Thomas was married made it more exciting’

Vivian and Thomas both left physically unfulfilling marriages and are rediscovering their sex drives in later life

How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

Since menopause and being with Thomas, my interest in sex is much higher

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2nd August 2026 10:00
The Guardian
Pig on a water slide and cyclists’ naked protest: photos of the weekend

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

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2nd August 2026 09:23
The Guardian
From The Wizard of Oz to Trainspotting: 25 films to watch before you turn 25

As AI slop takes over our screens, what better antidote for enquiring minds than a magical film? We ask directors, producers and critics to pick one must-see movie for each year from infancy to early adulthood

***

Screentime has a bad rep these days: it’s allegedly at the root of everything from the collapse of media literacy to the rise of the far right. For parents, and indeed anyone who cares about the future of the planet, the relationship children have to their screens is a particular hot potato.

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2nd August 2026 09:00
The Guardian
‘It’s Glastonbury on wheels’: Welsh eisteddfod cultural event celebrates 850th year

This year’s edition, Eisteddfod y Garreg Las, has gone back to its roots at the castle where a prince first held it in 1176

By 1176, Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd, a medieval Welsh prince, had become one of the most powerful rulers the country had ever known. He’d successfully banished Norman invaders from his lands, made peace with King Henry and rebuilt Cardigan castle in stone.

Prosperous and secure, he threw a grand holiday tournament, inviting bards and musicians to play and compete under his patronage in the first recorded eisteddfod, roughly, a “sitting together” – a tradition that still lives on today. This year’s national eisteddfod, a celebration of Welsh language, culture and creativity, has returned to its roots near Lord Rhys’s castle for its 850th birthday.

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2nd August 2026 09:00
... NPR Topics: News
We asked a first grader to interview his hero: A bird scientist

NPR asked an aspiring scientist in Philadelphia to interview an adult who is living his dream about his career in conservation science.

2nd August 2026 09:00
... NPR Topics: News
What Cyclospora does inside the gut and how it gets there

Cyclospora, the parasite that has sickened thousands this summer in the U.S., requires time in the human digestive tract to reproduce.

2nd August 2026 09:00
... NPR Topics: News
Idaho fast food restaurant shooting leaves 3 dead, city spokesman says

Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant.

2nd August 2026 08:01
The Guardian
‘Free up the ganja’: Rastafarians in Kenya fight to decriminalise marijuana

Marijuana plays a sacred role among Rastafari followers and they say criminalising it violates their rights

About a dozen people sang along to the pulsing vibrations of drums and a tambourine in a dimly lit room in Nairobi’s sprawling Kibera neighbourhood. For more than an hour they belted out song after song, the lyrics suffused with references to Ethiopia, Jah, Zion, Rastafari and Haile Selassie I.

One song went: “No night in a Zion, there is no night there / Hallelujah there is no night there / Rastafari is our light, and we need no other light / Hallelujah there is no night there.”

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2nd August 2026 08:00
The Guardian
‘I have an understanding housemate’: the student who makes videos of fungus on faeces

Alfred Drummond-Herdman’s extraordinary timelapses have been viewed by millions – and led him to identify new species

Alfred Drummond-Herdman is possibly the only person in the UK who is sent animal faeces in the post out of goodwill. His bedroom in Edinburgh is full of the stuff: clothes have been removed from his wardrobe and cupboards, replaced with terrariums and plastic containers housing sections of cowpats, grouse droppings and rabbit pellets.

“I have a very understanding housemate,” he says.

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2nd August 2026 08:00
... NPR Topics: News
Trump says he's cancelling Iran strikes, deal pending

Trump said Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked the U.S. "to hold off any attack" on Iran because "the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to."

2nd August 2026 07:34
The Guardian
The five big beasts are gone: who will be the Premier League’s next alpha manager? | Jonathan Wilson

Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta is perhaps best placed to fill the void but the coaching contenders are legion as another season looms

This used to be a land of giants. This used to be a land where big men fought. This used to be a land where Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger tussled, then José Mourinho joined the fray. This used to be a land where Jürgen Klopp made Pep Guardiola reconsider, and he changed his style and won anyway.

Not any more. Next season will be the first since the inaugural Premier League in 1992 not to feature any of the five big managerial beasts – not Ferguson, not Wenger, not Mourinho, not Klopp and not Guardiola.

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2nd August 2026 07:00
The Guardian
Gianni Infantino could face leadership challenge as Fifa council members rebel

  • Council wants to trigger emergency general meeting

  • Members demand review of Balogun decision

Gianni Infantino is facing a rebellion from members of the Fifa council who are attempting to force an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) that could develop into a full blown leadership challenge.

The Guardian has learned that moves to call an EGM were already under way before the emergence of Infantino’s abortive plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup, with council members demanding an independent review into the unprecedented decision to lift Folarin Balogun’s suspension during the World Cup, which involved multiple phone calls from Donald Trump.

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2nd August 2026 07:00
The Guardian
‘We cannot magic up more water’: the supply problems putting housing targets in England at risk

Council leaders say crumbling infrastructure and lack of water are jeopardising government’s plans for new homes

The government’s housebuilding agenda is hitting the stark reality of a lack of water and crumbling infrastructure across the east and south-east of England.

Half the country was declared to be in serious drought this week, for the second consecutive year, with the Environment Agency warning of dire consequences for the economy, environment and wildlife.

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2nd August 2026 06:00
The Guardian
‘Poirot’s hotel was the place to stay in Istanbul’: the book that inspired my travels

Falling in love with a novel motivated these five travel writers to immerse themselves in locations from the Yukon and Kyrgyzstan to the Côte d’Azur

Inspired by Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express

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2nd August 2026 06:00
The Guardian
UK’s state investments agency hit by data breach

Security lapse leaves sensitive information and contact details of 51 government officials exposed for 40 hours

The public body in charge of the UK’s state investments has been pushed to improve its internal security after a data breach left “high-level management information” publicly accessible for nearly two days.

UK Government Investments (UKGI), the agency that manages the taxpayers’ interest in a swathe of companies including Channel 4 and the Post Office, said the security failure also left more than 50 government officials’ personal details exposed for nearly 40 hours.

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2nd August 2026 06:00
Us - CBSNews.com
Rare clue at Minneapolis crime scene points to a barefoot killer

"In Minnesota here, people are not committing crimes a lot of times with the socks and shoes off," said a forensic scientist about footprints left in the victim's blood.

2nd August 2026 05:05
Us - CBSNews.com
Bloody, bare footprints lead to decadeslong search for woman's killer

In 1993, Jeanie Childs was found stabbed more than 60 times in her Minneapolis apartment. Bloody footprints and unknown DNA left investigators without answers until a 2015 cold-case review and public DNA database finally pointed to a suspect.

2nd August 2026 05:05
The Guardian
Shooting at In-N-Out Burger restaurant in Idaho leaves three people dead

Police chief say shooter found dead after ‘very chaotic scene’ near busy shopping area in Twin Falls

Three people were killed and seven more were injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, a Twin Falls city spokesperson said.

Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer said. He did not know if the suspect was included in the fatality count.

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2nd August 2026 05:02
The Guardian
‘This is where democracy beats totalitarianism’: Ukraine’s drone strike force takes the fight to Russia

Exclusive: At a launch site in the Ukrainian countryside, members of the elite ‘Magyar’s Birds’ brigade are turning Russia’s vast size into a weakness

Sparrows were cheeping as the sun set over a field of tall yellow sunflowers when a moped-like growl suddenly disturbed the evening calm. The noise rose, dipped, and rose again. Lt Col Ray – a Ukrainian commander with the 414th aviation brigade – took cover in a leafy ditch.

Seconds later a Ukrainian drone roared into a mauve sky. It jerked upwards at a 45-degree angle, orange flames fizzing, and then motored serenely onwards. The flying object resembled a sleek grey biplane with a wooden propeller and tail. It left behind clouds of billowing black smoke and a whiff of gunpowder.

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2nd August 2026 05:00
The Guardian
‘£5,800 on a watch?!’ What happened when five couples kept separate money diaries – then revealed all to their partners?

Rachel forked out £700 for beauty treatments, Kojo confessed to a £25 cigarette habit, and Jake indulged his love of fancy timepieces. Were their other halves forgiving or furious?

Rachel and Kojo, Northampton

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2nd August 2026 05:00
The Guardian
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are on the rise across west Africa, campaigners warn

Activists in the region say politicians regard LGBTQ+ people as ‘the easiest scapegoats to maintain their power’

A growing number of west African countries are implementing or strengthening anti-LGBTQ+ laws, amid local political pressures and a global pushback against LGBTQ+ rights.

In March, Senegal doubled the maximum prison sentence for gay sex to 10 years and criminalised the “promotion” of homosexuality. Niger criminalised “sexual relations with a person of the same sex” in February, the first time same-sex intimacy had been outlawed in the country.

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2nd August 2026 04:00
The Guardian
‘Climate change kills’: Pedro Sánchez speaks plain truth to Spain’s deniers

PM has long history of speaking out on realities of global heating but political opponents remain unnmoved

Just over four years ago, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, visited a small town in the south-western region of Extremadura that had been affected by one of the wildfires devouring tens of thousands of hectares of land across the country.

That summer’s blazes had left two people dead in the northern region of Castilla y León and another man there fatally burned after the excavator he was using to try to dig a firebreak to protect his town was swallowed up by the flames. A street-sweeper in Madrid had collapsed and died from heatstroke while on shift in soaring temperatures that summer. The paramedics who tried to save him noted that his body temperature was 41.6C (107F).

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2nd August 2026 04:00
The Guardian
Apparently, I’ve got ‘comfort creep’. I prefer to think of it as finally knowing what I like | Polly Hudson

Routine isn’t a failure of imagination – it’s the reward for having done enough experimenting. So, yes, I’m going to my favourite restaurant again – and ordering my favourite dish

Feeling seen isn’t always a positive thing. “Comfort creep: do YOU have it?” Good Housekeeping asked, accusingly. I was certain that I did, even before knowing what it was. And that this was not good.

“Same holidays, same TV shows, same restaurants, same wine … If your life lacks excitement, it’s time for an anti-comfort crusade!” OK, guilty as charged, but hang on a second. When did the comfort zone become a horrific dystopia from which you must escape at all costs? Comfort? Ugh, the worst! Run, screaming, as fast as you can.

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2nd August 2026 04:00
The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Strikes on three Russian oil refineries and sanctioned ship

Power cut to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant; meal queues in Crimea where Ukrainian strikes have cut fuel and power supplies. What we know on day 1,621

Ukrainian drones struck three oil refineries in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday. The refineries “process millions of tonnes of oil each year” and are located nearly 1,600km (994 miles) from Ukraine, Ukraine’s president said. The Russian online news outlet Astra reported Saturday that a Ukrainian drone set on fire an oil refinery in Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan.

A sanctioned Russian container ship, the Yanina, sank in the Black Sea after being hit by Ukrainian drones, Zelenskyy said, listing the ship as among “facilities that sustain the war effort”. Russia’s state nuclear energy company, Rosatom, whose shipping subsidiary FESCO operates the vessel, claimed the ship was carrying “civilian goods” such as frozen food and construction materials.

The ⁠International Atomic Energy ⁠Agency (IAEA) ⁠said on ​Saturday that Ukraine’s ⁠Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant ⁠lost ​off-site ‌power ‌for nearly two hours – the 23rd ‌time it has happened since the full-scale Russian invasion. The plant is illegally occupied by Russia and not operating, but needs power supplied from outside to power cooling systems that maintain the safety of its nuclear materials.

Ukraine’s campaign to cut off illegally occupied Crimea from Russia has led to people having to queue in the streets for hot meals due to power cuts, Reuters reports. It caught up with residents waiting in the town of Massandra for food being cooked in huge pots. Standing beside boiling vats of buckwheat, later to be added to plates of reheated tinned beef, Massandra town administration head Oksana Madyud said her workers were serving roughly 200 people per day, “as under the current circumstances not everyone has the means to cook hot food on electric ​hobs”. Ukraine says it is “bringing the war back home to ‌Russia” by striking deep inside the country, as well as hitting territory the invader controls and has sought to populate with Russian immigrants.

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2nd August 2026 01:54
Us - CBSNews.com
World's largest locomotive, Union Pacific's Big Boy, completes epic journey

Ian Lee traces this summer's cross-country journey of the world's largest locomotive, known as Big Boy.

2nd August 2026 01:09
Us - CBSNews.com
Oil companies see soaring profits amid Iran war

As the threat of escalation in the war with Iran drives gas prices higher and hurts economies worldwide, one sector is doing really well, the revenue for Big Oil. Ali Bauman explains.

2nd August 2026 00:54
Us - CBSNews.com
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."

2nd August 2026 00:51
Us - CBSNews.com
Vincent Pastore, famous for his role in "The Sopranos," dies at 80

Vincent Pastore played Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on all six seasons of "The Sopranos," which aired from 1999 to 2007.

2nd August 2026 00:50
Us - CBSNews.com
Trump blasts Pirro's decision to drop charges in Reflecting Pool case

President Trump on Saturday took issue with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's decision to dismiss charges against former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. However, Pirro found that peeled paint was actually caused by "flawed installation by the contractor," and she instead placed blame on the Interior Department. Olivia Rinaldi has the latest.

2nd August 2026 00:49
Us - CBSNews.com
U.S. contends with extreme heat

Several parts of the U.S. are dealing with scorching temperatures this weekend, with the potential for new records to be set from California to Montana. Meteorologist Andrew Kozak is tracking it all.

2nd August 2026 00:36
The Guardian
Capital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money-laundering review

Disclosure from 2021 investigation marks first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump

Capital One Financial hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its ⁠decision to close the Trump ⁠Organization’s bank accounts ​years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money-laundering experts.

The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump’s family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking – or denying services on religious or political grounds – the Trump Organization.

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2nd August 2026 00:04
The Guardian
Devolution plans strengthen case for written UK constitution, says Burnham

PM argues for codified model of decentralisation that would fundamentally change centuries-old workings of state

Andy Burnham has said his programme of devolution strengthens the case for a written constitution for the UK, a move that would fundamentally alter the workings of the state that have developed over centuries.

The prime minister has long believed the UK’s “antiquated” political system needs a dramatic overhaul if opportunity is to be shared equally across the country.

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1st August 2026 23:01
The Guardian
Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dies aged 80

Veteran actor best-known for playing Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero, friend of Tony Soprano who becomes FBI informant

Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best-known for playing Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, has died. He was 80.

Bob McGowan, who had managed Pastore since his run on The Sopranos, told the Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from another client and actor on the show, Vincent Curatola.

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1st August 2026 22:36
... NPR Topics: News
'Sopranos' actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dead at 80

Vincent Pastore appeared in movies dating back to the 1980s and had roles in big movies including "Goodfellas" and "Awakenings," both in 1990.

1st August 2026 22:32
The Guardian
Tourist plane crashes during flight over Peru’s Nazca Lines, killing 13

Aircraft crashes into field after departing from nearby city of Pisco, according to local authorities

Police in Peru report that 13 people, among them foreign tourists, have been killed in a plane crash in southern Peru, near the Nazca Lines.

Local authorities in Nazca confirmed that 11 tourists and two pilots died when the Cessna Grand Caravan crashed in Pueblo Viejo, approximately 4 miles (6km) from the city of Nazca and roughly 12km from the Nazca Lines site.

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1st August 2026 22:31
Us - CBSNews.com
8/1: CBS Weekend News

President Trump criticizes decision to drop charges in Reflecting Pool case; Tensions rise in the Middle East.

1st August 2026 22:30
... NPR Topics: News
Avalanche in Pakistan kills famed mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his fellow climbers

A mountaineering team with climbers from around the world, including the U.S., was attempting to climb one of the tallest peaks on earth.

1st August 2026 22:23
The Guardian
Rhys Nicholson: ‘Get a hobby – don’t become a full-blown racist’

The comedian and Drag Race Down Under judge on Harry Styles, not having the legs for short shorts, and why sleep is the most expensive beauty product

You’re back on the judging panel of Drag Race Down Under vs The World. What do you think gives Australian queens the edge?

I think our drag tends not to focus as much on female impersonation. It’s about building a character. People like Lazy Susan, who’s on the judging panel this year, is one of my favourites because there’s no illusion about this being a man in women’s clothing, but there’s creativity to it. I think Australian drag is about creating art, as opposed to creating a woman.

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1st August 2026 22:22
... NPR Topics: News
Overnight Russian barrage kills nine in Kyiv, as air defense struggle with U.S. continues

Ballistic missiles tore into five districts of the Ukrainian capital before dawn Saturday. President Trump is now walking back a promised boost to Ukraine's missile defense systems.

1st August 2026 20:27
The Guardian
The moment I knew: after my mum lost everything in Japan’s tsunami, Trent showered her with tiny kindnesses

The cabaret performers met while on tour in Canada. But it wasn’t until her new partner befriended her mother that Sachie realised how thoughtful he was

I met Trent in 2012 in a car park in Winnipeg. We were handing out flyers on the Canadian fringe circuit. I was wearing a pink tutu for my contemporary clown show and Trent was in the tight black suit of his vaudeville character the Birdmann. We barely spoke but I had this strange feeling, almost as if I should avoid him – a feeling I sometimes get around people who go on to become important in my life.

Backstage at the next festival in Edmonton, Trent kept trying to give me liquorice but I don’t like it. I wasn’t sure why he was paying me so much attention, although I wondered if he was impressed by seeing me play trumpet in the show.

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1st August 2026 20:00
The Guardian
The brief life and sudden death of Zyzz: why did the bodybuilding influencer die at just 22?

Long before looksmaxxers, Aziz ‘Zyzz’ Shavershian was famous online for posting workouts and rage-bait – until he died in Thailand in 2011. A new documentary reveals what really happened

Decades before the extreme aesthetic trend of looksmaxxing, there was Zyzz. Aziz Shavershian was an Australian teenager who became a fitness influencer in the 2000s, filming his workouts and thoughts about the world on his Nokia and posting them to YouTube.

Zyzz was big in all senses of the word: many of his videos would see him flexing into unabashedly vain bodybuilding poses, hair feathered like an anime character, as he mocked his audience’s envy with slang straight out of bodybuilding forums: “U mirin’, brah?” He was skilled in rage-bait long before anyone had heard of it, creating accounts to troll himself in case the haters ever forgot to hate. He started an anonymous Facebook page, titled “10,000 likes and I’ll bash Zyzz” and, when the goal was reached, switched the page to one advertising his protein brand.

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1st August 2026 20:00
The Guardian
Notes from a nursing home: ‘Our books told of who we were. The story of us. Then the movers came and asked what should go’

Pencil marks in the margins of books gathered over a lifetime was proof of a life lived. So when it came time for Andrew McKean to move into aged care, leaving his books behind made the self thinner

My wife, Patricia, and I came to our nursing home with little more than clothes, a few photographs and some books we could still carry. The shelves we left behind still stand in the emptied rooms of the house we called home for 30 years. Those shelves once groaned under the weight of books we had gathered, page by page, year by year.

Our books told of who we were, or who we thought we might become. There were the novels Patricia read in the long evenings after the children slept, their spines cracked from her hands. There were the histories I brought home from the library sales, dusty volumes of wars and voyages that filled the quiet hours when rain beat on the roof. Poetry too, slim books with thin paper, marked where a line struck true. We kept them not only for the stories printed inside but for the story they made of us.

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1st August 2026 20:00
Us - CBSNews.com
U.S. probes if Iran was behind cyberattack on utilities in Michigan, Minnesota

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.

1st August 2026 18:49
Us - CBSNews.com
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.

1st August 2026 18:13
The Guardian
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.

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1st August 2026 16:00
Us - CBSNews.com
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.

1st August 2026 15:01
Us - CBSNews.com
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.

1st August 2026 15:00
The Guardian
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.

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1st August 2026 15:00
U.S. News
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.

1st August 2026 14:17
The Guardian
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.

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1st August 2026 13:00
The Guardian
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.

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1st August 2026 12:00
The Guardian
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.”

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1st August 2026 12:00
The Guardian
A forgotten Victorian children’s book helped me grieve my father

The stories in Mrs Leicester’s School, written by a woman who killed her own mother, were suffused with grief, and finally triggered mine as I was teaching a class of students

When my dad went into hospital for what would be the final time, shortly before Christmas last year, I had been finishing up a lecture series on early children’s literature for the university where I teach. My dad had had a drinking problem practically my whole life, but his alcoholism had worsened across decades. Then suddenly, after years of poor health, his liver just gave up on him. He was dead within days.

Shortly after his death I was due to lecture on a relatively forgotten book of stories for children called Mrs Leicester’s School, mostly written by the English writer Mary Lamb but with parts by her more famous brother, Charles. I was not prepared for how moved I would be by the simple message of one of the stories. That often bizarre and sometimes grim collection of tales for pre-Victorian boys and girls changed the way that I, an almost 40-year-old man, think about grief.

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1st August 2026 11:00
The Guardian
‘Worst we’ve known’: UK turns to imports as drought and heat hit vegetable crops

Growers in dismay after scorching weather and lack of rain affect yields, sending wholesale prices rocketing

Pubs, restaurants and supermarkets are having to buy lettuce and broccoli from Spain at what should be the height of UK growing season, as drought and extreme heat hit crops.

The wholesale price of tomatoes is up by more than 60%, iceberg lettuce by 90% and potatoes by more than 40% as a number of farmers struggle to grow in consistently high temperatures. Even those with irrigation systems and reservoirs on their farms say water is running low.

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1st August 2026 11:00
The Guardian
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.’”

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1st August 2026 11:00
Us - CBSNews.com
8/1: CBS Saturday Morning

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

1st August 2026 11:00
Us - CBSNews.com
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.

1st August 2026 10:00
The Guardian
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.

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1st August 2026 09:00
The Guardian
‘We didn’t feel safe’: Booking.com users face battle to get money back

From melted electric sockets to shabby alternatives, readers tell of dealings with platform when things go wrong

Jane Ripley* spent some time researching the best apartment to stay in for her family’s trip to Batumi in Georgia, eventually settling on one with an “exceptional” rating on Booking.com.

But when the Ripleys arrived at 11pm on the first day, they were directed to another property that was shabby and had stains on the furniture and ceiling.

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1st August 2026 09:00
The Guardian
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.

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1st August 2026 09:00
The Guardian
​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.

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1st August 2026 08:00
The Guardian
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.

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1st August 2026 07:00