Devastating LA wildfire sparked by utility company tower, long-awaited report finds

Investigators pin blame for Eaton fire, which killed 19 people and ruined thousands of homes, on ‘electrical arcing events’ at out-of-service tower

The deadly 2025 Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area was caused by equipment belonging to the utility company Southern California Edison, fire officials said in a report released on Tuesday.

Los Angeles county fire officials found that the cause of the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed or damaged more than 9,000 homes and businesses was a tower that was not in service, according to the report.

House committee launches investigation into Republican lawmaker amid domestic abuse allegations – live

Max Miller says he has ‘nothing to hide’ amid domestic abuse allegations made against him by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, daughter of Republican Ohio senator Bernie Moreno

• Sign up for US Breaking News email

The White House has called an emergency summit of artificial intelligence business leaders on Tuesday to finalize details of a voluntary compliance system for safety breaches, following reports that two major AI tools had breached their digital containment and hacked external computer systems.

Anthropic reported last week that models of its Claude tool successfully hacked into the infrastructure of three separate companies during red-teaming tests by exploiting weak passwords and unauthenticated endpoints. Anthropic said an external evaluation partner mistakenly granted the testing agent unfiltered internet access.

Ex-Olympian weighing ‘all options’ after reflecting pool charges dropped

David Hearn has ‘number of potential remedies’ after being prosecuted in connection with pool damage, attorney says

An attorney for the former Olympic canoeist who was charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool has said that “all options are on table” for legal recourse after prosecutors recently abandoned the case abruptly.

David Hearn “has a number of potential remedies” after being prosecuted in connection with pool damage now attributed to faulty work by a contractor, attorney Steven Levin said in a statement. Levin added that those could include “civil suits, bar referrals for the prosecutors involved, request for sanctions and reimbursement of attorneys’ fees and expenses”, and requests for investigations by various government entities, including Congress.

Tour de France Femmes cyclists face checks for aerodynamic-boosting chest padding

• Chest fairings could smooth airflow around the body

• Warning came before time-trial stage to Dijon

Riders in the Tour de France Femmes were examined for hidden aerodynamic enhancements, or chest fairings, before the race’s time trial stage to Dijon on Tuesday, in a clampdown on the latest attempts to circumnavigate cycling’s rules.

Changes to body morphology to improve aerodynamics are banned under International Cycling Union rules. The UCI’s commissaires were looking for padded chest farings that would artificially improve airflow and reduce wind resistance.

Dow soars 1,000 points on strong corporate profits, hopes of Iran deal

Stocks were on track to notch new record highs on Tuesday as oil prices dip and companies report healthy profits.

Rep. Max Miller calls for his own ethics investigation amid domestic violence allegations

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate him amid allegations of domestic violence.

Fifa accused of using ‘blackmail’ to force support for Infantino’s re-election bid

• Jordan FA president says Fifa threatened to block funds

• Secretary general calls selloff plan ‘sad and reproachable’

The Jordan Football Association presi­dent, Prince Ali bin Al ­Hussein, has accused Gianni Infantino’s administration of “blackmail”, ­claiming that Fifa threatened to withhold financial assistance from his federation if it refused to back the president’s bid for re-election.

In a major intervention Prince Ali, who ran for the Fifa presidency against Infantino in 2016 and finished third, listed a number of problems dogging the global ­governing body and said Jordan’s players have not yet been paid for appearing in the Arab Cup last year. Prince Ali is head of the West Asian Football Federation, which includes influential states such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that have thus far backed Infantino to stay on.

House Ethics probing Rep. Max Miller for alleged domestic violence, drug use

The House Ethics Committee announced that it is opening a probe into allegations that Rep. Max Miller may have engaged in domestic violence or drug use.

Chipotle stock falls on potential link to salmonella outbreak in Minnesota

Chipotle has pulled the affected supply from restaurants and replaced them with peppers from different growers, according to the company.

Behind closed doors, Trump, White House aides hope Rep. Max Miller exits race

Some White House officials hope embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller exits his congressional race immediately, and President Trump has expressed a similar sentiment, multiple sources say.

The soaring demand for Patriot missiles, from the Middle East to Ukraine

The U.S. and its partners depend on Patriot interceptors to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. But Russia and Iran are firing their weapons at rates far higher than Patriots can be produced.

India’s ruling BJP loses byelection in stronghold after Cockroach student protests

Opposition parties say nationwide protests that forced resignation of education secretary are beginning to dent BJP support

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party has lost a byelection in a seat it had held for three decades, after the Cockroach movement student protests that have shaken Narendra Modi’s government.

Prashant Kishor, a high-profile electoral strategist turned politician, scored a breakthrough win for his fledgling Jan Suraaj (Good Governance) party in the Bankipur constituency in Patna, the capital of the eastern state of Bihar.

More adult children live at home now than during the pandemic

One woman in her mid-30s said her $60,000 annual income wasn't enough to cover all her bills after a breakup, leading her to move back home.

Dinghy carrying 173 people capsizes in Channel after engine catches fire

All passengers thought to have been taken to Boulogne after large air and sea rescue operation by France and UK

A dinghy carrying 173 people has capsized after its engine caught fire as it attempted to cross the Channel from France.

The people onboard were rescued from the water after a large air and sea operation was launched using UK border security and French vessels along with an RNLI boat.

Philadelphia Fed President Paulson content with rates at current level, but keeping an open mind

Paulson said voting with the majority last week wasn't a tough decision.

Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis

Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage

• BP boss urges Burnham to prioritise UK oil and gas

• Nils Pratley: BP boss is unsentimental in pruning portfolio

Eight of the biggest oil companies amassed profits of more than $90bn (£67bn) in just three months as the Iran conflict sent energy prices soaring and the emissions-fuelled climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves.

The windfall war profits have reignited calls for oil and gas supermajors such as Saudi Aramco and BP to pay for the environmental damage caused by “cashing in on human misery” and fund a rapid transition to renewable energy.

Ciao capitano: Milan mourns Franco Baresi at legendary footballer’s funeral – in pictures

One of the finest defenders in history, the former Italy and Milan player died last week aged 66. Former teammates and huge crowds paid their respects at Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio

Senate Democrats say banks turned blind eye to suspicious moves by Jeffrey Epstein

A report from Senate Democrats accuses big banks of failing to report suspicious money transfers made by Jeffrey Epstein until after his arrest in 2019.

Guatemala volcano eruption prompts evacuation of hundreds of people

Eruption of the Fuego volcano sends lava and ash nearly four miles into the sky as country declares second-highest alert

Hundreds of people living on the slopes of Guatemala’s Fuego volcano have evacuated their homes after a huge eruption spewed lava and plumes of ash.

Central America’s most active volcano erupted on Monday morning, with conditions intensifying by nightfall and prompting authorities to issue the country’s second-most severe alert warning.

Ella Baron on Ariana Grande’s decision to step back from public life – cartoon

Continue reading...

Blanche approved by Judiciary Committee, sending Trump's AG nominee to full Senate vote

Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche will still need to receive 50 votes on the Senate floor to be confirmed after clearing the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Pfizer tops estimates, hikes low end of revenue guidance on strength of Eliquis, other drugs

Pfizer said it cut its full-year revenue expectation for its Covid products to $4 billion, down from around $5 billion previously. 

Abdul El-Sayed, Haley Stevens square off Tuesday in Michigan Democratic primary

Michigan's Senate Democratic primary between Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens is one of the most closely watched races of the midterm election.

Family "forever grateful" after 10-year-old rescued from rip current by teen lifeguard

A 16-year-old lifeguard is being hailed a hero after rescuing a boy from a rip current off the coast of Santa Cruz, California, last month.

EU chief criticises Spain’s migrant plan after Ceuta crisis meeting

Migration commissioner says scheme regularising undocumented people ‘not a good signal’ for Europe

• Explainer: Why is Ceuta a migration flashpoint?

The EU’s top official on migration has criticised Spain’s plan to regularise undocumented migrants as “not a good signal” for Europe, after an emergency meeting intended to draw a line under divisions on the Ceuta crisis.

Magnus Brunner, the European commissioner for migration, said that while the EU could not currently see a direct link between events in Ceuta and Spain’s regularisation plan, the policy was “definitely not a good signal for the rest of Europe”.

Arsenal target Vinícius says Mourinho ‘wants me to be happy’ at Real Madrid

• ‘It has gone very well, getting to know the new coach’

• Brazil winger has one year left on contract at Bernabéu

Vinícius Júnior is settling into life under the new Real Madrid manager, José ⁠Mourinho, with a smile on his face even as uncertainty swirls around the Brazil forward’s future at the Bernabéu.

The 26-year-old, who has ⁠been ​one of the linchpins of Real Madrid’s attack in recent years, gave an upbeat assessment of his second ⁠day of pre-season training under Mourinho despite speculation linking him with a possible move to Arsenal.

Europe heat wave fuels drought, fires and energy fears

Europe's heat wave exposes buried history and new threats — Nazi-era wrecks emerge from the Danube, nuclear reactors face cooling risks, and Greece battles deadly wildfires.

New Jersey sues Amazon on antitrust grounds, alleging it unlawfully wielded its power over delivery contractors

The complaint alleges Amazon's third-party delivery model leads to lower wages, unfair working conditions and a lack of competition.

Skip the run: here are six joint-friendly cardio alternatives suggested by experts

Whether you’re nursing a joint, have an existing condition or just don’t feel like running, these exercises help get your cardio in

The runner’s high might be contagious. In 2024, fitness tracking app Strava recorded a 59% increase in users attending social running events and run clubs globally. Applications for London’s marathon have increased 40% since 2024, while New York City’s received about 20% more applicants this year. Overall, an estimated 56 million Americans regularly run on a treadmill and 51 million jog, according to a report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

But running has a reputation for being rough on our joints. There is some good news for those chasing the high: one 2023 study found little relationship between recreational running and arthritis of the hip or knee, and another suggests that the impact of running causes cartilage to adapt, fortify and thicken over time.

Why Ford believes its 10.2% July U.S. sales decline was still a 'good' month

The July decline adds to a lackluster sales year for the automaker, with results off 9.7% compared with 2025.

Is Gianni Infantino’s time up as Fifa president? - The Latest

Gianni Infantino’s reign as Fifa president is in severe peril after the collapse of his plans to sell off parts of the World Cup to private investment. Many Concacaf countries are considering following Europe’s lead by formally removing their support for the Fifa president, and there are widespread calls to remove him from his post. Lucy Hough speaks to columnist Jonathan Liew

Pirro brought box of evidence to show Trump what caused Reflecting Pool damage

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro was seen with a large box as she left the White House Monday after her meeting with President Trump.

Arson suspect in Spokane-area wildfire had prior manslaughter conviction

More than 700 buildings in the Spokane area have been destroyed and 400 more haven't been assessed, officials said as three fires burned in the area and an arrest was made in connection with one of them.

Tell us your experience of using peptides

We would like to hear your experience of using peptides for therapeutic purposes

In recent years there has been a boom in interest in using peptides, from weight loss to anti-ageing and recovery from injury.

These include approved prescription weight-loss medications based on synthetic peptides that mimic natural hormones. However, sales of experimental and unregulated peptides are rising as online sellers tout them as part of a “wellness” regime.

Refuse collectors help Italian woman recover binned €1m lottery ticket

Winner called waste management team after she realised stub showing she had hit the jackpot had been thrown away

A €1m lottery ticket has been recovered from the rubbish in Italy after the frantic winner called on refuse collectors to help her retrieve it, according to the waste management company.

The instant win ticket was “miraculously still in one piece” after garbage workers combed through mounds of rubbish on their truck, said Roberto Nicola Toscano, the administrator of the SANB company in Italy’s southern Puglia region.

Wayward SpaceX rocket to slam into moon, leave 16-foot deep crater

The impact will not be visible to the naked eye, but photos are expected to come from a lunar satellite at a later time.

Elon Musk’s X latest to block Saudi dissident accounts inside kingdom

Exclusive: More than 60 accounts on X have been made unavailable in Saudi Arabia, after similar action on Snapchat and Facebook

Elon Musk’s X has become the latest major US social media company to block the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents so they are no longer visible inside the kingdom, following orders from Saudi authorities.

Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that platforms including Snapchat and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram had blocked dissidents’ accounts over allegations by Saudi authorities that they were violating local law.

Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination will advance to full US Senate vote

Blanche, one of Trump’s most trusted legal aides, confirmed in writing that $1.8bn slush fund for president’s allies was dead

The US Senate judiciary committee voted along party lines to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general after he confirmed in writing that a planned $1.8bn slush fund for Donald Trump’s allies was dead. Experts say, however, that Trump could easily reverse the deal.

His nomination will now proceed to the full Senate, where it will likely face intense skepticism from Democrats.

Senate Judiciary Committee advances Blanche's nomination for attorney general

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to advance Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey gives UK poetry sales an epic boost

Poetry sales surpassed £8m in the first 30 weeks of 2026 and are expected to reach a record high this year thanks to blockbuster adaptation of Homer’s 2,700-year-old poem

UK poetry sales are on course to reach a record high this year, buoyed by the success of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.

Poetry sales surpassed £8m during the first 30 weeks of 2026, an increase of 13.3% on the same period last year, according to data from market researchers NielsenIQ.

‘The idea that comedy is in some left-wing stranglehold is nonsense’: our comedy critic answered your questions on the Edinburgh fringe

Brian Logan offered advice for young comedians, discussed being spotted at a show, demystified star ratings, and considered whether the fringe is really ‘Edinburgh’

Achhca asks: Hi Brian! Reviews at the fringe seem to have extra weight to them, especially the exact star rating - four stars can go on the poster, three stars may as well be zero. What are your criteria for stars, and is it informed by the knowledge that a 4+ will end up stapled on posters across the city?

And brion asks: Why have you offered so few five star reviews? What is your rubric for a five star score?

Brian: I try to think about star ratings as little as possible. My job, as I see it, is to write something insightful, respectful and hopefully entertaining about a show; and to express all I have to say about that show in words. At a stretch, I recognise the usefulness, to some, of then appending a star rating to that review. But I wish we didn’t have to. It’s reductive and dumb. My own kids ask me after I’ve seen a show ‘what did you give it?’ rather than ‘what did you think of it?’ That makes me sad.

But: let’s not take ourselves too seriously! There was once, reputedly, a critic who never gave three-star reviews because he knew no one would read them. But most shows are three-star shows – i.e. good, enjoyable, competent if unexceptional. I’ll try to err on the side of enthusiasm whenever I can. God knows my own work has received enough two- (and lower) star reviews over the years. I know how depressing that is.

Matter to whom? They matter to me. My experience of art (books, movies, TV, whatever) is so massively enriched and improved by cross-referring it with the experience of reviewers. As soon as I close the last page of a book, I jump online and read what other people have said about it. I love to read what cleverer or better informed or just different minds to my own think about the shows and paintings and songs that I’ve experienced too. I find it weird that anyone might think otherwise.

Whether reviews matter in terms of an artwork’s success or failure (and who gets to define that?!) is less clear. Depends on the show. Depends on the circumstances. At any rate, reviewers are part of an ecology that responds to the art and entertainment that gets put out into the world, and one of the many factors that may influence how those artworks are received, understood and savoured. And the world would be more drab and undistinguished without them. (But then, I would say that…)

‘He’s tiny, dumpy and funny – so his BMX tricks are hilarious’: Tanuki: Pon’s Summer, an adorable slice-of-life adventure

Denkiworks’ debut lets players pull off tricks and pull pints in a stunning, Japan-inspired setting

A freeloading tanuki, mounting debt, and a town full of possibilities will sound familiar to fans of Animal Crossing. Alas, while you won’t find accountability from Tom Nook, Kyoto-based studio Denkiworks has stepped in to heal your financial trauma with a BMX-filled adventure in which a mammal finally pays the price for their years of bad behaviour. “Even Japanese people ask why it’s a tanuki,” jokes Liam Edwards, a game designer at Denkiworks. “They have such a mythological background to them; they’re almost like dragons in terms of their mythology.”

In Tanuki: Pon’s Summer, you play as an adorable but irresponsible critter named Pon, who’s bled the coffers of the local shrine – his home – dry by buying video games and snack food instead of preparing for its semicentennial matsuri. As a result, the shrine is in total disrepair, and important architecture and cultural artefacts – such as the ema stand and the chōzuya – are left cracked and broken, unbefitting a festival half a century in the making.

What to watch for in SpaceX's first public earnings report today

SpaceX will release its first earnings report as a public company on Tuesday in a key test for the company's stuttering stock price.

Manufacturing survey shows inflation worries 'worse than pandemic era,' adding to Fed pressure

The commentary pointed to a highly volatile environment in which purchasing managers were struggling to stay ahead

McDonald's names company veteran Skye Anderson as its U.S. president as growth in its largest market slows

McDonald's new U.S. President Skye Anderson has been with the company for 26 years and succeeds Joe Erlinger in the role.

Why Michigan voters are hearing 'communist' as they vote Tuesday

President Donald Trump and Republican allies are escalating attacks that label Democrats communists after progressive candidates won elections and primaries.

Safety, freedom and no misgendering: inside the Texas summer camp for trans kids

At Color Splash Out, LGBTQ+ kids can play, create and connect without judgment, especially in a state that passed seven anti-trans bills last year

• Color Splash Out summer camp – in pictures

For the first time in his life, 17-year-old Alastair Mendoza didn’t think twice about jumping in the water. He kayaked through tangles of reeds, taking in the schools of minnows beneath him and the hawks overhead. He splashed around with friends he had made only days prior.

“I actually felt comfortable,” Mendoza said of swimming in public, something trans kids like him often struggle with. But at Color Splash Out, a four-day summer camp open to queer and trans youth in Texas, Mendoza swam whenever he could. “There was less fear of judgment and anxiety knowing that you were safe around these people,” he said.

McDonald's says its U.S. business is falling short as it announces new head of its largest market

McDonald's stock has fallen more than 11% this year, dragging its market cap down to roughly $191 billion.

Google Earth’s potential disinformation nightmare

A new feature briefly allowed Google Earth users to overlay AI-generated images on locations of their choosing

• This was originally published in TechScape, a newsletter about how technology shapes our lives. Sign up to receive it here.

Hello, and welcome to TechScape. This week we’ll be discussing a regrettable decision by Google Earth, the dramatic fall of the “Nostradamus of AI”, and what happens when AI agents go rogue.

Extreme heat: why our cities can't cope | Opinion

The UK and Europe have been facing extreme heatwaves – Greenpeace recorded temperatures of up to 53C at one London playground in recent weeks. It’s clear our cities are not equipped to deal with the soaring temperatures brought by the climate crisis. With the ‘Super El Niño’ on its way, next year is forecast to get even hotter. But is anyone really doing anything about it? The Guardian’s deputy opinion editor Kirsty Major goes in search of playgrounds that are adapting to our new reality

Boy saved in rip current rescue speaks out: "I thought I was going to ... die"

Last month, a 16-year-old lifeguard rescued 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai, who was struggling in a rip current off Santa Cruz, California. Rai and his father spoke to "CBS Mornings" about how the terrifying situation unfolded and their gratitude for the teen lifeguard who stepped in to help.

13 new books in August will get you through the dog days of summer

This month brings riveting novels about dogs, Hollywood stars, small towns and characters with bigger woes than just the sweltering summer heat and humidity.

Foreigners are buying fewer U.S. properties, but luxury homebuilders still draw them in

Foreign buyers are pulling back sharply from U.S. residential real estate, in part due to a pullback among workers that would qualify for H-1B visas.

Trump raises concerns in call with Rep. Max Miller amid abuse allegations

Ohio Rep. Max Miller's reelection campaign has been upended by allegations Miller assaulted his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and their 2-year-old daughter.

Jerusalem’s most important Muslim religious site facing ‘imminent’ threat of Israeli takeover, says Jordan

Country convenes emergency meeting of ministers from Arab and Islamic world, fearing such a move could ‘trigger a religious conflict’

• Middle East crisis live – latest updates

Jordan is convening an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the Arab and Islamic world over what it says is an “imminent” threat of an Israeli takeover of the most important Muslim site in Jerusalem, with the potential to “trigger a religious conflict”.

The meeting on Wednesday – and the Jordanian warning – follow an escalating pattern of government-backed incursions by Jewish religious extremists on the compound around al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock, in violation of a status quo treaty overseen by Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy, by which only Muslims can pray at the site.

Wildfire fighting and wildflower harvesting: photos of the day – Tuesday

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

Analysis: How Bessent is pushing Warsh’s Fed to expand backstop for Japan’s yen defense

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants to defend the yen without selling Treasurys into a sensitive U.S. bond market. The Federal Reserve could help.

Asking Anthony Fauci for medical advice then calling for him to be jailed? Katie Miller is the latest Maga hypocrite | Arwa Mahdawi

The vocal vaccine sceptic and wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff turned to the former US science adviser when she was worried about Covid. Now, she’s claiming it was a cunning plan

You should keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and Stephen and Katie Miller as far away from your general vicinity as humanly possible. Many people will not need to be told this. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, is famous for masterminding the first Trump administration’s family separation policy and Muslim ban. His wife, Katie, is similarly enthusiastic about mass deportation and has reportedly said she didn’t feel compassion for families separated at the border. Stephen met Katie when they were both working in government, but she has since left politics to start a podcast. Now she asks guests such as JD Vance important questions such as: is a hotdog a sandwich?

While I may not need to inform you that the Millers are bad news, it seems Dr Anthony Fauci is only just getting the memo. The former top US government science adviser, who helped guide the country’s Covid-19 response, was forced to appear at a US Senate committee hearing last week. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky framed the hearing as an investigation into the origins of the pandemic. Really, however, it was an opportunity for Republicans to harass Fauci, who is widely loathed among the Maga base. He has become such a target of vitriol that Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office in case he was prosecuted by the Trump administration.

"Peanut butter" pay raises are out, as employers shift to merit hikes

Here's what employees can expect for a raise in 2027 as companies move away from broad-based pay increases.

Merck hikes revenue outlook as new drug sales grow, but cuts profit guidance due to deal charges

Merck cut its profit guidance due to a charge tied to its acquisition of biotech company Terns Pharmaceuticals. 

‘Last chance’: Bessent says Hormuz deal is in sight after Trump's warning on Iran talks

President Donald Trump has warned that the latest round of negotiations with Iran are the "last chance" to bring an end to the five-month conflict.

Man arrested in connection to wildfires near Spokane, Washington

A man who was convicted of manslaughter for killing his father in 2010 was arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection to the largest of the three fires burning near Spokane, Washington. Firefighters say hundreds of structures have been destroyed so far. Kris Van Cleave has more.

UN experts urge Canada to protect Sikh activist amid credible threats to his life

Special rapporteurs say ‘transnational repression by Indian authorities’ has put Moninder Singh in danger

UN rights experts have urged Canada to take all feasible measures to protect the Sikh activist Moninder Singh, who has been repeatedly warned by the Canadian authorities of credible threats to his life.

In a letter to the Canadian government, the five UN experts raised “concerning allegations of foreign intimidation and reprisals” against Singh, a Canadian national.

David Squires on … Gianni Infantino clinging to power as his Fifa empire crumbles

Our resident cartoon imagines some of the crisis talks at Fifa as its president scrambles for support after a botched World Cup plan

I was a death row lawyer. Here’s why I now joke about capital punishment

In my standup, I’m not trivializing the death penalty. I’m getting people to stay engaged when the subject is uncomfortable

The first time I came out as gay to a client on death row, he said: “Josh, I don’t care what you do with your ass, as long as you’re helping mine.” That joke did something legal arguments and moral philosophy rarely could: it made him impossible to keep at a distance.

I spent seven years working as a lawyer for men on both Alabama and federal death rows. I stumbled my way into it. I was only 24, fresh out of law school and working at a big corporate law firm in Manhattan. A friend from law school asked if I wanted to join two pro bono death-penalty cases. I had no relevant experience and knew nothing about capital punishment.

What’s the best vegetarian alternative to gelatine?

There is no exact plant-based substitute – the ideal option will depend on the dish. But, ultimately, it’s easiest to choose a recipe that doesn’t require gelatine

How do I go about substituting gelatine sheets for a vegetarian setting agent?
Sarah, Aberdeen
“The truth is, there’s no exact substitute for gelatine, because it has an incredibly unique texture,” says Richard Phillips, head of pastry at Timberyard in Edinburgh. Sure, there are plenty of plant-based gelling agents out there – “agar-agar [or just agar], gellan gum, pectin, carrageenan, locust bean gum, vege-gel… the list goes on,” says Phillips – but the result will never quite be the same.

“The temperature you have to use them at is different [to gelatine],” says Philip Khoury, author of Beyond Baking, so his usual workaround is to simply formulate recipes that don’t use gelling agents. Now, that’s all well and good when you’re a pastry chef, but what about the rest of us? “If, for example, I’m making a thick, pipeable cream, then I’ll use cornflour,” says Khoury, and just manipulate it to get different textures. Let’s take the panna cotta and creme brulee recipes in his first book, A New Way to Bake, as an example: “You get two very different textures from essentially the same recipe. The only difference being that if you pour the custard into a tray and chill it, it will set, whereas if you beat it with a whisk, it will turn into this luscious, creamy texture that’s just set.”

Got a culinary dilemma? Email [email protected]

Lucky Strike review – likably manly Scott Eastwood fights his way home in second world war yarn

Scott (son of Clint) is a wounded soldier behind enemy lines in this competent thriller with tense set pieces and clunky passages

If you’re looking for something to watch with a man whose eyes brim with any mention of the second world war, this will do fine. Although essentially a manly feature about men doing man stuff in battle, with just the one lady in it (an indelible Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) for a mere slip of a framing device, it’s not unequivocally macho and actually dips its toes into the murkier waters of wartime morality. As a simple exercise in suspense, it’s certainly effective, but there are clunky passages that prevent it from being top-tier entertainment.

Scott Eastwood stars as Capt John Castle, an officer in the US army who gets stranded behind enemy lines in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. His whole squadron is killed in a skirmish with the Germans; he is left injured, equipped only with a trusty portable radio he nicknames Lassie, a faithful companion that will guide him home. Like Castle himself, the film limps a little between its big set pieces, but when they arrive they’re very well staged. One tense moment involves a kind Walloon family who hide Castle under their floorboards and then suffer dearly for their kindness. In another nail-biting bit, Castle plays possum on the ground among some slain soldiers, only to realise that the corpse beside him is not only not dead but about to give him away. The very best sequence comes near the end when Castle meets a lone American in the forest who Castle starts to suspect is not quite right given his sympathetic words about Hitler and scant knowledge of baseball.

New details on Twin Falls In-N-Out shooting after 3 killed, 7 wounded

The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

5 states hold primaries today. And, Spokane police arrest man connected to wildfire

Five state primaries are being held today, and Michigan is a key focus for Democrats who want to see how progressives fare in races. And, a man has been arrested in connection with a Spokane fire.

They're a world leader in using drones for healthcare. But drones can't do it all

Drones carrying medical supplies constantly crisscross the skies of Rwanda. The Trump administration is giving a major grant to the effort — and at the same time cutting aid to the country.

A rail nightmare: what it’s like on England’s busiest commuter-only train

This evening service from London to Crewe is hot, sweaty and heaving with people, many having to stand or sit in the gangways

The 5.46pm train from London Euston to Crewe is the low point of Nikhil Patel’s week. “I’ve never gotten a seat. I always stand up even when I get here early,” says the 22-year-old, struggling to keep his balance while the gangway underneath sways from side to side.

Painfully for Patel, who is commuting back and forth to the capital for a computer science internship, it’s the first leg of a three-hour journey home to Walsall. He grabs the back of a chair to remain steady but says he’s just thankful that the train has left on time – and that it’s even on the move at all.

The US government’s mislabelled map of Africa at a global Aids conference shows again a failure to understand the continent | Kenneth Ngure

This crude lack of thought is influencing crucial budget decisions on HIV programmes, which were cut by 25% worldwide in 2025

At the end of July, thousands of scientists, advocates and policymakers gathered at Aids 2026, the 26th International Aids Conference in Rio de Janeiro, to advance the global HIV response. But during one high-profile session, a jarring moment threatened to derail our focus: a slide presented by a senior US state department official displayed a map of Africa with country names glaringly scrambled and mislabelled.

While the mistake apparently occurred due to an over-reliance on AI tools, it carried a painful symbolic weight for many of us. It reinforced a longstanding frustration: that too many political leaders treat Africa as a monolithic abstraction rather than a continent of 54 distinct sovereign nations.

Sex, drugs and serial killers: inside Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis’s lurid TV thriller

The Shards brings the cocaine-addled teens of a 1980s prep school to life with a cast of newcomers and a heavy dose of sleaze

One of the first things Ryan Murphy’s TV adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s The Shards will make you ask is: where the hell are these kids’ parents? The answer is simple. This is Los Angeles in 1981, and these fabulously benumbed kids aren’t being helicopter-parented. They’re going to parties, drinking whiskey, listening to Ultravox’s Vienna on repeat and doing copious amounts of cocaine. It’s a complete vision of Ellis’s dully hedonistic America.

The FX series follows a character named Bret Ellis – a thinly-coded version of the author – in senior year at an exclusive Los Angeles prep school whose controlled, Joan Didion-coded world begins to unravel with the arrival of enigmatic transfer student Robert Mallory. At the same time, in the post-Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer era, a serial killer known as The Trawler draws ever closer to Ellis and his increasingly paranoid circle of friends. Ellis (the real one) first released his autofictional story The Shards as a serialized podcast between 2020 and 2021 before expanding it into a novel in 2023.

‘When you kill it, it doesn’t die’: the jellyfish that has cracked the secret of immortality

Turritopsis dohrnii has the ability to turn back into a baby jellyfish and grow up all over again

• Revealed: the top ten invertebrates of the year

Immortality is generally considered the realm of the gods or science fiction, a fantasy that’s actively pursued by tech entrepreneurs in macabre experiments that include injecting “young blood”, cryopreservation, or resurrection in an AI afterlife.

But one ethereal, thimble-shaped jellyfish has already cracked the code.

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

Authorities arrest an arson suspect in connection with wildfires in Spokane

The suspect was arrested in connection with one of three wildfires in Spokane, Wash., that have destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced nearly a quarter of the city's residents.

Calls for UK bank tax to fund cost of living help as HSBC profits hit £7.5bn

Levy could raise £19bn to help pay for Andy Burnham’s support for those struggling with bills, say campaigners

Campaigners have renewed calls for a windfall tax on UK banks that could raise £19bn towards Andy Burnham’s cost of living agenda, after HSBC raked in $10.1bn (£7.5bn) worth of profits in the second quarter of the year.

Bosses at HSBC reported on Tuesday that profits rose 60% year on year in the three months to the end of June, helped by fees from wealth management and insurance business, as well as higher interest rates, which allow the bank to charge more for loans and mortgages.

Big Walk review – larking around with mates elevated to an artform

Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PC; House House
The creators of Untitled Goose Game return with an online, open-world adventure that delivers slapstick silliness and bucolic majesty in nearly equal measure

Radiant sunsets glinting on lapping waves; bushland valleys that beckon with secrets; modernist buildings sat atop craggy ridges: Big Walk’s setting is as arresting as it is beguiling – a kind of architectural fever dream transplanted to a handsome Australian wilderness – but it is the images created by players that lodge deepest in the mind. Here’s one that has stuck with me: in the black of night, cicadas kicking up an almighty din, I had lost my partner. Panic. Despair. Fear. Then, there in the far distance, I saw him signalling in my direction. He was relentlessly spamming a gigantic, ball-shaped lamp on and off, the ground around him flicking from inky dark to warm pastel pink and back again, like a single Christmas light blinking from afar.

This kind of encounter is common in Big Walk, the brilliant and whimsical new online co-op puzzler from House House, the Melbourne-based studio behind the 2019 viral hit, Untitled Goose Game. Rather than playing as a honking, mischief-making goose as you do in that game, you are a bug-eyed, gangly limbed kind of bird person (think Pingu as drawn by Mondrian) for whom getting separated from your mates is all part of the fun. That’s somewhat because this rugged terrain is dense with vegetation and cliffs to fall down, and also because the game makes ingenious use of proximity and direction-based voice audio. Step out of earshot of your party and you will find it difficult to call for one another (unless, of course, you’ve picked up a Fisher-Price-like walkie-talkie).

The sneaky economics of healthwashing

Why food companies love labels like "organic" and "high protein," why our brains are misled by them — and how to avoid paying extra for marketing.

We launched a war on nature. Now we are in a climate warzone | Rebecca Solnit

Summer is not what it once was. We have been robbed of one of life’s great joys

Far beyond the fires raging across Europe and North America, the smoke, dangerous to breathe, hangs in the air, dimming the view, changing the very color of sunlight into something grimly unsettling.

An estimated 20,000 are said to have died in the extreme heat in Europe earlier this year, and heat is climate change’s quiet killer, compared to the dramatic violence of death by fire or flood. In eastern Washington, 600 homes have just burned down, and in both Europe and North America, firefighters have died in the effort to contain the climate-fueled firestorms.

I would never go on holiday to France and come back with a pig. But I’ll admit I was tempted | Zoe Williams

The animal was no bigger than a pug and, when you scratched it, lay on its side and snorted with joy. Who could ask for more?

I went to a market recently in the Cévennes, in southern France. It was piled high with things that in principle I’m interested in, but wouldn’t want to own – giant Victorian scissors, tomatoes in the shape of a heart, 70s airline trays, carafe after carafe for the distribution of Ricard, art deco atomisers and vintage cycling tops.

It wasn’t purpose-built entertainment for the wide array of family preferences. My brother has an attention span – he can lose an hour talking about a cheese cloche and he doesn’t even speak French – and I do not. My sister likes to amass giant volumes of fonts that may be ancient, but are also available on a computer; my brother-in-law does not. My niece likes to pick up every single thing and put it back down again; my other niece does not. We were reconciled to conducting most of the expedition solo, so I was already on my own when I walked in and met a pig.

Prisoners of Paradise review – Ellie Bamber heads to Mauritius for chaste literary tale of star-crossed lovers

An upper-class Englishwoman falls in love with a worker on her uncle’s sugar plantation in this insipid adaptation of Romesh Gunesekera’s novel

Here is a tale of love across the divide, based on a novel by Booker nominee Romesh Gunesekera. Set in 1925, it revolves around 17-year-old Lucy (Ellie Bamber), a beautiful young upper-class Englishwoman sent to live on her uncle’s sugar plantation in colonial Mauritius. There she meets Krishna (Mehdi Dehbi), a local man of Indian heritage employed by her uncle in the fields. In a Mr Darcy-style moment early on, Lucy spies Krishna stripped to the waist and splashing about in a waterfall. But Prisoners of Paradise is a chaste and idealistic drama, and even this moment is filmed in a damp, unerotic way, as if a bit of phwoar would sully Lucy and Krishna’s noble hearts.

Lucy has arrived at Ambleside, the plantation house owned by her uncle George (Rupert Penry-Jones) after the death of her mother. Mauritius’s economy was built on the labour of African slaves and later indentured workers from India. It’s now nearly a century after the abolition of slavery, but uncle George has not removed the torture instruments from his garden, where shackles still hang from a post. He also clings to abhorrent beliefs about racial superiority. Lucy is appalled by his views, and shocked by the casual racism in his circle. When she falls for Krishna, they begin to meet in secret.

What to know about primaries in 5 states today: Michigan, Virginia and more

Voters are going to the polls Tuesday in five states: Michigan, Virginia, Missouri, Kansas and Washington.

Lindsay Clancy's diary excerpts read at trial: "I feel like I'm drowning"

The Lindsay Clancy trial​ resumed with excerpts from her diary and testimony from doctors who treated Clancy and her children on the night of the murders.

A pressing issue: why are vinyl albums becoming so different from their digital versions?

They’re expensive, elaborate – and may not contain all the music. After Olivia Rodrigo, Charli xcx and more sent out incomplete or unfinished vinyl versions, fans are feeling shortchanged

It was one of the most anticipated collaborations of the year: Charli xcx teaming up with film-maker David Cronenberg for No One Lasts Forever, the closing track on her new album Music, Fashion, Film, which debuted at No 1 in the UK.

But for fans who pre-ordered what was advertised as the “full-length” album on vinyl, an unwelcome surprise awaits. The song doesn’t contain the spoken-word contribution from Cronenberg – an astonishing reflection on art, death and eternity – that is included on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Children of the Wild by Kevin Powers review – gripping tale of a friendship forged in war

Written by a US army veteran, this novel of courage and cruelty during the first world war is filled with unsettlingly authoritative depictions of violence – but its characters are less believable

Kevin Powers’s fourth novel marks a return to the themes and subject matter of his acclaimed debut The Yellow Birds, winner of the 2012 Guardian first book award. Through the lives of its central characters, it explores the courage, folly, cruelty and absurdity involved in war, and the challenges of adjusting to civilian life afterwards. But while The Yellow Birds focused on the experience of US soldiers fighting in Iraq, where Powers himself served between 2003 and 2004, Children of the Wild is set amid the carnage of the first world war.

It follows the fortunes of two young men from a remote valley in Virginia. Roy is the arrogant young heir to a wealthy local landowner; Ennis is an orphan of unknown origin who has been living, like a character in a fairytale, in a shack on the top of a mountain. Ennis and Roy are first linked in a love triangle when Ennis is lured off his mountain top by his desire for Samantha, the daughter of the local minister, whose eyes have the “lustre of smoky quartz”. Roy has expected to marry Samantha, but she chooses feral Ennis. Roy accepts the setback remarkably swiftly, transferring his affections to Esther, the wealthy and shallow sister of his college roommate, Fintan. Roy and Ennis settle their differences with a mighty punch-up that cements an unlikely friendship between them.

The truth about blushing: why we do it, how we can resist it – and why it’s actually good for us

Humans are the only animals whose faces redden with embarrassment. Should we see that as an affliction, or as a blessing?

‘Blushing is the most peculiar and most human of all expressions,” Charles Darwin once wrote, and he wasn’t wrong. Though certain species of bird pinken up as a means of communication, and uakari monkeys have red faces when in good health, we seem to be the only animal that flushes as a sign of embarrassment.

“It’s a very truthful signal,” says Prof Sophie Scott, the director of the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. “It’s not fakeable, and there aren’t many things that humans do that fall into that category. You can’t blush on command.”

Web of billions: how Spider-Man became the most heroic franchise in Hollywood

Tom Holland’s fourth outing as Peter Parker broke box office records but how did the web-slinger avoid growing superhero fatigue?

A year ago, the superhero-industrial complex looked like it was on the wane. All three of Marvel’s big movies for 2025 underperformed to some degree or another, outgrossed by DC’s newest reboot of Superman – which itself made less than any number of previous-regime DC movies, and was followed up by this summer’s Supergirl, a costly bomb. It looked as if the age of heroes might be coming to an end, and only seemed fitting that the next big Avengers movie was subtitled Doomsday (and had resigned itself to sharing a release date with the Imax-grabbing release of a third Dune movie).

But look out, as the song goes: here comes Spider-Man.

Why Texas is betting 'Y'all Street' can take on Wall Street

Dallas' financial industry is growing amid a larger Texas business boom. But can it really steal New York's crown?

5 states have primary elections on Tuesday. These are the races to watch

From Michigan's Senate and governor primary to Missouri's 1st Congressional District, a number of key races in primary elections Tuesday could signal the future for Democrats and Republicans.

Are you part of a community environmental action group? We’d like to hear about your experience

We want to hear from people around the world who have been getting involved in local action on the climate

We’d like to hear from people across the world who have been involved in a local environmental action group or community project tackling climate change from where they live. What made you get involved?

What has the group achieved, and what obstacles have you faced? Has it changed how you feel about your local area, or led to wider change? We’d also like to hear from anyone who tried to set up a group and found it difficult to gain traction.

Saudi Aramco profits jump 33% in second quarter as Iran war squeezes oil supply

The results come as oil supermajors have reported blowout quarterly profits, benefitting from higher fossil fuel prices amid the Iran war.

BP profit more than doubles as Trump blasts Big Oil for ‘making too much money’

The result come after U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Big Oil for making "too much money" off higher fuel prices amid the Iran war.

Ceuta was a carnival of anti-migrant content for hateful opportunists on the right – and a lesson for the left | Jonathan Liew

It was framed as a perfect storm because nativists dearly wanted it to be. Looking on, progressives failed to meet the moment too

The live streams are still running, training their cameras on the beach at Ceuta, where nothing is happening. The self-styled citizen journalists are still pounding the streets, capturing their shaky smartphone footage. Zia Yusuf of Reform UK was out there at the weekend, wearing a crisp white shirt and smart tailored trousers, lest anyone confuse him with the other brown people there. The bad brown people.

Why was the migrant incursion at Ceuta, on the Spanish-Moroccan border, such a big story across the world? How did it manage to pique the interest of Donald Trump and Elon Musk, to feature on NBC’s Nightly News, not – shall we say – a programme massively predisposed to spotlighting news stories from continental Africa? What about it so exercised Europe’s heads of government? What made it an irresistible front-page story in the Daily Mail, the Daily Express and the Daily Telegraph?

Geography of Heaven by Rory MacLean – soul-searching journeys into the afterlife

From an ashram in India to an ayahuasca ceremony in Peru, a travel writer searches for meaning after the death of his wife

In this moving, sometimes grandiloquent grief-memoir-cum-travelogue, Rory MacLean pairs an affinity for new-age thinking with a habit of loftily holding forth (“none of us are created for naught”, “love can but lead to truth”) and a proclivity for arresting one-liners (“I watched gods walk on fire”). In his search for meaning in the five years after his wife’s untimely death from cancer, he shows himself to be both refreshingly broad-minded and unnecessarily crotchety, like a more cantankerous Michael Palin.

MacLean’s work as a travel writer has taken him across the world, whether flying a handbuilt plane over Crete or riding shotgun with a drug warlord in Burma. This is his first book since losing Katrin, for 32 years the “fixed point” in his life, whose final weeks and moments he describes tenderly. Unable to process her death, he turns to travel to seek out “thin places”: áiteanna tanaí in Celtic mythology, where the veil between worlds is porous. Starting in Jerusalem, his quest takes him to more than a dozen sacred locations, including an ashram in India, a Native American community in South Dakota, an “excruciating” Vipassanā retreat in Suffolk and, inevitably, an ayahuasca ceremony in Peru.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was investigating suspected corruption when killed, jury told

Journalist’s son says his mother was examining leak from Electrogas, part owned by Yorgen Fenech who is on trial

Daphne Caruana Galizia was investigating suspected corruption by the businessman Yorgen Fenech and members of Malta’s government when she was killed, a jury has heard.

The heir to one of Malta’s biggest fortunes, Fenech is on trial for murder, accused of commissioning and paying for Caruana Galizia’s killing in a car bombing in October 2017.

Post your questions for Imelda Staunton

She’s acting royalty – literally, having played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown – but what questions would you ask her?

It is perhaps fitting that Imelda Staunton ended up playing Queen Elizabeth II in the last two series of The Crown, considering she has been acting royalty for years. Her film career has seen her voice champion egg-layer Bunty in 2000’s Chicken Run, followed by roles in Mike Leigh’s 2004 drama Vera Drake and the 2005 comedy Nanny McPhee. In 2014, she played the formidable Welsh miners’ strike campaigner Hefina in Pride. She also plays Lady Maud Bagshaw in the first two Downton Abbey films, and voices Paddington’s beloved Aunt Lucy in all three Paddington films. For a whole generation, however, she will always be Dolores Umbridge in two of the later Harry Potter films, where she somehow made a pink cardigan almost as frightening as Voldemort.

On TV, she has cropped up in everything from Little Britain and Doctor Who to Psychoville, Brassic and a memorable guest appearance in the fourth series of A Bit of Fry & Laurie, where – for reasons known only to F&L – she was introduced as “Snutty”. Whether she’s playing a chicken, a bear or the head of state, there is always something unmistakably Imelda about her performances: warm and calm but with the distinct impression that she won’t stand for any nonsense.

How gen Z exposed India’s prime-time propaganda machine

The Cockroach movement protesters used memes, mockery and collective action to cut through mainstream media’s refusal to tackle problems plaguing the country’s politics

Hello! Welcome to This Is India from the Guardian. I’m Niha Masih and I’ll be writing to you every week about the stories, ideas and news makers of modern India.

I’ll do a deep dive into one story – from politics and internet culture to tech and entertainment – and round up key events, trends and debates that are dominating the discourse among Indians, especially the youth.

The Scottish explorer who fancied an adventure closer to home: hiking the Highlands’ Affric Kintail Way

Globetrotter and TV presenter Alice Morrison trades in her camels and backup team for wild camping in one of Scotland’s most beautiful glens

‘I miss my camels. I miss the sun. I miss the vast emptiness of the desert plains …” These are my thoughts as I trudge through thick conifer plantations and my fifth consecutive hour of rain at the start of the Affric Kintail Way in the Scottish Highlands.

My last big adventure was a world first. I became the first recorded person to walk the full length of Saudi Arabia, north to south, from Jordan to Yemen. It took three years to organise, then 112 days of walking half a marathon a day, and I had a backup team plus Juicy and Lulu, my naughty but nice camels.

Get in the ring! Inside California’s top boxing club – in pictures

These images of Lee Espinoza’s iconic gym in the Coachella Valley weren’t just about sport – they also helped photographer Darren Vargas deal with the death of his grandfather

Acrobatic, goofy and super-fast: the biama battles redefining Ivorian dance culture

Fuelled by TikTok and street dance battles, the coupé-décalé offshoot is latest expression of Côte d’Ivoire’s pop culture

The 400-strong crowd, perched on plastic chairs and wooden benches in Abidjan’s Yopougon-Selmer neighbourhood, roared with approval as Sauce Graine twisted and turned on the spot with breathtaking speed and dexterity.

The dancer, named after the Ivorian palm nut delicacy, was competing in a series of street dance battles set to biama, a frenetic offshoot of coupé-décalé, a type of percussive dance music popular across west Africa that originated in Côte d’Ivoire around the turn of the century.