Nine Lives, the feral cat that terrorised New Zealand’s rare ducks, is caught after three years

• President Trump announced that diplomatic talks regarding the conflict with Iran will begin on Monday, delaying planned "massive" military strikes. • The decision follows persuasion from Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia, who urged the administration to prioritize diplomacy over immediate force.

• Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi and other negotiators are reportedly open to making limited compromises with the United States. • On August 2, 2026, Artesh Spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia claimed Iran "fully exploited" a memorandum of understanding and ceasefire to import equipment and repair military systems.

• Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are escalating, with indicators suggesting a potential for serious confrontation by 2027. • China continues to provide diplomatic and economic support to Iran, though it shows little intention of becoming a direct military participant in the conflict.

Energy company’s $5.73bn quarterly profits come after Shell posted second highest quarterly earnings on recordBusiness live – latest updatesBP has reported its highest quarterly profits since the first year of Russia’s war on Ukraine because of rising oil and gas prices caused by the Middle East crisis.The oil company’s quarterly profits more than doubled to $5.73bn (£4.27bn) in the three months to the end of June, up $2.5bn from the quarter before, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continued to disrupt energy exports from the Gulf. Continue reading...

Lender was told money was being taken without authorisation, with cash used to buy credits for Claude chatbotA Metro Bank customer has told of his fight to get more than £14,000 back after its systems failed to stop a fraud involving the AI chatbot Claude.Zoli Rutter, a businessman from Sussex, had a total of £14,244 taken from his bank account. The scam involved fraudsters buying credits to use Claude. Continue reading...

Montgomery died in a single-vehicle crash in Sydney just one day after completing his latest fundraising cycling trip with his teenage grandsonFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBob Montgomery, a charity cyclist who has just finished a 5,200km bike ride from Broome to Bowral, died on Monday at the age of 82.His family confirmed his death on social media, saying he had died unexpectedly just a day after completing the cycling feat alongside his grandson, Tom, as a fundraiser for motor neurone disease. Continue reading...

NSW shadow attorney general, Damien Tudehope, tells inquiry Jean-Claude Perrottet had a talent for recruitingA senior New South Wales Liberal says the younger brother of former Liberal premier Dominic Perrottet had a “talent” for recruiting and renewing new members to the party, a corruption inquiry has heard.On Tuesday, NSW shadow attorney general and Liberal leader in the upper house, Damien Tudehope gave evidence as part of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (Icac) Operation Rosny, where he was also asked about a 2018 message in which his former staffer, and younger brother of the former premier, Jean-Claude Perrottet, wrote to other Reformers that “Scott and Damien are afraid”. Continue reading...

Most of the zoo’s 16 lions have struggled to cope with high humidity this summerThree lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are undergoing treatment, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, as the big cats struggle in Japan’s high levels of humidity.Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40C in recent weeks, qualifying for the new “cruelly hot day” designation. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: A small chorus of right-leaning critics are trying to convince politicians that climate action is deeply unpopular, downplaying its seriousness in the processGood morning. Half of England and all of Wales are officially in drought, wildfires have burned through parts of the Cairngorms, Suffolk and the Isle of Wight, and reservoirs are running low. Farmers have warned that there could soon be food shortages, and the Royal Horticultural Society is considering moving its hydrangeas to cope with the heat. Many people are now asking a question rarely associated with British summertime: when will it rain?The Guardian has been covering how the climate crisis is supercharging wildfires in Europe, the impossible choices firefighters face about which places to save, the number of people who have died in England due to heat, and the air conditioning haves and have-nots. Had you been reading another newspaper, you may have come away with a very different impression of this extreme weather.UK news | Rapists, child sexual abusers and groomers will be excluded from early release plans to ease critical prison overcrowding in a major intervention by Andy Burnham.UK politics | Nigel Farage has made his clearest admission that he was in talks to return to lead Reform UK months before the 2024 general election, casting fresh doubt on previous claims that he was not involved in politics when he received a £5m gift.Spain | A growing chorus of voices has accused Morocco of helping to fuel the crisis in Ceuta, with the leader of the Spanish enclave describing last week’s border crossings as an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity that was seen as being “if not orchestrated, at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco”.Middle East | New talks between Washington and Tehran are the “last chance” for Iran to forge a deal and avoid an escalation of US strikes on the country, Donald Trump said on Monday.Environment | A plastic manufacturer in the north of England is facing potential legal action over emissions of benzene, a carcinogenic chemical with no safe level, the Guardian can reveal. Continue reading...

Campaigners say people who have had cancer face discrimination in areas including bank loans, adoption of children and insuranceGerman politicians who have survived cancer have spearheaded proposals to protect people long in remission from what they call rampant discrimination in areas including bank loans, adoption of children and insurance.The policy known as “the right to be forgotten” (RTBF) is a central demand of a community estimated to number 5.5 million people in Germany: former cancer patients who have been given a clean bill of health by their doctors. Continue reading...

Campaigners decry Angela Rayner’s backing for Brick Lane project that has only 11 affordable homesA £500m redevelopment of the Truman Brewery estate in Brick Lane, east London, has been approved, clearing the way for the construction of a datacentre, offices and apartments despite opposition from Tower Hamlets council and local campaign groups.The housing secretary, Angela Rayner, made the decision in a letter issued on her behalf last week by the housing minister Matthew Pennycook, rejecting demands from the council and campaigners for for the site to be used for hundreds of homes instead. Continue reading...