Radio presenter Tony Livesey leaves BBC after David Sullivan allegations

• On August 2, 2026, updates were released regarding the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran and Israel's military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. • Donald Trump announced that formal negotiations with Tehran are scheduled to begin this coming Monday.

• A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Egypt on August 2, with tremors felt across the border in Israel. • In separate diplomatic developments, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with US President Donald Trump to emphasize the need for talks to prevent the conflict with Iran from escalating.

Erica Fox left Lovers Point near Monterey in December alongside group of swimmers but never made it backA single, vicious shark bite was fatal for an ocean swimmer whose body was found on a California beach in December, a new autopsy report confirmed.Erica Fox, 55, drowned after that shark bite broke her pelvis and severed a major artery, according to the findings of the autopsy, which were first reported on by California’s Monterey Herald newspaper. Continue reading...

Admission may undermine Farage’s account of circumstances surrounding £5m gift from crypto billionaireUK politics live – latest updatesNigel Farage has admitted he held talks about the possibility of returning as Reform UK’s leader months before the 2024 general election, potentially undermining his own account of the circumstances in which he received a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire.It was reported at the weekend Farage had struck a deal with the party’s then leader, Richard Tice, and the convicted fraudster George Cottrell to return to frontline politics. Continue reading...

Christopher Phillips, who had been his mother Sylvia’s primary carer since 2008, given two years and four months in prison A man has been jailed for keeping his dead mother’s body in a freezer at their shared home for almost three years, during which time he received more than £70,000 of her benefits and other funds.Christopher Phillips, 60, stored the body of Sylvia Phillips, a retired company secretary, in the chest freezer in the living room of their house in the south Wales seaside town of Porthcawl. Continue reading...

Iran discussing creation of temporary route through strait of Hormuz with its neighbour, says spokespersonMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesIran has been in discussion with Oman about the creation of a new temporary route through the strait of Hormuz that would allow commercial shipping to resume, but is not yet reviving talks with the US, Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.Esmail Baghaei was responding to claims by Donald Trump that talks between the two sides covering all the major disputes between them could restart as early as Monday. Trump claimed he held off from launching the biggest strike on any country “since world war two” over the weekend after Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, rang him to urge diplomacy. Trump said the cancellation was conditional on Iran reaching a deal quickly. Continue reading...

US president says he called off another US attack on Iran as part of a push for an agreement. Plus why Pokémon Go is still bring global joy ten years onGood morning. Donald Trump said talks with Iran would happen on Monday but declined to set a deadline for an agreement after earlier saying he had called ⁠off an imminent attack. For its part, Iran said it was nearing a deal with Oman over a new route through the strait of Hormuz, and that it had no plans to receive a delegation or send an Iranian one to any talks.On Saturday night, the US president claimed on social media that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked for time to complete a deal ⁠that would lead to “the immediate, complete and total” reopening of the strait and “an end to Iran’s nuclear threat”. Trump added that Tehran must “rapidly make a deal”.What has Iran said about the strait? The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, told state television on Sunday that a deal was close with Oman over a new route through the waterway. “We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides – neither the northern route nor the southern route – but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security,” he said in an interview.How many measles cases has the US seen? His remark came as the incidence of measles crossed a milestone – the US has officially recorded 2,371 confirmed infections so far this year, surpassing the total tally in 2025 of 2,289. Taken together, in the past two years there has been more measles infections in the US than the rest of the 21st century combined. The last time a greater number of measles cases were recorded in a single year was in 1991. Continue reading...

Foreign ministry accuses Kyiv of carrying out attack reports say may have been aimed at air force chiefEurope live – latest updatesRussia has blamed Ukraine for a bombing at a restaurant in central Moscow that killed five people, amid growing speculation that a senior Russian military commander was the intended target.The explosion occurred on Saturday evening near the entrance to an upscale Italian restaurant in one of city’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers on Kudrinskaya Square. Continue reading...

Todd Blanche issues formal order to withdraw ‘anti-weaponization fund’ after weeks of negotiations with Republican senators who were blocking his nominationBlanche formally rescinds Trump’s $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponization fund’Sign up for the US Breaking News emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche issued a formal order late on Sunday terminating Donald Trump’s $1.8bn “anti-weaponization fund” to compensate his political allies. Continue reading...

Factories in upbeat mood despite fears over economic impact of US war on Iran, poll findsBusiness live – latest updatesUK manufacturers ramped up production last month for the fourth consecutive month and at the fastest pace in almost two years, according to a leading survey of the industry.The S&P Global poll of manufacturers found them in upbeat mood in July, though anxious about the prospect of a long war in the Middle East that would block supplies of oil and gas, and raise the cost of production. Continue reading...

Meeting follows years of questions over wellbeing of detained former leader, who was ousted by coup in 2021Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the aid organisation has confirmed.The meeting ⁠follows years of questions over the wellbeing of the 81-year-old, whose whereabouts and health condition have been largely unknown since the elected civilian government she led was ousted by a military coup in February 2021. Continue reading...