Life

• The United States has launched "Operation Economic Outcast," a strategic initiative designed to sever Iran's economic lifelines. • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the U.S. will intensify sanctions to choke off Iranian revenues and further isolate the nation globally. • This escalation represents a significant shift in economic warfare aimed at limiting Iran's ability to fund its regional activities and military capabilities.

Spokesperson for Duke of Sussex says he remains an ‘active and avid supporter’ of African Parks’ missionThe Duke of Sussex has stepped down from the board of a major African wildlife charity that had been at the centre of a human rights controversy.Prince Harry’s spokesperson confirmed he was no longer a trustee of African Parks, which admitted last year that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers in the Republic of the Congo. Continue reading...

• Dancing With the Stars alumni Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy relocated from Los Angeles to Boca Raton, Florida, on June 29. • The couple moved with their three sons, joining a broader trend of celebrities leaving the "City of Angels" for other states. • Murgatroyd and Chmerkovskiy have expressed high satisfaction with their new environment, frequently praising their life in Florida via social media.

Researchers say texts from 12th to 15th centuries ‘hint at a culture which has not even been imagined’Unprecedented insights into the literary and intellectual life on the island of Guernsey during the middle ages have been revealed through the discovery of 17 medieval manuscript fragments.Dating from between the 12th and 15th centuries, they offer evidence of wide-ranging reading tastes, with everything from an extract from a play and an Ovid poem to passages from the Bible and a travel text. Continue reading...

• An image of an orange-tailed marsh dart damselfly peering through a leaf has been named the winner of the 2026 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition. • The competition highlights the intersection of art and science, featuring 11 stunning images that celebrate Earth's biodiversity and the researchers who study it. • The collection showcases diverse subjects ranging from intricate tree bark and cuttlefish to the experience of conducting scientific research by moonlight.

• Merck and Moderna announced Wednesday that a personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine successfully extended the lifespan of melanoma patients in a large, late-stage trial. • The companies intend to present the trial data at an upcoming international medical meeting to begin discussions with regulators regarding official filing submissions for approval. • This development is significant as it demonstrates the potential of personalized mRNA technology to treat aggressive cancers more effectively than traditional methods.

Hui Ka Yan also forfeits all his personal property and the company he set up is given hefty finesBusiness live – latest updatesThe founder of Evergrande, one of China’s largest property developers, has been sentenced to life in prison and had all of his personal property confiscated.Hui Ka Yan, 67 and once named by Forbes as China’s richest man, with a net worth of $42.5bn (£31.2bn) in 2017, pleaded guilty in April to eight charges. Continue reading...

• South Korea's Financial Services Commission has officially launched an ₩880 billion (approximately $630.9 million) Ultra-Long-Term Technology Investment Fund. • The fund is specifically designed to provide capital for up to 16 years to companies developing foundational and advanced technologies that require extended timelines for commercialization. • This initiative matters as it addresses the funding gap for high-risk, long-term research and development that traditional short-term investment cycles often overlook.

Victorian court of appeal also to consider whether triple murder and attempted murder convictions should be quashedErin Patterson argues mushroom murder convictions should be quashed due to ‘catastrophic’ failure of justiceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWelcome to day two of our live coverage of Erin Patterson’s appeals. We are expecting today’s hearing to begin at 10.15am.Yesterday, the Victorian court of appeal heard the seven grounds of appeal Patterson’s legal team is arguing against her convictions for three murders and one attempted murder. Continue reading...

• Indian authorities blocked the release of a biopic about activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, which aimed to expose real-life police abuses. • In response to the censorship, local villagers and activists launched a grassroots movement to ensure the film's message reached the public. • The incident highlights the tension between state control and freedom of expression regarding human rights violations in India.

Klaire Rhodes was attacked by a brown bear in state park but spray helped her escape with ‘relatively minor injuries’An Alaska marathon athlete used a repellant spray to fend off an attacking bear that officials say injured her while she ran on a popular trail recently – an encounter that she has since described as “a nightmare come to life”.The particularly harrowing episode unfolded on 13 August, when a woman who later identified herself online as marathon winner Klaire Rhodes, 28, was running alone on the Wolverine Bowl trail in Chugach state park, officials with Alaska’s fish and game department said. A brown bear on the trail attacked and injured her, according to the agency. Continue reading...

• Associate Professor Damali Campbell-Oparali of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School is addressing the systemic drivers behind maternal health disparities affecting Black mothers. • The discussion focuses on the specific challenges Black women navigate during pregnancy and the postpartum period to identify gaps in care. • This initiative is critical for developing actionable steps to improve health outcomes and advance racial equity within maternal healthcare systems.

Kelce’s remarks on his marriage to Swift at Madison Square Garden comes weeks after the event, which remains shrouded in mysteryAmerican football star Travis Kelce has described his secretive early July wedding to pop sensation Taylor Swift as “the best night of my life.”“I appreciate everybody who came out and celebrated and, you know, had fun with us,” the Kansas City Chiefs player told a briefing. Continue reading...

Serial sex offender sentenced for murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins, and raping another woman in 2025Simon Levy, the sexual predator left free by police errors to murder two women, will never leave prison after being sentenced to a whole-life tariff.Levy was convicted on Friday of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins five months later. He was also convicted of attacking and raping another woman, 35, in January 2025, who survived and gave damning testimony against him. Continue reading...

• Leading brokerages have issued updated stock calls, upgrades, and target price revisions for several companies ahead of today's trading session. • Key companies on the radar include Bharat Forge, Gland Pharma, Zydus Life, Info Edge, Fractal Analytics, PNB, Afcons Infra, Vodafone, and Entero Health. • Analysts highlight growth drivers such as domestic business strength and generics exports, with specific projections including a 13% CAGR in loans and a 0.9% ROA by FY27 for certain entities.

Only spending outlet for man accused of helping to control a third of Europe’s cocaine supply will be prison tuck shopIt sounds like the penal equivalent of five stars: a private gym and library, daily outings to the exercise yard and a landing cleared of other prisoners.Daniel Kinahan’s first full day inside the walls of Portlaoise prison on Monday, however, marked a drastic change from his luxury lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates. Continue reading...

• NASA engineers successfully extended the operational life of the 49-year-old Voyager 2 spacecraft by an additional year. • The team utilized a specialized "Big Bang" maneuver to optimize power flow and maintain critical systems on the aging probe. • This extension is vital for continuing the mission's unique data collection from the furthest reaches of interstellar space.

• AM Best has revised the credit outlook for Investors Heritage Life to negative, although the company's financial strength rating remains stable. • The outlook change is driven by ongoing capitalization pressures that may impact the insurer's long-term financial stability. • This revision signals a potential future downgrade if the company cannot improve its capital position or mitigate financial risks.

Ryder Williams, 16, presented with distinctive red jacket by star of TV rescuer reboot, Stephen AmellAs life imitates art and vice versa, the star of the Baywatch reboot recently presented one of the distinctive red jackets seen on the beach rescuer drama to the teenage lifeguard who went viral for saving a boy off the California coast on camera.Stephen Amell, who was cast as the main protagonist for the first season of the new Baywatch scheduled to premiere in early 2027, presented the garment worn by lifeguards on the fictional show and its prequel franchise to 16-year-old Ryder Williams in a video posted on social media by the production on Friday just after midnight eastern time. Continue reading...

The curator of Norway’s national museum in Oslo stumbled upon is bringing the work by the Flemish baroque artist Clara Peeters out of obscurity in a major exhibition of female artistsAnonymous was often a woman: so said Virginia Woolf. And so thought Cynthia Osiecki one day in 2022, when she chanced on an unattributed still life in the storage area of the National Museum of Norway in Oslo.Osiecki had been studying the work of a renowned 17th-century Flemish artist, Clara Peeters, one of the earliest practitioners of still life painting. Works by Peeters hang in the Prado in Madrid, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Continue reading...

Westminster council has recommended banning ‘vertical drinking’ or ordering at the bar in new draft licensing policyNo 10 has vowed to confiscate powers from local councils who try to restrict customers from standing up while drinking in pubs or ordering at the bar.It comes after the Guardian revealed on Thursday that Westminster council in central London recommended not allowing “vertical drinking” or ordering at the bar in its new draft licensing policy. Continue reading...

When asked to detail what would make a better life in three to five years, 60% of US adults said greater financial securityAmericans may seem increasingly divided on beliefs and values, but in a new survey of more than 30,000 adults from across the country spanning generations and economic classes, a majority of Americans agree there’s a significant barrier to achieving a better life: the rising cost of living.When asked to describe what a better life in three to five years would look like, 60% of Americans said they wanted greater financial security, according to a survey that was conducted by the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility and the WK Kellogg Foundation in mid-April. Continue reading...

• Singer Ariana Grande, 33, will step back from public visibility and take a break from her public life following the conclusion of her world tour next month. • The decision comes as a response to what her representative describes as "endless" scrutiny surrounding the artist. • Grande is currently continuing her tour schedule, with three upcoming performances at the United Center in Chicago starting this Monday.

• US singer Ariana Grande, 33, has announced she will "step back from visibility" and take a break from public life. • The hiatus will begin next month following the conclusion of her current world tour. • According to her representative, the decision comes as a response to the "endless" scrutiny the artist has faced.

Over-the-counter treatments for cats and dogs contain chemicals that are banned in pesticides and pollute waterwaysOver-the-counter flea treatment for cats and dogs should be banned as millions of hazardous chemicals are unnecessarily applied to UK pets each year, a parliamentary report has concluded.Cats and dogs are widely treated with topical, or “spot on”, treatments that include insecticides to prevent fleas. Vets often recommend regular treatments as a preventive measure, even when the animals do not have fleas.It’s Invertebrate of the Year again! Every day from 3-12 August, we will be profiling one of the thousands of amazing invertebrates that our readers have nominated, and when you have heard about all of them, we will open the voting so 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. Continue reading...

Special rapporteurs say ‘transnational repression by Indian authorities’ has put Moninder Singh in dangerUN 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. Continue reading...

Winter flu season is putting pressure on the health system, with medical staff bracing for the ‘worst three weeks of the year’Sick patients in New South Wales have been told to avoid the emergency room unless their life is at risk after a record day for winter presentations put the hospital system under strain.The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, said just under 10,000 people presented to emergency departments in Sydney on Monday, the “biggest ever recorded winter day in history”. It was around 1,000 more people than the average. Continue reading...

Singer was due to reunite with Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in London production of Sunday in the Park With GeorgeAriana Grande has announced plans to take a break from public-facing work after her tour ends due to “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”. She is pulling out of the upcoming London revival of Sunday in the Park With George.The pop singer was due to appear opposite her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s critically acclaimed musical at the Barbican in 2027. Continue reading...