2026/08/18 Daily Edition

What can academia learn from Jason Arday's rise and fall? Atlantic staff writer and former academic Tyler Austin Harper weighs the questions his story left behind.

As water levels on the Colorado River fall to historic lows, a rafting trip through the canyon feels even more precious.

The Irish media regulator is to contact social media giant TikTok over its efforts tackle videos of reckless and illegal driving.

This French woman is making history. Sophie Adenot is set to become the first French woman to complete a space walk this Tuesday, when she conducts repairs to the outside of the ISS. She'll spend around 6h30 on the task, which is very physically demanding. Details by Ellen Gainsford.

The French government has approved a special budget worth 12 million euros to help towns affected by the recent wildfires in the country's south. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a raft of other support measures including tax breaks for companies affected by the calamity. Earlier, he was jeered by some inhabitants when he visited Le Porge where 183 homes were ravaged by fire. Story by Yuka Royer.

Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days after the premier rejected the US-backed road map to move the ceasefire deal forward in Gaza. The meeting follows Kushner's meeting with Hamas’ leader in Egypt, as the US presses for Israel’s approval of the road map. Story by Ellen Gainsford.

Somali national forces repelled an assault by troops loyal to an ousted regional leader and Islamist insurgents on Monday over control of the key city of Baidoa. The assault involved "vehicles laden with explosives" according to the government, which said its troops killed nearly 30 militants in their response. Details by Laurent Berstecher.

A Syrian man died in police custody after his family alleged he was severely beaten.

Brazil's president says Amazon oil is ‘passport to the future’

The pub chain says the decision followed complaints about "other people's videos and amplified phone conversations".

Meta battles legal challenges in the US, Europe and beyond over platform design and its impact on younger users.

The musician would be the first major Western artist to play Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

In the face of recent heatwaves and the big crowds that saturate the historic tourist sites during the day, this summer, Rome is testing a new way to visit the city: by opening tourist sites at night. This initiative includes museums, parks, archeological sites, monuments, villas, and historic residences. A revolution in the tourist rhythm explained by our correspondent in Rome, Natalia Mendoza, along with Bernard Bedarida and Charlotte Davan Wetton.

A Pakistani court ordered former prime minister Imran Khan to be moved from prison to a hospital over claims of poor health. The 73-year-old cricket star and his wife were sentenced to 17 years of jail last year after facing several graft legal cases.

Intensifying restrictions have hit every part of the territory’s dealings, spurring worries about whether the Palestinian Authority can remain solvent.

Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of overthrown long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, was convicted of multiple murders and murder accompanied by torture and brutality. A Damascus court issued a death sentence on Tuesday.

Drone video shows drought-hit fields in England after driest July on record

A ninth-grade student opened fire at a high school in Zamboanga, Philippines, killing a fellow student and himself.

The unemployment rate for young adults with new degrees is higher than the rate for all workers, according to the New York Fed. Is AI the problem, or is it more complicated?

Supreme Court grants jailed ex-PM Imran Khan transfer to hospital for a month after concerns raised over blood pressure.

A new UK trial hopes to reduce the condensation trails from planes, which can trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere.

The power grid relies on thousands of aging, hand-built transformers. If enough fail, the blackout could last years.

At home, moderation and restraint are the rule for tech parents. Boredom is exalted. Maybe they’re onto something.

From handheld to corded, self-emptying to stick models, these are our resident cleaner’s favourite vacuums for a spotless home • The best cordless vacuum cleaners, tested • How to make your vacuum cleaner last longer Buying a vacuum cleaner isn’t as easy as you might think. With so many brands and models to choose from, it can be bewildering. Sticking with established brands isn’t necessarily a safe bet, with past performance being no guarantee that the latest models will be as good. Meanwhile, prices can be deceptive, with some affordable models now closing the gap on top-of-the-range brands when it comes to cleaning performance. You can’t know all this by browsing through a department store or online. The ideal thing to do would be to take a few models home to try them out – but good luck persuading anyone to let you do that. Thankfully, you won’t have to try because I’ve tested an array of models for you. I’ve measured each one’s ability to perform a range of real-world cleaning jobs, so you can discover the best vacuum cleaner for you...

There are many tech irritants that are a scourge of modern life, yet we have lacked the vocabulary to describe them... until now The “dickover” is the scourge of the modern age. Coined in May by John Gruber, a tech writer, it is defined as “a modal panel, popover, or curtain presented by a website or app, deliberately obscuring its own content to frustrate the user”. Essentially, it is the thing (or more often, things) you have to click away in order to read the thing you wanted to read. It is the “ ” box, the “sign in with Google” box, the pop-up video box, etc. We shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking that dickovers are the only terrible thing about technology in 2026. Until now, though, we have lacked the vocabulary to describe them, so here are some suggestions...

In a picturesque village, the mayor closed a road, setting off a storm with residents and the owners of a castle that once belonged to his family.

Beijing wants to portray today’s China as carrying forward Zhu Rongji’s era of growth, but for many Chinese, the optimism of that time has since faded.

The International Space Station (ISS) is set to host the first spacewalk by a French female on Tuesday. Sophie Adenot, 44, will be the second European woman to conduct an extravehicular walk, after Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's mission in 2022.

The United States and North Korea could be edging back toward direct communication, while creating separation with South Korea by cutting down on joint military exercises. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent diplomatic outreach, marking what would be their first engagement since Trump's first term. Story by Caitlin Brown.

An unsolved tragedy that shook the music industry forever, enters a Nevada courtroom. The murder trial of former gang leader Duane Davis is now underway in Las Vegas, where prosecutors are laying out what they describe as a deadly act of revenge against rapper Tupac Shakur. Story by Caitlin Brown.

Alexander Zverev survives third-round scare versus Terrance Atmane while Venus, Serena Williams lose in doubles return.

They made a risky bid to reunite after three years of separation, illness and deprivation — the kind of ordeal suffered by many thousands of families torn apart by the war in eastern Ukraine.

Frasers Group increases stake in German fashion house to 48%, after buying Harvey Nichols chain last week The retail billionaire Mike Ashley has given the latest indication that his summer shopping spree may be far from over, after he increased his stake in the luxury giant Hugo Boss to nearly half. Ashley’s Frasers Group, which last week bought Harvey Nichols department stores for a reported £40m, increased its shareholding in the German fashion house to 48%, falling short of taking full control. In June, the British billionaire made a nearly €2bn (£1.73bn) takeover offer for the luxury group, but its board rejected Frasers’ bid as “inadequate” and urged shareholders not to accept Ashley’s offer. The new, higher stake is a result of 17.6% of shareholders accepting Ashley’s offer, which amounted to €38 a share. That bid reflected only a 4% premium to Hugo Boss’s shares when it was tabled. Axel Rudolph, an analyst at the investing platform IG, said it was “another major step towards gaining control” of Hugo Boss. Ashley’s new shareholding puts Frasers “firmly in the driving seat as it looks to increase its influence”, he added...

The U.S. focus on Iran has pivoted key resources away from another key geopolitical region -- Asia.

Work on the second of two long-delayed CalMac ferries is drawing to a close at the state-owned yard in Port Glasgow.

The former heavyweight boxing champion shares a child with the Heroes actress, who died on Sunday.

The former regime figure was found guilty of charges including premeditated murder and torture.

Devendra Nath Mahto was part of a larger protest which began weeks ago, demanding exam reforms in Jharkhand state.

Andrey Klepach, top economist at Russia's state development bank VEB, had warned Russia was lagging behind rivals.

Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Trump's politics and Israel's war on Gaza figure prominently in the elections.

The Lakers governor is resisting attempts to sell family's minority share to new owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner.

Men in military fatigues identical to those worn by Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Forces (SDF) are reportedly prowling evacuated communities in Kumamoto prefecture to loot abandoned homes and businesses in the aftermath of last month’s earthquake. An official at the prefectural government confirmed media reports of “fake SDF personnel” attempting to enter properties in affected areas, although she said the authority’s immediate priority was still to find shelter and provide food and medical care...

To a question from DMK member and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on who fired first, the Forest Minister said the magisterial inquiry would reveal every detail.

State attorneys general allege that tech company intentionally designed addictive products that harm young people More than half of the states in the US have joined together in an unprecedented lawsuit against Meta that goes to trial on Tuesday, accusing the parent company of Instagram and Facebook of deliberately designing addictive products that lured in young people and caused them harm. The jury trial is taking place in federal court in Oakland, California, and is expected to last between six and eight weeks. The jury is expected to hear from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and employee turned whistleblower Arturo Béjar...

Brent crude rises above $90 a barrel for the first time since 30 July after US president tells Tehran to surrender Business live – latest updates Oil prices have risen again after the two-month window to negotiate a peace deal in the US-Israel war on Iran expired on Monday with no end to the conflict in sight. Iran said on Monday that it would take a more aggressive stance if talks with the US failed, while Donald Trump demanded Tehran “put up the white flag of surrender” in an interview with Fox News...

Brent crude climbs above $91 a barrel as US-Iran ceasefire ends Grocery inflation in the UK has slowed to the lowest rate in almost two years, bringing some relief to households, a monthly survey shows (ahead of tomorrow’s official inflation data). Inflation at supermarkets and other grocers eased for a fifth month, to 2.1% in the four weeks to 9 August – the lowest since October 2024, according to Worldpanel by Numerator. With inflation slowing again, this marks the fifth consecutive month of easing prices. Shoppers are feeling the relief with 39% now feeling financially comfortable, marking the highest level of financial confidence since November 2021. But it’s by no means the same picture for all, with 20% reporting that they are struggling, and this has a clear impact on spending decisions. Among these households, 30% are more likely to prioritise grocery essentials over additional summer spending such as holidays and travel. The continued heat across the UK has certainly impacted the way people are eating and drinking. Earlier this summer we saw that mealtimes were being pushed later in the day, with 13% of evening meals now eaten after 8pm. Shoppers have been trying to stay cool this month, with soft drinks growing 15.1% in spend, while the freezer aisle saw shoppers stocking up on ice cream, sorbet and frozen fruit to beat the heat. A brighter spot was that the rate of youth unemployment came down to 16.2% in June. This is relatively good news, but the data are volatile and so we would perhaps not place too much weight on one month’s data. Moreover of course this is a high level, which has climbed by over 2.5 percentage points over the past two years. It’s encouraging to see signs of progress in the latest figures, with employment on the up and a continued fall in unemployment rate. We will continue to reform welfare and employment support so that more people can live independently and restore opportunity across the country...

Chain tells customers to ‘pipe down’ and use earphones instead, calling its venues ‘an oasis of tranquillity’ The pub chain Wetherspoons has banned customers from playing music or taking calls on speaker after growing complaints about the noise. The company announced it had introduced the ban across its 792 pubs, saying sounds from smartphones and tablet computers had become an “increasing problem in recent years”...

Israeli settlers besiege Palestinian homes in West Bank, while Board of Peace goes back on Gaza disarmament deal.

Canadian officials are making a last-ditch effort to negotiate a reprieve from 50-percent tariffs.

Al Jazeera looks at the devastating impact that Israel's war and siege on Gaza are having on women with breast cancer.

Video released by the Palestinian Red Crescent shows Israeli settler children attacking and blocking an ambulance.

The bladder stone, which weighs as much as a full-term baby, is believed to be the largest on record.

While hailing Zhu’s legacy, authorities are wary that the nostalgia could lead to criticisms of Xi’s rule.

A false quote supposedly first seen by an Indian handle was cited by the Israeli prime minister and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations

The attacks injured at least three people, including a girl, and damaged a Wildberries warehouse, Russian officials say.

British maritime agency says the incident caused one casualty and damaged the vessel's engine room.

Beijing's new 'Ice Silk Road' cuts through a melting Arctic, and could prompt fresh tensions with the US, say analysts.

A total of 620 drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, Russian officials said Monday, with several people wounded as buildings were struck. Moscow's mayor said that air defence units intercepted more than 180 of the drones over the capital region.

Unemployment rate remained at 4.9% in the three months to the end of June, ONS figures show Wage growth in the UK slowed in June as workers come under pressure from a renewed cost of living squeeze amid the economic impact from the Iran war, official figures show. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show average growth in total earnings, including bonuses, fell to 4.1% in the three months to June, down from 4.3% in the three months to May. City economists had forecast a larger fall to 4%...

Small firms cite labour and operating costs as reasons for scaling back hiring, the UK's statistics body says.