Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s Rein Me In breaks 73-year record to become longest-running UK No 1 single 31. July 2026 (19:00) Duetting stars surpass record set in 1953, when crooner Frankie Laine hit the top with I BelieveSam Fender and Olivia Dean have scored the longest running UK No 1 single in history with Rein Me In, beating a record that has stood since 1953.Back then, the UK singles chart had been running for less than a year and contained just 12 songs when I Believe, a bombastic ballad by US crooner Frankie Laine, hit No 1 and spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
HIV prevention drug could reduce cases globally but USAID cuts prevent access, say experts 31. July 2026 (18:29) Injectable PrEP drug holds promise but investment in HIV prevention has declined dramatically worldwideSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email New innovations in HIV prevention could dramatically reduce the number of new HIV cases around the globe, but US foreign aid cuts will mean that those that most need the new medication will be unable to access it, according to experts at the Aids 2026 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.One year ago, the World Health Organization recommended that governments around the world prioritize expanded access to lenacapavir, an injectable version of the HIV prevention medication PrEP that requires only two injections annually. PrEP, which also comes in the form of daily oral medications and bimonthly injections, is 99% effective in preventing sexually transmitted HIV for people who take it consistently. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It’s OK to mess around’: how ‘mop man’ stole the show at Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games 31. July 2026 (18:21) CJ Miller from West Lothian has delighted global audiences with ‘sheer stupidity’ of his half-time dancesThe 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have already provided plenty of highlights. But fans across the world have been dazzled by one particular breakout star: the “mop man”.When a cleaner came out at half-time during a netball match to wipe down the court before the restart, everything appeared normal. But as the cleaner swept, and the first bars of Queen’s I Want to Break Free rang out in the venue, he went from sweeping to a standing split. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hamas agrees to Trump’s plan to disarm in Gaza – The Latest 31. July 2026 (18:11) Donald Trump has declared a breakthrough in negotiations over the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, but Israeli government officials have voiced scepticism over the deal.Lucy Hough speaks to Julian Borger, the Guardian’s senior international correspondent – watch on YouTube Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Boss of £300m used-car firm was ousted after ‘orchestrated plan’ by investors, judge rules 31. July 2026 (17:48) Multimillionaire Peter Waddell is also found to have been properly dismissed from Big Motoring World for gross misconductA multimillionaire used-car salesman was ousted from his £300m company after “a pre-conceived and orchestrated plan” devised by private equity investors that had backed his business, a high court judge has ruled.Peter Waddell, 60, was forced out as the chief executive of the Kent-based dealership Big Motoring World in 2024 in a coup that resulted in “more-or-less open warfare” at the car seller and caused “unfair prejudice” to the investment company that held Waddell’s majority stake. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Healey sets budget for late October, promising to ‘spread money and power’ around UK 31. July 2026 (17:43) Chancellor will have to find money for Burnham’s policies while sticking to fiscal rules as borrowing costs riseAndy Burnham’s government has set a date for a late October budget to “spread money and power” out of Westminster as the new prime minister pushes forward his tax and spending plans.Announcing an autumn budget for 28 October, the chancellor, John Healey, said Labour would stick to its fiscal rules with its agenda to give businesses and households stability for the future. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham signals he will scrap plans to curb jury trials 31. July 2026 (17:27) Prime minister says he has concerns about one of most significant proposals from Keir Starmer’s governmentUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham is indicating he will scrap plans to curtail jury trials in England and Wales, abandoning one of the most significant overhauls from Keir Starmer’s government.In perhaps his biggest repudiation yet of the policies he inherited from his predecessor, the prime minister said he had concerns about the proposals and his instinct was to keep juries at the heart of the justice system. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW should compensate elderly woman whose public housing was inundated with sewage, ombudsman finds 31. July 2026 (17:00) Ombudsman finds Homes NSW acted unreasonably and recommended additional payment for distress and sufferingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn elderly public housing tenant whose home was damaged by sewage overflows will be fully compensated by the New South Wales government after it disposed of her personal belongings without her consent and failed to properly support her insurance claim.The NSW Ombudsman on Friday published its report after an investigation in which it found Homes NSW acted unreasonably in how it handled the tenant’s contaminated belongings and “failed to provide full and accurate information to the insurer”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
These boots are the safest for US wildland firefighters. Fewer and fewer can afford them 31. July 2026 (17:00) The handcrafted leather boots are a century-old tradition – but with money tight, the cost of up to $800 is harder to justifyFor 18 years, one of the most important relationships in Luke Mayfield’s life was with his boots. As a hotshot – one of the US’s elite firefighting crews sent deep, on foot, into wildfires – Mayfield hiked a thousand miles a fire season in his boots, stood in them 16 hours a day and slept near them on assignments that lasted weeks in terrain no truck could reach.Like every wildland firefighter, he learned the rituals of their upkeep: how to grease them, how to lace them, how soon before the season to break in a new pair so the blisters came during training instead of on duty. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran strikes tankers under US escort in Hormuz strait as Trump gathers cabinet to discuss war 31. July 2026 (16:48) Energy prices have soared again since fighting between US and Iran resumed two weeks ago as conflict spreads across Middle EastMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesIran has said it struck two tankers trying to pass through the strait of Hormuz under the escort of the US military as Donald Trump gathered his cabinet to discuss the stalling war and rising prices as midterm elections in the US loom.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Friday that the “non-compliant oil tankers … were struck and brought to a halt, while four other oil tankers quickly changed course and returned to their previous positions”. The military body said the ships had tried to pass through the strait via an “undeclared route” and under US aerial escort. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
