SocietyLindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children in January 2023, appears in court as her murder trial continues. Her defense team has argued that she was experiencing postpartum mental health problems. The proceedings remain focused on the allegations and the defense’s account of her condition at the time.
Reuters
SocietyA 10-year-old boy was rescued from pounding surf off the California coast after being caught in a rip current. Video captured the dramatic rescue. The boy said he is grateful to the teenage lifeguard who saved him. He described the lifeguards as risking their lives to save his own.
The Associated Press
SocietyThe UK’s prisons currently hold about 86,500 people, with roughly 2,400 spaces still available. Overcrowding has created disruption across both prisons and the courts. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has altered the planned early-release scheme in England and Wales, excluding rapists and certain other offenders. The pressure is prompting questions about whether the UK can draw useful ideas from how other countries manage crowded prison systems.
BBC News
WorldUkrainian drones struck a Wildberries warehouse near St Petersburg, triggering a fire at one of Russia’s major online retail logistics hubs. Russia said its air defences repelled drones over several western and central regions as Ukraine intensified long-range attacks. Officials in Kyiv alleged that Wildberries logistics sites hold restricted drone components and aid Russia’s military industry. Moscow and the company rejected that claim. The strikes have raised concerns about supply chains, banking stability and civilian safety far from the front line.
EconomyThe US economy depends heavily on diesel fuel. Agriculture, construction, mining and distribution all rely on steady supplies to operate. Diesel prices are rising as the supply crunch expands. The program examines how the worsening shortage could affect the broader US economy.
Bloomberg Television
ScienceNASA is holding a news conference with the crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew 13 mission. Chris Williams and the other crew members are discussing their mission to the International Space Station. The event focuses on the crew’s work and experience during the ISS mission.
Reuters
EconomyUS inflation is running above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Twelve percent of global crude oil supply is off the market, nearly twice the scale of the shocks seen in the 1970s. Unemployment, however, remains at 4.3% while the economy continues to grow. The question is whether higher energy costs could weaken demand and complete the stagflation picture.
Bloomberg Television
ScienceEngineering professor Tahira Reid Smith once imagined a machine that could turn Double Dutch skipping ropes without people operating them. She drew the concept for a school assignment when she was a child. Four decades later, Smith has developed a functioning prototype based on that early idea. The machine is called “Jump Dreams.”
Reuters
World47:54Bloomberg’s early edition of Balance of Power examines the latest developments in the Middle East. The program focuses on Donald Trump’s push for an immediate deal involving Hormuz. It also highlights a surge in stocks as oil prices fell below $80. Guests include American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers and several policy and investment analysts.
Bloomberg Television
WorldGaza has held a large funeral for 112 people whose remains were recovered from beneath the rubble. They were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza in 2023 and remained trapped for almost three years. Civil Defence teams spent 136 hours retrieving the bodies while facing restrictions on heavy equipment and scarce resources. Officials estimate that more than 8,000 people are still buried under the debris. For many relatives, the ceremony offers a measure of closure, but the trauma continues.
WorldRussia and Ukraine are accusing each other of war crimes in connection with drone strikes. Local officials say debris from a Ukrainian drone fell onto a crowded beach in southern Russia on Monday, killing at least seven people in one of the deadliest incidents in recent weeks. It remains unclear whether Russian air defenses brought the drone down or whether it crashed. Separately, a street vendor in Kherson, Ukraine, was chased by a drone and survived the strike with several injuries.
CNN
SocietyVolunteers involved in this year’s National Day Parade are completing the final preparations for the event. Nikhil Khattar is the only volunteer serving in the SAF Military Band. He also spoke with another volunteer who has spent months training to coordinate a large flag display in Singapore’s heartlands. Their efforts are part of the preparations for the big day.
WorldGuatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted on 3 August. Families living in the surrounding area evacuated after the eruption. The incident prompted departures from nearby communities as volcanic activity unfolded.
PoliticsParliament is reviewing its pay arrangements as it seeks to address rising staff attrition and retain specialist employees. Parliamentary clerks are expected to receive a new retention payment alongside salary revisions. The changes could also improve compensation for language officers and other behind-the-scenes staff. The report examines who these officials are and why they are becoming increasingly difficult to retain.
SocietyOfficers aged 40 to 49 represent about four in 10 people affected by GovTech’s restructuring exercise, making them the largest age group impacted. Those over 50 account for 30 per cent of the retrenched staff. Unions and government agencies have identified more than 300 job openings to help the affected workers recover and return to employment.
World1:04Hundreds of mourners gathered in Gaza City to bury more than 100 members of an extended family. The group included 40 children. Gaza’s civil defence recovered the bodies before the funeral. The victims were killed in an Israeli strike in 2023, according to the report.
SocietyAuthorities seized an illegally modified personal mobility device capable of reaching almost 100 kilometres per hour. That is roughly four times the legal speed limit for such devices. Land Transport Authority officers stopped more than 20 people during an enforcement operation observed by CNA. The checks focused on whether users were following new active mobility rules that came into effect on June 1.
SocietyMigrants who crossed from Morocco into Ceuta are camping on the beach while authorities process those who arrived. For 29-year-old Ahmed Haroun, reaching Ceuta has been a goal he pursued for a long time. He now hopes that achieving it will allow him to help his family. The arrival highlights the personal hopes carried by migrants amid the mass crossing.
Reuters
SocietySingapore is considering changes to its en bloc rules that could make collective sales easier for older private developments. The proposed amendments would reduce the required owner-consent threshold for buildings aged 40 years and above. At the same time, they would introduce stronger safeguards for owners who do not want to sell. Industry observers say the reforms could support urban renewal, expand housing supply and rejuvenate older commercial districts if Parliament approves them.
WorldUkrainian strikes hit two Wildberries warehouses overnight on Monday, while another site apparently connected to Russia’s biggest online retailer was damaged near Moscow. The company, often called the “Russian Amazon,” has seen its facilities targeted by Ukraine in recent weeks. Local officials said at least five people were killed and 10 injured at an industrial site roughly 69km south of the Kremlin. They did not confirm that Wildberries operated the site. Officials elsewhere also reported damage linked to the continuing strikes.
BBC News
PoliticsSingapore’s proposed redevelopment plans for Gillman Barracks and Sunset Way remain under consideration, Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan said in Parliament. The government will continue engaging the public after the formal consultation closes on Aug 6. Current layout proposals and the extent of areas to be conserved could still be adjusted. More than 10 MPs questioned how public feedback would influence the final plans and related decisions.
SocietySeoul’s elderly residents are turning to cooling mist systems for relief as South Korea faces a record heatwave. The systems offer a way to ease the effects of the exceptional heat. The item highlights the experience of older people in the capital during the extreme weather.
Reuters
WorldA disturbing video appears to show a Russian drone pursuing and wounding a civilian at a market in Kherson, Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of committing a war crime over the incident. Police said the vendor, a man in his 50s, survived the attack. He suffered shock and shrapnel injuries, according to police. The footage has prompted scrutiny of the reported drone attack on a civilian.
PoliticsTodd Blanche has cleared a significant obstacle in his effort to become US attorney general. Republicans moved his nomination forward after senators voted in favor of a deal. Questions nevertheless remain about provisions involving Donald Trump's so-called “anti-weaponization” fund and protections against tax-return audits. The vote advances Blanche's nomination but leaves the disputed elements of the agreement under scrutiny.
Reuters