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Israeli strike on Gaza school building reportedly kills dozens
An Israeli air assault on a school facility housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza City killed dozens of people, according to Hamas-run authorities in the area. According to an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokeswoman, al-Taba'een school "served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility" with roughly 20 "militants" working there. The health ministry's ambulance service reported that at least 60 people were killed and 47 injured.
Festival-goers hurt in ‘terrifying’ crowd surge at Boardmasters, Newquay
Police claimed concertgoers were hurt in a crowd rush at the Boardmasters music event in Newquay, with one woman describing the incident as "terrifying." Many have claimed being "crushed" and accusations that many, including children, have broken bones. The celebration is set to run all weekend. Stormzy, Sam Fender, and Katy B are among the acts yet to perform.
Gmail is down: Google’s emailing service hit by a worldwide outage
Gmail is down for users globally, preventing them from sending emails or accessing their accounts. The Google outage began around 3 p.m. ET and is affecting users in the United States, the United Kingdom, portions of Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America. Gmail is used by over 1.8 billion people worldwide, although the exact number of those affected on Thursday remains unknown.
Anti-racists saved Britain; now Keir Starmer must act
On Wednesday evening, thousands of anti-racists marched through the north and south of England, recovering our towns and cities from far-right rioters who had terrorized British Muslims, people of color, refugees, and migrants for the previous eight days. In doing so, anti-racists have also reclaimed the narrative from the politicians and media operatives who have emboldened these violent racists with their inflammatory rhetoric on migration, demonstrating that the majority of British people do not buy into their hatemongering and that our multiracial neighborhoods and communities are "no go zones" for the far right.
Failed Taylor Swift concert terror plot: third teen detained
Taylor Swift's three planned gigs at Ernst Happel Stadium were canceled on Wednesday after officials uncovered the scheme. A third teenager has been arrested in connection with a terrorist assault planned for a Taylor Swift concert in Austria. According to Austrian Home Secretary Gerhard Karner, an 18-year-old Iraqi national was arrested in Vienna on Thursday evening after reportedly contacting the 19-year-old primary suspect.
Trump’s campaign struggles to lay a hand on the surging Harris
According to those close to the former president, Donald Trump's campaign is aware that it may lose in November if the race is determined on "vibes" and "energy," as Kamala Harris continues to ride waves of momentum with her recently announced running partner Tim Walz. The fear has already begun to cause divisions inside Trumpworld, with some Maga allies criticizing Trump's political aides for running a campaign that may be too structurally insufficient to establish a ground operation in swing states.
Iran keeps the area guessing as it considers reprisal attacks
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a group of 57 countries, held an emergency conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday at Iran's request to examine, among other things, the death of Hamas senior leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. The event provided an opportunity for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who has promised "harsh punishment" for the death, to spell out the reasons for an expected retaliation. Both Iran and Hamas claim the assassination on July 31 was carried out by Israel, which has not reacted but is widely assumed to be responsible.
‘National scandal’ as record number of children live in temporary housing
Local governments have urged the government to act quickly to assist the growing number of people forced to rely on council-provided temporary housing. A dramatic increase in the number of families living in temporary housing has caused English authorities to call on the government to address the homelessness crisis. According to the most recent government figures, the total number of individuals living in temporary housing in England increased by 12.3% to a record 117,450 households in the year ending March 2024.
China struggles with ‘number over quality’ in generative AI patents
China has emerged as the world's leading creator of generative AI patents, but it is unable to implement many of its ideas due to US export prohibitions and long-standing issues with its domestic innovation culture. In July, the UN's intellectual property organization said that China had submitted more than 38,000 generative AI patents over the previous decade, more than any other country combined. According to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) data, Chinese corporations and institutions, including Tencent, Ping An Insurance, Baidu, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, are among the top ten patent holders worldwide.
Ex-Catalan leader ‘eludes police pursuit and flees Spain’
According to his party, Carles Puigdemont, the exiled ex-Catalan leader, eluded an extensive police manhunt and fled Spain. On Thursday, Spanish officials started a massive search for Mr Puigdemont after he unexpectedly returned to Spain, delivered a brief speech to Barcelona crowds, and vanished. The 61-year-old is wanted in Spain on accusations related to a failed Catalan independence bid in 2017.
Johnson-Thompson must defeat Thiam in Olympic heptathlon
Katarina Johnson-Thompson faces a mountain to climb to win the gold medal in the heptathlon after slipping behind Belgian competitor Nafissatou Thiam on day two, with only one discipline remaining. With only 800m remaining in the seven-discipline event on Friday evening, Johnson-Thompson was 121 points behind the Belgian, who threw a season-best weapon to take the lead after six disciplines. Annik Kaelin, a Swiss athlete, showed tenacity by finishing third after a significant long jump and decent javelin in the morning. To take the gold. Johnson-Thompson, who reclaimed her global title in Budapest last year, would need to take a commanding lead in the final race and finish eight seconds clear of Thiam.
Policing minister warns of further protests in coming days based on intelligence
About 100 protests were scheduled for Wednesday night, and there were fears of further violence, but a large police presence and calm counter-protests prevailed. The government's policing minister has warned that more protests may take place in the coming days after concerns about violence did not materialise last night. Dame Diana Johnson stated, "I am cautious about what happened last night.
