Nafi Thiam retained her heptathlon title and Belgium also won gold in men’s hockey, while GB’s Holly Bradshaw took pole vault bronze12.01am BSTMen’s 50km walk: Tomala has increased his lead, but we’re not getting a time or distance on it. But with that, I’m going to bid you farewell because tomorrow’s blog is here; Tom Lutz will get that away and take in the end of this race. Ta-ra!Related: Tokyo 2020 Olympics: athletics, cycling, modern pentathlon and more – live!11.54pm BSTMen’s 50km walk: Yeah, Tomala is pulling away now, nine seconds in front at 30km. Continue reading...

The northern California town of Greenville was devastated by the Dixie fire, currently the largest wildfire in the state. The town dates back to the Gold Rush era with buildings more than a century old. Firefighters did all they could against the flames but the fast-moving blaze left many structures in ashes

Joe Biden is setting a goal for half of all new US vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 while at the same time tightening pollution standards for cars and trucks, in a barrage of action aimed at reducing the largest source of planet-heating gases in America.

US spends 17% of GDP on healthcare but struggles with affordability and has the most administrative hurdlesThe US is last on a ranking of healthcare systems among 11 of the wealthiest countries in the world, despite spending the highest percentage of its GDP on healthcare, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.The country struggles with deep problems in affordability of healthcare, which affects access and equity, and it is the country that has the most administrative hurdles when dealing with healthcare. This is despite the US spending 17% of its gross domestic product on healthcare, “far above” the other 10 countries, according to the report. Continue reading...

FAA administrator expresses concerns about serving alcohol before flights in letter sent to about 1,000 airportsThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is asking airports to more carefully monitor alcohol sales, especially in to-go cups.In a letter released Tuesday to leaders of about 1,000 airports across the US, the FAA administrator, Steve Dickinson, expressed concerns about serving alcohol to passengers in airport restaurants and bars before flights. Continue reading...

Trumka, a ‘relentless champion of workers’ rights’, had led the 12.5 million-member labor federation since 2009Richard Trumka, the powerful president of the AFL-CIO who rose from the coalmines of Pennsylvania to preside over one of the largest labor organizations in the world, died Thursday. He was 72.The federation confirmed Trumka‘s death in a statement. He had been AFL-CIO president since 2009, after serving as the organization’s secretary-treasurer for 14 years. From his perch, he oversaw a federation with more than 12.5 million members and ushered in a more aggressive style of leadership. Continue reading...

Lawmakers give governor 13 August deadline to provide any additional evidence as activists with ties to Cuomo under scrutinyNew York state lawmakers announced Thursday that their impeachment investigation of Governor Andrew Cuomo is nearing an end and have given him a 13 August deadline to provide any additional evidence over sexual harassment allegations.The deadline came as liberal activists with ties to Cuomo were under scrutiny over attempts to discredit one of his accusers. Continue reading...

The women’s national team conducted a collective emotional orchestra during their agonising defeat against USAIt came down, as football always does, to a handful of moments: the inner face of a post, a deflected clearance, a miscommunication on a back-pass, the angle and spin on a corner kick.As the bronze medal match between the Matildas and the United States heaved and tossed through the dense Kashima night, millions of fans around Australia – and around the world – hung on each of those pregnant junctures; the ones on which sport so often ricochets and spirals off into multiple futures. Continue reading...

Invoking climate change as the sole cause of terrible shortages lets those in authority off the hook

President vowed end to ‘prolonged’ detention but number of detainees has more than doubled since end of FebruaryAlexander Martinez says he fled from homophobia, government persecution and the notorious MS-13 gang in El Salvador only to run into abuse and harassment in America’s immigration detention system.Since crossing the US-Mexico border unlawfully in April, the 28-year-old has bounced between six different facilities in three states. He said he contracted Covid-19, faced racist taunts and abuse from guards and was harassed by fellow detainees for being gay. Continue reading...

FDA research sheds light on ingredients in dog food that could be associated with canine dilated cardiomyopathyA new study by the Food and Drug Administration highlights research linking certain dog foods to canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a severe heart disease.According to a new report published Thursday, researchers compared traditional dog foods with those that the FDA associated with DCM, looking at more than 800 compounds. Currently, peas are at the top of the list of ingredients linked with compounds that might be related to DCM. Continue reading...

Dixie fire tore through mountain town of Greenville on Wednesday evening, leaving much of the downtown in ashesThe fast-moving Dixie fire tore through the northern California mountain town of Greenville on Wednesday evening, leaving much of the downtown in ashes.A gas station, hotel and bar were among many structures gutted in the Sierra Nevada town, which dates to California’s Gold Rush era and has some buildings more than a century old. Continue reading...

Gates says he met with convicted sex offender hoping the financier could help raise money for global health issuesMicrosoft billionaire Bill Gates said he made “a huge mistake” in meeting with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.“It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there,” Gates told CNN on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Support falls away for New York governor. Plus: how signals for the start of menopause could help scientists extend women’s fertile years

The groundswell for Palestinian freedom has reached new levels. It’s only a matter of time before other companies take Ben & Jerry’s leadOn 19 July, Ben & Jerry’s, the celebrated ice cream company based in Vermont, where I live, set off a firestorm after it announced it would no longer allow its ice cream to be sold in Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and would not renew its licensing agreement with its franchise in Israel beyond next year. The company said that continuing to sell ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territory would be “inconsistent” with its values.

Ron DeSantis’s desire to keep state open amid Delta surge draws criticism from local leaders to the White HouseFlorida governor Ron DeSantis earned a new moniker this week as the resurgent coronavirus continued to wreak havoc on his state: the “Pied Piper of Covid-19, leading everybody off a cliff.”The stark assessment of the Republican politician from Dan Gelber, the mayor of Miami Beach, came as Florida continued to set records for new cases and hospitalizations, saw worrying surges in both deaths and rates of positivity, and led the nation in pediatric Covid admissions. Continue reading...

Some party leaders blamed the former president in the charged moments after the insurrection – but are now embarking on a campaign of revisionismTop Republicans in Congress are embarking on a new campaign of revisionism seven months after the attack on the Capitol, absolving Donald Trump of responsibility and blaming the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, for the 6 January insurrection perpetrated by a mob of Trump supporters.Related: A Trump bombshell quietly dropped last week. And it should shock us all | Robert Reich Continue reading...

Marcus Rashford, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles and Tom Daley – from the Euros to Wimbledon to the Olympics, this season’s biggest stars have shown success is about much more than trophiesThe Olympics are racing towards the finishing line; the Euros gave us euphoria and heartbreak; and Wimbledon revealed that the true hero on Centre Court was not an Adonis in crisp tennis whites, but rather a middle-aged vaccine researcher. More than anything, though, this summer has thrown a spotlight on the inspiring and surprising strength and character of young people like never before.We have watched elite athletes behave with the sort of dignity and respect that world leaders would do well to emulate. They have competed under intense global scrutiny at the highest levels and never lost sight of the fact that how you behave matters more than the goals you score or the aces you serve. Here are 20 things we learned about youth politics and culture from an astonishing summer of sport. Continue reading...

More than a dozen injured in incident involving van carrying 29 passengersAt least 10 people have been killed and more than a dozen injured after an overloaded van carrying 29 passengers crashed on a remote south Texas highway.Authorities said the crash happened shortly after 4pm on Wednesday on US 281 in Encino, Texas, about 50 miles (80km) north of McAllen. The Brooks county sheriff, Urbino Martinez, said the van, designed to hold 15 passengers, was top-heavy and had tipped over when the driver lost control on a curve. Continue reading...

Orchestra had distanced itself from musician’s social media posts on vaccines, masks and the 2020 electionThe Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has fired its principal flutist, months after distancing itself from her social media posts that spread misinformation by questioning the safety of the coronavirus vaccines, the efficacy of face masks and the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.The orchestra offered only the broadest outline of its decision to dismiss Emily Skala, but its statement suggests there were multiple violations of multiple policies. Leaked workplace emails from Skala also had come under scrutiny. Continue reading...

Young adults have seen infections jump 554% since early June, fueling experts’ calls for urgent vaccinationsMillennials are accounting for the biggest rise in Covid-19 cases in California, an analysis of state and federal data shows, as the Delta variant drives growing infection rates and health officials scramble to encourage the generation to get vaccinated.Covid-19 cases in California have shot up for all age groups in the past two months, but millennials – defined here as those between the ages of 18 and 34 – have seen their case numbers climb faster than other age brackets. Continue reading...

Customs and Border Protection issued an order Wednesday to halt shipments from the tuna fishing vesselThe US has blocked imports in American ports from a Fiji-based tuna fishing vessel that is accused of enslaving crew members.On Wednesday, Customs and Border Protection issued an order to halt shipments from the Hangton No 112, a longliner operated by a Chinese national. The order came after the agency determined there was credible evidence that the vessel’s crew was operating under forced labor conditions. Continue reading...

Newspapers and broadcasters send open letter to Boris Johnson raising safety fears about locals who did vital work for the west

Bill maintains a large portion of Biden’s proposals for roads, public transit and high-speed internet – but cuts some of the more contentious spending itemsA bipartisan group of US senators have proposed billions of dollars of new spending on roads, public transit, affordable high-speed internet and clean drinking water, among other things.This latest bill, called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is significant because it’s an iteration of President Biden’s infrastructure plan – but pared down so that it can garner enough Republican support to get through the Senate and be signed into law. Continue reading...

Landowner wants ‘River Dave’ Lidstone out, but 81-year-old squatter says he’d rather sit in jail ‘til I rot’For almost three decades, 81-year-old David Lidstone has lived in the woods of New Hampshire along the Merrimack River in a small cabin adorned with solar panels. He has grown his own food, cut his own firewood and tended to his cat and chickens.But his off-the-grid existence appears to be at risk and now he’s behind bars. Continue reading...

Months ago Cuomo was depicted by the media as ‘America’s governor’ – now another side to him that was an open secret in Albany has been officially recognizedIn 2018, as Andrew Cuomo was in the thick of a re-election battle against the Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, he vowed that he would complete a third term as governor of New York state unless “God strikes me dead”.It may take less than the creator to put an end to the political career of the pugnacious Democrat. With the sexual harassment accusations of 11 women corroborated by an official inquiry from New York’s top prosecutor, and with potential impeachment proceedings looming, Cuomo is teetering on the edge of a spectacular fall from grace. Continue reading...

Calls for New York governor’s immediate resignation after state investigation finds he sexually harassed 11 womenAdvocates for women and survivors of sexual assault and harassment called for New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s immediate resignation after a state investigation released on Tuesday said he sexually harassed 11 women.The investigation found that Cuomo’s administration created a “climate of fear” at the workplace and violated federal and state civil laws. Cuomo has denied the allegations and on Tuesday appeared to resist calls to step down. Continue reading...

Tuesday’s strong winds stoked Dixie fire, which grew to over 395 sq miles across Plumas and Butte countiesCalifornia’s largest wildfire exploded again after burning for nearly three weeks in remote mountains, with officials warning that hot, dry weather threatened to further stoke the flames.Officials warned that the high temperatures increase the risk of new fires across much of the state. “I think we definitely have a few hard days ahead of us,” said Shannon Prather with the US Forest Service. Continue reading...

Joshua Spriestersbach was released after being locked up for two years and eight months and forced to take psychiatric drugsA homeless man wrongly arrested for a crime committed by someone else and locked up in a mental health hospital for nearly three years was quietly released, recent court documents in Hawaii show.In a court petition filed on Monday night, the Hawaii Innocence Project asked a judge to rescind Joshua Spriestersbach’s arrest and correct his records. The court filings detail Spriestersbach’s plight, which started when he fell asleep on a sidewalk while waiting for food outside a Honolulu shelter in 2017. Continue reading...

The Belarusian dictator’s unpredictability is unsettling opponents and allies alike. He must be checkedThese have been busy times for the rogue state of Belarus.In recent days, an opposition activist, Vitaly Shyshov, was found dead – hanging from a tree in a park in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv – in what is now officially a murder case. Shyshov headed an NGO that helped Belarusians escape from the ever-increasing repression back home, having himself fled in 2020. The Olympic 200m sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya narrowly escaped being bundled on to a plane back home from Tokyo, and has been granted a humanitarian visa by Poland. And the EU commissioner for home affairs, Sweden’s Ylva Johansson, flew to Lithuania to try to do something about Belarus’s state-organised smuggling of migrants over the border into its neighbour (the government in Minsk has been accused of organising flights from Baghdad to Belarus: migrants are led by guides to the border, and the whole operation is advertised on social media). Continue reading...

The Californian will face Uzbekistan’s Bakhodir Jalolov on Sunday in the gold-medal bout, following in the footsteps of the likes of Muhammad Ali“Eye of the Tiger” would have been a more obvious choice, but Richard Torrez Jr defies many of boxing’s cliches.He strode towards the ring for his super heavyweight semi-final to the strains of the first movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” It seemed a rather gentle and ruminative choice of walk-up motivational music for an Olympic athlete, especially one planning on spending the next few minutes pummeling a 6ft 3in human chainsaw from Kazakhstan. Continue reading...

About 700 people, including Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney, were expected to gather this weekend on Martha’s VineyardBarack Obama is scaling back the big bash planned for his 60th birthday because of concerns about the national rise in Covid-19 cases, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.“Due to the new spread of the Delta variant over the past week, the president and Mrs Obama have decided to significantly scale back the event to include only family and close friends,” Hannah Hankins, a spokesperson for the former president, said in a statement. “He’s appreciative of others sending their birthday wishes from afar and looks forward to seeing people soon.” Continue reading...