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House GOP subpoenas doctor behind ‘Have My Baby in Miami’ birth tourism business
House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer has subpoenaed Dr Wladimir Lorentz, founder and chief medical officer of the Florida-based business Have My Baby in Miami, as Republicans prepare to examine birth tourism at a hearing scheduled for 1 September. The inquiry reflects renewed Republican efforts to scrutinise services that help foreign nationals give birth in…
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Bots and bargains: Zara owner launches cut-price Lefties in UK to rival Primark
Zara owner Inditex has opened the first UK branch of its budget fashion chain Lefties in Liverpool, aiming to compete with Primark, Shein and supermarket clothing ranges. The launch matters because it introduces a rapidly expanding low-cost retailer with both physical shops and nationwide online delivery, while using automation to lower operating costs and speed…
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The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout audiobook review – brilliant portrait of an existential crisis
Elizabeth Strout’s Booker-longlisted novel The Things We Never Say follows Artie Dam, a popular history teacher in coastal Massachusetts whose personal loneliness and growing despair mirror the anxieties of his pupils and the wider political climate. The review argues that the novel compellingly links private grief, marital estrangement and fears about a divisive leader’s re-election,…
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Robert Carlyle: ‘When we did The Full Monty strip, the reaction from the crowd was terrifying’
Robert Carlyle reflects on key moments from his career, including the climactic strip in The Full Monty, which he says provoked a frighteningly intense reaction from the audience. He also discusses how Trainspotting helped make Scottish accents more familiar on screen, and credits early theatre work in Glasgow with enabling his career. Carlyle says the…
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Navy veteran trades military uniform for Miss Georgia sash following heartbreaking loss
Navy veteran Jade Kircus, 36, will represent Georgia at Miss USA in Miami after moving from eight years of military service into her first pageant competition. She says the experience reflects a new stage of life and hopes her story encourages others to pursue ambitions at any age. Kircus entered an open casting call after…
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OpenAI’s executive exodus has one big winner
OpenAI cofounder and president Greg Brockman is reportedly consolidating operational control as senior executives leave, while chief executive Sam Altman focuses more on long-term strategy, a potential IPO and the company’s public profile. The shift matters because Brockman’s growing authority could strongly shape OpenAI’s product development, commercial priorities and ability to compete in consumer and…
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Jill Scott, The Roots, Kehlani, Monaleo, LAILA!, Blacc Sam & Bino Rideaux to Participate in Billboard House at R&B Hip-Hop Week
Billboard has announced its Billboard House industry-panel programme for R&B Hip-Hop Week in New York City on 9 September. The event will bring established and emerging artists together for discussions and performances, underscoring Billboard’s effort to spotlight the continuing cultural influence of R&B, hip-hop and Caribbean music. The Roots and Jill Scott will take part…
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Son of former Chelsea footballer and friend died in 40C heat while hiking in UAE mountains, inquest told
Cassius Newton, 34, and Aran Martinson, 33, were found dead after setting out on a morning hike in Wadi Naqab, a mountainous desert valley in the UAE, during temperatures exceeding 40C. An inquest heard that heat stress and severe rises in body temperature were factors in their deaths, highlighting the risks of outdoor activity in…
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Yayoi Kusama obituary
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has died aged 97, leaving a distinctive body of work spanning polka-dotted paintings, sculptures, happenings, films and infinity mirror-room installations. Her art transformed recurring visual hallucinations and lifelong psychological distress into images of repetition, immersion and “self-obliteration”, making her one of contemporary art’s most recognisable figures. Born in Matsumoto, Japan, Kusama…
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‘Absolutely embarrassing’: British mother claims parents send children sprinting for sun loungers after hour-long queues in Spanish resort
A British holidaymaker says competition for poolside sun loungers at a hotel in Salou became so intense that parents sent children ahead to claim them. Cait Fennel said the daily scramble prevented her family from using the pool for the first three days of their holiday, illustrating continuing concerns over informal sunbed reservation practices at…