Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis
Posted on Tuesday August 04, 2026

Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage

• BP boss urges Burnham to prioritise UK oil and gas

• Nils Pratley: BP boss is unsentimental in pruning portfolio

Eight of the biggest oil companies amassed profits of more than $90bn (£67bn) in just three months as the Iran conflict sent energy prices soaring and the emissions-fuelled climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves.

The windfall war profits have reignited calls for oil and gas supermajors such as Saudi Aramco and BP to pay for the environmental damage caused by “cashing in on human misery” and fund a rapid transition to renewable energy.

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Gatwick airport to open second runway after legal challenge fails
Posted on Tuesday August 04, 2026

£2.2bn project will allow about 100,000 more flights a year to use Britain’s second busiest airport

Gatwick airport is to start development of its second runway after campaigners lost a legal challenge to the plans.

The court of appeal on Tuesday dismissed a bid by local campaign groups to challenge an earlier high court ruling that the scheme could proceed.

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Trump administration reportedly drafting ban on Chinese datacenter components
Posted on Tuesday August 04, 2026

Trump’s FCC is developing a measure to bar US imports of new models of Chinese datacenter devices, sources say

The Trump administration is reportedly drafting a ban on US imports of new models of Chinese datacenter components, in the latest sign US authorities are scrambling to respond to the rapid development of AI technology in China.

Four people familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which oversees the US ⁠telecommunications industry, is developing a measure to bar imports of new ​Chinese optical transceivers, which allow data to travel over fiber-optic cables at the speed of light within datacenters. Officials hope to publish the measure this year, according to Reuters.

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Calls to ban disposable barbecues in England and Wales over wildfire risk
Posted on Tuesday August 04, 2026

Lib Dems and many Labour MPs join farmers, landowners and firefighters in urging temporary prohibition

Farmers and landowners are calling for a temporary ban on disposable barbecues in England and Wales, as they warn of the risk of igniting wildfires.

The call, which has also been made by firefighters and is backed by the Liberal Democrats and many Labour MPs, comes as much of England faces further hot dry weather, despite rain in some areas.

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‘Fortnite on steroids’: the virtual gaming worlds transformed to train British soldiers
Posted on Tuesday August 04, 2026

Inside Skyral, part of a consortium that won a £2bn MoD contract to help forces game out complex decisions

On a sunny July day in Riga, Latvia, a Nato convoy drives down a street lined with kebab shops and a pharmacy. At a downtown intersection, there is the sound of an explosion and the lead tank bursts into flame.

These are real streets in Riga – Lāčplēša iela and the downtown corridor of Tērbatas iela. The kebab shops and the pharmacy are on them. The pedestrians who flee after the tank explodes and huddle at a distance are modelled after the population of Riga: some old, some young, some friendly to Nato, others less so.

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Can you tell if someone is filming you with Meta glasses? – video
Posted on Tuesday August 04, 2026

Meta glasses - they're everywhere, and people have a lot of opinions. Mostly about their ability to take photos and videos.

Rafqa Touma speaks to Guardian Australia's technology reporter, Josh Taylor, lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, and the Human Technology Institute's responsible technology policy specialist, Lauren Perry.

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Fifa accused of using ‘blackmail’ to force support for Infantino’s re-election bid
Posted on Tuesday August 04, 2026

• Jordan FA president says Fifa threatened to block funds

• Secretary general calls selloff plan ‘sad and reproachable’

The Jordan Football Association president, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, has accused Gianni Infantino’s administration of “blackmail”, claiming that Fifa threatened to withhold financial assistance from his federation if it refused to back the president’s bid for re-election.

In a major intervention Prince Ali, who ran for the Fifa presidency against Infantino in 2016 and finished third, listed a number of problems dogging the global governing body and said Jordan’s players have not yet been paid for appearing in the Arab Cup last year. Prince Ali is head of the West Asian Football Federation, which includes influential states such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that have thus far backed Infantino to stay on.

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Tour de France Femmes cyclists face checks for aerodynamic-boosting chest padding
Posted on Tuesday August 04, 2026

• Chest fairings could smooth airflow around the body

• Warning came before time-trial stage to Dijon

Riders in the Tour de France Femmes were examined for hidden aerodynamic enhancements, or chest fairings, before the race’s time trial stage to Dijon on Tuesday, in a clampdown on the latest attempts to circumnavigate cycling’s rules.

Changes to body morphology to improve aerodynamics are banned under International Cycling Union rules. The UCI’s commissaires were looking for padded chest fairings that would artificially improve airflow and reduce wind resistance.

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