Since the US imposed a “de facto oil blockade on the island, the Cuban cigar industry is facing its greatest challenge yet”, said Al Jazeera. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/639XMK

Up in smoke: why the Cuban cigar is under threat

Caribbean island faces further economic woes over plans for ‘smoke-free Britain’

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Other social media companies, including YouTube, TikTok’s parent ByteDance, Snap Inc. and Discord, are facing thousands of lawsuits brought by states, school districts and individuals. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/ordVud

Meta ruling: the changes coming to our social media

$18bn settlement in California court could ‘fundamentally change’ the online experience for young users

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Harp has reportedly unnerved other staff by writing intense personal notes to Trump with messages such as “You are all that matters to me,” and “I don’t ever want to let you down.” the-week-uk.visitlink.me/ScSOPl

Natalie Harp: Trump’s doting aide and ‘human printer’

Democrat Jon Ossoff’s comment has brought Trump’s executive assistant into the limelight

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Operation Blue Skies is based on a theory that if scientists, using artificial intelligence, can predict the areas of the atmosphere where contrails are likely to form, jets would be able to avoid them. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/XUeIPQ

Operation Blue Skies: how AI is cleaning up contrails

Landmark UK government-led trial hopes to slash the aviation sector’s impact on global warming

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The trial of Al-Marimi, the first person to face justice for the bombing in a US court, was due to start in May 2025 but was delayed after his lawyers said they needed more time to work through more than 400,000 files of evidence. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/PkXP8T

Lockerbie bombing and the long wait for justice

Trial of ‘third conspirator’ in UK’s worst ever terrorist attack is postponed after new evidence emerges in 38-year-old case

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The song first appeared on Parton’s 13th studio album, of the same name, released in October 1973, and reached No. 1 on the US chart in February 1974. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/HQF2ly

The enduring legacy of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’

Country music icon’s most popular song marked a shift in attitudes in the genre and continues to influence next generation of global stars

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In-person talks between high-level American and Russian officials are incredibly rare. And amid such secrecy “it was not clear what the trip’s purpose is and whether any other senior US officials were part of the US delegation”, said The Washington Post. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/jEdUip

CIA director’s secret flight to Moscow

High-level in-person meetings between top Russian and US officials are incredibly rare so what prompted this one?

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The Trump administration has ordered 30 American universities to complete an audit by Aug. 31 of their relationships with foreign academic organizations, mostly in China. Here's why some schools are pushing back. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/MKkC1a

Pentagon wants colleges to examine their ties to foreign institutions

The Defense Department has ordered 30 universities to audit themselves

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Despite being tightly controlled, technologically backward, and subject to crippling Western trade embargoes, the country has recorded year-on-year GDP growth of more than 3%, which many advanced economies could only dream of. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/4NgYL5

Is North Korea’s economic miracle sustainable?

Kim Jong Un says ‘everything has fundamentally changed’, but analysts caution that growth is just a war-fuelled ‘Russian sugar high’

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There is more to the “philosophy” of these emails than just trying to be funny, said The Atlantic. They can be a “rote obligation or an opportunity to make a grand statement about work and life”. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/fykOsO

What your out-of-office email says about you

An automated response says something about you and getting it wrong can have ‘more serious consequences than you might think’

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“It’s fair to call this a breakthrough,” said Marco Gerlinger of the Barts Cancer Institute. The results have “wider implications” than just for melanoma treatment, he told The Times. They are “proof of principle that personalised cancer vaccines work”, the-week-uk.visitlink.me/ogcaqT

A ‘pivotal moment’ for personalised cancer vaccines

Early results from final-stage trial of individualised melanoma jab offer hope of more tailor-made cancer treatments

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The “macabre” video trend “has astonished and outraged” Ireland, and prompted debate not only about policing and criminal justice but also about social media regulation, said The Guardian. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/LgRWCg

The dangerous driving videos flooding TikTok

‘They’re thinking about the likes; they’re thinking about kudos’

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Almost 500 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires in France this summer as countries across Europe continue to “tackle ferocious blazes”, said The Guardian. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/KbnofX

Why so many wildfires are started deliberately

The vast majority of wildfires are started by human action but arson ‘is not always random destruction’

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In recent years, international consensus has shifted and consolidated in favour of Morocco’s “autonomy plan” for Western Sahara. Spain has endorsed the plan and both France and the US have recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over the region the-week-uk.visitlink.me/DCqbLl

Morocco’s attempt to rebrand Western Sahara

Rabat investing billions in territory, despite ongoing dispute over autonomy and control

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Mark Walter promised a bright future when he bought the Los Angeles Lakers last year. But that future is already passed, as Walter flipped the team to new owners this month. The Lakers are no longer the "mom and pop shop." the-week.visitlink.me/1bO1JU

The Lakers sale reveals the changing nature of team ownership

Hometown pride gives way to investment portfolios

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While the tactics can vary, the underlying goal is simple: Make sure every dollar is doing as much as it reasonably can, so you’re able to put your money where it really matters,” said Northwestern Mutual. Here’s what to know. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/NYkKKG

What’s moneymaxxing and why might the viral trend be worth trying?

Gamify savings, and maximize funds

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The vow to abandon Hollywood is “obvious brinksmanship” but also “not that far-fetched,” said The Hollywood Reporter. Paramount really could leave the “entertainment capital of the world” for Tennessee, Texas or Georgia. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/8BF4Fu

Will Paramount leave Hollywood to save the Warner Bros. merger?

David Ellison’s threat is a bid to head off an antitrust lawsuit

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Zelenskyy’s popularity is “sliding” but a vote is “pretty much impossible”, said Nick Paton Walsh on CNN. Even if the war were to end, Ukraine would need a minimum of “six months” to “implement legislative reforms” that would “meet European standards”. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/G4uBIr

Is the clock ticking on Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s premiership?

Anti-corruption raids and public support for sacked minister have increased calls for elections in Ukraine

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Named after the Greek word orexis (appetite), orexins were discovered in 1998 by two teams working independently in the US. The discovery turned “the long march to develop a new kind of sleeping pill into a sprint”, said The Guardian. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/yADTnu

Orexins: the brain’s Ozempic moment?

Drugs that mimic hormones involved with wakefulness, attention and motivation could transform narcolepsy treatment, and offer hope for depression and ADHD

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Over the past 30 days, the first lady has skipped a series of high-profile events attended by her husband, including Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. So what is going on? the-week-uk.visitlink.me/qXl78h

Melania Trump: the curious case of the disappearing first lady

Rumours flying over why she hasn’t been seen in public for a month

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While many countries have attempted to enact no-contact lists for telemarketers, the law represents a new, much more proactive approach in France. Violators of the law will be subject to fines of up to $86,000. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/ml7xi5

Moroccans are wary of France’s new anti-telemarketing law

Some are concerned the law could affect Morocco’s job market

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Yaba pills increase alertness and energy, and raise the heart rate and blood pressure of users. Heavy use can bring on a range of problems, including paranoia, psychosis, seizures, cardiovascular problems, and even death. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/Knw7kV

Sticking to your budget with inflation can feel like a losing battle. While you may not be able to push the price of gas back under $3 a gallon, there are still steps you can take to better stay on track financially amid the rising prices. the-week.visitlink.me/qizUsh

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has fired the starting gun on the next presidential election, and it’s shaping up to be the country’s closest and most consequential political contest in decades. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/_jjE_-

Brazil election: left and right battle it out for nation’s future

Incumbent Lula faces son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, with Trump administration ‘turning up the heat’

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Players on both the men’s ATP and women’s WTA tours have long complained of the hectic playing schedule and called for reforms to ease the workload. But calendar alterations are just one of the many challenges players are facing. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/pSdk0y

Writing on Truth Social, the US president said the exercises “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his second term. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/Jb_4m8

With the ongoing proliferation of streaming services, international audiences have greater access to the diverse catalogue of anime films than ever before. If you are new to the genre and can't decide where to start, this list of classics can be your guide. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/O7bZ9a

The orange upstart is being taken private after 26 years on the London Stock Exchange, having agreed a £5.7 billion takeover by the US private equity giant Apollo. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/IFHed3

The case, considered one ​of Mexico’s “worst human-rights atrocities”, has been “marred by missteps and interference”, said Reuters. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/F-tRlZ

“For decades, Hollywood operated in a way where actors relied heavily on gatekeepers,” said Estelle Keeber, a PR strategist. Paid subscriber platforms give users “direct access” to an audience “without needing permission from an industry middleman”. the-week-uk.visitlink.me/97FUh1