Today in Focus

Katy McQue, who has spent years reporting on Meta and the potential harms its platforms pose to children, explains the tactics being used by prosecutors. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’, or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. The Guardian journalist Michael Safi investigates a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird jo...

Reform UK has suspended two senior officials after they were filmed in an undercover operation appearing to attempt to get around electoral laws on foreign donations. The sting, by Channel 4 News and the investigative group Verbatim, was published on the eve of Nigel Farage’s party conference speech in Birmingham. Reform says it has launched an investigation into the actions of James Orr, the part...

After last week’s devastating floods, the Guardian’s south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen , tells Annie Kelly about her journey to some of Nepal’s worst-hit areas, and what she found there. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The UN has warned that the El Niño climate phenomenon is ‘supersizing before our eyes’. The event is forecast to be the largest in at least 1,000 years and will almost certainly shatter temperature records. After a summer of record-breaking heatwaves and extreme weather due to global heating, El Niño means 2027 is almost certain to be the hottest year ever recorded. Lucy Hough speaks to environmen...

Ulrich Siegmund, the charismatic young leader of the AfD party in Saxony-Anhalt, has been labelled Germany’s most dangerous man by Der Spiegel. John Kampfner explains why. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Iran has accused the US of a ‘war crime’ after a missile strike killed at least four people, including a young child, and injured 68 at a wedding at a private house in southern Iran. A month-long uneasy truce between the US and Iran appears to have collapsed after US strikes on Larak Island on Saturday in the strait of Hormuz. Iran has responded by launching drones and missiles on US bases across...

Thirty years after Tupac Shakur’s death, a man has been found guilty of killing the hip-hop legend. William Shaw on the star’s life, legacy and untimely death. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

A British activist who was forcibly abducted by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank has been deported to the UK. The treatment of 22-year-old Finn Joughin comes after a surge of settler violence against Palestinian people in the West Bank that has been widely condemned internationally and also by many prominent figures within Israel. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s chief Middle East cor...

The Guardian’s chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins on why she was inspired to learn Ukrainian and what it taught her about its people. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Revisited: Guardian journalist Michael Safi looks into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring the dangers and promises it holds for society. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Rescue efforts are continuing in Nepal and Tibet after flash floods that have killed hundreds and left many more missing. But fears that a lake formed by the landslide could overflow and cause fresh flooding, along with difficulty accessing disaster-hit areas, are hindering rescue and recovery missions. Lucy Hough speaks with south Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen, who is in Nepal, about t...

Revisited: Guardian journalist Michael Safi looks into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring the dangers and promises it holds for society. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Hundreds of people are missing or have been killed after a catastrophic flash flood hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Entire villages have been destroyed, many of which are popular pilgrimage and trekking destinations for tourists. Lucy Hough talks to global editor Devika Bhat about how the devastating event unfolded – watch on YouTube . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/i...

Revisited: Guardian journalist Michael Safi looks into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring the dangers and promises it holds for society. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Tributes have poured in for Dolly Parton, the pioneering country music singer, songwriter and actor, who has died aged 80. Stars including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Paul McCartney have paid tribute to one of the world’s greatest music artists, with many praising her lifelong philanthropy and advocacy for literacy and LGBTQ+ rights. Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian deputy features edito...

Revisited: Guardian journalist Michael Safi looks into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring the dangers and promises it holds for society. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The White House has threatened sanctions on any country that trades with Iran in another bid to economically isolate the country, as US military efforts falter. Launching what he called Operation Economic Outcast, the US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, compared it with D-day. China, Iran’s biggest trading partner, has already signalled that it will not cooperate with Trump’s attack on the Irani...

Revisited: Guardian journalist Michael Safi looks into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring the dangers and promises it holds for society. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Andy Burnham is making his first foreign visit as prime minister to Ukraine, marking the country’s independence day. Burnham will use the trip to announce that the UK government will declassify information about missiles to help Ukraine build its own. Lucy Hough speaks to senior international correspondent Luke Harding – watch on YouTube . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com...

Revisited: Guardian journalist Michael Safi looks into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring the dangers and promises it holds for society. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

One of Donald Trump’s closest and most devoted aides, Natalie Harp, has faced intense media scrutiny this week, after a Democratic senator, Jon Ossoff, name-checked her in a speech that went viral. So what do we know about Harp, who is often referred to as the ‘human printer’? And why is everybody talking about her relationship with Trump? Helen Pidd speaks to the Guardian’s international news edi...

Our specialist panel on which books may help you put your phone away and get reading again. With Charlotte Northedge, David Shariatmadari and Rebecca Liu. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to return to live in Britain, six years after leaving for the US: a decision that was subject to intense media scrutiny. The couple and their two children are expected to relocate later in August to a non-royal residence. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to senior national editor Aaron Sharp – watch on YouTube . Help support our independent journalism at theguardian...

Helena Horton on why the government may decide to allow more oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus