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The Guardian - World News

2026-08-13 02:00:52 (4 hours ago)

‘Living proof damaged landscapes can recover’: exploring a vast restored forest in southern Sweden

Söderåsen national park is one of Europe’s largest protected broadleaf woods, offering wild swimming, spectacular hiking trails and an inspiring story of regeneration

From the bus window, the ridge looks like a giant slumbering beast stretched deep green across the flat farmland. “It feels alive,” I say to the woman beside me. “Yes,” she answers. “It is where you would run for safety, don’t you think?”

I am in southern Sweden to explore Söderåsen national park, established in 2001 to protect more than 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) of the larger Söderåsen ridgeline. Shaped over millennia by immense geological collisions, fractures, volcanic eruptions and ice ages, today it is one of northern Europe’s largest continuous protected broadleaf forests, and only 90 minutes by car from Copenhagen or, in my case, two hours by public transport.

The Guardian - World News

2026-08-13 02:00:51 (4 hours ago)

Is it so odd to talk to yourself? No one knows you better – or is better at keeping your secrets | Polly Hudson

I’ll happily chat to plants and pets, but when I really need to get something off my chest I’m my own best listener. And that’s absolutely fine, according to my new favourite expert

In an arguably unnecessary attempt at myth-busting, a psychologist has revealed that talking to yourself can be a healthy sign that says positive things about your mental state. Violeta Acedo told Hello! magazine that it “improves focus, emotional health and decision-making” and, while it can be considered eccentric, is not in itself a symptom of mental illness. This struck me as odd, to say the least, like justifying breathing. Not only did I assume that everyone talks to themselves, but I also wouldn’t trust anybody who doesn’t because … what’s going on there, then? Even before I knew science was on my side, I would have died on this hill (while talking myself through potential options for memorable last words).

To be clear, this is not chatting to your plants or pets, because those are living things, so fall under the umbrella of ordinary conversation. Plants can thrive with verbal motivation and it’s only polite to acknowledge any animal you encounter, of course. No, this is you speaking to you, out loud and proud.

The Guardian - World News

2026-08-13 02:00:51 (4 hours ago)

Clacton byelection polls open with Farage up against slew of fringe candidates

Longest ballot in UK voting history features likes of Count Binface and Howling Laud Hope alongside Reform leader

Polls have opened in Clacton, with thousands of residents in the Essex seat to vote in a ballot featuring Nigel Farage and a range of novelty and fringe candidates led by Count Binface.

The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelection in an attempt to address complaints over a deepening scandal about gifts he received.

The Guardian - World News

2026-08-13 02:00:51 (4 hours ago)

Sailors, shadows and a dog in a dress: heroes of the street – in pictures

From dazzling shifts in perspective to astounding tricks using shade, reflections and rain, these winning images from the Pure Street Photography awards all capture ‘marvellous moments of fleeting serendipity’

The Guardian - World News

2026-08-13 02:00:50 (4 hours ago)

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review: the top dog of folding Androids

With great software and battery for two days, the pricey svelte folder strikes best balance between phone and tablet

Samsung’s top folding phone for 2026 is its first to carry the “Ultra” moniker in its name, packing a much bigger battery and better cameras into the thin and light body of a book-style foldable.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra continues from where the exquisite Z Fold 7 left off last year. With its svelte chocolate bar dimensions opening into a square tablet, the Ultra sits above the new passport-shaped Z Fold 8 as Samsung’s top model. Costing £1,899 (€2,199/$2,099.99/A$2,999), it is a lot of money to pay for a phone, regardless of how many other devices it can theoretically replace in your pocket.

The Guardian - World News

2026-08-13 02:00:50 (4 hours ago)

Can Nothing Save Us? by Irvine Welsh review – US family saga is a late-career triumph

The Scottish author focuses on gun culture and generational conflict in this darkly satirical tale about a great power in decline

“Why expect unconditional love from somebody you’ve brought into a fucked, dying planet, who then has to sit around and watch you screw it up even more?” So muses twentysomething college dropout Luke Ayrton on his parental lineage as he works the Las Vegas Strip, “comping girls for clubs” in Sin City. His job is to trawl the “plankton” of bacherlorette parties in order to lure the “whales” – rich men willing to spend to try to impress young women.

“In this game your sociology skills sharpened,” it’s observed, but beyond the seedy side hustle lie weightier concerns: the matter of his family legacy. Electronic dance music aficionado and aspiring writer Luke is estranged from his Maga-positive Mom and Dad, and now lives with grandparents George and Molly, affluent boomers with a countercultural past.

ABC News - International News

2026-08-13 01:52:43 (5 hours ago)

Earthquake response strains Colombia's new government and rescuers as they race against the clock

The search for life in the rubble of Colombia’s powerful earthquake is growing more desperate as search teams push up against a key time threshold to locate survivors before it's too late

ABC News - International News

2026-08-13 01:49:41 (5 hours ago)

Zambians cast ballots in a presidential election that tests incumbent's economic reforms

Zambians have begun casting their votes in a presidential election that will test whether President Hakainde Hichilema’s economic reforms were enough to overcome widespread frustration over the cost of living

Fox News - Video

2026-08-13 01:44:37 (5 hours ago)

Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy - Sunday, July 12

iran unleashes strikes, remembering lindsey graham, birthright citizen battle

BBC News - Science & Environment

2026-08-13 01:40:24 (5 hours ago)

Cloudy skies lead to mixed fortunes for Scotland's eclipse hunters

Scotland's best chance of seeing a solar eclipse in 27 years left some disappointed, though there were moments of magic.

Times of Israel - World News

2026-08-13 01:37:14 (5 hours ago)

Multiple USS Lincoln sailors tried to go overboard amid dire conditions – reports

Carrier rerouted to Mideast ahead of Iran war sets record for deployment length; Democrats demand probe into accounts of food shortages, plumbing issues, mental health crises

The post Multiple USS Lincoln sailors tried to go overboard amid dire conditions – reports appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Fox News - Video

2026-08-13 01:36:59 (5 hours ago)

Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy - Sunday, June 12

iran unleashes strikes, remembering lindsey graham, birthright citizen battle