Here are today’s top stories.
Backlash after Trump’s racist tweets: Live updates
As President Trump continues to double down on his attacks on progressive House members, the White House held a call with surrogates about ways to do messaging around the racist tweets, two sources familiar told CNN. Allies of the White House have been armed with talking points to help defend the President against criticism of his comments.
Italy police seized an air-to-air missile and Nazi paraphernalia from three men
Italian police have seized “an arsenal of military weapons,” including an air-to-air missile, and Nazi paraphernalia from three men, one a former political candidate for an extreme right party.
Spanish police arrest cocaine bigwig with drugs hidden under toupee
Drug smugglers have come up with some novel ways of moving their goods around the world undetected, but a recent incident at Barcelona airport involved a surprisingly low-tech approach.
Amazon’s incredible, vanishing cardboard box
Happy Amazon Prime week, the discount-fest that will clutter front stoops and front desks with packages bearing that ubiquitous smiling arrow. It’s a reminder that the rise of e-commerce has come encased in a cardboard box – but it won’t always be that way.
More than 100 dead and 6 million affected by flooding across South Asia
The death toll in South Asia continues to rise after flooding and landslides ravaged the border region of India and Nepal, leaving tens of thousands displaced and millions affected.
Hotel near Buckingham Palace serves $200 cup of tea
(CNN) – It’s no secret that the British are very serious about their tea. Now a London hotel has taken this dedication to new heights by offering what’s been dubbed the UK’s most expensive cuppa. The Rubens at The Palace is now serving a rare tea blend for £500 ($620) per pot, which works out to around $200 a cup.
Celebrate World Snake Day by looking at this massive python, which could soon be a world record setter
There’s no better way to celebrate World Snake Day than by looking at a massive, slithering reptile.
Emmy nominations 2019: See if your favorite shows make the cut
The nominations for the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Tuesday.
Tokyo commuters told to work from home to avert Olympic transport nightmare
More than half a million people in (CNN) – Tokyo are being asked to work from home as part of a trial scheme aimed at tackling transport congestion ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in the city.
Turkish sailors held hostage off Nigerian coast
A group of 10 Turkish sailors has been kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria, reportedly for ransom. The Paksoy-1 was sailing from Cameroon to Ivory Coast when the pirates boarded the ship in the Gulf of Guinea. It was not carrying freight and eight sailors managed to escape.
Christine Lagarde resigns as head of IMF
Christine Lagarde has said she will step down as managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It comes ahead of a decision on her nomination to become head of the European Central Bank (ECB). Ms Lagarde said she would leave the IMF on 12 September.
The secret lab where Nazis hid gold – BBC Reel
In Canfranc, the town where Nazis once smuggled 86 tons of stolen gold, scientists conduct experiments on dark matter that could transform the field of physics. Video by Iliana Mier
S Africa ex-leader Zuma ‘received death threats’
South African former President Jacob Zuma says he and his family received death threats after his testimony at an inquiry into corruption under his rule. He told the judge-led inquiry on Tuesday that the threats had followed his testimony on the previous day.
Trump: Google should be probed over treason claim
President Trump has said his administration will look into alleged links between Google and China. It follows a speech given by Peter Thiel in which the billionaire tech investor asked whether Google’s senior management considered itself to have been infiltrated by Chinese spies.
June was the warmest June ever recorded, but there’s a bigger problem
In 139 years of record-keeping, this June was the warmest June ever recorded. But June 2019 also revealed a deeper warming reality. The first half of 2019, January through June, finished up as the second warmest half-year on record, newly released NASA data shows.
Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert’s ‘Stranger Things 3’ duet parody is a thing of beauty
Warning: Contains mild spoilers for Stranger Things 3 . If you’ve reached the end of Stranger Things 3, you’ll immediately recognise the duet Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert are parodying above. If you haven’t, you’re probably going to wonder what the heck is going on.
Stephen Colbert calls Trump’s racist tweets what they are: racist
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert is back from a brief hiatus and he’s already hit out at Donald Trump’s “new personal best in being the worst.” On Sunday, the president hit a new low when he “pinched out a steaming pile of tweets” and follow-up comments against four young, progressive Congresswomen of color – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley.
Code-breaker Alan Turing will appear on the next £50 note
World War II Enigma code-breaker Alan Turing will be the face of the UK’s new £50 note, the Bank of England has announced. Speaking at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney said the computer science pioneer “has had an enormous impact on how we live today.”
