It’s “code red for humanity”, says a climate report from the UN. Approved by 195 member states, it outlines how drastically humans are changing the planet. We must act now, says UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres: “There is no time for delay and no room for excuses.” Demoting Rishi Sunak would be Boris Johnson’s political “death warrant”, says an ally of the Chancellor in the Telegraph. The PM has reportedly joked about making Sunak Health Secretary. “To lose one Chancellor may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness,” said an unnamed Tory MP in the FT. Despite the endless rain, the Met Office says this has been a warmer summer than usual. It’s “having a laugh”, says the Daily Star. “Do boffins ever just look out the window?”
Apple’s plan to scan US iPhones for pictures of child abuse from next month could be “the thin end of a much larger wedge”, says the FT. As “abhorrent” as this material is, the move sets a “weighty precedent”: the tech giant has twice resisted letting the FBI unlock the iPhones of mass shooters. This new “back door” could be abused by “hackers, cyber criminals or unscrupulous governments”.
Zeitgeist
Mills & Boon is having a woke rebrand, says Rosie Kinchen in The Sunday Times. Previously, the romance publisher’s books boasted titles such as Taming the Big Bad Billionaire. Now their leading men are softer and the names tamer. “Recent pulse-quickening titles include A Single Dad to Rescue Her and Second Chance with Her Guarded GP.”
Noted
Thousands have fled their homes as “apocalyptic” wildfires rage through Greece. It’s like a “horror movie”, says The Mirror. The island of Evia, north of Athens, has been burning for six days, with fires engulfing five villages and thousands of acres of forest. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated on ferries since Tuesday. Greece is suffering its most severe heatwave in 30 years, with temperatures reaching 45C.
Quoted
Quoted 09-08
“Middle age is when your broad mind and narrow waist begin to change places.”
American inventor E Joseph Cossman
Snapshot answer
It’s George King-Thompson climbing the Stratosphere Tower in Stratford, east London. The 21-year-old free climber ascended the 36-storey apartment building without ropes. In 2019 he spent 12 weeks in prison after illegally climbing the UK’s tallest building – the 1,016ft Shard. Time behind bars might “deter” some people, he says, but “I had everything under control. It’s all about adapting to the environment.”
