Good morning

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz appeared together in the hometown of Michigan's largest university, seeking to burnish their credibility with young voters and reassure Democrats who had grown nervous as the apparent deadlock in the race for the White House dragged on.

Much of the rhetoric at the evening rally in Ann Arbor, a city known for the University of Michigan and its nearly 53,000 students, was aimed directly at first-time voters, traditionally a treasure trove of votes for Democrats.

“I want to specifically address all the young leaders and all the students who are here today,” Harris said. “So, I love your generation. I really do, and one of the things about it is that you’re right to be impatient for change.”

• Is Kamala Harris alienating progressives as she courts anti-Trump Republicans? The vice president is relying on support from prominent GOP holdouts as she moves to the center, despite warnings from progressives. “I don’t think having Liz Cheney on the team is helpful at all because she doesn’t bring a lot of votes,” said James Zogby, a member of the Democratic National Committee.

Jeff Bezos defends decision to stop advertising for The Washington Post

Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of the Washington Post, has written a column in his own newspaper defending the decision not to support a candidate in the US presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, which has been widely seen as a crucial stress test for the American democracy is viewed.

“What supporting the president actually does is create the impression of bias,” the Amazon founder wrote. “A perception of non-independence. Ending it is a principled decision, and it is the right one.”

The decision not to support the news story has rocked the Post, one of the most famous names in US journalism since unraveling the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon. Newsroom unrest, editorial resignations and the loss of 200,000 subscribers followed.

Fears over Gaza aid after Unrwa ban as Guterres tells Israel 'there is no alternative'

World leaders and international aid organizations have expressed fears about the delivery of critical aid to Gaza following Israel's parliament's vote to ban the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa). Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday evening: “Yes, no alternative to Unrwa.”

Guterres said the U.N. agency would be prevented from carrying out work mandated by the U.N. General Assembly if Israel implemented the laws that would ban the agency from conducting “any activities” or providing any services within Israel, including the annexed areas of East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. Guterres called on Israel to “act in accordance with its obligations under the UN Charter and international law” and said: “National legislation cannot alter these obligations.”

• Why did the Israeli parliament vote to ban Unrwa? Israel has long complained that Unrwa is outdated and that its continued support for the descendants of those originally displaced in 1948 is an obstacle to a peace settlement.

• What is happening in Gaza? The tightening Israeli siege of Jabaliya and several other parts of the northern Gaza Strip – by tanks and ground troops – has left civil defense teams and medics unable to rescue those trapped under the rubble.

In other news…

• North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to train and fight in the Ukraine war within “the next few weeks.” The Pentagon said in a move that Western leaders say will intensify the nearly three-year war and rattle relations in the region.

• Iran has executed a 69-year-old German-Iranian political scientist after years in captivity. After the killing of Jamshid Sharmahd, Berlin warned of “serious consequences” for Iran’s “inhumane regime”. Sharmahd was accused of leading the Tondar group, which seeks to overthrow the Islamic Republic.

• According to Conservative leader Robert Jenrick, Britain's former colonies should be grateful for the empire's legacy and not demand reparations. “The British Empire broke the long chain of violent tyranny when we introduced – gradually and imperfectly – Christian values,” he wrote.

• Minneapolis police have apologized for failing to address a local black man's complaints about repeated racial harassment from his white neighbor until the neighbor shot the victim in his own yard.

Stat of the day: Atmospheric pollutants caused by planetary warming are rising by 10% in just two decades

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the concentration of pollutants that heat the atmosphere and clog the atmosphere reached record levels in 2023. Carbon dioxide has been found to be accumulating faster than at any time in human history, with concentrations increasing by more than 10% in just two decades. “Another year, another record,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary General of the WMO. “This should ring alarm bells among decision-makers.”

Don't miss this: What happens when people with acute psychosis encounter the voices in their heads?

A new therapy requires listening carefully to the voices people hear in their heads and responding to them as if they were spoken by completely real external beings. The aim is to have a dialogue with the voice with the help of a therapist – in the hope of gaining control over it. New research suggests the method, which involves creating digital avatars, could help people with psychosis hear voices less often and reduce the distress they cause.

… or this: The strange story of the Elizabeth Holmes of yoga

How did Katie Griggs aka Guru Jagat go from YouTube astrologer to yoga master, spiritual guru and wellness girl boss with a following including celebrities like Russell Brand, Kate Hudson and Alicia Keys? “Reality is a trance,” she once said. “Your reality is a trance of your own creation. Or someone else is doing it who doesn’t have your highest good in mind.”

Climate check: Five reasons why a Trump presidency would be catastrophic for the climate

During his push for the White House, Trump called climate change a “hoax” and “one of the biggest scams of all time” and pledged to slash clean energy spending, eliminate “insane” incentives for Americans to drive electric cars and scrap them They will comply with various environmental regulations and unleash a “drill, baby, drill” wave of new oil and gas.

Last Thing: How Games Can Change Your Life

“Games are an invitation to break free from the tyranny of efficiency,” writes Tim Clare. “Playing is important precisely because it is unnecessary. We play because we love joy and because we love feeling free. We play because the experience—including the delicious, oppressive frustration of a dilemma or the shock of a betrayal—expands our self-awareness.”

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