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British men become youngest to row Atlantic Ocean –
Two British men have become the world’s youngest to row across the Atlantic Ocean. Tom Rainey and Lawrence Walters, both aged 23, left New York on 3 May in their boat Yves, bound for the UK. They landed in Salcombe, Devon, after rowing for about 3,800 miles and were welcomed by hundreds of well-wishers. Team Ocean Valour is raising funds for the Brain Tumour Charity, in memory of Mr Rainey’s father who died from the disease. The pair, who survived capsizes and huge waves, also set an unexpected world record on route after they rowed 112.5 nautical miles (129 miles) in 24 hours at the end of May, breaking the record by nearly 10 nautical miles. The first thing they did after they got out of the boat was to eat a bacon sandwich. Their on-board food would have run out on Wednesday. [BBC]
Tom Rainey and Lawrence Walters ©Ocean-Valour

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale file for divorce –
After almost 13 years of marriage, Gwen Stefani has filed for divorce from Gavin Rossdale. The No Doubt musician cited irreconcilable differences for their split. Stefani filed her petition for divorce on Monday 2 August, Los Angeles Superior Court spokeswoman Mary Hearn said. The former couple, who married in 2002, have three sons together, and are seeking joint custody of their children Zuma, Kingston and Apollo. [The Guardian]
Gwen Stefani

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Yemeni Civil War (2015), Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen (2015-present)
  • Roughly 3000 United Arab Emirates Army troops deploy with tanks and heavy equipment to the strategic southern Yemeni city of Aden which has been the scene of heavy fighting between Houthi militants and fighters loyal to the previous regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. Previous attempts by the Saudi Arabian Army and Royal Saudi Air Force to defeat the Houthis were unsuccessful. (Yahoo)

Business and economy

• The United States Navy‘s newest submarine, the 12th in the Virginia-class submarine line, the USS John Warner, joins the fleet in a commissioning ceremony at Norfolk Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia. (CNN)
• The Government of the United Kingdom sells 5.4% of the Royal Bank of Scotland raising £2.1bn. (ITV)

Disasters and accidents

• A street-corner sized sinkhole forms at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 64th Street in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York City, ruining the street corner, around 7:30 AM. The northbound N Broadway Local train is delayed; there is at least one disconnected pipe and gas lines are being repaired by National Grid workers; and the police have cordoned off the area. No fatalities or injuries have been reported. (Business Insider, via MSN)
• At least 31 people are killed and about 100 injured as two express passenger trains (12 coaches of the Kamayani Express; to Varanasi fromMumbai, or Bombay) derail, partially swept off a bridge while crossing flooded tracks in India‘s Madhya Pradesh state. Related to this incident are monsoon rains and the end of a cyclone which have killed more than 100 in India. (NDTV), (Reuters, via MSN)
• Several people are dead after two boats collide between Kiwa and Remba Islands on Lake Victoria. (The Nation)

Health

• Researchers from the University of California, Riverside discover that soybean oil and corn oil increased diabetes rates in mice more than coconut oil and fructose. (UCR Today)

Religion

• The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to its Archbishop, Jerome Listecki, has reached a collective settlement agreement of $USD 21 million for its sex abuse claims, meaning it could come out of a January 4, 2011 Chapter 11 bankruptcy.(Archdiocese of Milwaukee),(AP)

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