News Daily: Customs Bill scrapes through and hosepipe ban

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Angry clashes over Customs bill

It looks a mess because it is a mess - says Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor. Theresa May desperately needs her MPs to coalesce around the much-debated Chequers agreement, but on Monday evening, Brexiteers forced the government to make several amendments to a key plank of it - the Customs Bill. One amendment prevents the UK from collecting taxes on behalf of Brussels unless the rest of the EU does the same for the UK - another ensures the UK will leave the EU's VAT regime.

That sparked a backlash from pro-EU Conservatives who accused Mrs May of "caving in" to Eurosceptics. In the end, the bill scraped through, but there are likely to be more problems on Tuesday when MPs move on to arguing about trade.

Kuenssberg says the PM has spent the last two years trying to compromise, but the divisions in her own party are reducing her room for manoeuvre more and more each day. While calls for a second referendum are widely rejected, that could change if this kind of gridlock continues, she adds. If a fresh vote was to be held, how would that work?

No hoses, no sprinklers

Seven million people are set to be affected by a hosepipe ban announced for the north-west of England. After weeks of hot, dry weather, United Utilities - which supplies households in Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria and Cheshire - says it will take action from 5 August. Northern Ireland already has a ban in place, but water companies elsewhere in England say they have no plans to follow suit.

Do hosepipe bans work? BBC Reality Check has taken a look. And if you've given up trying to save the greenery in your garden, here's how to keep your houseplants alive in the heat.

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Warning over slime

Slime was one of 2017's biggest crazes, with millions of people sharing pictures on Instagram and watching DIY slime-making videos on YouTube. But consumer group Which? is warning parents that some children's slime toys contain potentially unsafe levels of a chemical called boron. It also says they should be careful when making "homemade slime" because some ingredients - such as some contact lens solutions - contain a form of boron. Excessive levels can cause irritation, diarrhoea, vomiting and cramps.

Could feeling angry get you arrested?

By Daniel Thomas, Technology of Business reporter, BBC News

Facial recognition tech is now being used to identify people at borders, unlock smart phones, spot criminals and authenticate banking transactions. But some tech firms are claiming it can also assess our emotional state. Since the 1970s, psychologists say they have been able to detect hidden emotions by studying the "micro expressions" on someone's face in photographs and video. Algorithms and high definition cameras can handle this process just as accurately and faster, tech firms say.

Read the full article

What the papers say

The handshake between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki is the main image on many front pages. The Financial Times says Mr Trump's defence of the Russian leader triggered denunciations among Democrats and a handful of Republicans in Washington. In the Guardian's view, he handed a "singular victory" to Mr Putin by putting his faith in him rather than US intelligence or law enforcement agents. The Daily Mirror calls Mr Trump "Putin's Poodle" and says the Russian leader must be "purring with satisfaction". But the Daily Express thinks the signs are hopeful between the two most powerful men in the world, and "for now we can all breathe a little easier". Elsewhere, just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, experts warn that great whites, hammerheads and other sharks could be heading to British waters as temperatures rise.

Daily digest

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If you see one thing today

Hidden landscapes the heatwave is revealing

If you listen to one thing today

Do protests still work?

If you read one thing today

'How we made Now 100'

Lookahead

09:00 Bank of England governor Mark Carney and Financial Conduct Authority chief executive Andrew Bailey will be questioned by MPs

12:30 Third ODI between England and India at Headingley

On this day

1974 A bomb explodes at the Tower of London, leaving one person dead and 41 others injured - the culprit was never found

From elsewhere

Giving birth gave me post-traumatic stress disorder (Refinery 29)

What happens when a town loses its flagship M&S store? (Huffington Post)

Bots of the internet, reveal yourselves! (New York Times)

How the World Cup will affect the coming Premier League season (Daily Telegraph)