AnewZ Morning Brief - 26th July, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 26th of July, covering the latest developments you need to kno...
Real estate agent Jenna Cooper, with help from celebrities like Sharon Stone and Halle Berry, created a pop-up store to provide clothing and essentials to those affected by LA's devastating wildfires.
When wildfires destroyed parts of Los Angeles this week, real estate agent Jenna Cooper started asking friends for clothing and other items to help people in need.
Her request spread quickly through a network of powerful women. Actors including Sharon Stone and Halle Berry responded, providing sweaters, shoes, clothing, handbags, belts, pajamas and more pulled from their own collections.
"I'm packing up my entire closet," Berry wrote on Instagram. "If you live in the Southern California area, I urge you to do the same. This is something we can do right now."
Cooper, who also runs a home goods store called +COOP, cleared half the space to create a pop-up shopping experience for displaced people to take what they need. Many Angelenos lost entire homes in the fires, which were still burning on Friday.
Stone circulated information about the donations on social media, which helped attract publicity. She and her sister, Kelly Stone, contributed clothing, bedding and more, and Kelly volunteered to assist shoppers.
"The first thing they need when they come in the store is a hug," Kelly Stone said. She then said to shoppers, "Show me pictures of yourself, how do you dress?" so she could direct them to sweaters or trench coats that reflected their style.
At the store on Friday, a therapy dog named Jackie Robinson greeted people at the door. Inside, they looked through racks of dresses and coats, stacks of denim, shelves of shoes and baskets of handbags.
Offerings ranged from packages of fresh underwear from Target to new or lightly used Zara dresses and some Gucci and Ferragamo shoes in the mix.
Cooper said she received donations and volunteer support from power players across Los Angeles, including actors, executives, lawyers, restaurant owners and moms. Her network of real estate agents in New York was sending gift cards, she said.
One Hollywood stylist came with two large bags of items from her closet and was enlisted to help organize the store for shoppers over the weekend.
"I know people who have lost everything, and even people I don't know I'm devastated for," said Lisa Cera, who has worked for celebrities including the Kardashians and Lenny Kravitz. "I decided I'm just going to bring whatever I can."
Ellen Bennett was choosing items for her 72-year-old mother, who lost her home in the Eaton fire on the east side of Los Angeles. Bennett said she selected "the basics," including socks, sweaters, pants, a jacket and a pair of running shoes.
"She left her house with her dog and a bag and just a few things. She thought she would come back," Bennett said of her mother, adding, "It's so special and beautiful that in this time of tragedy, people are rising up and helping each other."
Store owner Cooper said she helped a man find a pair of sneakers so he could run on the beach, something he had not done since the fires erupted. She said she was overwhelmed by the response to her idea to help.
"This is a city of love, and everybody wants to support each other," Cooper said.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
Hawaii turns to lab-grown mosquitoes and drones in a race to stop the extinction of its iconic honeycreeper birds.
Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Türkiye held a phone conversation on 25 July to discuss their strategic alliance, regional security, and the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process.
On July 25, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with outgoing Slovak Ambassador Milan Lajcak to review bilateral cooperation and regional developments as the envoy concludes his mission in Baku.
The Embassy of the Republic of Sudan in Baku has issued a statement to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sudan and Azerbaijan, celebrated on 25 July 2025.
A Kazakh military helicopter carrying three crew members vanished from radar during a scheduled flight over the Almaty Region on Friday, according to the country's defence ministry.
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