The Guardian

Britons to face highest price cap in three years as energy bills rise 4% from October

Households in Great Britain will pay equivalent of £1,723 a year, prompting calls for more supportMillions of households in Great Britain will face the highest energy charges in three years this winter after months of soaring market prices caused the government’s price cap to rise for a second time in three months.Gas and electricity prices will rise by 4% from October under the new energy price cap, months after climbing 13% at the start of July to take account of soaring global energy market p

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Raygun opens up on her infamous Olympics breakdancing debut: ‘not as bad as I thought!’

Australia’s first Olympic breakdancer became a viral sensation after her performance at Paris ‘24, where she failed to receive a single pointRachael “Raygun” Gunn says her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was “not as bad as I thought!” after the Sydney-based breakdancer revealed she had finally watched back the moment that catapulted her to international fame – and mockery.The Sydney academic turned speaker was Australia’s first Olympic breakdancer and became a viral sensation after her un

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Wednesday briefing: How Canada has turned a trade dispute into a defence of its sovereignty

In today’s newsletter: A collapsing trade deal has united Canadians more than ever, in an existential confrontation with the US presidentGood morning. When the Guardian asked Canadian readers whether they planned to boycott US products after dramatic escalations in the ongoing DC/Ottawa trade war, we received more than 2,000 responses within 12 hours.This inundation is perhaps evidence of the existential crisis many Canadians feel they now face, something often lost in the granular reporting of

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Teenage girl allegedly raped in ‘heinous’ attack at Queensland residential care home

State’s child safety minister Amanda Camm confirms police are investigating alleged attack west of BrisbaneA Queensland teenager has allegedly been raped in a state-funded residential care home in what has been described as a “heinous” act.A staff member is accused of assaulting the girl, who is understood to be intellectually impaired, at the home west of Brisbane. Continue reading...

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Two years in limbo: the residents still paying mortgages on flats destroyed in east London fire

Spectrum Building leaseholders awaiting payouts after freeholder, Arinium, went bankrupt shortly after 2024 blazeSarah Williams vividly remembers the night in 2016 when she camped overnight in a car park to put down a deposit on a flat in the newly completed Spectrum Building in Dagenham, east London.“People started queuing for those flats 24 hours before they went on sale,” she said. “It was basically the only flat I could afford in London. This was a year before Grenfell, and the flats market

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Iran seeks to criminalise all contact with foreign media in latest ‘chilling’ crackdown

As photojournalist sentenced to 15 years, rights groups warn law would turn civic engagement into security crimeIran has taken the first step towards criminalising contact with foreign media, in a move human rights groups have said attempts to “sever the entire Iranian society from the rest of the world”.For journalists, researchers and even ordinary citizens, the proposed law being discussed by Iranian lawmakers this month could make speaking to international audiences and groups a potential cr

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

National lottery faces questions over new boss’s record in gambling industry

MPs tell regulator they are ‘deeply concerned’ over interim CEO Phil Walker’s roles at William Hill and Game NationThe national lottery is facing questions over its new boss’s record in the gambling industry, including a lucrative role in the 24-hour slot machine sector singled out by the prime minister as a blight on British high streets.Allwyn UK, which holds a licence to run the Lottery until 2034, said last week that it had appointed William Hill’s former UK and Ireland boss Phil Walker as i

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Two Dan Sullivans to appear on Alaska’s US Senate ballot in November’s midterm elections

The incumbent senator Dan S Sullivan has condemned ex-school teacher Dan J Sullivan, claiming he is running at the behest of Democrats to confuse supportersRepublican senator Dan S Sullivan will be joined on the November ballot in Alaska by a challenger with a nearly identical name from the same party, election officials confirmed on Tuesday, adding a twist to what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races of the midterms.The Republican senator is running for a third term against

general  Aug 26, 2026

NY Times World

Confronting South Korea’s Violent Past and Its Echoes Today

The National Museum of Korean Democracy, which opened last year, documents an era of brutal suppression. But that dark history has resurfaced in troubling ways.

general  Aug 26, 2026

NY Times World

What to Know About Bank Melli, Singled Out in U.S. Call for Economic War

Bank Melli, Iran’s largest lender, already faces waves of sanctions that severely limit its ability to operate abroad. Every foreign branch must be shut down, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Call to ban marmot hunting in France as campaigners say they are ‘killed for fun’

Protests and petitions planned amid growing concerns over impact of climate crisis on numbers of Alpine rodentAnimal rights campaigners are gearing up for protests and petitions aimed at persuading the French government to ban the hunting of Alpine marmots.Open season on the rodents, members of the squirrel and groundhog family, begins in September, a few weeks before they go into a long winter hibernation. Continue reading...

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Man on trial for Daphne Caruana Galizia murder claims he was framed

Yorgen Fenech tells jury he had nothing to do with killing and alleges top adviser to Malta’s then PM was instigatorA businessman on trial for the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has spoken about the charges for the first time in court since his arrest seven years ago, telling the jury he was framed by police and had nothing to do with the killing.During four days of questioning by defence and the prosecution lawyers, Yorgen Fenech, 44, accused the most senior adviser to Malta’s

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Iran faces strait of Hormuz paradox as strategic value of chokehold erodes

Internal calls to end war get louder as Gulf neighbours plan alternative pipelines to cut reliance on waterwayIs the strait of Hormuz, recently cited by the office of the Iranian supreme leader as “the pillar of Iran’s new security order”, and as transformative as possessing a nuclear weapon, in reality becoming a fast-diminishing asset, leaving Iran increasingly vulnerable to the new planned US wave of economic sanctions?It is the key debate that is raging inside Iran, with many different concl

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Antisemitism royal commission ends hearings but delays report to avoid ‘distraction’ from Bondi anniversary

Commissioner Virginia Bell resists push to extend antisemitism inquiry noting need for timely recommendationsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCommissioner Virginia Bell says she will delay – by four days – handing down her final report into antisemitism and social cohesion, in order not to distract from commemorations of the Bondi terror attack.On Wednesday, the last day of public hearings of the royal commission, Be

general  Aug 26, 2026

BBC World

Why Tesla has been caught up in a massive car recall in China

The country's biggest ever car recall affects more than four million vehicles made by Tesla, XPeng, Xiaomi and other firms.

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Fears for ‘gregarious’ local celebrity Sammy the elephant seal in Victorian bird flu hotspot

Seals and sea lions often communicate by touch and share spaces with wild birds, placing them at risk of infection from H5N1 virusFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSince H5 bird flu arrived in Portland, Victoria, the situation has been “pretty grim” with many dead and suffering birds on the beach, and the dilemma of how to dispose of the carcasses, according to local resident Lynn Murrell.But since the first confirmed

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Nine CEO confident new AI laws will deliver a ‘world of growth in publishing’ as network slashes costs

Matt Stanton says company has ‘good pipeline’ of AI deals ahead even as it aims to cut $160m in costsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe head of Nine Entertainment sees a “world of growth in publishing” on the horizon backed by laws designed to force tech platforms into commercial deals, even as the network cuts costs across its newsrooms.Parliament passed revamped media bargaining laws last week, clearing the way f

general  Aug 26, 2026

WSJ World News

How the Iranian Shahed Drone Transformed War—With China’s Help

The rapid rise of cheap one-way attack drones was made possible by a complex global supply chain that keeps leading back to China.

general  Aug 26, 2026

The Guardian

Typhoon Narra: record flood waters submerge homes and force mass evacuations in China

Heavy rain expected in parts of Vietnam and southern ‌China, as another storm system, Typhoon Saudel, heads for Japan and TaiwanWidespread flooding triggered by Typhoon Narra has submerged homes and forced mass evacuations in southern China, as another storm system tracked towards Japan and Taiwan.Authorities in Chongzuo, in China’s Guangxi region – famous for its giant waterfalls and karst limestone mountains – on Tuesday evacuated more than 15,000 people after water ⁠levels surpassed a record

general  Aug 26, 2026

BBC World

Musk's SpaceX to build $100bn launch facility in Louisiana

It will be the firm's biggest site yet and aims to send rockets to space in 2029.

general  Aug 26, 2026