The Guardian

Burnham to chair growth meeting call at No 10 North – UK politics live

The PM will be working alongside chancellor John Healey, Lou Haigh, Angela Rayner and Sally Jameson with regional mayors expected to be involvedHello and welcome to the UK politics live blog.Prime minister Andy Burnham will be working from No 10 North in Manchester today, where he will chair what some in government are referring to as the “growth situation room”.Burnham said yesterday that fly-tippers will be forced to pay for the clean-up when they dump waste illegally. The prime minister laid

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Weather tracker: Extreme rainfall deluges Japan and South Korea

Unprecedented downpours cause deaths, evacuations and transport chaos. Plus, Hurricane Lala batters HawaiiSouth Korea and Japan were hit by extreme rainfall late last week and into this week. On 13 August in the city of Chiba near Tokyo there was a record-breaking 115mm of rainfall in just one hour, while the nearby city of Sakura broke its own record with 97mm in one hour. A level five emergency warning for heavy rain was issued by local authorities – the highest alert level and the first time

general  Aug 21, 2026

NY Times World

Return of Harry and Meghan to U.K. Renews Questions About Their Security Fears

The couple lost their publicly funded security after deciding to leave Britain in 2020, deepening their split with the royal family.

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Footage shows French police clashing with people on beach as they try to leave in small boat

Film emerges as France says it has prevented 185 ‘small boat crossing events’ in three months since new £660m deal with UKFootage has captured the moment French police officers clashed with people on a beach in northern France as the authorities attempted to intercept a dinghy attempting to reach the UK.Men wearing lifejackets appear to throw objects at the police to try to keep them away from their dinghy. The officers then use Pava spray before slashing the inflatable boat with a knife. Contin

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Australian police charge man accused of attempting to share Ukrainian military intel with Russian agents

Vladmir Teslov, 27, charged after allegedly seeking to provide information about Ukrainian forces to ‘Russian intelligence services’Australian police have charged a man who allegedly joined the Ukrainian military and sought to provide information about its activities to people he suspected were Russian agents.Vladimir Teslov, a dual Russian-Australian citizen, appeared in court on Friday after the Australian federal police (AFP) charged him with an attempted foreign interference. The offence car

general  Aug 21, 2026

BBC World

Five missing after fire in Swiss Alpine town

Eight others were injured, local police say, with the cause of the fire still being investigated.

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

We’ll never be royals: the California town where Prince Harry and Meghan lived says goodbye

As the couple plans their return to the UK, Montecito’s whirlwind stint on the global stage may be coming to an endThe bucolic coastal California town of Montecito was thrust into the limelight six years ago as the backdrop for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s second act following an acrimonious split from Buckingham Palace.But as the couple plans their return to the United Kingdom, Montecito’s whirlwind stint on the global stage may be coming to an end. Continue reading...

general  Aug 21, 2026

BBC World

Panama Canal to cut number of ships passing through due to El Niño

The crucial waterway's operator says low rainfall caused by the ocean pattern had led to the decision.

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

UK reports unexpected deficit of £1.8bn as John Healey prepares for first budget

July data shows total public debt was £2.98tn, or 94% of GDP – up £96bn on a year earlierThe UK government ran a larger than expected £1.8bn deficit in July, underlining the challenges facing the chancellor, John Healey, as he draws up his first budget.City economists had expected a shortfall of zero for July, a month when Treasury receipts tend to be swollen by self-assessment income tax payments. Continue reading...

general  Aug 21, 2026

BBC World

Gandhi's handwritten notes on life sold for $1.69m at Indian auction

The collection documents key moments in Gandhi’s freedom movement as well as his personal relationship with close aide.

general  Aug 21, 2026

WSJ World News

U.K. Government Borrowing Rises Despite Record Income Tax Revenues

The U.K. government borrowed more in July than a year earlier as an increase in spending more than offset record revenues from income taxes.

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Israeli settler attacks shift to heart of territory earmarked for Palestinian state

Report says West Bank violence moving from Israeli-controlled areas to those under direct Palestinian ruleViolent Israeli settler attacks in the two areas of the occupied West Bank under direct Palestinian rule have almost doubled since 2025, as settlers pursue a self-proclaimed “great settlement revolution” in the very heart of the territory earmarked for a Palestinian state.According to a report by the Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din, shared with the Guardian, data shows that almost

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Brethren church denies paying far-right activists to stage election stunts targeting Albanese and others

Church director tells parliamentary inquiry reporting by Nine newspapers a ‘complete lie’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has denied it secretly paid far-right influencers to stage stunts targeting Anthony Albanese and other politicians during an appearance at a parliamentary inquiry into the 2025 election.The church also refuted claims it had coordinated hundreds of volunteers

general  Aug 21, 2026

BBC World

'Reasonable' or a 'hit list'? New Yorkers react to rollout of Mamdani's tax on second homes

A list of expensive New York homes has sparked a controversy as Mamdani implements a second home tax.

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

UK men with heart disease at higher risk of developing and dying from cancer

Decade-long study finds stark gender difference in outcomes of people with heart diseaseMillions of men with heart disease have a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer, according to a decades-long study.The biggest drivers behind male cases were smoking, obesity and drinking too much alcohol, researchers said, with the link most pronounced in lung and oesophageal cancers. Continue reading...

general  Aug 21, 2026

BBC World

Israel re-establishes closed West Bank settlement, defying growing international protests

Thirty "pioneer families" have arrived on a wave of nationalism driven by Israel's government, but the rapid change has left nearby Palestinian residents fearful.

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show

National Trust’s Holnicote estate says restored wetlands and rivers offer proof of resilience to drought, wildfires and floodingAerial footage of an estate in Somerset has revealed the benefits of rewilding land in the face of extreme weather brought about by the climate crisis.The area of the National Trust’s Holnicote estate where rivers have been returned to their natural courses and wetlands have been restored have remained green and lush during the five heatwaves across the summer. In contr

general  Aug 21, 2026

BBC World

Australian hiker's body recovered as officials apologise for misreporting she was alive

The body of Lily Hooper, 18, has been airlifted from a national park in the Southern Highlands following an eight-day search.

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Russia’s simulated enemy attack around disputed islands angers Japan

Russian fleet launched missile drill near what Moscow calls the Kuril Islands but Japan regards as its Northern TerritoriesJapan has criticised missile tests carried out by Russia’s navy around the disputed islands visited by Vladimir Putin last week amid continuing tensions between the two countries.Russia’s Pacific fleet said on Thursday that it had fired Bastion surface-to-ship missiles from Etorofu, the largest island in the disputed archipelago, simulating an attack on enemy vessels, hittin

general  Aug 21, 2026

BBC World

British rapper Yung Filly to face retrial on rape charges in Australia

A jury last month cleared the YouTuber of several sexual assault offences, but it couldn't reach a decision on three others,

general  Aug 21, 2026