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

The Guardian

Former Liberal MP condemns Coalition for backing gambling reforms that ‘let down’ vulnerable Australians

Jenny Ware, member of inquiry that recommended wagering advertising ban, says ‘public health crisis’ demands stronger response from major partiesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former Liberal MP Jenny Ware has condemned her one-time Coalition colleagues for backing Labor’s gambling legislation, claiming “vulnerable Australians have been let down”, as the parliament failed to back a full ban on wagering ads.Ware,

general  Aug 21, 2026

NY Times World

Orban’s Office, Thrown Open, Is Not the Den Hungarians Expected

The new government of Peter Magyar hoped to use the suite overlooking the Danube as evidence of an autocrat’s indulgence. The trappings fell short.

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Python named Jodie Foster first snake to receive pioneering cancer treatment

Chester zoo resident, 23, ‘back to her usual feisty self’ after electrochemotherapy for tumour in her jawA 15ft (4.5-metre) python is believed to be the first snake in the world to be given a pioneering, life-saving cancer treatment normally used on humans.The 50kg reticulated python, named Jodie Foster after the Hollywood star, has just turned 23 and lives at Chester zoo. Keepers first became concerned that she may be unwell when she began eating less and spending more time inactive in her habi

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Anxiety over war, wildfires and cyber-attacks leads to growth in cash stocks in EU

Value of banknotes in circulation rises from €1bn in 2016 to €1.6bn in 2026 as people advised to keep stash of cashThe number of banknotes in circulation in the EU is increasing despite widespread smartphone payments, new data shows, with wildfires ripping through parts of Europe fuelling demand for an emergency stash of cash.While cash plays second fiddle to contactless payments in many cities across Europe, the amount in circulation is actually going up, Philip Lane, the chief economist of the

general  Aug 21, 2026

The Guardian

Alleged rapist arrested after returning to Brisbane crime scene that night, police say

Man, 32, charged with six counts of rape, stalking and assault after woman was allegedly attacked in BrookfieldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland police say a man accused of raping and assaulting a young woman, who was taking a morning bushwalk, has been arrested after he returned to the crime scene in his vehicle later that evening.A woman, aged in her 20s, was walking in the semi-rural Brisbane suburb of B

general  Aug 21, 2026

BBC World

What happened to Harry and Meghan's American dream?

Harry and Meghan enjoyed some showbusiness success, but their Hollywood reign proved short-lived.

general  Aug 21, 2026