The Guardian

‘Prepare early’: bushfire authorities sound alarm for NT, NSW and Queensland

Effects of global heating in NT worsened by ‘dangerous and fire-promoting buffel grass’, expert saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFire authorities have warned large parts of the Northern Territory are facing heightened fire danger throughout spring, with above average fuel loads leaving much of the territory vulnerable.Low soil moisture has also led to elevated fire risk for parts of New South Wales, including some areas that were badly burned during the black summer

general  Aug 19, 2026

BBC World

US condemns 'unnecessary escalation' after Israeli airstrikes on Syrian airbase

Damascus called the attacks "an unjustified act of aggression" that imperilled regional security.

general  Aug 19, 2026

The Guardian

Democratic socialist Angie Nixon clinches surprise primary win in Florida US Senate race

Nixon bested Alexander Vindman to win Democratic nomination and now faces Republican Ashley Moody in NovemberIn an upset for the Democratic establishment, progressive Angie Nixon won the party’s US Senate primary in Florida, beating former army intelligence officer Alexander Vindman.Nixon, a state representative and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, had significantly less funding going into the primary – with $975,000 to Vindman’s $16.3m at the end of July, according to Florida Pol

general  Aug 19, 2026

The Guardian

Trump-backed Byron Donalds wins Republican primary in race to succeed Florida governor DeSantis

Congressman had pledged to implement president’s agenda if he gained governor’s seatPrimary voters in Florida backed a Republican endorsed by Donald Trump to stand as the party’s candidate in the race to succeed Ron DeSantis as the state’s governor.Byron Donalds, a congressman representing south-west Florida since 2021, won the nomination by trouncing three reasonably prominent Republican rivals, including Jay Collins, DeSantis’s handpicked lieutenant governor. Continue reading...

general  Aug 19, 2026

BBC World

Harvard agrees to pay millions after morgue manager sold body parts

Harvard Medical School has agreed to pay $53 million to families who alleged the school mishandled the donated remains of loved ones.

general  Aug 19, 2026

The Guardian

Erin Patterson appeal live: mushroom murderer to challenge convictions over fatal beef wellington lunch

Victorian court of appeal to consider whether triple murder and attempted murder guilty verdicts should be quashedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWelcome to our live coverage of Erin Patterson’s appeals.It’s been more than a year since a Victorian jury found Patterson guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband’s elderly relatives and attempting to murder a fourth. Continue reading...

general  Aug 18, 2026

The Guardian

Jon Ossoff condemns Trump as ‘draft-dodging, crook president’

Democratic senator intensifies White House feud after remarks about ‘Natalie’ drew ire of president and alliesDemocratic senator Jon Ossoff called Donald Trump a “draft-dodging, crook president” while defending senator Mark Kelly as a hero during a Tuesday campaign appearance in Georgia, escalating his public feud with the US president.“I don’t think anything illustrates the times more aptly than that the draft-dodging, crook president, who has plunged our nation recklessly into a war he knows n

general  Aug 18, 2026

The Guardian

Boyfriend of Hayden Panettiere was at apartment when actor died

Police report shows Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at Greenville, South Carolina, residenceHayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the South Carolina apartment where the actor died over the weekend, according to a police report released Tuesday.A Greenville police officer who responded to the residence Sunday afternoon was met by the brothers and then observed paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive woman, the

general  Aug 18, 2026

WSJ World News

Trump Pushes for Kim Jong Un Meeting This Year

The president attempted nuclear diplomacy with the autocrat during his first term. North Korea’s program has only grown stronger since then.

general  Aug 18, 2026

The Guardian

Do not cut benefits for disabled young people, dozens of UK charities urge ministers

More than 40 charities write to Pat McFadden and review head Alan Milburn over fears of stricter eligibility rulesMore than 40 of the UK’s leading charities have warned ministers against imposing tougher benefit sanctions or cuts on disabled young people, as the government considers how to encourage more young people into work.The charities raised concerns that an imminent review of young people and work by Alan Milburn could bring in stricter eligibility rules for keeping disability benefits –

general  Aug 18, 2026

The Guardian

Ulez led to better lung size and function among London children, study finds

Researchers find capacity stunted by pollution was restored after introduction of ultra-low emission zoneChildren’s lungs grew bigger and stronger after the most polluting vehicles were restricted from entering London, a study has found.Examinations of London schoolchildren before and after the introduction of the city’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) found a restoration of lung capacity that had been stunted by exposure to pollution. Continue reading...

general  Aug 18, 2026

BBC World

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard dies aged 77

A statement on the blues-rock band's website said he died on Monday in hospice

general  Aug 18, 2026

The Guardian

Ukraine’s dismissed defence minister calls for wartime presidential election

Mykhailo Fedorov’s appeal is most direct challenge to Volodymyr Zelenskyy since Russian invasion in 2022Ukraine’s recently dismissed former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for a wartime presidential election in the most direct political challenge to Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.The politician, whose abrupt sacking last month triggered a wave of protests, said that Ukraine had to “restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged w

general  Aug 18, 2026

BBC World

The Indian activist jailed after taking on a luxury hotel plan

An activist's detention has brought under focus a larger battle over land and development around the famed Kaziranga National Park.

general  Aug 18, 2026

The Guardian

Preservation group urges supreme court to suspend Trump White House ballroom project

National Trust for Historic Preservation filing comes after president made emergency bid for construction to continueA historic preservation group that sued to block construction of Donald Trump’s White House ballroom urged the US supreme court on Tuesday to suspend the project while it considers whether the work can continue.The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed its request less than a week after the Trump administration asked the nation’s highest court to allow the White House to

general  Aug 18, 2026

BBC World

Meta hooked children on Facebook and Instagram, court hears

Meta argued social media addiction does not exist, as a trial stemming from a major lawsuit brought by US states got under way.

general  Aug 18, 2026

BBC World

Why has Russia threatened the UK and what happens next?

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said London will continue "to support Ukraine 100%".

general  Aug 18, 2026

The Guardian

Harvard to pay $53m over theft and sale of human remains from medical school

Cedric Lodge, 58, sentenced in December to eight years in prison for stealing and selling body parts in national schemeHarvard University has agreed to pay a $53m settlement to resolve civil lawsuits stemming from the illegal theft and sale of human remains that had been donated to its medical school for scientific research.A former Harvard medical school morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, 58, was sentenced in December last year to eight years in prison after he had pleaded guilty in May to stealing

general  Aug 18, 2026

WSJ World News

Why Canada’s Booze Ban Is Such a Sore Point in Trade Talks

U.S. politicians are crying foul as California Merlots, Kentucky bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys​ disappear from Canadian shelves.

general  Aug 18, 2026

The Guardian

Second major fire at south London recycling centre in under three months

Fifteen fire engines tackling blaze at Landmann Way in Deptford involving 50 tonnes of household wasteFifteen fire engines and about 100 firefighters are tackling a blaze in a south-east London recycling plant for the second time this summer.London fire brigade said the blaze on Landmann Way in Deptford involves about 50 tonnes of household waste stored at a recycling facility. Continue reading...

general  Aug 18, 2026