The Guardian

Lending to property investors falls sharply in ‘tiny’ step towards fairer housing market in Australia, expert says

ABS data shows an almost 9% slump in new lending to investors after three interest rate hikes this yearFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn what one economist is describing as a “tiny step” toward a fairer housing market after decades of bad policy, property investors are shying away from established homes, and putting money into new builds instead, new data shows.New lending to property investors fell sharply in the

general  Aug 14, 2026

BBC World

Teens who fled Venezuela after deadly quakes caught in another disaster in Colombia

Deivi Delfín and his brother moved to Colombia after a quake in Venezuela killed their mother, but were caught in another deadly disaster.

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

‘They do look majestic’: tears and pride as first white storks set free in Cornwall

Twenty-one birds released on Bodmin Moor where it is hoped they will one day return to produce their own youngThey took a little coaxing at first – after all, they had got used to a safe, comfortable aviary tucked away in woodland on the edge of Bodmin Moor. But after a few minutes, the birds stepped out into freedom and the bolder ones were soon soaring into the blue, the first white storks to be released into the wilds of Cornwall.Yan Swiderski, the founder of the Cornwall Stork Project, had t

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Three firefighters and a child hospitalised in England as fires blaze in UK, Greece, France and Croatia – Europe live

Four people taken to hospital in Stourbridge, West Midlands with 500 people evacuated in southwest FranceFour taken to hospital and homes damaged in West Midlands firesUK prime minister Andy Burnham also responded to the wildfire in West Midlands, saying his thoughts are with everyone affected.“I’m in touch with local leaders like [West Midlands Mayor] Richard Parker and will be speaking to emergency services on the ground as they continue their response.Our firefighters are working in incredibl

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Teachers demand more scrutiny of Catholic school funding amid Icac inquiry into ‘sham arrangement’ with Liberal group

Independent Education Union ‘deeply concerned … public funding for Catholic schools may have been wrongfully spent on Liberal party matters’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe union for independent school teachers in New South Wales has demanded greater scrutiny of Catholic schools as the chief executive of their governing body told a corruption inquiry payments to a lobbying firm were not a “sham arrangement” to fu

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Engine parts shattered Ryanair window that passenger was partly sucked out of, report says

Preliminary findings show fan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on 10 July flight from Greece to GermanyBroken engine parts were responsible for shattering a window on a Ryanair plane, causing a passenger to be partly sucked out mid-flight in July, US investigators have said.A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found an engine fan blade broke off shortly after takeoff on the 10 July flight from Greece to Germany. Continue reading...

general  Aug 14, 2026

NY Times World

Another Day of Extreme Heat Bakes Europe, but Relief Is on the Horizon

Friday is delivering another day of near record heat to the continent, but toward the end of the weekend temperatures could retreat to seasonal averages.

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

‘This is hell’: British widow ‘sick’ with worry over threat of being removed from Sweden

Joyce Thomas faces being forced to leave country after losing appeal against deportationBritish widow, 78, told to leave Sweden under Brexit rulesThe 78-year-old British widow threatened with removal from Sweden after 21 years has said she has been left feeling sick with worry after being told she had lost an appeal against deportation in a ongoing row over the country’s handling of Brexit.“I am in shock. I feel sick. An individual’s life is at stake at my age. It is hell. I have done nothing wr

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Iris Murdoch artworks from secret room go on display – including self-portrait

Second world war paintings and sketches show novelist ‘engaging with her world in a new light’For decades, they lay in a secret room in her attic gathering dust. Now, newly discovered artworks by the Booker prize-winning author Iris Murdoch – including the only self-portrait she is known to have painted, four surrealist landscape paintings and three sketches of female nudes – will go on display for the first time on Friday.The artworks were created at the start of the second world war when Murdo

general  Aug 14, 2026

NY Times World

Farage Wins Special U.K. Election That He Initiated, as Expected

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform U.K., won the parliamentary by-election in Clacton. Count Binface, his costumed main rival, came second.

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Nigel Farage wins Clacton byelection in contest boycotted by every other major party

Reform UK leader beats nearest challenger, Count Binface, in byelection he caused amid deepening scandal over £5m giftClacton byelection – UK politics liveNigel Farage has seen off Count Binface to win the Clacton byelection in a contest boycotted by every other major political party.The Reform UK leader in July triggered the byelection in an attempt to shake off a deepening scandal over a £5m gift he received from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Continue reading...

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Searches for UK homes with air conditioning more than double

Most owners would consider installing aircon as heatwaves lead buyers to focus on ability to stay cool, Rightmove saysSearches for homes for sale in the UK with air conditioning have more than doubled this summer as heatwaves push staying cool up the list of priorities for homebuyers, alongside nearness to good schools and transport links.In the week of the UK’s fifth heatwave, in which temperatures in parts of England approached 38C, the property website Rightmove said the heat was influencing

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Hot topic: why is Burnham so reluctant to talk about the climate crisis?

Extreme heat is harming the wellbeing of the ordinary people the PM champions, yet he has ignored the subjectFrom the first day Andy Burnham came into office, climate scientists, campaigners and some of the ordinary people surviving through this summer of extreme heat began to wonder when he would start to talk about the climate crisis.Up until this week, many held back from criticism. After all, he had only been in power for a couple weeks; it felt far too early to start to judge and call him o

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Builders, bakers and cheeseburger-makers: the UK workers struggling in extreme heat

From chefs to paramedics, workers tell the Guardian how they are coping and unions outline the changes needed in the workplaceIn the sweltering kitchen of the Plimsoll pub in north London, the head chef, Joshua Swinney, has a frozen tea towel wrapped around his neck to combat the heat.As temperatures exceeded 35C (95F) in the capital, workers who were not lucky enough to be in air-conditioned offices sweltered in the heat. Continue reading...

general  Aug 14, 2026

BBC World

'Unprecedented' rains in Japan kill four people

The storm cut power to more than 20,000 households and left 7,000 people stranded at Tokyo's Narita airport.

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

‘Unprecedented’ rain kills four in Japan as thousands stranded at airport

Evacuation orders issued for 400,000 as torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture as flooding risks remain high despite rainfall easing At least four people died in eastern Japan after “unprecedented” heavy rain that left nearly 7,000 stranded at Tokyo’s Narita airport, and forced thousands to take refuge in government buildings.The torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thursday night, triggering landslide warnings and power outages. Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400

general  Aug 14, 2026

NY Times World

Will Sudan’s El Obeid Become the Next El Fasher? What to Know.

Taking El Obeid would allow the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to consolidate its hold on western Sudan, a significant strategic goal.

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Morrison-era GST deal with WA a multi-billion dollar mistake that should be reversed, Productivity Commission finds

Interim report calls for carve-up deal that has only benefited Western Australia to be ‘reshaped’ as it had achieved almost none of its objectivesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Productivity Commission (PC) has slammed the controversial GST deal with Western Australia as a costly mistake that should be reversed, saying tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money has since gone to the country’s richest state.An

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Indonesia wildfires threaten orangutans rescued from animal traffickers

Blaze fuelled by hot, dry and windy conditions comes within metres of West Kalimantan rehabilitation centreOrangutans rescued from wildlife traffickers face a new threat from the record number of fires that have broken out in Indonesia in recent weeks.Flames have come within metres of an animal rehabilitation centre in West Kalimantan as hot, dry and windy conditions have been amplified by a powerful El Niño and the human-driven climate crisis. Continue reading...

general  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian

Sydney airport incident involving Virgin and Qantas flights didn’t have to be reported, Airservices Australia says

Airservices boss says planes remained 1km apart so runway incursion ‘didn’t meet mandatory reporting requirements’ but safety bureau is ‘concerned’The organisation that manages Australian skies has defended its decision not to immediately report a fresh safety incident at Sydney airport when a Virgin plane aborted its take-off.The chief executive of the commonwealth-owned Airservices Australia, Rob Sharp, said he did not believe the incident met the reporting threshold given the substantial dist

general  Aug 14, 2026