Canadian government steps in as ‘out of control’ wildfires force thousands to flee 09. August 2026 (20:20) British Columbia battling 102 fires day and night across province, as breakneck speed hampers firefighters’ effortsCanada’s federal government has announced it will provide urgent assistance to British Columbia after an onslaught of unprecedented fast-moving wildfires forced about 22,000 people to flee their homes in frantic evacuations.A total of 102 wildfires were raging across the province on Sunday, of which nearly half were categorised as “out of control”, according to the BC Wildfire Service. Of those fires, 78 ignited during the past week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Typhoon Dolphin makes landfall in China as its strongest storm this year 09. August 2026 (20:13) Tropical cyclone brings torrential rain and high winds to east coast after hitting Japan’s southern Okinawa provinceTyphoon Dolphin, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year, has made landfall on the country’s east coast, bringing torrential rain and strong winds and triggering warnings of flooding and landslides.The storm has already swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lake Mead plummets to historic low water level as Colorado River struggles 09. August 2026 (20:05) Levels at reservoir along Arizona-Nevada border dipped below previous record set in 2022, amid water crisis in westLake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, has plummeted to its lowest water level since it was filled some 90 years ago, the latest sign of a deepening water crisis in the American west.Water levels at the reservoir, which straddles the Arizona-Nevada border outside Las Vegas, hit 1,040.4ft (317.1 meters) above sea level on Friday, according to federal data. That’s just below the record set on 28 July 2022, according to the US Bureau of Reclamation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour seeking ‘deeper relationship’ with EU under Burnham, new minister says 09. August 2026 (20:00) Exclusive: Hamish Falconer wants ‘sense of renewed pace’ in post-Brexit talks while staying within Labour’s red linesThe UK will move faster and be more ambitious on achieving closer ties with Europe under Andy Burnham’s government, his new chief post-Brexit negotiator has said.Hamish Falconer, the new cabinet minister in charge of the EU reset talks, said there was “room to be ambitious” within Labour’s red lines on Europe, which exclude reopening discussions on the single market and customs union, and he would look at the “art of the possible”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
London mayor orders council to drop plan to ban new pubs and bars in Soho and West End 09. August 2026 (19:00) Exclusive: Sadiq Khan urges Westminster council to adopt ‘positive vision of economic growth’ of nightlifeSadiq Khan has ordered Westminster council to scrap a policy that would ban new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End of London.This comes after the Guardian revealed the council’s new licensing policy asks pubs to stop customers from standing up while consuming beverages, which it calls “vertical drinking”. The policy is under consultation and also asks pubs to have table service rather than allowing orders at the bar. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pakistani grooming gang suspect ‘refuses to give date for return to UK’ 09. August 2026 (17:41) Rukhsar Ahmed was recently elected an MP in Pakistan while on bail over alleged child rape in 1990s ManchesterA grooming gang suspect released on bail in the UK and then re-elected as an MP in Pakistan has reportedly declined to say when he would return to face rape charges.The Guardian disclosed that Rukhsar Ahmed, a former Pakistan state minister, was arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024 on suspicion of raping and trafficking at least two underage girls from care homes in the city’s Rusholme area during the 1990s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China expresses ‘grave concern’ as internal documents reveal suicide warning before death in Melbourne immigration detention 09. August 2026 (17:00) Exclusive: Serious questions raised about whether Chinese citizen was properly monitored at centre run by US prison giantGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe US private prison company running Australia’s immigration system was warned that a newly detained Chinese citizen expressed suicidal ideation and had a history of self-harm less than 24 hours before she died by suicide in a Melbourne detention centre, internal documents show.The death has raised serious questions about whether the detainee was properly monitored and whether she was placed in an appropriate room, given her state of mind. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Italy condemns Spain’s ‘unacceptable’ border controls as Ceuta fallout intensifies 09. August 2026 (16:59) Travellers caught up in migration row as Madrid introduces checks on visitors from Italy in retaliation for Rome’s moveItaly’s foreign minister has called Spain’s decision to impose retaliatory checks on travellers from Italy “incomprehensible and completely unacceptable” as people making their way between the two EU countries were left grappling with the effects of the escalating feud.Spain started carrying out spot checks on visitors from Italy at midnight on Saturday. The tit-for-tat move came after Rome infuriated Madrid by launching checks on 1 August for travellers from Spain in response to the recent influx of about 72,000 people into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in north Africa. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Captain charged after woman and five-month-old die in New York boat capsizing 09. August 2026 (16:47) Manuel Hernandez charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment after boat overturned in New York harborThe captain of a boat that capsized in the New York harbor on Saturday evening has been charged following the deaths of a 27-year-old woman and five-month-old girl.Manuel Hernandez, 46, was arrested and charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment in the early hours of Sunday morning, a New York police department spokesperson told the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Taylor Swift songs removed from Trump and White House’s social media posts 09. August 2026 (16:33) Rage-baiting efforts of Trump accounts silenced after posts such as a video linking her Red album to RepublicansSome of Taylor Swift’s songs have been removed from videos posted on social media by Donald Trump’s campaign and the White House, silencing efforts to mock the pop star.A video posted 3 August featuring the US president and the first lady, Melania Trump, watching fireworks was posted this month on TikTok with Swift’s song August. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
