Meet the offenders cleaning canals in the West Midlands as an alternative to prison 07. August 2026 (08:00) With the debate over prison overcrowding and what to do about it raging, one initiative offers an alternative solutionAs the prison overcrowding crisis shows no sign of abating and the debate rages over early releases, an initiative in the West Midlands offers an alternative to custodial sentences.The Guardian was offered rare access to the project, under which, instead of being sent to prison, convicted offenders work on the improvement of waterways and green spaces around Smethwick. It is a small part of the community payback scheme, which in total clocked up an estimated 5m hours across England and Wales in the last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alan Jones trial: complainant wants to ‘humiliate’ broadcaster by revealing intimate details of alleged assaults, defence tells court 07. August 2026 (07:30) Barrister alleges ‘account of penis wiggling is an attempt to humiliate’ broadcaster who has pleaded not guilty to 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touchingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlan Jones’s defence barrister has told a Sydney court one of the broadcaster’s alleged victims invented details of alleged indecent assaults at a Fitzroy Falls farm to “humiliate” and “smear” the former media titan.Complainant J told the court during evidence-in-chief earlier this week that during one alleged incident in the property’s bedroom, Jones’s penis was not fully erect and “not very big”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Extreme heat breaks temperature records in central and eastern Europe 07. August 2026 (07:00) Slovakia reaches new high of 42C as authorities in Poland forced to shut down Kozienice and Połaniec power plantsEurope’s dry riverbeds and scorched earth – in picturesTemperature records have been broken in several countries across central and eastern Europe as the extreme weather that has caused wildfires and droughts across the continent continues.Countries including Slovakia, Austria and Hungary registered record temperatures. On Thursday, the Slovakian hydrometeorological agency said a new high of 42C (108F) had been reached in Dolné Plachtince. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
July’s heatwaves kept UK shoppers away from high street 07. August 2026 (07:00) Visits down 3.8% after 6.2% fall in June, with many choosing to buy online instead, research for retail body findsShoppers stayed away from UK high streets during last month’s heatwave temperatures, with many choosing to buy online instead as the mercury in some areas rose into the mid-30Cs.Trips to high streets were down by 3.8% year on year in July after a 6.2% fall in June, according to research from the monitoring firm Sensormatic for the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump unbound: the making of an imperial presidency – podcast 07. August 2026 (06:00) Donald Trump’s second term is unlike his first. The politicians who challenged him are gone. The lawyers who once pushed back now choose their battles. What remains is an imperial president with almost no internal checks, using executive power to reshape everything from the economy, immigration and even the presidency itself.Few journalists have covered Trump as closely as the New York Times journalist Jonathan Swan. Jonathan Freedland speaks to him about how the president has consolidated such power – and what it could mean for the US and the worldWatch Jonathan Freedland on our new Politics Weekly YouTube channelYou can find Jonathan Swan and Maggie Habermans’ book Regime Change hereSend your questions and feedback to politicsweeklyamerica@theguardian.com Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Justin Pearson and Brent Taylor win primaries for key Tennessee House seat 07. August 2026 (04:44) Nominees to face off in November in redistricted seat central to Trump’s bid to retain slim Republican majorityTennessee primary voters picked a pair of Memphis-area lawmakers to square off in a dramatically reconfigured US House seat central to Donald Trump’s plan to try to hold on to a slim Republican majority in the midterm congressional elections.Republicans chose state senator Brent Taylor, who was endorsed by Trump, to be their nominee in the revamped 9th congressional district. Democrats picked state representative Justin Pearson, who gained national prominence three years ago when he was expelled from the Tennessee House for protesting in support of gun control measures. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s birthright citizenship attack the latest effort in obsessive campaign 07. August 2026 (03:57) For more than a decade, president has been fixated on trying to undermine a key constitutional right With a pair of executive orders on Thursday, Donald Trump has tried – once again – to undermine the guarantee of birthright citizenship, a right enshrined in the US constitution and reaffirmed by the supreme court just five weeks ago.The orders attempt to broaden the categories of children who would be ineligible for automatic US citizenship and ban so-called “birth tourism”, which the president claimed is practiced by “hundreds of thousands” of people. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man dies after suspected dog attack at rural property in Sydney suburb 07. August 2026 (03:33) Police say body of 23-year-old found at Eschol Park property with significant injuries, indicating he may have been attacked before deathFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA young man has died after a suspected dog attack at a rural property, as police begin an investigation.Authorities were alerted to the discovery of the 23-year-old’s body at a rural property in Sydney’s south-west on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Richard Marles insists Tony Burke’s speech on Labor’s new restrictive immigration policy ‘hasn’t been called off’ 07. August 2026 (02:43) Deputy prime minister says Burke’s speech before National Press Club was not cancelled. Follow today’s news liveFederal parliament is returning from winter break next week.Do you have a question you’d like to ask Guardian Australia’s team of political reporters in Canberra? Our political editor, Tom McIlroy, and the team will be answering readers’ questions on the Australian Politics podcast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567m over harms to children’s mental health 07. August 2026 (02:22) Ruling comes as part of second phase of landmark trial that found social media company enabled harm against usersA New Mexico court has ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to pay $567m for mental health harm to children from its platforms.Judge Bryan Biedscheid said the bulk of the money – $420m – would be used for treatment services for young people. The rest will go toward awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
