British Museum hosted Palantir founder Peter Thiel in private viewing of Bayeux tapestry 31. August 2026 (10:50) Concern among staff that fragile artwork’s scarce ‘light hours’ given to someone with no known interest in museumThe British Museum privately hosted the Donald Trump-supporting tech billionaire Peter Thiel in the exhibition space of the Bayeux tapestry earlier this month, the Guardian understands.The museum’s director of development, Charlotte Appleyard, hosted the PayPal founder at a VIP viewing of the tapestry, which is yet to open to the public, on 18 August. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bhutan hosts first ‘conscious food summit’ amid threats to global supplies 31. August 2026 (10:38) Organisers say people must revive spiritual relationship with food amid double threat of climate crisis and conflictMending the broken food system under the threat of climate-driven weather extremes will require more than economic fixes and intensive agriculture, according to the organisers of a pioneering summit this week, who say the world must revive its spiritual relationship with food.Delegates from more than 60 countries and the UN will gather for the next five days in Paro in the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan for the world’s first “conscious food summit”, which will bring together governments and farmers, mindfulness experts and yoga therapists. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Warm Yellow Sea strengthens storms in South Korea 31. August 2026 (09:57) More than 200mm of rain forecast in parts of South Korea, while parts of southern Europe to be 10C above averageSouth Korea’s prime minister, Han Seong-sook, met officials to prepare for heavy rain expected this week, with rainfall totals across central and northern parts of the country forecast to exceed 200mm in some areas.South Korea was battered by heavy rainfall earlier this month and some areas were particularly hard hit. Over the weekend further thunderstorms pushed into the region and these are expected to cause disruption through Monday. This heavy rain is caused by a series of severe thunderstorms that developed over the Yellow Sea, on the western side of South Korea, and will slowly push eastwards on Monday before easing on Tuesday. These storms have been strengthened by the very warm Yellow Sea, which now has a surface temperature of 29C, 4C above the climatological average. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Breakthrough’ as Turkmenistan starts fixing ‘mindboggling’ methane mega-leaks 31. August 2026 (09:00) Secretive state begins repairs on ageing facilities after being revealed as worst country for leaks of potent greenhouse gasTurkmenistan has started plugging the mega-leaks of methane that spew from its ageing oil and gas facilities, the latest UN data shows, in a move hailed as a breakthrough.Methane, also called natural or fossil gas, is a potent greenhouse gas. It traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide and causes 25% of global heating today. Stopping leaks can be quick and cheap and, because methane breaks down in the atmosphere far quicker than CO2, this has a rapid impact, with some experts calling it the climate “emergency brake”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australians missing in Nepal targeted by ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘abhorrent’ racist slurs 31. August 2026 (08:32) As families await news after the catastrophe, community members appeal for compassion in the face of hateful rhetoricFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA slew of racist social media comments have been made towards Australians missing in the catastrophic Nepal-Tibet floods, prompting calls for greater accountability of major platforms to remove hateful rhetoric.On Monday, the total number of Australians missing after flash floods triggered by a massive glacier collapse in the Himalayas rose to 43, and the overall death toll was at least 810 people. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Goodbye to Babylon Berlin, the 1920s TV drama that has eerily foreshadowed real-life politics 31. August 2026 (08:00) The long-running drama reaches Hitler’s rise to power in its final season as its creators reflect on the unsettling parallels between Weimar Germany and the present dayIt’s the global hit TV series that pulled audiences straight into the chaotic hedonism of 1920s Germany, dramatising the brilliance and brittleness of a newly built democratic system with unprecedented ambition.But in the 13 years that the German makers of Babylon Berlin have worked on the show, modern democracies from the US to Hungary to South Korea have come under pressure in ways the creators say they could never have imagined when they started. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Icac lawyer tells Charles Perrottet the key to lying is ‘you have to be really good at remembering it’ 31. August 2026 (07:49) Perrottet disagrees when counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC claims brother of former NSW premier is not truthful and ‘constructing evidence’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA brother of former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet has told Icac he would lie to a property developer about delivering political outcomes “to keep him on side”, but Charles Perrottet has denied lying to the state’s anti-corruption watchdog.Charles Perrottet, who is among three Liberal figures alleged to have anticipated receiving $2m in prohibited political donations from Jean Nassif, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Monday that he “made up” updates for the property developer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Newborn baby’s body found in Sydney rubbish bin as police hold ‘serious concerns’ for mother 31. August 2026 (07:48) Police urge mother to attend hospital after baby’s body discovered in Harrow Road in AuburnFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales police have appealed for information to find the mother of a newborn baby boy, whose body was discovered in a rubbish bin in Auburn in Sydney’s south-west on Monday morning.Police said emergency services responded to reports of the body of a baby located in a rubbish bin along Harrow Road in Auburn at 11.20am, with officers from the Auburn police area command finding the body of a newborn boy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS to offer free high-street cholesterol tests in England 31. August 2026 (07:00) Checks at pharmacies for people aged 40 to 84 are aimed at identifying those at risk of heart attack or strokeThe NHS in England is to offer free finger-prick blood tests for cholesterol on the high street for the first time under plans to reduce heart disease and stroke deaths by a quarter within the next decade.The seven-minute tests will be available at participating pharmacies as part of a national rollout to spot “ticking timebombs” earlier. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man who murdered Molly Ticehurst will not face life in jail, judge says 31. August 2026 (06:00) Justice Natalie Adams says she is troubled by expert evidence about rape allegations in slain woman’s police statementFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMolly Ticehurst’s ex-boyfriend will not face a life sentence for her domestic violence murder, a crime which galvanised a national movement against gendered abuse.Ticehurst, a 28-year-old childcare educator, was found dead in her home at Forbes, in the NSW central-west, in the early hours of April 22, 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
