Forty children reported missing from UK asylum hotels still not found 27. August 2026 (06:00) Parliamentary committee welcomes fact most of 472 missing have been found but ‘extremely concerned’ for restForty children who went missing from hotels housing asylum seekers in the UK have still not been found, according to a parliamentary report.Ministers are facing calls from MPs and peers to explain what they are doing to locate the group, two of whom are believed to still be under 18. The figure emerged in a report on Thursday by the joint committee on human rights on how the social care system is failing young adults. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hot ticket: UK’s first sauna theatre draws swimwear-clad audiences 27. August 2026 (06:00) The 80-seat venue at Edinburgh fringe combines sauna rituals with theatre, music, storytelling … and sweatTucked away behind the Summerhall arts centre is the hottest new venue at the Edinburgh fringe … quite literally. The Sauna theatre has proved popular among theatregoers at the world’s largest performing arts festival, with shows inside its purpose-built, 80-seat sauna drawing sweaty, swimwear-clad crowds.Visitors may be forgiven for thinking the sauna is a gimmick, especially at the fringe where absurd, experimental and ludicrous performances are not uncommon. This year they include a man drinking his own urine, someone singing the same song over and over, physical feats of exertion and several fully naked shows. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
France to relax cheese production rules after drought takes toll on grazing land 27. August 2026 (06:00) Comté, beaufort and abondance makers can temporarily supplement cows’ diets as there is ‘no grass left to eat’Strict production rules will be loosened for some of France’s most famous cheeses after drought and repeated heatwaves dried out grazing pastures, threatening the livelihoods of traditional dairy workers.Comté, a hard cheese made from raw cows’ milk in the Jura mountains, is France’s top-selling traditional cheese, with more than 62,000 tonnes produced last year. The government announced on Wednesday that its producers would be granted a temporary change to strict rules on grazing after farmers said extreme heat had scorched their pastures, putting production at risk. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Glacial collapse caused huge flood leaving hundreds dead or missing in Nepal and Tibet 27. August 2026 (05:53) Entire populated areas swept away with early death toll standing at 165 and nationals from India, US, UK, Australia and Canada known to be missingFollow latest updates liveTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?A glacial collapse triggered the catastrophic flash flood in Nepal and Tibet that roared down valleys, wiping out entire villages and leaving a preliminary death toll of at least 165 people, the US Geological Survey said. Rescuers on Thursday raced to locate the hundreds missing, including nationals from India, the US, UK, Australia and Canada.Terrifying videos from the event on Wednesday showed a massive wall of water crashing down on the border as people attempted to flee. Trucks were upended and houses, roads and power projects swept away in Nepal, while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” after a mudslide hit a border land crossing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘No transparency’: Labor to scrap levy secretly placed on Victorian public transport fares 27. August 2026 (05:48) Premier confirms levy, which was intended to help pay for the multibillion-dollar Suburban Rail Loop and other Big Build projects, will be abolishedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA levy secretly slapped on Victorian public transport users – designed to help pay for the Suburban Loop and other Big Build projects – will be scrapped, the state premier has announced.Ben Carroll announced on Thursday that he would move to abolish the levy “because there was no transparency in its creation and implementation”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nepal flash flood live updates: more than 500 missing in Tibet, reports China, amid search for hundreds of tourists 27. August 2026 (05:41) At least 165 people have died, while officials believe 340 foreign nationals from India, the US, UK, Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine among those missing. Follow the latest newsFlash floods on Nepal-Tibet border leave scores dead and hundreds missingTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Continued from the last post on the number of people missing in Nepal: Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist who became a global superstar, dies aged 97 27. August 2026 (04:17) From the 1950s to the 2020s, Kusama produced vivid paintings, sculptures and vast installations that often drew on her experience of hallucinationsKusama – a life in picturesWas Kusama the world’s favourite artist?Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese outsider artist who reached superstar status after decades living in a psychiatric hospital, has died aged 97.Kusama died in a Tokyo hospital on 14 August, her studio announced in a statement on her website on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nepal floods: children as young as 11 among Australian tour group missing after flash flooding 27. August 2026 (03:58) Nepali tour operator fears 15 Australians who had been on a trek near the border with China have died after devastating floodNepal flash flood live updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Nepali tour operator says he fears that 15 Australians trekking with his company in a valley ravaged by flash flooding have died.Sagar Pandey, the founder and chief executive of Himalayan Glacier Trekking, said he had lost all contact with his tour group of 47 people, which included 15 Australians. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police investigate death of teenage girl two days after alleged ‘sexual choking’ act in Sydney 27. August 2026 (03:31) Paramedics called to northern beaches home on Sunday evening before 16-year-old dies in hospital on Tuesday night after sexual strangulation actFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales police are investigating the death of a 16-year-old girl after a suspected sexual strangulation act.Police said emergency services were called to a home in Elanora Heights in Sydney’s northern beaches on Sunday evening in response to a welfare concern report. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Busy Philipps reveals brain tumour diagnosis: ‘I’m grateful to be alive’ 27. August 2026 (03:09) Actor says she had the ‘weirdest six months of my life’, after being diagnosed days after her Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek died of cancerBusy Philipps has revealed she had a brain tumour removed, which was diagnosed shortly after her Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek died from bowel cancer.The 47-year-old, born Elizabeth Philipps, starred in the hit US teen drama as Audrey Liddell opposite Van Der Beek, who died in February aged 48 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
