Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show 21. August 2026 (07:00) National Trust’s Holnicote estate says restored wetlands and rivers offer proof of resilience to drought, wildfires and floodingAerial footage of an estate in Somerset has revealed the benefits of rewilding land in the face of extreme weather brought about by the climate crisis.The area of the National Trust’s Holnicote estate where rivers have been returned to their natural courses and wetlands have been restored have remained green and lush during the five heatwaves across the summer. In contrast, the surrounding countryside has become parched and brown. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia’s missile tests around disputed islands anger Japan 21. August 2026 (06:54) Pacific fleet launched missile drills near what Moscow calls the Kuril Islands but Japan regards as its Northern TerritoriesJapan has criticised missile tests carried out by Russia’s navy around the disputed islands visited by Vladimir Putin last week amid continuing tensions between the two countries.Russia’s Pacific fleet said on Thursday that it had fired Bastion surface-to-ship missiles from Etorofu, the largest island in the disputed archipelago, simulating an attack on enemy vessels, hitting all of its targets approximately 300km away. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Liberal MP condemns Coalition for backing gambling reforms that ‘let down’ vulnerable Australians 21. August 2026 (06:12) Jenny Ware, member of inquiry that recommended wagering advertising ban, says ‘public health crisis’ demands stronger response from major partiesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former Liberal MP Jenny Ware has condemned her one-time Coalition colleagues for backing Labor’s gambling legislation, claiming “vulnerable Australians have been let down”, as the parliament failed to back a full ban on wagering ads.Ware, a member of the Peta Murphy-led inquiry in 2023 that recommended entirely ending wagering advertising and inducements, called gambling a public health crisis that demanded a much stronger response from both sides of politics. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Python named Jodie Foster first snake to receive pioneering cancer treatment 21. August 2026 (06:00) Chester zoo resident, 23, ‘back to her usual feisty self’ after electrochemotherapy for tumour in her jawA 15ft (4.5-metre) python is believed to be the first snake in the world to be given a pioneering, life-saving cancer treatment normally used on humans.The 50kg reticulated python, named Jodie Foster after the Hollywood star, has just turned 23 and lives at Chester zoo. Keepers first became concerned that she may be unwell when she began eating less and spending more time inactive in her habitat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Anxiety over war, wildfires and cyber-attacks leads to growth in cash stocks in EU 21. August 2026 (06:00) Value of banknotes in circulation rises from €1bn in 2016 to €1.6bn in 2026 as people advised to keep stash of cashThe number of banknotes in circulation in the EU is increasing despite widespread smartphone payments, new data shows, with wildfires ripping through parts of Europe fuelling demand for an emergency stash of cash.While cash plays second fiddle to contactless payments in many cities across Europe, the amount in circulation is actually going up, Philip Lane, the chief economist of the European Central Bank (ECB), said at the MacGill summer school conference in Ireland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tiananmen Square vigil organisers found guilty in Hong Kong of ‘inciting subversion’ 21. August 2026 (05:28) Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung - leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance – were tried under under a 2020 national security lawTwo Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils marking China’s deadly Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 were found guilty of “incitement to subversion”, in one of the most high-profile cases in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed its national security law in 2020.Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41 “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power”, a press summary handed out to reporters said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alleged rapist arrested after returning to Brisbane crime scene that night, police say 21. August 2026 (05:14) Man, 32, charged with six counts of rape, stalking and assault after woman was allegedly attacked in BrookfieldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland police say a man accused of raping and assaulting a young woman, who was taking a morning bushwalk, has been arrested after he returned to the crime scene in his vehicle later that evening.A woman, aged in her 20s, was walking in the semi-rural Brisbane suburb of Brookfield about 6.30am on Thursday when she was allegedly stopped by the man and sexually assaulted. She told police her attacker fled on foot. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Catholic Schools NSW boss sacked after appearance at Icac inquiry into alleged Liberal party corruption 21. August 2026 (04:17) Watchdog investigating whether Dallas McInerney arranged illegal political donations from schools to lobbying companies controlled by the ReformersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe chief executive of Catholic Schools New South Wales, Dallas McInerney, has been sacked after appearing at a watchdog inquiry into allegations of corruption in the state’s Liberal party.The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) is investigating the allegation that McInerney, who gave evidence to the inquiry this week and last week, arranged and approved illegal political donations from Catholic Schools NSW to lobbying companies controlled by conservative factional group the Reformers, under the guise of consultancy services. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Court ends case against police charged over use of Taser and pepper spray on ‘vulnerable’ First Nations man 21. August 2026 (03:16) Court finds ‘defects’ in investigation of two senior constables charged over 2024 incident at Mareeba watch house in far north QueenslandFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo police officers charged with criminal offences over the use of capsicum spray, Tasers and restraints on a “cognitively and emotionally vulnerable” First Nations man in police custody have had the case against them permanently stayed, after a court found “defects” in the subsequent investigation.Andrew David Couchman, 54, and Ulrich Weiss, 45, both senior constables, were both charged over the incident at the Mareeba watch house in far north Queensland in January 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sycophancy in stereo as former Trump hater Michael Cohen loses his nerve 21. August 2026 (03:11) Fawning, deferential, oleaginous – this was the Untruth and Reconciliation Commission as Trump called in to 77 WABC“Our next guest is a ‘racist’, a ‘conman’ and a ‘cheat’ – someone who behaves more like a ‘mobster’ than a president. Please welcome Donald J Trump!”That is how Michael Cohen could have introduced Trump on his New York radio show on Thursday. After all, Cohen used such terms to describe the US president in his testimony to Congress in 2019. But now Trump’s former personal lawyer and self-described fixer had different words: “boss” and “sir”. Just like old times. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
