Asking prices for newly listed homes in UK’s richest borough fall by £100k in one month 17. August 2026 (06:00) Fierce competition in some areas of London means landlord purchasers are making successful lowball offersThe average price of a home coming up for sale in Britain’s richest borough has dropped by almost £100,000 in a month as fierce competition among sellers in many areas prompts some to slash their price expectations, data shows.The property website Rightmove said that for Britain as a whole, average newly listed asking prices for homes had fallen by 2% over the past month, the largest August price drop in eight years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ralph Carr in ‘living hell’ after being convicted of rape, Victorian court hears 17. August 2026 (05:36) Lawyer for the entertainment industry and AFL figure says his career is ‘destroyed’ following convictionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEntertainment industry and AFL figure Ralph Carr says he is in “living hell” and has been “destroyed” after being convicted of rape, a Victorian court has heard.Carr was convicted of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault after a trial in the county court of Victoria last month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alan Jones allegedly kissed young man in wardrobe of James Packer’s personal suite at Crown Towers, court hears 17. August 2026 (05:24) Former 2GB and 2UE radio broadcaster is facing 22 indecent assault and sexual touching charges. Jones, 85, has pleaded not guiltyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlan Jones allegedly kissed his former driver, a young man, inside a walk-in wardrobe in James Packer’s personal suite at the Crown Towers hotel in Melbourne, a court has been told.Complainant C said he and a friend went for a drink in Jones’s room when they were visiting Melbourne for a sporting event and they knew it was “nice” because it was Packer’s personal suite. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Report supporting Australia’s teen social media ban appears to contain AI hallucinations, Senate hears 17. August 2026 (04:58) Exclusive: Guardian analysis finds one section of report includes links to academic articles that do not exist, but authors deny the references were made up by AIFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe authors of a report testing the technology underpinning Australia’s social media ban have conceded ChatGPT was used in editing, but denied a number of citation errors in the report were due to AI hallucinations.The $3.48m age assurance technology trial, run by the UK-based Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) last year, tested various types of technology that could be used by social media platforms as part of Australia’s under-16 social media ban. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump orders cuts to South Korea joint drills despite warnings of North’s growing battlefield experience 17. August 2026 (02:19) President says move is based on ‘very good relationship with Kim Jong-un’ but US military officials have said Ukraine war is boosting regime’s combat capabilitiesDonald Trump has said he is scaling back joint US military drills with South Korea aimed at deterring North Korea, despite military officials from both countries warning that Kim Jong-un’s regime was learning new battlefield tactics from the Ukraine war.The drills under Ulchi Freedom Shield, one of two major annual exercises held by South Korea and the US, start on Monday and run until 27 August. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo now deadliest in country’s history 17. August 2026 (02:09) At least 2,325 people have been killed, according to government data, surpassing the death toll from 2018-20 outbreakThe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now the deadliest in the country’s history with at least 2,325 people killed, according to government data, surpassing the toll from the 2018-20 outbreak.Congo’s public health institute said on Sunday that confirmed cases had risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the previous 24 hours. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jared Kushner meets with Hamas ahead of talks with Netanyahu on Gaza 17. August 2026 (00:07) Trump’s son-in-law and envoy held rare meeting with Hamas chief in Egypt in push for progress on ceasefireDonald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy, Jared Kushner, held a rare meeting with Hamas’s political chief on Sunday in Egypt, in a new diplomatic effort to make progress in the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet on Monday with Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under pressure after rejecting the new 15-point, US-backed road map.The talks aim to salvage the plan for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territory shattered by war. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Five teenagers killed after car driven on wrong side of Irish motorway 16. August 2026 (23:50) Head-on collision between two vehicles on M9 in County Kildare also injured four other people, say policeFive teenagers have died and four other people have been seriously injured in a crash involving a car driving in the wrong direction on a motorway in the Republic of Ireland, police said.Gardaí confirmed the bodies of the youths, all male, had been removed from the scene of the two-vehicle collision, which happened at about 3am on Sunday on the M9 in County Kildare. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia politics live: Nationals argue gun buyback is against constitutional clause featured in The Castle 16. August 2026 (23:44) Scheme will give NSW gun licence holders a fixed compensation fee based on type of firearm. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNationals argue low gun buyback price doesn’t sit well with the constitutionNationals senator Bridget McKenzie says the first and only deal so far negotiated between the commonwealth and NSW to buy back guns in the wake of the Bondi terror attack might not work with the constitution.Does a buyback need to be on just terms? Yes, it does. Does it need to ensure that market value is paid to Australians for their own assets? Of course it does. And under the federal constitution, that’s a requirement.I’m confident that there is an agreement to be reached here, and I say it for this reason. The Coalition has said publicly that they think that reforming this scheme does matter. They’ve said that they’re up for that task. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform accused of targeting the most vulnerable with £50bn benefit cut 16. August 2026 (23:00) Robert Jenrick takes aim at disabled people and foreign nationals after saying UK guilty of ‘suicidal empathy’Reform UK has been accused of excluding the most vulnerable from society and punishing non-Britons living in the UK as it prepared to outline £50bn of cuts to benefits for disabled people and foreign nationals.Robert Jenrick, Reform’s finance spokesperson, will detail the plans for £20bn of cuts to disability benefits overall, as well as another £21bn from stopping foreign nationals – including EU citizens with settled status – claiming almost any benefits, among other cuts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
