New UK cost of living crisis looms with soaring energy bills forecast to lift inflation 16. August 2026 (07:00) Latest reading on Wednesday likely to frame scale of challenge for new PM to ease pressures on households amid Iran war fallout British households are facing a renewed cost of living squeeze, with official figures expected to show this week that soaring energy bills drove up inflation in July to close to 3%.As the Iran war continues to send shock waves through global energy markets, economists predict the surge in UK gas and electricity bills last month will push Britain’s headline inflation rate to 2.9%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Japan’s defence minister heads to Australia to meet Marles in wake of melon-gate controversy 16. August 2026 (06:44) Discussions to focus on Australia’s acquisition of Mogami-class frigates as Japan plays down Albanese’s podcast commentsJapan’s defence minister will visit Canberra this week, the highest level engagement with Australia after controversy over Anthony Albanese’s comments about a gift of melons from prime minister Sanae Takaichi.The defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, will meet his counterpart and deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, on Tuesday, with discussions focused on Australia’s acquisition of Japan’s Mogami-class frigates and enhanced security cooperation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rescue teams search for survivors in Indonesia after powerful earthquake 16. August 2026 (05:57) Searchers dig through collapsed buildings and debris after 7.7 magnitude quake killed at least 47 peopleRescue crews dug through collapsed buildings and landslide debris in eastern Indonesia on Sunday as they searched for bodies and possible survivors a day after a powerful earthquake killed at least 47 people, injured more than 100 and displaced thousands.At least 24 people died in Manggarai regency and 17 in neighbouring East Manggarai, with additional fatalities reported in Sikka, Ngada and Ende regencies, the national disaster management agency said. Rescuers were still searching for people feared buried beneath landslides triggered by the quake across six regencies on Flores, a predominantly Catholic island in Muslim-majority Indonesia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
News live: Hanson says Australians should be able to use super for cost-of-living pressures 16. August 2026 (02:44) Follow live updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has just been speaking alongside the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, about the state’s gun buyback scheme agreed in response to the Bondi terror attack.The prime minister said:Australians are quite rightly proud of our gun laws but the fact is there are more guns in Australia today than there were at the time of dealing with the Port Arthur gun buyback that occurred under the Howard government.These arrangements are available to every state and territory, and this reform comes on top of previous reforms that have been undertaken by my government in partnership with states and territories in particular the first ever development of a national firearms register.In some ways, I feel that you should give them their money now, and let them help them with the cost of living.It is their money; they’ve they’ve sacrificed it in lieu of pay. So, in a lot of cases, people want it. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York City man charged with hate crimes after alleged synagogue assault 15. August 2026 (22:02) Police say Larry Montes struck a woman and a security guard after he disrupted Shabbat servicesA New York City man is facing hate crime charges after police say he assaulted a woman and a security team member while disrupting Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in Manhattan – all in plain view of a live stream.The New York police department identified the suspect in the case as Larry Montes, 46, who was arrested after the episode at the synagogue. Montes was charged with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime, along with other alleged violations, police said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One Nation senator says parents who support their trans children are engaging in ‘child abuse’ 15. August 2026 (22:00) ‘There’s male, there’s female, and then there’s mental illness,’ Tyron Whitten says on YouTube showGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation senator Tyron Whitten has claimed parents supporting their children who identify as transgender are engaging in “child abuse”, telling a fringe YouTube show: “there’s male, there’s female, and then there’s mental illness”.Guardian Australia has unearthed several incendiary comments from Whitten and fellow One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and her longtime lieutenant Malcolm Roberts, about transgender Australians. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Zimbabwe boat accident death toll hits 68 as 22 more bodies recovered 15. August 2026 (21:39) Eighteen children among the people killed after ferry capsized on Lake KaribaTwenty-two more bodies have been recovered after a boat accident in Zimbabwe, taking the death toll to 68, police said on Saturday.The ferry capsized on Tuesday on Lake Kariba, on the border with Zambia. An investigation has suggested it was overloaded when it turned over during heavy winds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thousands of Bonnie Tyler fans gather to pay respects as coffin brought home 15. August 2026 (20:44) Fans line streets, singing Total Eclipse of the Heart ahead of Welsh singer’s Swansea funeralThousands of Bonnie Tyler fans lined the streets of her home town in south Wales to pay respects to the singer as her coffin was brought back to her former home.The singer, whose real name was Gaynor Sullivan, died unexpectedly on 8 July in Portugal at the age of 75. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Moroccan police arrest more than 100 people as they attempt to enter Ceuta 15. August 2026 (20:08) Border security tightened after social media posts call for another mass crossing into Spain’s north African territoryMoroccan police have arrested 111 people as they tried to enter Spain’s north African territory of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides after social media posts called for another mass crossing.The attempted crossing on Saturday came two weeks after more than 72,000 migrants surged into Ceuta, causing tensions within the EU and prompting anti-immigration rhetoric among far-right parties worldwide. At least 96 people died trying to reach European soil. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Body found in Romania believed to be missing British hiker George Smyth 15. August 2026 (19:14) Family paid tribute to Bristol University geology student, 18, after being notified by Avon and Somerset policeA body has been found in the search for an 18-year-old British man who went missing last year while hiking in Romania, UK police said.George Smyth, a geology student at the University of Bristol, went missing in November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
