California bans paraquat, highly toxic herbicide outlawed in more than 70 countries 13. August 2026 (14:00) State is US’s largest user of pesticide that is virtually proven to cause Parkinson’s diseaseCalifornia is banning paraquat, a highly toxic, controversial herbicide used across millions of acres of American cropland.Public health advocates characterize it as a deadly substance that is virtually proven to cause Parkinson’s disease. It is already outlawed in more than 70 countries, including China, the UK and the EU. Yet in the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reapproved it for use in 2021 and 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Severe storms cut power supply to 540,000 homes in US midwest 13. August 2026 (13:49) Indiana faced most outages at 267,000, about 8% of its customers, with severe thunderstorms and wind aheadPower supply was cut on Thursday to about 540,000 homes and businesses across the US midwest as severe storms battered the region, data from PowerOutage.us showed.Indiana was the hardest-hit state, with more than 267,000 outages, representing about 8% of its roughly 3.3 million customers, the data showed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Melancholic fantasy’: Wong escalates Labor rhetoric against Hanson, condemning ‘monoculture’ comment 13. August 2026 (13:00) Foreign affairs minister and first Asian-Australian to serve in federal cabinet to use Lowy Institute address to criticise politicians stoking racial divisionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor has escalated its pushback on One Nation’s surging political support, with the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, labelling Pauline Hanson’s push for a monoculture a “melancholic fantasy” that would harm national security.Wong, the first Asian-Australian to serve in federal cabinet, will use a major address at The Lowy Institute on Friday to criticise politicians stoking racial divisions, insisting the country’s multicultural success remains a national asset. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration finalizes rule to end federal support for gender-affirming care 13. August 2026 (13:00) Move blocking funds through Medicaid and Chip to make it harder for vulnerable children to get healthcare, experts sayThe Trump administration finalized a rule on Tuesday to end gender-affirming care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip), a move that will make it harder for vulnerable children to access healthcare and that eschews evidence to advance an anti-transgender ideology, opponents say.The rule is set to take effect on 13 October – but legal challenges could delay or block it entirely. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK economy shows surprising resilience – but that might not last | Richard Partington 13. August 2026 (12:26) Weaker growth, rising energy costs and persistent inflation mean Britain could face tougher times in the autumnUK economic growth slows downBusiness live – latest updatesIn the spring the International Monetary Fund warned Britain faced the heaviest economic blow from the Iran war among the world’s most advanced nations. Almost six months into the conflict, on the surface, the UK appears to be proving the forecasters wrong.The latest official figures show the UK maintained its pole position as the fastest growing economy in the G7 in the first half of 2026. Despite the gloomy international backdrop and yet more domestic political uncertainty, consumers have largely continued spending and business investment has boomed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Lauf’ and ‘minceur’: the words that made a 13-year-old from Melbourne a world Scrabble champion 13. August 2026 (11:55) Dineth Fernando – who moved to Australia with his family in February – says he just needed to ‘find the word and play – that’s all’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDineth Fernando’s first language isn’t English and he only arrived in Melbourne six months ago – but already he’s claimed an international Scrabble title with an Australian flag draped around his shoulders.The 13-year-old won the 2026 world youth Scrabble championships in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi over the weekend, becoming the third Australian representative in the competition’s history to take out the prize. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South Korean airport becomes busiest in world for global traffic amid Iran war 13. August 2026 (11:45) Incheon airport had 38.39m international passengers in first half of 2026, as traffic diverted from Middle East hubsSouth Korea’s Incheon airport has become the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, in part owing to disruption in the Middle East caused by the Iran war.The airport, South Korea’s main gateway, about 30 miles (48km) west of Seoul, handled 38.39 million international passengers in the first half of 2026, according to preliminary figures compiled by the Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade body for airports. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Polls open in Clacton, where Farage spent more than £10,000 in byelection against Count Binface – UK politics live 13. August 2026 (11:28) The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelectionNigel Farage has voted in Clacton.Back to Clacton, and Sarah Elizabeth Cox, who lives in the constituency, has written a good article for the Guardian about what the byelection has been like for residents. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Catholic bishop accused of hosting alcohol-fuelled parties to sexually abuse Aboriginal men found guilty 13. August 2026 (10:59) Christopher Alan Saunders found guilty of 13 sex offences in West Australian district court on Thursday. He was acquitted of six other chargesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former high-ranking Catholic known for hosting boozy shirts-off parties has been convicted of sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men.Former bishop of Broome Christopher Alan Saunders, 76, was found guilty of 13 sex offences on Thursday following a jury trial in the West Australian district court. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
