ABC changing editorial policy after Rinehart furore prompts concerns of overreach from academics and advocates 12. August 2026 (17:00) Managing director says guidelines will ensure no individual will ‘be the subject of comedy that is violent in its description in our programming’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA pledge by the ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, to change editorial guidelines on satire and violence after the broadcaster aired a program featuring offensive comments about Gina Rinehart, has sparked concerns about overreach.The four-minute film, titled A Very Relaxing Video, ran on documentary-reality show Race Around the World on 12 July and sparked a furore over comments made about the billionaire. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Victorian police investigate allegation a car drove deliberately at speed towards anti-racism protester 12. August 2026 (17:00) Exclusive: ‘Peaceful community rally’ of more than 150 people was walking in Broadmeadows when car travelling in same direction allegedly approachedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictorian police are investigating allegations that a car was deliberately driven at speed towards a protester taking part in an anti-racism rally in Melbourne last month.More than 150 people gathered in the outer-north suburb of Broadmeadows on 25 July for what organisers described as a “peaceful community rally”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Coalition plan to scrap energy rules for new houses condemned as ‘cost-of-living timebomb’ 12. August 2026 (17:00) Proposal to cut building costs by scrapping the construction code would increase bills for the poorest households, critics sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Coalition plan to abolish compulsory energy standards for new homes that help reduce people’s exposure to heat and cold has been criticised by advocates as a “cost-of-living timebomb” that would deepen inequality.The opposition’s housing and environment spokesperson, Andrew Bragg, said a Coalition government would cut the National Construction Code from more than 2,000 pages to 80, and strip away all requirements for new homes beyond demanding they were “basic and safe”. Longstanding compulsory energy and accessibility measures would become “optional extras”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Canadian airline WestJet agrees to settle flight attendants’ sexual harassment class action 12. August 2026 (16:40) Female staff alleged company failed to maintain safe workplace, after allegations of sexual assault against pilotThe Canadian airline WestJet has agreed to pay C$4.5m (£2.4m) to settle a decade-long sexual harassment class action lawsuit levelled by its female flight attendants, who alleged the company failed to maintain a safe workplace.The suit followed allegations by Mandalena Lewis, a former flight attendant, that a pilot had sexually assaulted her and a colleague, but that WestJet kept the pilot flying, thereby putting other employees at risk. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
In Venice, it’s not politics as usual as film-makers aim to recapture our attention 12. August 2026 (16:15) As social media shrinks and distorts the EU’s crises, the Venice film festival is delivering politically forthright epics from directors such as Sergei Loznitsa and Alex Gibney• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereEurope is in an economic crisis that, unlike the eurozone downturn at the beginning of the millennium, cannot be measured in ratings downgrades and borrowing costs. For metrics, try engagement depth and consumer trust instead.The unedifying spectacle of the European Union’s falling out over the Ceuta crisis looks like the latest symptom of Europe’s shrinking attention economy. When more than 70,000 people crossed over from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta at the start of the month, Rome hastily reintroduced air and sea border checks with Spain for one month; Madrid retaliated with spot-checks on travellers to Italy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police link Welsh valleys death to biker gang rivalry 12. August 2026 (15:02) Investigators believe Vikings and Hells Angels members involved in violence that preceded death of Brecon manA man was killed in what is believed to have been a violent brawl between rival motorcycle gangs in the south Wales valleys, police have said.Anthony “Tony” Jones, 56, of Brecon, died of his injuries in hospital after the violence in Pontnewynydd, near Pontypool, last Thursday evening, which reportedly involved knives and hammers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bridget Phillipson condemns Richard Tice’s ‘chilling attempt to silence free press’ 12. August 2026 (14:40) Labour chair says Reform deputy leader is trying to harass journalists over reporting on his financial affairsUK politics live – latest updatesRichard Tice has been accused by Labour’s Bridget Phillipson of mounting a “deeply chilling attempt to silence the free press” after he sent a legal threat to the Guardian over its reporting on his financial affairs.Lawyers for Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, singled out a Guardian correspondent for her journalism about a series of Tice’s financial transactions that were referred to the National Crime Agency. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Panama canal fees soar due to Iran war and El Niño as ship ‘pays $4m to jump queue’ 12. August 2026 (14:26) Falling water levels linked to weather system are expected to limit number of slots to transit shipping laneBusiness live – latest updatesCommercial ships travelling through the Panama canal are facing a rise in costs amid disruption triggered by the Iran war and falling water levels linked to this year’s intense El Niño weather system.Highlighting the fragility of global trade, a container ship reportedly paid about $4m (£3m) to jump a queue of vessels waiting to pass through the vital maritime choke point. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
At least 44 dead after overcrowded ferry capsizes on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe 12. August 2026 (14:21) Operation under way to rescue dozens missing after boat overturned by waves at world’s largest human-made lakeAt least 44 people have died after an overcrowded ferry capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, police said.The boat had a capacity of 90 people, but was carrying 114 adult passengers, five crew members and an unknown number of children, Zimbabwe’s civil protection unit (CPU) said earlier on Wednesday, citing ticket sales. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heat, algae and AI: proposed datacenter could damage Everglades, experts warn 12. August 2026 (13:30) Plans for hyperscale datacenter in Palm Beach county prompt concerns over water and electricity demandsAbout 16 miles (26km) south-west of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Largo estate, near the northern edge of the Florida Everglades, developers have proposed a hyperscale datacenter on a 202-acre (82-hectare) parcel of land surrounded by water. Local environmentalists warn that the proposed 600MW datacenter in western Palm Beach county could damage the wetlands, which the federal government and the state of Florida have spent a combined $6bn to restore after decades of drainage and development.One concern is that the datacenter could exacerbate an existing issue of toxic bacterial blooms in a water system which has already been stressed by drought, fertilizer runoff and warm water temperatures. In recent summers, the bright blooms of blue-green algae have covered nearly half of Lake Okeechobee, which feeds into the Everglades. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
