Burnham vows crackdown on ‘rip-off’ business practices to ease cost of living 09. August 2026 (23:30) First of PM’s ‘everyday fixes’ to be banning fake discounts and making it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptionsAndy Burnham: I’ll end the rip-offs that people hateAndy Burnham has promised a series of measures to tackle the cost of living, including a ban on fake discounts and making it easier for people to escape unwanted subscriptions.The crackdown on “rip-off” business practices is expected to benefit consumers to the tune of £400m a year and will be the first in a range of “everyday fixes” to be implemented in the coming months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Zuckerberg faces questions over why superyacht reportedly declined to help stranded boat 09. August 2026 (21:06) Small cruise ship rescued skiff in south-east Alaska even though Meta billionaire’s $300m megayacht was closerMark Zuckerberg has faced questions over why a small cruise ship in south-east Alaska rescued a stranded skiff and its crew when his 387ft superyacht had been closer.The Silicon Valley billionaire’s yacht, worth a reported $300m, is said to have “repeatedly” declined to assist when a nearby boat called for help last week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Perseid meteor shower set to dazzle northern hemisphere this week 09. August 2026 (20:43) Astronomers say viewing conditions promising for this year’s shower, and 50 to 100 meteors an hour may be visibleThe Perseid summer light show is back, and viewing conditions are especially promising across the northern hemisphere.The meteor shower’s is expected to peak on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and coincides with a total solar eclipse across Spain, Iceland and Greenland and a six-planet parade – though the best time to view the fireballs will come after totality. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel rejects US-led 15-point Gaza peace plan, says Netanyahu 09. August 2026 (20:35) In rare public break with Trump, Israel’s prime minister says IDF will not withdraw until Hamas is disarmedMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesIsrael’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected a US-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza in a rare public break with Donald Trump.In a statement on Sunday, Netanyahu said that he was confronting a “wave of rumours about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts” and rebuked US pressure to end wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran without Israel’s buy-in. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Canadian government steps in as ‘out of control’ wildfires force thousands to flee 09. August 2026 (20:20) British Columbia battling 102 fires day and night across province, as breakneck speed hampers firefighters’ effortsCanada’s federal government has announced it will provide urgent assistance to British Columbia after an onslaught of unprecedented fast-moving wildfires forced about 22,000 people to flee their homes in frantic evacuations.A total of 102 wildfires were raging across the province on Sunday, of which nearly half were categorised as “out of control”, according to the BC Wildfire Service. Of those fires, 78 ignited during the past week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Typhoon Dolphin makes landfall in China as its strongest storm this year 09. August 2026 (20:13) Tropical cyclone brings torrential rain and high winds to east coast after hitting Japan’s southern Okinawa provinceTyphoon Dolphin, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year, has made landfall on the country’s east coast, bringing torrential rain and strong winds and triggering warnings of flooding and landslides.The storm has already swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lake Mead plummets to historic low water level as Colorado River struggles 09. August 2026 (20:05) Levels at reservoir along Arizona-Nevada border dipped below previous record set in 2022, amid water crisis in westLake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, has plummeted to its lowest water level since it was filled some 90 years ago, the latest sign of a deepening water crisis in the American west.Water levels at the reservoir, which straddles the Arizona-Nevada border outside Las Vegas, hit 1,040.4ft (317.1 meters) above sea level on Friday, according to federal data. That’s just below the record set on 28 July 2022, according to the US Bureau of Reclamation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour seeking ‘deeper relationship’ with EU under Burnham, new minister says 09. August 2026 (20:00) Exclusive: Hamish Falconer wants ‘sense of renewed pace’ in post-Brexit talks while staying within Labour’s red linesThe UK will move faster and be more ambitious on achieving closer ties with Europe under Andy Burnham’s government, his new chief post-Brexit negotiator has said.Hamish Falconer, the new cabinet minister in charge of the EU reset talks, said there was “room to be ambitious” within Labour’s red lines on Europe, which exclude reopening discussions on the single market and customs union, and he would look at the “art of the possible”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
London mayor orders council to drop plan to ban new pubs and bars in Soho and West End 09. August 2026 (19:00) Exclusive: Sadiq Khan urges Westminster council to adopt ‘positive vision of economic growth’ of nightlifeSadiq Khan has ordered Westminster council to scrap a policy that would ban new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End of London.This comes after the Guardian revealed the council’s new licensing policy asks pubs to stop customers from standing up while consuming beverages, which it calls “vertical drinking”. The policy is under consultation and also asks pubs to have table service rather than allowing orders at the bar. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pakistani grooming gang suspect ‘refuses to give date for return to UK’ 09. August 2026 (17:41) Rukhsar Ahmed was recently elected an MP in Pakistan while on bail over alleged child rape in 1990s ManchesterA grooming gang suspect released on bail in the UK and then re-elected as an MP in Pakistan has reportedly declined to say when he would return to face rape charges.The Guardian disclosed that Rukhsar Ahmed, a former Pakistan state minister, was arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024 on suspicion of raping and trafficking at least two underage girls from care homes in the city’s Rusholme area during the 1990s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
