Russian family denied asylum in Finland fear reprisals for pro-Ukraine activism 09. August 2026 (09:00) Nikita and Olga Belov say they will be persecuted on return to Moscow but are yet to convince Finnish authoritiesA Russian family faces deportation from Finland after repeatedly being denied asylum – despite the threat of arrest, imprisonment and potential torture for their pro-Ukrainian activism.Nikita and Olga Belov fled their homeland in 2022 after attracting the attention of Russian authorities – including military summons, threatening messages and attempts to locate them – after expressing opposition to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
DPD temporary workers may have missed out on sick pay and pensions, internal documents show 09. August 2026 (08:00) Missing payments suggest employment laws may have been breached by recruitment agencies used by courier companyLow-paid temporary workers at one of the UK’s top courier businesses have missed out on entitlements to sick pay and pension contributions, internal documents suggest.The payments – typically included in the “charge rate” that large brands pay recruitment companies to supply them with temporary workers – are missing from internal spreadsheets calculating the cost of employing thousands of transient staff working at DPD. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sydney gardener fined almost $200,000 for removing 287 trees to improve harbourside mansion’s water views 09. August 2026 (07:35) Local council described incident as ‘worst act of environmental vandalism in Lane Cove history’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt began with a gardener being hired to trim grass at a harbourside mansion in Sydney – and escalated to payments being left in a shoe for the unlawful felling of hundreds of native trees in protected bushland.Now a court has fined Yi Wang $187,500 for his role in organising and carrying out the destruction of 287 trees from council-owned foreshore bushland at Woodford Bay in Longueville in late 2023. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Plastics contamination an ‘overlooked’ concern in food waste schemes, experts say 09. August 2026 (07:00) Researchers find microplastics can persist in compost, leaching into agricultural soilsPlastic contamination should be a central concern in efforts to deal with food waste, which campaigners call one of the most overlooked problems of the climate crisis, researchers have said.This is despite the fact that, as the chef, author and activist Max La Manna puts it, food waste management is “one of the few climate problems where everyone wins”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labor open to ‘sensible amendments’ to gambling laws after inquiry hears alcohol and cocaine offered to punters 09. August 2026 (05:58) Sources say Albanese government willing to tighten rules on betting inducements but less likely to budge on TV and online advertisementsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government is prepared to tighten rules on gambling inducements, but is less likely to budge on advertising rules, as negotiations continue on wagering legislation, which so far has lacked the support needed to pass parliament.Federal Labor is open to considering amendments to its legislation from the Coalition when MPs return to Canberra this week, sources say. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Not enough air traffic controllers’: safety concerns at Sydney airport after Jetstar and Qatar planes involved in near-miss 09. August 2026 (04:49) Planes narrowly avoid collision on tarmac with Jetstar A320 forced to ‘brake firmly’ as Qatar Boeing 777 towed into its pathFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo planes have narrowly avoided a collision on the tarmac of Australia’s busiest airport as it struggles with staff shortages.The Jetstar and Qatar Airways planes almost collided at Sydney airport at 7am on Sunday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thailand school shooting toll rises to nine after 12-year-old dies, police say 09. August 2026 (04:11) Teenage girl treated in hospital after Friday’s school shooting has died, police sayThe death toll from a school shooting in Thailand rose to nine on Saturday, after police said a 12-year-old girl caught up in Friday’s incident had died.Police at the Plai Bang Police Station in Nonthaburi Province said the girl, who had been treated at hospital with critical wounds, had died, a day after a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot his grandparents and then killed more people at his school before turning the gun on himself. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Utah wildfire blocks rescuers from reaching firefighting helicopter crash site 09. August 2026 (01:43) Fate of two passengers onboard helicopter that went down Friday morning remains unknown after more than 24 hoursThe fate of two passengers onboard a firefighting helicopter that crashed Friday morning in Utah remains unknown after more than 24 hours, as one of the country’s largest wildfires continues to grow, preventing authorities from safely reaching the accident site.The Sikorsky S-64 helicopter, contracted by the US Forest Service, was responding on Friday to the Widemouth 2 fire, a blaze sparked in late July by lightning, when it crashed in a remote area of central Utah. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
National Indigenous Music awards 2026: Baker Boy wins big, including album and song of the year 09. August 2026 (00:06) Yolŋu hip-hop artist dominates, while Butchulla duo and cousins Birdz and Fred Leone win artist of the year and Drifting Clouds takes home best new talentBaker Boy has won album, song and film clip of the year at the 2026 National Indigenous music awards (Nimas), paying tribute to his late grandmother who his sophomore album, Djandjay, is named for.The Yolŋu hip-hop artist, whose name is Danzal Baker, won three awards for Djandjay, including song of the year and film clip of the year for its hit single Thick Skin, which features Indigenous artists Thelma Plum, Emma Donovan, Kee’ahn and Jada Weazel. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran issues tough demands to reopen strait of Hormuz as deal still out of reach 08. August 2026 (23:01) Tehran urges US to ‘correct its behaviour’ as UAE says one of its ships targeted by Iranian missileIran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday.Iran’s politburo-like body known as the supreme national security council said the strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States “corrects its behaviour”, and its state broadcaster published a statement from the council’s secretary, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who is also a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
