Scratch of the day: local football season postponed due to ‘rock hard’ pitches 08. August 2026 (11:00) Drought and record heat have forced the Norfolk and Suffolk league to move kick-off to the end of August as the ground is deemed too dangerous to play onThis summer’s record drought has forced a football league to delay the start of its season because “rock hard” pitches are a danger to its players.The 2026/27 season in the Anglian Combination League of 85 amateur teams in Norfolk and Suffolk was due to start next weekend. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump loyalist Todd Blanche confirmed by Senate as US attorney general 08. August 2026 (10:47) Major win for president as former personal lawyer wins approval despite outcry over $1.8bn slush fundThe US senate voted to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general in a major win for Donald Trump, who will now have his one-time personal attorney sitting atop the nation’s law enforcement apparatus.Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cast the deciding vote in Blanche’s favor after two other Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – voted against him. Every Democrat rejected Blanche’s nomination. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sadiq Khan calls on Andy Burnham to commit to climate action as pressure grows over North Sea oil 08. August 2026 (10:00) London mayor points to ‘terrifying scenes’ this summer amid speculation Burnham may back Jackdaw and Rosebank projectsSadiq Khan: This burning summer is the proof: the voices of climate denial aren’t just delusional, they’re deadlySadiq Khan has called on the government to commit to revamped climate action and to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves.Writing in the Guardian, the mayor of London said that Andy Burnham’s administration must reaffirm its commitment to net zero and make clear it will continue to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas “to get Britain back on track.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Planting the seeds? Teenagers from across global divide talk peace in Devon 08. August 2026 (10:00) UK hosts decades-old event for first time where many participants are from opposite sides of global disputes from Israel and Palestine, to India and PakistanOn the surface it looks like a normal summer school in the Devon countryside, with teenagers playing volleyball in the sun, doing arts and crafts in the hall, and preparing for the night’s talent show.But behind the scenes, intensive discussions are taking place. Many of these teenagers come from opposite sides of historical national conflicts – from Israel and Palestine, India and Pakistan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US accused of meddling in British politics with $500,000 grant for ‘public education’ courses 08. August 2026 (09:00) Documents published on US embassy’s website prompt claims of attempt to export Maga propaganda to UKThe US embassy in London is offering grants of up to half a million dollars for new “public education” programmes in what has been criticised as interference in British domestic politics.Using language that the pro-Trump Maga movement has sought to appropriate, a funding notice identifies a goal of fostering a “national conversation” about “shared civilizational values” underpinning US-UK ties. Priority will go to applicants aiming to celebrate “freedom of speech” and “limited government”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Spanish mountain village braces for astrotourists lured by total solar eclipse 08. August 2026 (09:00) Somosierra will be prime spot to view celestial alignment on 12 August, an event that poses logistical challengesLittle stirs in the mountains above Somosierra beyond the wind that lashes the flat peaks, the cows that graze on parched grass and the sun that beats down on the abandoned aerodrome where generations of glider pilots learned to ride air currents alongside squadrons of vultures and red kites.But all this stillness will disappear, albeit temporarily, on the evening of 12 August, when swathes of northern and eastern Spain and the Balearic islands experience a total solar eclipse, the likes of which has not been seen here for more than 120 years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The night Belfast burned: how the Northern Ireland race riots unfolded 08. August 2026 (08:00) A horrific knife attack on a street in June sparked another summer’s night of racial violence, stoked by loyalist groups. How did the unrest erupt – and why do many fear it will happen again?Shortly after 10.30pm on Monday 8 June, as a summer twilight lingered over Belfast, a horrific scene unfolded on Kinnaird Avenue: a man straddled and repeatedly stabbed a figure lying on the ground in a bloody assault that ended only after onlookers intervened.Others captured the drama on cameraphones and uploaded the footage to social media. Once seen, the grainy images were hard to forget, and by dawn on Tuesday 9 June they were ricocheting around X, WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and other platforms. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Union calls for robust review of OBR over fears it holds back economic growth 08. August 2026 (08:00) TUC will urge John Healey to order ‘root and branch’ assessment of watchdog amid claims its forecasts downplay investment benefitsThe TUC is urging the new chancellor, John Healey, to order a “root and branch” review of the Office for Budget Responsibility, claiming the forecaster’s approach holds back investment.With Andy Burnham promising “good growth in every postcode”, the union umbrella body is calling on Healey to use his first budget on 28 October to re-examine the assessments of the watchdog. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘I couldn’t breathe’: the deadly health burden of wildfire smoke 08. August 2026 (07:00) Scientists race to untangle complex links between exposure and mortality as fire weather grows more prevalentA thousand kilometres from the infernos gorging on northern Ontario’s boreal forests, Erin O’Connor watched the sky above Canada’s biggest city turn an “almost post-apocalyptic” orange as it filled with light-scattering particles of soot and ash. Stepping outside the halls of Toronto General hospital, where air filters were keeping patients safe from the worst of the fumes, she was struck by a smell so strong it felt like standing by a campfire.“It really hit you in the face as soon as you walked outside,” said O’Connor, who runs University Health Network’s emergency department and saw a rise in patients presenting with allergies and shortness of breath. “As the days progressed, it was like that everywhere. It seemed even inside you could smell that burning.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US promises $1bn in security aid to Colombia as new rightwing president pledges drugs crackdown 08. August 2026 (06:08) Trump ally Abelardo De La Espriella vows to start ‘profound transformation’ of country’s destiny as he is sworn inThe Trump administration plans to provide $1bn in security assistance to the government of Colombia’s new rightwing president, the US state department announced, soon after Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in and used his inaugural speech to pledge a vigorous fight against drug trafficking, as well as austerity measures to restore confidence in the economy.De La Espriella, 48, won June’s runoff election with promises to crack down on armed groups, shrink the state by as much as 40% and revive the oil and gas sector. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
