Abdul El-Sayed’s win proves change is possible for Democrats. His next fight may determine their future 05. August 2026 (17:30) If the progressive wins Michigan’s general election, it could redefine the 2028 presidential contest. If he fails, the establishment will call him a cautionary taleUS politics live – latest updatesIn the final stretch of the state’s Democratic primary for US Senate, Abdul El-Sayed challenged voters at a small event in rural Michigan to think about the message they could send the rest of the country when they cast their ballots.“Who are we? Who do we want to be?” El-Sayed said. “Do we want a state that’s defined by how much money corporations brought in to tell us what we couldn’t have? Or do we want to be a state where we demonstrate to the rest of the country what’s possible when you build a movement of, by, and for the people?” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pakistan precinct suspends all 78 officers and staff over alleged rape at police station 05. August 2026 (17:23) Lahore police official says all personnel were responsible for preventing and reporting wrongdoing at stationThe alleged rape of a 20-year-old woman with intellectual disabilities in a police station in Lahore, Pakistan has prompted authorities to suspend all 78 police officers and staff at the precinct, in one of the country’s biggest-ever disciplinary actions against its police force.The woman alleges that an assistant sub-inspector apprehended her, took her to Ghaziabad police station, and raped her in a room on the second floor. The woman’s family said she disappeared on the street, before returning home in tears and stating that she had been sexually assaulted at the station. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nearly 1,500 properties bought using Australia’s first home buyers' 5% deposit scheme converted into investments 05. August 2026 (17:00) New data shows the federal government scheme has been used by high-income borrowers, including one couple earning an annual $674,000Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government’s 5% deposit scheme for first home buyers has enabled the purchase of nearly 1,500 properties that were turned into investments, new data shows.The scheme is also helping hundreds of Australians earning more than $300,000 a year, after Labor stopped excluding high-income borrowers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Just an easy cash grab’: why Jetstar is charging customers for carry-on luggage 05. August 2026 (17:00) Add-on fees such as the new overhead locker baggage charge can make it harder to compare air fares, experts sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCut-price fares may now be merely a facade for seemingly endless add-on fees after Jetstar’s new carry-on luggage charge meant the airline joined a growing number monetising basic services in the sky.The new structure, announced by Qantas’s low-cost carrier on Wednesday, will mean from next year tickets will only include one “under seat bag”, such as a backpack, handbag or laptop bag. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Woman arrested after four men stabbed in London’s Covent Garden 05. August 2026 (16:42) Metropolitan police say 47-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapon and assaultCovent Garden stabbings – latest updatesA woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London, police said.Four people were taken to a major trauma centre after the incident on Endell Street on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The events at Ceuta show how Europe’s hard right now set the tone on immigration 05. August 2026 (16:30) The narratives of the right are seeping into mainstream EU policy, and Spain finds itself increasingly isolated in its humanitarian stance on borders• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIt was over almost as quickly as it began. But the human cost of the mayhem in Ceuta over the last seven days, and the disunity it exposed within the EU, will take a lot longer to fix.To recap: more than 70,000 people swam or waded into the tiny Spanish enclave in north Africa from neighbouring Morocco in a matter of hours at the end of last week. The exact circumstances in which the heavily securitised border came suddenly to be open are still unclear. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gene-edited beagles may offer a future option for people with dog allergies 05. August 2026 (16:17) Scientists at a biotech company have used gene editing to create two hypoallergenic beagles that don't trigger allergiesMatt Walker couldn’t pet a dog without sneezing – until he and other scientists used a gene editing technique to produce a hypoallergenic beagle named Bailey.Now, he can feed Bailey spoons of peanut butter while she lies on his lap and play fetch with her in Central Park. His allergies didn’t go away: Bailey’s saliva and hair no longer contain a key allergy-causing protein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FAA investigates air ‘safety incident’ involving Trump’s Marine One 05. August 2026 (14:58) Controllers allegedly failed to halt flights, leading to a ‘loss of separation’ with a departing passenger jetAn air “safety incident” in which Donald Trump’s Marine One helicopter came closer than permitted to another aircraft over Washington DC is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).Air traffic controllers are believed to have mistakenly failed to halt commercial flights at Ronald Reagan national airport in northern Virginia on Tuesday afternoon when the military helicopter lifted off from the White House with the president on board. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Leicester Square, please guv’: Self-driving taxis cleared for London streets ‘later this summer’ 05. August 2026 (14:45) Wayve Uber wins first minicab licence for autonomous cabs from TfL but vehicles will have a safety driver (at first)The taxi app company Uber and the autonomous technology developer Wayve have been granted the first minicab licences in London, allowing them to offer self-driving taxi rides to paying customers – but with a human safety driver in place, for now.The companies said they would start trips in the UK “later this summer” before the full public launch. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Middle East crisis live: US and Iran signal hope for Hormuz deal but terms unclear 05. August 2026 (14:35) While Trump suggests deal could come as soon as today, Iran indicates that ongoing talks with Oman would not lead to its immediate reopeningAfter oil prices fell sharply in the last couple of days on hopes of an interim deal that would allow safe traffic through the strait of Hormuz, crude is on the rise again.Brent crude is back above $80 a barrel, rising 1% to $80.2 a barrel. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
