BP profits more than double as Iran war sends oil prices soaring 04. August 2026 (08:54) Energy company’s $5.73bn quarterly profits come after Shell posted second highest quarterly earnings on recordBusiness live – latest updatesBP has reported its highest quarterly profits since the first year of Russia’s war on Ukraine because of rising oil and gas prices caused by the Middle East crisis.The oil company’s quarterly profits more than doubled to $5.73bn (£4.27bn) in the three months to the end of June, up $2.5bn from the quarter before, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continued to disrupt energy exports from the Gulf. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Metro Bank customer fights for £14,000 refund after AI-linked fraud 04. August 2026 (08:00) Lender was told money was being taken without authorisation, with cash used to buy credits for Claude chatbotA Metro Bank customer has told of his fight to get more than £14,000 back after its systems failed to stop a fraud involving the AI chatbot Claude.Zoli Rutter, a businessman from Sussex, had a total of £14,244 taken from his bank account. The scam involved fraudsters buying credits to use Claude. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three lions die of suspected heatstroke at Tokyo zoo as Japan swelters 04. August 2026 (07:46) Most of the zoo’s 16 lions have struggled to cope with high humidity this summerThree lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are undergoing treatment, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, as the big cats struggle in Japan’s high levels of humidity.Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40C in recent weeks, qualifying for the new “cruelly hot day” designation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nine Lives, the feral cat that terrorised New Zealand’s rare ducks, is caught after three years 04. August 2026 (07:45) Large tabby cat that wiped out dozens of rare pāteke, or brown teal, has been killed after eluding trappers with its ‘very erratic’ behaviourA notorious feral cat given the name “Nine Lives” because it eluded trappers for three years has been caught and killed in New Zealand, ending its devastating rampage against one of the country’s rare duck populations.The cat, a large grey tabby, is estimated to have killed dozens of New Zealand’s rarest mainland duck – or 1% of its population – plus a host of kiwi chicks, native geckos and other native wildlife during the three years it was known to be roaming the Purerua peninsula, near the top of the North Island. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Scott and Damien are afraid’: senior Liberal quizzed at Icac about former staffer’s message 04. August 2026 (07:45) NSW shadow attorney general, Damien Tudehope, tells inquiry Jean-Claude Perrottet had a talent for recruitingA senior New South Wales Liberal says the younger brother of former Liberal premier Dominic Perrottet had a “talent” for recruiting and renewing new members to the party, a corruption inquiry has heard.On Tuesday, Damien Tudehope, the NSW shadow attorney general and Liberal leader in the upper house, gave evidence as part of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (Icac) Operation Rosny, where he was also asked about a 2018 message in which his former staffer Jean-Claude Perrottet wrote to other Reformers that “Scott and Damien are afraid”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Charity cyclist Bob Montgomery, 82, dies one day after 5,200km ride across Australia 04. August 2026 (07:32) Montgomery died in a single-vehicle crash in Sydney just one day after completing his latest fundraising cycling trip with his teenage grandsonFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBob Montgomery, a charity cyclist who has just finished a 5,200km bike ride from Broome to Bowral, died on Monday at the age of 82.His family confirmed his death on social media, saying he had died unexpectedly just a day after completing the cycling feat alongside his grandson, Tom, as a fundraiser for motor neurone disease. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Public urged to avoid hospital unless ‘life might be in danger’ after record day for Sydney emergency departments 04. August 2026 (07:08) Winter flu season is putting pressure on the health system, with medical staff bracing for the ‘worst three weeks of the year’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSick patients in New South Wales have been told to avoid the emergency room unless their life is at risk after a record day for winter presentations put the hospital system under strain.The New South Wales health minister, Ryan Park, said just under 10,000 people presented to emergency departments in Sydney on Monday, the “biggest ever recorded winter day in history”. It was around 1,000 more people than the average. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cancer survivors need protection from future discrimination, say German politicians 04. August 2026 (07:00) Campaigners say people who have had cancer face discrimination in areas including bank loans, adoption of children and insuranceGerman politicians who have survived cancer have spearheaded proposals to protect people long in remission from what they call rampant discrimination in areas including bank loans, adoption of children and insurance.The policy known as “the right to be forgotten” (RTBF) is a central demand of a community estimated to number 5.5 million people in Germany: former cancer patients who have been given a clean bill of health by their doctors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Approval of east London datacentre labelled ‘slap in the face’ for local democracy 04. August 2026 (07:00) Campaigners decry Angela Rayner’s backing for Brick Lane project that has only 11 affordable homesA £500m redevelopment of the Truman Brewery estate in Brick Lane, east London, has been approved, clearing the way for the construction of a datacentre, offices and apartments despite opposition from Tower Hamlets council and local campaign groups.The housing secretary, Angela Rayner, made the decision in a letter issued on her behalf last week by the housing minister Matthew Pennycook, rejecting demands from the council and campaigners for for the site to be used for hundreds of homes instead. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Price of olive oil expected to rise again as European crops feel the heat 04. August 2026 (06:00) Farmers warn impact of high temperatures, drought and wildfires on range of foodstuffs means costs will increaseFarmers across Europe are warning of a slump in food production and rising prices as crops from maize to salads suffer as a result of extreme heat, drought and wildfires.Olive groves have also been hit as the climate crisis drives temperatures across the continent to fresh record highs, meaning the cost of olive oil – already at elevated levels – is expected to start rising again. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
