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)
Sportsbet and Tabcorp deny allegations they sourced drugs and sex workers to encourage VIP clients to bet more 04. August 2026 (04:55) Betting firms respond to claims made by anti-gambling campaigners Tim Costello and Luke Bateman at parliamentary inquiryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBetting giants Sportsbet and Tabcorp say there is no evidence to substantiate allegations that account managers sourced drugs and sex workers to incentivise vulnerable people to bet more, calling for information about the claims to be provided to regulators.The anti-gambling campaigners Tim Costello and Luke Bateman used a parliamentary hearing into Labor’s legislation to curb gambling advertising to allege problem gamblers had been supplied with cocaine, alcohol and sex workers, alleging companies exercised no duty of care to their customers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Immigrant being held at Delaney Hall dies, marking 22nd death in ICE custody 04. August 2026 (04:08) Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, was arrested in New Jersey in June, and died after a ‘medical emergency’, agency saidAn immigrant being held at a New Jersey ICE detention center died on 1 August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday. Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, is the 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year, according to agency data.Lopez-Cornejo, who is originally from El Salvador and first came to the US in 2006, was arrested by ICE agents in Plainfield, New Jersey, on 18 June and sent to Delaney Hall detention facility to await deportation. Less than two months later he suffered an unspecified “medical emergency”, and was later pronounced dead by University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, ICE said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Crews building Trump border wall in drought-hit New Mexico ordered to stop drilling wells 04. August 2026 (03:25) Residents and farmers say contractors have tapped border aquifers that threaten water supply for those nearbyConstruction crews building a border wall in New Mexico were ordered to stop drilling new wells after ranchers said that pumping groundwater to produce concrete could threaten their livestock amid a severe drought.The order comes as crews across the southern border race to complete one of Donald Trump’s highest domestic priorities – barriers that span four states and received over $46bn in federal funding. Controversies have sprouted up in Texas and California, and border-town residents and environmentalists have reported a wide variety of issues with construction. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Japan’s prime minister tours earthquake-hit sites as recovery efforts hampered by soaring temperatures 04. August 2026 (02:59) Prime minister Sanae Takaichi visited Kumamoto prefecture almost a week after a magnitude 7.1 quake hit, killing 38 peopleJapan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has visited the south-western prefecture of Kumamoto, where recovery efforts are being hampered by heat and a lack of water supplies, almost a week after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake killed dozens and caused widespread damage.Thirty-eight people died during the quake, including one person who died of apparent heatstroke while taking shelter in a car in hot weather, officials said on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Hastie ‘not worried’ as One Nation eyes his seat and says he hopes to get their preferences 04. August 2026 (02:41) One Nation’s expected launch in Liberal MP’s WA seat of Canning. Follow today’s news live.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMurray Watt, the federal environment minister, was asked earlier about former rugby league star Luke Bateman’s testimony before a parliamentary inquiry on gambling reform.Bateman alleged betting company promoters supplied him with cocaine and alcohol, also alleging he attended private Gold Coast events hosted by gambling firms where senior figures took illegal drugs with clients.We all feel for him and the circumstances that he went through. And for anyone to be offering illegal drugs as an inducement or for any other reason is obviously a crime. Should not be committed and people should pay a price if they’re engaging in that kind of criminal behavior. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
