‘A symbol of resistance’: the fight to save treehouse built on no man’s land next to Berlin Wall 01. August 2026 (08:00) Supporters fear structure could be torn down as safety hazard and want it to become memorial to postwar foreign labourers in honour of its Turkish creatorSometimes the currents of history converge in a single spot. In Berlin, one of the most intriguing of those places is a small traffic island with a lovingly tended garden and a ramshackle two-storey structure called the Treehouse at the Wall.In 1983, Osman Kalin, a Turkish “guest worker”, was looking in his corner of the city cleaved by the Berlin Wall for a patch of earth in which to plant his onions, garlic and cucumbers. Virtually on his doorstep in the Kreuzberg district was a slice of no man’s land next to the concrete barrier and barbed wire. Although it sat in West Berlin, cold war logic meant the lot officially belonged to the communist East. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Turn failing water firms into not-for-profit cooperatives, MPs and mayors tell PM 01. August 2026 (08:00) Labour politicians say mutualised model puts public in control without adding debt to government’s balance sheetMPs and mayors close to Andy Burnham have told the prime minister there is a “third way” tlauo gain more control of failing companies, as the row over whether or not to nationalise Thames Water rumbles on.Burnham is said to be concerned about the increase in government debt that Treasury projections show could be a result of nationalising water companies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The tangled financial web at the heart of Reform UK 01. August 2026 (08:00) Nigel Farage’s £5m gift, the Cottrell family’s links and donations, and Richard Tice’s business dealings form part of an increasingly clear nexus of relationshipsIt has been three months since the Guardian revealed that Nigel Farage had accepted a £5m gift from Christopher Harborne, a billionaire donor to Reform UK.This was not the first story in our continuing investigation. But it has proved the most significant, and the consequences of the disclosure are still being played out. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Proteinmaxxing’ could lead to higher prices for infant formula, say experts 01. August 2026 (07:00) Whey protein, a key infant formula ingredient, is in growing demand, partly linked to rising use of weight-loss drugsThe rise of “proteinmaxxing” – a trend in which consumers try to eat as much protein as possible – could lead to higher prices for infant formula, experts warn.Whey protein, a key ingredient in infant formula, has surged in popularity over the past year as health professionals emphasise the benefits of protein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The final hit: Is Glasgow’s 25-year gruesome gangland feud finally over? 01. August 2026 (07:00) The double assassination of two Scots in the Costa del Sol may have ended the war between the Lyons and the Daniels – but the crimes haven’t gone awayIt was a warm evening in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol last year when two Scottish men met a violent end.The punters of Monaghans seafront bar had barely finished watching the Nations League final on 8 June when a car pulled up outside. A masked gunman emerged and headed to the table of 46-year-old Eddie Lyons Jr, shooting him at point-blank range. The assassin turned the gun on Lyons’ friend, the bar’s owner Ross Monaghan, 43, but it jammed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Noma restaurant prepares to reopen under new leadership after abuse allegations 01. August 2026 (07:00) World-class venue puts renewed focus on staff wellbeing under new head chef after René Redzepi stepped down and apologised for his behaviourThe Copenhagen restaurant Noma – often ranked among the world’s best – is preparing to reopen next week under new leadership for the first time since its star chef and co-founder, René Redzepi, stepped down amid accusations of physical and psychological abuse.The new executive head chef, Pablo Soto, who has worked at the restaurant for nearly a decade, said while it remained “the same Noma” there had been some significant changes. Along with a new, evolving monthly menu to replace its previous seasonal one, he said there was now a heightened focus on enabling employees to live full lives. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We stared into an abyss’: the heroes battling to tame France’s ‘megafire’ 01. August 2026 (06:00) Exhausted firefighters wage ‘war of attrition’ against blaze that forced 200,000 people from their homes By noon it is time for a break. The temperature is about 35C, the smell of ash, cinders and burnt wood hang acrid in the air. At tables laid out in the shrinking shade on the desiccated grass and sand outside the sports centre in Le Porge, 200 men and a handful of women have gathered. Firefighters, soldiers, police, gendarmes, officials, first aid teams, foresters and volunteers sit elbow to elbow, plates of sausages, steak and potatoes in front of them.The village was evacuated just over 14 hours after the “megafire” – as it has become known in France – broke out 6km away last week. The blaze has consumed 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres) of mainly forestland west of Bordeaux. Though finally contained, there are outbreaks every day, pushing to the limit emergency services and the hundreds of amateurs who have come to their aid. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Who could have done this?’ Mystery over Briton found dead in a suitcase in Athens 01. August 2026 (06:00) Greek police throw entire homicide division at trying to explain fate of 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane RossTwo worlds separated by sheets of corrugated iron: one, a tree-lined road, bordered by a park and the home of Greece’s oldest sports club; the other a wasteland of derelict buildings and graffiti-covered walls in what was once a car park.It is here, on the wrong side of the divide, in Kypseli, a neighbourhood in central Athens, that the body of Elisabeth-Jane Ross was found, inside a suitcase last month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Singapore bans Massive Attack for showing Palestinian flag, breaching ban on foreign emblems 01. August 2026 (05:51) Two members given ‘stern warnings’ after concert and barred from returning, with band also excluded from performing in Singapore again, say authoritiesBritish trip-hop band Massive Attack has been barred from performing in Singapore after an investigation found two members unfurled a Palestinian flag during a concert, police said.Singapore, known for its tough laws on public speech and assembly, bans the open display of all foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Petrol prices on track to top $2 a litre as Bowen sounds death knell for fuel excise relief 01. August 2026 (04:22) Petrol now costs more than $1.90 a litre in every capital city, with diesel expected to exceed $2.40 a litreGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPetrol prices could surpass $2 a litre and diesel $2.40 in coming days, after the government’s 16-cent discount ends on Sunday.The 32-cent per litre reduction in fuel excise, introduced in March at the peak of the fuel price spike, was halved to 16 cents in July. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
