MPs ‘failing to learn lesson’ over freebies after accepting £400,000 of hospitality 21. August 2026 (19:58) MPs receive Harry Styles concert tickets worth £858, Chelsea flower show tickets worth £1,839, and £3,432 of hospitality at Brit awardsMPs have been accused of failing to learn their lesson over freebies after taking almost £400,000 of hospitality to concerts, sport matches and other events this year, with Louise Haigh, Lucy Powell and Wes Streeting among those accepting tickets.Despite the outcry in 2024 over Keir Starmer accepting football tickets and gifts of clothing, MPs appear to have been declaring hospitality since the start of the year on a greater scale than previously seen. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
First deportation flight lands in Haiti after TPS suspension 21. August 2026 (18:53) ICE charter carrying more than 160 Haitian nationals landed in Cap-Haïtien, after temporary protection status was revokedThe first deportation flight to Haiti since the US supreme court upheld Donald Trump’s power to strip 350,000 Haitians – and others – of a key type of legal status in the US landed in the troubled nation on Thursday.The flight was carrying more that 160 Haitian nationals and landed in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second-largest city, aboard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charter. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Texas slashes $50m judgment against Alex Jones over false claim Sandy Hook shooting was hoax 21. August 2026 (17:32) Appeals court slashes judgment to $1.5m in a significant legal victory for the rightwing Infowars founderA Texas appeals court has slashed the $50m judgment to $1.5m against Alex Jones, founder of the rightwing platform Infowars, over falsely calling the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut a hoax.The ruling does not affect a $1.4bn judgment against Jones in Connecticut, but is a significant legal victory for Jones after he and his company, Free Speech Systems, were found liable for damages for claiming the mass shooting didn’t happen. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
JD Vance reportedly mocks Carney for trying to ‘out-tough’ Trump on trade 21. August 2026 (17:22) Audio recording of US vice-president apparently made at New York fundraiser and shared with Canadian PressLeaked audio from a private event has reportedly captured the US vice-president, JD Vance, mocking Canada for apparently capitulating in a trade deal and taunting the prime minister, Mark Carney, for trying to “out-tough” Donald Trump.The recording, which was apparently made at a fundraiser and shared with the Canadian Press, comes in the last stretch of a difficult negotiation in which the US president has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on Canada. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Firebombs thrown at supercars outside Birmingham wedding venue 21. August 2026 (17:13) Police investigating after two cars set alight in attack caught on CCTV Firebombs were thrown at supercars outside a wedding venue in Birmingham, setting two alight and prompting guests to sprint out of the building.West Midlands police said they were investigating the incident, which happened in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham at around 8.30pm on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Neutrogena responds to criticism over how brand deal with Hayden Panettiere ended 21. August 2026 (17:09) Late actor in May said beauty brand cut off its relationship with her after she spoke out about postpartum depressionThe beauty brand Neutrogena has acknowledged making its former ambassador Hayden Panettiere “feel unsupported during a very difficult time” – alluding to when the late Hollywood actor said the company severed ties with her after she spoke about enduring postpartum depression (PPD).Neutrogena issued a statement addressing the situation four days after the 36-year-old actor was found dead at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Shameful’: UK, Australia and Canada criticise Israel over Gaza aid convoy killings decision 21. August 2026 (17:03) Joint statement issued after IDF said it will not pursue criminal investigations into April 2024 strike that killed seven humanitarian workersBritain, Australia and Canada have called the decision of the Israeli military authorities not to open a criminal investigation into the April 2024 airstrikes that hit a convoy of aid vehicles in Gaza “shameful”. The strikes killed seven humanitarian workers from the US-based World Central Kitchen (WCK) organisation.WCK staff from the three countries were among the casualties of the attack, which prompted global outrage. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW ‘seeking urgent advice’ on controversial court ruling that found anti-Israel vandalism was not antisemitic 21. August 2026 (17:00) Attorney general considering appeal after justice Desmond Fagan knocks back terror order request for Mohommed Farhat who wrote ‘Fuk Israel’ on carsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales government could appeal a supreme court judge’s controversial decision to refuse its request for a terror order over a Sydney man convicted of writing “Fuk Israel” on cars and setting another vehicle alight in late 2024.Justice Desmond Fagan this week found disparaging Israel was “political comment” not antisemitism. He rejected the state’s application that Mohommed Farhat be subjected to a one-year extended supervision order under the Terrorism Act when released from prison. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cults, setups, and devastating rumours: years after their downfalls, these former NSW MPs are exacting their revenge 21. August 2026 (17:00) David Elliott and Eleni Petinos believe they were brought down by their own party. The Icac hearing has given them a chance to set the record straightGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRevenge, they say, is a dish best served cold.It’s been almost four years since the former New South Wales MP, David Elliott, announced that he would not seek preselection for a seat in the Hills in greater Sydney after his own seat was abolished. He had realised that, thanks to branch stacking in his area, he stood no chance of securing another. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We’re not remotely prepared’: Labour MPs fear party has gone soft on climate crisis 21. August 2026 (16:19) Polls suggest growing scepticism around net zero, with politicians uncertain how to proceedUK politics live – latest updatesBritain has experienced a summer of record-breaking wildfires, deadly heat and drought, with almost 2,900 heat-associated deaths recorded in England during May and June alone. Homes have been destroyed by fires in the West Midlands, and deadly wildfires have swept across Europe.Despite the ever more visible impacts of the climate crisis, there is widespread concern that there has been no big political push at the centre of British politics or a renewed case for net zero. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
