Anxiety over war, wildfires and cyber-attacks leads to growth in cash stocks in EU 21. August 2026 (06:00) Value of banknotes in circulation rises from €1bn in 2016 to €1.6bn in 2026 as people advised to keep stash of cashThe number of banknotes in circulation in the EU is increasing despite widespread smartphone payments, new data shows, with wildfires ripping through parts of Europe fuelling demand for an emergency stash of cash.While cash plays second fiddle to contactless payments in many cities across Europe, the amount in circulation is actually going up, Philip Lane, the chief economist of the European Central Bank (ECB), said at the MacGill summer school conference in Ireland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tiananmen Square vigil organisers found guilty in Hong Kong of ‘inciting subversion’ 21. August 2026 (05:28) Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung - leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance – were tried under under a 2020 national security lawTwo Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils marking China’s deadly Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 were found guilty of “incitement to subversion”, in one of the most high-profile cases in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed its national security law in 2020.Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41 “incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power”, a press summary handed out to reporters said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alleged rapist arrested after returning to Brisbane crime scene that night, police say 21. August 2026 (05:14) Man, 32, charged with six counts of rape, stalking and assault after woman was allegedly attacked in BrookfieldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland police say a man accused of raping and assaulting a young woman, who was taking a morning bushwalk, has been arrested after he returned to the crime scene in his vehicle later that evening.A woman, aged in her 20s, was walking in the semi-rural Brisbane suburb of Brookfield about 6.30am on Thursday when she was allegedly stopped by the man and sexually assaulted. She told police her attacker fled on foot. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Catholic Schools NSW boss sacked after appearance at Icac inquiry into alleged Liberal party corruption 21. August 2026 (04:17) Watchdog investigating whether Dallas McInerney arranged illegal political donations from schools to lobbying companies controlled by the ReformersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe chief executive of Catholic Schools New South Wales, Dallas McInerney, has been sacked after appearing at a watchdog inquiry into allegations of corruption in the state’s Liberal party.The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) is investigating the allegation that McInerney, who gave evidence to the inquiry this week and last week, arranged and approved illegal political donations from Catholic Schools NSW to lobbying companies controlled by conservative factional group the Reformers, under the guise of consultancy services. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Court ends case against police charged over use of Taser and pepper spray on ‘vulnerable’ First Nations man 21. August 2026 (03:16) Court finds ‘defects’ in investigation of two senior constables charged over 2024 incident at Mareeba watch house in far north QueenslandFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo police officers charged with criminal offences over the use of capsicum spray, Tasers and restraints on a “cognitively and emotionally vulnerable” First Nations man in police custody have had the case against them permanently stayed, after a court found “defects” in the subsequent investigation.Andrew David Couchman, 54, and Ulrich Weiss, 45, both senior constables, were both charged over the incident at the Mareeba watch house in far north Queensland in January 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sycophancy in stereo as former Trump hater Michael Cohen loses his nerve 21. August 2026 (03:11) Fawning, deferential, oleaginous – this was the Untruth and Reconciliation Commission as Trump called in to 77 WABC“Our next guest is a ‘racist’, a ‘conman’ and a ‘cheat’ – someone who behaves more like a ‘mobster’ than a president. Please welcome Donald J Trump!”That is how Michael Cohen could have introduced Trump on his New York radio show on Thursday. After all, Cohen used such terms to describe the US president in his testimony to Congress in 2019. But now Trump’s former personal lawyer and self-described fixer had different words: “boss” and “sir”. Just like old times. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Progressive Aisha Wahab wins California special election to fill Eric Swalwell seat 21. August 2026 (02:24) State senator beats rival Melissa Hernandez and will replace US congressman who quit amid sexual misconduct claimsProgressive Aisha Wahab has been elected to Congress in a special election following a bitter intra-party battle over the seat formerly held by Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April after facing sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell has denied the allegations.Wahab, a state senator, was widely considered the frontrunner in the district in California’s East Bay and had the backing of the state Democratic party as well as Our Revolution, labor unions, local officials and the state’s attorney general, Rob Bonta. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tupac Shakur trial: ‘Keffe D’ told detectives years ago his nephew fired the shots 21. August 2026 (02:23) The former gang leader was charged with planning the drive-by shooting that killed Tupac Shakur in 1996Jurors on Thursday heard Duane “Keffe D” Davis tell detectives in 2008 that his nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson fired the shots that killed Tupac Shakur.Davis, who said in the interview that he was also in the car with Anderson, is accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing of the 25-year-old hip-hop superstar in Las Vegas. At the time of the interview, his nephew had been dead for a decade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Controversial California oil pipeline can continue to operate, judge rules 21. August 2026 (02:13) State sought to stop system off coast of Santa Barbara from resuming operations after Trump ordered its reopening A controversial oil pipeline can continue to operate off the California coast after a judge gave it the green light this week, despite the opposition of state regulators and environmental groups.The system off the coast of Santa Barbara resumed operations earlier this year for the first time in more than a decade after Donald Trump ordered Sable Offshore Corporation to reopen it, citing US energy needs during the war in Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jailed ex-Pakistani PM Imran Khan in hospital after uproar over health 21. August 2026 (01:07) Supreme court ordered transfer of ex-leader whose health is reportedly deteriorating and following public protestsPakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has been taken to a hospital in the country’s capital on supreme court orders after weeks of uproar about his deteriorating health.A spokesperson for Khan’s party, Zulfikar Bukhari, said: “Imran Khan has been shifted from Adiala jail to International Shifa hospital in Islamabad following the supreme court’s order.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
