Fashion tech founder sentenced to prison for $300m fraud scheme 21. August 2026 (00:27) Christine Hunsicker, former CEO of CaaStle, gave investors falsified documents that overstated profit and cash reservesA fashion tech founder was sentenced to five years in federal prison for her involvement in a $300m “fraud scheme” spanning from 2019 to 2025, the Manhattan US attorney’s office announced on Thursday. Christine Hunsicker, 49, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.Hunsicker, the founder and ex-CEO of CaaStle Inc, had pleaded guilty this March to one count of securities fraud in relation to a scheme that “defrauded hundreds of investors”, authorities said. Her attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: PM says he shouldn’t have gone on Bush Deep podcast; home sales to overseas buyers plunge 20. August 2026 (23:42) Albanese said now-infamous interview, dubbed ‘melon-gate’, taught him he needs ‘to do better every day’. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastButler says Israeli government should ‘demonstrate some accountability’ on Zomi FrankcomHealth minister Mark Butler said the Israeli government could “demonstrate some accountability” after the country’s ambassador, Hillel Newman, was called in for formal talks following the decision not to open a criminal investigation into the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.Something monumentally bad has happened here, and it just appears there’s no accountability on that side. Also, there has been to-ing and fro-ing very serious discussions between us and the Israelis about some of that evidence that you mentioned.We continue to want to have that released both to Australia, but more importantly, to the family. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Website behind widely shared fake election polls run by 21-year-old 20. August 2026 (23:33) Exclusive: Rahil Prakash tells the Guardian: ‘I wanted to see if fake polls could penetrate the ecosystem that easily’A 21-year-old recent college graduate was behind an anonymous website that put out widely shared fake election polling in Wisconsin, Nevada and California, the Guardian can reveal.The website, Median Strategies, abruptly shut down and withdrew its polling earlier this week following questions from a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. In an unsigned statement, it described a “short-term social experiment” to examine how fake polling “could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man suffered brain injury and severe bruising after ICE arrest in Virginia, records show 20. August 2026 (22:46) José Mejía Hernandez, 45, who was hospitalized for his injuries, was then transferred to an ICE office and fitted with an ankle monitorA man in Virginia was hospitalized with a brain injury and severe bruising all over his face after he was arrested by US immigration agents, according to his lawyers, who shared photos and medical records with the Guardian.José Mejía Hernández, 45, was walking to a bus stop in Arlington on the morning of 11 August when two agents got out of an unmarked vehicle and started chasing him, according to one of his lawyers, Margaret Hellerstein. The man recalled being hit by some kind of stun gun, but did not remember what happened after that, only waking up hours later in the hospital, Hellerstein said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US places sanctions on 10 people over alleged Hezbollah cash-smuggling ring 20. August 2026 (22:41) Courier network carried millions of dollars in cash to Lebanon on commercial flights, treasury department saysThe US treasury department announced sanctions on Thursday against 10 people it says formed a courier network that smuggled hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah by carrying cash onboard commercial flights between Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.The office of foreign assets control (OFAC) said the network allowed Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group,to obtain foreign currency and dodge sanctions outside the formal banking system. The treasury department linked the operation to a scheme once associated with Behnam Shahriyari, a now-deceased finance official for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration faces questions over top aide Natalie Harp’s security clearance 20. August 2026 (22:25) Ex-White House ethics tsar calls it ‘shocking’ that executive assistant to US president didn’t have clearance for a yearUS politics live – latest updatesThe White House faced fresh questions on Thursday over whether Donald Trump’s closest aide, Natalie Harp, had access to US government secrets without security clearance.Harp, who is executive assistant to the US president, worked at the White House for a year without the routine clearance, the MS Now network reported on Thursday. She refused to file the relevant forms for unknown reasons, according to two unnamed sources cited by MS Now. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Leaders attack ‘demotivating’ plan to make pupils who fail GCSEs retake maths and English 20. August 2026 (20:21) Government announce plan for ‘stepping stone’ qualification as 620,000 year 11 students face retaking maths or English after failure to achieve grade 4The government’s plans to make young people continue studying maths and English if they fail GCSEs could be demotivating and ineffective, according to education experts and school leaders after retake pass rates slumped this year.Only one in seven students in the age group retaking GCSE maths after a previous failure got a grade 4 or above this summer, while only one in six managed to pass English, meaning the majority will have to retake the exams next year if they remain in education or training. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended by his university 20. August 2026 (20:12) Researcher Nathan Cofnas previously claimed Black people would hold few high-profile positions in a meritocracyNathan Cofnas, the academic who made plagiarism allegations against Prof Jason Arday before his death, has been suspended by a university.Arday, 41, resigned from his role at the University of Cambridge this month after Cofnas accused him of plagiarism. The allegations, which were not proven in any formal investigation, triggered questions about Arday’s achievements. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FBI raids Eric Swalwell’s home amid sexual assault claims inquiry – report 20. August 2026 (20:10) Federal agents also ‘seized electronic devices’ from former Democratic representative at San Francisco airportAuthorities are said to have searched the Washington DC home of disgraced former California Democratic representative Eric Swalwell on Sunday amid an ongoing law enforcement investigation into sexual assault allegations.CNN reported that federal agents on Saturday “seized electronic devices” from Swalwell at the San Francisco airport, citing unnamed sources familiar with the investigation. Multiple other outlets have confirmed the federal search; the Daily Mail was the first to report this law enforcement activity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US aircraft carrier arrives in Middle East to relieve troubled USS Lincoln 20. August 2026 (20:00) USS George Washington will replace warship families say suffers from shortages, plumbing problems and low moraleThe USS George Washington aircraft carrier has arrived in the Middle East, where it is expected to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln from its record deployment amid concerns about poor living conditions and morale.US Central Command announced on Thursday that the Washington arrived in the area on Wednesday, and posted an image of sailors working on the flight deck as the ship transited the Arabian Sea. No date has yet been announced for the Lincoln to return to the US. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
