Head of Viktor Orbán’s favourite thinktank quits over unpaid wages 31. August 2026 (19:01) Frank Furedi announces resignation from MCC Brussels after organisation’s staff ‘not paid in July or August’The head of Viktor Orbán’s favourite Brussels thinktank has quit, citing unpaid wages since the change of government in Hungary.The sociology professor Frank Furedi said he was resigning as the executive director of MCC Brussels with “immediate effect” on Monday over “persistent failure to provide the contractually agreed funds”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pentagon plays down report of Hegseth regularly overruling military advice 31. August 2026 (18:02) Response seeks to discredit Washington Post story that four generals and admirals advised against prolonging Iran warPete Hegseth regularly receives formal objections from senior commanders and proceeds anyway, the Pentagon’s top spokesman has said, as he tried to discredit a Washington Post report that four generals and admirals had advised against prolonging the war in Iran.“Of course, we demand candid military advice,” Sean Parnell wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Non-concurs are standard. The Secretary sees them constantly. That’s how you run a real military.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Superhuman’ AI tool spots heart disease in less than 2 seconds 31. August 2026 (18:00) Technology trained on millions of routine ECGs could fast-track high-risk patients for treatmentDoctors have developed a “superhuman” AI tool that can spot heart disease in less than two seconds.The groundbreaking technology has been trained on millions of patients and works by extracting more information from a routine electrocardiogram (ECG) than the human eye can typically see. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nepal rescuers race to reach hundreds feared trapped in hydropower tunnels 31. August 2026 (17:56) Workers thought to be stuck in underground areas at 11 sites after last week’s devastating flash floodsRescue teams are working to reach more than 900 missing hydropower workers, hundreds of whom are feared trapped in the tunnels and underground areas of 12 hydropower projects in Nepal after the devastating flash floods, the country’s disaster management authority has said.The death toll from the unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, mud and debris on Wednesday last week has risen to 939 people, with 16 more dead reported in Tibet. More than 4,400 are missing on the two sides of the border. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cisco probably violated Middle Eastern and Muslim employees’ civil rights, US agency finds 31. August 2026 (17:51) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finds ‘reasonable cause to believe’ tech firm subjected workers who spoke up about Palestine to hostile work environmentThe US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency tasked with enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, has found that Cisco, the global tech company, probably violated the civil rights of Middle Eastern, Muslim and other company employees.The determination, reached earlier this summer and first reported by Politico Pro, is believed to be the first by the federal agency finding a major company at fault in connection to pro-Palestinian advocacy that swept campuses and workplaces in recent years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Border area between Nepal and China where 33 Australians are missing still almost entirely cut off 31. August 2026 (17:00) Majority of missing Australians were near Gyirong Port minutes before impact. Rescuers say the area is now destroyed, covered in metres of silt and debrisGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt has been almost a week since the catastrophic floods in Nepal and not even a vehicle can get into the area where the majority of missing Australians were last heard from.Gyirong Port, the border area between Nepal and China, was the first to be hit. Images from Chinese rescue teams who have managed to get in by helicopter or hiking show the area has been completely flattened. The immigration building, the power lines, everything, just wiped away. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Met Gala exhibition honoring John Galliano is cancelled after backlash 31. August 2026 (17:00) Fashion designer was convicted of hate crime by French court in 2011 after series of racist and antisemitic remarksThe controversial fashion designer John Galliano announced on Monday that an exhibition honoring his work that New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art had scheduled to open for the upcoming spring’s Met Gala is not going to go forward.The museum’s decision to honor Galliano, who was convicted of a hate crime by a French court in 2011 after a series of racist and antisemitic remarks, had drawn controversy and backlash. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Germany poised to identify suspect in Leipzig drone attack on Ukrainian plane 31. August 2026 (16:14) Berlin expected to outline response to incident this month widely speculated to have been coordinated by RussiaThe German government is imminently expected to announce who it believes was behind a suspected drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane earlier this month and to outline its response to the incident in coordination with its European and Nato partners.The chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told the public broadcaster ARD in an interview on Sunday evening: “We are in the process of concluding the investigations; we have reached a broad agreement within the federal government on how we will respond, and we will make this clear in the coming days. It won’t take much longer.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
A pediatrician is running for Senate. Can doctors change the political debate over health and science? 31. August 2026 (16:08) After Lindsey Graham’s death, Democrat Annie Andrews finds herself in a closely watched race as she seeks to flip his Republican seatAnnie Andrews was a dark horse Democrat challenging a five-term Republican in the US Senate when 314 Action, a political action fund devoted to electing scientists and doctors, first backed her.Now, after the unexpected death of Senator Lindsey Graham, Andrews finds herself in a closely watched race. Donald Trump persuaded South Carolina voters last week to select Graham’s sister, Darline, as the new Republican candidate. They will face off in November in an election still heavily favored to keep the seat in Republican hands in the conservative state. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BT on track for estimated £2bn windfall from selling old copper amid AI boom 31. August 2026 (16:06) Telecoms company to benefit from soaring prices for recycled metal recovered from full-fibre broadband rolloutBT is on track for an estimated £2bn-plus windfall over the next decade from selling off old copper cabling, as it cashes in on soaring prices amid the AI market frenzy and switches the UK’s network to full-fibre broadband.Copper is one of the main beneficiaries of the “electrification of everything”, essential for the rapid growth of AI datacentres, electronics and the fast-growing renewable energy industry. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
