Goodbye to Babylon Berlin, the 1920s TV drama that has eerily foreshadowed real-life politics 31. August 2026 (08:00) The long-running drama reaches Hitler’s rise to power in its final season as its creators reflect on the unsettling parallels between Weimar Germany and the present dayIt’s the global hit TV series that pulled audiences straight into the chaotic hedonism of 1920s Germany, dramatising the brilliance and brittleness of a newly built democratic system with unprecedented ambition.But in the 13 years that the German makers of Babylon Berlin have worked on the show, modern democracies from the US to Hungary to South Korea have come under pressure in ways the creators say they could never have imagined when they started. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Icac lawyer tells Charles Perrottet the key to lying is ‘you have to be really good at remembering it’ 31. August 2026 (07:49) Perrottet disagrees when counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer SC claims brother of former NSW premier is not truthful and ‘constructing evidence’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA brother of former New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet has told Icac he would lie to a property developer about delivering political outcomes “to keep him on side”, but Charles Perrottet has denied lying to the state’s anti-corruption watchdog.Charles Perrottet, who is among three Liberal figures alleged to have anticipated receiving $2m in prohibited political donations from Jean Nassif, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Monday that he “made up” updates for the property developer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Newborn baby’s body found in Sydney rubbish bin as police hold ‘serious concerns’ for mother 31. August 2026 (07:48) Police urge mother to attend hospital after baby’s body discovered in Harrow Road in AuburnFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales police have appealed for information to find the mother of a newborn baby boy, whose body was discovered in a rubbish bin in Auburn in Sydney’s south-west on Monday morning.Police said emergency services responded to reports of the body of a baby located in a rubbish bin along Harrow Road in Auburn at 11.20am, with officers from the Auburn police area command finding the body of a newborn boy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS to offer free high-street cholesterol tests in England 31. August 2026 (07:00) Checks at pharmacies for people aged 40 to 84 are aimed at identifying those at risk of heart attack or strokeThe NHS in England is to offer free finger-prick blood tests for cholesterol on the high street for the first time under plans to reduce heart disease and stroke deaths by a quarter within the next decade.The seven-minute tests will be available at participating pharmacies as part of a national rollout to spot “ticking timebombs” earlier. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man who murdered Molly Ticehurst will not face life in jail, judge says 31. August 2026 (06:00) Justice Natalie Adams says she is troubled by expert evidence about rape allegations in slain woman’s police statementFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMolly Ticehurst’s ex-boyfriend will not face a life sentence for her domestic violence murder, a crime which galvanised a national movement against gendered abuse.Ticehurst, a 28-year-old childcare educator, was found dead in her home at Forbes, in the NSW central-west, in the early hours of April 22, 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Everything’s smashed to bits’: Ukrainians turn anger on those storing weapons near their villages 31. August 2026 (06:00) As Russia hits another ammunition warehouse, killing at least 38, locals put blame on poorly placed depotsIt is a day and a half since a Russian jet-powered drone smashed into an ammunition dump in Myla, a village 15 miles outside central Kyiv. Volodymyr, 61, a security guard, leads visitors from his family’s badly damaged home, its roof blown off, back windows shattered, through the garden towards the impact site 300 metres away.The garden, like so many in Ukraine’s villages and suburbs, is a sizeable allotment. But today the greenhouse is shattered, a vegetable patch is blackened and crisp underfoot. Several metres of grapevine have been destroyed. Even so, Volodymyr finds two surviving bunches to hand to the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Properties in UK national parks command 24% premium, study finds 31. August 2026 (06:00) Nationwide research also shows average 14% premium for housing in national landscapes of England and WalesHousebuyers are paying a premium of almost a quarter to own a property located within a UK national park, with the New Forest the most expensive national park to live in, according to Britain’s biggest building society.Nationwide found that a property located within a national park cost 24% more on average than a similar property elsewhere, while buyers were also stumping up a 6% premium for homes within three miles of a national park. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rejoining the EU, Burnham’s donors and the bedroom tax: Politics Weekly answers your questions – podcast 31. August 2026 (06:00) Will the UK ever rejoin the EU? Who is funding Andy Burnham? And will the bedroom tax be scrapped? In a special episode, Kiran Stacey and Peter Walker answer some of your questionsPlease keep sending your comments and questions to Pippa and Kiran at politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Victorian prisoners to be sent out to repair roads under Labor’s pothole plan 31. August 2026 (03:04) Inmates would take over ‘basic’ road maintenance duties, allowing skilled crews to focus on fixing 500,000 potholesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictorian prisoners will be put to work on road maintenance as part of Labor’s plan to fix the state’s potholes if re-elected.The state’s premier, Ben Carroll, outlined the plan on Monday off the back of an announcement on Sunday that the government would be increasing the road maintenance budget by $352m to fix 500,000 potholes by the end of January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
At least 15 people may be missing after flash flood in Arizona’s Grand Canyon 31. August 2026 (02:01) Dozens evacuated after flash-flood event near Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch, officials sayAt least 15 people may be missing or unaccounted for after a major flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon national park in Arizona on Saturday afternoon, according to the National Park Service.The flash-flood event occurred in the area of Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch, where park staff and the Arizona department of public safety have evacuated more than 60 people as of Sunday morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
