Pet owners at risk of being ripped off by private equity firms as vet ownership rules change 30. August 2026 (10:00) Critics say changes by CMA will allow multinationals to obscure their ownership of vet practicesPet owners have been warned that they could be unknowingly ripped off by private equity firms who have bought local vet clinics, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) removed requirements for multinational companies to disclose which practices they own.The CMA recently ran an investigation into the monopolisation of vet practices, and found that the lack of competition and transparency of ownership had led to high prices and a lack of information for customers. Pet owners were often unaware their local vet practice could be owned by an international private equity company. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pacific Islands Forum meeting in turmoil after several leaders pull out of Palau summit 30. August 2026 (09:22) Solomon Islands prime minister cancels his appearance, along with leaders from Fiji, Vanuatu and SamoaSeveral leaders have pulled out of a the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting in Palau at the eleventh hour.Solomon Islands prime minister, Matthew Wale, has cancelled his appearance after a no-confidence motion was lodged against him at home by the Solomon Islands home affairs minister, Manasseh Maelanga. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
A lone Black woman’s defiance of Swedish neo-Nazis, 10 years on 30. August 2026 (09:00) Protester Tess Asplund on the photo that made headlines, and why she sees it as a sign of the change in Sweden todayThe striking photograph showed a lone Black woman, her fist raised, standing in the path of hundreds of uniformed neo-Nazis on parade in 2016, and it made headlines across the globe.At the time, it was held up as a symbol of the resistance to the far right. But 10 years on, as Sweden gears up for elections in which the far right is expected to emerge as the second most-voted-for party, the woman in the photo sees it as a sign of the bewildering change that has gripped the Scandinavian country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Renee was at Gyirong Port minutes before flood struck, now her family want to travel from Australia to help search 30. August 2026 (08:21) Missing woman’s partner and daughters fundraise to join search in one of the hardest-hit areas of Nepal Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastClair Spry says her sister would hate the attention. She would want it focused on the Nepali people, who have been displaced or are in need of aid. She would want it to be on the impact of the climate crisis, especially on the world’s most economically vulnerable populations.“Her focus right now would not be on her; it would be on the families,” Spry said. “So many people, the Nepalese people, that have been horribly displaced and traumatised. She would want the attention on them and how we are going to help them. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Humanitarian crisis worsening in refuge for civilians fleeing Sudan’s civil war 30. August 2026 (08:00) Conditions are deteriorating in city of El Obeid and camps on its outskirts, with more people arriving every dayHumanitarian conditions in the Sudanese city of El Obeid and two camps on its outskirts are dire and deteriorating, according to people on the ground, as civilians displaced by fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia continue to pour in from the surrounding countryside.The UN says more than 15,000 families have arrived since mid-July, joining more than 200,000 people who arrived in the first half of the year, according to government figures cited by Save the Children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Tiny bit of rain and the sewage comes’: Brighton swimmers vent fury at sea pollution 30. August 2026 (08:00) Checking for sewage spills has become as normal as checking the weather forecast, say swimmers on East Sussex beachesSouth West Water has worst environmental record in England, analysis shows“I’m furious,” says Jo Armstrong, 75, sitting on Brighton beach with her daughter and granddaughter.Armstrong lives in Lewes, a town 8 miles from Brighton, and usually goes swimming in nearby Seaford in East Sussex every day. But over the past week the water there has been too polluted to swim. “Brighton beach was the only place that stayed clean,” she says. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
South West Water has worst environmental record in England, analysis shows 30. August 2026 (08:00) Exclusive: Friends of the Earth finds greatest sewage discharge in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset‘Tiny bit of rain and the sewage comes’: Brighton swimmers vent fury at sea pollutionSouth West Water is doing more harm to the environment than any other water company in England, according to new analysis, with more sewage discharged in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset than anywhere else.Friends of the Earth analysed water companies’ environmental performance in six categories: sewage spills, water quality at bathing sites, pollution incidents or warnings at bathing sites, severity of sewage pollution at bathing sites, the percentage of rivers rated below the standard for good ecological health, and the affordability of bills. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
PC Andrew Harper’s killers will remain in jail as PM makes changes to early release scheme 30. August 2026 (07:38) Andy Burnham says ‘hundreds’ of people will remain in prison as part of changes to scheme designed to ease overcrowdingPC Andrew Harper’s killers will be excluded from the early release scheme after the prime minister said anyone convicted of unlawful killing would be exempt.Andy Burnham said “hundreds” of people will remain in prison as part of changes to the scheme designed to ease overcrowding in prisons. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One Nation’s Secret Harbour byelection win shows Labor is at a loss when it comes to calming angry voters | Analysis 30. August 2026 (07:34) Even after a week in which Pauline Hanson and One Nation candidates tripped over themselves trying to explain key policies, voters still backed the partyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe One Nation hype machine went into overdrive after Saturday’s Secret Harbour byelection but one thing is clear from the thumping victory.Despite the party’s sustained surge in public support, Labor and the Coalition still don’t have any idea how to calm an angry electorate and dint support for Pauline Hanson and her insurgent movement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The president and the penthouse: how Madrid’s government spent €6.3m on a temporary ‘office’ 30. August 2026 (07:00) Saga surrounding purchase for outspoken rightwing regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso refuses to go awayThe outspoken rightwing leader of the Madrid region is under growing pressure to explain why her government spent €6.3m (£5.4m) on a residential penthouse purportedly to serve as a temporary workspace while her offices were being renovated.Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a prominent member of Spain’s opposition conservative People’s party (PP), has been the president of the Madrid region since 2019. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
