The whitewashing of the Green India Mission forest expansion project 25. August 2026 (11:03) The flagship environmental initiative has achieved ‘negligible’ results. Why so little progress, and what are the risks as the planet gets hotter? Plus, fusion dance pioneer Usha Jey• Don’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIndia set out to expand its forested areas a decade ago. Last week, however, we learned that the forest cover programme had barely taken root when the government’s auditors released their findings of the flagship Green India Mission. The shortfall of 97.57% from India’s initial pledge in 2014 was stark enough to alarm the government’s own auditor, who described the progress as “negligible”.Yet if you ask the government about forest cover, you’ll get a far greener picture. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Woman allegedly repeatedly stabbed with scissors while protecting son from ‘random’ Melbourne CBD attack 25. August 2026 (11:01) Man arrested after being restrained and pinned down by ‘heroic’ bystanders, Victoria police sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA mother has been taken to hospital after allegedly being repeatedly stabbed by a stranger while protecting her 10-year-old son during a “random attack” in Melbourne’s CBD.The alleged attacker, 27, was arrested at the scene after he was restrained and pinned down by three bystanders, according to Victoria police. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Year of after-school care now costs £2,800 a child in parts of UK 25. August 2026 (10:58) Bills have jumped 42% in England over the past 10 years – and that excludes the cost of breakfast clubs and extracurricular activities Parents of primary schoolchildren in England will pay 42% more for after-school childcare this year than they did 10 years ago, with annual bills now exceeding more than £2,800 a child in some parts of the UK.A Guardian analysis of data collected by the children’s charity Coram has revealed that the annual cost of after-school care for children aged 5 to 11 in England has risen by 5% over the past year to £2,636. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham plans trip to New York as Ukraine pleads for US-made missiles 25. August 2026 (10:27) UK prime minister ‘likely’ to attend UN general assembly, after meeting Zelenskyy and saying supply problem is fixableEurope live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has said he is likely to attend the UN general assembly in New York next month, a chance for the new prime minister to meet a host of world leaders.While Downing Street said the plans were not definite, the prime minister told Bloomberg in an interview: “I’m looking forward to going to New York in September.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gold price hits three-month high amid fears over Iran war and Trump economy 25. August 2026 (10:18) Bitcoin rises above $80,000 for the first time since May amid uncertainty over US fiscal plansBusiness live – latest updatesGold prices hit their highest level in more than three months on Tuesday as continued conflict in the Middle East and ongoing political uncertainty fuelled the latest rally in the precious metal.Gold is viewed as a safe haven by investors and its price tends to rise at times of uncertainty. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lego sales rise as World Cup and F1 ranges prove to be winners 25. August 2026 (10:08) Danish toymaker also scores success with KPop Demon Hunters, Star Wars and botanicals productsBusiness live – latest updatesLego sales have risen by more than a fifth as tie-ups with the football World Cup, Formula One and the hit film KPop Demon Hunters as well as its flower-based and Star Wars kits drive demand.The Danish toymaker said its revenues had increased by 21% to 41.9bn Danish kroner (£4.8bn) in the first six months of 2026, driven by strong growth in the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific regions. Sales by its clients to consumers rose by 22%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alan Jones and fellow 2GB host referred to SMH and reporter as ‘pigs in the media’, court hears 25. August 2026 (09:46) Jason Morrison, a former presenter at the Sydney radio station, denies ‘tailoring his evidence’ during trial of veteran shock jock JonesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlan Jones and fellow 2GB shock jock Jason Morrison often referred to the Sydney Morning Herald and its chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont as “pigs in the media”, a Sydney court has heard.The text messages were uncovered as Morrison faced accusations from the prosecution on Tuesday of “tailoring his evidence” about an alleged assault at a lower north shore restaurant to suit his friend Jones. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reader Q&A: ask international correspondent Luke Harding a question now 25. August 2026 (09:00) The Guardian’s senior international reporter Luke Harding will be answering your questions live from 1pm BST. Ask him about his new book on Trump and Putin, the state of the war in Ukraine, or his career reporting from Kyiv, Moscow and around the worldAsk a question: log in or sign up hereLuke Harding, author and award-winning foreign correspondent, has covered wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and most recently Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2011 he was the Guardian’s chief writer in Moscow before being expelled by the Kremlin.Luke has been reporting this week on the Andy Burnham’s renewal of support for Ukraine and Russia’s loudening threats to Britain. He has also recently written in depth about Ukraine’s increasingly successful drone warfare tactics and the aftermath of injuries for Ukrainian soldiers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US Treasury’s Scott Bessent ‘making mistake’ interfering with bond markets, former mentor warns 25. August 2026 (08:57) Trump ally should cut budget deficit rather than try to suppress bond yields, says billionaire Stanley DruckenmillerScott Bessent’s attempt to calm the bond markets and push down America’s cost of borrowing have attracted a rebuke from the US Treasury secretary’s former mentor.Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller, who worked with Bessent at George Soros’s fund management firm in the 1990s, has warned that his former pupil is courting danger by trying to suppress US bond yields. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man denied parole a second time over anti-Israel graffiti despite judge’s scathing critique of case 25. August 2026 (08:55) NSW parole authority says Mohommed Farhat followed ‘extremist ideology of antisemitic character’ while separately judge ruled ‘Fuk Israel’ was ‘political comment’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Sydney man convicted of writing “Fuk Israel” on cars and setting another vehicle alight has had his release on parole rejected a second time, despite a supreme court judge stating the case appeared to be a “serious miscarriage of justice”.Mohommed Farhat, 22, was initially due to be released on parole in December after serving 10 months in prison following the November 2024 vandalism in Woollahra. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
