‘Absolutely manic’: hot weather puts unprecedented pressure on Greater Manchester police 16. August 2026 (16:00) Force has seen busiest month in its history, with heatwaves putting added strain on criminal justice systemOn England’s hottest day of the year so far, Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester was thronging with pedestrians, many clutching ice-creams or cold drinks as they passed through the town centre.Officers from Greater Manchester police were also out in force, some in plainclothes, some stationed by a facial-recognition van, apprehending wanted suspects and stopping persons of interest. In total, officers made 54 arrests across the borough of Tameside as part of Operation Avro, GMP’s blitz on local crime which runs in a different district each month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Murder inquiry opens after death of man bitten by dog in West Yorkshire 16. August 2026 (15:04) Detectives say 55-year-old man arrested and appeal for anyone who witnessed altercation in WakefieldPolice in West Yorkshire have launched a murder investigation into the death of a man after he was bitten by a dog.Officers were dispatched to Wakefield just after 1.30pm on Saturday, after receiving reports of an altercation a short time earlier on an old trainline footpath. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Taliban threaten former Afghan police worker after MoD leak reveals identity 16. August 2026 (15:00) UK has refused resettlement application despite ‘years of loyal service’ that have resulted in ‘constant fear’ of reprisalsA man has received threats from the Taliban after his work for the Afghan police was revealed by a Ministry of Defence leak and the UK refused his application for resettlement.Hamid* worked for the Afghan national police special unit and received certificates for his work signed by senior British figures praising his “dedication, unparalleled service and leadership”. His details were also included in an accidental 2022 leak by an MoD official that identified 18,700 Afghans who had worked with or for the British government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Our rota crew have the best summer’: parents share how they get through the school holiday 16. August 2026 (15:00) As research suggests six weeks of childcare can cost £1,145, parents are relying on spreadsheets, savings and sharing the loadThe summer holidays are in full swing, bringing the annual challenge many parents face in balancing work and looking after school-age children. With children off school for about 13 weeks a year, but most employees entitled to far less annual leave, parents have told the Guardian that the sums simply do not add up.New research suggests arranging six weeks of holiday childcare can cost working parents up to £1,145 a child, while almost three-quarters of parents say the summer childcare juggle can damage their career. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida sets record for sea turtle nests but Trump move could stall recovery 16. August 2026 (14:00) Loggerhead turtles abound this season but rollback of Endangered Species Act protections could threaten futureWildlife groups in Florida are celebrating record numbers of sea turtle nests this season, but experts warn Donald Trump’s recent gutting of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) could reverse decades of their recovery from the edge of extinction.With more than two months of the summer nesting season still to run, loggerhead turtles have already laid 13,770 nests, hundreds more than recorded in any previous year, along an 8.5-mile stretch of shoreline monitored by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, on Florida’s Atlantic coast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Why did it become personal?’: furore over plans to expand Kent oyster shack 16. August 2026 (14:00) James Green’s oyster company owns a chunk of Whitstable’s shoreline but success has not brought affection from residentsThe clink of glasses and the lapping of the tide was punctuated by giggling toddlers and the slurp of oysters at tables populated by people gently sizzling on a baking day on the Kent seaside.But James Green, of the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company, had the demeanour of a man who had found grit in his mollusc. “I don’t like to use the term but it is nimbyism,” he said. “Why did it become personal? I don’t know really. Because we’re a family business, it’s a relatively small town?” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rare Renaissance paintings by Antonello da Messina stolen from Sicilian museum 16. August 2026 (13:42) Four works were taken during public holiday, the day after Italian police recovered paintings by Cézanne, Renoir and MatisseFour of the most important works of art by the 15th-century Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen during a national holiday from a museum in the Sicilian port city of Messina.Thieves gained access to the regional museum of Messina, or MuMe, on Saturday evening, possibly capitalising on attention being focused on La Vara, a huge religious festival that takes place in the city on 15 August, when Italy marks the ferragosto national holiday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham urged to crack down on gig economy firms to protect 4m workers 16. August 2026 (13:29) Exclusive: Campaigners say millions are missing out on key rights including sick pay and protection against unfair dismissalAndy Burnham is being urged to protect 4 million gig economy workers by prosecuting companies that use widespread “bogus” self-employment practices to deny people their rights.As the prime minister fleshes out his agenda, the Fabian Society and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have warned that millions of workers are missing out on key statutory rights including parental leave, redundancy pay and protection against unfair dismissal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man under threat of deportation to Jamaica wins right to rejoin his British family 16. August 2026 (13:27) Mark Nelson released from immigration detention on bail after lawyers challenge decision to remove himA Jamaican man who has lived more than half his life in the UK and was facing imminent deportation has been allowed to reunite with his British family after a legal challenge.Mark Nelson, 47, came to the UK in 2000 and later set up his own car-mechanic business. He has five British children and a British partner. He faced deportation in 2022 after serving a four-year prison sentence for possession with intent to supply a class B drug, abstracting electricity and two offences of racially aggravated intentional harassment. He had not committed any further offences. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bus carrying Polish pilgrims crashes in Hungary, leaving 12 dead 16. August 2026 (13:07) Another 10 people in serious condition after bus veers off motorway and overturnsTwelve people have died after a bus carrying a group of Polish tourists overturned on the M3 motorway in Hungary on the way back from Bosnia and Herzegovina.Local police said the bus crashed near the town of Mezőkeresztes after it “went off the straight road into a ditch and overturned” at 1am local time. Early reports suggested the driver had probably fallen asleep. He survived the crash and was taken into custody. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
