‘Massive’ Ukrainian drone attack on Russia kills at least six, says Moscow 16. August 2026 (13:04) Kyiv launches what may be its largest attack wave of war, with fire breaking out at warehouse near Russian capitalUkraine has launched one of its largest drone attacks since the start of the war, causing a fire at a distribution warehouse near Moscow and killing at least six people overnight, according to Russian authorities.Russia’s defence ministry said it had shot down 822 drones, while the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, reported that 600 drones were launched towards the capital’s region, of which 201 were destroyed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US law to investigate foodborne illness outbreaks has been delayed for 15 years 16. August 2026 (13:00) Law was set to go into effect in January, months before cyclosporiasis outbreak, but now is set for 2028Congress passed a law to help federal agencies investigate outbreaks of foodborne illness – a regulation experts said could have stopped the US’s largest cyclosporiasis outbreak much sooner.The only problem? The rule has been delayed – for 15 years, including most recently amid lobbying in 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Angela Rayner moves to protect pubs from being turned into houses or offices 16. August 2026 (12:09) Housing secretary says developers will have to prove there is no way to save pub, as she prepares planning shake-upAll pubs will get protection from being turned into housing or offices under a shake-up of planning laws in England to be presented by Angela Rayner this week.The housing secretary will publish a new national planning policy framework aimed at loosening planning laws even further to help build 1.5m homes by the end of the parliament. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Block export of ‘national treasure’ UK fossils, says MP 16. August 2026 (11:00) Sale of one of UK’s top collections overseas prompts call new rules to help keep items in countryOne of UK’s best fossil collections sold in ‘loss to the nation’An MP has called on ministers to change export controls so that significant fossils can be classed as national treasures after one of the UK’s best collections, unearthed on Dorset beaches, was sold overseas.Last week, a Guardian investigation revealed that an unparalleled collection of fossils from the UK’s Jurassic Coast, comprising hundreds of specimens including ichthyosaurs, had been sold to the Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi for what one source described as an “eight-figure sum”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
University spinout to launch water quality app for UK and US waters 16. August 2026 (11:00) Molendotech will collate data from daily tests that detect E coli and other bacteria amid reports of swimmers falling illA UK university spinout behind a rapid bacterial water testing kit is planning to launch live water quality maps, as scores of beachgoers report falling ill after swimming.Molendotech, a spinout from the University of Plymouth, sells a portable test that detects E coli and other bacteria in water and delivers results on the spot, without waiting for days to get laboratory results. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
King Charles and Prince William face £10m energy upgrade bill for estates 16. August 2026 (11:00) New rules could affect nine in 10 rental properties in duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster and at Sandringham King Charles and Prince William could be forced to spend up to £10m upgrading hundreds of rental properties on their private estates to meet planned energy-efficiency rules.The government has announced that landlords will need to ensure their properties have energy performance certificate (EPC) ratings of C or higher by 2030 – up from the current requirement of an E. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Our children are less cognitively capable,’ says neuroscientist who wants to cut screen use in schools 16. August 2026 (09:00) Jared Cooney Horvath argues that educational technology undermines how children learn and developJared Cooney Horvath is on a mission. In the wake of global campaigns for smartphone bans in schools and social media restrictions for under-16s, the neuroscientist wants to raise the alarm about educational technology in classrooms.A former teacher, Horvath believes the use of screens and digital tools in schools is undermining how children learn and develop. “This might be one of the hardest truths our generation has to face,” he writes in his book, The Digital Delusion. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gorging on bearcam: the livestream of big beasts eating that draws millions 16. August 2026 (08:00) Ahead of Fat Bear Week, avid fans are glued to the spectacle of brown bears devouring salmon at Brooks Falls in AlaskaOne of this summer’s biggest onscreen hits has had big beasts, great escapes and choppy waters, but it’s not Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey – it’s a livestream of Alaskan brown bears catching salmon.The Brooks Falls bearcam at Katmai national park in the US was watched 7.3m times between 22 June and 4 August – up 70% from the same period last year and more than double the views it attracted in 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We detected unusual activity’: the scam that uses AI to exploit your holiday photos 16. August 2026 (08:00) Fraudsters use pictures posted on Instagram or Facebook to create emails seeking bank account detailsYou are on a short break in Porto and post some pictures of your family on Instagram or Facebook. With a small section of the Douro river in the background, you think it could have been taken anywhere.A few days later, you get a text saying that your card was compromised. “We detected unusual activity while you were travelling in Porto – please verify immediately,” says the message. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New UK cost of living crisis looms with soaring energy bills forecast to lift inflation 16. August 2026 (07:00) Latest reading on Wednesday likely to frame scale of challenge for new PM to ease pressures on households amid Iran war fallout British households are facing a renewed cost of living squeeze, with official figures expected to show this week that soaring energy bills drove up inflation in July to close to 3%.As the Iran war continues to send shock waves through global energy markets, economists predict the surge in UK gas and electricity bills last month will push Britain’s headline inflation rate to 2.9%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
