Tributes paid to Jason Arday after former Cambridge professor’s death 15. August 2026 (14:22) Andy Burnham calls for reflection after ‘a tragedy on so many levels’ in comments echoed by London mayor Sadiq KhanAndy Burnham has called the death of Jason Arday, who was found dead at his home in south London on Friday, a “tragedy on so many levels”.Arday resigned as a professor at the University of Cambridge last week after allegations of plagiarism, which he denied. He was pronounced dead just after 3pm on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Met apologises for exposing 143 email addresses of Mohamed Al Fayed victims 15. August 2026 (14:22) London police force tells Telegraph incident was result of ‘human error’ and it is conducting an investigationThe Metropolitan police have apologised for accidentally exposing the email addresses of more than 140 victims of Mohamed Al Fayed.In a group update about its investigation into the former Harrods owner, the force copied the email addresses of 143 victims of Fayed in a message that included about 12 other recipients, the Telegraph reported. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Cheap travel is not a defence’: the parents facing court for school absences in England 15. August 2026 (14:00) In one court in Kent, most cases relate to term-time holidays, but non-attendance is a complex issue and post-pandemic rates remain highAs the long school summer break approached its mid-point recently, Margate beach was crowded with families enjoying the brief reprieve between the year’s fourth and fifth heatwaves. For most, thoughts of the classroom were probably not at the forefront of their minds.But for the seven mothers and two fathers who were summoned at 10am to a stuffy room in the town’s magistrates court, set just behind the beachfront strip of arcades, the subject was unavoidable. They were among hundreds of parents due in courts across England this month for failing to ensure their children had regularly attended school over the course of the last academic year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How to buy a ‘mega-dinghy’: the perilous new model of Channel crossing 15. August 2026 (14:00) Boats carrying hundreds of people are a clear and alarming trend. But where do such large vessels come from?Providing a large dinghy for use in the choppy seas of western Europe was not a problem, as long as the order was for more than 20 vessels, they said. The sales manager at the Chinese company even had an online brochure for an undercover Guardian reporter, posing as a prospective client, to peruse.They had a production capacity of 500 boats a month and, yes, it was possible to get even bigger ones for the right price. They could do a seven or even an eight-metre military-style dinghy for $1,678 (£1,238) a boat, without the engines, but that would be lacking CE certification, the mandatory mark that shows a product meets EU health and safety requirements.Additional reporting by Lyndon Li Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lindsay Clancy murder trial: prosecutors revive theory of faked suicide attempt 15. August 2026 (13:00) Prosecutors pointed to internet searches made on the family computer in the months before the killings to make their caseProsecutors revived a theory in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial case this week, suggesting she had faked a suicide attempt after allegedly strangling her three children.While prosecutors have been arguing that Clancy acted intentionally and should be held criminally responsible, her defense has said she suffered from postpartum psychosis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US navy veterans and military health experts express concern over USS Abraham Lincoln sailors 15. August 2026 (13:00) Prolonged deployment is coupled with reports of water shortages, plumbing issues and attempts to jump overboardTrump downplays concerns about sailors onboard USS Abraham Lincoln US navy veterans and military health experts are expressing concerns about the strain on sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has spent nearly nine months at sea supporting US operations in the Middle East, amid reports of poor living conditions and worsening mental health among its crew.The San Diego-based aircraft carrier left port on 21 November, originally bound for the Pacific, but was redirected to the Middle East as the US-Israel war with Iran began. It has now spent more than 250 consecutive days at sea without a significant port visit, with its deployment repeatedly extended. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK’s biggest EV battery gigafactory shelves expansion as Jaguar Land Rover talks stall 15. August 2026 (13:00) Chinese-owned AESC has pushed back plans in sign of slowing transition from petrol and diesel to electric carsAndy Burnham moves to cut new EV sales targetsThe UK’s biggest gigafactory has shelved plans to expand production in Sunderland because of stalled talks on a deal to supply electric car batteries to Jaguar Land Rover.Chinese-owned AESC produces batteries for Nissan at its gigafactory next door to the Japanese carmaker’s Sunderland plant. However, AESC has had to push back its ramp-up plans because of lower-than-expected demand from Nissan and the lack of a deal with JLR, according to people with knowledge of the situation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Double jeopardy could spell end of state case after Luigi Mangione’s guilty plea 15. August 2026 (13:00) Defense argues New York cannot try Mangione over same act or offense as federal case – the killing of Brian ThompsonLuigi Mangione’s plea to federal stalking charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s death has spurred questions about the fate of the separate Manhattan murder case against him, with experts saying New York’s double-jeopardy law could derail that trial.Mangione pleaded guilty to one count of interstate stalking resulting in death, and one count of cyberstalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death, in connection with the 4 December 2024 shooting outside a Midtown hotel. Both charges carry a potential maximum life sentence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli strikes on south Lebanon kill nine in worst toll since June 15. August 2026 (12:48) Two airstrikes reportedly hit homes in Ansar and Deir al-Zahrani with rescue services trying to find survivorsNine people have been killed, including three children, and 11 injured in two Israeli airstrikes on south Lebanon, the worst toll since deals in June brought a lull in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.Israeli warplanes bombed a home on the outskirts of the village of Ansar in southern Lebanon, killing seven people and flattening the building early on Saturday morning. Rescue services were working at the site to try to find survivors and locate bodies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Donald Trump doesn’t just love billionaires, he loves multimillionaires too 15. August 2026 (12:00) US tax policy deprives the government of revenue and overwhelmingly serves the interests of the richAfter the House passed its version of Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last year – the one that paired a $5tn-plus tax cut with $1tn-plus of cuts from food stamps and Medicaid – the House speaker, Mike Johnson, explained that “this is not giving tax cuts to the millionaires”. The beneficiaries, he said, were “small business owners” that “provide the jobs in every community in America”.Johnson was playing to the myth of the modest, sturdy Main Street job creator. It is an appealing story. It’s also the most consequential piece of BS distorting American policy that deprives the government of tax revenue, stunts American capitalism, twists regulations, thwarts competition and overwhelmingly serves millionaires’ interests. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
