Post-Brexit rights for British citizens are being undermined in Sweden 15. August 2026 (11:00) Apparent high level of removal orders suggests Sweden is rejecting ‘reasonable grounds’ for failing to apply to stayBack in October 2020, the UK immigration minister stood up in parliament to reassure campaigners concerned about EU citizens who weren’t aware they had to ask the Home Office to stay in the country after Brexit.Using an example of a child in foster care who might not know they were an EU citizen until they applied for their first job, the Conservative Kevin Foster said the UK would take “a generous approach as to what reasonable grounds [for failing to apply] were”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
First Australian death of little penguin with H5 bird flu confirmed on Phillip Island 15. August 2026 (09:01) Authorities confirm first Australian death of species found with virus near where it attracts crowds to a ‘penguin parade’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s first case of the deadly H5 bird flu in a little penguin has been confirmed on Victoria’s Phillip Island, only days after the state government announced it would begin vaccinating the species.Confirmation of the virus in the little penguin will spark a race to vaccinate thousands of birds, with the government announcing on Saturday it would begin the rollout on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘A tax on being thin’: only high earners make overall savings on food bills from weight-loss drugs 15. August 2026 (09:00) Users need discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to make savings on their grocery spend after paying £1,200 for GLP-1s, analysis findsThe high cost of weight-loss medication is a “regressive tax on being thin” because the outlay outweighs any saving on food costs for all but the highest earners.Someone needs to have discretionary income of nearly £100,000 a year to actually save money after covering the £1,200 annual cost of GLP-1 medication, according to an analysis by the consultancy Baringa. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Westminster council threatens Charing Cross soup kitchen with closure 15. August 2026 (08:00) Conservative authority says site is not safe for vulnerable people charity serves or general publicWestminster council is making it “impossible” for soup kitchens to operate by complaining about the “crowds of vulnerable people” who turn up to be fed, a charity has said.Steven Stuart, who founded Friends of Essex & London Homeless (FOELH) with his wife, Cheryl, a decade ago, said constant complaints from the council could force the soup kitchen to shut down. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BBC was warned of author’s claim to possess missing clothes of child murder victim 15. August 2026 (07:00) Corporation was told of claims by Christopher Berry-Dee that he had clothing, which was lost while in its possessionThe BBC was warned by two whistleblowers that a British true crime author was claiming to have obtained the missing clothes of a child murder victim that the broadcaster had lost.The Guardian has established that the office of the former head of the BBC and the corporation’s whistleblowing unit were both informed that Christopher Berry-Dee, the UK’s most successful true crime author, had told people he had obtained the clothes of Karen Hadaway, who was murdered in 1986. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Is the US ready for President Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez? 15. August 2026 (07:00) The New York congresswoman’s power is in the spotlight as people wonder if the stars are finally aligning for her to run for US president in 2028“They assume that my ambition is positional. They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat. And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country.”The words were delivered slowly, deliberately and with some steeliness by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her audience, crammed into the pews of Rockefeller Memorial chapel at the University of Chicago, burst into spontaneous applause. That was in May. In the three months since, the speculation around Ocasio-Cortez’s ambitions – for herself and for America – has only grown louder. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Concerns grow over increased global ties with Taliban in Afghanistan 15. August 2026 (07:00) Campaigners fear deeper diplomatic contacts are undermining demands for improvements in human rights The Taliban in Afghanistan have launched a diplomatic effort to end their isolation as major regional and international powers show a readiness to engage more closely with the repressive regime despite its systematic human rights abuses.Five years after the Taliban took power, an increasing number of countries are renewing ties or scaling up diplomatic contacts with the hardline Islamists, who seized power in Kabul in 2021 after 20 years of brutal insurgent warfare. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘My heart breaks into a million pieces’: emotional tributes to Kumanjayi Little Baby at Alice Springs funeral 15. August 2026 (06:58) Hundreds gathered with flashes of pink to farewell the five-year-old girl, who was allegedly murdered in AprilWarning: This story contains references to Indigenous Australians who have diedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA sombre funeral service for Kumanjayi Little Baby has been attended by hundreds of people from the Alice Springs community and surrounds.Wearing pink and some dressed in T-shirts bearing the face of the five-year-old girl, the crowd gathered under grey skies in the red centre capital on Saturday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Coalition split on Andrew Bragg speech as South Australian senator Andrew McLachlan urges colleagues to ‘follow his lead’ 15. August 2026 (04:00) Senior colleagues dismiss Bragg’s migration figures as ‘personal views’ while others say critical response is an ‘overreaction’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiberal senator Andrew McLachlan has publicly backed Andrew Bragg and urged colleagues to “follow his lead” after a public speech that has split colleagues and triggered a rebuke from opposition leader, Angus Taylor.At the National Press Club on Wednesday, Bragg announced a policy to slash the national construction code and suggested net overseas migration should be dropped from the current level of about 300,000 to below 180,000 a year to keep pace with new housing builds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Picasso print stolen from Milwaukee art gallery in 2018 found by landlord while cleaning apartment 15. August 2026 (03:27) Torero print, one of 30 known to exist signed by Picasso, was stolen from Bill DeLind’s gallery in 2018Bill DeLind thought the Picasso print that was stolen from his Milwaukee gallery in 2018 was gone forever. But then police called last week and asked him to look at an artwork that a local landlord found while cleaning out a vacant apartment.DeLind immediately recognized the stolen Torero print, one of 30 known to exist signed by Picasso. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
