Fears for missing Sydney teen who hasn’t been seen since leaving for hike on Wednesday 15. August 2026 (03:07) Fresh search teams to scour Nattai national park for Lily Hooper, 18, who failed to return home from a bushwalkGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe search for an 18-year-old bushwalker missing in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales since Wednesday is continuing, with fresh teams arriving at the Nattai national park on Saturday morning.Lily Hooper left her home in Sydney’s south-west about 8am on 12 August, after telling family she was going for a hike in the national park, north-west of Mittagong. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia, triggering tsunami warning 15. August 2026 (01:43) Quake hit Indonesia’s Flores region with a depth of 10km early on Saturday morningA powerful 7.7-magnitude quake struck eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, triggering a tsunami warning and prompting hundreds to evacuate.The quake hit Indonesia’s Flores region with a depth of 10km at 5:58am on Saturday, Indonesia time. The epicentre of the shallow quake was 68km (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump downplays concerns about sailors onboard USS Abraham Lincoln amid record deployment 15. August 2026 (00:12) President said nine months at sea ‘not nearly long enough’ even as families call for attention to mental health crisisDonald Trump has downplayed concerns about US sailors enduring a record-setting deployment of nearly nine months onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Friday, saying the deployment was “not nearly long enough” as concerns mount over mental health and supply issues onboard the aircraft carrier.The US president made the comments during a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York for an event highlighting falling violent crime rates across the US. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump threatens to declare strait of Hormuz ‘territory of the United States’ 14. August 2026 (23:38) Seriousness of remark made in New York on Friday, and whether it signaled new policy position, not clearDonald Trump has threatened to declare the strait of Hormuz as “a territory of the United States” as his administration struggles to conclude the war with Iran.During a speech at a police academy on Long Island, New York, on Friday, the US president said he would “pretty soon” designate the waterway – a crucial chokepoint for global trade, through which about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies typically pass – a US territory. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham announces £65m for drought-hit farmers after Labour pressure 14. August 2026 (23:30) PM steps up climate response with measures including better water access and support for building farm reservoirsFarmers must not carry the risks of the climate crisis alone, Andy Burnham has said, as he announced £65m of funding to help them manage the devastating drought.The prime minister is stepping up his response to the immediate climate crisis after facing a backlash from his own MPs and Labour’s grassroots for not addressing the climate crisis despite wildfires tearing through Britain and a drought affecting food producers. Labour MPs argued Burnham had taken too long to talk about the climate crisis and had not made it a priority. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BBC seeks to subpoena Trump children and son-in-law over defamation lawsuit 14. August 2026 (23:05) Network wants to serve Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr after president sues over January 6 documentaryThe BBC is trying to subpoena Donald Trump’s children as it builds its defense against the president’s defamation lawsuit centered on a documentary on the January 6 insurrection.In a motion filed on Friday, the BBC sought authorization to serve Trump’s two eldest children, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, with subpoenas for testimony and their records on the events of 6 January 2021. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ontario free to axe Toronto bike lanes, region’s top court rules 14. August 2026 (23:03) Win is significant for region’s premier, Doug Ford, who blames protected zones for city’s traffic illsThe Ontario government is now free to rip out Toronto’s bike lanes on its busiest streets after the region’s top court ruled in favour of the province on Friday, overturning a lower court’s decision that decreed removal would violate constitutional rights.The win is significant for Ontario’s premier, Doug Ford, and his government, who have long railed against Toronto’s bike lanes, blaming the protected zones for the city’s traffic ills. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jason Arday found dead after resigning from Cambridge over plagiarism claims 14. August 2026 (21:56) Academic was pronounced dead at his home in south London after police called to address after 3pm on FridayJason Arday, the black academic who resigned last week as a professor at the University of Cambridge, has been found dead at his home in south London.The Metropolitan police said officers were called to Arday’s address by the London ambulance service after 3pm on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Devastating’: bulldozers plough through Big Bend national park as Trump’s border work pushes ahead 14. August 2026 (21:27) Heavy machinery seen operating in famous Santa Elena Canyon amid outcry over new wall infrastructure in beloved Texas parkBulldozers have begun plowing up ground at the mouth of Big Bend national park’s famed Santa Elena Canyon as part of the Trump administration’s multibillion-dollar “smart wall” expansion on the US-Mexico border, according to new footage taken by activists who have been monitoring the site.Tensions have run high since the Trump administration announced plans to erect new border security infrastructure in the roughly 500-mile Big Bend region of south-west Texas, which includes the Lone Star State’s largest and most-visited national park. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Emergency alert warning of wildfire risk sent to phones in England and Wales 14. August 2026 (21:19) People urged not to light barbecues, campfires or anything else that could spark fire during period of extreme heatMillions of people across England and Wales received an emergency alert to their phones on Friday as the government warned against activities that could start fires.The deputy prime minister, Louise Haigh, said it was the most extensive use to date of the emergency alert system, with phones beaming a siren noise about 7pm, with the warning: “There is a serious risk of wildfires nationally.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
