CPS director apologises for failings in case of rapist-murderer Simon Levy 14. August 2026 (01:06) Stephen Parkinson says court should have been told that sex offender was being investigated for even more serious offencesThe director of the Crown Prosecution Service has apologised and vowed to increase staff numbers after conceding that the court deciding whether to release Simon Levy on bail should have known the serial sex offender was being investigated for rape and murder.Levy, 40, was this week given a rare whole-life sentence for the murders of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins, and the rape of another woman. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Unemployed young people to join AI boot camps to get job-ready 14. August 2026 (01:01) Pilot scheme will provide three weeks of training as part of UK government’s latest attempt to address Neets crisisYoung people out of work or at risk of unemployment in the UK are to join “AI boot camps” where they harness the technology to get a foothold in the workplace.The government’s latest attempt to address the crisis in Neets – young people not in work or education – involves turning to a technology that many view as a potential threat to employment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US government extensively spied on anti-ICE protesters and leftwing groups, records reveal 14. August 2026 (00:00) DHS sent undercover agents to meetings, infiltrated chats and obtained financial records in vast operation into groups opposing Trump’s immigration crackdownNewly disclosed records reveal the US government extensively spied on prominent leftwing organizations and on protesters as part of a vast operation into groups opposing the immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year.Internal investigative reports show the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent undercover agents to community meetings in the Twin Cities and New York, infiltrated Signal chats and obtained financial records of mainstream unions and left-leaning nonprofit groups. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nigel Farage set for decisive but arguably empty victory in Clacton 13. August 2026 (23:56) Leader of Reform UK on course to defeat Count Binface and an assortment of fringe candidates as polls close in Essex Voting has closed in one of the UK’s more unusual and least tense byelections, with Nigel Farage set for a decisive if arguably empty victory against dozens of independent, fringe, extreme or otherwise oddball opponents.The Reform UK leader sought re-election to his Clacton seat in early July in an attempt to regain the political initiative following weeks of scrutiny over gifts he received and other aspects of his financial affairs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Albanese says he argued for tariff exemption in ‘substantial’ call with Trump 13. August 2026 (23:55) PM says he also spoke with the US president about Aukus, which ‘remains full steam ahead’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlbanese says gambling inducements are ‘over the top’ Albanese said gambling inducements are “over the top and need to be wound back”.Look, we’re working constructively across the parliament to put in place these reforms. They are important.The problem is addiction, and when someone has an addiction if there are inducements that are encouraging that addiction, that’s a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with people having a punt on a Saturday … the problem is if it’s an addiction.We agreed it was a project that is and will continue to deliver benefits for the United States, for Australia, and for the United Kingdom.I always put forward Australia’s national interest during these discussions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Massachusetts teen accused of killing mother and brother used ChatGPT 13. August 2026 (23:34) District attorney says Arjun Aravind, 17, used internet and AI to search for fantasy stories regarding killing of his familyA Massachusetts teenager accused of killing his mother and younger brother is being held without bail as authorities investigate a double-murder case that prosecutors say is connected to his use of ChatGPT.Arjun Aravind, 17, appeared Thursday morning for his arraignment in Concord district court, where a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf to murder and several additional charges. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Flock Safety tries to curb police abuse of its surveillance cameras after scandals 13. August 2026 (22:20) CEO announces steps after reports that system is used to target immigrants or people seeking out-of-state abortionsFor nearly a decade, the company Flock Safety has gradually built out a network of cameras across the US that allows law enforcement officials to conduct about 20bn license plate scans every month.In that time, the company had largely left the decision to turn on safety measures up to its customers. Many of those organizations did not turn them on. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pete Hegseth dismisses reports of deteriorating conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln 13. August 2026 (22:06) Defense secretary said conditions on aircraft carrier deployed in support of Iran war have been ‘completely misrepresented’The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, insisted a wave of reports describing deteriorating conditions and mental health struggles onboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln “completely misrepresented” the situation, pushing back against growing congressional pressure over the ship’s record-breaking, nearly nine-month deployment.“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth told reporters during a visit to Panama, adding that “some deployments are longer than others” and praising sailors enduring “high seas” and “austere conditions with less port calls”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russian plot to kill Ukrainian American thwarted in Warsaw, says Polish PM 13. August 2026 (21:32) Donald Tusk says it is first time ‘someone on the order of Russia’ has sought to attack US citizen in Nato countryA Russian plan to kill a Ukrainian American citizen in Warsaw was thwarted by Poland before it could be carried out, the Polish prime minister has said.Donald Tusk said it was the first time that “someone on the order of Russia” had sought to attack a US citizen on the territory of another Nato country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli troops force families from homes amid settler terror campaign in West Bank 13. August 2026 (20:54) Former PM of Israel calls events ‘concerted and meticulous attempt at ethnic cleansing’ against PalestiniansIsraeli troops have forced two Palestinian families to leave their besieged West Bank homes, the day after a top Israeli commander personally promised he would end a violent settler campaign to drive them out.Israeli soldiers also took over eight other homes in Qusra early on Thursday, telling the village’s mayor, Abdul Azim Wadi, that the buildings were needed for a days-long operation to remove the settlers. They later relinquished six. Settlers still roam the village. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
