UK universities face ‘financial crisis’ amid collapse in international students 13. August 2026 (19:49) Higher education figures call on Labour to reverse tax on fees and warn institutions at risk of ‘going under’University leaders are warning of financial turmoil in British higher education after new figures suggested a collapse in international student numbers would deprive the sector of vital income and undermine its future.The sector’s leaders called on the government to rethink the levy on international student fees imposed under Keir Starmer, as a former universities minister warned there was a risk of a university “going under” because of the financial crisis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BAE Systems to pay $36m penalty after 104 violations of US arms export rules 13. August 2026 (19:35) State department says it has reached administrative settlement with company’s US arm to resolve breachesThe UK defence company BAE Systems is to pay a $36m (£26.7m) civil penalty after breaching US arms exports regulations more than 100 times.The US Department of State announced on Thursday that it had reached an administrative settlement with the US arm of BAE to resolve 104 violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine ‘offering Russia deal to halt attacks on civilian ships in Black Sea’ 13. August 2026 (19:13) Kyiv reportedly suggested mutual agreement in attempt to reopen crucial grain corridor Ukraine has proposed a deal with Russia for both sides to halt their attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea in an apparent attempt to reopen a crucial grain corridor, Reuters reports.Kyiv is said to have made the offer through a third party. Moscow has yet to respond, the news agency added. The busy waterway is a key export route for both Russia and Ukraine, used to transport grain and other vital foodstuffs worldwide. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit against Harvard over Jewish students 13. August 2026 (17:59) Federal court rules administration failed to plausibly show ongoing violation of civil rights lawA US federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit that claimed Harvard University failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment in the aftermath of the war in Gaza.In a ruling on Thursday, US district judge Richard Stearns in Boston said the administration’s lawsuit – filed in March – failed to plausibly show an ongoing violation of federal civil rights law on Harvard’s campus. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Train derailment in East Sussex closes several routes 13. August 2026 (17:57) Rapid emergency response under way after Southern rail service comes off tracks in Lewes areaA passenger train has derailed in East Sussex, prompting a rapid emergency response in the area.Several rail routes were closed after a Southern service came off the tracks near Lewes just before 4pm. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Birmingham Four’ lawyers hope spycops inquiry will reopen case 13. August 2026 (17:52) Undercover officers working for West Midlands’ ‘special projects team’ planted evidence to convict men, lawyers claimLawyers representing four men convicted of terror offences are increasingly hopeful that revelations from the undercover policing inquiry could boost the chances of their case being reopened.Ten years ago, Khobaib Hussain, Naweed Ali, Mohibur Rahman and Tahir Aziz were arrested and later convicted of plotting a terrorist attack in the UK after an elaborate covert police operation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK records hottest day of the year as fifth summer heatwave reaches peak 13. August 2026 (17:48) Kew Gardens in London hits 38.1C and 40C-plus expected in parts of Europe with continent trapped under heat domeEurope heatwave – latest updatesThe UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far with a provisional temperature of 38.1C in southern England as Europe sweltered under a major heat dome.As temperatures on the continent approached 40C at the peak of the summer’s fifth heatwave, the thermometer at Kew Gardens in west London surpassed the previous high of 38C on 28 June, the Met Office said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Oklahoma man put to death in first of three US executions scheduled on same day 13. August 2026 (17:28) If all executions go ahead, it will be first time in over 15 years there have been over three judicial killings in US in one dayCarlos Cuesta-Rodriguez has been put to death by the state of Oklahoma, in the first of three executions scheduled for Thursday in a rare triple procedure that underlines the renewed appetite in the US for state killings.Cuesta-Rodriguez, 70, was pronounced dead at 10.13am at the Oklahoma state penitentiary in McAlester. He was sentenced to death for murdering his common-law wife, Olimpia Fisher, in 2003. He had unsuccessfully appealed for mercy, saying he was remorseful and had struggled all his life from mental illness. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The colander worked best!’ Guardian readers share their experience of the solar eclipse 13. August 2026 (17:19) Readers recall the breathtaking sight and community spirit of the rare celestial treat – and the handmade contraptions they saw it throughOn Wednesday evening, millions of people in Europe watched a rare solar eclipse. We asked some of them to share their photographs and experiences of this celestial treat.
Here are some of their responses. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
DRC’s fast-growing Ebola outbreak spreads to sixth province 13. August 2026 (17:17) Man dies in Bas-Uele after travelling from Haut-Uele, as head of WHO says outbreak on track to be deadliest everThe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to a sixth province, officials have said, a day after the head of the World Health Organization said the outbreak was on track to surpass the deadliest in history, which erupted more than a decade ago and killed more than 11,000 people.Jean Kaseya, the director general of Africa CDC, said a death had been recorded in the previously unaffected Bas-Uele province. Kaseya said the man had travelled from Isiro, in Haut-Uele province, to Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele, where he died. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
