Surrogate mother who fled to Texas gives birth to baby with severe heart defect 13. August 2026 (04:12) McKenna West initially agreed to an abortion after diagnosis, but then fled to state where abortion is illegal and broke contact with biological parents, attorney allegesA surrogate mother who traveled to Texas, where abortion is illegal, claiming she was pressured to end the pregnancy after the discovery of a severe heart defect, gave birth on Wednesday to a baby boy.The child’s biological parents, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed of California, confirmed the birth through their lawyer, while denying they forced McKenna West, who is from Alaska, to undergo an abortion, the Texas Tribune reported. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reformers were ‘spectacularly unsuccessful’ in taking over NSW Liberals, Catholic schools boss says 13. August 2026 (04:08) Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney tells Icac corruption inquiry that Christain factional group driven by ‘a calling … a duty’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA factional ally of the federal opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has told a corruption inquiry that a group of Christian Liberal power brokers who allegedly solicited illegal political donations were “spectacularly unsuccessful in their ambitions”.The Catholic Schools NSW chief executive, Dallas McInerney, told the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Thursday that the Reformers’ model was never correct. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
David McBride leaves prison on parole after being jailed for leaking Afghanistan war documents 13. August 2026 (03:08) Attorney general grants former army lawyer’s release after 27 months in jail Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDavid McBride, the former army lawyer jailed for his role in stealing secret defence documents about the Afghanistan war and leaking them to the media, has been released from prison in Canberra on Thursday.McBride was sentenced to a maximum five years and eight months in jail in May 2024, but is being released on parole after serving his full non-parole period of 27 months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Travis Kelce says wedding to Taylor Swift was 'the best night of my life' in first official comments 13. August 2026 (02:17) Kelce’s remarks on his marriage to Swift at Madison Square Garden comes weeks after the event, which remains shrouded in mysteryAmerican football star Travis Kelce has described his secretive early July wedding to pop sensation Taylor Swift as “the best night of my life.”“I appreciate everybody who came out and celebrated and, you know, had fun with us,” the Kansas City Chiefs player told a briefing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
San Francisco-area estate sells for $70m in sign of AI-fueled wealth explosion 13. August 2026 (01:22) New owner is said to be involved in AI industry, as new class of multimillionaires is entering the real estate raceA luxury Lake Como-inspired estate in the San Francisco Bay Area has sold to a buyer “in the AI world” for a record $70m, in the latest sign of a new tech wealth boom that’s pushing home prices to extraordinary heights in the regionThe property south of San Francisco not only becomes the most expensive sale in its affluent town of Hillsborough, doubling a previous record, but is also the most expensive sale in northern California this year, according to listing agent Jennifer Gilson of Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nurses fainting in ‘inhumane’ conditions due to extreme heat, union warns 13. August 2026 (01:01) RCN calls for more air conditioners as Burnham faces pressure to recognise urgency of adaptation to climate crisisNurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned, as Andy Burnham promised to grapple with “the bigger questions” of climate adaptation.Amid growing pressure from Labour backbenches to fully acknowledge the urgency of adaptation measures as the climate crisis bites, Burnham said he was for now focusing on the immediate crises caused by an ongoing summer of extreme heat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minnesota man killed his wife and child before dying by suicide, police say 13. August 2026 (00:34) Police said they believed deceased man was assailant in domestic-related homicide at daycare centerA man killed a woman and their child inside a small in-home daycare center they own in Minnesota before taking his own life, police said on Wednesday.Hopkins police department said in statement they responded to a report of a stabbing at the residence on the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North around 9am in the Minneapolis suburb of Hopkins. Inside, they found two adults and a child dead. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pay with a glance at a screen as biometric technology company begins push into Australian retail 13. August 2026 (00:30) Customers will be able to pay using face and palm scans, potentially speeding up transactions – but rollout of the technology is likely to be slowFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe company behind 300,000 Eftpos terminals across Australia is hoping shoppers will want to make payments by simply glancing at a screen, as biometric technology pushes further into retailing.Verifone is selling the innovation as “pay for your coffee with a smile”, promising faster checkouts for people who opt in to having their face or palm-vein – the veins in people’s hands – biometrics used for Eftpos transactions in Australia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ignore the doomsdayers – property investing in Australia is far from broken 13. August 2026 (00:24) Investor loan applications may have fallen since the start of the year, but the slump already appears to be turning aroundGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIgnore the doomsday warnings about the government’s tax changes – property investing in Australia is a little bruised, but it’s far from broken.The country’s biggest mortgage lender, Commonwealth Bank, reported a bumper $11bn full-year cash profit on Wednesday, backed by robust demand for its lending products, especially mortgages. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Karoline Leavitt will step down as White House press secretary, Trump says 12. August 2026 (23:36) US president announced departure on social media, saying Leavitt was leaving to ‘spend more time’ with familyUS politics – live updatesKaroline Leavitt will step down as White House press secretary at the end of August, Donald Trump announced.The US president revealed her departure on social media, saying Leavitt was leaving “so she can spend more time” with her family. The 28-year-old gave birth to a daughter, Viviana, in May, and returned from maternity leave last month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
