Labour urges Gambling Commission to investigate firms linked to Reform UK donors 18. August 2026 (15:30) Bridget Phillipson writes to watchdog asking it to look into claims Tether.bet and Fispay operated without a licenceThe Gambling Commission has been urged to investigate claims that companies linked to Reform UK donors and allies of Nigel Farage have been operating without a licence.The Labour party’s chair, Bridget Phillipson, has written to the watchdog asking it to look into Tether.bet, a Montenegro-based gambling company, and Fispay, a UK company owned by Reform’s data protection officer, Mowbray Jackson.Whether Tether.bet, and its operators, provided or advertised remote gambling facilities to consumers in UK without the required licenceWhether Fispay Ltd, or any other UK company, provided or supported gambling facilities or services to consumers in the UK without the required licence.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Philippine school shooter kills fellow student and himself in livestreamed attack 18. August 2026 (15:21) Country’s second fatal school shooting in two months took place in southern city of Zamboanga A student livestreamed himself shooting and killing another pupil in a classroom in the southern Philippines before taking his own life, the second school attack in the country in less than two months.The shooting took place at a school attached to Ateneo de Zamboanga University in the southern city of Zamboanga, a Catholic private institution in western Mindanao. Zamboanga city’s mayor, Khymer Adan Olaso, told the DZMM radio station that the shooter “managed to enter carrying a high-powered firearm and a .45-calibre pistol”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Scientists who turned to OnlyFans to fund marmot research receive crypto boost 18. August 2026 (15:00) Funding boost worth $100,000 has recently materialized in form of new marmot-themed cryptocurrencyScientists who turned to OnlyFans to help save long-running research into marmots have raised more than $100,000 after harnessing the support of another, very modern, funding avenue – cryptocurrency.The 60-year project of continuous study of marmots – stout, ground-dwelling rodents that are the largest members of the squirrel family – across the US west was facing termination following science funding cuts imposed by Donald Trump’s administration. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man appears in court after dog-bite death in Wakefield 18. August 2026 (14:48) Lee Ellis charged with manslaughter over death of James Judge, who was bitten by German shepherd on footpathA 55-year-old man has appeared in court charged with manslaughter over the death of a man who was bitten by a dog on a footpath.Bradford magistrates court heard on Tuesday that James Judge was bitten by a dog belonging to Lee Ellis on Saturday afternoon after an apparent dispute between the two men about right of way. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Phyllida Law, prolific performer across stage and screen, dies aged 94 18. August 2026 (14:42) As adept at comedy and musicals as she was drama, Law acted alongside daughters Emma and Sophie in a career spanning eight decadesPhyllida Law, whose prolific acting career encompassed a wide range of stage, TV and film roles – a number of which were alongside her daughters Emma and Sophie Thompson – has died aged 94. Her personal manager Jacky Leggo said in a statement that she “died supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by all of her family”.Born in Glasgow in 1932, Law was accepted at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre school – initially intending to be a stage designer but then switching to acting. She appeared in a number of Bristol Old Vic productions in the 1950s, and it was there she met Eric Thompson, a fellow actor, whom she married in 1957. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Redistricting scrambles Florida primary as Alaska awaits Dan Sullivan v Dan Sullivan – US politics live 18. August 2026 (14:39) Today’s contests will help shape the fiercely contested midterms this fall to determine control of CongressA tale of two Dan Sullivans: Republicans with same name contest Alaska primarySign up for the US Breaking News emailPresident Donald Trump posted an image of a map of the strait of Hormuz on his social media platform Truth Social, with a circle around the strait and the words “New US Territory” as the title on Tuesday morning.This follows comments made on Friday at a speech at a police academy on Long Island, New York, where Trump said “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz strait a territory of the United States. … Essentially, that’s what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The truth about Diana’: Charles Spencer to publish book about late sister 18. August 2026 (14:17) Earl says he wanted to ‘write down my own thoughts and memories’ with 30th anniversary of Diana’s death ‘on the skyline’Charles Spencer is to publish about a book about his sister Diana in September.In the book – titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister – Spencer recounts the story of Diana’s life and the week of her death. It marks “the first time that Earl Spencer has spoken openly and at length about his sister”, according to the book’s publisher, the Penguin imprint Michael Joseph. The book will be released on 22 September in the UK. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Georgia man deported from Fiji to face $165m crypto Ponzi scheme charges 18. August 2026 (14:05) Edward Zimbardi, 59, who had fled US, will appear in court in Los Angeles on wire fraud and money-laundering chargesA man from Flowery Branch, Georgia, has been deported from Fiji to face charges in his home state accusing him of defrauding more than 6,000 investors and causing more than $165m of losses in a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, the US attorney in Atlanta said on Monday.Edward Zimbardi, 59, was indicted on 12 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of money laundering and one count of money-laundering conspiracy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK retailers too slow to pass on fuel price falls, watchdog says 18. August 2026 (13:43) Competition and Markets Authority raises concerns about ‘passive pricing strategies’ used by some petrol stationsBusiness live – latest updatesSome petrol stations are still not passing on changes in wholesale prices quickly enough and more than 1,000 warning letters have been sent to retailers failing to give prices to the Fuel Finder service, the UK competition watchdog has said.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raised concerns in its latest quarterly update on the fuel market over “passive pricing strategies” used by the majority of retailers, which it said were helping to keep profit margins high amid soaring cost pressures on drivers from the Iran war. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Our task is to laugh at these enemies’: the Ukrainian unit posting drone videos of Russian soldiers’ last moments 18. August 2026 (13:43) Creators of chase compilations reject any moral qualms and say they show ‘death is waiting’ for those who join warTo many observers they will appear dehumanising and offensive. To many Ukrainians, however, they are a brutal reminder of the fate that awaits Russian soldiers who take part in Vladimir Putin’s invasion, as well as a potent propaganda weapon.Over the past year and a half, videos of kamikaze drones chasing Russian service personnel to their deaths have become a distinctive genre on social media. They are the brainchild of Robert Brovdi, the head of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces and founder of “Magyar’s Birds”, named after his call sign. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
