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Top story The Guardian • Aug 14, 2026 (3 weeks ago)

Australia has been galvanised by ‘melon-gate’. So what is the luxury fruit at the centre of the PM’s controversy?

Shizuoka Crown melons are part of an important cultural gifting practice in Japan, where they are hand-patted by growers to achieve an even shape and textureThe melons at the centre of a national imbroglio involving the Australian prime minister have the sweetness of a watermelon, the snap of a honeydew and the perfume of a peach, according to fruit sellers.Anthony Albanese maintains he has nothin...

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The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Australia news live: Westpac accuses KPMG of ‘drip feeding’ information on alleged leaks; Qantas refunds passengers stranded in Johannesburg for two nights

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 indu...

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Trump orders Pentagon to scrap modern jet launching tech on new US aircraft carrier and revert to steam catapults – live

President’s desire to revert to old-fashioned system has been an obsession of his since 2017 and will reportedly cost Navy billionsSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump’s executive order on vaccines does not change the US recommendations for the shots – but experts say it does create confusion and doubt about vaccines, which will lead to more illness and possibly deaths among children...

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Three men executed on same day in US for the first time in 15 years

Rare scheduling in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Alabama underlines the renewed appetite in US for state killingsCarlos Cuesta-Rodriguez was 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.Just one hour later, Darrell Hines was put to death by the state of Tennessee...

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

CPS director apologises for failings in case of rapist-murderer Simon Levy

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...

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US conducted ‘mass spying campaign’ against leftwing groups and anti-ICE protesters, records reveal

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

DHS sent undercover agents to meetings and infiltrated chats in vast operation against 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 D...

Unemployed young people to join AI boot camps to get job-ready

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

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...

US government extensively spied on anti-ICE protesters and leftwing groups, records reveal

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

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 investi...

Nigel Farage set for decisive but arguably empty victory in Clacton

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

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 ...

Australia news live: Albanese says he argued for tariff exemption in ‘substantial’ call with Trump

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

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...

Australia news live: Albanese says he argued for tariff exemption in ‘productive and substantial’ call with Trump

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlbanese says Trump call ‘productive’ and ‘substantial’, Aukus still ‘full steam ahead’Anthony Albanese is speaking in Canberra, after he held a “productive” and “substantial” call with Donald Trump. He said the pair spoke about a “number of global and regional issues”, including the conflict in the Middle East and ...

Massachusetts teen accused of killing mother and brother used ChatGPT

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

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 Co...

Australia news live: Albanese and Trump speak overnight; KPMG apologises to whistleblower ahead of inquiry

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

The prime minister is expected to say more about the call on Friday morning. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe prime minister will speak about the call in a few minutes, at 7.30am, Canberra time. We’ll bring you details from the presser soon.Anthony Albanese and the US president, Donald Trump, spoke overnight, the prime minister’s office confirm...

Polls close in Clacton byelection where Nigel Farage faces slew of fringe candidates

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Longest ballot in UK voting history features likes of Count Binface and Howling Laud Hope alongside Reform leader Polls have closed in Clacton, where thousands of residents in the Essex seat voted in a ballot featuring Nigel Farage and a range of novelty and fringe candidates led by Count Binface.The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelection in an...

Australia news live: KPMG apologises to whistleblower as firm fronts inquiry over ethical failures

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Parliamentary committee continues investigation into KPMG audit leaks. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNSW Police have declared a critical incident investigation into the death of a man who allegedly barricaded himself inside a home and started a fire.Emergency services attended a unit on the state’s south coast at about 1.15pm on Thursday, follow...

Flock Safety tries to curb police abuse of its surveillance cameras after scandals

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

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...

Flock Safety attempts to curb police abuse of its surveillance cameras after scandals

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

CEO announces measures 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 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 cu...

Four taken to hospital and homes damaged in West Midlands fires

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Grassfire covering about 16 hectares near golf course in Stourbridge was one of several large blazes in regionFour people have been taken to hospital and several homes damaged as fires tore through residential neighbourhoods in the West Midlands.A 16-hectare (40-acre) grassfire near a golf course in Stourbridge was one of several significant fires in the region on Thursday – the UK’s hottest day o...

Who will replace Karoline Leavitt as the next White House press secretary?

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Karoline Leavitt’s abrupt departure has sparked a tough race inside Trump’s circle for the prominent positionKaroline Leavitt’s surprise resignation as the White House press secretary is set to trigger a sharp-elbowed race inside Donald Trump’s world for one of the most prominent positions in the Trump administration.Several names have circulated since the US president announced that Leavitt would...

Who will be the next White House press secretary after Karoline Leavitt’s exit?

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Who will be the next White House press secretary?

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Russian plot to kill Ukrainian American thwarted in Warsaw, says Polish PM

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

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 ano...

Donald Trump empowers US private companies to conduct cyber-attacks

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

President signed memorandum giving private sector a role in fighting ‘transnational criminal organizations’Donald Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that aims to give private companies the power to carry out offensive cyber-attacks against foreign criminal entities.The president ⁠signed a national security presidential memorandum directing his administration to “leverage the capability and innovati...

Donald Trump deputizes US private companies to conduct cyber-attacks

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

President signed memorandum giving private sector a role in combating ‘transnational criminal organizations’Donald Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that aims to give private companies the power to carry out offensive cyber-attacks against foreign criminal entities.The president ⁠signed a national security presidential memorandum directing his administration to “leverage the capability and innovat...

Kennedy Center board votes again to renovate building and inscribe Trump’s name on it – report

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

The center has until next week to present plan to judge who had blocked earlier rehab and name changeUS politics live – latest updatesThe board of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington is said to have voted once again to move forward with Donald Trump’s controversial plan to temporarily shutter the building for substantial renovations, as well as to inscribe the US presid...

UK sees temperatures of 38.1C, the hottest day of 2026; Greece battles wildfires after gale force winds – as it happened

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

A former UK government scientific adviser warned amid the ‘shattering’ heat that worse is still to comeMet Office has just offered an update on temperatures across the UK, with several stations already reporting temperatures above 30C – and it’s not even 11am.It’s 30.4C in Wych Cross, 30.3C in Charlwood, 30.2C at Kenly Airfield. Continue reading...

Israeli troops force families from homes amid settler terror campaign in West Bank

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Former PM of Israel calls events ‘concerted and meticulous attempt at ethnic cleansing’ against PalestiniansIsraeli troops forced two Palestinian families to leave their besieged West Bank homes on Thursday, 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...

Several homes ablaze as firefighters try to contain West Midlands grassfire

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

About 60 crew responding to blaze covering about 40 acres near Stourbridge golf courseSeveral homes are ablaze and two people are receiving treatment as firefighters attempt to contain a grassfire in the West Midlands.The region’s fire service was alerted to an extensive grassfire near Stourbridge golf course just before 1.30pm on Thursday. Continue reading...

Behind England’s bumper A-level results lie record levels of regional disparities

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Need for Burnham to tackle regional inequality could not be clearer as London becomes ‘educational outlier’Andy Burnham has put regional inequality at the top of his agenda as prime minister, and nowhere is the need for doing so clearer than in education.As England’s A-level results were published on Thursday morning, students across the country were pictured celebrating a bumper crop of results, ...

Top Forbes editor reportedly fired after receiving $6m from business associate

The Guardian • 3 weeks ago

Randall Lane left his job last month after accepting money from founder of firm that does business with magazineThe top editor of Forbes left his job last month and was reportedly dismissed for accepting $6m from the founder of a firm that does business with the magazine.The New York Times reported this week that Randall Lane was paid by RJ Shook, whose company, Shook Research, worked with Forbes ...