Target apologizes for ‘offensive’ Halloween costume after backlash 24. August 2026 (23:29) Retailer removes kid’s clown costume after people said it resembled a racist caricature used in minstrel showsTarget, the US retail corporation, said it pulled a controversial Halloween costume off its shelves after criticism across social media that it resembled a racist caricature.The ad image for the costume, sold as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume,” depicted a Black child in a bright orange and black top with solid black gloves and a mask with a wide, toothy smile. Both the child’s pose and the costume’s gloves and mask were likened to caricatures of Black people used in minstrel shows. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nevada files lawsuit challenging federal plan for Colorado River revival 24. August 2026 (22:56) In Trump administration’s plan, California, Arizona and Nevada face about a 20% cut to water supply over two yearsNevada filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging the Trump administration’s new plan for the imperiled Colorado River, launching what could become the first of many court battles over the waterway that supplies 40 million people, dozens of tribes and 5.5m acres of farm land across the American west.The federal plan, issued Friday, cut roughly 20% from the water supplied to lower basin states – Nevada, Arizona and California – over the next two years, with a potential for harsher cutbacks in the future, based on conditions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man arrested on suspicion of arson after fire at car park used by Gatwick passengers 24. August 2026 (21:04) Blaze near Crawley destroyed 140 vehicles, damaged nearby businesses and led to power cuts on Saturday nightA man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire tore through a car park used by people flying from Gatwick airport, destroying about 140 vehicles.The blaze erupted at Caldyne business park near Crawley, about eight miles from the airport just after 9pm on Saturday. Images showed vehicles on fire and enormous plumes of smoke rising close to overhead power lines. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Victorian premier Ben Carroll pushes ahead with SRL spend despite hinting at pause 24. August 2026 (21:00) A day after suggesting other projects were more important to Victorians, Carroll has committed to pushing ahead on train lineGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Victorian premier, Ben Carroll, has made an about-face, committing to pushing ahead with the first stage of the Suburban Rail Loop while promising to reduce its total cost by about 6%.Carroll will on Tuesday announce changes to the scope of the first stage of the project, known as SRL East – a 26km stretch of tunnels between Cheltenham and Box Hill – estimated to save $1bn. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alfalfa sprouts linked to food-poisoning outbreak in 15 states, US officials say 24. August 2026 (20:58) Everything Sprouts recalls products after CDC says agency is aware of dozens of food-poisoning cases nationallyUS healthcare officials recently said a food-poisoning outbreak tied to alfalfa sprouts and involving multiple germs had sickened people in at least 15 states.Officials announced the outbreak after documenting more than three dozen cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin. On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the agency was aware of at least 55 cases nationally, including four people who had been hospitalized. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US threatens severe sanctions against countries with economic ties to Iran 24. August 2026 (20:57) Washington launches campaign to isolate Tehran but it is unclear whether it would apply sanctions to ChinaThe US has threatened to impose severe sanctions against any country or entity maintaining economic ties with Iran, hoping to achieve with economic measures what military means have so far failed to do.However, it is unclear how far the Trump administration is prepared to go in confronting China, Iran’s biggest trading partner, which has signalled its resistance to US economic pressure to cut off links with an ally. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump announces new 50% tariff on Canadian cars, trucks and steel 24. August 2026 (20:55) Move is latest deterioration in trade relations between neighbors with historically strong economic tiesDonald Trump announced a new 50% tariff on automobiles and crucial raw materials from Canada, the latest deterioration in trade relations between the two neighbors with historically strong economic ties.Trump said that the increased tariffs would start 1 January 2027 on all cars, trucks, automobile parts and steel. He also derided the nation’s tariffs on American farmers, writing on social media that Canada has been “ripping off” the US “for years”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French tourist dies in Death Valley national park after stranded in heat 24. August 2026 (20:55) Man, 68, was left searching for help in 116F weather after his car became stuck in mud along remote park roadA French tourist recently died in Death Valley national park after a car mishap left him stranded in 116F (47C) weather.The visitor, identified as 68-year-old Pierre Michel Formosa, was traveling with another French man along the park’s remote West Side Road when their vehicle became stuck in mud near Queen of Sheba Mine Road. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mark Carney says Canada can’t accept US trade deal that would weaken French language 24. August 2026 (20:22) Prime minister praised for rejecting US trade proposal as Trump shows little interest in retreating from disputeAre you a Canadian boycotting US products? We’d like to hear from youMark Carney said on Monday that while American negotiators saw the French language in Canada as an “irritant … in Quebec, these are rights,” days after receiving widespread praise from political leaders for rejecting a US trade proposal that many perceived as weakening the country’s Francophone culture.The prime minister’s remarks came hours after the US president, Donald Trump, showed little interest in retreating from the spat, posting on social media that Canada had been “ripping off the United States of America for years” and threatening a swath of new, economically devastating tariffs on cars and trucks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US immigration officers reassigned to screen South African refugees and find ‘unlawful’ voters 24. August 2026 (20:16) Exclusive: internal correspondence reveals USCIS anti-fraud officers shifted on to two ‘high-priority’ initiativesAll US immigration officers working for a key anti-fraud unit have been reassigned by Donald Trump’s administration to focus on screening South African refugees and alleged “unlawful” voters.Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (FDNS) immigration officers have been shifted full-time on to two “high-priority” initiatives, according to internal correspondence seen by the Guardian, leaving US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unable to provide officers to train asylum officers in “the near future”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
