NYPD to investigate another video of people emerging from manhole 24. August 2026 (20:16) Video posted on social media shows three people climbing out of sewer system at 4am, months after similar reportsNew York City’s police department (NYPD) says it is investigating a recent video of three people emerging from a manhole in the latest such episode to cause mystery.Posted to TikTok on Friday, the video showed three people – one after the other – climbing out of a manhole at 4.19am on 18 August wearing headlamps and black overalls near Madison Square Garden. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK to use Ukraine battlefield data to train AI to protect sensitive sites 24. August 2026 (20:16) London and Kyiv in deal to help stop protesters and hostile states targeting military bases and critical infrastructureAI models trained on Ukrainian battlefield data will be used to stop protesters and foreign states targeting UK defence sites, railways and energy plants under a deal struck between London and Kyiv.Private companies will also be given access to the vast trove of data from Ukraine’s Avengers AI lab to help build new systems, the first agreement of its kind in the UK. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform would evict social housing tenants over unkempt gardens 24. August 2026 (19:40) Plan part of a wider policy to remove foreign nationals from social homes and prioritise young British-born couplesSocial housing tenants will be evicted if they fail to keep their gardens well maintained under a Reform UK government, the party has announced.Lee Anderson, the party’s chair, said that if Reform came to power it would insist that those in social rented homes would be required to keep their properties decorated and gardens looked after. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Prince Harry quits board of wildlife charity after rangers’ human rights abuses 24. August 2026 (19:34) Spokesperson for Duke of Sussex says he remains an ‘active and avid supporter’ of African Parks’ missionThe Duke of Sussex has stepped down from the board of a major African wildlife charity that had been at the centre of a human rights controversy.Prince Harry’s spokesperson confirmed he was no longer a trustee of African Parks, which admitted last year that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers in the Republic of the Congo. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Problems brewing for the proper pint as Camra membership falls 24. August 2026 (19:01) Cost of living has hit campaign group while multinationals are threatening to squeeze out independent breweriesFor centuries, the wooden real ale pump has been the hallmark of a good British boozer. But now problems are brewing for the proper pint, as the Campaign for Real Ale has seen its membership sink to an eight-year low and its accounts show it is firmly in the red, making an £800,000 loss last year.Real ale is a traditional draught cask beer, a “living” product that is produced and stored in its cask. It differs from a cold, fizzy lager, in which the yeast is killed and carbon dioxide is added. Real ale contains live yeast so it continues fermenting until it is served. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Fix that little spot’: Danish PM hits back at unsolicited beauty tip from cosmetic surgeon 24. August 2026 (18:59) Mette Frederiksen, who received message on returning from Ukraine, advises women to embrace self-acceptanceSick of getting unsolicited beauty tips on social media, the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, rebuffed a male cosmetic surgeon’s offer to “fix” her and advised women in similar situations to embrace self-acceptance.Frederiksen, a Social Democrat and Denmark’s second female prime minister, posted on Instagram that she had just returned from a trip to Ukraine, where she was subjected to air raid sirens, when she found a message proposing some help with her appearance. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rupert Lowe set to be paid as much for divisive posts on Elon Musk’s X as for being MP 24. August 2026 (18:41) Restore Britain leader paid up to £1,476 an hour by platform, which critics say is financially incentivising inflammatory contentRupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain, is on course to earn as much from the social media platform X as he does from his salary as an MP, after surging income from posts that include demands for mass deportations.Lowe has earned £932 an hour for his posts on X, formerly Twitter, since the start of the year, according to his own declarations in the register of MPs’ financial interests, which detail how many hours he has spent on X for each payment he received from the platform. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham’s visit to Kyiv marks a renewal of badly needed support for Ukraine 24. August 2026 (18:33) As well as pledging military help and diplomatic backing, the prime minister could be useful in dealing with the USSince moving into Downing Street in July, Andy Burnham – a foreign policy neophyte – has expressed strong support for Ukraine. But on Monday he saw the bitter human cost of the war up close for the first time, visiting Kyiv during his first international trip as prime minister.The occasion was the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave awards to the families of fallen soldiers. Relatives wept, hugging Ukraine’s president. Photos of young men in their prime were shown on a giant screen. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Vuelta a España: giant hail forces stage three abandonment in Pyrenees 24. August 2026 (17:56) Huge hailstones prompt organisers to act 15km from endRiders seen heading into hotel on route to take coverA torrential hailstorm in the French Pyrenees forced the abandonment of the third stage of the Vuelta a España on Monday.With 15km (9.32 miles) remaining of the 174km ride from Gruissan to Font-Romeu, the skies darkened as the peloton scaled the Col de Mont-Louis and huge hailstones began pelting the riders.More details soon Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Washington Post ordered to reinstate opinion writer fired over Charlie Kirk posts 24. August 2026 (17:42) Arbitrator determined the Post improperly fired Karen Attiah, a union-protected employee, over social media postsAn independent arbitrator has ordered the Washington Post to rehire the high-profile opinion columnist Karen Attiah, abruptly fired by the news organization last September over comments she made on social media about Charlie Kirk, the then recently slain conservative activist.On Monday, an arbitrator ruled that the Post had violated her rights as a union-protected employee and ordered the newspaper to reinstate her and compensate her for lost wages. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
