Jim Chalmers denies Anthony Albanese rolled him over credit card payments for tax bills 14. October 2026 (02:10) Treasurer’s comments come after prime minister revealed he intervened to delay a controversial ban on such payments to the ATOFollow our Australian politics live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastTreasurer Jim Chalmers has denied being rolled by Anthony Albanese after the prime minister personally intervened to stop a tax office ban on credit card payments a day before stopgap funding was announced.After sustained criticism of the government’s handling of the ban on tax bills being paid by credit card, Chalmers last week announced new funding for the ATO to ensure card payments could continue until the end of the financial year.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fostering in crisis: can flexible care models fix England’s child placement shortfall? 14. October 2026 (01:01) New recruitment campaign to target adults in their 30s and 40s in bid to create 10,000 new foster care places Viennetta Basterfield, 67, spent two decades fostering more than 100 children in her west London home before she and her husband handed in the reins during Covid.Her own mother had died when she was nine and she was brought up by another woman who took her in. There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to dedicate her life to passing that gift on to others. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cryptocurrency exchange founded by Reform donor Ben Delo sued for £20m 14. October 2026 (01:01) Former investor alleges BitMEX sold products in UK despite not being regulated by Financial Conduct AuthorityA cryptocurrency exchange founded by the billionaire Reform UK donor Ben Delo is being sued for £20m over claims that the company mis-sold financial products in the UK.Lewis Barber, who is a software engineer, alleges that BitMEX offered crypto derivative products to investors in the UK, despite not being regulated or approved to do so by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Stop making sense: focus on sounds to help learn a language, study suggests 14. October 2026 (01:01) Research shows that the best linguists process unfamiliar foreign speech sounds more like non-speech soundsIf you want to get really good at French, Arabic or Hungarian, don’t start with rote learning vocabulary and grammar, focus on how they sound instead, research suggests.A new study of how humans learn modern languages has found that the brains of the most talented linguists hear foreign terms as random noise, not words. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rules, London’s oldest restaurant, donated to National Trust 14. October 2026 (01:01) Historic eatery in capital’s theatreland given to heritage charity after changing hands only three times in 228 yearsWhen Thomas Rule served his first oyster to diners on Maiden Lane in London’s Covent Garden, “mad” George III was on the throne of England, John Adams was US president and William Pitt the Younger had just come up with a wheeze called income tax to pay for the Napoleonic wars.More than two centuries later, Rules, the restaurant Thomas founded in what became the capital’s theatreland, has outlasted nine British monarchs and 45 prime ministers – but has changed hands only three times. The interior of its four-storey home, stuffed with historic playbills and vintage caricatures and gilded antlers, is little changed from the 19th century, nor has the tone of its determinedly meaty menu – think rabbit rillettes, shin of veal and roast guinea fowl. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man who died in Six Flags rollercoaster fall in Georgia was a father and educator 14. October 2026 (00:46) Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was a father of 10-year-old daughter, and overcame two bouts of cancer, his family saysPolice on Tuesday identified the victim of the fatal accident at Six Flags Over Georgia as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta.Kariem fell to his death after being ejected from his seat and several others were injured in an incident involving a rollercoaster at the theme park. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian politics live: Chalmers says ATO surcharge was joint intervention with PM; Nationals MP defends ‘shamed and stoned’ remark 13. October 2026 (23:56) Follow the day’s news live.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia missing out on $45bn of revenue from resources: GreensAs Labor prepares to introduce its bill for a gas reserve, the Greens are pointing out that there are tens of billions being left on the table because the government won’t properly tax the resource.We’re giving away billions in resource wealth while families struggle to pay the rent, put food on the table and afford basic healthcare.Labor can find billions to prop up the fossil fuel industry, but when it comes to making corporations like Santos, Woodside and Adani pay a fair return, suddenly it’s all too hard.The prime minister has a kink for punishing small businesses and a fetish for humiliating his treasurer. So I say this is a consistent pattern of behaviour where the prime minister constantly goes in, overrides his treasurer, humiliates him in public. I suspect it’s going to sour the relationship somewhat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham to host Zelenskyy at No 10 in show of ‘rock-solid’ support 13. October 2026 (23:30) Prime minister reiterates UK backing after the Ukrainian president’s latest round of difficulties with Donald TrumpAndy Burnham will host Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street on Wednesday as the UK seeks to further underline its support for the Ukrainian president, in contrast to his difficulties with Donald Trump.The UK prime minister said his message to Zelenskyy and his country would be: “We are with you for as long as it takes.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida officials say six people dead from Hurricane Isaias 13. October 2026 (23:25) Governor Ron DeSantis says death toll ‘sad’ but praises work of local officials for helping to minimize storm’s impactSix deaths have been confirmed in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias.In a press conference on Tuesday, Florida governor Ron DeSantis praised the work of local officials for minimizing the impact of the storm, which made landfall late on Friday, bringing strong winds, rain, flash floods and tornado threats across parts of the US south-east, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without power. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man charged with murder over shooting death of boy, 12, in Sydney last month 13. October 2026 (23:09) A 19-year-old man was arrested and charged at Silverwater correctional facility on TuesdayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA man has been charged with murder over the shooting death of a boy, 12, in Sydney’s north in September.Police were called to a unit in Norwest on 21 September 2026 after reports of a shooting. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
