Illicit deeds have just gotten a new Halloween video game banned in Australia – and it’s not because of the violence 23. August 2026 (17:00) Academics – and a former director of Australia’s Classification Board – say Halloween: The Game’s ban due to ‘incentivised drug use’ highlights an incoherent set of standardsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHalloween’s Michael Myers is one of film’s most feared boogeymen, responsible for some of the most brutal on-screen deaths in horror cinema. US video game developer Illfonic looked to reproduce those terrors in its upcoming title Halloween: The Game, with gruesome killings a major focus of the gameplay: for instance, you can stomp another player’s head through a toilet seat, or fry their brain by throwing them through a television screen.But Australians will not be able to play Halloween: The Game, because it has been refused classification by the Classification Board, which means it is banned from sale within the country. And it’s not because of the violence or murders. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia’s marine parks protect ‘places no one goes’ rather than fragile coastal zones, scientists say 23. August 2026 (17:00) Hundreds of experts write to environment minister calling for stronger protections for ‘unique and distinct’ marine ecosystemsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government has been accused of leaving coastal waters largely unprotected by establishing the bulk of highly protected marine parks in remote areas.More than 270 leading marine scientists from 84 research institutes have written to the environment minister, Murray Watt, urging stronger protections for marine ecosystems, as a once-in-a-decade review of marine parks gets under way. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia’s first home buyers are still taking out loans as property investors step back, data shows 23. August 2026 (17:00) Exclusive: New entrants the only cohort making more loan applications amid interest rate rises and tax changes, mortgage broker saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFirst home buyers are still taking out a large number of loans, with government backing, even as investors step back from Australia’s property market.New entrants are now the only cohort applying for more loans than they were in June, according to new data from Loan Market, the mortgage broking company. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Absurd’: children to see gambling logos on sports jerseys until 2032 in transition period condemned by Pocock 23. August 2026 (17:00) Government says it hopes clubs will end jersey deals with wagering companies earlier, but calls it a commercial decisionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChildren across Australia will continue to see gambling logos on professional sport jerseys until up to 2032 despite the government’s pledge to break the link between sport and wagering.The Albanese government has banned gambling company logos on jerseys but legislated a five-year transition period to allow clubs and bookmakers to adjust. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Abercrombie CEO mentally fit for sex-trafficking trial, judge says 23. August 2026 (16:32) Michael Jeffries is ruled mentally competent to stand trial after being hospitalized for months for dementia symptomsThe former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch has been ruled mentally competent to stand trial as he faces sex-trafficking charges after being hospitalized for months for dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms.Michael Jeffries, who is 82 and free on bond for now, is scheduled to be tried in late October, alongside two co-defendants: his partner Matthew Smith and staffer James Jacobson. A pretrial hearing was slated for Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
CrossCountry cancels almost all rail services after power cut hits control centre 23. August 2026 (16:25) Transport secretary asks ‘publicly owned operators to lay on extra services where possible’CrossCountry has cancelled almost all of its train services in Great Britain after a power cut in Birmingham hit its control centre on Sunday.Most services have been cancelled until further notice, including routes from Glasgow to Edinburgh, Manchester to Birmingham, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Newcastle to Edinburgh. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham stays away from No 10 North wedding after bride’s plea 23. August 2026 (15:56) PM sends video message to newlyweds instead after bride Sarah Burwin asked him not to ‘ruin’ vibe at Heron HouseAndy Burnham fulfilled a bride’s wishes by not turning up for her wedding after she asked him not to spoil her big day as she got married at the building housing No 10 North.Sarah Burwin had pleaded on TikTok in July for Burnham not to work from the building in Manchester that day, which hosts the government’s northern headquarters and the city’s register office. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Arrest warrant issued for wife of Massachusetts officer found dead at home 23. August 2026 (15:25) Woman remains missing more than five days after police found officer she was married to dead in their homeAn arrest warrant has been issued for a mental health advocate who remained missing on Sunday, more than five days after police found the Massachusetts officer she had been married to dead in their home.Karen Solomon, 58, was last spotted in a doorbell camera video, walking down a street in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops early Tuesday morning, just minutes after Worcester police officers responded to a call from the home where Kurt Solomon was found dead. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Double jeopardy? Luigi Mangione state case unlikely to proceed, experts say 23. August 2026 (14:00) Defense files motion to dismiss state case after federal guilty plea but prosecutors say they are prepared to litigateAfter Luigi Mangione admitted in Manhattan federal court that he killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, most experts believe that the state murder case against is highly unlikely to proceed – though some still see a slim possibility that it may yet happen.Mangione, who pleaded guilty on 14 August to two federal stalking counts, was scheduled for a New York state trial on 8 September for murder and weapons charges in the December 2024 killing. In the wake of Mangione’s surprise plea, legal experts said New York’s state-level double jeopardy law – which means someone cannot be tried twice for the same crime – could derail his local prosecution. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Holding election in wartime would risk destroying Ukraine, says Zelenskyy 23. August 2026 (13:50) President sharply criticises proposal, saying ‘elections right now are a tsunami for the state that will split Ukraine’Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said holding elections in Ukraine during wartime would risk splitting the country at a time when Russia is amassing ballistic missiles and considering whether to mobilise an extra 300,000 soldiers.The Ukrainian president, responding for the first time to a demand made by the sacked former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, sharply criticised an idea that he said was impractical given Russia appeared to have no interest in a ceasefire. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
