📋 Complete Edition
Tuesday 18 August 2026 — every story from this day
81 stories across 7 sections
🇦🇺 Local (10)
Australia politics live: federal police to investigate leaked melon memo; Labor wants nation to adopt AI ‘everywhere we can’
The Australian federal police has confirmed it will review the leak of a memo sent by Japanese diplomats to the Australian government about Prime Minister Antho
Melbourne’s Armenian-Lebanese eatery Zareh named Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year
Zareh, a Melbourne restaurant serving Armenian, Egyptian and Lebanese cuisine, has been named Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year at its annual industry
Morning Mail: Inside Labor’s $2bn Pfas fight, why supermarkets want to scan faces, Trump threatens to bomb Oman
This morning newsletter leads on an exclusive Guardian story revealing that the Australian government is suing 3M for more than $2bn over Pfas “forever chemical
3M knew for more than 50 years that its products could harm humans, Australian government alleges in court documents
The federal government has alleged in court filings that manufacturing giant 3M knew more than 50 years ago that its firefighting products, including components
Pacific Airshow takes to the skies above the Gold Coast – in pictures
A photo gallery from the Pacific Airshow on the Gold Coast captures military fighter jets, historical aircraft and stunt planes flying against the Surfers Parad
Bird flu has devastated wildlife around the world. What Australian birds are most at risk?
This explainer examines which Australian bird species are most at risk from the deadly H5 bird flu strain, which has devastated wildlife globally since 2021. Se
Labor pledges opt-out register for online gambling ads as Pocock calls out shortfalls in government’s bill
The Labor government has pledged a new single-service opt-out register for gambling ads, modelled on the Do Not Call register, as part of amendments to its wage
Canavan and Joyce attend anti-abortion rally and back controversial bill – as it happened
Nationals politicians Matt Canavan and Barnaby Joyce attended an anti-abortion rally and voiced support for a controversial abortion bill, in a day’s live polit
Seven First Nations Australians tell us their worries and hopes for future generations – video
This video features seven First Nations Australians sharing their personal worries and hopes for future generations, recorded at the Garma festival in East Arnh
Report supporting Australia’s teen social media ban appears to contain AI hallucinations, Senate hears
A report testing the technology behind Australia’s under-16 social media ban may contain AI hallucinations, the Senate has heard. Guardian analysis found a sect
🌍 World (20)
Civilians paying price as Israeli military raises stakes in Lebanon: UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon reported that civilians in the south are bearing the brunt of a sharp increase in Israeli military activity over the past fortnight.
Trump loses second Supreme Court bid over E Jean Carroll sex abuse case
The US Supreme Court denied, for the second time, US President Donald Trump's appeal in a 2023 civil suit brought by writer E Jean Carroll, who alleged that he
Torrential rains flood homes and roads across Lima, Peru
Heavy rains flooded homes and roads in southern Lima, Peru, while river overflows and landslides continued to affect the country's southern regions. Overwhelmed
Why did Trump scale back war games with South Korea?
Annual US-South Korea military manoeuvres were under way but, just hours before they were due to start, President Donald Trump announced he had ordered the Pent
Photos: Indonesia earthquake rescue efforts continue as death toll hits 68
Residents of villages in eastern Indonesia struck by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake awaited aid as rescuers searched collapsed buildings for those believed to be tr
At least 92 dead in Zimbabwe after Lake Kariba ferry disaster
Police in Zimbabwe recovered eight more bodies after a ferry capsized on Lake Kariba six days earlier, raising the death toll to at least 92. The national polic
Russian politician sentenced to 11 years for opposing war in Ukraine
Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of Russia's liberal opposition Yabloko party, was sentenced to 11 years and one month in a penal colony on Monday over his opposi
Russia maintains election ban on opposition Yabloko, jails deputy head
Russia's top court rejected an appeal by the anti-war Yabloko party against a ruling banning it from taking part in upcoming elections, while another court jail
Trump threatens to bomb US ally Oman if it 'gets in the way' over Iran deal
Trump's threat on Oman, which has been holding its own talks with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, comes as a 60-day window for peace negotiations expires.
Russia and Ukraine trade more deadly strikes
Moscow says nine people have been killed in the past 24 hours, while Kyiv reports four deaths.
Russia's prominent anti-war politician jailed for 11 years
Lev Schlosberg is found guilty of "discrediting" Russia's army - a verdict he condemns as punishment for his political position.
French PM heckled over wildfire response as blazes continue across Europe
The prime minister announced on Monday €12m worth of aid to French regions that had been worst affected by the fires.
Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson is appealing - here's what you need to know
The Australian, who notoriously poisoned her family members, is trying to overturn her conviction.
Tributes to actress Hayden Panettiere as coroner finds 'no signs of trauma'
The US actress, who has died at the age of 36, starred in the TV shows Heroes and Nashville.
Cambodian seasonal labour in Thailand plunges 80%
Despite measures to allow Cambodian border workers to continue working in Thailand, the number registered under the go-and-return or seasonal employment scheme
Kem Sokha’s daughter named special envoy to PM
King Norodom Sihamoni has appointed Kem Monovithya, a former opposition senior official and daughter of recently pardoned former opposition leader Kem Sokha, th
Cambodia’s higher education must bridge skills, research and labour market gaps (VIDEO)
Cambodia has made significant progress in higher education over the past decade, but universities must continue improving teaching quality, updating curricula,
Hun Manet hails Indonesian independence progress
Prime Minister Hun Manet congratulated Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, the government, and the people on the 81st anniversary of Indonesia’s independence
Hun Sen and the rebirth of Cambodia–South Korea relations
On October 30, 1997, a quiet yet profoundly significant moment unfolded in Phnom Penh. South Korean Ambassador Park Kung Tai and Cambodian Secretary of State fo
On the costs of economic attrition: A look at the Russia-Ukraine War
The celebrated Chinese strategist Sun Tzu once said: “There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare”. While I am not a military strategist
🤖 AI & Tech (14)
AI automation startup Relay shuts down, staff joins Google's Chrome team
Relay, an AI-powered workflow automation startup launched in 2021 with the aim of becoming 'the new Zapier', is shutting down and some of its staff, including i
‘Unprecedented’ number of Apple users received recent spyware alert, say investigators
An 'unprecedented' number of Apple customers reported receiving a recent threat notification alerting them to suspected spyware attacks on their devices, accord
Save up to $300 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass until August 21
TechCrunch announced that the lowest prices for its Disrupt 2026 conference end on Friday, August 21, at 11:59 p.m. PT, after which attendees can no longer save
Spotify’s new Playlist Notes let users and editors explain their song picks
Spotify announced the launch of 'Playlist Notes', a feature that lets listeners add their thoughts to the playlists they make. It builds on 'User Notes', which
Higgsfield raises $400M Series B, quadrupling its valuation in 8 months to $5.4B
Higgsfield announced that it has raised a $400 million Series B at a $5.4 billion valuation, roughly four times its prior $1.3 billion valuation just eight mont
Reddit begins testing a new audio and video experience, similar to popular TikTok videos
Reddit began testing an initial version of a new audio and video experience across select communities, letting users listen to Reddit posts in the background wh
Sound-powered fire protection startup gets $15M to snuff out fires before they turn catastrophic
Sonic Fire Tech, an Ohio-based startup testing a sound-powered fire protection system that claims to snuff out fires within seconds while sparing property from
ABC's livestreamed news show is powered by trending topics
ABC News has officially introduced Searched, a livestreamed news show that highlights stories people are searching for on the web and discussing on social media
This compact Glorious mechanical keyboard is just $35
The Glorious GMMK 3 mechanical keyboard is being sold for just $35, a deep discount that makes the popular customization-focused keyboard much more affordable.
Wordle meets Clippy in this new word game
The Game Band, the studio behind Blaseball, is launching a new daily word puzzle called Dartwords. The game blends the daily-puzzle format of Wordle with the no
YouTube is changing how it counts views to give the numbers a boost
YouTube will soon count a view as soon as a video starts to play, rather than only after sustained watching. The change takes effect on August 24 and aligns You
The Analogue Pocket gets a Supreme makeover in red or gold
Analogue and streetwear brand Supreme are teaming up to release metallic versions of the Analogue Pocket handheld in red and gold as part of Supreme’s fall/wint
Sonos finally added Live Activities controls for your iPhone lockscreen
Sonos has released an update to its mobile app that adds support for iOS Live Activities, giving iPhone users quick access to playback controls directly on thei
Trump’s dumb border wall
This report examines why the Trump administration is pushing to build physically destructive border-wall sections despite the U.S. already possessing one of the
🎮 Gaming (7)
Tides of Annihilation Producer Responds After Gwendolyn's New Face Sparks Debate Among Fans
The producer of the action game Tides of Annihilation responded publicly after a redesigned face for the heroine Gwendolyn sparked debate among fans. The redesi
Star Citizen Developer Stream Goes Horribly Off the Rails, Creating Further Distrust Among Players
A developer livestream for the long-running crowd-funded space sim Star Citizen went off the rails, creating further distrust among players and generating backl
Avengers: Doomsday Pre-Sale Tickets Are Outpacing Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Advance-ticket sales for the upcoming Avengers film, reported as Avengers: Doomsday, are outpacing pre-sales for the recent Spider-Man release at the same point
GPU Swapping Spree Halted After Suspected Thieves Lose Power During Esports Hotel Heist
A spree of GPU-swap thefts was halted after suspected thieves lost power during an attempted heist at an esports-venue hotel. The drop in power interrupted the
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Nearly Featured a Different Identity-Swapping Villain Before Sony's Kraven the Hunter Got in the Way
The film Spider-Man: Brand New Day nearly featured a different identity-swapping villain, but Sony's development of a separate Kraven the Hunter project got in
The $200 TCL 55" 4K Roku TV Is One of the Best Deals to Come Out of Best Buy's 60th Anniversary Sale
A $200 TCL 55-inch 4K Roku TV is being highlighted as one of the best deals to come out of Best Buy's 60th anniversary anniversary sale. The deal offers an inex
Every Disney Game on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in 2026
IGN published a comprehensive roundup of every Disney game available on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in 2026, listing the titles in order. The guide is inte
🎬 Entertainment (6)
Everything We Know About 'The Gilded Age' Season 4 So Far
The article compiles everything known about Season 4 of HBO’s period drama The Gilded Age, HBO’s period drama set in turn-of-the-century America. Season 4 has w
'All Her Fault' Creator On Challenging How Society Views Women & Mothers In Thriller Series
The creator and showrunner of the Peacock thriller All Her Fault, Megan Gallagher, discusses how the series challenges the way society views women and mothers.
Abby Phillip Signs New Deal To Remain At CNN
CNN anchor Abby Phillip has signed a new deal to remain at the network, where she hosts the nightly show CNN Newsnight. A source said Phillip recently renewed h
Disney Sets Ryan Gosling 'Ghost Rider' For Summer 2028, Other Tentpole Release Dates Out Of D23
Disney has officially set Marvel’s Ghost Rider movie, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy, for release on July 28, 2028. The studio also released a
Dan Harmon Talks Overhauling ‘Rick And Morty’ Workplace, Fears & Hopes For Future Of Adult Animation – Contenders TV Nominees Studio
Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon discussed overhauling the show’s workplace and his hopes and fears for the future of adult animation at Deadline’s Contende
New Yorker's Ariel Levy To Join ‘60 Minutes' As A Contributor
Ariel Levy, a staff writer at The New Yorker, is joining CBS News’ 60 Minutes as a contributor. Executive Producer Nick Bilton praised her as an astonishingly o
▶️ Video (12)
DeepSeek V4 AI Beats Billion Dollar Systems…For Free
DeepSeek V4 has arrived and it's outperforming systems that cost billions to build — for free. This video breaks down how the open-source model achieves compara
OpenAI's ChatGPT 5.5 Instant: The Good, The Bad And The Insane
A deep dive into OpenAI's ChatGPT 5.5 Instant — the good improvements, the bad trade-offs, and the insane capabilities that nobody saw coming. The video tests r
DeepMind's Insane AI Breakthroughs With CEO Demis Hassabis
An exclusive look at DeepMind's latest AI breakthroughs, featuring a conversation with CEO Demis Hassabis. The video covers new developments in protein folding,
NVIDIA's New AI Turns One Photo Into A World That Never Breaks
NVIDIA's latest AI can take a single photograph and generate an entire explorable 3D world that maintains consistency from every angle. The technology represent
Google's AI endgame is here… everything you missed at I/O 2026
Google I/O 2026 had massive AI announcements that reshape the entire Google ecosystem. This video cuts through the noise and highlights the key reveals — from G
Claude just got another superpower...
Anthropic just dropped a major new capability for Claude. Fireship breaks down what changed, how it works under the hood, and why this makes Claude even more us
A single PR just hijacked the NPM registry...
A single pull request caused chaos in the JavaScript ecosystem by compromising the NPM registry. This video explains the vulnerability, how it was exploited, an
"The Biggest Android Update Ever"
MKBHD breaks down what Google claims is the biggest Android update ever. From generative AI integration at the OS level to radical UI changes and privacy featur
Why New Smartphone Cameras Feel Worse
Despite better hardware specs, smartphone photos increasingly look worse than older models. MKBHD investigates the trend toward computational photography over-p
Claude Code on your Phone is OFFICIAL (it changes everything)
Anthropic officially released Claude Code on mobile, bringing AI-powered coding to your phone. NetworkChuck demonstrates setting up a forever terminal, coding f
MKBHD Reviews the AI Phone Everyone's Talking About
MKBHD reviews the hottest new AI phone on the market. From on-device language models to real-time translation and AI photography — this device is pushing what a
Google Just Killed the Most Popular AI Tool in the World
Google's latest AI update has effectively killed the most popular AI tool in the world. Fireship breaks down exactly what changed, how it works, and what this m
📌 Other (12)
RBA Holds Interest Rate Steady at 4.10% in May Decision
Reserve Bank keeps cash rate unchanged as inflation remains within target band.
Big Four Banks Raise Variable Mortgage Rates Following RBA
CBA, Westpac, NAB and ANZ pass on rate changes to variable mortgage customers.
ASX 200 Hits New All-Time High on Mining and Energy Rally
Australian shares reach record levels driven by resources sector strength.
Australian Dollar Falls to Multi-Year Low Against US Dollar
AUD slides past $0.65 USD as commodity prices soften and rate differential widens.
Superannuation Balances Grow 12% Annually on Strong Investment Returns
Australian retirement savings pushed higher by robust equity and property market performance.
Property Market Shows Signs of Cooling as Auction Clearance Rates Drop
Sydney and Melbourne auction markets soften as affordability constraints bite.
Alarm raised over ‘privacy dilemma’ of facial recognition technology at Coles and Woolworths
Consumer privacy advocates responded with alarm after Coles and Woolworths confirmed they were testing facial recognition technology that they could use in thei
Ministers drop plan to relax affordable housing rules after negative response
Ministers have dropped plans to relax affordable housing rules for developers in England after a backlash from housing experts who warned it could drastically c
Virgin Trains a step closer to running services to Europe in blow to Eurostar
Virgin Trains has been granted track access by the rail regulator to run as many as 20 daily return services between London and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam fr
European farmers face ‘unprecedented crisis’ after successive heatwaves
European farmers face an 'unprecedented crisis' after successive intense heatwaves and an increasingly severe continent-wide drought hit crops, with vegetable a
US gas prices reach highest ever recorded for August amid stalled talks with Iran
US gas prices are running at the highest ever recorded for August as peace talks between the US and Iran have stalled and Trump launched fresh threats against O
‘It’s a double-edged sword’: My husband got a $42,000 bonus. Will it wipe out our Affordable Care Act subsidy?
A MarketWatch advice column addresses a reader's question about whether her husband's $42,000 bonus could wipe out the family's Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsid