Nations

Poll also finds sizeable majorities who believe it should be easier to install air con in homesGiven the choice, more people across five major European nations including the UK favour encouraging the adoption of air conditioning over keeping carbon emissions down, a survey has found.After four extreme heatwaves that have caused thousands of excess deaths across the continent, the survey showed between 30% and 52% of people in six countries had feared for their household’s health in temperatures close to or above 40C (104F). Continue reading...

• Madonna leads the nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, followed by Taylor Swift, as announced by the network on Tuesday. • The nominations highlight Madonna's enduring legacy, noting she has been nominated in every decade of her career and holds 19 competitive VMA wins. • This recognition coincides with an interactive experience celebrating Madonna's 68th birthday, blending music, visual storytelling, and fan participation.

• ASEAN is working toward the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) to establish a unified digital market across its member nations. • The pact's success depends on inclusive implementation and the alignment of national legislation across the participating countries. • If successful, the agreement aims to position ASEAN as a global "digital lighthouse" for responsible and standardized digital policy.

Court finds ‘defects’ in investigation of two senior constables charged over 2024 incident at Mareeba watch house in far north QueenslandTwo police officers charged with criminal offences over the use of capsicum spray, Tasers and restraints on a “cognitively and emotionally vulnerable” First Nations man in police custody have had the case against them permanently stayed, after a court found “defects” in the subsequent investigation.Andrew David Couchman, 54, and Ulrich Weiss, 45, both senior constables, were both charged over the incident at the Mareeba watch house in far north Queensland in January 2024. Continue reading...

• Madonna has secured the lead for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, continuing a streak of nominations spanning every decade of her career. • To celebrate her 68th birthday on August 16, 2026, an interactive installation titled “C’mon Meet Me On The Dancefloor” was launched at Outernet London. • The event blends music, visual storytelling, and fan participation, highlighting Madonna's enduring influence as a pioneer and former Video Vanguard Award recipient.

• Tourism is experiencing a significant recovery across East Asia, driven by a surge in demand and improved accessibility. • Key growth drivers include the implementation of visa reforms, the expansion of air links, and the targeting of more diverse traveler markets. • This recovery is particularly evident in South Korea, which is serving as a catalyst for broader regional tourism growth.

• Madonna has secured the most nominations for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, with Taylor Swift following closely behind. • The announcement coincides with an interactive installation titled “C’mon Meet Me On The Dancefloor” at Outernet London on August 16, 2026, celebrating Madonna’s 68th birthday. • This milestone highlights Madonna's enduring influence as a pop icon who has earned nominations across every decade of her career.

• Madonna has emerged as the leading nominee for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, followed by Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Sabrina Carpenter. • This marks the first time Madonna has led the nominations since 1998 and 1990, years in which she secured nine nominations each. • The achievement highlights a significant career resurgence for the pop icon, mirroring her success during the "Ray of Light" and "Vogue" eras.

Yolŋu independent Yiŋiya Guyula accused the CLP of ‘contributing to the breakdown of our culture and people, in what is becoming a slow genocide’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA First Nations MP from the Northern Territory has resigned from parliament, accusing the ruling Country Liberal party of introducing laws that are “dehumanising, oppressing and destroying our communities and our people”, and contributing to a breakdown of culture that he says is “becoming a slow genocide”.Yiŋiya Guyula, a Yolŋu man from the Djambarrpuyŋu clan in east Arnhem Land, was elected as the independent member for Nhulunbuy, now known as Mulka, in 2016. Continue reading...

• MTV announced the official nominations for the 2026 Video Music Awards on Tuesday, August 18. • The complete list of nominees features high-profile artists, including pop icons Madonna and Taylor Swift. • These nominations highlight the most influential music videos and artists of the year, setting the stage for the industry's competitive awards ceremony.

Exclusive: Guardian analysis finds one section of report includes links to academic articles that do not exist, but authors deny the references were made up by AIFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe authors of a report testing the technology underpinning Australia’s social media ban have conceded ChatGPT was used in editing, but denied a number of citation errors in the report were due to AI hallucinations.The $3.48m age assurance technology trial, run by the UK-based Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) last year, tested various types of technology that could be used by social media platforms as part of Australia’s under-16 social media ban. Continue reading...

• The US is launching a crackdown on "transshipment," targeting over 40 countries that allegedly help other nations dodge tariffs by routing goods through third-party ports. • India is categorized as a "Tier 1 Diversified Scale Leader" alongside the EU, Japan, and Canada, meaning transshipment risks are seen as embedded within its legitimate, large-scale industrial trade. • Other nations are split into Tier 2 (significant Chinese integration, such as Vietnam and Brazil) and Tier 3 (small opportunistic targets, including the UAE and Singapore).

Proud Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung nation recognised posthumously with the lifetime achievement awardGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of Australia’s greatest cultural ambassadors has been recognised posthumously for dedicating her life to sharing, preserving and promoting First Nations culture through language, dance and ceremony.Proud Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung nation Rhoda Roberts died in March aged 66. On Saturday night in Alice Springs, she was posthumously awarded the lifetime achievement award at the Naidoc awards. Continue reading...

• The United States has launched a crackdown on "transhipment," a practice where goods are routed through third-party countries to dodge tariffs. • Over 40 nations are targeted and categorized into three tiers, with India placed in Tier 1 ("Diversified Scale Leaders") alongside major economies like Canada, Japan, Mexico, and the EU. • This move matters because Tier 1 nations are identified as having large industrial bases where transhipment risks are deeply embedded, potentially leading to stricter trade scrutiny.

• The White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy has accused over 40 nations, including India, of facilitating a "Great Transhipment Scam" to help Chinese exporters evade US tariffs. • The crackdown targets practices such as relabelling goods or falsely claiming non-Chinese origin to bypass trade restrictions. • India is categorized in Tier 1 ("Diversified Scale Leaders") alongside the EU, Japan, and Mexico, where transhipment risks are seen as embedded within large, legitimate industrial bases.

• The conflict involving Iran is expanding across the Middle East, with recent attacks targeting Oman's ports and other regional locations. • Analysts suggest this widening of the war is a deliberate design intended to highlight and exploit various regional vulnerabilities. • The escalation signifies a shift from localized skirmishes to a broader conflict that is drawing in more nations.

Official action by regulator for England and Wales comes after formal complaint made by Labour MP about the fundsAn official investigation has been launched into charities in England and Wales donating funds to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.The Charity Commission will aim to establish the amount of charitable funds going to illegal settlements, whether the spending was in furtherance of their purposes and any regulatory action that may be necessary. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Karlene Whitton says her son Matthew Roberts took his own life three months into his jail term. ‘I keep picturing it every night’Warning: This article contains images and names of Indigenous Australians who have diedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFirst Nations advocates warn that prisons in New South Wales could exceed the record number of Indigenous deaths in custody set last year, after two men died this month.Matthew Roberts, a 27-year-old Bundjalung, Yaegl and Gamilaroi man and father of two young boys, took his life inside Lithgow correctional centre on 7 July after he was remanded in custody in March. Another First Nations man, 21, died a week later at Clarence correctional centre. Continue reading...

• The United Nations has formally launched the global selection process to find a successor for the outgoing Secretary-General, António Guterres. • The search occurs against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical flashpoints and compounding global crises that are currently straining multilateral diplomacy. • This transition is critical as member states face increasing pressure to reform institutional governance to better address modern international challenges.

Exclusive: Reform’s Robert Jenrick says party confident it followed all rules at the time, after latest Guardian revelationsThe Electoral Commission has been asked to investigate whether Reform UK has broken donations rules, after the Guardian revealed that the convicted fraudster George Cottrell transferred more than $2m to his mother in the days before her donations to the party in 2024.Labour’s new chair, Bridget Phillipson, wrote to the commission on Thursday asking for it to examine the donations and whether they had been recorded correctly. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sources say Fiona Cottrell told bankers the transfers, received 24-72 hours before her donations to Reform, came from her sonThe convicted fraudster George Cottrell transferred a total of more than $2m to his mother, Fiona Cottrell, in the days before her 2024 donations to Reform UK, the Guardian understands.Financial industry sources told the Guardian that Fiona received one deposit of $1.4m and two tranches of more than $300,000 each – money she attributed to having come from her son, George, when bankers asked about the deposits. Continue reading...

• The Indian government is set to introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, during the Parliament Monsoon Session. • The draft legislation, approved by the Cabinet on Friday and circulated to MPs on Saturday, aims to implement tougher penalties to prevent paper leaks. • The move comes as the Opposition issues adjournment notices to protest the NEET paper leak row and ongoing demonstrations at Jantar Mantar.

• The Indian government is set to introduce the Public Examinations Amendment Bill in Parliament on July 27. • The proposed legislation aims to amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, to implement more stringent punishments for those involved in paper leaks. • This move is critical to safeguarding the integrity of national competitive exams and deterring organized fraud in the examination process.

• The U.S. and other APEC nations issued a joint statement in Chengdu supporting open-source AI development integrated with "strong security" measures. • This marks the first time open-source cooperation has been included at a ministerial level, highlighting a shift toward open-weight systems over closed, pay-to-use models. • The agreement is significant as China has led open-source AI with models like DeepSeek and GLM 5.2, despite U.S. allegations of intellectual property theft.

• US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned Moonshot AI, the creator of the Kimi K3 model, and other Chinese AI firms of potential "Entity List" designations. • The warning follows accusations that these companies "stole" technology by using outputs from American frontier models, specifically citing Anthropic's Fable model. • US officials claim to have identified direct evidence of American AI models appearing within Chinese systems, raising concerns over intellectual property theft.

‘Daily routine of hit jobs and smears will not deter us from winning next general election,’ party briefing notes sayReform UK has instructed its councillors to describe a police investigation into donations from the mother of George Cottrell as an establishment stitch-up, as polling showed the party’s popularity plummeting.Internal briefing documents circulated to the party’s councillors included instructions to respond to questions about a Metropolitan police investigation into party donations with: “It is now clear that the establishment will try anything to stop us”, the Times revealed on Thursday. Continue reading...

• CJ ENM announced on Wednesday that it has secured 12 nominations across seven different categories for the 2026 ContentAsia Awards. • Organized by the media platform ContentAsia, these awards are designed to recognize exceptional content and creative talent throughout the Asia-Pacific region. • This achievement highlights CJ ENM's significant influence and creative leadership within the competitive Asian entertainment and media landscape.

• Entertainment company CJ ENM has received 12 nominations across seven different categories at the ContentAsia Awards 2026. • Hosted by the ContentAsia media platform, these awards highlight premium content and creative talent from the Asia-Pacific region. • The nominations underscore CJ ENM's growing competitiveness and influence within the global content market.