Daily Archives: 9 August 2026

Arron Banks ‘hired private detective’ to look into journalist who investigated Reform UK

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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/08/arron-banks-hired-private-detective-to-look-into-journalist-who-investigated-reform-uk

Arron Banks said he believed the Sunday Times used hacked information, an accusation the newspaper denied. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Asked whether he targeted reporter who investigated party finances, Brexit campaigner says: ‘When you live by the sword, you die by the sword’

The prominent Reform UK member and Brexit campaigner Arron Banks is said to have set private investigators on a Sunday Times journalist after he broke a series of stories about Nigel Farage.

Banks is alleged to have paid for the services of investigators to examine Gabriel Pogrund, editor of the paper’s Insight investigations team.

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The Sunday Times and the Guardian have broken a series of stories in recent months revealing how cash has poured into Reform and Farage personally from donors and wealthy benefactors.

Pogrund is believed to have been targeted after a story in the Sunday Times last month revealed that Farage has received financial support from the convicted criminal George Cottrell, known as “Posh George”.

In response to the New Statesman report, Banks said: “We believe the Sunday Times used hacked information and that was an area of interest. We do have an investigative arm that’s got advanced capabilities.”

Asked directly whether he had paid investigators to look into Pogrund, he said: “When you live by the sword, you die by the sword.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/08/arron-banks-hired-private-detective-to-look-into-journalist-who-investigated-reform-uk

Nigel Farage reminds you that he's the man that brought you Brexit and asks what could possibly go wrong.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.

Continue ReadingArron Banks ‘hired private detective’ to look into journalist who investigated Reform UK

Italy to place all 27 of its major cities on highest heat alert

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/05/italy-heatwave-major-cities-highest-heat-alert

People cooling off near the Colosseum in Rome. Authorities have warned people to avoid direct sunlight during the hottest hours, to stay indoors where possible and drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters

Move comes as fourth heatwave of summer intensifies, edging temperatures in some areas close to 40C

Italy is to place all of its 27 major cities, from Trieste in the north to Palermo in the south, under the highest heat alert as the fourth heatwave to hit the country this summer intensifies.

A red alert means there is a higher chance of an emergency owing to the health risk posed by prolonged extreme temperatures to the entire population.

Twenty-five cities were on red alert on Wednesday, with two more to be added on Thursday, the health ministry said. It is the first time this year that all 27 cities monitored by the health ministry’s heat surveillance system have been placed on maximum alert.

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As temperatures in some areas of Italy have edged up towards 40C in recent days, authorities have warned people to avoid direct sunlight between 11am and 6pm, to stay indoors where possible and drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day. Other guidelines include avoiding fizzy drinks, coffee, alcohol and heavy meals, wearing light clothes and never leaving children or animals in cars.

The extreme heat, which scientists say is driven by the human-caused climate crisis, is not forecast to let up for at least a week. Europe has warmed about twice as fast as the global average.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/05/italy-heatwave-major-cities-highest-heat-alert

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Continue ReadingItaly to place all 27 of its major cities on highest heat alert

El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/05/el-nino-could-push-50m-people-acute-hunger-next-year

A maize crop affected by lack of rain in Zimbabwe. ‘The biggest food security impact, in southern Africa, will be during the 2027 to 2028 lean season,’ one expert said. Photograph: Aaron Ufumeli/EPA

UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurity

About 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the rapidly developing El Niño weather system, according to forecasting.

This is in addition to the hundreds of millions of people already facing dangerous levels of hunger, owing to years of drought in parts of Africa and pressure on food prices from the war in Iran.

Even if the forecast El Niño is less strong than some models predict, it will tip many countries over the edge, adding more than a fifth to the 225 million people in 45 countries currently in acute food insecurity, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Wednesday.

Central and South America, the Caribbean and southern Africa are likely to be worst affected, according to the analysis. In south and south-east Asia there is likely to be less rainfall than usual, which would cause serious problems for agriculture and farmers.

This year’s El Niño – a weather system that develops every few years in the Pacific Ocean and brings changes to rainfall patterns around the world – is shaping up to be the strongest in at least 70 years. Some are calling it a “super El Niño”, though this term is not officially recognised.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/05/el-nino-could-push-50m-people-acute-hunger-next-year

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.

Continue ReadingEl Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year

Sadiq Khan calls on Andy Burnham to commit to climate action as pressure grows over North Sea oil

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/08/sadiq-khan-calls-on-andy-burnham-to-commit-to-climate-action-as-pressure-grows-over-north-sea-oil

‘My fear is that – without urgent action – the worst is still to come’: Sadiq Khan has said climate fears must be addressed. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

London mayor points to ‘terrifying scenes’ this summer amid speculation Burnham may back Jackdaw and Rosebank projects

Sadiq Khan has called on the government to commit to revamped climate action and to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves.

Writing in the Guardian, the mayor of London said that Andy Burnham’s administration must reaffirm its commitment to net zero and make clear it will continue to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas “to get Britain back on track.”

There is growing concern among Labour MPs and climate experts that the new prime minister may support renewed drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea; since arriving in No 10, Burnham has remained largely tight-lipped on climate and environmental concerns despite speaking out about them during his time as mayor of Greater Manchester.

Last month, Burnham said he would be “pragmatic” about oil and gas and that decisions on new drilling would be made “in due course”. “The question isn’t whether Britain will still be using oil and gas, the question is where does it come from,” he said.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/08/sadiq-khan-calls-on-andy-burnham-to-commit-to-climate-action-as-pressure-grows-over-north-sea-oil

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.

Continue ReadingSadiq Khan calls on Andy Burnham to commit to climate action as pressure grows over North Sea oil

Extreme heat breaks temperature records in central and eastern Europe

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/07/extreme-heat-breaks-temperature-records-central-eastern-europe

Shrivelled sunflowers near the village of Kovilj, Serbia. Photograph: Andrej Isaković/AFP/Getty Image.

Slovakia reaches new high of 42C as authorities in Poland forced to shut down Kozienice and Połaniec power plants

Temperature records have been broken in several countries across central and eastern Europe as the extreme weather that has caused wildfires and droughts across the continent continues.

Countries including Slovakia, Austria and Hungary registered record temperatures. On Thursday, the Slovakian hydrometeorological agency said a new high of 42C (108F) had been reached in Dolné Plachtince.

Authorities in Poland were forced to shut down the Kozienice and Połaniec coal-fired power plants after critically low water levels in the Vistula River limited cooling water supplies. The disruption removed about 1.3GW of capacity from Poland’s power system.

On Wednesday, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, had urged employers to look after their staff and provide air conditioning and cold water.

In Germany, climate activists demanding an end to the use of fossil fuels demonstrated outside the chancellery against the lack of government action to keep people safe from extreme heat. An estimated 11,900 people across the country have died from heat this summer, according to new estimates from the Robert Koch Institute.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/07/extreme-heat-breaks-temperature-records-central-eastern-europe

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Power-mad orange gasbag Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.

Continue ReadingExtreme heat breaks temperature records in central and eastern Europe