Daniel Andrews refuses to name those behind flawed Commonwealth Games business case

Victorian premier says he is not suggesting ‘people didn’t do their best’ amid criticism that Games bid should never have gone ahead

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The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has conceded that the business case and costings for the axed 2026 Commonwealth Games were “hardly the greatest piece of work” but declined to say if individuals from the various organisations involved in compiling the documents were working on other government projects.

The documents, released on Saturday after the government reached a $380m settlement with Commonwealth Games organisers to cancel the event, showed the cost of hosting the Games in regional centres blew out from an estimated $2.5bn in April 2022 to almost $7bn in July 2023.

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Russia-Ukraine war live: Ukraine reportedly destroys Russian bomber; drones damage apartments near Moscow

Images of Tupolev supersonic bomber jet in flames emerge after Russian defence ministry says warplane damaged in airfield strike; Moscow airspace briefly closed after drone attack

• Russia-Ukraine war at a glance

Ukraine has destroyed a supersonic Russian jet in a drone strike, according to reports from the BBC and Ukrainian media.

The reports were based on images posted on social media which appear to show the long-range bomber, the Tupolev Tu-22, on fire. The images were analysed by the BBC, but have not been independently verified by the Guardian.

Posts on Russian social media channels indicate that Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has published his first recruitment video for the Wagner group since organising a short-lived mutiny against defence officials in Russia. A video posted Monday on Telegram messaging app channels that are believed to be affiliated with Prigozhin shows a person who appears to be the 62-year-old mercenary leader saying the Wagner group is “hiring real strongmen” and “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free”. Prigozhin’s comments and some posts in the pro-Wagner channels suggested it was filmed in Africa.

The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said Russian war crimes that have taken place in Ukraine “must be punished under international law”. During a press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday, Mitsotakis added that he “unreservedly condemned” Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

Greece will take part in training of Ukrainian air force pilots for F-16 jets, Zelenskiy said on Monday. Denmark and the Netherlands on Sunday announced they would supply the first F-16s to Ukraine. “Today, we have the important result for aviation coalition. Greece will participate in training of our pilots for F-16. I am grateful for this proposal,” Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, said during his joint press conference with the Greek PM in Athens.

Denmark’s decision to supply Ukraine with American F-16 fighter jets to fend off Russia’s invasion represents an “escalation” of the conflict, Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, reportedly said.

The Ukrainian president said during a visit to Sweden that Kyiv was “getting closer” to obtaining Swedish Gripen fighter jets. “Our soldiers are already starting to test them,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Sunday, adding that he had discussed the matter with Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson. Sweden, though, has not made any commitment to supply Gripens to Ukraine.

On Monday in Copenhagen, Zelenskiy thanked Danish politicians on Monday for helping his country resist Russia’s invasion. Ukraine’s president said that if Russia succeeded, other parts of Europe would be at risk from the Kremlin’s military aggression. “All of Russia’s neighbours are under threat if Ukraine does not prevail.”

Ukraine’s forces are repelling Russian attacks and have retaken several square kilometres on the eastern front over the past week, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday. Ukrainian forces were advancing south of Bakhmut, the city occupied by Russian forces in May after a bloody months-long struggle, and had liberated another three square kilometres over the past week, she said.

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‘Use it or lose it’: Queensland treasurer warns BHP’s mining leases may be at risk without investment

Cameron Dick uses day of mining giant’s yearly financial results to send message as stoush continues over royalties

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Queensland’s treasurer has warned BHP that its mining leases might be in jeopardy if the company does not continue investing in the state.

Cameron Dick used the day of BHP’s full-year results to continue his stoush with the mining lobby over Queensland’s progressive coal royalties, first telling the Australian newspaper that the government would not hesitate to revoke mining tenures being “misused” before telling parliament that firms had to “use or lose” their leases.

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Energy bills: 13m British homes ‘did not turn on heating when cold last winter’

Which? survey finds about half of households with annual income of under £20,000 made such a decision

Millions of Britons did not switch on their heating during cold snaps last winter in an attempt to save on their energy bills as the cost of gas and electricity soared.

Almost nine in 10 households tried to cut back on their energy usage last winter, while almost half of all British households, or 13m homes, said they did not turn on their heating when it got cold, according to a survey of 4,000 people by the consumer group Which?.

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Plant diversity in urban green spaces led to sevenfold increase in insect species, Australian study finds

Scientists find ‘substantial ecological changes’ after greening initiative by major road in Melbourne

The benefits of urban greening initiatives are increasingly well documented: they can help mitigate the effects of urban heating, and improve physical health and mental wellbeing. And even small greening actions in cities can significantly improve local biodiversity, new research suggests.

Increasing the diversity of native plants in a single urban green space resulted in a sevenfold increase in the number of insect species after three years, Australian researchers have found.

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Lorna Rose Treen’s ‘stupid joke’ named funniest of the fringe

Comedian ‘blooming chuffed’ as she becomes the second woman to win the award in its 14 years

A one-liner described by its author as “stupid” has topped the poll for best joke of the Edinburgh fringe.

Lorna Rose Treen was voted winner of the annual competition with: “I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah.”

I started dating a zookeeper, but it turned out he was a cheetah. Lorna Rose Treen 44%

The most British thing I’ve ever heard? A lady who said ‘Well I’m sorry, but I don’t apologise.’ Liz Guterbock 41%

Last year I had a great joke about inflation. But it’s hardly worth it now. Amos Gill 40%

When women gossip we get called bitchy; but when men do it’s called a podcast. Sikisa 34%

I thought I’d start off with a joke about The Titanic – just to break the ice. Masai Graham 33%

How do coeliac Germans greet each other? Gluten tag. Frank Lavender 32%

My friend got locked in a coffee place overnight. Now he only ever goes into Starbucks, not the rivals. He’s Costa-phobic. Roger Swift 29%

I entered the ‘How not to surrender’ competition and I won hands down. Bennett Arron 29%

Nationwide must have looked pretty silly when they opened their first branch. William Stone 28%

My grandma describes herself as being in her ‘twilight years’ which I love because they’re great films. Daniel Foxx 26%

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Private firm linked to No 10 adviser handed NHS waiting lists contract

Labour accuses Rishi Sunak of possible conflict of interest as former client of Bill Morgan chosen to run diagnostic centres

Rishi Sunak is facing questions over a possible conflict of interest after it emerged that a private healthcare firm handed a government contract to reduce regional NHS waiting lists is linked to a No 10 policy adviser.

Bill Morgan, a founding partner of the PR and lobbying firm Evoke Incisive Health (EIH), joined Downing Street as a health policy adviser last November to help drive through NHS efficiencies.

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Gonna need a big jack and a ton of Bondo at Santa Ana [Scary]

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CPAC conference: Liberal MPs condemn Gary Johns’ ‘revolting’ commentary about Indigenous people

Exclusive: Bridget Archer says ‘abhorrent’ comments ‘have no place in respectful society’, while Andrew Bragg warns language can be ‘dangerous’

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Liberal MPs have condemned “abhorrent” and “revolting” commentary about Indigenous people aired at no campaign leader Warren Mundine’s CPAC conference, as pressure mounts on fellow anti-voice spokesperson Gary Johns.

Bridget Archer and Andrew Bragg, as well as the federal Nationals leader, David Littleproud, were critical of Johns – the president of the anti-voice group Recognise A Better Way – who claimed some people in Indigenous communities lived in a “stupor” and recommended they “learn English”.

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North Korea's neighbors issue warnings ahead of attempted 'satellite' launch

The last one splashed down badly, but this is no laughing matter – Japan's PM thinks it could be a missile

North Korea intends to launch another "satellite" in coming days, and its neighbors – and the world – are worried.…

X reportedly tests removing headlines from links to news articles

The Verge

A report from Fortune claims that X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, has tested stripping headlines from articles shared on the site_._ Postswould only include the lead image and the URL, unless the person or publisher posting the link adds their own text, per materials the outlet viewed.

The image would still serve as a link to the article, but there's no word on a timetable to roll it out or confirmation that it will ship at all. “It’s something Elon wants,” a source is quoted as saying, “They were running it by advertisers, who didn’t like it, but it’s happening.”

(if this text was not here, all you would see is this image with no context, no headline, no description — but it would be a clickable article) p...

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Coles posts $1.1bn profit amid grocery price surge and cost of living crisis

Coles expands profit margins and posts a 4.8% rise in full-year annual profit

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Supermarket operator Coles has recorded a surge in revenue from its groceries business, even as steep living costs prompt households to alter shopping habits and store theft escalates.

Australia’s second biggest supermarket chain posted a 4.8% rise in full-year annual profit to $1.1bn, supported by its strong food business which more than offset subdued liquor sales.

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FTSE 100 bosses ‘given average pay rise of £500,000 in 2022’

CEOs received average increase of 16% while pay of many working for them failed to keep up with inflation

The bosses of the UK’s 100 biggest listed companies collected an average £500,000 pay rise last year, while many of the millions of people working for them saw their pay growth fail to keep up with soaring inflation.

FTSE 100 chief executives received an average pay rise of 16% last year, taking their median pay to £3.9m, up from £3.4m in 2021, according to research by the High Pay Centre thinktank published on Tuesday.

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'Immortals of Aveum' Is a Shooter That Swaps Gunfire for Spell-Casting

One of the year’s most anticipated releases, out now from Ascendant Studios, is standard war fantasy**—**but a stable of veteran FPS developers gives this mage-powered shooter an edge.

‘They want us to die in the streets’: inside the Nagorno-Karabakh blockade

Residents of Armenian enclave believe Azerbaijan’s plan is clear: to starve them into submission

For every meal, Hovig Asmaryan eats potatoes. “We fry them. And then we boil them,” he said. “It’s a healthy lifestyle for me and my family. We consume vegetables, walk on foot and get around by bike. But it’s by force.”

In his home city of Stepanakert a barter system has sprung up. “We have a fruit tree in the garden. I give fruit to my neighbours. They pass us carrots,” he said.

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Driver gives cop the finger. Cop responds with a speeding ticket. Let the investigations begin [Asinine]

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Cambodia: son of long time ruler Hun Sen becomes PM in historic transfer of power

Major powers will be watching to see if Hun Manet adopts his father’s authoritarian approach to governing

Cambodia’s newly elected parliament has endorsed military general Hun Manet as prime minister, completing a historic transfer of power in a fast-changing country led by his father for nearly four decades.

The western-educated Hun Manet, 45, had the backing of most of the National Assembly in proceedings screened live on television on Tuesday. He became eligible for the job after winning a seat in last month’s parliamentary elections, widely criticised as a sham.

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Ukraine drone strike reportedly destroys Russian flagship supersonic bomber

The TU-22 - used extensively in missile strikes on Ukraine - was seen burning in images shared on social media

Ukraine has destroyed a supersonic Russian jet in a drone strike, according to reports from the BBC and Ukrainian media.

The reports were based on images posted on social media which appear to show the long-range bomber, the Tupolev Tu-22, on fire. The images were analysed by the BBC, but have not been independently verified by the Guardian.

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New Zealand Labour’s support sinks to worst level in six years, poll finds

Prime minister Chris Hipkins says Labour now ‘underdogs’ as National gains ground ahead of 14 October election

New Zealand’s Labour party is polling at its worst levels in 6 years, with prime minister Chris Hipkins saying they are now “underdogs” in the upcoming election.

If the results of the poll were repeated at the election, the left block would lose its large electoral majority, while also reducing the diversity of New Zealand’s parliament and replacing the gender parity currently held with a male majority.

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Biden to bolster boondocks broadband with a billion bonus bucks (barely)

ISPs in 22 states and Marshall Islands get to split nine-figure pot

The Biden administration is ready to divvy up nearly $700 million more in funding for rural broadband expansion, with the US Department of Agriculture taking the helm to disburse the cash. …

Today is Brazilian Blowout Day, and if your mind did not immediately go into the gutter, you're probably on the wrong site [Giggity]

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Bradley Cooper’s prosthetic nose not antisemitic, Anti-Defamation League says

Jewish organisation defends actor after he was accused of performing in ‘Jewface’ for Maestro, his biopic of conductor Leonard Bernstein

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has defended Bradley Cooper’s decision to wear a prosthetic nose to play Leonard Bernstein in his upcoming biopic about the legendary composer, after the actor was accused of performing in “Jewface”.

The US-based international Jewish organisation, which fights antisemitism and bigotry, issued a statement on Monday stating that the use of prosthetics was not inherently antisemitic.

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Germany arrests two US soldiers after man stabbed to death at funfair, possibly to ask them why they didn't use guns instead [Scary]

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Fukushima: wastewater from ruined nuclear plant to be released from Thursday, Japan says

Release plans approved by UN nuclear authority have caused outcry in China and concern for the reputation of Japan’s seafood

Japan is to begin releasing wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from Thursday, in defiance of opposition from fishing communities, China and some scientists.

The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has said that disposing of more than 1m tonnes of water being stored at the site is an essential part of the long and complex process to decommission the plant.

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The Merriam-Webster word of the day for August 21 is 'frisson' as in: "Sadly, the police did not buy my claim that I had only kidnapped the boy because I thought he would be a frisson" [Interesting]

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