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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Fatboy Slim says he felt paralysed at prospect of DJing sober after rehab
Speaking on Desert Island Discs, the Grammy-nominated musician referred to his alcoholism as a parasite Fatboy Slim has said he felt paralysed and “rigid with fear” at the prospect of DJing sober after spending time in rehab to deal with his alcohol addiction. The artist, whose real name is Norman Cook, referred to his alcoholism as a parasite and said getting sober was “probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done” during an appearance on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs with Lauren Laverne. Continue reading...
Australia news live: shark-spotting drones to patrol NSW beaches year-round
Premier Chris Minns says technology will be largest expansion of aerial shark surveillance in the world. Follow the day’s updates live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Drone technology won’t be ‘foolproof’ but should ‘mitigate the risk’, NSW premier says The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, says the state government’s expansion of shark surveillance came in response to a reduction in the number of people visiting beaches amid a spate of shark attacks. We now are in a situation where … we seen a reduction in the number of people who are enjoying our beaches and enjoying the Pacific Ocean, even in the winter period. So we know we want to take action … It’s not going to be foolproof. We can’t promise it won’t lead to further shark attacks in the future, but we think it’ll mitigate the risk. They’re a protected species. They’ve been a protected species since the 90s, and I’m not convinced it would work. I mean, the distances these sharks travel are massive. It’s not like we can knock a few off and send a message to the rest of them … I think it’s a different situation for bull sharks. Generally they’re in our estuaries … We’re looking particularly at an audit of the number of sharks in Sydney Harbour. We want to keep people safe, particularly when there’s a higher number of people in the water. Continue reading...
US says it struck targets in Iran over ‘continued aggression’ against shipping
Strikes come after retaliatory attacks on Friday following a drone strike on cargo ship in strait of Hormuz The US has struck multiple targets in Iran after strikes on Friday that were in response to a drone strike on a cargo ship a day earlier in the strait of Hormuz, US Central Command (Centcom) has confirmed. Centcom said its strikes on Saturday were in “direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping”. The US strikes targeted “Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities”, Centcom said in a statement. Continue reading...
Colombia v Portugal: World Cup 2026 – live
⚽️ Kick-off time: 7.30pm EDT/12.30am BST/9.30am AEST ⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Group tables | Mail Beau ⚽️ DR Congo v Uzbekistan – live updates from Group K Let’s begin with the tangible stakes ... If Portugal win this game, they win Group K, and Colombia will be second, resulting in these matchups: Portugal: July 3 in Kansas City vs. the third-place team in Group L, if that team qualifies. Should the Group L team fall short, they’ll face the third-place team in Group I, which is Senegal. Colombia: July 2 in Toronto vs. the runner-up in Group L (England, Ghana or Croatia). Continue reading...
DR Congo v Uzbekistan: World Cup 2026 – live
⚽️ Kick-off time: 7.30pm EDT/12.30am BST/9.30am AEST ⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Group tables | Mail Bryan ⚽️ Colombia v Portugal – live updates also in Group K Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s at look at who needs what as the group stage tilts toward its conclusion: Continue reading...
Trump says he will nominate Lance Schroyer as next ICE director
Schroyer, whom Trump calls ‘a patriot’, led deportation campaign in Oklahoma under ICE-partnered program Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will nominate Lance Schroyer as the next director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ), succeeding David Venturella, who had been performing the duties of the director. Trump said in a Truth Social post that Schroyer “has over 29 YEARS of Law Enforcement experience in Oklahoma — A State where I WON all 77 Counties in 2016, 2020, and 2024! Lance is a former Oklahoma State Trooper, and United States Marine”. Continue reading...
Man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after vehicle hits pedestrians in London
Suspect held after five people injured, including three who were taken to hospital, in Ealing on Saturday afternoon A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a vehicle hit multiple pedestrians on a busy London road before driving away, police have said. Five people were injured, including three who were later taken to hospital, during the incident in Ealing Broadway, Ealing, west London, at about 2.30pm on Saturday. Continue reading...
Pro-One Nation Facebook groups appear to be run by foreign ‘meme factories’ that monetise content
Exclusive: Guardian analysis suggests several groups with thousands of members run by what expert calls ‘engagement farm’ operations in south-east Asia Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Some of the largest One Nation supporter groups on Facebook appear to be run from overseas by foreign digital creators who monetise content. Guardian Australia examined 14 of the largest pro- One Nation public groups with at least 8,000 members, and found most were created this year. Continue reading...
Venezuela earthquakes: death toll rises again to more than 1,400
Search for survivors continues with nearly 70,000 people reported unaccounted for by their family members The death toll in the twin earthquakes which struck Venezuela earlier this week has risen to 1,430, according to one of the country’s top politicians Jorge Rodríguez. Another 3,200 people were injured and 3,100 left homeless by the disaster, the National Assembly president added, speaking on state television. Continue reading...
Utah’s Cottonwood fire spreads overnight to cover 92,000 acres
Firefighters are battling the blaze in Fishlake national park that was stoked by strong winds and low humidity Hundreds of firefighters in Utah have struggled to suppress a wildfire that scorched an additional 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares) as of Saturday, as low humidity and strong winds accelerated the fire spread, according to state officials. The Cottonwood fire erupted on Monday in the Fishlake national forest, located in central Utah. The blaze intensified overnight, growing from about 70,000 acres (28,000 hectares) to more than 92,000 acres (37,000 hectares) on Saturday morning, according to the US Forest Service. The fire is at a 0% containment level and is the largest blaze currently burning in the US, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Continue reading...
UK minister working up plans for state-owned housing developer
Exclusive: Steve Reed is looking at government run scheme that could borrow at lower rates than private developers The housing secretary has been working up plans for a state-owned housing developer, according to details leaked to the Guardian, as the government looks for ways to stimulate stubbornly low rates of housebuilding. Steve Reed has been looking at proposals to set up a new state-owned developer which could borrow at lower rates than private developers and housing associations, according to plans leaked to the Guardian. Continue reading...
White House unveils new images of US ‘patriot passports’ for America’s 250th
Democrats called plans for commemorative passports and gold coin with Trump portrait ‘more befitting a monarchy’ Donald Trump ’s efforts to brand the US government with his name and image advanced on Friday when the White House unveiled new images of a passport watermarked with his portrait to mark America’s 250th. The White House called it simply the “patriot passport”, while on Truth Social Trump introduced it as “The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, “Welcome, but be good!”. Continue reading...
Bahrain condemns Iranian drone attack after overnight US strikes
No immediate reports of damage after Bahrain hit by ‘number of drones’ as ship in strait of Hormuz also targeted Bahrain said it was attacked by Iran with a wave of drones on Saturday, apparently in response to overnight US strikes on Iran . A ship in the strait of Hormuz was also attacked. Bahrain’s foreign ministry said a “number of drones” were launched at the country, though there were no immediate reports of damage. It condemned the attack and described it as a “flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents”. Continue reading...
California officials unearth 117 dog bodies, many with bullet fragments, at ‘no-kill’ shelter
Police say they also found more than 600 dog collars in area where they suspect animals were killed Investigators uncovered 117 dead dogs at a northern California animal rescue sanctuary, with many of the canine remains having evidence of gunshots. Miranda’s Rescue, a sanctuary outside Fortuna, California , described itself as a “no-kill” facility. Investigators said the organization accepted hundreds of dogs each year from shelters across the San Francisco Bay Area in return for hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. Continue reading...
Foodie in Fairbanks: the unexpected culinary scene in the middle of Alaska
Locals and visitors of the Golden Heart City have a plethora of food choices to choose from – Thai, Chinese, Korean and even Moldovan cuisine Charlie Boonprasert and Tutu Navachai arrived in Fairbanks in the 1980s, when their friend offered them jobs mining and cooking at a gold lease. The pair, originally from northern Thailand, soon realized there was almost no south-east Asian food available in Alaska’s remote interior. But they did find a small Thai population in Fairbanks yearning for a taste of home, and a chance to meet up and gossip. Continue reading...
JD Vance claims US holds all the cards in Iran and will win ‘either way’
Vice-president appeared on Bill Maher’s show hours before more military strikes were exchanged in strait of Hormuz JD Vance said on Friday that the US wins “either way” regarding negotiations with Iran , pointing to what he called the destruction of its nuclear program and diminishment as a country. “If we make the final deal, then great,” the US vice-president told HBO’s Bill Maher . “If we don’t make the final deal, their nuclear program is still destroyed. They’re still much weaker as a country, so my attitude is America wins either way.” Continue reading...
Germany and Italy swelter in heatwave as records tumble across Europe
Denmark experiences highest temperature on record on Saturday in eastward spread of weather system Europe heatwave – latest updates Germany and Italy endured sweltering conditions on Saturday as a heatwave linked to dozens of deaths in western Europe spread eastwards, after temperatures broke records above 40C (104F). Denmark registered its highest temperature on record on Saturday, according to the Danish Meteorological Institute. “With 36.6C north of Odense, we have the warmest day ever since measurements began in 1874,” it said in a post on X. Continue reading...
Lebanon-Israel deal may block war crime victims from seeking justice, experts warn
Agreement could also end hopes of ICC jurisdiction in Lebanon – a move advocates pushed for to prosecute Israel A new agreement between Lebanon and Israel could block victims of Israeli war crimes in Lebanon from pursuing accountability and hinder future efforts to give the international criminal court jurisdiction in the country, legal experts warned. Lebanon and Israel signed a 14-point framework agreement in Washington on Friday designed to work towards an end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Continue reading...
GB News pundit charged with fraud during time as Labour adviser
Exclusive: Matthew Torbitt faces two counts by false representation in relation to travel and expense claims A prominent political commentator has been charged with fraud in relation to his time as a Labour adviser, the Guardian can reveal. Matthew Torbitt, a regular guest pundit on GB News, faces two counts of fraud by false representation in relation to his travel and expenses claims while working in parliament. Continue reading...
‘It’s become a litmus test’: wins for Israel critics shine light on key issue for Democrats
Candidates who believe Israel has committed genocide won big in New York – will it push the party to move their way? Regardless of which party wins control of Congress in November, New York City voters have all but ensured that next year a vocal bloc of new House Democrats will arrive on Capitol Hill, elected, in large part, because they believe Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza. That is an upshot of the primary elections held Tuesday in New York, where voters ousted two incumbent House Democrats and replaced a third who is retiring with progressives championed by Zohran Mamdani. Continue reading...
The AI bubble has further to run despite the looming crash
As tech firms make huge profits and investors fear losing out, both are doing their best to hold off the day of reckoning OpenAI staggers AI model release after White House request Every couple of decades, investors will ask themselves how long can the stock market keep climbing. Is it safe to buy more shares? Is their pension or equity portfolio vulnerable should financial markets, and especially those in the US, come crashing down to earth? When stock markets rise to historically high levels – and beyond the level when normal profits can sustain share prices – a few “experts” typically warn of an impending crash. Continue reading...
Appeals court rejects Trump EPA bid to abandon rule restricting deadly soot pollution
Decision leaves in place Biden-era standard on pollution from coal-fired plants, factories and other industrial sources A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Environmental Protection Agency ’s attempt to abandon a Biden -era rule that sets tough standards for deadly soot pollution. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel is a setback for the Trump administration ’s deregulatory agenda and its repeated efforts to boost coal, a reliable but polluting energy source. Continue reading...
‘Like a dead body’: after warehouse fire, LA residents say air thick with smell of rotting food
Cleanup under way after week-long fire at a Boyle Heights facility spoiled tens of millions of pounds of frozen food Something is rotten in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights. For a week, thick black smoke filled the air while a massive warehouse burned near downtown Los Angeles, prompting a state of emergency and evacuation orders in the immediate area as air quality worsened. Firefighters finally extinguished the flames on Wednesday, but not before half the warehouse’s 85m lbs of frozen food were lost in the fire – leaving roughly 40m lbs of food to rot. Continue reading...
Thunderstorms disrupt Gatwick and Heathrow as hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled
Passengers report being stuck on grounded planes in sweltering conditions as severe weather causes travel disruption across Europe Europe heatwave: latest updates Thunderstorms have caused severe delays to hundreds of flights at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, leaving passengers stuck on grounded planes for hours in the scorching heat. Overnight, downpours and thunderstorms lit up the skies of London after back-to-back days of 30C-plus weather as the UK and much of Europe experienced a record-breaking heatwave . Continue reading...