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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Experts say three recent powerful earthquakes are not related
5.6-magnitude California tremor, 7.2-magnitude temblor in Japan and two quakes in Venezuela all struck within hours A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck a rural part of northern California on Wednesday. Hours later, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the northern coast of Japan and two powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela in a devastating mass casualty event. The tremors happened in the span of eight hours, prompting online speculation over whether they were related. Continue reading...
Apple raises iPad and MacBook prices, blaming cost of chips amid AI boom
Company says it cannot shield customers from memory and storage chip costs – and iPhone hikes could be next Apple raised iPad and MacBook prices on Thursday, saying it could no longer shield customers from soaring memory and storage chip costs driven by the AI industry’s datacenter buildout. The move does not affect Apple’s cash cow, the iPhone. But it would take starting price of the Neo, its lowest priced laptop, from $599 to $699 mere months after launch. Continue reading...
Paraguay v Australia: World Cup 2026 – live
⚽️ Kick-off time: 7pm local/12pm AEST/3am BST/10pm EDT ⚽️ Third-place table, who has qualified and who needs what? ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Jonathan Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of match 60 of the 2026 World Cup between Paraguay and Australia. Kick-off at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium is 7pm local time (10pm EDT / 3am BST / 12pm AEST). It all comes down to this in Group D. Continue reading...
Major wildfire rips through moorland close to Greater Manchester
Blaze on Tintwistle Moor, Glossop, has burned more than 500 square metres, forcing road closures and smoke warning A major wildfire close to Greater Manchester has torn through large areas of moorland for more than 24 hours, forcing road closures and smoke warnings as fire crews battle to bring it under control. The blaze, on Tintwistle Moor, near Glossop, has burned an area of more than 500 square metres of moorland and woodland, with thick plumes of smoke directly affecting the villages of Tintwistle, Hollingworth and Woolley Bridge. Continue reading...
‘No offence detected’: Victoria police close investigation into Moira Deeming allegation of assault by Matthew Guy
Guy accuses Deeming of making ‘ridiculous and unsubstantiated’ claims as state Liberal party grapples with fallout Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Police have concluded their investigation into Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming’s allegation that her colleague Matthew Guy assaulted her, making the finding “no offence detected”. Deeming had reported to police on 16 June that Guy, the opposition’s public transport spokesperson, had assaulted her at a Macedonian community event in Sunshine on 23 May. Continue reading...
UN pauses ship evacuations through strait of Hormuz after vessel attack
International Maritime Organization says plan on hold until safety guarantees confirmed after projectile hits vessel A United Nations agency paused the evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz on Thursday after the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman following the passage of several tankers that used a route backed by the UN. The head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization said the plan to move stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf through the strait will be on hold until the agency can confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region. Continue reading...
Charities condemn ‘arrogant’ plans to house asylum seekers at former military sites
Planning permission has been sought for three additional military sites Home Office plans to use three more former military sites to house thousands of asylum seekers have been condemned as “arrogant”, “costly” and “a political fix” by refugee charities and local stakeholders. Planning permission is being sought to build “basic” accommodation at MOD Bicester in Oxfordshire, RAF Barnham in Suffolk and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, a statement said. These new sites could house 3,750 claimants, the government has claimed. Continue reading...
King and Queen will not live at Buckingham Palace after £369m refit
Charles and Camilla to remain at Clarence House and are said to want the public to have more access to ‘monarchy HQ’ King Charles’s tax bill: what did we learn and what is still in the dark? Crown estate makes more than £1bn profit for third year running King Charles and Queen Camilla will not move into Buckingham Palace when £369m of buildings works to update it finish next year, preferring to remain at Clarence House, their London home nearby. The announcement came as it was revealed the king paid £12.9m in income and capital gains tax in 2024-25 on his personal income, known as the privy purse, making him among the country’s top 100 taxpayers. Prince William paid £7.76m for the same period. Continue reading...
Crown estate makes more than £1bn profit for third year running
King Charles’s property management firm rakes in £1.2bn as it continues to benefit from offshore windfarm boom King Charles’s tax bill: what did we learn and what is still in the dark? King Charles’s property management company has made more than £1bn for the third consecutive year thanks to the boom in offshore windfarms paid for through energy bills. The crown estate, the royals’ portfolio of land and property , reported £1.2bn in profit for the last financial year, almost three times the amount it made three years ago. Two-thirds came from the offshore wind industry. Continue reading...
King Charles’s tax bill: what did we learn, and what is still in the dark?
We know the monarch paid £24.6m in tax over the last two years, but we still don’t know how wealthy he actually is Crown estate makes more than £1bn profit for third year running King Charles has become Britain’s first monarch in modern times to reveal how much tax he pays on his private income: £24.6m over the last two years. It’s a move celebrated by some as heralding an era of greater transparency from the monarchy. But just how open has it been? Continue reading...
Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately following Today host’s podcast controversy
Network says it was ‘no longer possible’ for Stefanovic to host Today, days after Today host interviewed far-right activist on independent podcast Karl Stefanovic is leaving Nine immediately, the network said in a statement on Friday. It was presented as a joint decision by the broadcaster and network, however it follows days of controversy after the highly-paid Today presenter used his independent podcast series to interview British far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Continue reading...
Australia news live: Karl Stefanovic to leave Nine immediately, network confirms
Nine says in a statement it was ‘no longer possible’ for Stefanovic to host Today. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Karl Stefanovic is leaving Nine immediately, the network said in a statement this morning. It follows days of controversy in which the highly-paid Today presenter used his independent podcast series to interview British far-right activist Tommy Robinson. While Karl and Nine had previously agreed he would leave Today at the end of this year, they have subsequently decided he will leave the Network immediately. Continue reading...
WNBA suspends Alyssa Thomas for ‘cheap shot’ throat hit to Caitlin Clark
Mercury star made contact with closed fist during jostle Fever coach slammed refs for ‘disrespectful’ no-calls Sign up for the WNBA 30 weekly newsletter The WNBA has suspended Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas after she hit Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark in the throat with her fist during a game. The play occurred in the second quarter of Wednesday night’s 111-109 road win by Phoenix. Clark was driving into the lane and fell on her side after contact. Thomas and Mercury forwards DeWanna Bonner dove for the ball, and in the jostle Thomas appeared to knee Clark in the groin. Her closed fist made contact with Clark’s throat as she fell. Clark managed to complete a pass to teammate Aliyah Boston as Thomas got up and stepped over her. Continue reading...
Mahmood in standoff with Starmer over sacking of her junior minister
No 10 refused demand to immediately remove immigration minister over breach of ministerial code Shabana Mahmood is locked in an extraordinary standoff with Keir Starmer after Downing Street refused to immediately sack her junior minister for breaching the ministerial code. The home secretary has demanded that Mike Tapp, the immigration minister, should be sacked for writing an unauthorised article calling for overseas care workers to be exempt from hardline immigration reforms. Continue reading...
Supreme court conservatives accused of advancing ‘white-supremacist agenda’
Lawmakers and advocates condemn ‘disastrous’ decisions that allow Trump officials to strip away migrant protections Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Lawmakers and immigration advocacy groups on Thursday sharply denounced two US supreme court rulings that allowed the Trump administration to severely strip certain immigration protections and fundamentally reshape the asylum system. Dozens of groups, advocates and members of Congress called the court’s decisions “disastrous” and “cruel”, while the Trump administration, Republican lawmakers and anti-immigrant groups celebrated the decisions. Continue reading...
DeSantis boasts of deporting 21,000 as notorious Alligator Alcatraz jail closes
Florida immigration jail that became byword for cruelty and cost state taxpayers $1.2m a day shuts down after a year Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor, boasted on Thursday of deporting 21,000 people from Alligator Alcatraz, as he confirmed the closure of the notorious immigration jail hastily erected in the Everglades that became a byword for cruelty and human rights abuses and environmental damage. Standing beside Tom Homan, Donald Trump’s so-called border czar, at a press conference at the now dismantled site in Ochopee in the environmentally sensitive region in south Florida, DeSantis presented its year-long operation as a victory for the president’s aggressive immigration enforcement agenda. Continue reading...
Plymouth’s the Box wins 2026 Art Fund museum of the year award
‘Ambitious and welcoming’ venue that opened in 2020 praised for ‘reimagining what being a museum can mean’ The Box in Plymouth has won the prestigious Art Fund museum of the year award, the largest such prize in the world, for its “ambitious and welcoming approach”. Awarding it the £120,000 prize, judges called the Box “a revelation in so many ways” and “a true jewel in the crown of the south-west”. Continue reading...
Reflecting pool was cut with ‘sharp knife or razor’, National Park Service says
Senior official alleges in court filing that damage included about ‘70 fence post tops thrown’ into the pool A senior National Park Service (NPS) official has said a liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was “cut with a sharp knife or razor” earlier this month, repeating Donald Trump’s claims of vandalism. Frank Lands, the deputy director for operations for NPS, made the allegation in a court filing on Wednesday, as part of a lawsuit brought by a nonprofit group seeking to stop the US president’s renovation of the site. Continue reading...
Ex-Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins believed in talks over top security role
Civil service high-flyer caught up in Mandelson vetting row thought to be discussing comeback with Burnham’s team The Foreign Office chief who lost his job over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal is in discussions with Andy Burnham’s team about taking on a security-related role under the likely new prime minister, the Guardian understands. Olly Robbins has had “early exploratory talks” with senior advisers to the newly elected Makerfield MP over a post in his putative Downing Street operation, and insiders suggested he could be appointed national security adviser. Continue reading...
H.Res. 1383: Commemorating the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts.
Legislation Coming Up: This resolution has been added to the House's schedule for the coming week, according to the House Majority Leader. More information can be found at http://docs.house.gov/floor. Last Action: This resolution is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on June 24, 2026. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.
Robert Jenrick says questions about £5m donation to Farage are legitimate
Reform MP appears to contradict party leader’s claim money from crypto billionaire is ‘none of your business’ Robert Jenrick has said it is “legitimate” for the media to ask questions about Nigel Farage’s £5m personal donation from a cryptocurrency billionaire, just days after the Reform UK leader told an interviewer it was “none of your business”. Jenrick, who is Reform’s shadow chancellor, said voters on the doorstep were not asking about the money given to Farage by the Thailand-based British crypto investor Christopher Harborne. Continue reading...
The World Cup 'Pride Match' Iran and Egypt tried to stop - video
Seattle’s World Cup committee is pushing forward with “Pride Match” celebrations this week despite backlash from Egypt and Iran, who have called for the cancellation of LGBTQ+ rights festivities around the game. Last year, Seattle’s local organising committee, which is separate from Fifa, made plans for 26 June to be a Pride-themed match coinciding with the city’s annual Pride weekend. In December, Egypt and Iran were drawn to play each other on that date in Seattle, causing a swift firestorm and condemnation from the two countries, as Sam Levin explains Seattle prepares for unlikely matchup as its World Cup Pride celebration: Egypt v Iran Continue reading...
Senator Ron Wyden accuses US health agency of plan to deport more than 500 migrant children
Wyden says in a letter addressed to Robert F Kennedy Jr that HHS is preparing an ‘unprecedented legal framework’ Ron Wyden , a US senator of Oregon , accused the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of preparing to use what he describes as an “unprecedented legal framework” to deport more than 500 unaccompanied migrant children currently in the custody of the agency’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). In a letter addressed to the HHS secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr , Wyden said he had obtained “credible information” that the department was using a list of more than 500 children as targets for expedited removal under a new administrative process that he says lacks statutory authority. He called the reported initiative “deeply alarming” and urged HHS to immediately suspend any related screening or removal efforts. Continue reading...
H.R. 2478: Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2025
Vote: Passed 414/2 Rep. Krishnamoorthi [D-IL8]: Yea