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Politics
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As the Telstra crisis unfolded, the Coalition fell victim to another communications failure
He should be upping pressure on the government over the second major telco breakdown in 12 months, but Angus Taylor can’t stop scoring own goals Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast As the government was being questioned over the regulation of telcos and the latest massive Telstra outage, the opposition leader, Angus Taylor, was being asked about communications failures of a different kind: his own, and those of his ministerial team. Millions of phone connections around the country went out for hours on Wednesday. Trains ground to a halt, Eftpos transactions went blank, hundreds of triple zero calls failed and welfare checks were being urgently carried out. The bulk of the fault lies with Telstra. But there are important questions to answer about whether the critical telecommunications sector is being appropriately regulated, and whether the government has learned from last year’s devastating Optus outage and made the necessary changes. Continue reading...
Goodbye frump, hello TikTok: M&S to celebrate 100 years with London fashion week show
Reputation for frumpiness is over as M&S wins over younger audience with shows at Silverstone, Ibiza and now LFW This autumn’s London fashion week boasts plenty of familiar labels, from Burberry to Alexander McQueen, ready to show off their wares. But on Wednesday there was an unexpected addition: Marks & Spencer is joining the luxury lineup. The British high-street retailer will celebrate its 100th anniversary in the fashion industry by staging a catwalk show in September highlighting its latest women’s and menswear collections. Continue reading...
‘They said: wear angelic white’: British women who accused US airman of rape tell of American military trial
Two women who alleged they were raped by Tyrion Davis in Suffolk had to testify at an invasive court martial on a US base Minutes after fleeing the home of an American airman, Rebecca called 999 in tears to report that he had raped her. She recalls vomiting at a police station in Suffolk as she described being repeatedly and violently attacked. Officers took her to a sexual assault referral centre for an intimate examination. There, a nurse measured and photographed her injuries, including bruises and bite marks on her neck. Continue reading...
No evidence for ‘witches’ marks’ claims at old English buildings, historian says
Author argues symbols such as daisy wheels are no more than the working marks of stonemasons Over the years, English Heritage and Historic England have claimed to have identified large numbers of “witches’ marks” or “ritual protection symbols” on the walls of historic buildings, including medieval churches and houses. Now a leading architectural historian has said there is “absolutely no evidence” that these marks have anything to do with witches or any “mystical meanings”. Continue reading...
Modi and Albanese to ink major uranium deal as Indian leader’s visit expected to draw 30,000-strong crowd
Ahead of Modi’s Marvel Stadium event, Anthony Albanese credits Indian PM’s ‘leadership and personal engagement with Australia’ for strength of bilateral relationship Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese is poised to sign a major uranium deal with India, praising counterpart Narendra Modi and the nation’s diaspora for deepening economic ties. It could end more than a decade of delays to regular shipments of the fuel despite the two countries signing a historic nuclear cooperation pact. Continue reading...
Taylor defends Sarah Henderson’s triple-zero calls amid questions about claimed Telstra-outage death in SA
South Australian police say they’re unaware of death despite claim by Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Angus Taylor says his shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson was “doing her job” when she “tested” the triple-zero system by making unnecessary calls to it during Telstra’s nationwide outage . The opposition leader has also dismissed concerns about Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle’s claim that an elderly person died as a result of the outage, after South Australian police said they were unaware of any such death. Continue reading...
Western Europe records hottest-ever June as heatwaves intensify
Temperatures across ravaged region 3C above average as scientists warn of risks for people, ecosystems and infrastructure Record wildfires in Europe show failure to adapt carries a mounting cost Western Europe has been scorched by its hottest June on record, scientists have said, as the UK enters its third heatwave of the year and wildfires ravage France and Spain. Inflamed by carbon pollution , the deadly June heatwave helped push surface air temperatures for the region 3.06C above their average from recent decades, according to the EU’s Copernicus climate monitoring service. Continue reading...
H.R. 9623: Protecting Americans’ Health Care Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 6238: NIH IMPROVE Act
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (July 9, 2026) is now available.
H.R. 8205: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (July 9, 2026) is now available.
H.R. 139: Sunshine Protection Act of 2025
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (July 9, 2026) is now available.
Graham Platner debacle puts Democrats in grave danger of blowing it in the midterms
The meltdown in Maine’s Senate race risks the Democrats’ opportunity to turn Trump into a lame duck president. Two years ago Democrats had one job: stop Donald Trump from returning to the White House. It was the only thing that mattered, but with breathtaking political malpractice, they imploded. This November Democrats have two jobs: win the House of Representatives and win the Senate to turn Trump into a lame duck president for his final two years. But once again the party, fond of warning that the stakes are existential, is in grave danger of blowing it. Continue reading...
ABC and SBS need ‘oversight’ committee to vet Israel coverage, Jillian Segal tells royal commission
Antisemitism envoy says public broadcasters, which currently have ombudsman to handle complaints, need independent oversight committee Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal wants a new ‘oversight’ committee to vet the ABC and SBS’s Israel coverage, she told the royal commission on Thursday morning. Both the ABC and SBS have independent ombudsman to handle complaints. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage v Count Binface - podcast
Political correspondent Ben Quinn talks about the forthcoming byelection in Clacton after all Reform’s serious rivals declined to take part On Tuesday, after months of scandal about his finances, Nigel Farage tried to take back the initiative. He was resigning as an MP, he explained, to trigger a byelection in his Clacton seat – giving “the people” a chance back him against “the establishment”. But, as the Guardian political correspondent Ben Quinn explains, things may not have gone quite to plan. After all Reform’s political rivals announced they wouldn’t take part in Farage’s “stunt”, it left him the prospect of six weeks of campaigning against the novelty candidate Count Binface . Count Binface on Clacton byelection: ‘I didn’t know old Farage was going to self-detonate’ Millions of pounds and many, many questions: the untold story of why Reform figures face NCA scrutiny Continue reading...
Maine contenders: the Democrats who could replace Graham Platner
Democrats have until 27 July to pick a new candidate to face Susan Collins in November – here are the options so far A month after he won Maine’s Democratic primary, Graham Platner, the oyster farmer turned insurgent candidate has suspended his campaign after being accused by a former girlfriend of severely sexually assaulting her in 2021 – an allegation he denies as “categorically untrue”. Now that Platner has said he will file paperwork to withdraw from the race, Maine Democrats have until 27 July to select a replacement to face Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent, in a race widely seen as pivotal to control of the Senate. The state party said on Wednesday it would hold a nominating convention to pick a new candidate. Continue reading...
Trump to ask US supreme court to reconsider birthright citizenship ruling
Request for rehearing comes after Fox News report of Texas hospital advertising maternity services in Mexico Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would ask the US supreme court to reconsider its ruling that the 14th amendment to the US constitution guarantees birthright citizenship in light of what he described as shocking new evidence: a hospital in Texas advertising its services to expectant mothers in Mexico on a pair of billboards. “Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with ‘Deliveries starting at $4000’, the president wrote on his social media platform, in what appeared to be a wild exaggeration of a Fox News report on just two billboards. Continue reading...
Graham Platner ends Maine Senate campaign after sexual assault allegation
Democratic marines veteran and oyster farmer has been dogged by controversy since entering contest last year Woman accuses Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner of sexual assault Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, is suspending his campaign following a sexual assault allegation. Platner announced his decision in a video posted to social media on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...
Pet prescriptions could be capped at £21 under proposed vet sector reforms
Ministers also considering licence requirement and regulator to try to cut bills and increase choice UK vets may have to have a licence and cap prescriptions for pet medicine at £21 under plans being considered by the government. Ministers are also considering establishing a regulator for the veterinary sector, including inspections, a mandatory licensing system and published compliance reports to improve accountability and choice. Every vet practice could need an official operating licence – similar to GP surgeries and care homes – under proposals in a white paper. Continue reading...
All lobbying should be publicly declared in transparency laws shake-up, watchdog says
Ethics and integrity commission chief says overhaul is crucial to help restore trust in standards All lobbying of government ministers, aides and senior officials should be publicly declared – from WhatsApp chats to party conference meetings – in a fundamental shake-up of transparency laws, the government’s ethics watchdog has said. A review led by Doug Chalmers, the head of the ethics and integrity commission , has called for a new register to highlight who is lobbying, which policies they are seeking to influence and who in government they are meeting. Continue reading...
Disability benefits system ‘not working’ Timms review finds
Interim report into Pip found process had systematic and deep-rooted problems and required bold and radical overhaul A landmark government review of disability benefits has warned “challenging discussions” remain on how to overhaul and pay for a system it concludes is unfit for purpose and too often leaves vulnerable claimants dehumanised and degraded. The Timms review of the personal independence payment (Pip) concluded the benefit, claimed by nearly 4 million people in England and Wales, suffered from systematic and deep-rooted problems that had undermined public trust in the benefits system. Continue reading...
Ambassadorial appointments should be subject to veto by MPs, committee recommends
Foreign affairs select committee says Peter Mandelson episode was ‘nothing short of disastrous’ for government Political selections for ambassador posts should be subject to a veto by MPs, a parliamentary committee has recommended, as it made damning criticisms of how Peter Mandelson became Britain’s top diplomat in Washington. The foreign affairs select committee concluded that Mandelson’s appointment was “nothing short of disastrous”, “highly damaging” for the British government and “painful and offensive to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein”. Continue reading...
Telstra glitches continue as ‘secondary’ outage hits triple-zero calls and regional trains remain stranded
Carrier says some still unable to connect to emergency hotline a day after initial mobile network outage Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Telstra customers are still having trouble calling triple zero on Thursday morning as the telecommunications giant confirmed a secondary issue stemming from Wednesday’s national outage continued to impact calls. Some who tried to call the emergency hotline were receiving an error message and their phones would try to connect to an alternative network, Telstra said. Continue reading...
Louise Lasser, star of cult sitcom Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Woody Allen comedies, dies aged 87
The 1970s soap parody made a household name of Lasser, who was also known for her collaborations with ex-husband Allen and later films including Requiem for a Dream Louise Lasser, star of cult 70s sitcom Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and early films by Woody Allen (to whom she was married for four years), has died aged 87. The New York Times reported she died “at home in Manhattan” . Lasser’s role as a satirically conceived housewife in suburban Ohio in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, designed as a parody of daytime soap operas, made her a national star, landing her on the cover of People magazine and Rolling Stone. The series lasted a year and a half, between January 1976 and July 1977, but due to its five-days-a-week schedule squeezed more than 300 episodes out of its two season run. Lasser’s Hartman, with her signature pigtails, was preoccupied with domestic minutiae but found herself in unsettling and disturbing situations, including bizarre deaths. The show was intended to explore the changes sweeping ordinary life in the US in the 1970s. Continue reading...
Burnham promises Labour MPs he will not use party discipline to ‘stifle debate’
Prime minister in waiting looks to address frustrations backbenchers had with Keir Starmer’s style of party management Andy Burnham has promised MPs that he will never use party discipline to “stifle debate” and says they should raise problems and policy ideas “without fear or favour”. Nominations for the Labour leadership will open on Thursday, and Burnham is expected to be the only candidate. On Wednesday night the former armed forces minister Al Carns confirmed he would not seek to enter the race to replace Keir Starmer. Continue reading...