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Politics
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Investigations into former anti-corruption chief Paul Brereton nixed over cost concerns
National Anti-Corruption Commission inspector, Gail Furness, says systemic issues behind two complaints have been addressed Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Two investigations into complaints made against the former national anti-corruption commissioner, Paul Brereton, will discontinue after its watchdog said it could not “justify such expenditure”. In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nacc) inspector, Gail Furness, said she would end the ongoing investigations due to Brereton’s resignation and her belief that the “systemic issues which had been identified have been satisfactorily addressed”. Continue reading...
Karmelo Anthony seeks new trial after 35-year sentence in killing of Austin Metcalf
Defense attorneys say prosecutors coerced Anthony, 19, into waiving his right to testify, and cite additional reasons Karmelo Anthony’s legal team is seeking a new trial and the recusal of a state judge a month after a Texas jury convicted the 19-year-old of murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, 17, at a track meet in 2025. In a Tuesday motion, Anthony’s defense attorneys argued that their client’s conviction should be overturned because prosecutors coerced him into waiving his right to testify, among other reasons. Continue reading...
Iran accuses US of violating peace agreement after strikes target sites around strait of Hormuz
The US military said the strikes were in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels on Tuesday that violated the ceasefire Middle East crisis live: follow latest updates Iran has accused the US of violating the agreement aimed at ending the war between the two sides, after the US military launched strikes around the strait of Hormuz and revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Tehran to export oil. The US military said the attacks launched in the early hours of Wednesday were in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting through the strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Australian house prices are falling but have still more than doubled over the past decade
The average dwelling price in Australia has risen to more than 17 years of a typical household’s disposable income Want to get more charts in your inbox every fortnight? Sign up for The Crunch here House prices dropped across several Australian capital cities in recent months, with major banks predicting falls of 2 - 3 % by the end of the year. But after a decade of accelerating house prices, this wouldn’t make a significant dent in housing affordability. Continue reading...
Arizona toddler declared dead after near-drowning was alive for hours in ‘cold room’, records say
Officers say they saw signs of life multiple times, and after hospital treated the child, he was taken to hospital’s morgue A toddler who was declared dead after being discovered in a backyard pool in February was actually alive and found hours later in a room that serves as the hospital morgue, recently released police records show. Two Gilbert police officers saw possible signs of life multiple times, but the child was still taken to the hospital’s “cold room” after being treated by staff, according to the documents. Continue reading...
Which? finds 150 potentially lethal baby products sold online
UK consumer group says lives are at risk because platforms fail to prevent dangerous items reaching customers Babies are being put at risk by dozens of potentially lethal infant products sold to UK parents on major online marketplaces, an investigation has found. The consumer champion Which? identified 150 products, including self-feeding prop feeders that pose a choking risk and baby sleep pillows linked to suffocation. Continue reading...
ICE agents attempting to stop vehicle fatally shoot motorist in Houston
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed by immigration enforcement as he was looking to hire workers, his son says A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a motorist in Houston on Tuesday during an attempt by officers to stop the man’s vehicle, according to an ICE statement. The man shot to death was identified as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, described by ICE as a Mexican national and “illegal alien” who attempted to evade arrest during a “targeted enforcement operation” by federal immigration officers. Continue reading...
‘Absolutely bananas’: San Francisco homes sell for $1m above asking price amid AI boom
Report finds widespread overbidding as rapid AI growth generates increased wealth in city where housing is scarce San Francisco’s AI boom has buyers spending unprecedented amounts of money on homes – much more than sellers are asking for. A new analysis from real-estate brokerage Compass, found that in the first half of 2026, more than 140 homes in the city sold for at least $1m above their asking price, 44 of them in June alone. Continue reading...
Major outage hits Telstra mobile network as thousands report they can’t make calls or access internet
Carrier confirms ‘an issue’ as mobile network used by millions goes down for many users Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Thousands of Telstra customers have been unable to make calls or access their data on their mobiles on the country’s largest network. The telecommunications provider that powers some 25 million mobile services nationwide confirmed the outage on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Manhattan building sparks evacuations after two structural columns buckle
Officials also find multiple cracks and sagging floors in building that is being converted into apartments A high-rise building in Manhattan was deemed unstable on Tuesday after authorities determined that support columns buckled, spurring evacuation of nearby buildings, according to officials and reports. The former Pfizer pharmaceutical building, which is being converted into residential rentals, also had problematic floors, fire department officials said. Continue reading...
‘TikTok takeover’ sparks mayhem at California pier on Fourth of July
More than 400 people arrested after thousands descend on Newport Beach, drawn by flash mob-style meetup An alleged “TikTok takeover” sparked mayhem in a southern California beach town over the Fourth of July weekend, leading to fires, roughly 400 arrests and officers on horseback for crowd control. Thousands of people descended on Newport Beach, California, on Saturday night, many drawn by an online flash mob-style meetup, according to a city statement. Balboa Peninsula was already packed with tens of thousands of Fourth of July revelers, but as night fell, officials said, a large crowd obstructed traffic, set fires and hurled explosives at law enforcement officers. Continue reading...
Body of missing 18-year-old Nolan Wells found on Mississippi island
College freshman’s mother identified his body after he was reported missing following 4 July boat trip with friends On 4 July, Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and a group of friends went on a boat trip to Horn Island, a barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Wells’s friends all returned back home that evening, but Wells did not, prompting his mother to report him missing and ask for help on social media, triggering a two-day search that caught national attention. That search came to an end on Monday, when a body was found on the island. On Tuesday, Wells’s mother, Christine Wonsley, identified the body as belonging to Wells. “His father, our family, friends and I are absolutely devastated,” Wonsley wrote in a Facebook post. “My heart is broken for my sweet son who was always willing to cheer and uplift others. Nolan was a special soul, God took his time creating our son.” Continue reading...
Australia news live: PM to host three Pacific leaders in Brisbane, with all eyes on China after missile test
Leaders from Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea to join Albanese at State of Origin decider. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese will host a trio of Pacific prime ministers as he tries to bolster Australia’s regional influence amid the creeping threat of China, Australian Associated Press reports. The bilateral meetings with Papua New Guinea’s James Marape , Tonga’s Lord Fakafānua and Samoa’s La’auli Leuatea Schmidt will be followed by a Pacific rugby league event in Brisbane with all four leaders. Continue reading...
Pochettino’s future uncertain as US Soccer weighs next move after World Cup exit
Pochettino awaits talks over future with US team Federation backs coach but leaves door open Spend any time around US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino and you’ll likely notice a medallion hanging from a bracelet on his right wrist. It is emblazoned with an engraving of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. It’s a detail that feels appropriate for Pochettino, or any high-level manager, really, all of whom are inherently nomadic. The Argentinian has enjoyed stability at a handful of stops but has also done his share of moving, having shepherded five different clubs prior to his arrival in the United States about 22 months ago. Continue reading...
Former Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland had early stage CTE when he died at 24
Kneeland died by suicide in 2025 after police chase Researchers determine he was in stage one of four Brain disease can be diagnosed only after death Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died by suicide in November 2025 after a high-speed chase with police, had early stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain abnormality linked to repeated concussions, his family announced Tuesday. The Boston University CTE Center, which investigates the long-term consequences of repetitive brain trauma in athletes and others, analyzed Kneeland’s brain tissue after his death. Researchers determined Kneeland, who was 24, was in stage one of four of CTE. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org , or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie . In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
US appeals court partially strikes down Florida law restricting campus race and gender discussions
Ron DeSantis’s Stop Woke Act suffers another legal setback, with the state accused of ‘puppeteering’ Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A federal appeals panel struck down a significant chunk of Florida governor Ron DeSantis ’s so-called Stop Woke Act on Tuesday, delivering another rebuff to the Republican’s efforts to stifle free speech in higher education. In a scathing order, judges of the 11th circuit court of appeal said by a 2-1 majority that the higher education component of the law – which prevented college and university professors teaching or sharing thoughts on concepts of race and gender – breached the free expression rights guaranteed under the US constitution’s first amendment. Continue reading...
‘My friends are very anti him’: Clacton weary at prospect of Farage byelection
The Reform leader’s constituents weren’t very enthusiastic about their MP, or Westminster politics in general It was one of the most-watched contests of the 2024 general election, where Nigel Farage’s campaign culminated with the Reform UK leader addressing thousands on Clacton’s seafront through the hatch of an armoured Land Rover. Two years on, however, the prospect of a second “battle of Clacton” was unravelling in the hours after Farage’s announcement that he was triggering a “people versus the establishment byelection” at a time when he faces two parliamentary probes into financial support he received , including questions over a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire and Reform donor Christopher Harborne. Continue reading...
Utah revokes license of boarding school where Paris Hilton says she was abused as teen
Hilton in a statement said Provo Canyon school ‘failed the children in its care’ and faced abuse allegations for decades The state of Utah has revoked the license of a boarding school where socialite Paris Hilton said she was abused as a teenager, saying the school had “failed to provide applicable health and safety services for clients”. The state’s action, which took effect on Monday, cites multiple noncompliance issues against the Provo Canyon school’s campus in Springville. The school has 15 days to request a hearing before Utah’s health and human services department. Continue reading...
Prince Harry gets burned in his mission to ‘slay dragons’ of British media
Harry claimed victory in two earlier legal actions but he and his co-claimants lost their lawsuit against ANL on Tuesday Prince Harry could face £50m legal bill after losing phone-hacking lawsuit against Mail publisher The Duke of Sussex has variously described his long-running legal battles with certain sections of the British media as a “mission” and a “life’s work”. “I’ve been told that slaying dragons will get you burned,” was his defiant response when he claimed victory against Mirror Group Newspapers in December 2023 over historic allegations of unlawful information gathering, adding it was a “worthwhile price to pay”. Continue reading...
Revealed: Farage’s £5m gift reported to UK crime agency over money laundering concerns
Exclusive: Latest Guardian revelation about gift from cryptocurrency tycoon comes as Reform UK leader forces byelection The £5m gift to Nigel Farage by a cryptocurrency billionaire was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers who were concerned it may have been laundered money, the Guardian can reveal. The disclosure will put further pressure on the Reform UK leader, who is awaiting a decision by the standards commissioner over whether his failure to declare the money breached parliamentary rules. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage rejects scrutiny from UK parliament and calls a ‘people v establishment’ byelection
Reform UK leader says he has ‘never been angrier’ – but opposition leaders accuse him of a ‘desperate stunt’ UK politics live – latest updates Flanked by union jack flags, with a spectacular view of the City of London behind him, Nigel Farage said he had “never been angrier”. In an address that was billed as a “statement on my future in public life”, the leader of Reform UK, the rightwing, anti-immigration party that remains ahead in most national polls but which has been dipping recently, said he would not tolerate any more of it. “It seems to me that the establishment have now decided that they can’t beat us fairly, so they’ve chosen to use foul means,” Farage said. He was referring to the Guardian’s revelation that he had received an undeclared £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne as well as the more recent allegations – not denied – that Farage had also taken undeclared funding for his staffing, security and housing from George Cottrell a convicted criminal and Gloucester-born aristocrat. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on Nigel Farage’s byelection stunt: spectacle is not scrutiny | Editorial
The Reform UK leader wants voters to overrule parliamentary accountability. Labour should expose the trick, then offer a politics that works Nigel Farage, Brexit’s snake-oil salesman, is at it again. The Reform UK leader is under investigation over whether he broke parliamentary rules by failing to disclose a £5m gift from a crypto billionaire shortly before announcing he would stand for parliament. He now faces questions over claims that George Cottrell, a Montenegro-based convicted criminal and longtime associate, helped fund his security and social media operation before the 2024 general election. MPs are required to declare potentially relevant gifts or donations received in the 12 months before entering parliament. Purely personal gifts do not need to be registered . Rather than wait for the exoneration he insists is inevitable, Mr Farage says he will resign as MP for Clacton and stand again. He hopes to pull in the crowds like a carnival barker. His argument is a con: that the “establishment” should not judge him over million-pound gifts; only the voters should. But a byelection can decide only who represents Clacton. It cannot decide whether parliamentary rules were breached, whether donations or benefits were declarable, or whether electoral law was broken. That is up to parliamentary authorities and election regulators. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
Prosecutors show video of Charlie Kirk’s killing on second day of hearing
Utah county attorney’s office says evidence against suspect Tyler James Robinson is sufficient for case to move to trial Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Utah prosecutors on Tuesday showed video from the day of Charlie Kirk’s killing that they said depicted suspect Tyler James Robinson entering the Utah Valley University campus and climbing on to a roof where they say he fired a fatal shot at the conservative commentator. The Utah county attorney’s office presented the evidence on the second day of a week-long preliminary hearing in which the state must prove to a state district judge that there was enough evidence for the case to move to trial. The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...
H.R. 3535: Stop Foreign Funds in Elections Act
Legislation Coming Up: This bill 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: The committees assigned to this bill sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on May 14, 2026.