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Italian businessman admits organising bombing at home of journalist and friend
The Guardian

Italian businessman admits organising bombing at home of journalist and friend

Valter Lavitola’s lawyer says he had intended attack to boost security for investigative reporter Sigfrido RanucciAn Italian businessman has admitted to masterminding a bomb attack at the home of Sigfrido Ranucci, a prominent investigative journalist, claiming it was intended to boost his security protection.Valter Lavitola, who was friends with Ranucci, the host of Report, an investigative progra...

‘Absolutely unacceptable’: Japan condemns visit by Vladimir Putin to disputed Kuril Islands
The Guardian

‘Absolutely unacceptable’: Japan condemns visit by Vladimir Putin to disputed Kuril Islands

Japanese PM says islands seized by Soviets late in second world war are part of her country under international lawThe Japanese government has reacted angrily to Vladimir Putin’s first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, which are claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow.Japan’s foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, summoned the Russian ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev, while the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi,...

Japan condemns visit by Vladimir Putin to disputed Kuril Islands
The Guardian

Japan condemns visit by Vladimir Putin to disputed Kuril Islands

Japanese PM says islands seized by Soviets late in second world war are part of Japan under international lawThe Japanese government has reacted angrily to Vladimir Putin’s first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, which are claimed by both Tokyo and Moscow.Japan’s foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, summoned the Russian ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev, while the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, calle...

Water customers are not a ‘blank cheque’, Burnham warns suppliers
The Guardian

Water customers are not a ‘blank cheque’, Burnham warns suppliers

Firms in England and Wales given green light for extra spending that will add billions to billsBusiness live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has accused water companies of treating their customers “as a bottomless source of funding” for the industry’s failings, after proposals that will push households bills even higher were approved.Millions of households in England and Wales will face higher bills ...

RSC postpones Othello while leading actor Sharon D Clarke has cancer treatment

RSC postpones Othello while leading actor Sharon D Clarke has cancer treatment

The Guardian

Radical reimagining of Shakespeare play was due to run at Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from 13 February to 3 April 2027The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced that it will postpone its radical production of Othello starring Sharon D Clarke, while the Olivier-winning actor undergoes treatment for cancer.The production, directed by Monique Touko, was scheduled to run from 13 February to 3...

Transport watchdog investigates third near-miss at Sydney airport

Transport watchdog investigates third near-miss at Sydney airport

The Guardian

Two planes came close to collision on the runway on Sunday – hours after another near miss – making a total of three in recent weeksGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe transport safety watchdog is investigating a third near-collision between two planes at Sydney airport – the latest incident occurring hours after one that made national news and raised concerns about air ...

Transport watchdog investigates third near miss at Sydney airport

Transport watchdog investigates third near miss at Sydney airport

The Guardian

Two planes came close to collision on the runway on Sunday – hours after another near miss – making a total of three in recent weeksGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe transport safety watchdog is investigating a a third near-collision between two planes at Sydney airport – the latest incident occurring hours after one that made national news and raised concerns about ai...

Sports Direct owner buys Harvey Nichols department store chain

Sports Direct owner buys Harvey Nichols department store chain

The Guardian

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group acquires Knightsbridge-headquartered retailer after it went into administrationBusiness live – latest updatesThe owner of Sports Direct has bought Harvey Nichols out of administration after the upmarket department store chain warned it could run out of money if it did not find new funding.Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group said on Thursday it had bought the department store ch...

Transport watchdog investigates another near miss at Sydney airport

Transport watchdog investigates another near miss at Sydney airport

The Guardian

Two planes came close to collision on the runway on Sunday – hours after another near miss – making a total of three in recent weeksGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe transport safety watchdog is investigating a another near-collision between two planes at Sydney airport – an incident that occurred on the same day as one that made national news and raised concerns about...

Trump has amassed staggering wealth in ‘most openly corrupt’ presidency

Trump has amassed staggering wealth in ‘most openly corrupt’ presidency

The Guardian

Ethics experts and Democrats express alarm as Trump uses office to grow his personal fortune to ‘unprecedented’ level Donald Trump’s use of his second presidency to grow his personal fortune has alarmed legal and ethics experts and congressional Democrats as he has reaped an “unprecedented” $2.2bn in 2025 revenues by amassing big cryptocurrency holdings, benefitting from wealthy foreign interests,...

California bans paraquat, highly toxic herbicide outlawed in more than 70 countries

California bans paraquat, highly toxic herbicide outlawed in more than 70 countries

The Guardian

State is US’s largest user of pesticide that is virtually proven to cause Parkinson’s diseaseCalifornia is banning paraquat, a highly toxic, controversial herbicide used across millions of acres of American cropland.Public health advocates characterize it as a deadly substance that is virtually proven to cause Parkinson’s disease. It is already outlawed in more than 70 countries, including China, ...

Severe storms cut power supply to 540,000 homes in US midwest

Severe storms cut power supply to 540,000 homes in US midwest

The Guardian

Indiana faced most outages at 267,000, about 8% of its customers, with severe thunderstorms and wind aheadPower supply was cut on Thursday ⁠to about 540,000 homes and businesses across the US midwest as severe storms battered the region, data ⁠from PowerOutage.us showed.Indiana ⁠was the ​hardest-hit state, with more than 267,000 outages, representing about 8% of its roughly 3.3 million customers, ...

Questions over Karoline Leavitt’s replacement as she steps down as White House press secretary – US politics live

Questions over Karoline Leavitt’s replacement as she steps down as White House press secretary – US politics live

The Guardian

Leavitt’s departure three months before midterms raises questions over who will communicate Trump’s messages as his approval rating falls to record low, says YouGov pollingICE’s plan to give officers electric shock gloves draws outrage and fears of misuseImmigration and Customs Enforcement’s plan to give officers gloves that deliver painful electric shocks faced criticism Wednesday from Democratic...

Europe heatwave live: Temperatures of 40C expected in Spain; rare warning for ‘extreme heat’ expanded across England

Europe heatwave live: Temperatures of 40C expected in Spain; rare warning for ‘extreme heat’ expanded across England

The Guardian

A former UK government scientific adviser warned amid the ‘shattering’ heat that worse is still to comeMet Office has just offered an update on temperatures across the UK, with several stations already reporting temperatures above 30C – and it’s not even 11am.It’s 30.4C in Wych Cross, 30.3C in Charlwood, 30.2C at Kenly Airfield. Continue reading...

‘Melancholic fantasy’: Wong escalates Labor rhetoric against Hanson, condemning ‘monoculture’ comment

‘Melancholic fantasy’: Wong escalates Labor rhetoric against Hanson, condemning ‘monoculture’ comment

The Guardian

Foreign affairs minister and first Asian-Australian to serve in federal cabinet to use Lowy Institute address to criticise politicians stoking racial divisionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor has escalated its pushback on One Nation’s surging political support, with the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, labelling Pauline Hanson’s push for a monoculture a “melanc...

How Trump’s order on vaccines is sowing confusion, doubt and fear

How Trump’s order on vaccines is sowing confusion, doubt and fear

The Guardian

The order cannot affect change, and is only ‘undermining trust in vaccines’ as CDC guidance remains the sameDonald Trump’s executive order on vaccines does not change the US recommendations for the shots – but experts say it does create confusion and doubt about vaccines, which will lead to more illness and possibly deaths among children and will make it harder for families and pediatricians to pr...

Trump administration finalizes rule to end federal support for gender-affirming care

Trump administration finalizes rule to end federal support for gender-affirming care

The Guardian

Move blocking funds through Medicaid and Chip to make it harder for vulnerable children to get healthcare, experts sayThe Trump administration finalized a rule on Tuesday to end gender-affirming care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip), a move that will make it harder for vulnerable children to access healthcare and that eschews evidence to advance an anti-transgend...

First Thing: Leavitt departs White House press secretary role with Trump’s ratings at historic low

First Thing: Leavitt departs White House press secretary role with Trump’s ratings at historic low

The Guardian

Youngest White House press secretary in history says she wants more time to ‘be the best mom’. Plus are we losing the battle against AI slop in the music charts?Good morning. A familiar face in Donald Trump’s administration is departing, as the US president announced that Karoline Leavitt was stepping down to spend more time with her family. The president said Leavitt, who became the youngest pers...

UK economy shows surprising resilience – but that might not last | Richard Partington

UK economy shows surprising resilience – but that might not last | Richard Partington

The Guardian

Weaker growth, rising energy costs and persistent inflation mean Britain could face tougher times in the autumnUK economic growth slows downBusiness live – latest updatesIn the spring the International Monetary Fund warned Britain faced the heaviest economic blow from the Iran war among the world’s most advanced nations. Almost six months into the conflict, on the surface, the UK appears to be pro...

‘Lauf’ and ‘minceur’: the words that made a 13-year-old from Melbourne a world Scrabble champion

‘Lauf’ and ‘minceur’: the words that made a 13-year-old from Melbourne a world Scrabble champion

The Guardian

Dineth Fernando – who moved to Australia with his family in February – says he just needed to ‘find the word and play – that’s all’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDineth Fernando’s first language isn’t English and he only arrived in Melbourne six months ago – but already he’s claimed an international Scrabble title with an Australian flag draped around his shoulders.The ...

South Korean airport becomes busiest in world for global traffic amid Iran war

South Korean airport becomes busiest in world for global traffic amid Iran war

The Guardian

Incheon airport had 38.39m international passengers in first half of 2026, as traffic diverted from Middle East hubsSouth Korea’s Incheon airport has become the world’s busiest airport for international passengers, in part owing to disruption in the Middle East caused by the Iran war.The airport, South Korea’s main gateway, about 30 miles (48km) west of Seoul, handled 38.39 million international p...

Former Catholic bishop accused of hosting alcohol-fuelled parties to sexually abuse Aboriginal men found guilty

Former Catholic bishop accused of hosting alcohol-fuelled parties to sexually abuse Aboriginal men found guilty

The Guardian

Christopher Alan Saunders found guilty of 13 sex offences in West Australian district court on Thursday. He was acquitted of six other chargesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA former high-ranking Catholic known for hosting boozy shirts-off parties has been convicted of sexually abusing two young Aboriginal men.Former bishop of Broome Christopher Alan Saunders, 76, was fo...

Polls open in Clacton, where Farage spent more than £10,000 in byelection against Count Binface – UK politics live

Polls open in Clacton, where Farage spent more than £10,000 in byelection against Count Binface – UK politics live

The Guardian

The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelectionEconomic growth slowed in the second quarter of the year, as the disruption unleashed by the Iran war began to take its toll, official figures show. Heather Stewart has the story.Good morning. In the media, August is known as the “silly season”. With parliament not sitting and many people on holiday, th...

Polls open in Clacton, as research shows Farage has spent more than £10,000 in byelection – UK politics live

Polls open in Clacton, as research shows Farage has spent more than £10,000 in byelection – UK politics live

The Guardian

The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelectionGood morning. In the media, August is known as the “silly season”. With parliament not sitting and many people on holiday, there is less proper news than normal, which means the nonsense stories get (even) more attention than usual. We are almost slap bang in the middle of the month, and today we’ve got...

Pentagon official and former Aukus sceptic says deal is ‘full steam ahead’, echoing Trump

Pentagon official and former Aukus sceptic says deal is ‘full steam ahead’, echoing Trump

The Guardian

Elbridge Colby, a US under secretary of war, says he is ‘very pleased’ with the nuclear submarine program’s progressElbridge Colby, the third-highest-ranking official at the Pentagon and formerly an avowed Aukus sceptic, has mirrored his president’s language on the nuclear submarine deal, saying it is “full steam ahead”.Colby, a US under secretary of war, was the author of the Trump administration...

How to keep babies and children safe in heatwaves

How to keep babies and children safe in heatwaves

The Guardian

Biological factors mean a child’s core temperature rises faster than an adult’s – and that can result in a medical emergencyChildren and babies are more vulnerable in heatwaves than healthy adults. As temperatures rise again, how do we keep children safe? Continue reading...

Millions face higher water bills as suppliers allowed £3.4bn extra spending

Millions face higher water bills as suppliers allowed £3.4bn extra spending

The Guardian

Firms in England and Wales seek to fund measures including supporting new homes and datacentresBusiness live – latest updatesMillions of households in England and Wales face higher bills after water companies were given the green light to spend £3.4bn more than planned, including to support new homes and datacentres.The new spending will come on top of the £104bn programme of investment approved b...

Reformers associate may have ‘boasted’ or ‘lied’ about a $15,000 commitment from Angus Taylor, Icac hears

Reformers associate may have ‘boasted’ or ‘lied’ about a $15,000 commitment from Angus Taylor, Icac hears

The Guardian

Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney denies ever asking federal opposition leader for money for Liberal power brokersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA factional ally of Angus Taylor has denied ever asking the federal opposition leader for money for a group of Liberal party Christian power brokers who ...