Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and oldest woman to go into space, dies at 87 10. July 2026 (00:48) Trailblazing pilot was denied opportunity to become Nasa astronaut but made history on Blue Origin flight in 2021Wally Funk, a trailblazing aviation pioneer who was denied the opportunity to become a Nasa astronaut and half a century later became the oldest woman to travel into space, has died aged 87.Funk died peacefully on Wednesday evening at her apartment in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas, city councilwoman and close friend Duff O’Dell said on Thursday. O’Dell, who described herself as Funk’s caregiver, said she was by Funk’s side. Funk had fallen a couple of times recently and had an infection in her leg. “It took its toll,” O’Dell told the Associated Press. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Risks of historic El Niño persisting through spring 2027 rising, says NWS 09. July 2026 (23:06) National Weather Service says record-breaking event with power to supercharge weather becoming more likelyEl Niño is strengthening and the risks of a historic event with the power to supercharge extreme weather around the world are rising, according to the latest analysis from the US National Weather Service.Models show there is now an 81% chance that a very strong El Niño “that would rank among the largest El Niño events in the historical record going back to 1950” will develop before the end of this year, forecasters said in an advisory released Thursday. There is almost near certainty – a 97% probability – that the conditions will persist through spring 2027. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Keir Starmer may award resignation honours when he leaves No 10 09. July 2026 (22:43) Outgoing PM has not ruled out drawing up honours list when he stands down, despite previously opposing itKeir Starmer has signalled he could hand out resignation honours when he leaves Downing Street, despite pledging three years ago he would not do so when he eventually stood down.The prime minister twice declined to rule out drawing up a list of honours when he stands down in just over 10 days’ time, to be succeeded by Andy Burnham. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police investigate £500,000 Reform donations from mother of fraudster who backed Farage 09. July 2026 (22:15) George Cottrell’s mother, Fiona, at centre of criminal inquiry over potential evasion of restrictions on donationsPolice are investigating donations worth £500,000 made to Reform UK by the mother of a convicted fraudster and ally of Nigel Farage.The investigation concerns two donations of £250,000 made by Fiona Cottrell, whose son George has often accompanied Farage to Reform events and media appearances. The May 2024 donations are under investigation over whether they were intended to conceal a donation by an impermissible donor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham’s apology over Gaza marks ‘reset moment’ as Labour seeks to win back progressive voters 09. July 2026 (22:10) It remains unclear how much of substance will change – and whether it will be enough to rebuild electoral coalition On the final day of Labour’s party conference in 2023, when the public was still reeling from the brutal Hamas attack on Israel just days before, Keir Starmer took to the airwaves for the traditional broadcast round – but gave one interview that would have particularly damaging fallout.Sitting down with LBC’s Nick Ferrari, the then opposition leader asserted Israel’s right to defend itself, a stance that was in line with the broad political consensus at the time. But then he also appeared to suggest it had “the right” to withhold power and water from Palestinian civilians. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US lawmakers urge stricter monitoring of medically assisted suicide in hospices 09. July 2026 (20:55) Bipartisan group warns HHS that older adults and people with disabilities risk being pressured to end their livesLawmakers urged the health and human services (HHS) secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, on Thursday to establish strict hospice reporting rules to prevent discrimination and coercion in medically assisted suicide.The bipartisan group of members of Congress warned that older adults, people with disabilities, or those with disaffected caregivers face a particular risk of being pressured to end their lives. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
OpenAI releases latest ChatGPT model after delay over White House cybersecurity concerns 09. July 2026 (20:48) Staggered release of ChatGPT 5.6 follows similar restrictions on rival firm Anthropic’s latest AI modelsOpenAI released its latest advanced AI model, called ChatGPT 5.6, on Thursday after earlier delaying the public rollout over US government concerns about cybersecurity. The Trump administration had requested last month that OpenAI limit the release to a small group of government-approved users.OpenAI complied with the White House’s request last month. The company stated in a blogpost that it had briefed government officials on ChatGPT 5.6’s capabilities and restricted the model to trusted partners at their behest. The product’s wider release came after additional testing by the government’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation agency, according to Axios. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Graham Linehan gets £25,000 compensation and an apology from Met police after arrest 09. July 2026 (20:41) Father Ted co-creator detained by armed officers at Heathrow airport last year over gender-critical posts on XThe Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan has been paid £25,000 in compensation by the Metropolitan police and received an apology after his arrest over his gender-critical social media posts.Linehan, 57, was detained by armed officers at Heathrow airport last September after a 10-hour flight from Arizona. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour MPs to rebel on party funding reforms and demand total crypto ban 09. July 2026 (20:24) Exclusive: Call for ministers to tighten bill amid Nigel Farage funding controversiesLabour MPs are to rebel next week over the government’s reforms to political funding, pushing ministers to introduce tougher measures including a ban on cryptocurrency donations and much lower spending limits.MPs on the all-party anti-corruption group are canvassing support for four amendments to the representation of the people bill that would significantly tighten the government’s plans. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mexico investigates whether US lied about role in capture of drug lord 09. July 2026 (20:17) Reporting suggests FBI involved in seizure of Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García from Mexican territory in 2024Mexico has launched an investigation into whether the US lied about its involvement in the capture and secretive transfer of a top Sinaloa cartel member in 2024, in what would be a potential violation of the country’s sovereignty.The US has long denied it played any role in the operation to detain the drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, a founder of the Sinaloa cartel, inside Mexico. Recent reporting by the local media outlet Pie de Nota, however, suggested that the FBI was involved in his capture. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
