Arizona man pleads guilty after illegally living in forest for years among ‘1,000lbs of trash’ 08. July 2026 (16:02) Mark Gatz was arrested at illegal campsite in June and had faced multiple citations for residing in Tonto national forestA man in Arizona has pleaded guilty to violating federal fire restrictions and unlawfully residing in a national forest, after authorities said he spent years living at a makeshift campsite surrounded by what officials described as “approximately 1,000 pounds of trash”.Mark Aaron Gatz was arrested on 25 June at his illegal campsite in Arizona’s Tonto national forest, according to court records. A United States Forest Service (USFS) officer wrote in documents submitted to court that Gatz had been operating an “illegal campsite” with a “hot wood burning campfire” despite fire restrictions and that he had told investigators that he had been living in the forest for about eight years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK judges begin hearing appeal over Trinidad and Tobago anti-gay law 08. July 2026 (16:01) Activist is challenging ruling last year that restored colonial-era homophobic law against same-sex intimacySome of the UK’s top judges are hearing arguments over whether a Trinidad and Tobago court had the legal right to overturn a 2018 ruling to remove colonial-era homophobic laws that criminalise anal sex between consenting men.The country’s “buggery law”, often referred to as its “sodomy” law, was created in 1925 and was written into Trinidad and Tobago’s 1986 Sexual Offences Act. In 2017 a Trinidadian LGBTQ+ rights activist, Jason Jones, challenged the law, and in 2018 a high court ruled that it infringed upon his constitutional right to privacy and equality. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Britain’s markets attracting generation of highly educated entrepreneurs 08. July 2026 (16:00) Nearly a quarter of market traders now hold master’s degree, PhD or medical doctorate, research showsOne in five young market traders now holds a master’s degree, PhD or medical doctorate, according to exclusive figures shared with the Guardian, in a sign of how Britain’s markets are attracting an unexpected new generation of highly educated entrepreneurs.Separate data from Kerb, the street food collective behind some of London’s best-known food markets, points in the same direction. Almost three-quarters of its founders have university degrees, including one in four with postgraduate qualifications. About 95% work in their businesses full-time rather than treating them as weekend side hustles. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Austrian court rules ski resort hotel’s burkini ban is discriminatory 08. July 2026 (15:56) Hotel did not allow two Muslim women to wear full-body bathing suit, which has become bugbear of European far rightAn Austrian court has found an alpine hotel’s ban on burkinis discriminatory, a politically explosive ruling in a country where the far right is on the rise.The full-body bathing suit worn by some Muslim women has become a bugbear of the European far right, which has campaigned to restrict Muslim dress in public spaces. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nato leaders agree not to mention World Cup to Donald Trump to avoid irritating him 08. July 2026 (15:09) As alliance gathers in Ankara, European leaders have an informal strategy to try to keep US president on sideEurope live – latest updatesNato leaders have informally agreed not to mention the football World Cup to Donald Trump for fear of irritating the US president at a crucial time for the military alliance.Officials said European leaders had discussed in the sidelines of the summit in Ankara how to keep Trump on side amid concerns he could further destabilise Nato with threats over defence spending. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
IMF upgrades UK growth forecast as fears over impact of Iran war diminish 08. July 2026 (15:00) July update projects GDP growth of 1% this year, making UK the third fastest-growing economy in the G7The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its growth forecast for the UK, while leaving those for other G7 countries weaker or unchanged, amid hopes the economic impact of the Iran war may be less severe than feared.In a July update of its World Economic Outlook, which was finalised before the latest outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, the Washington-based organisation projected UK gross domestic product to grow by 1% this year – up 0.2 percentage points from its April forecast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Marine Le Pen launches France presidential campaign after ban reduced 08. July 2026 (14:57) Far-right leader plans to take part in 2027 race despite appeal court upholding her conviction for embezzlementThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has launched her presidential campaign after a decision by a court of appeal shortened her ban on running for office, allowing her to take part in the 2027 vote.Le Pen said voters would decide her future. “I’m a citizen like anyone else, who is using their rights,” she said on Wednesday, attempting to brush aside legal woes that her political opponents said would plague her campaign for next spring’s presidential election. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats accuse Graham Platner of trying to put ‘thumb on the scale’ of process to replace him 08. July 2026 (14:45) Maine’s embattled US Senate nominee has faced calls to withdraw after a sexual assault allegation he deniesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailGraham Platner, the embattled Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine, has been accused of trying to influence the process of picking his replacement amid a chorus of calls for him to withdraw from the race.Platner has publicly said he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” after an allegation of sexual assault, which he denied, was published on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Succession fight under way after Bernie Sanders calls for Graham Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race – live 08. July 2026 (14:36) Vermont senator, who was a staunch ally of the Democratic candidate, called for Platner step down from race amid sexual assault allegationsHow could Democrats replace Graham Platner?Sign up for the Breaking News US emailJoseph Geevarghese, the executive director of Our Revolution – the progressive organization founded by Bernie Sanders – told the Guardian in an interview that the latest allegation against Graham Platner is “deeply disappointing for all of the grassroots supporters” who placed “a lot of faith” in the Democratic nominee.When it comes to whether the vetting process for Platner was sufficient Geevarghese said it was up to leaders to be “fully transparent” in an age when it’s “very difficult to keep things dark”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police hunting man after wife and two daughters found dead in Bedfordshire 08. July 2026 (14:33) Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, believed to have left UK before bodies of partner and children were discoveredPolice are hunting for a man after the deaths of his wife and two daughters in Bedfordshire.Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, known as Zandile, and Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead in a detached house in Great Denham, near Bedford, on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
