More prisoners in England and Wales are recalled than released for first time 30. July 2026 (18:31) Returns for breaches of licence conditions rose 31% in the first quarter of 2026, adding to pressure on prison placesMore people were recalled to prison than were released during the first three months of 2026, the first time on record the “recall rate” has surpassed 100% in England and Wales.Between January and March 2026, 12,977 people were released from prison while 13,193 people were returned to prison for breaching their licence conditions, up 31% from last year, new Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data showed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says he may ‘temporarily’ drop bid to make Blanche attorney general 30. July 2026 (17:49) US president’s former lawyer has been struggling to persuade some Republican senators to back his nominationDonald Trump has threatened to “temporarily” shelve a bid to permanently install his former personal lawyer Todd Blanche as US attorney general amid resistance in US Congress.Blanche, currently serving as acting attorney general, has been struggling to persuade a handful of Republican senators to back his nomination for the role. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bank of England holds interest rates at 3.75% as inflation fears mount 30. July 2026 (17:47) Split vote comes as Iran war is rekindled and oil price climbs back above $90 a barrelBusiness live – latest updatesThe Bank of England has kept UK interest rates on hold as it warned that a further escalation in the Iran war could drive inflation above 4% next year, adding to cost of living pressures on households.Against a volatile backdrop in the Middle East conflict, the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted by six to three to keep its key base rate at 3.75%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran’s war with the US is not its only conflict as internal crises mount 30. July 2026 (17:24) Government fears social discontent on ‘most important battlefield’ of economy and livelihoods as war takes its toll amid anti-state dissentIran, in the midst of an escalating five-month war with the US, continues to stumble from one internal crisis to another – whether it is over public executions, the rising cost of living, the alleged bias of the state broadcaster or even the post-midnight destruction of pavements outside liberal-leaning Tehran cafes. Very little that happens in Iran, cultural or political, momentous or trivial, does so uncontested.But there is now a growing threat of a long diplomatic deadlock, forged by mutual distrust in which neither side believes the other will stick to any agreement. That impasse has occurred as the war broadens, drawing in Yemen, Iraq and now Egypt. In Iran, at least, the advocates of escalation are winning. As a result, a convergence of Iran’s conflicts, internal and external, becomes more likely. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour asks Electoral Commission to investigate Reform UK over donations 30. July 2026 (17:18) Exclusive: Reform’s Robert Jenrick says party confident it followed all rules at the time, after latest Guardian revelationsThe Electoral Commission has been asked to investigate whether Reform UK has broken donations rules, after the Guardian revealed that the convicted fraudster George Cottrell transferred more than $2m to his mother in the days before her donations to the party in 2024.Labour’s new chair, Bridget Phillipson, wrote to the commission on Thursday asking for it to examine the donations and whether they had been recorded correctly. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Supreme court says Palestine Action co-founder can challenge ban on group 30. July 2026 (17:03) UK’s highest court gives permission for Huda Ammori to challenge court of appeal rulingThe co-founder of Palestine Action has won permission to challenge the ban against the group at the UK’s highest court.The direct action group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July last year but its co-founder, Huda Ammori, has been fighting to have it overturned amid a mass civil disobedience campaign. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Governor general warns of ‘growing catastrophe’ that threatens to undermine democracy in Australia 30. July 2026 (17:00) Sam Mostyn says there is a widespread ‘failure to understand and engage with and feel proud of the very civic underpinnings of our democracy’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia faces a “growing catastrophe” from poor understanding of the country’s constitutional foundation, the governor general, Sam Mostyn, has warned as attacks on institutions and threats against elected officials undermine democratic participation.Two years after her appointment as King Charles’s representative in Canberra, and as she brings a modern touch to the role of vice regal, Mostyn said that knowledge of how the country’s system of government operates was in steady decline and better civics education was needed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Icac revelations have left Angus Taylor’s colleagues anxious – and his factional enemies angry 30. July 2026 (17:00) The opposition leader is the highest-profile person mentioned so far at the NSW anti-corruption commission – and the political figure with the most to loseGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAfter the opening days of an inquiry exposing a dark underbelly of the New South Wales Liberals, the prevailing mood among Angus Taylor’s colleagues is one of apprehension.The federal opposition leader is not a specific target of Operation Rosny, which is investigating allegations of corruption against people associated with the NSW branch. He is not accused of wrongdoing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats demand answers over treatment of wounded US troops after Iran strike 30. July 2026 (16:58) Lawmakers question delays in medical care, casualty figures and Pentagon’s handling of drone attack in KuwaitUS politics live – latest updatesThe Trump administration is facing growing demands to explain why wounded US soldiers went more than a week without adequate hospital care after a March drone strike in Kuwait, just days into the US-Israel war on Iran.In a letter to the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, congressional Democrats urged the Pentagon to answer their questions – which include why the Pentagon’s public casualty count for the war with Iran briefly changed – by 12 August. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pope Leo invokes immigrant and slavery roots in call for US to honour founding ideals 30. July 2026 (16:51) First US pope praises principles of freedom and opportunity in implicit critique of Donald Trump’s policiesPope Leo, the first US pontiff, has expressed “great love” for his home country and its core principles of freedom, opportunity and welcoming immigrants, but qualified that he “just happens to be American”.In an interview with the US broadcaster NBC on the sidelines of a prayer event in Castel Gandolfo, the papal retreat near Rome, Leo, who has condemned the immigration policies of Donald Trump’s administration, spoke about his own family history in describing his relationship with the US. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
