UK faces ‘very difficult trade-offs’ in budget because of Iran war, say analysts 29. July 2026 (01:01) Leading thinktank says higher oil prices and inflation will give Andy Burnham a ‘challenging inheritance’Andy Burnham has been warned by a leading thinktank of “very difficult trade-offs in the next autumn budget” if the Iran war keeps oil prices and inflation high.The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said the new prime minister faced a “challenging inheritance” and his plans to revamp public services would meet severe pressure from persistently higher prices. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US diplomats stage UN walkout after France criticizes human rights record under Trump 28. July 2026 (23:39) France had also intervened after Trump administration had opposed the reappointment of UN human rights chiefUS diplomats walked out of a United Nations meeting after France criticized the country’s human rights record under Donald Trump.The staged walkout, which occurred on Monday during a UN security council meeting on the Ukraine-Russia war, came days after the Trump administration cited “forced labor” allegations as it imposed sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Florida executes man in first of two lethal injections planned in single day 28. July 2026 (23:39) Governor Ron DeSantis has made the state’s death chamber the nation’s busiest at the end of his final termA former police officer convicted of the on-duty rape and murder of a young girl was put to death on Tuesday, the first of two lethal injections planned for a single day in Florida, hours before an 80-year-old man was to become the second-oldest inmate executed in modern US history.It has been nearly a decade since any state carried out two executions in one day, when Arkansas had back-to-back executions in 2017. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham to seek cross-party consensus over urgent reforms to social care 28. July 2026 (23:30) Prime minister invites Badenoch and Davey – but not Farage – to discuss how to fix decades-old funding crisisAndy Burnham has promised “problem-solving, not point-scoring” before a speech on social care in which he will set out his strategy for resolving one of the most intractable issues in British politics.The prime minister has invited Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, and Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, to discuss how to enact urgent reform on social care, as he attempts to find common ground across party lines. It is understood that both will be represented. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Seattle police recover machine gun and ghost gun from scene of mass shooting 28. July 2026 (23:29) Three people died, including one of the suspects, and at least five more were wounded, including two-year-old boySeattle police recovered a modified machine gun and an untraceable “ghost gun” from the scene of a mass shooting at a food festival this weekend that left three people dead – including one of the suspects – and at least five more wounded, the police chief, Shon Barnes, said on Tuesday.Sunday’s shooting appeared to involve at least three suspects, Barnes said at a televised news conference. One of those three, 19-year-old Junior Cee Niko Semo, died at the scene. A second, 15-year-old suspect was disarmed and arrested at the scene. At least one more suspect remains at large, Barnes said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Gavin Newsom aide shares fresh details of affair 28. July 2026 (23:15) Ruby Rippey writes in Vanity Fair of relationship with then San Francisco mayor and appears to contradict his accountA former aide to Gavin Newsom has publicly shared for the first time her full account of their affair, which took place more than two decades ago when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco.In a new essay published in Vanity Fair on Tuesday, Ruby Rippey writes about her struggles with alcoholism, substance abuse and her relationship with Newsom while she worked as his appointments secretary and was married to his deputy chief of staff and later the manager of the mayor’s re-election campaign. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump praises Lindsey Graham as a ‘true American original’ in eulogy at Washington DC funeral service – latest updates 28. July 2026 (20:55) The Republican senator died earlier this month; his funeral is attended by members of Congress as well as Benjamin Netanyahu and Volodymyr ZelenskyySign up for the Breaking News US emailTrump’s meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, set for 9:30am ET on Tuesday, will be closed to the media, the New York Times is reporting.The meeting is expected to be much more cordial than the one last year where Trump openly berated Zelenskyy and said, “you don’t have the cards”. The administration and rightwing influencers have shown a shift on Ukraine as of late, and Trump and Zelenskyy had a friendly meeting at a Nato summit earlier this month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump reportedly pushing RFK Jr to cut vaccines more aggressively 28. July 2026 (20:54) White House has halted changing vaccine schedule as it is unpopular, but anti-vaxx Trump set on ‘alleviating autism’Donald Trump is pushing longtime vaccine opponent and current health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr to be more aggressive on cutting vaccines in the US, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.Trump has a long record of anti-vaccine statements, but the White House recently put a hold on vaccine changes after polling indicated they were a losing issue in the midterm elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Zelenskyy and Netanyahu brave the whims of Trump’s darkly confounding White House 28. July 2026 (20:53) Ukrainian and Israeli leaders converge on Washington with criss-crossing fortunes, but knowing they can count on little from US counterpartThe converging visits of Benjamin Netanyahu and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington offer an unusually eloquent snapshot of a world in turmoil, unmoored from decades-old certainties.Some things remain the same. The US is still an almighty military and economic power and for both foreign visitors, a White House encounter with Donald Trump is critical to their governments and the wars they are fighting. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lindsey Graham remembered as ‘true American original’ at Capitol memorial 28. July 2026 (20:49) Political leaders honor Republican US senator, whose hawkish foreign policy shaped decades in WashingtonUS politics live – latest updatesWorld leaders and senior political figures convened in Washington for the memorial of the long-serving US senator Lindsey Graham, remembering the “swashbuckling” South Carolina Republican “a true American original” whose embrace of “America First” never softened his advocacy for a staunch interventionist US foreign policy.Prominent Republicans paid tribute to Graham, a polarizing figure and onetime rival turned stalwart ally of Donald Trump who championed the US-Israel war on Iran. He was a prominent voice in the anti-abortion movement and a unwavering supporter of Israel, serving as one of Capitol Hill’s most outspoken foreign policy hawks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
