Anger at Labor as Rex Patrick faces potential six-figure legal fee if he loses Aukus documents battle 28. July 2026 (17:00) Australian government insists legal costs should be paid by former senator as FoI fight escalatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government will insist Rex Patrick pays up to $150,000 to cover its legal costs if he loses a fight to access documents about the Aukus agreement, escalating a battle in which several crossbench MPs have swung behind the former senator.The transparency campaigner has used freedom of information laws to seek details on where nuclear waste from the submarine fleet will be stored, and won an administrative appeal on the matter in May. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The professor facing prison in ‘antifa’ case: ‘They want to scare all who oppose ICE’ 28. July 2026 (17:00) Erik Davis is accused by the government of a ‘conspiracy’ to obstruct ICE – experts say it’s part of a pattern to criminalize lawful organizing and ruin activists’ livesErik Davis was driving to a medical appointment in St Paul, Minnesota, on 16 June when federal agents surrounded his car.“They hauled me out … and put me in a belly chain,” recalled the 53-year-old. He was arrested on the spot on charges of being part of a “conspiracy” to “impede or injure” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Angus Taylor has inadvertently taken centre stage in an Icac hearing – and the fallout could be profound 28. July 2026 (17:00) If the opposition leader was funding one side of a vicious factional war, it would be hard for many in the party to stomachGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIndependent Commission against Corruption inquiries have an uncanny tendency to sprawl in unexpected directions.Just ask former New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, who was caught on tape with her secret boyfriend, former NSW MP Daryl Maguire, during an investigation into his dealings with developers. Or former premier Barry O’Farrell, who was tripped up over a bottle of Penfolds Grange during an inquiry into state water contracts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration needs to stop ‘public harassment’ of Fauci and scientists, open letter says 28. July 2026 (16:36) Letter, published before Anthony Fauci will appear before Congress, accuses Republicans of ‘waging a war on individual scientists’US politics live – latest updatesMore than 155 scientists, physicians and public health advocates have called for an end to what they describe as the “vilification and harassment of many American scientists” by the Trump administration and its allies.In an open letter published one day before Anthony Fauci, the former top US government science adviser, is scheduled to appear at a high-profile hearing in US Congress, after the Republican-controlled Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee compelled him to testify, the scientists and physicians dismissed allegations against the ex-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid) director as “baseless”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Witness says Lincoln Memorial pool was damaged before alleged vandalism 28. July 2026 (16:09) Former Olympic canoeist Davey Hearn’s lawyers say testimony undermines felony chargeA witness in the case against a former Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool testified that the area of the pool liner was already damaged and would have required repairs regardless of David “Davey” Hearn’s alleged actions.A court filing released on Monday contained that revelation – and in the document, lawyers for Hearn requested access to all grand jury testimony that led to his indictment, pointing to “irregularities” in those proceedings.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Qantas plane flies for more than 24 hours in record-breaking flight 28. July 2026 (16:02) The A350 landed in Toulouse 24 hours and 24 minutes after leaving Melbourne as airline plans direct London serviceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas completed what is believed to be the longest-ever commercial flight when its Airbus jet landed in Toulouse on Tuesday after a flight from Melbourne lasting 24 hours and 24 minutes.The flight, which triggered a surge in online tracking, is part of the airline’s Project Sunrise in which it plans to use a new A350 jet to fly nonstop from Australia to London. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Banks charged mortgage holders $55m in extra interest after offset account errors, Asic finds 28. July 2026 (16:01) Australian banks ‘not getting the basics right’, regulator says after review of more than 200,000 home loansGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAsic has accused banks of “not getting the basics right”, after the regulator found faulty mortgage offset accounts meant borrowers were being overcharged tens of millions of dollars in extra interest payments.In a new report, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission showed lenders repaid $55m to hundreds of thousands of customers over two years for offset failures, and warned this figure would climb higher as remediation continued. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ex-FCC officials warn agency sending ‘chilling message’ with ABC license review 28. July 2026 (16:00) Ex-officials ask FCC to reject petitions to deny renewal of broadcast licenses for eight stations owned by ABCA group of prominent former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials, including key staffers and commissioners appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, issued a filing Tuesday that warns the agency is trying to send a “chilling message” to broadcasters after it received petitions to deny ABC license renewals for eight of its local television stations.The network’s licenses are up for early renewal after an extremely unusual order from the Brendan Carr-led FCC in late April, following criticism of ABC by Donald Trump and Melania Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New evacuation from tourist sites near Bordeaux as France and Spain fight wildfires 28. July 2026 (15:59) French authorities order evacuation of almost 4,000 people from Lacanau resort amid return of heatwaveEurope live – latest updatesThe evacuation of nearly 4,000 people from tourist sites on France’s Atlantic coast is under way as the return of winds and extreme heat jeopardised firefighters’ battles to contain wildfires raging to the west of Bordeaux.The precautionary evacuation order, which covers campsites, holiday villages and other tourist accommodation around the resort of Lacanau, exacerbated a wildfire emergency described by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, as the “toughest” situation the country had dealt with “since the second world war”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Imprisoned writer Mumia Abu-Jamal seeks UN intervention after 44 years behind bars 28. July 2026 (15:00) The former Black Panther’s lawyers ask a UN panel to review his detention after US legal avenues were exhaustedAs he approaches the 45th anniversary of his incarceration in December, the Black radical writer and prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal is taking his claim that he has been subjected to arbitrary imprisonment for a crime that he did not commit to a new tribunal: the United Nations in Geneva.On Tuesday Abu-Jamal, 72, lodged a petition with the UN’s working group on arbitrary detention, a body within the Human Rights Council. It marks the latest attempt by the internationally-renowned prisoner and prolific author of 15 books to seek relief, having exhausted all domestic channels through state and federal courts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
