‘Give him any award, and he’ll come running’: Narendra Modi racks up honours on overseas trips 03. July 2026 (02:00) Indian prime minister has a habit of collecting awards on his travels, some as their first and only recipientAs Narendra Modi touched down in Seychelles over the weekend, the archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean swiftly bestowed one of its “highest” honours upon the Indian prime minister.Modi beamed as he accepted the Guardian of the Blue Horizon award from Patrick Herminie, the Seychelles president, complete with a trophy and certificate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FBI orders 260 staffers to Georgia to assist with 2020 election investigation 03. July 2026 (01:21) Memo calls for ‘surge’ of analysts after agents in January seized hundreds of boxes containing Fulton county ballotsThe FBI has asked its field offices across the country to dedicate more than 200 staffers to its investigation of the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton county.A memo obtained Thursday by the Associated Press calls for the FBI to “surge” 260 investigative analysts and staff operations specialists to the effort, which it described as a “priority investigation”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Moira Deeming launches lawsuit against Victorian Liberal president before party meets to decide her future 03. July 2026 (01:12) Scandal has engulfed state opposition as MP resists calls to apologise to Matthew Guy over assault allegationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Liberal MP has launched an 11th-hour court challenge against her own party before a meeting to decide her fate after she made an assault allegation against a former leader.Moira Deeming has lodged a legal action against Victorian Liberal party state president, Brian Loughnane, which is listed to be heard in the Victorian supreme court on Friday morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump posts AI video of him as doctor treating critics’ ‘derangement syndrome’ 03. July 2026 (01:03) President, in latest AI-generated social media post, targets prominent celebrities who have spoken out against himDonald Trump on Thursday posted an AI-generated social media video portraying himself as a doctor who claims to have cured some of his most prominent celebrity critics – including Rosie O’Donnell – of the fictional condition “Trump derangement syndrome”.Outside the AI fantasy, O’Donnell said her assessment of the president remained unchanged. In a statement, she offered her own diagnosis: “He’s quite ill-and getting worse daily. The 25th amendment exists for exactly this reason. Remove. Impeach. Convict.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Vanishingly rare’ copy of US Declaration of Independence found by volunteer in UK archives 03. July 2026 (01:01) One of 11 surviving copies of ‘Exeter printing’ and only one known outside US was taken from American privateer shipFor Michael Scurr, a volunteer at the National Archives in Kew, west London, it was “just a boring old Thursday morning” when he sat down in late May to catalogue a collection of documents from the British national collection that had never previously been recorded in detail.As he opened a volume of 18th-century Royal Navy correspondence, however, Scurr unfolded a document whose opening words he recognised. “In Congress, July 4, 1776. A declaration by the representatives of the United States of America …” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pro-Palestine protesters who blocked Golden Gate Bridge convicted of misdemeanor charges 03. July 2026 (00:49) San Francisco jury fails to reach verdict on more serious felony conspiracy charge over April 2024 demonstrationSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailSeven protesters who blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge during a 2024 anti-war demonstration have been found guilty of misdemeanor charges in a case that became yet another flashpoint over how governments and major institutions respond to pro-Palestinian protests in the Trump era.The jury, which deliberated for a total of seven days, was deadlocked on the most serious charge: felony conspiracy. If convicted of that charge, the defendants would have faced a potential sentence of 15 years in prison. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Deeming lodges legal suit against Victorian Liberal president; blizzard brings snow to NSW and Victorian alps 02. July 2026 (23:48) Case due to be heard in supreme court this morning. Follow the day’s latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGreens claims government ‘politicising fraud’ to justify NDIS changesThe Coalition’s report identified the unregistered market of providers as being beyond the regulator’s reach and entry-point screenings that could assess qualifications but not always suitability.Disabled people deserve an NDIS that is both protected from fraud and designed around their rights, not one where they are treated with suspicion because governments have failed to crack down on those actually exploiting the system. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California man pleads guilty to faking Nancy Guthrie ransom note 02. July 2026 (23:34) Derrick Callella admitted he called and sent texts to Guthrie’s family, demanding a bitcoin transactionA California man is facing up to two years in prison or a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to sending Nancy Guthrie’s family a phoney ransom note, federal authorities announced on Thursday.Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on 31 January at her residence outside Tucson, Arizona. Inside the home, authorities observed her cellphone, medication and other basic essentials. Law enforcement also found drops of her blood near the porch. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US Olympian indicted after Trump alleged ‘vandalism’ at DC reflecting pool 02. July 2026 (22:04) Canoeist David Hearn was arrested in June after touching a peeling piece of liner in the pool from renovation projectDavid Hearn, a three-time US Olympian and canoeist, has been indicted by a grand jury in Washington DC after Donald Trump blamed vandals for damaging Washington’s reflecting pool following a $14.7m renovation project.The indictment accuses Hearn, 67, of “maliciously” breaking or destroying lining material on the bottom of the reflecting pool on 19 June. Lawyers for Hearn denied the allegations following his arrest, accusing the Trump administration of treating ordinary conduct as criminal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham promises to ease cost of living pressures if he becomes prime minister 02. July 2026 (21:38) Makerfield MP said he would consider reducing business rates as part of a package that could also include freeze on private rentsAndy Burnham promised to ease the cost of living if he becomes prime minister in his first interview since returning to parliament.The Makerfield MP told LBC that if he became prime minister later this month, as expected, he would look at reducing business rates for some high street businesses, bringing down water and energy costs by de-privatising companies and making bus travel free for 16- to 18-year-olds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
