Donald Trump says decision on ‘massive attack’ against Iran is close 23. July 2026 (18:58) President’s remarks follow Houthi strikes on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and oil prices rising past $100 a barrel againMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesDonald Trump has said he is close to deciding whether to launch “a massive attack” against Iran, on a scale larger than strikes already witnessed during the months-long conflict with Tehran.Speaking to the Axios news site, the US president said: “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration to unveil latest stage of aggressive trade policy 23. July 2026 (18:53) US president is reportedly preparing fresh wave of sweeping tariffs as previous 10% on much of the world is due to expireDonald Trump’s administration will unveil the latest stage of his aggressive trade policy on Thursday, the White House has said, amid reports the US president is preparing a fresh wave of sweeping tariffs.Trump’s tariffs policy suffered a damaging blow in February when the US supreme court ruled that many of those tariffs were illegal. While the US replaced those tariffs with a 10% tariff regime on much of the world, these are due to expire on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Customers prefer AI chatbots,’ says British Gas owner as 1,300 call centre jobs axed 23. July 2026 (18:45) CEO Chris O’Shea defends Centrica’s plans as it reports rise in retail profits following focus on bigger marginsThe owner of British Gas has claimed that most households would rather speak with an AI chatbot than deal with the company’s staff as it prepares to cut 1,300 jobs from its call centres.Centrica, the supplier’s FTSE 100 owner, plans to cut 800 jobs as the company carries out a “targeted deployment of AI tools”, on top of the 500 cuts it confirmed last month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mayor shot dead in Mexico months after surviving assassination attempt 23. July 2026 (18:32) Valentín Lavín Romero is the 14th mayor to be murdered since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in 2024A mayor was shot dead on Wednesday in the Mexican state of Morelos after having survived a previous assassination attempt earlier this year. He is the 14th mayor to be murdered since Claudia Sheinbaum became president in October 2024.Valentín Lavín Romero, who was from the Green party, an ally of the ruling leftwing Morena party, was wounded at the end of January when hitmen shot him at a petrol station on a motorway. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
House passes war powers resolution again in pushback over Iran war as $1.15tn defense bill faces uphill Senate battle – live 23. July 2026 (17:46) Four Republicans defect to vote for curbing Trump’s military action in Iran; National Defense Authorization Act sparks controversyUS House passes second war powers resolutionSign up for the Breaking News US emailBy a vote of 214-208 lawmakers in the House passed a war powers resolution to curb the Trump administration’s military action in Iran, ahead of the lower chamber’s August reccess.Four Republicans, Brian Fitzpatrick, Warren Davidson, Tom Barrett and Thomas Massie, voted yes, alongside all Democrats. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Drought declared in parts of Wales as July on course to be driest in nearly 200 years 23. July 2026 (17:46) Government agency announces status in north Wales and Upper Severn after series of heatwaves and lack of rainfallParts of Wales are now in drought and all other areas of the country are experiencing prolonged dry weather conditions, according to a government agency.Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said on Thursday that record-low river flows, back-to-back heatwaves and widespread wildfires have prompted the declaration of drought status in north Wales and the Upper Severn. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ex-BBC journalist awarded £20,000 after MI5 and PSNI unlawfully accessed phone data 23. July 2026 (17:46) Investigatory powers tribunal ruled surveillance aimed at identifying Vincent Kearney’s sources was disproportionate and unlawfulA former BBC journalist has been awarded £20,000 in damages after MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland unlawfully obtained data from his mobile phone.A specialist tribunal on Thursday ordered the agencies to pay the compensation to Vincent Kearney for attempts to identify his sources while he was the BBC’s Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Owner of Viking ship used in The Odyssey says studio has not paid bill for damage 23. July 2026 (17:28) Swedish nonprofit alleges cost to repair replica was $6,000 but Universal – which made $264m on film’s opening weekend – has not stumped upThe Swedish owners of a Viking longship replica that features in the Hollywood blockbuster The Odyssey say they feel “forgotten” after film-makers allegedly returned the vessel damaged and failed to foot the bill for repairs.In nearly three decades at sea, the warship Glad av Gillberga – based on a wreck from around 1040 found in Denmark’s Roskilde fjord – has successfully sailed the North Sea, the Baltic and even voyaged to Canada. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘I got carried away’: Elon Musk expresses regret about Doge and wading into Trump’s orbit 23. July 2026 (17:27) Billionaire in interview with the Economist admits he was too consumed by politics and shares predictions about AIElon Musk has admitted he became too consumed by politics during his volatile alliance with Donald Trump and his brief appointment as the president’s financial axman, running the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge).The world’s richest person, and briefly its first trillionaire after his SpaceX company floated on the New York stock exchange in June, made the confession in a wide-ranging interview with the Economist published on Thursday. He shared his positions on subjects from foreign wars to AI, and made a number of eye-opening predictions for the future. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pauline Hanson blames ‘fake news’ media for her bad press. But serious leaders have to own their actions 23. July 2026 (17:00) In a fortnight of rolling blunders, the One Nation leader digs deep into the Trump playbook of blame-shiftingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThere’s apparently only one thing to blame for Pauline Hanson’s string of bad headlines in recent weeks, from her decision to pal around with the far-right convicted criminal Tommy Robinson to her description of domestic violence on Wednesday as a “two-way street”.According to the One Nation leader, it’s of course not Hanson herself who is to blame. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
