Election voting advice from AI chatbots ‘inaccurate and unreliable’ 21. July 2026 (07:00) Research during Hungary election shows AI recommended parties not running and gave highly volatile answers to identical promptsAI chatbots provide inaccurate, inconsistent and unreliable guidance to voters asking which party they should back, a study suggests, often recommending the wrong party, not mentioning the right one, or listing parties not even running.“The results raise serious concerns about the reliability of general-purpose AI systems in electoral contexts,” the study, published by the civil liberties group Liberties and based on research during this year’s Hungarian parliamentary elections, concluded. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kumanjayi Little Baby’s mother was not supported to protect her children while escaping domestic violence, review finds 21. July 2026 (06:55) Interim report not able to draw ‘nexus’ between matters referred to child protection and circumstances leading to five-year-old’s alleged murder•Warning: This story contains references to Indigenous Australians who have diedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKumanjayi Little Baby’s mother was “effectively” left alone to protect her children while also experiencing domestic violence, because child protection authorities failed to adequately assess multiple threats to her safety, a draft review has found.But the interim report, tabled in parliament on Tuesday, found that despite those conclusions, the review was unable to draw a link between the child protection referrals and the five-year-old Warlpiri girl’s death. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Climate and rock art advocates take on Woodside’s ‘carbon bomb’ WA gas project in federal court 21. July 2026 (06:18) Albanese government’s approval of North West Shelf gas extension being challenged by the Australian Conservation Foundation and Friends of Australian Rock ArtThe Albanese government’s decision to approve one of the world’s largest gas projects in Western Australia is being challenged in the federal court, setting up a significant test of how Australia’s environment law deals with the climate crisis.The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and Friends of Australian Rock Art (Fara) are this week running concurrent court challenges against the approval of the extension of Woodside’s major North West Shelf gas export project. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Almost 100 troops injured in recent weeks, Pentagon admits, as Iran launches reprisals on US allies 21. July 2026 (06:09) Iran has attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, after the US launched a tenth consecutive night of strikesMiddle East crisis live: follow latest updatesNearly 100 US service members have been injured over the last two weeks of escalating strikes on Iran, the Pentagon has said, as Tehran launched a wave of reprisals to the tenth consecutive night of attacks.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they had targeted US military sites including air defence systems and a radar installation in Bahrain and Kuwait, while a tanker in the strait of Hormuz reported being struck by an unknown projectile, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel and board a lifeboat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Not enough water for UK’s datacentre plans, trade body says 21. July 2026 (06:00) Industry says government’s failure to address cooling demands means AI growth plans are ‘fatally flawed’The UK will not have enough water for future datacentres, the water industry has said in stark criticism of the government’s AI growth plans.Datacentres rely on large amounts of water to manage the heat generated by densely packed servers. Cooling towers, chillers and humidification systems make direct use of this water, with large volumes also consumed indirectly through high electrical power needs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pauline Hanson shares Seven pitch for Spotlight special that says program would highlight ‘uncontrolled immigration’ 21. July 2026 (02:17) One Nation leader posts network’s proposal to travel to UK to explore what Australia faces ‘if we don’t take back control of who comes to our country’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Seven producer urged Pauline Hanson to travel to Britain to meet Nigel Farage and film a Spotlight special highlighting so-called “uncontrolled immigration”, according to a pitch posted to social media by the One Nation leader.The pitch also suggested that Seven might cover some of the travel costs for the One Nation leader and her team and that the program wanted the Reform UK leader to “invite Ms Hanson to Britain”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Front groups and fellow travelers’: state department attacks US left over Cuba 21. July 2026 (00:50) New report denounces Havana and claims ‘campaign of subversion’ has infiltrated highest levels of US governmentAs part of the Trump administration’s continuing attack on left-leaning groups, the US state department has listed several activists and organizations as “front groups and fellow travelers” for Cuba, including Hasan Piker and Amazon Labor Union founder Chris Smalls.In a 100-page report released on Monday, the state department denounces Cuba as the “capital of 21st-century communism”, accusing the Cuban government of carrying out a “campaign of subversion” that has “infiltrated the highest reaches of the US government, recruited and cultivated generations of American activists [and] backed an unprecedented wave of leftwing terrorism on American soil”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
United Airlines says it will ‘look into’ worker’s threat to call ICE in viral video 21. July 2026 (00:40) United staffer told customer ‘you don’t act like at a citizen’ during incident over wait time at San Francisco airportUnited Airlines is “looking into” a viral video showing a United Airlines employee threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Mexican American man at San Francisco international Airport last week.The scene erupted after Julio Varela of San Ramon grew upset at United Airlines staff for taking a long time to correct an error his family made when entering his daughter’s name to buy a ticket for flight to Canada, according to NBC News. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Five people die in attempt to save struggling swimmer in Ohio river 21. July 2026 (00:31) Rescue crews find two women, pronounced dead at hospital, and the bodies of three men after motorist calls 911Five people have died in a river in Ohio after several of them went into the water to help another person who was struggling to swim, authorities said Monday.A motorist called 911 after spotting a frightened child who had been with the group and was running on a nearby road, Delaware county sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said at a news conference on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Barnaby Joyce dogged by Tommy Robinson questions – and by a dog – in spiky ABC interview 20. July 2026 (23:53) One Nation MP grilled in 7.30 interview about Pauline Hanson’s podcast interview by far-right activist. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlbanese congratulates news British PMAnthony Albanese has congratulated the new UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, after the latter took over the job yesterday. The Australian PM posted a note to X, emphasising the strategic allyship:Congratulations Prime Minister Burnham on your appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.Australia and the United Kingdom are longstanding friends, allies and partners, united by shared values and deep ties between our peoples. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
