Victoria announces new social media ‘demasking’ powers for accounts accused of vilification 19. July 2026 (08:11) New laws would give Vcat power to force social and AI platforms to identify anonymous users in move premier says will protect childrenGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSocial media companies could be forced to identify anonymous accounts accused of online vilification, under new laws being proposed in Victoria.The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, announced a suite of social media reforms on Sunday, saying families needed new ways to protect their children online. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dozens of Russian missiles pound Kyiv in major attack 19. July 2026 (07:49) At least one death with authorities reporting fires and damage to offices and homes, while Ukraine’s forces earlier hit logistics warehouses in RussiaRussia has carried out one of its biggest ever ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, launching a five-hour raid that left at least one person dead and seven injured, with fires and damage across the city.Ukrainian officials said the capital was hit with about 40 Iskander-M and hypersonic Zircon missiles. Residents heard an air raid siren sound at 1.30am. There was the sound of air defences followed minutes later by a series of booms and explosions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bank of England to stop accepting bonds linked to coal for key loans 19. July 2026 (07:00) Campaigners hope move will force commercial banks to rethink holding assets linked to the fossil fuelClimate campaigners have declared a victory after the Bank of England said it would no longer accept bonds linked to one of the most polluting industries on the planet for key loan arrangements.The ban, which comes into force in October, marks a fresh crackdown on thermal coal, which is burned in power plants to create electricity, and has long been a target of green policy activists. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One week, two killings: Trump’s immigration crackdown turns deadly – again 19. July 2026 (07:00) The fatal shootings of two men, both killed in their vehicles by ICE agents, have rekindled anger over the US’s militarized deportation pushLorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was driving to work with his brother and two other passengers in Houston, Texas, when immigration agents began tailing his car. They pulled him over and fired a fatal shot through the open passenger-side window.Six days later in Biddeford, Maine, Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 26, was driving around his neighborhood when agents stopped him at an intersection – right outside the laundromat where he’d often go with his three-year-old daughter – and shot him dead. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
São Tomé and Príncipe heads to polls in tense presidential election 19. July 2026 (06:00) Incumbent Carlos Vila Nova hopes to defeat his former party and secure second term as independentVoters in São Tomé and Príncipe go to the polls for a presidential election on Sunday as one of Africa’s least populous countries seeks to burnish its democratic credentials.According to the National Election Commission, about 142,000 people are registered to vote in the tiny African state’s elections, approximately 15% of whom live in the diaspora. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man dies after cross-border police pursuit ends in NSW northern rivers 19. July 2026 (04:46) Car chase began in Queensland after report of armed man on Gold Coast late on Saturday, police sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales police have declared a “critical incident” after a man died following a police pursuit in the northern rivers area, hours after the same man allegedly evaded Queensland police while armed with a gun.The 25-year-old from Queensland was found unconscious at the wheel of a vehicle, which had driven down an embankment south of Murwillumbah, about 2am on Sunday, NSW police said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Liberal senator Andrew Bragg says he ‘strongly disagrees’ with Tony Abbott on multiculturalism 19. July 2026 (02:56) Bragg says Australia has ‘a very proud record to stand on’. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPianist Jayson Gillham peforms joint concert for Palestinian familiesPianist Jayson Gillham has performed a concert for Palestinian families.Healing is a long road. For Palestinians, for Gazans, for the families in our care, carrying grief and worry that most of us can barely imagine, there is no quick remedy. But music creates space. Space to grieve. Space to breathe. Space to feel held by something larger than ourselves. Space to remember that our shared humanity is greater than anything that divides us. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami on charges of rape and sex trafficking 19. July 2026 (01:57) UK to seek extradition over sexual exploitation, ‘extreme pornography’ and assault and indecent images of a childAndrew and Tristan Tate, brothers who are social media influencers, were arrested by federal authorities Saturday in Miami, the US Marshals Service said.The charges against the pair were not immediately announced. Brady McCarron, a spokesperson for the marshals, said the warrant was sealed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Conservatives around world at war against ‘leftwing globalists’, Bridget McKenzie tells CPAC London event 19. July 2026 (01:37) Nationals senator echoes comments by Pauline Hanson as Labor criticises One Nation leader’s divisive stanceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe National party’s Senate leader, Bridget McKenzie, has used an appearance at a conference of the populist right in London to declare that conservatives are “in a war” against mass immigration, “leftwing globalists” and “woke” institutions, and to urge rightwing movements across the English-speaking world to unite and fight back.McKenzie was speaking at the inaugural CPAC GB in London, a British spinoff of the influential US Conservative Political Action Conference, organised by the former British prime minister Liz Truss. She gave a speech on Saturday morning before appearing on a panel chaired by Truss, alongside other rightwing figures. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pauline Hanson tells London CPAC crowd she is ‘sick of hearing about white privilege’ and ‘fears for England’ 19. July 2026 (00:54) Reform UK leader Nigel Farage compares One Nation leader’s polling rise to Donald Trump’s victory in the USFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson has told a political conference in London that Australia is following Britain down a path of cultural decline, blaming mass immigration, multiculturalism, Islam, net zero policies and “woke” ideology such as support for trans rights.The One Nation leader has been in the UK to speak at the inaugural British spin-off from America’s influential Conservative Political Action Conference, alongside Nigel Farage and Liz Truss, the former British prime minister. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
