Andy Burnham becomes Labour leader in final step towards becoming UK PM 17. July 2026 (13:51) Former Greater Manchester mayor says he is ready to beat the ‘new right’ and give power back to ‘the place where you live’UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham has declared himself ready to “beat Britain’s new right” with a fresh, united approach as he becomes the leader of the Labour party before taking over as British prime minister on Monday.The former mayor of Greater Manchester won the overwhelming support of MPs, trade unions and party branches, making him the only choice to take over from Keir Starmer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lindsey Graham’s death leaves South Carolina confronting complex legacy: ‘You loved him and you hated him’ 17. July 2026 (13:00) The US state mourns its longest-serving senator while Republicans scramble to choose a successorThe South Carolina state house is a microcosm of the US’s contradictions. Outside there are memorials to the Confederate war dead and African American history. Below a statue of Strom Thurmond, a longtime US senator and racial segregationist, are the names of his five children including Essie Mae, whose mother, a Black maid, was 15 when Thurmond impregnated her.Thurmond died at the age of 100 in 2003; his successor, Lindsey Graham, a lifelong bachelor who never had children, died last Saturday at 71. His sudden exit leaves a void not just in Washington but the state that molded Graham, elected him to the Senate four times and wrestled with his shape-shifting journey from Ronald Reagan Republican to Donald Trump sycophant. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China rejects Trump’s claims of election interference as ‘pure fabrication’ – US politics live 17. July 2026 (11:54) Democrats also criticize speech as ‘lies and long-debunked conspiracies’Sign up for US News Breaking emailTrump makes unverified claims of China ‘election meddling’Donald Trump repeated calls in his Thursday speech for the passage of the Save America Act – a rebranded and expanded version of last year’s Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (Save) act, which passed in the US House but didn’t get a vote in the Senate.This year’s version includes a very strict voter ID requirement for casting a ballot and a provision that requires states to regularly turn their voter rolls over to the Department of Homeland Security, in addition to criminal liability for election officials who register a voter without proper documentary proof of citizenship. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iranian airport and bridges hit as US forces board ship amid ports blockade – Middle East crisis live 17. July 2026 (11:52) Southern rail station also attacked, Iranian media says, as IRGC claims to have destroyed US fighter jets stationed in JordanUS marines board tanker amid blockade of Iranian portsHere is a map by Anadolu Agency of the reported US attacks on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes in the region:Kuwait’s energy ministry said one of its power and water desalination plants was attacked by Iran, resulting in a fire and damage to the facility. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ICE arrests human rights lawyer who fled Chinese crackdown 17. July 2026 (11:20) Arrest in Pennsylvania of Wu Shaoping, who is awaiting asylum decision, raises fears of deportation and persecutionA Chinese human rights lawyer has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raising concerns he could be deported to China where he would face persecution.Wu Shaoping fled China at the end of 2019 amid a crackdown on human rights lawyers. He travelled to the US on a tourist visa and made an asylum claim in 2020, for which he is still awaiting a decision. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Greatest director out there’: Nolan fans fly into London to see The Odyssey at BFI Imax 17. July 2026 (11:19) Film fanatics arrive from US, Switzerland and Ireland for midnight premiere of director’s critically acclaimed epicOdysseus made his name by embarking on a perilous journey from Troy to Ithaca, plus a few unplanned diversions courtesy of the gods. But this is nothing on Christian Campbell, who last night travelled more than 4,000 miles to see the Greek king’s epic fable on the big screen.The 22-year-old film graduate, who aspires to be an editor, made the journey from Atlanta to London to watch Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Adversarial clothing’: are garments designed to confuse facial recognition systems about to go mainstream? 17. July 2026 (11:00) Designers say that as well as offering a degree of protection from surveillance, their clothes make a powerful fashion statement about the importance of privacyAs facial recognition technology is rolled out across Britain’s public spaces, a new generation of designers say privacy could be the next big fashion trend.Companies have started incorporating “adversarial patterns” in their garments – carefully designed arrangements of shapes, colours and repeated motifs said to exploit weaknesses in some computer vision systems. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Thunderstorms strike across Europe amid record heatwave 17. July 2026 (10:35) Storms are typical during intense heat but this week’s have been extreme. Plus, deadly monsoon rains in BangladeshHailstones the size of golf balls have been seen in French villages as, on top of the exceptional European heatwave, thunderstorms have struck across parts of Europe.While thunderstorms are typical during and after a period of extreme heat, the storms across countries such as France, Germany and Poland have been particularly severe, bringing flooding, strong winds and heavy showers with large balls of hail. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Moira Deeming disendorsed as Victorian Liberal party candidate for upcoming state election 17. July 2026 (10:16) The party’s state executive decided MP’s fate after she withdrew her legal action against the party earlier this weekGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming has been disendorsed ahead of the upcoming state election, despite dropping an eleventh-hour legal challenge against her own party.The state party called a meeting for Friday afternoon where they voted to remove the MP as a candidate for the November election. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China ‘strongly dissatisfied’ with nationalisation of British Steel 17. July 2026 (08:57) Move dealt ‘severe blow to Chinese companies’ confidence in investing in the UK’, says Ministry of CommerceChina’s government has said it is “strongly dissatisfied” with the decision to nationalise British Steel this week, 15 months after the UK government stepped in to prevent the closure of its steelworks in Scunthorpe and the loss of 4,000 jobs.On Thursday, British Steel was brought under public ownership to protect “the future of steel production”, the government announced. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
