‘We are waiting with bated breath’: Super El Niño forecast could make 2027 hottest year on record, BoM says 16. July 2026 (17:00) Most Australian capital cities have at least 80% chance of unusually warm and dry spring as climatologists watch developing system with increasing alarmGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe El Niño climate phenomenon linked to record global temperatures and now locked in place in the Pacific Ocean could develop into the strongest on record, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.Climatologists are watching the strengthening El Niño with increasing alarm, saying the forecasts from climate models in the coming months are “mind blowing” and “astounding”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Target of Monaco bomb blames attack on Ukrainian spy agency 16. July 2026 (16:51) Vadym Iermolaiev says military intelligence officers were behind assassination attempt that seriously wounded partner and child• Monaco bomb mystery deepens as Ukraine’s security services linked to murder of prime suspect• Europe live – latest updatesThe Ukrainian businessman who survived an assassination attempt in Monaco has accused Ukraine’s military intelligence agency of organising the attack.In his first public statement since the bombing that shook the wealthy principality, Vadym Iermolaiev alleged that serving and former officers of the GUR military intelligence agency were behind the attempted killing, which left him injured but his partner critically wounded. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Air quality plummets in 20 states as smoke from Canadian wildfires spreads across the US 16. July 2026 (16:49) Millions of Americans face air quality alerts from Minnesota to New York as authorities urge people to stay indoorsSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Smoke from wildfires burning in south-central Canada and parts of Minnesota is spreading across the US, prompting air quality alerts in more than 20 states with millions of Americans expected to face unhealthy air conditions this week.The smoke from the more than 180 active wildfires in northern Ontario briefly made Toronto’s air quality among the worst in the world on Wednesday. By Wednesday night, the smoke had spread across several US states, from Minnesota, where multiple wildfires are also burning, to New York, blanketing the skies in haze and worsening air quality. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Private schools offer 41% more tree shade than state schools in England 16. July 2026 (16:37) Analysis reveals stark socioeconomic divide, with schools with highest free school meal eligibility having fewer treesPrivate school grounds in England offer 41% more tree cover than at state schools for cooling and shade in extreme temperatures, research has found.As teachers and students prepare to take their summer holidays after weeks of high temperatures where some classrooms reached highs of 40C, an analysis of tree cover in schools in England reveals a stark socioeconomic divide. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham too influenced by ‘vested interests’ to offer change, Polanski says 16. July 2026 (16:35) Exclusive: Green party launches pushback against idea that next PM will have more left-leaning agenda than StarmerUK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham is “too in hock to vested interests” to offer real change, Zack Polanski has said as the Greens launched a pushback against the incoming prime minister, portraying him as cautious and weak on such areas as wealth taxes, Gaza and rent controls.Under Polanski’s leadership the Green party in England and Wales has more than tripled its membership, and is closely tracking Labour in opinion polls, with much of the new support coming from former Labour voters disenchanted with Keir Starmer’s approach. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How green is Andy Burnham? Britain’s next PM faces tough climate decisions 16. July 2026 (16:00) Heatwaves, high energy prices, calls for reindustrialisation and North Sea drilling are all high on the to-do listUK politics live – latest updatesWildfires cast a pall of smoke this week over Greater Manchester, whose former mayor Andy Burnham stands on the threshold of No 10. Amid three UK heatwaves so far this year, which have killed thousands of people in England and Wales, damaged harvests and left children crying in classrooms, the new prime minister’s plans for the climate crisis remain as shrouded as his city.“Burnham has been very quiet about the climate [crisis] so far,” says Chris Venables, an environmental campaigner and fellow at the Green Alliance thinktank. “I don’t think [it] is at the forefront of his mind, but that does not mean he will water down this agenda.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s Board of Peace drops full Gaza recovery plan in favour of tiny pilot scheme 16. July 2026 (15:58) Revised plan aims to ‘keep something going’ amid fears Netanyahu may gamble on new all-out offensive before Israeli electionsMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe Gaza recovery plan being pursued by Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP) has shrunk dramatically from an ambitious blueprint for the reconstruction of the whole territory to a small pilot project in the south of the strip.Even the envisaged pilot scheme – involving a temporary camp for a tiny fraction of Gaza’s 2 million displaced people, with a Palestinian administration, police and a small international security force – is not expected to take shape before the end of the year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hal Williams, actor best known for Sanford and Son and 227, dies aged 91 16. July 2026 (15:49) The actor, who also appeared in The Waltons and Private Benjamin, died at his home in CaliforniaHal Williams, the actor best known for TV roles in Sanford & Son and 227, has died at the age of 91.His representative confirmed that Williams died on 15 July at his home in California.This article was amended on 16 July 2026. It was originally stated that Sanford and Son ran from an incorrect number of years Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump to meet Darline Graham at the White House today – US politics live 16. July 2026 (14:51) President will meet new Republican senator who has taken over the seat following the death of her brother Lindsey GrahamSign up for the Breaking News US emailAt 10am ET, Keith Sonderling will face lawmakers on the Senate health, education, labor and pensions committee for his confirmation hearing to be the new labor secretary.A reminder that the former department head, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigned in April after a series of misconduct allegations including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking on the job. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mafia law gives Italian families right to break free from a life of crime 16. July 2026 (14:50) Wives and children offered new identities to try to stop gangsters recruiting down the generationsChildren and young adults raised in mafia families will be given a chance to break away from organised crime under new legislation in Italy that aims to stop the inter-generational recruitment of gangsters.In an unprecedented effort to sever the family chain, the Italian state will offer children aged under 25 and other close relatives of mafia bosses a chance to start over: a new home in another city, a new school and, if necessary, a new identity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
