Bank of England governor says he is ‘able to spot’ lobbying after Farage crypto meeting 08. July 2026 (16:08) Exclusive: Andrew Bailey says no policy changes were made as a result of pressure from crypto tycoon-backed Reform leaderUK politics live – latest updatesThe governor of the Bank of England has broken his silence about the pressure Nigel Farage put on him to drop a cryptocurrency policy that could be costly for Reform UK’s billionaire backer, saying he is “able to spot” and resist lobbying.Andrew Bailey’s comments, in a letter seen by the Guardian, come as Farage’s decision not to disclose a £5m gift from the Thailand-based crypto tycoon Christopher Harborne has triggered the biggest crisis of his political career. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wyoming tightens wastewater rules after Meta datacenter contractor flushed contaminated water 08. July 2026 (16:08) Meta said it was working with officials to be a ‘good neighbor’ and drinking water supplies were not affectedOfficials in Wyoming said a contractor for Mark Zuckerberg’s tech company, Meta, flushed bacteria-contaminated water into public sewers during construction of a controversial new AI datacenter.The incident prompted water authorities in Cheyenne to implement strict safety regulations on how wastewater from such projects is disposed of, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, which first reported the incident. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Arizona man pleads guilty after illegally living in forest for years among ‘1,000lbs of trash’ 08. July 2026 (16:02) Mark Gatz was arrested at illegal campsite in June and had faced multiple citations for residing in Tonto national forestA man in Arizona has pleaded guilty to violating federal fire restrictions and unlawfully residing in a national forest, after authorities said he spent years living at a makeshift campsite surrounded by what officials described as “approximately 1,000 pounds of trash”.Mark Aaron Gatz was arrested on 25 June at his illegal campsite in Arizona’s Tonto national forest, according to court records. A United States Forest Service (USFS) officer wrote in documents submitted to court that Gatz had been operating an “illegal campsite” with a “hot wood burning campfire” despite fire restrictions and that he had told investigators that he had been living in the forest for about eight years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK judges begin hearing appeal over Trinidad and Tobago anti-gay law 08. July 2026 (16:01) Activist is challenging ruling last year that restored colonial-era homophobic law against same-sex intimacySome of the UK’s top judges are hearing arguments over whether a Trinidad and Tobago court had the legal right to overturn a 2018 ruling to remove colonial-era homophobic laws that criminalise anal sex between consenting men.The country’s “buggery law”, often referred to as its “sodomy” law, was created in 1925 and was written into Trinidad and Tobago’s 1986 Sexual Offences Act. In 2017 a Trinidadian LGBTQ+ rights activist, Jason Jones, challenged the law, and in 2018 a high court ruled that it infringed upon his constitutional right to privacy and equality. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Britain’s markets attracting generation of highly educated entrepreneurs 08. July 2026 (16:00) Nearly a quarter of market traders now hold master’s degree, PhD or medical doctorate, research showsOne in five young market traders now holds a master’s degree, PhD or medical doctorate, according to exclusive figures shared with the Guardian, in a sign of how Britain’s markets are attracting an unexpected new generation of highly educated entrepreneurs.Separate data from Kerb, the street food collective behind some of London’s best-known food markets, points in the same direction. Almost three-quarters of its founders have university degrees, including one in four with postgraduate qualifications. About 95% work in their businesses full-time rather than treating them as weekend side hustles. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Austrian court rules ski resort hotel’s burkini ban is discriminatory 08. July 2026 (15:56) Hotel did not allow two Muslim women to wear full-body bathing suit, which has become bugbear of European far rightAn Austrian court has found an alpine hotel’s ban on burkinis discriminatory, a politically explosive ruling in a country where the far right is on the rise.The full-body bathing suit worn by some Muslim women has become a bugbear of the European far right, which has campaigned to restrict Muslim dress in public spaces. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
