Two people arrested after unfolding banner atop Empire State Building 01. July 2026 (20:36) In apparent marriage proposal stunt, sign displaying message of peace was seen atop the New York landmarkTwo people have been arrested following an apparent marriage proposal atop the Empire State Building’s spire on Wednesday, after they climbed to the very pinnacle of the New York City landmark – well above the level open to the public.The two people, both wearing black clothing and who appeared to be masked, also unfurled a large black banner at the top of the skyscraper with the words: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man guilty of attempting to murder three children in attack that triggered Dublin riot 01. July 2026 (20:27) Jury also finds Riad Bouchaker guilty of assaulting two other children and a childcare worker in 2023 stabbingsA man has been found guilty of attempting to murder three children during a stabbing attack in Dublin in 2023, a crime that horrified Ireland and triggered a riot in the capital.A jury at the central criminal court on Wednesday also found Riad Bouchaker, 52, guilty of assault causing serious harm to a childcare worker, Leanne Flynn, and of assaulting two other children and a teenager. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Albania warned EU accession at risk over Jared Kushner-backed resort plans 01. July 2026 (20:19) Proposed development of protected shorelines and wildlife zones violates EU environmental policy, says MEPMEPs have warned Albania that EU accession talks are at risk if the government does not “change course” over plans for a luxury resort backed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.Tineke Strik, the Dutch MEP heading a European parliament fact-finding mission to the Balkan nation, said Albania’s leadership was “playing with fire” by pursuing the €1.4bn (£1.2bn) real-estate venture that would, she said, wreak havoc on virgin coastline. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The Harvard astronomer dubbed Trump’s chief alien hunter starts by assuming UFOs human-made 01. July 2026 (20:16) Avi Loeb’s White House panel has asked the Pentagon for videos and files on unexplained aerial sightingsA controversial Harvard University cosmologist who has suggested alien lifeforms could be sailing into the solar system disguised as meteors is leading the Trump administration’s secretive new scientific advisory panel on security risks posed by UFOs.Avi Loeb and his hand-picked committee have already begun looking into the origins of mysterious flying craft, now known as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and last month asked the Pentagon for dozens of videos, images and documents of reported encounters and incidents, the Associated Press reports. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How extreme heat is exposing extreme inequality 01. July 2026 (18:30) The climate crisis and worsening disparity could be responsible for more than 100,000 deaths a year in Europe, which should set off alarm bells for policymakers• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereCall it a tale of two heatwave experiences.As brutally hot conditions brought much of western Europe to its knees, an American writer living in Paris asserted that, for many, the heat was not “nearly as apocalyptic” as most media were suggesting. He said he had yet to buy a fan, instead relying on closed shutters, misting sessions and open windows in the evening to keep his ground-level flat cool. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Teachers in England get two-year 6.6% pay rise but schools to foot part of bill 01. July 2026 (18:29) Unions pleased with rise above forecast inflation but concerned nearly a third of it will come from school budgetsUK politics live – latest updatesTeachers in England will receive a 3.5% pay rise from September and a further 3% next year, with extra school funding to meet most but not all of the higher wage bill, the government has announced.Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, said the government would accept the pay recommendations of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), which were substantially higher than the government’s initial proposals. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham says ‘nothing off table’ in case of Rochdale grooming gang leader 01. July 2026 (17:52) Labour leader-in-waiting wants to close loophole preventing deportation of sex offenderAndy Burnham will explore “all possible options”, if he becomes prime minister, to close a legal loophole that prevented the deportation of a “vile” Rochdale grooming gang leader.In his first significant intervention as Labour leader-in-waiting, Burnham said nothing would be “off the table” in the case of Shabir Ahmed, 73, who is expected to be released from prison on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
England has just had its hottest June on record, Met Office data shows 01. July 2026 (17:47) Chief scientist says dangerous heatwaves, which are getting more likely, ‘bring home the implications of climate change’The month of June was the warmest in England on record, driven by a searing heatwave in the final days of the month, which for the first time had red heat alerts for three days, according to Met Office data.The Met Office said provisional statistics showed Wales and the UK as a whole had recorded their second-warmest June since 1884. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bayeux tapestry tickets generate nine-hour online queues as public scramble for access 01. July 2026 (17:37) Reports say up to 80,000 people waiting by mid-afternoon for chance to see historic artwork at British MuseumPeople keen to see the Bayeux tapestry faced online queues of up to nine hours when tickets went on sale for the first time on Wednesday morning.The British Museum, which is hosting the wool-on-linen artwork from September, saw huge traffic to its ticketing website as a scramble for access began. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
At least 3.3m people were victims of Dutch enslavement, research claims 01. July 2026 (17:34) Figure is more than five times the widely used 600,000 figure widely cited in apologies by king and politiciansAt least 3.3 million people were enslaved in the Netherlands during the transatlantic slave trade, research claims – more than five times the 600,000 figure widely used in history books and cited in apologies by the king and politicians.King Willem-Alexander referred to the more than 600,000 people who were brought from Africa on Dutch ships to be sold as enslaved people when he apologised three years ago for the role of the Netherlands in the transatlantic slave trade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
