Trump accused of ‘disgusting’ crypto greed after earning over $1bn since return to office 01. July 2026 (17:23) Elizabeth Warren and colleagues demanded tighter rules on political figures’ crypto dealings, citing disclosures of large-scale Trump family profitsUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has again been accused of “brazen crypto corruption” after financial disclosures revealed his family’s cryptocurrency ventures generated more than $1bn in his first year back in the White House.Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate banking committee, said the figures showed why US Congress needed to act. “The crypto legislation heading to the Senate floor must prevent the President, Vice President, senior administration officials, members of Congress, and their families from profiting off the crypto industry,” she said. “If it does not, it will only turbocharge Donald Trump’s brazen crypto corruption.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Arts degrees to cost $50,000 until at least 2028 as measures to lower Australian university fees put on hold 01. July 2026 (17:00) Barney Glover, head of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission, says he will provide advice about degree funding to the government next yearGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe man tasked with reforming the controversial Job-ready Graduates (JRG) program says he will not recommend any interim measures to reduce the $50,000 cost of arts degrees, despite calling the scheme a failure.Under the scheme introduced by the Morrison government, costs for science and maths courses were slashed to encourage students to take up Stem subjects, while arts and humanities fees rose sharply. The change led to university enrolments of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds falling in some arts subjects, with critics warning of a “segregated” higher education system. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rapid demand for AI datacentres in Australia could stoke inflation, experts warn – and crowd out land for housing 01. July 2026 (17:00) Calls are growing for new datacentre approvals to be halted until stronger protections are consideredGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTransport for NSW and the Reserve Bank have warned datacentres could take scarce land from logistics firms and housing developments, pushing up prices and overheating the economy, as calls grow for a national pause on the booming sector.The rapid growth of datacentres has raised concerns for the transport and logistics sector, with Transport for NSW telling the state parliament inquiry on datacentres there was already significant pressure on the availability of industrial land and infrastructure. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lambie, Hanson and Pocock form unlikely alliance to protect transparency campaigner Rex Patrick 01. July 2026 (16:58) Exclusive: Patrick is using freedom of information rules to seek where nuclear waste from Aukus submarines will be keptGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJacqui Lambie, Pauline Hanson and David Pocock have joined a push for the government to stop a legal threat against Rex Patrick, after bureaucrats unexpectedly escalated a transparency case to the federal court.Patrick, a transparency campaigner and former senator, is seeking documents detailing where nuclear waste from the Aukus submarine fleet will be kept within Australia, and won an administrative appeal under freedom of information rules in May. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Venezuelan police officers arrested over alleged looting after earthquakes 01. July 2026 (16:27) Anger at authorities and government grows as local people, volunteers and rescue teams continue search for survivors Four Venezuelan police officers have been arrested and are facing dismissal after being accused of looting cash from the rubble of a building that collapsed during last week’s devastating twin earthquakes.Local people and national and international rescue teams continue to search for survivors in the aftermath of the back-to-back quakes, which have killed almost 2,000 people, injured more than 10,000, and left tens of thousands missing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Canada to join Eurovision song contest from 2027 01. July 2026 (16:24) Country is first to join since Australia in 2015 as event director says it ‘continues to welcome the world’Canada will join the Eurovision song contest in 2027, becoming the first new participant since Australia in 2015, organisers have announced.Participation is not limited to countries in geographic Europe and instead is open to all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which Canada joined last week. Australia is an associate member. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia’s mortgage burden is now above 1989 levels – when interest rates were 17% 01. July 2026 (16:01) KPMG analysis rebuts claims older generations had it harder when it came to buying and paying off a homeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s national mortgage burden is heavier now than it was when lending rates reached 17% at the end of the 1980s, new analysis reveals.Terry Rawnsley, an urban economist at KPMG, said his research was in part a “myth-busting” exercise aimed at rebutting oft-repeated claims that previous generations had it harder when it came to buying and paying off a home. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Beautiful blobs’: synthetic life a step closer as scientists make cells using lab-made DNA 01. July 2026 (16:00) Tiny, quivering spheres designed to feed and multiply raise prospect of artificial organisms to make drugs, food and fuelResearchers claim they are closer to creating life from scratch after building tiny, quivering blobs that use lab-made DNA to feed, grow and multiply in a dish.The synthetic cells were made from chemical compounds and are believed to be the first to demonstrate the complete cell cycle of growth, genetic replication and splitting to produce the next generation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Save student loan plan ends, leaving millions of US borrowers 90 days to find a new one 01. July 2026 (15:48) Trump administration is requiring borrowers to choose new options after Biden-era plan ruled unconstitutionalMore than 7 million Americans will be forced to change their student loan repayment plan beginning on Wednesday, as the Save plan officially ends. The termination of the Biden-era initiative, which was launched in 2023, coincides with a larger overhaul of the US student loan repayment system.The seismic changes to the student debt landscape are the results of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025 and a March 2026 federal court ruling that the Save plan, an income-driven repayment program created with the goal of cutting undergraduate loans in half, was unconstitutional. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Crypto and stock stakes: key takeaways from Trump’s financial disclosures 01. July 2026 (15:30) US president raked in more than $1bn from crypto – an industry he has sought to deregulate – and a total of $2.2bn last year, files revealAlarm bells over conflict of interest as filing shows Trump raked in $2bn in 2025Donald Trump’s money-making ventures enriched him by more than $2bn last year, according to newly released financial disclosures.The revenue was supercharged by the Trump family’s crypto projects, with the documents showing the US president made more than $1bn (£0.76bn) from crypto – an industry he has sought to deregulate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
