Australia news live: auction clearances nudge up after weeks under 50%; state farewell for Richard Scolyer 12. July 2026 (23:51) Almost 55% of homes at auction were sold, weekend figures show. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBurke says there was a ‘reason’ woman with links to Islamic State was singled out with temporary exclusion orderBurke said he wouldn’t be surprised if a woman with links to the Islamic State decided not to return to Australia when asked about a permit issued to the Australian citizen who previously had a temporary exclusion order imposed on her.I was surprised when all the remainder of the cohort returned, but I think they weren’t quite expecting that some of them would be met at the airport by the Australian Federal Police because we already had the evidentiary burden there to be able to press charges.Everybody who went to join ISIS made an unconscionable decision … and while they were there, there were a range of unacceptable behaviours across the cohort. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
At least 27 killed in blaze at Bangkok pub, Thai officials say 12. July 2026 (23:23) Fire is one of the deadliest such incidents in the popular tourist destination in recent yearsAt least 27 people have been killed in a fire at a pub in Bangkok, Thailand’s prime minister and other officials said on Monday, in one of the deadliest such incidents in the tourism hub in recent years.“There are more than 27 dead,” said Anwut Pho-ampai, of the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, which operates a voluntary emergency rescue service. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man fatally shot by ICE is mourned at vigil: ‘dedicated to the American dream’ 12. July 2026 (23:03) Congressman says Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s ‘blood is on Trump’s hands’ after federal agents killed Texas builderThe builder got up every morning long before dawn, left home to pick up his construction crew and then headed out to work on yet another house somewhere across the sprawl of Houston.Fourteen hours later, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo would return to the wife he’d met as a teenager in Mexico and the modest house he’d built for his family on the city’s east side. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US congressman says ‘IDF is lying’ about his detention by settlers and soldiers 12. July 2026 (22:25) Israeli ambassador to US accuses Ro Khanna of political stunt to distract from support for Graham PlatnerRo Khanna accused the Israeli government and military of “lying” on Sunday about the US congressman’s detention by armed settlers and Israeli soldiers during a recent visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.Khanna – a California Democrat – had posted video evidence on social media of Israeli settlers and soldiers blocking the path of his convoy on Wednesday in the South Hebron hills, near the village of Zanuta, where Israelis have driven Palestinians from their homes in what Amnesty International calls a government-backed “ethnic cleansing campaign”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than 100 firefighters tackle railway embankment blaze in east London 12. July 2026 (22:23) Fire in Walthamstow producing a ‘significant amount of smoke’, says London fire brigadeMore than 100 firefighters are tackling a fire at a railway embankment in east London.Twenty-five fire engines and about 125 firefighters were called to the incident near Vallentin Road in Walthamstow. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police warn Widdecombe murder speculation is ‘unhelpful and distressing’ 12. July 2026 (22:07) Politicians should not comment before facts established, says ex-chief constable, as Farage calls killing ‘premeditated murder’Senior police figures and politicians have warned against speculation during the murder investigation into Ann Widdecombe’s death, after detectives said there was “nothing to suggest” political motivation following an intervention from Nigel Farage.Devon and Cornwall police said on Sunday the killing was not being treated as terrorism nor as politically motivated. Officers said they remained open-minded about the motive and urged the public not to speculate, warning it was both unhelpful to the investigation and distressing for Widdecombe’s family. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two men die after going into sea to rescue children at County Durham beach 12. July 2026 (22:01) Youngsters confirmed safe but men pronounced dead after being brought out of water at Seaton Carew, HartlepoolTwo men have died after going into the water at a beach in County Durham to try to help two children who had gotten into difficulty, police said.Officers were called at about 3.45pm on Sunday after concerns were raised about two youngsters in the water at Seaton Carew beach in Hartlepool. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform would have received a fraction of £26.7m donations haul under a £100,000 cap, analysis shows 12. July 2026 (20:44) Exclusive: Party’s average registered donation was £137, 496 last year, almost six times that of Labour or ToriesReform UK would have held just 15% of the donations it received last year if a proposed £100,000 cap on political donations had been in force, according to analysis shared with the Guardian.The analysis by Friends of the Earth using Electoral Commission data highlights the party’s reliance on a handful of wealthy backers in advance of a showdown over political funding. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Martha Lillard, last known US polio survivor using iron lung, dies aged 78 12. July 2026 (20:37) Lillard, of Oklahoma, contracted polio when she was five and slept inside cylindrical metal device to help her breatheThe last known US person living with polio and relying on an iron lung has died aged 78.Martha Lillard, who contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life dependent on an iron lung machine that helped her breathe, died on 26 June in Oklahoma, according to an online obituary. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Spanish PM accused of racism in remarks about French football team 12. July 2026 (19:39) Political leaders in both countries rebuke Mariano Rajoy after he writes team ‘does not have any French players’The former Spanish conservative prime minister Mariano Rajoy is facing growing accusations of racism after writing in a World Cup newspaper column that the French national team “does not have any French players”.Rajoy, who was in office from 2011 to 2018, pondered Spain’s looming semi-final showdown with France in an article for the online newspaper El Debate on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
