Lindsey Graham, key ally of Donald Trump, has died after sudden illness, his office says 12. July 2026 (08:27) Republican senator had served in the Senate since 2003 and was a sharp critic of Trump before becoming one of his most loyal backersUS senator Lindsey Graham, a key ally of Donald Trump, has died from a sudden illness, his office said in the early hours of Sunday. He had just turned 71.Graham’s death will send shockwaves through Washington and the Republican party. He has served in the Senate since 2003, representing South Carolina. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK to crack down on unlicensed casinos sponsoring football teams 12. July 2026 (08:00) Government to launch consultation after Everton’s deal with Stake.com went ahead amid warnings from Gambling CommissionMinisters are poised to launch a crackdown on unlicensed casinos sponsoring British sports teams, amid criticism that a delay to the proposals has opened the door for offshore gambling firms to strike lucrative deals with Premier League clubs.Progress with plans to kick unlicensed gambling operators out of football has stalled since February, when the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said a review would begin in spring. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
A revolution in ruins: fury amid the rubble of a housing project in quake-hit Venezuela 12. July 2026 (07:00) Discontent with Trump-backed government mounts as Chávez heirs struggle to respond to disaster for which they seem ill-preparedEven before two powerful earthquakes reduced the OPPE 25 government housing project to an anarchy of shattered concrete and broken lives, the foundations of Hugo Chávez’s populist “Bolivarian” revolution were shaking in what was once a hotbed of support.Gabriel González remembers his elation when, in 2013, he received the keys to his freshly completed apartment in one of the 12-floor tower blocks El Comandante had ordered to be built in an affluent corner of the resort town of Caraballeda. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU accused of dragging its feet over ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements 12. July 2026 (07:00) Foreign ministers will discuss options on Monday but decision on imports is not expected for months The EU has been accused of dragging its feet over upholding international law, on the eve of a long-awaited debate about banning trade with illegal Israeli settlements.EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday will discuss a possible ban on imports from the settlements, against an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where a UN inquiry found Israel to be committing a genocide, and surging state-backed violence in the occupied West Bank, which has killed at least 235 children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US allies apprehensive after capricious Trump changes tune at Nato summit 12. July 2026 (07:00) Sudden shift may be linked to affinity for Erdoğan but what might be consequences of erratic behavior towards alliance?Donald Trump’s relationship with Washington’s Nato allies is nobody’s idea of a happy marriage.But the US president’s volatile performance at the western military alliance’s annual summit in Ankara this week seemed extreme, even by Trumpian standards. As commentators sought toexplain what happened, their usually capacious stock of Trump-fitting cliches was at risk of exhaustion. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Toronto shooting: two dead and four injured near street festival, with suspect still at large 12. July 2026 (04:35) Police in the city in Canada say suspect has not been apprehended after finding six people with gunshot wounds near Salsa on St Clair FestivalA shooting near a Toronto street festival killed two people and wounded four others on Saturday, prompting police to warn of an active shooter before later saying the scene was secure.Toronto police said six people were found with gunshot wounds after the shooting near St Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue, where the Salsa on St Clair festival was underway. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Barnaby Joyce won’t guarantee One Nation policies will be costed before next election 12. July 2026 (02:45) Follow the day’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIf you’d like to read more about China’s ballistic missile test in the Pacific, David Vallance, a research associate at the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, wrote a comment piece about it earlier in the week.Vallance says the timing – on the day the Ocean of Peace Alliance treaty was signed with Fiji – “reads as provocation at best, coercion at worst”. You can read his full piece here:There are risks of AI to defence, as well as opportunities.That’s why we established a defence AI centre in 2024 under this government. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man charged with murder after remains believed to be missing woman found in Queensland bushland 12. July 2026 (02:45) Toowoomba woman Jana Armstrong was last seen several days agoFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice have charged a man with murder after remains believed to be a woman missing for several days were found in bushland.As of Sunday morning, the remains were yet to be formally identified but Queensland police investigators believe they are those of Jana Armstrong. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wallabies’ pop-gun revival under Joe Schmidt blown apart as France unload heavy artillery | Daniel Gallan 12. July 2026 (02:20) Plucky defeats decorated with patches of excellence will not cut it for Australia with a home World Cup now looming largeThe camera found Joe Schmidt shortly after France had completed a 22-point swing. Australia’s coach had seen a 21-12 half-time lead obliterated in 16 brutal minutes. Schmidt, one of rugby’s sharpest minds, looked short of answers. The trouble was that the questions confronting him had obvious answers but almost impossible solutions.Why had Australia’s discipline deteriorated? Because they were under pressure. Why had their tackle intensity and ruck speed fallen away? Because France had introduced fresh power from the bench. Why had the Wallabies gone from a nine-point half-time lead to a 13-point deficit in barely a quarter of an hour? Because one team had more large, skilful, Test-quality rugby players than the other. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US and Iran exchange strikes as Tehran again says strait of Hormuz is closed 12. July 2026 (02:16) Tehran says vessel using unapproved route in strait was struck, drawing strikes from US forces to ‘degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners’Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday it had closed the strait of Hormuz after a vessel travelled on an unapproved route and was struck, warning that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response”.“A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt,” the navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement, without giving any details about the ship. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
