Fourth toddler dies in France as Europe’s brutal heatwave forecast to shift east 26. June 2026 (19:04) Scientists say hot spell is worst ever, with nearly half of region’s 850 largest cities facing unprecedented heat stress The number of deaths in France linked to the heatwave has climbed to four toddlers and more than 55 drownings, as the brutally hot conditions sweeping Europe were forecast to shift east, choking 150 million people under 35C (95F) temperatures.Scientists said the heatwave was the most severe and widespread ever, leaving nearly half of the region’s 850 largest cities grappling with unprecedented heat stress. They said the extreme temperatures had been made possible by the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge declares mistrial in arson case against man accused of sparking Palisades fire 26. June 2026 (18:50) Jurors in California deliberated for over 13 hours, before announcing that they were deadlocked A federal judge declared a mistrial in the arson case against the 29-year-old man accused of sparking the deadly 2025 Palisades fire in Los Angeles, after the jury said it could not agree on a verdict.Jurors deliberated for over 13 hours on Thursday on whether to convict Jonathan Rinderknecht on three federal charges, before announcing that they were deadlocked. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gavin Newsom urges a national 'billionaires' tax' while fighting one in California 26. June 2026 (18:46) California governor calls for national tax on super-wealthy and suggests the US should own a stake in AI companiesUS politics live – latest updatesCalifornia’s governor, Gavin Newsom, called for a national “billionaires tax” on Friday as he fights a ballot measure targeting the ultra-wealthy in his home state.Newsom, who is expected to run for president in 2028, published his proposal the day after California officials certified a ballot proposal to levy a one-time 5% tax on residents worth more than $1bn. The proposal, called the California Billionaire Tax Act, was brought by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) and would fund the state’s healthcare, education and food assistance programs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Carney announces contest to revamp uninhabitable Canadian PM residence 26. June 2026 (18:09) Various issues – including a rodent infestation and mould – have left the historic, sprawling Ottawa estate empty10 Downing Street has two things: mice and a chief mouser. For more than a decade, an officially recognized feline has kept rodent infestation in the British prime minister’s residence to a minimum.Over a similar period, the official residence of Canada’s prime minister has seen an unchecked explosion of rodents. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Survivors tell of ‘brutal and fast’ Venezuela quake as hunt for survivors goes on 26. June 2026 (18:02) Worst incident of its kind in country for more than 125 years leaves many searching for family members – and pleading for international helpVenezuela death toll doubles as interim president vows to save ‘as many people as possible’Nearly all of Ligia Level’s family lived in a trio of apartment blocks along Hotel Avenue, a seafront sweep of palm-specked resorts and high-rise condos along Venezuela’s Caribbean coast.When a powerful “doublet” of earthquakes jolted the region on Wednesday afternoon, those buildings and the lives within them came crashing down. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty in classified information case – US politics live 26. June 2026 (17:52) Bolton pleads guilty to charges that he unlawfully retained sensitive national security information in agreement that includes $2.25m fineFormer Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guiltySign up for the Breaking News US emailHayes went on:As national security adviser to the president of the United States, Mr Bolton had access to and was responsible for safeguarding the most sensitive national defense information, including classified material.Mr Bolton knew how to handle classified information, where it should be stored, how it should be stored, and with whom he could share that information. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Venezuela death toll doubles as interim president vows to save ‘as many people as possible’ 26. June 2026 (17:46) Delcy Rodríguez says foreign rescue teams are arriving but people are angry at official response and limited resourcesVenezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has vowed to fight to save “as many people as possible” as the official death toll from the country’s worst earthquake in more than a century almost doubled, but frustration was growing at the perceived sluggishness of the government’s response.Rodríguez said on Friday that the official death toll had risen to 589, with nearly 3,000 people injured. Speaking during a tour of La Guaira, the most devastated region, Rodríguez said foreign search and rescue groups were starting to arrive. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham’s long coup: the chaotic year-long project to return him to Westminster 26. June 2026 (17:30) Efforts of campaign groups, supporters and party figures coalesced after May elections as MPs’ views began to change The third coming of Andy Burnham began in earnest on the dancefloor of the Ministry of Sound. It was the annual conference of the centre-left pressure group Compass on an unusually hot spring weekend in May 2025. Keir Starmer, a year into his premiership, was deep in the trenches of the welfare battle, and the event’s keynote speakers were Burnham and Louise Haigh.Under the hot pink lights, the mayor of Greater Manchester joked that he was doing the “rally the troops” slot, inappropriate for a pessimistic Evertonian. But he said there was one reason to still be cheerful. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Massive wins and the promise of change – but that’s where the Starmer-Albanese similarities end 26. June 2026 (17:00) While Anthony Albanese calls ousted British PM Keir Starmer his mate, the pair share very different political fortunesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese channelled Paul Keating as he spoke to government MPs in Canberra this week, reflecting on the tough work of reform.Keating, Albanese said, considered Labor to be a bit like a bicycle. “It only stands up when you pedal,” the party grandee once warned, suggesting that without ideas, direction or momentum, the whole show falls over. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Here we Joh again? The spectre of Bjelke-Petersen still looms large over Queensland 26. June 2026 (17:00) The LNP’s unapologetic moves on crime, transgender healthcare and police-led suppression of protests are a throwback to days many thought had come and goneGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA sign stopped Aunty Sandra King in her tracks. The elder of the Yagara, Quandamooka and Bundjalung people, now in her 70s, spoke at a protest last month against plans to build an Olympic stadium in the heart of Brisbane’s Victoria Park.In the crowd a man held aloft a homemade placard with the words “I Preferred Joh”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
