‘We feel like the peasants’: women and low-income families bear brunt of heatwave 26. June 2026 (17:00) As temperatures soar across Europe, cities are struggling to adapt, further exacerbating socioeconomic divisions The heatwave afflicting western Europe is the worst ever, with the combination of heat and humidity fuelled by the climate crisis making scores of cities feel unliveable. While for some the adverse impacts amount to disturbed sleep and sticky days in the home office, low-income families are often worse affected by cities’ lack of adequate adaptation measures, with women at the sharp end.“[It] throws a grenade into every vulnerability you already have,” says Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, pointing out that vulnerable or marginalised groups often bear the brunt of climate crisis-based hardship globally. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge throws out Andrew Tate’s legal claim to be told names of accusers 26. June 2026 (16:23) CPS says decision to withhold names is due to fears Tate and his brother could identify alleged victims onlineAndrew and Tristan Tate’s legal claim to be told the names of their female accusers has been thrown out by a high court judge who ruled that prosecutors had acted reasonably in treating the brothers as “notorious”.Mr Justice Chamberlain on Friday rejected an attempt to compel the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to inform the Tates of the identities of the women whose allegations have formed the basis for charges against the men of rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
OpenAI staggers AI model release after Trump administration request 26. June 2026 (16:06) Sam Altman announces limited preview of GPT 5.6 in move that echoes launch of Anthropic’s MythosBusiness live – latest updatesOpenAI is staggering the release of its latest AI model after a request from the US government, in a move echoing the launch of Anthropic’s Mythos product.Sam Altman, the chief executive of the company behind ChatGPT, told staff this week that GPT 5.6 would be released in a limited preview to a small group of partners, according to the tech publication The Information. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Fork in the road’: CEO of Amazon-backed Rivian on why carmakers need to invest in EVs 26. June 2026 (16:00) RJ Scaringe says firms focused on selling fossil fuel engines risk being ‘woefully behind’ on technology by end of decadeCarmakers that focus on selling fossil fuel engines are at risk of being “woefully behind” on technology by the end of the decade, according to the boss of Rivian, an Amazon-backed US electric carmaker.RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and chief executive, said the car industry has reached a “fork in the road” in the choice between short-term profits and the heavy investments, particularly in software, that will be required to survive. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Why is alcohol dangerous in a heatwave, and should I cut it out completely? 26. June 2026 (15:57) Those partial to a pint may be relieved to know a modest of amount of weak beer may actually be beneficialEuropean heatwave live – latest updatesAs Europe endures a record-breaking heatwave, countries are taking steps to keep people safe and prevent health services from becoming overstretched. Parisians face a temporary ban on drinking alcohol in public to reduce the pressure on the hospitals after a four-fold rise in cardiac arrests in a 24-hour period.We look at why drinking alcohol can be dangerous in a heatwave. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK June heat record broken for third day in a row as ministers urged to act 26. June 2026 (15:39) Plans to protect people fall ‘far short of what is needed’, government told, as MP warns of heatwave deathsUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK government is facing increasingly urgent calls for action to protect people against the intensifying effects of the climate crisis, as the highest maximum temperature record for June was broken for the third day in a row.With the country in the grip of the worst heatwave ever recorded in western Europe – a direct result of global heating – the chair of parliament’s environmental audit committee warned ministers of the urgent threat and said the UK was falling “far short of what is needed”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration moves to restart LGBTQ+ suicide hotline it initially ended 26. June 2026 (15:06) The Trevor Project non-profit that helped pioneer LGBTQ+ ‘press 3’ option for 988 hotline is being shut out as it restartsThe Trump administration is moving to restart the specialized LGBTQ+ option for youth who contact the 988 crisis intervention hotline – but the group that helped pioneer the idea is being shut out.The Trevor Project, the New York-based leading non-profit for suicide prevention in LGBTQ+ young people in the US, may not be allowed to offer the service it had helped develop for the 988 Lifeline just a few years ago. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hawaii ruling praised by US gun rights groups – are more rollbacks coming? 26. June 2026 (15:00) Experts say decision presents problem for business owners – and indicates direction court’s conservatives are headingExperts say a supreme court ruling that struck down a Hawaii law banning people from carrying guns on private property without permission could present problems for business owners – and is a bellwether of what steps the majority-conservative court may take toward undoing policies they see as placing an undue burden on legal gun owners.The US supreme court handed down the ruling in Wolford v Lopez on Thursday in a 6-3 decision. Second-amendment law centers and advocates praised the ruling as another win and important step toward challenging other restrictions that are out of line with gun laws that existed at the nation’s founding. Gun control and gun violence groups, meanwhile, lambasted the decision as a dangerous one that prioritizes the rights of gun owners over public safety. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
State functions, public access and office space: the plans for revamped Buckingham Palace 26. June 2026 (14:48) King Charles will never live in landmark despite £369m upgrade, but aides stress it will remain ‘buzzing hive’ of royal activityNot all modern British monarchs have viewed the prospect of moving into Buckingham Palace with unalloyed joy. So in announcing he will never live there, after the completion of its £369m upgrade next year, King Charles has at least grasped that nettle.Queen Victoria was initially dismayed by the damp, dingy and disorganised building that greeted her and her husband, Prince Albert, in 1837. It was Albert who refashioned it into “Monarchy HQ”. After his death in 1861, Victoria retreated mainly to Windsor, Balmoral and Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kent van driver praised for giving lift to armed officer chasing suspect 26. June 2026 (14:36) Bodycam footage captures moment motorist pulls over to help police officer and calls: ‘Get in the back’A van driver in Kent has been praised after giving a lift to an armed police officer who was chasing a suspect.Bodycam footage from the officer captured the moment the motorist pulled over to help the police on 16 June and called out: “Get in the back. Get in the back.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
