Can we electrify the world? Ambition moves from nerdish backwater to centre stage 20. June 2026 (06:00) Apart from effort to electrify, there were geopolitical tensions around climate science and the 1.5C goal at pre-Cop31 climate talksElectrifying the world – with electric vehicles, electric heating and cooling, and modernised heavy industry – could be the next biggest step towards phasing out fossil fuels, replacing the 80% of global energy that still comes from hydrocarbons. As using electrical energy is much more efficient than combustion, the move would save billions of dollars for consumers and businesses – global energy demand could be halved, according to one estimate.For decades, electrification has been a nerdish backwater of global climate action. But in the last two weeks, at preparatory talks in Bonn before the forthcoming UN Cop31 climate summit, the subject finally took centre stage. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fears doctors criticising Israel may be silenced as health watchdog adopts contested antisemitism definition 20. June 2026 (05:51) Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency to use International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition for ‘regulatory work’Australia’s health watchdog has adopted a contested definition of antisemitism to guide its regulatory work.The move has been welcomed by the nation’s peak Jewish body while the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) has warned it could silence health professionals from criticising Israel’s human rights record. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia confirms first mainland case of H5N1 bird flu 20. June 2026 (01:53) The minister for agriculture, Julie Collins, confirms case of H5N1 bird flu in Western Australia, with another suspectedThe deadly H5N1 bird flu strain has arrived on the Australian mainland with test results confirming a bird found on the Western Australian coast was positive for the disease.The agriculture minister, Julie Collins, confirmed a brown skua found unwell last Sunday at Cape Le Grand national park in southern WA died from H5N1. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump unveils new Air Force One, a converted Qatari 747 20. June 2026 (01:05) New craft, called VC-25B Bridge, had provoked protest since $400m jet wildly exceeds limit on unsolicited giftsDonald Trump unveiled the new, temporary Air Force One at a hangar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday, a day after White House officials bid farewell to one of two Boeing 747s used to transport presidents for more than 30 years.The new jet, designated VC-25B and decked out in a punchy red, white, dark blue and gold livery, was gifted to Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar, provoking howls of political protest since the $400m jet wildly exceeds the limit on unsolicited gifts of $50 in value in a single calendar year from the same source. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Injuries reported after two trains collide near Bedford 19. June 2026 (20:38) Lines closed between Luton and Bedford as emergency services attend sceneTwo trains have collided in the Bedford area, authorities have said, with police and other emergency services at the scene.The collision, which is reported to have caused injuries, has also caused major delays to the evening commute, with lines closed between Luton and Bedford, Thameslink said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Could ‘king in the north’ become Britain’s new prime minister? 19. June 2026 (20:25) Makerfield victory gives Burnham a path back to Westminster and a chance to challenge Starmer for PMCelebrations and a swift exit after a Burnham win ‘beyond our wildest dreams’“We know no king but the King in the North”, declares the young Lady Lyanna Mormont in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. In the early hours of Friday morning, in a nondescript conference hall in the north of England, it appeared that the electorate agreed.About 70,000 voters in a post-industrial region of north-west England may have changed the face of British politics this week, after electing the charismatic Labour politician Andy Burnham to represent them in London. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel and Hezbollah agree to renew ceasefire after flareup of violence 19. June 2026 (19:54) US-Iran meeting in Switzerland on implementation of peace deal cancelled over clashes in southern LebanonMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael and Hezbollah agreed to renew a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday after 24 hours of intense violence that posed an early challenge to the new agreement between the US and Iran to end their conflict.A meeting that was scheduled to take place on Friday between Washington and Tehran in Switzerland to discuss implementation of the new deal was cancelled when Hezbollah killed four Israeli soldiers and Israel carried out a wave of retaliatory airstrikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley that killed at least 47 people. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
First pelicans in 360 years hatch in St James’s Park London 19. June 2026 (19:32) Birds have been in the park since the Russian ambassador gave King Charles II two in 1664 – but none ever bred there They arrived in the royal park shortly before the Great Fire of London, when the Russian ambassador presented a pair to King Charles II as a gift.But although pelicans have been living in St James’s Park since 1664, none ever learned the art of courtship – until now, when for the first time in more than 360 years, chicks have been born. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Revolt in small Georgia town appears to ward off ICE detention center 19. June 2026 (19:32) Social Circle announces homeland security has canceled plans to convert warehouse to detain up to 10,000 peopleThe small town of Social Circle in rural Georgia has announced that the Department of Homeland Security has cancelled plans to turn a warehouse into what would have been one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country.The cancellation appears to be one of seven around the country, according to reporting elsewhere, and part of a reversal under new homeland security director Markwayne Mullin in the Trump administration’s plans to buy up warehouses and boost detention capacity – after spending $1bn on the effort in recent months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Global framework for reparatory justice adopted at landmark conference in Ghana 19. June 2026 (19:26) Ensuring fair compensation for those affected by legacies of enslavement and measures to address debt burdens, part of 18-point strategic roadmapMore than money: the logic of slavery reparationsA global framework for reparatory justice has been adopted at a conference in Ghana.Heads of state, governments and other officials adopted the strategy on Friday at a gathering in a hotel in the capital, Accra, which was the first major meeting since the adoption of the landmark United Nations (UN) resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
