Two men jailed for arson attacks on property linked to Keir Starmer 19. June 2026 (14:26) Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc imprisoned for seven years and two years respectivelyRoman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc have been jailed at the Old Bailey for seven years and two years respectively for arson attacks on property connected to Keir Starmer.Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, and Carpiuc, 27, from Romania were found guilty on Monday of conspiring to commit arson on a car and two properties linked to the prime minister. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bologna’s niche festival of forgotten films captures the streaming generation 19. June 2026 (14:00) Over 40 years, Italy’s Il Cinema Ritrovato – or ‘rediscovered cinema’ – has evolved into an influential international gatheringBologna will be transformed into an open-air museum of cinema on Saturday as a nine-day festival dedicated to restored, rediscovered and overlooked films – some dating back more than a century – gets under way in the northern Italian city.Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, Il Cinema Ritrovato, or “rediscovered cinema”, has evolved from its niche origins into an influential international gathering captivating a new generation of cinephiles. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
St Kilda pier wins peak Victorian architecture award as judges praise playful and ‘deeply civic’ design 19. June 2026 (14:00) State government project among range of works celebrated for community-centred design that goes beyond utilityThe reimagined St Kilda pier has added more accolades to its burgeoning trophy cabinet, taking out some of the top gongs at the 2026 Australian Institute of Architects’ Victorian awards.The $53m Victorian government project redesigned by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, alongside Site Office Landscape Architecture and AW Maritime, took home the Victorian architecture medal on Friday, the award given to the most outstanding project of the year.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The purpose of the rule is fascism’: scientists fight back against planned Trump research cuts 19. June 2026 (14:00) Stand Up for Science founder says proposal to control how grants are spent would ‘dismantle US science ecosystem’While waiting to board her flight home at Ronald Reagan Washington national airport recently, Colette Delawalla was reviewing a list of possible impacts from a proposed Trump administration rule on controlling federal money, including grants for research.Delawalla, the founder of the group Stand Up for Science, had just completed a three-day visit to Capitol Hill, where she met one by one with more than 30 members of Congress, part of a full-court press the organization has launched in recent weeks, sounding the alarm on the office of management and budget (OMB) proposal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Macron calls for vigilance as western Europe faces second heatwave of year 19. June 2026 (13:39) More than half of France’s population under severe weather warning with temperatures expected to exceed 40CMore than half of France’s population is under a severe weather warning as large swathes of western Europe endure the second extreme heat event of the year with temperatures expected to exceed 40C (104F).The French president, Emmanuel Macron, called for “extreme vigilance from everyone”, asking citizens to “take care of our oldest and most vulnerable people” and follow government advice. “We are going through difficult days,” he said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Venice’s new mayor seeks to raise day-tripper fee to up to €50 19. June 2026 (13:36) Simone Venturini says proposal aimed at discouraging arrivals in ‘periods of heightened tourist pressure’Venice’s new mayor has said he hopes to raise a controversial entrance fee for day-trippers to the lagoon city to as much as €50 (£43).Simone Venturini, the rightwing former tourism councillor who was elected as mayor in late May, said the proposal was aimed at further discouraging arrivals “during periods of heightened tourist pressure”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fifa urged to drop Saudi oil giant Aramco as activists target World Cup 19. June 2026 (13:30) Fifa has defended its Aramco sponsorship, saying revenues are reinvested back into football at all levelsAs scorching temperatures beat down on World Cup soccer games across North America, climate activists – including former and current professional athletes – are calling for Fifa and other professional sporting organizations to cut ties with the oil and gas industry.“Sport, especially football, has the power to influence and inspire billions of people,” said David Wheeler, an English former professional footballer, who supports the campaign. “Fifa should be harnessing that power to do good.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Over-reliance on chatbots can diminish critical-thinking skills, study finds 19. June 2026 (13:00) Depending on AI can also potentially decrease the ability to discern misinformation, research saysA new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the latest research to find that relying too much on chatbots can diminish critical-thinking skills, and potentially decrease our ability to discern misinformation for ourselves.As AI tools are becoming more sophisticated and accessible, manipulated images and misleading headlines are becoming more common. AI can be part of the solution, and has proved useful in helping users identify fake content – but there’s a cost to using it this way, the new research suggests. An over-dependence on AI to help figure out what’s real on the internet can lead to trouble making those judgments. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Datacenters driving US clean energy growth while still threatening climate 19. June 2026 (13:00) As datacenters’ connections to electric grids are held up, big tech is forced to throw money at producing its own powerDatacenters are driving unprecedented growth in the US clean energy industry, paradoxically boosting a sector that was sputtering before the artificial intelligence boom even as AI’s rollout creates immense environmental challenges.However, observers caution that while the centers are propelling wind, solar, and other clean energy companies, datacenters remain a climate nightmare. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour peer and Reform MP clash over ‘brown people’ and domestic abuse 19. June 2026 (11:37) Thangam Debbonaire and Sarah Pochin argue in Sky News interview at Makerfield byelection countUK politics live – latest updatesThe Labour peer Thangam Debbonaire has clashed with Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin at the Makerfield byelection count, asking the MP: “You don’t like being on television with brown people, do you Sarah?”The row erupted during a testy interview on Sky News that included an exchange about the £5m personal gift that Nigel Farage accepted from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in the months before he stood as an MP in the 2024 general election. The gift, first revealed by the Guardian, is now under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner, which will examine whether or not it ought to have been declared. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
