Australian housing was already cooling before the budget – but how cold it gets depends on two key factors 05. June 2026 (17:00) Most economists believe the chronic undersupply of homes will eventually push prices higher once interest rates ease and the tax changes are priced inGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government’s property tax changes have become one of the defining political issues of Labor’s second term, drawing fierce criticism from opponents who argue they represent an “assault on aspiration” that will destroy home values.In the three weeks after the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes were revealed in the 12 May budget, housing data has begun to show how they may affect Australia’s property market. Here’s what the data shows, and what could happen next. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California governor’s race remains too close to call as vote-counting continues 05. June 2026 (16:34) Experts warn primary vote-counting could go on for days in governor’s race, LA mayoral race and congressional racesThree days after Californians headed to the polls, key races in the primary election remained too close to call and experts warned the counting could continue for days.In the governor’s race, the British-born conservative pundit Steve Hilton was narrowly leading with an estimated 60% of ballots counted by Friday morning. Xavier Becerra, a former US health and human services secretary under Joe Biden, followed closely behind, and billionaire Tom Steyer trailed behind the pair. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senate blocks surveillance bill in dispute over Trump’s intelligence pick 05. June 2026 (15:56) Seven Republican senators joined Democrats to block Fisa extension amid disquiet over nomination of Bill PulteUS politics live – latest updatesSeven Republican senators joined Democrats early on Friday to block the extension of a powerful government surveillance program, a rebuke to Donald Trump for choosing an inexperienced ally as the country’s top intelligence official.The renewal had been in question amid bipartisan concern over the US president’s appointment of Bill Pulte, a major Republican donor and heir to a home construction fortune, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than a quarter of UK musicians lost all EU work since 2021, report finds 05. June 2026 (15:52) Average tour earnings down 45%, with nearly three-fifths of musicians saying touring in Europe is no longer viableMore than a quarter of British musicians have lost all their work in the European Union since 2021, according to new research.The report by European Movement UK, a cross-party campaign group advocating closer UK-EU relations, found that nearly half of British musicians had experienced a reduced amount of work in the EU since 2021, while more than a quarter had stopped working there altogether. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK-EU ‘reset’ summit may still happen next month despite delay speculation 05. June 2026 (15:35) EU’s Maroš Šefčovič says summit will ‘probably’ be in July but sources say it could be put back as talks deadlockedThe EU has said Keir Starmer’s upcoming summit “resetting” the UK-Europe relationship may still happen in July, amid growing fears it could be postponed to the autumn as talks over youth mobility remain deadlocked.“The summit is supposed to be mid-July but at the moment it could be put back to after the summer,” said one EU diplomat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ruling removes ‘vital’ UK safeguards for severely disabled people, charities warn 05. June 2026 (15:00) Campaigners say supreme court judgment on deprivation of liberty safeguards introduces ‘regressive legal standard’Severely disabled people will be at heightened risk of abuse in care homes and hospitals after the biggest upheaval in disability law in a generation overturned “vital” legal safeguards, campaigners have warned.They said a supreme court judgment that potentially strips the right of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people to independent checks on the safety and appropriateness of their care “devalues the dignity of disabled people”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Unseen Edith Wharton short story is published more than a century later 05. June 2026 (15:00) The Men Who Saved the World, the Pulitzer winner’s lost manuscript found in Yale archives, appears in Strand magazineA never-before-published short story by Edith Wharton, the first female Pulitzer prize winner, who encapsulated the so-called gilded age of US society in bestselling novels including The Age of Innocence, received a first public airing on Friday.The Men Who Saved the World, discovered in the author’s archives at Yale University, appears in the Strand, a quarterly magazine that has previously turned up lost or previously unknown works by literary luminaries such as Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene and Tennessee Williams. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man who stabbed ex-partner 17 times at office in Hampshire jailed for 26 years 05. June 2026 (14:56) Anwar Ashraf, 39, forced his way into building in Whiteley, where Carla Skeites was workingA man has been jailed for 26 years for attempted murder after he stormed into his ex-partner’s office building and stabbed her 17 times in front of colleagues.Anwar Ashraf, 39, forced his way into the office in Whiteley, Hampshire, where Carla Skeites was working, having bombarded her with messages demanding her to go outside to speak to him. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British Heart Foundation to close 150 charity shops as costs rise 05. June 2026 (14:49) Shoppers turning to online options also affects BHF, which has carried out review of retail armThe British Heart Foundation is to close about 150 shops and cut jobs, as rising costs and the shift to online shopping makes about a quarter of the charity’s high street locations commercially unsustainable.The charity carried out a review of its retail arm, which employs almost 3,700 staff, after net profit across its 640 UK stores plunged from £18.8m in 2024 to £3.6m in the year to 31 March 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US added 172,000 jobs in May as labor market shows signs of resilience 05. June 2026 (14:38) Government figures show unemployment rate at 4.3% amid rising inflation and economic uncertainty from Iran warUS employers added 172,000 jobs in May while the country’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, a sign of a resilient labor market despite rising inflation and economic uncertainty brought on by continued conflict in the Middle East.Economists initially predicted there would be about 80,000 new jobs and a steady unemployment rate of 4.3%. Job figures for March and April were also revised up 29,000 and 64,000, respectively, a 93,000 boost compared to initial figures. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
