Ex-FCC officials warn agency sending ‘chilling message’ with ABC license review 28. July 2026 (16:00) Ex-officials ask FCC to reject petitions to deny renewal of broadcast licenses for eight stations owned by ABCA group of prominent former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials, including key staffers and commissioners appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, issued a filing Tuesday that warns the agency is trying to send a “chilling message” to broadcasters after it received petitions to deny ABC license renewals for eight of its local television stations.The network’s licenses are up for early renewal after an extremely unusual order from the Brendan Carr-led FCC in late April, following criticism of ABC by Donald Trump and Melania Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New evacuation from tourist sites near Bordeaux as France and Spain fight wildfires 28. July 2026 (15:59) French authorities order evacuation of almost 4,000 people from Lacanau resort amid return of heatwaveEurope live – latest updatesThe evacuation of nearly 4,000 people from tourist sites on France’s Atlantic coast is under way as the return of winds and extreme heat jeopardised firefighters’ battles to contain wildfires raging to the west of Bordeaux.The precautionary evacuation order, which covers campsites, holiday villages and other tourist accommodation around the resort of Lacanau, exacerbated a wildfire emergency described by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, as the “toughest” situation the country had dealt with “since the second world war”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Imprisoned writer Mumia Abu-Jamal seeks UN intervention after 44 years behind bars 28. July 2026 (15:00) The former Black Panther’s lawyers ask a UN panel to review his detention after US legal avenues were exhaustedAs he approaches the 45th anniversary of his incarceration in December, the Black radical writer and prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal is taking his claim that he has been subjected to arbitrary imprisonment for a crime that he did not commit to a new tribunal: the United Nations in Geneva.On Tuesday Abu-Jamal, 72, lodged a petition with the UN’s working group on arbitrary detention, a body within the Human Rights Council. It marks the latest attempt by the internationally-renowned prisoner and prolific author of 15 books to seek relief, having exhausted all domestic channels through state and federal courts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cyclosporiasis cases show ‘vulnerabilities’ in US food safety system, experts say 28. July 2026 (15:00) US states and federal government tracking cases as outbreak comes amid cuts to public health fundingAn outbreak of cyclosporiasis highlights how US states and the federal government work together to track foodborne illnesses – and where they diverge.Experts said the enormous number of cases, potentially more than 11,000 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) count, is symptomatic of “vulnerabilities” in food safety systems in the US. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Past fires suggest effects of Europe and North America wildfires may linger for years 28. July 2026 (15:00) Three years after Maui wildfires many still struggle with ‘biological, emotional and social consequences’, study saysA spate of ferocious wildfires across North America and Europe, worsened by the climate crisis, have incinerated homes and forests and forced thousands of people to flee. Previous fires suggest the effects of these blazes may linger for years to come.The current fires and their plumes of smoke can appear to be a temporary, if immediate, crisis. Nearly 1,000 fires have sprung into life in the boreal forests of Canada, causing the evacuation of towns and toxic smoke to waft into major Canadian and US cities, prompting threats of retribution from Donald Trump, who bizarrely accused Canada of “poisoning” his country’s air. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Previous winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James lead a Brit-heavy Booker prize longlist 28. July 2026 (15:00) Chair of judges Mary Beard said each of the 13 books in contention for the £50,000 award ‘takes the reader to new places’• Comment: This Booker longlist may have two previous winners, but it’s keen to experimentDouglas Stuart and Marlon James, two previous winners of the Booker, have been named on this year’s longlist, alongside three-time nominee Elizabeth Strout, in a collection that “rewards risk”.The 13 novels selected for the 2026 prize, announced on Tuesday, feature authors of seven nationalities across three continents, with almost half from the UK. Ten of the writers are appearing on a Booker longlist for the first time, including three debut novelists: Kenan Orhan, Rebecca Perry and Djamel White. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Multiple people trapped inside shopping centre in Japan after earthquake – live updates 28. July 2026 (14:57) An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck the country’s Kumamoto prefectureKyushu Electric Power said 48,000 homes had lost power as a result of the latest quake, while railway company JR Kyushu said that it had suspended services, including its high-speed bullet trains.Kumamoto airport also shut its runway, as airlines diverted and cancelled flights. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Home Office used ‘AI hallucinated’ information to refuse asylum claim, judge suggests 28. July 2026 (14:39) Upper tribunal unable to find document cited in case and claims it is ‘analogous to relying on bogus evidence’UK politics live – latest updatesA senior judge has accused the Home Office of relying on “AI hallucinated” information to refuse an asylum claim.The case relates to a Moroccan woman and her child who fled her country after experiencing forced underage marriage and extreme violence, including rape. The woman claimed asylum on the basis of fears that she would be killed by her husband: a powerful, previously convicted criminal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Conservative MP accuses French navy of firing shots near him in Channel 28. July 2026 (14:38) Chris Philp says patrol vessel may have been trying to stop him highlighting the small boats crisisUK politics live – latest updatesA Conservative MP has claimed a French warship fired warning shots near a boat he was on in the Channel in an attempt to stop him highlighting the small boats crisis.Chris Philp, who is his party’s home affairs spokesperson, was being interviewed by the BBC a couple of miles off Boulogne on Tuesday when the warship Flamant passed by. As it did so, a French navy officer standing at the stern fired 17 shots from a handgun, aiming away from Philp. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More rail services in England set to slow as heatwave shrinks soil 28. July 2026 (14:14) South Western Railway expected to join operators in east of England in reducing train speeds and changing timetablesBusiness live – latest updatesPersistent drought conditions caused by the climate crisis are expected to cause further disruption to trains across southern England, as the lack of rainfall affects the ground supporting railway embankments.South Western Railway is expected to become the latest large rail company to announce timetable changes and reduced speeds to cope with the effects of hot and dry weather, after operators in the east of England said they were going to take similar steps. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
