Mamdani taps Lina Khan and Tony Shorris for key New York economic posts 22. July 2026 (17:29) Appointments mark a shift in the city’s development agencies as the mayor reshapes his economic agendaSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailNew York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has named Lina Khan as the next chair of the city’s Economic Development Board (EDB) and longtime city government official Tony Shorris as the next leader of the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), marking major changes at one of New York’s most influential agencies.Khan, who previously chaired the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) during the Biden administration, has been a close adviser to the mayor. She was the youngest person to chair the FTC and the first of South Asian descent, focusing on antitrust and antimonopoly enforcement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nolan Wells’ autopsy inconclusive as family presses for answers in teen’s death 22. July 2026 (17:13) Independent exam of Black teen found cause and manner of death ‘undetermined’ as family questions timelineSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailNolan Wells’ cause of death and manner of death are both “undetermined, pending investigation”, according to an independent autopsy, announced on Wednesday by Wells’ family’s attorney, Ben Crump.The results came nearly three weeks after Wells, an 18 year old college freshman, was found dead. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AusAlert test will blast emergency warning siren over most phones in Australia on Monday. Here’s what to know 22. July 2026 (17:00) National emergency test alert will be sent to all mobile devices on 27 July, with domestic violence advocates advising how to turn off safe phonesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVirtually every phone in the country will blare an emergency siren at 2pm AEST on Monday 27 July, as part of the first Australia-wide test of a new national warning system called AusAlert.Most phones, and some smartwatches and tablets, will receive a pop-up notification and an alert sound that cannot be silenced – even if your device is on “do not disturb” or silent mode. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How will Australia’s emergency services cope if satellites go down? With a sextant and a street directory 22. July 2026 (17:00) Military and SES personnel being taught analog communication and navigation techniques as experts warn solar flare could knock out ‘critical space infrastructure’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s emergency services and military personnel are being trained to read paper maps, navigate without GPS support, and sail by the stars in case something knocks out the nation’s space capabilities.A panel at the 19th Australian space forum in Adelaide on Wednesday was asked to consider what would happen “if we suddenly lost access to critical space infrastructure – no satellites, no GPS, no remote sensing, no secure communications?” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Why are OpenAI and Anthropic cheering on regulation in Australia? The answer has global reach 22. July 2026 (17:00) The companies hope to follow in the footsteps of SpaceX, which raised $86bn and soared to a $2.1tn valuation after it listed on public markets in JuneGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTop US AI developers Anthropic and OpenAI cheered when Australia announced it would set new AI rules.Big tech celebrating limits on their Silicon Valley VC-funded free-for-all might seem counterintuitive but there’s a much broader play than just what happens in one relatively small market. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Great Barrier Reef microbiome mapped as researchers discover 500 bacterial species previously unknown to science 22. July 2026 (17:00) Research identifies 808,585 viral genomes belonging to what scientists estimate to be 362,802 different virusesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than a decade after the human microbiome was comprehensively mapped, scientists have now identified the vast communities of microbes that make up the Great Barrier Reef.Analysing DNA from seawater samples of 48 reefs, researchers have mapped the microbiome of the Great Barrier Reef, documenting more than 360,000 distinct viruses as well as more than 500 new bacterial species not previously known to science. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham’s domestic revolution could unobtrusively pull Britain closer to Europe 22. July 2026 (16:40) The new PM talks less about the continent than his predecessor, but his agenda is more closely aligned with the EU’s• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereEurope’s leaders queued up this week to welcome Andy Burnham as Britain’s seventh prime minister since the Brexit vote – all expressing the hope that his tenure would continue the thaw in EU-UK relations initiated by his predecessor, Keir Starmer.Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission chief, said she was looking forward to strengthening cross-Channel ties, adding that a “very good” first discussion had confirmed a common commitment to “bringing the EU and UK closer and closer”. France’s Emmanuel Macron said he hoped for a deeper relationship that gave “new momentum to the partnership” between the EU and the UK. Germany’s Friedrich Merz said he, too, was looking forward to forging an even closer bond. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Salman Rushdie attacker faces US terrorism trial 22. July 2026 (16:23) Hadi Matar, already serving 25 years for attempted murder, denies federal charges that could bring a life sentenceThe man who stabbed Salman Rushdie in the eye on stage in 2022 is standing trial for a second time – this time facing terrorism charges after being found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison last year.Hadi Matar’s federal trial begins in Buffalo, New York on Wednesday, about 70 miles from the venue where Rushdie was due to speak about writers in political exile in August 2022, when he was stabbed more than a dozen times. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Food price fears after Europe’s heatwave destroys estimated €2bn of crops 22. July 2026 (16:12) Record June temperatures expected to cut grain harvest by 9m tonnes to its lowest level since 2018 The heatwave that swept across Europe in June is estimated to have cost the continent’s grain farmers €2bn (£1.7bn) in lost revenue and destroyed 9m tonnes of crops, sparking concern about the impact on the price of food.Coceral, the European cereals and oilseeds trade association, made the estimate for the harvest of crops such as wheat, barley, maize and oats following the heatwave. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Model scout for Jeffrey Epstein found dead at his home near Paris 22. July 2026 (15:38) Daniel Siad faced allegations of rape and trafficking in France and appeared in more than 1,000 documents in Epstein filesA modelling scout who recruited women for Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home near Paris, French officials have said.Daniel Siad, 69, was under investigation by the prosecutors specialising in human trafficking in France, accused of rape and other charges. His name appeared in more than 1,000 documents in the US Department of Justice Epstein files that were declassified earlier this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
