Trump defends 50% tariffs on Canada, saying ‘they need us to survive’ 21. July 2026 (21:36) Mark Carney says Canada is ‘united’ in face of threats as leaders agree to talk before tariffs take effect next monthSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump has defended his new 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, claiming the country cannot survive without the US.The White House announced the sweeping round of import duties – due to come into effect next month – on Monday, igniting fresh tensions between Washington and Ottawa. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pete Hegseth faces questions over $87.6bn additional funding for Pentagon 21. July 2026 (21:23) Defense secretary and chair of the joint chiefs face Senate appropriations committee to continue Iran war effortThe US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, walked into the Senate on Tuesday to defend the Trump administration’s $87.6bn supplemental funding request, facing lawmakers furious that the US-Israel war on Iran is costing far more than the White House has admitted.Hegseth and the chair of the joint chiefs, Gen Dan Caine, faced the Senate appropriations committee, chaired by Susan Collins of Maine, as the Pentagon said it was running low on cash to keep the fight going. Of the total request, $67.1bn of the request is earmarked specifically to keep the war effort funded. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
France becomes first EU country to ban social media access for under-15s 21. July 2026 (21:14) Parliament votes to stop children using apps such as TikTok in policy championed by Emmanuel MacronFrance’s parliament has approved a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making it the first EU country to bar children from apps such as TikTok.The president, Emmanuel Macron, has championed the ban as a key reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Met police chief admits surveillance of Stephen Lawrence’s family was institutionally racist 21. July 2026 (21:02) Paul Condon tells spycops inquiry force failed to properly control unit which committed ‘horrendous’ abusesA former Metropolitan police commissioner has admitted that the surveillance of the family of Stephen Lawrence by undercover officers was institutionally racist, the spycops inquiry has heard.While Paul Condon was in command of the Metropolitan police in the 1990s, a controversial undercover unit spied on the family as they sought to persuade Scotland Yard to properly investigate Lawrence’s racist murder. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Saxophonist Plas Johnson, known for solo on The Pink Panther Theme, dies aged 94 21. July 2026 (20:41) Jazz saxophonist – who recorded with artists Frank Sinatra, BB King and more – died in Los Angeles, reports sayThe US jazz saxophonist Plas Johnson, best known for his solo riff on the timeless classic The Pink Panther Theme, has died at the age of 94, according to reports.The native of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, died on 15 July, according to a report from the Los Angeles jazz radio station KKJZ. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fiscal hawk or big spender – what kind of chancellor will John Healey be? 21. July 2026 (19:58) Diligent, popular, unexpected pick for the Treasury has been given a straitjacket – and the job of funding PM’s policy promisesUK politics live – latest updatesOn the frequent occasions that John Healey would travel abroad as defence secretary, he was so determined to keep working he would get the crew to tether a desk to the inside of his military aircraft so he could read his papers.His diligence is one reason why Andy Burnham, the new prime minister, made Healey his unexpected pick for chancellor on Monday. Allies say others include their shared commitment to re-industrialisation and devolution. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
RFK Jr says cyclospora outbreak is ‘under control’ after FDA recall reversal 21. July 2026 (19:53) Health secretary says source has been identified despite experts warning infections are likely to keep risingThe US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has said the ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis – the illness caused by the cyclospora parasite that causes watery and explosive diarrhea – is “under control”.Kennedy made the remarks one day after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did an about-face on a 27-state recall of shredded iceberg lettuce, calling the reported product a “false positive”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Airbus to test folding wings for next generation of bestselling planes 21. July 2026 (19:50) Such technology solves problem of longer, thinner, energy-saving wings not fitting in airports around the worldAirbus has said it will test folding wings for the next generation of its bestselling planes, as the world’s largest planemaker races to work out the shape of future commercial aircraft by the end of the decade.Longer, thinner wings made of light but strong composite materials offer the promise of energy savings but present a problem for manufacturers because they will not fit in airports around the world, many of which are already at or near full capacity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer allies see ‘hint of retribution’ in Burnham reshuffle 21. July 2026 (19:40) Former PM’s supporters question pledge to end factional infighting after more than half his cabinet removed or demotedAllies of Keir Starmer have questioned Andy Burnham’s pledge to end factional infighting after he removed or demoted more than half of the outgoing prime minister’s cabinet in his first reshuffle.“This was a deeply factional cabinet reshuffle,” one said. “The idea it was anything else is ridiculous.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Houthis threaten to attack shipping tankers if they use Saudi Arabian ports on Red Sea 21. July 2026 (19:27) Warning to shipping companies, on top of Iran’s chokehold on strait of Hormuz, may severely affect Saudi oil exportsMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesYemen’s Iranian-aligned Houthis have warned shipping companies that their tankers risk being attacked if they use Saudi Arabian ports, as the militia moved quickly to enforce a blockade announced the previous day.The Houthi warning for the Red Sea, coming on top of Iran’s threat to shipping on the other side of the Arabian peninsular in the Gulf, could affect the substantial Saudi oil exports that have so far been unscathed by the months-long conflict and deepen the rapidly escalating crisis in the region. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
