Abortion clinic-style protest bans could reduce ‘distress and anxiety’ at synagogues and Jewish schools, Dreyfus says 20. July 2026 (08:28) Former attorney general details antisemitic abuse at royal commission, saying he was labelled a ‘genocidal Zionist’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe former attorney general Mark Dreyfus has called on governments to consider banning protests outside synagogues and Jewish schools, invoking a high court decision allowing restrictions outside abortion clinics.The federal Labor backbencher told the antisemitism royal commission the laws should be considered in light of a 2019 high court decision upholding safe access zone laws in Victoria and Tasmania, which prohibit protests within 150 metres of abortion clinics. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rising numbers of younger midwives quitting NHS in England, data shows 20. July 2026 (07:00) Exclusive: Maternity staffing shortages worsen as more and more under-35s quit because of burnoutMore and more midwives are leaving the NHS before they reach 35 because of burnout, worsening the staffing problems that are affecting maternity units.The growing trend of early career quitting has sparked fears it poses a threat to the quality and safety of care that mothers and babies receive from already-understaffed childbirth services. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It’s total devastation’: inside the Amazonian war against illegal gold mining 20. July 2026 (07:00) The Guardian goes on the ground with Brazilian forces fighting to eradicate mining that has destroyed protected areas of Indigenous landThe jerry-built bordello at the foot of Vila Cururu, an illegal gold-mining settlement at the heart of Brazil’s most desecrated Indigenous territory, was a hive of depravity until just a few weeks ago.Inebriated prospectors huddled around wooden tables, swigging beer and Scotch whisky, and ogling pole-dancing sex workers before going with them to shacks behind the brothel. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Retired UK civil servants failed by pension outsourcing, government says 20. July 2026 (07:00) Chaos of Capita-run scheme has left some people waiting up to a year for payments and in financial hardshipRetired civil servants have been failed by the decision to outsource their pension scheme, the government has admitted, and the maladministration meant some were left waiting up to a year for payments.Multiple members of the civil service pension scheme, run by the private company Capita since December, have come forward to say they are unable to afford rent and have been forced to use food banks after being left without an income. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia spent more than $9m for each asylum seeker held on Nauru last year – so why can’t they afford to buy food? 20. July 2026 (06:43) Many of the more than 100 people awaiting processing on the tiny Pacific island are skipping meals to make ends meet, a new survey has foundFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMost refugees and asylum seekers held in Nauru’s detention centres say they cannot afford to buy enough food or access clean drinking water, despite the Australian government spending the equivalent of more than $9m per person last financial year.The group of more than 100 people have been sent indefinitely to the tiny Pacific island while they wait for their asylum claims to be processed. Many of the cohort say they are skipping meals to make ends meet, according to a new survey by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) advocacy group. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Barnaby Joyce says One Nation doesn’t want return of White Australia policy but backs Pauline Hanson on mass deportations 20. July 2026 (05:12) Lee Hanson claims her mother’s comments on Tommy Robinson podcast were ‘misinterpreted’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBarnaby Joyce says Pauline Hanson does not support the White Australia policy but he has backed her support for “mass deportations” of those overstaying their visas.Hanson and her colleagues have spent days clarifying, explaining or walking back headline-grabbing parts of the One Nation leader’s trip to Europe, including a podcast interview with the far-right convicted criminal Tommy Robinson, her attendance at a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show and downtime by a hotel pool in Italy with the mining billionaire Gina Rinehart. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘When I get home, my whole body aches’: extreme heat saps health and wages of India’s poorest workers 20. July 2026 (05:00) Exclusive: Outdoor workers losing up to 9% of income as weather becomes ‘poverty multiplier’, research saysExtreme heat is pushing some of India’s poorest workers further into poverty, with income losses of up to 9% for outdoor workers, new research has found.Analysis done by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that extreme heat is acting as a “poverty multiplier” for hundreds of millions of workers in India’s informal sector. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US launches ninth night of Iran strikes as strait of Hormuz standoff sees oil price pass $90 a barrel 20. July 2026 (04:01) After the US military confirmed that a service member had been killed in Iraq – the third in recent days – Donald Trump said the new attacks were ‘in honour’ of the deadMiddle East crisis live: follow latest updatesThe US launched a ninth night of strikes targeting Iran early Monday, after announcing the death of another American service member, as the price of Brent crude oil climbed above $90 a barrel, the highest level since June.The US military said the service member was killed on Saturday in northern Iraq, where the US has military bases, during a controlled detonation of what was called unexploded ordnance on a downed Iranian attack drone. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US targets Iran in ninth night of strikes in wake of US troop deaths – Middle East crisis live 20. July 2026 (02:48) Preliminary deal aimed at ending the war has collapsed as US and Iran fight to break deadlock over strait of HormuzUS says another service member killed as Israel warns Tehran’s attacks coming closeDonald Trump is saying the US is hitting Iran “very hard” to honour the American service members who have been killed in recent days.We’ll bring you more on his reported comments soon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pay gap widens as UK bosses get 130 times average worker’s salary 20. July 2026 (01:01) In its final report the High Pay Centre says the median remuneration of a FTSE 100 CEO has risen to a record £5.06mThe bosses of Britain’s largest listed companies received record pay last year, fuelling the widest earnings gap with workers in eight years.Median pay for FTSE 100 chief executives hit £5.06m in the last financial year, according to data released by the High Pay Centre, an 8.6% increase on £4.66m the previous year and the highest level on record. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
