Cyclist Rohan Dennis pleads guilty to driving with suspended licence after crash that killed wife 17. July 2026 (05:59) Adelaide-based Olympian was banned from driving for five years over Melissa Hoskins’ 2023 deathFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer professional cyclist Rohan Dennis faces a jail sentence after admitting he drove while disqualified over the events leading up to the death of his Olympian wife, Melissa Hoskins.A judge had previously warned the former Olympian he would be jailed if he drove while banned. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Marines board tanker amid blockade of Iranian ports as US expands strikes with attacks on bridges 17. July 2026 (05:50) Boarding of M/T Wen Yao in Gulf of Oman comes as expanded airstrike campaign hits five bridges in southern IranAmerican forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as part of the renewed blockade of Iran’s ports that began earlier this week, the US military said.US Marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao “to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade,” US Central Command (Centcom) said in a post on X. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How Trump’s address bluntly aimed at destabilizing the US electoral system 17. July 2026 (05:18) US president using office and intelligence agencies to try to undermine confidence in elections before midtermsDonald Trump used the imprimatur of the presidency and United States intelligence agencies to try to undermine confidence in American elections in a presidential address on Thursday that seemed bluntly aimed at laying the groundwork for further destabilizing the electoral system before November’s midterm elections.In his address from the East Room at the White House, Trump attempted to give the impression that his administration had uncovered new bombshell findings about vulnerabilities in the US’s election system. China, he claimed, had illicitly acquired voter information on 220 million Americans (many states allow anyone to buy voter roll information; Trump did not say the means by which the nation acquired the data). He claimed that China interfered in other ways to undermine his 2020 campaign and that the information had been suppressed by intelligence officials. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump makes unverified claims of ‘sinister election meddling’ in primetime address 17. July 2026 (04:45) Opponents warn president’s speech is smokescreen for him to meddle in upcoming congressional midtermsDonald Trump accused China of interfering with the 2020 election in a primetime televised address that laid bare his continuing obsession with his defeat to Joe Biden, but which opponents warned was a smokescreen for him to meddle in the forthcoming congressional midterms.In a 25-minute speech on Thursday that had been hyped by Trump himself, the US president cast extraordinary doubts on the integrity of the US electoral process, saying it was “catastrophically” short of standards of fairness and trust, while vulnerable to trespassing by foreign powers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump rehashes wide-ranging US election claims and releases heavily redacted documents in primetime address – as it happened 17. July 2026 (04:42) This live blog is now closed.Trump makes unverified claims of ‘sinister election meddling’ in primetime addressSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump has just started speaking from the East Room of the White House, in what is expected to be a speech on the 2020 election loss he still refuses to accept. The president has begun with a typical recitation of boasts about what he claims are his accomplishments.We have embedded live video above. Follow along for updates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US TV networks split on broadcasting Trump’s election-focused speech 17. July 2026 (04:14) NBC and CNN stayed away from White House speech, while Fox News, MS Now, CBS and some ABC affiliates aired itThe US’s largest television stations split on whether to air Donald Trump’s White House address live on Thursday night, which was heavy on unproven accusations about the integrity of the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.While CNN, ABC and NBC chose not to air the speech live, CBS, Fox News and MS Now (formerly MSNBC) aired at least large portions of the speech live. ABC did not air the speech as a must-run broadcast, but some station affiliates – including the Washington DC station owned by right-leaning broadcaster Sinclair – chose to air the speech. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard: broken water pipe floods LA-area hotspot 17. July 2026 (03:53) Businesses and traffic in West Hollywood doused after century-old pipe bursts belowgroundA century-old water pipe buried below a bustling boulevard in a Los Angeles county city burst early Thursday, sending a shock of water spewing into the streets and snarling traffic as several major roads shut down.The 36in riveted steel pipe’s rupture left a protruding sinkhole and cracked pavement in West Hollywood. Images of the aftermath showed local metro buses partially submerged in murky brown water. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pauline Hanson laments end of White Australia policy and talks up daughter’s leadership potential 17. July 2026 (03:47) Appearing on a podcast with the far-right UK activist who goes by the name Tommy Robinson, Hanson makes evidence-free claims about migrantsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson has used an interview with the far-right British activist Tommy Robinson to blame the end of the White Australia policy for creating what she sees as problems with migration and said her daughter, Lee Hanson, was the future of One Nation.The One Nation leader, who is visiting the UK for a series of conference appearances and a holiday with her billionaire benefactor Gina Rinehart, appeared on an episode of Robinson’s podcast on Friday, repeating unsubstantiated claims about the spread of sharia law and accusing Muslim communities, without evidence, of rorting the national disability insurance scheme. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Telstra staff unaware of mass outage risk as critical software failure ‘rippled slowly across the network’ 17. July 2026 (03:00) Telco outlines reasons for network failure that hit mobiles, trains and retailers ahead of appearance at Senate inquiryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTelstra has blamed the lack of a software update for a key time-keeping system for outage that caused nationwide chaos last week, with its maintenance teams also unaware of a design change that affected how it would reset.Ahead of an appearance by its chief executive, Vicki Brady, at a Senate inquiry into the mobile outage on Friday, Telstra provided a written submission that revealed the cause. In it, the company stated it did not lack redundancy in its network – but that such redundancy did not prevent the outage. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Family devastated by ‘unacceptable’ charges over methanol deaths of Australian teenagers in Laos 17. July 2026 (02:34) Australian government says it is ‘deeply frustrated’ and will continue to press for ‘real charges with teeth’ over deaths of Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-BowlesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government says it wants “real charges with teeth” over the fatal methanol poisoning of two teenage travellers in Laos, as authorities prepare to lay lesser charges that have been called “bitterly” disappointing.Melbourne travellers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were backpacking through the south-east Asian nation in late 2024 when they were fatally poisoned with methanol while drinking at Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
