New anti-racism standard will force Australian universities to use definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia 12. July 2026 (14:00) Higher education chiefs, academics and students to give evidence this week at royal commission Australian universities will be required to adopt definitions on antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from next year, under a legally enforceable standard designed to stamp out discrimination on campuses.Details of the anti-racism standard will be published on Monday as university bosses, students and academics prepare to appear at the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Outcry after Atlanta tosses unhoused people’s belongings near World Cup spot 12. July 2026 (14:00) City official says staffers were performing ‘routine park maintenance’ where 15 people have gathered for monthsCity employees in Atlanta, Georgia, recently threw away tents, medication, identification and other belongings of unhoused people at a public park without warning. This led activists and a local official to point to an apparent violation of procedures created after a city employee ran over a tent with a front loader last year, killing a man.The sweep through the park occurred less than a mile from a popular spot for World Cup watch parties, drawing into focus ongoing tension over the issue of what happens to the city’s several thousand unhoused people during the month-long event. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nothing to suggest Ann Widdecombe death politically motivated, say police 12. July 2026 (13:40) Officers say they are not looking for anyone else after arrest of man, 28, on suspicion of murdering ex-Tory politicianPolice have said there is nothing to suggest the death of Ann Widdecombe was politically motivated.Speaking at a press conference on Sunday morning, the assistant chief constable of Devon and Cornwall police, Matt Longman, said detectives were open-minded about the motive for the killing, but stressed there was no evidence to suggest it had been politically motivated. He also said it was not being treated as terrorism. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Experts warn of ways screwworm could spread in the US and new difficulties in keeping it at bay 12. July 2026 (13:00) Scientists worry that current eradication efforts won’t be able to contain parasitic infestation pushing into USWhen conservationists set up cameras in remote regions of Central American forests, they wanted to monitor illegal cattle movement, which can lead to deforestation. But in recent months, they discovered another alarming development: wildlife rapidly infected with the new world screwworm.It’s a warning sign of how the fly could spread in the US – and it signals new difficulties in pushing it back south, a process that will probably take years, experts say. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ESPN analyst Matt Miller faces financial investigation amid car crash recovery 12. July 2026 (12:00) Miller takes indefinite leave after arm amputation and questions of possible financial improprietiesAn on-air analyst for a top US sports broadcaster says he is pulling back from his role indefinitely as he heals from a car crash in Missouri that forced him to undergo a life-saving amputation – and while he reportedly faces a law enforcement investigation into possible financial improprieties connected to what he billed as side charity work.Matt Miller’s announcement on Friday that he was taking indefinite leave from ESPN provided only the latest twist in an unusual case that has drawn significant attention from both media as well as the substantial number of American football fanatics who follow his area of expertise: the process by which NFL teams select, or draft, collegiate prospects. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New LS Lowry exhibition aims to demolish ‘naive and uncultured’ myth 12. July 2026 (12:00) Gallery director says collection of 140 paintings will offer a more balanced view of Manchester painter’s workA new exhibition of work by LS Lowry will “bust a few myths” about the Mancunian artist, who the show’s co-curator says is still wrongly derided for being “naive and uncultured”.LS Lowry: the Theatre of Life features 140 paintings by the artist, who captured working-class life in the industrial north-west of England during the early and mid 20th century. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran attacks Gulf countries following fresh US strikes – Middle East crisis live 12. July 2026 (11:50) Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the UAE reportedly came under attack as Tehran says it is closing Strait of HormuzThe United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) has put out an advisory note warning that the maritime security threat level in the strait of Hormuz remains “severe”.The British shipping security monitor said that, despite Iran announcing the strait is closed, the “southern route” is still available and “has been expanded to accommodate two-way traffic”.Coordination with NCAGS is not mandatory. Ships may transit the southern route without coordination. There is no controlling authority regulating passage or fee required for any route.The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tommy Robinson’s Musk-funded Russia trip spurs call to defend UK democracy 12. July 2026 (11:41) Ed Davey voices concern about the Musk family foundation taking the far-right activist on a visit to MoscowThe UK must do more to defend its democracy after it emerged that Elon Musk’s family foundation had taken the far-right activist Tommy Robinson to Russia, Ed Davey has said.Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was brought to Russia by the Musks, the billionaire tech mogul’s father told the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reeves tells Burnham to expect ‘shocks and challenges’ from get-go in No 10 12. July 2026 (11:25) Chancellor says PM-in-waiting needs ‘worked through plan’, in what could be one of her final interviews in No 11Rachel Reeves has urged Andy Burnham to arrive in Downing Street with a “worked through plan”, saying the incoming prime minister will be tested quickly by a range of incoming “shocks and challenges”.In what could be one of the first female chancellor’s final major interviews while in No 11, Reeves said Burnham should remain focused on the priorities that first brought him into politics. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK becoming ‘wild west’ for experimental peptides, expert warns 12. July 2026 (11:00) Prof Channa Jayasena says growing online sales of unregulated drugs risk fatalities as responsibility falls between regulatorsFitness influencers linked to wellness brand helping run illegal steroid market on TelegramThe UK has become a “wild west” for people peddling experimental peptides, steroids and other substances, a leading expert has said, warning action must be taken to avoid fatalities.Prof Channa Jayasena of Imperial College London, a consultant in reproductive endocrinology and andrology at Hammersmith and St Mary’s hospitals, said he is now encountering patients “day in, day out” who are taking experimental peptides. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
