US stock markets fall amid Iran strikes and potential higher interest rates 08. July 2026 (23:19) Dow down 1.09%, or 500 points, as S&P 500 sees a small loss and tech-heavy Nasdaq rises slightlyMiddle East crisis liveUS stock markets fell on Wednesday as the US continued strikes on Iran and the Federal Reserve flagged concerns that would warrant higher interest rates.Donald Trump’s declaration at the Nato summit in Ankara that the Iran-US ceasefire is over sent oil prices sharply higher Wednesday. Brent crude, the global benchmark, jumped more than 5% to crest $80 a barrel. US stocks fell in step, with the Dow down 1.09%, or 500 points, at closing Wednesday afternoon. The S&P 500 saw a small loss while the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose slightly. Global stocks had fallen earlier in the day, with the UK’s FTSE 100 down 1% as Japan’s Nikkei fell 2.1%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fourth person killed by agents from Trump’s Memphis anticrime taskforce 08. July 2026 (22:00) Shooting death at an extended-stay motel is fourth officer-involved death since initiative began in SeptemberFederal agents killed a man at a Memphis motel on Wednesday morning in a Drug Enforcement Administration operation with the Memphis Safe Task Force, the fourth officer-involved death since the anticrime initiative began in September.Donald Trump established the federal taskforce by executive order last year, amid a surge of troops and federal law enforcement agents to Democratic-run cities that he claimed were overrun with crime. All four of the deaths have occurred in the last two months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
White House’s World Cup head defends Trump lobbying Fifa over red card 08. July 2026 (21:56) Andrew Giuliani claims actions of referee Raphael Claus over US player Folarin Balogun ‘very, very highly suspicious’Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House’s World Cup taskforce, has defended Donald Trump’s lobbying of Fifa to lift the suspension of US player Folarin Balogun for Monday’s game against Belgium.The US president claimed that Brazilian referee Raphael Claus, who showed Balogun a red card in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, was “a little bit suspect, if you check his past”. This was apparently a reference to a match-fixing investigation by Brazil’s senate in 2024 that examined how referees were assigned to games but did not accuse Claus of wrongdoing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mahmood to close loophole blocking deportation of Rochdale grooming gang ringleader 08. July 2026 (21:50) Home secretary expected to amend Immigration Act but hurdles remain if Pakistan continues to refuse to take Shabir Ahmed backShabana Mahmood is planning to change the law so the government can move towards deporting the ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang.The home secretary is expected to amend the 1971 Immigration Act, which prevents Shabir Ahmed from being removed from Britain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police investigate £37,500 donation to Jenrick leadership campaign 08. July 2026 (21:42) Met confirms inquiry after elections watchdog referred allegations that donations in 2024 were from foreign sourcePolice have launched an investigation into £37,500 of donations to Robert Jenrick’s campaign to become Conservative leader in 2024 after a referral from the elections watchdog.The Metropolitan police confirmed on Wednesday they were undertaking an inquiry after the Guardian revealed in April that they were assessing the evidence about donations to Jenrick, who has since joined Reform UK. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Atmosphere in Iran remains highly charged after Ayatollah’s funeral and escalation of grievances with US 08. July 2026 (21:05) World is witnessing a turning point, says ministry spokesperson, as Iran seeks to assert independence amid rising tensionsBefore a foreign ministry press briefing at the Grand Hotel Tehran, the assembled reporters were asked to stand for the national anthem that duly blared from fuzzy speakers.At the podium, the ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, claimed the world was witnessing a turning point in the history of Shia Islam. A century from now, he claimed, the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be revered as a second Imam Hussain, the martyred grandson of the prophet Muhammad. Donald Trump, meanwhile, would be seen as a latterday Yazid, the tyrannical 7th century caliph. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sabre-rattling to ‘tremendous love’: erratic Trump dominates final hours of Nato summit 08. July 2026 (21:00) Alliance leaders, who had feared the worst, will hail US president’s renewed support for article 5 as key victoryAn erratic and at times irascible Donald Trump has said he felt a “tremendous love” from western leaders at the Nato summit, only hours after lambasting them over their defence spending and not helping the US in attacking Iran.The US president’s mixed messaging dominated the final hours of the two-day gathering in Ankara, Turkey, beginning with him publicly calling Iran’s leadership scum and renewing his demand for control of Greenland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘He did not deserve to die’: family of man fatally shot by ICE agent speaks out 08. July 2026 (20:41) Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed by agent in Texas while on his way to work, and family found out from news reportsThe family of a Mexican immigrant who was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent on Tuesday in Texas called for an independent investigation into his killing, as questions swirl around federal officials’ claims and lack of transparency.“He did not deserve to die,” said Ronaldo Salgado, the son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, during a press conference led by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) on Wednesday in Houston, Texas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Marine Le Pen ‘wants to talk politics’, but can she drown out the legal noise? 08. July 2026 (20:40) The French far-right leader’s presidential campaign is clouded in uncertainty under the shadow of an embezzlement caseMarine Le Pen’s decision to run for French president in 2027, despite her legal woes, has drawn comparisons from her opponents to Donald Trump.Just as the US president felt his voter base cared little about legal investigations against him, the French far-right leader shrugged off the leftwing protesters who shouted “criminal!” as she launched her presidential campaign at a market walkabout in western France on Wednesday. The previous day, an appeal court had upheld her conviction for the embezzlement of European parliament funds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
From menacing threats to comical misnomers: Donald Trump’s unlikely tale of love and darkness at Nato 08. July 2026 (20:38) US president veers from praising the alliance to threatening Iran and confusing world leaders’ namesHaving arrived at Nato’s annual summit under a familiar cloud of resentment and grievance, Donald Trump’s farewell message on Wednesday was an unlikely tale of love and darkness.Addressing journalists in the presence of his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the US president surprised everyone by directing his affections at an alliance he spent much of the previous day spewing bile over, citing the now well-worn gripe about Greenland, among others. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
