Vatican excommunicates all members of ultra-conservative rebel group SSPX 02. July 2026 (14:32) Schism caused by Society of Saint Pius X ordaining four bishops without consent presents first crisis for Pope LeoEurope live – latest updatesThe Vatican has excommunicated a rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics who defied Pope Leo by ordaining bishops without his consent, creating a schism in the Roman Catholic church.In a statement on Thursday, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who heads the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the group from the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), founded in the Swiss village of Ecône in 1970, had “committed an act of a schismatic nature” which, under canon law, is punishable with automatic excommunication. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Papua separatists kill American pilot in ‘message’ to US and Indonesia 02. July 2026 (14:18) Rebels shoot pilot and set his civilian plane on fire amid long-running low-level battle for independence in regionSeparatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive easternmost region of Papua have shot dead an American pilot and set a civilian plane on fire, in what a spokesperson for a local militant group described as a “message” to the US and Indonesian governments.Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), named the pilot as Nicholas F Gosselin and said separatist fighters had set his plane on fire after it landed in the Yahukimo region of Highland Papua province. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nippon Steel takeover doesn’t mean safer, cleaner conditions, US workers and residents say 02. July 2026 (14:00) Pennsylvania families note promised investment has yet to deliver safer mills or cleaner air in the Mon ValleyIt was two days before Father’s Day, and Trisha Quinn was wondering how her six, 12 and 17-year-old nieces and nephews would handle the first of many without their dad.Timothy Quinn, 39, worked at the Clairton Coke Works plant south of Pittsburgh, one of US Steel’s biggest production sites and the largest of its kind in the western hemisphere, for 18 years. Last August, he and colleague, Steven Menefee, were killed there in an explosion. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Social media platforms ‘monetise gore and fringe content’, eSafety regulator tells antisemitism commission 02. July 2026 (13:41) Julie Inman Grant singles out X when giving evidence to royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMainstream platforms are fighting to distribute and monetise “gore” and “fringe” content, the eSafety watchdog has told the antisemitism royal commission.Australia’s eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, on Thursday singled out X, telling the inquiry her office has to fight its billionaire owner, Elon Musk, to try to keep footage – including some posted of the Bondi terror attack – restricted or off the platform. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Forecasters warn of record-breaking US summer heat amid intense El Niño 02. July 2026 (13:30) More than 100 million people could be affected in week leading to 4 July, with increased risks of droughts and wildfiresMeteorologists are anticipating a tumultuous summer that could rank as one of the US’s hottest ever.New data released on Tuesday showed the first six months of the year were the hottest ever measured for parts of eight western states. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Côte d’Ivoire floods kill 59 as west Africa endures torrential rains 02. July 2026 (13:01) Authorities say rainy season getting deadlier, with Ghana reporting 13 dead and floods hitting Benin, Togo and NigeriaFloods in Côte d’Ivoire have killed 59 people since May, the communication minister told a cabinet meeting in Abidjan.There are fears the toll could further rise as rescue teams continue to search for victims during the rainy season, which runs from May until July, the minister, Amadou Coulibaly, added. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Far-right French mayor causes outrage after cancelling play about migrant 02. July 2026 (12:28) Writer says ‘Trumpish’ decision to ban staging is warning of what may happen if National Rally runs countryIn the Anglo-French playwright Alexis Michalik’s play Passeport, a young man has been beaten and left for dead in the notorious Calais refugee camp known as “the Jungle”.When he wakes up, he has no idea who he is – and his only possession is a blue Eritrean passport containing the name Issa. With two others from the camp he decides to leave, not to take the perilous Channel crossing to the UK but instead to try to integrate into France and obtain the necessary papers to remain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Release of Rochdale grooming gang leader ‘really scary’, says whistleblower 02. July 2026 (12:01) Exclusive: Health worker Sara Rowbotham fears for women and girls because of ‘weak’ probation serviceThe impending release of the Rochdale grooming gang leader is “really scary” for local women and girls because of failings in a “weak” probation service and his lack of remorse, a former health worker who exposed the paedophile ring has said.Sara Rowbotham, whose team gathered evidence that led to the imprisonment of Shabir Ahmed and eight other men in Rochdale, said she is “terrified” by the prospect of meeting him in the street. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump hijacked US’s 250 anniversary to serve ‘political ideology and pet projects’, congressional report says 02. July 2026 (12:00) House Democratic subcommittee report outlines web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemesDonald Trump staged a hostile takeover of the US’s 250th anniversary celebration to enrich political allies, harvest voter data and promote Christian nationalist ideology, according to a congressional investigation released on Thursday.The interim report, “From Vanity to Insanity: How the White House Cheated the American People Out of Their 250th Birthday”, outlines a web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemes orchestrated through a shadow corporation embedded within the National Park Foundation (NPF). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kyiv attacks death toll rises to 17 as Russia warns it will ‘continue to increase pressure’ on Ukrainian capital – Europe live 02. July 2026 (11:44) Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that at least 20 sites were attacked overnight, with ‘most of them ordinary residential buildings’in DublinVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said he hopes not to wait too long for the results of an Irish government investigation into alumina exports to Russia thought to be feeding the Kremlin’s war machine.“Unfortunately there are companies in Europe that are owned or effectively controlled by Russia and its sanctioned oligarchs. They keep supplying the aggressor with essential materials even now.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
