Pauline Hanson says parental leave will force small businesses to ‘fold’ – despite no law forcing employers to pay 23. June 2026 (08:17) One Nation leader says she isn’t suggesting Australia get rid of taxpayer-funded parental leave entitlementsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson says small businesses will “fold” under the cost of providing paid parental leave, as Labor suggested the One Nation leader didn’t understand how the policy worked.It is not compulsory for employers to pay parental leave entitlements in Australia, though most businesses do provide it and employees are entitled to 12 months of unpaid leave. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Europe heatwave live: UK issues rare red temperature warnings; French PM to hold crisis meeting after heat deaths 23. June 2026 (08:15) Temperatures could hit 38-40C in parts of England and Wales, smashing June record set in 1976; red alerts in France after 19 heat deathsTwo children found dead in car in France as heatwave hits EuropeBirds such as swifts, swallows, sparrows and starlings – which make their nests in the eaves of roofs – have been particularly affected by abnormally high temperatures, a specialist says.“Temperatures on the roofs can sometimes reach 50, even 60 degrees Celsius, So they prefer to jump rather than let themselves die and literally cook in their nests,” said Romaine de Jaegere, founder of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of Animals Living in the Wild refuge in Temploux in Belgium. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Paraquat will continue to be used in Australia despite 70 countries banning weedkiller over Parkinson’s disease fears 23. June 2026 (08:02) Herbicide manufacturer Sygenta had reservations dating back to 1970s but regulator says tighter controls, including phasing out backpack sprayers, can protect workersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe herbicide paraquat, banned in over 70 countries, will remain legal in Australia despite Parkinson’s groups, scientists and neurologists arguing there is a strong correlation between direct exposure and the incidence of the disease.The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) announced its final decision on Tuesday following a decades-long review of the highly toxic paraquat and a related chemical, diquat. Both are widely used in Australian agriculture. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Whistleblower investigating Ecuadorian president’s family business was murdered, activists say 23. June 2026 (08:00) Monika Silva Koniuszek died from a blow to the head and strangulation, a postmortem found, despite government claim of suicideCampaigners in Ecuador say a Polish anti-corruption activist who investigated allegations against the family business of the country’s rightwing president was murdered to silence her.Monika Silva Koniuszek, 41, was found dead in her home in Montañita, a coastal town in Ecuador’s Santa Elena province. The single mother of daughters aged four and nine, was found on the floor with a noose around her neck on 8 June. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Video of two Sydney nurses allegedly making antisemitic comments to Israeli influencer struck from court case 23. June 2026 (07:53) Huge blow to prosecution as judge rules footage is inadmissible in upcoming trialFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA video of two Sydney nurses allegedly making antisemitic comments to an Israeli influencer has been ruled inadmissible as evidence as the pair prepare to go to trial.Ahmad Nadir, 28, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, have pleaded not guilty to being menacing and offensive when they allegedly said they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and threatened violence against them. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
From the NHS to new homes, Starmer’s successes and setbacks – in charts 23. June 2026 (07:00) The PM said in May that ‘stories beat spreadsheets’, but what does the data tell us about his time in office?Keir Starmer is to step down as prime minister after just two years in office.Despite promising an end to Conservative sleaze and scandal, much political bandwidth towards the end of his time in No 10 was taken up by the fallout surrounding his appointment as US ambassador of Peter Mandelson, who had a close relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Drug that delays onset of type 1 diabetes approved in England and Wales 23. June 2026 (07:00) Availability of teplizumab on the NHS – which postpones early stages of disease for up to three years – described as an ‘incredible moment’The world’s first drug to delay the onset of type 1 diabetes is to be made available on the NHS in England and Wales, in the biggest breakthrough in tackling the disease for more than a century.Millions of people have type 1 diabetes worldwide, which typically emerges during childhood or adolescence, and occurs when the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone the body uses to allow glucose to enter cells to produce energy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Canaries in the coalmine of populism’: an oral history of the Brexit campaign, told by those with a front row seat 23. June 2026 (06:00) How five months in 2016 that encompassed Boris Johnson siding with Vote Leave, Jo Cox’s murder and David Cameron’s resignation shaped the UK’s futureDavid Cameron, having promised in 2013 that a future Conservative government would offer a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, announces the date of the vote: 23 June 2016. The next day, Boris Johnson, then the mayor of London, says he will campaign for leave. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three in five gen Z Britons would like new vote to rejoin EU, poll finds 23. June 2026 (06:00) Exclusive: Data reveals 60% of 18 to 28-year-olds would vote to rejoin bloc if given the opportunityA generation of young Britons who were locked out of the 2016 EU referendum because of their age now believe that Brexit has failed, with a majority demanding a fresh vote to rejoin the EU, exclusive polling shows.Gen Z Britons show deep dissatisfaction with the UK’s departure from the EU, according to new polling of 18- to 28-year-olds conducted by the thinktank More in Common and shared with the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU faces fierce criticism over plans to host Taliban in Brussels 23. June 2026 (06:00) Rights campaigners and MEPs say meeting would normalise regime that erases women from public lifeEU officials are facing fierce criticism over plans to host the Taliban in Brussels on Tuesday, with rights campaigners and MEPs warning that the meeting risks normalising a regime that has banned girls from school beyond the sixth grade and sought to erase women from public life, while its ranks include two leaders accused of crimes against humanity.The Belgian foreign ministry said on Monday it had issued five single-day visas to a Taliban delegation to attend a meeting in Brussels. Sources told the Guardian the meeting was expected to take place on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
