About 400,000 UK children supported by baby banks, up 11% on previous year 23. June 2026 (06:00) Exclusive: Charities say they ‘cannot continue to absorb the impact of child poverty’ without government supportFour hundred thousand children in the UK were supported by baby banks in 2025, an 11% increase from the year before, prompting warnings from charities that they “cannot continue to absorb the impact of child poverty on this scale” without government support.New research from the Baby Bank Alliance, set up by Save the Children UK to represent and advocate for more than 400 baby banks across the country, found that an average of 1,096 children were being supported by each member every day, with some essential items soaring in demand. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Extreme heat: is the UK becoming a 40C country? – podcast 23. June 2026 (06:00) Met Office forecasters have issued a rare red weather warning for England, with temperatures potentially reaching 40C (104F) in some places. Europe is also dealing with a debilitating heatwave, with schools closed, trains cancelled and France even restricting the consumption of alcohol outdoors to take pressure off the emergency services. The high temperatures coincide with the coming El Niño, which some scientists have nicknamed Godzilla for its predicted strength. To find out whether the two are linked, Ian Sample hears from our Europe climate correspondent, Ajit Niranjan. He explains why it’s so hot, why we could be in for even worse and how we can keep as cool as possibleClips: Sky News, BBC, Arirang NewsEl Niño is back with a vengeance – and fears of ‘Godzilla’ strength may be the least of our worries Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labor reaches deal with the Greens to pass changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing reforms 23. June 2026 (04:13) Minor party says it has also negotiated an extension to the inquiry into controversial changes to the NDISFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Greens will support the Albanese government’s negative gearing and capital gains tax changes under a deal that will delay and tweak Labor’s planned overhaul of the national disability insurance scheme.The minor party announced its position on Tuesday morning, clearing the path for Labor to pass its contentious budget centrepiece before federal parliament rises for the winter break. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit over LA sanctuary city policy 23. June 2026 (04:10) City hails victory after US officials sued over ordinance that limits LA’s cooperation with immigration authoritiesA California court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump’s administration against Los Angeles over a city ordinance limiting its cooperation with federal immigration authorities.Fernando Olguin, a judge in the central California US district court rejected the administration’s argument that the city’s policy was unconstitutional. He gave the administration permission to file an amended complaint. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Where did it all go wrong for Starmer? – podcast 23. June 2026 (04:00) The UK has lost its sixth prime minister in a decade. How did Keir Starmer go from landslide victory to resigning in two years?When the former human rights lawyer, full of ambition, won a landslide in the 2024 general election, hope was in the air. Keir Starmer had arrived on a promise to repair 14 years of Conservative damage. Just two years later, with anger and disappointment swelling across the country, he has been forcibly ejected from the job. He’s a decent man, we’re told repeatedly, but he’s the most disliked prime minister since modern polling began.As Starmer stepped out to the lectern outside Downing Street, he certainly looked the part. Elegant grey suit, immaculately slicked side quiff, and the dignified gravitas you’d expect from a prime minister. But he could not deliver. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lost memoir of Hiroshima survivor found after decades in US archive 23. June 2026 (02:00) Written in 1947, Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s account of the horrors of the atomic bomb attack will be published in August and is being made into a filmThe memoir of a man who survived the horrors of Hiroshima is to be published for the first time this summer after its discovery in a US archive.The 230-page memoir was written almost 80 years ago by Kiyoshi Tanimoto, who witnessed the city’s destruction after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. He will now be portrayed in a major feature film by Takehiro Hira, whose acclaimed roles include the detective in the Netflix Japanese-British drama Giri/Haji. Pre-production begins in November, ahead of the shoot in February 2027. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
A fire in LA has been burning for days. What’s taking so long to put it out? 23. June 2026 (01:21) While warehouse fires are often extinguished in a day, the Boyle Heights blaze is on its sixth day. Here’s what to knowLos Angeles firefighters are on their sixth day of battling a fire at a massive warehouse near downtown that stores frozen food.Smoke has billowed from the warehouse, which was covered in solar panels and insulated like a freezer, filling the air surrounding the roughly 500,000-sq-ft (46,450-sq-meter) facility. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Met to expand use of live facial recognition into central London by Christmas 23. June 2026 (01:01) Technology to be used in six more areas next year as critics say tens of thousands of people will be forced into ‘digital police lineup’The Metropolitan police is to expand its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology, first into London’s West End by Christmas and then into a further six areas next year.The new cameras will be fixed, and could be attached to street furniture such as lamp-posts. Critics said the new plans mean tens of thousands of people will be forced into a “digital police lineup”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US Senate passes bipartisan bill to lower housing costs 23. June 2026 (00:44) 21st Century Road to Housing Act, which aims to boost supply and stop investors buying up homes, heads to HouseSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Senate on Monday passed a bipartisan measure aimed at lowering housing costs by streamlining construction and permitting, ending months of fraught negotiations on a priority for both parties ahead of November’s midterm elections.The 21st Century Road to Housing Act would limit investors’ ability to buy homes, waive some federal permitting rules in a bid to ease new construction, and authorize pilot programs to facilitate grants for home improvements and planning affordable housing. It passed the Senate overwhelmingly, with a vote of 85-5, and now heads to the House of Representatives. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reflecting pool to be drained again as Trump claims five vandalism arrests 23. June 2026 (00:40) President says ‘vandals’ to blame for algae blooms and peeling paint as $14m renovation to undergo further repairsThe Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool is set to be drained again after Donald Trump said on Monday – without providing proof – that five people were arrested for vandalism and five more are under investigation in connection to the algae blooms and peeling paint that appeared weeks after his ill-fated $14m renovation attempt.“It’s not a lot of damage, but we’ll probably have to let the water out and refix it. They went in there with a knife,” Trump told reporters, describing what he first said was a 290- to 300ft slit in the paint but then later amended to a 350ft slit. He also said someone had put fertilizer into the water, which caused the algae to grow. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
