Plan to auction over 100 Titanic artifacts faces US government opposition 23. June 2026 (00:28) Company wants to sell objects despite agreements to only display them at museums and traveling exhibitionsA plan to auction more than 100 artifacts salvaged from the wreckage of the Titanic – including personal belongings, currency, kitchen items and decor – is facing pushback from the US government, according to newly unsealed court documents.RMS Titanic Inc, the company that owns exclusive salvage rights to the famous wreck deep in the North Atlantic, wants to sell the artifacts for the first time despite previous agreements to only display them at museums and traveling exhibitions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California drivers sue gas stations for allegedly using AI to inflate prices 22. June 2026 (23:39) Firms including BP and 7-Eleven accused of coordinating prices to ‘wring more money from pockets of consumers’Gas station operators including BP, Circle K, Marathon, 7-Eleven, Walmart and Albertsons were sued on Monday by California drivers who accused them of using artificial intelligence to boost prices at the pump.According to a proposed class action, the defendants violated California’s main antitrust law, the Cartwright Act, by using an AI-based tool that uses data from competing gas stations to “coordinate high prices and wring more money from the pockets of consumers”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK plans to give established media more visibility on YouTube and TikTok 22. June 2026 (23:30) Move for greater prominence on social media comes as ministers warn online misinformation risk becoming ‘existential for our democracy’Plans to hand established broadcasters and media companies greater prominence on digital platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have been unveiled, as ministers warned online misinformation risked becoming “existential for our democracy”.In proposals that set up a new clash with global tech companies, content from the likes of the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 would have to be awarded more promotion by their algorithms – with special rules considered for times of social unrest or crisis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
HR consultant wins English court case using AI lawyer in apparent legal first 22. June 2026 (23:09) Barrister who was given material produced by Garfield AI says advocacy at trial ‘remained fundamentally human’An artificial intelligence law firm has won a case in an English court, in what is believed to be the first time a trial has been won using an AI lawyer.A freelance HR consultant, Tamires Camal Taquidir, paid the firm, Garfield AI, about £400 to send a legal letter and then issue court proceedings over an unpaid debt of £7,000. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two killed and several injured as tornado rips through southern Illinois 22. June 2026 (22:43) Officials say Sarita Kimble, 62, and Delores Shelton, 83, killed in Mount Vernon as several buildings destroyedAuthorities in Illinois say that two older residents were killed and at least five other people were injured in a tornado that ripped through a rural county and destroyed several buildings on Sunday evening.The fatalities occurred in Mount Vernon, Sheriff Jeff Bullard of Jefferson county said on Monday. He identified the victims as Sarita Kimble, 62, and Delores Shelton, 83, who were inside separate structures leveled by the tornado. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York City House primary emerges as key battleground in ‘AI civil war’ 22. June 2026 (21:03) AI-focused Super Pacs are spending heavily in the midterms, and half has gone to a single Manhattan congressional raceThe artificial intelligence industry is spending heavily in the 2026 midterms, hoping to secure influence over the technology’s first generation of legislation – and New York City’s primary has emerged as the key battleground.AI-focused Super Pacs have raised over $100m this cycle, of which $49m has been spent so far, in dozens of congressional races across the country. Half of all spending has converged on a single Manhattan race: Tuesday’s Democratic primary in the district of NY-12.Will Craft and Andrew Witherspoon contributed reporting Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge dismisses DoJ subpoenas against Walz and other Minnesota officials 22. June 2026 (20:46) Federal judge rules subpoenas linked to immigration crackdown ‘issued for unlawful reasons’US politics live – latest updatesA federal judge agreed to quash the US federal government’s subpoenas of leaders in Minnesota issued during the Trump administration’s controversial immigration crackdown on the state earlier this year.The US Department of Justice issued subpoenas to the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, the attorney general, Keith Ellison, the Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Frey, and other local officials in the Twin Cities in January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
John Swinney says victims of Edinburgh knife attacks deeply traumatised 22. June 2026 (20:13) Scotland’s first minister expresses solidarity with communities affected by apparently anti-Muslim violenceJohn Swinney has said victims of the allegedly anti-Muslim knife attacks in Edinburgh last week have been deeply traumatised by their experiences.Scotland’s first minister spoke to some of the five men injured in the series of attacks that appeared to target Muslims and people of colour around the city on Friday evening, with four taken to hospital. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Keir Starmer has quit as prime minister – what will happen next in UK politics? 22. June 2026 (19:57) Britain will soon have its fifth prime minister in four years. How did we get here and what challenges await Starmer’s successor?UK politics live – latest updatesBritain is to get its fifth prime minister in four years after the current incumbent of Downing Street, Keir Starmer, announced on Monday that he would resign.It was widely expected and comes after months of mounting pressure on Starmer, who led the Labour party to a landslide victory in the 2024 UK general election but who has faced months of pressure to go from members of parliament (MPs) for the centre-left party. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Backing Ukraine, staying out of Iran and riding the Trump rollercoaster: how Starmer handled foreign affairs 22. June 2026 (19:52) Analysts say foreign policy was an ‘area of relative strength’ for the prime minister – but goodwill with the White House soon evaporatedKeir Starmer inherited two wars and a country disconnected from the EU when he arrived in Downing Street – and that was before Donald Trump crash-landed at the White House and undermined the foundations of the UK’s most important alliance.It was a context that would have tested any prime minister, though in many respects Starmer negotiated it carefully. But longer-term questions of Britain’s security remain unresolved, and the UK’s place in the world is less certain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
