Over-reliance on chatbots can diminish critical-thinking skills, study finds 19. June 2026 (13:00) Depending on AI can also potentially decrease the ability to discern misinformation, research saysA new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the latest research to find that relying too much on chatbots can diminish critical-thinking skills, and potentially decrease our ability to discern misinformation for ourselves.As AI tools are becoming more sophisticated and accessible, manipulated images and misleading headlines are becoming more common. AI can be part of the solution, and has proved useful in helping users identify fake content – but there’s a cost to using it this way, the new research suggests. An over-dependence on AI to help figure out what’s real on the internet can lead to trouble making those judgments. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Datacenters driving US clean energy growth while still threatening climate 19. June 2026 (13:00) As datacenters’ connections to electric grids are held up, big tech is forced to throw money at producing its own powerDatacenters are driving unprecedented growth in the US clean energy industry, paradoxically boosting a sector that was sputtering before the artificial intelligence boom even as AI’s rollout creates immense environmental challenges.However, observers caution that while the centers are propelling wind, solar, and other clean energy companies, datacenters remain a climate nightmare. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour peer and Reform MP clash over ‘brown people’ and domestic abuse 19. June 2026 (11:37) Thangam Debbonaire and Sarah Pochin argue in Sky News interview at Makerfield byelection countUK politics live – latest updatesThe Labour peer Thangam Debbonaire has clashed with Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin at the Makerfield byelection count, asking the MP: “You don’t like being on television with brown people, do you Sarah?”The row erupted during a testy interview on Sky News that included an exchange about the £5m personal gift that Nigel Farage accepted from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in the months before he stood as an MP in the 2024 general election. The gift, first revealed by the Guardian, is now under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner, which will examine whether or not it ought to have been declared. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shoppers splash out on fans and paddling pools as retail sales in Great Britain hot up 19. June 2026 (11:36) May heatwave drives up volume of sales 1.2%, the strongest monthly growth since January, says ONSRetail sales bounced back to growth in May as record hot weather spurred sales of fans and paddling pools, while online purchases also soared.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain grew 1.2% in May compared with the previous month, the strongest monthly rate of growth since January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU leaders sign joint statement in support of Ukraine - Europe live 19. June 2026 (11:26) It follows a similar move at the G7 earlier this week, where leaders calling on Russia to engage with the peace processBrussels correspondentSeparately, a majority of EU member states have called for “full use” of new possibilities for offshore deportation hubs for people with no right to stay in the bloc.“Some initiatives are already in operation like the Italy-Albania cooperation. Other countries are now working to implement the new possibilities, including hubs in third countries. We will personally lead the way to make sure our visions are brought to life.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer says he will stand in any Labour leadership contest against Burnham 19. June 2026 (11:16) Prime minister suggests he will not ‘walk away’ despite Burnham’s comfortable victory in Makerfield byelectionUK politics – live updatesHow quickly could Burnham become PM?Keir Starmer has said he will stand in a Labour leadership contest should one be triggered after Andy Burnham’s decisive victory in the Makerfield byelection, adding he will not “walk away”.The prime minister’s comments follow Burnham’s victory with 55% of the vote in Makerfield. In his victory speech, Burnham said the result “could be a turning point” and that people had “voted for change, they have voted for more power for the north and everywhere forgotten by Westminster”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heathrow third runway likely to harm health of millions nearby, official report warns 19. June 2026 (11:14) Expansion could also hit access to housing, education, healthcare, open spaces and transport, analysis saysConstruction of a third runway at Heathrow is likely to have significant adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of up to 3 million people living nearby, an official report has said, as the government launched the next stage of its rapid airport expansion plan.An analysis for the Department for Transport (DfT) has found that expanding London’s hub airport could have “major adverse” impacts on the health of the most local population. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mainland Australia’s first suspected case of deadly H5N1 investigated after seabird tests positive for bird flu 19. June 2026 (10:56) Agriculture minister says no evidence of mass mortality or infection in poultry as WA authorities say a second bird is sick and being testedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA migratory seabird found in southern Western Australia has tested positive for avian influenza with further testing under way to confirm if it is Australia’s first mainland case of the deadly H5N1 strain.The brown skua, a subantarctic species, was found at Cape Le Grand national park on Sunday and had since died, the WA government said on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Severe thunderstorms sweep Europe and east Asia 19. June 2026 (10:34) Strong winds and heavy rain batter Slovenia, while France experiences atypical heatwaveSevere thunderstorms swept across the Balkans last week, bringing widespread destruction to parts of the region. The storms developed as unstable hot air lingered over the Adriatic Sea while a cold front plunged south-eastward.The front began its journey on 10 June in Slovenia, where the Slovenian Environment Agency recorded 65mph gusts at Ljubljana airport. Heavy rain also fell widely across the region with 23mm reported in Kranj. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Inside the city of grief hit hardest by Israel strikes on southern Lebanon 19. June 2026 (10:05) People in Nabatieh mourn the recent dead in religious ceremony held amid empty streets and shattered buildingsAs the procession wound its way through mounds of rubble, the crowd chanted and beat their chests, their lamentations echoed by the dull thud of shelling in the foothills just beyond the city.“This is the tragedy of Karbala, O Imam Hussein, look. This is the tragedy of Karbala,” the crowd cried in the opening procession of Ashura, in the city of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
