People awaiting hospital treatment to get three weeks’ notice under NHS England plans 03. July 2026 (13:09) Move inspired by customer service provided by online retailers such as John Lewis and AmazonPeople waiting for hospital treatment will get three weeks’ notice of their next appointment under NHS plans inspired by the customer service provided by online shopping operators.Hospitals are being ordered to start telling everyone on their treatment waiting list at least three weeks before their operation, diagnostic test or meeting with a consultant. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Flowers, food and a fairytale castle: New York preparations point to giant Taylor Swift wedding 03. July 2026 (12:32) Singer and fiance Travis Kelce have been coy but festivities appear to be getting under way at Madison Square GardenIn her hit song Welcome to New York, Taylor Swift sings: “Like any great love, it keeps you guessing.”The megastar has certainly done that this week, as preparations began for what appears to be a giant wedding at Madison Square Garden in New York. Vans unloading flowers, food and what looks like the makings of a massive, white fairytale castle, have been seen outside the arena in recent days. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Zohran Mamdani to deliver speech to mark US’s 250th birthday in New York 03. July 2026 (12:00) New York mayor’s remarks at city hall to come just hours before Trump is set to deliver address at Mount Rushmore Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, is expected to deliver a speech on Friday morning to mark America’s 250th birthday.The address, scheduled to begin at 10am local time and streamed live, will be delivered from behind George Washington’s desk in New York city hall. Mamdani will be surrounded by recently naturalized citizens. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham says Labour manifesto has room for ‘movement on tax’ – UK politics live 03. July 2026 (11:39) The Labour MP hinted that he’s open to flexibility for some taxes that could aid high street businessesHundreds of children’s shoes are being laid out in Parliament Square today in a display urging the government for better support for bereaved parents.The event has been organised by the charity It’s Never You, which was set up by Ceri Menai-Davis in memory of his six-year-old son Hugh Menai-Davis who died in 2021 after suffering from cancer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Heatwave breaks June temperature records across Europe 03. July 2026 (11:20) UK provisional peak of 37.7C shatters previous record by huge margin, while Germany hits all-time high of 41.7CLast week’s heatwave across western Europe shattered national June records and set new all-time highs.The UK recorded a provisional high of 37.7C at Lingwood in Norfolk on Friday 27 June, smashing the previous June record of 35.6C, set in 1976. Such a margin is exceptionally rare: temperature records are typically broken by 0.1C or 0.2C, not a remarkable 2.1C. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Keir Starmer ally Hollie Ridley to step down as Labour general secretary 03. July 2026 (11:15) Exclusive: As well as citing personal reasons, Ridley says she is making way for a successor ‘to work alongside new leader’Hollie Ridley, Labour’s general secretary, is to step down this autumn after two years in the job, she has announced to party staff.Ridley, an ally of Keir Starmer who ran Labour’s field operations in the 2024 general win election, said in an internal email she would stand down after the party’s annual conference in September. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Woman suspected in Monaco parcel bombing reportedly seen in Germany 03. July 2026 (11:05) Suspect is said to have tried to pass as a man during attack apparently targeting Ukrainian-born oligarchThe main suspect in a bomb attack in Monaco this week is a woman who has been spotted in Germany, a judicial source in Monaco told Reuters on Friday.Three people were wounded on Monday evening in a parcel bomb explosion in the wealthy principality, which was believed to be an attack on a Ukrainian-born oligarch. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US heatwave threatens 250th anniversary events and World Cup 03. July 2026 (09:01) Weekend’s high temperatures and humidity ‘virtually impossible’ without climate crisis, researchers sayThe scorching heat blanketing much of the US this week would have been “virtually impossible” if not for the climate crisis, researchers have found, warning that the high temperatures could threaten Independence Day celebrations and World Cup matches this weekend.“The climate the country has today is fundamentally different to the one it had when the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence,” said Theodore Keeping, extreme weather and wildfire researcher at Imperial College London, in a press release. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Details of MCG assault against Lidia Thorpe revealed after court lifts suppression order 03. July 2026 (08:16) Ebony Bell convicted and handed community work order following assault on senator and second ‘gratuitous act of violence’ while on bailFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA woman has been handed a community work order for punching Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG over claims the independent senator disrespected her mother.Ebony Bell was initially told to undertake an anger management course after her 2024 attack on Thorpe, but committed a second “gratuitous act of violence” while on bail, the Melbourne magistrates court was told in June. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham’s funding gap: what state are UK finances in for the PM-in-waiting? 03. July 2026 (08:00) Given pressures on the public purse, the Makerfield MP may have to look at autumn tax rises to fund his ‘new direction’An economy rattled by a global energy shock, jittery bond markets and rising spending demands. As Andy Burnham prepares for government, the pressures on the public finances are in focus.The prospective prime minister pledged a new direction for Britain this week within two constraints: sticking to Labour’s current fiscal rules, and consistency with its 2024 manifesto. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
