Portrait of Angela Merkel unveiled at museum in Berlin 03. July 2026 (06:00) Painting by Jérémie Queyras shows former German chancellor in trademark jacket – at a time of nostalgia for her ruleOver months they met secretly in a studio in the government quarter of central Berlin – a young artist and his subject, the former German chancellor Angela Merkel. For hours at a time, while Jérémie Queyras painted her portrait, they bonded, Merkel has said, chatting “about all and sundry”. Sometimes they were silent, or they listened to classical music, taking it in turns to let each other choose the pieces.The result of what Merkel, 71, called their “little adventure” was unveiled to an invited audience of family, friends and a handful of art critics this week in the neo-baroque Bode-Museum in Berlin. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Scavenger’ dolphins increasingly rely on trawlers for food in overfished Adriatic, say scientists 03. July 2026 (06:00) In one area 76% of fishing boats were followed, with baby dolphins learning the technique from their parentsBottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic are increasingly following trawlers to scavenge for food, with baby dolphins learning the technique from their parents, a study has found.“These days the easiest way to find [bottlenose dolphins] is to look for trawlers,” said Giovanni Bearzi, a co-author of the study and the president of Dolphin Biology and Conservation in Italy. “Many of them are followed by the dolphins that go to forage and scavenge in their wake. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Christian Brothers kept nine child abusers in religious order due to Gospel imperative to help ‘the needy’, court documents reveal 03. July 2026 (05:36) Exclusive: Documents also show the Catholic order sought financial support from the Holy See months before it declared it lacked money to pay survivorsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Christian Brothers has deliberately kept nine convicted child abusers, one who is currently behind bars, as members of its religious order because it says it has a “Gospel imperative” to “care for all Brothers” and “the needy”.Court documents also reveal the head of Christian Brothers Oceania met with representatives of the Holy See in an attempt to obtain support six months before it declared it was going broke and could not afford to meet abuse claims from survivors, but received no financial assistance. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tributes for Melbourne boy allegedly left to die from stab wounds, as teen charged with murder 03. July 2026 (05:33) Darweish Mohamed, 15, died after being found with alleged stab wounds outside a Craigieburn hospital on Wednesday nightFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLoved ones of a 15-year-old boy who was allegedly stabbed and left to die outside a hospital have asked the community to keep him in its prayers.Mickleham teenager Darweish Mohamed was found with critical wounds outside the Craigieburn community hospital at about 7.50pm on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former AFL player Nicky Winmar found guilty of assaulting woman in northern Victoria 03. July 2026 (05:24) Judge finds woman was truthful after the former St Kilda star accused her of lying about attackFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer AFL player Nicky Winmar has been found guilty of dragging a woman by the hair and hitting her head against a door.Winmar, 60, argued the woman lied about the attack but Bendigo magistrate Trieu Huynh on Friday found she was being truthful and convicted him of three charges. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China says man who flew plane into Beijing skyscraper had mental health problems 03. July 2026 (05:15) Official statement offers the most detailed official account yet of the highly unusual and fatal incident in BeijingChinese authorities said the man who flew a small plane into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper last week was a 66-year-old who had mental health problems.The statement published on Thursday offered the most detailed official account yet of the highly unusual incident that occurred in Beijing’s central business district on the evening of 26 June. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW records first suspected case of deadly H5 bird flu as virus reaches Australia’s east coast 03. July 2026 (03:52) Migratory giant petrel discovered near Hawks Nest north of Newcastle infected with H5. Testing under way to determine if it’s highly pathogenic H5N1 strainFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales has its first suspected case of the deadly H5 bird flu in a giant petrel that was found near Hawks Nest, north of Newcastle, on the state’s coast.If CSIRO testing confirms it is the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, it would mark the first detection of the deadly disease on the Australian east coast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than 100 passengers on US cruise ship sick from suspected norovirus 03. July 2026 (03:42) Princess Cruises vessel is docked in San Francisco for disinfecting in third outbreak for company this yearMore than 100 passengers and about 23 crew members on a Princess Cruises ship fell sick from suspected norovirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), marking the third outbreak to hit one of the company’s watercrafts this year.The Ruby Princess vessel set sail on 12 June from San Francisco, bound for Alaska and Canada, with a scheduled return on 2 July. More than two weeks into the journey, CDC officials received a report of an outbreak, which is defined by a threshold of 3% or more of passengers. Aboard the ship were 3,032 passengers and 1,144 crew members, per the CDC. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
