Trump launches America’s 250th birthday celebrations with partisan attack 04. July 2026 (07:30) In a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday evening, the US president claimed a resurgent ‘communist menace’ posed a severe threat the countryDonald Trump has kicked off America’s 250th birthday weekend with an extraordinary partisan attack on what he called the “communist menace” in America, framing its supporters as “the enemy of July 4th, 1776”.The US president spoke for half an hour on Friday night at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the latest stop on his tour celebrating the milestone anniversary of the US declaration of independence from Britain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
As the US marks 250, does the special relationship still exist – or is the UK just irrelevant? 04. July 2026 (07:00) The gap between America and Britain has grown economically as Trump asserts ‘the UK is dying’. Culturally, however, it’s a different storyOn 1 June 1785 John Adams travelled to London to become the first US ambassador to Britain, in which capacity he was to meet George III. By his own admission, Adams trembled at the encounter. After all, it had been less than a decade since he helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence denouncing the king as an absolute “tyrant” who had “plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people”.A trepidatious Adams trudged through the London drizzle to St James’s Palace, where he presented his credentials to King George. He bowed three times, then declared he would be “the happiest of men if I can be instrumental in recommending my country more and more to your Majesty’s royal benevolence”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cornwall van dwellers face homelessness amid council crackdown 04. July 2026 (07:00) Half of county’s planning infringement notices target caravans in fields, fuelling eviction fears for vulnerable peoplePeople living in caravans and horseboxes on farms in Cornwall because they can’t afford or find a house to rent are facing homelessness after a crackdown by the council.Cornwall council recently announced that it was one of the top five authorities in England for enforcing infringements of planning regulations. Half of those notices, it said, were served on caravans in agricultural fields. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sydney records hottest June since 1859 as expert warns new high a ‘signature’ of global warming 04. July 2026 (06:37) Bureau of Meteorology says city’s mean temperature reached 16.1C, surpassing the previous record of 15.7C set in 1991Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney has officially experienced its hottest June since records began, after a winter month of spring-like warmth.While early weather data suggested the month was merely among the warmest, the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed on Friday that June 2026 broke the all-time mean temperature record at Observatory Hill, where tracking first began in 1859. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chris Minns says Labor needs to ‘climb Everest’ to stay in power as One Nation looms over state conference 04. July 2026 (06:15) The New South Wales premier warns of rising threat of Pauline Hanson’s party as he addresses party conferenceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has admitted the Labor party needs to “climb Everest” to stay in power amid the rising threat posed by One Nation ahead of next year’s state election.But while Minns received a standing ovation as he circled Sydney’s town hall before addressing the NSW Labor conference on Saturday, he did not avoid the protests over conflict in Gaza which have marked party conferences in previous years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Third teenager charged after 15-year-old Melbourne boy allegedly left to die from stab wounds 04. July 2026 (03:42) Darweish Mohamed was found critically wounded outside Craigieburn community hospital on Wednesday eveningGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA third teenager has been charged over the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old boy found outside a Melbourne hospital.A 14-year-old from Victoria’s Hume area was arrested on Friday evening and was charged with murder, police said.He has been scheduled to appear before a children’s court. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce married at New York City’s Madison Square Garden 04. July 2026 (02:11) The couple had an array of celebrity guests, including Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, and Adam Sandler officiated their nuptialsTaylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially wed. The couple hosted their wedding celebration on Friday in New York City, nearly three years after first meeting.The ceremony was officiated by Adam Sandler, a Swift spokesperson said in a Friday statement confirming the nuptials. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer warns Burnham he cannot spend less time on diplomacy 04. July 2026 (00:52) Prime minister also speaks of his ‘intensely personal decision’ to step down in first interview since resigningKeir Starmer has warned his likely successor, Andy Burnham, that it will not be possible to spend less time focusing on international affairs.Speaking during a BBC interview, he also spoke of his “intensely personal” decision to announce his resignation last month after two years as prime minister. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two people dead and a third injured in shooting at Michigan shopping mall 04. July 2026 (00:32) A fight between two groups of young people who knew each other escalated into gunfire, police saidA shooting altercation between two groups of young people at a shopping mall in Dearborn, Michigan, left two people dead and a third injured over what is typically the most violent weekend of the year in the US, police said.The shooting occurred as the US began celebrating the Fourth of July, historically a holiday weekend that sees higher rates of gun violence across the country. In 2024, the Gun Violence Archive reported more than 500 shootings over Independence Day weekend. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
CDC investigates parasite that’s caused cases of ‘explosive’ diarrhea in 18 US states 03. July 2026 (23:13) Parasite cyclospora spreads through produce and water contaminated with feces and causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasisThe US Centers for Disease Prevention has been working to find the source of a parasitic illness that causes “explosive”, watery diarrhea, with more than 400 cases of the sickness reported across 18 states.The parasite, cyclospora, spreads through raw produce and water contaminated with human feces – and it causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis, whose symptoms include cramps, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, low-grade fever and vomiting. The most commonly reported symptom is “watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements”, according to the CDC. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
