The Guardian

Who is Ben Carroll, the man who wants to be Victoria’s next premier?

Carroll, who has confirmed he will make a leadership challenge, was elected to parliament in 2012 and says he has always been ambitiousIn 2023, when then-public transport minister Ben Carroll failed in his surprising bid to secure the leadership of the Victorian Labor party, he told a press conference: “I was always very keen to rise.”The premier Daniel Andrews had resigned believing he had locked in his succession plan: his loyal deputy Jacinta Allan as premier, and treasurer Tim Pallas as depu

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Seven suspected new bird flu cases are ‘evidence of spread’ into Australian wildlife, experts warn

BirdLife Australia says discoveries of sick and dead local seabirds in South Australia show outbreak is ‘taking hold’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSouth Australia has reported seven new suspected cases of deadly H5 bird flu, with experts warning it could be a sign the disease has begun spreading through local bird populations.All seven birds are greater crested terns – a common local seabird – and were found on th

general  Jul 27, 2026

BBC World

The woman promoting the UK Potteries region in Japan

Yuri Kawakami-Shotton is praised for her Spode Museum tours, in bringing in Japanese visitors.

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Family of Indigenous man who died in custody launch legal action over decision not to charge police

Kumanjayi White died after being restrained by plain-clothes police in the lolly aisle of an Alice Springs supermarket•Warning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have diedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe family of a young Aboriginal man who died after being restrained by police in an Alice Springs supermarket has launched legal action after the officers involved were not prosecuted.Ku

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Palestine Action activists face being sentenced as terrorists over bank damage

Exclusive: Judge intends to consider ‘terrorist connection’ after convicting five for damage to Barclays in BurnleyFive Palestine Action activists face being sentenced as terrorists for breaking windows and throwing red paint at a branch of Barclays Bank in Lancashire.Brendon O’Hagan, 28; Amanda Kelly, 31; Humeera Atiqnisar, 31; Mohammed Malik, 28; and Alma Yaniv, 70, were found guilty of causing £212,000 of damage during a direct action protest in Burnley in August 2024. They targeted the bank

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Girlguiding redesigns uniforms to put focus on ‘self-expression and confidence’

Relaxed rules mean members only have to wear a top to meetings and activities after extensive feedbackGirlguiding has fully redesigned its uniform across all groups for the first time in more than 30 years, with a focus on “self-expression, belonging and confidence”.The new range, launched on Monday, has relaxed previous rules: Guides, Rainbows, Brownies and Rangers now only have to wear a top to meetings and activities to be considered “in uniform” after feedback from thousands of girls who sai

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Reform UK levy on employing overseas staff ‘would harm NHS and social care’

Exclusive: Experts say policy could also cause shortages of school teachers and drive some universities to bankruptcyReform UK’s plan to make employers pay an annual levy for overseas staff would harm the NHS and social care, cause a shortage of schoolteachers, and could push some universities into bankruptcy, experts have warned.Nigel Farage’s party has pledged a “migrant worker surcharge”, which would involve a higher rate of employer national insurance as well as a separate annual charge. It

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Andy Burnham vows to use his ‘political capital’ to fix social care system

PM says that without rapid action the NHS could effectively collapse, in first full interview since entering No 10Andy Burnham has pledged to use “whatever political capital I have” to finally fix the crumbling social care system in England, saying that without rapid action the NHS could effectively collapse.In his first full interview since becoming prime minister last week, Burnham said he could not put a timetable on the arrival of a new system for social care but that its creation would take

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Pauline Hanson loses bid to overturn Mehreen Faruqi racial discrimination finding

Judges find in Faruqi’s favour after One Nation leader launched an appeal against judgement she had breached Racial Discrimination ActA court has upheld the finding that Pauline Hanson engaged in racial discrimination against Mehreen Faruqi when she tweeted the Greens senator should “pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan”.The One Nation leader launched the appeal in November, almost a month after Justice Angus Stewart found Hanson engaged in “seriously offensive” and intimidating behaviou

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Heathrow expansion would take thousands of jobs from other UK regions, report finds

Airports in England and Wales are likely to lose millions of passengers if third runway goes ahead, DfT economic paper showsExpanding Heathrow airport will take thousands of jobs from other regions of the UK, including almost 10,000 from the West Midlands alone, according to an analysis of the government’s own forecasts.An economic paper published by the Department for Transport last month shows that airports in England and Wales are likely to lose millions of passengers if Heathrow builds a thi

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

‘A new trajectory’: EVs now almost quarter of Australia’s new car sales as fuel crisis bites

More electric vehicles sold in first half of 2026 than whole of last year, new data showsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians bought more electric vehicles in the first six months of 2026 than the whole of the previous year, new data shows, as the ongoing crisis in the Middle East causes uncertainty about petrol prices.There were 103,855 battery electric vehicles (EVs) sold nationally between January and June

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

Shootings at Bite of Seattle food festival leave several injured

At least four people taken to hospital with one reported to be in a critical condition after gunfire at Seattle Center near Space NeedleAt least four people including a child were wounded in a shooting on Sunday night at an events complex close to the Space Needle in Seattle, a hospital spokesperson said.The Seattle Center was hosting the Bite of Seattle food festival over the weekend. After the shooting, police urged people to avoid the area. Continue reading...

general  Jul 27, 2026

BBC World

Shein swings to $99m loss as Trump tariffs hit sales

The announcement comes as the fast fashion giant prepares for its stock market debut in Hong Kong.

general  Jul 27, 2026

BBC World

Macron calls crisis meeting as wildfires threaten Bordeaux and heatwave looms

Blazes are about 15km from Bordeaux, but the city's mayor says there are no plans to evacuate.

general  Jul 27, 2026

WSJ World News

China’s Tycoons Made Fortunes Offshore. Now the Party Is Over.

In a series of new rules and laws, China is reordering the wealth landscape, seeking to better control how money leaves the country.

general  Jul 27, 2026

BBC World

Watch: Scaffolding ripped from Hong Kong building as Typhoon Noul makes landfall

Typhoon Noul is the strongest to make landfall in China so far this year, according to state media.

general  Jul 27, 2026

BBC World

Argentinian leader calls Brazilian president a 'thief' and a 'convict'

Javier Milei made the comments while in Brazil at a rally to launch the campaign of right-wing presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.

general  Jul 27, 2026

BBC World

Netanyahu accuses NYC Mayor Mamdani of 'fomenting hate' after arrest threat

Mamdani walked back his threat last week, acknowledging he lacked the legal power to arrest Netanyahu on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

AusAlert test: what time will national emergency warning siren sound on phones in Australia today? Here’s what to know

National emergency test alert will be sent to all compatible mobile devices on 27 July, with domestic violence advocates advising how to turn off safe phonesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVirtually every phone in the country will blare an emergency siren at 2pm AEST on Monday 27 July as part of the first Australia-wide test of a new national warning system called AusAlert.Most phones, and some smartwatches and tabl

general  Jul 27, 2026

The Guardian

‘Extraordinarily hot’: US heatwave stretches on with millions still under warnings

Southern and central states from California to Mississippi face heat indexes above 100F amid another heat domeAt least 40 million people were under extreme heat warnings across central and southern parts of the United States on Sunday as high temperatures and severe humidity gripped large swaths of the country for a second straight day.Heat indexes well above 100F (38C) stretched from Minnesota down to Mississippi, extending west into southern California and Nevada. Parts of the south-west were

general  Jul 27, 2026