The Guardian

Why are OpenAI and Anthropic cheering on regulation in Australia? The answer has global reach

The companies hope to follow in the footsteps of SpaceX, which raised $86bn and soared to a $2.1tn valuation after it listed on public markets in JuneGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTop US AI developers Anthropic and OpenAI cheered when Australia announced it would set new AI rules.Big tech celebrating limits on their Silicon Valley VC-funded free-for-all might seem counterintuitive but there’s a much broader play than just what happens in one relatively small market.

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

Great Barrier Reef microbiome mapped as researchers discover 500 bacterial species previously unknown to science

Research identifies 808,585 viral genomes belonging to what scientists estimate to be 362,802 different virusesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than a decade after the human microbiome was comprehensively mapped, scientists have now identified the vast communities of microbes that make up the Great Barrier Reef.Analysing DNA from seawater samples of 48 reefs, researchers have mapped the microbiome of the Great Barrier Reef, documenting more than 360,000 distinct vi

general  Jul 22, 2026

BBC World

Mysterious white foam draws crowds on Nigerian highway

The environmental agency has warned people to avoid going near the substance as it could pose a health risk.

general  Jul 22, 2026

BBC World

Tankers make sharp U-turns after Houthi shipping threat

All of the ships were travelling to or from Saudi ports before changing course, ship-tracking data shows.

general  Jul 22, 2026

NY Times World

Model Scout Who Connected Women to Epstein Is Found Dead in France

Daniel Siad, who was found dead on Monday, repeatedly introduced Jeffrey Epstein to young women, according to messages he exchanged with Mr. Epstein. Mr. Siad had denied wrongdoing.

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

​Andy Burnham’s ​domestic ​revolution ​could ​unobtrusively pull Britain ​closer to Europe

The new PM talks less about the continent than his predecessor, but his agenda is more closely aligned with the EU’s• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereEurope’s leaders queued up this week to welcome Andy Burnham as Britain’s seventh prime minister since the Brexit vote – all expressing the hope that his tenure would continue the thaw in EU-UK relations initiated by his predecessor, Keir Starmer.Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission chief, said she was looking

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

Mamdani taps Lina Khan and Tony Shorris for key New York economic posts

The appointments mark a shift at the state’s powerful development agencies as the mayor reshapes his economic agendaSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has named Lina Khan as the next chair of the city’s Economic Development Board (EDB) and longtime city government official Tony Shorris as the next leader of the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), marking major changes at one of New York’s most influential agencies.Khan, who previousl

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

Salman Rushdie attacker faces US terrorism trial

Hadi Matar, already serving 25 years for attempted murder, denies federal charges that could bring a life sentenceThe man who stabbed Salman Rushdie in the eye on stage in 2022 is standing trial for a second time – this time facing terrorism charges after being found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison last year.Hadi Matar’s federal trial begins in Buffalo, New York on Wednesday, about 70 miles from the venue where Rushdie was due to speak about writers in political ex

general  Jul 22, 2026

NY Times World

Coveted U.S. Nuclear Deal is a Coup for Saudi Crown Prince

Saudi Arabia had for years sought the controversial deal to transfer American nuclear technology to the kingdom. It is expected to be sealed on Wednesday.

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

Venezuela’s Maduro in court for pre-trial hearing in US drug trafficking case

Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been held at Brooklyn jail and both have pleaded not guiltyNicolás Maduro returns to court with his lawyers Wednesday and is expected to continue objecting to the US military action that snatched the Venezuelan president from power and deposited him in New York to face drug trafficking charges.Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, have been held at a Brooklyn jail ever since US forces seized them from their Caracas home in a stunning mid

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

US teen buys Wilt Chamberlain jacket in thrift store that sells for $89,600

The $3 purchase was authenticated as a rare piece from Chamberlain’s final NBA seasonAn Oregon teenager admitted “I got very, very lucky” after a basketball legend’s jacket he picked up at a thrift store for pocket change sold at auction for almost $90,000.Quinn Brown said he was in a Goodwill store in Portland in January when he saw somebody throw the bright yellow jacket into a clothing bin. Continue reading...

general  Jul 22, 2026

BBC World

British woman jailed for blackmail after accusing banker of rape in Hong Kong

Isabel Rose was convicted of trying to extort £100,000 from the UK banker and perverting the course of justice.

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

Europe’s heatwave in June cost grain farmers €2bn in lost revenue and crop damage

EU set for for worst crop harvest in decade after total grain yield estimated to be 9m tonnes smaller than expected, analysis findsThe heatwave that swept across Europe in June is estimated to have cost the continent’s grain farmers €2bn (£1.7bn) in lost revenue and destroyed 10m tonnes of crops, according to a new analysis, raising concern about the impact on food prices.The European harvest of crops including wheat, barley, maize and oats is now predicted to be 9m tonnes smaller than forecast

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

CDC cuts leave US less prepared for disease outbreaks, former officials warn

As measles, hantavirus and cyclospora spread, experts say lost staff and expertise are slowing the responseA series of health challenges – hantavirus, screwworm, Ebola, cyclospora, measles, whooping cough, bird flu – are exposing the widening gaps in America’s ability to prevent, identify and halt infectious disease outbreaks.The rapid dismantling of the US public health system at all levels means the US is in worse shape than it was before the Covid pandemic, former top CDC officials say. Conti

general  Jul 22, 2026

WSJ World News

Modeling Scout With Epstein Ties Found Dead

French prosecutors are investigating the death of Daniel Siad who scouted models for Jeffrey Epstein.

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

Model scout for Jeffrey Epstein found dead at his home near Paris

Daniel Siad faced allegations of rape and trafficking in France and appeared in more than 1,000 documents in Epstein filesA modelling scout who recruited women for Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home near Paris, French officials have said.Daniel Siad, 69, was under investigation by the prosecutors specialising in human trafficking in France, accused of rape and other charges. His name appeared in more than 1,000 documents in the US Department of Justice Epstein files that were declas

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

Nicaragua’s congress announces ‘work plan’ to suspend elections

US secretary of state says international community should ‘join forces’ against authoritarian Ortega regimeNicaragua’s congress, controlled by the country’s long-serving president, Daniel Ortega, has announced a “work plan” to implement the authoritarian leader’s order that the country should no longer hold elections.The UN and the US strongly condemned Sunday’s announcement by Ortega, who has been in power since 2007 and, after a controversial constitutional change last year, now governs alongs

general  Jul 22, 2026

Washington Post World

Why is Zelensky firing top leaders as Ukraine’s outlook improves?

Amid battlefield gains, President Volodymyr Zelensky removed popular officials in a major shakeup.

general  Jul 22, 2026

The Guardian

Harry Potter publisher to receive millions in Anthropic copyright settlement

Bloomsbury has 14,087 titles listed within settlement between AI startup and authors over use of protected workThe publisher of Harry Potter has received a multimillion-pound payout as a beneficiary of a $1.5bn copyright settlement between AI startup Anthropic and thousands of authors over the use of their protected work to power chatbots.Bloomsbury, which is home to bestselling novelists Sarah J Maas and Susanna Clarke as well as JK Rowling, said it had 14,087 titles listed within the settlemen

general  Jul 22, 2026

WSJ World News

Trump Says U.S. Will Bomb Iran’s Power Plants, Bridges if Tehran Strikes Ships

The president’s comments are the latest indication that the fragile ceasefire is on the verge of collapse.

general  Jul 22, 2026