The Guardian

Grand Theft Auto workers seek union recognition after mass firings

Exclusive: Staff at Rockstar Games hope move can be completed before release of GTA VI scheduled for NovemberThe makers of Grand Theft Auto are attempting to gain official union recognition after mass sackings last year.Video game designers and other employees at Rockstar Games are working with the IWGB Game Workers Union to try to secure unionisation before the release of GTA VI scheduled for November. Continue reading...

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

UK disposable incomes squeezed by price rises and tax changes

ONS confirms 0.6% GDP growth in first quarter, with services, production and construction sectors expandingBusiness live – latest updatesUK households suffered a drop in disposable incomes in the first three months of the year as price rises and extra wealth taxes hit average spending power.The Office for National Statistics said a rise in the consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation in the first quarter and higher capital gains tax receipts reduced real household disposable income by 0.

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Monaco bombing was ‘attempted assassination’, not terror attack, say prosecutors – Europe live

Authorities are still searching to identify the suspect of an alleged assassination attempt of a Ukrainian business tycoonPolice in Monaco are searching for a suspected bomber after a Ukrainian-born business tycoon, his wife and their child were injured in an unprecedented attack that has shaken the normally ultra-safe principality.Monaco prosecutor said this morning that the investigation was opened into an attempted assassination, after a terrorist attack was ruled out through early inquiries.

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Police units deployed across South Africa before anti-immigration protests

Government fears repeat of anti-migrant violence in 2008 that led to looting and resulted in deaths of 62 peopleSouth African authorities have deployed police units to towns and cities around the country before planned demonstrations against undocumented foreign nationals.Security personnel were seen patrolling the central business district in Johannesburg, the economic capital, where many shopkeepers decided not to open on Tuesday. Trucks and other assets belonging to the South African National

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Chris Martin’s lost James Bond theme goes on auction with unheard Coldplay tapes

Acoustic recording of a song titled The World Is Not Enough included in wide-ranging auction featuring formative Coldplay recordingsA lost demo recording of a song Coldplay’s Chris Martin reportedly intended for 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough is going up for auction, alongside other recordings from the band’s earliest years.For the auction by Wax Poetics, the British producer Chris Allison is making available an archive of recordings the band made prior to their Allison-produced se

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Kash Patel draws flak for posting FBI case details on social media ‘to make himself look good’

FBI veterans believe director may have flouted legal rules by prematurely divulging details of UFC attack plot inquiryKash Patel may have flouted legal constraints and the FBI’s disciplinary code in prematurely divulging arrests in an alleged plot to attack this month’s Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at the White House, bureau veterans have alleged. Continue reading...

general  Jun 30, 2026

WSJ World News

French, Italian Inflation Cool More Than Expected

French and Italian inflation cooled more than expected in June, suggesting price pressures are beginning to soften amid falling energy costs.

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Sainsbury’s chief says grocery inflation not as bad as feared so far

Supermarket has lifted sales with Aldi price match, and has benefited from hot weather and World Cup matchesBusiness live – latest updatesGrocery inflation in the UK has not been as bad as feared so far, the boss of Sainsbury’s has said, but “pressure in the system” remains as the industry hopes for a swift resolution to the Middle East conflict.Simon Roberts, the chief executive of the UK’s second largest supermarket, said it was still early in the year and there was “still uncertainty where in

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Anger at supreme court ruling on Trump’s power to fire agency chiefs – US politics live

Today is the final day for the supreme court to lay out the last rulings of its nine-month termHello, and welcome to the US politics live blog.In a significant victory for the president on Monday, the court granted him the ability to fire leaders of some independent US agencies at will, in a move one advocacy group called “disastrous.” Continue reading...

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Labor’s gambling ad legislation a ‘capitulation’ to industry lobby, Liberal MP says

Coalition, Greens and crossbenchers all say the planned reforms are too weak and the proposals are ‘half-arsed’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor’s reforms to gambling advertising have been branded a “capitulation” and “half-arsed” by opponents, as the Liberals and Greens combine to urge the government to go further in cracking down on wagering.Three years this week since the Murphy report recommended a full ad ban, Labor’s proposed wagering reforms have underwhelme

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

Mideast Live Updates: U.S. and Iran Offer Conflicting Plans for Doha Talks

Iranian officials contradicted President Trump’s claim that representatives from the two countries would speak directly in Qatar’s capital on Tuesday.

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

China Increases Military and Economic Pressure on Japan

Beijing’s latest pressure tactics include flying bombers near Japan, detaining businesspeople and restricting the exports of rare earths.

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Telegraph’s £575m takeover by German group completed

Acquisition by Axel Springer ends three years of uncertainty over ownership of 172-year-old titlesBusiness live – latest updatesThe European media group Axel Springer has completed its £575m takeover of the Telegraph, ending three tumultuous years of uncertainty over the future ownership of the 172-year-old titles.The Germany-headquartered company, which gazumped the owner of the Daily Mail by tabling a blockbuster offer at the 11th hour, said it had now received all regulatory approvals in the

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

Why the True Death Toll of Venezuela’s Quakes Is So Hard to Know

Five days after devastating twin earthquakes flattened entire residential neighborhoods, experts fear the official death toll of 1,719 could be a serious undercount.

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

Why the True Death Toll of Venezuela’s Quakes Is So Hard to Know

Five days after devastating twin earthquakes flattened entire residential neighborhoods, experts fear the official death toll of 1,719 could be a serious undercount.

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

What Italy’s Failure to Make the Soccer World Cup Says About Its Wider Woes

For some Italians, their team’s absence from the biggest tournament in soccer is a metaphor for a broader national malaise.

general  Jun 30, 2026

NY Times World

The Prom Went On in Kyiv, but Masha’s Date Danced Alone

Masha Polska, 15, was an avid dancer who had been dreaming of a star turn in the group waltz. That was not to be.

general  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian

Alleged Epstein victim and Trump accuser living in fear of retaliation, relative says

Trump administration faces an escalating controversy over handling of ‘Jane Doe 4’ documents in Epstein files. White House has called her allegations ‘completely baseless’A woman known as Jane Doe 4 in the Jeffrey Epstein files is “staying off the grid” and lives in fear of retaliation from the Trump administration amid an escalating controversy over its handling of her case, according to a family member.“Trauma is brutal. Chronic trauma destroys,” said the relative, who described the woman’s li

general  Jun 30, 2026

Washington Post World

As war stalls, Putin concedes he never cut a deal with Trump in Alaska

The Kremlin had framed the Anchorage summit as a turning point for the war in Ukraine. Now, Putin admits there was no deal, perhaps to get U.S. to help to broker a new one.

general  Jun 30, 2026

WSJ World News

EU to Limit Tariff-Free Steel Imports, Apply 50% Duty Above Quota

The European Union will limit the amount of tariff-free steel its member states can import from Wednesday, as part of efforts to protect the bloc’s steel industry from overcapacity.

general  Jun 30, 2026