The Guardian

Ministers raise prospect of regulatory crackdown on sector over court case brought by 62 franchise operatorsMinisters are closely watching a court case in which Vodafone is alleged to have “unjustly enriched” itself at the expense of franchise operators, and have raised the prospect of a regulatory crackdown on the sector.The small business minister, Gareth Thomas, has said he will “track very carefully” a £120m legal claim brought against Vodafone last year by a group of 62 of about 150 franchise operators. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/04/uk-government-closely-watching-franchise-operators-120m-legal-claim-against-vodafone Author : Simon Goodley Publish date : 2025-07-04 04:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content

President holds rally after passage of sweeping policy bill and uses slur in speech about estate taxes and bankersTrump’s tax-and-spending bill passes Congress in major win for presidentJeffries has just passed the five-hour mark and has no intention of stopping: “We still got some ground to cover.”“We are going to continue as Democrats to take our sweet time on behalf of the American people because the issues are too significant to ever walk away from,” Jeffries said, to cheers from the Democrats in the chamber. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/jul/03/trump-big-bill-tax-spend-latest-voting Author : Robert Mackey (now); Lauren Gambino and Kira

Victoria police say they attempted to engage with armed man before ‘siege of several hours’. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSmoke coming from Sydney tram causes to be suspended on Randwick lineLight rail services on the Randwick line have stopped due to smoke coming from the roof of a tram.The man managed to get back into his car and drive a short distance before being overcome by his injuries. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/jul/04/victoria-daisy-hill-ebikes-anthony-albanese-sussan-ley-labor-coalition-politics-updates-ntwnfb Author : Rafqa Touma Publish date : 2025-07-03 22:58:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the

The Madre fire, one of at least a dozen in the state, has burned more than 35,000 acres in San Luis Obispo countyA fast-growing wildfire in central California has become the largest in the state this year, surpassing the size of January’s wildfires that devastated parts of Los Angeles.The Madre fire had exploded to more than 35,000 acres (14,000 hectares) by Thursday morning, after breaking out in San Luis Obispo county on Wednesday afternoon and tearing through grasslands as dry, hot weather raised the fire risk for large portions of the state before the Fourth of July holiday. Continue reading...

Democratic leader spoke for more than eight hours to rail against Trump’s sweeping tax-and-spending billThe Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries broke the record for the longest House floor speech ever on Thursday after he spoke for more than eight hours to delay a vote on Donald Trump’s signature tax-and-spending bill.Early on Thursday, after a marathon night of arm-twisting, cajoling and pressure by tweet, House Republicans said they were finally ready to vote on Trump’s $4.5tn tax-and-spending package – a colossal piece of legislation the president wants passed by Friday, the Independence Day holiday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/hakeem-jeffries-house-speech-trump-tax-bill Author :

Fire on island being fanned by gale-force winds as blazes also rage on mainland Greece and in GermanyA wildfire fanned by gale-force winds has forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people on the Greek island of Crete, officials have said, as large swathes of continental Europe baked in a punishing early summer heatwave linked to at least nine deaths.About 230 firefighters, along with 46 vehicles and helicopters, were battling the blaze on Thursday after it broke out 24 hours earlier near Ierapetra on the south-east coast of the country’s largest island, threatening to engulf houses and hotels. Continue reading...

Europe will defend its interests in negotiations with US over trade, European Commission president says in ItalyDue to the climate emergency, Italian seas have reached temperatures above 20C even at depths of 40 metres, according to a report released on Wednesday by Greenpeace. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/jul/03/europe-heatwave-live-news-latest-updates-crete-wildfire Author : Jakub Krupa Publish date : 2025-07-03 12:53:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

PM says health secretary say only possible to transform the NHS due to decisions taken by chancellor in the budgetStreeting says he has to go to the Commons to make a statement to MPs.But first he introduces Rachel Reeves, saying that she has put an extra £29bn into the NHS.It is thanks to her leadership that we’ve seen interest rates in our country fall four times. It’s thanks to her leadership that we see wages finally rising faster than the cost of living. And it’s thanks to her leadership we have the fastest growing economy in the G7.If Australia can

ACCC says asking e-commerce platforms to act is more effective than traditional enforcement, given operators are mostly overseas and difficult to identifyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s consumer regulator has put Shopify and Meta on notice, urging the e-commerce and social media platforms to take action against online “ghost stores” pretending to be local businesses in order to dupe shoppers.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Thursday issued a public warning about ghost stores and announced it had written to Shopify and Meta after an investigation

FoI requests also reveal that since 2019 less than 3% of those held under law in London were prosecutedPolice in London have been accused of abusing their powers to curb protest after research found that less than 3% of arrests for conspiracy to cause a public nuisance in the past five years resulted in a prosecution.The research also found an almost tenfold rise in the number of arrests in the capital for the offence, most commonly used to target activists, since 2019 when Extinction Rebellion set off a wave of climate activism. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/03/met-police-accused-of-assault-on-right-to-protest-after-tenfold-rise-in-nuisance-law-arrests Author :

After 12 days of bombing by Israel and the US last month, opinions vary about the extent of the damage caused to Iran’s nuclear facilities. Patrick Wintour and Rouzbeh Parsi explain why and what could happen nextWhen the 12-day war against Iran was launched, Israel said it was because the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear bomb. US intelligence reports from earlier in the year told a different story. Now the war is over and confusion remains – has Iran’s nuclear programme been destroyed?The Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, tells Michael Safi what we know –

Heavy conditions expected to continue along parts of the east coast on ThursdayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWater flowing out of Australia’s largest urban water supply will add to the risk of flooding after a damaging and complex low-pressure system continues to cause widespread havoc across New South Wales and eastern Victoria.Severe weather warnings for damaging winds and hazardous surf remained in place on Thursday morning, with the system still “lurking over the Tasman Sea”, said Helen Reid, meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.Sign up for Guardian

Customers exposed in cyber-attack on airline may experience targeted phishing scams in coming months. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPower continues to be restored in NSWAbout 5,800 customers remained without power at 7am Thursday, according to network operators Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/jul/03/nsw-weather-forecast-storm-updates-qantas-cyber-attack-ntwnfb Author : Rafqa Touma Publish date : 2025-07-02 21:32:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Cheers greet acquittal on most serious charges but victim support groups call verdict ‘stain’ on criminal justice systemSean ‘Diddy’ Combs jury reaches verdict – follow liveAfter the jury returned a mixed verdict in the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, supporters of the 55-year-old music mogul gathered outside the courthouse on Wednesday in celebration.Combs was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and not guilty of two counts of sex trafficking and a count of racketeering conspiracy. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jul/02/sean-diddy-combs-trial-new-york Author : Anna Betts in New York Publish date :

Sir Ben Key’s service and commission terminated following investigation after suspension over alleged affairThe service of the former Royal Navy head Adm Sir Ben Key has ended in disgrace after an investigation found he fell “far short of the values and standards expected”.Key was reportedly suspended from his role as first sea lord in May over claims he had an affair with a female subordinate. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/02/royal-navy-head-sacked-ben-key-investigation Author : Press Association Publish date : 2025-07-02 16:36:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Jury of eight men and four women began deliberations on Monday after seven weeks of testimony Over the course of the seven-week trial, US prosecutors accused Combs of operating his business empire as a criminal enterprise to carry out and conceal crimes including sex-trafficking, kidnapping, arson, bribery, enticement to engage in prostitution, and obstruction of justice. Combs did this, they alleged, with help from employees and close associates.The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial has reached a verdict, they said Wednesday morning. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/music/live/2025/jul/02/sean-diddy-combs-trial-verdict-live-updates Author : Anna Betts Publish date : 2025-07-02 14:08:00 Copyright for

Vote expected to be tight after so-called ‘big beautiful bill’ cleared the Senate by the narrowest of margins with JD Vance breaking a tieSenate Republicans pass Trump’s sweeping policy billWhat’s in Trump’s major tax bill?US House Republicans were set to vote on Donald Trump’s signature tax-and-spending bill on Wednesday, a day after it narrowly passed the Senate.But the fate of Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill” hangs in the balance as House speaker Mike Johnson seeks to quell an internal revolt over the changes made by the Senate. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/jul/02/donald-trump-big-beautiful-bill-house-republicans-us-politics-live-news-updates Author : Tom Ambrose Publish date :

Pat McFadden says there will be ‘financial consequences’ to Keir Starmer’s climbdown amid renewed speculation over Labour’s budget plansWelfare bill climbdown will have ‘a cost’ at budget, says ministerTwelve of England’s regional mayors have signed up to an unprecedented plan to create a “national active travel network”, focusing initially on helping children to walk, cycle or scoot to school safely.The scheme, which involves all non-London regional mayors other than one from Reform UK, is intended to fit into wider efforts to devolve transport planning, working with Active Travel England (ATE) to implement schemes they think would help their area.We are

Artist says Creative Australia’s decision renews his confidence in integrity of body’s selection processFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCreative Australia has reinstated artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s artistic team for the 2026 Venice Biennale, following an independent external review of the decision.The pair had been dumped from the prestigious art exhibition earlier this year after Creative Australia’s board took the unprecedented decision to revoke their appointment. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jul/02/khaled-sabsabi-reinstated-as-venice-biennale-representative-ntwnfb Author : Nour Haydar and Kelly Burke Publish date : 2025-07-02

Farmers warn of risk to Britain’s food supply as more than three-quarters take hit to income from extreme weatherMore than 80% of UK farmers are worried that the “devastating” effect of the climate crisis could damage their ability to make a living, a study has found.Farmers have warned that global heating risks Britain’s supplies of home-grown food amid wild swings in weather conditions, in new research carried out by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/02/farmers-climate-crisis-livelihood-extreme-weather-study Author : Alfie Howlett Publish date : 2025-07-02 04:01:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Vigorous coastal low forecast to keep sending severe weather across eastern NSW for much of Wednesday, before gradually easing on ThursdayNSW and Sydney weather live updates – latest newsNSW weather mapsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThousands are without power across New South Wales after severe winds and heavy rain battered the state, with wind gusts up to 130km/h and several places receiving more than 200mm rain.The NSW State Emergency Service has responded to more than 2,870 incidents since a vigorous coastal low began lashing the state’s east coast, bringing intense rainfall and strong winds.Sign up

BoM says damaging winds, heavy rain and possible flash flooding a risk for large parts of NSW coast and some inland areas. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNSW wild weather: ‘Conditions can become dangerous quickly’Wild weather has brought down trees, damaged properties and flooded roads on the NSW coast, NSW SES says.These incidents are a timely reminder that roads are slippery, and conditions can become dangerous quickly.Please, never drive, walk or play in flood waters. If you do come across a flooded road, turn around and find an alternative route. Continue

The national climate assessments help state and local governments prepare for the impacts of a warming worldLegally mandated US national climate assessments seem to have disappeared from the federal websites built to display them, making it harder for state and local governments and the public to learn what to expect in their back yards from a warming world.Scientists said the peer-reviewed authoritative reports save money and lives. Websites for the national assessments and the US Global Change Research Program were down Monday and Tuesday with no links, notes or referrals elsewhere. The White House, which was responsible for the assessments,

Legislation goes to House but unclear if lower chamber will accept changes to tax and spending bill amid factionalismSenate Republicans on Tuesday passed a major tax and spending bill demanded by Donald Trump, ending weeks of negotiations over the comprehensive legislation and putting it another step closer to enactment.But it remains unclear if changes made by the chamber will be accepted by the House of Representatives, which approved an initial draft of the legislation last month by a single vote. While Republicans control both house of Congress, factionalism in the lower chamber is particularly intense, with rightwing fiscal hardliners demanding

Jerome Powell says inflationary impact of the president’s trade policies needs to be assessed before borrowing costs can be reducedThe chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, has blamed Donald Trump’s tariffs for preventing the immediate interest rate cuts the president has demanded.Trump has repeatedly urged Powell to reduce borrowing costs in the US economy. He posted a hand-scrawled note on his Truth Social platform on Monday, saying: “You have cost the USA a fortune – and continue to do so – you should lower the rate by a lot!” Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/federal-reserve-chair-blames-trump-tariffs-for-preventing-interest-rates-cut Author : Heather Stewart