Australia news live: Josh Thomas weighs in on Divine Playhouse debate; meth surges in workplace drug use survey
Comedian backs LGBTQ+ theatre in ‘David v Goliath’ fight. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.Comedian Josh Thomas has weighed in on the Divine Playhouse saga, a queer-friendly theatre pop-up in Sydney that has been kicked out by its landlord. Continue reading...
Sources & Citations
1 sourceMore Stories
Civil War in Sudan
• Sudan's civil war has entered its third year as two warring factions remain locked in a deadly power struggle for control of the country. • The United Nations is urgently calling for more support to aid over 33 million Sudanese people currently facing the "world's largest hunger crisis."
Read original · cfr.orgEurope is Teetering on the Brink
• Author Peter Haenseler argues that the ongoing conflict is not merely between Ukraine and Russia, but is a war waged by Europe with active U.S. support. • The piece claims that European involvement, which was previously covert, is now being openly displayed.
Read original · sonar21.com
Sonar21Trump’s Overhaul of the State Department Leaves U.S. Diplomacy Facing Its Biggest Upheaval in a Century
• President Donald Trump's second administration is implementing a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. State Department, marking one of the most significant upheavals in American diplomacy in a century. • The transformation involves extensive personnel changes and a restructuring of the diplomatic establishment to align with the administration's specific policy goals.
Read original · slguardian.orgIran war updates: US launches ‘additional round of strikes’ | US-Israel war on Iran News
• President Trump has ordered an additional round of military strikes against Iran while reiterating the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. • In a significant policy shift, Trump has reversed his previous announcement regarding a 20-percent tariff.
Read original · aljazeera.comGlobal Research Daily: The News Behind the News - Global ResearchGlobal Research - Centre for Research on Globalization
• In an article published July 14, 2026, author Colin Todhunter explores how individuals can reclaim sovereignty from the combined influence of state and corporate power. • The piece highlights the rise of an "emerging digital control grid" as the primary mechanism used by these entities to shape and monitor modern life.
Read original · globalresearch.caCDC nominee Erica Schwartz pressed on whether she will resist RFK Jr’s vaccine agenda
During confirmation hearing Wednesday, Trump’s pick tells Senate health committee she will ‘never betray the science’Erica Schwartz, the Trump administration’s latest nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), faced sharp questioning from senators who pressed her to say whether she would stand up to her boss, the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.During her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Schwartz, a deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration, told the Senate health committee she “will never betray the science” and pledged to use “radical transparency” to rebuild public trust. But she repeatedly deflected questions about how she would handle pressure from Kennedy, a leader in the anti-vaccine movement who has overseen months of turmoil at the agency and made controversial changes to US vaccine policies. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comOver 100 House Democrats vote to end military aid to Israel in rebuke to US ally
Action underscores how sentiment in the party towards Israel and the Netanyahu government has souredMore than 100 House Democrats on Wednesday voted to slash military aid to Israel, a significant rebuke of the longtime US ally as accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government green-lit genocide in Gaza continue to convulse the party ahead of November’s midterm election.The amendment proposed by Republican congressman Thomas Massie to a spending measure would have halted $3.3bn in planned aid – much of which would have gone to Israel’s military – but was rejected by a 104-314 vote, with 10 lawmakers voting present. It received the support of 103 House Democrats, or nearly half of the 212-strong caucus, underscoring how sentiment in the party towards Israel and the Netanyahu government has soured since the 7 October attack and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comHouse Republicans resurrect Save America Act by adding it to spending bill
Effort is latest attempt to pass bill that seeks to ban mail-in ballots and imposes voter identification requirementsHouse Republicans on Wednesday made another attempt to answer Donald Trump’s demand for new restrictions on voting nationwide by linking the measure to an unrelated spending bill and passing both largely along party lines.The effort was the latest attempt by congressional Republicans to pass the Save America Act, which would ban mail-in ballots and impose new identification requirements on voters when they register and cast ballots. While the Trump administration has cast the bill as necessary to prevent non-citizens from voting and combat election fraud, voting rights advocates say there’s no evidence of widespread election tampering and warn the bill could disenfranchise swaths of eligible voters ahead of November’s midterm elections. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comMexico asks US state attorneys general to investigate immigrant ICE deaths
Since start of Trump’s second term, 14 Mexican immigrants have died in ICE custody and three in agency operationsMexico formally requested that US state attorneys general criminally investigate cases of immigrants who have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody or during raids, the Mexican government said Tuesday.The request follows the death of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston. Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comVolodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses Ukraine’s popular defence minister
Mykhailo Fedorov, credited with transforming the ministry, ousted in reshuffle after six months in postVolodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Ukraine’s popular defence minister, despite pleas from foreign partners and civil society for him to keep his job, as part of wide-ranging government reshuffle.In a post on Telegram Mykhailo Fedorov announced that he was leaving his position, saying it had been a “great honour” to serve the Ukrainian people. He was widely credited with transforming the defence ministry and reducing corruption. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.comMaltese politicians ‘involved’ in plot to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia, court hears
Former economy minister Chris Cardona and ex-chief of staff Keith Schembri named as being involved in 2017 murder of journalistTwo political figures who previously held powerful government roles in Malta were accused of plotting to kill the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia during court testimony on Wednesday.The allegations, against a former economy minister and a former chief of staff to the prime minister, were made during a chaotic day at the courts of justice in Valletta, where the businessman Yorgen Fenech is on trial for ordering the assassination of Caruana Galizia in 2017. Continue reading...
Read original · theguardian.com