Australian aged care firm accused in class action of charging residents for high teas and classes they couldn’t use

• President Trump warned that Iran will be "hit very hard" if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened soon to allow oil shipments to resume. • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reported that talks are currently progressing to resolve the blockade.

• The Middle East is shifting toward "Energy Redundancy Diplomacy," a strategy focused on maintaining energy production, financing, and exports through multiple interchangeable systems. • This approach aims to ensure stability by creating backup infrastructures that can be activated when geopolitical disruptions occur.

• Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett accused Benjamin Netanyahu of abandoning the goal of defeating Hamas and effectively handing control of Gaza to Qatar. • The IDF is tightening its strike policy in Gaza, now requiring the chief of staff's explicit approval for certain operations.

• The Dispatch reports on several geopolitical and political developments, including the possibility of Iran returning to diplomatic negotiations. • A cargo ship was recently struck in the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting ongoing maritime tensions and security risks in the region.

Scientists at a biotech company have used gene editing to create two hypoallergenic beagles that don't trigger allergiesMatt Walker couldn’t pet a dog without sneezing – until he and other scientists used a gene editing technique to produce a hypoallergenic beagle named Bailey.Now, he can feed Bailey spoons of peanut butter while she lies on his lap and play fetch with her in Central Park. His allergies didn’t go away: Bailey’s saliva and hair no longer contain a key allergy-causing protein. Continue reading...

Metropolitan police say 47-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of possession of offensive weapon and assaultA woman has been arrested after four men were stabbed in Covent Garden in central London, police said.Four people were taken to a major trauma centre after the incident on Endell Street on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Police arrested a woman in central London after four men were found with stab wounds in the shopping and entertainment districtFour men were stabbed in central London on Wednesday, with police arresting a woman in connection to the attack.Police responded to reports of a stabbing at Endell Street in Covent Garden at 12:27pm, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Continue reading...

Federal lawsuit alleges kids are being repatriated despite many of them qualifying to remain in the US legallyThe Trump administration is deliberately targeting children who came to the US unaccompanied by a parent or guardian as it pushes to quickly return them to the countries they fled – amid “drastic policy changes” in immigration courts, according to allegations in a federal lawsuit shared with the Guardian.The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are trying to prevent imminent deportation to the places from where they escaped danger or harm. Continue reading...

Farmers advised to vaccinate after recent hot weather provides ideal conditions for virus-carrying midgesThere has been an “alarming” surge in the number of sheep affected by an outbreak of bluetongue in the UK, with farmers whose livestock are at risk being urged to move them out of areas where midges are plentiful.The virus, which does not necessarily kill sheep but makes them ill and can have a long recovery time, presents as high fever and swelling of the lips and tongue, with a one-week incubation time. The tongue may go blue and even protrude from the mouth. More than 590 cases were reported last week, according to the National Sheep Association. Continue reading...

Leftwing candidate will now face Republican Mike Rogers in race to represent midwestern purple state in the SenateUS politics live – latest updatesAbdul El-Sayed won the Democratic primary for US Senate in Michigan, becoming the latest leftwing candidate to win the party’s nomination ahead of November’s midterm elections.El-Sayed, a progressive, beat Haley Stevens, a moderate US representative backed by the party’s establishment. He will now face Republican Mike Rogers in the race to represent the midwestern purple state in the Senate. Continue reading...

Men allegedly used exotic animals for photoshoots featuring a ring of fire in a parking garage in Maryland Two Baltimore, Maryland, men are facing charges for allegedly using exotic animals – including snakes, a lemur and a spider monkey – in photoshoots featuring three semi-clothed models and a ring of fire in a garage beneath a luxury shopping complex.Photographer Vernon Crowfey III, the 32-year-old owner of the company Photogeniks, was arrested in Towson, Maryland, on 16 July after an undercover officer arranged a shoot with the animals. Continue reading...

Controllers allegedly failed to halt flights, leading to a ‘loss of separation’ with a departing passenger jetAn air “safety incident” in which Donald Trump’s Marine One helicopter came closer than permitted to another aircraft over Washington DC is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).Air traffic controllers are believed to have mistakenly failed to halt commercial flights at Ronald Reagan national airport in northern Virginia on Tuesday afternoon when the military helicopter lifted off from the White House with the president on board. Continue reading...