New Zealand capital delights in rare snowfall as southern city residents ski down world’s steepest street

• 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.

Software group benefits from global systems and accounting practices ‘that enable tax to be shirked’, says union bossThe software group Palantir paid just £2m in corporation tax in the UK in 2024, despite holding public sector contracts worth hundreds of millions, thanks to tax breaks that are likely to reduce its contributions to governments around the world for years to come.The US-headquartered company, which has harnessed AI to secure lucrative work for the NHS and the Ministry of Defence, is growing exponentially. Continue reading...

Over-the-counter treatments for cats and dogs contain chemicals that are banned in pesticides and pollute waterwaysOver-the-counter flea treatment for cats and dogs should be banned as millions of hazardous chemicals are unnecessarily applied to UK pets each year, a parliamentary report has concluded.Cats and dogs are widely treated with topical, or “spot on”, treatments that include insecticides to prevent fleas. Vets often recommend regular treatments as a preventive measure, even when the animals do not have fleas.It’s Invertebrate of the Year again! Every day from 3-12 August, we will be profiling one of the thousands of amazing invertebrates that our readers have nominated, and when you have heard about all of them, we will open the voting so you can choose your favourites. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with thoughts and ideas. Email us at [email protected] with Invertebrate in the subject line. Continue reading...

Exclusive: New health secretary promises root-and-branch reform after damning maternity scandalsWomen should not feel pressurised into experiencing an “ideal birth”, the new health secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said, promising a root-and-branch reform of standards after several damning maternity scandals.Cooper, who returns to the department 27 years after she was the minister for public health under Tony Blair, said maternity and child health would be a major focus in the role, where she will also be expected to implement significant reforms to social care. Continue reading...

Progressive ex-public health official in tight battle against Haley Stevens in state’s Democratic primaryThe marquee race for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan remained too close to call on Tuesday night, with Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, holding a narrow lead over Congresswoman Haley Stevens.The battleground state is crucial to the party’s hopes of winning back control of the Senate in November‘s midterm elections. The winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary will face the Republican nominee, former Representative Mike Rogers, in November, to succeed retiring Democratic senator, Gary Peters. Continue reading...

Increasingly erratic weather patterns due to climate change mean people are losing homes, crops and livestockAs rain lashed the Pir Panjal mountains before dawn on 19 July, Haji Mohammad Latief stepped outside his home in Murrah, a remote mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir. His daughter had asked him to move the family’s car to a safer place as the rain got heavier.“I had only just parked it,” Latief recalled. “When I turned around, I saw the water coming.” Minutes later, a cloudburst sent mud, boulders and water crashing down the hillside. Continue reading...

Spin Time provides homes, food banks and after-school clubs but the authorities have locked out residentsHundreds of people have spent a week sleeping in tents in the Rome heat amid a standoff between Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government and local politicians over the future of Italy’s most high-profile centre for housing and social assistance.A minor fire last week forced the evacuation of the building, occupied by grassroots groups since 2013, and it has remained closed as the Meloni government attempts to crack down on such squatted properties. Continue reading...

People hope to see friends or relatives among those still returning as death toll from mass crossing nears 100Hundreds of people have gathered in the northern Moroccan town of Fnideq, near the border with Spain’s Ceuta, flashing photos of their missing loved ones to passersby in the hope of tracking them down.Their perch was the same small tranche of land that made headlines around the world last week as extraordinary scenes emerged of about 72,000 people making their way into Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory in north Africa. Continue reading...

Two-term Democrat faced attacks from the left and right while defending a House seat in a territory Trump wonThe Democratic representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez secured one of two spots in the state of Washington’s crowded, all-party primary, overcoming criticism from both the left and the right to advance in one of November’s most closely watched US congressional races.The two-term Democrat – known for bucking her party on key issues – heads into the general election as she seeks to defend a district carried by Donald Trump in 2024 and a district that remains central to the battle for control of the House of Representatives. She will face the Republican state senator John Braun in November. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Warren Pickering told 2025 podcast mass deportations ‘not a reality’ in Australia and suggested politicians over 55 should ‘handball it to the next generation’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s Victorian leader has previously said mass deportations in Australia are “not a reality” and “won’t happen”, in newly unearthed comments which raise further questions about Pauline Hanson’s signature policy to deport 75,000 people she says have overstayed visas.Warren Pickering, on Monday unveiled as the party’s leader for Victoria’s November state election, also previously conceded in niche podcast interviews that the party ran so-called “ghost candidates” who didn’t actively campaign in order to harvest more Senate votes. Continue reading...

As home affairs minister’s National Press Club address is postponed, refugee advocates lament missed ‘opportunity to bring Australians together’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLabor will introduce new rules to cut net overseas migration and push temporary residents to leave Australia, despite a major speech on the subject by the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, being delayed.But government sources told Guardian Australia the policy changes would not push net overseas migration lower than the existing target of 295,000 people this financial year. Continue reading...