US federal judge blocks New York’s ban on ICE officers wearing masks

• Air strikes, shelling, and shooting continued in Gaza over the weekend, resulting in dozens of casualties, including civilians, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. • Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported over 150 fatalities during July, marking the highest monthly death toll recorded so far this year.

• Ukraine has appointed Umerov to lead a combined portfolio overseeing foreign intelligence, peace negotiations, and defense-technology priorities. • His key responsibilities include managing critical military initiatives, specifically drone procurement deals and the Freyja anti-ballistic program.

Poetry sales surpassed £8m in the first 30 weeks of 2026 and are expected to reach a record high this year thanks to blockbuster adaptation of Homer’s 2,700-year-old poemUK poetry sales are on course to reach a record high this year, buoyed by the success of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.Poetry sales surpassed £8m during the first 30 weeks of 2026, an increase of 13.3% on the same period last year, according to data from market researchers NielsenIQ. Continue reading...

Federal police say those who vandalised a defence manufacturer and torched nearby cars could face life imprisonmentGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnti-weapons protesters who vandalised a defence manufacturer and set nearby vehicles alight could face life imprisonment after police said the incident was being investigated as an act of terrorism by “far-left extremists”.The Australian federal police, their Victorian counterparts and spy agency Asio are examining whether the incident at Melbourne-based Lovitt Technologies on 5 July 2025 was potentially perpetrated by “far-left extremists, motivated by anarchist and revolutionary ideologies”, a joint statement said. Continue reading...

Rhys Ifans, Matthew Rhys, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Mark Lewis Jones among actors voicing characters from 1977 blockbusterThere are a few links between the Star Wars franchise and Wales, including the secretive building of the Millennium Falcon in an old hangar in the far south-west of the Celtic nation.But until now speakers of Welsh – Cymraeg – have not been able to hear the words of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia spoken in their own language. Continue reading...

Comparisons of live and archived pages show more than 20 mentions have been removed, including in reference to the gender pay gapGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastReferences to “gender equality” have been removed from the Queensland Office for Women’s website amid claims by former staffers that the Liberal National party government wants to “dewokify” the public service.Guardian Australia has seen an email from a manager, sent in January, tasking staff with scanning the website for the word “gender” so that it could be “reframed”. Continue reading...

Education minister Jason Clare says the results showed ‘real challenges’ but numeracy scores were hearteningFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastReading and writing scores are going backwards for almost every age group in Australia’s national standardised school tests, with one in three students still failing to meet Naplan benchmarks.This year’s tests were taken in March by 1.2 million students across years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to measure literacy and numeracy proficiency, with results released on Wednesday by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara). Continue reading...

Class action claims Indigenous staff were called slurs, exposed to racist language and paid less for doing the same workWarning: This article contains racist and offensive language directed at First Nations peopleGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAboriginal community police officers are suing the Northern Territory government and the NT police force alleging systemic discrimination and underpayment, the widespread use of racist slurs against Indigenous colleagues and community members, and abuse spanning nearly three decades.The class action, on behalf of Aboriginal community police officers (Acpos or Apos) who worked in the NT between 1998 and 2025, is led Shawn Lewfatt, a Darwin man who has served as an Acpo since 1998. He said decades on the job had left him dreading putting on his uniform. Continue reading...

Blanche, one of Trump’s most trusted legal aides, had confirmed in writing that $1.8bn slush fund for president’s allies was deadThe US Senate judiciary committee voted along party lines to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general after he confirmed in writing that a planned $1.8bn slush fund for Donald Trump’s allies was dead. Experts say, however, that Trump could easily reverse the deal.His nomination will now proceed to the full Senate, where it will likely face intense skepticism from Democrats. Continue reading...

The former Liberal finance minister was questioned by Icac counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer, on TuesdayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe bombshell came in the last five minutes of former finance minister and rightwing powerbroker Damien Tudehope’s examination before the Independent Commission Against Corruption.At 3.30pm on Tuesday, Tudehope was shown an email which he sent in February 2023, attaching a leaked draft parliamentary report into branch stacking in the Hills area by the Reformers, the shadowy group at the centre of Icac’s Operation Rosny. Continue reading...

Probation inspector says ‘clunky’ system needs upgrade and huge increase in staff to monitor offenders effectivelyThe electronic tagging system which will be relied upon to monitor thousands of offenders released early from prison is failing to alert the authorities of potential breaches of conditions, a watchdog has warned.Martin Jones, HM inspector of probation in England and Wales, said the current system relies upon hard-pressed police and probation officers looking up individual cases and then deciding whether potential breaches need to be investigated further. Continue reading...