Place

Removal of Soviet-era statues sped up when Russia seized Crimea in 2014, and since Putin’s 2022 invasion has moved at pace as Ukrainians question their identitySince 2013 the plinth at the bottom of Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv has been eerily empty. The scruffy monument is daubed in white paint and graffiti. Someone has stuck a Ukrainian trident where Lenin once stood, gazing down during the years of Soviet communism. A crowd toppled the sculpture during Ukraine’s Maidan revolution, which ousted the pro-Russian government, and smashed it with sledgehammers.In June, Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed putting a new figure on the plinth: Ivan Mazepa, a Cossack military and political leader, who broke with Moscow and fought for Ukraine’s independence. “I am certain that where Lenin fell, Mazepa will stand firm,” Zelenskyy said. He spoke next to a bust of Mazepa in the Pechersk Lavra, an ancient Kyiv monastery hit by Russian missiles. Continue reading...

• Scholars Aslı Bâli and Samuel Moyn argue that the international community must stop mourning the decline of the American-led world order and begin constructing a new multipolar system. • A central proposal is for great and middle powers to commit to ending the practice of instigating or intensifying proxy wars to weaken geopolitical rivals. • The authors distinguish between providing defensive support to states resisting aggression and taking measures designed to prolong conflicts for strategic gain.

Doctors and MPs urge more scrutiny of £300m deal for company behind system used by most GPs in EnglandA US private equity firm will take control of NHS patient records in a deal experts say should “ring alarm bells” amid concerns sensitive health data is increasingly being handed to private companies.The investment firm TPG has bought Optum UK, the healthcare technology business behind the electronic patient record system used by most GP practices in England, in a deal worth about $400m (£300m). Continue reading...

• PageMind has raised €1.2 million in funding to expand its AI-driven product discovery tools for the e-commerce sector. • An unnamed AI medical imaging marketplace secured $10 million to scale its operations and technology. • AMD has launched the Helios AI Rack-Scale System, positioning the company to compete more directly with Nvidia in the high-performance AI hardware market.

• Netflix is expanding its movie library in late July 2026, adding high-profile titles including the horror prequel 'A Quiet Place: Day One' and a new drama starring Cate Blanchett. • A major addition is 'Bugonia,' a black comedy and sci-fi blend directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, which satirizes Pizzagate conspiracy culture. • 'Bugonia' has already gained critical acclaim, earning four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress, and is positioned as a potential cult classic.

• NASA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather input on a potential upcoming prize competition focused on science and innovation. • Interested parties must submit responses to specific topics, with a character limit of 3,000 (approximately 500 words) per response. • This process allows NASA to solicit external expertise and innovative ideas to help the agency explore the unknown in air and space for the benefit of humanity.

Anthony Albanese will cast ‘practical’ policies as the key to countering the anxiety and frustration in AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastStudents in 10 fields including physiotherapy, speech pathology and clinical psychology will receive financial assistance to complete mandatory placements under a major expansion of the federal government’s paid work experience program.The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will make the announcement in a speech to open the Labor national conference on Thursday, which will cast “practical” policies as the key to combating the anxiety and frustration gripping the electorate. Continue reading...

Mykhailo Drapati new head of the armed forces as Mykhailo Fedorov returns to government after mass protestsVolodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Ukraine’s commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered a “prominent position” to the defence minister he sacked last week in a move that sparked nationwide protests.In a late-night TV address, Zelenskyy said he was appointing Mykhailo Drapati, a popular and innovative general, as the new head of Ukraine’s armed forces. Drapati would oversee a reorganisation of the army’s command structure, Ukraine’s president said. Continue reading...

• Former Microsoft AI leaders and the team behind the $160 million Maluuba acquisition have launched Skyfall AI. • The venture plans to spend $1 million to acquire a SaaS company and appoint an AI agent as its CEO to manage operations. • This experiment aims to prove that agentic AI can handle executive leadership, challenging the founders' own current view that today's LLMs are not yet fully competent.

Ex-Maine senate president is frontrunner to replace Platner, who ended his campaign after sexual assault allegationsTroy Jackson – a logger, longtime legislator and former president of the Maine senate – is now poised to become the Democratic nominee in Maine’s US Senate race. His rise comes after the party’s previous nominee, Graham Platner, abruptly ended his campaign earlier this month following allegations of sexual assault from a former partner.Platner’s withdrawal set off a frantic scramble inside the Maine Democratic party. Several contenders filed paperwork to be considered at a 25 July special convention of 601 delegates tasked with selecting a new nominee. But over the weekend, Jackson’s serious challengers dropped out one after another, clearing a swift and unobstructed path for him. Jackson, who lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary earlier this year, is now the presumptive choice. Continue reading...

Former state legislator in strong position to become Democratic candidate after several appointments drop out over the weekend In other news, the Trump administration has filed a first-ever petition to a secretive and dormant court created 30 years ago to consider government requests to deport so-called “alien terrorists” from the US.The Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC) was established in 1996 but had never received a petition until Wednesday, when the US justice department filed an application seeking the removal of an individual whose name is withheld from the single-page document posted on the court’s website. Continue reading...

• France and England will face each other in the World Cup third-place playoff, rebranded as the "bronze final," in Miami this Saturday. • The match is viewed by some as a commercial exercise to maximize the tournament's product, though the playoff remains a historical staple of the World Cup. • This fixture determines the final podium ranking for the two teams after their respective semi-final losses.

• England and France are facing off in the third-place play-off match of the 2026 World Cup, held in Miami. • The match highlights Harry Kane's struggle to impact major tournament knockout stages, having scored only two goals across four semi-finals and two finals for England. • Analysis suggests Kane's low scoring rate in these high-stakes games is due to England's tactical lack of adventure and failure to utilize their primary attacking threat.

Rain could alleviate conditions in mid-Atlantic and north-east, with World Cup final expected to go ahead on SundayWarnings of dangerous conditions are expected to remain in place on Saturday across swathes of the US, amid uncertainty about where the heavy wildfire smoke swirling from the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of Minnesota will head next.Some parts of the US mid-Atlantic and north-east regions will continue to endure poor air quality until Saturday afternoon, where there is a high chance of thunderstorms, which could bring some reprieve from the poor air but come with other risks like flash flooding and high winds. Meanwhile, parts of the midwest and Great Lakes regions will continue to see dangerous air quality. Continue reading...

• AI Appreciation Day has highlighted a growing divide regarding the risks and rewards of integrating artificial intelligence into the workplace. • Experts warn that rushed AI rollouts without clear goals and oversight can lead to wasted expenditure and increased operational risks. • Conversely, successful implementations have demonstrated significant gains, including up to 60% revenue growth, 30% higher margins, and four times greater capacity.

For one placement, black applicants had a less than 1 in 100 chance of being offered a place, NHS data showsBlack doctors in England are four times less likely to be offered a training place than their white counterparts, according to analysis.As part of their medical training, doctors across the NHS are able to apply to placements within specific branches of practice such as psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine. Continue reading...

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...

Prime minister’s plan will create energy regulations for datacentres in AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEnvironmental and community groups have called for a pause on datacentre development until new regulations are in place after Anthony Albanese promised “greater clarity and speed” over their approval.In his landmark speech on artificial intelligence at the University of Sydney on Wednesday, the prime minister said Australia would create a legal obligation for large-scale datacentres to underwrite new power supply, pay their full share of grid connection, and add as much energy to the grid as they take out of it. Continue reading...

Americans warned to be on alert for heat-related illness as parts of country experience record high temperaturesExtreme heat warnings are in place for large swaths of the United States this week, as an unusual weather pattern eclipses record temperature highs.In Billings, Montana, residents experienced a sweltering 111F (43.9C) on Sunday, the hottest day in its history. Salt Lake City in Utah also hit an all-time record high on Sunday at 109F (42.8C). Boston has seen more 90F (32.3C) days than average, according to NPR station WBUR-FM. Continue reading...

Repeated heatwaves, driven by climate crisis, have raised need for guidance as workers struggle to cope Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is backing calls for a maximum workplace temperature as pressure grows on the government to protect workers from the impact of repeated heatwaves across the UK.The extreme heat, driven by the climate crisis, has left people struggling to cope as temperatures in some workplaces climb above 40C, causing thousands of schools to close, and hospital and transport systems to break down. Continue reading...

Police investigating Hamish Tait – who faces 329 child abuse charges – have released list of 55 locations where he worked or attendedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA federal police investigation into an accused paedophile facing more than 300 child abuse charges has expanded to a remote community in South Australia.Hamish Tait, 35, faces 329 charges of child abuse between 2009 and 2025 while working across 62 centres. Continue reading...

• Hundreds of prominent economists and tech leaders from organizations including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic signed a letter warning that AI could lead to "large-scale job displacement." • The signatories are urging immediate action to ensure that AI advancements complement human labor and provide broad societal benefits rather than causing economic instability. • This warning comes amid an intense global competition between the U.S., China, and other nations to dominate the AI sector and lead in technological innovation.

• The European Union has sanctioned nine individuals and four entities linked to "Centre 16," a unit within Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) that directs the Turla hacking group. • These sanctions, which include asset freezes and travel bans, target intelligence officers and cybercriminals who conducted malicious activities against European governments, industry, and infrastructure. • Simultaneously, the United Kingdom announced its own set of sanctions on Monday, targeting 24 individuals and entities with ties to Russian intelligence.

• Senior banker and investor relations professional Gulamaly Hussain cautioned that AI should support, rather than replace, investor judgment during a virtual interaction with startups, SMEs, and students. • Hussain acknowledged that while AI has significantly increased the speed and accessibility of investment research, it lacks the essential human discipline and sound financial thinking required for complex decisions. • This perspective highlights the critical need for a hybrid approach to finance, where technology handles data processing while humans provide the strategic oversight and ethical judgment.

• Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has died suddenly at the age of 71, leaving Congress in mourning. • His death creates a critical vacancy for Senate Republicans, who currently hold a narrow 52-47 majority amid ongoing uncertainty regarding Mitch McConnell's health. • The loss is particularly impactful for acting attorney general Todd Blanche, who relied on Graham's support for his Senate judiciary committee confirmation hearing this Wednesday.

Lawmakers face obstacles, including demands from Trump, Mitch McConnell’s absence and Graham’s sudden deathHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Republican lawmakers return to the Capitol this week after the unexpected death in office of Lindsey Graham, as the party seeks to appoint a new senator to see out his term.The Senate judiciary committee has scheduled two days of confirmation hearings for Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general Trump has nominated to the post, though it was unclear if the death of Graham, who served on the committee, will affect the schedule. The intelligence committee has separately announced that the confirmation of Clayton is back on.Republicans in both chambers remain confounded by Trump’s renewed fixation on the Save America Act, which would ban mail-in ballots and impose new rules on voting nationwide. The measure, a version of which was approved by the House of Representatives earlier this year almost entirely with Republican votes, has no path through the Senate, where it faces opposition from Democrats and some in the GOP.Ro Khanna accused the Israeli government and military of “lying” on Sunday about the US congressman’s detention by armed settlers and Israeli soldiers during a recent visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Khanna – a California Democrat – had posted video evidence on social media of Israeli settlers and soldiers blocking the path of his convoy on Wednesday in the South Hebron hills, near the village of Zanuta, where Israelis have driven Palestinians from their homes in what Amnesty International calls a government-backed “ethnic cleansing campaign”. Continue reading...

Byelection winner says heatwaves are causing ‘absolute chaos’ and workers need protection from unsafe conditionsHannah Spencer is to introduce a bill in parliament that would pave the way for a maximum workplace temperature in the UK, as the country grapples with increasingly frequent heatwaves.If passed, the legislation will create an independent body to recommend maximum safe workplace temperatures and set out how those recommendations should be implemented. Continue reading...

Platner’s former backers are seeking ‘real progressive’ to prevent nomination going to establishment DemocratUS politics live – latest updatesProgressive groups and lawmakers who rallied behind Graham Platner’s insurgent bid for a US Senate seat are now racing to decide where to transfer their support after his withdrawal from the Maine race following yet another allegation of sexual assault.The scramble and apparent heartbreak underscores the uncertainty facing the coalition surrounding Platner’s anti-establishment message, and the response from more centrist Democrats to proceed with caution. Organizations, voters, volunteers and elected officials that once saw him as a vehicle for a more populist progressive agenda are now weighing whether to unite behind a successor, or hold back until the party’s replacement process plays out. Continue reading...