Praises

• Luxembourg has successfully secured its gas supplies for the upcoming winter season to ensure energy stability. • In Germany, the AfD party continues to poll strongly ahead of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt scheduled for this Sunday. • Italy's Brothers of Italy party, led by Giorgia Meloni, will hold a rally in Bari this evening to mark a political milestone and make new announcements.

• GSK is investing £400 million to relocate its research and development center to Cambridge, a move praised by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as a significant "vote of confidence" in the UK's life sciences sector. • The investment aims to strengthen the UK's position as a global hub for medical innovation and scientific research through the development of a state-of-the-art facility. • Simultaneously, global markets are facing volatility as a sell-off in AI stocks has pushed South Korea’s stock market to its lowest level in three months.

Secretary and president of Australian Council of Trade Unions announced surprise departures on Monday eveningThe leadership of the trade union movement is set for a major shakeup after the secretary and president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions announced their surprise departures.The ACTU’s secretary, Sally McManus, and its president, Michele O’Neil, revealed on Monday night they would be stepping down after eight years together. Anthony Albanese described both as personal friends and “giants of the labour movement”. Continue reading...

Prime minister pays tribute to secretary and president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions after surprise announcement. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIn a statement, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, described Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil as personal friends and “giants of the labour movement”.He said:Working families are in a stronger financial position today than they would otherwise be because of the tireless advocacy and strong leadership of Sally McManus and Michele O’Neil.Sally and Michele secured incredible successes for working people in their eight years together leading Australia’s union movement – the first all-female leadership team in the Australian Council of Trade Unions’ 99-year history.Union membership is growing, and workers have over 47 new workplace rights. But of course, there are still big challenges with cost-of-living pressures, AI, and billionaires who have too much wealth and power. Continue reading...

• President Donald Trump visited suburban Detroit on Monday, July 27, 2026, to deliver a speech focusing on the national economy. • During the event, Trump praised his administration's implementation of sweeping tariffs, framing them as a key driver of economic success. • The visit highlights the administration's strategy to leverage trade protections to bolster domestic industry and appeal to voters in industrial hubs.

• The World Peace Forum in Islamabad recently recognized Pakistan's proactive regional diplomacy, with international speakers praising the country's efforts to foster stability. • Senator Mushahid Hussain urged the establishment of a new "World Order" led by the Global South to challenge existing geopolitical imbalances. • The forum emphasized the need for inclusive global governance to better represent the interests of developing nations in international decision-making.

• The European Commission released a new report praising the Hungarian government for making significant progress on sweeping rule of law reforms. • Despite the progress, the EU warned that the election process for the prosecutor general and the prosecution service's structure still risk "undue political interference." • While the report rated Hungary's justice system as efficient, it noted a lack of structured measures regarding the ongoing salary increases for judges and prosecutors.

Pope Leo urged Americans to live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence in his first major address to the USPope Leo has used his first major address to his home country to praise the United States’ history of ⁠welcoming immigrants, urging Americans live up to the ideals put forward in the ⁠Declaration of Independence.In his latest implicit rebuke to Donald Trump, the first US leader of the Roman Catholic church said the word “America” had become ‌a “byword for freedom” across the world because of the way the country welcomed immigrants. Continue reading...

Lincoln Folo has been tasked with helping rebuild after two federal election defeats. Follow liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to the live blog for Sunday 7 June. I’m Josh Taylor and I’ll be bringing you the news for today.The Liberals have appointed a new top strategist as the new federal president, Tony Abbott, begins to make his mark on the party. Continue reading...

Leader mentions for first time lengths to which troops go to avoid falling into enemy hands while fighting for RussiaKim Jong-un has praised North Korean soldiers who blew themselves up with grenades in order to avoid capture while fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s western Kursk region, confirming the existence of the extreme battlefield policy.Mounting evidence, including from intelligence reports and testimonies of defectors, has indicated North Korean soldiers are explicitly told to resort to self-detonation or other forms of suicide to avoid falling into enemy hands. Continue reading...

Remarks marking 250th anniversary of American independence tell US lawmakers: ‘The actions of this great nation matter’King Charles has extolled the importance of Britain’s “special relationship” with the United States in a speech to US Congress that made pointed reference to the importance of Nato, the defence of Ukraine and the climate crisis.In a speech that will be read as a veiled plea to Donald Trump to return to the United States’ traditional European alliances and restore his country’s role as a defender of liberal values, Charles said: “America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence. The actions of this great nation matter even more.” Continue reading...

Nuclear submarine mentioned in part of king’s speech that emphasised defence ties. Follow today’s news liveGet 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’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.Consumer price data coming out today is expected to show the sharp shock that the US-Iran war has dealt to our economy (and our wallets). Continue reading...

Sarah Mullally hails Leo for addressing the ‘many injustices in our world’ after private meeting with pope in RomeThe archbishop of Canterbury praised Pope Leo on Monday for speaking “powerfully about the many injustices” in the world, in an apparent reference to the pontiff becoming more outspoken in recent weeks, particularly in his criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran.Sarah Mullally, who in March became the first woman to lead the Anglican church, arrived in Rome on Saturday for a visit aimed at reinforcing relations with the Vatican. Mullally had a private meeting with Leo, the first US-born leader of the Catholic church, at the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s official residence. Continue reading...