Top World News
Fake US thinktank set up and funded by Israel sought to game AI for propaganda
In effort to prime chatbots to make pro-Israel arguments the site published 124 reports, over 560,000 words in nine days, Guardian analysis shows A pro-Israel messaging website badged with the name of a thinktank that does not exist has published more than half a million words in nine days, built on a commercial platform that promises to optimize content so that AI chatbots will cite it.The site gives Israel’s position on subjects including the torture of Palestinian prisoners, Israeli war crimes and whether Israel has deliberately starved Palestinians in Gaza, all presented as neutral research. Continue reading...
‘National scandal’: extreme heat linked to 40,000 deaths in England between 1988 and 2025
ONS data shows rising toll of climate crisis, with officials warning this summer on track to set further recordsMore than 40,000 more people died on the hottest days in England between 1988 and 2025 than would be expected in normal temperatures, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday.The figures do not include this summer, when England has sweltered under a succession of heatwaves and is on track to record its highest ever number of heat-related deaths. The UK Health Security Agency announced on 30 July that an estimated 2,877 people had died in the May and June heatwaves alone. The total is almost double the figure for the whole summer in 2025. Continue reading...
15 Infants Charred To Death After AC Compressor Blast At Pakistan Hospital
The fire started after an air conditioner compressor exploded inside the nursery at the hospital on Wednesday morning.
Bill Gates calls for ‘human reserved’ jobs in face of AI takeover
Microsoft co-founder also expresses concern governments not prepared for technology’s impact in 6,000-word essayBusiness live – latest updatesBill Gates has called for “human reserved” jobs in certain sectors to prevent AI replacing them, and expressed concern that governments are not prepared for the impact the technology will have.In a 6,000 word essay titled The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make are critical, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder likened the need to spare roles from digital encroachment to how nature reserves operate to protect the environment. Continue reading...
Dominic Perrottet’s sister-in-law denies lying under oath to protect husband over allegedly illegal donations, Icac hears
Anita Perrottet tells an inquiry hearing that hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to her were for ‘strategic and marketing advice’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe sister-in-law of Dominic Perrottet has rejected the suggestion she had been put in an “impossible situation” and lied under oath to cover illegal donations to her husband, an inquiry has heard.Anita Perrottet, wife of Charles Perrottet, told the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to her were for “strategic and marketing advice”. Continue reading...
New data shows record number of arrests and deportations of immigrants in the US
Trump administration has moved away from high-profile, militarized raids as its deportation spree has ramped upThe Trump administration arrested and deported a record number of immigrants in July, according to newly released government data – apprehending an average of 1,500 people and removing 1,100 people daily.This latest data confirms what attorneys and immigrant advocates have been seeing across the US – although the administration has moved away from the high-profile, militarized raids that came to define its immigration enforcement approach last year, it is quietly ramping up its operations. Continue reading...
Productivity Commission says ‘line was crossed’ when WA premier labelled them ‘east coast clowns’ over GST
Commissioner Angela Jackson also said it was ‘disappointing’ that Anthony Albanese had ruled out changes to Western Australia’s GST arrangementsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Productivity Commission has condemned attacks on its integrity as “unacceptable” after its scathing assessment of Western Australia’s sweetheart GST deal as a costly mistake sparked a fierce political backlash and name-calling.Angela Jackson, a productivity commissioner and co-author of the report, said the country’s leading independent economic advisory body welcomed criticism and comments on its work. Continue reading...
Suburban Rail Loop: Victorian government secretly increased public transport fares to help pay for controversial SRL
Labor put ‘levy on all public transport fares in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria’ since January 2025, auditor general finds, as questions raised over premier’s involvement Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQuestions have been raised about Ben Carroll’s knowledge of a “secret tax” the Victorian government has slapped on public transport fares to help pay for the Suburban Rail Loop and other Big Build projects.The existence of the levy was revealed in an auditor general report tabled in parliament on Wednesday, which also threw doubt on whether the first stage of the multibillion-dollar project – a 26km stretch of twin tunnels from Cheltenham to Box Hill dubbed SRL East – can be delivered on time or within budget. Continue reading...
At least 14 newborn babies die in fire at Pakistan hospital’s maternity ward
Authorities at biggest state hospital in Islamabad say 15 babies were in the ward when fire broke outAt least 14 newborn babies have died in a fire that broke out in the maternity ward at one of Pakistan’s most prominent state hospitals.The blaze began in the early hours of Wednesday and engulfed the ward at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, the biggest state hospital in Islamabad. Continue reading...
Heatwaves show UK must do more to promote cycling and walking, campaigners say
Civil society groups argue climate crisis means transport sector needs to urgently reduce its carbon emissionsDozens of civil society groups have demanded the UK government do more to promote cycling and walking, after this summer’s extreme heat exposed the desperate need to decarbonise transport.This summer’s heatwaves and wildfires were “immediate, real-world manifestations of the climate emergency”, the groups said, making reform of transport – responsible for more carbon emissions than any other sector in the UK – an urgent priority. Continue reading...
Tanzania's vice president resigns in test to the country's democracy
Tanzania’s vice president is resigning after less than a year in office
Fire at hospital nursery in Pakistan’s capital kills 14 newborns, officials say
Officials in Pakistan say a fire that erupted at a newborn nursery at a major government hospital in the capital Islamabad has killed 14 babies
