Baby recession deepens in Australia’s biggest cities amid cost-of-living crisis, preliminary data shows 16. July 2025 (17:00) Outer-suburban and regional Australians increasingly likely to give birth to more children per person than inner-city residents, report showsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBaby recessions in Australia’s biggest cities deepened in 2024 amid sustained cost-of-living pressures, dragging the nation’s birthrate to a near-record low in 2024.Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane each saw further declines in the number of children born per woman from 2023 to 2024, according to KPMG’s preliminary analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics population data, barely offset by increases in Perth and in regional Australia.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Albanese’s warm welcome in Beijing shows icy tensions are a thing of the past – at least for now | Tom McIlroy 16. July 2025 (17:00) Local state-controlled media buzzed about the visit, praising the ‘turnaround’ and suggesting relations between the two countries were back on trackGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese may be humming Paul Kelly and Powderfinger when his plane lands back in Australia from China on Friday.After more than two hours of talks with the country’s president, Xi Jinping, a series of successful business events, and a retracing of Gough Whitlam’s steps at the Great Wall, the prime minister is likely to view his six-day visit as a diplomatic home run.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Push to end antisemitism is welcome but envoy’s plan raises concerns, Australia’s race commissioner warns 16. July 2025 (17:00) Giridharan Sivaraman says he hopes to meet Jillian Segal to discuss her proposals and their implications for fundamental rights and freedomsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s race discrimination commissioner has warned there is limited detail in how Jillian Segal’s plan to combat antisemitism would be implemented, and said he would work with her to ensure it does not restrict fundamental rights and freedoms.Giridharan Sivaraman has responded to the antisemitism envoy’s 20-page plan, released last Thursday, which made a range of recommendations, including withholding government funding from universities that “facilitate, enable or fail to act against antisemitism” and monitoring media organisations “to avoid accepting false or distorted narratives”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel strikes Syria’s defence ministry in third day of attacks 16. July 2025 (16:11) Intervention comes as clashes between the Syrian army and Druze militias in the south of the country escalateMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli military struck the Syrian defence ministry in Damascus twice on Wednesday as it intervened in the clashes between the Syrian army and Druze fighters in southern Syria in the country’s deadliest violence in months.The strikes collapsed four floors of the ministry and ruined its facade. Syrian state media said at least two officers had been wounded and staff were reportedly sheltering in the building’s basement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NIH under fire for funding dog tests despite vow to cut animal research 16. July 2025 (16:00) Watchdog says NIH approved $12m in new dog studies months after pledge to reduce animal testingThe US National Institute of Health (NIH) is continuing to fund “cruel and wasteful” animal experiments involving dogs and cats, despite their recent announcement to reduce animal research.The NIH director, Jay Bhattacharya, announced in April the launch of a new initiative to “reduce testing in animals” and prioritise “human-based technologies” such as organ-on-a-chip and real-world data, in a “new era of innovation” in biomedical research. The move seeks to address longstanding translational failures of animal research to predict human outcomes in diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, “due to differences in anatomy, physiology, lifespan, and disease characteristics”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mamdani says he won’t use ‘globalize the intifada’ amid backlash 16. July 2025 (15:05) Democratic NYC mayoral nominee seeks to ease tensions with business leaders and critics over controversial phraseZohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York mayor, has told business leaders in the city he will not use the phrase “globalize the intifada” and discourage others from doing so, according to reports.Mamdani, a democratic socialist who won the Democratic nomination last month, has been under pressure to clarify his position on the phrase that many regard as a call to violence against Jews, and one that he had previously declined to condemn. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump tries to move on amid Epstein files backlash as speaker calls for their release – US politics live 16. July 2025 (14:53) President tries to downplay issue amid growing outrage from conservativesTrump says people interested in Epstein inquiry are ‘bad people’As Democrats reckon with a deep inter-party divide that threatens their ability to repair the party’s image and win back voters, Ken Martin said he was not focused on “internal bullshit” because “most people could care less about the internal drama and soap opera of the Democratic party”.Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, told the Guardian that he knows Democrats have to earn back trust from communities across the country before the midterms. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Erdoğan rival given prison term for threatening Istanbul prosecutor 16. July 2025 (14:50) City’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu says he is being targeted over plan to challenge Turkey’s president in 2028 electionIstanbul’s mayor and Turkey’s leading opposition figure, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has been given a 20-month prison sentence for insulting and threatening the city’s public prosecutor, according to a court document obtained by Agence France-Presse.The case is one of a number lined up against İmamoğlu, the main rival of the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He is already being held over an investigation into alleged corruption. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Prevent scheme missed chances with Amess and Southport killers, report says 16. July 2025 (14:35) Anderson report recommends potential large expansion of Prevent to include individuals with no fixed ideologyThe Prevent anti-terrorism scheme missed chances to protect the public from the attacker who assassinated the MP Sir David Amess, and from the youth who murdered three young girls at a Southport dance class, an official report has found.The report is by David Anderson, the interim independent reviewer of Prevent, the official scheme to spot potential terrorists and turn them away from violence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
At least 20 Palestinians killed in crush at food distribution site in southern Gaza 16. July 2025 (14:34) Gaza Humanitarian Foundation guards used teargas or pepper spray on crowds, say health authorities and witnessesMiddle East crisis – live updatesAt least 20 Palestinians have been killed in a crush at a food distribution site in southern Gaza run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. It happened after GHF guards used teargas or pepper spray on hungry crowds arriving at the centre, Palestinian health authorities and witnesses said.Nineteen people were crushed and one stabbed in a “chaotic and dangerous surge” on Wednesday morning, GHF said in a statement. It did not respond to questions about the use of pepper spray or teargas by its staff at the site near Khan Younis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
