Prisoners in Western Australia are living in ‘cruel, inhuman or degrading’ conditions, report warns 10. June 2026 (02:27) Inspector of custodial services says inmates are sleeping on the floor and denied basic entitlements due to ‘a systemic failure across multiple prisons’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInmates in Western Australia are sleeping on mattresses on the floor of overcrowded cells and subjected to “cruel, inhuman and degrading” conditions, prompting the jails watchdog to call for urgent reform.Most of WA’s correctional facilities are in crisis, with an increased level of harm observed across the system, the state’s inspector of custodial services, Eamon Ryan, said in a report tabled in parliament on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How Spencer Pratt’s ‘patently absurd’ bid for Los Angeles mayor fell flat 10. June 2026 (02:26) The ex-reality TV star, who lost his home in the Pacific Palisades fire, cast himself as the antidote to the city’s woesSpencer Pratt, an ex-reality TV star, cast himself as the antidote to Los Angeles’s woes as he campaigned to be the city’s next mayor.He curried favor with swaths of disillusioned voters who related to his diatribes against city leadership. His fervent social media posts, including re-shares of AI-generated campaign ads showing LA in an apocalyptic light, garnered national attention. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Seattle enacts year-long ban on new AI datacenters 10. June 2026 (02:15) Home city of Amazon and Microsoft passes moratorium as backlash against energy-guzzling AI infrastructure growsSeattle has passed a year-long moratorium on the construction of new datacenters. The city council voted unanimously in favor of the temporary ban on Tuesday.A major tech hub whose metro area is home to Amazon and Microsoft, Seattle is the largest US city to have passed such a moratorium as the backlash against AI infrastructure grows across the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US federal judge blocks Alabama from executing man by nitrogen gas 10. June 2026 (01:51) Emily C Marks finds method proposed to kill Jeffery Lee violates ban on cruel and unusual punishmentA federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Alabama from executing a man with nitrogen gas after declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Alabama became the first state in the nation to use the execution method in January 2024, but has faced repeated legal challenges to its use.Emily C Marks, a US district judge, permanently enjoined the state from executing Jeffery Lee by nitrogen gas. Lee was scheduled to be executed Thursday at an Alabama prison. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Republican Steve Hilton advances in tight California governor’s race 10. June 2026 (01:45) Former UK political operative endorsed by Trump will face off against Democrat Xavier Becerra in November electionRepublican Steve Hilton, the former UK political operative turned Fox News personality, has advanced to the November general election in the race to become California’s next governor, facing off against Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former congressman, state attorney general and US health secretary.Hilton’s success, a remarkable achievement for a recent immigrant, came after he was endorsed by Donald Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Grim reality of prison conditions laid bare in damning report 10. June 2026 (01:02) Inmates in England and Wales live among vermin while gangs control entire wings, monitors warn, with failures ‘at risk of becoming normalised’Staff at immigration detention centre wore England flags, report findsThe independent monitoring board’s annual report of conditions across the prison estate of England and Wales is stark and unflinching.Men and women are held for long periods in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, often living alongside vermin. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Staff at immigration detention centre wore England flags, report finds 10. June 2026 (01:02) Chair of prisons and detention watchdog concerned about intimidating effect as wide-ranging and damning review publishedGrim reality of prison conditions laid bare in damning reportStaff at an immigration detention centre wore England flags pinned to their uniforms while guarding migrants, a report from the prisons and detention watchdog has revealed.Their use by staff at one of the Home Office’s short-term holding facilities to detain migrants is revealed in the Independent Monitoring Boards’ national annual report, published on Wednesday, which is based on 127 annual reports about different prisons, young offender institutions and immigration detention centres. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lammy’s cuts to jury trials could have ‘far-reaching’ effect on race relations, say MPs 10. June 2026 (01:02) Justice secretary’s plans likely to increase black people’s suspicion of court system, committee suggestsDavid Lammy’s planned changes to the criminal courts in England and Wales could have a “far-reaching” impact on race relations, a cross-party committee of MPs has concluded.The deputy prime minister’s plan to remove the right to elect for a crown court trial “has the potential to increase mistrust in the criminal justice system among the black community”, the justice select committee said, because black defendants are more likely to elect for trial. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cattle in England to get tuberculosis vaccine from 2030 as badger cull to end 10. June 2026 (01:01) Targeted vaccination and improved testing planned as part of drive to eradicate disease by 2038Cattle will be vaccinated against tuberculosis from 2030 as a “gamechanging” part of a new strategy to drive eradication of the disease in England by 2038. In parallel, the last badger culls are expected to end by 2029, with vaccination of badgers expanded.More than 20,000 infected cattle are slaughtered each year, costing taxpayers £100m and inflicting a heavy toll on affected farmers’ livelihoods and mental health. Mass culling of badgers began in 2013 and has killed about 250,000 animals, at a cost of about £60m. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
House Republicans approve $70bn bill for Trump’s immigration crackdown 09. June 2026 (23:47) Secure America Act passes largely along party lines in 214-212 vote, ending months-long standoff with Democrats House Republicans on Tuesday approved a $70bn bill funding through the duration of his term the agencies leading Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, ending a months-long standoff with Democrats that at one point forced the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to shutter.The Secure America Act passed in a 214-212 vote that was largely along party lines, with Kevin Kiley, an independent who aligns with the Republicans, joining all Democrats in voting no. The Senate approved the measure last week, which allocates $38bn to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $26bn to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and $5bn more to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through September 2029. The legislation now awaits Trump’s signature. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
