Front pages across the continent reflect on Britain’s political turmoil after Starmer becomes sixth prime minister to quit since 2016<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jun/23/uk-eu-brexit-visegrad-four-czech-republic-hungary-poland-slovakia-latest-news-updates">Europe live – latest updates</a></li></ul>In Germany, Downing Street was likened to a transit station, given the regular comings and goings of different prime ministers and staff. Meanwhile, a bemused Spanish newspaper concluded No 10 seemed to have been fitted with a revolving door.As news outlets across Europe digested the implications of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/22/burnham-prepares-power-emotional-starmer-uk-prime-minister-resignation">Keir Starmer’s precipitous fall from landslide election winner to ousted prime minister</a>, many also focused on a wider reality – Britain’s once much vaunted political stability was a thing of the past. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/23/urope-media-bemusement-downing-street-post-brexit-revolving-door">Continue reading...</a>

Front pages across the continent reflect on Britain’s political turmoil after Starmer becomes sixth prime minister to quit since 2016

Europe’s media look on in bemusement at post-Brexit ‘revolving door’ of UK prime ministers

Move for greater prominence on social media comes as ministers warn online misinformation risk becoming ‘existential for our democracy’Plans to hand established broadcasters and media companies greater prominence on digital platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have been unveiled, as ministers warned online misinformation risked becoming “existential for our democracy”.In proposals that set up a new clash with global tech companies, content from the likes of the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 would have to be awarded more promotion by their algorithms – with special rules considered for times of social unrest or crisis. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jun/22/uk-youtube-tiktok-established-media-prominence-misinformation-risk">Continue reading...</a>

Move for greater prominence on social media comes as ministers warn online misinformation risk becoming ‘existential for our democracy’

UK plans to give established media more visibility on YouTube and TikTok

Network launches ad on The View, which is target of one of two FCC investigations currently seeking public commentThe television network ABC is seeking the public’s backing as it faces simultaneous investigations from the Brendan Carr-led Federal Communications Commission (FCC).The media regulator <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jun/13/abc-fcc-license-trump-kimmel">has two pending inquiries into ABC</a> – one focuses on the daytime talkshow The View, and the other is a broader challenge into whether the network should be able to renew licenses for the eight local television stations it owns. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jun/22/abc-fcc-investigations">Continue reading...</a>

Network launches ad on The View, which is target of one of two FCC investigations currently seeking public comment

ABC encourages viewers to back network amid FCC investigations

Two-thirds of respondents support increasing the 2% digital services tax for multinationalsTaxpayers want the UK to increase levies on giant global technology companies such as Facebook owner Meta, Google and Amazon, a survey of Britons’ attitudes on corporate taxes suggests.The polling released on Monday by the Fair Tax Foundation – abody providing businesses with certification around responsible tax conduct – found that 67% of respondents believe that the government should charge higher digital services taxes on multinational technology groups “to increase their overall tax contribution in the UK”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/22/uk-tax-higher-levies-big-tech-digital-services">Continue reading...</a>

Two-thirds of respondents support increasing the 2% digital services tax for multinationals

UK taxpayers want higher levies on big tech companies, survey shows

Industrial action is biggest escalation yet in months-long dispute with populist government of Andrej BabišThousands of public service media employees in Czechia are holding a 24-hour strike after the government of the billionaire prime minister, Andrej Babiš, pushed ahead with controversial plans to change the way the country’s public broadcasters are funded.Monday’s industrial action by staff at Czech Television and Czech Radio marks the biggest escalation yet in a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/23/czech-journalists-threaten-to-strike-over-plan-to-scrap-licence-fees">months-long confrontation between the broadcasters and Babiš’s populist administration</a>. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/22/czech-television-radio-public-broadcasters-strike-industrial-action-funding-plans">Continue reading...</a>

Industrial action is biggest escalation yet in months-long dispute with populist government of Andrej Babiš

Thousands of staff at Czech public broadcasters strike over funding plans

Investigation finds AI content that purports to show genuine customers, prompting calls for greater transparencyBrands promoting their products online are quietly deploying AI-generated influencers on social media, an investigation has found, prompting calls for greater transparency.The findings suggest companies are increasingly turning to AI-generated content that purports to show genuine customer experiences while giving no obvious indication that the people featured are not real. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/21/brands-using-ai-generated-influencers-to-promote-products-on-social-media">Continue reading...</a>

Investigation finds AI content that purports to show genuine customers, prompting calls for greater transparency

Brands using AI-generated influencers to promote products on social media

Removal of Alan Latham’s firms means there is no longer an entity for creditors to make claims againstA prolific film producer, whose projects have starred <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12825632/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_2_cdt_t_14">Frasier’s Kelsey Grammer</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7051624/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_1_accord_2_cdt_c_31">Four Weddings and a Funeral’s Anna Chancellor</a>, has had scores of his production businesses forcibly removed from the UK’s companies register, leaving workers unable to chase unpaid fees.Alan Latham, whose low-budget films have previously <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/05/mediocre-movies-millions-in-taxpayer-cash-how-scores-of-films-from-low-profile-uk-producers-were-funded-mainly-by-public-money">raised questions over his use of tax credits</a>, has seen 50 of his film businesses compulsorily struck off by Companies House, according to data compiled by the film workers’ union, Bectu. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/21/film-producer-firms-companies-register-alan-latham">Continue reading...</a>

Removal of Alan Latham’s firms means there is no longer an entity for creditors to make claims against

Suppliers unable to chase fees after film producer’s 50 companies are struck off

Literary magazine will no longer engage in ‘external publishing partnerships’ after Commonwealth prize furoreThe prominent literary magazine Granta will no longer publish the winning entries of the annual Commonwealth short story prize after one of this year’s winners drew widespread accusations of AI use.The magazine said it would no longer be involved in “external publishing partnerships” in which it had no editorial control. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jun/20/granta-magazine-commonwealth-short-story-prize-ai">Continue reading...</a>

Literary magazine will no longer engage in ‘external publishing partnerships’ after Commonwealth prize furore

Granta stops publishing short story award winners over AI controversy

<ul><li>England v Croatia attracted year’s highest UK TV figures</li><li>BBC opted for more first-pick games in knockout stages</li></ul>ITV is winning the UK television ratings battle after the first week of the World Cup. Viewing figures from Barb (the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board) show the channel had four of the five highest TV audiences, topped by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/17/england-croatia-world-cup-2026-group-l-match-report">England’s 4-2 win</a> over Croatia on Wednesday.England’s victory in Dallas attracted a peak audience of 15.4 million on ITV and an average of more than 10 million, the highest UK TV viewing figures of the year. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/19/itv-wins-world-cup-ratings-battle-bbc-first-week-england-croatia">Continue reading...</a>

England v Croatia attracted year’s highest UK TV figures

ITV wins World Cup ratings battle with BBC in tournament’s first week

As the former Ofcom chair says extraordinary things about the rightwing channel and its critics, a factcheck would not go amiss• Stewart Purvis is a former editor in chief of ITN; Chris Banatvala is a former Ofcom director of standardsDuring <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002wvfj">a review of his four years at Ofcom</a>, the outgoing chair, Michael Grade, surprised his BBC Radio 4 interviewer. He had been asked by Katie Razzall whether Ofcom rules would allow a politician to present the Today programme apart from the news bulletins. She clearly did not expect him to answer: “Absolutely, absolutely, why not?” “Really?” replied a startled Media Show presenter. “Well, Nick Robinson might be out of a job. He might not be happy to hear that.” The Today presenter was listening and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://x.com/bbcnickrobinson/status/2059666797075333407">immediately posted</a>: “Can anyone remind me when parliament, the public, licence fee payers or anyone else was asked their opinion on this?” None of the 204 people who commented on his post could offer any such reminder.The argument about what the law does and doesn’t say about politicians presenting programmes has been a central thread of Lord Grade’s tenure, as Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, presents his 7pm weekday programme on GB News, covering the political news of the day. Even before Grade’s series of “free of the shackles” interviews became increasingly political with his views on the “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jun/15/gb-news-critics-free-speech-liberal-islington-consensus-michael-grade-ofcom">white majority</a>”, Ofcom felt compelled to distance itself. “Any personal views a former chairman has expressed do not represent Ofcom policy,” it said. The media regulator continues to stand by its handling of GB News, but has Grade accidentally exposed a central flaw during his tenure? And what should we make of his off-the-cuff comments since leaving. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/22/politician-present-bbc-radio-4-today-programme-michael-grade-gb-news">Continue reading...</a>

As the former Ofcom chair says extraordinary things about the rightwing channel and its critics, a factcheck would not go amiss

Don’t worry, a politician can’t present the Today programme. Michael Grade is wrong about that – and GB News | Stewart Purvis and Chris Banatvala

We’re both addicted to our screens. But at least we’re watching together – it’s dystopian bonding for the modern ageTry as I might, I think there’s no saving my son from modern technology. It’s ubiquitous, seductive and deeply ingrained in every aspect of middle-class life. Worse yet, I’m also addicted. When do I not have my iPhone out, desperately scrolling through a suite of apps, hoping they’ll offer me some manner of comfort from the security of my living room couch? Hours go by as I’m practically begging someone to notice me on Instagram, while he’s skipping from brainrot videos to basketball tutorials on our internet-connected TV. Ten years ago, I might have witnessed a scene like that and thought it was a sign of the end times. We’ve lost our way so much as a culture that a parent and a child can be simultaneously subsumed by screens, barely noticing the other person. But at some point, everyone realizes that the battle is lost. This is just how it is.In spite of that grim diagnosis, Keir Starmer – who turned <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/2025-british-politics">snatching defeat from the jaws of victory his personal brand</a> – has made this losing battle a signature issue. This week, the British prime minister announced a comprehensive <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/14/starmer-to-announce-australia-plus-ban-on-social-media-for-under-16s">ban on social media for children under the age of 16</a>. That includes Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, Snapchat and YouTube (though <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ceqdny4l3jdo">not the kids’ version</a>). The ban is modeled on one currently deployed in Australia, which has holes wide enough to drive a fleet of vintage Sherman tanks through. Teenagers in Australia are finding ways around their ban already, and of course they are. When I was 15, if I wanted a six-pack of Budweiser or some of those tiny airplane liquor bottles, I could figure it out.Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/20/social-media-addiction-ban">Continue reading...</a>

We’re both addicted to our screens. But at least we’re watching together – it’s dystopian bonding for the modern age

Social media bans are trending. But it’s too late for my son and me | Dave Schilling

A dynamic new strategy would allow the BBC to redefine what trusted news means, as it is still valued highly in this age of anxietyTiming is all, and the timing of last week’s brutal job cuts at the BBC News could have been better. Not just because the director general Matt Brittin was <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/media/article/bbc-jobs-cut-programmes-axed-wwhw7qxx6">reportedly on holiday</a>, but because the announcement came straight after a new report showed social media platforms and AI chatbots had now overtaken traditional TV channels and websites as people’s first port of call for news.The same <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2026">Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism</a> report also noted higher levels of global uncertainty and anxiety – caused not just by geopolitical instability, economic and environmental fears, but by a loss of trust in institutions, and in the news itself.Jane Martinson is an academic and Guardian columnist. She is a board member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group, and writes in a personal capacity <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/19/bbc-weapon-against-donald-trump-elon-musk">Continue reading...</a>

A dynamic new strategy would allow the BBC to redefine what trusted news means, as it is still valued highly in this age of anxiety

The BBC could be our best weapon against Trump, Musk and fake news. Here’s how that could work | Jane Martinson

Age verification means that the sector’s biggest players will now have access to information that will only make them richer and more powerfulThis week, the UK announced a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2026/jun/15/keir-starmer-announces-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-in-uk-video">wide-ranging ban on social media</a> that will soon block users from communicating or accessing information on apps such as X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat unless they prove that they’re over the age of 16.The prime minister, Keir Starmer, called the policy “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/15/uk-under-16s-social-media-ban-how-will-it-work">a line in the sand</a>”. “Tech giants had their chance and failed,” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/social-media-to-be-banned-for-under-16s-in-landmark-government-move-to-givekids-their-childhood-back">he said</a>, “but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.” All internet users, especially children, should be protected from exploitative systems online, but this new law will only foster more harm and help the largest and most powerful tech companies consolidate power and influence over everyone’s lives.Taylor Lorenz is a technology journalist who writes the newsletter <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.usermag.co/">User Mag</a> and is the author of the bestselling book <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://guardianbookshop.com/extremely-online-9780753560792/">Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet</a> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/19/uk-social-media-ban-under-16s-big-tech-age-verification">Continue reading...</a>

Age verification means that the sector’s biggest players will now have access to information that will only make them richer and more powerful

The UK’s social media ban for under-16s has just empowered big tech | Taylor Lorenz

End of News Feed

Anthropic’s new Claude Tag brings an always-on AI teammate to Slack. But beyond productivity, the feature is a strategic play to capture organizational context, institutional knowledge, and enterprise workflows.

Anthropic’s new Claude Tag brings an always-on AI teammate to Slack. But beyond productivity, the feature is a strategic play to capture organizational c...

Anthropic’s Claude Tag is learning your company, one Slack message at a time

This is the second data breach to affect LastPass customers in recent years, after one of the password manager's tech partners was recently breached.

Password manager maker LastPass says hackers stole customer support case data during Klue breach

HaloBraid aims to help salons speed up braiding with its first device, slated to launch later this year, that acts as a braiding assistant for professional stylists.

HaloBraid aims to help salons speed up braiding with its first device, slated to launch later this year, that acts as a braiding assistant for profession...

HaloBraid raises $7M from Seven Seven Six to end the six-hour hair salon appointment

The smart glasses are available in several countries starting today in a variety of color and lens combinations. 

Meta debuts new, cheaper smart glasses under its own brand

Four days left to save up to $190 on your pass to TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 — the ultimate founder bootcamp — before Early Bird rates end on June 26 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Register today.

Four days left to save up to $190 on your pass to TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 — the ultimate founder bootcamp — before Early Bird rates end on June 26...

4 days left to save up to $190 on TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026

Ribbie lets you follow along live with MLB games with a delightful, arcade-inspired interface.

Ribbie turns real-time baseball stats into arcade-like, pixel-art broadcasts

Stockholm-based startup Fika Jobs is building a video-first hiring platform that combines AI interview agents with short-form video profiles, creating something that feels like a cross between LinkedIn and TikTok.

Stockholm-based startup Fika Jobs is building a video-first hiring platform that combines AI interview agents with short-form video profiles, creating so...

Fika Jobs raises $4M to build a video-first hiring platform where AI agents interview candidates

A running look — in reverse chronological order — at the bigger tech companies that have announced significant layoffs this year with AI as a stated factor.

The running list: major tech layoffs in 2026 where employers cited AI

OpenAI is using AI to help the open source community better protect itself.

OpenAI launches new initiative to help find and patch open source bugs

Whether the Autopilot system was truly active, overridden, or malfunctioning likely won't be resolved until investigators finish combing through the vehicle's data logs.

Whether the Autopilot system was truly active, overridden, or malfunctioning likely won't be resolved until investigators finish combing through the vehi...

Tesla pushes back on Autopilot narrative after fatal Texas crash

The lawsuit, led by a Detroit pension fund, alleges Uber's board and management has cut too many compliance corners, resulting in thousands of lawsuits.

Shareholders sue Uber’s board over sexual assaults, other incidents

The loop takes agentic AI a step further by authorizing a swarm of agents to work continuously in the background, endlessly. 

The AI world is getting ‘loopy’

Microsoft inked a 20-year power purchase agreement with Chevron, locking in decades of carbon emissions from a new natural gas power plant.

Microsoft and Chevron plan one of the largest gas-powered data center projects in US

What does an AI company do after one of those not-acqui-hire deals? Groq raised money, is leaning into its neocloud business, and is hiring new execs.

AI chipmaker Groq confirms $650M raise, re-staffs after Nvidia’s $20B not-acqui-hire deal

Nvidia announced a new cooling system that cuts water use inside the data center. But it does nothing to address AI's biggest water use — fossil fuel power plants.

Nvidia announced a new cooling system that cuts water use inside the data center. But it does nothing to address AI's biggest water use — fossil fuel pow...

Nvidia wants to cut data center water use, but that’s not the same as fixing AI’s water problem

The incident comes as Tata Electronics expands its role in global technology supply chains.

Tata Electronics, a major tech supplier to Apple and Tesla, confirms data breach

European offensive cybersecurity company Paradigm Shift released details of a flaw and a technique to exploit it that opens the door for hackers to unlock and break into older iPhones.

European offensive cybersecurity company Paradigm Shift released details of a flaw and a technique to exploit it that opens the door for hackers to unloc...

A new unpatchable flaw in Apple chips opens the door to an iPhone jailbreak 

Google DeepMind and A24 are teaming up to build AI filmmaking tools. 

Google DeepMind bets $75M on AI’s future in Hollywood with A24 deal

Claude's chatbot may ask to verify your age and identity "in certain circumstances," such as with a passport or driver's license, according to a privacy policy change.

Claude's chatbot may ask to verify your age and identity "in certain circumstances," such as with a passport or driver's license, according to a privacy ...

Anthropic says Claude may want to see your ID

Amazon is planning to increase the footprint of its new conversational AI assistant Alexa+ to India and is inviting users in the country to test out a Hindi-language version.

Amazon is planning to increase the footprint of its new conversational AI assistant Alexa+ to India and is inviting users in the country to test out a Hi...

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