section
Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
3052 stories archived
Burnham wants to ‘recast’ Chagos Islands deal after US resistance
UK PM says he wants ‘a new discussion’ with Washington over the disputed islands UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham has said he wants to “recast” the UK’s deal to cede control of the Chagos Islands after resistance from Washington, which said the agreement could instead be modelled on America’s Greenland deal with Denmark . The prime minister told the Economist he wanted “a new discussion” with the US over the disputed islands, which are home to the Diego Garcia military base. Continue reading...
Abdul El-Sayed’s victory has laid bare a truth about America's view on Israel | Peter Beinart
In Michigan, support for Israel was a kind of political hologram. But the media often made it seem real Among the things that Abdul El-Sayed’s victory last night in the Michigan Senate race revealed is this: the debate over US policy toward Israel does not primarily pit the left versus the right. It pits the top versus the bottom. There was no grassroots enthusiasm in the state for maintaining US military aid and weapons sales to Israel. That view no longer commands support even among ordinary Republicans . There was instead a massive infusion of pro-Israel money, mostly from extremely wealthy people. Peter Beinart is a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times , editor at large at Jewish Currents , a professor at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York , and the author of The Beinart Notebook , a weekly newsletter. His most recent book is Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza Continue reading...
There’s a new feeling in America as kindness drives out cruelty | Margaret Sullivan
For a decade, good-hearted citizens witnessed horrors and insisted: ‘This is not America.’ Finally, the conversation has shifted For the past 10 years – such brutally discouraging years in the United States – we’ve been hearing good-hearted citizens put forth something they believed to their bones. “This is not America,” they would insist as federal agents shot people on city streets, as immigrants were called rapists and animals, as Donald Trump and his cronies stuffed their own pockets while they shrugged at the price of gas and groceries, and humiliated the nation on the world stage, alienating allies and sucking up to autocrats. Continue reading...
Champions League review: comebacks, thrashings and a Mauritanian first
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain flexed their muscles, Manchester United fought back and an unlikely star stole the show for AEK Athens Still without the recovering Vincent Kompany, Bayern Munich are among the favorites to win the Champions League, which would be their first European title since 2019-20. René Marić’s side produced a dominant display at the Metropolitano, playing Atlético Madrid off the field in a commanding 2-0 win. Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer made the difference, with Harry Kane providing Laimer with a fine assist in his first continental appearance since winning the Ballon d’Or. Bayern remain just outside the top eight, which guarantees automatic passage to the last 16, having won two and drawn two of their opening four matches. Continue reading...
BT cuts almost 8,000 jobs amid sweeping cost-saving programme
Telecoms group reports £1.1bn pre-tax profit in six months to end of September and share price touches five-year high Business live – latest updates BT has cut almost 8,000 jobs from its workforce since the end of March, as it pushes ahead with sweeping cost cuts across the business. The telecoms group said its workforce had fallen by 7,731 to 90,000, excluding staff in its international business, which is being spun out in a joint venture with the US telecoms company Verizon. It had a workforce, including contractors, of about 130,000 people two years ago. Continue reading...
Misogyny and sexism of Russell Brand case have not gone away, say TV insiders
Concerns remain that media industry is still failing to confront troubling behaviour Even within the culture of casual misogyny and sexism that pervaded the TV world in the mid-noughties, Naomi Harvey and her colleagues concluded they needed to do something about Russell Brand. Harvey was one of a team of researchers tasked with finding fans of Big Brother, Channel 4’s reality TV juggernaut, to appear on the discussion show Big Brother’s Big Mouth, hosted by Brand. Continue reading...
UK and US condemn ‘cruel’ second jail term handed to Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong
Foreign Office says 10-year sentence shows city’s security law is being used to ‘target individuals for political expression’ Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong sentenced to 10 years in prison in national security case The UK and the US have condemned the 10-year sentence given to Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong under a controversial national security law. Wong, 30, was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty to “foreign collusion” under the law. He is the only person to have been prosecuted twice under the legislation that critics say has been used to silence political opposition in the city. Continue reading...
What can Andy Burnham learn from the ‘blue wave’ in the US? – podcast
As Donald Trump licks his wounds from a bruising set of midterm election results, the UK will look nervously to what he might do on the international stage in order to cement his legacy. Plus, Pippa and Kiran discuss what lessons Labour can take from the Democrats, and ask if they in turn can learn from Andy Burnham’s rise to power Continue reading...
Amtrak workers’ union denounces plan to let passengers bring guns on trains: ‘Sheer lunacy’
New policy would permit passengers to take firearms to their seats in lockboxes on 1,500 trains a day across the US The Transport Workers Union, which represents 360 onboard service workers at national passenger rail operator Amtrak, has lambasted the planned implementation of a new policy that would permit passengers to bring their guns on its US intercity trains. The forthcoming protocols will allow people to carry on firearms in personal lock boxes. Continue reading...
Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault
Jury returns guilty verdicts after three-and-a-half week trial in which the former comedian denied allegations spanning 10 years Russell Brand has been found guilty of raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others over the course of five years of his showbusiness career. Brand, 51, was described during his trial as a ruthless, calculated and manipulative sexual predator. He was accused of raping women in a hotel room, in a bar toilet and at his luxury London townhouse. He sexually assaulted women in front of his entourage at their workplaces, including at a radio station and TV studio. Continue reading...
‘It’s kind of a melting pot’: how one US city transformed a highway into a leafy oasis
The BLVD is home to 250 enterprises, from banks, tattoo shops and restaurants to museums and a performing arts centre Passing through the Mojave desert on State Route 14, going by landscapes Hollywood uses to represent alien planets, a driver might not expect to find a walkable, tree-lined boulevard. But there are nine beautiful, leafy blocks on West Lancaster Boulevard, a piece of what used to be Highway 14. They were redeveloped as part of a mixed-use urban streetscape in the city of Lancaster, California in 2010. The BLVD, as it’s been rebranded, is home to 250 public and private enterprises, from banks, tattoo shops and restaurants to museums, a performing arts centre and a public library. City Hall is just a block south. The city invested $11.5m (£8.5m) to transform a busy thoroughfare into an inviting public space. The three lanes in the centre of the former five-lane road were replaced by a series of tree-lined ramblas – Spanish for “avenue” and “watercourse,” because dry stream beds served as streets in early cities. The redesign was planned and funded by the city of redevelopment agency. Within four years of completion, it had generated more than $270m in economic output, attracted $130m in investment, created hundreds of jobs and prompted the building or renovation of hundreds of housing units, according to the city. The revitalisation has also created more intangible benefits, residents say.. The city centre the feels like a gathering space, they said — somewhere where they can feel like part of a community. Continue reading...
One Nation asks donors at $3,000-a-head Sydney fundraiser to accept ‘non-disclosure agreement’
Transparency experts raise concerns about plans to use NDA to gag attendees at event featuring Pauline Hanson in lead-up to NSW election Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation is attempting to gag donors from ever revealing details of discussions at an invite-only, cocktail-dress fundraiser with the party’s senior leadership team, in a move described as a “worrying precedent” for democracy. Invitations to the “very special evening” at an undisclosed central Sydney venue next Thursday show donors will be charged $3,000 for a “private and very discrete” four-hour event. Continue reading...
Australians are yet to see the benefits of AI and datacentres – and US midterms show they could be political kryptonite
Albanese should tread carefully as he struggles to make case for how the new technology will benefit ordinary voters Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast When will Australia see the benefits of the AI and datacentre boom? So far, all we’ve seen is the possibility of changes to copyright which would hurt Australian creatives , special rules about power and water use, and the threat of mass displacement or replacement of workers, with the trade-off being a mere 10% chance of human extinction . Now add the Reserve Bank’s assessment this week that datacentres were part of growing “inflationary pressures” when lifting interest rates to an 18-year high . Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...
Seeing Trump and his acolytes lose so spectacularly is powerful schadenfreude for millions across the globe
Trump is still president, and we don’t know where things will go from here – but sometimes it just feels good to see some terrible people have a terrible time The last couple of days have been very bad for Donald Trump. Of course, in Trump’s usual style, he is denying that the Republican loss at the midterms has anything to do with him – but we all know it does. While I fear the Democrats will not use this decisive moment to exercise some ambition and take meaningful action, the goings-on of the last couple of days have been undeniably fun to watch. Seeing so many conservatives lose in such a spectacular way has blessed millions across the globe with powerful schadenfreude. It is a much needed moment of relief, an experience of positivity to rejuvenate our ailing nervous systems (or whatever biology does). Sometimes you just need to see some terrible people have a terrible time. For me, it’s just been the icing on a cake I’ve been dining out on for the last couple of months: watching Trump supporters watch Trump describing other men’s bodies in detail. Continue reading...
Yemen’s president sacks ministers and officers in attempt to turn tide of war
Dismissals follow Houthi victories and pressure from southern Yemenis for more power The UN-recognised government of Yemen has shaken up its political and military leadership in an attempt to regain territory lost to the Houthis in September and lift the four-week siege of Taiz , the country’s third largest city. A counteroffensive launched on 5 October and aimed at liberating the entire country from Houthi control has failed amid fighting that has left thousands dead on both sides. The air superiority of the government’s ally Saudi Arabia – which has had to fend off near-daily Houthi attacks on its airports and military bases – has not translated into progress on the ground. Continue reading...
Trump tries to get 2024 conviction in hush money corruption case thrown out
President’s lawyers will try to persuade appeals court to toss criminal trial verdict over $130,000 sent to Stormy Daniels Donald Trump’s legal team on Thursday plan to continue efforts to get his 2024 conviction in the hush money election corruption case thrown out. Attorneys for the US president will try to persuade a New York appeals court to toss the criminal trial verdict from May 2024, when Trump was found guilty on all charges of falsifying business records in the hush-money corruption scheme to influence his eventual victory in the 2016 presidential election . Continue reading...
Republican wipeout in US midterms sends Europe’s far-right a message on voter concerns
European far-right leaders quick to distance themselves from Donald Trump and stress their own priorities Europe live – latest updates US midterms live – latest updates The historic Republican defeat in the US midterm elections has forcibly reminded Europe’s far-right leaders of their perennial Donald Trump dilemma: they may love his nativist agenda, but the man himself is a toxic electoral liability. Since his re-election in 2024, European populist leaders such as Marine Le Pen in France and Giorgia Meloni in Italy have carefully calibrated their public postures towards the US president, walking a delicate transatlantic tightrope. Continue reading...
Six people dead and seven injured after fire at Brooklyn home
Hundreds of first responders worked to control the blaze, and a lithium-ion battery was found at the scene Six people died in a fire that roared through a residential home in New York City early on Thursday and seven others were injured, including three firefighters, the city’s fire department said. The major fire was reported in the early hours in Brooklyn and brought more than 200 first responders rushing to attend to the blaze and those trapped by it, in the city borough’s Sunset Park neighborhood. Continue reading...
Henry Nowak’s killer should have had longer sentence, court of appeal hears
Attorney general challenging Vickrum Digwa’s ‘unduly lenient’ sentence, which lawyer for Digwa says is ‘excessive’ Vickrum Digwa, the killer of Henry Nowak, should have received a longer sentence because of his false accusations of racism against his victim and his abuse of a religious right to carry a knife, the court of appeal has been told. Digwa, 23, was jailed in June for life with a minimum term of 21 years for murdering Nowak, 18, in an attack in Southampton in December last year. Continue reading...
Interest rate rise in midst of cost of living crisis will leave many incredulous
Bank’s decision goes contrary to analysis from Office for Budget Responsibility that predicts lower inflation and little impetus for wage growth Bank of England raises interest rates to 4% Business live – latest updates An interest rate rise by the Bank of England to 4% is a big call when households are suffering from a second cost of living crisis in four years. Many people will be incredulous when they hear of the decision to increase the cost of borrowing by 0.25 percentage points, looking around their neighbourhood for signs of a booming economy. Continue reading...
Cut number of police forces in England to as few as nine, review recommends
Review by ex-Met chief, expected to be published within weeks, calls for reduction from 39 forces to between nine and 18 The number of police forces in England should be cut from 39 to as few as nine super forces, an official review ordered by the government has concluded. The review, carried out by the former Met police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, is yet to be published. Doubts are growing among some chief constables about the radical plans contained in Lord Hogan-Howe’s review. Continue reading...
Shabana Mahmood accused of hardening immigration plans for 200,000 successful asylum applicants
Cohort who were told they could apply for indefinite leave now face ‘distress and uncertainty’ over 30-year ‘earned settlement’ plans Shabana Mahmood has been accused of causing “distress and uncertainty” to hundreds of thousands of refugees by quietly introducing plans to force them to wait up to 30 years before being granted the right to settle in the UK. The Refugee Council said the home secretary’s hardening of plans came despite her personal reassurances last year that only “illegal entrants who are not refugees will face a 30-year wait for settlement”. Continue reading...
‘Revenge of the nerds’: US midterms deliver a win for science – and a rebuke of Maha
The wins for Democrats come after years of cuts and upheaval to US health and science infrastructure A political organizations behind a wave of Democratic doctors and scientists winning elections up and down the ballot is calling the stunning rebuke of Trumpism the “Stem swing” and “revenge of the nerds”. The wins come after years of cuts and upheaval to US health and science infrastructure, as Democrats spent big on health-related ads and as voters rejected the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement. Continue reading...
Bomb threats disrupt at least 15 flights across Europe, raising hybrid war fears
Planes forced into emergency landings or diversions two days after hoax alerts affected air travel Europe live – latest updates Bomb threats have caused diversions and emergency landings for at least 15 flights across Europe , renewing questions about a possibly coordinated effort to disrupt travel. The series of warnings on Thursday morning affected flights between Italy, Ireland, the UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Greece and Czechia. Continue reading...