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Politics
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‘All the persuasiveness of a North Korean newscast’: Democrats decry Fetterman video at GOP convention
Surprise appearance by Pennsylvania senator raises fresh questions over loyalty to and future in Democratic party The Democratic senator John Fetterman’s decision to address the Republican National Committee (RNC) midterm convention via video sparked a furious response from some members of his party. Fetterman’s surprise appearance – and praise of his fellow Pennsylvania senator, Republican Dave McCormick – raised fresh questions over his loyalty to, and future inside, the Democratic party. Continue reading...
The hospitality industry fears a tourist tax will deter visitors – the evidence says otherwise
Studies from hotspots across Europe that have introduced levies suggest they have no impact on visitor numbers If you wandered down Las Ramblas or lazed on a beach in the Balearics this summer, you probably paid a tourist tax for the privilege. In fact, if you enjoyed any of Europe’s beauty spots in recent years, it is likely that an overnight levy was added to your bill. Britons have become used to paying these fees abroad but ministers have shied away from introducing them in the UK. The furious response from UK hospitality bosses helps to explain why. Continue reading...
Four people in hospital after reports of stabbing in south-east London
Emergency services dispatched to scene on Bromley High Street on Thursday afternoon Four people have been taken to hospital after reports of a stabbing in south-east London, emergency services said. London ambulance service was called to reports of a stabbing on Bromley High Street at 2.19pm on Thursday. Continue reading...
TV presenter v secret son: the succession dispute engulfing a Ugandan kingdom
Family of late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV reveal son’s existence as they reject committee’s choice of cousin as new monarch A traditional Ugandan kingdom has become engulfed in a bitter succession dispute after the family of a king who recently died rejected the selection of a television news anchor as his successor. King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who became the world’s youngest reigning monarch when he took the throne in the kingdom of Tooro in 1995 at the age of three, died on 27 August in the US, where he was receiving cancer treatment. Continue reading...
Orthodox church sends medieval prince’s remains to Russian troops in Ukraine
Part of Dmitry Donskoy’s right hand sent to ‘spiritually strengthen’ soldiers Europe live – latest updates The Russian Orthodox church has sent a fragment of a medieval warrior prince’s remains to troops fighting in Ukraine, saying the relic would “spiritually strengthen” soldiers and help them achieve victory. A reliquary containing part of the right hand of Dmitry Donskoy, the 14th-century prince revered in Russia for his victory over the Mongolian Golden Horde in 1380, has been taken to Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine and is now being transported along the frontline. Continue reading...
The ‘shared horrific experience’ of 9/11, and its aftermath – in quotes
Twenty-five years later, the Guardian asks US readers how the attacks affected their lives, and their country As the United States commemorates the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed in New York City, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, the Guardian asked American readers to share how the attacks affected their day-to-day lives and the country at large. Many readers shared their feeling of patriotism in the days following the attacks while also highlighting how the government’s response to 9/11 expanded government surveillance and fueled Islamophobia in the country. For those who were adults at the time of the attacks, the day marked a cataclysmic shift. For those too young to remember it, it served as the context for the complicated and violent world they grew up in. Continue reading...
‘I don’t want to be here’: Andrew Hastie was a reluctant but ‘straightforward’ witness in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case
The Liberal MP and former SAS soldier is under attack from One Nation after complying with a subpoena to give evidence in the failed 2022 civil case Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast “I don’t dislike Mr Roberts-Smith at all. I pity Mr Roberts-Smith. I pity this whole process. I don’t want to be here.” Andrew Hastie was a reluctant witness in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case. Hastie appeared only under force of subpoena in 2022: compelled to attend court, obliged to swear an oath, and to tell “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...
Woolworths increased prices of at least four ‘family staples’ during ‘Price Freeze’ promotion
Exclusive: Analysis shows cost of chicken fillets, potatoes and donuts rose during supermarket giant’s three-month promotion Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Woolworths raised prices for popular items – including a 33% mark up on chicken fillets – within days of promising to freeze prices on 300 “family staples” for three months to help customers with the cost of living. Pricing data, compiled by comparison website CW Scanner and provided to Guardian Australia, shows the supermarket chain increasing the prices of at least four key products after starting the three-month “Price Freeze” promotion on 1 May. Continue reading...
Why David Beckham will have my vote for the US Soccer Hall of Fame | Pablo Iglesias Maurer
The Englishman has gotten no shortage of recognition, but his contributions to the American game deserve an official title Sign up for our free newsletter here Next spring, when the US Soccer Hall of Fame welcomes its newest class, there will be pomp and circumstance. The hall, which sits in a corner of Toyota Stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas, will feature the enshrineds’ signature red jackets. There will be glad-handing and speeches from players and coaches, misty-eyed reflections on their upbringings and their careers. Many involved will be American-born soccer legends, of course. Yet every once in a while, a player whose footprint extends well beyond the borders of the United States graces the stage. Such may be the case next year when the hall potentially welcomes English legend David Beckham into the fold. Continue reading...
US supreme court again rejects Missouri congressional maps redrawn to benefit Republicans in midterms
Latest decision appears to set the stage for the state to use its old electoral maps this year The US supreme court again rejected a push backed by Donald Trump to overhaul Missouri’s congressional maps in a bid to hand Republicans an edge in November’s midterm elections. Its latest ruling, after days of confusion following conflicting decisions, appears to set the stage for the state to use its old electoral maps this year. Continue reading...
Florida man scheduled for execution in connection to Hog Trail Murders
Daniel Owen Conahan Jr’s sentence will make him the state’s 15th person executed this year A Florida man was scheduled for execution on Thursday after being convicted of one of a series of suspected killings that became known as the Hog Trail Murders in the 1990s. Daniel Owen Conahan Jr, 72, was sentenced to die by lethal injection for the 1996 kidnapping and strangling of Richard Allen Montgomery. Authorities found Montgomery’s mutilated body in a wooded south-west Florida area where the remains of at least six people have been found over a three-year span. Continue reading...
Trump’s promise of $5,000 ‘dividend’ for US citizens after midterms met with incredulity
Critics call bid for Republican votes ‘bribery’ and point to potential $1.2tn cost added to existing national debt Donald Trump’s promise of a $5,000 “Trump dividend” for every US citizen if Republicans retain control of the US Congress in November’s midterm elections has sparked incredulity and accusations of bribery. “If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” Trump said during the unprecedented Republican midterm convention in Dallas. “It will be called the Trump dividend.” Continue reading...
Two forehands, no backhands: meet the US Open’s fascinating ambidextrous experiment
Teo Davidov doesn’t hit backhands. He serves from both sides. The 16-year-old from Denver is treating the tennis world to a wildly unorthodox style – and proving it’s more than a parlor trick Teo Davidov always has the upper hands. An amiable junior prodigy from Denver, the 16-year-old was the oddest sight at this year’s US Open, the only player in the tournament – man, woman or junior – who hits only forehands. To be clear: it’s not that he doesn’t have a backhand or can’t hit a backhand. He’s ambidextrous and so he doesn’t bother with them. It’s nothing personal. “To be honest, I like the traditional backhand-forehand,” he says. “I like the classiness of it. I like hitting backhands myself just to play around, just for fun.” He hits those from both wings, too. Continue reading...
My plea to MPs: this is the final chance to save the assisted dying bill. Make your mark on history | Polly Toynbee
Any MP not voting for it on Friday will condemn thousands of us to die in agony. The public is hugely in favour too, so do the right thing Once in a while, footsoldiers of the House of Commons, you are able to make history by leaving your own indelible footprints on the social fabric. Eras with a Labour majority always leave a legacy of progressive freedoms – whether on abortion, capital punishment, divorce, gay rights, racial discrimination, gender equality or, last time, civil partnerships. But tomorrow is your final chance to bequeath one of the last freedoms over our bodies: the freedom of the dying to choose when to depart them. The terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which goes for a second reading vote in the Commons tomorrow, gives anyone who is dying the right to request and be provided assistance with ending their lives. If it fails to pass, that’s the end of it for the rest of this parliament: future parliaments may be less progressive. So please, MPs: turn up and vote on Lauren Edwards’s bill , to ensure this Labour era leaves its own great social-reforming milestone. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Republican seeking to implicate Abdul El-Sayed over 9/11 voted twice against benefits for first responders
Mike Rogers has also helped kill other bills that would have provided healthcare to responders and survivors Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican US Senate candidate, has sought in recent weeks to create controversy over old tweets his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed posted about 9/11. He has for example, falsely suggested El-Sayed, who is Muslim, said the US deserved the attack. But, as critics have noted, Rogers has twice voted against healthcare and other benefits for 9/11 first responders and survivors, congressional records show. He has also helped kill other bills that would have provided benefits and healthcare to first responders nationwide. Rogers, a former member of Congress, is vying for Michigan’s open US Senate seat in a tight race that could decide control of Congress during the next session. Continue reading...
Kimmel says he’s interviewing Senate candidate Talarico ‘under unusual circumstances’
Interview will air on YouTube instead of late-night talkshow after FCC ‘threatened’ show and ABC Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel has saidan upcoming interview with the Democratic Senate candidate from Texas James Talarico will not air on ABC, the US network that broadcasts his show, after the federal media regulator “threatened” his show, ABC and its local affiliates. “Tomorrow night I’ll be interviewing James Talarico under unusual circumstances,” Kimmel said during his opening monologue on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Wednesday. Continue reading...
People in the US: how have you coped during this summer of record heat?
We’d like to hear from people about the impact of extreme heat this summer – and if you’ve had your power cut It’s been a record summer of heat in the US with rolling heat domes and July being the hottest month ever recorded in the country , surpassing temperatures stretching back 132 years of reliable measurements, to 1895. July’s temperatures surpassed previous high marks set in July 1936, in the teeth of dust bowl conditions, and in July 2012. We want to hear from people across the US on how they have coped with the heat – and what it has meant for utility bills. Has the heat affected you or your family physically? Have you had to change your daily routines? Have your bills soared with the cost of keeping your home cool? And we especially want to hear from people who have had their electricity cut off during the extreme heat or have had trouble keeping up with utility payments. Continue reading...
Hawaii has often dodged the path of hurricanes. Why did it see so many storms this summer?
Despite its location, the island chain has avoided the worst effects, but Hurricanes Lowell and Lala left a trail of damage this year Hurricane Lowell surged near the Hawaiian Islands this week, leaving a trail of downed trees and power lines, crumbled roads, sunken boats and destroyed piers on the island of Kauai. Residents were left to grapple not only with the damage, but the rising risks to the tropical archipelago as sea surface temperatures climb. Continue reading...
English winemakers expect ‘vintage year’ after record-breaking summer heat
Hot weather means sweeter grapes, but outlook gloomier for beermakers, as drought diminishes barley harvest English sparkling winemakers expect their earliest grape harvest and a “vintage year” after a scorching summer quickly ripened grapes. However, beer sellers have warned of a potential shortage after record-breaking temperatures and a drought hitting much of England has caused poor yields of barley. Continue reading...
Much of Europe already levies a tourist tax – a nice little earner for Italian hotspots
While England makes its first foray into unfamiliar territory, it’s proved a boon for Italy’s cash-strapped municipalities A nightly tourist tax may be unfamiliar territory in the UK , but countries in continental Europe have been cashing in on these kinds of levies for decades. Tourists usually need to pay the tax on the day they check out of a hotel or holiday let, and are often surprised by an extra fee on top of their accommodation costs. Continue reading...
Two arrested in London on suspicion of aiding Iran’s foreign intelligence
Arrests of woman, 42, and man, 60, follow Met search of addresses in north and north-west London A man and a woman have been arrested by counter-terrorism police in London on suspicion of assisting Iran’s foreign intelligence service. The arrests of the 42-year-old woman and 60-year-old man were made after searches at addresses in north and north-west London on 24 June, the Metropolitan police said. Continue reading...
Lindy Cameron appointed first ever female head of UK Foreign Office
High commissioner to India replaces Olly Robbins, who was sacked over Peter Mandelson scandal The Foreign Office has its first ever female head after the appointment of Lindy Cameron, the high commissioner to India. Cameron’s new role as permanent undersecretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office means she will replace Olly Robbins, who was sacked over the Peter Mandelson scandal. Continue reading...
Labour shifts on Israel – but what difference will it make? | podcast
It has been a huge week for Labour as Ed Miliband shifted the party’s stance on Israel by announcing sanctions on the illegal settlements in the West Bank and describing what is happening in Gaza as ethnic cleansing. What is behind this shift, and will it make any difference on the ground? You can read Kiran’s analysis on Andy Burnham’s stance here You can read Peter’s article on the Green party internal dispute here Please keep sending your comments and questions to Pippa and Kiran on politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Continue reading...
MPs on both sides urge Commons not to take ‘extraordinary risk’ of forcing through assisted dying bill
Joint appeal issued by Labour MPs Gareth Snell, who voted for the bill, and Meg Hillier, who voted against MPs who voted for and against assisted dying have urged their respective sides not to take the “extraordinary risk” of forcing through the bill using an obscure parliamentary procedure if it continues to be blocked by the Lords. Two Labour MPs have written a warning letter to colleagues in the crucial hours before the next vote, Gareth Snell who voted in favour of the bill, alongside Meg Hillier, who voted against. Continue reading...