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Politics
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Artemis II crew to receive top US space medal for historic lunar journey
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen broke record for farthest distance traveled from Earth The crew of the historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission have earned the US’s top space medal, officials have announced. Cmdr Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are set to receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on 28 August, the US space agency Nasa said . Continue reading...
Against the wind: despite Trump’s attacks, unions are fighting for good US clean energy jobs
Since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a growing labor movement has addressed the climate crisis and economic inequality Ryan McElroen had spent years repairing the New York City subway underground when he got the opportunity to work in the middle of the ocean. “I had no views other than the darkness at work,” he said. “Then I went polar opposite.” Continue reading...
Trump laying groundwork to impose national emergency by sowing election distrust
President’s speech, declassification of documents and heightened claims of noncitizen voting have experts concerned A series of moves by Donald Trump ’s administration to sow doubt in the integrity of US elections have intensified concern among voting experts – and sparked hope among election deniers – that it could declare a national emergency. The White House and US federal agencies have released a string of documents this summer – including disputed analyses of alleged voting by noncitzens and historical intelligence memos – stoking expectations that the US president could move to exert greater control over November’s US midterm elections. Continue reading...
‘I hate Democrats, but I love Abdul’: voters who left over Gaza return for progressive push
Michigan Senate nominee and others have re-energized one-time Democratic voters who abandoned the party under Biden Two years ago, Zainab Bibi Ahmed thought she had turned her back on the Democrats for good. Now, she is volunteering for the party’s US Senate nominee in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed. Ahmed was one of 100,000 people to vote uncommitted in the February 2024 Democratic Michigan primary , in a bid to send a message to then US president Joe Biden about his support for Israel, as people watched what Amnesty International later called a “live-streamed genocide” in Gaza on their screens. Continue reading...
Iran-linked hackers blamed for cyber-attack that shut down UK power plant
Incident marks apparent escalation by Tehran in its in retaliation against UK over allowing US to use British bases Hackers linked to Iran have been blamed for a cyber-attack that caused a British power plant to be temporarily shut down. The incident involved a small-scale energy generator, according to the UK government and at no point was there there risk to the wider energy system. Continue reading...
When I first moved to Glasgow from India, I felt welcomed and included. Now I just feel scrutinised | Sanghmitra Singh
The city that used to be full of kind strangers is increasingly witnessing racist disorder. I hope it can find its way back to its old friendliness Scottish people have always been known for their friendliness. “We’re not like the south of us,” they say, referring to England. The official slogan of Scotland’s largest city, “ People make Glasgow ”, appears everywhere – on T-shirts, buildings, bus stops and mugs. And when I first moved to Scotland from India in 2018, I was immediately welcomed by kind strangers and helpful neighbours. People showed curiosity, rather than intrusiveness. They respected queues; told me I fit right in. Music, art and cultural events were considered inclusive spaces in the city, with calls for diversity, creativity, inclusion – all the good things. As an outsider, this was a dream come true: to be myself, to be alone, to have brotherhood and a community. It was life-changing. I could do whatever I wanted, wear whatever I wanted, walk by myself at night, even. That is a luxury, especially for a woman. But something has changed, particularly after Covid, a global recession and years of austerity. Now, I watch the steady rise of far-right, fringe violence and I feel a special scrutiny upon me. Sanghmitra Singh is a human rights lawyer and a writer This article is published as part of a partnership with Pass the Mic, which works to amplify the expertise of women of colour Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
‘The line’s running half-empty’: Llanwern steelworks feels the heat from cheap steel imports
New quotas to protect UK firms and jobs appear to be having opposite effect in products such as galvanised steel At Tata Steel’s factory in Llanwern, south Wales, production lines that should be running full-time are now falling quiet for parts of the day, with workers being put on to maintenance and cleaning work while machines sit idle. There aren’t enough orders to keep them running all the time, the company says, because of a surge of cheap steel coming from Asian countries that is threatening the viability of several UK sites that make similar products, and risk hundreds of jobs. Continue reading...
Teófimo López outpoints Rolly Romero to win title in third weight class
López wins majority decision to claim WBA crown Romero brands judges’ verdict a ‘robbery’ New champion adds to previous 135lb, 140lb belts Teófimo López became a three-division world champion on Saturday night, winning a 12-round majority decision over Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero to claim the WBA welterweight title at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. López prevailed by scores of 115-113 and 116-112, while the third judge saw the fight even at 114-114. Romero, making the first defense of his title won against Ryan Garcia 15 months ago , disputed the result in the immediate aftermath. Continue reading...
‘These were brave officers’: tributes paid to Cleveland police killed in A66 crash
Redcar MP says Teesside community is ‘reeling’ as PM offers condolences and asks public to avoid speculation Tributes are being paid to two police officers who died on Teesside when a car travelling the wrong way along the A66 crashed head on into their vehicle, also killing five young men. PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when the marked armed response vehicle they were in was struck by a Volkswagen Passat in the early hours of Saturday morning. Continue reading...
‘Pretty shambolic’: new EU border checks cause stress for UK travellers
Britons report that EES digital entry and exit system has led to frustration, visa mix-ups and long queues On top of fears about extreme heat and possible jet fuel shortages , Britons planning summer holidays in the EU this year had another thing to worry about – long queues and waiting times caused by the bloc’s new border checks. The EU digital entry and exit system (EES) , which requires non-EU citizens to register and be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival and departure from the Schengen zone, has been technically in full force since April after launching last autumn , but has been beset by teething problems. Continue reading...
London’s low emission zone is working – so why are cities around the world so cautious about clean air?
Similar initiatives have been launched from Barcelona to Bogotá, but they have misinformation, political pressure and vested interests stacked against them Ten years ago, Alastair Harper was an advocate for young people’s health sitting in a stuffy meeting room in London planning an air pollution campaign. “My phone started buzzing,” he said. “I took the call, and then told the room I needed to leave immediately. “I had to get to UCLH [one of London’s major hospitals]. My own child was headed there in a blue-lit ambulance because she was struggling to breathe London’s toxic air.” Continue reading...
UK orders reviews of franchising sector after Vodafone allegations
Two studies will be used to shape government policy amid claims about a former franchisee who took his own life Ministers have commissioned a pair of in-depth reports into how franchising businesses are policed in the UK, as the government considers introducing new laws after high-profile allegations about conduct in the sector. The action follows a Guardian investigation last December , which revealed claims that Adrian Howe, a former Vodafone employee who had agreed to start a franchise in 2018, had taken his own life after pressure from the FTSE 100 telecoms group. Continue reading...
First Bus bans under-16s in Stoke-on-Trent travelling alone after 6pm after disorder
Company says decision comes after spate of antisocial behaviour since free travel scheme was introduced For some, it is a quotidian nuisance that inevitably occurs when you are in the vicinity of teenagers. For others, it is an expression of modern-day lawlessness among young people. Whatever view you take, antisocial behaviour on public transport has become a hot debate – and with the introduction of free bus travel for kids aged 5 to 15 across England during August, matters have come to a head in Staffordshire. Continue reading...
Nine out of 10 unsolved murders in London linked to non-white victims
Exclusive: analysis risks deepening perception of ‘unequal protection under the law’ Killers who take the lives of black people have a greater chance of getting away with their crimes than those who target white people, new research shows. Analysis of unsolved homicides in London between 2019 and 2023 found non-white British people made up 61% of victims. When researchers assessed unsolved murders, 92.9% of cases in the capital were connected with a victim who was non-white. Continue reading...
Onshore windfarm applications hit 10-year high in England
Surge in proposals follows Labour’s lifting of de facto ban, with about 45 plans submitted in the year to March Plans for new onshore windfarms in England have reached their highest annual level in a decade, after the government overturned the Conservatives’ de facto ban in 2015. About 45 applications for new onshore windfarms were submitted in the year to March,according to a Guardian analysis of government data. Continue reading...
‘Friday afternoon fraud’: warning for UK homebuyers on bank scams
Victims have lost tens of thousands – and in one case £300,000 – due to fake emails from solicitor or estate agent You are poised to move house and are awaiting the solicitor’s instructions that things are ready to go and it is time to hand over your deposit. When the email arrives giving you their bank details, you set up the transfer and move the cash. And then the solicitor calls to ask where the money is. Conveyancing fraud involves criminals getting access to an email chain between homebuyers and their solicitors or estate agents and requesting payment to a bank account they control. Sometimes the solicitor has been hacked, but often the homebuyer has been the victim of a phishing exercise. Continue reading...
Burnham expected to give mayors new powers over local planning decisions
Move would allow mayors to greenlight large-scale developments and have more say on national housing funding Andy Burnham is expected to give mayors new powers to take control of local planning decisions and greenlight large-scale developments in proposals to be presented next week. The move would allow mayors to “call in” the decisions and direct councils to take them forward or refuse them. Continue reading...
British corporation continued trafficking of enslaved Africans to Guyana 40 years after abolition
Letter written in 1847 to Sandbach, Tinne and Company’s Liverpool office reveals it engaged in practice after receiving taxpayer-funded compensation, book says When Britain abolished slavery, plantation owners from powerful families notoriously received huge sums in compensation, while those who were enslaved got nothing. Now evidence has come to light that Sandbach, Tinne and Company – a corporation closely linked to the merchants who got the biggest taxpayer-funded compensation payouts – continued to traffic enslaved Africans illegally after abolition to Guyana, in South America. Continue reading...
Drill, Burnham, drill? The oil basin that is a totem for Trump - and a headache for Britain’s new PM
North Sea oil, once the driving force of the UK economy, may be dwindling but it remains a symbol of prestige and a rich resource for political debate When oil was first discovered off the north-east coast of Scotland in September 1969, industry folklore has it that the duty superintendent on the rig carefully poured it into a pickle jar commandeered from the canteen and took it back to Amoco’s Great Yarmouth office in Norfolk. There, it was emptied into an ash tray, sniffed and then set alight. From that modest start, North Sea oil – as the huge basin of oil and gas reserves quickly became known – emerged as a driving force of the British economy and a symbol of national power and renewal as the UK emerged from the Opec oil crisis. Continue reading...
Liberal plan to split Victorian appeals court attacked as ‘thought bubble’ that would politicise judiciary
Opposition leader Jess Wilson says new dedicated court of criminal appeal would set precedents for tougher sentences Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A radical overhaul of Victoria’s highest court, proposed by the Liberal party to increase sentences, has been criticised by legal and human rights groups who warn it would politicise the judiciary. The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, on Sunday announced that if elected in November the Coalition would split the court of appeal in two, creating a dedicated court of criminal appeal alongside a separate court of civil appeal. Continue reading...
The ‘ordinary’ woman accused of assassinating a Russian commander in Crimea
Friends close to Margarita Reutt are shocked she could allegedly plant bomb that killed Ukrainian defector Robert Shageev, while others recall a stubborn grit to see any plan through It was just after dawn in Sevastopol when a powerful explosion tore through a quiet square in a residential district of the Russian-occupied Crimean port city. Hidden inside a rubbish bin, a bomb containing the equivalent of about 500g of TNT detonated on 13 August as Robert Shageev, the deputy commander of a Russian Black Sea fleet submarine brigade, walked past in naval uniform. He was killed on the spot. Continue reading...
Iran’s new security chief says neighbours who join US economic war will be considered ‘enemies’
Hardliner Mohsen Rezaei also threatens American economic interests in first interview since appointment to supreme national security council The new leader of Iran’s top security body has warned its neighbours against joining new US efforts to squeeze Tehran’s economy, and threatened US commercial interests in the region, as Donald Trump doubled down on his fanciful view that the strait of Hormuz was a new US territory. Mohsen Rezaei, the hardline new leader of Iran’s supreme national security council, told state television that Iran would target oil-shipping routes out the Gulf – alternatives to the strait of Hormuz – if its neighbours joined what he called the “economic war” waged by the US. Those neighbours would be “considered an enemy” and “we will target their interests”, he said. Continue reading...
One Nation MP concedes party’s migration target ‘not too different’ from Labor’s once rural workforce included
David Farley says party wants 100,000 migrant rural workers in addition to the 130,000 migration target it considers the ‘true’ number Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation MP David Farley has conceded the minor party’s net migration target is “not too different” to Labor’s, echoing an earlier claim over which he was counselled by his party leader, Pauline Hanson. Appearing on the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday morning, Farley argued skilled workers and backpackers were critical to keeping Australia fed, and argued they should be considered as a separate category to migration “in its true form”. Continue reading...
Sydney Marathon admits ‘unfortunate error’ as finishers medal depicts Munich stadium as race highlight
‘Landmarks’ side of the medal features the Allianz Arena in German city rather than Allianz Stadium in Sydney Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In a week’s time, the proud runners finishing the Sydney Marathon will receive a medal showing the landmarks they have just sped past – plus one they definitely didn’t. In what organisers have admitted was an “unfortunate error”, a stadium in Munich, Germany, was erroneously etched on to the event’s participation medal instead of a local Sydney landmark. Continue reading...