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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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‘Clear and present danger’: fuel prices could rise by 30c a litre across Australia under IMF scenario
IMF’s World Economic Outlook shows how a worsening Middle East crisis could affect global growth and inflation An International Monetary Fund scenario where global oil prices jump to $US130 a barrel over coming months could push Australian petrol prices up by another 30 cents and pile pressure on the Reserve Bank to hike interest rates, economists say. In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF modelled the impact on global growth and inflation from a worsening Middle East crisis that extended into next year, highlighting the “clear and present danger” to a resilient global economy from turmoil in commodity and bond markets. Continue reading...
Brewers two wins from first World Series since 1982 as Contreras skewers Dodgers
NLCS Game 2: LA Dodgers 4-7 Milwaukee Brewers Reigning champions 2-0 down in best-of-seven series William Contreras hit a tying homer in the fifth and singled home the go-ahead run an inning later as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 on Monday in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. Four relievers combined to retire the last 15 Dodgers batters in order as the Brewers took a 2-0 lead over the two-time defending World Series champions in this best-of-seven series, which heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Body found in stockyard trough confirmed to be missing 73-year-old Yvonne Whear
Police treating death as homicide. Whear was last seen in mid-February buying orange juice and putting $50 credit on her phone in Murwillumbah Follow our Australia politics live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast New South Wales police say a decomposed body found in a stockyard trough last week was missing woman Yvonne Whear, who vanished eight months ago after last being seen in Murwillumbah. Last week, police said a partially submerged body believed to be a woman was discovered in a remote stockyard in Terragon near Murwillumbah. Continue reading...
One dead and more injured after incident on Six Flags rollercoaster in US
Six Flags Over Georgia ‘deeply saddened’ by tragedy, reportedly occurring on Goliath coaster with 175ft drop One person has died and several others were injured in an incident involving a Six Flags rollercoaster on Monday afternoon in Georgia , according to police. The incident took place a Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles (25km) north-west of Atlanta, according to the Cobb county police department. Continue reading...
English councils warn of ‘catastrophic’ Send debts forecast to hit £10bn by 2028
Surge in EHCP applications poses risk to public finances and may lead to deteriorating levels of support Councils are warning of potentially “catastrophic” debts, which are forecast to reach a record £10bn over the next 18 months, as a result of rapid growth in demand for special educational needs and disability (Send) support in English schools. Although the government recently cleared more than £5bn in historic council Send debts, a surge in requests has led to authorities predicting they will have re-accrued that debt figure by April, and doubled it by 2028. Continue reading...
Queensland ombudsman backs away from calls to close youth prison so ‘unsuitable’ some children self-harm to get transferred
Inmate advocacy group attacks watchdog’s ‘gutless retreat’ on Wacol youth remand centre Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Queensland ombudsman has backed away from calls to close a youth prison so “unsuitable” for children that some are self-harming in an attempt to get transferred, amid concerns that the Crisafulli government’s hardline bail laws could create a new crowding crisis in police watch houses. The ombudsman, Anthony Reilly, published an inspection report last week that raised serious new concerns about the suitability of the Wacol youth remand centre to hold children for extended periods, including the fact that young people were being held in conditions where there is “a lack of space, privacy and natural light”. Continue reading...
Bolivia investigates ex-president Evo Morales over alleged ties to 2009 killings
Leftist former leader accused of involvement in shooting of three Europeans in Santa Cruz and torture of two others Bolivia’s attorney general has announced an investigation into leftist former president Evo Morales, alleging his involvement in the murder and torture of European citizens in 2009. Seventeen years ago, police raided a hotel in the city of Santa Cruz, shooting dead Eduardo Rózsa Flores, a Bolivian-Croatian, Michael Dwyer, an Irishman, and Árpád Magyarosi, a Hungarian-Romanian. Continue reading...
RJ Mitte, actor best known for Breaking Bad role, dies aged 34
Mitte, who played Walter White Jr on acclaimed show, had cerebral palsy and advocated for disability representation The Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte has died aged 34, his representatives confirmed on Monday. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate RJ Mitte,” Mitte’s representatives said in a statement provided to Variety and Deadline . Continue reading...
Archbishop of US military condemns Pentagon plans to livestream execution
Timothy Broglio says Catholics on army firing squad should ask to be excused since it clashes with church teachings The archbishop who oversees the spiritual care of Catholics serving in the US military condemned the Pentagon’s proposed plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan later this year. Archbishop Timothy Broglio also stipulated in a Monday statement that any Catholic soldier assigned to the US army firing squad should ask to be excused from that duty, which he described as contrary to the teachings of the church. He joins other Catholic leaders in speaking out against the death penalty and the live stream plans. Continue reading...
Australia politics live: Labor’s $630m funding boost for charities; Greens at odds about Ukraine weapons
Follow the day’s news live. Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia sending tanks, weapons, infantry and ammunition to Ukraine has put Greens politicians at odds. Sarah Hanson-Young on Monday said she supported giving Kyiv military aid if that’s what was needed, contradicting her party’s freshly minted leader David Shoebridge during his first sitting week in the top job. We always come from a position of wanting to de-escalate military violence ... we want to see humanitarian support, we want to see diplomatic support, but of course you can’t allow people to be left fending for themselves. We cannot close the gender pay gap without ... addressing the historic undervaluation of work performed predominantly by women. Australia’s gender pay gap is at a record low, and this is another significant step towards ensuring women are properly recognised and rewarded for their contribution. Continue reading...
Selma Blair arrested at JFK after she allegedly attacked flight attendants
Several news outlets reported Blair allegedly punched a flight attendant, bit another and tried to open plane door The actor Selma Blair was arrested on Sunday at John F Kennedy (JFK) airport in New York on allegations that she attacked flight attendants on a Delta Air Lines flight, according to officials. Blair’s arrest happened at about 11am, after Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials said they responded to a call “about a physically abusive passenger aboard Delta Air Lines flight 938 which was parked at the gate” at JFK after arriving from Los Angeles (LAX). Continue reading...
BBC to stop recording The Archers in Birmingham for first time in its 75-year history
Plans for a new theatre for world’s longest-running soap in Digbeth scrapped as part of cost-cutting measures The BBC is set to stop recording The Archers in Birmingham for the first time in the show’s 75-year history, after scrapping plans for a radio drama theatre that was to be the new home of the world’s longest-running soap opera. A pledge to move recordings to the so-called tea factory, the BBC’s new Birmingham hub in Digbeth, has become the latest victim of the corporation’s £500m cuts plan . Continue reading...
Andy Burnham promises ‘serious dialogue’ over UK’s relationship with EU
PM hails next month’s ‘reset’ summit as first step to closer ties, but tensions over trade may prove problematic Andy Burnham has promised a “serious dialogue” over the UK’s future place in Europe, saying the existing relationship is “not good enough” as he framed next month’s Brussels summit as a possible first step to EU membership. The prime minister said Britain must take a “clear-eyed rational look” at its long-term relationship with the bloc to boost economic growth and control immigration, which needed to go beyond Labour’s existing red lines. Continue reading...
49ers’ Dre Greenlaw suspended after headbutt leaves opponent bleeding
Ernest Jones IV was not wearing helmet during incident Linebacker will miss game against Commanders San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was suspended for one game after headbutting Seattle’s Ernest Jones IV in the wake of a late hit on the Seahawks sideline. The NFL issued the suspension on Monday, saying the headbutt of a player without a helmet during Sunday’s 32-29 win against Seattle was “contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship.” Continue reading...
Security for high-profile public figures to be reviewed after Ann Widdecombe’s murder
Home secretary vows to defend against ‘threats from without and within that target our democracy’ Security arrangements for high-profile public figures including politicians and members of the royal family are to be urgently reviewed in the wake of the killing of Ann Widdecombe , Shabana Mahmood said on Monday. The home secretary said former MPs, party leaders who are not MPs, peers, former members of devolved parliaments and party spokespeople will also be offered police support. Continue reading...
Democrats rebuke federal raid of Ilhan Omar’s home: ‘rogue abuse of power’
Top House Democrats question the ‘corrupt weaponization’ of federal government against Trump’s adversaries Ilhan Omar ’s Democratic colleagues have condemned federal agents’ search of the Minnesota congresswoman’s home on Monday morning, describing it as “deeply disturbing” and emblematic of the Trump administration ’s “corrupt weaponization” of the US government. House Democratic leaders, including minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, party whip Katherine Clark and caucus chair Pete Aguilar, issued a joint statement excoriating the president for the search. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on the Liberal Democrats: now is not the time to change leader | Editorial
Ed Davey’s critics want headlines, but their leader’s strategy wins seats. Undermining him could help the rightwing parties into power Will the first victim of the political conference season be the Liberal Democrats’ Sir Ed Davey ? It might seem quixotic, given that he is the most successful liberal parliamentary leader in a century. Yet a meeting of Lib Dem MPs on Tuesday night could see them collect the 18 signatures needed for a confidence vote. It’s hard to see what a putsch would achieve, apart from giving the party’s opponents a stick to beat it with. That may be the point: weakening Sir Ed in an internal war of attrition so that he walks away would be easier than removing him via a no-confidence vote passed by a majority of all Lib Dem MPs. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake,” said Napoleon Bonaparte. With populists slipping in the polls, Lib Dem plotters should remember this, especially as Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives are looking to advance at the Lib Dems’ expense. The Tory economic pitch is to end the 60% marginal tax rate on earnings between £100,000 and £125,000, and let couples pass on the family home plus another £1m tax-free. It’s a clear bid to win back affluent southern voters in England’s “ yellow wall ”. Continue reading...
Man rescued from cave on Sardinia after being trapped by rockslide for 26 hours
Luca Olmetto was trapped roughly 10 metres below ground in the Gorroppeddu cave in the Urzulei mountain range A 31-year-old man has been pulled alive from a cave on the Italian island of Sardinia after being trapped roughly 10 metres below ground for 26 hours following a rockslide. In a huge and complex operation, rescuers worked non-stop after Luca Olmetto became trapped in the Gorroppeddu cave in the rugged Urzulei mountain range in central-eastern Sardinia on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading...
About 70 ultramarathon runners in Utah evacuated after being stranded by flooding
Runners in Moab 240 successfully evacuated from race route after flooding from remnants of tropical storm Rachel About 70 runners participating in Utah ’s Moab 240 ultramarathon were successfully evacuated from the race route on Sunday after being stranded by flooding stemming from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel . The event’s host, Destination Trail, addressed the emergency rescue effort in a social media statement which confirmed that all runners were safe and accounted for. Continue reading...
Stellantis and Renault back UK to get EU car industry protection
Bosses of Citroën owner and French carmaker also urge UK government to consider limiting imports from China Stellantis and Renault have backed the UK car industry for inclusion in proposed rules to protect EU industry, but urged the British government to consider limiting imports of Chinese cars. Emanuele Cappellano, who leads Stellantis’s European brands including Fiat, Citroën, Opel and Vauxhall, and François Provost, the chief executive of France’s Renault, said the UK should effectively be counted as one of the EU’s 27 member states for the purposes of the proposed “Made in Europe” legislation . Continue reading...
Ben Jennings on Reform’s pledge to suspend the UK asylum system – cartoon
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Judge halts tree removal at Washington golf course Trump eyes for expansion
Ana Reyes demands Trump officials explain East Potomac tree cutting and says it will likely cause ‘irreparable harm’ US district judge Ana Reyes on Monday ordered a 24-hour halt to tree cutting at the historic East Potomac golf course while she decides on an emergency order from plaintiffs concerned that Donald Trump ’s plans for the course are moving forward despite a pending court case challenging them. “Tree removal for routine maintenance is not exempt from this order,” Reyes’ wrote. “Plaintiffs are likely to suffer immediate and irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief. Continue reading...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ‘almost certainly’ behind RAF Fairford threats, says Burnham
UK to bring further sanctions against Tehran and IRGC after assessment Iran was likely to have coordinated incident Andy Burnham said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were “almost certainly” behind threats to RAF Fairford, the firmest attribution of responsibility made so far by the UK after an incident late last month. The prime minister told MPs the UK would bring further sanctions against Tehran and the IRGC as a result, with more information to follow in an update from the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood. Continue reading...
Was Burnham right to talk about Russian interference in Brexit? – podcast
Andy Burnham has started an almighty row by claiming that Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum. He also says he wants the UK to have closer ties to the EU. The row is one of three major headaches for the prime minister ahead of his crucial budget at the end of October, with migration and Donald Trump’s erratic response to Ukraine and Russia being the other two You can watch this episode on Politics Weekly on our YouTube channel here You can read Jessica Elgot’s article referencing Labour conference here Please keep sending your comments and questions to Pippa and Kiran via politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Continue reading...