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Politics
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Met settles claim brought by Palestine activist ‘treated like a criminal’ during arrest
Tej Singh Bhandal, 68, was pulled from a queue and detained under terrorism law in ‘creeping criminalisation of protest action’ The Metropolitan police have settled a claim brought by a 68-year-old pro-Palestinian activist who accused the force of treating him “like a criminal” when he was arrested under anti-terrorism legislation. Tej Singh Bhandal was returning to the UK on Eurostar earlier this year when he was pulled from a queue by police at St Pancras International, London. Continue reading...
Aer Lingus flight to Rome diverted to military base after latest bomb threat, France says – Europe live
French prime minister’s office says Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Rome now heading to military base in Evreux Flightradar24, one of the largest flight tracker websites in the world, also said that “no aircraft have departed from Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) in the past 30 minutes.” The plane crossed the English Channel on a normal flight path to Rome before veering south-west of Paris and circling Chartres airport and diverting towards Évreux. Continue reading...
Activists across Europe prepare two days of protests against datacentres
More than 100 campaign groups will join together in 15 countries this week to call for a halt to major AI projects Protesters across Europe are planning two days of action against datacentres this week with demonstrations taking place in 15 countries. More than 100 groups are joining together for the “ Stop Dirty Data Centres ” events on Friday and Saturday. They are calling for a moratorium on large projects, citing environmental and social costs that “we can no longer afford”. Continue reading...
Trump accepts midterm results as system holds up against election interference efforts
Administration had waged aggressive bid to sow doubt about midterms results but worst fears were not realized In the months leading up to the midterm elections, Donald Trump’s administration waged an aggressive effort to sow doubt about the results, intimidate voters and election officials, and signal they would use the power of the federal government to challenge the electoral process. But when the results came in Tuesday night, revealing a massive blowout for the GOP, Trump did something almost unprecedented: he accepted the results. Trump said he was “absolutely willing” to accept the outcome and looked forward to working with Democrats . With the exception of the 2024 election, which he won and Republicans performed well in, Trump has raised doubt about every presidential race and midterm since his first election in 2016. Continue reading...
Poundland’s US owner says retailer remains ‘vulnerable’, after talks with ministers
Gordon Brothers still in ‘active discussions’ with interested parties and seeks to ‘protect as many jobs as possible’ The US owner of Poundland has said the high street chain remains “challenged and vulnerable” after holding talks with ministers amid government criticism of its handling of the retailer. Gordon Brothers said in a statement on Thursday morning that it was still in “active discussions” with interested suitors and had been seeking to “protect as many jobs as possible”. Continue reading...
UK can avoid euro but must accept free movement to rejoin EU, says former top Brexit negotiator – UK politics live
Michel Barnier says Britain could avoid having to join the single currency, but free movement is non-negotiable Good morning. Andy Burnham is back from the Commonwealth summit, but the Commons is on mini-recess until Tuesday, and there is not much in the political diary for today. But Nigel Farage , the Reform UK leader, will be holding a press conference, which means reporters will have the chance to ask him why his eve-of-poll “I don’t go with the consensus that Trump is going to get smashed” prediction turned out to be so wrong. Another recent claim from Farage has been that, if the UK were to reapply to join the EU, it would have to sign up to the euro. This allegation was never taken particularly seriously by people who actually know how the EU works; while new members are theoretically obliged to sign up to the euro, six of the 27 current members do not use it, one has a formal opt-out (Denmark), and there is plenty of precedent to suggest the EU would easily accept a fudge giving the UK an opt-out. But what is, and what remains unnegotiable, is the condition to join the single market. There is no negotiation possible. No possible negotiation on any kind of cherry-picking or the single market ‘a la carte’. The UK knows quite perfectly the condition to be part of and to rejoin the single market and the customs union. But what is, and what remains unnegotiable, is the condition to join the single market. There is no negotiation possible. No possible negotiation on any kind of cherry-picking or the single market ‘a la carte’. The UK knows quite perfectly the condition to be part of and to rejoin the single market and the customs union. Continue reading...
Polling experts hail ‘great night’ after correctly calling most key US midterm election races
Accuracy of US polling came into sharp focus after Trump outperformed polls in 2016, 2020 and 2024 Political polling experts hailed a “great night” for the industry after surveys accurately foresaw much of the Democratic blue wave that swept across the US in midterm elections. In only a handful of US Senate races, including Texas and New Hampshire, key polls failed to gauge the scale of the Democratic victory over Republicans on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Ministers to target ‘wild west’ of e-bikes blocking pavements
Exclusive: Consultation led by Department for Transport will consider parking standards, fleet sizes and insurance requirements Ministers are seeking to end the “wild west” of parked e-bikes blocking pavements, as they attempt to crack down on antisocial behaviour such as cyclists jumping red lights. The consultation, led by the Department for Transport, will aim to establish national standards on issues including parking, ending the current patchwork of agreements between individual bike companies and councils. Continue reading...
Trump-backed Republicans lose dozens of US midterm races, raising questions over his influence
Guardian analysis shows how tumbling approval ratings may have hurt candidates backed by US president Track live results from all 50 states Send us your questions about the US midterms results and Democrats’ ‘blue wave’ Dozens of Republican candidates directly endorsed by Donald Trump lost their US midterm election races, according to analysis by the Guardian, raising questions over the power of the president’s support. In past elections, Trump’s endorsements have been coveted. In the final stages of this year’s campaign, he actively urged voters to act as though he were on the ballot. Continue reading...
A Democratic-controlled Congress will likely try to constrain Trump’s foreign adventures
But the president still has veto power, which he can wield to dictate policy over tariffs, the war in Iran or aid for Ukraine In a rare occurrence, a US election may have actually been decided by foreign policy. Donald Trump ’s war in Iran and international tariffs are seen as playing a key role in the inflationary pressures that drove so many Americans to vote against his party on Tuesday in what has been described as a “generational wipeout” for the Republicans . And in the coming months, the president is going to face severe headwinds on those policies as Democrats storm back into control of Congress, threatening investigations of some of his top envoys and Pentagon contractors, big fights over budgets linked to the Iran war, and greater scrutiny of US relationships with allies such as Israel. Continue reading...
Warming UK seas could ‘fundamentally reshape marine ecosystems’ – report
Four-year study warns destabilised marine food webs could jeopardise food security by 2050 Warming seas around the UK and the wider north-east Atlantic could destabilise marine food webs, weaken ocean health and jeopardise food security by 2050, according to a four-year study. Scientists who projected the impact of climate breakdown on four key groups of marine life crucial to maintaining ocean ecosystems in the region said their results challenged assumptions that in middle latitudes, such as the UK, marine biodiversity was likely to increase across the board. Continue reading...
Norman conquest castle and Dickens chalet among sites added to heritage at risk register
William the Conquerer-built Hastings Castle and Swiss-style writing retreat in Kent two of nearly 200 additions to list A castle built by William the Conquerer, a Swiss-style chalet where Charles Dickens wrote and a swathe of fire-blasted moorland are among sites that have been added to Historic England’s heritage at risk register . Almost 200 historic places have been added to the already extensive list, including Hastings Castle in East Sussex , Dickens’ wooden writing retreat in Kent and Fylingdales Moor in North Yorkshire, which was devastated by a wildfire in the summer. Continue reading...
How irrational are Labour’s plans for migrant workers? To find out, read the small print
Despite the partial U-turn on care worker visas, the staff who keep the system afloat still face a hostile environment If you want to see the senselessness of Britain’s immigration debate play out in real time, look no further than the crackdown on care workers’ visas that came to a head this week . As part of its plans to force low-paid migrant workers to wait 15 years before settlement in the UK, the Home Office has been in a battle behind the scenes for the past six months to controversially include care workers in the policy. This is despite the social care system already facing critical staff shortages and the number of British citizens and immigrants taking the jobs dwindling . Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
US midterm elections 2026 live: Democrats eye historic upset in Mississippi Senate race as Republican blame game begins
Democrat Scott Colom is leading Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the southern state; JD Vance pointed to the war in Iran as the ‘obvious’ culprit for Republicans’ loss Live results | How do you feel about the results? Sign up for Breaking News US email Welcome to our continuing coverage of the 2026 midterms where almost 24 hours after Democrats secured their historic sweep of the US Congress, two Senate seats remain in play. Counting in Alaska is expected to continue into Thursday, while in deep red Mississippi , Democrats could be close to pulling off another almighty upset. Currently, Democrat Scott Colom is leading his Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 1,138 votes with almost 96% of the vote counted. Donald Trump claimed Republicans fared poorly because he was not on the ballot – after repeatedly urging voters to pretend he was on the ballot. JD Vance pointed to Trump’s ongoing war in Iran as the “obvious” culprit for the loss. Pete Hegseth’ s role leading the unpopular war could lead to him taking the fall – despite Trump publicly backing him. Republicans including Trump foe Thomas Massie have criticized the defense secretary. Ron DeSantis , Florida’s governor, said the “close to an extinction-level event for Republicans” was caused in part by his party failing to target their ad spending on issues that would motivate voters. Continue reading...
‘Bring it on’: Pauline Hanson to appeal Mehreen Faruqi racial discrimination ruling in high court
One Nation leader granted special leave to appeal after full federal court earlier this year agreed Hanson portrayed Faruqi as a ‘second-class citizen’ Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast Australia’s high court has agreed to hear Pauline Hanson’s appeal against a ruling that she engaged in racial discrimination against Mehreen Faruqi when she told the Greens senator to “pack your bags and piss off back to Pakistan”. The One Nation leader was granted special leave to appeal on Thursday after the full federal court earlier this year unanimously upheld a 2024 decision . Continue reading...
UK found to be ‘dangerously’ reliant on China for critical minerals needed for defence and AI
Delivering net zero also at risk, say MPs as they call for centralised policy and funding for mines and diversification The UK is “dangerously” dependent on China for critical raw materials needed for the military, renewable energy infrastructure and AI, a parliamentary investigation has found. MPs on the business select committee called for an urgent centralised policy and the creation of a “critical minerals finance facility” to help fund rare earth and other critical mineral mines, and deploy grants, equity and debt to accelerate a diversification programme. Continue reading...
Protesters to join nationwide march as France braces for day of strike action
Hospital workers, air traffic and rail staff expected to join strikes amid renewed protests over education and rising living costs Hundreds of thousands are expected to march in demonstrations across France as trade unions call for a nationwide strike expected to extend to hospital workers, air traffic control, the post office, teachers and rail staff. President Emmanuel Macron’s final months in office continue to be marred by domestic crises, as high school students protesting over poor teaching conditions have been joined by workers in weekly protests over the cost of living. Meanwhile, the government is struggling to pass a belt-tightening budget in a divided parliament as public debt approaches 120% of economic output. Continue reading...
Historians say King Verica persuaded Rome to invade Britain. But could Verica actually have been a queen?
Controversial theory that Verica, who incited Emperor Claudius’s AD43 landing, was a woman could put a new spin on British history if true It was a moment that changed the course of British history: in AD43, Roman troops under the emperor Claudius landed in Kent. Now, an archaeologist has claimed the British ruler who persuaded Claudius to invade was not a king but a queen. The controversial conclusion, made by Dr Miles Russell, the director of archaeological fieldwork at Bournemouth University, could throw new light on Britain’s history. Continue reading...
H.R. 5549: Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (Nov. 5, 2026) is now available.
H.R. 3978: Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (Nov. 5, 2026) is now available.
H.R. 9612: American Enrichment Deployment Act
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (Nov. 5, 2026) is now available.
H.R. 9084: Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (Nov. 5, 2026) is now available.
H.R. 9613: Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (Nov. 5, 2026) is now available.
H.R. 5723: Fraud Reduction And Uncovering Deception (FRAUD) in VA Disability Exams Act
Bill Text: This bill's text for status (Nov. 5, 2026) is now available.