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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Taylor Knibb wins Ironman world title after leader collapses in dramatic Kona finish
Knibb overtakes Norwegian rival in final kilometer Defending champion Løvseth collapses while leading France’s Vincent Luis wins men’s title on Kona debut American triathlete Taylor Knibb has won her first Hawaiian Ironman world title after one of the most dramatic finishes in race history. With a mile left, Norwegian defending champion Solveig Løvseth led Knibb by more than a minute and looked rock-solid, having taken the lead from her inside the final 10km of the 42.2km marathon run. Continue reading...
Saudi coalition vows retaliation after deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh airport
Official says coalition will ‘respond firmly’ as Houthis warn people to avoid Saudi airports and US considers intervening Middle East crisis live – latest updates Analysis: attack will force rethink of Trump strategy The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has vowed to retaliate after a suspected Houthi missile attack on Riyadh airport killed 12 people and wounded more than 300, as Donald Trump said the US could join its military campaign. Saudi Arabia blamed the Iran-allied Houthi rebel movement for the strike on the airport on Saturday, which damaged passenger terminals. It was the deadliest attack on a Gulf country since the war with Iran started in March and an apparent escalation in the Houthis’ war with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government that it sponsors. Continue reading...
ICE agent strikes man with vehicle during pursuit in Texas, officials say
Parra-Hernandez suffered a broken leg and taken to a hospital after being hit by car during an ICE operation An Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) agent driving a vehicle struck a man on Saturday while trying to pursue him and someone else in the Houston area, according to authorities. The federal agency had been trying to pull over and arrest Jose Mendoza-Cervantes in north-west Harris county, Texas, when he and the victim, Miguel Parra-Hernandez, exited the vehicle, officials said. Continue reading...
The Australian’s Shadow of Doubt podcast delayed ‘sadistic’ paedophile’s trial, court documents reveal
Exclusive: As William ‘Rob’ Gilfillan was about to go on trial for sex offences against two schoolgirls, his barrister told a judge his client’s history was easily discoverable online Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter here The Australian’s podcast Shadow of Doubt led to a delay of 10 months for the sex offence trial of a “sadistic” paedophile already serving a 48-year jail term for abusing his daughter, court documents have revealed. William “Rob” Gilfillan, a former physical education teacher, was to stand trial in Victoria in February last year on five counts of indecent assault and sexual penetration of a person under 16, relating to two schoolgirls in his care in Gippsland in the 1980s. Continue reading...
Australia has never driven migration into reverse by design. Would slamming the brakes on be calamitous?
Australia does have a migration challenge – but it’s not what One Nation and the Coalition think it is Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast Australia is flirting with the idea of something it has never done: deliberately driving net overseas migration into reverse . In the history of our immigrant nation, extended periods of more people leaving our shores than arriving have only happened during convulsive moments: economic collapses, wars, and pandemics. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...
Greens gear up for fight with Labor as Sarah Hanson-Young pushes to strengthen laws to rein in big tech
Minor party plans to drive a tough bargain in exchange for support for digital duty of care legislation Get our new political email , free app or daily news podcast The Greens will push Labor to dramatically toughen new laws designed to rein in big tech, calling for individuals to have the right to take platforms to court and win financial compensation. As Labor prepares to introduce its planned digital duty of care laws into parliament this week, the Greens say they will drive a tough bargain in exchange for support, including pushing for fines by the eSafety commissioner to be levied as a percentage of corporations’ global revenue rather than set amounts. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...
Wildlife park confirms tiger will not be euthanised after man mauled to death
Ed Miliband offers ‘deepest condolences’ to family of the visitor who entered animal enclosure on Saturday A wildlife park in Yorkshire has confirmed the tiger that mauled to death a man who entered its enclosure will not be euthanised. A man, who has not yet been named, was seen entering a tiger enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, located near Doncaster, before police were called at 1.35pm on Saturday. Continue reading...
Thousands without power in Florida and Alabama as Isaias moves north
At least four deaths linked to storm amid warnings of flash flooding that could stretch into Appalachians Nearly 396,000 customers across the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama remained without power early Sunday as remnants of Hurricane Isaias moved north, where widespread moderate to heavy rainfall was expected across the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic region. Heavy rainfall associated with the storm could bring isolated flash flooding and strong wind gusts and remain a threat across the south-eastern US, especially near the southern Appalachians, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). That could bring scattered power outages and downed trees and power lines. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions were expected to continue along the Gulf and south-eastern Atlantic coasts. Continue reading...
Flu season arrives earlier than usual in England, experts say
UK Health Security Agency notes above-average flu activity in September and urges at-risk groups to get vaccinated Flu is striking earlier than usual in England, experts have said, insisting that vaccination is the best way to blunt its impact. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), flu is at low levels, but various metrics , such as the proportion of positive tests and GP consultations for influenza-like illness, suggest it is on the rise, with the number of emergency-department attendances for influenza-like illness above seasonally expected levels. Continue reading...
Trump urges John Fetterman to switch parties: ‘I’d love to see him as a Republican’
Comments were among the most direct overtures by Trump to woo Democratic senator into his Republican party Donald Trump on Saturday openly encouraged Democratic US senator John Fetterman to switch parties and become a Republican just weeks before the federal midterm elections could reshape control of Congress. “I’d love to see him as a Republican,” the presidents told reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he returned to Washington DC from a rally in Tennessee. “He does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat.” Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading...
Houthi attack on Riyadh airport will force rethink of Donald Trump’s strategy
US president’s plan to park the conflicts in Iran and Yemen, while blaming Ukraine for high diesel prices, has unravelled Middle East crisis live - latest updates The reckless missile attack on King Khalid international airport in Riyadh on Saturday did not just export the death and misery inside Yemen to Saudi Arabia, it also left Donald Trump forced to reconsider his diplomatic and political strategy designed to take him into the midterm elections next month. The US president plan’s had only been unveiled on Saturday. It was to blame what he described as “a world problem” – spiralling diesel prices – on the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying his attacks on Russian oil refineries were the cause. He was going to keep the political temperature down on his war of choice in Iran and its spillover in Yemen until after the midterms. Continue reading...
Campaign launched to safeguard site of first home of Scotland’s national football team
Part of site of First Hampden in Glasgow is up for rent and campaigners want to turn it into a community hub Fans of Scotland’s national football team may not have had many reasons to celebrate in recent years, but that hasn’t always been the case. Almost 150 years ago, in 1878, the team moved into their first home in a Glasgow ground known as First Hampden and promptly won every game they played there. As well as being celebrated as Scotland’s “tartan fortress”, First Hampden, about half a mile from where Hampden Park sits today in south Glasgow, is widely considered the world’s first purpose-built international football stadium. Many features now commonplace in grounds around the world – including season tickets, turnstiles and pavilions – have long been thought to have originated there. Continue reading...
Police in Poland ‘learn of possible plot to attack prime minister Donald Tusk’
Government spokesperson says defence minister also mentioned in ‘exceptionally concerning’ threat Poland’s police said on Sunday that they had received information about a possible plot to attack the country’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, and the defence minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Poland has been on high alert after a series of school stabbings this week and fears of a possible Russian hybrid attack to weaken western support for Ukraine in its war against Moscow’s invasion. Continue reading...
Richard E Grant admits Traitors mistakes: ‘I never thought they would take me seriously’
Actor says he should have made a joke of his admission, he felt institutionalised there and he is not watching the series Richard E Grant has said his early exit from The Celebrity Traitors was due to his failure to realise his fellow contestants would take him seriously. The Withnail and I actor was voted off as a traitor after brazenly admitting his status to other contestants. Continue reading...
People smugglers are still profiting from small boats. Can the UK fix the crisis?
As ‘one in, one out’ scheme ends, refugees still want to cross the Channel despite French police aggression and hostile welcomes The smuggler works quickly. Using a small shovel, he digs up a dinghy buried in a sand dune on a beach not far from Boulogne-sur-Mer, assembles it and affixes a motor in record time. “I never saw anyone work like this,” says Amad, from Iraq, one of a group of about 30 asylum seekers waiting to cross the Channel. “The UK government wants to stop the smugglers, but they are smart. They have plan A, plan B and plan C, so there is always a way for them to get people across this sea. For as long as asylum seekers will pay them, there is too much money involved for them to give up.” Continue reading...
There’s more to our music than Oasis, says Manchester mayor
Bev Craig pledges £2m in funding to nurture local artists by improving access to rehearsal and production space The Manchester mayor, Bev Craig, has said the city’s music scene is about more than just Oasis, as she announced funding to nurture a diverse range of local artists, be they “guitar bands or not”. Craig pledged the £2m investment funding in Greater Manchester, as the city region hosted a conference for the creative industries at MediaCity in Salford. Continue reading...
US maternity wards face wave of closures as Medicaid cuts kick in
Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ spending cuts will be fully felt next year, but hospitals are already feeling the squeeze Maternity wards across the United States are facing a wave of closures as cuts to federal Medicaid funding take effect, experts have warned. According to analysis by the non-profit Protect Our Care, 52 maternity wards have closed since the HR1 bill was announced in July 2025 , with a further eight having announced their upcoming closure. Continue reading...
Why Abdul El-Sayed might not be winning Black voters
Candidate for Michigan US Senate seat is running without directly acknowledging specific constituent groups Abdul El-Sayed has an impressive résumé: Rhodes scholar, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, executive director of the Detroit health department. And, at 41, the Michigan Democratic senatorial candidate represents a new generation of politicians, a shift that he also embodies sartorially. Whereas casual dress for many politicians is a tieless dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, El-Sayed has embraced a post-corporate, digital nomad-ish uniform: fitted black T-shirt, slim jeans and sneakers. His progressive politics are having a moment among liberals, and he remains unswervingly disciplined about his message: “Money Out of Politics, Money in Your Pocket, Medicare for All.” On paper he appears well-aligned to Democratic sensibilities in this moment, and he is competitive in the polls. But his support is softer than overall Democratic sentiment would dictate, especially among Black voters. Continue reading...
Physicians’ group calls for ban on raw milk – as it’s becoming increasingly popular in the US
As raw milk industry experiences record growth, experts say it might contain pathogens that can sicken people As raw milk becomes increasingly popular among Americans, there have been several recent disease outbreaks tied to the product, alarming public health officials. Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a ban on sales of unpasteurized milk in the United States. Continue reading...
Pope Leo to have surgery to remove nodule on his lung
Pontiff says it was detected at an early stage and procedure will take place in the first days of this week Pope Leo XIV has said he will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a nodular lesion on his lung that was recently discovered during medical checks. The 71-year-old said the nodule was found at an early stage and was “circumscribed” or well localised. The Vatican later said Leo would undergo surgery in the first days of this week, with an expected recovery time of a week. Continue reading...
Burnham faces questions over push to scrap photo ID voting requirement
Ministers reportedly seeking to halve time for Lords scrutiny of voting and donations changes amid election speculation Andy Burnham is facing questions over plans to speed up sweeping changes to Britain’s electoral system amid speculation that some of his closest advisers are pressing for an early general election. Ministers reportedly want to at least halve the time available for peers to scrutinise legislation that would make it possible to vote without photographic identification, lower the voting age to 16 and tighten restrictions on political donations. Continue reading...
‘Deeply concerning’: Democratic congressional candidate rebukes ICE’s presence in New York
Darializa Avila Chevalier criticizes NYPD’s ‘inaction’ in protecting Marble Hill protesters after ICE shot a man Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier believes that the New York police departments’ conduct towards protesters after an ICE agent shot and wounded a man in the district she is running to represent violated “the spirit, if not the letter” of the city’s sanctuary laws . These rules ban local police from helping federal immigration authorities in civil immigration enforcement operations. Protests broke out in Manhattan’s Marble Hill neighborhood after a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) agent shot Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old Dominican man, while he was sitting in his car with a five-year-old in the backseat. The child was physically unharmed, and Belgal was taken to the hospital. He was reported as being in stable condition , before ICE reportedly took him into custody again. The Department of Homeland Security has said Belgal was undocumented. Continue reading...
I need smart glasses. How else can I monetize every second of my life? | Dave Schilling
They’re the latest technological innovation no one asked for – now with added consent issues! I went to a party recently. A fancy one, filled with expensive people and interesting clothes. You might find this surprising, as I expend hundreds of words a week in this publication bemoaning human interaction, but I love parties. I like free champagne, passed appetizers and forced, go-nowhere small talk. Continue reading...
‘A living hell’: how Los Angeles got taken over by mosquitoes
Heat and humidity have led to one of the worst mosquito years in recent history, with West Nile virus at a decade high Los Angeles might be best known for blue skies, beaches and film premiers — but for the last several years it’s held another, unenviable distinction: the most mosquito-infested city in America . And this year has been especially nightmarish, thanks to a series of heatwaves and an extra-powerful El Niño . Locals have called it a summer of “ living hell ” as clouds of mosquitoes swarm backyards and leave diners at open air patios scratching their ankles. Continue reading...