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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Scientists who turned to OnlyFans to fund marmot research receive crypto boost
Funding boost worth $100,000 has recently materialized in form of new marmot-themed cryptocurrency Scientists who turned to OnlyFans to help save long-running research into marmots have raised more than $100,000 after harnessing the support of another, very modern, funding avenue – cryptocurrency. The 60-year project of continuous study of marmots – stout, ground-dwelling rodents that are the largest members of the squirrel family – across the US west was facing termination following science funding cuts imposed by Donald Trump’s administration. Continue reading...
Phyllida Law, prolific performer across stage and screen, dies aged 94
As adept at comedy and musicals as she was drama, Law acted alongside daughters Emma and Sophie in a career spanning eight decades Phyllida Law, whose prolific acting career encompassed a wide range of stage, TV and film roles – a number of which were alongside her daughters Emma and Sophie Thompson – has died aged 94. Her personal manager Jacky Leggo said in a statement that she “died supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by all of her family”. Born in Glasgow in 1932, Law was accepted at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre school – initially intending to be a stage designer but then switching to acting. She appeared in a number of Bristol Old Vic productions in the 1950s, and it was there she met Eric Thompson, a fellow actor, whom she married in 1957. Continue reading...
‘The truth about Diana’: Charles Spencer to publish book about late sister
Earl says he wanted to ‘write down my own thoughts and memories’ with 30th anniversary of Diana’s death ‘on the skyline’ Charles Spencer is to publish about a book about his sister Diana in September. In the book – titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister – Spencer recounts the story of Diana’s life and the week of her death. It marks “the first time that Earl Spencer has spoken openly and at length about his sister”, according to the book’s publisher, the Penguin imprint Michael Joseph. The book will be released on 22 September in the UK. Continue reading...
Georgia man deported from Fiji to face $165m crypto Ponzi scheme charges
Edward Zimbardi, 59, who had fled US, will appear in court in Los Angeles on wire fraud and money-laundering charges A man from Flowery Branch, Georgia , has been deported from Fiji to face charges in his home state accusing him of defrauding more than 6,000 investors and causing more than $165m of losses in a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, the US attorney in Atlanta said on Monday. Edward Zimbardi, 59, was indicted on 12 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of money laundering and one count of money-laundering conspiracy. Continue reading...
UK retailers too slow to pass on fuel price falls, watchdog says
Competition and Markets Authority raises concerns about ‘passive pricing strategies’ used by some petrol stations Business live – latest updates Some petrol stations are still not passing on changes in wholesale prices quickly enough and more than 1,000 warning letters have been sent to retailers failing to give prices to the Fuel Finder service, the UK competition watchdog has said. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raised concerns in its latest quarterly update on the fuel market over “passive pricing strategies” used by the majority of retailers, which it said were helping to keep profit margins high amid soaring cost pressures on drivers from the Iran war . Continue reading...
‘Our task is to laugh at these enemies’: the Ukrainian unit posting drone videos of Russian soldiers’ last moments
Creators of chase compilations reject any moral qualms and say they show ‘death is waiting’ for those who join war To many observers they will appear dehumanising and offensive. To many Ukrainians, however, they are a brutal reminder of the fate that awaits Russian soldiers who take part in Vladimir Putin’s invasion, as well as a potent propaganda weapon. Over the past year and a half, videos of kamikaze drones chasing Russian service personnel to their deaths have become a distinctive genre on social media. They are the brainchild of Robert Brovdi , the head of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces and founder of “Magyar’s Birds” , named after his call sign. Continue reading...
First Thing: Meta’s treatment of children on social media in spotlight as landmark trial set to begin
Several US states have accused Instagram and Facebook’s parent company of deliberately causing young people harm with its products. Plus: the Italian nuns fighting to keep control of their spot in the sun Good morning. More than half of the states in the US have joined together in an unprecedented lawsuit against Meta that goes to trial on Tuesday, accusing the parent company of Instagram and Facebook of deliberately designing addictive products that lured in young people and caused them harm. The sweeping legal proceedings could have profound consequences for the company. The attorneys general say that if Meta is found liable, damages could be as high as $200bn – equivalent to the company’s 2025 annual revenue. The lawmakers are also asking that Meta be compelled to change the design of its products to make them safer for children, which may have longer-term effects than a fine. What is Meta accused of? The 233-page lawsuit, first filed in October 2023, alleges that Meta regularly collects data on children under the age of 13 without parental permission. The lawmakers claim in court documents that Meta “refuses to abandon its use of known harmful features” and that its motives are based solely on profit. How has Meta responded? Meta denies all allegations and says: “Rather than sticking to the facts or the law, the states have instead decided to chase an outlandish payout. The state AGs may call this a landmark case, but their limited claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate.” Why have conditions on board the ship become contentious? The Lincoln, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier left port from San Diego on 21 November 2025 and has now set a modern record for the longest time at sea without a port call. It has been more than 250 days since it has touched land. What else is causing concern with US navy ships? A US guided-missile destroyer reportedly spent four days adrift and without power in the South China Sea in July. The USS Benfold was reported to have been towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines. Continue reading...
‘A new normal’: Miami faces worsening seaweed problem as piles of algae wash up on beaches
Officials have had to remove thousands of tons of sargassum from Florida’s beaches amid the climate crisis Dealing with seaweed is the bulk of Chris Bumpus’s job during the summer. As chief of conservation for Miami-Dade county’s parks, recreation and open spaces department, Bumpus is in charge of cleaning sargassum off 17 miles (27km) of county beaches. But some days, the odds are stacked against him and his team. More and more sargassum, a kind of floating brown algae, has been washing up on the beaches of south Florida, west Africa, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Continue reading...
England’s ancient oak trees dying in extreme hot and dry weather
Woodland Trust says trees struggling in drought stress, with older ‘survivors’ disproportionately affected England’s ancient oak trees are dying in the summer’s extreme heat and dry weather, according to the Woodland Trust, with trees and ecosystems unable to adapt fast enough to the changing climate. The heatwaves across much of Europe this summer have had a notable impact on crop growth and plant health. To cope with the extreme conditions, many trees are undergoing “early autumn”, wilting and losing their leaves early. Crow Leasow oak, Shropshire. Tea Party oak, Suffolk. King John oak, Devon. Enmore oak, Somerset. Lydham Manor oak, Shropshire. Old Knobbley, Essex. Pwllpriddog oak, Carmarthenshire. Continue reading...
‘Migration has been weaponised’: Italy’s security law criticised after death of Moroccan man in police restraint
Case of Abderrahim Fakir is first in which legal shield giving police greater protection from prosecution has been invoked If, before 19 July, few people in Italy beyond his family and friends knew who Abderrahim Fakir was, by the late afternoon of that day the final moments of his life were being watched across the country. Video footage widely shared online showed him being handcuffed and forcibly restrained by police on a street in Pilastro, a neighbourhood in the north-east of Bologna. Continue reading...
Governments’ borrowing costs hit further multi-decade highs as US-Iran peace hopes fade
Bond yields in US, UK, Germany France and Japan rise after ceasefire ends and Trump threatens to bomb Oman Business live – latest updates Government borrowing costs continued to rise to levels not seen in decades on Tuesday, as hopes of an end to the US-Iran war faded. Concerns about the inflation outlook worsened after the ceasefire between Washington DC and Tehran ended on Monday night without an agreement , with no progress on the reopening of the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...
Mechanical fault suspected in helicopter crash that killed British newlyweds in Greece
Marie Ebert, Alexander Cromie and their pilot died when their aircraft crashed on island of Sifnos Greek police believe a mechanical fault may have caused a helicopter to crash moments before it was due to land on the island of Sifnos, killing a British couple on honeymoon and the pilot. Authorities were focusing on Tuesday on the “strange noise” the aircraft, a privately chartered Bell 206, is reported to have made before falling to the ground and exploding on impact. Continue reading...
Redistricting scrambles Florida primary as Alaska awaits Dan Sullivan v Dan Sullivan – US politics live
Today’s contests will help shape the fiercely contested midterms this fall to determine control of Congress Sign up for the US Breaking News email Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Attention turns to Florida and Alaska, where primaries later on Tuesday will highlight Republican-led redistricting efforts that have scrambled congressional maps. Donald Trump voted by mail in Florida’s Republican primary, Politico reports, citing Palm Beach County voting records. The White House has confirmed the president’s mail-in vote, according to the New York Times , which added that this is at least the third time the president has mailed his ballot. A northern California county plans to hire Tina Peters, the prominent Colorado election denier recently released from prison, to work on elections. Shasta county, a conservative region home to 182,000 people, has emerged as a center of the US election denialism movement in recent years. California governor Gavin Newsom’s office said the state is investigating Peters’ hiring. CNN has said it stands behind reporter Kristen Holmes after Trump repeatedly told the CNN reporter to “be quiet” and accused her of being “a fake reporter” during questioning over conditions onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Shortly after the president reprimanded Holmes, the White House invoked her children in a social media post further attacking the reporter when she asked about comments from Democratic senator Jon Ossoff in a speech on Sunday. He had told a crowd that Trump “doesn’t want to do the job” and instead “wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar”. It was an apparent reference to Natalie Harp, the president’s executive assistant. Trump again threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of his effort to end the US-Israel war on Iran, as the two-month window to negotiate peace with Iran expired on Monday with no end to the conflict in sight. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump told Fox News . Trump said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had responded to his overtures after he ordered the US to scale back military exercises with South Korea . Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked why Kim had not responded to his overtures. Continue reading...
‘Picky bits’ on the menu as British shoppers snap up picnic food in heatwave
Consumers also turn to supermarket deals to save money, helping slow grocery price inflation Business live – latest updates Shopping baskets took on a decidedly summery complexion during last month’s heatwaves as consumers filled up on a British picnic staple: picky bits , and grocery inflation slowed. Spending rose on foods such as potato salad, olives and coleslaw, while ice-cream sales also increased, according to new data from Worldpanel by Numerator, a market research company. Continue reading...
AFL chief breaks silence over ‘deeply concerning’ Sydney Swans sexual assault allegations
Andrew Dillon says the AFL ‘will consider the broader conduct of the players as more information comes to light’ The AFL has declared it is prepared to act over “deeply concerning” sexual assault allegations involving Sydney Swans players. Victorian police on Tuesday confirmed the sexual crimes squad was investigating a reported sexual assault at Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel early on Monday morning. No arrests have been made and no charges have been laid. Continue reading...
WA police appeal for help to find 10-year-old girl missing from Perth suburbs
Lyndel Ningella was last seen leaving home in Butler on Saturday evening prompting concerns about her safety Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Western Australia police have appealed for help in finding a 10-year-old girl who went missing from Perth’s outer northern suburbs on Saturday. Lyndel Ningella has not been seen since early Saturday evening when police said the young girl was seen leaving a home in Butler at about 5:45pm on 15 August. Continue reading...
Trump 2.0 has deleted or altered nearly 400 US datasets, endangering public health, education and more
Health data appears to be most affected by administration’s attempt to wipe findings that don’t align with its priorities, tracker shows A database of federal law enforcement officer misconduct records. A survey measuring physical, sexual and emotional violence against children and youth. Real-time pollution readings collected by air quality monitors from US embassies around the world. These are among the hundreds of federal datasets that the Trump administration has taken down or altered as part of its aggressive campaign to wipe all mentions of data findings that do not align with the administration’s priorities. Continue reading...
Civil service chief got record £500,000 payout after Starmer dismissal
Chris Wormald received unprecedented payment after serving as cabinet secretary for just 14 months The former head of the civil service Chris Wormald received a record payout, in the region of £500,000, when he was forced out of the top job in Whitehall by Keir Starmer, it has emerged. The unprecedented payment was made after Wormald served just 14 months in the role of cabinet secretary before being replaced by Antonia Romeo. Continue reading...
England’s children’s commissioner says Prevent failing to help young people ‘fixated with violence’
Report by Rachel de Souza finds 71% of children referred to UK anti-terror programme do not have a clear ideology The children’s commissioner for England has warned of a group of children “intoxicated by extremism” who need help the UK government’s anti-terror programme cannot provide. Referrals to Prevent – the programme designed to safeguard vulnerable people from being radicalised or drawn into extremism – involving children have risen in the past decade, from 2,918 in 2016-17 to 4,715 in 2024-25. Continue reading...
Controversial NDIS bill undergoes ‘substantial’ amendments as Labor and Coalition strike deal
David Pocock says legislation still includes ‘indiscriminate cut’ impacting hundreds of thousands of participants The government’s controversial NDIS bill will undergo “substantial” amendments after Labor and the Coalition struck a deal, with some of the changes attracting heavy criticism from the Greens, the ACT senator David Pocock and the disability community. Sixty-three government amendments across both houses will be introduced as part of backroom deals to pass the bill on Tuesday night, the NDIS ministers, Mark Butler and Jenny McAllister, revealed. Continue reading...
Virginia teacher and firefighters feud over whether a python started schoolhouse fire
Authorities blamed Nanner for knocking over a heat fixture, but Brittany Jacobs contends it was trying to escape blaze The snake didn’t start the fire. So says a Virginia science teacher who owns a python that was found outside its enclosure in a middle school classroom that caught fire recently. Authorities, meanwhile, have publicly blamed the fire on the snake, named Nanner, alleging the python knocked over a heat fixture in her owner’s classroom, igniting a blaze that caused damage at Bedford county’s Forest middle school and killed a tortoise there. Continue reading...
Top Democrats tussle in Florida primary but progressive liberalism not on menu
Politics that worked for Democratic candidates in New York, Minnesota, Michigan won’t cut it in red Florida, analysts say If primary elections elsewhere this summer were tussles between progressives and moderates for the direction of the Democratic party’s political future, Tuesday’s contests in Florida could not be more different. In a former swing state that has in recent years become reliably red, moderate Democratic candidates Alex Vindman and David Jolly are heavily favored to become the party’s nominees for November’s Senate and governor’s race, respectively. Continue reading...
The rise and fall of Tony Romo: what comes next for CBS’s $180m NFL analyst?
The former Dallas Cowboys star is on indefinite leave after being arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. His future in a competitive business is now in doubt After Tony Romo’s arrest last month, TMZ published a 31-minute “extended cut” of the body-camera footage from the Wisconsin police officer who arrested CBS Sports’ star NFL analyst on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence. It’s an uncanny watch. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s familiar goofy geniality collides with the gravity and stilted formality of an encounter with law enforcement. The video of a disoriented Romo struggling to answer basic questions and failing a field sobriety test, and his rictus-grinning, disheveled, head-askew mug-shot, form a glaring contrast with his smart-suited look a year earlier : beaming as he posed in the spotlight with his play-by-play partner, Jim Nantz, at the network’s preseason media preview. Continue reading...
Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley tightens hold on Hugo Boss
Frasers Group increases stake in German fashion house to 48%, after buying Harvey Nichols chain last week The retail billionaire Mike Ashley has given the latest indication that his summer shopping spree may be far from over, after he increased his stake in the luxury giant Hugo Boss to nearly half. Ashley’s Frasers Group, which last week bought Harvey Nichols department stores for a reported £40m, increased its shareholding in the German fashion house to 48%, falling short of taking full control. In June, the British billionaire made a nearly €2bn (£1.73bn) takeover offer for the luxury group, but its board rejected Frasers’ bid as “inadequate” and urged shareholders not to accept Ashley’s offer. The new, higher stake is a result of 17.6% of shareholders accepting Ashley’s offer, which amounted to €38 a share. That bid reflected only a 4% premium to Hugo Boss’s shares when it was tabled. Axel Rudolph, an analyst at the investing platform IG, said it was “another major step towards gaining control” of Hugo Boss. Ashley’s new shareholding puts Frasers “firmly in the driving seat as it looks to increase its influence”, he added. Continue reading...