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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Tens of thousands pay tribute to Jason Arday at Trafalgar Square vigil
MPs, friends and campaigners gathered to remember former Cambridge professor after his death on Friday Tens of thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar Square in London to remember and pay tribute to Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor who died on Friday. Stand Up to Racism, which organised the vigil, estimated that 30,000 mourners had gathered in the square to listen to emotional speeches from MPs, friends and campaigners on Arday’s life and legacy and join in a minute’s silence. Many were dressed in black and held flowers, which they were asked to leave beneath Nelson’s column. People also carried placards reading “rest in power”. Continue reading...
Trump dismisses USS Lincoln criticism and snaps at CNN reporter to ‘be quiet’
President says US carrier is ‘beautifully maintained’ and calls CNN ‘fake news’ over reports of poor conditions Donald Trump claimed he had third-hand reports that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is “beautifully maintained” despite extensive accounts of deteriorating living conditions during its lengthy deployment in the strait of Hormuz. At the White House on Monday, Trump berated a CNN reporter at a press availability, insisting that she “be quiet” and describing the reporting as fake news. Continue reading...
Netanyahu party campaign billboard likens Mamdani to leaders of Iran and Hezbollah
Likud’s depiction of Zohran Mamdani is latest move in spat between Israel’s prime minister and New York’s mayor Benjamin Netanyahu’s party has compared the New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani to the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah on a campaign billboard. The billboard in central Tel Aviv depicts Mamdani alongside the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and the chief of the militant group Hezbollah, Naim Qassem. Continue reading...
NBA blasts ESPN for ‘inaccuracies’ in report on Kawhi Leonard-Clippers investigation
NBA is looking into claims of salary cap circumvention ESPN says league has no proof owner funneled money Steve Ballmer denies allegations; Leonard trade on hold The NBA has disputed an ESPN report on the league’s investigation into possible salary cap circumvention by the Los Angeles Clippers. On Monday, ESPN reported that, after an 11-month investigation, the NBA was not able to show proof that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer funneled money to Kawhi Leonard via team sponsorships to bypass the salary cap. The outlet also said the two sides have been “negotiating a resolution to the investigation”. Continue reading...
Trump tells 10-year-old rescued by teen lifeguard: ‘I don’t know if I’d do it’
President hosts Nathanial Rai and lifeguard Ryder Williams at White House after video of California rescue went viral Nathanial Rai had been swept off his feet along the California coast, was rescued by a 16-year-old lifeguard – and was now sitting in the Oval Office with Donald Trump. Of the rescuer, Ryder Williams , Trump said to Rai: “He’s a real hero. I don’t know if I’d do it. Continue reading...
Huge number of children would fall into poverty under Reform’s benefits plans, say campaigners
Party wants to cut £50bn from UK welfare bill but charity says proposals would cause ‘horrific levels of destitution’ Hundreds of thousands of children would be tipped into poverty and destitution under plans unveiled by Reform UK to slash £50bn a year from the UK benefits bill, campaigners have warned. The warnings came after Reform published plans to drastically reduce disability payments, ban non-UK citizens from claiming benefits and introduce compulsory 20 hours a week unpaid workfare for thousands of long-term unemployed people. Continue reading...
Trump administration pauses border construction in Big Bend national park
Controversial project has faced bipartisan opposition by critics who say it mars pristine environmental area in Texas The Trump administration says it is temporarily pausing construction of a controversial border construction project in Big Bend national park while the head of the agency tasked with building the wall visits Texas to do an “on-the-ground evaluation”. The project through the national park in southern Texas has faced fierce bipartisan opposition by critics who say it is marring a pristine environmental area, and that the region’s rugged and remote terrain already serves as a deterrent to migrants and smugglers. Continue reading...
US Navy destroyer adrift in South China Sea for four days after losing power
USS Benfold lost power after ‘engineering casualty’ leaving sailors without galley services, toilets and air conditioning A US guided-missile destroyer reportedly spent four days adrift and without power in the South China Sea in July, furthering concerns about strain being placed on deployed military members. The USS Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer which had been sailing with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group, was reported to have been towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines, according to the US Naval Institute News, an independent military publication. Continue reading...
People with severe intellectual disabilities live 24 years less on average
Exclusive: Research also finds stark ethnic disparities, and 40% of deaths among group classed as avoidable People living with severe intellectual disabilities are dying 24 years younger on average than the wider population, a study has found, with 40% of such deaths being avoidable. The study also found that within this group, people from minority ethnic backgrounds were dying 14 years younger than their white counterparts. Continue reading...
Ministers drop plan to relax affordable housing rules after rural homes backlash
Government concedes ‘significant opposition’ requires new approach on quotas for medium-sized development sites Ministers have dropped plans to relax affordable housing rules for developers in England after a backlash from housing experts who warned it could drastically cut the number of cheaper homes available in rural areas. The government said on Monday it would not go ahead with proposals to end affordable housing quotas for private builders on sites between 10 and 49 houses after a consultation triggered an overwhelmingly negative response. Continue reading...
Trump’s move to gut South Korea alliance is ‘inane, haphazard decision’, lawmakers say
US president’s abrupt order to scale back joint exercises with Seoul is meant to ‘flatter’ North Korea’s dictator, top Democrat says US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump’s move to gut Washington’s 73-year-old military alliance with Seoul has been called “inane” and “shortsighted” as lawmakers warned it risked strengthening Russia’s hand in Ukraine. The US president abruptly ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea just days after North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles, justifying the decision by citing his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong-Un, the nuclear-armed dictator such exercises exist to deter. Continue reading...
Amanda Abbington awarded five-figure sum by BBC over bullying allegations on Strictly
BBC apologises to actor after review upholds ‘some’ of her allegations against dance partner Giovanni Pernice The actor Amanda Abbington has reached a five-figure settlement with the BBC over bullying allegations she made about her time on Strictly Come Dancing. The programme was the subject of a review in 2024 after she alleged her professional partner, Giovanni Pernice, had bullied and harassed her. Continue reading...
Jon Ossoff accuses Trump and Hegseth of lying about Iran war – video
Democratic senator Jon Ossoff attacked Donald Trump and the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, over the Iran war, saying they lied 'the nation into a war'. Ossoff, who is running for re-election in Georgia in November, made the comments while speaking at a rally in midtown Atlanta on Sunday afternoon Jon Ossoff calls Trump’s handling of Iran war ‘uniquely despicable’ in excoriating speech Continue reading...
Tupac Shakur murder: trial of ex-gang leader accused of ordering killing begins
Prosecutors allege Duane Davis was ‘on-site commander’ in murder of Shakur who died after drive-by shooting in 1996 Opening statements in the trial of a former gang leader accused of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap star Tupac Shakur began in a Las Vegas courtroom on Monday morning. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is on trial for murder for his alleged role in the shooting of Shakur, who died after a drive-by shooting. Prosecutors allege Davis was the “on-the-ground, on-site commander of the effort to kill Tupac”. The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...
Netanyahu and Kushner talks make no breakthrough on stalled Gaza deal
Israeli PM again insists troops will not withdraw from strip until Hamas first disarms, but calls meeting constructive Benjamin Netanyahu has told Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner there can be no progress on the stalled Gaza ceasefire deal or an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal strip until Hamas first disarms. An Israeli official said there had been no breakthrough in the meeting between the pair, saying Netanyahu had made it clear the IDF would not withdraw and would continue to carry out operations in Gaza. Continue reading...
Labour MP under investigation by party over Covid loans to his businesses
Southend East & Rochford’s Bayo Alaba has been suspended while inquiry looks at bounceback loans A Labour MP has been suspended after being questioned about government Covid loans taken out by his businesses. Bayo Alaba, the MP for Southend East & Rochford, has referred himself to the Labour party for investigation after the Times asked about a loan given to one of his businesses during the pandemic. Continue reading...
Jon Ossoff calls Trump’s handling of Iran war ‘uniquely despicable’ in excoriating speech
Georgia Democratic senator has stoked speculation for 2028 presidency bid by delivering stinging attacks on Trump Democratic senator Jon Ossoff has attacked Donald Trump’s “uniquely despicable” handling of the US-Israel war on Iran, accusing the US president of “re-rigging” a corrupt system for himself in an excoriating speech. Ossoff, who is running for re-election in Georgia in November, has repeatedly stoked speculation that he is laying the ground for a bid for the US presidency in 2028 by delivering a series of stinging attacks on Trump and his administration. Continue reading...
European farmers face ‘unprecedented crisis’ after successive heatwaves
Vegetable and grain growers call for urgent action, warning of ‘catastrophic’ harvests due to continent-wide drought Successive intense heatwaves and an increasingly severe, continent-wide drought have left many of Europe’s farmers in an “unprecedented” crisis, with vegetable and grain growers in particular warning of “catastrophic” harvests. French vegetable production is down by “a very significant extent” compared with previous years, French growers have said, with shortfalls put at 25% for courgettes, 35% for lettuces, 40% for peas, 60% for broccoli and 50% to 100% for artichokes. Continue reading...
Can Trump’s peace plan for Gaza be saved? – The Latest
Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is on a diplomatic mission in the Middle East to meet Hamas officials and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in an attempt to salvage a ceasefire in Gaza. The talks come after Netanyahu rejected the US-backed 15-point peace plan for the territory in a rare public break with the Trump administration this month. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to global editor Devika Bhat – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
Louisiana man allegedly killed his wife and drove her body across states before arrest
Authorities say man, 50, shot wife in Louisiana and put her body in car before driving and being stopped in Tennessee A man in Louisiana killed his wife and then took her body on a driving tour through several states before he was arrested in Tennessee, authorities allege. The suspect’s macabre purported odyssey began in Baton Rouge when, according to Louisiana investigators, Tyronne Brazille, 50, shot dead his wife, Lanessa Bradford, also 50, during an argument at the city’s Independence Community Park. Continue reading...
US gas prices reach highest ever recorded for August amid stalled talks with Iran
Energy prices have been high since the US-Israel war with Iran began and the strait of Hormuz was blocked US gas prices this month are so far the highest ever recorded for August as peace talks between the US and Iran have stalled and Donald Trump launched fresh threats against Oman. The national average price of gas was $4.06 per gallon on Monday, according to data from AAA , $0.05 higher than last week and $1 more expensive than a year ago. In California and Hawaii, averages hit about $5.50 a gallon. Continue reading...
China’s economy showing signs that slowdown may be extending
Industrial output and retail sales slump in July after one of the country’s weakest quarterly growth rates ever China’s economy is showing signs of extending a slowdown with a slump in industrial output and retail sales in July, adding to pressure on Beijing to intervene with measures to support activity. After the world’s second largest economy posted one of its lowest quarterly growth readings on record in the three months to June, the latest figures suggest it continued to falter in July. Continue reading...
US supreme court again rejects Trump’s bid to overturn E Jean Carroll verdict
Decision leaves intact $5m civil judgment against Trump after jury found him liable for sexually abusing writer The US supreme court has once again declined to consider Donald Trump’s appeal of a jury verdict in 2023 that found him liable for sexually abusing writer E Jean Carroll, and later defaming her. The court announced the decision in an unsigned order on Monday, without providing an explanation of their decision. The order just listed the US president’s petition, along with several other petitions, under “rehearings denied”. Continue reading...
‘She never forgot where she came from’: Bonnie Tyler mourners turn out for Swansea service
Many in the crowd watching on screen outside minster have stories of meeting or knowing singer, who died in July Bonnie Tyler’s songs have echoed through her home town of Swansea in recent days in memory of the late singer, but on Monday the church bells stopped and wellwishers lining the streets fell silent as her coffin arrived for a service celebrating her life. As the white coffin, covered in bouquets of white roses, was carried into the minster, shouts of “God bless you Bonnie” and “Bye Bonnie” punctured the quiet. Those gathered to pay their respects burst into applause. Tyler’s If I Sing You a Love Song and It’s a Heartache played before the private service began, which mourners outside watched on a screen in nearby St David’s Square. Continue reading...