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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Donald Trump to present World Cup trophy to winners, says Gianni Infantino
Two men due to share trophy-presenting on 19 July ‘We are together all the time’, says Fifa president Donald Trump is set to hand over the World Cup trophy to the winners at the final on 19 July, Gianni Infantino has said. Infantino and Trump have forged a close relationship in the build-up to these finals, but the US president has barely talked about the tournament since it began on 11 June, and is yet to attend a match. Continue reading...
DUP seeks to distance party from ‘wicked deceiver’ Jeffrey Donaldson
Denunciation comes after former Democratic Unionist leader convicted of child sexual offences The Democratic Unionist party has denounced Jeffrey Donaldson as a “wicked deceiver” who led a “double and duplicitous life” a day after its former leader was convicted of child sexual offences . Leaders at the Stormont assembly on Tuesday sought to distance the DUP from Donaldson and described him as a manipulator who had hoodwinked Northern Ireland and hid his crimes behind a facade of respectability and Christian faith. Continue reading...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy to skip postwar conference amid tensions with Poland
Ukraine’s president will not attend after sparking Polish ‘outrage’ over naming of military unit Europe live – latest updates Volodymyr Zelenskyy will skip a high-level conference on the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine amid a deepening rift with Poland over his naming of a military unit for one that killed tens of thousands of Poles during the second world war. Ukraine’s president had been expected to co-host the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which begins in the Polish coastal city of Gdańsk on Thursday, but the Ukrainian delegation will instead be led by the prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko. Continue reading...
Trump says DC reflecting pool repairs may not be done in time for 4 July
US president planned to revamp the now algae-stricken pool ahead of the holiday and America’s 250th birthday Donald Trump has acknowledged that repairs to the algae-stricken reflecting pool in Washington DC may not be completed in time for the Fourth of July, when the president plans to convene a big celebration on the National Mall to ring in the country’s 250th birthday. The iconic body of water began filling with algae blooms and peeling paint after the Trump administration ordered a $14.2m renovation to turn it “American flag” blue, prompting the president to claim – without providing evidence – that vandals armed with a knife had damaged it. Continue reading...
Department of Homeland Security will allow Iran to travel to US early for World Cup match
Iran will be allowed into US 48 hours before crucial game Team Melli have complained about travel conditions The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it will grant Iran extra time to prepare for their World Cup match against Egypt on Friday. The team had planned to lodge an official complaint with Fifa about the “restrictions imposed by the organisers” at the World Cup . Iran have been training in Mexico and were only allowed to enter the United States 24 hours before their first two matches. Continue reading...
Boat crash victim’s family dismayed after driver George Pino found not guilty
Prominent Florida real estate broker found not guilty by Miami jury of manslaughter and felony vessel homicide The family of a teenager left with a permanent disability from a birthday party boat crash that killed another girl has reacted with dismay at the acquittal of the prominent Florida real estate broker helming the vessel. George Pino was found not guilty by a Miami jury on Monday evening of manslaughter and felony vessel homicide after the 4 September 2022 boat wreck during a celebration that he and his wife, Cecilia, were hosting for their daughter’s 18th birthday, with 11 of her friends as guests. Continue reading...
Who is likely to be in or out of a Burnham cabinet?
Big hitters such as Miliband, Mahmood and Streeting are seen as in line for the top jobs; others face an abrupt end to their ministerial careers By mid-July, as now seems almost inevitable, we will have a new prime minister in Andy Burnham. He will, of course, then pick his own cabinet. So who will – and won’t – make it to the top table of the former Greater Manchester mayor? Continue reading...
New York lawmaker says it’s ‘sad’ that a cafe banned him over his pro-Israel views
Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn now faces DoJ investigation after sharing post criticizing Democrat Dan Goldman New York Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman has said it is “sad” that a Brooklyn coffee shop banned him over his views on Israel – a move which has put the cafe under investigation by the Trump administration’s justice department. Goldman represents New York’s 10th congressional district and holds pro-Israel views. He made the “sad” remark to CNN after Brooklyn’s Poetica Coffee banned him in a viral, since-deleted social media post after a visit from him on Sunday. Continue reading...
Welcome to the Andy Burnham show: the Westminster frenzy sucking up the British media’s attention | Marina Hyde
Despite Friday’s awful rail crash, it was the PM-in-waiting’s journey from Manchester to London that dominated the headlines Bogglingly, Andy Burnham didn’t even wait to become prime minister before organising yesterday’s ludicrous photo of him standing in Westminster Hall , backdropped by hundreds of fawning Labour MPs, like Dorothy surrounded by the munchkins. Or like the bit in Return of the Jedi where the detestably cutesy Ewoks worship C-3PO as a god. Actually, the Westminster Hall visual was even naffer than the Ewoks singing their abysmal Yub Nub song of triumph at the end of that movie. Maybe it’ll sell a lot of soft toys. Is there Andy Burnham merchandise yet? It feels as though it could be in the post. A decade ago, at the peak of the SNP’s powers, the party sold a whole diffusion line called the “ Nicola signature range ”, which included covetable items such as onesies, teddies and shopping bags, presumably ideal for filling with £2,600 salt and pepper grinders, or multiple gaming console gifts for any motorhome visitors. Continue reading...
Tate brothers seek judicial review of decision not to tell them accusers’ names
High court hears identities of women accusing Andrew and Tristan Tate of rape withheld for fear they could be revealed Andrew and Tristan Tate are not being told the names of the women who have accused them of rape and human trafficking over fears the brothers might publish them on social media, the high court has heard. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised charges against the Tates in March 2024 in relation to the women’s allegations but their accusers’ identities have not been disclosed to the brothers or their representatives. The Tates have denied any wrongdoing. Continue reading...
Jon Stewart on Trump and Middle East: ‘Iran is a circumcision away from becoming Israel’
The late night host slammed the US peace deal with Iran, discussed JD Vance’s snub by leaders and the ‘Mountain Dew green’ reflecting pool On Monday night, Jon Stewart addressed Donald Trump turning DC’s reflecting pool “Mountain Dew green”, his blundered Iran peace deal and wasting US taxpayer money. Continue reading...
A scientist says he can scan prisoners’ brains for signs of evil. Did his disputed science put a man on death row?
Kent Kiehl convinced the US legal system he can find violence in prisoners’ brains. His theories have been since used by defense lawyers – with grave consequences for prisoners Continue reading...
Merz backs plans to raise Germany’s retirement age to 70 in pension changes
Recommendations from commission propose gradual rise in retirement age by the early 2090s Europe live – latest updates Germany will gradually raise its retirement age to about 70 by the early 2090s under recommendations backed by the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, as a means of future-proofing the pension system for an ageing population. Presenting its findings on Tuesday, an expert commission set up to explore reforms to the pension system said retirement age should be linked to rising life expectancy and early retirement should be scrapped. Continue reading...
Farage breaks cover at last but finds the £5m question hasn’t gone away | John Crace
A testy Reform UK leader tried to bat off questions about why a gigantic gift to him had anything to do with the public Happy days. Ten glorious years. Maybe it was the chance to bask in the unmitigated triumphs of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Maybe he wanted to take advantage of a rare lacuna. The vacuum between the last rites of the Keir Starmer government and the handover to Andy Burnham. The man from Makerfield who had only a few days ago been in such a hurry now finds he needs more time to get his ducks in a row. Or maybe it was just the hope that amnesia had set in. That it was safe to come out. Whatever it was, Nigel Farage chose to break cover. For more than eight weeks now the Reform leader has been a virtual recluse. From having to meet his cravings for an instant fix with two or three press conferences a week, Nige has refused to do any media. He has been in hiding. Only seen out with a few friendly faces. Posting videos of himself alone in a field where reporters can’t find him. Any suggestions that this has anything to do with the £5m gift, or whatever you want to call it, are obviously hopelessly wide of the mark. Nige just wants to be alone. To take a Garbo moment. Some me-time with the person he loves most in the world. Continue reading...
Chilean court convicts three former Pinochet agents in 1976 car bomb attack
The three who were convicted in the Washington DC killing were agents of Augusto Pinochet’s feared secret police Fifty years after Gen Augusto Pinochet ’s secret police detonated a car bomb in the heart of Washington DC, killing Orlando Letelier, a former Chilean minister and ambassador to the US, and his American colleague Ronni Karpen Moffitt, a Santiago court has convicted three former agents of Moffitt’s murder. Judge Paola Plaza, a special minister for human rights in Chile, sentenced Pedro Espinoza, José Zara, and Raúl Iturriaga to 15 years in prison for their roles in the killing of Moffitt, 25. Continue reading...
Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison
Activists accused of being part of antifa face harsh sentences in case seen as test of Trump’s crackdown on dissent A group of Texas protesters convicted of terrorism charges received harsh sentences of at least 50 years in prison Tuesday in a closely watched case that was widely seen as a test case of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on dissent. After a three week jury trial, the nine activists were all found guilty of a slew of criminal charges in March, stemming from a Fourth of July protest at an immigrant detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, south of Fort Worth. The demonstrators arrived late at night with a plan to set off fireworks as part of a noise demonstration to show solidarity with those detained inside. A few of the protesters spontaneously broke off from the main group and vandalized cars in the parking lot, a guard shack, slashed the tires on a government van and broke a security camera. When a police officer arrived on the scene and drew his weapon, one of the activists fired an AR-15 from the woods, hitting the officer in the shoulder. The officer survived. Continue reading...
US supreme court blocks Rastafarian man’s lawsuit over forced head-shaving in prison
In a 6-3 opinion, the court says Louisiana prisoner cannot sue guards after he grew his hair for more than 20 years The US supreme court refused on Tuesday to let a Rastafarian man sue state prison officials in Louisiana after guards held him down and shaved him bald in violation of his religious beliefs, in a landmark case. The case was brought under a federal law designed to protect incarcerated people from religious discrimination. Continue reading...
Tasmanian devils, swift parrots, black swans: the animals at risk if bird flu takes off in Australia
Federal government identifies more than 150 native and unique bird species and 10 mammal species at ‘very high risk’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast More than 150 of Australia’s native and unique bird species have been assessed as being at “very high risk” of extinction or major decline if they catch the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, with Western Australia’s celebrated black swans among the most susceptible. The federal government analysis of Australia’s 800 different birds and 350 mammals reflects the high level of concern among experts about the arrival of the H5N1 strain, which has killed millions of birds and mammals around the world. Continue reading...
Labor’s tax deal with the Greens is a crucial win – but its NDIS changes could pay the price
The victory may have dinged Labor’s chances of easily passing its significant cost-cutting reforms to the NDIS through the Senate in August Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The government scored a crucial win on Tuesday, securing support for its tax changes through the Senate . But that victory may have dinged Labor’s chances of easily passing its other major budget measure – significant cost-cutting reforms to the NDIS – through the Senate in August. Labor’s deal with the Greens sees an inquiry into the NDIS extended for two months, with plans for new public hearings and more time for a committee process, after even the health minister, Mark Butler, admitted he had heard “confronting” evidence from the disability community fearful of losing access to key supports. Eight additional weeks of a public inquiry, spearheaded by an activist party hellbent on trying to kill this bill, is not nothing. Continue reading...
Blue passports, Big Ben and Bpoplive: the Brexit referendum anniversary quiz
Who put Theresa May’s back up on Instagram, what did Boris Johnson say about bananas and much more It is 10 years since the British public decided to pack up its troubles in its old kit bag, give Jacques Delors the final up yours and march off into an EU-free paradise. Opinions may differ on how that has worked out. Certainly several of the architects of the whole thing are enjoying lovely well-paid retirements on the speaking circuit or have seats in the House of Lords. Anyway, here are 18 questions about Brexit and the referendum campaign. How much do you remember about some of the weirder aspects of those few weeks, months and then years as the UK negotiated its exit? The Guardian 10th anniversary Brexit referendum quiz Continue reading...
JD Vance has written another book? Couldn’t he just concentrate on his day job? | Arwa Mahdawi
As the US tries to limit the damage from the Iran war, its vice-president has admitted he doesn’t understand diplomacy. Of course not: he’s been too busy churning out another memoir Has JD Vance been injecting Barron Trump’s new energy drink straight into his veins? It would explain a few things, including how the man manages to juggle so much. First there’s the parenting: Vance has three young kids and a baby due soon . Then there’s the vice-presidenting. But despite his long to-do list, Vance still makes time for endless holidays. And he’s even managed to get some writing done: the bestselling Hillbilly Elegy author recently published his second book. It’s a memoir about his spiritual journey called Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith. So, should you find your way to a bookshop to buy a copy? Most book critics seem to say no . It’s hard to know exactly what regular readers think because two of the biggest review platforms have restricted feedback . Amazon says reviews are limited to verified purchasers because of “unusual review activity” (translation: a torrent of one-star reviews), while Amazon-owned Goodreads has suspended reviews altogether. It’s a shame that Usha Vance, a voracious reader whose Goodreads account notes she just finished Communion (shortly after reading Death Comes for the Archbishop), hasn’t had a chance to give hubby a five-star review. Continue reading...
US supreme court ends lawsuit alleging Cisco helped China pursue Falun Gong
Suit alleged California-based company developed technology that allowed China to surveil members of movement The US supreme court further limited the reach of a federal law used to hold corporations liable for human rights abuses committed abroad, as it issued a ruling on Tuesday ending a lawsuit by members of the Falun Gong movement accusing Cisco Systems of facilitating religious persecution in China. The justices reversed a lower court’s decision that had breathed new life into the 2011 lawsuit, which was brought under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789. The suit had alleged that Cisco knowingly developed technology that allowed China’s government to surveil and persecute Falun Gong members. Continue reading...
Hundreds of schools in England and Wales to close in heatwave
Unions say it is dangerous for schools to stay open in high temperatures Hundreds of schools across the south of England and Wales are expected to close or vary their hours this week, in an effort to combat the extreme heat and conditions labelled as dangerous by education unions. School leaders said they had warned parents about potential closures on Wednesday and Thursday, with many opting to end the day early to avoid the worst of the afternoon heat. Continue reading...
Two people killed and child injured in northern California library shooting
Suspect in incident at Chico branch of Butte county library arrested, police say, but no known motive Two people were killed and a child was injured in a shooting at a northern California library on Monday evening, authorities said. A suspect in the incident at the Chico branch of the Butte county library has been arrested, according to the Chico police department. Continue reading...