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Politics
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Mother of Briton fatally shot by father in Texas urges Miliband to press US for new inquiry
Jane Coates says foreign secretary should draw attention to coroner’s finding that Lucy Harrison was unlawfully killed The UK foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, is being urged to push US authorities to reopen an investigation into a man who shot dead his 23-year-old British daughter while she was visiting him in Texas. Lucy Harrison, from Warrington in Cheshire, was fatally shot on 10 January 2025, the day before she was due to fly home to the UK. Continue reading...
Uefa, Concacaf and AFC push for Infantino to quit and discuss rival competitions
Confederations write open letter damning Fifa president Concacaf president Montagliani seen as top contender Uefa, the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf will push for Gianni Infantino to resign after writing an open letter calling for “leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it”. In a dramatic escalation of the war that has threatened to tear football apart since details emerged of the Fifa president’s failed Football Forward Enterprise scheme, the three governing bodies accused Infantino of “trust broken through deception” and condemned his failure to acknowledge that the proposal should not have been unilaterally launched. Continue reading...
‘Shoved the tube so hard it tore my nose’: Kurdish film-maker recounts ‘inhumane’ ICE force-feeding
Gabar Choli tells of how, for months, he was shackled, pinned and forcibly fed – and the physical and emotional scars the ordeal has left In June 2025, a sluggish and thin Gabar Choli, with sunken temples and bones visible under his skin, braced himself for the immigration detention center guards to charge into his cell once again. Choli was in a solitary confinement medical cell inside the Port Isabel service processing center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) detention facility in south Texas where immigrants arrested in Donald Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown are detained. Continue reading...
Trump officials offer cities tens of millions for Memphis-style police surges – with conditions
DoJ to give $300m for enforcement surges in four cities, as long as they abandon progressive ideologies on policing The Trump administration is offering grants of tens of millions of dollars to cities across the US to create more Memphis -style enforcement surges – on the condition that they abandon progressive ideologies on policing. The US Department of Justice says it will announce up to four finalist cities which will split $300m in grant funding under a federal “Model Cities” policing initiative (MCI) next month, setting the stage for some of the largest federal policing grants ever awarded to individual US cities. Continue reading...
Dr Fauci made mistakes. But his persecution is a travesty | Margaret Sullivan
It’s easy to second-guess decisions made during the pandemic. That doesn’t justify the Republicans’ politicized response Like the rest of us, Anthony Fauci is far from perfect. His influential guidance, as the country’s top infectious-disease specialist during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, certainly didn’t get everything right. A great deal about the deadly disease – where it came from, how it spread, how best to protect the public – was unknown, or was being learned midstream, during a crisis. Continue reading...
New head of Australian trade union movement named after Sally McManus steps down
Melissa Donnelly, the national secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, will replace the outgoing ACTU head Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Melissa Donnelly, the national secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, will take on the role as the next head of the trade movement in Australia, after the resignation of Sally McManus . The Australian Council of Trade Unions’ secretary and its president, Michele O’Neil, revealed last month they would be stepping down after eight years together as the first all-female leadership team in the ACTU’s 99-year history, playing a major role in shaping the Albanese government’s workplace agenda. Continue reading...
I’ve discovered the joys of postcard-writing in middle age | Amanda Uhle
There are profound rewards of handwritten correspondence in our digital age I sent my first postcard, as a six-year old, to Olympian Mary Lou Retton, who returned an autographed black and white photo of herself in a wide smile and chic haircut. “‘GOOD LUCK USA ‘84” it said. There followed four relatively fallow decades for me as a postcard sender or receiver until last year, when I became enchanted by the infinite possibilities available in four by six inches. Continue reading...
A TikTok PM may seem laughable – but reaching young people like me might just keep Labour in office | Lucy O’Brien
Andy Burnham and his social media team know how to connect with us. We’re no fools, though – this has to be backed by serious policies Strapped up in his navy suit, blue tie and charmingly nerdy glasses, Andy Burnham entered No 10 newly appointed as our fifth prime minister in four years. I didn’t watch this historic scene live on BBC News. Instead, I saw a 10-second clip on TikTok , with a viral Love Island soundbite: “A hot new bombshell has entered the villa.” Not exactly the introduction you might expect from a world leader – or is it? The video sent millions of eyes rolling backwards and many flocking to the comments, cringing at the idea of British politics succumbing to ridiculous social media trends. Critics have called his social media strategy “trivial” and a “distraction” . After years of leadership turmoil and a flailing Labour government under Keir Starmer, should we really be making light of yet another transfer of power on a platform designed for teenagers? Lucy O’Brien is a deputy audience editor at the Guardian Continue reading...
Kurdish hunger striker says ICE force-feeding ‘mentally broke me’
Exclusive: Film-maker Gabar Choli describes how he endured coercive treatment over eight months in detention in Texas A Kurdish man who was force fed over the course of eight months while on hunger strike in US immigration detention has spoken out about it for the first time, describing how much the process harmed him physically and psychologically. Gabar Choli, a film-maker and activist now living in Canada after being deported, described how he endured the coercive treatment – a practice widely considered torture by international human rights groups – often twice a day after being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) when his asylum application was denied. Continue reading...
Harvey Nichols warns it could collapse without rescue deal, as bidders circle
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group is frontrunner to buy Knightsbridge-headquartered department store chain Can Harvey Nichols find its way back to being Ab Fab again? Business live – latest updates Harvey Nichols has warned that it will not be able to survive another year without new investment, as bidders for the Knightsbridge-headquartered department store chain circle. The retailer’s Hong Kong-based owner, Dickson Poon, put it up for sale in June, with Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group aiming to buy it for about £40m. Continue reading...
Trial of former gang leader to begin over Tupac Shakur murder
Prosecutors to argue that Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis ordered killing and provided gun in Las Vegas drive-by shooting of rapper The trial is to begin of a former gang leader over the decades-old killing of the rapper Tupac Shakur, one of the most high-profile unresolved murders in the US. The proceedings, which begin in Las Vegas on Monday and are expected to last a month, are unlikely to make clear who fired the shots that killed the hip-hop legend on 7 September 1996 while he was in the city to see a Mike Tyson boxing match. Continue reading...
Weather tracker: Europe breaks more heat records as temperatures soar
Drought and wildfires intensify across continent, while tropical storms bring heavy rain and disruption to east Asia Europe live – latest updates High pressure has dominated central and eastern Europe in early August, breaking temperature records across the region. Austria recorded a high of 41.2C (106.2F), while Slovakia reached 42.2C. Hungary hit a peak of 41.8C, surpassing a record set in 1905, while overnight temperatures remained above 28C in some areas, marking it as a tropical night. The extreme temperatures have been driven by a heat dome beneath the high-pressure system, which traps warm air close to the surface. Continue reading...
More parts of England to be declared in drought amid another summer heatwave – latest updates
The heat and continuing dry conditions are being supercharged by the escalating climate crisis The National Drought Group (NDG) is expected to meet this afternoon and declare that more parts of England are officially in drought, as parts of the UK head into a potential fifth heatwave of the year this week. All of Wales and more than half of England are already in drought after an unprecedented period of dry, hot weather over the summer. Continue reading...
Woman assaulted after Travelodge staff gave room key to her abuser
Woman had gone to London hotel for ‘night away from the fear’ in latest incident of chain giving keys to men without checking Travelodge staff gave a room key to the domestic abuser of a woman, who then physically attacked her. The woman, who is remaining anonymous, told the BBC that she was staying in a branch of the hotel in London to escape the man, but he followed her and was given a key by the reception staff. Continue reading...
Thames Water faces row over £1m payment to finance chief
Campaign group says firm is ‘taking the mickey’ by paying fee and Andy Burnham should nationalise it Business live – latest updates Thames Water has paid its chief financial officer, Steve Buck, a £1m signing fee despite intense scrutiny of Britain’s biggest water company’s finances as it tries to avoid being taken into public control. The utility revealed that it made the payment last month, in a letter sent last week by Sir Adrian Montague, its chair, to MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, Sky News first reported. Continue reading...
Labour says Farage has ‘no serious answers’ to prisons crisis – UK politics live
Reform says it will free up space in jails in England and Wales by rapidly deporting all foreign offenders Good morning. Andy Burnham has said Middlemarch is his favourite novel , but he may not remember George Eliot’s line about the genial businessman Mr Vincy who “blustering as he was, had as little of his own way as if he had been a prime minister”. Burnham only took over in No 10 three weeks ago today. But already he is learning that Eliot had a point about the constraints of office. As PM, Burnham became responsible for the prisoner early release scheme due to come into force in September, which is hugely controversial because it will lead to killers, rapists and sex offenders being released early. Burnham immediately said he was “pausing” the scheme pending a rethink, and early last week he announced he was changing the rules to make the scheme more restrictive . Explaining the move in an article for the Daily Telegraph, Burnham said that he “wanted to go even further” but that the plan he was announcing “pushed to the very limits of what is possible to do.” He added: “I know I can look people in the eye and say to them there is nothing more I could have asked for without risking the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing within months.” Yusuf [says] Reform will deport “all 10,000 foreign nationals from our prisons.” Of the 10,134 foreign nationals in custody in England and Wales, nearly a third are on remand, i.e. they haven’t been convicted of a crime yet. A Reform official confirmed foreign nationals will only come in scope of the party’s scheme if and when they’re convicted. Then there are questions about what’d happen after inmates in Kosovo finish their sentence (Reform would put a lifetime ban on returning to the U.K.). Or matters like El Salvador’s human rights record — though Playbook can imagine how Farage will respond to that one. Keeping the public safe is and always will be Labour’s first priority. The government has already made clear we are working at pace to deport foreign criminals and we’re building more prison places to deliver justice for victims and keep criminals behind bars. Reform have no serious answers to the Tory prisons crisis and would lead the system to collapse. This would result in a free for all for dangerous and violent offenders, including murderers and rapists. Nigel Farage and Reform simply can’t be trusted to keep Britain safe. Continue reading...
Ukraine launches drone attack on Russian oil refining facilities – Europe live
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that strikes on such facilities were directly linked with putting more pressure on Moscow Up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia , Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, while calling on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine’s air defence. It is an increase from the estimated 30,000 announced by the Ukrainian president in July. “It is absolutely clear that North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licences from Russia, and receive all kinds of military tools from them.” Continue reading...
Harry Potter fans force relocation of £430m undersea cable to avoid Dobby’s ‘grave’
Power cable linking UK and Ireland now passes near Bronze Age human burial remains instead of fictional grave on Welsh beach Harry Potter fans have forced a new multimillion-pound power cable between the UK and Ireland to be relocated after complaining it would desecrate the “grave” of Dobby, a fictional elf. The character was laid to rest on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, during the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Fans of the wizard series now come to leave stones reading “Here Lies Dobby” despite being asked not to by the land owner, the National Trust, because the beach is an ecologically sensitive site. Continue reading...
UK temperatures could hit 36C as fifth heatwave of summer looms
Met Office considers amber or red warning as forecasters say Thursday is likely to be hottest day of the week Temperatures could reach 36C (97F) or higher this week, forecaster have said, with possible disruption to railway lines and power networks as the Met Office considers issuing rare amber or red extreme heat warnings. Parts of the UK are forecast to experience their fifth heatwave of the summer as the country continues to bake in an unprecedented period of dry, hot weather. Continue reading...
Two workers were temporarily stood down after near-miss collision at Sydney Airport
Transport minister says improved staff rostering will be in place from next month after ‘unacceptable’ delays and incident involving Qatar Airways and Jetstar planes Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The transport minister, Catherine King, has said improved staff rostering will be in place at Sydney airport from next month after “unacceptable” delays and a near-miss collision that resulted in two workers being stood down. King called in the Airservices Australia chief executive officer, Rob Sharp, for a meeting in Canberra on Monday, the day after a Jetstar plane narrowly avoided hitting a Qatar Airways plane that was pulled across the runway in front of it. Continue reading...
Albanese gives ground on gambling inducements as Labor and Coalition inch towards deal
Prime minister and opposition leader meet in Canberra to advance agreement on gambling advertising Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese has bowed to pressure and will limit gambling inducements as part of a deal between Labor and Angus Taylor, even as some Liberals warn it might not do enough to help vulnerable people. The prime minister and the opposition leader met in Canberra on Monday to negotiate the deal, a week after sensational revelations about illegal drugs, sex workers and alcohol being provided to high-spending gamblers. Continue reading...
Victorian Liberals promise weekly red bin garbage collections for all, calling fortnightly system ‘disgusting’
If opposition wins November’s state election, leader Jess Wilson vows households will not pay more under the change Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Victorian Liberals have vowed to restore weekly rubbish collections if they win November’s state election, with leader Jess Wilson describing the current fortnightly system in her local area as “disgusting”. Thirty-three Victorian councils have switched general rubbish collections from weekly to fortnightly, with a similar shift occurring in other states. Continue reading...
Monday briefing: How the new phase of confrontation at al-Aqsa signals a challenge to the status quo
In today’s newsletter: Jerusalem’s most volatile site has again become a flashpoint, with Arab states and former Israeli officials sounding the alarm over Benjamin Netanyahu’s complicity Good morning. In late July, Itamar Ben-Gvir, West Bank settler and far-right extremist minister of security in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, joined a group of more than 2,000 Jewish extremists to storm al-Aqsa mosque compound, Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The far-right group has been doing this for years. Ben-Gvir has made series of visits to the site over the last three years, eroding norms and inflaming tensions. Jordanian officials have recently warned that it could be at risk of an “imminent” Israeli takeover. With national elections scheduled in October, and many eyes still firmly on Gaza (this weekend, Netanyahu rejected a US-backed 15 point plan for peace), the Israeli government appears to be racing to expand Israeli settlements and accelerate ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem before its mandate expires. UK politics | Sadiq Khan has called on the government to commit to revamped climate action and to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves. US politics | The US Senate voted to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general in a win for Donald Trump, who will now have his one-time personal attorney sitting atop the nation’s law enforcement apparatus. US-Israel war on Iran | Iran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach on Saturday. Russia-Ukraine | Up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said . On Saturday, Turkey called for a “moratorium” on attacks by Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea after a series of strikes on civilian ships there World news | The alleged leader of the Kinahan organised crime group was extradited from Dubai on Sunday and met by a huge security operation in Dublin, marking the end of a global game of cat and mouse with European, US and Gulf authorities. Wednesday | A partial solar eclipse will be visible across the whole of the UK, with the south-west of England getting the best of British views. Parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain will experience a total eclipse. Thursday | Clacton-on-sea residents will vote in the byelection Nigel Farage triggered last month, with the Reform leader taking on 33 mostly novelty candidates. Results are expected early Friday. Thursday | The Office for National Statistics will publish UK GDP figures for the second quarter of 2026. Continue reading...
Eight teenagers charged with murder over alleged attack after Queensland party
Man, 21, dies six days after being taken to hospital in critical condition after alleged attack in Bahrs Scrub, Logan Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A “preconceived plan” to do harm at a party has resulted in a young man’s death and murder charges for eight teenagers, police say. The group of teens allegedly attended an Airbnb gathering south of Brisbane armed with various weapons before it erupted into violence and left the 21-year-old man with catastrophic head injuries. Continue reading...