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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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H.J.Res. 214: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Small Off-Road En
Bill Text: This resolution's text is now available.
Typhoon Dolphin: more than a million people evacuated in China as record rainfall dumped on Shanghai
Authorities warn that days of intense rain could trigger widespread flooding and landslides as storm moves north and further inland More than a million people were moved to safety across eastern China by Sunday evening as powerful Typhoon Dolphin made landfall amid fears torrential rain would cause flooding and landslides. Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, said it relocated more than 900,000 people and opened more than 1,500 emergency shelters. In neighbouring Fujian, 98,900 people were moved from high-risk areas. Continue reading...
World’s seas have hit hottest temperature on record for July, say scientists
Average sea surface temperature outside polar regions was highest on record for July, beating previous high in 2023 The world’s seas were hotter last month than in any July on record, scientists have said, as devastating heat struck western Europe. Sea surface temperatures hit record highs for July on the Atlantic coast and western Mediterranean, the EU’s Copernicus climate change service found, with severe marine heatwaves roiling Europe’s seas. Globally, the average sea surface temperature outside the cold polar regions was the highest on record for the month, beating the previous July record set in 2023. Continue reading...
Hong Kong records hottest day ever as Typhoon Dolphin fuels heatwave
Observatory says 36.9C posted on Sunday is city’s highest official temperature since its records began 142 years ago, with storm driving intense heat in region Hong Kong has officially recorded its highest ever temperature as Typhoon Dolphin swept warm air over the city, the meteorological service said. The city’s weather observatory posted a temperature of 36.9C on Sunday, the highest recorded since records began in 1884, the Hong Kong Observatory said in the afternoon. Continue reading...
Cut £175 from energy bills for low-income homes, says thinktank
Resolution Foundation proposes £2bn emergency scheme to help people facing higher costs this winter Labour should draw up an emergency plan to cut energy prices for low-income families by up to £175 this winter, the Resolution Foundation has said. One of Andy Burnham’s first policy announcements as prime minister was to remove VAT temporarily from electricity bills, saving households about £45 a year. Continue reading...
Trump appoints staff secretary Will Scharf as new White House counsel
Scharf, who helped president win approval for $400m ballroom, to replace David Warrington on 1 September Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Will Scharf, the staff secretary who helped secure approval for the $400m White House ballroom project, will become White House counsel and assistant to the president. Effective 1 September, Scharf will replace David Warrington, who will be leaving the administration to join the private sector. Warrington formerly served as a personal counsel and a lawyer for Trump’s 2024 campaign. Continue reading...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announces decision to freeze her eggs
US congresswoman to share journey online as she criticizes Trump administration’s attacks on reproductive care Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has announced she is going to freeze her eggs and will be sharing the process online. The progressive New York congresswoman, 36, revealed her decision to undergo fertility treatment in a series of Instagram stories this weekend. “This is a choice that I am making to feel more in control of my life,” Ocasio-Cortez said. Continue reading...
Burnham vows crackdown on ‘rip-off’ business practices to ease cost of living
First of PM’s ‘everyday fixes’ to be banning fake discounts and making it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions Andy Burnham: I’ll end the rip-offs that people hate Andy Burnham has promised a series of measures to tackle the cost of living, including a ban on fake discounts and making it easier for people to escape unwanted subscriptions. The crackdown on “rip-off” business practices is expected to benefit consumers to the tune of £400m a year and will be the first in a range of “everyday fixes” to be implemented in the coming months. Continue reading...
Subscriptions you can’t easily cancel, sales that aren’t sales – I’ll end the rip-offs that British people hate | Andy Burnham
These everyday hassles are small, but they add up – especially in a cost of living crisis. That’s why my government will tackle them head-on Andy Burnham is the UK prime minister Burnham vows crackdown on ‘rip-off’ business practices It’s remarkable how much of modern life can seem designed to wear us down. Every “ sale ” seems to come with an asterisk. Consumer contracts often find a way of costing more than you expected. And too many companies want you to sign up in seconds, but then make it feel impossible to leave. It’s exhausting. They might not be the issues that keep you up at night. But they’re often the reason you go to bed ticked off. Westminster has got used to telling people that these everyday hassles are just part of life. The response has too often been a shrug of the shoulders or just calling it bad luck. Andy Burnham is prime minister of the United Kingdom Continue reading...
Australia news live: transport minister calls in Airservices Australia for urgent meeting after Sydney airport chaos
Intervention follows days of delays and a near-miss between two planes on the Sydney aiport tarmac. Follow today’s news live Good morning, and happy Monday. Here’s what’s on deck: Catherine King , the federal minister for transport, said she has asked Air Services Australia to come and talk to her today about a “pathway forward” after two aircraft were involved in a near-miss at Sydney airport on Sunday. Continue reading...
Zuckerberg faces questions over why superyacht reportedly declined to help stranded boat
Small cruise ship rescued skiff in south-east Alaska even though Meta billionaire’s $300m megayacht was closer Mark Zuckerberg has faced questions over why a small cruise ship in south-east Alaska rescued a stranded skiff and its crew when his 387ft superyacht had been closer. The Silicon Valley billionaire’s yacht, worth a reported $300m, is said to have “repeatedly” declined to assist when a nearby boat called for help last week. Continue reading...
Don Nelson, legendary coach and five-time NBA champion as player, dies at 86
Nelson had second-most coaching wins in NBA history Won five titles with Boston Celtics in 1960s and 70s Helped develop stars Steph Curry and Dirk Nowitzki Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died on Sunday. He was 86. Nelson’s death was announced by the Golden State Warriors, one of the teams he coached. Continue reading...
Perseid meteor shower set to dazzle northern hemisphere this week
Astronomers say viewing conditions promising for this year’s shower, and 50 to 100 meteors an hour may be visible The Perseid summer light show is back, and viewing conditions are especially promising across the northern hemisphere. The meteor shower’s is expected to peak on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and coincides with a total solar eclipse across Spain, Iceland and Greenland and a six-planet parade – though the best time to view the fireballs will come after totality. Continue reading...
Israel rejects US-led 15-point Gaza peace plan, says Netanyahu
In rare public break with Trump, Israel’s prime minister says IDF will not withdraw until Hamas is disarmed Middle East crisis live – latest updates Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu , has rejected a US-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza in a rare public break with Donald Trump. In a statement on Sunday, Netanyahu said that he was confronting a “wave of rumours about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts” and rebuked US pressure to end wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran without Israel’s buy-in. Continue reading...
Canadian government steps in as ‘out of control’ wildfires force thousands to flee
British Columbia battling 102 fires day and night across province, as breakneck speed hampers firefighters’ efforts Canada’s federal government has announced it will provide urgent assistance to British Columbia after an onslaught of unprecedented fast-moving wildfires forced about 22,000 people to flee their homes in frantic evacuations. A total of 102 wildfires were raging across the province on Sunday, of which nearly half were categorised as “out of control”, according to the BC Wildfire Service. Of those fires, 78 ignited during the past week. Continue reading...
Typhoon Dolphin makes landfall in China as its strongest storm this year
Tropical cyclone brings torrential rain and high winds to east coast after hitting Japan’s southern Okinawa province Typhoon Dolphin, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year, has made landfall on the country’s east coast, bringing torrential rain and strong winds and triggering warnings of flooding and landslides. The storm has already swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings. Continue reading...
Lake Mead plummets to historic low water level as Colorado River struggles
Levels at reservoir along Arizona-Nevada border dipped below previous record set in 2022, amid water crisis in west Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, has plummeted to its lowest water level since it was filled some 90 years ago, the latest sign of a deepening water crisis in the American west. Water levels at the reservoir, which straddles the Arizona-Nevada border outside Las Vegas, hit 1,040.4ft (317.1 meters) above sea level on Friday, according to federal data. That’s just below the record set on 28 July 2022, according to the US Bureau of Reclamation. Continue reading...
‘I was on my honeymoon!’: Hamish Falconer’s surprise call-up to Burnham’s cabinet
New EU negotiator, who previously helped free Taliban hostages, thought it was safe to book holiday during recess When Hamish Falconer left his career as a Foreign Office diplomat for the hostile environment of a Labour party selection process, one of his last acts was a negotiation to free six hostages from the Taliban. When he won the key marginal seat of Lincoln in the 2024 general election, he did not expect to be back in those offices on King Charles Street quite so quickly – he was appointed Middle East minister just two weeks later. Continue reading...
Labour seeking ‘deeper relationship’ with EU under Burnham, new minister says
Exclusive: Hamish Falconer wants ‘sense of renewed pace’ in post-Brexit talks while staying within Labour’s red lines The UK will move faster and be more ambitious on achieving closer ties with Europe under Andy Burnham’s government, his new chief post-Brexit negotiator has said.. Hamish Falconer, the new cabinet minister in charge of the EU reset talks, said there was “room to be ambitious” within Labour’s red lines on Europe, which exclude reopening discussions on the single market and customs union, and he would look at the “art of the possible”. Continue reading...
Abdul El-Sayed embraces Trump claim he represents ‘very different’ America
Michigan nominee, who spoke to Obama after primary win, vows to fight inequality as president ‘makes billions off you’ Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Michigan, embraced Donald Trump’s suggestion that the two represent “VERY DIFFERENT” versions of the US, pledging to fight inequality while the president is “making billions of dollars off of you”. In a Saturday night post on his Truth Social platform, Trump shared an image of himself and the first lady, Melania Trump, beside a photo of El-Sayed, who is Muslim, and his wife, Sarah Jukaku, wearing a hijab. “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s [sic],” read the caption. Continue reading...
Pilot pulls off Count Binface stunt for Clacton byelection
Plane spends 30 minutes off the Essex coast marking out shape of a bin in apparent tribute to Nigel Farage’s rival A pilot has traced the shape of a bin with their flight path near Clacton before Count Binface challenges Nigel Farage in a byelection on Thursday. The light aircraft spent around half an hour between 2,100ft and 4,150ft above the sea near the Essex coastal town zigzagging to mark out the shape of a bin, according to data from Flightradar24. Continue reading...
London mayor orders council to drop plan to ban new pubs and bars in Soho and West End
Exclusive: Sadiq Khan urges Westminster council to adopt ‘positive vision of economic growth’ of nightlife Sadiq Khan has ordered Westminster council to scrap a policy that would ban new pubs and bars from opening in Soho and the West End of London. This comes after the Guardian revealed the council’s new licensing policy asks pubs to stop customers from standing up while consuming beverages, which it calls “vertical drinking”. The policy is under consultation and also asks pubs to have table service rather than allowing orders at the bar. Continue reading...
Pakistani grooming gang suspect ‘refuses to give date for return to UK’
Rukhsar Ahmed was recently elected an MP in Pakistan while on bail over alleged child rape in 1990s Manchester A grooming gang suspect released on bail in the UK and then re-elected as an MP in Pakistan has reportedly declined to say when he would return to face rape charges. The Guardian disclosed that Rukhsar Ahmed, a former Pakistan state minister, was arrested at Manchester airport in July 2024 on suspicion of raping and trafficking at least two underage girls from care homes in the city’s Rusholme area during the 1990s. Continue reading...
How clean air clubs are protecting Americans from wildfire smoke
Mutual aid groups that gave out PPEs in Covid are now loaning air purifiers and distributing masks to fume-addled communities Miquette Thompson’s home in rural Mendocino county has been covered in smoke all week. There are the nearby Feliz and Woodside fires in northern California, which have burned more than 1,000 acres, as well as the wildfires devastating Oregon and Washington that are sending smoke their way, too. “It’s become not unusual,” she said of walking outside and seeing a hazy sky. Continue reading...