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Politics
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Trains stop across north-west England after power cut hits signalling centre
Passengers awaiting Northern and TransPennine trains advised not to travel, with cancellations and other services delayed Trains across parts of north-west England have ground to a halt after a power failure hit the signalling centre controlling the railway in the region. Passengers awaiting Northern and TransPennine trains have been advised not to travel, with widespread cancellations and other services delayed by more than an hour already. Continue reading...
Burnham ‘personally intervened’ over possible early prison release of grooming gang perpetrators
Government ‘urgently’ identifying men convicted in historic cases who could be freed in scheme loophole UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham’s government is “urgently” identifying any grooming gang perpetrators who may still be eligible for early prison release after concerns were raised about a potential loophole in the system. The prime minister has “personally intervened” after men convicted of assaulting children in Bradford were expected to be freed from prison early despite a promise earlier this week that they would remain behind bars. Continue reading...
Leipzig drone bomb was found near Ukrainian plane carrying ammunition
Germany investigating whether foreign state involved as they say ‘ripped’ detonator stopped device going off Europe live – latest updates A catastrophe with multiple casualties was possibly narrowly averted by the discovery of a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig airport, German officials said, as they examined whether a foreign state could be behind the plot. One of the Ukrainian aircraft next to where the bomb drone was found was loaded with military ammunition, according to a classified police report quoted by the public broadcasters WDR and NDR and the Süddeutsche newspaper. Continue reading...
‘We expected it, but now it’s here’: on the frontline of Australia’s bird flu outbreak, people are distressed
As Australia prepares for the H5 bird flu to potentially rip through hundreds of species, residents of the Limestone Coast are already seeing the impacts Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast It’s only been three weeks since H5 bird flu was detected on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, and already encounters with sick or dead birds are becoming commonplace. Maureen Christie, who lives in the seaside town of Carpenter Rocks, has been observing and protecting birds in the region for decades. She is now witnessing many stricken and suffering. Continue reading...
Minns said he wouldn’t ‘gloat’ about Icac hearings into the Liberals. Instead, he’s quietly taken out the trash
Amid revelations that could damage the Liberals’ state election hopes, the NSW government dropped key documents on three contentious issues Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast During the first week of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s (Icac) Operation Rosny’s hearings into allegations against people associated with the New South Wales Liberal party, Chris Minns took the high ground. “There’ll be no gloating or taking political advantage,” the NSW Labor premier told reporters. “It’s an important process, and ultimately, hopefully, it makes all political parties cleaner and sends a message to anyone who’s thinking of breaching the laws or committing a corrupt act, that someone is watching.” Continue reading...
BBC hires 26-year-old entrepreneur to help reach younger audiences
Brandon Relph, who founded first company at 13, joins strategy team in ‘much-needed step’ for the broadcaster A 26-year-old business prodigy and self-styled gen Z whisperer has been drafted in by the BBC, as it battles to reach young audiences increasingly choosing content creators on YouTube and TikTok over traditional broadcasters. Brandon Relph, who founded his first company aged 13, and has been praised by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, has joined the BBC’s strategy team to help counter the existential threat of falling audiences among young people. Continue reading...
By day five of my labour, I didn’t want an ‘ideal birth’. I only wanted to survive | Natalie Morris
Yvette Cooper’s maternity reforms must change a system that too often fails women when they’re at their most vulnerable On the third day of being in labour with my first child, I entered a new state of being. It was time to dig deep. This is what I had learned in all the childbirth classes. As long as I remained calm, breathed as instructed, moaned through the pain, things would happen as they were meant to. My body knew what it was doing. Only, it didn’t. On the fourth day, I started to beg. This wasn’t right. Despite contraction after relentless contraction, I wasn’t dilating. I hadn’t slept, I couldn’t even sit down. I needed help. And still, they waited. For what, I never understood. Natalie Morris is the author of Mixed/Other: Explorations of Multiraciality in Modern Britain Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
Can Australia make housing affordable while avoiding a major market crash? We may soon find out
Politicians’ fever dreams of ‘sustainable price increases’ – where values keep rising but by less than wages – could happen Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Reserve Bank has hiked interest rates and the property market is in retreat. So far, so normal. Or is it? Continue reading...
Paramount concessions lead UK to approve takeover of Warner Bros
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy says she will not intervene in £85bn deal after securing guarantees on Channel 5 The UK culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has said she will not intervene in Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, removing one of the remaining obstacles to the blockbuster deal. However, Paramount has made significant concessions to secure the UK government’s backing for the $110bn (£85bn) takeover, which will create a global media powerhouse and effectively bolster the influence of Paramount’s CEO, David Ellison. Continue reading...
Trump denies US running low on key munitions in war with Iran
President’s comment come after report he had demanded answers from Pete Hegseth over alleged shortages Middle East crisis live – latest updates Donald Trump has lashed out at reports that the US is running short of key munitions in its war with Iran, threatening long prison sentences for officials who leak information about the military’s weapons stocks. The US president claimed on Thursday that the US had “massive amounts” of ammunition and said more was being manufactured and shipped to the region, as his frustration over the conflict spilled into a public attack on the media. Continue reading...
Israel charges West Bank settler over death of renowned Palestinian activist
Yinon Levi faces trial for reckless manslaughter related to the 2025 killing of Awdah Hathaleen Israeli prosecutors have charged a Jewish settler over the killing of a Palestinian community leader in the occupied West Bank last year- the first such indictment in nearly three years. In papers filed by the state attorney’s office, Yinon Levi is charged with reckless manslaughter in the death of Awdah Hathaleen, a prominent activist who was involved in the 2025 Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. Continue reading...
South Yorkshire man who killed lodger and hid body in concrete gets 35-year sentence
Christopher Wright, 73, shot Richard Dyson in November 2019 and then dismembered his remains A man who killed his lodger and concealed his dismembered body in a barrel filled with concrete for more than five years has been jailed for a minimum of 35 years. Christopher Wright, a 73-year-old farmer from South Yorkshire, was convicted in July in Sheffield crown court of murdering Richard Dyson, 55, in 2019. Dyson had been living in his car on Wright’s farm in Hoyland and had been doing jobs for the then 67-year-old when the pair had a falling out. Continue reading...
India-Bangladesh relations hit new low over exiled PM’s speech to press in Delhi
Dhaka accuses India of giving platform to a ‘convicted genocider’ by allowing Sheikh Hasina to address journalists Bangladesh has lashed out at India for allowing the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to address journalists in New Delhi, plunging already strained bilateral relations to a fresh low. Dhaka accused India of giving a platform to a fugitive it labelled a “convicted genocider” and of undermining efforts to repair ties, after Hasina vowed to return to Bangladesh in December despite facing a death sentence on charges of “crimes against humanity”. Continue reading...
Top Ugandan footballer killed by robbers armed with paving stones
David Owori, who played for the national team, died in hospital after he tried to stop robbers taking his phone The Ugandan football community is in mourning after the death of a player who was fatally injured during a robbery in the capital, Kampala, on Tuesday night. David Owori, who captained Sports Club Villa, a Uganda Premier League club, and represented the national team, was attacked after resisting an attempt to steal his mobile phone and other belongings. Continue reading...
Why do Latinos work for ICE?
Half of border agents are Latino, and they are part of a long history of Hispanic support for – and enforcement of – harsh immigration policies Since Trump’s return to power, more than 60 people have died at the hands of or in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) , including two Latino immigrants in one week: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine. Many Latinos have come to feel that their brown skin makes them targets, and they are not wrong. But there is another dimension of this story that we often fail to consider: many of those in charge of anti-immigrant operations also have brown skin, Hispanic names and links to the communities they terrorize. When the identities of the agents who killed Alex Pretti in January were revealed as those of two Hispanic men , many people reacted with shock. The irony seemed obvious, but it reflected a mistaken assumption: that Latinos are naturally opposed to restrictionist immigration policies. History suggests otherwise. Continue reading...
Octopus Energy denies it is anti-union as workers push for recognition
GMB says that as a top-rated ethical company, UK’s largest energy firm should welcome involvement of unions Workers are pushing for union recognition at the UK’s largest energy company, Octopus Energy, known as a progressive organisation with a focus on renewable energy. The GMB union is planning to submit a formal proposal for voluntary recognition at the London-based company and says Octopus, as a top rated ethical business, should welcome the involvement of trade unions. Continue reading...
Heatwave Britain: why are politicians so slow to act? – podcast
As another summer of extreme heat rumbles on, warnings about excess deaths, ageing infrastructure and potential food shortages are growing louder. So how well prepared is the UK to cope, both now and in the years ahead? Jessica Elgot and Alexandra Topping examine why politicians have been so slow to act. Plus, Kemi Badenoch has distanced herself from the former neo-Nazi turned Tory council candidate Joshua Bonehill-Paine, only to offer him him an advisory role instead. What was she thinking? You can read Jessica Elgot’s interview with the health secretary on heatwaves here You can read about Kemi Badenoch’s action on Joshua Bonehill-Paine here Please keep sending your comments and questions to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Follow and subscribe to the Politics Weekly YouTube channel here Continue reading...
The mRNA technology behind Moderna’s Covid vaccine reaches the flu
The mFlusiva vaccine for older people is the first made with the mRNA platform key to ending the coronavirus pandemic The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new kind of flu vaccine for older people, the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the Covid -19 pandemic, Moderna, the manufacturer, said. The shot, named mFlusiva, is intended for adults aged 50 or older. Other brands of flu shots already have begun arriving in pharmacies ahead of fall vaccination season, and Moderna said late Wednesday that it expects some of its new version to be available soon at select retailers. Continue reading...
Foster + Partners cleared over man’s death when window fell from London penthouse
Crown court rules architecture firm not responsible for fatal incident but project managers and engineers found guilty of safety breaches The architecture firm founded by Norman Foster has been cleared over the death of a man killed by a window that fell 90 metres from a newly constructed London penthouse. Foster + Partners, the practice behind some of the world’s most recognisable buildings such as the Gherkin and revamps of the British Museum and Germany’s Reichstag, were not held to be responsible for the death of Mick Ferris , a 53-year-old coach driver, in 2018. Continue reading...
Two Iranian female footballers granted Australian citizenship after protest
Iran players stayed in country after Asian Cup in March Duo condemned as traitors in Iran for not singing anthem Two former Iranian footballers said on Thursday they were “proud” to have been granted Australian citizenship after being called traitors at home for refusing to sing the national anthem before a game. Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were members of a group of seven from Iran’s delegation who asked for Australia’s protection after the high-profile protest during the women’s Asian Cup in March. Continue reading...
Miss North Carolina USA stripped of title after alleged racist posts resurface
First runner-up, Myla Hadley, will represent the state at the Miss USA pageant after Brittany Boltinhouse’s removal A pageant queen recently crowned Miss North Carolina USA has been stripped of her title after a string of alleged racist posts resurfaced. Brittany Boltinhouse, 27, was formally dethroned on Wednesday by pageant organizers A Blaize Productions after what it said was “a thorough review of recently surfaced information”. Continue reading...
Nearly 50 asylum seekers deported under ‘one in one out’ scheme have returned to the UK
Figure raises questions about deal with France despite UK ministers insisting repeat arrivals will be removed Almost 50 asylum seekers deported using the “one in one out” scheme have been recorded as returning to the UK a second time, the Guardian has learned. It is believed that in addition to the 49 returnees detained by the Home Office, an unknown number are likely to have arrived in the UK undetected. Continue reading...
Jason Arday claimed he was paid ‘1.4 million’ for memoir from publisher
Academic who resigned as a Cambridge professor on Wednesday did not specify if amount from Simon & Schuster was in pounds or US dollars Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism and embellishment, claimed he was paid “1.4 million” for his forthcoming memoir detailing his extraordinary backstory. Arday was dogged by a growing series of questions over his academic work and credentials before he resigned on Wednesday night, saying the “relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love”. Continue reading...
Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress over Covid hearing
Anthony Fauci invoked fifth amendment dozens of times to parry hostile Republican inquisition over Covid response US politics live – latest updates A Republican-controlled US Senate committee voted to hold Dr Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after the veteran public health official repeatedly pleaded the fifth amendment to parry a hostile inquisition into his stewardship of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fauci, the former director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Niaid), who led the agency for 38 years before retiring in 2022 , gave the same response to multiple questions while refusing to give clarifying answers during a tense hearing last week , citing his constitutional protections. Continue reading...