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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Why was the pundit class so quick to defend Graham Platner?
To some of Platner’s most influential backers his swaggering, reckless, and casually brutish masculinity was understood not as a liability, but as a virtue Graham Platner was accused of rape on Monday, and it quickly became clear that he will never be a United States Senator. After days of delay, he finally suspended his campaign in a long and grievance-filled video on Wednesday night. The prospect of his victory was doubtful even before Monday, when a woman he once dated, Jenny Racicot, went on the record to Politico alleging that in 2021, a very drunk Platner let himself her house, when she had told him not to come over. Racicot says she realized he was there when she heard strange noises; then, she says he raped her , forcing intercourse without a condom while she repeatedly told him no. Politico reported that it reviewed emails between Racicot and her therapist about the alleged encounter. The outlet also interviewed a boyfriend Racicot later confided in about the alleged incident, and reviewed messages she shared with another woman warning her away from Platner, long before the start of his political career. Platner denies wrongdoing, saying: “Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically untrue.” But he put out a video saying that he would “reflect on the best path forward” for his campaign. Since Platner may have known about the inevitability of this accusation becoming public, one wonders if the best time for such reflection might have been several months ago, when Maine voters still had the chance to select a more worthy and more viable candidate. Continue reading...
‘What’s more American than baseball?’: World Cup brings fans, chants and verve to the national pastime
The crossover in the American sports calendar has made for a compelling collision of cultures, from Scots in Boston to a new English folk hero in Atlanta First they sang for Harry Kane. Then they sang for Michael Harris II. The Atlanta Braves center-fielder is not someone many Major League Baseball fans would consider a household name. A local kid made good, he has established himself as an above-average, everyday outfielder and at age 25 is enjoying a career-best season, but his face doesn’t dominate billboards and ads in the way of Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge. Continue reading...
Conor McGregor is back, but the sensation who changed the UFC is long gone
Five years after his last fight, the Irishman returns to the octagon. His comeback says as much about the UFC’s appetite for its fallen star as it does about McGregor himself These days Conor McGregor resembles an ace fighter the way a movie set depicts real life. Passing similarities are obvious but anything more than a quick, squinty glance reveals they are not the same. For the 37-year-old Irishman, the line between genius athlete and performance artist was already blurred by the time he found himself destroyed in front of Dustin Poirier five years ago, yelping foul-mouthed barbs in the painful aftermath of his fourth stoppage loss in seven fights. Continue reading...
Bayeux tapestry arrives on British shores for ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ exhibition
Crowd cheers as artwork depicting Norman conquest is unloaded at British Museum after cross-Channel voyage Like the man whose conquest of England almost a millennium ago it recounts, the Bayeux tapestry crossed the Channel in the dead of night, in as much secrecy as possible, landing on the country’s south coast early the following day. The artefact’s arrival on Friday marked the first time it has returned to England in nearly 1,000 years, and British Museum staff will begin to prepare it for exhibition during its year-long loan. Continue reading...
Weather tracker: Typhoon leaves people stranded on rooftops in China
Eleven reported dead as flooding also brings danger of snakes, while buildings collapse in Mumbai amid heavy rain As the first typhoon to make landfall in China for the 2026 season, Maysak has caused devastating damage in southern and central regions. The Guangxi region received intense downpours of up to 280mm in 12 hours, causing rivers to swell and dam walls to break. By Monday morning, flooding across the city of Nanning and surrounding areas had resulted in many residents being stranded on rooftops. Flood waters pose additional threats in China because of the presence of wild and farmed snakes. On Thursday local media reported that hundreds of snakes , including cobras, had escaped from flooded breeding farms. Typhoon Maysak also aided the development of two destructive tornados that swept across central China later on Monday evening. This occurred when warm air from the south, brought up by Typhoon Maysak, collided with cold air in the north. Continue reading...
Discipline matters, Labour whips tell Burnham as he seeks more tolerant approach
Former and current whips reject idea their job is about intimidation as they tell likely next PM consensus is key When Hilary Armstrong was dealing with the biggest challenge in her five and a half years as Labour’s chief whip, Tony Blair was on the brink of invading Iraq. How did she handle Labour MPs who could not bring themselves to support such a decision? “We made sure that people were able to express their conscience but that we would get enough support for the government to get our legislation through,” she said. “We tried to make sure that amendments accommodated what people were concerned about.” Continue reading...
Burnham urged to ditch Mahmood’s migrant settlement plans to stop Labour being ‘imitation’ of Reform – UK politics live
Burnham set to be next PM with strong support from all wings of the party as 322 Labour MPs back him Good morning. Even the BBC has (almost) given up describing Andy Burnham as the person who is likely, or almost certain, to become the next PM. As of last night, it is now, barring something so unexpected it would be in the act of God category, a done deal. Labour published the names of the MPs who have already nominated Burnham, and he has got 322 nominations. There are only 81 Labour MPs left who have not nominated anyone. By coincidence (or not?), 81 is exactly the number of names a rival candidate would need to stand. But in Labour politics the outgoing leader does not nominate a successor, and so in practice Burnham has already cleared the threshold. It’s wrapped up; he is the next leader and PM. Currently, Burnham has strong support from all wings of the party. Leftwingers and Blairites seem equally enthusiastic. Unfortunately for Burnham, that is unlikely to last. After Reform’s “Boris wave” rhetoric, we decided to fight on Reform’s territory. Targeting a group of migrants that followed the rules, and applying this retrospectively, does not pass the fairness test for a compassionate but firm system. We do not recall being asked on the doorstep to make it harder for migrant workers to settle in the UK. Yet we are expending political capital, huge Home Office resource, and losing progressive voters on an indefinite leave to remain reform which few really understand or want. People in Makerfield talked about irregular migration, not making it harder for nurses and care workers to settle here. With a 10-20 year settlement period, the UK would be an international outlier - weakening our soft power and our appeal as a place to study, invest, build a life and form relationships. It would weaken our communities and undermine our own strategies on child poverty, violence against women and girls, and homelessness. And the proposals would cost the state billions. This kind of reactive policy making is anathema to who we are, what we stand for, and how we should do politics. Continue reading...
Police officer hurt amid violent disorder in London after France beat Morocco
Four arrests after Edgware Road incidents, say police Teenager dies in France while celebrating team’s win A police officer has been hurt and several people were arrested after disorder in London on Thursday night in the wake of France beating Morocco 2-0 in a World Cup quarter-final in Boston in the United States. Police and fans clashed on Edgware Road. Footage on social media appears to show flares being set off and missiles being thrown at officers in the middle of a London street. The Metropolitan police said four people were arrested for violent disorder and one officer had been taken to hospital with a head injury after being hit by a glass bottle. Continue reading...
Swift nest reportedly thrown in skip during house renovations in South Tyneside
Conservationists fear more nests may have been destroyed during work on Jarrow houses by council-appointed contractor Swift chicks are feared to have been thrown into a skip during house renovations in South Tyneside, despite rules that should stop the destruction of nests. The Northern Swifts Group (NSG) was alerted to the destruction of at least one nest on Tuesday, in a street in Jarrow where houses were being renovated by South Tyneside council. Continue reading...
World Cup 2026: France power on, Quansah ban fallout, Spain v Belgium buildup – live
⚽ All the latest news as the quarter-finals continue ⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email us British police battled football fans in central London early on Friday after France beat Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final. One police officer was injured and four people were arrested following the “violent disorder”, London police said. Continue reading...
Developing countries spend more repaying foreign debt than on education, UN reveals
Unesco report shows children lost out to servicing debt in 113 countries, with 18 spending five times more on loans Most developing countries spent less on education than they did repaying debt last year, according to the UN, at the same time as global aid to education is predicted to decline by up to 30%. More was spent on servicing foreign debt than on education in 113 developing countries in 2025, according to research by the UN’s culture and education agency, Unesco. In sub-Saharan Africa, countries spent 3.6 times more on debt than education . Continue reading...
Here’s how Andy Burnham can finance a reindustrialised Britain – without doing a Liz Truss | Larry Elliott
Britain’s PM-in-waiting is right that the country has been failed by 40 years of neoliberalism. There will be obstacles, but he must embrace radicalism Of all the many prime ministers who have walked through the doors of 10 Downing Street in the past decade, the one Andy Burnham resembles most is Liz Truss. Both had a view of what was going wrong with the economy. Both wanted to break with the politics of managed decline. Both had ambitious ideas for what needed to be done. Truss, of course, came to grief within weeks of becoming prime minister, after her tax-cutting mini-budget was brutally rejected by the financial markets . The big question for Burnham is whether he can deliver on his agenda without suffering the same fate. He can, but it won’t be easy. Larry Elliott is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
US private equity firm Apollo enters bidding war for easyJet with £5.7bn offer
Airline’s board minded to recommend deal – after accepting rival one from Castlelake earlier this week The board of easyJet has given the green light to a possible £5.7bn offer from the US private equity firm Apollo, as the low-cost airline becomes the subject of a surprise bidding war. The company’s board said on Friday that it was “minded to recommend” the potential all-cash offer, which values the business at £7.15p a share, to shareholders. Continue reading...
Police discover body of teenage girl in Victorian bushland after 13-year-old vanished on weekend
Police say death of Layla Jeffery ‘suspicious’ after remains found in town of Donald in western Victoria Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The body of a 13-year-old girl who went missing on the weekend has been found in bushland in regional Victoria after an extensive search, with police saying they are treating the death as “suspicious”. Police found Layla Jeffery’s remains in Donald, a small town in western Victoria, late on Thursday afternoon. Continue reading...
Beatles mentor Lord Woodbine to feature in new BBC drama
Six-part series will explore the band’s years in Hamburg, including the overlooked influence of Harold Phillips In 1960, the Beatles arrived in the German port city of Hamburg. Inexperienced, keen and – in the case of George Harrison – underage, they were at the start of a two-year spell that would become a key part of Beatles lore, a time when the band honed their skills while entertaining rowdy sailors. The Hamburg stint, during which the band played more than 250 gigs between 1960 and 1962, is the focus of a new BBC drama, Hamburg Days, which will tell the story of how the band were beaten into shape by performing near the notorious Reeperbahn. Continue reading...
Ann Widdecombe, former Tory MP and Reform UK member, dies aged 78
Widdecombe was a prominent Eurosceptic and known for her socially conservative views Ann Widdecombe, the former MP and MEP has died aged 78. A statement from her management said: “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, DSG. Continue reading...
Abuse survivors launch bid to transfer claims to entity that benefited from Christian Brothers’ wealth
Edmund Rice Education Australia does not consent to being made a defendant, in case that has ‘high court written all over it’, Victorian judge hears Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The entity that benefited from vast land and property transfers from the Christian Brothers will fight a move by abuse survivors to make it liable for compensation claims, triggering a potentially costly battle that has “high court written all over it”. The Christian Brothers has a shocking record of clergy abuse – one of the worst of any Catholic church entity – and is facing hundreds of current and future abuse cases estimated to be worth $774m. Continue reading...
Oasis reunion helps draw record 25m ‘music tourists’ to UK concerts
Gigs by Gallagher brothers, Coldplay, Lana Del Rey and Beyonce gives £11bn boost to the economy Big name artists including Oasis with their highly anticipated reunion tour, Coldplay and Beyoncé helped to attract a record number of fans to travel to watch live music last year, helped by a surge in overseas visitors at UK gigs. A report from the industry body UK Music estimated that 24.7 million “music tourists” attended concerts and festivals last year, up 4.8% on 2024 , leading to an unprecedented £11.2bn of spending across the UK economy. Continue reading...
Reeves to launch City ‘skills compact’ committing firms to retrain staff in AI
Exclusive: Plan to improve skills of thousands of financial sector workers to keep pace with tech revolution Chancellor Rachel Reeves is to announce a new City “skills compact” that will commit firms such as Barclays and Lloyds to retraining thousands of financial sector workers for the AI revolution. The financial services skills compact will be launched on Tuesday, during what is likely to be Reeves’s final Mansion House speech to City bosses before Andy Burnham’s expected takeover of No 10. The government-backed initiative will commit employers to improving workers’ skills and helping them “keep pace” with significant technological changes that have prompted fears of mass redundancies. Continue reading...
Expansion of electronic tagging in England and Wales will put public at risk, watchdog warns
National Audit Office says system needs to be upgraded before it is extended to ease strain on overcrowded prisons The rapid expansion of electronic tagging to reduce pressure on prisons will put public safety at risk without robust improvements to a system already under significant strain, the UK’s public spending watchdog has warned. The number of people in England and Wales being electronically monitored has doubled to 28,700 over five years, and is estimated to rise to 22,000 tagged each year from 2027 under government plans to combat the prison capacity crisis by managing more offenders in the community. Continue reading...
Monaco bomb mystery deepens as Ukraine’s security services are linked to murder of prime suspect
Military intelligence officer admits witnessing killing of woman believed to have left explosive device outside oligarch’s home The case of a suspected bomber accused of targeting a Ukrainian oligarch has taken another murky turn, after details of her subsequent murder were revealed in court with evidence suggesting the involvement of Kyiv’s intelligence agencies. French police last week named Anastasia Berezovska as the person captured on CCTV leaving a rucksack outside a Monaco apartment block. It blew up, injuring the Ukrainian businessman Vadym Iermolaiev as he emerged from the building with his partner and their 13-year-old child. Continue reading...
Derryn Hinch, broadcaster once known as ‘the human headline’, dies aged 82
Media figure and former senator died overnight at home, with radio station 3AW leading tributes Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Derryn Hinch, the former journalist and senator, has died aged 82. Hinch had reportedly been in poor health since a recent fall. Continue reading...
Anthony Albanese will not attend Garma festival, despite vowing to attend every year as prime minister
Albanese has attended the Indigenous cultural festival every year since 2019 and committed to ‘be here and engaged with you’ each yeah he remains in office Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese won’t attend this month’s Garma festival, breaking a commitment made just 12 months ago to travel to north-east Arnhem Land each year for Australia’s largest Indigenous cultural gathering. The prime minister last year vowed to keep attending the annual celebration of Yolŋu culture so long as he was in the role. Continue reading...
Deadly H5 bird flu found in local Australian seabird for first time
Native greater crested tern – a common coastal bird – tests positive for disease after being discovered at Robe on SA’s Limestone Coast Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The first case of deadly H5 bird flu in local wildlife has been recorded in a bird found on the South Australian coast. The federal agriculture minister, Julie Collins, said on Friday that a greater crested tern – a common coastal bird – had tested positive for the disease. The dead bird was found at Robe on SA’s Limestone Coast. Continue reading...