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Politics
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Rise in NHS birth centre closures ‘shocking’ denial of women’s rights, experts say
Twelve midwife-led maternity units have closed in England since 2019 with six closing since Labour came to power in 2024 NHS officials are shutting growing numbers of birth centres in a “shocking” denial of a woman’s right to have a midwife rather than a doctor oversee their baby’s birth, say campaigners. Twelve birth centres – midwife-led maternity units – have closed in England since 2019. Birth centres play a key role in ensuring that women can choose whether to have their baby at a unit in a hospital run by doctors, at one where midwives are in charge, or at home. Continue reading...
Five dead after gunman opens fire ‘at random’ in Kraków market square
Reports say man fired shots from from his car in Poland’s second city before being caught while trying to flee Kraków shooting – latest updates Five people have been killed and more than a dozen injured after a shooting in a market square in Kraków, Poland. A man who had driven into the square at about 3pm began “firing at random people from his car”, according to a statement by local police on X. Continue reading...
Did the Bay Area just save its transit system from the brink of certain death?
Voters approved two measures to save the region’s financially distressed public transit agencies Voters in the San Francisco Bay Area overwhelmingly approved two transit measures this week that advocates hope will save the region’s financially distressed public transit agencies from a potential death spiral that could have had massive repercussions for the area’s residents and its economy. The Regional Transit Measure (RTM), a 0.5% sales tax across four Bay Area counties and a 1% sales tax in San Francisco, will generate approximately $1bn annually to fund the region’s four largest transit operators. It received a strong 62.2% support across all five counties that voted on the measure, winning with a landslide of 78.6% in San Francisco. Continue reading...
Krakow shooting latest updates: five killed and more than a dozen injured, police say
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a post on X, said police are investigating the attack Five people were killed and more than a dozen injured in Krakow shooting, AP are now reporting, citing Polish police A shooter opened fire in a market square in the Polish city of Krakow, leaving people dead and injured, authorities said. Continue reading...
Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming chief of staff, pledges ‘total devotion’ to the president
Hardline aide offers ‘unwavering commitment’ to president amid fears White House will double down on far-right immigration agenda Stephen Miller, Donald Trump ’s most controversial aide and the architect of his sweeping immigration crackdown, has lavished praise on the president after his appointment as White House chief of staff. In his first public remarks since the move was announced, Miller – who begins the role on Monday – pledged “total devotion” to Trump amid concern the administration is now poised to double down on its far-right, nativist immigration agenda. Continue reading...
National Trust votes to seek banking partner more in tune with its environment policies
Charity’s AGM decided overwhelmingly to begin a tendering process amid criticism of current bank Barclays fossil fuel investments The National Trust has voted overwhelmingly to seek a new banking partner in a significant victory for members who have long argued that its relationship with Barclays was at odds with its commitment to protecting the natural world. The resolution, passed at the charity’s annual general meeting on Saturday with the backing of its board of trustees, instructs the organisation to begin a competitive tendering process for its banking arrangements. Continue reading...
Vetting candidates is a tricky process but Reform can’t seem to get it right
Charges against party members and off-piste remarks highlight problems brought about by rapid expansion Speaking to reporters after unveiling his new defence spokesperson this week, Nigel Farage’s jovial and upbeat mood suddenly switched. Why, he was asked, was a Reform UK councillor who was arrested in January over multiple alleged sexual offences still in his role nearly 10 months later? “I have no idea,” Farage replied icily. “I was told yesterday, and I wasn’t very happy.” Continue reading...
LA’s newer, bluer wave: Nithya Raman leads way as city’s progressives make their mark
Democratic socialists won the mayorship, a US House seat and powerful positions in Los Angeles – and a large network of volunteers helped them do it As a blue tsunami overtook US politics this week, Los Angeles saw a major shake-up of its own with a wave of democratic socialists elected to key offices. Most notably, Nithya Raman, the first democratic socialist to serve on the Los Angeles city council, prevailed over incumbent Karen Bass to become the next mayor. Even in the deep blue city, Raman’s victory was hardly a given, and marked a stunning win for the progressive wing of the party. With her election, America’s two largest cities will now be run by democratic socialist mayors. Continue reading...
‘Life-changing’: parents welcome £10m UK play centre for disabled children
Gympanzees near Bristol will be the first UK site of its type, catering for children unable to use regular playgrounds It has been over a decade since Stephanie Wheen set out to create the UK’s first play and leisure centre specifically designed for disabled children. Over the past 10 years, she and her team have raised millions of pounds, meticulously researched how to make the centre as inclusive as possible and spent years trialling sessions with disabled children. And soon, the doors to Gympanzees will open for the first time. Continue reading...
The Trump administration wants underwater datacenters. One Great Lakes non-profit is already preparing
Tech companies like the idea, as they largely eliminate community opposition, and could cut down on utility costs While Elon Musk has often touted putting datacenters in space, reports suggest that another geographic area may soon become a widespread target: our lakes and oceans . Two underwater datacenters are already in operation off the coast of China, and recent reports suggest that the Trump administration is considering plans for four proposed underwater, sealed-pod datacenters to be built off the shores of Maine and Alaska . Continue reading...
New Zealand facing weeks of uncertainty with election ‘too close to call’
National party will be largest in parliament but ultimate shape of next government won’t be settled for some time New Zealand could be facing a weeks-long wait to know the shape of its next government, after its nail-biting election failed to hand a decisive victory to either the incumbent rightwing coalition or opposition left bloc. On preliminary results, the centre-right National party, led by prime minister Christopher Luxon, managed to secure enough seats to govern alongside his two traditional coalition partners, the libertarian Act and populist New Zealand First parties. Continue reading...
Blackouts and water shortages in Kyiv after Russia strikes Ukraine’s energy grid
Moscow used 172 drones and 36 ballistic missiles in attacks on electricity substations and bridge over the Dnipro Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of trying to “plunge Kyiv and the entire country into a blackout”, following a major attack overnight on energy infrastructure in the capital and a bridge over the Dnipro River. Ukraine’s president said Moscow’s preparations for peace talks next week involved pummelling a city of millions with ballistic missiles. Continue reading...
Not a pretty sight: Trump’s ‘beautiful’ Republican men flop at midterms
President spent weeks praising his favored candidates’ physiques, from their jawlines to their shoulders – but most of his hot guys lost It was either a last-ditch considered strategy to win votes, or the ramblings of an increasingly unhinged and increasingly amorous party leader. Either way, it didn’t work. Continue reading...
Will Pete Hegseth be the blue tsunami’s next victim? | Arwa Mahdawi
The ‘secretary of war’ and his shameful history are facing bipartisan scrutiny Can you smell the schadenfreude in the air? Watching some of the worst people in the world get their comeuppance this week has been deeply satisfying. And the show isn’t over yet. While the midterms have wrapped up, the blame game is only just getting started, with Republicans desperate to find scapegoats for their shellacking. Arwa Mahadwi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Trump’s elevation of Stephen Miller a middle finger to millions of voters
Architect of Trump’s far-right immigration agenda is now most powerful unelected figure in government – it suggests White House is moving to a war footing Donald Trump just gave the middle finger to millions of American voters. Any other president who suffered the kind of drubbing at the polls that Trump did this week might have felt at least a sliver of humility – and perhaps even an obligation to work with the new opposition in Congress. Continue reading...
Great British Railways: new dawn for a new network but with plenty of old problems to fix
Experts predict a baptism of fire for GBR in 2027, with likely issues ranging from clapped-out trains and track to extreme weather-related stress The glad tidings brought by the minister were that the wait was almost over: the establishment of Great British Railways could be wrapped up by Christmas, at least in law. But with a renationalised industry facing fresh storms in 2027, some in the railway world are wondering if they should be careful what they wish for. The legislation that will rip up how rail has been run , anticipated for the best part of a decade, is being chewed over in its final stages in the House of Lords. It now has, the rail minister, Peter Hendy, told an industry conference in London this week, “a fair chance of getting royal assent” before parliament’s winter break, allowing a new arm’s-length body with overall control of Britain’s railway, spanning the track and train services. Continue reading...
Court rules against Home Office in asylum seeker kidnapping case
Department had claimed that being kidnapped for ransom was not exploitation of trafficking victims in case of Syrian man abducted in Libya The court of appeal has rejected claims by the Home Office that being kidnapped for ransom is not exploitation of trafficking victims. The ruling means that many people who have been kidnapped for ransom, whom officials have previously excluded from being victims of exploitation under trafficking rules, will now have to have these claims considered. They may be eligible for the support and recovery package trafficking victims are entitled to. Continue reading...
Five European leaders call for closer EU-UK ties ahead of Brussels summit
Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark say cooperation on clean energy will benefit both sides Five European leaders have called for closer ties with Britain ahead of a keenly anticipated EU-UK summit. The leaders of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark, said deeper cooperation on clean energy would benefit both sides in a letter to Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa. Continue reading...
Two men arrested after boy injured in Gloucester sword attack
Armed police attended the scene, which led to two nearby schools going into lockdown on Friday Two teenagers have been arrested after a 17-year-old was injured in a suspected sword attack near a Catholic school in Gloucester. Officers were called to Chalford Road, near St Peter’s high school, in Tuffley, shortly after 8.50am on Friday. It was reported that two men – one in possession of a sword – had been seen chasing two 17-year-old boys. The suspects then fled the scene on foot. Continue reading...
New ‘high safety’ chemicals in plastic food packaging linked to lower birth weight, study finds
Dinch, an allegedly ‘safe’ alternative, used in the EU and US also found to cause fetal development complications Exposure to a new generation of allegedly “safe” plasticizers is linked to lower birth weight and fetal development complications, which could cause serious health problems later in life, a new peer-reviewed study found. As the health risks in exposure to common phthalate plasticizers became clear over the last few decades, industry began switching to a new type of chemical, called Dinch, that it claimed was a “high safety” , nontoxic alternative. It is widely used in soft plastic food packaging in the United States and European Union, and is found in children’s toys, medical devices, some textiles, flooring and other consumer goods. Continue reading...
Flip voters discovered that Trump’s racism and xenophobia are expensive
Maga’s regret voters were all-in for Trump’s racism. Then they found out they couldn’t afford it For the first time in a decade, election predictions far exceeded public expectations. What pollsters anticipated as a blue wave billowed into a blue tsunami . Wins that held ground for already blue seats eased nerves, and the flips of swing states like Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio energized the blue base. But red-belt-busting wins in Republican strongholds like Texas, South Carolina and Kansas alongside pending races in Alaska and Mississippi left mouths agape. The explanation was that Democrats turned out far more supporters than their regulars, and that the “ regret voter ” (both swing voters and partisan Republicans) expanded the wave across districts Trump previously won . Elation and sighs of relief rolled over consistently Democratic voters who suffered multiple sucker punches from recent years of Republican upsets. Regret voters, who run the gamut from gen Z men to Latinos , farmers and the white working class , hope a different party can deliver on the economy Trump promised them. Blue voters look at the dismantling of democracy, multiple wars, mass deportations and Trump’s unchecked power in these last two years and see how it all could have been avoided. Regret voters, however, either co-signed or conceded to Trump’s naked racism and brutish bullying of marginalized people, but switched their votes as soon as the consequences hit their pockets. While some of the president’s backers may have been turned away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gunning down American citizens, the final straw for most wasn’t ICE’s brutality , but rather the price of eggs. Some may have been upset by the Tomahawk missile assault that killed 120 schoolgirls in Iran, but most fumed at the rocketing costs at the gas pump that followed. Few demanded answers for the nearly 60 deaths of innocent people detained in DHS detention centers since the start of 2024, but many felt scorned by lost immigrant labor that cut into owners’ profit margins. Maga’s regret voters were all-in for Trump’s racism. Then they found out they couldn’t afford it. Continue reading...
Israel took a beating in the US midterms | Judith Levine
In a reversal of longstanding assumptions, strong criticism of Israel’s actions may have helped put candidates over the top “You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates,” Abdul El-Sayed told a Detroit crowd on Wednesday, declaring victory in Michigan’s hard-fought, often ugly, Senate race. In what was predicted to be a squeaker, the Democrat beat his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, by a healthy seven points . In some ways, El-Sayed was an unlikely candidate. At 34, in his first run for elected office, he set his sights almost cockily on a US Senate seat. He ran on what has become an uncontroversial affordability platform but also championed the socialist-adjacent Medicare for All. Continue reading...
‘Wait, what?’: the underdog Democrats who won their midterm races against all odds
From North Carolina to Arizona, Democrats with almost no public profile were stunned at their election triumphs One candidate had dropped out in September. One had no campaign staff. One was a 19-year-old and halfway through the fall college semester. Across the US, Democratic candidates with almost no public profile and long odds of winning their midterm races were stunned to find they had outperformed their opponents on Tuesday. They were swept into Congress and statehouses in the blue wave that knocked out Republicans from seats considered untouchable in deep-red districts. Continue reading...
Florida Republicans survived the ‘blue wave’, but find themselves on shaky ground
Sunshine state emerged as the lone flag bearer of the Maga agenda, but even there, the GOP finds itself on the defense After the dust settled on Tuesday night’s near-annihilation of the Republican party nationwide, a single red flag fluttered defiantly in Florida, now a last bastion of the Maga movement that has dominated politics in the US for a decade. Voters in the Sunshine state bucked the national trend, just barely, to elect two close allies of Donald Trump into office: congressman Byron Donalds as its first Black governor, and Ashley Moody to the US Senate. Continue reading...