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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Apple expected to unveil folding iPhone as new CEO takes center stage
The new model will serve as the first big test for John Ternus, who took the role last week All eyes are on Apple’s annual fall announcement of new products this afternoon, where the company is expected to unveil the most significant change to the iPhone since the smartphone’s introduction in 2007. Unlike previous iterations, the new iPhone is expected to fold, opening and closing like a passport to double its screen size. Continue reading...
Polanski calls for report on ecosystem collapse to be published in full
Green leader says ministers must stop ‘hiding the truth’ about threat to UK security from climate and nature crisis Zack Polanski will challenge Andy Burnham’s government to publish an unredacted version of an explosive report by the UK’s spy chiefs that found the collapse of overseas ecosystems would have catastrophic consequences for the UK’s national security. The Green party leader in England will demand that the prime minister come clean about the scale and impact of the climate and nature crisis and call on the government to publish in full the report that warns the UK faces devastating security consequences. Continue reading...
Andrew Hastie accuses Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce of being ‘lying cowards’ over One Nation ‘traitor’ cartoon
The Canning MP says the cartoon, first posted by Hanson on social media over a month ago, calls him a traitor eight times Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Liberal frontbencher and SAS veteran Andrew Hastie has called Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce “lying cowards”, after he claimed a One Nation cartoon portrayed him as a traitor for providing evidence in court against Ben Roberts-Smith. Hastie further escalated his fight with One Nation on Wednesday, a day after the Canning MP used a letter to supporters to promise to take on Hanson and her chief strategist, James Ashby, directly – even hinting at costly court action. Continue reading...
Wednesday briefing: Inside sweeping UK sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements
In today’s newsletter: Ed Miliband has announced the strongest statement on Israel’s actions ever issued by the the UK government, but will it make a meaningful difference to Palestinians? Good morning. For almost half a century, British governments have condemned illegal Israeli settlements, acknowledging they represent an obstacle to peace and threaten the prospect of a two-state solution. And yet no government has ever compelled Israel to stop its expansion. Ed Miliband’s statement in the House of Commons yesterday was an attempt to change that. In a powerful and emotive speech, the foreign secretary recounted childhood memories of picking oranges on his grandmother’s kibbutz, accused Israeli “terrorists” of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and announced a series of new measures intended to address what he described as a “deeply painful contrast” between rhetoric and reality. UK news | Police have been told by the government they expect better intelligence gathering after masked far-right groups took to the streets at the weekend, the Guardian has learned, as the Kent force admitted mishandling warnings of potential trouble. UK politics | Andy Burnham should tackle inequality in the UK by introducing a wealth tax, universal free personal social care and bringing gas and electricity networks under public ownership, according to a report from more than a dozen influential thinkers. Airline industry | Flight delays and cancellations were expected to continue today at UK airports after another air traffic control failure kept planes grounded for hours, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. Iran | Iranian forces claimed to have seized an American underwater drone in the strait of Hormuz that the US military said had “malfunctioned” more than a day earlier. US news | Donald Trump gave sizeable holiday gifts to four White House aides, according to new financial disclosures released by the administration, including $45,000 to executive assistant Natalie Harp. Continue reading...
Burnham urged to tackle inequality with policies including wealth tax
Key thinkers suggest other radical measures in Compass report such as free personal social care and abolishing Lords Andy Burnham should tackle inequality in the UK by introducing a wealth tax, universal free personal social care and bringing gas and electricity networks under public ownership, according to a report from more than a dozen influential thinkers. In the lead-up to the first budget of the chancellor, John Healey, this autumn, the Compass thinktank has collated 70 policy options from 15 leftwing thinkers that they argue would deliver on the prime minister’s promise to end 40 years of neoliberalism . Continue reading...
European democracies are running out of time to turn away from the abyss | Rafael Behr
Far-right parties, Maga ideology and Kremlin money are conniving to suffocate liberal idealism for another generation Not all that long ago, Europe was a beacon of liberal idealism. One memoir recalls it as an era “comfortably saturated with confidence in the unfailing and binding power of tolerance and conciliation”. The economic system seemed obviously preferable to barbarous alternatives. “People honestly believed that the divergencies and the boundaries between nations and sects would gradually melt away into a common humanity,” the author added. Those words could describe the spirit of globalisation at the turn of the millennium. They were written in the 1930s by Stefan Zweig , reflecting on the optimism of late 19th-century Vienna from the perspective of a Jewish émigr é whose world had been destroyed by murderous nationalism. Zweig took his own life in 1942. He never saw fascism defeated. He couldn’t have imagined a renaissance of liberalism in the second half of the 20th century so complete as to attain a pitch of complacency rivalling the one he remembered from his childhood. Continue reading...
Europeans want a united Europe but question whether it can get there, study finds
A continent-wide crisis of confidence is creating fertile ground for far-right narratives of decline, report suggests Europeans overwhelmingly want a strong, united and independent Europe but question whether it can get there, according to a study that suggests a continent-wide crisis of confidence is creating fertile ground for far-right narratives of decline. The report , based on 5,800 interviews in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK and analysis of the way Europe is discussed in the politics and media of 15 countries, paints a picture of an ambitious but disillusioned public. Continue reading...
‘It’s like a death sentence’ says British widow facing deportation from Sweden
Exclusive: Joyce Thomas, 78, describes her ‘nightmare’ hours before the deadline for her removal from country A 78-year-old British widow facing deportation over from Sweden over Brexit has said she feels she is facing a “death sentence” just hours before she was due to be removed from the country. “I just want this nightmare to go away before I die,” says Joyce Thomas. “It is dragging me down. I am really not the same person I was. This has taken years. I just feel sick,” she adds as she packs her bags. Continue reading...
‘It’s hell’: father of slain Australian surfers tells Mexico homicide trial about identifying sons’ bodies
Three men are on trial over the death of brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their friend, US citizen Jack Carter Rhoad, in Ensenada The father of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico two years ago testified in court on Tuesday that his life had been turned into hell, as the high-profile trial continued into its second day. Three men are charged in the killing of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and their 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, who were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast in April 2024. Continue reading...
Trump gave $45,000 to Natalie Harp and other White House aides as holiday gifts
The president’s substantial holiday gifts to four White House aides were made public via financial disclosures released by the administration Donald Trump gave sizable holiday gifts to four White House aides, according to new financial disclosures released by the administration, including $45,000 to executive assistant Natalie Harp. Communications adviser Margo Martin and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris also received $45,000, while director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received a $20,000 gift. Continue reading...
Babies born to anaemic mothers have smaller brains, study finds
Key regions of the brain linked to movement, learning and emotions were affected and may lead to cognitive problems Babies born to mothers with anaemia have smaller brains, particularly in key regions linked to movement, learning and the regulation of emotion, according to a study. Researchers said the differences, first detected at the age of one, could lead to cognitive problems when children started school. Continue reading...
Ben Shelton v Carlos Alcaraz: US Open 2026 quarter-final – live updates
Shelton and Alcaraz meet for spot in US Open semis Tiafoe breaks Michelsen’s heart with epic comeback Reach out to Bryan on Bluesky or by email Jessica Pegula has just finished off Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the US Open semi-finals. The No 3 seed advances to a hotly anticipated showdown with top seed Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday night. That means we should see Shelton and Alcaraz on court shortly after 11pm local time. Good evening from Arthur Ashe Stadium , where Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton are set to close out Tuesday’s US Open night session with a peach of a quarter-final. Continue reading...
Liberal operative denies he invented pink paper record of agreement with fugitive developer, Icac hears
Jeremy Greenwood tells inquiry note contained agreement with Jean Nassif as counsel assisting says ‘threads of your story pull apart very quickly’ A Liberal operative has denied making up a “pink” or “fuchsia”-coloured piece of paper which he says was the record of an agreement with a property developer worth up to $5m, a corruption inquiry has heard. Jeremy Greenwood told the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) on Wednesday that the note, which he did not mention in a preliminary interview with the watchdog, was not a “recent invention”. Continue reading...
Inside Reform UK – podcast
Today in Focus heads to the embattled 2026 Reform UK Conference to find out where the party may head next For months, Reform UK’s momentum has stalled – beset by financial scandals, falling poll numbers and, for the first time, the signs of splits within its leadership. So the party’s conference this weekend was meant for a reset. Yet, on the eve of the gathering in Birmingham, more scandal: this time an investigative documentary broadcast by Channel 4 about Reform UK’s apparent willingness to accept illegal, foreign donations – claims the party denies. Continue reading...
Lindsay Clancy juror had reasonable doubt but would not agree to acquit, foreperson says
Roni Carlson, in wake of mistrial, says holdout juror could not be persuaded while colleague calls him ‘very arrogant’ A lone juror in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of the murder of her three children, would not agree to acquit Clancy despite expressing reasonable doubt about whether she was guilty, the jury’s foreperson said in an interview airing Monday. Speaking to NBC 10 Boston just days after Clancy’s trial ended in a mistrial , Roni Carlson, the foreperson, confirmed there was one holdout juror who would not be persuaded to acquit Clancy due to insanity. In the US, call the national maternal health hotline on 1-833-852-6262 . In the UK, the Pandas foundation offers support via WhatsApp on 07903 508334. In Australia, the national maternal and perinatal mental health hotline is 1300 726 306. Continue reading...
Australia considers new Israel sanctions but won’t join UK in banning trade with ‘settler terrorists’
Penny Wong has concerns about blanket ban announced by UK, France and Canada, but says new ‘targeted measures’ planned over Israeli settlers Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia is preparing another round of sanctions against Israel, but has stopped short of joining the UK in banning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Overnight, the UK government offered its strongest condemnation yet of Israel’s occupation , with the foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, calling efforts to control the West Bank unlawful. He said his government agreed there was “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists.” Continue reading...
NDIS data may have ended up in Palantir’s analytics platform as part of efforts to curb fraud
Exclusive: The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, which has access to NDIA data, used Palantir as part of a multi-agency fraud taskforce Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Personal information of national disability insurance scheme participants may have ended up in controversial software company Palantir’s analytics platform as part of a massive multi-agency sharing program investigating fraud, Guardian Australia can reveal. There have been calls to ban the use of Palantir’s software by the Australian government since May , after it implied some cultures are inferior to others in a manifesto described by one UK MP as the “ramblings of a supervillain”. Continue reading...
Mamdani releases 170,000 pages of records regarding impact on air quality of the 9/11 attacks
The documents are available through an online portal that was launched three days before the 25th anniversary of September 11 New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has released more than 170,000 pages of municipal records involving the impact of the September 11 attacks on air quality health, as well as the city’s response. Mamdani announced the documents and an online portal for accessing them on Tuesday. The release comes alongside the settlement of two lawsuits pursued by 9/11 Health Watch, which fought for access to these long-withheld documents. Continue reading...
Tiafoe completes epic comeback to break Michelsen’s heart at US Open
No 11 seed rallies for 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win Tiafoe into third US Open semi-final in five years American will play Alcaraz or Shelton in last four At the end of more than four and a half hours of escalating drama inside the world’s biggest tennis stadium, a devastated Alex Michelsen fell into Frances Tiafoe’s arms just outside the tramlines, sobbing uncontrollably. Tiafoe took his younger countryman in an embrace and held him there, the victor consoling the vanquished in the aftermath of an extraordinary comeback that had carried him, somehow, into the US Open semi-finals. Only a couple of hours earlier, the 28-year-old Tiafoe had been two sets down and two points from elimination in the third set, with Michelsen seemingly bound for the biggest victory of his young career. Instead, Tiafoe roared back from the brink to win a quarter-final that will be long remembered in New York, defeating Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (6) on Tuesday afternoon to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows for the third time in five years. Continue reading...
Trump-backed John Sununu wins New Hampshire Republican Senate primary
Frontrunner Sununu beats Scott Brown to earn Republican nod in closely watched race in November Former senator John E Sununu triumphed on Tuesday in the New Hampshire Republican Senate primary Scott Brown, earning the GOP nod in what will likely be a must-win race if Democrats hope to seize the upper chamber. Sununu, 61, was the clear frontrunner in the GOP primary. He served one term in the Senate from 2003 to 2009. Continue reading...
Congressman Chris Pappas wins New Hampshire Democratic Senate primary
Pappas fends off challenge from progressive Karishma Manzur in seat to be vacated by retiring Jeanne Shaheen Congressman Chris Pappas beat back progressive challenger Karishma Manzur in the Democratic primary for US Senate on Tuesday, advancing as most observers expected to what will be a closely watched general election that is critical to Democratic hopes of flipping the upper chamber. The two were competing for the nomination that opened up after Jeanne Shaheen, 79, the state’s three‑term incumbent Democratic senator, announced her retirement. Continue reading...
Singapore boosts PM’s salary by $1m amid major pay rise for ministers
The affluent city-state has justified high-end salaries for its political leaders, arguing they attract talent and ensure good governance Singapore’s prime minister has been given a $1m pay rise as the affluent city-state announced a dramatic one-off salary boost for government ministers. The pay increases add more than 60% to what are already the world’s highest ministerial salaries. Continue reading...
US bans Canadian dairy, alcohol and motorcycles as trade war with longtime ally escalates
The measure comes as Canada imposes $20bn in retaliatory tariffs and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney vows to reduce his country’s economic dependence on the US The US is banning dairy products, most alcoholic beverages and motorcycles from Canada, the White House said Tuesday, as the trade war between the two neighbors and longtime allies escalates. The ban will take effect in three weeks and comes after Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on $20bn in US imports earlier Tuesday. Continue reading...
US supreme court blocks Missouri’s new congressional map backed by Trump
Decision marks setback for president and Republicans, who set in motion national redistricting battle last year The US supreme court refused an emergency appeal by Missouri officials to use a newly drawn congressional map backed by Donald Trump in the November midterm election, letting stand a ruling by the state’s highest state court that blocked the new lines from taking effect. Last week the Missouri supreme court ruled that the map must go before voters to approve or reject the new districts, meaning it cannot be used in the November election. Trump and Republicans fumed over the decision, with the president calling it “horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional”. Continue reading...