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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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US federal court says no constitutional right to clean water in Mississippi case
Appeals court dismisses lawsuit from Jackson residents claiming that tainted drinking water violated their rights A US appellate court has decided that the federal constitution does not guarantee a right to clean water. That legal opinion came in the form of a decision on Friday from the fifth circuit court of appeals to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a 2022 lawsuit from several Jackson, Mississippi, residents claiming that tainted drinking water violated their constitutional rights. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on Britain’s new Middle East policy: an unlawful occupation must carry a price | Editorial
Ed Miliband has delivered Britain’s toughest indictment of Israeli conduct in Palestinian lands - and rightly says this has economic consequences Rarely in recent years has the Commons felt like the cockpit of history. On Tuesday it did. The foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, placed Britain at the head of a 12-country coalition considering economic restrictions on Israel’s illegal settlements, with the UK, France and Canada committing to national trade bans. The move comes after escalating numbers of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages in the West Bank. International opinion seemed to shift decisively after Israel gave the go-ahead for 1,200 homes in the E1 settlement that would cleave the West Bank into two – using illegal settlements to bury Palestinian statehood for good. Mr Miliband added that evidence of war crimes in Gaza was mounting, making the overdue case for Britain to recast its economic and military relationship with Israel. 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...
The Guardian view on English schools: teachers and pupils should be proud of bucking a downward trend | Editorial
International comparisons suggest that some things are being done right in England’s classrooms Teachers, headteachers, children, parents and politicians should all feel proud of England’s schools, which have bucked a disappointing international trend . Results from 15-year-olds in reading, maths and science have held up well compared with 90 other countries, according to the programme for international student assessment (Pisa). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland did not match England’s success in reading and maths, although all four UK nations scored well in science. Worries about children reading fewer books than in the past should be dispelled to some degree by England’s results, which show no decline in capability since 2022, when the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) last published results. The decision to place more emphasis on science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem), both at primary and secondary levels, has seemingly borne fruit. 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...
Glastonbury tickets break £400 for first time as on-sale date is announced
Tickets set to cost £408 at return for Somerset festival after a fallow year, a jump from £378.50 in 2025 After a fallow year in 2026, Glastonbury festival fans can start to get excited – and nervous – about tickets for 2027’s event going on sale. The price breaks £400 for the first time, at £408 including a £5 booking fee, a rise from the 2025 cost of £378.50. The usual scramble to acquire them – with all the attendant frantic spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups – will begin at 9am on Sunday 4 October. Continue reading...
Victims of deadly Amazon cargo plane crash identified, as two more remain critical
The victims, employees of an aircraft cleaning company, were in a van when the plane crashed into it At least five dead after Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami airport Officials in Florida on Tuesday identified the five people killed in Saturday’s Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami international airport – and said two more remained hospitalized in critical condition. At a morning news conference, the Miami-Dade sheriff, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, also said both pilots of the Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767, which careered off the end of the airport’s runway and struck at least two vehicles, were released from the hospital after treatment. Continue reading...
UK airport disruption: what are your rights if you have been affected?
Air traffic control issue affecting airports across UK on Tuesday has been resolved but disruption could continue into Wednesday Flight disruption across UK continues after air traffic control technical issue Business live – latest updates Airports across the UK including Manchester, Birmingham and all those in London were hit by problems at air traffic control on Tuesday. The technical issue at arose shortly before 2pm and was resolved about three hours later. By that time nearly 300 flights had been cancelled, with knock-on disruption across Britain and at destination airports abroad likely to continue into the evening and possibly Wednesday. Continue reading...
Trump renames places and poses as superhero in bizarre social media blitz
Trump passed the long weekend posting a torrent of memes and musings on his Truth Social platform The long weekend may have proved too long for Donald Trump, who passed the time by musing about annexing other countries, unilaterally renaming places he’s not allowed to rename and turning himself into a superhero. Amid the torrent of memes and posts by the president on his Truth Social platform over the Labor Day holiday weekend was a bizarre AI-generated video depicting Trump as the Green Lantern DC superhero, wielding a glowing green power ring to erect his border wall, illuminate an “American manufacturing” scene, and command a fleet of warplanes and warships behind him. Continue reading...
MLS’s transfer window and the spending line that keeps going up
Summer spending across the league’s 30 clubs has ballooned. Here are three takeaways from the league’s transfer window With the shadow of the 2026 World Cup hanging over the league and a potential set of rule changes looming, Major League Soccer’s summer transfer window was one defined by uncertainty, diverse strategies and record spending. It was the fourth transfer window since MLS allowed clubs to purchase players from other clubs using traditional transfer fees rather than general allocation money (GAM), the intraleague currency system. The new rule, which is now being used more frequently, has helped account for rapid growth in league expenditure, as has increased GAM allotted to each club. These trends have been seen broadly over the last two seasons, but this past window took it to a new level, smashing the previous record for summer spending. This summer, MLS teams spent 65% more year-over-year, with a total of nearly $190m spent, accounting for 45% of the 2026 total. The above factors combined to create one of the most consequential transfer windows in MLS history, which may give a glimpse into the league’s future trajectory. Continue reading...
Ukraine’s prosecutor general quits after anti-corruption agents raid his office
Ruslan Kravchenko resigns over allegations some of his officials were engaged in large-scale money laundering Ukraine’s prosecutor general has resigned after investigators used ladders to raid his office in connection with a major corruption scandal that threatens to embarrass Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ruslan Kravchenko quit his post on Monday after allegations that some of his officials were involved in large-scale money laundering. They received cash to protect call centres involved in illegal phone scams, it was claimed. Continue reading...
Israel to close British consulate in Jerusalem after sanctions announced
Several MPs also banned from Israel after UK steps up condemnation of settlements and announces sweeping sanctions UK politics live – latest updates Israel has ordered the closure of the British consulate in occupied East Jerusalem in response to sweeping UK sanctions on goods from illegal settlements. Reacting to Ed Miliband’s description of violent Jewish settler activity on the occupied Palestinian West Bank as “ethnic cleansing” carried out with the tacit backing of the Netanyahu government , Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, announced retaliatory measures including the closure of the consulate and entry bans on several UK MPs. Continue reading...
UK condemns Israeli settler ‘ethnic cleansing’ in West Bank – The Latest
The UK has attacked ‘settler terrorism’ deployed in a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, whilst announcing sweeping sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband delivered the strongest condemnation of the actions of the Israeli government ever by a British government, including the disproportionate killings in Gaza of at least 70,000 people including 20,000 children. Lucy Hough speaks to chief Middle East correspondent Emma Graham-Harrison – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
Hurricane Lowell brings threat of floods, mudslides and tornadoes to Hawaii
Islands of Kauai and Ni’ihau are under hurricane warning, while Oahu is under a tropical storm warning Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell were pelting Hawaii’s western islands on Tuesday, bringing the threat of floods, mudslides and tornadoes. The islands of Kauai and Ni’ihau are under a hurricane warning, while Oahu, the state’s most populated island with close to 1 million residents, was under a tropical storm warning. Continue reading...
Barnaby Webber’s death in Nottingham attack was ‘potentially preventable’, inquiry told
More rapid use of blood products may have raised chance of 19-year-old making it to hospital, though chance was low, says counsel The death of a 19-year-old student who was killed in the Nottingham attacks in 2023 was “potentially preventable”, a public inquiry into the incident has heard. Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, a 65-year-old caretaker, were fatally stabbed by Valdo Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic, on 13 June 2023. Continue reading...
Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer urges to Trump consider pardon after mistrial
Attorney hopes Trump would ‘consider a pardon’ given ‘the type of person she is’ and ‘what she has been through’ Murder trial ends in dramatic deadlock – what comes next The lawyer of Lindsay Clancy , the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her three young children, has said he hopes Donald Trump will pardon his client after her trial recently ended with a deadlocked jury. Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, made the appeal on a televised interview on the ABC show Good Morning America on Tuesday. The plea comes to Trump after a judge on Friday declared a mistrial after the jury in the Clancy case could not reach a unanimous verdict on whether she was guilty or not guilty. In the US, the national maternal mental health hotline is 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...
Mass polygraphs at the Pentagon show Hegseth’s weakness | Margaret Sullivan
The more defense secretary Pete Hegseth tries to flex his manly strength, the wimpier he looks The more the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, tries to flex his manly strength, the wimpier he looks. The former Fox News host has attempted to seize control of what the public is allowed to know, but bad news keeps creeping out from the Pentagon. Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
Netanyahu was warned of 7 October Hamas attacks, book claims
Israeli PM says allegation that UAE president alerted him more than a week before major offensive is ‘absolute lie’ Benjamin Netanyahu was personally alerted by the president of the United Arab Emirates that Hamas was planning a large-scale offensive against Israel a week before its 7 October 2023 attack, but did not act on the warning, according to a book by Haaretz reporters . The claim, which comes amid a crucial election campaign, prompted Israeli opposition leaders to describe the prime minister as “unfit” for office, even as Netanyahu denounced the report as an “absolute lie” and denied he spoke to the Emirati leader at that time. Continue reading...
Flushing the toilet can release a ‘plume’ of breathable pathogens – and closing the lid won’t stop their escape
New research shows turbulent flushes create toilet-generated aerosols that can transmit legionella, influenza and norovirus Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Flushing toilets release particles into the “breathing zone” of adults and can remain suspended in the air for at least 20 seconds, a new study has found. And closing the lid might not be enough to avoid a “plume” of potential pathogens. Continue reading...
Organised crime driving illicit cigarette factory boom ‘in almost every EU state’
Bloc losing €13bn in revenue with one in 10 cigarettes illegal, watchdog reports Europe live – latest updates The illegal trade in tobacco is booming in the EU, according to a report by the bloc’s financial watchdog, with almost one in 10 cigarettes produced illicitly or smuggled, causing an estimated €13bn loss in tax revenue each year. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a report on Tuesday that the trade had “changed significantly” in recent years as smuggling, while still “a problem”, was overtaken by illicit manufacturing, which has increased dramatically in the bloc. Continue reading...
Trump’s call to rename New Mexico ‘New America’ is a distraction tactic, Democrats say
Amid unpopular Iran war and persistent inflation, governor says state has had its name since before US existed Democrats have hit back against Donald Trump ’s suggestion that the state of New Mexico should be renamed “New America”, accusing the US president of trying to distract from his war on Iran and rising prices. The administration moved to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” hours after Trump’s return to office in January 2025. In August, as trade tensions escalated between the US and Canada, it moved to do the same with Lake Ontario, moving to rename it as “Lake America”. Continue reading...
British family speaks out over nine-year ordeal after husband is abducted by Saudi Arabia
Mira Lozi says quiet diplomacy has failed to free Rami Naimi who was first seized in Dubai in 2017 A British woman has spoken out for the first time about the alleged abduction, torture and coercion of her husband at the hands of Saudi authorities, after nine years of “failed” quiet diplomacy. The businessman Rami Naimi was first abducted in Dubai in 2017 on his return from a trip to Australia with his father. After being tortured, he was released the following year. Continue reading...
US Open 2026 quarter-finals: Sabalenka v Noskova, Tiafoe v Michelsen – live
Rolling updates from the last eight at Flushing Meadows Will influencers bring down US Open? | You can mail Katy Hello and welcome to our coverage of the US Open - day 10! So here we are, at the quarter-final stage. Gone is the compelling chaos of matches taking place here, there and everywhere in the earlier rounds, and finally we can make do with only one pair of eyes, our gaze both shrinking and intensifying now we’re down to the one singles court. Continue reading...
Family of slain teen calls for death penalty in murder trial of singer D4vd
David Burke’s defense argues there is no evidence he had any intent of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez The family of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez has called for the singer D4vd , who is on trial suspected of killing the girl, to face the death penalty. D4vd, who was born David Anthony Burke, in July was ordered to stand trial over the killing of Rivas , whose dismembered body was found in the trunk of his Tesla car on 8 September 2025. Burke has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Continue reading...
Air traffic control issue causes flight delays and disruption across UK
Departures from London airports worst hit with most flights since 2pm affected as National Air Traffic Services investigates technical problem Flights around the UK are facing delays and disruption due to an air traffic control issue which has affected a string of airports including Heathrow and Gatwick. Departures from London airports are most severely affected, with few take-offs since a fault was reported early on Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading...
Police were told night before Dover unrest that far-right agitators had converged on village
Details passed to Kent police after far-right activists heard in pub boasting about going to to Dover to ‘attack Muslims’ Police were told the night before far-right agitators blocked roads into Dover that those involved had converged on a village 18 miles away and planned to use it as a launchpad, it has emerged. People in Preston-next-Wingham told of how hundreds of men had started to arrive in the village of just over 920 residents on Friday afternoon and in effect “took over” the village. Continue reading...