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Car finance: Barclays becomes first big lender to offer payouts for mis-selling of loans
Bank to make ‘early settlement’ offers before outcome of legal battle, with those who accept likely to get money before Christmas Business live – latest updates Barclays will this month start offering compensation to tens of thousands of people who claim they were mis-sold car loans, with some of those who accept likely to see the money land in their account before Christmas. Amid an ongoing legal battle over an industry-wide compensation scheme for victims of the UK’s car finance scandal, Barclays has become the first big UK lender to break cover and begin offering payouts to some customers who have complained. Continue reading...
Babies more likely to have heart defects from Louisiana’s areas with industrial pollution, study finds
Compared to infants in the state’s low-pollution areas, the odds were 4.3 times higher for babies from toxic hotspots A study looking at babies hospitalized in New Orleans found that babies born to mothers from neighborhoods in south-east Louisiana with high levels of industrial pollution were four times more likely to suffer from severe congenital heart defects. Published last week, the study in the Environmental Health journal looked at medical records for 454 infants hospitalized at the two major Louisiana hospitals that can provide surgery for heart defects in babies. Researchers traced back where the mothers of these infants lived, examining the levels of industrial toxic pollution in their communities using the US Environmental Protection Agency’s risk-screening database. Compared to infants from low-pollution areas in the region, the odds of congenital heart defects were 4.3 times higher for infants from toxic hotspots, and 3.1 times higher for infants from places with intermediate levels of pollution. Continue reading...
Judge orders Iowa to permit Satanic Temple holiday event at state capitol
Federal court says group likely to win its free speech claim and tells officials to approve application within seven days A federal judge ordered state officials in Iowa on Monday to permit a local Satanic Temple organization to hold a holiday event in the rotunda of the state capitol after years of denying the group’s application. The religious organization and Iowa Republican state officials have been in a legal battle over the group’s applications to hold a holiday event at the state capitol in recent years. Continue reading...
Trump’s troubles with Iran could open the door to China
Beijing launches diplomatic salvo to woo Gulf leaders and bolster its influence in the region China has held a flurry of meetings with Gulf leaders in a sign that Beijing is stepping up its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. The diplomatic salvo comes before a highly anticipated meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping when the US president is expected to attend the Apec conference in Shenzhen, China, on 18 and 19 November. Continue reading...
Giannis says Dončić could be best scorer of all time as Lakers star pours in 42 against Heat
Slovenian is averaging 38.3 points a game this season Antetokounmpo offers high praise to fellow All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo has offered high praise to his fellow All-Star Luka Dončić after the Los Angeles Lakers star went on another scoring tear on Monday night. Dončić scored 42 points in the Lakers’ 138-117 win over Antetokounmpo’s Heat to bring the Slovenian’s scoring average this season to 38.3 points per game, the best in the NBA . Continue reading...
New tool will help gardeners move away from thirsty English classics to drought-resistant plants
Exclusive: Garden Climate Assessment Tool will allow users to predict a plant’s response to the projected climate in a given location “In the 20th century, we could pretty much grow the same things with confidence, we could learn from previous generations,” said Prof Sam Brockington, a curator at Cambridge University Botanic Garden. “But now we’re moving into climate scenarios that we just don’t have the traditions to understand fully.” Continue reading...
Millions of Americans crippled by medical debt despite relief efforts
Stopgap measure does not solve fundamental problem that millions can’t afford the healthcare they need, experts say Some of the millions of Americans who collectively owe billions of dollars for medical expenses have seen their debt forgiven in recent years, and there has been a dramatic uptick in aid this year. But the relief still only covers a small fraction of the outstanding balance and is just a stopgap measure that does not solve the fundamental problem: people in the US get into serious financial trouble because they can’t afford the healthcare they need, experts say. Continue reading...
Brazil publishes first global ‘roadmap’ for phasing out fossil fuels
Cop30 host sets out steps to break link with coal, oil and gas as it aims to move focus from negotiating to implementing All countries can start to break their dependence on fossil fuels now without needing to wait for new technologies or economic changes, Brazil’s government has said ahead of a global climate summit. Brazil, the host of last year’s UN climate conference , set out the world’s first global “roadmap” for phasing out fossil fuels on Tuesday, showing that countries could boost their economies and pull people out of poverty while breaking the link with coal, oil and gas. Continue reading...
Rent rises of up to 88% still passing in England despite Renters’ Reform Act
While tenants are challenging increases in record numbers, renters and landlords say system is ‘not working for anyone’ The rent tribunal system is “not working for anyone”, tenants and landlords have said, as rent increases of up to 88% continue to be approved despite Labour’s pledge to curb unfair rises. Tenants are challenging rent increases in record numbers since the Renters’ Reform Act came into effect in May, making the process easier and less risky for renters. Continue reading...
Andrew Scott drama Elsinore leads British independent film award nominations
Elsinore is in contention for 12 Bifas, including for Scott’s highly praised performance, while Clio Barnard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, Ashley Walters’ Animol and Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care are also recognised Elsinore, the drama in which Andrew Scott plays the actor Ian Charleson as he takes on Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the last months of his life, before he died of Aids in 1990, has emerged as the leading contender for the British independent film awards (Bifas). The film, which is directed by Simon Stone and co-stars Olivia Colman, Billie Piper and Johnny Flynn, received 12 nominations, including best British independent film, best director for Stone and best lead performance for Scott. Elsinore has collected rave reviews since its premiere at the Telluride film festival in September, with the Guardian’s Benjamin Lee describing it as “a devastating movie [that] is a reminder of Charleson’s strength and the many men like him and it implores us to remember them too”. Scott is also already being tipped as the favourite for the best actor Oscar – and he would be the first out gay actor to win. Continue reading...
24-year-old woman dies after collapsing in final stages of New York City Marathon
Father says Rachel Apa died from rhabdomyolysis Runner was former college athlete in ‘perfect shape’ A 24-year-old woman died after collapsing during the final stages of Sunday’s New York City Marathon , her father has said. Rachel Apa’s father, Steve Apa, told the New York Times his daughter was in Central Park, two miles from the end of the race, when she collapsed. It was Rachel’s first marathon and she was running as part of the Parkinson’s Champions team in honor of her late grandfather, who suffered from the disease. Continue reading...
Citizen-led ballot initiatives seek to limit electricity firms’ political donations in Michigan
One motion considers reining in political spending while another proposes to municipalize the grid in sign of anger with datacenters and high bills Two citizen-led ballot initiatives seek to rein in Michigan’s powerful electric utilities as residents say politicians have failed to address pressing issues around controversial datacenters, high energy rates and poor electric reliability. On Tuesday, voters statewide will consider a nation-leading ban on political donations by the state’s deeply unpopular regulated utilities. At the same time, organizers in Ann Arbor, one the state’s largest cities, are proposing to banish utility giant DTE Energy by municipalizing the grid. It would establish a public power company to deliver energy. Continue reading...
First Thing: US goes to polls in vote that will define the last years of Trump’s presidency
Democrats are hoping to seize control in the capitol and rein in the president’s power. Plus, a peacock that loves admiring itself in the mirror a little too much Good morning. Americans are heading to the polls today in US midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on Donald Trump’s second presidency and a chance for opponents to rein in his power. The party holding the White House typically loses congressional seats at midterm elections and Democrats are hoping the president’s nose-diving popularity can be exploited. Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice in California has charged six more people with alleged voter fraud crimes, an escalation of the administration’s campaign against election integrity. However, in a blow to Trump, the supreme court has ruled against attempts to force California election officials to segregate and not count ballots from people the justice department claims are non-citizens. Where have our reporters been covering the crucial midterm races? We have a dispatch from Shrai Popat in New Hampshire , where Republicans were hoping to flip a Senate seat but now worry Trump may be dragging them down, and David Smith has been in Austin , where James Talarico is making an extraordinary bid to break the Texas Democrats’ losing streak. Lauren Gambino has been in Los Angeles, casting her eye over Xavier Becerra’s California shoo-in to be governer , while Joseph Gedeon offers this analysis from Detroit of how Israel is at the heart of Haley Stevens’s extraordinary reversal to back Abdul El-Sayed’s Republican opponent in Michigan. Where can you find the Guardian’s election coverage? This explainer has everything you need to know about how winners are called, how states count ballots and Trump’s election denialism. We also have an hour-by-hour rundown of when polls close around the US, and this valuable guide to the candidates and races that will decide the elections. We will be live blogging the election and results round-the-clock. You can join my colleagues on the live blog here . Continue reading...
US midterm elections 2026: live results from Senate, House and governor races in all 50 states
The US has been voting for senators, members of the House of Representatives and state governors in the midterm elections. Here are the results in full US midterm elections 2026 live: Americans go to the polls in referendum on Trump’s agenda The US legislature, Congress, has two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Continue reading...
What effect will the big Democratic 'betrayal' have on the midterms? | Politics Weekly America
It is polling day in the US, so Jonathan Freedland is chatting to the humour writer Alexandra Petri of the Atlantic to run through this election cycle’s most effective ad campaigns, surprising alliances and embarrassing gaffes Continue reading...
UK’s most polluting power plant could power country’s largest AI datacentre
Drax’s FTSE 250 owner strikes £20bn deal to build infrastructure in what it says is site’s ‘next chapter’ Business live – latest updates Britain’s most polluting power plant could soon power the country’s largest datacentre under a £20bn deal to build AI infrastructure on the site of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire. The power plant’s FTSE 250 owner has struck a deal with the infrastructure investor Brookfield and and the AI infrastructure platform Radiant to develop a datacentre with an eventual capacity of more than 1 gigawatt that could begin operations by early 2028. Continue reading...
Shabana Mahmood has barely softened her plans – Britain’s immigration regime is now a theatre of cruelty | Owen Jones
The home secretary’s reforms merely reinforce the lie that migrants are to blame for all of the UK’s problems Five years ago, Shabana Mahmood called for a “ general amnesty ” for undocumented migrants. “That’s not official Labour party policy yet,” she mourned, “but myself and a group of other Labour MPs are continuing to make the argument.” Now home secretary, she is introducing one of Europe’s most punitive immigration and asylum systems. The standard qualifying period for migrant workers to gain secure residence will double to 10 years, which will be twice the length set out in almost all EU countries. The standard wait for refugees who claim asylum in Britain outside designated resettlement routes will be 20 years, four times the usual five-year qualifying period in Germany, Spain and Italy. Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
‘In the trenches’: Wisconsin’s struggling small businesses could turn a Trump ally’s district blue
Affordability and small businesses’ economic woes feature heavily in the House race for Wisconsin’s third district After 18 years in business, Erin Klaus is closing her storefront, a handmade artisan market in downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin, at the end of the year. She opened Tangled Up in Hue amid a recession, during a time when downtown was “kind of a ghost town”, weathering construction and the pandemic. But the current economic crisis proved too much. She’s seen a downward trend in sales for two years, and was dipping into her own pocket from her other job, as the executive director of business non-profit Downtown Eau Claire Inc, to pay staff. Continue reading...
Trump’s midterm campaign has distilled his vile message | Sidney Blumenthal
The president has spewed vulgar and hateful rhetoric even as he reveals his disdain for his followers Far from veering off his track, Trump in his ceaselessly vile midterm campaign statements has attained an optimal level of Trumpism. He has distilled the raw elements of misogyny, racism and nativism to the purified essence of his political philosophy. The Republican candidates and his vice-president have followed him down the trail of “defining deviancy down”, as explained by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, in his essay in The American Scholar in 1993, about lowering the bar to make abnormal criminal behavior seem normal, coping through denial of its obvious presence, and through that process trivializing “the manifest decline of American civic life”. Continue reading...
Craig Silvey pens 9,000-word apology for child exploitation material offences
The children’s author claims he experienced trauma in childhood as he begins seven-month sentence for possessing depraved material Warning: This article contains graphic content Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The disgraced best-selling author Craig Silvey has claimed he experienced trauma as a child in a 9,000-word apology published after he was jailed for child exploitation offences. The young adult novelist was sentenced on Monday to seven months’ imprisonment, after being charged in January and subsequently pleading guilty to distributing and possessing depraved child exploitation material. Continue reading...
Burnham denies proposing return to free movement in talks with EU
Prime minister says he is committed to manifesto red lines and ‘public need to be the boss’ on future relationship UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham has denied proposing a return of free movement in talks between the UK and EU, saying any decision about the future relationship will be led by the will of the British people. His comments came as two senior ministers expressed caution about the talk of the UK returning as a full member of the EU or single market and the consequences of a return to free movement. Continue reading...
Will Trump relaunch his war on Iran after the midterm elections? | Mohamad Bazzi
Reports have suggested a vulnerable president could start a new bombing campaign. But that wouldn’t bring a deal any closer Will Donald Trump decide to resume a large-scale war against Iran after the US midterm elections? That question has loomed over the campaign for weeks, as officials leaked plans for a new round of joint US-Israeli military strikes that would target Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, missile arsenals and civilian infrastructure. Continue reading...
The candidates who will decide the US midterm elections
The 2026 US midterm elections feature firebrand progressives trying to stake out new territory, moderate Republicans struggling in the shadow of Donald Trump, and a host of scandals that have made races closer than they should be. These candidates could shape not only power in Washington, but public and political understanding of what works – and wins votes – in different places across the country. Can a Democrat win in red Kansas? Could Texas finally flip away from Republicans? Will abuse allegations or absenteeism tank incumbents? How important is capturing online attention? And how can Republicans run away from Trump, their party’s leader, and modern architect, as his popularity wanes? The lessons learned – and the candidates who teach them – will play into the 2028 presidential election and alter the makeup of Congress at a critical time for both parties Continue reading...
Midterm elections 2026: how are votes counted and when will we know the results?
Everything you need to know about how winners are called, how states count ballots and Trump’s election denialism There’s no simple answer as to when US voters will know the results of the midterms. Elections are managed locally throughout the US, and it’s different in each state. Sometimes, if a race isn’t close, there’s a near-instantaneous sense of who won. In more contested races, it can take many hours, days or even weeks. Continue reading...