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Politics
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US scientists turn to chickens to sound the alarm as West Nile cases rise
Chickens – which can test positive for viruses but cannot spread them – an ideal early warning system for mosquito-borne disease The start of West Nile virus transmission began unusually early in some US states, with the most cases in early summer since 2004, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned in July – so Delaware turned to chickens. “They kind of are the proverbial canary in the coal mine,” said Tom Moran, head of the mosquito control section at the Delaware department of natural resources and environmental control. Continue reading...
Registered sex offender was allowed to participate at South Carolina church for decades
The Brookwood Church in Simpsonville only just disqualified Jerry Sidell from serving there in any capacity A registered sex offender who was sentenced to prison in the 1980s after he told authorities that he had molested several boys whom he met through his religious work with Christian youth in Georgia was later allowed to participate for decades in ministry at a South Carolina church. The Brookwood church, a southern Baptist institution in the South Carolina city of Simpsonville, only just disqualified Jerry Sidell from serving there in any capacity, after he joined it in 1999 and fulfilled various ministerial roles. Continue reading...
Beyond the heatwave: what it really takes for climate warnings to cut through in the UK
As trust in institutions wavers, experts say local, collective action is more effective in driving change Wildfires, excess deaths, hosepipe bans, school closures: this summer many British people have experienced the often devastating effects of the climate crisis in ways they had not before. In that sense, policymakers and climate experts have a unique opportunity to engage with the public about what needs to happen to better prepare the country for the years ahead. But as trust in institutions wavers – and yellowed, drought-stricken grass begins to recover – can the messaging cut through? This week, reflecting on a summer as “hot as hell” , the UN’s head of climate, Simon Stiell, said: “Climate is sometimes seen as a partisan issue, as territory in the culture wars. That is palpably false.” Continue reading...
Heatwaves hit the Sunday roast: why the RHS says cauliflower is off the menu
Charity urges gardeners in England to swap thirsty brassicas for drought-tolerant crops They are an integral part of the British Sunday roast – but cauliflowers are now going to be off the menu, according to the Royal Horticultural Society. England’s climate has changed so much that the RHS is now recommending that gardeners exclude the brassicas from their vegetable patches. Continue reading...
‘I said, if you want to fire me, just fire me. And so he did’: my showdown with Donald Trump
What’s it like to be shown the door by the US president? A former national security adviser, an Apprentice contestant and more share their stories • Plus: The truth about my 11 days in the White House, by Anthony Scaramucci Gene Folkes, 62, based in Manhattan, was a contestant on season 10 of The Apprentice, which aired in 2010. A former air force recruiter until 1991, he retrained as an investment banker, then launched his own business before appearing on the reality show. He was fired by Trump in episode 5. He now runs the technology consulting firm OshunX and hosts a podcast, Folkes Unfettered . I didn’t audition to be on The Apprentice. I received the call out of the blue: “Would you be interested in doing this show?” I didn’t know a lot about it. However, like any young business person, you look for people who you consider titans. There’s this mythology around Trump. He was one of the people I wanted to emulate. Continue reading...
Xi Jinping gets red carpet at Brics summit amid thaw in India-China relations
Chinese president’s arrival in Delhi seen as step towards reconciliation after deadly 2020 military clash The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has received a red-carpet welcome in India for a summit of Brics developing nations, as regional rivals Beijing and Delhi make a public display of thawing relations while quietly competing to lead at a time of shaky US global dominance. As Xi stepped off the plane, he was walked past an honour guard of Indian soldiers and traditional dancers in colourful dresses. Continue reading...
London Underground workers exposed to asbestos without protective masks, documents reveal
Hundreds of staff may have worked without legally required face-fitted masks over 20 years Hundreds of London Underground workers could have been exposed to asbestos for almost 20 years without protection required under safety regulations, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Under 2002 rules on controlling asbestos and other hazardous materials, employers are required to take a series of precautions, including ensuring exposed workers are given individually fitted face masks to prevent inhalation of toxic dust. Continue reading...
Trump personality cult alive and well in Dallas – will it power Republican midterm success?
President the star of the show at two-day convention, but party’s plan to treat November elections as referendum on Trump himself poses grave risks “We’re going to have a good time listening to music,” Donald Trump told thousands of supporters in downtown Dallas before handing the mic to an opera singer, “because I’m getting a little bit tired of politics now.” Millions of Americans seem tired of politics after a decade dominated by Trump. So the US president’s decision to close out this week’s first ever Republican midterm convention with a plea – treat November’s congressional elections as a referendum on Trump himself – was received by his Democratic opponents with glee. Continue reading...
Tensions simmer on US-Canada border for two towns relying on each other
Canadians ‘angry’ at Trump for suggesting Canada should become 51st state, says mayor, as US businesses see sales fall amid trade war Like many Canadians, Tom Reid isn’t crossing the US-Canada border as often these days. But he needed a haircut. The woman who cuts his hair lives in International Falls, Minnesota – her “sister is married to my wife’s cousin”, he explained – and so Reid, whose duty free shop in Fort Frances, Ontario, has to travel to her. Continue reading...
What can halt Fifa’s authoritarian turn under Infantino? Change from the outside | Jules Boykoff
The World Cup and its aftermath made clear that Fifa needs independent oversight by governments and NGOs dedicated to preserving the people’s game The 2026 World Cup was a whirling swirl of scintillating soccer that prompted much-needed conversations about the vitality of diaspora, the fortitude of the underdog, the power of sport. In a world fractured along myriad cultural axes floating in an entertainment system dominated by on-demand content, the tournament provided a moment, perhaps unlike any other event, that brought together people from different backgrounds to simultaneously experience something meaningful. After the tournament concluded, Fifa president Gianni Infantino dropped a political pipebomb into the after-party, proposing to privatize the World Cup by injecting $20bn in private capital, with an assist from JP Morgan and Thrive Capital, the investment vehicle orchestrated by Joshua Kushner, brother to Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Continue reading...
Donald Trump lands in Dublin for two-day Ireland visit – live
US president will hold talks with Ireland’s leftwing president Catherine Connolly, and play golf Trump landed in Dublin just moments ago, disembarking from Air Force One and being greeted by the tánaiste (deputy prime minister), Simon Harris. Here are some pictures from the newswires: Donald Trump has touched down in Dublin this morning for a two-day visit to Ireland, where he will hold talks with the Irish president and prime minister, and play golf. Continue reading...
This week’s soccer questions: were we wrong about Man City and does the Ballon d’Or ignore Americans?
We look at Enzo Maresca’s takeover in Guardiola’s shadow, shifting dynamics in women’s soccer and Raphinha’s incredible form at Barcelona Squint hard enough and Manchester City still look like Manchester City. They’re still playing the same possession-hungry soccer. Erling Haaland is still scoring goals. They even have a new manager with vaguely the same appearance and oeuvre as their old manager. An AI Pep Guardiola in the dugout. Continue reading...
Shelton tips Tiafoe at US Open to move one win from ending 23-year drought
23-year-old defeats Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 Shelton is first black US men’s finalist since Ashe American will face top seed Zverev for title For 23 years they have come and gone. Andy Roddick tried again. Andre Agassi made one final run. James Blake, Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, John Isner, Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz all carried the hopes of American men’s tennis deep into the second week of major championships, only to thrash against the ceiling of the sport’s European hegemony time and again. Now Ben Shelton gets his chance. The fearless 23-year-old from Atlanta surged into his first career grand slam final on a feverish Friday night at the US Open, completing a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 fightback over Frances Tiafoe in a pulsating all-American semi-final beneath the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The result leaves him one victory from becoming the first man from the United States to win one of the sport’s four bedrock tournaments since Roddick triumphed here in 2003. Continue reading...
Thousands of ebikes seized by London councils as anger rises over blocked paths
Operators blame lack of parking and councils bemoan lack of central regulation, as more than 3,000 badly parked bikes seized London boroughs have seized at least 3,000 ebikes this year, a Guardian investigation has found, as hire companies face growing calls to stop bicycles littering streets and blocking pavements. Local authorities across the capital have seized 3,393 hazardously parked or abandoned ebikes so far this year, 23% higher than the number seized during all of 2025. Continue reading...
Saudi Arabia shuts down oil pipeline, blaming drones from Iraq
Riyadh has increased its use of the East-West pipeline since the start of the Middle East war to bypass the closure of the strait of Hormuz Saudi authorities said Friday drones launched from Iraq led to the temporary closure of a crucial oil export route used to bypass the lockdown of the strait of Hormuz . Riyadh has increased its use of the East-West pipeline, which links Abqaiq, near the Gulf, to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, since the start of the Middle East war to bypass strait of Hormuz closed by Iran. Continue reading...
Solheim Cup golf 2026: Europe v USA, day two foursomes – live
⛳️ Solheim Cup updates from 6.40am BST at Bernardus Golf ⛳️ Official live scoring | Day one report | And email Scott It looked like Team USA would take a one-point lead into Saturday when Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin found the 18th green in regulation, while Carlota Ciganda was wandering off piste down the 1st as part of an ersatz tribute to the more outré work of Severiano Ballesteros and Jordan Spieth. But in the classic matchplay style, Korda and Coughlin missed their birdie putts, while Ciganda got up and down from nowhere to somehow secure a half for Europe. And now here we are … … and this is the order in which the Saturday foursomes will go out this morning. Friday was so much fun, and if today is even halfway as entertaining, we’ll be in for a wild and wonderful treat. Good luck confidently predicting the winner of any of these matches, or indeed the whole thing itself. Solheim Cup fever is raging; won’t somebody please call Dr Golf?! It’s on. Continue reading...
Call it the Miliband doctrine. Let’s hope the new Israeli settlement boycott is just the start | Steve Bloomfield
This week’s move suggests that, even in the age of Trump, Britain will once again have an ‘ethical dimension’ to its foreign policy. That’s good for the world Almost 30 years ago, the Labour titan Robin Cook announced his arrival at the Foreign Office by laying out what would become described as an “ethical foreign policy” . The UK, he said, “must support the demands of other peoples for the democratic rights on which we insist for ourselves”. Human rights would be “at the heart of our foreign policy”. In the 25 years since Cook was demoted, Britain has had a further 14 foreign secretaries – including seven in the past six years – few of whom can claim to have placed progressive ideals at the heart of their actions. Ed Miliband’s speech on Tuesday outlining the UK’s decision to impose economic sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank – and unveiling the international coalition he has built to support it – suggests that Cook may finally have a successor. Steve Bloomfield is the former international editor of the Observer and a previous winner of the Orwell prize Continue reading...
From black-clad agitators to an appeal for ‘Tommo’s Mum’: an unsettling week with the Patriot Platform
A militaristic operation with features of influencer culture, the new anti-migrant movement seems to show a shift in tactics and rhetoric Shortly after 7am last Saturday in the English coastal town of Dover, livestreamed footage distributed by Britain’s newest anti-migrant movement showed dozens of men in paramilitary outfits jumping out from the backs of vehicles, their faces covered beneath balaclavas, their hands in black gloves. Within an hour, hundreds more masked agitators, dressed head to toe in black, some wearing silver crosses around their necks, were marching through the town’s streets, clapping and chanting “Stop the boats” and “Christ is king”, blockading the busy port for hours. Continue reading...
Sweden’s extremely close election could see far right enter government
Latest poll shows 0.3-point gap between left and right blocs, with country’s reputation as global champion of human rights said to be at stake Sweden goes to the polls on Sunday in an extremely close election that could see the far right enter government for the first time if the country’s rightwing parties can form a majority. Opinion polls show the centre-left opposition alliance ahead, with Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats the favourite to become prime minister again after four years in opposition, but her bloc’s lead has narrowed considerably in the final days of the campaign. Continue reading...
Artist delights in beautiful ‘mess’ and dead trees of England’s rewilding sites
Rebecca Howard spent two years visiting projects and painting landscapes that feature in West Sussex exhibition Rewilding areas do not usually conform to traditional notions of beauty in England’s green and pleasant land. Detractors may bewail the beaver-felled trees, untidy scrub, deadwood, weeds, mud and “mess”. But a new exhibition highlights the aesthetic delights that can be discovered on rewilding sites where fungi grows on dying trees, water buffalo gather in new wetlands and brown-watered beaver pools flood once-desiccated fields. Continue reading...
Death toll from Philippines ferry fire rises to 35, as officials warn toll will grow
The deadly fire had begun in the ferry’s cargo hold, then tore through the ship within seconds The bodies of passengers killed in a ferry fire off the Philippines arrived at a port near the resort town of Coron, Palawan, on Saturday morning, as the country’s coast guard warned the death toll of 35 would grow. Tents were being set up to receive 30 bodies brought from the M/V June Aster, which ran aground near the tourist hotspot after a fire erupted on Wednesday evening and tore through the vessel “in seconds”. Continue reading...
Alleged drone operator charged with murder after mistaken identity shooting in Sydney
NSW police say 18-year-old was operating drone when arrested and likely ‘conducting surveillance on someone or some premises’ A Sydney teenager has been charged with murder after police accused him of operating a drone as part of a suspected botched gang hit in the city’s west. Joshua Macdonald, 40, was shot dead at a Merrylands West home on 2 September in what police believe may have been a case of mistaken identity. He was not known to police and had no links to organised crime. Continue reading...
Nearly 50,000 Yemeni civilians flee as Houthis advance along Red Sea coast
Global struggle for control of Bab al-Mandab strait threatens to turn Yemen’s on-off conflict into a forever war Violence erupts in Yemen again: why it matters globally and how it is linked to the US-Iran war Nearly 50,000 people have fled a sudden advance by Houthi forces in western Yemen , with entire villages emptied and families trapped near frontline fighting with depleting food supplies, according to aid workers. Civilians in the Middle East’s poorest country have found themselves victims of a global struggle for control over one of the most important shipping routes in the world, which threatens to turn Yemen’s on-off conflict into a forever war. Continue reading...
Firewall compromised: has Friedrich Merz blown ‘democracy’s last shot’?
Many fear chancellor is wrong man for the job at a time when Germany’s defences against far right are crumbling A cataclysm. A 9.0 earthquake. A five-alarm fire. A bitter rejection of Germany ’s joyous reunification three decades ago, and a threat to the democratic postwar order. Sizing up the repercussions of last weekend’s win for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party in the former communist state of Saxony-Anhalt, German commentators expressed a sense of doom, panic and helplessness in the political establishment. Continue reading...