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Politics
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Long-term proteges and verifiable reality must be jettisoned for Saving Private Nige | John Crace
Has Farage’s brain been hacked? Has he started talking in his sleep? There’s no shortage of explanations for this scandal We’ve all been there. It’s a lovely summer’s day and you just want a bit of me time. A quiet lunch of champagne and oysters. As you do. Anything to get away from having to pretend you are interested in the people of Clacton. Hell, it’s bad enough being expected to actually visit Clacton – who in their right mind would want to do that? – let alone having to talk to the little people who live there. So, you’re just minding your own business when who should turn up but two of your closest mates in politics – or contractors who you’ve barely heard of, as you prefer to call them – saying they have been having meetings with an American donor and his son who have already given you more than £30,000 for an opinion poll you have commissioned and now want to bung you another £500,000. And these guys would like to meet you. Continue reading...
China prepares £40bn stimulus for financial sector amid fears over sluggish growth
Beijing wants banks and insurers to bolster investment in stock market as it helps to replenish cash reserves China will inject $54bn (£40bn) into its financial sector as Beijing attempts to shore up banks and insurers in the face of faltering economic growth. A host of financial institutions said they were due to receive billions of yuan in capital from state institutions including the ministry of finance and even the company that runs the country’s tobacco monopoly. Continue reading...
Shoebridge criticises Labor response after IDF officer’s ‘reprehensible’ comments on deadly Zomi Frankcom strike
Greens defence spokesman says ‘words are just distractions’ until government takes action ‘Guilt by association’: why seven international aid workers were killed in Israeli airstrike Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Greens have criticised inflammatory statements from the former Israel Defense Forces officer who ordered the attack which killed Zomi Frankcom, accusing the Albanese government of weakness over its failure to halt military exports and impose new sanctions. Australian aid worker Frankcom and six of her colleagues were killed in 2024 while bringing food to the people of Gaza . Former IDF reserve colonel Nochi Mendel has said he would do “exactly the same thing” again and that those killed in the World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian convoy in Gaza were “not innocent”. Continue reading...
That sound you hear is not the world ending – it’s liberalism being monstered | Waleed Aly
It turns out most of us no longer believe in progress. And when that happens, it quickly becomes a crisis for societies like ours Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Depending on your politics, the monsters are everywhere. Perhaps you see them in the form of tech billionaires and the artificial intelligence they’re developing. Perhaps you see them in the bin fire of social media they bequeathed us before that, or the legacy media that refuse to tell you “the truth”. You might see them in the manosphere, or the institutions teaching our kids gender fluidity. Maybe you see them in the migrant youth wielding machetes in the suburbs, or the refugee attempting to behead someone on a Belfast street. Or perhaps you see them in the violent anti-immigrant mobs that torched houses in response. If so, you’ll likely see them in the Marches for Australia or to Unite the Kingdom rallies, organised by far-right groups but attended by many more besides. You’ll almost certainly see them in at least one of Hamas, Israel or those local advocates at each other’s throats over the Middle East. I suspect you’ll see them in Russia but that can no longer be assumed. And I’d guess that you’d see them in at least one political party with a significant share of the vote. Something in that paragraph probably outraged you. In which case, you’re probably seeing monsters in whoever sees different monsters from you. It would be easy here to make a point about polarisation. But I want to look at the deep disquiet that lies underneath. Continue reading...
US Open tennis 2026: Aryna Sabalenka and Marta Kostyuk in action on day eight – live
The latest fourth-round updates from Flushing Meadows You can mail Daniel and follow us on TikTok and Bluesky Word up and welcome to the US Open 2026 – day eight! It’s been an unusual week, especially in the men’s draw. Not long ago, the opening rounds felt like moving pieces about, entertainingly but academically, before the inevitable Sincaraz final. Now, though, we’ve seeds scattered all over the show and no clue what’s going to happen from match to match nor in the overall picture. Every player left knows that, for one reason or another, they’re living through the opportunity of a lifetime. Continue reading...
This smokejumper says the US has lost its empathy. That’s why he’s running for Congress
Montana’s Sam Forstag says US working class is left playing a game of chance while neither party serves its interests At around five o’clock on a winter evening in 2013, then college student Sam Forstag was driving through a snowstorm toward his third job of the day, making sandwiches at the Subway inside a Walmart. “I was always late,” Forstag recalled with a laugh more than a decade later. Continue reading...
Iran war likely to drag on for another six months, ex-US defense secretary warns
Leon Panetta tells Guardian US is risking ‘forever war’ and says Pentagon ‘turmoil’ sending message of weakness Donald Trump’s war with Iran is likely to drag on for another six months, Leon Panetta, the former US defense secretary, has warned, as the US president struggles to find his way out of the controversial conflict. Panetta declared in an interview that the war with Iran – launched by Trump over six months ago – risks becoming another “forever war in the Middle East”, with no clear end in sight. Continue reading...
No bailouts for Jaguar Land Rover amid reports of thousands of job cuts, says minister
Carmaker, which is battling Trump tariffs and Chinese competitors, faces talks with union leaders and government The government has signalled that it will not invest taxpayers’ money to limit job losses at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), after it emerged that the UK’s biggest carmaker is planning up to 4,000 redundancies . Before crunch talks on Tuesday between JLR, union leaders and government officials, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said it was not his job to “intervene and run businesses”. Continue reading...
German startup sends first commercial rocket into space from Europe
Isar Aerospace plans rapid expansion amid race to capitalise on expanding satellite-launch market A German startup has launched the first commercial rocket to reach orbit from continental Europe, a milestone for Europe’s efforts to secure independent access to space. Isar Aerospace said on Sunday that it would rapidly expand satellite deployments after the first orbital launch of its uncrewed Spectrum rocket from Arctic Norway, marking a breakthrough for a region where several countries are seeking a foothold in the fast-growing market for satellite launches. Continue reading...
Jamaican delegates arrive in UK to hand slavery reparations petition to King Charles
Slavery’s legacy continues ‘to deprive our country and our people’, says minister, as group prepares to appeal to Jamaica’s head of state A landmark petition is to be handed to King Charles by Jamaican over slavery reparations, aiming to confront historical crimes that still disadvantage former British colonies, the Caribbean nation’s culture minister has said. The petition will be lodged with Charles, Jamaica’s head of state, on Monday. Continue reading...
Canadian skyrunner goes missing during training session for Matterhorn record attempt
Kalie McCrystal was hoping to break record in Alps Athlete was last seen on Tuesday afternoon Canadian athlete Kalie McCrystal has gone missing during preparations for a record attempt in the Alps. McCrystal, from Squamish in British Columbia, was on a “reconnaissance/training session” in the run-up to her attempt at ascending and descending the 14,692 ft (4,478m) Matterhorn on the Swiss-Italian border. Continue reading...
US envoys Kushner and Witkoff arrive in Kyiv to hold talks on ending war
Arrival marks the pair’s first visit to Ukraine and comes day after ‘substantive plans’ were discussed in Moscow The US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have arrived in Kyiv for a second day of talks on how to end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, met Kushner and Witkoff in Sophia Square, in front of Kyiv’s historic Saint Sophia Cathedral. Zelenskyy greeted Witkoff with a hug, saying: “It’s good to see you, Steve.” Continue reading...
Farage says overseas donation row ‘looks bad’ but denies Reform breached electoral law
Robert Jenrick says party has followed legal protocol ‘at all times’ as Met police consider launching investigation Nigel Farage has acknowledged the overseas donation row engulfing Reform UK “looks bad” for his party but denied it had ever taken foreign money in breach of electoral law. The Reform leader, who is battling to contain the fallout from the allegations, was asked to categorically rule out that foreign money had ever been funnelled to his party. He replied: “I can … never happened.” Continue reading...
Prediction markets have become America’s new national pastime | Dave Schilling
My parents’ generation may have been on to something when they railed against gambling. If only George Santos had listened If only George Santos and Bill Simmons had my parents, they wouldn’t be facing down a hailstorm of condemnation for circumventing the basic rules and regulations of dubious “prediction markets” and online gambling. Kalshi just banned the former congressman George Santos from its service and he was forced to pay back his winnings after he was accused of the dumb person’s version of insider trading. He bet on himself to not attend the State of the Union address, then conveniently didn’t go. For his trouble, he won (and will be forced to relinquish) more than $17,000; he’ll also have to pay more than $80,000 in total fines from Kalshi and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Bill Simmons, the sports commentator, podcast host, and founder of The Ringer, had a different story. Continue reading...
Black-clad Dover protesters condemned for ‘dressing up in costumes’ by minister
Business secretary says masked anti-immigration protest was ‘not something we would want’ on British streets A cabinet minister has condemned the blocking of Dover roads by dozens of masked and black-clad people on Saturday. Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said that although peaceful protest was an “essential part of British life”, this differed from “dressing up in costumes like this and disrupting people’s lives”. Continue reading...
Zia Yusuf’s post about Camden council leader is ‘straightforward racism’, says minister
Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson has faced criticism within party after post about Sagal Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee Labour has accused Reform’s Zia Yusuf of “straightforward racism” after he suggested the party’s frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection was not British. Sagal Abdi-Wali, a former child refugee from Somalia and the leader of Camden council, has been tipped as an early favourite to contest the London seat for Labour after the former prime minister’s resignation. Continue reading...
Game on: November elections kick into high gear with control of Congress in the balance
Trump is unpopular and inflation is still high – and Democrats are looking to use that to their advantage When voters went to the polls in the 2022 midterm elections , all the ingredients were there for Joe Biden ’s allies to suffer a wipeout. The president was unpopular, inflation was high and historical trends predicted voters would take out their frustrations by ending the Democratic party ’s control of Congress. But when the ballots were tallied, the gains Republicans expected to make did not quite materialize. They had won the House of Representatives , but only by a slim margin, while Democrats had expanded their majority in the Senate and built up their strength in state legislatures. Continue reading...
Far-right AfD predicted to win big in crucial German state election
Polling stations open in Saxony-Anhalt with anti-immigration party AfD predicted to gain 41% vote share German voterswent to the polls on Sunday for a crucial regional election where the far-right, anti-immigration and Moscow-friendly Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is expected to win. AfD, polling at more than 40% for months in Saxony-Anhalt, even has its sights on winning its first-ever state government, although this is far from assured. Continue reading...
Councils in England and Wales accused of excessive fees to run outdoor classes
Report documents use of commercial licensing for free or donation-based exercise classes in parks and on beaches At 6am on the beach at Westgate-on-Sea in Kent, Angela Brier-Stephenson used to meet a small group of about 10 people for yoga. The class lasted 45 minutes and participants paid what they could. Continue reading...
London mayoral contenders limber up for a race that is Sadiq Khan’s to lose
Tories and Reform hope to unseat the incumbent by tempting some Labour voters to shift to the right The bicycles have been brought out and eager fists are getting ready to knock on hundreds of doors as the race for one of the most sought-after jobs in British politics springs into action. Sadiq Khan has had a vice-like grip on London, but a range of candidates hoping to unseat him in 2028 have announced themselves. The three-time mayor has been coy about whether he will stand again, and said he would make a decision next year. Continue reading...
Nigel Farage to be quizzed as he battles to contain growing donations scandal – UK politics live
The Reform UK leader is under pressure after senior aides appeared to plot how to bypass electoral laws on foreign donations Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The Reform UK party leader, Nigel Farage, is scheduled to appear on Laura Kuenssberg’s Sunday politics programme at 9am, where he will likely be asked more about an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News which showed two of his senior aides appearing to plot to get around electoral laws on foreign donations . Accepting donations from a foreign company, including donations in kind such as polling, could constitute a criminal offence and the party has been reported to the police. Continue reading...
‘The engine’s on fire’: Qantas flight from Queenstown to Sydney reroutes after flames seen by passengers
Passenger recalls seeing cabin lights flicker and ‘a lot of screaming’ after suspected engine issue Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Liza-Jayne Loch was returning home from a business trip to New Zealand when her Qantas flight ran into trouble. The plane was climbing above the scenic South Island’s mountain ranges on Saturday afternoon, bound for Sydney, when a bang shook the cabin. Continue reading...
England losing tennis courts as number of padel facilities rises exponentially
Country loses 200 tennis courts in three years, but they still outnumber padel facilities by a factor of 11 to one England has lost almost 200 tennis courts in three years as padel facilities have grown nearly sixfold. Guardian analysis of Sport England data found that the country has lost 183 tennis courts since 2023 – the first such decline since at least 2000. The data includes local authority and community-owned courts, privately run health facilities, schools and sports clubs. Continue reading...
Online bookies accused of UK privacy breaches with use of cookie banners
Most gambling websites nudge users towards accepting tracking data and harvest it before consent is given, study shows Online bookmakers and casinos have been accused of widespread non-compliance of information privacy requirements, including “data surveillance” of customers, according to a study. Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) licensed British gambling websites appear to be flouting the general data protection regulation (GDPR), the strict rules governing how organisations can collect, store and process personal data, according to the research. Continue reading...