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Politics
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US launches retaliatory strikes on Iran after Hormuz ship attacks - video
Explosions and flames were seen in Iran after the US military launched strikes on targets around the strait of Hormuz in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels near Oman. US officials said that the strikes hit more than 80 targets, including air defence systems, command and control networks, anti-ship missile capabilities and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats. The US also revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Tehran to export oil. Iran accused the US of violating the agreement aimed at ending the war and responded by launching attacks on US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Continue reading...
What does Sam Kerr’s return to the NWSL mean for the league, Gotham FC and the player herself?
The Australian superstar returns to the US after a seven-year absence – and will find a vastly changed landscape When Sam Kerr last played for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Big Apple-adjacent club, it was called Sky Blue, and the playing conditions were comparatively abysmal. The Australian striker spent three years (from 2015-17) accruing accolades for a team infamously bereft of locker rooms or running water at its training facility. This July, she returned to a vastly evolved franchise that has won two NWSL Championships in three seasons while implementing a comprehensive overhaul of its players, personnel and prioritization of player conditions. Kerr’s return, called “a landmark moment for our club” by the president of soccer operations, Yael Averbuch West – whose role was intrinsic to Gotham’s progress – feels like an exciting moment of nostos for one of the greatest to ever play women’s professional soccer in the United States, and a sign of continued ambition for a program that has worked hard to overhaul its operations. Continue reading...
Unions in Europe press for new worker protections to counter heat stress
Climate crisis prompts calls for workplace temperature limits and rights to heat breaks and adjusted working hours As Europe’s sweltering summer continues, trades unions are mounting a push for new laws to counter deadly heat stress that is linked to an estimated 230 workplace deaths a year. This year’s toll may be even higher, with 1,300 excess European deaths already connected to the June heatwave by the World Health Organization , and other estimates running as high as 20,000 . Continue reading...
US Food and Drug Administration rejects petition to set Pfas limits in food
Environmental protection agency and independent studies have found food biggest source of chemical exposure The US Food and Drug Administration has rejected a legal petition demanding it set limits on toxic Pfas “forever chemicals” in food, marking another setback for public health advocates’ push to limit exposures to the dangerous compounds. The agency is refusing to set limits despite a growing body of science and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finding food is the biggest source of Pfas exposure. Testing has found the levels of Pfas in single servings of some contaminated foods to be equivalent to drinking many glasses of contaminated water. Continue reading...
Trump declares ceasefire with Iran over during angry broadside at Nato summit
President calls Iranian leadership ‘scum’, rails against alliance, repeats demand for Greenland and threatens Spain Middle East crisis live – latest updates Europe live – latest updates Donald Trump has declared that the ceasefire with Iran is over as he arrived at the Nato summit in Ankara, launching an angry broadside in which he complained about the military alliance and repeated his demand for Greenland The US president, sitting alongside the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, called Iran’s leadership scum and “sick people”, and added that he was very upset with the alliance and even threatened to cut off all trade with Spain in a row over defence spending. Continue reading...
UK waters hit with extreme heatwave as global sea temperatures reach record levels
Experts warn that some marine species are at risk of ‘mass mortality events’ in ever-warming oceans UK waters are being hit with an “extreme” marine heatwave, the Met Office has said, as scientists warn the high ocean temperatures globally could result in “mass-mortality events” for some species. The forecasters said these elevated temperatures have developed rapidly because of last month’s heat dome, during which most of Europe sweltered in its worst ever heatwave that scientists said would have been impossible without the climate crisis. Continue reading...
Lack of safeguards over prisoners’ early release puts abuse victims at risk, Lammy warned
Exclusive: victims commissioner and domestic abuse commissioner call for pause on planned releases A failure to put in place safeguards ahead of a change to the law that will result in offenders being released early will leave abuse victims at risk, ministers have been warned. In a rare coordinated intervention, the victims commissioner and the domestic abuse commissioner have written separately to ministers urging them to immediately pause planned early releases of offenders convicted of crimes against women and girls in England and Wales. Continue reading...
Republican leaders seek to quell Mitch McConnell speculation as rebellion grows
John Thune says he spoke to McConnell on phone as secrecy over 84-year-old’s health prompts Maga backlash Republican leaders have moved to quash speculation about Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader in the US Senate, amid a growing revolt over the lack of transparency around his health. The 84-year-old Kentucky politician, who led Senate Republicans for longer than anyone in history before stepping down last year, was admitted to hospital on 14 June but his office declined to say what he was being treated for. Continue reading...
USMNT World Cup player ratings: high marks for McKennie and Tillman, but Pulisic and Dest fall short
The Americans crashed out in disappointing fashion, but there were positives from the tournament on the whole. We look at how the roster performed Stats from fotmob.com , Opta and Fifa ; players listed in order of minutes played. Weston McKennie, center/attacking midfield (Juventus) Continue reading...
European countries top ‘scorecard’ on climate progress while US slips to 27th
Estonia, Luxembourg and UK are the top three in biennial Yale University index in tackling pollution and other issues Much of the world has made encouraging strides in reducing toxic problems such as water and air pollution that have long plagued communities. But there is still a widespread lack of progress among countries in dealing with the climate crisis , according to the latest edition of an influential environmental scorecard. The biennial Yale University index again ranks Estonia as the best-performing of 177 assessed countries, after strong recent efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and protect its ecosystems. Luxembourg is second, and the UK is third, having moved up from fifth place in the 2024 index. Continue reading...
My patients use ChatGPT for therapy. Now I use it too | Sarah Dargouth
I can’t blame my patients for turning to its straightforward assessments. But it has real risks – and care may require human messiness “Chat told me I should break up with him.” I instructed my face to remain therapist-neutral, but I must have smirked. The truth is, I was annoyed. We had been discussing the viability of this relationship for weeks, and in an instant AI had brought the answer. “How do you feel about it?” She said this had been her gut feeling all along. The following session, her relationship was over. Continue reading...
Trump’s policy mayhem is making even the Maga faithful consider walking away
Even voters who identify as foot soldiers of his political army are increasingly willing to blame Trump for their economic troubles The political consequences of Donald Trump’s policy mayhem are now coming into view: “Maga” America is getting pissed. It has been a sight to see how every one of the president’s policy initiatives has sabotaged some core constituency or other. From farmers and rural Americans to manufacturing workers and every American struggling to make ends meet, Trump has torched pretty much his entire political base. For all his efforts to rig the midterm elections in his favor, it’s as if he is daring the Maga faithful to drop him. Continue reading...
Succession fight under way as Bernie Sanders calls for Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race – US politics live
Vermont senator is latest figure to call for Democratic nominee to step down after sexual assault allegations Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. The fight to replace Graham Platner is already under way as Bernie Sanders became the latest key figure to call for the scandal-hit Democratic nominee to step down. Donald Trump has revived his bid for the US to acquire Greenland , threatening to pull all American armed forces out of Europe after the continent repeatedly pushed back. Arriving at the Nato summit in Ankara, the US president also suggested his commitment to defending Europe had been tempered by political decisions by leaders on immigration and energy. More here . A federal appeals panel struck down a significant chunk of Ron DeSantis’s so-called Stop Woke Act , delivering another rebuff to the Republican Florida governor’s efforts to stifle free speech in higher education. Judges of the 11th circuit court of appeal said that the higher education component of the law – which prevented college and university professors teaching or sharing thoughts on concepts of race and gender – breached the free expression rights guaranteed under the US constitution’s first amendment. More here . Ninety-five per cent of Americans believe the US is suffering an affordability crisis , as many report trouble with the rising cost of groceries and gas, according to an exclusive new poll conducted for the Guardian. The survey, conducted by Harris Poll, paints a bleak picture of how people feel about the US economy amid the war in Iran and ahead of the key midterm elections this fall. More here . Continue reading...
World Cup 2026 team power rankings: England on the rise as last eight are set
We assess the teams who played in the tournament’s last 16 before the next round of games begins A very different side of France came to the fore , proving they are not mere showboaters, there is plenty of steel, grit and determination among the ranks. It was a brutal encounter as they became targets for Paraguay, who added menace to the low block. No one in blue retreated to the shadows, instead taking the overaggression head on, using it as fuel. “To anyone who wants to go to war with us, this is what you should expect,” Rayan Cherki said. It was the biggest test they have faced this far but intimidation tactics do not work, it transpires, leaving everyone else wondering how to stop them. Continue reading...
Summer holiday bookings bounce back amid fragile Middle East ceasefire, Jet2 says
Holiday operator says market in good shape, with strong recent recovery in bookings across all destinations as customers take the plunge Business live – latest updates Summer holiday bookings have bounced back recently after the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, the package holiday operator Jet2 has said. The company, which flies about 20 million people every year, said its summer bookings are up by 7.1% compared with this time last year and the average load factor – which measures its available seating capacity filled with paying passengers – is up 1.2 percentage points. Continue reading...
Women and university graduates in Australia most at risk of losing jobs to AI, report finds
Those with high levels of vocational training, including tradespeople, are least exposed to AI displacement, according to government review Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Artificial intelligence has yet to cause widespread job losses but the federal government has warned that telemarketers, advertising staff and accountants are among the occupations “most exposed” to being replaced by the technology. According to a first-of-its-kind national report , people in the more exposed occupations are more likely to be women and have university qualifications. Continue reading...
Booyakasha! Sacha Baron Cohen has completed a new Ali G movie
Report says new film has finished filming – although title and release date not yet confirmed Twenty-four years after Staines’s foremost political interlocutor was last seen on the big screen in Ali G Indahouse, Ali G is set to return to cinemas. As reported by The InSneider , a new movie has wrapped production, with filming locations including Oxfordshire, where Baron Cohen was spotted in character last summer, and in the US. A title and release date have not been confirmed and representatives for the star declined to comment. Continue reading...
NBA free agency winners and losers: Sixers cash in while Celtics pay price
From Philly’s blockbuster coup to LeBron James once again dominating the market, here are the early winners and losers from a frantic first week of NBA free agency Once again, it’s time to pass judgement prematurely. After all, I would have my basketball writer card revoked were I to not evaluate before the dust has fully settled: that’s why they pay me the modestly-sized bucks, I’m told. So, without further ado, the Winners and Losers of week one of 2026 NBA free agency. Continue reading...
Port of Dover faces ‘utter chaos’ under struggling EU entry system, MPs warn
UK government urged to apply pressure on France to fix system or suspend checks by next week Cross-Channel ferry passengers and the port of Dover face “utter chaos and miles of tailbacks” under the EU’s entry/exit system (EES) unless the technology is fixed or checks suspended by next week, MPs have warned. The home affairs select committee chair, Karen Bradley, urged the government to “apply maximum pressure” on the French authorities to act on the EES before peak holiday traffic arrives at the port. Continue reading...
Report to National Crime Agency of £5m Farage gift is ‘deeply serious’
Labour party chair says Reform UK leader must cooperate with authorities instead of trying to distract public with byelection • UK politics live – latest updates The revelation that a £5m gift to Nigel Farage by a cryptocurrency billionaire was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers concerned it may have been laundered money, has been described as “astonishing and deeply serious”. Responding to the Guardian story, Anna Turley, the chair of the Labour party, also called on Farage to “come clean and cooperate” with the NCA. Continue reading...
The great carbon capture con: behold the wasted billions Burnham could claw back | George Monbiot
There are far better ways to tackle climate breakdown, but successive governments have chosen to listen to the fossil fuel companies instead The new prime minister will be looking for money? Well, here’s £21.7bn lying on the ground. The government could cancel its deranged, disastrous carbon capture and storage (CCS) programme at no cost to public welfare: in fact, it would greatly reduce the harm we will suffer. Sorry, did I say £21.7bn? That’s the figure the government has been putting in its press releases for spending on this programme between now and 2050. But this covers only the first phase of the project. The climate experts Dr Andrew Boswell and Simon Oldridge worked through the data produced by the government’s Climate Change Committee, which was scattered across different spreadsheets, and discovered that the projected cost of the full CCS programme between now and 2050 is £264bn . George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Arthur Fery: the Wimbledon wildcard carrying Britain’s hopes
The fearless 23-year-old is determined to keep a level head as he prepares to face Flavio Cobolli on Wednesday A week ago, very few people knew who Arthur Fery was. But he has been propelled into the limelight as the last man standing after a disastrous start to Wimbledon for British players. Fery, who is ranked No 114 in the world, defied expectations on Monday night when he triumphed on Centre Court over one of the top players for most of the past decade, the former world No 3 Grigor Dimitrov. Continue reading...
Nato leaders meet in Turkey for summit after Trump renews calls for US to take over Greenland – Europe live
Meeting begins this morning after president threatens to pull American troops out of Europe as he arrived in Ankara yesterday Trump renews call for US to take over Greenland as he arrives for Nato summit Arriving early for the summit, Nato’s Rutte said the meeting was “about implementation, about getting it done” after last year’s push to increase defence spending. He said that European allies and Canada were “stepping up” with more money, more jobs, and more capacity, but there is still more to be done. Continue reading...
Anika Wells ridicules Angus Taylor and Barnaby Joyce for linking Telstra outages with China
Kristy McBain criticises shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson for ‘testing’ Triple-zero system during major network blackout The communications minister, Anika Wells, has accused Barnaby Joyce and Angus Taylor of “going off half-cocked” by raising without evidence the prospect of China having been behind the major Telstra outage affecting millions of Australians nationwide. Wells’s fellow federal minister Kristy McBain also criticised the shadow communications minister, Sarah Henderson, after the Liberal senator said she had “tested” the Triple-zero system by making unnecessary calls to the emergency line – which carries a criminal penalty. Continue reading...