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Politics
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Burnham aims for ‘quite radical change’ in support for young people
Prime minister says ‘root and branch review of childhood’ is needed and he does not rule out some benefit cuts The government is aiming for “quite radical change” in the way young people are supported, Andy Burnham has said, indicating this could include tougher rules for benefits as well as notably more help with everything from finding work to mental health. In media interviews before the release of the second report by the former minister Alan Milburn on reducing the numbers of young people not in work, education or training, Burnham said his mission was “rethinking childhood” from the early years onwards. Continue reading...
UK dairy farmers face further pressure as milk processor cuts prices
Freshways lowers price paid to producers by 7p a litre, prompting warnings confidence in the sector is ‘at rock bottom’ “Milk is leaving the farm at a loss,” says dairy farmer Ian Harvey, as he warns confidence in the sector is “at rock bottom”. Most of the UK’s dairy producers were already being paid less for their milk than it costs to produce it after a year of volatile farmgate milk prices, combined with the impact of the summer’s drought and soaring costs of vital fuel and fertiliser triggered by the conflict in Iran. Continue reading...
US tech stock rout: is the AI bubble bursting?
After Thursday’s share price plunge on Wall Street, could the volatility be the start of a huge market meltdown? Business live – latest updates Global financial markets have been thrown into a tailspin as investors bet on an AI slowdown after the US midterm elections. This is not the first time stock markets have wobbled in recent months due to concerns over a tech bubble. But could this volatility be the start of a huge market meltdown? Continue reading...
Democrats won big in Ohio on working-class issues. Can they deliver?
Historians and political scientists say that framing the wins as ‘Ohio’s working class has come home’ is too simple At its peak, the Mahoning valley was once the beating heart of the US’s steel economy – a hardscrabble, heavily unionized Democratic bastion in north-eastern Ohio. But de-industrialization, sparked by the mass closure of steel mills in the late 1970s, transformed the region. Tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs disappeared. Populations declined. And support for Democrats slowly, but surely, faded. In 2020, Mahoning county voted for its first Republican presidential candidate – Donald Trump – in a generation. Continue reading...
Meghan Markle’s father arrested in Florida on charges related to child sexual abuse material – reports
Markle, 82, was taken into custody near Tampa, according to news wires from AP and Reuters, citing unnamed sources Thomas Markle, the father of Prince Harry ’s wife Meghan Markle, has been arrested by US federal agents in Florida on charges related to child sexual abuse material, according to federal law enforcement sources. Markle, 82, was taken into custody near Tampa, according to news wires from the Associated Press and Reuters, citing unnamed sources. The Duchess of Sussex said last month that she was “deeply distressed” about allegations that a collection of child sexual abuse images was found at her father’s former home. Continue reading...
How Gotham FC re-tooled for another NWSL title run – this time as favorites
After two titles won as the lowest seed in the playoffs, the New Jersey club sought consistency in 2026. It’s arrived, but what’s next? By the time Gotham FC had won their second NWSL Championship in three seasons, Yael Averbuch West had already determined what was going to change. Some of that is the nature of her job; The general manager of a perennial contender can’t rest on laurels. Before every postseason, Gotham finalize tough looming personnel decisions, assessing the roster and staff alike with clear eyes. Continue reading...
‘I feel free now’: Shabana Mahmood’s immigration shake-up provokes mixed emotions
Some relatives of British citizens say they feel left behind, but announcement has brought relief to many care workers “The only time we’re regarded as human beings is when they need a lot of hands onboard, like during Covid. But after that, we’re tossed away like we’re some rubbish,” Aneisha Williams says. Williams, 39, was months from qualifying for indefinite leave to remain after 10 years in the UK. But claiming housing benefit could delay her settlement for years under Shabana Mahmood’s “earned settlement” plans. Continue reading...
Kenyan doomsday sect leader jailed for 200 years over 191 murders
Paul Mackenzie convicted over the deaths of 190 children and one adult after followers were ordered to starve themselves and their families The leader of a Kenyan doomsday sect has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children and one adult in one of the world’s worst cult disasters in recent history. The sentence, comprised of 100 years for murder by starvation and 100 years by direct homicide, came two weeks after the court in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa found the cult leader guilty of the crimes. Continue reading...
Democrats start plotting as civil war breaks out among Republicans | Politics Weekly America
Jonathan Freedland hosts a live panel to look at what happens next – for Donald Trump, the Republicans who might want to succeed him, and for Democrats looking ahead to 2028. He is joined by the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief, David Smith; Tara Setmayer, a co-founder and CEO of the Seneca project; the Guardian’s global editor, Devika Bhat; Adam Smith, a professor of US politics and political history at the University of Oxford; and the clinical psychologist, author and political commentator Mary Trump Continue reading...
‘A global political awakening’: how gen Z protests are sweeping the world
From Serbia to Bangladesh and India to France, young people are pushing back against authoritarianism and reshaping political landscapes In Brazil, they rallied online by the millions, sharing videos and spreading memes. In Serbia, they cycled across Europe and ran ultramarathons to make their voices heard. Both movements burst into international public view last month as they became central during election campaigns to the pushback against authoritarianism. What they also offered, however, was a window into a wider phenomenon playing out across the globe, as youth-led movements reshape political landscapes. Continue reading...
Russell Brand barrister reports himself to bar watchdog over confronting Sunday Times journalist
Ian Winter KC told Rosamund Urwin, whose investigation led to Brand’s victims coming forward, ‘I hope you are pleased with yourself’ Russell Brand’s barrister has reported himself to his professional regulator after being accused of a tirade at a journalist shortly after the comedian had been found guilty of rape. Ian Winter KC confronted the Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin, whose investigation led to Brand’s victims coming forward, telling her: “I hope you are pleased with yourself.” Continue reading...
The most diverse, anti-establishment Congress in history is cause for optimism
After years of outrage or numbness being the main options for dealing with politics, Tuesday’s results were permission to be optimistic This was originally published in the Stakes 2026, a newsletter about the midterm elections. Sign up to get it in your inbox We shed some tears this midterm cycle. US politics always makes people emotional, but I heard from friends and colleagues many times this year that speeches, campaigns and underdog success stories moved people in unexpected ways, whether it was this ad of Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed doing bedtime , a photo of newly elected Texas Democrats James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa at a Whataburger, or Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms becoming the first Black female governor in the entire country. Continue reading...
Yaxel Lendeborg is the NBA’s most entertaining rookie – and he’s not holding back
The Warriors’ freshman has spent his first weeks in the NBA antagonizing superstars, speaking his mind and emerging as one of the league’s most compelling personalities If a screen-addled pickup basketball player teleported into the body of a high-level athlete, they might resemble Yaxel Lendeborg. The most commonly cited fact about Lendeborg is that he used to spend 12 to 14 hours a day gaming , and didn’t debut on his high school basketball team until he was an upperclassman. Professional athletes often have origin stories that resemble the superhero more than the mortal, but Lendeborg really was just like us at one point. Lendeborg has also said that prior to entering the NBA, he didn’t really watch it, either. The Puerto Rican forward racked up more than enough accolades in college to qualify for the NBA, but still. Any of you reading this could smoke the man who may be this season’s rookie of the year in trivia about his profession. The 24-year-old Lendeborg is a forward on the Golden State Warriors, a team caught between the ancient, gleaming remnants of the most fearsome dynasty of the 2010s and its future. The balance didn’t work out last season, as the Warriors produced flashes of old greatness to win one play-in game before flaming out in the next. Such results are a frustrating waste of Stephen Curry’s wonderful form even at 38 years old. Lendeborg is the best hope in a while to help maximize it. But even more importantly, Lendeborg is the character of the season so far. He’s spent its first two weeks antagonizing superstars, firing off unselfconscious takes in the press and vacuuming up the spotlight from his blander peers. What a joy to bear witness to an athlete who probably didn’t even hear the words “media training” until college. Continue reading...
Anti-fire ant eradication activist convicted after using legal arguments ‘similar to sovereign citizens’
Legal expert compares Trevor Hold’s failed defence to ‘tried and tested argument’ used by sovereign citizen movement Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The Queensland leader of a group opposing the eradication of fire ants in Australia has been convicted of obstructing government officers, after a magistrate threw out his argument that the commonwealth-funded program is illegal. Trevor Hold was fined $1,500 but a conviction was not recorded. Hold has described himself as an “ultrapreneur”, a mental health counsellor, an organic cattle farmer and the chief executive officer of the anti-program group the Australian Advocacy Group – and as self-employed. Continue reading...
The Victorian Liberals’ campaign bus was supposed to be a reset. Instead it became the symbol of a rough week
Crashing into a shop awning ended the first outing of the Jess Express – but the opposition’s electoral momentum will be harder to stop Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast Jess Wilson has barely put a foot wrong since becoming Victorian Liberal leader a little under a year ago. That was until this week, which ended with her campaign bus reversing into a small business . The bus was launched on Friday, a few days earlier than planned, in what appeared to be an effort to reset Wilson’s relationship with the Spring Street press pack. Continue reading...
Oxford, Bethnal Green and the Guardian: surprising British backstory of senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed
In a Guardian article in 2010, the Oxford Rhodes scholar said UK democracy had the ‘upper hand’ over the US US politics live – latest updates In the tense final hours before his dramatic election as senator for Michigan in this week’s midterms , Abdul El-Sayed had a heated encounter with a British TV journalist that rapidly went viral. As James Matthews of Sky News tried to ask him a question, El-Sayed bit back . “Why would I care to have a conversation with you?” he demanded of Matthews, placing both hands on the reporter’s shoulders in a gesture of emphasis. Continue reading...
US job growth exceeds expectations in October despite economic uncertainty
‘Low-hire, low-fire’ labor market shows sluggish growth but few layoffs, with an interest rate hike expected in December The US added 165,000 jobs to the economy in October, a sign of resilience in the labor market amid ongoing war in the Middle East and inflation, according to new data released on Friday. Economists had said the labor market has been stuck in a “low-hire, low-fire” state, in which job growth is sluggish but layoffs also remain low, but October’s data surpassed economist expectations. The unemployment rate went down slightly to 4.1%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported. Continue reading...
Further bomb threats disrupt at least another 18 flights across Europe
All affected planes land safely after apparently continued and coordinated effort to cause chaos for travellers A fresh wave of bomb threats has disrupted air traffic across Europe but the affected planes landed safely and searches revealed no explosive devices. The latest alerts affected at least 18 flights to or from Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Italy, Hungary, Cyprus, Romania, the UK and Portugal. Danish police investigated a threat against Copenhagen airport but the airport said it was operating normally. Continue reading...
Flávio Bolsonaro battles to remain relevant as he speaks at rightwing conference at Mar-a-Lago
Far-right politician is battling to maintain political relevance after losing the presidential election last month Flávio Bolsonaro, the far-right politician who lost Brazil’s presidential election last month, has insisted his defeat is not “the end for Brazil” as he battles to maintain political relevance after fleeing to the US. Bolsonaro absconded early last week shortly after losing the 25 October election to the leftwing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than 4m votes. Continue reading...
What is this strange, post-election feeling? Oh right – it’s utter joy | Dave Schilling
A decade of political misery does terrible things to the mind. Tuesday’s wins came with a sense of unreality Late on Tuesday night, the comedian Alex Edelman asked a poignant question on social media : “I know we’ve never had to ask this before tonight, but what’s the opposite of doomscrolling?” I don’t have a definitive answer to that, though I did offer the term “ boomscrolling ”, accompanied by a gif of the social media sensation and Costco enthusiast Big Boom AJ. Continue reading...
‘Profound anger’ among black voters over Kemi Badenoch’s slavery remarks
Operation Black Vote chair says Tory leader’s claim that Britain should not apologise has caused ‘hurt and disbelief’ The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has caused “profound anger, hurt and disbelief” among many black voters with her comments about transatlantic slavery, according to the chair of Operation Black Vote (OBV), who urged the prime minister, Andy Burnham, to apologise for Britain’s involvement without delay. David Weaver, a former government adviser, said the Labour and Tory leaders risked alienating black voters with their handling of the issue of a state apology for slavery, while saying Badenoch’s remarks showed a “troubling absence of moral leadership”. Continue reading...
ANC faces bruising defeat in South African local elections with 80% of ballots counted
Former liberation movement’s share of national vote almost 14 percentage points below 2021 result The African National Congress is on course to suffer a bruising defeat in South Africa’s local elections, with the once dominant party of Nelson Mandela falling to under a third of the vote nationally with more than 80% of ballots counted. Wednesday’s fragmented vote marks another stage in the decline of the ANC, which has led national governments since the end of white minority apartheid rule in 1994. High unemployment, crime, corruption and poor local service delivery have all contributed to voters turning away from the party . Continue reading...
‘Shawarma law’: Abdul El-Sayed never shied away from Islamophobic provocations
The successful Democratic contender for a Michigan Senate seat parried the many insinuations lobbed by Republicans Abdul El-Sayed said he did not expect to be “a main character of this midterms”, but the first Muslim elected to the US Senate in history will take his seat in January after a vitriolic campaign that cast him as the central villain of the president and his party. By October he told the Associated Press he was “not shying away” from those rightwing fixations. “What are you implying?” El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, replied when a town hall attender asked if he would disavow the Muslim Brotherhood, in a now-viral exchange. Continue reading...
Most Europeans want action to tackle climate crisis but not at any cost, poll shows
YouGov survey finds support for tree planting and emissions taxes but opposition to air travel and fuel levies Europe live – latest updates Europeans believe human-made climate change is real, a survey has shown, with most feeling action must be taken soon – as long as they do not have to sacrifice too much to achieve it. The YouGov poll of six European countries showed between 69% (Germany) and 80% (France) of respondents believed the climate was changing, with few (1%-4%) denying it and 14-20% believing it was changing, but not as a result of human activity. Continue reading...