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Politics
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UK sanctions Sudanese military leaders implicated in El Fasher ‘campaign of rape’
Commanders suspected of sexual violence during the largest and fastest slaughter of civilians in more than 30 years have been subjected to travel ban and asset freeze Senior Sudanese commanders implicated in a “campaign of rape” have been targeted by the UK on the first anniversary of a mass atrocity that saw tens of thousands of civilians killed over several days. A year after the fall of El Fasher , the British government said it had sanctioned military leaders from both sides in the country’s ongoing conflict whom it suspected of sexual violence during the siege of the city. Continue reading...
Catholic bishops accuse Trump White House of turning prayer into campaign photo op
Two bishops express regret after the White House posts photos and video of a prayer with them in the Oval Office Two Catholic bishops who bowed their heads with Donald Trump in the Oval Office now say they regret it, accusing the White House of turning a private prayer into a campaign photo opportunity before next week’s US elections. Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee and bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, who were among the 12 bishops who met administration officials last Thursday, issued separate statements of regret over the weekend. Continue reading...
Russell Brand had ‘insane sexual appetite’ and bad behaviour on ‘another level’, trial told
Brand, charged with rape and sexual assault, was ‘sleeping with people day and night’, former assistant alleges Russell Brand had an “insane sexual appetite” and his bad behaviour was on “another level” to that of other celebrities, his former personal assistant has told a court. Helen Berger told police she had seen Brand treat women badly and that she once had to stop his mother and girlfriend walking in on him having sex with someone in his dressing room. Continue reading...
The horse that ushered in Manchester United’s tragic arc | Jonathan Wilson
There’s plenty of blame to go around at Old Trafford. Like all downfalls it started with a seemingly small, unconnected moment Sign up for our free newsletter here And so here we are again, at that point as the nights draw in and Manchester United prepare to sack a manager . Autumn: season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and a crisis at Old Trafford. Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth , coming on the back of last week’s 4-1 reverse against Como, made clear what many had feared from the moment Michael Carrick was given the job on a permanent basis: that he isn’t up to it. But then, who could be? When you’ve burned through a long list of managers in 13 years, it’s perhaps worth considering whether the manager is really the problem. Could some blame perhaps go to the director of football, Jason Wilcox, or the chief executive, Omar Berrada, the people making the appointments? Or perhaps to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the cost-cutting tax exile and minority shareholder with responsibility for sporting operations? Or to the Glazer family, who plunged the club into debt with a leveraged buyout in 2005 and have since made calamitous decision after calamitous decision, reducing the most successful club in English league history to a mid-table laughing stock with a roof that leaks symbolically ? This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian US. Subscribe for free here . Continue reading...
Audi boss under fire in Germany for Trump rally appearance
Gernot Döllner criticised for in-person announcement of major investment in US days before midterm elections The head of the luxury carmaker Audi is under fire in Germany for appearing at a rally with Donald Trump just days before the US midterm elections, to announce billions of dollars of investment in battleground state Georgia. Gernot Döllner joined Trump on stage after the US president gave a speech criticised by the head of an elected body of employees at Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen, as being full of “racism, sexism, transphobia [and] contempt for democracy”. Continue reading...
Unions suspend planned V&A strike after improved pay offer
London sites to remain open as Prospect and PCS agree to ‘Acas-faciliated talks’ with museum management A planned strike at the V&A over half-term has been suspended after an improved offer from management. Museum staff who were members of the Prospect and Public and Commercial Services (PCS) unions had voted to strike on Thursday and Friday in a dispute over pay and working conditions including inadequate toilet and hydration breaks . The strike would have closed the V&A’s main galleries in south Kensington, as well as V&A East, V&A Storehouse and Young V&A in east London. Continue reading...
High-level delegation in Iran in push to avert flare-up of conflict with US
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey travel to Tehran as bellicose rhetoric heightens High-level diplomatic delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have travelled to Tehran in an attempt to prevent renewed fighting between Iran and the US and Israel as rhetoric sharpens on both sides . Security officials and diplomats at Monday’s meeting were expected to discuss how Iran could persuade the Houthis in Yemen to end their crippling missile and drone attacks on infrastructure in Saudi Arabia . With fighting raging across Yemen, the Houthis claimed to have closed Riyadh airport and inflicted heavy damage on the Saudi economy. Continue reading...
First Thing: Brazil re-elects Lula in comeback rebuke for Bolsonaro and far right
Leftwing incumbent becomes first candidate to reverse first-round defeat, but far-right son of former president rejects result. Plus, interviews with two legendary songwriters Good morning. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has staged a dramatic election fightback, defeating his far-right opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro, to claim a historic fourth term as Brazil’s president . Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat and asked for the results to be annulled. Following in the footsteps of his father, the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who four years ago also refused to acknowledge his defeat to Lula – before attempting a coup and being convicted for it – Flávio Bolsonaro cited a supreme court justice’s decision to extend voting hours as the alleged reason for wanting to cancel the result. What does this result mean for Brazil now? My colleagues Libby Brooks in London and Tom Phillips and São Paulo spoke overnight . Phillips said: “The Bolsonaro response is exactly as I feared, but I don’t think it will mean very much. All these world leaders are now recognising Lula’s win, and I don’t think Bolsonaro has a hope of overturning this result. [For Lula] this is the crescendo of an incredible, if sometimes controversial, 50-year political career. The first elected working-class leader of Brazil, who has helped millions of people escape poverty.” You can find the full results of the election here , and our ongoing live coverage here . What has Hebron’s mayor said? Yousef al-Jabari accused the Israeli state of “collective punishment”, saying: “They have dragged people from their houses, and they have prevented the media from getting into the district … Netanyahu and his gang are using Palestinian land to displace Palestinian people, closing the city, closing the mosque, in order to achieve their political goals.” How has a 21-year-old photographer described being the target of an Israeli attack? Zeinab Faraj found herself buried under rubble beside a dying colleague while reporting in Lebanon. “My heart stopped” as she heard a drone descending towards them, she said. “I’ve never heard anything like it in my life … It was terrifying.” The Israeli military later justified their attack, saying they had identified saboteurs violating the ceasefire. Human rights groups called it a war crime. Continue reading...
Endangered turtles and ‘exceptional’ coral at risk from Woodside’s gas drilling in WA, watchdog says
Exclusive : EPA flags oil spill risk from proposed gasfield and threat to pygmy blue whales Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Woodside Energy’s plan to drill for gas off Western Australia’s north-west coast could significantly damage “exceptional” coral reefs and it may be impossible to reduce the risk of an oil spill to an acceptable level, according to advice from the state’s independent environmental watchdog. A draft letter from WA’s Environmental Protection Authority written in 2023, seen by the Guardian, sharply criticised Woodside’s proposal to develop the Browse gasfield, saying its plans to protect endangered turtles and blue whales near Scott Reef would be ineffective. Continue reading...
The chaos in France is a ‘warning signal’ for Australia’s public spending and rising costs
Australia’s public debt may be well below that of France but there are lessons to be taken from its economic woes Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast The explosion of discontent that led to major protests and violence in France and across Europe is a “warning signal” that Australia could follow the same path without an “honest conversation” about the budget, economists say. Hundreds of thousands marched in cities across France on Saturday to protest underfunded schools, as complaints of insufficient teacher numbers and dilapidated infrastructure mingled with broader discontent about cost-of-living pressures. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...
Pennsylvania ‘lookback’ bill for child sexual assault survivors again stalled
Law would open two-year window for child sexual abuse victims to file lawsuits beyond statute of limitations Child sexual assault survivors in Pennsylvania are on the verge of being denied the opportunity to sue their attackers after a bill to temporarily waive filing deadlines stalled again in the state’s legislature. Democrats have accused the Republican senate majority of playing politics with the bipartisan move to amend the state constitution and open a two-year window for victims to file molestation claims from years ago. Continue reading...
Healey is expected to shield low-income pensioners from income tax – but how will it work?
Retirees will get a personal allowance aligned with the new state pension, but experts say it could get complicated Retirees in the UK on low incomes are expected to be given a new personal allowance so that they do not have to hand any of their state pension to HMRC. The full details are due to be revealed by the chancellor, John Healey, in Wednesday’s budget, but here is what we know so far. Continue reading...
Jacinda Ardern joins University of Sydney as lecturer and mentor
Former New Zealand prime minister will focus on leadership, social cohesion and public health in new role The former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will lecture and mentor at the University of Sydney after moving to Australia earlier this year. Ardern begins this month and her work will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust. The University of Sydney said Ardern would be based in its school of public health, exploring ways to address global health challenges and focusing on equity, inclusion and wellbeing. Continue reading...
On the campaign trail in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed rides a wave of support for Medicare for All
Days before the midterms, as Americans prepare for historic cuts led by Republicans, the US Senate candidate catches a rising tide of interest in single-payer healthcare Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic US Senate candidate, starts this day on the campaign trail in Escanaba, Michigan, where nearby Wisconsin dairy country spills into dense forests and the sandy shores of Green Bay. This is the upper peninsula – the “UP” – a rural slash of land north of Michigan’s mitt. Electorally, it’s crimson. Donald Trump won some districts near Escanaba by more than 41%. But at the county fairgrounds, past sheds labeled “Beef” and “Swine”, hundreds of locals on the political left have gathered in the hangar-size 4H Club meeting hall to hear El-Sayed speak. Continue reading...
UK looking to give carmakers incentives to turn EVs into ‘power plants on wheels’
V2G tech enables drivers to charge automatically when electricity is cheaper and then sell some back to the grid at times of high demand Business live – latest updates Electric cars that can be used as “power plants on wheels” could be given government backing as part of plans under consideration to help UK manufacturers. Ministers are considering giving manufacturers incentives to add “vehicle to grid” (V2G) technology to cars as part of its review of the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. Continue reading...
Japanese prosecutors charge US marine suspected of robbing and killing woman
Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, denies charges that he fatally strangled Anna Yagi, 39, in a hotel on the island of Okinawa Prosecutors in Japan have filed formal charges against a US marine suspected of murdering and robbing a woman while stationed on the country’s island of Okinawa, according to Japanese media. Devin Jacob Ballard, a 20-year-old lance corporal assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, is charged with fatally strangling Anna Yagi, 39, at a hotel in the city and stealing from her a backpack containing a wallet, the public broadcaster NHK reported. Continue reading...
Chris Brown given suspended sentence over bottle attack at London club
R&B singer sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for 12 months over incident in Mayfair in 2023 The R&B singer Chris Brown has been given a suspended sentence after striking a man twice in the head with a tequila bottle in a central London club. Brown, 37, admitted affray earlier this year after attacking a former friend with a “heavy” tequila bottle on the dancefloor at the Tape private members’ club in Mayfair in February 2023. Continue reading...
Peta releases video showing experiments on infant monkeys at University of Washington
Animal-rights group released video footage that shows distressed baby macaques undergoing lab experiments Footage released by the animal-rights group Peta reveals, for the first time, filmed experiments at the University of Washington’s National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC), in which newborn monkeys were separated from their mothers and subjected to neurological tests after prenatal exposure to a neurotoxin. Records show that the infant monkeys, some just two days old, were used in research on domoic acid, a toxin produced by marine algae that accumulates in shellfish and can cause illness in humans. The experiments were part of a project that ran for six years until 2020. Continue reading...
Sunlight at night: US startup’s demonstration of lighting Earth from space draws critcism
Company imitates reflection of sun from mirrors, prompting pushback from some scientists, environmentalists and California locals Locals in a rural area of California were recently startled to see dazzlingly bright light shining down from nearby mountains at night, illuminating a swathe of the desert below. Unbeknown to them, the strange nocturnal illumination was the latest step in a company’s plan to erect thousands of giant mirrors in space to reflect sunlight on to the Earth during night-time. Continue reading...
Donald Trump has been a disaster for rural America | Steven Greenhouse
The president’s policies have taken such a toll on farmers that Republicans face trouble in deep-red states Donald Trump’s policies have been a disaster for the nation’s farmers, so much so that a near electoral miracle may soon happen: Kansas, one of the deepest red, most rural states, may elect its first Democratic senator in nearly a century . After Trump won farm country handily in 2024, many rural voters in Kansas, Iowa and elsewhere have soured on him because the price of diesel fuel, a key input for farming, has soared by nearly 70%, farm bankruptcies have surged and because Trump’s trade wars have significantly reduced agricultural exports. Steven Greenhouse is a journalist and author, focusing on labor and the workplace, as well as economic and legal issues Continue reading...
Trump intensifies anti-Muslim rhetoric against Abdul El-Sayed at Michigan rally – US politics live
The US president was condemned for remarks that questioned the senate candidate’s loyalty to the country Sign up for Breaking News US email Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Donald Trump intensified his anti-Muslim rhetoric against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday, portraying him as a threat to national security. Mary Peltola , a Democrat who is running for Alaska ’s lone US Senate seat, and her family suffered minor injuries in a car crash while driving to a campaign stop on Saturday, her campaign said. The family was on its way to the Alaska Federation of Natives annual banquet when another vehicle crashed into the one transporting Peltola and her family, her campaign said in a statement on Sunday. Peltola required medical attention after the collision. Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s attorney general, lashed out during an interview on Sunday while defending the justice department’s pre-emptive lawsuit to block certification of Alaska’s US Senate results if the GOP incumbent loses, calling a TV host’s question “crazy”. The testy repartee unfolded on CNN’s State of the Union over the DoJ’s unprecedented legal action, which alleges that there could be “voter confusion” due to two candidates named Dan Sullivan on Alaska’s ballot. Trump told reporters, “I’m the one that said do it” when asked about the suit. The US military has given Elon Musk’s SpaceX access to restricted space tracking data, raising a new round of questions about whether the Trump administration is attempting to hand over traffic control in Earth’s orbit to a controversial donor. The access also raises new national security questions, industry observers say. Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) has decreased significantly over the past year in the US following restrictions imposed by the Trump administration , which has forced more people to seek help from food banks or go hungry, stakeholders say. The number of people who receive food stamps has dropped from 41.6 million in July 2025, before the One Big Beautiful Act took effect, to 36.5 million in June 2026, a 13% decrease, according to the latest data from the US Department of Agriculture , which administers the program. Continue reading...
About 90,000 properties still without power after two storms strike Britain
More strong winds are forecast after Storms Boelo and Austen cause travel disruption, flooding and kill two people About 90,000 properties across northern parts of the UK are still without power after a weekend of stormy weather, with forecasters warning of more strong winds to come. Two men were killed by falling trees after two named storms, Austen and Boelo, pummelled parts of the UK, bringing widespread travel disruption, flooding, power cuts and event cancellations. Continue reading...
Anthropic’s Claude AI model accessed Georgia voter data in US
Latest example of unauthorised behaviour shows AI model bypassed paywall to access data as part of statistics project Business live – latest updates Anthropic sued for allegedly using 274 Elvis songs to train AI models Anthropic’s Claude model accessed voter data in the US state of Georgia, the AI company has confirmed, in the latest example of unauthorised behaviour by the technology. The AI model managed to bypass a paywall to reach data that is publicly available but is typically accessible only after paying a fee. Claude accessed aggregate vote counts as part of a statistics project at Anthropic, which is preparing for a $1.5tn (£1.1tn) flotation . Continue reading...
Discontent with Trump buoys Democrats in Ohio: ‘People are disgusted by the corruption’
In a reliably red state, candidates say dissatisfied voters tell them they’re planning to vote Democrat for the first time Democrat Kim McCarthy is canvassing in a middle-class Ohio neighborhood of four-bedroom, three-bathroom homes. There are $70,000 trucks in the driveways and robot lawnmowers at work. “This is a neighborhood of two incomes and young families; people working hard,” says McCarthy, who is running against a three-time Republican incumbent for a seat in Ohio’s house of representatives. Continue reading...