section
Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
3940 stories archived
Baptism record at Manchester Cathedral offers insight into Black Mancunian life in Georgian-era England
A parish entry reveals an argument that proved pivotal to the abolitionist cause, at a time when an estimated 20,000 Black people were living in the country When the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson gave a sermon in 1787 at Manchester Cathedral – during the city’s first mass meeting against the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans – he saw a “great crowd of black people standing round the pulpit”. However, little is known about Black Mancunians in the Georgian era, which makes one recently rediscovered entry in parish records at Manchester Cathedral particularly significant. Continue reading...
World Cup 2026: Mexico v England buildup, France battle past Paraguay, Morocco march on – live
⚽ All the latest news and reaction from the World Cup ⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Knockout draw | Email us Let’s start with Paul MacInnes’ match report from a hot and sweaty Philadelphia Stadium. The 1-0 win for France was a repeat of the scoreline from their last-16 tie in 1998 and we all know how that World Cup ended. “The World Cup favourites were forced to drop a gear or two but still had too much for a Paraguay team that set out for a fight but were ultimately no more than a nuisance.” Continue reading...
I’ve seen what the death of major industry did to Britain. Without a good revival plan, Burnham cannot succeed | John Harris
Collieries turned into retail parks, manufacturing in the doldrums. The problem is vast, but at least the PM-in-waiting sees it: and in that there is hope In the autumn of 2005, Tony Blair gave one of his most unhinged and fascinating speeches as prime minister. “I hear people say we have to stop and debate globalisation,” he said . “You might as well debate whether autumn should follow summer.” He went on: “The character of this changing world is indifferent to tradition. Unforgiving of frailty … It has no custom and practice. It is replete with opportunities, but they only go to those swift to adapt, slow to complain, open, willing and able to change.” In the hall, his characteristically messianic delivery ensured this argument landed, but anyone listening from one of the UK’s deindustrialised areas must have received it as yet another punch in the face. For decades, change and adaptation were what they had been living through and reeling from – but where were the rewards? Where, indeed, was any real sign of even the beginnings of the 21st-century prosperity Blair seemed to be offering? John Harris is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Ofsted drops ‘clumsy’ and ‘offensive’ guidance linking autism and extremism
Training document used to teach inspectors updated after campaign by celebrities including Chris Packham Ofsted, the body responsible for safeguarding in education in England, has dropped guidance for inspectors that linked autism and extremism after an outcry from celebrity campaigners. An education minister has disclosed that an updated training document “no longer includes reference to children with autism” after claims that it was “offensive” and “clumsy” discrimination. Continue reading...
Mysterious debris found on Queensland beaches could be ‘space balls’ – and may contain toxic rocket fuel
Australian Space Agency working to confirm origin of objects as space archaeologist says they may be connected to a rocket launch Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Six pieces of suspected space debris found washed up on north Queensland beaches could be “space balls” that are often left over from rocket launches, according to one expert. The Australian Space Agency confirmed on Sunday it was working to determine the nature and origin of the mysterious objects which police said were suspected of containing hazardous chemicals. Continue reading...
Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan says coalition with One Nation ‘not even being talked about’
Anthony Albanese mocks ructions on conservative side of politics and says three rightwing parties are caught up in ‘race to the bottom’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan says he does not want to be in a rightwing coalition with One Nation, despite senior colleagues urging closer ties with Pauline Hanson and polls suggesting her rise will make it difficult for the opposition party to ever govern in its own right again. Prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Sunday mocked the Liberal, National and One Nation parties as an “axis of grievance” on the conservative side of politics, but Tehan said a formal alliance was not being discussed among his colleagues. Continue reading...
The immorality of world leaders is contagious. Thank heavens for the pope | Simon Tisdall
In a political wasteland dominated by billionaires, war criminals and mega-corporations, the head of the Catholic church is a rare figure of moral leadership What do Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu have in common? Answer: a chronic inability to tell right from wrong. The three leaders currently causing the most harm in the world share a predilection for violence, a chilling lack of compassion, and extraordinary self-regard mixed with paranoia. Yet the characteristic linking them most closely is their rejection of – or failure to grasp – basic moral standards. Worse, these men typically behave, in their public lives at least, in ways that are fundamentally immoral. And that’s a problem for everyone. Their moral malaise is contagious. Ideas about what, in absolute terms, constitutes right and wrong are always contentious, as moral philosophers from Aristotle to Kant have shown. Pope Leo, leader of the world’s Catholics, warned recently that “we are living in a time when it is becoming difficult even to recognise what is truly good for everyone”. Yet most people, most of the time, observe a personal moral code held in common with others. There is broad agreement, for example, that it’s wrong to kill, steal, cheat and lie. In an ostensibly secular age, 76% of people worldwide identified with a religion in 2020 – a potent expression of individual and collective morality. Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...
Could Farage quit? Questions swirl over Reform UK leader’s future
Farage is under pressure over £5m gift, byelection losses and rise of rival Restore but allies say exit speculation is ‘wishful thinking’ “Of course he’s tired. He’s just done two months campaigning every day on the road, it would be weird if he wasn’t. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to quit,” says one friend of Nigel Farage who has spent time with him in recent weeks. Westminster has been ablaze with rumours that Farage is growing weary in the job of leading Reform UK after the bruising scandal around his decision to accept a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Continue reading...
Make Ed Miliband chancellor, ex-chief Treasury adviser tells Andy Burnham
Nicholas Stern joins growing number backing Miliband, saying he has vision and experience to revive economy A former chief economic adviser to the Treasury has called on Andy Burnham to appoint Ed Miliband as chancellor, arguing the energy secretary has a “bold” vision to revive the economy. Nicholas Stern, a professor at the London School of Economics who was a senior figure in the Treasury during Gordon Brown’s tenure, said only Miliband had the experience and the strategic vision to accelerate investment and rebuild public trust in the state’s ability to “get things done”. Continue reading...
NSW Labor to adopt tougher pokies stance as Sydney inner west mayor says ‘momentum for real reform unstoppable’
State Labor conference expected to pass a motion which would commit to 50% of machines being removed from operation in next 10 years Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast New South Wales premier Chris Minns will take a tougher stance on poker machines to the next election after being pushed to adopt the approach by the party’s left. A motion expected to pass the NSW Labor conference with unanimous support on Sunday afternoon will add a plan to to take “decisive action” on problem gambling and the growing use of poker machines to its policy platform, amid surging profits for operators and accusations of inaction on reform. Continue reading...
Founder of prominent underground church released from prison in China
Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, lands in the US and reunites with family who are ‘overwhelmed with joy’ The founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States. Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October . Continue reading...
Belgium players say they will need ‘balls’ to nullify home crowd against US
Belgium play Americans in the last-16 on Monday US have enjoyed strong support at home at the World Cup A raucous, pro-US crowd is expected in Seattle for the Americans’ last-16 match against Belgium on Monday, but the Red Devils say that they don’t fear the atmosphere that will await them. “I think we just have to … show balls on the pitch,” left-back Maxim De Cuyper said on Friday. “Try to play your own game. If you play against 80,000 supporters or with 80,000, you have to try to do the same.” Continue reading...
Woman charged with murder after body of four-year-old boy found in Central Coast home
Police are investigating what happened to a boy who was found with significant arm injuries Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A woman has been charged with murder after police found the body of a pre-schooler at a home on the New South Wales Central Coast. Police rushed to the home at Wyong after a 32-year-old woman presented to the local police station on Saturday. Continue reading...
Evacuation disrupts Trump’s planned DC speech after threat of thunderstorm
Extreme heatwave across US east coast already had upended some of the weekend’s long-planned celebrations Donald Trump’s plans to celebrate the US’s 250th birthday with “the greatest show of all” in the heart of Washington DC were disrupted on a Saturday evening by fears of a thunderstorm. Thousands of spectators who had filed onto the National Mall for a show featuring a speech by the US president and an extensive fireworks display were instructed to evacuate the site. Continue reading...
Australia news live: Albanese to target rightwing ‘axis of grievance’ at NSW Labor conference; first east coast bird flu case confirmed
Follow the day’s news live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Good morning all and thanks for being with us. Graham Readfearn here. First up, we will have news in a few minutes that NSW has recorded its first confirmed case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu in a giant petrel found north of Newcastle at Hawks Nest. Continue reading...
Cricket match abandoned after charging bull stops play
Match at Burnopfield near Newcastle called off after 800kg young bull escaped from farm and stormed playing field A cricket match had to be abandoned after a runaway bull stormed the playing field and charged at players. The North East Premier League fixture at Burnopfield Cricket Club near Newcastle was called off on Saturday evening despite efforts to remove the animal from the ground. Continue reading...
Female US rower completes historic solo journey from California to Hawaii
Kelsey Pfendler set out to become first US woman, youngest woman and fastest woman to solo over 2,400-mile journey A Grand Canyon river-rafting guide who aimed to become the first US woman to row solo across the mid-Pacific has completed a record-breaking journey from California to Hawaii . Hundreds of people gathered to cheer on Kelsey Pfendler as she pulled into a Honolulu harbor on Friday night on her 21ft rowboat, Lily, after nearly a month-and-a-half at sea, local media reported. Guardian staff contributed Continue reading...
Archaeologists uncover ancient Byzantine city in Egypt’s western desert
Well-preserved fourth-century quarters reveal details of daily life, urban development and economic activities Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert. The fourth-century quarters had residential and religious structures, including a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis. Archaeologists also found coins, pottery fragments and tools. Continue reading...
Norfolk Island’s unique corals under triple threat from disease, El Niño and now government-approved dredging
Exclusive: Most of the island’s corals are likely to be species that have not been formally described by science, researcher says Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Scientists fear unique corals that fringe Australia’s remote Norfolk Island could disappear because of a triple threat of disease, El Niño and a federal government plan to dredge a neighbouring shipping channel. A failure to manage sediment and pollution washing into bays from cattle farming, cleared land along with wastewater has been blamed for widespread disease and outbreaks of algae over the corals. Continue reading...
Neo-fascist group Patriot Front parades Confederate flag in Washington DC on Fourth of July
Hundreds of masked members of the white supremacist organization marched and chanted in the US capital Hundreds of masked men carrying banners, including the Confederate flag, marched through Washington DC on the Fourth of July, the 250th anniversary of the US’s inception. The group appeared to be led by Thomas Rousseau, founder of the neo-fascist, white supremacist organization Patriot Front. Members of the group wore white masks and gathered in front of DC’s Union Station. They later marched towards Capitol Hill, WTOP reported . Continue reading...
Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal and nearby port
St Petersburg governor reports no victims after ‘large-scale’ overnight attack that also hit Baltic port of Vysotsk Ukraine launched a big overnight drone attack on St Petersburg and the surrounding area, hitting the city’s oil terminal and port infrastructure in the wider region. The St Petersburg governor, Alexander Beglov, said the city had been subjected to a “large-scale” drone attack that had hit its oil terminal. He said there were no casualties and the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with. Continue reading...
Tens of thousands march in London for annual Pride parade
More than 35,000 people from about 600 groups made their way from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall via Piccadilly Tens of thousands of people marched through central London for the annual LGBT+ Pride parade. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, joined the crowd as they proceeded through the capital on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading...
In a pickle: US pickle company pulls out of DC fair over Confederate flag
Mt Olive Pickle Company says it was unaware image of flag was included in exhibit, and cites value of ‘human dignity’ A leading vendor of the US delicacy that is the pickle has withdrawn from the Great American State Fair in Washington DC after North Carolina’s booth displayed a video containing a Confederate flag. The Mt Olive Pickle Company, which is located in eastern North Carolina and bills itself as the “#1 bestselling brand of pickles, peppers and relishes in the US”, told local news station WNCT it had been unaware that an image of the flag would be included in a video as part of the state’s exhibit. Continue reading...
Three children dead after boat capsizes during storm in Wisconsin
Officials rescued seven other people after a sudden storm led to a boat sinking on Geneva Lake Three children died after a boat capsized on Wisconsin ’s Geneva Lake during inclement weather on the eve of the US’s semiquincentennial celebrations, and seven other people had to be rescued by emergency responders, according to officials. A recreational motor boat with 10 passengers, including four children, sank on Friday afternoon as the boat “attempted to navigate to safety as weather conditions deteriorated” amid an intense, sudden storm, the city of Lake Geneva police department said in a statement. Continue reading...