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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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UK must end all trade with Israel, says co-founder of BDS movement
Exclusive: sanctions against ministers and settler groups are ‘smoke and mirrors cop-out’ says Omar Barghouti Britain’s legal and ethical obligation to stop a genocide in Gaza requires it to take bigger steps than halting trade with illegal Israeli settlements or imposing further sanctions, Omar Barghouti, the co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has said. He described sanctions against individual settler groups or extremist ministers as a “smoke and mirrors cop-out and distraction” from the UK’s legal obligation under international law to end all support for Israel, including arms exports, trade deals and academic relations that “may directly or indirectly enable Israel’s illegal occupation” of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Continue reading...
Queensland police investigate after 5,500 sheep worth $1.7m stolen from farm
Police say the sheep were stolen from a property 830km west of Brisbane between February and May Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Queensland police are investigating after about 5,500 Dorper sheep worth more than $1.7m were allegedly stolen from a western Queensland farm. Police said the sheep were stolen from a property outside Blackall, about 830km west of Brisbane, between February and May this year. Continue reading...
Wednesday briefing: What’s behind the global backlash against datacentres?
In today’s newsletter: Communities from Scotland to India are pushing back against datacentres they feel have been forced upon them, warning they threaten energy supplies and the climate Good morning. This summer, datacentres have become targets of resistance across the world. Ever since the arrival of ChatGPT, big tech has been lobbying for the creation of enormous new facilities. Many governments claim they’re essential in any country that wants to cash in on AI. Campaigners argue datacentres drain resources and exacerbate the climate crisis. The Scottish National Party has backed a moratorium on new developments; so has the Greens. The boom has been immense, and so has the backlash. Today’s newsletter explains why. UK politics | Andy Burnham has blamed Brexit and Margaret Thatcher for a decade of low growth in the UK, arguing that Britain needs to be brutally honest about having taken “a series of wrong turns” in the last 40 years. Nepal-Tibet | A week on from the flash flooding disaster, authorities are urging relatives of the thousands of missing and dead to provide blood samples. Middle East | The US has launched new airstrikes on Iranian targets, prompting counter strikes by Tehran targeting American interests in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq, fuelling concerns about a wider renewal of hostilities. Ukraine | Russia has opened a deadly new phase in its war against Ukraine by deliberately targeting the country’s railway network, with six employees killed on Tuesday in the latest strikes on Kyiv. US news | Mark Carney has rebuked Donald Trump’s administration and urged officials in Washington to “start being serious” amid escalation trade tensions between the US and Canada. Continue reading...
Japan halves speed limit to 30km/h on all narrow city streets
Speed limit dropped from 60km/h for around 70% of general roads in the hope of making narrow streets of crowded cities safer Drivers on residential roads in Japan have been forced to take their foot off the accelerator, after the speed limit was slashed from 60km/h (37mph) to 30km/h in an attempt to reduce deaths and injuries among pedestrians on narrow urban streets. The new limit, which went into effect on Tuesday, applies to residential roads with no centre line or maximum speed signs, media reports said. Continue reading...
Jury in Bruce Lehrmann’s Queensland rape trial may face questions about prior knowledge of case
Lehrmann, 31, is accused of raping a woman in 2021 and will stand trial in Toowoomba in November. He intends to contest the charges Jurors in the pending trial of Bruce Lehrmann for alleged rape could be questioned about their prior knowledge of him and the case. Lehrmann, 31, is set to stand trial from November 2, accused of twice raping a woman at a house in regional Queensland in 2021. Continue reading...
British man deported from Sweden despite living there since childhood
John Sellers, 34, who moved with his family to Sweden aged 10, has been ejected despite his recent marriage to a Swede A 34-year-old British man who has lived in Sweden since he was 10 has been deported in the latest of a series of Brexit-induced catastrophes for UK citizens in the country. John Sellers was told to leave despite living in Sweden for 24 years, having been educated in the country and newly married to his Swedish partner, Caroline. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham has already made a mistake that will cost him his premiership: he lost his nerve over political donations | George Monbiot
Being subservient to the interests of the wealthy now means that his hands are tied, and he will be unable to tackle Britain’s most pressing issues Damn the electorate. They’re so impatient . No sooner do they get a new leader than they want another one. Those ingrates are already starting to grumble about Andy Burnham. Maybe the country is becoming ungovernable . Perhaps it’s social media . Or a consumerist culture, always picking the next shiny thing. Perhaps we’re addicted to drama . As we’re on our sixth prime minister in 10 years, and as similar levels of discontent surface in many other countries, these claims are recited across the media. What’s wrong with us? Yet our disgruntlement is entirely rational. We give up so quickly on our prime ministers because they give up so quickly on us. Though it may involve different issues, it is always the same betrayal: the public interest is sacrificed for the sake of a tiny number of immensely wealthy people. And it tends to happen almost immediately. George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Ray Hadley used homophobic slur against Alan Jones after 2GB withdrew offer of $4m breakfast radio gig, court hears
Hadley is giving evidence in trial of former 2GB rival Jones, 85, who has pleaded not guilty to 22 indecent assault and sexual touching charges Broadcaster Ray Hadley has told a Sydney court he used a homophobic slur and derogatory names when talking about his colleague Alan Jones, after 2GB withdrew a secret offer of a $4m contract to take over Jones’s coveted breakfast slot. Hadley agreed under cross-examination by defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC that he told police in 2019 that Jones had recruited colleagues at 2GB to “dig up some dirt” on him. Continue reading...
Off-grid UK-Australian couple given more access to children who were removed from home in Italy
Decision marks a significant turning point in a case that sparked a national debate in Italy A British-Australian couple will be allowed to spend more time with their three children after the youngsters were removed from the family’s off-grid woodland home in central Italy last year, their lawyer said on Tuesday. The juvenile court of L’Aquila in Italy has approved a staged process under the supervision of social services that could ultimately allow the children to leave the residential care facility where they have been living since November. Continue reading...
Tiger Woods set for plea change in Florida DUI case after rollover crash
Woods plans to change not guilty plea in DUI case Change-of-plea hearing set for 8.30am Wednesday Charges stem from March rollover crash in Florida Tiger Woods plans to change his not guilty plea in the DUI case stemming from a rollover crash near his Florida home earlier this year, according to court documents filed on Tuesday. The 50-year-old golf star is due to appear in Martin County circuit court at 8.30am on Wednesday for a change-of-plea hearing before judge Darren Steele. Woods had previously pleaded not guilty to charges of driving under the influence with property damage and refusing to submit to a lawful test. Continue reading...
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty in second national security case
Wong, 29, is accused of urging foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades and other hostile measures against China Joshua Wong , one of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiring to seek foreign sanctions against Hong Kong and China, a national security charge that carries a maximum life sentence. Prosecutors have accused Wong, 29, of working with the exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law to urge foreign powers to impose sanctions, blockades or other hostile measures against China. Continue reading...
Architect of British government’s AI strategy joins Anthropic
Matt Clifford, who drafted AI action plan and advised Starmer and Sunak, hired for senior role at US firm The architect of the UK government’s AI strategy has joined the US startup Anthropic in a senior role a year after stepping down from his Downing Street post. Matt Clifford, a successful tech investor, was appointed as AI opportunities adviser by Keir Starmer last year but resigned from the unpaid role six months later for personal reasons. Continue reading...
Global heating will hit at least 1.8C, UN warns, and there are ‘no good outcomes’
Human health, water supplies, nature, cities, infrastructure and economies could all be severely damaged by temperature rises Global heating will reach at least 1.8C under even the most optimistic future, well beyond the Paris agreement goal of 1.5C, according to a UN report that warns every fraction of temperature rise intensifies destructive extreme weather, glacier melt, ecosystem loss, and island and coastal city submersion. The report by the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme confirmed overshooting the 1.5C goal inscribed in the landmark Paris agreement of 2015 was now “unavoidable” and, despite some progress in addressing the human-caused climate crisis driven by burning fossil fuels, likely in the next few years. Continue reading...
H.R. 10239: Equal Pay for Equal Work Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 5450: Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026
Enacted — Signed by the President: Some of this bill was incorporated into H.R. 6500: Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, which was enacted (🖊️ by president) on September 2, 2026.
H.Res. 1508: Supporting the goals and ideals of “National Clinical Nurse Specialist Week”.
Bill Text: This resolution's text is now available.
H.R. 10230: Strengthening Oversight for the Financial Sector Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10228: Strengthening Protections for Children with Food Allergies Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10233: SMASH 2.0 Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10238: Cybersecurity for Small Businesses Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10237: REVOKE Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10225: No Federal Taxpayer-Funded Housing for Illegal Aliens Act of 2026
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.R. 10222: No HUD Funding for Sanctuary Cities Act
Bill Text: This bill's text is now available.
H.Res. 1507: Honoring the life and legacy of Dolly Parton, a daughter of Tennessee whose extraordinary contributions to music, philanthropy, literacy, education, health, conservation, and culture enriched the lives of countless Americans.
Bill Text: This resolution's text is now available.