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Politics
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Aung San Suu Kyi’s son speaks to detained former Myanmar leader for first time in five years
Kim Aris says ‘hearing her voice again means more than words can express’ amid loosening of detention restrictions The son of Myanmar ’s Aung San Suu Kyi has been allowed to speak to the detained former democratic leader for the first time in more than five years. “Today, I was finally able to speak with my mother, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, after more than five years. Hearing her voice again means more than words can express,” Kim Aris said in a post on Facebook on Thursday. Continue reading...
Sainsbury’s expects challenging run-up to Christmas as households feel squeeze
Supermarket urges government not to ‘further aggravate’ pressure on costs for businesses in next week’s budget Sainsbury’s has warned of a “pretty challenging” market in the run-up to Christmas as households are “finding it tough” and food producers face rising costs. Simon Roberts, the chief executive of the UK’s second biggest supermarket, called on the government not to “further aggravate” pressure on costs for business in this month’s budget. He said it was “important this government does not repeat what we have seen in previous budgets” in raising business rates and employers’ national insurance contributions. “That’s been really hard,” he said. Continue reading...
Meet the volunteers who will observe Trump’s election monitors during the midterms
Thousands of people are training to be poll observers to look out for any interference or ICE presence on election day Stevie Lyn is angry at what she’s seen in her Phoenix, Arizona, neighborhood over the past year. Since US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began conducting raids all across the city, her Latino neighbors on the west side have had to hide in their homes, too scared to grocery shop, work and vote. That’s why she volunteered to become a poll observer. “I had to take the anger, because it was eating me alive, and direct it towards a constructive activity,” she said. Continue reading...
Blackpool, Sheffield, Milton Keynes and Wrexham shortlisted for UK city of culture 2029
Each place, selected from longlist of nine, will be given £125,000 to develop bids before winner is announced in new year Blackpool, Sheffield, Milton Keynes and Wrexham have been shortlisted to be the UK city of culture 2029, an award viewed as a way to boost local economies, foster civic pride and, above all, have some fun. The four places were chosen from a longlist of nine and each will be given £125,000 to develop their bids before the winner is announced in the new year. Continue reading...
Russia bombards Kyiv with missiles – hours after agreeing to resume talks with Ukraine
Experts say Russia is trying to destroy energy infrastructure before winter, showing US ‘appeasement and flattery’ will not achieve peace Russia has carried out a massive “demonstrative” attack on Ukraine, bombarding Kyiv with ballistic missiles just hours after Vladimir Putin said he had agreed to resume trilateral negotiations after talks with the US envoy Steve Witkoff. Overnight, Moscow pounded the Ukrainian capital, killing at least two people and wounding 22, including four children. Targets included the southern bridge over the Dnipro River, civilian houses, energy infrastructure, an ambulance station, office buildings and a monastery. Continue reading...
Meta strikes deal with Zuckerberg to protect him from California wealth tax
Company says deal will keep its chief executive living in California even if state brings in one-off billionaire tax Business live – latest updates Meta has struck a deal with Mark Zuckerberg to protect him from the threat of a California wealth tax targeting billionaires. The social media company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp revealed on Wednesday night that the arrangement would keep its chief executive living in California, where its headquarters are located. Continue reading...
Trump’s war and tariffs have battered Alaska. A pro-oil Democrat could flip the key Senate seat
Democrats believe circumstances have aligned for them to win a slew of competitive elections in the state Mary Peltola’s campaign to represent Alaska in the US Senate has taken her to parts of the massive state’s interior that are inaccessible by road and on the frontlines of the cost-of-living crisis she hopes will make her the first Democrat to win the seat in nearly two decades. She has been to towns where paper towels retail for $40, a half gallon of oat milk goes for $21 and the cost of a new freezer can be quadruple what it is in the state’s largest city, Anchorage, simply because it’s so complicated to get there. Along the Arctic Ocean, she’s heard of communities where power bills have climbed to $1,500 a month because they rely on generators for power and the Iran war has pushed the cost of diesel to new heights . Continue reading...
Experts alarmed by ‘less transparent’ CDC as US measles deaths rise
Agency declines to reveal in which state latest measles death occurred as it delays reporting other measles deaths The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added a third measles death to its dashboard on Wednesday, but the agency would not reveal whether the death occurred in Pennsylvania or another state – which is “notable” as the agency delays reporting other measles deaths, experts say. The CDC cited privacy laws in not sharing the name of the state, but experts say there are no privacy concerns in doing so – and this information is important for the public to have as the outbreak continues accelerating, growing by 8% in one week to 4,410 confirmed cases so far this year, nearly double last year’s count. Continue reading...
Christiane Amanpour’s parting advice to journalists is right on the mark | Margaret Sullivan
The CNN star’s wise advice to ‘be truthful, not neutral’ should be tattooed on our souls After decades as a renowned international journalist, the CNN star Christiane Amanpour is calling it a career, saying she’ll soon leave the cable network which she joined in 1983. She will be missed for the courage in war zones and forthright presentation that have made her one of the most famous names in media. Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture Continue reading...
In reliably blue Minnesota, could Democrats do the unthinkable and lose a Senate seat?
Frustration with a sprawling fraud scandal has cut Peggy Flanagan’s poll lead – could ex-NFL reporter Michele Tafoya win a first statewide election for Republicans in 20 years? As Democrats fight to regain control of the US Senate, hopes are rising in states – from Kansas to Texas – where they have not prevailed in decades. But in Minnesota, where Republicans have not won statewide election since 2006, the contest for an open Senate seat is closer than expected. Should Peggy Flanagan – the state’s Democratic lieutenant governor – win the election, she will be the first Native American woman to serve in the US Senate. But history has not yet been made. The closely watched Cook Political Report shifted its rating on the race this week from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat”. Continue reading...
John Anderson, five-time US country chart-topper, dies aged 71
Florida-born singer-songwriter had major hits with Swingin’, Seminole Wind and Straight Tequila Night John Anderson, the traditionalist US country singer whose extensive body of work included five No 1 hits on the country charts, has died aged 71. The news was announced on social media by his family, who said: “To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives. To us, he was so much more. He was the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely and made every ordinary moment feel special.” Continue reading...
Big pharma accused of ‘free-riding on nature’ as global fund attracts just $7,000
The Cali Fund, set up to raise $1bn a year for biodiversity from drug companies, remains near empty Big pharmaceutical companies have been accused of “free-riding on nature”, after a landmark biodiversity fund that invites businesses to put some of their profits back into conservation was left virtually empty. The Cali Fund set out to raise $1bn (£750m) annually, by asking companies that profit from nature’s genetics to contribute towards conservation in low-income countries. But more than 18 months after the fund was launched, it remains far below this target. Continue reading...
US military failed to notify UK police of drink-driving allegation against airman based in England
British authorities were unable to investigate case of Christopher Mooty, who went on to commit another offence The US military failed to notify British police of an allegation that one of its airmen had been drink-driving in Suffolk, preventing the British authorities from being able to investigate the offence. The failure broke a longstanding formal agreement with British police that enables the UK to investigate alleged illegality by US military personnel who are stationed in Britain. Continue reading...
Adoptees from Korea say they were isolated and abused in the US. Were they also ‘stolen’ from their birth parents?
Last year, South Korea took responsibility for enabling the ‘mass export’ of children for sale abroad. Now those uprooted are grappling with false promises of a better life As international, transracial adoptees in their 30s in the US, Jacquelyn Wells and Lauren White-Gydas have things in common. They were both born in South Korea to unwed mothers in the 1980s. Both were shipped to the US as newborns to join white families who eagerly welcomed adorable, new daughters. And neither knew many other Asians in the towns where they grew up – Wells in Westford, Massachusetts, and White-Gydas in Salem, Oregon. Continue reading...
French borrowing costs overtake US amid budget turmoil
France’s bond market hit by another bout of selling as country recovers from weekend protests Business live – latest updates French borrowing costs continued to rise on Thursday, as investors fret that France’s government is struggling to pass a federal budget after public protests gripped the country. France’s bond market was hit with another bout of selling, with the difference between French and German 10-year borrowing costs – a metric for the risk premium attached to French debt – rising to its highest level in almost 15 years. Continue reading...
Super Bowl contenders: are the NFL’s unbeaten teams as perfect as they seem?
The early standouts have emerged. But even the best teams have flaws that can be exposed by their opponents Who would have thought the 49ers would be here after a rough old offseason? Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s participation in training camp was limited due to a serious car crash , team owner Jed York’s visit to an Ohio trailer park did not end well , and one player after another endured serious injuries. Despite all this, San Francisco are full of positive vibes. They are top of a tough division and their immense defense, led by the intensity of players such as safety Malik Mustapha and Fred Warner, is complemented by an equally impressive offense. Continue reading...
You be the chancellor: play our budget game to see if you can balance the books
See if you can do a better job than John Healey at creating a budget that keeps MPs and the bond markets onside On 28 October, John Healey will announce the autumn budget to parliament. As in all years, the chancellor has to strike a balance between the following: Raising the money needed to fund the services that voters demand. Keeping taxes at levels that are acceptable to voters. Persuading the government’s creditors in the bond markets that it will continue to be able to pay its debts. Continue reading...
Chancellor to pitch budget at wealth creators – UK politics live
John Healey is expected to cut red tape requirements, particularly for smaller businesses Good morning. A week today John Healey , the chancellor, will be doing a media round defending the budget he is presenting on Wednesday next week. Ahead of that, he has given an interview to Patrick Maguire from the Times. As you would expect, there is no real detail in it about the measures he will be presenting to MPs. But the big picture message is very clear – and quite surprising, coming from a chancellor serving a PM who in some respects is steering left compared to his predecessor. Healey says that he wants to be on the side of bloody-minded entrepreneurs who make a profit, he acknowledges that government has made their life harder over the past two years, and he suggests that cutting the ‘cost of living’ for business is just as important as cutting the real cost of living for families. In the quote that gives the Times its splash headline, Healey says: I want to be a chancellor who backs business in Britain making a profit, and those entrepreneurs who, in the end, are the ones who challenge the status quo, come up with innovative ideas and are trying, some of them through sheer bloody-mindedness, to keep going through these sorts of pressures … If you’re not making a profit, you’ve got nothing to put back into the business. And for the people who start up these businesses, the ones who really thrive and grow, they have to make a profit — and they will be much more inclined to put it back into their own business. But we want it to grow here and stay here. If you talk to any of the businesses that have come in and have either had one-to-ones or round tables with me, I have recognised that in recent times there’s been a lot of pressure: employment law, regulation, tax, input costs, supply chains. And so when I talk about the cost of business, and recognising that in the same way as we’re recognising the cost of living pressures, I’m conscious of that as I go into the budget for both businesses and households. [Healey] is expected to use the budget to make significant cuts to regulation on businesses that one senior Treasury source described as “the sludge choking firms”. Reporting requirements are likely to be abolished for many smaller enterprises, The Times understands. Continue reading...
West End to get another lesson from The History Boys two decades on
Nation’s favourite play makes London comeback amid renewed debate about future of humanities teaching The History Boys is to return to the West End for the first time in two decades, with a warning from its director of an “almost terminal decline” in humanities teaching in state schools. Nicholas Hytner, who directed Alan Bennett’s play at the National Theatre and its 2006 film adaptation , said the themes of education, history and the value of literature for its own sake felt especially relevant amid renewed debate about what schools should teach. Continue reading...
Criminals who refuse to attend sentencing could lose prison privileges under new rules
England and Wales judges will be able to keep inmates in their cells for longer or stop visits if they refuse to face their victims’ families in court Offenders who refuse to face their victims’ families in court for sentencing could be stripped of privileges or kept in cells for weeks under government changes granting wider powers to judges in England and Wales. The imposition of new prison sanctions, coming into effect next year, build on existing laws that order offenders to attend sentencing or face a fine or be jailed for a further two years for contempt of court. Continue reading...
Macron hosts security council meeting ahead of planned weekend of protests – Europe live
‘The government must hold its nerve,’ Macron told reporters earlier this week French president Emmanuel Macron is back from his tour of the Gulf and convening a meeting with relevant ministers and intelligence services to figure out what can be done to prevent unsavoury scenes on the streets of French cities as more protests are planned for this Saturday. “The government must hold its nerve,” Macron told reporters earlier this week. Continue reading...
Beau Lamarre-Condon visits McDonald’s drive-thru in van allegedly used to dispose of bodies, in CCTV shown to jury
CCTV footage shows the police officer buying fast food, attending hospital, and visiting three separate Bunnings stores in the days after the alleged murder Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Beau Lamarre-Condon ordered food from a McDonald’s drive-thru in a van allegedly used to dispose of two bodies, footage released by the court has shown. Lamarre-Condon, 31, is accused of fatally shooting Sydney couple, Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, with his police service weapon in Baird’s Paddington home on 19 February 2024. Continue reading...
Barclays profits up 12% as UK banks brace for tax increase in budget
Lender gives further £500m to shareholders after reporting £2.3bn in pre-tax profits from July to September Business live – latest updates Barclays is giving a further £500m to shareholders after reporting a jump in quarterly profits, as the lender steels itself for an increase in UK bank taxes at next week’s budget. The lender said it logged £2.3bn in pre-tax profits over the July to September quarter, up 12% from £2.1bn during the same period last year. Continue reading...
Airbnb guests freed from chores involving ‘significant effort’ under new global rules
Accommodation platform acts after long-standing guest complaints over doing dishes, taking out rubbish and stripping beds Airbnb hosts will no longer be able to ask guests to strip beds or wash dishes under the accommodation platform’s new rules. The changes, which apply to Airbnb reservations covered by the platform’s global policy, including bookings in Australia, will come into effect on 20 November and limit chores imposed on guests. Continue reading...