section
Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
5100 stories archived
Ontario premier unveils Lake Ontario sign in response to Trump’s ‘Lake America’ order – video
The Canadian province's premier, Doug Ford, installed a billboard-sized sign on the lake's shoreline after the US president signed an executive order on Thursday directing US federal agencies to change the lake's name on US maps, documents and databases to 'Lake America'. Ford told reporters the lake's name, which is more than 400 years old, would remain unchanged. Trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed last week, with each side blaming the other for derailing three days of intensive negotiations Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America Continue reading...
Flooding devastated swathes of Indiana but response is hampered by politics
Record inundations wrecked homes and took seven lives but Trump has not approved emergency aid and the state has cut funds for environmental agencies It’s been 10 days since the floodwater receded from Cambridge City’s main street and yet signs of disaster are all around. Abandoned cars, toilets and bathtubs are strewn across parks and side streets on a recent visit to the city. Garages have been lifted from their foundations and moved by the rushing water. Dumpsters up and down the street are overflowing with people’s belongings, with red paint sprayed on homes indicating which houses have been cleared by water rescue teams. Continue reading...
New York City to increase cooling tower inspections after legionnaires’ outbreaks
State and city lawmakers push to boost regulations after two outbreaks of the disease over the last two summers New York lawmakers are now trying to better protect residents from the deadly legionnaires’ disease by increasing regulations and inspections of cooling towers after two outbreaks of the infection over the last two summers and a raft of new lawsuits. Legionnaires’ disease is a serious pneumonia caused by a bacterium called legionella. It often comes from large air-conditioning systems, like those used in hotels, hospitals and high-rise buildings, because the cooling towers contain water to remove heat. If not well maintained, the liquid can foster the bacteria, which can then be swept into fans and circulated through the air. Continue reading...
Prosecutors consider charges against officers involved in spycops scandal
More than 100 undercover officers spied on tens of thousands of mainly leftwing activists over decades Prosecutors are examining whether to bring criminal charges against 12 former police officers who were involved in spying on political groups. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is examining a file of evidence that the officers may have committed wrongdoing while working in controversial undercover operations. Continue reading...
Italy may ban staring at your phone while crossing the street. Why stop there? | Dave Schilling
The move sends the right signal. While we’re at it, can we ban using ringtones and scooting on the sidewalk? Imagine driving in Italy, with its narrow, cobblestone streets and scooter enthusiasts. I find it hard enough to drive in Los Angeles , a city designed specifically with the automobile in mind. I’d probably squash a pedestrian or two trying to navigate Italian roads. The modern world is just too hectic for the ancient streets of Europe, so Italy is considering doing the only sensible thing it can: outlawing texting in crosswalks . The Italian government’s updated draft of its highway code proposes fines of €75 or more for anyone caught sending a DM, updating their LinkedIn, finishing Wordle on the fifth guess, or anything else phone-related that might make them miss an oncoming metal projectile. I’m sure most people will risk the slap on wrist to get that message off, but it at least sends a signal to the Italian people that paying attention to traffic is actually kind of important. Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Continue reading...
Trump the renamer-in-chief keen to leave his mark – or his stain – on world
As Americans face an affordability crisis and war with Iran, the president is focused on … changing the names of things Is it a key policy move which will “recognize the extraordinary contributions of the American people”? Or “real foolishness”? Whatever the impact of Donald Trump unusual decision to retitle Lake Ontario as Lake America, days after Canada’s prime minister refused to be cowed by Trump’s punitive tariffs, it has certainly divided opinion – but perhaps it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Continue reading...
Mayors are the big winners in Burnham’s devolution drive. So what happens to areas without mayors? | John Harris
Labour has promised a ‘fundamental rewiring’ of power. But some areas are years into their devolution journey while others scramble to get started Apart from the joyous hyperactivity that comes with suddenly making it to No 10, there are good reasons why Andy Burnham seems to be a prime minister in a hurry. If he decides that his first term is going to run to its maximum length, he has three years, which is a maddening time-frame: too long for him to just tinker here and there, set out his long-term vision and then ask the electorate for permission to do more, but probably too short to start and finish many of his key projects. His chosen solution, it seems, is a mixture of the strategies he would use for each approach, which includes running at some issues at breakneck pace. So it is with his specialist subject: devolution for England. The huge changes now afoot actually began under Keir Starmer, with the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act passed earlier this year. Areas that previously had two tiers of local government will see them replaced with new unitary councils. But the most historic move centres on regional mayors – what the government calls “strategic authorities” – and a shift that the Whitehall PR machine is hyping up as a “fundamental rewiring of the way our country works, surrendering power that for too long has been held in Westminster and Whitehall”. In principle, this is unquestionably worth celebrating. But it also gives rise to a whole range of increasingly urgent and awkward questions. John Harris is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
UK asks banks for feelgood stories about keeping out dirty money
City firms tapped for case studies to try to convince global watchdog that London has cleaned up its act The government is asking bankers and lawyers to provide feelgood stories about how they blocked dirty money from entering the UK, as ministers try to prove the UK’s money-laundering controls are working. The Treasury’s call for evidence is meant to illustrate that the UK has upped its game when it comes to preventing financial crime, particularly since its last dismal assessment by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) global crime watchdog in 2018, which fuelled allegations that London had become a hub for “dirty money” . Continue reading...
Train drivers secure 3.6% pay rise after threat of strikes on busy UK routes
Deal agreed between Avanti West Coast and Aslef is first to be approved by Burnham government Train drivers have secured a significant pay rise after the threat of strike action was floated on busy routes across the UK, including those on the busy London-Manchester line. The deal, which was agreed on Saturday between Avanti West Coast and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) union, is the first to be approved by Andy Burnham in his premiership. Continue reading...
Documents leaked by Trump official to bolster a conspiracy show ‘absolutely nothing’
Inside the US state department, critics are still attacking a shuttered office established to counter foreign propaganda. Now, some of its work is also being resumed A botched leak of purportedly explosive government files to a prominent conservative online personality was supposed to offer proof of what the Trump administration and its allies have long alleged: that a little-known office inside the US state department, created to fight foreign propaganda, had secretly become a tool for domestic censorship. Two former high-ranking officials at the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a target of Republican ire that lost its funding in 2024 and was disbanded after Donald Trump ’s return to office in 2025, say the documents show nothing of the kind. Continue reading...
‘Grassroots will beat big money every day’: can a DSA member flip a Republican Senate seat?
Angie Nixon won one of the biggest upsets in US midterm primaries – and if elected, the Democrat would be the first African American senator in Florida history The Democratic establishment had the money, the machinery and the candidate with national name recognition. Angie Nixon had a bookshop called Café Resistance and a grassroots campaign for the Senate. On primary election night in Florida , Nixon won in arguably the biggest upset of the primary season. But at least one person was not shocked: Angie Nixon herself. “We weren’t surprised,” the 42-year-old reflects after overcoming a vast fundraising disadvantage to defeat Alex Vindman , a combat veteran who testified against Donald Trump during his first impeachment. “We actually knew we were going to win; we just didn’t know that we were going to win by that much. We put in the work and so super excited about the outcome. It shows that good old-fashioned grassroots organising will beat big money each and every day.” Nixon won 56.1% of the vote to Vindman’s 43.9%. The result stirred tensions within the Democratic party in a year defined by the struggle between moderates and economic populists . In Florida – a state that has trended increasingly Republican in recent years and is now Trump’s home state – Democrats have now nominated a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who speaks openly about class war. Continue reading...
Definitely no or maybe yes: what tipped the Icelandic referendum | Miranda Bryant
The no campaign was well-funded and accused of scaremongering, but the wording of the question may also have made a difference It was always going to be a close contest. But on the night, the figures showed just how divided Iceland was on the issue of whether or not to restart negotiations with the European Union. After a nail-biting overnight count, the well-funded no campaign rejoiced on Sunday morning as the broadcaster RUV declared it the winner with about 52.8% of the vote. Given the size of Iceland’s population- barely 400,000 – the margins were tiny. Continue reading...
AA faces £5bn takeover move by German insurer Allianz, reports claim
Breakdown recovery group’s private equity owners reportedly in talks with various suitors to sell company Germany-based financial services company Allianz is considering a £5bn takeover swoop for AA, the breakdown recovery group, Sky News has reported. Allianz is one of a small number of parties holding talks with advisers to the AA about a deal, Sky News said, adding that the private equity outfit EQT was another bidder. Continue reading...
Women in UK arts feel they do not have equal opportunities for roles, says report
Exclusive: Research says sector is fixated with young talent, with most women experiencing unconscious bias or sexism Women working in the arts believe they do not have equal opportunities for roles, especially as they get older, according to a report saying that the industry is fixated with “young and emerging” talent. Nearly all (95%) women working in the arts thought gender inequality persisted, while three-quarters (75%) reported experiencing unconscious bias or sexism, according to a survey of 76 arts professionals. More than two-thirds (69%) felt that age negatively affected their career success – a figure that rose to 100% among those working in artistic rather than managerial roles. Continue reading...
Pet owners at risk of being ripped off by private equity firms as vet ownership rules change
Critics say changes by CMA will allow multinationals to obscure their ownership of vet practices Pet owners have been warned that they could be unknowingly ripped off by private equity firms who have bought local vet clinics, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) removed requirements for multinational companies to disclose which practices they own. The CMA recently ran an investigation into the monopolisation of vet practices , and found that the lack of competition and transparency of ownership had led to high prices and a lack of information for customers. Pet owners were often unaware their local vet practice could be owned by an international private equity company. Continue reading...
Iceland appears to have rejected EU accession talks in referendum, reports say
No camp looks to have prevailed, holding 52.5% of votes with only a few left to be counted, says public broadcaster Iceland appears to have rejected the government’s proposal to hold accession talks with the European Union, the public broadcaster RUV has reported, with only a small number of votes left to count. The no camp had 52.5% of votes and the yes camp 47.5%, with only a few ballots left to be counted in one of Iceland’s six voting districts, which was already leaning toward no, online ballot counting on RUV showed on Sunday. Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this story. Continue reading...
Pacific Islands Forum meeting in turmoil after several leaders pull out of Palau summit
Solomon Islands prime minister cancels his appearance, along with leaders from Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa Several leaders have pulled out of a the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting in Palau at the eleventh hour. Solomon Islands prime minister, Matthew Wale, has cancelled his appearance after a no-confidence motion was lodged against him at home by the Solomon Islands home affairs minister, Manasseh Maelanga. Continue reading...
A lone Black woman’s defiance of Swedish neo-Nazis, 10 years on
Protester Tess Asplund on the photo that made headlines, and why she sees it as a sign of the change in Sweden today The striking photograph showed a lone Black woman, her fist raised, standing in the path of hundreds of uniformed neo-Nazis on parade in 2016, and it made headlines across the globe. At the time, it was held up as a symbol of the resistance to the far right. But 10 years on, as Sweden gears up for elections in which the far right is expected to emerge as the second most-voted-for party , the woman in the photo sees it as a sign of the bewildering change that has gripped the Scandinavian country. Continue reading...
Trump’s ‘economic D-day’ against Iran risks driving the stakes even higher | Sina Toossi
As with its approach to Hormuz, the US has mistaken applying pressure for an actual strategy. But Tehran has chips of its own to play Donald Trump has found a new way to promise victory over Iran. After months of war have failed to force Iran’s capitulation or collapse, his administration has unveiled what the US Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, calls Operation Economic Outcast: an effort to cut it off from what remains of the global economy and threaten foreign governments, banks and companies with sanctions if they continue doing business with Tehran. There is no question that Iran is vulnerable. Its economy has been battered by years of sanctions, war and a months-long US naval blockade. Iranian officials acknowledge that oil exports and access to foreign currency have been severely constrained. Ordinary Iranians are already enduring high inflation, currency depreciation and worsening living standards. Further economic strangulation will inflict significant additional hardship. Sina Toossi is a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, where his work focuses on US-Iran relations, US policy toward the Middle East and nuclear issues Continue reading...
Renee was at Gyirong Port minutes before flood struck, now her family want to travel from Australia to help search
Missing woman’s partner and daughters fundraise to join search in one of the hardest-hit areas of Nepal Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Clair Spry says her sister would hate the attention. She would want it focused on the Nepali people, who have been displaced or are in need of aid. She would want it to be on the impact of the climate crisis, especially on the world’s most economically vulnerable populations. “Her focus right now would not be on her; it would be on the families,” Spry said. “So many people, the Nepalese people, that have been horribly displaced and traumatised. She would want the attention on them and how we are going to help them. Continue reading...
‘Tiny bit of rain and the sewage comes’: Brighton swimmers vent fury at sea pollution
Checking for sewage spills has become as normal as checking the weather forecast, say swimmers on East Sussex beaches South West Water has worst environmental record in England, analysis shows “I’m furious,” says Jo Armstrong, 75, sitting on Brighton beach with her daughter and granddaughter. Armstrong lives in Lewes, a town 8 miles from Brighton, and usually goes swimming in nearby Seaford in East Sussex every day. But over the past week the water there has been too polluted to swim. “Brighton beach was the only place that stayed clean,” she says. Continue reading...
South West Water has worst environmental record in England, analysis shows
Exclusive: Friends of the Earth finds greatest sewage discharge in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset ‘Tiny bit of rain and the sewage comes’: Brighton swimmers vent fury at sea pollution South West Water is doing more harm to the environment than any other water company in England, according to new analysis, with more sewage discharged in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset than anywhere else. Friends of the Earth analysed water companies’ environmental performance in six categories: sewage spills, water quality at bathing sites, pollution incidents or warnings at bathing sites, severity of sewage pollution at bathing sites, the percentage of rivers rated below the standard for good ecological health, and the affordability of bills. Continue reading...
Humanitarian crisis worsening in refuge for civilians fleeing Sudan’s civil war
Conditions are deteriorating in city of El Obeid and camps on its outskirts, with more people arriving every day Humanitarian conditions in the Sudanese city of El Obeid and two camps on its outskirts are dire and deteriorating, according to people on the ground, as civilians displaced by fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia continue to pour in from the surrounding countryside. The UN says more than 15,000 families have arrived since mid-July, joining more than 200,000 people who arrived in the first half of the year, according to government figures cited by Save the Children. Continue reading...
PC Andrew Harper’s killers will remain in jail as PM makes changes to early release scheme
Andy Burnham says ‘hundreds’ of people will remain in prison as part of changes to scheme designed to ease overcrowding PC Andrew Harper’s killers will be excluded from the early release scheme after the prime minister said anyone convicted of unlawful killing would be exempt. Andy Burnham said “hundreds” of people will remain in prison as part of changes to the scheme designed to ease overcrowding in prisons. Continue reading...