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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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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...
One Nation’s Secret Harbour byelection win shows Labor is at a loss when it comes to calming angry voters | Analysis
Even after a week in which Pauline Hanson and One Nation candidates tripped over themselves trying to explain key policies, voters still backed the party The One Nation hype machine went into overdrive after Saturday’s Secret Harbour byelection but one thing is clear from the thumping victory. Despite the party’s sustained surge in public support, Labor and the Coalition still don’t have any idea how to calm an angry electorate and dint support for Pauline Hanson and her insurgent movement. Continue reading...
The president and the penthouse: how Madrid’s government spent €6.3m on a temporary ‘office’
Saga surrounding purchase for outspoken rightwing regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso refuses to go away The outspoken rightwing leader of the Madrid region is under growing pressure to explain why her government spent €6.3m (£5.4m) on a residential penthouse purportedly to serve as a temporary workspace while her offices were being renovated. Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a prominent member of Spain’s opposition conservative People’s party (PP), has been the president of the Madrid region since 2019. Continue reading...
Arms and the £5m man: Farage megadonor Christopher Harborne’s military empire
Reform UK denies donor and crypto-billionaire’s global interests in arms and military could present a conflict of interest over its defence spending policy As he struggles with questions about the millions he has received from the billionaire Christopher Harborne, Nigel Farage has made no secret of his enthusiastic support for the industry that made part of his benefactor’s fortune – cryptocurrency. The Reform UK leader even urged the governor of the Bank of England to drop a crypto policy that may be costly for Harborne. But another element of Harborne’s business interests could prove still more consequential if it shapes Farage’s positions. There appears to be no precedent for a major UK donor who is so entwined with the military. Continue reading...
Giorgia on their minds: Farage and Badenoch scrap to be mates with Meloni
Tories accuse Reform of ‘peddling conspiracy theories’ as row erupts in wake of Conservative leader’s trip to Rome Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch have spent years trading barbs and fighting for the rightwing vote. But now the party leaders find themselves in a much more bizarre struggle – for the affections of the rightwing Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. The row began on Monday when the Times published an article claiming that during a meeting in Rome, Meloni had advised the Conservative leader against doing a deal with Farage to unite the right. After complaints from Reform – and, reportedly, Meloni’s team – the article was amended to remove that claim. Continue reading...
Australia could make social media algorithms optional and follow UK ban on pornography depicting strangulation
Social services minister says social media was playing a role in the increase of sexual violence among teenagers Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The government is considering allowing users to opt in or opt out of social media algorithms, and is looking at a recent UK ban on depictions of strangulation and suffocation in pornography. The social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, said social media was “playing a huge role” in the increase in sexual violence among teenagers and choking, and confirmed the options were being considered as the government develops its second action plan to end family and domestic violence against women and children. Continue reading...
Families balance hope and despair in race to find survivors in Nepal as 41 Australians still missing
The walls of a teaching hospital are filled with pictures of unidentified victims as authorities collect DNA samples and plan burials before morgues fill up Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Some of them are young, some old; most of them appear to be men. Some of them could be sleeping, except for the mud that covers their bodies. Some, it seems, would be impossible to recognise even if you knew them well. Every few hours Nepalese authorities hang pictures of the deceased, who have not been identified, on a wall at the back of a teaching hospital in Kathmandu. Continue reading...
Fire in California’s Big Sur region doubles in size overnight, forcing evacuations
Plaskett fire has swept through more than 5,900 acres in Monterey county and remains un-contained, says Cal Fire A fire in California’s Big Sur region doubled in size overnight, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents, in a coastal region where firefighters have battled another blaze for weeks. The Plaskett fire, which sparked on Tuesday, had swept through more than 5,900 acres (2,400 hectares) in Monterey county as of Friday, and remained un-contained, according to Cal Fire. Its cause is under investigation. Continue reading...
William Jewell running back MicahJo Barnett dies after medical emergency during game
Junior taken to hospital after first-quarter emergency Division II season opener suspended and later canceled School plans vigil for Barnett and his family William Jewell College running back MicahJo Barnett had a medical emergency on the sideline during the school’s season opener on Saturday. and the school later announced his death. Barnett, a junior, reportedly experienced seizure-like symptoms during the first quarter of the Division II contest against Fort Lewis College. The game was played on William Jewell’s campus in Liberty, Missouri, about 20 miles northeast of Kansas City. Continue reading...
News live: missing Australian woman found safe in Nepal flooding
‘My heart goes out to all the Nepalese families who are grieving loved ones,’ Cara Severino says. Follow latest updates live Cara Severino , an Australian woman in Nepal who was missing following devastated floods, has been located and is in contact with officials, Penny Wong’s office has confirmed. The foreign minister’s office confirmed overnight Severino was travelling to a safe location with the help of Australia’s consular officials, who travelled by four-wheel-drive to Kathmandu to locate her along a trekking route. This is a rare piece of positive news amid a disaster that has brought immense loss and uncertainty … I have spoken directly with her and am very pleased to know she is safe. She has also spoken with her family, which I know will be a great relief to them. Continue reading...
Novak Djokovic feels ‘as best as I can be’ before tilt at 25th grand slam title in New York
Serb hopes to take advantage of wide-open men’s draw Elena Rybakina has eyes on No 1 world ranking Novak Djokovic said he was as prepared as he could be for the US Open as he attempts to take advantage of the wide-open men’s draw and battle for a potential 25th grand slam title. Djokovic arrived in New York having competed only once after his semi-final run at Wimbledon, losing in his opening match of the Cincinnati Open to Thiago Agustín Tirante while struggling with the humidity. However, he now sees the silver lining in that defeat, which he believes gave him the time to make sure he was in optimal shape for the US Open. “I don’t like early losses anywhere, to be honest, but it gave me time to be prepared for US Open in a most adequate way,” he said. “I had almost a few weeks, actually two weeks, to really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what’s coming up. Continue reading...
One Nation claims victory on Secret Harbour byelection in Western Australia
One Nation candidate Luke Herdegen secures 57% of the vote after preferences as party’s WA leader says result will send shock waves across the country One Nation has claimed victory in the Secret Harbour state byelection in Western Australia With 74.5% of the vote counted, One Nation’s Luke Herdegen leads Labor’s Georgia Tree 57-42 after preferences. Continue reading...
Palestinian woman and NBC News team reportedly attacked in West Bank
Matt Bradley and crew assaulted while interviewing woman who said settlers had driven family out of home A Palestinian woman and an NBC News team are reported to have been attacked and injured by masked Israeli settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday, amid worsening confrontations in the area. Benjamin Netanyahu said he condemned the violence committed “by a handful of rioters”. Continue reading...
August reveals Australians’ big appetite for weight-loss drugs, love for ‘dupe’ brands and an accelerating EV uptake
Reporting season shows how consumers are responding to cost of living pressures and how retailers are responding Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australians are buying less pizza but more weight-loss drugs . They love “dupes” but don’t enjoy writing letters. Here are five key takeaways from the August reporting season that show what consumers are buying as cost of living pressures reignite, and how retailers are responding. Continue reading...
Tennessee governor says he backs airport name change to honor Dolly Parton
Bill Lee says he favors proposal to rename Nashville’s international airport after legendary country singer Bill Lee, the Tennessee governor, on Friday said he favored a proposal to rename Nashville’s international airport after legendary country singer Dolly Parton , who died three days earlier at age 80. In a statement , Lee said he and the managers of the airport in Tennessee’s capital city – where Parton resided – wanted to create “a lasting tribute to her indelible legacy and the generations of people she inspired”. He said he had spoken previously to the 11-time Grammy winner and her team, who were “touched by the idea”. Continue reading...
LAPD releases footage of death of man whom police handcuffed and beat
Jose Carlos Hoyoz-Munoz was arrested after a family altercation and restrained for ‘combative’ behavior A cadre of Los Angeles police officers beat and restrained a handcuffed man in July, minutes before he was found dead in a jail cell, according to newly released body-cam footage . On 15 July, Jose Carlos Hoyoz-Munoz, 58, was found unconscious in his cell at the Van Nuys regional jail. At the time, the LAPD said two use-of-force incidents had occurred, without specifying the nature. In the video released on Friday, the department said three use-of-force incidents occurred. Continue reading...
North Carolina face Texas Christian as college football kicks off season in Dublin – in pictures
The UNC Tar Heels and TCU Horned Frogs meet at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday in the first major college football game of the 2026 season College football is booming, chaotic and more confusing than ever Continue reading...
Far-right media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos deported by ICE from US to UK
Ex-Breitbart editor has vocally supported immediate deportations for anyone who can’t prove US residency Far-right British media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the US after being detained on Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Orleans in connection with what the agency said was expired authorization to be in the country and a deportation order. Yiannopoulos’s deportation occurred on Friday, said a statement on Saturday from a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. Continue reading...
Daughter traces mother and aunt’s last known location in Nepal through TikTok video
Tulshi Patel says mother Hemangini Jitendra Patel and aunt Hema Sunil Amin were last seen at Friendship Bridge on Nepal-China border • Nepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updates The daughter of a woman missing in Nepal has told how she traced her mother’s location through a TikTok video posted hours before the devastating flash flood hit. The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday , thundering down valleys and sweeping away entire villages, have killed at least 675 people, while more than 3,000 remain missing . Continue reading...
Artemis II astronauts receive nation's highest space honor for their successful moonshot
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor The Artemis II astronauts who flew around the moon in April received the US’s highest space honor on Friday. Donald Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the three Americans and one Canadian whose lunar flyby for the US space agency Nasa set a new distance record for humanity. Continue reading...
James Cleverly resigns from shadow cabinet to run for mayor of London
Shadow minister for housing, communities and local government to resign with immediate effect James Cleverly has resigned from the shadow cabinet to run for mayor of London. The Tory heavyweight, who was once home and foreign secretary and is shadow minister for housing, communities and local government, told the Sunday Times he will resign with immediate effect. Continue reading...
Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers says he saw Bin Laden’s body with his ‘own eyes’. He did not
Ex-House intel committee chair, now running against Abdul El-Sayed, instead saw photo of Osama bin Laden’s body In a recent fundraising email, the Republican candidate for Michigan ’s open US Senate seat, former congressman Mike Rogers, appeared to mislead supporters about his past by suggesting that he had played an active role in the killing of Osama bin Laden , the leader of al-Qaida who was shot and killed in an American military raid on his compound in Pakistan in 2011. “When I served as a US army officer and an FBI special agent, I swore a sacred oath to defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” Rogers wrote, according to a screenshot of the email shared online by Azi Paybarah, a former Washington Post reporter now with Straight Arrow News. “I dedicated my life to keeping our families safe – working in the shadows, hunting down terrorists, and standing on the frontlines of our national security.” Continue reading...
FBI no longer treating applicants’ experience with sex workers as automatic bar against hiring
Bureau will still dismiss those engaged with sex workers within past 10 years, three or more times overall, or while in public safety capacity The FBI is dropping a categorical hiring ban on applicants who have had sexual encounters with sex workers and will instead consider in a more holistic manner at least some candidates who have engaged in the practice in the past, according to people familiar with the matter. The move away from an automatic disqualification falls along a continuum of evolving recruitment standards within federal law enforcement and at the buttoned-up bureau, which several years ago relaxed its approach to candidates’ past marijuana use and has drawn more recent concern among some current and former agents about a perceived loosening of recruitment requirements as it seeks to replenish its ranks. Continue reading...