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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Judge grants hearing over bid to recant Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse allegations
Man claims he was coached extensively by authorities Pennsylvania says recantation is ‘highly suspect’ Sandusky serving sentence after 2012 conviction A judge has granted a hearing to explore claims that a man wants to recant allegations of sexual abuse years ago by Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky, 82, has been serving a decades-long prison sentence since he was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse in 2012. Eight young men testified about what happened to them as boys. He has repeatedly lost efforts to get a new trial, but Sandusky’s lawyers are trying again. Continue reading...
Police arrest seven more men in aftermath of deadly A66 crash
Cleveland police say a total of 24 people arrested in investigation after crash that killed two officers Seven more men have been arrested as Cleveland police attempt to disrupt organised crime after the A66 crash that killed two officers. The force said the total number of those arrested in the investigation had risen to 24, several of them charged with serious offences and a number of offenders recalled to prison. Continue reading...
Large fire near Wembley Stadium disrupts tube and rail services
About 125 firefighters tackle blaze at Neasden waste facility as nearby Amazon warehouse is evacuated A large fire has broken out at a waste facility close to Wembley Stadium in north-west London, disrupting tube and train lines in the area. Twenty fire engines and about 125 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze at a mixed-waste facility on an industrial estate in Neasden, just under a mile from the venue. Continue reading...
Trump administration pushing to gift parcel of Yosemite land to private developer – report
Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital seeks to acquire land to construct private road to development outside park The Trump administration is reportedly pushing to give a parcel of land inside Yosemite, the country’s first national park and one of its most popular, to a Nevada -based private developer. Staff with the National Park Service have been exploring how the agency can give a quarter-mile parcel to a company operated by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, the news outlet Notus reported on Friday, citing agency documents and unnamed sources “directly familiar with discussions”. Continue reading...
At least 90 Americans missing in Nepal flood among 2,000 unaccounted for
Official death toll approaches 600, with many of the missing Americans having been on a pilgrimage to a sacred site At least 90 Americans were still missing on Friday among almost 2,000 people unaccounted for following the catastrophic flash flood along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday. With the official death toll creeping towards 600 on Friday and expected to continue rising, there were survivors, victims and missing people from many nationalities. Continue reading...
Drumcree dispute reopens after court ruling, raising fears of sectarian tension
Politicians divided over what Garvaghy Road decision means for next summer’s marching season The boiling cauldron known as Drumcree that used to scald and torment Northern Ireland each summer gradually cooled two decades ago, leaving it as a name for the history books. Instead of pitched battles between Orangemen and police around the parish church near Portadown in County Armagh, and spin-off, murderous sectarian violence across the region, a de facto truce reigned. Continue reading...
Russia losing 6,000 more troops in Ukraine than it can recruit each month, says west
Moscow recruits an estimated 1,000 people a day, but officials say it cannot keep up with its level of casualties Russia is losing about 6,000 more troops in Ukraine each month than it can recruit, western officials have said. While Russia is still acquiring new battlefield recruits at speed, with an estimated rate of 1,000 a day, in the last two months even this has not been sufficient to replace those killed or injured. Continue reading...
New heart attack definition promises better care for women
Leading cardiovascular health groups reclassify overlooked causes and introduce sex-specific diagnostic thresholds Doctors have agreed the world’s first universal definition of a heart attack, paving the way for millions of women to finally receive better treatment after decades of being “deprioritised”. In one of the biggest procedural shake-ups in a generation, the world’s four leading cardiovascular health groups have signed off on new guidance for healthcare professionals when seeing suspected heart attack patients. Continue reading...
London Science Museum cuts links with BP after decades of partnership
Campaigners say ‘seismic shift’ follows years of pressure to sever ties with oil and gas firm The London Science Museum has ended its decades-long partnership with the oil and gas company BP in what has been described as a “seismic shift” for the museum. The Science Museum Group academy, which was established in 2018 to provide training and resources, announced on Friday that it would be ending its partnership with BP. In a statement, the director and chief executive of the Science Museum Group, Sir Ian Blatchford, said the partnership had “drawn to a close at the end of the current contract term”. Continue reading...
The Guardian view on political donations: Labour should curb the power of big money | Editorial
Before becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham favoured a £500,000 donations cap. In office, he’s backing away. That is a mistake On the campaign trail in Makerfield, Andy Burnham told a democracy activist that he favoured a political donations cap of around £500,000 and wanted it reduced over time. His government is now resisting amendments that would move in precisely that direction. Mr Burnham was right in May . He is wrong now. It is difficult to argue that restricting a single person to giving half a million pounds a year to a political party would damage democracy. Such a cap would only affect the mega-rich . Reducing the cap would force parties to wean themselves off the present regime that allows the rich too much say. There are two contra arguments swilling around Labour. The first is that there should be room for wealthy, progressive donors – whose cash helps rebut claims that Labour is in the pocket of the trade unions. The second is the warning from unions that a cap could undermine their ability to contribute to the Labour party. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...
Salmonella cases in UK likely to rise until source of outbreak is found
Experts say imported eggs served in cafes and restaurants may be behind hundreds of infections and one death Salmonella cases in the UK are expected to rise until the common source is identified, something that is notoriously difficult to establish, experts have warned. There have been 474 confirmed cases and one death linked to the current outbreak, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), with the latest investigations suggesting it is associated with eating imported eggs in cafes and restaurants. Continue reading...
Vulnerable Sabalenka and wide-open men’s draw set stage for US Open drama
Defending champion arrives at Flushing Meadows in poor form and with a host of challengers looking to usurp her Under any normal circumstances Aryna Sabalenka would not have lost her third round match at the Cincinnati Open last week. For all of her unforced errors, indecisiveness and the obvious tension surrounding her tennis, the world No 1 had led the unheralded Sára Bejlek 5-1 in the first set tie-break and then 4-1 in set two. She gave herself more than enough chances to close out a comfortable win. Instead Sabalenka returns to New York trying to find a path through her greatest crisis since she first reached No 1 in the rankings more than three years ago. That straight-sets loss in Cincinnati extended a mediocre 17-7 record dating back to the beginning of April without reaching a single final. She has just one more chance to turn her fortunes around as she tries to claim her first grand slam title of the year at the US Open, the tournament she has won on the last two occasions. Continue reading...
Reports that US wants big stake in Venezuelan oil and gas spark anger
Critics call move to gain long-term access to country’s massive energy reserves ‘predatory’ and ‘unconstitutional’ Reports that the US is preparing to claim a big stake in Venezuela’s massive energy reserves have sparked an outcry, with critics describing the move as “predatory” and “unconstitutional”. Several media outlets this week reported that the Trump administration – which abducted Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, in January and has steered the South American country ever since – hopes to secure long-term access to its oil and gasfields. Continue reading...
Fed chair addresses inflation and says central bank’s job is ‘to deliver stable prices’
However, Kevin Warsh didn’t say if interest rates would change in coming months, as inflation remains stubborn The US Federal Reserve is not done fighting high inflation, its chair, Kevin Warsh, said in his first major speech in the role on Friday, emphasizing that it is “the Fed’s job to deliver stable prices”. Warsh did not indicate where the Fed will take interest rates in the coming months, despite US inflation remaining stubbornly above the central bank’s 2% target amid the war in Iran. But his speech was taken by markets as a signal that rates may rise in the coming months, a move that may put him at odds with Donald Trump , who has aggressively called for rates to be cut. Continue reading...
England braces for flooding as thunderstorms forecast in parts of UK
Festivalgoers brave rain and strong winds as ‘unsettled’ conditions expected to last over bank holiday weekend Heavy rain is expected over the weekend, forecasters have said, with people heading to major music festivals warned of unseasonably strong winds. That came after large parts of England braced for flooding on Friday. The Environment Agency (EA) issued flood alerts across the Midlands and into South Yorkshire, having earlier sent out a more-serious flood warning in the town of Nelson, Lancashire. Continue reading...
Tennessee national guard fatally shot armed man in back, autopsy shows
Officials said Tyrin Johnson turned toward guard members with gun while running as report shows he was shot in back Tennessee national guard members assigned to a federal anti-crime taskforce in Memphis fatally shot an armed 20-year-old man in the back, according to an autopsy report obtained by the Associated Press, contradicting police accounts that said the man was facing the troops when they fired. Authorities have said that Tyrin Johnson turned toward guard members with a gun while running from them in the early morning hours after the Fourth of July holiday in Memphis when he was fatally shot in the chest. Continue reading...
Trump pledges to allow cattle ranchers to process own food amid beef imports backlash
President faces criticism over plan to import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without charging higher tariffs Donald Trump has pledged to allow cattle ranchers and farmers to process their own food amid a backlash from the US agricultural sector over his decision to pause US tariffs on foreign beef. The US president has been sharply criticized, including from members of his own party , since announcing the US will temporarily import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without charging higher tariffs in a bid to bring down prices. Continue reading...
Tropical Storm Dolly speeding across Atlantic toward the Caribbean
Weather system is forecast to approach the Leeward Islands this weekend and may produce flash flooding Tropical Storm Dolly is moving quickly across the Atlantic Ocean toward the Leeward Islands and is expected to bring significant rainfall to parts of the Caribbean this weekend, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Friday morning. Dolly, which formed on Thursday, had maximum sustained winds of near 40mph (65km/h) with higher gusts as of Friday. Continue reading...
Louisiana gears up for first recreational alligator hunt in more than 50 years
State to offer up to 5,000 trappers chance to snare reptiles whose numbers have risen to 3m from fewer than 100,000 The first recreational alligator hunt in Louisiana in more than half a century is about to commence in the swamps of that state, with up to 5,000 hopeful trappers facing strict rules in order to snare a reptile. The state’s fish and wildlife commission banned alligator hunting in 1962 to allow the species to recover after decades of unregulated killings for meat and hides dropped numbers there to below 100,000. Continue reading...
UK urged to ban imports of Brazilian meat over health concerns
Brazil failed to prove compliance with EU rules on use of antibiotics in cattle and poultry farming The UK’s leading farming organisations and animal health experts have called for an urgent ban on imports of Brazilian meat, in light of concerns over the safety of imports. The National Farmers’ Union in England and its sister organisations in the devolved administrations wrote to the government on Friday warning that public health was at risk. Continue reading...
Labour rejects Zack Polanski’s call to ‘slam brakes’ on building AI datacentres
Government says Green leader’s proposed moratorium on ‘energy-guzzling’ AI projects would be disaster for economy Labour has rejected calls to pause construction of major AI infrastructure in Britain after the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, said it was time to “slam the brakes on these energy-guzzling, water-guzzling datacentres”. The government hit back at the opposition party’s proposal of a “moratorium other than [for] local-scale datacentres for the local community”, saying it “would be a disaster for jobs and national security”. Continue reading...
Charles Perrottet becomes Icac’s main character amid claims of hidden payments and political hit jobs
The brother of former premier questioned over what, if anything, was done in return for $2m from developer turned fugitive Jean Nassif Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Finally, we are hearing from one of the central characters, Charles Perrottet, in a saga that has occupied the Independent Commission against Corruption (Icac) for nearly four years. It began with the dismissal of the Hills Shire council and a late night 2022 speech in NSW parliament alleging secret payments from a developer. It pirouetted to a pressure campaign allegedly to remove the then NSW building commissioner, and ended with real world impacts: defective high-rise buildings and thousands of unhappy homebuyers, with the developer nowhere to be seen. Continue reading...
At least 93,000 ‘in great need’ after Nepal-Tibet flash floods, says Red Cross
Federation says it fears death toll of more than 540 will continue to rise as rescuers reach cut-off areas Nepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updates Visual guide: how the deadly flooding unfolded Tell us: have you been affected by the flash floods? The Red Cross has said at least 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday’s flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border, which have killed more than 540 people, left another 1,500 missing, and triggered a huge rescue operation that is being hampered by fears of new flooding. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it feared the death toll would continue to rise as some of the hardest-hit areas remained inaccessible after roads and bridges were destroyed by the torrents. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham to abstain on assisted dying bill to avoid influencing debate
Exclusive: PM also warns his ministers against trying to influence vote when bill returns to Commons next month Andy Burnham has told Labour MPs that he will not cast a vote when the assisted dying bill returns to the Commons next month to avoid influencing the debate. While the move was welcomed by supporters of the measure, No 10 officials say the prime minister has no wish to affect the process in either direction, and is just doing what he thinks is best to allow MPs to reach their own collective view. Continue reading...