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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Artist defends Ronnie O’Sullivan mural in Sheffield saying it isn’t finished
Critics say painting looks more like a zombie but artist Chris Ashmore says ‘touch-ups’ are still to happen A street artist has defended his mural of snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan in Sheffield after critics suggested the world champion looks like a zombie. Chris Ashmore was commissioned to produce the artwork featuring the seven-time world champion for the back wall of the Spot On Snooker Club, the BBC reported . Continue reading...
Egyptian queen’s 673-diamond necklace stolen in Vienna smash-and-grab raid
Police hunt two suspects after historic 200-carat piece is snatched from museum during opening hours Austrian police are hunting two men alleged to have stolen a 200-carat platinum necklace encrusted with 673 diamonds that was on loan to a Vienna museum and once belonged to Egyptian royalty. Authorities in the capital released pictures of the suspects captured by security cameras during the heist at the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), amid a rash of spectacular smash-and-grab thefts from European cultural institutions. Continue reading...
Chinese controls on information hamper assessment of Tibet flood damage
Scale of devastation emerges in Nepal as reporters reach disaster area, but Chinese state media focus more on rescue efforts Nepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updates In the days since an enormous glacier in the Himalayas snapped away from a mountaintop and cascaded into the valley below, the true scale of the devastation caused by the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet is still unfolding. But the picture is unfolding far more quickly in Nepal than in China, where strict controls on the flow of information from one of its most sensitive regions are hampering the public’s understanding of events. Continue reading...
Rollercoaster at LA’s Six Flags shut after two riders suffered brain injuries, inquiry finds
X2 ride at Magic Mountain has been closed for a month after one rider experienced brain compression and another remains in coma An infamous Six Flags Magic Mountain rollercoaster, long favored by intrepid theme park goers, has been closed for more than a month after two people say they experienced brain injuries after riding it, according to a new CNN investigation. The X2 rollercoaster can send riders plummeting and twisting hundreds of feet, reaching up to 76mph (about 122km/h), as the seats rotate 360 degrees. On the southern California theme park’s website , it’s advertised as a rite of passage for daredevils. Continue reading...
White House construction played part in Trump helicopter incident, safety officials say
Helipad relocation led in part to incident where Marine One, carrying the president, had close call with passenger jet Safety officials say the relocation of a helipad amid Donald Trump’s multi-project White House reconstruction led in part to an incident earlier this month in which a military helicopter carrying the president came too close to a passenger jet . A preliminary report published Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) blamed “communication issues” for the failure of the crew of Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to give the required three minutes’ notice to air traffic controllers that they were about to take off from the White House. Continue reading...
French far-right leader Jordan Bardella to address Reform UK party conference
Speech in Birmingham part of effort to strengthen Marine Le Pen party’s international ties before her presidential bid The French far-right leader Jordan Bardella is to give a speech at Reform UK’s party conference in Birmingham next week, as he attempts to boost international ties before Marine Le Pen ’s bid for the French presidency next spring. Le Pen’s far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN), is high in the polls and she is predicted to reach the final round of the French presidential race in May. Continue reading...
Vaccine misinformation spreads as RFK Jr suggests two measles deaths were ‘fabricated’
Anti-vaxxers are spreading conspiracy theories after two recent measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania Anti-vaccine activists are trying to track down the families of two people, including at least one newborn, who died after contracting measles in Pennsylvania, as governor Josh Shapiro tangles with Robert F Kennedy Jr over his “inaccurate and misleading claims”. Kennedy, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), suggested late Wednesday that the deaths in the state may have been “fabricated” after a Republican coroner – an elected political office in Lancaster county – claimed one of the measles-associated deaths was unrelated to the virus, although the given cause would be consistent with measles. Continue reading...
Families of 33 missing Britons rush to Nepal as fears grow of more floods
Desperate relatives trying to reach loved ones last seen in area where entire villages have been swept away Nepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updates Visual guide: how the deadly flooding unfolded Tell us: have you been affected by the flash floods? Families are rushing to Nepal to search for the 33 British nationals who are still missing, as fears mount over the risk of a second wave of flooding in the region. The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday , thundering down valleys and sweeping away entire villages, have killed at least 538 people, while more than 1,500 remain missing. Continue reading...
Rob Reiner’s son Jake gives first interview after parents’ deaths: ‘I will never understand why this happened’
Jake says his parents ‘never stopped helping’ his brother Nick, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering both of them at their Los Angeles home Jake Reiner has given his first interview since the killing of his parents, the film-maker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, saying: “I will never understand why this happened.” Reiner, who directed films including The Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me, was found dead alongside Singer Reiner from apparent stab wounds in their home in Los Angeles in December. Continue reading...
Asda returns to growth after more than two years
Chair Allan Leighton says lower prices and an improved online service are attracting more shoppers Asda has heralded its first quarterly growth in more than two years as the supermarket’s boss said it was attracting more shoppers with lower prices and an improved online service. Allan Leighton, the executive chair of the UK’s third-largest grocer, said a 0.2% rise in sales at established stores, excluding fuel, in the three months to the end of June was “a huge milestone” which was “psychologically important for the business”. In the previous quarter sales had fallen 2.3%. Continue reading...
Esther González, Saudi Arabia and the questions around an unexpected transfer saga
The Gotham striker said she was stepping away from the sport, but then signed for Al Qadsiah. The move sparked questions over professionalism and raised concerns of LGBTQ+ fans who have disavowed the Saudi league A recent World Cup winner joins a historically downtrodden club, immediately leads them to their first championship, praises the level of play in the league, speaks fondly of living in the club’s market, extends her contract with the club, leads the club to another championship, is named a league MVP finalist, and breaks the club’s all-time scoring record. That’s the fairytale of Esther González and Gotham FC – a story that ended abruptly, just nine days after that scoring record was set. On 27 July, Gotham announced that they had mutually parted ways with the striker as she “temporarily steps away from soccer to attend to personal matters in Spain”. The announcement of her departure was full of gushing words going both directions, and was met with understanding and support from the women’s soccer world. But less than a month after González left Gotham, Al Qadsiah, a club in the Saudi Women’s Premier League, announced her as their newest signing, on a one-season contract with an option to extend for a second. NWSL journalist Jenna Tonelli soon reported , “League sources tell me that Gotham did not expect Esther to sign with another club this soon.” Questions swirled: did she actually intend to take a break from soccer when she left Gotham? And why would a player who just had a child with her female partner choose to play in Saudi Arabia, a country where same-sex relations are criminalized? Continue reading...
TalkTV criticised for not saying reporter who made migrant crossing was Reform member
Christian Drogan crossed the channel in a small boat from France into England for a TalkTV documentary Rupert Murdoch’s online channel TalkTV is facing criticism after it did not disclose that a journalist who travelled to Britain in a small boat for a documentary was a Reform party member and activist. The channel revealed the “world exclusive” this week, stating that the treacherous journey had made the former builder turned journalist Christian Drogan the first British man “to invade his own country”. Continue reading...
Trump rollback of US forest protections could accelerate extinction of 400 endangered species
Decision to rescind ‘roadless rule’ opens more than 45m acres of national forests to roads, drilling and logging More than 400 endangered animal and plant species could face accelerated extinction after the Donald Trump administration’s decision to rescind a rule that has protected old-growth forests for more than two decades. According to a new report from the Center for Biological Diversity, the rollback of the Bill Clinton-era “roadless rule” could put 7.4m acres of endangered-species habitat and nearly 1,800 miles of protected rivers and streams at risk, while opening more than 45m acres of national forests to roads, drilling and logging. Continue reading...
Dolly Parton was the polar opposite of our bullying president | Robert Reich
Terrified of being seen as a loser, Donald Trump is nonsensically lashing out – even against our old friend Canada I’m still grieving Dolly Parton . I never met her and always wanted to. She was almost exactly my age and my height and had values I deeply admired. Her death leaves a hole in the firmament. Which brings me to the person whose values are as far from Dolly Parton’s as any human could possibly be and still claim to be human. I’m referring, of course, to the current occupant of the Oval Office. Continue reading...
UK petrol prices hit highest level in almost four years as bank holiday getaway looms
Average cost of petrol reaches 161.6p a litre, while diesel costs average of 183.4p, according to the AA UK petrol prices have hit their highest level since 2022, piling more financial pressure on motorists before the bank holiday weekend. The average cost of petrol has reached 161.6p a litre, while diesel costs an average of 183.4p a litre, according to the breakdown company the AA. Continue reading...
First Thing: Rescue efforts continue as death toll rises in Nepal-Tibet flood
More than 1,300 people are missing in Nepal and in Tibet after catastrophic flash floods swept through the region, killing at least 469. Plus: Six months of the war in Iran Good morning. Rescue operations have resumed in Nepal and Tibet after a pause when a lake at the border began to overflow. The lake was formed when wall of mud and debris hit the border hub of Gyirong in Tibet on Wednesday, causing catastrophic flash floods that thundered down valleys and obliterated villages. What could have caused this deadly flash floods? Satellite imagery suggests a glacier collapse high in the Himalayas was the primary cause, raising concerns that the climate crisis is destabilizing the geology of mountain and polar regions. This is a developing story. Follow our live coverage here . What did Kennedy purportedly lie about? A Guardian analysis of newly obtained documents found that the US health secretary had lied when he told lawmakers who held the key to his confirmation that a 2019 visit to Samoa had “nothing to do with vaccines”. Continue reading...
Bigmouth strums again: was Andy Burnham’s Smiths jam in Kyiv the perfect soundtrack to a Britain in freefall?
The UK prime minister clearly still adores the band. Perhaps he’s attracted to songs about sham justice and murderous meat factories, shot through with nihilism and exquisite despair As an origin story, Andy Burnham: Smiths Fan has a lot going for it. It’s plainly authentic: he can name the time he saw them live (Salford University, Queen Is Dead tour, 1986). A cynical young man in a hurry might fake that now, but not back when he first said it, in 2013. Asked by Labour Uncut for his desert island tracks during his 2010 leadership bid, three of the eight were sung by Morrissey (two Smiths singles and one off Viva Hate), which is superfan territory. That’s a softball exercise to endear yourself to Labour members; you have eight chances to hit every base, and to blow three lives on an artist who had already, by then, been dabbling in nationalism for 18 years (we’ll come back to this) was dicey and brave. You’ll recall that Burnham did not win that election. If you were an enemy state, amassing this hinterland for an asset, you’d have basically done a really good job. Continue reading...
Detroit despairs as ‘insanity’ of Trump’s Canada trade war punishes city
Unpopular new policy comes as midterms loom and control of Congress could be decided by several Michigan races Every day $1bn worth of goods crosses the river dividing Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, two largely blue-collar US and Canadian cities that have come to act as one in the creation of North America’s auto industry. News this week of Donald Trump’s escalating trade spat with Canada has everyone worried. Political and economic leaders and observers labeled the move an act of “hubris” , blamed Trump’s “ego”, and called the escalation “insanity”. Continue reading...
The chefs turning down the heat by switching from gas to electric
As well as being quieter, cheaper to run and easier to clean, induction cookers can cut kitchen temperatures by up to 10C Leaping flames, searing heat, copious sweat and scorchingly inventive swearing – restaurant kitchens are never a place for the faint-hearted, but this summer they have been sweltering in successive heatwaves to a dangerous degree. Some restaurants, cafes and bakeries in the UK grew so hot that they were forced to close , or reduce their hours , for the safety of their staff. There is still no maximum working temperature, despite calls from the TUC , and tens of thousands of kitchen staff are thought to have carried on working in “furnace-like” conditions . Continue reading...
‘It’s all you can hear’: New Jersey lawsuit takes on datacenter’s noise pollution
Lawsuit alleges sound is nuisance for up to one mile around datacenter as residents experience noises from DataOne It’s a sound Steve Brown, a 63-year-old Vineland, New Jersey resident, literally hears in his sleep: BGRRRRRRRRRRR. It drones, oscillates, growls – these are machines at industrial scale. Are they generators? Pumps? Fans? Brown does not know what equipment causes the sound or why. He only knows two things: he’s tired of it, and it’s coming from DataOne – a 350MW datacenter under construction a little more than a mile from his home of 25 years. Continue reading...
Swift appeal likely as judge blocks Trump mail voting order – US politics live
Judge Indira Talwani placed a 14-day hold on government implementing Trump’s order to limit mail voting Sign up for the US Breaking News email Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. A federal judge has halted, at least temporarily, attempts to implement Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting. Plaintiff states have neither time nor funds to design new mail ballots, seek approval of the new designs, order production of mail ballots, update their own election management systems, train election officials to use the USPS portal and upload citizen data to the portal, all before the midterms. Documents obtained by the Guardian and interviews with military leadership show the war in Iran has depleted the US Navy’s budget. A senior Democratic senator is calling for a criminal investigation into the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr , following reporting by the Guardian that indicated he lied during Senate confirmation hearings last year. Trump called the media into the Oval Office to watch him sign an executive order to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” . “The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big’, Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney noted. “The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.” Three journalists who were fired by the Pentagon from a US government-funded news outlet sued the US Department of Defense in federal court in Washington DC on Thursday arguing that their dismissals were illegal and violated their first amendment rights to free speech. Continue reading...
Jumping beans: UK shoppers turn to legumes to save cash and improve diet
Sales of beans, lentils and soya bean derivatives on rise while Britons buy less real and fake meat British shoppers are munching more beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh – while cutting back on both real and plant-based fake meat – to save money and improve their diet. The amount of beans, pulses and soya bean derivatives sold in the UK increased by 7.3% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, led by a surge in cheap dried lentils, an analysis has found. Continue reading...
Trump official faces inquiry over claims he diverted wildfire resources to his own property
Exclusive: Michael Boren, a senior official overseeing the US Forest Service, is accused by Democratic senators of ‘inappropriate interference’ Donald Trump’s administration is facing calls to launch an investigation into allegations that Michael Boren, a senior official who oversees the US Forest Service, pressed agency staff to deploy additional resources to fight a fire burning near his Idaho ranch. Three Democratic senators accused Boren of “inappropriate interference” in a letter seen by the Guardian, demanding answers from Brooke Rollins, US agricultural secretary. Boren serves as undersecretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment. Continue reading...
‘This whole thing’s a farce’: New Orleans Catholic church sex abuse settlement brings anger and shock
Survivors begin receiving letters with payment amounts months after $305m settlement agreement was struck Survivors of child rape and other sexual abuse within New Orleans’s Roman Catholic archdiocese learned that $641,000 or so is the most they can individually get under a settlement approved in December to resolve a years-long bankruptcy protection case. Those amounts were communicated in letters that hundreds of clergy abuse survivors participating in the New Orleans archdiocese’s bankruptcy began quietly receiving on Tuesday. The figures are well below a $2.4m jury verdict awarded to an unrelated Louisiana religious sexual abuse claimant in June 2025 after the state’s legislature temporarily eliminated filing deadlines for such cases. Continue reading...