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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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‘Nature thrives when given a chance’: restored Cheshire wetland now a haven for rare grebe
Woolston Eyes in Warrington, a dumping ground for canal dredgings, has become best place in UK for black-necked grebe A dumping ground for dredgings from the Manchester Ship Canal has become the best place in Britain for the rare and beautiful black-necked grebe, hosting 64% of Britain’s breeding population. Since 2021, Woolston Eyes in Cheshire has been restored, extended and turned into a mosaic of freshwater pools, reedbeds, willow scrub and rough grassland, managed by the RSPB and Woolston Eyes Conservation Group. Continue reading...
Pentagon’s blacklisting of Anthropic was unlawful, US judge rules
Anthropic argued designation as ‘supply chain risk’ could cost the company billions of dollars in lost business and reputational harm A US federal judge ruled Thursday that sanctions imposed in February by the Trump administration against AI giant Anthropic were illegal, finding that the government had punished the artificial intelligence company for publicly criticising the Pentagon. “The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics,” Judge Rita Lin said in a 59-page decision. Continue reading...
South Korea to re-examine 310,000 missing person cases after fake record scandal
Renewed scrutiny comes after police officer accused of falsifying records in order to close the cases of people who were later found dead South Korean police will re-examine about 310,000 missing persons cases closed over the past three years, prompted by a scandal in which an officer was arrested on suspicion of falsifying records to close files on two people who were later found dead. The case has drawn national attention, with President Lee Jae Myung ordering an investigation into the police handling of it and telling the force to draw up a reform plan. Continue reading...
In this hour of need, contemplating a cut to Australia’s refugee intake is cruel populism
Confusion and politics aside, Australia can’t pretend to be removed from the world – and the millions of people in need of sanctuary Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Messy politics aside, this much is clear: Australia is being cruelly parsimonious in resettling people, at a moment when it is of greatest global need. There are more people in the world requiring protection right now than at any time in human history, but Australia is obsessed with cutting numbers in the face of febrile anti-migration rhetoric. Continue reading...
Federal judge again halts Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting in midterms
President’s directive stalls for a second time about a week before the first postal ballots are due to be sent out A federal judge on Thursday halted – at least for the moment – attempts to implement Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting. The president’s directive stalled for a second time about a week before the first mail ballots are due to be sent out for the rapidly approaching midterm elections. In the US district court, Judge Indira Talwani placed a 14-day hold on the government implementing the order in a case that could be headed back to the supreme court, which on Monday overturned an earlier ruling of hers that had blocked Trump’s order from taking effect. Continue reading...
Nepal-Tibet flash flood live updates: debris-clogged river at risk of flooding again; rescuers race to find survivors
The catastrophic flash flood has killed at least 389 people and left more than 1,300 missing, with hundreds of tourists unaccounted for Nearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, and hundreds killed Visual guide: how the deadly flooding unfolded Tell us: have you been affected by the flash floods? Chinese authorities have warned that an artificial lake formed after a catastrophic flash flood hit the China-Nepal border on Wednesday faces a “high risk of breaching and sending flood waters downstream”, according to state media. “According to forecasts, inflows into the lake could reach about 3 million cubic meters over the next three days amid continued rainfall, increasing the risk of a breach that could send flood waters downstream and potentially cause further damage in areas including Gyirong Port and elsewhere downstream”, state news agency Xinhua reported late Thursday. Rescue teams and military helicopters are searching for hundreds of missing people along the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border after a huge torrent of water and mud swept through communities following a glacier collapse on Wednesday. More than 390 people were killed , authorities in Nepal and China said, and more than 1,400 were missing, including hundreds of foreign citizens and pilgrims. More than 500 foreign citizens were among 826 people missing in Nepal , police and tourism officials said. Among those unaccounted for were 177 from India, 90 from the US, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada. Chinese state media said at least 558 were missing on the Tibet side of the border, of whom at least 260 were foreign nationals. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said he ordered the release of $2m from the UN’s central emergency response fund to help with medical care, shelter and water. US president Donald Trump said the flooding was terrible to see , describing how “strong, well-built buildings were wiped out like they were toothpicks”. Nepalese officials said dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40km of roads damaged , complicating search efforts. The Nepalese army had rescued more than 100 people by helicopter , an army spokesperson said. Army teams also evacuated people trapped inside facilities linked to the Trishuli hydropower project, he said. Dozens of injured people were transported to Kathmandu for medical care . Rescuers found bodies in Nepal’s Chitwan district , hundreds of kilometres downstream from the hardest-hit areas. The Nepal Red Cross Society said the agency has shifted its focus from rescue to large-scale relief operations in the flood-hit districts. China’s premier, Li Qiang, arrived on Thursday in Gyirong to direct rescue efforts , alongside 500 military and paramilitary personnel. Continue reading...
‘We just want them to return’: relatives of Australians missing in Nepal floods wait anxiously for news of loved ones
Family of two Sydney boys and their parents, who are among 39 Australians identified as missing after flash flooding, ‘worried, but hopeful’ The family of two Sydney boys who went missing with their parents in flash flooding in Nepal say they remain hopeful they will be found safe. Shylaja Muralitharan, 42, her husband, Chandrasekaran Muralitharan, 47, and their two sons Ashwin, 14 and Aarush, 11, were taking part in a pilgrimage when the flood hit on Wednesday morning. Continue reading...
FDA approves updated Covid-19 vaccines for dominant XFG variant
Decision allows manufacturers to begin shipping doses, but confusion remains about insurance coverage The US Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid-19 vaccines on Thursday, allowing manufacturers to begin shipping doses to pharmacies and doctors’ offices across the country. The FDA approved Moderna, Novavax-Sanofi and Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated Covid vaccines, the companies said on Thursday, after an advisory panel recommended that the shots should target the dominant XFG variant. Continue reading...
One Nation’s new NSW leader Mike Newman is an investment banker who wants to ‘get rid of wokery’
Son of former ABC chair will contest seat of Cessnock in March state election and says ‘my wife’s Japanese’ so he doesn’t believe party is racist Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast One Nation has named investment banker Mike Newman as its New South Wales leader and first lower house candidate ahead of the March 2027 state election. Pauline Hanson was to hold a press conference alongside Newman on Friday morning to announce the son of former ABC chair Maurice Newman as her party’s candidate for the Hunter seat of Cessnock. Continue reading...
Three journalists sue Pentagon after being fired from military news outlet
Three employees of Stars and Stripes, a government-funded news service, allege they were fired after reporting on USS Abraham Lincoln Three journalists who were fired by the Pentagon from a US government-funded news outlet sued the Department of Defense in federal court on Thursday, arguing their dismissals were illegal and violated their first amendment rights to free speech. The three journalists were all employees of Stars and Stripes, which their court filing calls “the U.S. military’s independent news source since the Civil War with a long history of editorial independence, free from news management or censorship by military command”. Continue reading...
H.Res. 1498: In the matter of allegations relating to Representative Chuck Edwards.
Legislation Coming Up: This resolution has been added to the House's schedule for the coming week, according to the House Majority Leader. More information can be found at http://docs.house.gov/floor. Last Action: This resolution is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on August 3, 2026. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.
Senator calls for criminal investigation of RFK Jr after Guardian report
Newly obtained records indicate health secretary lied about Samoa trip during Senate confirmation hearings last year 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. Ron Wyden of Oregon said: “RFK’s platform is built on lies and grifts that leave a trail of dead children in their wake. There are consequences for lying to Congress.” Continue reading...
Burnham announces crackdown on rogue bailiffs and ‘cowboy builders’
New rules are aimed at protecting people in debt in England and Wales and stopping homeowners being ripped off A clampdown on “rogue bailiffs” has been launched by Andy Burnham amid concerns that vulnerable people are being overcharged and face aggressive behaviour. In the latest in a series of “everyday fixes” to ease the cost of living and “make Britain fairer”, the prime minister said he was strengthening the rules that apply to bailiffs in England and Wales to better protect people in debt. Continue reading...
USA’s Russell and Brazil’s Dos Santos smash world records on ‘crazy’ night in Zurich
Dos Santos and Russell smash hurdles world records Werro comes within 0.42sec of 800m world record Bednarek and Wanyonyi clock world-leading times Masai Russell and Alison Dos Santos each set a world record while Armand ’Mondo’ Duplantis won a historic pole vault in a barmy night of track and field in Zurich on Thursday that would have more than appeased onlooking World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. “I expect the Olympic Games in two hours,” Coe said of his expectations of the penultimate Diamond League meet of the season. Continue reading...
Struggling Inter Miami are finalizing hire of Kily González as new head coach
MLS club mired in five-match winless run González to replace interim coach Guillermo Hoyos Inter Miami are finalizing the hire of former Argentina international Cristian “Kily” González as the club’s new head coach, according to three sources familiar with negotiations. César Luis Merlo was first to report the news. The hiring will spell the end of interim manager Guillermo Hoyos’ time in charge of the South Florida club. In fact, he may have already coached his last game; MLS announced on Thursday that Hoyos had been suspended for one game for the club’s “repeated violations” of the late kickoff policy. (Inter Miami have become known throughout the league for delaying their return from half-time.) Continue reading...
H.J.Res. 1: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that the Supreme Court of the United States be composed of nine justices.
Legislation Coming Up: This resolution has been added to the House's schedule for the coming week, according to the House Majority Leader. More information can be found at http://docs.house.gov/floor. Last Action: The committees assigned to this resolution sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on June 3, 2026.
Australia news live: number of Australians missing in Nepal increases to 39; voluntary assisted dying now legal nation-wide
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong confirms increase to number of Australians missing Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Voluntary assisted dying laws have been passed in the Northern Territory jurisdiction following debate over a gag clause barring doctors from raising end-of-life options with patients, Australian Associated Press reports. The rights of the terminally ill bill passed on a conscience vote in the Northern Territory parliament late last night, with the gag intact. Continue reading...
H.R. 4795: Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026
Legislation Coming Up: This bill has been added to the House's schedule for the coming week, according to the House Majority Leader. More information can be found at http://docs.house.gov/floor. Last Action: The committees assigned to this bill sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on June 25, 2026.
H.R. 9436: Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026
Legislation Coming Up: This bill has been added to the House's schedule for the coming week, according to the House Majority Leader. More information can be found at http://docs.house.gov/floor. Last Action: The committees assigned to this bill sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on July 15, 2026.
H.R. 1501: Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025
Legislation Coming Up: This bill has been added to the House's schedule for the coming week, according to the House Majority Leader. More information can be found at http://docs.house.gov/floor. Last Action: The committees assigned to this bill sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on April 21, 2026.
H.Res. 1490: Providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms, and for other purposes.
Legislation Coming Up: This resolution has been added to the House's schedule for the coming week, according to the House Majority Leader. More information can be found at http://docs.house.gov/floor. Last Action: This resolution is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on August 27, 2026. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.
Florida grand jury finds DeSantis administration ‘misappropriated’ funds from Medicaid settlement
Grand jury declined to indict anyone but said there was a ‘sophisticated scheme’ to use funds for political activity US politics live – latest updates A Florida grand jury has found that the administration of the governor, Ron DeSantis , “misappropriated” $10m in taxpayer money from a Medicaid settlement into the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity with ties to DeSantis’s wife, before the money was reportedly “funneled” into “two political action committees”. In the grand jury report , which remains sealed but was obtained and published by CBS News Miami on Wednesday, the grand jurors wrote that “we conclude that these funds were misappropriated as part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities” but said that they found “insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally”. Continue reading...
Good Good Golf co-founder sorry for ad depicting violence against woman
Garrett Clark says controversial skit was in ‘poor taste’ Retailers have pulled Good Good products from shelves PGA Tour says sponsorship situation remains ‘fluid’ Good Good Golf co-founder Garrett Clark apologized in a video on Wednesday night, saying he hopes “we can move on” amid continued fallout from a since-deleted that many believe made light of violence against women. The video, posted on 21 August, was meant to promote a Callaway golf club. It showed Clark shoving Good Good personality Alexis Miestowski to the ground as she went to pull a Callaway club out of his bag. Clark then said, “Do not touch my new driver,” while standing over her. Continue reading...
Democrats to investigate ‘miraculous’ rise of Trump Jr’s investment firm
Congressman Jamie Raskin asks president’s son to detail firm’s recent success after he joined 1798 Capital as partner Democrats on a powerful US congressional committee have launched an investigation into a venture capital firm which has thrived since recruiting Donald Trump’s son. Donald Trump Jr joined 1798 Capital as a partner just days after his father won a second term in office in November 2024. Congressman Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the US House of Representatives judiciary committee, has asked the president’s son to detail the firm’s recent success. Continue reading...