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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
3119 stories archived
Jalen Hurts placed on injured reserve after Eagles quarterback diagnosed with blood clot
Eagles star sidelined by blood clot in his calf Hurts sustained injury against Rams on 4 October Super Bowl MVP must miss at least four games Quarterback Jalen Hurts was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, two days after the Philadelphia Eagles revealed he had a blood clot in his calf. Hurts was initially ruled out on Thursday for the Eagles’ upcoming game against Carolina. The Eagles said at the time that Hurts had been injured when he took a cleat to his calf during their game against the Los Angeles Rams on 4 October. Continue reading...
No action to be taken against wife of PM’s aide over Palestine Action post
Tweet by Sarah Helm, wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, ‘does not meet criminal threshold’ No further action will be taken against Sarah Helm, the wife of the prime minister’s national security adviser, after she was accused of supporting the banned protest group Palestine Action. Helm, a journalist and author who is married to Jonathan Powell, posted on X on Thursday: “ God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action .” Continue reading...
ICE agent who crashed into man in Texas was targeting suspect who died years ago, family says
Federal officer slammed vehicle into a construction worker while pursuing a man who died in similar circumstances A federal officer slammed a vehicle into a Houston construction worker and broke his leg , believing him to be a man who apparently died years ago, the dead man’s family said on Friday, further calling into question the account given by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The worker, 48-year-old Miguel Parra Hernandez of Mexico, remains hospitalized with multiple leg fractures and needs reconstructive ankle surgery, according to FIEL, a Houston-based immigration advocacy group. At a news conference on Friday, the group said the alleged suspect’s family had shared documentation proving his death. Continue reading...
If Trump becomes a lame duck, surely countries like Australia can say what we really think? | Zoe Daniel
For years everyone has been dancing around Trump’s unpredictability, his bullying and his threats. It’s past time to reassert our values In two weeks, Donald Trump faces his moment of truth; transformational midterm elections that will drastically influence the rest of his presidency, for better or for worse. Assuming that he cannot find a way around the constitutional ban on him running for a third time in 2028, he now has a limited time left to make sure he leaves office the most consequential president ever. Again, for better, or worse. Zoe Daniel is a three-time ABC foreign correspondent and former independent member for Goldstein Continue reading...
Reform candidate filmed saying asylum seekers should be put in ‘concentration camps’
Would-be MP recorded telling undercover reporter in ITV investigation that Muslims could not be British A would-be Reform UK MP told an undercover reporter that Muslims could not be British and asylum seekers should be put in “concentration camps”. The comments were recorded as part of the undercover investigation by ITV that has already seen Reform accused of “appalling behaviour” and “extreme racism”. Continue reading...
Plover, not a fighter: masked lapwing nesting on Tasmanian cricket ground indifferent as play continues
While masked lapwings have a reputation for swooping during nesting season, Windsor Park oval’s resident plover just wants a good innings At Windsor Park in Riverside, just outside Launceston in northern Tasmania, a masked lapwing has claimed prime real estate in the middle of a community sports ground, showing complete indifference to the weekend cricket matches taking place around it. Warming a nest of eggs, the bird has been affectionately dubbed “Faf Swoop Plessis” by locals – a play on former South African cricket captain Faf du Plessis. Continue reading...
Almost all NSW homes destroyed in black summer bushfires were within 100 metres of flammable vegetation
Exclusive : Research confirms official advice about high-risk properties and warns worsening conditions will make more homes unsafe Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Almost every home destroyed in New South Wales during the black summer bushfires of 2019 and 2020 was inside the 100 metre buffer zone used to identify properties most at risk, new research has found. The findings are an endorsement of the risk maps used by authorities, but the research warns that as global heating generates ever-worsening fire conditions firefighters may have to extend the recommended distances between homes and vegetation to keep homes safe. Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...
Israeli settlers attack European diplomats in West Bank
French mayor and archbishop also attacked during violent attempt to stop Palestinians harvesting olives Israeli settler militants have attacked European diplomats, a French mayor and the archbishop of Cambrai in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank, injuring three people and damaging a car, in the latest violent attempt to prevent Palestinians from harvesting olives on their own land. Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was wearing his red, white and blue sash of office and attempting to enter a vehicle with diplomatic plates when he was assaulted and knocked to the ground on Saturday. Continue reading...
Six homes burned and two firefighters injured in fast-moving California wildfire
About 6,000 homes under evacuation, affecting 16,000 residents in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano At least six homes burned and two firefighters were injured after a fast-moving wildfire blazed through parts of southern California on Friday. Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries from the Norte fire, officials said. Continue reading...
Masked settlers attack European diplomats in occupied West Bank
Belgian foreign minister urges further EU sanctions and links attack to Israel’s ‘illegal settlement policy’ Masked settlers attacked a group of European diplomats during a visit to the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Belgium’s foreign minister said, on a second day of high-profile assaults on Palestinians and others during the sensitive olive harvest. At least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest began earlier this month, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Activists say Israeli authorities do little to stop attacks that involve weapons ranging from slingshots to guns. An attack on Friday seriously injured a Washington Post photographer and others. Continue reading...
Revealed: French police used UK-funded 4x4 vehicles to charge student protesters
French government launches investigation into why cars funded by UK to prevent asylum seekers crossing Channel were used in school protests French police have used 4x4 vehicles paid for by British taxpayers to charge at student protesters during the school protests that have swept the country. The French government has confirmed that an investigation has been launched into why the cars, funded by the UK government specifically to prevent asylum seekers crossing the Channel, were used during a protest involving school students in Dunkirk. Continue reading...
SNP says campaign for next referendum on independence ‘has already begun’
John Swinney tells party conference SNP will use ‘six-figure war chest’ to renew argument for leaving UK John Swinney has said that the second referendum campaign for Scottish independence “has already begun”, revealing a nationwide effort to renew the argument for leaving the UK in his keynote address to the SNP party conference. On Saturday, the Scottish first minister said that the SNP would launch its “most sophisticated campaign in history” to convince Scottish of the benefits of independence, backed by “a six-figure war chest”. Called Choose Scotland, the campaign aims to build the consensus for leaving the union. Continue reading...
Florida fisher dragged into water and killed by 12ft alligator
Steve Hamilton was fishing in Winter Garden when he was attacked by gator, which was later killed A man fishing at a pond in Florida was killed on Friday by an alligator that was almost 12ft long in a rare kind of animal attack, according to authorities and media reports. Steve Hamilton, 71, was on the shoreline in the community of Winter Garden when the animal dragged him into the water, the Florida news outlet WOFL reported , citing local police and the state’s fish and wildlife conservation commission. Continue reading...
Police clash with protesters as tens of thousands take to streets across France
Police fire teargas in Paris and protesters storm town hall in Marseille – with officials blaming violence on ‘ultra-left’ Police have fired teargas and clashed with protesters supporting high school student grievances, as demonstrations across France were boosted by other groups angry over high prices and the fraying of a social welfare system. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across the country, and tensions erupted on the fringes of the nationwide demonstrations over absent teachers, decrepit school buildings and police violence. Continue reading...
Elon Musk agrees to settle lawsuits over 2024 election lottery
Trump-boosting billionaire was sued over promise to give away $1m per day to random signatories of petition Elon Musk and his America Pac political action committee said recently that they agreed to settle two proposed class actions alleging the billionaire entrepreneur defrauded residents in closely contested states before the 2024 US election by promising voters a lottery-style daily $1m giveaway. The plaintiffs, Musk and America Pac told the judge overseeing the two related lawsuits in federal court in Austin, Texas, on Thursday that they have reached settlements subject to court approval. Continue reading...
Ilhan Omar’s attorneys say federal search of her home was ‘neither justified nor lawful’
Minnesota lawmaker’s attorneys asked for return of seized items and the preservation of any recordings of search Ilhan Omar ’s attorneys have asked the US Department of Justice to return property that federal agents removed days earlier from her home during a search. The lawyers for the Minnesota Democrat contended that the seizure as “neither justified nor lawful”, according to a letter that the Associated Press reported on Friday. Continue reading...
The right is pushing its anti-trans fury on the WNBA. Players and fans are loudly pushing back
As the WNBA finals kick off Saturday in San Francisco, the pro-LGBTQ+ sports fanbase push a message of inclusion in the face of anti-trans attacks Sign up for WNBA 30: a free women’s basketball newsletter At Wilka’s Sports Bar in lower Manhattan, a crowd of mostly LGBTQ+ fans was fired up during a WNBA playoff game between the New York Liberty and the Atlanta Dream. When the Liberty’s Jonquel Jones blocked the Dream’s star forward Angel Reese at the basket, then chest-bumped her – leading teammates to separate them – the bar erupted in cheers. One fan quietly joked: “Now kiss!” “I love strong women, and I love supporting strong women,” said August, a trans organizer and Liberty fan who asked to go by their first name for privacy reasons. Continue reading...
Selma Blair ‘did not intend to harm anyone’ during airplane incident, representatives say
Actor experienced a ‘medical emergency’ on flight during which she allegedly injured crew members, statement says Actor Selma Blair did not mean to hurt anyone during the recent flight which led to her arrest on allegations that she assaulted a pair of cabin crew members, a police officer and a nurse, her representatives said on Friday in a statement that characterized the episode as a medical emergency. The lengthy statement also dismissed prior media coverage of Blair’s arrest after a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York as unsympathetic and inaccurate, singling out reporting from several outlets alleging that she tried to open the door of the airplane that she and her fellow passengers were on. Continue reading...
Pope Leo discharged from hospital after cancer operation
Doctors say pontiff is ‘fit for discharge’ after operation to remove cancerous tumour from his lung Pope Leo lung cancer surgery: what kind of operation did he have and what happens next? Pope Leo has been discharged from hospital in Rome after undergoing an operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his lung . Leo, 71, was deemed “fit for discharge”, his doctors, Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritoria, said in a statement published by the Vatican. Continue reading...
Zelenskyy says Trump’s lifting of sanctions on Russia will intensify war in Ukraine
Ukrainian president calls the move a ‘reward’ for Vladimir Putin as Russia strikes country’s power plants Power plant attacks reflect Russian blueprint to make Ukrainian cities unlivable Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Donald Trump’s decision to roll back sanctions on Russia will intensify the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, as Moscow launched one of its worst strikes yet on Ukraine’s power plants in an attempt to black out the country’s cities before winter. The Ukrainian president also said he expected the Trump administration to lift more sanctions against Russia in the future and called for Europe to establish its own negotiations with Moscow as the US has sought better ties and business deals with the Kremlin. Continue reading...
Isabel Allende wins €1m Spanish literary prize under pseudonym
Chilean-American author awarded Premio Planeta for sequel to her 1982 debut novel, The House of the Spirits The Chilean-American author Isabel Allende has won Spain’s €1m (£843,000) Premio Planeta, one of the world’s most lucrative literary prizes, under a pseudonym, with a sequel to her celebrated debut novel, The House of the Spirits. Allende, 84, won the 75th edition of the award on Thursday with La hora antes del alba , which returns to the characters of her 1982 novel, a multigenerational family saga set against political upheaval in a country inspired by Chile. Continue reading...
Inside the long, bitter fight over one man’s quest to build the biggest AI datacenter in California
A modern-day prospector promised rural Imperial thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue – but his plan has set off a firestorm of resistance Sebastian Rucci zoomed in on a map in late 2024, looking closely at a large block of brown earth. The barren plot sandwiched between sprawling alfalfa fields and sleepy desert suburbs was exactly what he’d been searching for – the perfect place to realize his dream of building the largest artificial intelligence datacenter in California. The dusty expanse wasn’t an obvious location. It was in the Sonoran desert, just north of the Mexican border, where temperatures regularly rose past 100F (37.8C). Water was scarce in the once-booming agricultural area, which gets its supply from the beleaguered Colorado River. And then, there was the city of Imperial – population 22,000 – to win over. As controversial datacenter projects have sprung up across the US, residents were naturally skeptical of a new, energy-guzzling neighbor. Continue reading...
‘We’re not playing games’: Parents launch playground protests to fight school field sell-off
School looking to sell piece of open land beloved by people in Devon town to fund refurbishments On Saturdays throughout autumn, residents of Totnes have met at a field on the banks of the River Dart to play ballgames, fly kites or simply sit on the grass and chat. But it hasn’t just been about having fun – this has been a “play protest” aimed at trying to save a beloved piece of open land in the historic Devon market town. Continue reading...
Move over, pervert glasses – the latest toxic trend is robogroping
Whenever a new technology is created, it will, without exception, immediately be used to harass girls and women You may be familiar with rule 34 of the internet, which states that if something exists or can be imagined, there will almost certainly be online porn of it. Now let me introduce my rule 35: whenever a new technology is created, it will, without exception, immediately be used to harass girls and women. See, for example, Meta’s “ pervert glasses ”. As anyone could have foreseen, putting a tiny camera and microphone into smartglasses would immediately lead to people using them to record and harass women. Lo and behold, that is exactly what happened. So-called manfluencers have filmed themselves trying to flirt with women in public spaces and then uploaded the footage to TikTok. The women in these videos are often not aware they’ve been recorded until their identities are shared online and they are harassed by strangers. And what’s Meta doing about this? It’s instituted a few bans and made some privacy updates, but doesn’t seem to have an appetite to properly solve the problem. Indeed, at the Meta Connect 2026 keynote, Mark Zuckerberg did not feel the need to apologize to the women whose lives have been upended by his technology. Continue reading...