Demonstrators take to the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities after new legislation fails to passTens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities as they step up demands for action to tackle a mounting housing crisis after government measures were struck down by the opposition.Demonstrators on Saturday waved posters calling for a general strike after the measures drawn up to address mass anger over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid, and other housing issues, were rejected in parliament on Friday. Continue reading...
Eaton county prosecuting attorney's office had said court ruling forced removal of Nassar's name - but he wasn't on list because he was imprisoned out of stateMichigan has removed more than 20,000 entries from its sex offender registry, but convicted serial abuser Larry Nassar is not one of them - the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor was not in that system, as a local prosecutor's office claimed, because he was serving an out-of-state federal prison sentence, according to state police.On 9 September, the Michigan supreme court ruled that the state's Sex Offender Registration Act (Sora) cannot be applied retroactively to cases involving offenses committed before the law's relevant date. Michigan's state police, as a result, removed more than 20,000 people whose offenses occurred before 1 July 2011 from the agency's online sex offender database.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...
The state, which is home to many AI companies, is one of the first to roll out workplace regulations targeting the technologyCalifornia's laws aimed at protecting workers from the impacts of artificial intelligence could pave the way for broader workplace safeguards across the US as calls for regulating the technology mount. As the federal government goes hands-off on AI, California is taking the reins to address workers' biggest fears.On Thursday, California governor Gavin Newsom signed a suite of new laws that ban bosses from relying entirely on AI to decide whether to fire workers, using it to predict employees' emotional states or collecting neural data, meaning the information from electrical signals of someone's brain or nerves. They also require companies to notify workers if layoffs were caused by AI and prohibit AI surveillance in workplace bathrooms. Continue reading...
Rhonda Jewell was sentenced to 17 years for forgetting 10-month-old Ariya in car's back seat, leading to child's deathA state appeals court in Florida reversed the felony murder conviction of a woman who accidentally left a baby in her car, resulting in the child's death.In July 2023, while babysitting four children from two different families, 46-year-old Rhonda Jewell forgot 10-month-old Ariya Paige was in the back of her car, and went inside to care for the other kids. Strapped into her carseat in the Florida summer heat, Ariya died of hyperthermia before Jewell realized her mistake. Jewell was convicted the following year of third-degree felony murder, predicated on the underlying felony of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. She was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Continue reading...
President says payments, to be sent in early October, are meant to offset cost of monthly insurance premiumsDonald Trump has said the US government will send a one-time $90 payment to more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, the health insurance program for elderly people, to help offset the cost of their monthly medical insurance premiums.The president said on social media late on Friday that the payments would come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which he said was given $2bn by Congress to improve the Medicare fee-for-service program. Continue reading...
Temperatures expected to hover around 100F in downtown LA and even hotter inland, raising concerns about wildfiresSouthern California faced scorching heatwaves this summer that made locals wonder what happened to their famed Mediterranean climate.Now, the fall is bringing heatwaves too. Continue reading...
The 25-year-old was the sixth man detained as counter-terrorism police investigate possible foreign state involvement'A sixth man who was arrested in connection with a suspected terrorist plot at RAF Fairford has been released on bail.The 25-year-old, a dual UK-Iranian national, was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. Continue reading...
This live blog is now closed, you can find more of our UK political coverage hereAli says Britain is a multiracial, multicultural democracy that needs to protect everyone's equal right to belong."At a time when Britain is facing unprecedented levels of racist violence and intimidation, the country needs leadership.
by Sarah Marsh Consumer affairs correspondent on (#78T3Q)
Shoppers are switching from traditional product despite little evidence alternative is saferBacon has long been a favourite of carnivores, but there is growing consumer concern about the health risks posed by nitrites, chemicals used to cure meats.While many experts argue there is no evidence processed meat made without nitrites is safer, retailers have responded to consumer concerns by offering nitrite-free" products to meet demand. Continue reading...
The UK prime minister has earned his party a rehearing but the battle of public opinion is not yet wonHe's offering what no other politician has offered for a long, long time. He actually feels like he's one of us," was how Neil, a geography teacher, described Andy Burnham in our focus group on Thursday night.Neil wasn't alone in his praise: this group of Labour 2024 voters - some of whom had drifted to Reform, the Tories and Greens during the Starmer era - provided the most positive reception for a politician since Boris Johnson at the height of his Covid-vaccine bounce. Continue reading...
The Premier League's actions would have an influence on the bilateral state relationship', Emirati officials saidThe United Arab Emirates have reportedly warned the government it could cancel big investments in the UK after Manchester City were found guilty by an independent commission.Emirati officials said the Premier League's actions" would have an influence on the bilateral state relationship", according to Bloomberg. Continue reading...
Attorney general says terrorist attack' was attempted by suspect who is said to have been barred from flying by Oman because of extremist viewsThe co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 used an axe to attempt to carry out a terrorist attack" during the Israel-bound flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said.Disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when passengers and crew intervened to stop the co-pilot from his attempt to take control of the plane, which had 182 people on board and plunged 16,625ft in just over 30 seconds. The descent was so extreme that part of the rudder was ripped off. Continue reading...
Greek PM hopes handover of Tsar Samuel will help persuade Britain to return Parthenon marblesThe remains of medieval ruler Tsar Samuel will arrive in Bulgaria on Saturday amid great pomp and ceremony, after decades of negotiations with neighbouring Greece.The remains - discovered in a Greek border area 60 years ago - are to be flown to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, onboard a military aircraft to be received with full state honours, including a fighter jet escort, a 21-gun salute and a procession to the Church of St Sophia, where the public will be able to pay respects. Continue reading...
Authorities crack down on trade they says risks spiralling out of control - but operators say they are being targeted unfairlyOn the edge of Piazza Navona, one of the grandest squares in central Rome, Barry and Linda, visitors from Texas in the US, stepped out of a golf cart. They planned to cross the square on foot, perhaps stopping to admire Lorenzo Bernini's 17th-century Fountain of the Four Rivers, before being picked up by their driver at the opposite end.The couple had already done a walking tour on day one of their trip, and had been so exasperated by a stifling three-hour shuffle along a corridor towards the Sistine Chapel on day two that by the third day they wanted to give their tired feet a rest. Continue reading...
Western Libya's GNU say working with Saddam Haftar impossible' as US-backed merger plan breaks downAllegations that the son of the Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar oversaw a terror cell" that launched drone attacks on fuel storage facilities and power stations in western Libya have upended plans for the Tripoli-based government of national unity (GNU) to continue cooperating with Haftar on a plan to unify the country.Saddam Haftar, the deputy commander of the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), has increasingly been seen by the US as an important figure in its plans to unify Libyan security, judicial and political institutions. Continue reading...
Mayor Vitali Klitschko says Kyivans can no longer pretend it is peacetime' amid strikes on school, hospital and bridgeValeriya Tkachenko was dropping her son off at school in central Kyiv when the air raid alert sounded. Staff hurried the children and parents into the shelter, where the frightened lawyer spent the next two hours with her son.I'm scared to death all day about what could happen to my son," she said as she emerged from the shelter, already late for work. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#78T19)
Revelation comes amid mounting concern over online prediction market's effects on integrity of financial systemUK authorities are being urged to intervene after it emerged that the online prediction market Polymarket has been taking thousands of dollars worth of bets over whether HSBC and Lloyds will fail.Polymarket - the US-owned company which holds bets on anything from football matches, to the existence of aliens, to when a bomb drops on a city - has allowed users to take $77,507 (58,530) worth of positions on whether the world's biggest banks will go under by the end of this year. Continue reading...
Companies race to switch households to voice over internet protocol' services by the end of JanuaryBT has been accused of bullying" customers by temporarily cutting off their broadband to pressure them to upgrade to a digital landline, as providers race to switch households over before the January deadline.Telecoms companies have so far migrated 16-17m lines from the old copper network to digital voice over internet protocol (VoiP), which uses a broadband connection instead, in the biggest technological upgrade since the early 00s, when analogue TV was switched off. Continue reading...
by Presented by Aditya Chakrabortty, produced by Fran on (#78T0B)
Who is really in charge - the people or the markets? In the first episode of Radical Thinking, a new series from the Guardian, senior economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty speaks to the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. What was it like during the eurozone crisis when Varoufakis went head to head with those who wanted to stop his reforms?Watch Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty here. Continue reading...
Citizen environmentalists create online platform that flags spills in real time and highlights repeatedly polluted spotsThe easy thing for the people who live on the banks of the River Dart in Devon might have been to grumble and groan about the sewage spills that blight their beloved waterway.Instead, citizen environmentalists in the area have created a unique online platform that flags up spills in real time, highlights spots that are repeatedly polluted, and sets out where improvement work is planned - and where it isn't. Continue reading...
Hammersmith and Fulham says it faces biggest financial challenge in living memory' as government cuts biteA flagship Labour authority has warned it may have to impose a 150% council tax rise on residents to maintain current services following central government cuts under a new funding settlement.Hammersmith and Fulham council's cabinet has concluded in a report due to be published on Monday that such a rise would cost Band D households an additional 29.11 a week in 2027/28. Continue reading...
Pyongyang fires towards sea a day after Kim Jong-un sister denounces South Korea for claiming North's mines wounded South's soldiers in DMZNorth Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea on Saturday, South Korea and Japan said, a day after it rejected Seoul's accusation of its mines wounding soldiers.The missile was launched from the Wonsan area at about 6.30am towards the East Sea - also known as the Sea of Japan - and flew more than 700km (434 miles), the South Korean military said. Seoul and Washington were analysing the test for details, it added. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Findings will bolster those in No 10 who want to negotiate on re-entry but some senior figures remain waryAndy Burnham's personal preference to rejoin the European Union after the next election is supported by almost half of all voters, a new megapoll has found, although cabinet ministers concerned about reopening Brexit divides are privately urging him to proceed with caution.The poll by the Messina Group (TMG) found that renegotiating the UK's relationship with the EU could boost Labour's vote share by as much as seven points, if the prime minister offered a fresh referendum in which he campaigned to re-enter the bloc. Continue reading...
Climate crisis blamed as virus that originated in Africa spreads to livestock as far north as AberdeenshireBritish farmers are experiencing the worst bluetongue season on record, with the number of cases surpassing the past three years combined.The viral disease, which affects sheep and cattle among other animals, can cause fevers, ulcers, a swollen head and lameness. The tongue may go blue and even protrude from the mouth. In the most severe cases, the animal can die. Continue reading...
Fazl Mosque was used as an air raid shelter in the war - but that is not its only link to a pivotal moment in world historyExactly 100 years ago the Guardian wrote about the opening of London's first mosque, an impressive white building surrounded by immaculate flower gardens in the heart of south London suburbia.A report described the mosque, in its incongruous surroundings, as a thing of beauty". The journalists who attended the opening ceremony witnessed the mosque's large black doors being opened with a silver key. About 600 eminent guests attended the grand opening. Continue reading...
On the day Andy Burnham spoke of the wrong turn Britain took under Thatcher, football was facing a day of reckoning over its own story of corporate acquisitionIt was somehow fitting that Tuesday's damning ruling against Manchester City landed in the heart of the Labour party conference, in the afterglow of Andy Burnham's rapturously received prime minister's speech.I was there, and read the astonishing 40 pages of findings - that City created sham" contracts to boost income artificially by 900m - on my phone during a long meeting of the Socialist Campaign Group, where people were celebrating Keir Starmer's ousting and Burnham's more leftwing direction. Continue reading...
Movie about Nazi-collaborating administration strikes chord during what director calls time of great uncertainty'It is the story of how a lowly state administrator unthinkingly becomes a cog in the machine of an authoritarian regime, embracing the bureaucracy and logistics of sending people to their deaths - and it is drawing in audiences to French cinemas.The French film Notre Salut (Our Salvation), with its modern lighting, improvised scenes and anachronistic 1980s Europop soundtrack, is far from the standard historical costume drama about the second world war. Continue reading...
With 40 dead and a disaster declared across all 50 city districts, experts warn extreme flooding will only worsen across south-east AsiaBangkok is used to absorbing the sudden afternoon downpours that inundate the city during the rainy season. Even streets in many central high-rise districts can briefly turn into rivers, with rats and cockroaches racing out of sewers and taking temporary refuge on trees and buildings as the subterranean world is flushed out.But every city has a breaking point, and this year rain fell so fast and so hard that whole neighbourhoods of the Thai capital have been transformed, not into rivers, but stagnant lakes. In parts of the city, roughly 300mm of rain - the equivalent of half a year of average rainfall in London - fell in about two days. Continue reading...
Man, most likely in Iran, was in contact with men arrested on the eve of Yom Kippur, police sayTwo Iranian men have been charged in relation to an alleged terror plot targeting Manchester's Jewish community.Police say another man, most likely in Iran, was in contact with them as part of a plot to get a bomb to attack Jewish targets. Continue reading...
President leads huge rally in Rio before election on Sunday seen as most important for decadesThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has claimed he is the only thing standing in the way of far-right fascists" reclaiming power, as he led a huge rally through the streets of Rio ahead of Sunday's crunch election.Speaking on the eve of the demonstration, the 80-year-old leftwinger said he had decided to seek a historic fourth term because he believed only he could prevent the family of his rightwing rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, returning to government. Continue reading...
by Adria R Walker in Jackson, Mississippi on (#78SRM)
Dozens of residents testify to legislature's redistricting committee in heated hearing, the last of eightHundreds of people gathered across from the Mississippi state capitol building on Thursday evening to rally against the aggressive Republican efforts to draw maps that favor their own party.Shortly after the US supreme court's decision in Louisiana v Callais, which severely weakened section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Tate Reeves, the Mississippi governor, moved in lockstep with other Republican governors and lawmakers to call for a special session to redraw maps. However, before that special session could occur, Reeves canceled it and wrote on X that he expected lawmakers to redraw congressional lines BETWEEN NOW and 2027 elections!" Continue reading...
Hlei sea arch, formed 550 years ago by erosion from ocean waves, no longer standing, National Park Service confirmsA famed centuries-old sea arch on Hawaii's remote and rugged coastline has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, the National Park Service confirmed on Friday, following a stretch of rough storms in the region in recent weeks.The beloved landmark, Hlei sea arch, stood at around 90ft high for over half a millennium in Hawaii's Volcanoes national park, located on the dramatic southern coast of the Big Island. It was naturally formed around 550 years ago due to differential erosion by ocean waves. Continue reading...
Senate Leadership Fund is redirecting ad spending from Michael Whatley's campaign to support other candidatesA major Republican political action committee pulled the plug on financial support for its Senate candidate in North Carolina, Michael Whatley, according to multiple reports, as the party begins to triage resources amid increasingly dire midterm polling.The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the campaign arm of the Senate majority leader, John Thune, has withdrawn its ad spending in North Carolina to redirect support to other candidates, Semafor reported on Friday. The New York Times, CNN and other publications have confirmed the report with sources close to the fund. Continue reading...
Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, charged with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, say policeThe man accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe has been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism including against Nigel Farage.Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service on Friday with one count of preparation of terrorist acts. The charge relates to activity alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July this year, counter-terrorism police said. Continue reading...
Buckingham Palace say the king will not shy away' from Britain's role in slavery when he visits Commonwealth nations later this monthKing Charles III will acknowledge the darkest days" of colonial rule and slavery while touring Caribbean countries on a visit beginning this month, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on Friday.The king will first visit the Bahamas and Guyana alone, followed by a trip to Antigua and Barbuda with Queen Camilla, where Charles will give a speech at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government, the palace said. Continue reading...
by Joanna Partridge, Jillian Ambrose and Mark Sweney on (#78SQQ)
Leaders agree a coordinated drawdown after surge in prices and Donald Trump's threat to cut off US suppliesLeaders of G7 nations are to release up to 100m barrels of their emergency diesel and crude oil stockpiles after Donald Trump threatened to cut off supplies of US diesel.The French President, Emmanuel Macron, said ministers from some of world's largest economies had agreed to release stocks from their strategic oil reserves after crisis talks on Friday. Continue reading...
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority are now considering setting trained falcons on the urban birdsThe mass transit authorities in the greater Boston region are clawing around for ways to mitigate the excessive local pigeon population - or more graphically, pigeon poo all over stations - and have swooped on the possibility of setting trained falcons on them.The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the public system commonly known as the T", issued a request for information" (RFI) last month from falconry experts on the potential use of birds of prey, such as falcons, to control the crowds of urban birds widely considered a public nuisance. Continue reading...
Mattie Music Group, owners of Bill Withers' back catalogue, contend the Grammy winner infringed on Just the Two of UsOlivia Dean has been accused of plagiarizing the Bill Withers classic Just the Two of Us.The owners of Withers' back catalogue aimed that allegation at his fellow Grammy winner in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed on Thursday in US federal court in Los Angeles. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#78SNJ)
Five defendants accused of being part of black team' tasked with overcoming security at Israel-linked firm Elbit near BristolPalestine Action activists brandished whips, hammers and kebab skewers to intimidate security guards and keep them at bay during a break-in at an Israel-linked arms factory, a court has heard.Five defendants are accused by prosecutors of being part of a black team", wearing black jumpsuits, whose role was to overwhelm security guards, so that a red team", wearing red jumpsuits, could break into the Elbit systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, and smash up equipment including drones. Continue reading...
Guarantee will remain until 2030 but MPs will vote on changes during this parliament, government saysAndy Burnham will pass legislation to scrap the state pension triple lock in this parliament, even though the guarantee will remain until 2030, the government has said.The prime minister used his conference speech to announce a change to the policy, which guarantees that the state pension rises by the highest of 2.5%, inflation or earnings growth. Continue reading...
Opposition lawmakers join forces to defeat proposals made by Socialist-led coalition after eviction of 87-year-oldRightwing lawmakers in Spain have joined forces to reject emergency measures put forward to tackle the country's housing crisis, pitting a fractured parliament against the widespread protest movement that has swelled in recent days.As protesters outside the parliament building in Madrid held up homemade signs bearing images of vultures, the conservative People's party, the far-right Vox and the Catalan pro-independence party Junts voted against a package of decrees by Pedro Sanchez's Socialist-led coalition that included a ban on evictions until 2030 and the regulation of temporary lettings and lettings by room. Continue reading...
The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, once belonged to Conrad Hilton and was sold at foreclosure auctionTech billionaire Peter Thiel has been revealed as the new owner of a storied Bel-Air estate that quietly sold in July for a staggering $130m.The 1938 mansion, Casa Encantada, was sold at an open-air foreclosure auction in Pomona, with the name of the buyer kept under wraps for months. The winning bid is now revealed to have come from a limited liability company linked to the venture capitalist and PayPal and Palantir co-founder, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the buyer's identity. Continue reading...
by Jakub Krupa (now) and Taz Ali (earlier) on (#78SBC)
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereBack to France, midday figures quoted by Le Figaro show that 564 schools and educational establishments have been disrupted by the ongoing unrest, and some 600 people have been arrested so far today as the high school protests continue.Europe environment correspondent Continue reading...
Exclusive: Education secretary sends Ofsted back to drawing board' as teachers raise serious concerns about new systemSchool inspections in England will be overhauled for the second time in a year, after a barrage of complaints that the new system was dangerously stressful and damaging teachers' mental health.Lucy Powell, the education secretary, will tell the schools regulator Ofsted to go back to the drawing board" after becoming concerned that inspection changes overseen by her predecessor, Bridget Phillipson, were creating problems for headteachers. Continue reading...
US says ship thought to be using common dark fleet' tactics was boarded and taken to Mexico as embargo continuesThe US Coast Guard has announced that it intercepted a large cargo ship carrying fuel bound for Cuba, as the Trump administration's crippling oil embargo against the island nation continued.The vessel named Grace was stopped on 5 September in the Caribbean Sea between Cuba and Mexico while using tactics to evade authorities, the Coast Guard said. The New York Times reported that the ship was 91 metres (300ft) long. Continue reading...
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