US news | The Guardian

President says US may provide air support to Kyiv as part of security guarantees. Plus, the boy who founded his own countryGood morning.Donald Trump has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine to enforce a potential peace deal with Vladimir Putin, tempering a promise to provide Kyiv with security guarantees that European allies had called a significant breakthrough towards halting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Where do the talks stand? At the heart of Tuesday's talks among European allies was the question of what security guarantees could be offered to Ukraine. On Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy described security guarantees as a key issue, a starting point towards ending the war" and he appreciated Trump's indication that the US was ready to be part of that guarantee.Which law firm have Republicans chosen? The Mandeep Dhillon law firm filing the suit was previously owned by Harmeet Dhillon, who is now assistant attorney general overseeing the Department of Justice civil rights division. Dhillon was known for her efforts to sue California's university system to overturn policies which barred controversial conservative speakers from appearing. Continue reading...

Exclusive: largest data analysis of its kind counters Trump's aggressive efforts to deny trans minors' existenceMore than 2.8 million people now identify as transgender in the US, including an estimated 724,000 youth, according to a new data analysis that is the largest of its kind to date.Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Williams Institute used federal surveys and data from state health agencies to identify the size and demographics of the trans population in each state.1% of the total US population aged 13 and older identifies as trans, including 0.8% of adults (more than 2.1 million people) and 3.3% of youth ages 13 to 17 (roughly 724,000 people).Young adults ages 18 to 24 are significantly more likely to identify as trans (2.72%) than those 35 to 64 (0.42%) and those aged 65 and older (0.26%).Of the 2.1 million trans adults, 32.7% (698,500) are trans women, 34.2% (730,500) are trans men and 33.1% (707,100) are trans non-binary people.The trans populations are fairly consistent across regions, with 0.9% of adults in the west, midwest and north-east identifying as trans, compared with 0.7% of adults in the south.Minnesota had the highest rate of adults who identify as trans (1.2%), and Hawaii had the highest rate of trans youth (3.6%), though the ranges were similar across states. Continue reading...

The US president's eldest daughter has kept a low profile in his second term, so far. But a UFC match on the White House lawn could change everythingYou know what the US needs right now? Forget universal health care, better infrastructure, or an empathetic and mentally competent president - it needs a big, beautiful cage fight, baby. And because, to quote Maga merchandise, Jesus is our savior and Trump is our president, we're almost certainly getting one. As you may have heard, Trump is intent on staging an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match on the White House lawn next year to celebrate 250 years of American independence. After all, nothing says independence" like two half-naked men grappling in a cage.While Trump being crass and shattering norms is par for the course, there is one surprising element to the proposed testosterone-fest: Ivanka is apparently involved. The president's eldest daughter, and her partner in crime Jared Kushner, had their fingers in all sorts of official pies during Trump's first term. This time around, however, there has been some meddling behind the scenes (Jared was reportedly behind Trump's Gaza takeover plan) but Javanka have kept a deliberately low profile. Now it seems that Ivanka is stepping back in the ring. Continue reading...

The rise of the NWSL's Spirit and fall of MLS's United are emblematic of the two ownership groups' commitment to fans and the culture of a unique cityEven by the city's own high standards, things have been strange in Washington DC lately.On U street Friday night, the usual throngs of drunken party goers were decidedly smaller. Lines outside clubs and bars were nonexistent. The week prior, residents of the District watched as the reality of US president Donald Trump's crackdown" unfolded in front of them. Police set up checkpoints in some of their city's immigrant strongholds and approached other people at random. The mere presence of the military on the streets of the US capital has been an uneasy sight for many longtime Washingtonians, who already lack voting representation in Congress and are so frequently at the mercy and whim of the federal government. Continue reading...

The run up to the regular season is mostly noise as teams hold back starters. But there are a few patterns emerging that could be significant in 2025Most of the preseason is noise. Starters sit. Teams don't game plan. Coaches roll out bland schemes, evaluating their own roster rather than attacking the opposition. But there are always some threads that have a real, actual bearing on the regular season. Here are five storylines that look like they will matter in 2025. Continue reading...

The US president may be helping Putin to destroy the west, but his vanity is causing Europeans to speak with one voice on UkraineSeven is a biblical number, a number dear to ancient Rome, and the number of Cristiano Ronaldo's lucky jersey. Perhaps it is also now going to be the answer to Henry Kissinger's (probably apocryphal) question: what number do I call when I want to talk to Europe? Maybe the answer is seven, like the number of leaders sitting at the table in Washington on Monday alongside Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.It's difficult to say at this stage whether anything good will come from the impromptu White House summit, but European leaders showing up as a group in support of Ukraine was a first. This seven-member format - Nato, the European Commission, France, Germany, the UK, Italy and Finland - truly spoke with one voice. They did so on a crisis, Ukraine, over which they have sometimes been bitterly divided throughout the past three and a half years (remember Emmanuel Macron's early concern not to humiliate" Vladimir Putin?). Yet Ukraine is also the dossier over which European leaders have converged and yielded the greatest impact during the same timeframe: from the 18 sanctions packages the EU has imposed on Russia and the opening of EU accession negotiations for Ukraine, to the supply of weapons to Kyiv.Fabrizio Tassinari is executive director of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute in Florence Continue reading...

Measures meant to rebalance America's economy are wielded instead against the likes of Canada, India and Brazil to compel loyalty to the president'On the campaign trail, Donald Trump pledged to use tariffs to revitalise American industry, bringing jobs home and helping to make America great again. But more than six months into his administration, experts say the president's trade war is increasingly being wielded as a political cudgel, in lieu of more traditional forms of diplomacy.The president's current target, India, has been unable to reach a trade agreement, and Trump appears ready to follow through with his threat to impose a further 25% tariff on Delhi - bringing the total to 50% - the joint highest levy on any country, along with Brazil. Continue reading...

Lawmakers refuse to vacate house chamber to protest surveillance after they left state over GOP attempt to redraw mapsTexas Democrats are tearing up permission slips" they signed in order to leave the chamber, joining state representative Nicole Collier ahead of Wednesday's vote on the controversial Texas congressional redistricting maps.The slips are part of new surveillance protocols set by Texas Republicans in the house chamber, stating that Democrats would be granted written permission to leave only after agreeing to be released into the custody of a designated [Texas department of public safety] officer" who would ensure their return to the chamber. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. Read our latest hereThe Republican governors of Louisiana and Tennessee will send hundreds of their national guard troops to assist federal law enforcement in DC -to help assist the president's crime crackdown".They join Mississippi, Ohio, West Virginia and South Carolina -who have all sent national guard troops to DC. Continue reading...

People attend rally for Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, 18, arrested in Van Nuys in what family call kidnappingA southern California community is calling for the release of a high school student whom US immigration agents arrested earlier this month while he was walking his dog.Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz was supposed to be starting his senior year of high school at Reseda charter high school this month. But just days after his 18th birthday, masked Ice agents detained him as he walking his dog in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Van Nuys in what his family described as a kidnapping. Continue reading...

Officials who worked on assessment that Russia interfered in 2016 election stripped of clearance; teen detained by Ice walking dog. Key US politics stories from Tuesday 19 August at a glanceNational intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard said on Tuesday that she had stripped security clearances from 37 current and former national security officials, including some who worked on the intelligence community's assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.In a memo posted on X, Gabbard accused the targeted individuals of having engaged in politicizing and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorization, and/or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standards". Continue reading...

US energy secretary said energy prices could hurt GOP in midterms, but blamed Democrats for price increases

Iga Swiatek/Casper Ruud, Jessica Pegula/Jack Draper, Sara Errani/Andrea Vavassori and Danielle Collins/Christian Harrison reached the last fourThe last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will be best of three sets, but first to four games not six. If a game goes to deuce, the winners of the next point take it - there's no advantage. If a match is level at a set apiece, a 10-point match tiebreak will settle it.Breaking: Danielle Collins and Christian Harris replace Sinner/Siniakova. Continue reading...

Michelle Wu replies to attorney general's letter threatening prosecution for undermining' immigration enforcementBoston's mayor Michelle Wu has hit back sharply at the Trump administration's legal threats over sanctuary city immigration policies, declaring that Boston will not back down".Wu told a news conference outside Boston's city hall on Tuesday: The US attorney general asked for a response by today, so here it is: stop attacking our cities to hide your administration's failures. Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law. And Boston will not back down from who we are and what we stand for." Continue reading...

GOP lawmakers say the move to counter Texas maps bypasses voters and violates rules on how legislation must be introduced

Crews are working to douse blaze on the 325-ft Doerner fir, one of the tallest non-redwood trees in the worldOregon firefighters are working to save one of the tallest non-redwood trees in the world after it caught fire last week.The coastal Douglas fir, believed to be about 450 years old and which stands 325 ft tall, was still burning east of Coquille on Tuesday, according to Megan Harper, public affairs specialist at the Bureau of Land Management. The Coos Forest Protective Association, a non-profit that provides wildland fire protection for several counties in Oregon, had received a call about the fire on Saturday. Continue reading...

Starry pairings enjoy magic moments but mixed fortunes while specialists retain pride in reimagined' doublesAfter many long months of discussion and anticipation, the doubles partnership between Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz came and went in the blink of an eye in front of a wellpopulated Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. Despite ample smiles and enjoyment on the court, they were bulldozed in a battle of British No 1s by a sharp Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula, who reached the quarter-finals of the revamped mixeddoubles competition with a 4-2, 4-2 win.In a draw filled with unusual partnerships, the first bracket of the mixed doubles draw was particularly striking. Draper and Raducanu are childhood friends and they have known each other since the days when they were rising up the national rankings in Britain while dreaming of becoming professional players. When the USOpen announced its reimagined" mixeddoubles competition in February, a partnership between them seemed like the most logical option. Instead, they found themselves against each other in the biggest tennis stadium in the world. Continue reading...

Move comes after Donald Trump posted on social media about US capital's fake crime numbers'Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Washington DC police systematically manipulated crime statistics to make the city appear safer than it actually is.The probe, anonymous sources tell the Washington Post, NBC News and Fox News, being conducted by the US attorney's office for the District of Columbia under Jeanine Pirro, is the latest escalation between the Trump administration and DC officials over federal control of local policing. Continue reading...

Trump administration to vet social media for hostility' and whether applicants promote anti-Semitic ideologies'The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it will look for anti-American" views, including on social media, when assessing the applications of people wanting to live in the United States.In an announcement, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which handles requests to stay in the United States or become a citizen, said it would expand vetting of the social media postings of applicants and that reviews for anti-American activity will be added to that vetting". Continue reading...

After a season of close calls the world No 10 has a chance to turn his drought into a career defining momentThe widespread euphoria that surrounded Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph served as the finest example of a moment when golf observers want a player to win. This, after all, is supposed to be a non-tribal environment aside from the weekend every two years when Europe face USA and people on either side of the ropes take leave of their senses.Golf's next pursuit of the holy grail belongs to Tommy Fleetwood. Defeat from positions of strength at the Travelers and St Jude championships threw up an unwanted statistic. In 163 PGA Tour starts, Fleetwood is yet to emerge victorious. As striking as that raw number - Fleetwood's talent is such that one assumes he should have claimed a batch of trophies in the US - is the fact people are willing him to end his drought. Fleetwood is relatable, likable, popular. He also has no objection to the discussion presently whirling around him. Continue reading...

Sheraton in Louisiana held father and teenage son this month in apparent contradiction of former positionA Sheraton hotel in Louisiana has been used by immigration officials to hold people who are being deported, in what appears to be a contradiction of a position Sheraton's parent company, Marriott, took in 2019 when it said its properties would not be used in cooperation with Ice.The Intercept first reported that the hotel, located on MacArthur Drive in Alexandria, Louisiana, near a major deportation hub and airport used by Ice, had been used by immigration officials earlier this month to hold a father and his teenage son for four days after their arrest in New York. They were then deported to Ecuador. The Intercept cited phone-tracking evidence that had been shared with the publication and was later seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Storm running parallel to east coast is expected to expand in size and generate hazardous rip currents in coming daysHurricane Erin remained far out at sea on Tuesday, yet it was still producing huge swells, with waves towering 20ft (6 meters) or more and crashing across sand dunes along North Carolina's barrier islands.The storm was tracking northward, running roughly parallel to the east coast, according to the US's National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami. Though not projected to strike the mainland, Erin is expected to expand in size and generate hazardous rip currents in the upcoming days. Continue reading...

Police say Tom Artiom Alexandrovich brought condom and thought he was meeting teenager for sexual contact'An Israeli government official charged with soliciting a minor believed he was meeting a 15-year-old girl for sexual contact", according to police - and brought a condom to the planned rendezvous in Las Vegas.Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, a division head at the Israel National Cyber Directorate, was arrested in a police sting operation aimed at online users seeking to sexually prey on children. The Las Vegas outlet 8NewsNow reported that Alexandrovich chatted with an officer posing as a teenager online before being arrested. Continue reading...

The recent summit meeting in Alaska between Trump and Putin was nothing short of a theater of the absurd

Trump administration looking to convert funding from Chips Act into equity in the semiconductor manufacturerThe US government is pursuing a stake in Intel, the US commerce secretary said on Tuesday, confirming reports of discussions between officials and the company that have circulated for the better part of a week.The Trump administration wants to convert funding from the Chips and Science Act, which funds research and manufacturing of semiconductor chips in the US, into equity in the struggling tech company, according to Howard Lutnick. Continue reading...

Many federal agents have been seen standing around in tourist areas, with few spotted addressing violent crime

US House minority leader outlines his concerns on the Bulwark Podcast about homeland security secretaryThe US House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, is making the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, and her aggressive immigration enforcement tactics squarely in Democrats' crosshairs for congressional investigation if they flip the House in the midterms.Speaking on the Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller recently, Jeffries said Noem would be one of the first people hauled up to Congress shortly after the gavels change hands" to answer for what he called the Department of Homeland Security's troubling conduct. Continue reading...

Ken White said his son Patrick, who killed a police officer at CDC HQ in Atlanta, had untreated mental illnessThe father of the man who opened fire outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta earlier in August has said that his son was grappling with untreated mental health issues when misinformation convinced him that the Covid-19 vaccine was lethally sickening him.I know my son wanted to make this about the jab', and that was his latest cause, but this is more about mental health than anything," Ken White said in a new interview with Atlanta News First. Continue reading...

Bryan Kohberger's behavior alarmed fellow grad students and faculty months before the 2022 Idaho murdersBryan Kohberger developed a reputation for being sexist and creepy while attending a criminal justice program in the months before he killed four University of Idaho students in 2022, fellow grad students told investigators.His behavior was so problematic that one Washington State University faculty member told co-workers that if he ever became a professor, he would likely stalk or sexually abuse his future students, according to the documents. She urged her co-workers to cut Kohberger's funding to remove him from the program. Continue reading...

The Republican party has already shown that its commitment to democratic elections is paper thinIf one mark of an autocratic regime is the meaningfulness of elections, you can make an argument that the United States has been backsliding away from a properly democratic form of government for a long time. In 2013's Shelby county decision, the US supreme court gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act, clearing the way for states to impose a slew of restrictions on the franchise that were previously banned as part of an effort to prevent the re-establishment of Jim Crow; voting quickly became more burdensome and onerous in many Republican-controlled states.Three years before, in Citizens United, the same court declared that corporate money counted as political speech, thereby opening the floodgates on money in politics in ways that allowed the rich to distort public discourses ahead of elections. Donald Trump memorably tried to interfere with the 2020 census so that it would count as few of those who were disinclined to support him as possible, hoping to create a skewed vision of America in the data that the government uses to apportion public resources and congressional representation alike. The result is a clear picture of the Republican party's approach to elections: that so long as they create a positive outcome for their candidates, they need not be strictly speaking fair, free or meaningful representations of the people's will.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Nato's Trump-whispering has been vital for Ukraine - but the White House and the Kremlin have their own special channelA hungry pigeon given food at frequent but irregular intervals will develop weird rituals - tics, dances, erratic head jerks - in the hope of summoning another morsel. BF Skinner, the psychologist who first demonstrated this effect in 1947, described the birds adopting a sort of superstition ... as if there were a causal relation between its behaviour and the presentation of food, although such a relation is lacking".It would be unkind to compare that bird-brained affliction to the behaviour of European leaders trying to make sense of Donald Trump's erratic distribution of favours. Their diplomatic manoeuvres are more rational. And they get results. But there is also an element of superstition. Visiting politicians make lavish gestures, strike unusual poses, cultivate White House contacts, looking for the sequence of steps that will unlock a steady supply of American amity. The causal relation is not lacking, but it is unreliable. Continue reading...

Civil rights lawyers say immigrants at the Everglades site lack confidential access to counsel as judge moves caseA federal judge in Miami issued a split decision in a lawsuit over the legal rights of detainees at the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz", dismissing part of the suit and also moving the case to a different jurisdiction.US district judge Rodolfo Ruiz issued the decision late on Monday, writing in a 47-page ruling that claims the detainees at the facility do not have confidential access to their lawyers or to hearings in immigration court were rendered moot when the Trump administration recently designated the Krome North processing center near Miami as a site for their cases to be heard. Continue reading...

Spaces and Regus owner says global volatility will support demand for its hybrid workspaces

Eric Lendrum, of Department of Homeland Security, likened US conservatives to Jews in Nazi Germany

Jon Luke Evans had been employed by local police after federal database confirmed his eligibility to work

European leaders urge US security guarantees, but Moscow is yet to confirm meeting. Plus, Eva Victory on Sorry, Baby

From RFK Jr's beef tallow endorsement to Bannon's roasted marrow order, Trump officials are promoting cattle maniaThe US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy, claims that beef tallow is a healthier alternative to seed oils (even though the American Heart Association disagrees). Raw milk advocates are currently criticizing Kennedy, who has supported them in the past, to ease restrictions on the sale of their preferred dairy product nationwide. Meanwhile, cows have also infiltrated the ever trendy skincare market, with beef tallow present in moisturizers, lip balm, deodorant and personal lubricant.Though not every beef tallow evangelist or raw milk aficionado might consider themselves Republican, cows' connection to RFK's health" crusade is unavoidable. It appears that cows have won the position of Maga's favorite animal. Continue reading...

India Walton, who defeated incumbent mayor only to lose general election, says moderating is what got us here'India Walton has a warning message for progressive Democrats during Donald Trump's second presidency: don't water down your politics to win over the establishment.The Democratic socialist who stunned the Democratic establishment by defeating a four-term incumbent mayor in Buffalo, New York's 2021 primary believes moderating her leftwing message cost her the general election. It's a lesson that carries new weight now that Zohran Mamdani secured his own victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary earlier in the summer and inspired thousands of other progressive candidates to also run for office. Continue reading...

Borrowers say higher repayments under changed Save plan means placing life on hold and creating further anxietyWhen Faith, a 33-year-old in Burlington, North Carolina, went back to get her master's degree in higher education administration in 2020-21, she hoped it would accelerate her career growth and maybe even help her get on the housing ladder.Now, Faith has federal student loan debts of $38,113, and a repayment schedule that is much more demanding than she realized so she feels like the program stalled her progress. Continue reading...

Sport has long been used to police what it means to be a man. But inclusivity on the sidelines reflects the game's true power: bringing people togetherOf all the existential threats facing professional football - concussions that erode the minds of players, scandals that rot institutions from within, dwindling youth interest in a sport built on collision and control - who could've predicted that what would truly rattle some fans was the sight of two men dancing on the sideline?Earlier this month, the Minnesota Vikings unveiled their newly minted 35-member cheerleading squad with a bold promotional video captioned, The next generation of cheer has arrived!" It wasn't just the choreography that caught attention, but the fact that two male performers, Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn, were part of the group. Continue reading...

Donald Jamesbrown Henry and Shawn Popp got into a fight over Trump going bankrupt' when the latter was attackedA Florida man who fatally stabbed a friend during an argument in 2022 over Donald Trump's businesses having gone bankrupt, is facing possibly spending the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of murder.Donald Jamesbrown Henry, 38, awaits a sentencing hearing tentatively scheduled for October after jurors found him guilty Friday of second-degree murder in the killing of Shawn Popp, whose death came to be regarded by some as an example of the havoc that politics can wreak on interpersonal relationships in the US. Continue reading...

First I had anorexia, then high cholesterol. It's hard to maintain a healthy relationship to food in a society obsessed with weight lossWhen I was a teenager suffering from anorexia, I thought it was a life sentence. I genuinely believed slogans like every woman has an eating disorder" and couldn't imagine a future where calories didn't make me sweat. With this in mind, you must understand that I'm boasting when I write this next sentence: in November 2024, I was diagnosed with very high" cholesterol.After years of restriction, I spent my 20s unable to understand why every meal shouldn't be the maximum amount of delicious. This means that last year, I was regularly melting a packet of white chocolate buttons on my morning porridge before heading out for a white chocolate matcha with cream, followed by a cheese and egg sandwich in a brioche bun, a slice of cake, fried chicken and chips, to say nothing of the bread and butter before dinner and dessert. In short, I was smashing through my recommended daily allowance of saturated fat and loving every second of it. Treats", to my mind, are not something that have to be earned.Amelia Tait is a freelance features writerIn the UK, Beat can be contacted on 0808-801-0677. In the US, help is available at nationaleatingdisorders.org or by calling ANAD's eating disorders hotline at 800-375-7767. In Australia, the Butterfly Foundation is at 1800 33 4673. Other international helplines can be found at Eating Disorder HopeDo 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...

One of the great mismatches ended in controversy after just 89 seconds but did show what people will pay to seeIn Las Vegas, 30 years ago, prisoner 922335, not long released from the Indiana Youth Center, boxed an unknown club fighter in a bout that shattered pay-per-view records. Mike Tyson v Peter McNeeley may be, in a competitive field, the most audaciously staged mismatch in boxing history. Its global success, despite only 89 seconds of action and a farcical ending, set the tone for the sport's development in the modern era.Promoted simply as He's Back", the contest was Tyson's return after a three-year imprisonment for rape, but the former undisputed heavyweight champion's popularity seemed to have increased. Among those ringside at a sold-out MGM Grand sat Madonna, Nicolas Cage, Jerry Seinfeld, Denzel Washington, Jim Carrey, Pamela Anderson, Eddie Murphy and an alarmingly human-coloured Donald Trump. All in attendance to see something akin to a ritual sacrifice. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: The Ukrainian president and fellow continental leaders descended on the White House to squeeze support from the US - did they get it?Good morning. Last night, Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House flanked by a dream team of hastily assembled European heavyweights. Their aim: to coax Donald Trump out of pro-Russian positions he adopted after his Alaska meeting with Vladimir Putin last Friday.The meeting was a sign of both panic and resolve from Europe. The fact Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and more cleared their diaries at such short notice to fly to Washington is an indication of how alarmed they are by Trump's desire to move straight to a peace deal without a ceasefire - and his insistence that Zelenskyy give up Ukrainian territory.Tax | Rachel Reeves is considering replacing stamp duty with a new property tax that would apply to the sale of homes worth more than 500,000, the Guardian has been told.UK news | Exposure to pornography has increased since the introduction of UK rules to protect the public online, with children as young as six seeing it by accident, research by the children's commissioner for England has found.Conservatives | Leaked WhatsApp messages show Conservative MPs are worried that their party's piss-poor" messaging over asylum-seeker hotels is making the party look silly. It follows the release of an advert by Conservative campaign headquarters last week, making claims that have since been challenged as exaggerations, such as that asylum seekers receive free driving lessons and free PlayStation consoles.Bolivia | Bolivia's presidential election will go to a runoff, with two rightwing candidates seemingly the top runners. It's an unprecedented scenario after nearly two decades of leftist rule by the Movimiento al Socialismo (Mas).Environment | Relentless heat and disastrous wildfires continue to ravage southern Europe, with one-quarter of weather stations in Spain recording 40C temperatures and above, the latest in a series of disasters exacerbated by climate breakdown amid a continental rollback of green policies. Continue reading...

Europe frames the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis rather than a deliberate political choice. There will be a moral reckoningThe president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and her team face growing criticism of the controversial EU-US tariff deal agreed in July. I am hoping for similar calls for accountability over the EU's complicity in Israel's unfolding genocide in Gaza. Such a reckoning is long overdue.I have watched in despair for almost two years as European governments have done little or nothing while Israel has devastated Gaza through bombings, targeted strikes and forced starvation after the 7 October attack by Hamas. There are so many sanctions at the EU's disposal which they are still refusing to deploy; so many levers they are refusing to pull. The bloc is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting for 32% of Israel's total trade in 2024. Yet at every meeting, EU leaders and foreign ministers have failed to secure the majority needed to suspend the EU-Israel association agreement. This despite pressure from Spain, Ireland and Slovenia, and despite the fact the EU's own human rights experts have indicated that Israel is in breach of the accord's human rights obligations.Shada Islam is a Brussels-based commentator on EU affairs. She runs New Horizons Project, a strategy, analysis and advisory companyDo 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...

This blog is now closed. Read our latest hereAn aid group that coordinates medical care in the United States for badly injured children from Gaza has said it is distressed" by the US state department's decision to stop issuing visitor visas for Palestinians after a far-right influencer complained directly to the secretary of state about their work.Laura Loomer, who has previously described herself as a proud Islamophobe", told the New York Times that she had spoken to Marco Rubio on Friday night to warn the secretary of state of what she called the threat posed by Islamic invaders". Continue reading...

Donald Trump has ruled out a ceasefire in Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European allies visited the White House. The US president said he had called Putin and begun arrangements for a meeting between the Russian president and Ukrainian leader, saying, 'all of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire ... as of this moment it's not happening'. However, the leaders of France and Germany refused to accept defeat on the issue. Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, insisted that 'we would all like to see a ceasefire' and he could not imagine the next meeting taking place without one. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, also backed the idea of a 'truce' as a 'necessity'.

Moscow has yet to confirm meeting after day of intense diplomacy at White House with European leaders